Small Arms cache

[AE501]

Here is one for the Small Arms buffs.
My apologies for the standard of some of the photos, but they were taken over 40 years ago and I was not familiar with the camera.
It was a while before I noticed that the battery compartment was not properly closed .
All of the ZB vz. 26 derivatives are different.

 

[gravelbelly]

That can only be the Pattern Room at R.O.F. Enfield.

gravelbelly

 

[siegfreid]

Thanks for posting those pictures AE 501 . Takes me back ! I used to visit Enfield PR rooms in the 70's & 80's . Most fun you could have standing up . They had a cased Colt revolver that had been presented to Queen Victoria but in a terrible state , red with rust where it had been badly stored over the years & several other weapons in a similar state but , I suppose , considering the sheer amount of items this was to be expected . The chap in charge at the time was quite a character & I recall we had quite an animated conversation at one time when I expressed interest in seeing a Spanish Charola Y Anitua automatic pistol & it couldn't be found . I wonder if it ever turned up ? I believe most of the collection is now housed elsewhere . Mike

 

[AE501]

They also had a cased pair of Navy Colts, presented to the Pattern Room by Samuel Colt. They were kept in the Curator's safe in his office.
These were kept lightly oiled and were in a lovely condition. The sailing ships engraved on them were fantastic.
At that time, every time you picked up any weapon, there were a pair of ladies who had an oiled cloth each who would take the weapon and clean it. I do not remember this at Nottingham.

 

[TimG]

I can recall visiting a number of times in the very early 70s. Things were slightly different then, I don't recall any pictures on the walls and downstairs was more of a dark and dingy repository for oversized weapons. On one visit the late Herbie Woodend asked me what I was interested that day and I said 'Brens' he gave me a large bunch of keys (a lot of the weapons were secured by passing a length of chain through rhe trigger guards) then and sent me off, upstairs, whilst he and my father talked ammunition. On arriving on another occasion, Herbie suggested we all go down the range as he had a Thompson with drum magazine and unlimitless .45 Auto. My father asked if he had ear defenders for me, Herbie replied 'No' my father replied 'Not today then' - I never got opportunity again.

TimG

 

[Depotman]

Thanks for posting those pictures AE 501 . Takes me back ! I used to visit Enfield PR rooms in the 70's & 80's . Most fun you could have standing up . They had a cased Colt revolver that had been presented to Queen Victoria but in a terrible state , red with rust where it had been badly stored over the years & several other weapons in a similar state but , I suppose , considering the sheer amount of items this was to be expected . The chap in charge at the time was quite a character & I recall we had quite an animated conversation at one time when I expressed interest in seeing a Spanish Charola Y Anitua automatic pistol & it couldn't be found . I wonder if it ever turned up ? I believe most of the collection is now housed elsewhere . Mike

The collection is now housed in the Royal Armouries at Leeds, but isn't actually on display there! Depotman

 

[millsbomber]

Is that a young Will I Am there ?

 

[AE501]

Now Now Dave.
TimG, I used to go there quite a bit. Herbie took me down to the range and we chased plastic coffee cups in the sand using Mac 10 and silenced Sten.
I thought the Mac 10 quite noisy, but about all you could hear with the Sten was the bolt clicking back and forth.
I remember seeing the 30mm ADEN, 25mm ADEN intended for Harrier, and 27mm Mauser.
Both the ADEN breeches were much larger than the Mauser.