shell case found in a cellar

**AllanT** · 10-13-2009, 09:41 PM

Can anyone tell me more about this shell case?

It is "about" 20mm in diameter (the top is a bit buckled) and 11 cm high.
The bottom bears the marking XF 5429 and very faintly at the other side it says KE 5179.

I found it when I was cleaning out my father-in-laws house after he died, so I don't know where he got it from.

Any ideas?

AllanT

**zwerge** · 10-13-2009, 11:51 PM

It looks like a 20mm x 110mm Hispano cannon shell. The RAF used them for aircraft cannons.

**GasMasksUK** · 10-14-2009, 12:38 AM

yeah, I'm sure thats what it is, it looks very like the ones that I found when I was digging in an area where Spitfires straffed the woods with shells before landing at the nearby base.

**AllanT** · 10-14-2009, 07:10 AM

Great! Thanks guys.
Now I just need to figure out how old it is.
RDAF used Spitfires MK IXE from 1947 to about 1955 so it might very well be post war.

AllanT

**Steve T** · 10-14-2009, 08:10 PM

Well, i have to say I can count on the fingers of one hand the amount of times a headstamp from small arms ammo has stumped me........Thanks to this post I am now having to use my other hand !!!

The stamp doesn't follow any of the methods I know. There doesn't appear to be a recognisable makers mark, (XF and KE I can't find on ANY ammo !), nor does there appear to be a date or calibre mark. The calibre mark is understandable but not so much the lack of date mark. I would speculate that the 'KE' followed by 5179 could be a code for 1979....but then again the 54 after the XF mark could be a year.

This is bugging me now !

<-----goes to trawl the net some more

Steve T

**AllanT** · 10-17-2009, 01:37 PM

Hehe, I'm sorry that my find is bugging you, Steve.

I hope you don't lose any sleep over it

**Steve T** · 10-20-2009, 07:52 PM

Ok....I give up. Can't find what those markings refer to ANYWHERE!

If someone knows, please put me out of my misery

Steve T

Timberwolf · 01-01-2010, 04:20 PM

the danes used spitfires post war so it could be from one of those

**skypilot** · 08-03-2010, 02:41 PM

I would suggest that indeed it is a standard 20mm Hispano round but manufactured outside of the usual UK factories, hence the lack of "normal" markings. Given the widespread use by other nations of the ubiquitous Hispano in various roles, I would suggest that it is a European manufactured round.

The markings are not of a type I have encountered before.

**klokhoane** · 08-03-2010, 07:23 PM

I think sky pilot is thinking in the right way.
I was searching through the internet and couldn't find a maker.
This could be because the makermarks u can find are from the well known producers. The makermarks from the European producers are harder to find.

cheers,