✅ SOLVED Artillery Shell Question for Cannonballguy or anyone else

[tennessee digger]

I dug this Hotchkiss shell many years ago down at Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Nothing fancy but I've always wondered why the hole in the base? The hole goes all the way into the cavity. Maybe I'm missing something about it but I can't remember seeing one exactly like this. This is the way that it came out of the ground, only a light coat of oil was put on it. Hopefully Pete or someone can enlighten me about this one. I would appreciate any info that you folks could give me. Thanks, Tennessee digger

 

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[TheCannonballGuy]

The approximately 1/2-inch diameter hole in the base of a Hotchkiss shell's "nose section" is a result of how the hollow cavity was cast in it. The hole is seen only in early versions of Hotchkiss Common-Shells )no antipersonnel balls inside) and Percussion (impact-detonation fuze) shells (which also do not have antipersonnel balls inside). You may have the Percussion version missing its iron fuzecap. If so, there would have been some tiny threading inside the upper part of the fuzehole -- but of course, the threading may have corroded away. If there is absolutely NO sign of corroded-away threading, it had a wooden timefuze-adapter plug.

 

[tennessee digger]

Thanks Pete, I KNEW you would know! I appreciate you sharing your knowledge. Tennessee digger

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Pleased to be of assistance. Since you asked about the hole, I explained it without mentioning a detail I now think I should have mentioned The hole in the nose-section's base was not left open after casting was completed. The hole was closed by hammering in a cork-shaped iron plug, and then the Hotchkiss shell's distinctive base-cup and lead sabot were applied onto the nose-section. The iron plug is missing from yours because the bursting-charge in the shell was apparently partially spoiled, having enough power to expel the plug, but not enough to fragment the shell's main body. Here's a photo of a sawed-in-half unfired 3"-caliber Hotchkiss Common-Shell, showing the plug in the hole.