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No65 Mk 1 Bomb Pistol.

ron3350

Well-Known Member
Here is a nice No65 Mk 1 bomb pistol with the cap and a green band. What does the green band mean ?.
It was a converted No28 111 (Is that a W.Suckling symbol?). Why were No28 pistols converted. Obsolete ?

No65 Bomb Pistol c.jpegNo65 Bomb Pistol b.jpegNo65 Mk1 Bomb Pistol a.jpeg
 
I can find no reference/explanation to the green band. However, No. 30 pistols also had a green band. The early No. 65 pistols were converted No. 28 & 30 pistols. The difference is in the striker - in the 28 and 30 the striker has a threaded extension and the arming fork unscrews from it to release it. On the 65, the striker is internally threaded to accept a threaded rod that is pinned to the arming fork. Does appear to be the Suckling trade mark.

TimG
 
Screenshot 2021-10-10 160030.jpg
Pistol No28 and Pistol No30 were externally identical - The green grove was used to help select the adequate one: Pistol No28 for GP and MC bombs, Pistol No20 for SAP & AS bombs.
 
Dreamk extracted snippet implies that the green grove was to identify pistols for Anti-Submarine usage - i.e. the No30, which aligns with David Andrews/Alan Swan's book on British bomb pistols (see attachment).

In the case of your No28 conversion to the No65 - being a later development pistol, it would have had the more defined pointed "sharp" striker. (There is no reference in DA/AS book re the green band for the No65, however the sectionized drawing implies it it had already incorporated the pointed striker. Your original No28 MkIII may have already been "converted" to AS purposes prior the conversion to a No65 and hence the green band?). Further, it was stated that the the No30 was originally used only for the AS100lb bombs, but gradually replaced the No28 and other pistols to become the standard tail pistol used in all GP & MC bombs - hence no need to separately identify between pistols.

I have attached a couple of pics of my No30 MkIII, which was made by ERL products under licence in Glebe.
Cheers
Drew
 

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My Pistol has the converted pointed striker. Thanks to you all.
AS usage is very interesting and the green band shows there is always something out there to collect that is not in the books. Thanks
 
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