ferretfixer

To clarify: You DO need the cert or at least a copy (If a copy, make sure it has the word COPY accross it in highlighter. If you dont it could be miscronstrued as a forgery) because Plod has been told to look for this. He doesnt know the intracsies of proof marks. Catution: It is an offence (Imprisonable) to have a replica/ deact/ airsoft weapon in a public place without lawfull authority or reasonable excuse. IE: As part of a historical display. Recruiting, Poppy Day collection Etc. Pulic liability insurance is also a very good idea if you do displays. Mike

Hi, Saw your post on your Turret hatches dilema. I had a similar predicamnet a few months back restoring a MKII Turret. I freed it off with penitrating Plusgas but snapped one hinge pin. I ended up drilling the pin out & turning a new one on the lathe. Just in case, I bought some N.O.S stock turret fittings. If you snapped one of your hinges I have one. When I was searching all the dealers in the uK stocks, I got THE only one available! I was going to make a complete top hatch, but in the end I sourced a Turret with a lot missing but it had a hatch to canibalise. Send me a PM & I will get back to you with a small list of N.O.S Hatch spares, catches Etc. I can talk to you about the whole saga of my restoration if you want to know anything to help you. Cheers, Kind Regards: Mike

The correct term for the co-axialy mounted weapon with the Wombat is the M8C. This is a 'spotting Rifle. It is semi-automatic & fed from a curved 10 round magazine. It fires a round unique to this weapon. It is a .50" calibre SHORT round fitted with a magnisiem filled copper jacketed head. When fired, & upon striking a hard target. The magniseim explodes with a bright flash. When this is acheived, the gunner switches to main armamant & fires the 120mm Round. As an Ex-Armouere, I have worked on many of these weapons. My personal preference is the Mobat. It is much more robust & has a totaly different breech locking mech. The optical sight is identical for wombat & conbat. BUT, they have to be taken apart & put back together in the opposite plain as the weapons mount the optic sight on different sides. ( A real pain in the proverbial, as I remember!) The wombat was carried in a special mounting on longwheelbase landrovers & also 432 APC's. On the landy, it had a small winch at the front & you pulled the weapon up a pair of small ramps into the vehicle & clamped it firm over the axle aech side. The landy carried six rounds only at the front in a purpose made rack. I never worked on the 432 variant so cannot comment on that particular mounting. you can occasionaly see a wombat 'portee' at shows. Hope this helps you. Mike.

The pic appears to be a dump in Germany after the war's end

Hi Lee, Why bother, I have a spare for sale here if your interested? :cool2: They hold a VERY high pressure, & can be extremely dangerous if you dont know what you are doing! :stop: Mike :coffee:

I was R.E.M.E attached. More interesting arm of service, as we got attached to all different branches of the Army. (They bend it, I mend it!) I was attached to the following: Royal Engineers, 15/16th Hussars, 1 Worcestershire Foresters Regiment (Mech Inf) 2 Light Infantry,3 Bn Parachute Regiment, The school Of Infantry at Warminster, (Also demonstration Battalion) Wilts, royal welsh fusileiers, & 27 Command Workshop, also in Warminster. I was also with the T.A 10 years after I left the Regulars with 6/7 & 5th Battalion Princess Of Wales's Royal Regiment. Had an attacment with the Lifeguards whilst with them also. I was The Battalion Armourer Sergeant. Worked for an Armamant Company in Civvy Street, manufacturing G.P.MG.s, ,50" Cal MG's & 81mm Mortars, amongst a host of other equipment. Was involved in R & D in weapons, Mounts, trials & refurbisment. There is very little indeed that I didnt cover, & I consider myself priveliged & (Have been told) an authority in my field. I have been called an 'Expert' by many. BUT, this is a title I shy away from. For there is ALWAYS somebody who knows a little more than we do ourselves!! My maxim is, 'always keep an open mind'. Sooner or later, there is something that comes along to disprove the 'so called golden rule' written in stone!! Mike

Hi Jack, Sorry Mate, but at my level I dont get my hands dirty anymore (Sergeant) :nono: I just go & sign a prisoner out from the Guardroom & he can clean up for you!! LOL. :rofl: Mike :coffee:

Hi Lee, Well... a little. I used to work in the armamant industry after leaving the Army. We used to have & sell spares for them. I recently sold a very nice userhandbook for one of these on Ebay. I will catch up wth you tommorow Mate, got to catch the soaps tonight! (How sad is that!) Mike

Hello everybody! This is my first post on the site. I am a mil veh owner with a Military background also. I presently own a Ferret MKII, a couple of sankey trailers & a WWII German Ammo trailer. (More trailers than vehicles to tow them!) I was a vehicle mech for 3 three years, then retrained as an Armourer (& never looked back!) I have owned a few exotic 'toys' in the past IE: Saladin, scorpion, fox, Ferret, Kubelwagen, Zundapp KS750 combination, 2 x Jeeps. All that ended 9 years back after a protracted & messy divorce! :nono: I have started again with Humble beginings! The Ferret was the most fun vehicle I ever owned, so I decided to start there again! :-D At present, I am looking for a Bedford RL Cargo if anyone has one for sale at sensible money. I would prefer gloss green (Deep Bronze Green) but a later scheme would be considered. After all, a spray gun covers a multitude of sins! :shocked: So there you go, a very potted history of me! My main Interest is obviously Weapons as an an Armouer, so, if I can help anybody. Im only too willing to assist. Hope to hear from any members soon. Bye for now, respectful regards to all, Mike