German? Shell Case

Chukpike said:
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"

View attachment 509

View attachment 510

click on photo to see larger view
Click to expand...

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.

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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.




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