Chris Hall

We refitted our SNATCH from clansman to bowman in Iraq, Aug 2005.

If you want a .410 conversion on a shotgun cert it needs to have the mag welded in place and limited to 2 rounds, or converted to single shot by welding a plate in the mag well. They then need proofing. Oh and don't forget that the .410 musket was different to the modern .410 conversions.

For me it's the SAR Sea King, yellow bird in the snow has to be such a relief for many a stranded being. It will be a shame to see them go next year and I really don't understand it. I believe that it's a good excuse for Prince Will to resign his commission and focus on his Royal duties.

They've been panning this for years, there was a rumour that they wanted to fly into or over East Kirkby so that the 3 Lancs could be photographed together.

Is it a plastic handle and wood butt and hand guards? If it is, it sounds correct for a New Zealand pattern Lithgow made L1A1. Theres a number of ways I can think of to tighten it but it may be easier to remove it and 'adjust' the loop of the handle by gentle bending to make it act like a spring.

It's actually not for a Bren gun, it's for the Boys Anti Tank rifle, it's very similar to the Bren cover but is for the Boys.

After 18 years of wearing my ferret in the rain and cold and using it to demist windscreens, hold hot dinner plates, polish shoes, a frisby, blowing across car parks and pretty much anything else you can think of, it fits a real treat now. Only problem is it's a bit worn out and I reckon if the SWO catches me with it on he'll order me to get a new one and it'll be another 18 years to get that one sorted.

I've a few ideas but non of them are based on deduction! Something to do with fire or a defensive position like a gun pit?

Happens all the time and not because people don't know, people don't care! I've rescued quite a bit of stuff in the past, 1940s Carlisle dressings are one that springs to mind.

AFAIK there is no legislation to stop you posting them in the UK however I've no idea from a Canadian customs point of view. Most of the shipping companies just come up with their own rules and unfortunately it's their train set so to speak. A quick check of Parcel Force prohibited items list doesn't list Knives or Bayonets as prohibited by them however I did find a funny item on the list; "Wet ice (frozen water)" How long would it remain like that I wonder!

What one earth! I used to go away for 2 to 3 month periods and I would ring my insurance company and declare it off road, they would then refund my premium and on my return I would ring up and reactivate my insurance and pay the premium from that day until the end of the policy. I think they called it under cover fire and theft and it cost me ZERO to do this. That puts an end to that! Next they will say that if your car is insured (A classic car in a museum?) you will need road tax, even if you have no intension of driving it! And then you can't get an MOT because it's not road worthy so you can't tax it, and now you can't tax, you can't insure it. And then theres a fire and the roof falls on it. Oh deer oh deer, what is happening to the world.

Shaun, any chance of some photos of your L4A2? Has it been re-marked as a L4A4? Any chance of the serial number? Cheers, Chris.

The idea is for the spare parts tin to contain the parts that may commonly break, the firing pin spring on the LMG was obviously prone to breaking or becoming weak so there is a spare. The Firing pin of the L1A1 was obviously prone to the tip breaking off so there is a spare L1A1 firing pin. They are seen as two separate items, you will notice there are 2 extractors, one for the L1 and one for the L4.

Its not a sniper scope like Helston are implying, they are hoping someone will buy it thinking its a No.32 scope for the Lee Enfield No.4. They are quite common and are from heavy guns (But don't ask me which), they can be found on ebay from £30 and can/have been used to repair the No.32 scope as they have values up to £1000. A thread on Milsurps concerning the N0.32, 42, 52 and 53 scopes. http://www.milsurps.com/showthread.php?t=36809

I should have added that from L4A4 onwards (Lets not get onto the A3/A5 debate) that there wasn't a second barrel.

You may find this useful. Credit to my friend Tom B for the pretty pics and Kev G for the scan

The label is nice, I'd oil the outside to reduce the rust, and put a desicant bag inside the box. But don't let oil get on the label. Thanks for showing.

Having used these in Iraq I can tell you they got a lot of abuse! The 2 Snatch in my team had dislodged rear springs, snapped cable cutter, broken A/C, the carbs would stick, fuel leaked, tyres shreded but it was a bloody good vehicle for the punishment it received. When the Chubb, Baltimore and other ECM was installed there wasn't a standard set up (There maybe should have been), we told the guys where we wanted it and they chucked it in exactly where we said. We also had to stick day glow stickers across the top of the windscreen and later we had to stick a laminated Union Flag in the Window to highlight to the American troops that we were Brits, even then, we had to approach the rear of a US convoy slowly to within visual range and then wait for a signal from the rear guard to pass. If you didn't wait, they would have no issue with putting the 50 cal through the engine (So we were told). We also didn't have the box in the back for the top cover guys as this used up valuable space. Instead we had boxes of bottled water for the small lad to stand on and out tall lad stood directly on to the bed. We had the PMR in the front but had the clansman (Then Bowman) in the rear and only fitted the aerial when we needed it. When we did need it ready but not in immediate use, we tied the front down so we didn't break it. We also had red phos grenades positioned next to the ECM in case our vehicles were imobalised and we needed to destroy the vehicle. I'm glad there are plenty coming on to the market as they'll always bring back memories (Good and bad) of Iraq.

I think it's for using smaller training rounds but I'm no PIAT expert http://www.spandaumilitariashop.com/ww2-piat-anti-tank-conversion-tray/

There's a loading tray for a PIAT for sale on the web at the moment if anyone needs one.

I'm still a little confused, the breech is the section where the barrel is in the body. Is it a marking on the body you refer to? If so, it's not normal to mark the body with an extra identical serial number, I have seen unit numbers applied for simple accounting purposes. Have you a photo?

When you say action, do you mean on the breech block/bolt? If you do then yes it quite common but I've no idea why because head space has no baring on a STEN gun and therefor the blocks are completely interchangeable unlike the BREN.

Hi Mick, I've been collating Bren serial numbers for years now and your gun is the very last P serial for 1941 on my list. The first for 1942 I have listed as P2047 and I do have the numbers below which I don't have a year for so these will fall into either 41 or 42. I think its fair to say that your gun is from the last fortnight of the 1941 production. There may be a date on the body where the barrel nut lever sits which is the acceptance date and will be either '41 or '42 (More likely '42 as the body would have been marked 1941 during machining rather than assembly which occurred days/weeks later).[TABLE=width: 48] [TR] [TD=class: xl63, width: 64, bgcolor: yellow]P610[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=class: xl63, bgcolor: yellow]P784[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=class: xl63, bgcolor: yellow]P790[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=class: xl63, bgcolor: yellow]P1290[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=class: xl63, bgcolor: yellow]P1860[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]

I did a quick bit of shopping around and the cheapest I could find was £475 at the moment, I dare say that a private seller may take £400 but it does appear the prices are climbing. £495 http://www.worldwidearms.com/popup.cfm?p_n=515733&p_i=515733 £475 http://www.dandbmilitaria.com/Sten-MK-V-SMG.html £600 http://www.deactivated-military-weapons.co.uk/image-files/S141_A_STENMK5.jpg

This one has sold but it gives you an idea of the prices some people are willing to pay. I'm glad I bought mine when I did for £250 http://www.rjmilitaria.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=209