PIAT Practice Shot

[peregrinvs]

I bumped into this dug PIAT practice shot at Stoneleigh today that I’m intending to tidy up.

The launch cartridge is still in situ and I was wondering how easy it would be to get it out? Can it be pushed from the back and how tight is it likely to be?

A couple of other things I’d like to clarify: I believe they were painted white, but were there any further markings such as filling bands? Also, I believe there was a ring that clipped onto the groove at the base of the tail. Can these be found?

Thanks.

 

[BMG50]

They were painted white as you say. the spent cart can be pushed out, the part of the cart that ejects out is the primer side that the firing pin strikes. These normally are found just in front of the firing position, just as with the Blackard Bomber. There is a ring that sits in the grove at the bottom of the round that slides into the PIAT, i think it stops it from falling of the end of the spigot, the same one used on a live or practice bomb. These PIAT shot also need a tray that sits in the opening to hold the round in place. There was a Canadian guy on the forum who has a live firing PIAT which uses dummy shot, i think he machines his own up and makes his own cartridges.

 

[peregrinvs]

The section on the PIAT in my copy of ‘Firing Now’ sadly doesn’t mention the practice shot. Were they intended to have the same ballistic properties as the HE bomb, or were they purely a means of practicing loading and firing the PIAT?

 

[BMG50]

Most probably the latter in the sense you could practice on any range or area without explosives which would restrict where it was fired so you could train more, ready for live firing, plus live round could get expensive.

 

[Listy]

The section on the PIAT in my copy of ‘Firing Now’ sadly doesn’t mention the practice shot. Were they intended to have the same ballistic properties as the HE bomb, or were they purely a means of practicing loading and firing the PIAT?

IIRC they had a different ballistic trajectory. I've got it in a document somewhere, if memory serves instructors were told the correct ranges. For an illustrative example, and with numbers pulled from thin air, for shoots using the 115 yard aperture place the targets at 100 yards or similar. To the human eye such a target would look right for 115 yards so everyone is happy. If memory serves the details are in the PIAT training pamphlet that's available on line.

The main role was to enable the gunner to practice firing the weapon, and to get used to it. As firing the PIAT was an unusual experience. You needed to hold the weapon tightly, otherwise the recoil spring could fail to re-cock. Equally, there was a short, but noticeable delay between pulling the trigger and the weapon firing. This meant, people would hold the weapon good and tight, take aim, pull the trigger, then relax thinking the round had been a dud, at which point the weapon fires and you don't have the weapon tightly held so get a cocking failure and you've shifted your point of aim as well. So it wasn't as such accuracy that you were training, but knowledge of the weapon's firing behaviour.

 

[HAZORD]

Does anyone have photos of one in good shape?

 

[ron3350]

I showed my practice mortar on mortar forum 27 Dec. 2018. Not sure how to show this so look at this thread.

 

[Listy]

Does anyone have photos of one in good shape?

Mine, that I recently brought.
I was hoping that it'd answer the mystery of the loading clip, but alas it appears to have a rim, not the loading clip shown in the diagram, and is a different shape. So either there were two Mk's of prac round or something else is going on. They still seem to function the same though.
One possible option is might be like the Hedgehog rounds, you manufacture it with whatever you have to hand this week.

 

[SG500]

Does anyone have photos of one in good shape?

Post 7 on this thread.
http://www.bocn.co.uk/vbforum/threads/4608-PIAT-Practice-Solid-Shot?highlight=PIAT
Dave.

 

[roller63]

Try this thread : http://www.bocn.co.uk/vbforum/threads/4608-PIAT-Practice-Solid-Shot?highlight=piat+practice

 

[Listy]

Post 7 on this thread.
http://www.bocn.co.uk/vbforum/threads/4608-PIAT-Practice-Solid-Shot?highlight=PIAT
Dave.

Try this thread : http://www.bocn.co.uk/vbforum/threads/4608-PIAT-Practice-Solid-Shot?highlight=piat+practice

Sweet, suffering monkeys! That's answered the question on how the loading clip was fitted!
Thank you, I can now tick off another entry on the long list of niggling things that I couldn't work out on the PIAT and other spigot weapons.

Thank you.

 

[peregrinvs]

A couple of post fettling pics. I am classing this as a ‘far from perfect - but better than it was’ restoration as I don’t own a lathe and it is almost impossible to get the filler evenly round on something this size without one.