17pr APDS paint markings

[Burney Davis]

Although there are numerous threads on 17pr ammunition I can't find one specifically regarding paint markings.

I have this projectile which is stamped 17pr & 77mm and dated 1944 but has four white rings painted on the tip and around the body instead of the typical markings. The paint looks totally original. Does anyone have any information as to their significance? TIA

 

[RichardB]

Although there are numerous threads on 17pr ammunition I can't find one specifically regarding paint markings.

I have this projectile which is stamped 17pr & 77mm and dated 1944 but has four white rings painted on the tip and around the body instead of the typical markings. The paint looks totally original. Does anyone have any information as to their significance? TIA

Hi Burney,

very much a wild guess here, but the 17pr APDS, became an accurate beyond 700 or so yards, and a huge amount of testing was carried out to find out why. This was eventually discovered to be due to the petals fowling on the muzzle brake, and resolved in 1945. (as far as I’m aware). I wonder if the bands on the petals were somehow part of the testing process to understand why it became an accurate. The lack of the red band indicates the lack of a tracer which wouldn’t be required for this testing.

For awareness, exactly the same projectile in the 77 mm HV gun (A34 Comet) didn’t have the inaccuracy problems, nor did the 6pr APDS.
This is very much a swag.!

Rich

 

[Burney Davis]

All guesses welcome Rich!

 

[jeff w]

Although there are numerous threads on 17pr ammunition I can't find one specifically regarding paint markings.

I have this projectile which is stamped 17pr & 77mm and dated 1944 but has four white rings painted on the tip and around the body instead of the typical markings. The paint looks totally original. Does anyone have any information as to their significance? TIA

I believe I have seen a British 37mm Littlejohn squeezebore projectile with the same unusual white/black markings (somewhere on this site I'm sure). That 37mm was probably a test round as it never entered mass production. So I think Rich may be on to something...
If you are going to photograph it in flight to see what is happening, maybe the black and white markings make the details easier to see?

 

[Burney Davis]

I believe I have seen a British 37mm Littlejohn squeezebore projectile with the same unusual white/black markings (somewhere on this site I'm sure). That 37mm was probably a test round as it never entered mass production. So I think Rich may be on to something...
If you are going to photograph it in flight to see what is happening, maybe the black and white markings make the details easier to see?

Thanks for your comment Jeff, appreciated and an interesting theory.