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Favorite piece in your collection

9

94thFS95

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
Hello all,
I thought it would be fun to see everyone’s favorite piece in their collection. This could be anything from the first thing you acquired that got you started down this path in the first place to a very rare collectible, or even a restoration you’re very proud of.
I’ll start... I was in the USAF, and my collection is focused there, although I have many other things. I’ve been obsessed with the AC-130 since I was 8 and bought a book called “The History Of Spooky”. I have pretty much everything fired from inside of that aircraft, but my favorite round in my collection is the “USAF Only” 105mm round from 1972.... the first year the 105 howitzer was jammed into a gunship. It has a matching ‘72 case and projectile with a ‘69 fuse. The OD paint is virtually perfect, as is the ink stamp
on the bottom. I love it!
3606E8B2-82D6-4CAF-A84E-F369161AC17C.jpg585AEAF3-EDAA-4207-8358-C33BCCB77207.jpgADF325D9-655D-4672-970A-346160910802.jpg
 
Do you have any of the 40mm HEI projectiles with the Zirconium liner?
 
94thFS95 said:
Hello all,
I thought it would be fun to see everyone’s favorite piece in their collection. This could be anything from the first thing you acquired that got you started down this path in the first place to a very rare collectible, or even a restoration you’re very proud of.
I’ll start... I was in the USAF, and my collection is focused there, although I have many other things. I’ve been obsessed with the AC-130 since I was 8 and bought a book called “The History Of Spooky”. I have pretty much everything fired from inside of that aircraft, but my favorite round in my collection is the “USAF Only” 105mm round from 1972.... the first year the 105 howitzer was jammed into a gunship. It has a matching ‘72 case and projectile with a ‘69 fuse. The OD paint is virtually perfect, as is the ink stamp
on the bottom. I love it!
View attachment 144336View attachment 144337View attachment 144338
Click to expand...

Nice paint job, I have a few casings ( 105 and 40mm L60) that I obtained from an AC130 crew chief " on the job site" awhile back. I have been searching for the correct ink stamping on the USAF HE. They differed slightly over the years. Do you have the ink marking details, reference? I maybe mistaken, but do you have the correct fuze on yours?.....and I will post some pics of the zirconium liners, the HEI-P ones pictured in my display have them.
 

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I’m afraid I don’t have any references to the ink stamping on these rounds.... I didn’t paint any of them myself, and am not familiar enough with them to know how they may have changed over time. My 105 is original case to fuse as far as I know, I got it complete. The rest of the rounds are representative of the armament that has come and gone from that platform. I’m most familiar with the m61a1 myself.... given a pile of parts, I could assemble it, and attach it to the chute and drum within a half hour. 6818F6C7-A203-4371-B0BD-4E0FCFCB0438.jpg
 
The zirconium liner on the Spectre HEI rounds is a thin-walled sheet metal pipe shape that slides snugly into the body of the straight part of the projectile. The projo is then filled with the explosive. The detonation of the filler turns the zirconium into a shower of sparks upon detonation.
 
HAZORD said:
The zirconium liner on the Spectre HEI rounds is a thin-walled sheet metal pipe shape that slides snugly into the body of the straight part of the projectile. The projo is then filled with the explosive. The detonation of the filler turns the zirconium into a shower of sparks upon detonation.
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As stated, correct. The greyish metal liner is coated in a semi- hard black dark brownish coating. See pic as promised. No danger in these, the zirconium metal itself ignites at 6,000 deg F plus, the zircon sponge ( more modern ) ignites around 3,300 deg F. It would take an oxy acetylene torch to ignite it....so I am told, on to proper fuzes, the 105mm AF M1 ( MOD) HE round took the standard M557 PD fuze up to 2005 or so when new rounds were made ( AF added a high frag - HF, in addition to the HE) and redesignated HE to PGU44/B, taking the FMU-153/B fuze. I can find no TM markings ( USAF) for the PGU44 HE or HF 105mm rounds. From what I can see in TM's, prior to 04/05, the standard HE AF round was ink marked as yours plus the DODAC number. M557 PD fuzes are common and easy to find on sites like GB, and last I looked even has a few of the L60 HEI-P zirconium rounds demilled (slight torch mark on the driving band- zircon tubes present).My USAF 105mm HE M1 Mod cartridge has a 1974 date on the case and projo, and the M557 PD fuze is also dated 1974.Your example needs an M557 PD fuze, the M501 MT fuze you have pictured is incorrect for the USAF round.
 

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Thanks for the information on these rounds. I suppose my favorite round shouldn’t be, based on what you’ve told me. I am only a year or two into collecting, no expert by any means.
 
94thFS95 said:
Thanks for the information on these rounds. I suppose my favorite round shouldn’t be, based on what you’ve told me. I am only a year or two into collecting, no expert by any means.
Click to expand...
Your favorite looks good with a mechanical time fuze, ( harder to find fuze in my experience) it is easily fixed with a common M557. Take some time to use the search function here, much posted in the past. See this recent post, it explains were I obtained my USAF L60 and 105 cases. I acquired the projos to fill the cases from a long time collector. You can PM me and I can give you a cheap source for a M557 PD fuze, he may even have one dated to match your projo.
http://www.bocn.co.uk/vbforum/threads/99066-AC130-action?p=295887#post295887
 
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Incendiary, designed to ignite gas, diesel, hydraulic fluids, oil, etc.....the more modern rounds use Zirconium in a sponge form, solid zirconium metal is older technology. More exactly:
"In an oxygen atmosphere, finely divided Zirconium burns with the highest known temperature for a metal flame: 4460 oC.(4) Powdered zirconium can spontaneously ignite in air."



 
388 views as of my writing this, 2 pages of replies, and NO-ONE posts a favorite in the spirit of the OP? Was it a stupid question? Like admitting you have a favorite child?
 
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