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Unknown projectile


hink441
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I recently found this neat display. I don't know if it is an award or something else. It has the DIs for the 4th Infantry Division and the 77th Armor Regiment.

 

I do not know what the projectile is from. It has been chromed and buffed. I can see no marks. The size is roughly 2-3/8" in diameter and 9" tall.

 

I hope someone can ID the projectile. Thanks for looking.

 

post-10825-0-35314500-1509066324_thumb.jpeg

 

post-10825-0-17617800-1509066346_thumb.jpeg

 

post-10825-0-53729200-1509066379_thumb.jpeg

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Since the Armor symbolism's there, and the DIs, 1st Battalion, 77th Armor. 4th Infantry Division (21 March 1973 to 15 December 1989) then a 105mm Tank right shell right?

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US Military Guy

Since the Armor symbolism's there, and the DIs, 1st Battalion, 77th Armor. 4th Infantry Division (21 March 1973 to 15 December 1989) then a 105mm Tank right shell right?

 

105 mm equals 4.133846 inches.

 

2.375" (2 3/8") equals 60.325 mm.

 

To my knowledge and reference there is no US 60mm artillery or tank ammunition.

 

There is a 60mm mortar round. This is definitely NOT a mortar round.

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105 mm equals 4.133846 inches.

 

2.375" (2 3/8") equals 60.325 mm.

 

To my knowledge and reference there is no US 60mm artillery or tank ammunition.

 

There is a 60mm mortar round. This is definitely NOT a mortar round.

Thank's Guy, hmm wonder what it is?

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I think this could be a sabot round projectile minus the actual sabot.

 

Here is a cutaway view of a sabot round with the projectile inside the sabot.

 

post-10825-0-60166700-1509069074.jpeg

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I removed the projectile from the wood base and the base looks just like the projectile in the cutaway picture. Here are some pics.

 

I believe this is a 105mm armor piercing discarding sabot practice round projectile.

 

post-10825-0-31310700-1509070411_thumb.jpeg

 

post-10825-0-37454300-1509070451_thumb.jpeg

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US Military Guy

I think this could be a sabot round projectile minus the actual sabot.

 

Here is a cutaway view of a sabot round with the projectile inside the sabot.

 

attachicon.gifimage.jpeg

 

Dare I say it?

 

Good Shot!

 

Any idea what that sabot is?

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Its definitely not a projectile as it stands, as there is no driving band to engage the rifling of a barrel, this is smooth the whole length with no driving band at all...

 

So I am going with your assessment as a penetrator for some sort of APDS projectile....

 

ETA The cut away projectile appears to be an M392 APDS-T, and looking at the cutaway drawing in TM 43-0001-28, that is certainly what the penetrator is for.

 

Note that this is strictly APDS, that is Armor Piercing Discarding Sabot, and not an APFSDS, or APCSDS, which are fin and cone stabilized respectively....

 

The spin imparted by rifling seriously degrades the effectiveness of HEAT rounds, one of the reasons the 120mm gun is a smoothbore, non rotating projectiles are much better for tanks, so everything pretty much is now fin stabilized, and to a lesser extent, cone stabilized, as they are not spun stabilized...

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Also, that cut away could be the M737 TPDS-T, which was the Target/Practice version, can't tell whether it is blue or black in color...

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Pzjgr, Thank you for the great info!

 

I believe I have ID'd this sub-projectile.

 

I think it is the sub-projectile for the M-724 Target practice discarding sabot (TPDS) round. Here is a cutaway view that shows the projectile more clearly. This cutaway one looks identical to the projectile on the display stand that I found.

 

Here is a picture of the M-724 TPDS

 

post-10825-0-91211700-1509117483.jpeg

 

post-10825-0-11596800-1509117494_thumb.jpeg

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There was a whole series of cartridges for the 105mm M68 gun that used a similar projectile...

 

There were the M728 and M392 APDS-T "War Shot" rounds which were actual combat rounds, and the M724 and M737 TPDS-T rounds, which were target/practice...generally they all looked the same as far as shape, both the complete projectile and the penetrators.

 

There were usually some pretty small differences, say for example, the M724...The M724 us actually a UK produced cartridge, substituting a US M80A1 bridge-wire primer for the UK L1A4 conductive cap primer, while the M724A1 was a US produced cartridge...

 

The designation, M724 again for example, refers to the entire cartridge, not just the projectile...so technically, the actual projectile in the M724, and M737 were probably pretty close to identical...its all very complicated, but suffice it to say, it is a tungsten alloy penetrator for the US M68 tank gun....

 

And in any case, its a damned cool display!

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