by
Greg Pickersgill
I do not believe this to be Italian at all - it has a Bulgarian liner and chinstrap from the Bulgar M51 (or M51/72) and its therefore likely that the shell is a Bulgar M51 also (sometimes hard to tell from pics as it a copy of the Italian M33). So, Italian in influence, but not in actuality.
It would be hard to tell from photos if a genuine Italian M33 shell was made pre or post war. The shells were continually refurbished throughout the 1940s-80s and the real obvious differences are the paint scheme and the liner and chinstrap.
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