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Remembered Today:

18 PDR cartridge case re-used.


auchonvillerssomme

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Going through my small collection of 18 pdr cases I found this one, put me to wondering how many times they could be re-used.

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It also raised another question, the 2 under the broad arrow?

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Well, it only looks like 3 times. I've got some 7,62 cases that I must've reloaded 15 times or more... :D

Regards,

MikB

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.I found the answer, for cordite it is 6 times,

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Life of a Q.F. Case

To prevent accidents when firing with a smokeless propellent, the number of rounds a Q.F. case is allowed is limited to six full rounds. Any round fired with a full gunpowder charge is counted as half a full service charge.

In the case of 13-pdr., 18-pdr. and 4.5-inch howitzer cartridge cases, the life is now determined by the thickness of the wall after repair and reforming at a fixed distance from the flange and not by the number of times they have been fired.

John

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John where is that taken from, the 1915 Treatise on Ammunition says 11 for a gunpowder charge.

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This is an amendment to Page 393 of the Treatise on Ammunition 10th Edition.

Life of a Q.F. Case.

Q.F. cases can be refilled after firing, but they must first be

reformed and cleaned, as they expand on firing.

The operation of reforming tends to weaken the case, as a certain

amount of metal is turned off the base and the lower part of the body

each time.

To prevent accidents when firing with a smokeless propellant, the

number of rounds a Q!.F. case is allowed to fire is limited to six full

rounds. Any round firedwith a full gunpowdwr charge is counted as

half a round fired with a full service charge.

In the case of 13-pdr., 18-pdr. and 4.5-inch howitzer cartridge

cases, thye life is now determined by the thickness of the wall after

repair at a fixed distance from the flange and not by the number of

times they have been fired.

I have not got the date of the amendment as this is stuck over the old

paragraph but is included as paragraph 4.34 on page 79 of Text

Book of Ammunitiondated 24th June 1926. I presume that the

failure rate on inspection of returned catridge cases during the

war prompted the new criteria.

John

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The above is as printed in the 1936 Treatise of Ammunition. Plus a nice picture showing markings, which won't be far different from the 18pdr .

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Re: My post #7 it is repeated in Text Book of Ammunition dated 1936 Chapter 2 Para 34 Page 72.

John

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