MK-6 practice Dummy Round

YEAR: 1943
ITEM: Other
COMPANY: Harris Manufacturing
COUNTRY: USA
IN OUR COLLECTION: Yes

Made in the early 1940s, this dummy ammunition round was made of turned oak by Harris Manufacturing (now part of L3 Harris Technologies). The dummy shell was the exact size of the real shells and was weighted so that it weighed the same as a live shell. They were called "drill rounds" because they were used by sailors to practice handling and loading the shells during WWII. (You would not want to practice with a live 38" long shell!!!) Ideally, the gun crews were expected to load and fire 10 to 12 rounds per minute during actual combat.

If you look closely at the point of the shell, you will see that it has been damaged, likely by a sailor with a bit too much energy loading the shell. The Shell is used for training, of loading and unloading of US Naval 3"/ 50-Caliber guns, commonly called Howitzers

The shell, at the widest part, is 4.25 "in diameter, and us 35"in length.

We have this "drill round" in our collection as it illustrates, in a very real way, the "output" of the Mark 7 Range Keeper analog computer.

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