Cutdown British 1917 QF 3-Pounder Mark III Gun Brass Shell Casing  

ON AUCTION IS THIS 1917 BRITISH 3 POUNDER GUN BRASS SHELL CASING MANUFACTURED BY THE KINGS NORTON METAL COMPANY IN BIRMINGHAM.

MARKINGS: 
a) 3 PR means Pounder which is shortened to "3-PR".  Pounder denotes a gun which fired a projectile of approximately 3 pounds.
b) III MEANS Mark 3
c) 01/17 on Primer Cap January 1917
d) BROAD ARROW - BRITISH MILITARY ACCEPTANCE / PROPERTY MARK
e) CF - Charge loaded with cordite England
f) Lot 61 Lot Number for that Year
f) ESS on Primer Cap Eley Small Arms Ammunition Co historically based in Birmingham, UK.
g) KN Kings Norton Metal Company a prominent ammunition and metalworking manufacturer based in Birmingham, UK.

SIZE: THE CASE IS 52MM IN INNER DIAMETER AT THE OPEN END WITH A TOTAL LENGTH OF 210MM. 
WEIGHT OF CASING: 740G
NORMAL 3 POUNDER CASINGS IS 47MM IN DIAMETER AT THE OPEN END WITH A TOTAL LENGTH OF 375MM. 
There is a neck where the case diameter reduces - 3-Pounder casings are slightly cone-shaped or tapered, the outer and inner diameters expand closer to the base. 
IT APPEARS OUR CASING WAS PHYSICALLY CUT SHORTER DOWN ITS BODY. BECAUSE THE CASING WIDENS TOWARD THE BOTTOM, CUTTING IT DOWN REVEALS A WIDER INNER DIAMETER (52 MM) THAN THE ORIGINAL 47 MM OPENING.

THE GUNS THAT FIRED IT
Introduced in 1886 the QF 3-pounder Hotchkiss weapon was designed by Hotchkiss & Cie to defend capital warships against small, fast torpedo boats. It became the global standard for light ordnance at the turn of the century. 
During the late 1800s, British warships, colonial outposts, and custom defense structures used two primary types of guns that fired this 47mm cartridge:
Hotchkiss QF 3-Pounder: A rapid-firing light artillery piece widely adopted by the Royal Navy to defend larger battleships against fast-moving torpedo boats.
Nordenfelt QF 3-Pounder: A competing multi-barrel or light single-shot mechanical gun used for both naval deck operations and coastal forts.

CONDITION: GOOD CONDITION. 

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