Item Number: A00975

Item Title: Very Cool 3 Inch Read Shell

Price: 150 or $200 with Fuse

Shipping: Not included

Provenance: CS

Type: Read

Size: 3 Inch Caliber For Ordnance Rifle

Sabot: Copper Ring

Fuse: CS Copper Time Adapter

Book:
Dickey and George (1993 Edition) Page 257
Melton and Pawl (Paperback Editon) Page 72 A-10

Location Recovered: Unknown

Description:This a really cool display item. It is a typical Virginia Read with bourrelets. What makes it cool is the instruction value it provides. Starting at the bottom is the copper ring sabot. It has very crisp rifling from the ordnance rifle that fired it. In firing a piece of the sabot tore away showing how the shell is cast around the sabot. Nicely the remaining sabot is in place and the shell stands up perfectly straight. The shell body is made with bourrelets to reduce the drag on the cannon and reduce the lathing needed to manufacture. On a couple places you can clearly see the lathe marks. There is a faint outline of the lathe lug that was broken off after being lathed. And lastly, I got the shell without a fuse but could make out decent threads so I chased the threads and inserted a fuse. It screws in and out nicely. The fuse is near perfect with nice threads and a nice flat top with no scratches. The shell can be purchased alone for $150 or with the fuse for $200.

The iron looks to be lightly cleaned if cleaned at all. There is some light scaling but it is average or better and some cleaning would probably make a big difference if someone was of the mind to clean it. The mid-body bourrelet is much more square edged than most. It displays nicely with a nice patina on the sabot and fuse.

Shell is inert, lightly cleaned and coated.