please take a couple minutes and identify the rounds pictured for us uneducated
gary
1 Like
howitzers are not any better. We had a guy bend down to pick up a dropped primer, and when he came back up his head hit the firing lock. Extremely ugly, but also an instant death. Also had a couple guys burned real bad when they burnt left over powder. Neither one smoked, and tried to light the powder with a lighter. Two others were hurt in Jeep wrecks when the rear suspension folded in and the Jeep rolled over on them. Needless to say the quarter ton came out on top both times. Lots of guys got caught in the breech, but it was always broken hands and fingers. 105’s were real bad about amputating fingers. I always had really good AG’s who looked at your hands and face before closing the breech.
gary
2 Likes
This article lays it out well.
https://man.fas.org/dod-101/sys/land/120.htm
OK, to clear a couple things up. The kit parts are the ammo racks (tubes) with shell molded into them. They are made of aluminum like Sean said. However, the aluminum is usually anodized with a goldish color, sometimes the gold look is very strong/bright, other times it is barely noticeable. Not sure why that happens.
As to ripping open, like I said before, they are pretty fragile. Any sideways force on them can break them open.
@Seanmcandrews It looks like you have a 105mm service HVAPDS penetrator, it looks too short for the 120mm.
@Arch-Stanton That’s a really nice unfired 105mm practice APDS round.
APDS is Armor Piercing Discarding Sabot, HV on the front is High Velocity.
If any of you guys want to dispose of some of your “junk” I would be happy to take it off of your hands!
Ken
3 Likes
When I was on Gator, we shot more zone sweeps than single shots. We used to race on one round zone sweeps for cases of beer. The gun I was on had never been beaten, and this went all the way back to the states. The base piece was bound and determined to finally win the beer and cheated in the middle of a heavy fire fight up on the other side of the Anton Bridge. They called in gun ships and a check fire on the mission (s). Barrels were extremely hot and the base piece went ahead and seated the first round for the next fire mission. A no no!! After about twenty minutes the crew on the base piece came running past us telling us to get outta there (but not why). When it came time to shoot again they had to call the piece out! (another huge no no) Seemed that the round got so hot that it split open and melted TNT was coming thru the breech and dropping onto the ground! The fuses were M119 (I think that’s the number anyway) and were plastic tipped. By rights you can’t punch that round out of the tube. With in thirty minutes the Colonel is on the radio asking questions, and while he’s on the radio, the General comes on! A fine how do you do at one in the morning! At seven in the morning the Colonel and the Sargent Major fly in, and the rest just gets uglier. They fly in EOD, and they have to make a tool to punch the round out. They are back in three hours and punch it out (Bigger pair than I had). The gun got a new barrel, breech, and recoil system in less than three hours. They took the 155 HE round to the otherside of the hill and blew it up. The Chief of the base piece was a ticket puncher who’s Daddy was a big shot in the Pentagon. He got his wrist slapped. Top got him a couple months later and made him pay for an M54 truck
4 Likes
I thought the Abrams was going to get the bee hive round
glt
They got this: 120mm M1028 Canister Canister Cartridge (gd-ots.com)
Ken
3 Likes
Thanks for the info @tankerken and @HeavyArty
I’ve also got a 90mm HEAT projectile, deactivated but I’m unsure of its origin, and it’s in a random 90mm artillery case. Can you ID the other 90mm projectile?
Note the 105mm case….
My son is expecting to own all this eventually, whenever his cousin is over for a visit they’ll grab whatever I let them to play war outside.
3 Likes
Yep, we didn’t have those pull-out racks when I was in.
Ken
The replaceable round cartridges were only experimental and were never fielded. They are the reason early blow-off panels had lift rings on them. Because of rebuilds and updates/upgrades, some of those lift ring blow-off panels were carried over to later models.
1 Like
Would it be more proper to say that in the field ammo rack swap outs were never put into practice? The photo I posted from the SS book was taken in Iraq, the rack design looks the same to me.
Maybe they are removing the rack to fix something. Everything I have read says that the replaceable ammo rack system was never fielded.
1 Like
I’m back! So for my disappeared again… life caught up to me again but everything I’d fine now! Where do you guys find tank rounds too take home!? Is that even legal!?
Anyways here are some updates
7 Likes
There’s a guy on eBay that can make 3D printed penetrators in both 105mm and 120mm for display.
3D Printed 120mm M865 TPCSDS-T Complete - Replica - Cosplay - All Plastic! | eBay
1 Like
I doubt live rounds are legal. Might get you a visit from guys in suits with three letter initials. Spent casing/base plate, not so much. Used to be used for retirement/going away mementos.
4 Likes
I know the old 105mm brass casings were engraved and like Ryan says, given as retirement gifts. But with 120mm casings being made of combustible materials =, the only thing usually left is the baseplate, which I’ve seen made into ashtrays “and” also given as retirement gifts.
2 Likes