Any one know what gun this might have been fired from?

Stamped on bottom:
PATRONENABRIK
KARLSRUHE
JUNI 1918
Sp 255 with what looks like a small script b.

Weight 7lbs
Length 22 1/4"

Attachment 509

Attachment 510

click on photo to see larger view

Originally Posted by Chukpike

Any one know what gun this might have been fired from?

Stamped on bottom:
PATRONENABRIK
KARLSRUHE
JUNI 1918
Sp 255 with what looks like a small script b.

Weight 7lbs
Length 22 1/4"

Attachment 509

Attachment 510

click on photo to see larger view

Ok best I can give you at this point is that it is a German WW1 shell case made by Spandau, Karlsruhe. The Sp 255 is the Spandau Inspection Mark.

Now for the guess part, the thing you think is a "b" is there any chance that it could be a "%" to identify shells many had there %Cu (Copper) stamped on them and the 96 at the top I suspect is the batch number.

MontyB,

If you click on the photo of the base of the shell I believe that you can see the script b just below the Sp 255. One other measurement is the diameter of the shell at the opening. While it is slightly out of round it measures about 3 1/2" at the largest. I think this dimension might actually be 88mm or close to 3 3/8". I think 1mm= 0.0376". So ID would be 0.0376X88=3.3088". If I could find my calipers I could be alot more accurate.

The weight of this shell (7lbs) seems light compared to a 3" Mk7 50 CAL shell (15lbs) I have. The base of the 3" making most of the difference. They are both very close to the same height.

Attachment 513

My guess is that if your measurements are correct it is a shell for the 9cm C73/1873 Feldkanone.

As I understand it the bulk of German artillery during WW1 were 7.7cm, 10.5cm or 15cm guns however just after the Franco-Prussian war of 1870-73 they did produce a 9cm (Actual 8.8cm) piece known as the 9cm C73/1873 Feldkanone (there were also updated models designated as the C73/1879, C73/1888 and C73/1891) which saw service through to the end of WW1 with the German Artillery.

However that being said we do have a lot of artillery personnel on these boards I am sure one of them will know a lot more than I do on this issue.

PS. If there is a %Cu or a % anything somewhere on the shell it can be used to determine the purpose of the shell itself.