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Metal insert set for H83 box ?
- Thread starter reccetrooper
- Start date
Richard709
Well-Known Member
Its to line the H83 when it contains AP ammo, the use of the liner also reduces the amount of cartons of rounds that will fit in.
Rich
Rich
I seem to remember regular 5.56mm Ball being lined with these too. I didn't get the reason it was done but I thought it was for protection against small arms hits.
Richard709
Well-Known Member
The cage was to reduce the hazard classification for AP down to 1.4S. All stocks of H83 containing AP Ammo where retrofitted with the liner. Also 12.7 SAPI also had a 3 layer perforated metal cage for the same reason this reduced the hazard classification from 1.2C to 1.4S, each H83 then contained 70 rounds. I have not seen any regular 5.56, 7.62 or 12.7 ball with this type of liner/cage.
Rich
Rich
Was this cage 3 interlocking pieces? The ammunition fitted inside one piece, which was slid inside a secomd, which slid inside a third? When I saw one of these I surmised it was a Faraday Cage
Richard709
Well-Known Member
I have a diagram of the cage and it has the 3 parts fitted tightly together, I would think that the top would come off to fill the cage, I have not seen this in person but I have handled the solid type liner. You can see in the diagram its a hollow box and how it works is open to question unless someone has one and can show.
the information I have is that once a carton is removed from the H83 + cage it reverts back to its original hazard classification 1.2C.
Rich
the information I have is that once a carton is removed from the H83 + cage it reverts back to its original hazard classification 1.2C.
Rich
Yes, thats it. I have only seen about three of these in the last year. At last, we know what it is! I thought it was a Faraday cage and was a bit worried that whatever EM operated item they may have previously contained might turn up. It is for this reason that mobile phones are allowed in our building.
I think one of our esteemed ATs might confirm that this would cause problems localy if the user was expected to re-mark the ACA with a hazard lable
Richard709
Well-Known Member
perhaps my comment was not to clear, When you remove a cardboard carton of SAPI rounds from the modified ACA, the removed carton of rounds reverts back to it original hazard classification while outside of the modified ACA. The ACA does not require any re-marking.
Rich
Rich
You're right, I didn't read your post correctly
I thought it would be relevant to post photos of this perforated cage from an M2A1 box that had contained British manufactured 7.62 x 35mm (300AAC) RESJF
Photos of the box are on this thread, http://www.bocn.co.uk/vbforum/threads/105139-300-AAC-Blackout-(-7-62-x-35)
Photos of the box are on this thread, http://www.bocn.co.uk/vbforum/threads/105139-300-AAC-Blackout-(-7-62-x-35)
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In my day H83s that contained 7.62 had a plastic rectangular piece hollowed in the centre, like the piece in reccetrooper's first photo. This went into the base of the box and fitted with the raised portion in the centre of the base. This was to effectively level the entire base of the box. Bandolier (450 rounds per box if I remember correctly) was still in service but was phased out. Carton x 20 was introduced and later there were plastic holders x 50. In plastic holders 400 rounds could fit into an H83 but there had to be a similarly thick sheet of plastic, as that in the base, between the two layers. This had no central perforation. (There may also have been another on top of the top layer.) A box that was fitted with no sheet between the two layers, if dropped from a low height, would result in percussion caps in rounds of the top layer striking bullets of the bottom layer, with rounds firing and damaging other rounds. I think in some configurations in H83 there were also side packing pieces of compressed card. It makes sense for storage and compatability to have more robust inner packaging. However once ammo has been issued and made ready for use but not used, and is then returned for storage, a lot of the inner packaging will have been binned or will be unavailable for use. The end result will be ammo that has to have an expensive inspection and surveillance routine to make it serviceable for re-issue or it will have to be destroyed. That is what happened to a lot of stock after the 1991 Gulf War. As for Faraday cages, RF screening for missiles etc was either a metal outer container e.g. the McGrellis container for Milan, or metal foil, e.g. for Swingfire.
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