What is this round on eBay; WW2 30mm ?

[Darkman]

This round is currently on eBay Australia.
Listed as a WW1 item, but the design features look more like WW2 or later - headstamp has a "71" and the primer has a "41" mark.

Don't know the dimensions but judging from the hand, the calibre is approximately 30mm, and this appears to be supported by the headstamp.

I had originally thought Japanese, but the western markings seem to exclude this.

Any ideas?

Cheers,

Graeme

 

[EOD]

This is a French 30x170 HS.

 

[Tony Williams]

There was a history of the 30x170 round published in the ECRA Bulletin a while back.

Development of this gun+ammo started in around 1940 by the French branch of Hispano Suiza. In was continued in the early 1940s in the UK by BMARCo, but finally brought into production by the Swiss branch of Hispano Suiza in the 1950s. The cases were originally brass like yours, but subsequently changed to steel. With the takeover of HS by Oerlikon, the gun became known as the Oerlikon KCB and is still in wide service (including with the British Royal Navy, who are currently replacing it with the ATK MK44 in 30x173 calibre).

The British Rarden light AFV gun (still very much in service) uses a version of this cartridge, but reverted to a brass rather than steel case.