Verify Swiss cannon projectile color code (HEI?)

General Ammunition Discussion
#1

I have a Swiss 20x128 cartridge (pictured below) with a blue projectile and grey fuze that I have tentatively identified as HEI. Is this the correct identification for this round?

I’ve also seen a 30x113B Swiss round with the same color code (unfortunately I have no photo), along with the designation “MB-916” stamped in black ink on the projectile. I am guessing that the “B” stands for “Brand” i.e. incendiary. Does “M” indicate Minen or something else?

Thanks in advance!

The 20x128 round in question:

#2

hello
yes is probably an hei (or incendiary) round
i saw the same with same markings but when i see that it live i don’t bought this
i well see the fuze ,it a real fuze not dummy plug (you can heard the mecanism ball in the fuze)
the fuze had bright red sealant on the top

it strange that the shell is painted blue ??? (but it can be an incendiary round filled with sort of electronthermit ,fuze with detonator for bursting the content of the shell ,similar to WW2 20x82 luftwaffe load “brandgeshoss”,blue shell with detonating fuze with or without shell destroying)

but i m sure that is not an TP

the fuze can unscrew ?

#3

The fuze on mine also has a red sealant at the tip. The booster has of course been removed but it is definitely a real fuze and I too can hear the internal mechanism when I shake it. This round has had the powder removed and of course the projectile is empty as well.

Unfortunately I don’t have a good reference for Swiss color codes. I’ve seen later Swiss rounds with blue projectiles that are TP, so I wonder if they used blue for HEI before switching to NATO-standard color codes?

#4

you are lucky to find a beautifull shell that was inerted properly
the round that i can bought was live ,powder and presumy explosive charge still here ,so i don’t bought it

early color for TP are black ,maybe incendiary for blue
now TP are blue and incendiary is pink (for medium swiss calibers)

#5

Switzerland never changed to NATO color codes as there is no reason for that.
Also keep in mind that plenty of ammunition was exported to other countries where then the regardong color code was applied as per customers demand.
Also it has to be clarified if that dummy fuze, fuze/fuze body is genuine to the projectile and not something assembled.
The projectile itself looks much like a TP.
Better images of the fuze would help and also we would need to know all markings from the projectile body, in particlar stencilled ones if applied.

#6

for EOD

i m sure that is a sort of explosive/incendiary projo
i wouldn’t dissassemble a live round to only prove that is definitely not a TP (can be a deadly comfusion)
the round that i see has the good fuze (paint no cracked on shell and 3mm to base of the fuze and no marks to show a replacement of the fuze)

i see a swiss 30x173 SAPHEI with the same blue color ,and twoaz mentioned a 30x113 with the blue projo ,aparely (but the black code on the 30x113 can be one way to identifie the shell)

#7

Chip, your identification is correct, this round is loaded with a HEI projectile designated “Sprengbrandgranate Typ SBA”. Regards, Fede.

#8

for FEDE

the explosive is hexal ? or TNT+incendiary ?

#9

It is loaded with Hexal.

#10

A blue body is for “auxiliary” amunition, but the shown projectile does not have it’s typical swiss nomenclature number on it (only the fabrication data)

Image and text from the swiss ‘règlement 60.070’

593 bleu
Munitions contenant des composés pyrotechniques ou d’autres substances chimiques utilisées comme munitions incendiaires, productrices de brouillard artificiel,
de fumée, de bruit, de lumière et d’éclairs, et comme dispositifs de tir, de séparation, de propulsion, de déclenchement de siège éjectable.

Freely translated as:

593 Blue
Amunition containing pyrotechnical substances, and used as incendiary, smoke, illumination, sound and flash.
Also used for spotting, separation, propulsion and ejection seat cartridges.

#11

maybe a round for “tir reduit” (reduced firing) for large caliber gun
exist the same projo but more recent (20x128)
black with yellow band and red band (black for TP but with explosive charge for simulate the impact of real large round) ,in some a real “mini” HE-T projo
i see the same colors (black / red /yellow) on 24x138 for “tir reduit”

#12

Ammogun,

The (modern) band colors for swiss ammunition are

yellow for explosive
pink for Incendiary
red for Illuminating/tracer
white for smoke

So indeed, the Black projectile body denotes a TP, the yellow band says it has an explosive charge, and the red band says it’s a tracer.
Taking this combination, it sure sounds like a ‘spotting’ or ‘subcaliber’/‘reduced firing’ round to simulate/accentuate the point of impact.

The plain blue projectile should be (according the swiss color schemes) just an incendiary.

But i don’t know when the Swiss army introduced those color schemes (the Règlement i have is dated 2007).
It sure can be they used diffrent color schemes in the 1950’s.

#13

hello
yes i know some colours for the swiss ammo but not all

exemple:i had a 20x110 hispano with all black projo (normally TP) but with violet band ???

#14

Thanks everyone for the excellent information!

EOD: The only markings on this projectile are the ones shown in the photo: 5-56. I am fairly certain that the fuze is original to the projectile. Like ammogun’s example, mine has the blue paint from the projectile extending a couple of millimeters onto the fuze.

According to my notes, the 30x113B round that I saw with the same color scheme (including the blue paint extending onto the fuze for a few millimeters) was marked in black ink: MB-916.