PIAT Practice Solid Shot

[roller63]

Not the most exciting thing to look at, but pretty rare in the flesh as far as I'm aware. The solid steel headed practice shot for the PIAT anti tank weapon used with the adaptor tray that seem to come up for sale once in a while.
When I got this, it was just one great lump of rust and I did think that it may crumble away into nothing. after soaking in diesel for about a week, I started to clean it up. I could see that the cartridge had been fired, so I proceeded to try and unscrew the head from the body. No need to worry about tool marks on this, because of the pitting. Armed with a very large old record vice and an even bigger pair of plumbers grips, I expect to have to put immense effort into undoing the joint, but to my surpprise it was only just over finer tight, still greased from it's last use !
After removing the fired cartridge I cleaned it up the best I could and then gave it a coat of white paint and found a loading ring (Guide) from my spares box.
I think it looks ok considering it's age and that fact that it had probably spent the last 50 or 60 years in the ground. Note, I bought this at a fair, I did not dig it up myself.
The only drawing I have of this is in the PIAT training manuals, does anyone have any more details, drawings or pictures ? Tony.

 

[roller63]

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[roller63]

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[roller63]

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[roller63]

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[jayteepee_1999]

this is the only picture i have

 

[paul the grenade]

Heres one i spotted the other week for sale for 90 euros at http://www.fjordhouse.no/ammo2/shop/shop.html
Paul.

 

[paul the grenade]

another pic

 

[roller63]

Thanks JTP and Paul, I had seen the one for sale on the Fjordhouse website. Here is the drawing from the manual, showing the shot, cartridge and adaptor. Not the best diagram, but that is the only one I have seen. Tony.

 

[Quatermass]

PIAT, Shot, Practice, A/T

Quatermass.

 

[roller63]

Thanks QM, great diagram, what manual is it from ? Tony.

 

[Quatermass]

I'm not sure Tony, I copied it from an armourers? manual which also included SMLEs, Stens, Revolvers ect.

The reference at the top is A.P164IP, Vol. I, Sect. 5

If I can locate the original i'll let you know its full title.

Quatermass.

 

[spotter]

A couple of these were found at work last week whilst i was off.nobody knew what they were :banghead:

 

[roller63]

Please Don't tell me they went in the scrap metal bin ?!

 

[spotter]

That will be the final destination,:tinysmile_cry_t4: i would have saved them but we are not allowed to remove anything found at work

 

[roller63]

I thought as much, what a shame, looks like they would have cleaned up nicely. Funny how these are much rarer than actual PIAT rounds, I suppose they were ideal scrap metal when obsolete. Tony.

 

[spotter]

Roller these two rounds are not going to the smelter now,they are going down to head office to be used for id training .....you can sleep well now

 

[Stray]

Sorry to raise the dead but anyone know the loading for those toys? Im getting a piat and figured making one of these will make a fun toy for her.

 

[BMG50]

I believe they had a special loading tray that adapted to fire these rounds, I think the cartridges used were the same as the HE rounds as I think they both weighed the same to recoil the mechanism on the piat.

 

[Stray]

I believe they had a special loading tray that adapted to fire these rounds, I think the cartridges used were the same as the HE rounds as I think they both weighed the same to recoil the mechanism on the piat.

Mine comes with the tray for the solid practice rounds unfortunately i missed out on one a few months ago that had the standard practice rounds and 2 of these types of practice rounds. Im more wondering what the powder charge was. I may have to go black powder to be safer but I was wondering where one finds the cartridge load and powder type.