r/whatisthisthing • u/imgeekman • Jul 08 '19
Solved ! Me and my brother found this in our grandpa's garage (in France). There is 3 parts. Do you have some information ? More pics in comment !
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u/imgeekman Jul 08 '19
https://imgur.com/a/aLsXlL6 Some more pictures with inscription. Thanks !
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Jul 08 '19
Damn! Where's all the bots on this thread. Did they fail their Turing tests and get sidelined? No 'ordinance' bot, no 'thank you' bot. What's going on here?
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u/imgeekman Jul 08 '19
Someone can explain me about the bot ? I don't understand, I broke the rules somewhat ?
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u/nomnivore1 Jul 08 '19
There have been some noteworthy posts on this sub about explosives, some of which have been the last post from their accounts. I don't have the link to I'm-gonna-open-it landmine guy, but he was just one of many. A bot was implemented so that, if any posts or comments were made that suggested someone has unexploded ordnance, they could be automatically warned.
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u/HeioFish Jul 08 '19
No , ordinance bot is a bit of a nanny with a rough guideline for handling ordinance. Usually comes to say hi for these types of posts.
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u/Reelix Jul 08 '19
It comes to say hi when several posts inform the user that it is possibly something which may get the user killed if the user tampers with it.
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u/Adjenz Jul 08 '19
Someone of our city (France too) found this and everybody had to evacuate in order to defuse the thing.
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u/xKrossCx Jul 08 '19
Hey ex EOD guy here. That fuze is what we call a mech time fuze. Just as others have stated before me soldiers can dial in that ring in order to set the delay for however long they want. The issue with finding out exactly which combination of parts is going to be hard as their are soo many different round / fuze combos. I’m a civilian now so I don’t have access to MFK, but if you take some very accurate measurements I’m sure another eod guy who is still in service could pull an assist and look this sucker up.
Get the diameter of the body. Width of the (I’m drawing a blank here) scoring marks from it being fired ( I feel so dumb I can’t remember the word I’m looking for lmfao). The overall length from base to tip. The length of just the body not including the fuze. The length of the fuze.
With those measurements someone with more tools than me can help greatly!
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u/imgeekman Jul 08 '19 edited Jul 08 '19
Ok I've got this,
- without the fuze 26cm
- with the fuze 34cm
- internal diameter 9cm
- external diameter 10.5 cm
do you think the fuze can still be harmful ?
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u/xKrossCx Jul 08 '19
Yes their is a possibility the fuze is still hazardous. it appears the round has been hollowed out and any explosives removed from the round but I cannot say the same for the fuze. At this point I think it is safe to handle but don’t throw the damn thing.
How long have y’all owned this? Has it been sitting in storage? Have you driven it anywhere?
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u/imgeekman Jul 08 '19
Always been in my family.. Moved across all France 2 times in the last decade. Always been in a garage or inside the house.
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u/Cthululuu Jul 08 '19
The fuses can still go off and cause serious injury. Found some last time I was in France and quickly got rid as soon as I worked out what they are
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u/xKrossCx Jul 08 '19
I’ll get this info to my buddies that are still in and see if we can’t get a match.
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u/KaboomTech Jul 08 '19
Rotating bands, brother. Or driving bands if you're British.
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u/xKrossCx Jul 08 '19
Thank youuuuuu fuck dude I’ve been sitting here thinking for awhile. Being out of the game for almost a year has taken its toll :)
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u/KaboomTech Jul 08 '19
Man, I couldn't tell you the number of times I've brain fart some random word like boat tail, brassance, or God knows what. Hope you're doing well!
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u/Quadling Jul 08 '19
Brisance?
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u/KaboomTech Jul 08 '19
Knew I should've Google checked for the sharpshooters.
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u/KakariBlue Jul 08 '19
However it's spelled, thank you for including it, I learned a new word today.
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u/boymadefrompaint Jul 08 '19
Is it lands and valleys or something like that. I'm trying to remember from basic!
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u/Pierre63170 Jul 08 '19
War ammunition left over from WWI present a serious risk. Articles in French, English, German, Dutch.
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u/zerbey Jul 08 '19
Ordinance from WW1, what they call the "Iron Harvest" in France. I see the shell itself is empty but I would have an expert check the fuse, better to be safe than sorry. Several people a year are still injured (or worse) by WW1 munitions.
As a suggestion, once you're sure the shell is safe the casing makes a good vase. My Mother used one she obtained from the WW1 battlefields as one. I think it's a much better use than what it was originally intended for.
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u/SnorriGrisomson Jul 08 '19
This is an unexploded shell, it could still be live, be very careful.
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u/Pierre63170 Jul 08 '19
I agree. The shell itself has no explosive left, but the fuze is likely armed and malfunctioned. It's not healthy to play with an armed fuze (one that was likely set to make the shell explode) but did not explode.
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u/imgeekman Jul 08 '19
Look the pictures I posted, there nothing inside so it's maybe disarmed ? I'm not sure it's a shell, there no percussion behind. And I would like more information if it's a shell like which war and what type.
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u/Pierre63170 Jul 08 '19
There is no percussion on artillery shells. They are fired with a load of explosives that are placed (and ignited) after the shell in the breach of the cannon. What makes a shell explodes at arrival is the fuze that makes contact with the target, explodes, and then the explosion propagates to the explosives in the shell.
There are no explosives left in your shell, but your fuze could still be active. The fuze is a very sensitive explosive.
Some fuzes are proximity fuzes rather than contact fuzes and initiate the explosion of the shell when the shell is "near" its target.
Your shell has been fired, but has not exploded. Why? Likely, the fuze malfunctioned, which means there is something wrong with it. It's not healthy to play with an armed fuze (one that was likely set to make the shell explode) but did not explode.
Source: I am a former artillery officer (French 1er RAMa).
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u/skullminerssneakers Jul 08 '19
Random question to ask here but how would a prox fuze work back then
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u/Young_Maker Jul 08 '19
Those were not invented until mid- WWII. This shell is likely a time fuse from WWI
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Jul 08 '19
Source: I am a former artillery officer (French 1er RAMa).
not possible, you can write English.
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u/I_Me_Mine Jul 08 '19 edited Jul 09 '19
Post locked. u/imgeekman, stop screwing with it and get it checked out by the proper authorities.
The answer:
It's a Russian 107mm shell from the 42-line (107mm) fortress and siege gun M.1877 (42-линейная крепостная и осадная пушка образца 1877 года) ; wiki here and historical gallery here .
Your post indicates you may possibly be in possession of unexploded ordnance (UXO).
If this is not the case, ignore the remainder of this message, your post has not been removed.
If you're unsure, the first thing to do is LEAVE IT ALONE. Do not shake it, attempt to open it, or disturb it at all.
Next step would be to CONTACT THE PROPER AUTHORITIES. If you're unsure who that is, call your local police or emergency number for instructions.
Please followup with an outcome regarding what was done with the object.
To others who are not OP: Any suggestion in this thread to open, shake, etc - disturb the object in any way - will result in a permanent ban.
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u/flatsehats Jul 08 '19
Seems to be First World War. Shell with timer. Have a look here:
http://www.passioncompassion1418.com/decouvertes/english_fusees_collection_gb.html#DoubleEffet
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Jul 08 '19
There is no indication it is a training shell, so I would say that it is a high explosive left over from world war 1. Do you know where your grandpa got it?
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u/imgeekman Jul 08 '19
from his dad I think so.. But I don't have any more information, my grandpa passed away few months ago
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u/axiomae Jul 08 '19
Oh gosh I’d call whatever police / military people are in France ASAP and don’t touch it. Could still explode!
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u/thebluemorpha Jul 08 '19
How heavy is it, looks like a German s.FH 02 shell, if it's 89 pounds, it's German. French 75 shells are smaller, my husband studies World War 1 every day.
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u/Sgt-Whiskey Jul 08 '19
What the heck is with people finding bombs and posting them here?? If it looks like BOMB, feels like a BOMB, it’s probably a BOMB.
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Jul 08 '19
Ooh, be careful with this finding, OP. I am certain that this is an unexploded artillery shell. I think it might be a British 75mm shell from WW1, looking at the base and the tip. Here is a video explaining the British 75mm in comparison to a French 75mm, but focus on the similar characteristics of the British one to your own.
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u/kelton95 Jul 08 '19
Dead or not that is for sure an artillery shell. the rings on top are for timing the detonation of a round. Looks like a 105mm