Artillery projectile questions for the experts

myenfield

myenfield

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A friend dropped off the following goodies at my house the other night. Lee Enfields are my thing, so I thought I should ask the artillery buffs about them. I will refer to them as No 1, 2 and 3 from left to right:

no%201%202%20and%203.jpg


Tip of No 1:

no%201%20tip.jpg


Tip of No 2 (slightly disassembled):

no%202%20tip.jpg


Tip of No 3:

no%203%20tip.jpg


Rifling rings (?):

bases.jpg


After reading a similar thread on here a while back where someone had a live WWI French shell, I am a little nervous about No 1 and No 2. The rest of the parts of No 2 are shown infront of it in the first photo, as well as the red ring painted around it. No 3's tip was loose, so I screwed it off and the projectile is empty - it also appears to have been fired while the other 2 don't show rifling marks on the brass ring. The other 2, I'm not so sure about. Is it safe to screw the tips off them, or is this bomb disposal time? I would really hate to turn these in, but it would be a real bummer to blow the back end off my house too. Thoughts, opinions, etc? What are they (country, age, etc)? Thanks.
 
In the mid 70's I helped clear several grenade ranges and live firing ranges. Everything on those ranges was considered live. My advice is go quitely to the phone and call the experts.

Roy
 
Tell your friend you've finished playing with them. Please come by and take them back.
 
if you make that phone call . ensure all your firearms and ammo are stored properly.as the police will be there to pick them up ,most likely. what they take away does't usually get returned.
 
Keep No. 3, but 1 and 2 appear to be unfired and possibly live. For NATO yellow markings with a green body was HE, pale blue body was smoke and dark blue was a training round.
 
I'd be a little nervous about the one in the middle. A Red band can signify incendiary properties within the round, but without more of the markings I can't say for sure. Given the proor condition of it, it could be unstable, and I wouldn't go messing with it if you're not sure if it is live or not.

But that's just me.
 
Said hello to St. Peter for me. ALL THOSE PROJECTILES ARE AN EXPLOSION WAITING TO HAPPEN. CALL THE NEAREST POLICE AND HAVE THE EOD PEOPLE COME AND TAKE THEM AWAY! THEY DO NOT APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN MADE INERT! Hope your life insurance is paid up.
 
Put em in a scrap metal bin....guys at the foundry will LOVE that

Like everyone else has said....they look 'hot' AND they are in crappy condition....not worth keepin around

OR....me n some buds can come over and BIP it in your living room (you wont like that neither)
 
It appears that you have a 25 Pdr, possibly HE, with a No 119 fuze, possibly a 25 Pdr Chemical/Smk(?) with what appears to be the remains of a time fuze and possibly an 18 Pdr, without seeing it it is difficult to verify. The British had more than 4 different colour code systems, during the early part of the 20th century prior to NATO's formation. If you do not have DETAILED knowledge on the munitions that you have don't take anyones word for the different colour codes. The projectiles that have rifling marks on the drive bands, just because they didn't go off does not mean that they are inert!

Phone the local police EOD team and have them contact the closest military EOD team. For gawds sakes don't let the police EOD team play with the projectiles, their training on military ordnance is minimal! Projectiles in these calibers were loaded with High Explosives, Chemicals such as mustard nerve agent, flares, parachute illumination, White phos, Red Phos, etc.
 
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