grymster2007
New member
Your niece took some nice photos!
Unknown 20mm Cannon shell
- Thread starter FlexiBull
- Start date
Mike Irwin
Staff
OK, yes, the nick in the liner could easily be from the primer being dug out. I never even thought of that.
NC Tube very likely means nitrocellulose tube (shaped) powder.
No American ammunition was ever loaded with cordite. That was a British thing, developed there and used almost exclusively in the Empire.
In the United States we used our own forms of nitrocellulose powders.
NC Tube very likely means nitrocellulose tube (shaped) powder.
No American ammunition was ever loaded with cordite. That was a British thing, developed there and used almost exclusively in the Empire.
In the United States we used our own forms of nitrocellulose powders.
In the face of all that knowledge, I feel humbled but will contribute my bit.
Cordite "powder" is a double based powder, containing both nitrocellulose and nitroglycerin; it is the latter that makes it highly erosive. It is produced in the form of longish strings (hence the name). In the .303 British, it was loaded before the case was necked down.
In the U.S., DuPont produced both nitrocellulose and double base powder. When the government forced a breakup of the DuPont monopoly, DuPont kept the nitrocellulose powders and black powder. Hercules was created out of the double base powder section, and all its powders were double base. Atlas, another creature of the breakup, got the industrial explosives part, and made dynamite and blasting powder.
Jim
Cordite "powder" is a double based powder, containing both nitrocellulose and nitroglycerin; it is the latter that makes it highly erosive. It is produced in the form of longish strings (hence the name). In the .303 British, it was loaded before the case was necked down.
In the U.S., DuPont produced both nitrocellulose and double base powder. When the government forced a breakup of the DuPont monopoly, DuPont kept the nitrocellulose powders and black powder. Hercules was created out of the double base powder section, and all its powders were double base. Atlas, another creature of the breakup, got the industrial explosives part, and made dynamite and blasting powder.
Jim
Thanks Gentlemen for the info,
Question 1.
When you say erosive, do you mean the powder in storage, unfired?
Question 2.
What kind of powder is currently used in a 16" gun. I have heard former sailors state the guns still use Black powder. I know there is a B/P booster used but is the powder used a single base NC or some kind of double base? And, Is the powder still called Black as a slang name?
There was a story about the powder becoming unstable in a ships magazine when it was in for repairs some years back and the term B/P was used. I questioned that because I had read in a gun rag years back that referred to powder used was Cordite, or like Cordite.
Again, Thanks
Question 1.
When you say erosive, do you mean the powder in storage, unfired?
Question 2.
What kind of powder is currently used in a 16" gun. I have heard former sailors state the guns still use Black powder. I know there is a B/P booster used but is the powder used a single base NC or some kind of double base? And, Is the powder still called Black as a slang name?
There was a story about the powder becoming unstable in a ships magazine when it was in for repairs some years back and the term B/P was used. I questioned that because I had read in a gun rag years back that referred to powder used was Cordite, or like Cordite.
Again, Thanks
The 16 inch 50 cal used a single base powder called SPD for Smokless Powder-Diphenylamine. It was adopted in somthing like 1910 or so. Full charge would have been 660 pounds of SPD with around 4.5 pounds of BP as a igniter. They also used some what was called Cordite N that was imported from canada but mainly used in reduced charges. Cordite is "erosive" in nature as in it burns bores out faster than other powders and why the USN considered cordite not satisfactory for use and only for reduced loads for war emergency.
Thanks for the info guys and it's good to see that my thread has created additional interest.
I have been posting these images an other forums and have been told that the round is most probably 20mm Hispano or Oerlikon. it is likely to be an example of the Semi-Armour Piercing Incendiary (SAPI) projectile for the 20mm Hispano aircraft gun or the 20mm Oerlikon AA gun. This used a standard HE shell (filled with incendiary material) and a solid nose cap of hardened steel instead of a fuse. The incendiary was ignited by the force of impact, with the aid of a detonator under the nose piece.
Now I need to do the reverse of Grymster and find a cartridge case. Any help to find one in the UK
I have been posting these images an other forums and have been told that the round is most probably 20mm Hispano or Oerlikon. it is likely to be an example of the Semi-Armour Piercing Incendiary (SAPI) projectile for the 20mm Hispano aircraft gun or the 20mm Oerlikon AA gun. This used a standard HE shell (filled with incendiary material) and a solid nose cap of hardened steel instead of a fuse. The incendiary was ignited by the force of impact, with the aid of a detonator under the nose piece.
Now I need to do the reverse of Grymster and find a cartridge case. Any help to find one in the UK
Thanks for the info guys and it's good to see that my thead has created additional interest.
I have been posting these images an other forums and have been told that the round is most probably 20mm Hispano or Oerlikon. it is likely to be an example of the Semi-Armour Piercing Incendiary (SAPI) projectile for the 20mm Hispano aircraft gun or the 20mm Oerlikon AA gun. This used a standard HE shell (filled with incendiary material) and a solid nose cap of hardened steel instead of a fuse. The incendiary was ignited by the force of impact, with the aid of a detonator under the nose piece.
Now I need to do the reverse of Grymster and find a cartridge case. Any help to find one in the UK
I have been posting these images an other forums and have been told that the round is most probably 20mm Hispano or Oerlikon. it is likely to be an example of the Semi-Armour Piercing Incendiary (SAPI) projectile for the 20mm Hispano aircraft gun or the 20mm Oerlikon AA gun. This used a standard HE shell (filled with incendiary material) and a solid nose cap of hardened steel instead of a fuse. The incendiary was ignited by the force of impact, with the aid of a detonator under the nose piece.
Now I need to do the reverse of Grymster and find a cartridge case. Any help to find one in the UK
grymster2007
New member
Grymster cheated.
I originally thought I'd machine my projectiles from steel or even aluminum. But my lathe is pretty wimpy and I didn't want to take the time, hence the ABS plastic. I'm planning to paint a more realistic one after I make a stencil for the lettering that Gbro provided. Funny what I'll come up with to avoid the honey-do list.
shell
Its an oerlikon.the hispan is shorter.I have a like new one with explosive still in it.and the shell.I will have to go in shop and check it out.those WW2 picks you see with the small guns with the drums are the 20s.I used to handle them
as we had three as guards at our air base, protection from subs and there was a browning 37 mm next to us the army had.
Its an oerlikon.the hispan is shorter.I have a like new one with explosive still in it.and the shell.I will have to go in shop and check it out.those WW2 picks you see with the small guns with the drums are the 20s.I used to handle them
as we had three as guards at our air base, protection from subs and there was a browning 37 mm next to us the army had.