Mystery object

[Flying10uk]

Ok thanks Jim, I'll have a look; I've not seen them with the bottom cap before.

Does anyone know if there is an easy way to tell if the artillery shell fuses that some traders have for sale at shows are inert and safe as the trader says? I assume that 99.9% are inert and safe but there doesn't appear to be a simple way to tell if it's still live or safe.

[browningautorifle]

You'd be able to unscrew the bottom cap of current fuses and it would expose the detonator. They do come apart. We have an ammo tech here someplace... I'd go out on a limb, if it's on the open market, it's not going to be live. There are just too many of us that can tell live from inert. If it's been in one place fro thirty or forty years and hidden from public, then it would be questionable, ask where it came from.

[Flying10uk]

You do seem to get a few offered in the U.K. at shows by private sellers that look like the've been dug out of the ground or picked up from battle fields. I'm cautious of these and not always convinced by the seller saying that they are safe.

[Strangely Brown]

I've found this image of some 25 pdr HE dummy shells, which I suspect are the real thing found on UK ranges. Although they would have been base ejection smoke or illuminating in the first instance to survive. The fuses look like modern reproductions.

The real thing was never this well painted!

[bigduke6]

If it's been in one place fro thirty or forty years and hidden from public, then it would be questionable, ask where it came from.

Not that Many years ago (it seems to me) when I was around 12, I was on a car boot sale with two of my brothers, one was selling NOS from a business, my interest in Militaria had started long before this and at the time quite a lot of bargains to be had on the boot sales, I missed out on a Fuse, it was the oldest brother of the two who had seen it an warned me not touch or buy it, as he thought it was live.... it was off something big, by his description with the hands (we tend to use a lot of hands when talking) strange to think a year or two later I was on the Cumbrian Fells digging up 2" HE mortar bombs that had failed to go off..... still packed with whatever was in them...... lots of parachute flares and endless .303 all live....

[CINDERS]

We did a daytime compass march (cadets 1970-72) usual in the back of the lorry tarped up dumped off some place in the bush, off ya go find your way back to the Northam army camp. Well we did but came across the mortar range there and a chap by the name of Brian Dowling picked up a dud 2" (we suspected it was H.E and were well informed about dud ordnance) mortar the other 3 including me scarpered and told him to put it down carefully and leave it. He brought that thing back to camp and eventually home like I said I rode up the front of the bus and he to the rear it was in his kit bag........................

[browningautorifle]

by private sellers that look like the've been dug out of the ground or picked up from battle fields.

Those are dodgy and should always be examined to the max.

[Flying10uk]

Here are some pictures of the one and only shell fuse which I own. I happened to see this item in an Antique shop some years ago and I thought that it would make an interesting addition to my collection but, as previously mentioned, I am very cautious of these types of things. I questioned the shop owner about it thoroughly who insisted that it was safe and inert and I carefully examined it myself. I noticed that it's been hit hard on the tip at some time and so anything that was likely to happen with it, has most likely already happened, therefore most likely perfectly safe. I don't know a great deal about it's history but there does appear to be a very nice Canadian acceptance mark visible on it.

[browningautorifle]

Yes, that one probably acme from a Variable Time shell, for air burst. Likely a shrapnell shell, probably from an 18 pdr CDN. France and Belgium must be sewn with them. The explosive portion is below this part, yes, it's expended.

[Flying10uk]

Ok thanks Jim. Is the scale on the side of the fuse for setting the height at which the shell detonates?