Big ol' Cannon Shells

[Mako275]

So I found these at a local auction years ago. I don't remember what I paid for them but I don't think it was much. The auction was for a WWII veterans things. Found amongst the stuff that he was in a tank corps, but I don't know which one. He was using these as yard ornaments. They are empty. The caps come right off. They are still heavy as all get out. During the war there was a huge ammo factory here making the big guns shells. It employed just about the whole area here at the time. I was thinking that these might have been test examples or something someone took home one day.

Not sure on the size, wondering if anyone else might know. 8x56r for size reference.

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[browningautorifle]

It's easier than that. Place a steel ruler under them and measure the base. Then tell us what the measurement is. Easier than guessing...76mm?...105mm?...155mm?...

[bombdoc]

These are shrapnel shells with Krupp type fuzes.. They are just like a flying shotgun in action, and would have had a filling of lead or steel balls in a resin matrix. The time fuze would have flashed back down a central flash tube to a gunpowder charge in the base, blowing off the front cap and ejecting the balls...

They were used by all sides in WW1, so unless you can identify the marking it is difficult to tell where they came from..