question 105mm Pack Howitzer

The one I bought back from the Falklands was a steel like twisted band on to a brass base it got very rusty I must clean it up some day and stick it on evil bay if they still let you.:cool2:

ebay stopped any ordnance being sold, poofs.

Best put it british ordnance collectors network. or a friend of mine is heavily into ordnance as a buyer seller.

He directed me to somebody who bought my depth charge!

It does state very clearly by Oto Melara that the L5 was not designed to be towed,it was designed as a Light weight air portable artillery piece that can be brocken down into pack sized parts for transit over rough terrain BUT can be towed over short distances.

Quite ironic that the MOD took it out of service because it wasn't strong enough to tow.

Maybe they should have read the small print ! :wow:

Rob......................rnixartillery.

Hello Spider, So that was the ONLY reason then? Just to check all componants were secure! If that is the case then, I would assume that a private owner who looked after his own gun a lot more diligently. If he ensured all componnats WERE indeed securely affixed, COULD tow an L6 further than the stipulated 20 Miles? As an Armourer myself, I went upto 120mm ON Recoiless A/T Weapons. The Mobat which was towed, didnt have a milage restriction on it. I alwasy wondered why the L6 had this, now I know! Cheers!

Hi Ferret Fixer

The Pack Howitzer's replacement the light gun should have had a restriction on it. To get the gun into action the kerbside wheel had to be removed so that the barrel could be swung round. The amount of times we would stop on the way home because one of the guns had developed a wheel knock. While I was in the boffins never found out what was the cause of the knock. I was always convinced it was a small amount of dirt between the faces of the hub and wheel, but who listens to a mere craftsman. I did get my gun crews to give the wheel and hub a good clean before any long journey and we suffered less than the other two batteries. A few years later I was working with a guy who was a TA gunner (well a TSM) and he mentioned they had just got the L118 and moaned about how bad the wheel knock was. I suggested he got the crews to give the matting faces a good clean. After he had been on holiday (exersice???) he said he took my advice and the amount of wheel knock problems were far less.

As for Mobats, one ended up in our LAD from god know's where and the gun fitters were asked to fix it. My mates and me spent a good afternoon lokking at this thing and conculded it was a pipe on wheels.:-D As an infantry weapon it was an armourers job so we were clueless, more than normal.

Hello Spider, Always thought it an odd thing to do with the light gun. Removing a wheel so you can trav 180 Degrees! You would have thought that in the design stage, a little bit higher & the barrel would have cleared the wheel when rotating & ensuring a VERY Rapid deployment into action! MOBAT is a LOT quicker to get into firing position. But, the backblast flame was an invitation to a suicide party! (HELLO, here we are!)

Mobat also a lot easier to work on. I worked mostly on WOMBAT, which was similar, but had a side swinging venturie rather than the convertional breechblock set up.

It did however, fire the same round which was an AWESOME sight to behold! :wow:

Hi FerretFixer

When in battery the light gun had all its bits in the right place. If the barrel would have been a little higher it would have been an uncomfortable gun to fire. The problem lay in the wheel track width, the diameter of the firing platform, the shape and bow of the trail, and I believe the doors of the Belfast. A slightly wider track would have meant a larger diameter firing platform and a redsign of the trail to carry the platform. That would have been OK if the specification had not included airtransportable in the hold of a Belfast, any wider and it would not fit. :undecided:

As normal with any MOD specifications :writing:no one has the forsight to see that the Belfast would be out of service before the light Gun was in service

The gun was designed to be split into two parts for transport by Wessex heliocopter, each 1 tonner had to make room for a frame and winch to be able to do this. Never saw a Wessex shift a light gun. The frame and its winch were very handy for us gun fitters and the VMs :-)

G-day guys, a Kiwi Gunner here. Speaking of the L118/9 we had ours made under licence the Royal Ordnance by the Australians when they made thiers. As usual the Kiwi talking heads in parliament and HQ ensured ours were made first before the Aussies made the ones for them so ours had all the teething problems AND when the Aussies made thiers they did widen the wheelbase so they dont have to remove the LBM operator sides wheel to bring the piece from the travelling to in action position.

The L118 uses Abbot ammo (Different shaped cart case and therefore Chamber) but yes the L119 uses the same M1 ammo as the L5 pack. The cart case brought back from the Falklands by a previous poster is what we call spiral wrap and is not all that good for carrying out loading drills on your display L5 due to the parting experienced (Increasing width) by the cart case once fired so are prone to "Hang up" on entry to the breech, best get some brass casses.

I have an incomplete L5 which i am hunting for bits for, but there are quite a few L5 at returned services clubs (Like the foriegn legion clubs in UK) in NZ all de-activated, but only 3 others complete and operable in civvy hands.

Attached should be a shot of the old girl in my garage and on display at a local museum display day. I have been collecting as much of the associated stores and items seen on a L5 Gun position of the 80s when i was using them in service and have just recently completed the sighting equipment and paraleloscope.

Very Nice ! what parts are you missing ? it would seem the place to find parts for these guns is in Australia, I had a spares trade with a collector over there and acquired some very nice bits and pieces.

I have recently been approached by another guy who was also lucky enough to find an L5 but in the same situation looking for parts.

They are lovely guns and well worth the effort getting them back together.

Rob................rnixartillery.

 

When in battery the light gun had all its bits in the right place. If the barrel would have been a little higher it would have been an uncomfortable gun to fire. The problem lay in the wheel track width, the diameter of the firing platform, the shape and bow of the trail, and I believe the doors of the Belfast. A slightly wider track would have meant a larger diameter firing platform and a redsign of the trail to carry the platform. That would have been OK if the specification had not included airtransportable in the hold of a Belfast, any wider and it would not fit.

 

Sorry to spoil a 'good' (but underinformed story, but the GSR makes no mention of Belfast, it does refer to internal carriage in Andover and Chinook, rumour has it that at least one of those is still in use. The other barrel problem was putting the muzzle through the a/c roof when backing/towing it up and down the ramp. Just for the record the Belfast hold could accomodate two LRs side by side, in fact there was room for 8 LWB LRs and 6 105mm Pack Hows, been there, done that, Lt Gun width would not have been a problem.

My understanding is that the newer A frame means there is no restriction (a/c excepted) on towing with the barrel unfolded, the Drill Book merely states it's the local commander's decision, although I think the elevating handwheel gear has to be disconnected.

Re Hamels, last time I looked at one it required the wheel removing to swing the barrel.

Hello,my name's Jay. I appreciate this thread is from a few years ago but I need some advise and expertise from you guys if that's okay? Please forgive me if I have overlooked any etiquette in posting on here. I'm new to this site and have joined for a specific purpose. I tried to write an introduction but the site says this is now no longer an option due to spammers? I have read the thread and rnixartillery, you seem to have done an amazing job in restoring your british pack howitzer!

Here's the thing. I'm a serving soldier in the Royal Artillery in the Larkhill area. My RSM has tasked me to recondition the gate guards for our new camp (Horne Barrack, Larkhill) which are a pair of British 105mm pack howitzers. The guns are pretty much complete however have been open to the elements for a good long while and are in need of some TLC and some parts. I have a very keen interest in this sort of thing (this is why I was dicked to do it as he knows this) and I want to do a good job but I wandered if someone could advise me on how to go about it or maybe put me in touch with someone who has experience in this? I've never done this sort of thing before.

I searched the internet and came across this forum. You guys seem to have a wealth of knowledge here and I would love to hear from someone who may be able to help? Thanks for your time and hopefully hear from you soon. Jay

Don't know if you have considered a 155mm AH70 ?

It seems easy to deal with and get bits for etc, and looks great towed behind a 432 or the Chieftain Willich.

We generally just use it for static displays etc

When i find the pics of 432 etc, i will post them.

They are not that rare;

Cheers,

Lex

Nice pics!

Blimey look at the size of thier Berets!!! :shocked:

 

the last time I saw ones like that, they were called 2000 Ltr Water Tanks, Or cupola covers!!! :rofl:

Mike

orrigins of why does every body call me big head?

Hi,

Norfolk Tank Museum at Forncet St Peter in Norfolk have an L5 howitzer. It's virtually complete but we need a firing pin for it (yes, we do have the appropriate paperwork for this!!)

Anybody got one for sale? the prospect of firing blanks is very attractive!

http://norfolktankmuseum.co.uk/

Hi,

Norfolk Tank Museum at Forncet St Peter in Norfolk have an L5 howitzer. It's virtually complete but we need a firing pin for it (yes, we do have the appropriate paperwork for this!!)

 

Anybody got one for sale? the prospect of firing blanks is very attractive!

 

 

http://norfolktankmuseum.co.uk/

try Helstons for spares. Not cheap, but they have them.

Hi, We did, even I had to sit down....:wow:

Does anyone know where I can get a manual for the pack howitzer?

Cheers,

Terry

Does anyone know where I can get a manual for the pack howitzer?

 

Cheers,

Terry

Yes ,I have originals along with Illustrated parts lists. Quite happy to post down under !

Pm me for more details.

Cheers

Rob.....................rnixartillery.