biffj

Some stuff is going about as expected and others are unbelievable....Ferret was way over reality especially with premiums and taxes. Guy is going to pay pretty heavy to move it as well. Lots of issues getting stuff off the hill (museum) as noted by the transport costs which are not applying to vehicles but only other stuff. They aren't telling you what the cost to get the armor off the hill is and after being involved in getting a few pieces out of that place in the last few years its going to be high. I feel for the guy who is spending all that cash on the chieftain Mk11 with the dozer blade. His issues are just beginning. No telling if the thing even runs and he has already paid about twice market and is looking at $20K or so to move it. I had a look at the chieftain engine that sold for $10K. Hope that guy has a mechanic.....or isn't planning on using it in a vehicle as a runner. Looks like a lot of buyers either have very deep pockets and no cares or they're buying based on pictures and descriptions. Having seen all this stuff a month or so back I'm shocked at the prices of some of it. Frank

The T62 left long before the Collings bunch bought the rest. I know where a few of the others went after he bought it though. I was impressed with the fantasy pricing on a lot of that stuff too. A friend suggested that the prices came from a friend of Rob Collings who is a modeler and another who is an enthusiast but neither have any knowledge of real armor. I was shocked at the $1-2K price on the swiss ammo cart when I just bought one retail from a dealer here in the States for $400. ( I needed the wheels for another project). As noted its tough to deal with these guys and I'm surprised anyone has managed to get anything off the mountain top with the road the way it is. I think a lot of the stuff will go for more than we think just because of advertising and promo to folks that aren't knowledgeable in the hobby. Good chance the volume of stuff will keep prices down on the more common toys . Anxious to see how it goes and if the prices are right there are a lot of good parts out there even if the vehicles are junk. Frank

If you do get some done we will need a set. I just finished doing a cosmetic repair on a set for the chieftain that just showed up here. Unfortunately the gumbies here in the states make us cut a hole in them for import. Thanks Frank

There is a right and left side..... Frank

I've heard of US Military manuals for a number of russian tanks. We got one for the T62 and the BMP-1 but haven't found the one for the T55 yet. We recently heard from another tank owner here in the US that he had an english manual for the T55 but haven't seen anything yet.... One problem with the US manuals is that the writers were frequently not the operators and they are full of minor mistakes. One that makes me laugh is the US BMP-1 manual where it suggests opening the valve directly in front and to the right of the drivers seat to clear the water from the air system prior to starting. Only problem is that the valve is actually the drain for the coolant system. If the floor drain is open when you open the valve they're speaking of you can drain all the coolant in about 10 minutes or enough to ruin the engine in about 1. The manuals need to be checked over pretty carefully with an eye on the real vehicle prior to depending on them.... Frank

I'll have a look for the ID plate. I should be going over to the tank barn this week. I also contacted Bovington for info on how to obtain the records. Thanks for all the info from the group. Frank

It does also have the cast in serial number on the glacis plate. We had heard that we could contact Bovington with that number and get some history....maybe link the serial to the registration number? I haven't had a chance to really look over the inside but I'll see if there is a data plate inside. The gun isn't moveable yet due to idiotic US regs for import. The breech ring was cut and isn't on the barrel so we have to leave things sit til we can get it back together and balanced. That makes it tough to get into the rear compartment. It seems to run well though. Thanks all for the help. that was very quick. Frank

Just helped a friend with a Chieftain delivery here in the states. We're wondering if there is any rhyme or reason behind the registration numbers and if they stay with the tank from delivery to destruction or if they change from time to time. Vehicle is a Chieftain Mk10 reg number 06 FA 47. Does it tell anything about the vehicle or is it just a number? Thanks all Frank

That is precisely the one I was looking for. Thanks for the help.... Frank

I've looked all over trying to find this one as a learning tool for a friend who wants to be able to tow his tanks and IFV's. Trying to get him to see that towbars are not a cureall if you don't drive properly. The video I'm referring to shows a 432 (I think) towing another 432(I think) using a towbar. Everything looks great other than the speed which seems a bit high but no issues til the tow vehicle nails the brakes causing the towed vehicle to push the back end of the tow veh up and nearly over the top. any help finding this one is appreciated. we are looking at having to tow some stuff up and down hills and that could cause problems.... Frank

That guns not in russia, its in Tennessee USA and belongs to a friend of mine. He's had it at the SAR show in Phoenix. I watched him rebuild it over the last few years and its a beauty. It is a registered machinegun here in the US and legal to own and fire. Here is a link to a site showing some of the rebuild. Everything works great. http://www.ordnance.com/ Frank

In the third pic down at the rear of the cradle it looks like the round plate has the GE emblem....is that what it is or is it something else??? Frank

I suppose it could be considered a precursor to the Barrett though the 118 lb empty weight is a bit more than the 36 lb of the Barrett. Its a bit more of a crew served weapon in comparison too due not only to the weight and size but also the ammunition. One man can carry a Barrett quite some distance with enough ammo to do some damage but the guy capable of carrying the solo with 20 or 30 rds is a rarity indeed. The 20mm ammunition uses a projectile of 2300 grains (150 grams or so) compared to the 650gr APIT slug of the US .50. The powder charge is about double that of the .50 as well. I think that 3 loaded 10rd mags of 20mm would be about the weight of the Barrett rifle with a loaded 10rd mag of .50.... Having said all that you guys are right that the target and intended purposes of the rifles are very similar. Development over the last 60 years has made the .50 cal capable of many of the same tasks with a whole lot less weight. We really enjoy shooting this monster and even my little woman takes a few shots now and then. She thinks it kicks less than the .50 cal Boys Rifle though I think she's a bit warped.... I can't complain though as she doesn't complain about the toys and actually comes and shoots with us. Here is a pic showing the 20mm round for the solothurn-20mm X 138 B compared to the russian 14.5mm X 114 and the US .50 BMG along with a 60mm mortar training round that happened to be there. ( we shoot a few of these too). Frank

Here are a few shots of my Solothurn S18-1000 20mm Anti-Tank gun. These were designed prior to WWII when armor was thinner and it was still possible to knock one out with a (large) rifle sized AT gun. The Italians seem to have been the largest user of these in North Africa and were probably the only real user of the carriage made for them. They are quite nice to shoot and incredibly accurate despite the very low power scope. We were shooting at 1600yds and easily punching holes in the 10mm non armor plate target using US training projectiles from the vulcan cannon. The carriage adds to the mobility and accuracy of the rifle. I imagine they were quite effective back in the early 40's on light armor but today would be considered more of a wake up alarm than a threat to newer armor. Hope this is a good first post to start with. enjoy the pics. Frank

I found the site from the russianmilitarytrucks site. There seems to be a bit more tracked armor traffic here which is my primary interest. I've been working on a friends vehicles and being forced to run them as well....tough life. So far we have been working on and running a BTR 40 (no tracks but its still cool), a BMP-1 (BVP-1) Czech in really good shape, a T-34/85 in very good shape and inbound are a T-55AM2 and BPzV Czech Recon BMP which are awaiting paperwork for shipping from the UK. There are a couple others in the works but until they're sitting on the dock we're not making any plans.... Glad to be here and thanks for the good words from the moderators. Frank