Original German WWI Imperial German 7.7 cm FK 96 n.A. Inert Artillery Round With Fuse – Dated 1910 Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a wonderful example of an excavated Imperial German 7.7cm Artillery Round as used with the 7.7 cm Feldkanone 96 neuer Art field gun. This artillery round is completely void of any explosive content and has a deactivated fuse. It cannot be used as a destructive device and is in total compliance with the current BATF standards governing inert ordnance.

Not Available For Export.

The gun combined the barrel of the earlier 7.7 cm FK 96 with a recoil system, a new breech and a new carriage. Existing FK 96s were upgraded over time. The FK 96 n.A. was shorter-ranged, but lighter than the French Canon de 75 modèle 1897 or the British Ordnance QF 18 pounder gun; the Germans placed a premium on mobility, which served them well during the early stages of World War I. However, once the front had become static, the greater rate of fire of the French gun and the heavier shells fired by the British gun put the Germans at a disadvantage. The Germans remedied this by developing the longer-ranged, but heavier 7.7 cm FK 16.

As with most guns of its era, the FK 96 n.A. had seats for two crewmen mounted on its splinter shield. Guns taken into service by Finland, Poland, Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia upon independence in 1919 served until replaced during the 1930s.

The round does appear to have been excavated and was matched with a 1910 dated shell casing. The projectile measures approximately 11 inches tall with the shell casing standing at 9 inches tall. There are faint visible markings present on the projectile and the headstamp is clear on the casing with a very visible 1910 date. Weight approximately 10 pounds.