rnixartillery

The last of the Churchills on Feldom where stripped of any salvagable parts a couple of years back so there isn't much left on the range now and I believe that the one in FIBUA has also gone but I have had nothing to do with that one. I am not sure what is left in there now,I think a few post war vehicles ,it is impposible to get in there due to the high state of security. Pic of the salvaged Sherman after a long day winching it out of its resting place. Rob...................rnixartillery.

Hi Folks Here is a few pics of a Churchill that I located and uncovered two years ago. It was laid alongside a slab sided Sherman which we recovered, we removed the churchills turret before covering it back up. Rob................................rnixartillery.

I was very lucky to find a 6 pounder AT Gun earlier this year and took almost 18 months of negotiation to actually get my hands on it. It has had a hard life in service and on top of that it has stood outside for 30 years so there was quite a bit of deterioration and also missing several major parts. When the gun arrived it was evident that the trails were going to require quite a bit of work as they had been badly damaged,it looked like some idiot had taked a sledge hammer to them. After a bit of heating and beating and a bit of sweat and swearing they seemed to shape up ok. The main gunsheild and toe plate,sight mounting and trail stay ( short stay that keep the trails secured open when firing) are all missing. I have almost completed restoring what I have but would like to find the missing pieces,I think I can fabricate the gunsheild and toe plate but I would like find the sight mount,trail stay and a firing pin to complete the restoration. I am also interested in finding out how many 6 pounders(not US 57mm's) are out there in private hands. If anyone can help with the missing parts could you please contact me. Pics attached Rob............................rnixartillery. ps Thanks Tony ,stencil worked a treat !

A bloke I use to work with was quite friendly with the guy that owned that lot but I think it was going back a fair while and you are right in saying he had a churchill but I know that was sold many moons ago. Rob................................rnixartillery.

Thanks for the positive comments,the furthest my Artillery travels is from my workshop to my storage shed which is about 20 ft and its usualy on the back of a tractor infact I have a couple of restored guns that have not even been outside yet ! It just showes you how much kit is tucked away in peoples sheds that never gets seen. Rob...................................rnixartillery collection.

When I found a suitable spring manufacturer I had great difficulty finding the correct specs for the two coil springs infact I bought 6 different M2 manuals and finaly found one that had all the information I needed so even when the springs were made it was touch and go if they would work . They were spot on,worked a treat.I had two sets made (one for a colleague who also has an M2 ) and they worked out at about £400 for the inner and outer spring per set. The cleaning rods,I have reproduced from originals attached is a pic of the brass ends I have had turned,I have also turned the ash staffs and they are now complete. Rob.................................rnixartillery.

The restoration of my M2 took me 6 months (evenings and weekends) there are a few small jobs to do still but I am slowly working through them. I have just reproduced a full set of barrel rods to fit onto the guns trail which have turned out very well. I am in the process of restoring a 1943 6 pdr so I try to do bits on all of my guns when parts become available. Attached are a few before and after pics.:sweat: Rob..........................rnixartillery.

I found this OLD thread by chance and thought I could update it. I bought one of these 105mm M2's earlier this year and imported it into the U.K.I have since completely rebuilt the gun to the point that there is no visible sign of the previous damage. Apart from the usual restoration work I have had new elevation springs manufactured,the elevation plates have had new teeth machined and re-cut and all the torch damage repaired. My particular M2 is dated 1943 and after speaking to Peter Kneist at War and Peace ,he told me that there was only one or two war time guns left. Although they are a big piece of kit they can clean up very well and realy are a nice gun. For those of you who like pictures I have attached a couple of my finished restoration. Rob.........................rnixartillery.

How about one of these as an alternative !!!! Rob.....................................rnixartillery :shocked:

The gun I have is the only one I have ever seen for sale,And my one came from Ireland. The other thing you need to remember is that these guns are still in active service with several nations throughout the world so many of the ex british guns were probably sold off abroad. I wish you luck. Rob........................rnixartillery

Mark , I think valuing an L5 is quite difficult although it is a post war artillery piece it has a lot going for it. It is a very compact gun and takes up little storage space,relatively easy to move and add that to the fact there were not that many in British service,in my view makes it quite a desirable piece. As for value,how much did Helstons sell for ? Rob.....................................rnixartillery

The only way I could complete a deal for my L5 was to purchase a restored WD royal enfield bike to trade,The bike I bought cost me £2300. The price for the missing parts was somewhat more. pic of the L5 on arrival. As far as I am aware there has been no L118's or 119's released but you never quite know what is out there,I have collected some gun parts but constantly following leads to find a gun. I have been told by a member of BAE staff that due to the overwhelming use of the guns in the middle east that ALL available guns including test beds have been recalled for further use. Rob..........................rnixartillery

Hi all I would like to introduce myself,My name is Rob Nixon,I am from Catterick North yorks. I have been in the MV game for 22 years and collected armour but very saddly sold it off at the WRONG time,I now collect and concentrate on Artillery and have managed to gather and restore 12 Artillery pieces and the list is gradualy rising. My latest restoration is a 1943 Canadian 6 pdr which I was very lucky to find and the ongoing search for parts continues. I also have in the collection a 17,25 pdr's, American 105mm M2 ,57MM a/t,105mm L5 pack howitzer to name a few. Cheers Rob...................rnixartillery

There does'nt seem to be many 105mm L5's in private hands and Helston guns do have the monopoly on the spares ( if you can afford there prices ). Attached is a pic of the my L5 which I have restored for my collection,when I aquired the gun it was about 60% complete so I approached helston guns for the parts which they supplied at a cost! The history of my L5 stems back to 1964 where it was used by the airborne Gunners in Borneo. I have also been looking for an L118 105mm Light gun for some time but non seem to be available to the collectors market partly to the fact they have been given extended service by updating the GPS systems. Hopefuly someday there may be a few airdroped or damaged one's filter into the system. Rob.......................................rnixartillery collection