Are these heavy bullet looking things rounds that were chromed?

[paulb104]

Hi folks!

 

I'm trying to id three items for a friend of my wife's. (I'm the guy that people bring the weird stuff to).

 

She has what looks like three large rounds, two smaller and one much larger, but they're shiny like chrome. She says the big one weighs about ten pounds. All three have a hole in the bottom/back/flat side. The only identifying marks is larger one, with the numbers 75 and 2. I'm thinking they're chromed because on the bottom of one of the small ones it looks like a piece is missing.

 

She said that when she tapped them together they sounded like steel.

 

It's been a long time since I couldn't id something! :D

 

Thanks so much!

[opus5150]

I would say the larger shell is a 57mm M70 round, missing its copper driving band.  The smaller shells appear to 37mm M74 rounds, also missing their copper driving bands.  Probably chromed for a display "trench art" piece like a lamp or inkwell at some point.

[opus5150]

I forgot to mention, the holes in the bottom contained a tracer element so the fired round could be tracked to the target visually.   These are solid steel anti-armor rounds, so the only damage they can do now is if they are dropped on your foot!

[paulb104]

1 hour ago, opus5150 said:

I would say the larger shell is a 57mm M70 round, missing its copper driving band.  The smaller shells appear to 37mm M74 rounds, also missing their copper driving bands.  Probably chromed for a display "trench art" piece like a lamp or inkwell at some point.

 

Awesome, thanks! Perfect! I found others online that seems to corroborate the M74. I'm not certain about the M74, her's look longer than the ones I found, but that's well more than enough for her to go from!!!!

[917601]

Not much demand for them missing the driving bands. The chrome plating will however make them good boat anchors.

[paulb104]

45 minutes ago, 917601 said:

Not much demand for them missing the driving bands. The chrome plating will however make them good boat anchors.

 

That depends on your audience. If it's a true military enthusiast, you're probably correct as they're the only ones who would know that there was supposed to be a driving band there to have been missing. However, if placed in an antique mall, where people from all walks of life shop, I'd wager the interest levels are quite different.

[illinigander]

Chrome plateing of projectiles  was also used by various manufacturing folk to pass out to important guests.

illinigander

[917601]

49 minutes ago, illinigander said:

Chrome plateing of projectiles  was also used by various manufacturing folk to pass out to important guests.

illinigander

True, but none were defaced by tearing off the driving bands. As these examples have chrome where the driving bands used to be, I suspect ( as a long time collector) these have been done by bubba from junk yard finds. The copper driving bands were impressed with lot number, model number, and date. During WW2, scores of projectiles had their copper driving bands chiseled off for the copper drives, and the steel slug left was also sent to the recycling yards. If for a trench art piece, a really amateur attempt as they would not be able to be placed in their respective cases.