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Bizarre WWI artillery fuse


nreed_94
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I stumbled across this listing for pretty cheap on the bay, and it piqued my interest. Its a WWI artillery round that comes with a 75mm shell. I think the round is actually a British 18 pounder, because in the photos it doesnt look like it fits into the shell. Most likely a little bigger.

 

Anyways, the shell it topped with a weird looking M1907 Scoville fuse. Instead of having the usual rounded fuse tip, theres a threaded portion. Does anybody know why this is? What would have been threaded onto the end of this fuse?

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Heres the entire round. Looks like the round is bigger than the casing, as the rotating band isnt sitting flush with the lip of the shell casing. Everything looks to be in really nice condition, especially for a round that was fired.

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A lamp is a good theory, I’ll ask the seller if there’s a hole in the bottom. I ended up snagging it for $150, not bad given how nice the shell is. At the very least I could slap another fuse on it and turn it into a nice display piece

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Update: theres a hole in the side visible in this photo. I think you guys were right about the lamp. Im going to see if I can find another M1907 Scovill fuse to replace this one. That might take some time since theyve been tricky to come by lately. After that, I think this will make a very nice piece to put next to my other rounds. The shell of this one is in incredible shape, with the milling lines and all stamps visible. Not like the relics that you typically see floating around. Plus it came with a nice shell to complete the display

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I'm going with the lamp idea. It looks though, that the lamp would just have consisted of the shell/projectile and not the shell and case. If it was the shell and case the hole would have been blocked. Maybe that's what everyone was thinking anyway and I'm a bit slow on the uptake.

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I agree, I think it was just the round that was the lamp. I will replace the fuse and fit the round inside the shell casing. Nobody will suspect a thing ?

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I agree, I think it was just the round that was the lamp. I will replace the fuse and fit the round inside the shell casing. Nobody will suspect a thing ?

You risk messing up a 75mm case if you jam a 3 in. into it. Research WW1 SQ fuzes, there were about 20-30 styles.

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By super quick, do you mean a fuse that can operate both as a time fuse and a point detonating fuse? I remember hearing about that in school, but our fuses today are different and I haven’t come across one like this before. What indications are there that it’s a 3 inch shell? That might explain why it is a little too large for that shell casing

 

Still new to these WWI rounds. This one will look nice to that 18 pounder that I also just picked up

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The pictures show the brass case is a 75mm American made case. Now why does the projectile not fit into the case? Could it be rust build up? Or is it a 3inch projectile? Maybe rust build up as 3inch shells usually have a crimping groove below the driving band where the 75mm does not. I can not see if in your picture if it has a crimping groove. As for the fuze, the shape is consistent with early SQ fuzes, however, I can find no exact references.

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I saw some other references of US made 75mm rounds, and they look identical to this round. It could just be build up. It looks like some white paint was spilled on this one at some point. Ill try to remove that when I get the round and see if it helps

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I found another round online that looks identical to mine (minus the fuse tip). It fits into a 75mm shell casing. The round also has the same case shape and maker stamps as mine (7898, followed by a circle and a lot number). It also has the same style rotating band. I noticed that the French made 75mm rounds have a slightly different band. I havent been able to find any 3 inch shells that look like mine. As I understand it, the three inch round was an older model, and a lot of them had integrated fuses in the top of the round. Since my round is fitted with a M1907 fuse, Im leaning towards it being a 75mm

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The 3" was in use by the US through the 1920's. The only difference in the WW1 3" shrapnel and 75mm shrapnel is the 3" has a crimping ring. The only reason I bring up the 3" is it is 76.2mm in base diameter thus a possible reason it will not fit into the case ( or rust). If yours does not have a crimping ring it is a common 75mm.

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Internet searching is hit or miss, best to research original ordnance manuals. Here is the US 3" shrapnel, identical to the US 75mm shrapnel. The drawing does not clearly show the crimping ring, but that is the only difference in the two shrapnel shells ( besides the case size and diameter).

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Ok got it. The round I purchased does not have those rings. I’ve noticed that these rings are mostly on French made rounds and earlier US rounds. I wonder what their intended purpose is

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