Gildwiller1918 Posted February 26, 2021 Share Posted February 26, 2021 Here is a nice sized US artillery shell, the M1906 4.7 inch (120 mm). Although approved in 1906, units did not begin to get them until 1911, and this gun was one of the few available to US forces at the outbreak of war. Around 60 guns were available to US forces when war was declared, however most US forces utilized British and French artillery instead. However 64 guns did make it to France and 48 of them saw service with 2 US artillery regiments. Most of these guns were most likely used in the US for training as the priority was to send men and ammunition overseas. Over 900 guns were ordered however only about 200 were completed, with nearly a million shells made by the end of the war. After the war, some of these guns were used in coastal artillery emplacements such as the Panama Canal, with the remainder kept in reserve storage until 1932. The shell contained about 4 pounds of TNT with 711 steel shrapnel balls with a 31 second timed fuse. The range of the gun was between 6650 (60 pound shell ) and 8000 (45 pound shell) meters depending on the shell used. Not a very common shell to find, much less complete. It is quite heavy to move around as well. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fritz Posted February 26, 2021 Share Posted February 26, 2021 The fuse cap looks very like the British made ones 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gildwiller1918 Posted February 26, 2021 Author Share Posted February 26, 2021 Yes, the US supplied various shells and fuses to the British and French, the British used the QF 4.7 inch, as the US used the British guns as well. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henry Posted September 9, 2021 Share Posted September 9, 2021 I serve on a committee that is overseeing the construction of a new veterans memorial in my hometown of Taylorville, IL. We have an M1906 that is being restored right now and we would love to have a 4.7” shell to display with it! I have been looking everywhere for one. Is this one for sale? If not do you know where we can find one? Thanks. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gildwiller1918 Posted September 11, 2021 Author Share Posted September 11, 2021 I do not know of any other sources for these shells at present. WW1 and WW2 ordnance seems to be drying up now. I do not plan on selling mine, but these shells when complete can be quite expensive. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henry Posted November 3, 2021 Share Posted November 3, 2021 That’s too bad. In that case I’d like to try to have a wooden replica made on a lathe but I can’t find the dimensions online. Would it be asking too much to have you take the following measurements and post them here? It would really help us make something for our Veterans Memorial. Thanks so much if you can! Diameters: Rim Case rear Case mouth Projectile rear Projectile taper begin Projectile tip Lengths: Overall Rim Case not including rim Projectile rear to taper begin Projectile taper begin to tip 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henry Posted November 3, 2021 Share Posted November 3, 2021 Sorry for the giant font on my last post. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gildwiller1918 Posted November 3, 2021 Author Share Posted November 3, 2021 Sure, I will work on getting the measurements for you. Have you considered 3D printing as well? Might be a possibility worth looking into. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henry Posted November 4, 2021 Share Posted November 4, 2021 That’s great, thank you! 3D printing is a good idea too. We will look into that. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gildwiller1918 Posted November 11, 2021 Author Share Posted November 11, 2021 Diameters: Rim: 5 1/4" Case rear: 15 3/4" using OD measuring tape Case mouth: 15 1/4" OD Projectile rear: 14 3/4" OD Projectile taper begin: Projectile tip: Lengths: Overall: 32" roughly, as my fuse adaptor does not sit correctly in the shell. Rim: 1/8" Case not including rim: 16 5/8" Projectile rear to taper begin: length is from where the rotating band sits against the case. 9 1/2" Projectile taper begin to tip: 5 3/4" Fuse: 2 1/2" Rotating band: 1" wide If you need any photos please let me know. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henry Posted November 29, 2021 Share Posted November 29, 2021 Thank you for taking the measurements. We should be able to use this information to make a sort of dummy round since the real thing is so rare. It will be a nice addition to our veterans memorial. Thanks again! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gildwiller1918 Posted December 1, 2021 Author Share Posted December 1, 2021 Not a problem, I do know another collector who has one and makes good 3D printed replicas of other ordnance. I could ask about getting one made if interested. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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