Tell me more! 3 inch Hotchkiss shell

[Kelly408]

I'm fascinated by the ingenuity of some of these inventors and how their inventions actually worked. I have a spent 3 inch Hotchkiss shell that measures 6.75 inches. I was curious about how far the shell "compresses" when fired. I looked up "unfired Hotchkiss shell" and one came up with the measurement of 7 3/16 inches. That suggests my shell "compressed" just under 1/2 inch. It seems to me that isn't enough to force the lead sabot to engage the rifling. Are these measurements reasonable?

 

[redbob]

The short answer is yes, the Hotchkiss has a hollow bottom cup and when the round is fired the cup section is forced forward expanding the lead sabot enough to engage the rifling of the piece.

 

[UCVRelics]

If you look at the rifling it didn't take very much to compress into the grooves.

 

[Kelly408]

So all it takes is about 1/2" compression? I expected more!

 

[redbob]

So all it takes is about 1/2" compression? I expected more!

If it's a tight fit between round and tube, it doesn't take much; however if the tube is badly worn, that is another story.