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.303", Vickers machine gun.
- Thread starter Bockscar
- Start date
MissingSomething
Well-Known Member
Humm, Are you showing that the cartridges came packaged that way?
Cool! I never knew that such a short belt would be packaged that way?
-WRM
-WRM
gravelbelly
Well-Known Member
After the Vickers ceased to be in front line service in the UK there remained a lot of belted ammunition in store. Cadet units were still armed with .303" rifles for years after the regular services switched to 7.62mm weapons and so there was a requirement for cartridges for cadets. Fabric .303" Vickers belts could be unloaded and the ammunition repacked for issue to cadets but this was an unnecessary complication and cost. One simple (and cheap) solution was to lift the belt out of the Vickers ammo box, cut the starter and trailing tabs off, and cut the belt up into short lengths . The lengths were simply dropped back into the box, job done.
I suspect that the carton shown above was part of this re-use of Vickers ammo for rifles. However I don't recall coming across any similar cartons, just the short belts.
gravelbelly
I suspect that the carton shown above was part of this re-use of Vickers ammo for rifles. However I don't recall coming across any similar cartons, just the short belts.
gravelbelly
Bockscar
Well-Known Member
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you guys....I was in fact trying to get a hold of the person who I bought the package from some number of years ago and as I haven't managed that yet, I have been trying to remember the story he told me that was behind the package and the belted rounds.
To be fair I think Gravelbelly has nailed it with with his explanation why these boxes and contents existed....from what I remember of the original sellers story it all sounds right!
Bockscar.
To be fair I think Gravelbelly has nailed it with with his explanation why these boxes and contents existed....from what I remember of the original sellers story it all sounds right!
Bockscar.
gravelbelly
Well-Known Member
Further to my earlier reply, a cut belt like that cannot be used to load and fire the Vickers MG. You need the starter tab on the belt which is pulled sharply through the gun action whilst working the crank twice to get a round to chamber.. If no starter tab is available then you would have to remove quite a few rounds from the end of the belt to improvise one. So, this short cut down belt is simply a means of packing rounds for rifle use.
gravelbelly
gravelbelly