What's new
British Ordnance Collectors Network

Join over 14,000 collectors of inert military ordnance. Get expert identification help for shells, fuzes, grenades, and more — plus access our classifieds marketplace and decades of archived knowledge. Free to register, takes seconds.

Sub calibre tank training rounds

BMG50

BMG50

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
Any one have anything on the sub calibre tank training rounds for RAC tank gunnery WW2, .22 Parker Hale 2 pounder and the .303 Parker Hale 6 pounder rounds. Cant see anything on the web.
 
I have seen one of the .22 subcal adapters for the 6pr years ago, it looked on the outside to be a standard looking wooden drill round, until on closer inspection it had a .22 barrel running through the center of it. I am sorry i dont have a picture or docs to share.
Best regards Weasel.
 
Going by memory, but I believe that the one on the right is a Parker Hale, is it the one you are looking for?
IMG_0086.jpg
 
Another sub-cal I don't think I ever got around to identifying. Have to put it on my to-do list.

IMG_0089.jpg
 
I thought there might be a section diagram of one. I did see some where a book that had American sub calibre shells for 75mm but cant seem to find where.
 
I think I've seen them in the back of the TMs on the guns, typically the recoilless.
 
Here is another .22 sub-cal, together with a drill round for Mks IX and X Guns. The sub-cal is by Parker Hale (I suspect they all were, on contract) and has the usual broad arrow acceptance mark. The small cartridge carrier for the breech is missing.DSCN0506[1].jpgDSCN0508[1].jpgDSCN0507[1].jpg
 
JO - Your subcal is British made using .303 for the Bofors 37mm AT gun. There seem to be several in the US. I had one and sold it to the owner of a Bofors gun.
 
think people steer clear of them as an FAC is required. The cartridge carrier is actually a short plug with the rim fire firing pin, think case removal was with a long thin rod.
 
Not quite true, there is no case law on this, but H O guidance indicates FAC required for rifled tubes for shooting use in RIFLES, thus if you have an early .303" Lee Enfield with (eg) a .22 sleeve, or a 7.92 Mauser ditto, or a sporting rifle that you use and for which you have a sleeve so that you can practise on a 25 metre range or similar, then the adaptor is held on ticket because it is held for shooting. Presumably if you had a 2 pr or a 6 pr that you wanted to shoot you would need to put the sub-cal on ticket to allow you to do so.
This is essentially the same as putting an antique on ticket for use, even if only for blanks. Adaptors for shotguns, eg .410/12 bore etc are not required to be held on certificate at all.
This is because adaptors are not firearms, ie lethal barrelled weapons, nor are they components, because the firearm functions perfectly well without them. The only lethality about a 2 pr sub-cal would be if it were used as a club to hit someone over the head, and in such a case it would be rather less handy than any other item of wood and steel, eg a carpenter's claw hammer.
Alan1.
 
I have a sub calibre round for the 6pr 7cwt gun. As was previously stated, it resembles a wooden drill round but has a rifled barrel in the centre. Calibre appears to be .303.
I started a post on it titled 6pr 7cwt sub calibre on 12 August 2018 and there are photos of my item there. Sorry, not too hot at posting photos....
 
Last edited:
Hi Reccetrooper,
Picked this thread up again from yr helpful post to Flak18.
I'm well aware of differing views; some time back I had a short chat with several other collectors with similar interests, legal opinion is as I have outlined. H O guidance is from their own reference. The RIFLE (my emphasis) adaptor needs to be on ticket because the owner will want to acquire and possess the necessary ammunition, eg .22, for the sleeve that he will be using on perhaps an indoor range for low cost practice shooting, and authority for that is entered on his (or her, of course) certificate as well as the fullbore ammunition for normal use.
Life is complicated!
Alan1.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top