# shell casing



## FormerHorseGuard (14 Feb 2007)

i came across a brass casing marked 76MM  1944 it is about 8.0 inches long. wonderign what it might be from, not an expert on casings by any means. I was thinking a sherman had a 76mm gun but it seemed too short,  i am guessing it came from Meaford ( a now dead family friend who was an Officer and spent a lot of time at Meaford could of picked it up) 

any ideas or would a picture help more?

i forgot the decimal  is it around 8.0 inches or 185MM
sorry for the confusion


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## 241 (14 Feb 2007)

Pictures of the casing standing up and of the base would help , and perhaps with a measureing tape of just something to compare size wise....


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## mudgunner49 (14 Feb 2007)

FormerHorseGuard said:
			
		

> i came across a brass casing marked 76MM  1944 *it is about 80 inches long*. wonderign what it might be from, not an expert on casings by any means. I was thinking a sherman had a 76mm gun but it seemed too short,  i am guessing it came from Meaford ( a now dead family friend who was an Officer and spent a lot of time at Meaford could of picked it up)
> 
> any ideas or would a picture help more?



Sure that's not 80 centimeters???


blake


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## FormerHorseGuard (14 Feb 2007)

i measured it, roughly 185mm long, 
marked on the bottom 
76MM  

M26 with lines stroked thru it so it looks like it is crossed out
Lot CB 113
1994


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## George Wallace (14 Feb 2007)

As the casing is straight, and not 'beveled' near the top, I would guess that it is an Arty casing.  I am looking at a Cougar Casing right now and it looks like this:


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## Nfld Sapper (14 Feb 2007)

Did some digging on Google and looked up M26 and came up with a rocket   so the M26 being crossed out might be a clue. But George is right it does look like an arty shell.


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## Gunnerlove (15 Feb 2007)

How thick is the edge of the casing? there is a chance that it has been cut down (it kind of looks like a concentric scratch left by a tube cutter at the mouth/neck of the casing) Also what is the opening of the casing if it is not 76mm you could reason that it has been modified, or is the casing from a blank round.


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## Nfld Sapper (15 Feb 2007)

Gunner I think I'm very much outside my lane but if it was a blank round isnt it a bit big? I deal with blank rounds for the 2 C2-105mm my unit has and they are much smaller (height wise) that the one posted here.


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## CADPAT SOLDIER (15 Feb 2007)

"76 mm artillery includes 3 Inch calibre weapons, which are actually 76.2 mm. This was a very popular calibre in World War II being the choice for some of the most effective guns of the Allied forces." -wiki
I don't know if that helps at all..


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## FormerHorseGuard (15 Feb 2007)

upon closer inspection there is a mark that  goes all the way a round the top as if a tool was used to cut it. sort of looks like the mark you leave when you cut copper pipe with a tube cuter.

any offers on this hunk of brass?


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## 241 (15 Feb 2007)

The dimensions for a 105mm casing (live round not blank) are as follows :  Outside circumference = 13.5 inch (34 cm),  Inside diameter is 4 inch's (10 cm) Length from open end to base 14 5/8 inch's (37 cm) I believe the "M26" is referring to the cartridge case type according to the Equipment and Ammunition book for the 105mm How we have the M14 (Brass)  M14E1 (Spiral wrapped Steel) and the M14B1 (Drawn Steel) now granted the current version of this Pam is from 76 (at least the version I have in front of me) and I believe that the original post said it had a date of 1994 so we may have new casings if it is indeed 105mm (the casing I have here has "105mm M14" stamped into it but has "CART M1" stenciled on it.

I can get the height of the blank casing tomorrow when I go to the armouries.


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## AmmoTech90 (15 Feb 2007)

[/anorak on]
The M26 cartridge case was used in rounds fired from the M1 series of guns mounted to Shermans.  It is actually 76.2mm, and fires the same projectiles used in 3" guns.  It is used with Shell HE M42A1, Shot APC M62A1, Shell Smk M88, and Shot AP M79.  The difference between the 76mm and 3" was in the cartridge case capacity.  From what I can determine the 3" held more propellant but the 76mm produced higher chambre pressures.  Performance is largely similiar with the 3" having slightly (0.1 to 0.2") penetration.  The overall lengths of complete rounds ranged from 28.56" to 33.80".  It would appear that your has been cut down.
[/anorak off]

D


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## FormerHorseGuard (15 Feb 2007)

when i first saw it i was guessing a Sherman round, did not think it was froma  cougar gun system. i had seen those and it was not as rough.
thanks of the answers and input.

now what do i do with it?


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## George Wallace (15 Feb 2007)

You got a bar?  Get it engraved with your Unit crest or something appropriate and make it into a Bar Bell.

I have seen them cut and made into Wine Bottle racks/stands for on the dining table.

Punish the kids and have them polish it everytime they are naughty.

If it were a larger Tank round, you could use it for an umbrella stand near your door.

Use it as a door stop or a paper weight.

There are numerous uses for it.


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## orange.paint (15 Feb 2007)

I use my 105 smoke to put bar shrapnel into.
Put it on EBay,someone out there collects military brass.


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## Franko (15 Feb 2007)

Dated 1994?

You have a 76mm Cougar round casing.....more than likely SH-PRAC.

Regards


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## FormerHorseGuard (15 Feb 2007)

No it is dated 1944  long before the cougar systems came on line.


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## Emenince Grise (15 Feb 2007)

Another way to identify what you have is to find a local friendly ammo tech from Petawawa (or at least call them and ask for help). I have a 2 lb. shell and projectile (inert) that the techs at LFC Meaford are looking at. It's dated 1916. They tell me that there is quite a niche hobby in collecting and identifying old shells and they get calls all the time. It's the ones that are live that they get the most concerned about (like the old dynamite in the farmer's shed that has started to show crystals)  ;D

BTW, there were Shermans at Meaford (though I can't say if they were the 76mm variety). There is one on display at the base entrance and another in front of the Tommy Holmes (G&SF) armoury in Owen Sound. Oral history says they were recovered from the Meaford range. I THINK the one in O/S has the 76mm long barrel.


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## Gunnerlove (15 Feb 2007)

The old boys refer to the current 105mm Blank as a "reduced charge" blank. They say the full charge was as long as a normal casing and I am inclined to believe them as there are a number of full size blanks in the museum. I guessed about the pipe cutter as I have used them to cut 105mm casings down to make steins with the flash tubes as handles (I remember buffing out those same lines). 

If the end has been cut off, it may have been the start of a project that ran out of time or interest.


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