Back to the Bulge!

[WW2Hunter]

My last trip to the ardennes for a while,
Not much to show except a nice nebelwerfer rocket or what was left of it .
Next month I will be digging in Germany and meine douce Normandie.

Cheers,
Steven

[WW2Hunter]

I posted a Bi-pod for a german MG(suposed a MG 34/42) in my thread that I recoverd some time a go in the Ardennes.
I always thought there was something fishy about it.
While cruising on the net and came across this...
I was totaly wrong about it, it seems to be a Bi-pod of a MG 15

[LondonJay]

Fantastic thread, thanks for showing!
Jay

[WW2Hunter]

Thanx for the compliment mate.
Still have to post a few pictures from my last trip(106th Div area).
Found an old 60mm mortar position.

Cheers,
Steven

[Steve T]

Very nice bipod and quite rare. Good find and good ID

The mortar position sounds interesting........can't wait to see the photos.

Steve T

[LUCKYSTRIKE]

Steve,
Ive just gone through the whole of this thread again, you've had some amazing finds this year. I love the mortar tubes and the MG15 Bi pod is in great condition and I've always had a soft spot for Panzer Fausts. Great finds mate. Looking forward to seeing more when you can get out to search again. 60mm Mortar position sounds good. I'm watch this space.
Keep it up.
LUCKYSTRIKE

[Datrus]

Thanks for the advise on the tape Steve, I will do so.
I've just ordered the smallest steel drill-bits I could find(1 and 2mm). They didn't specify how big the hole must be

Grtz,
Steven

But are you not supposed to get the cordite out of the casing also? Maybe it does not matter as long as the hole is there. I have some 7.62x54R rounds i have to deac. Would be nice if i could also just drill a 1mm hole and leave it at that.

[Steve T]

Datrus

You have to remove the cordite. Most of the time a 4-6mm hole is big enough to pour the pelletised cordite out but sometimes, especially if the stuff is wet, you need a bigger hole and have to dig it out with a toothpick or similar. This is quite easy to do with any small arms ammo EXCEPT British 303s.

British 303s nearly always have cordite strands in them which run the length of the cartridge. This means you can't 'pour' them out. There are two options in this case. First option is to remove the projectile and get the strands out through the open shoulder of the cartridge. Problem with this method is that the shoulder of the cartridge nearly always breaks when you pull the projectile. Second option is to drill a hole big enough to get a pair of needle point tweezers in. You can then pull the cordite out, strand by strand, without damaging the top of the cartridge. It's a long job but you get decent results from it.

Hope that helps

Steve T

[WW2Hunter]

I have another procedure you can try for cordite loaded cartridges, all you need is a Dremel-tool with a small metal disc.
You make a small straight cut down (2 > 3mm)from the base of the neck(schoulder), below the bullet prop.(Don't let the cartridge heat-up to much!!!!)
Then you can begin to pull out the cordite strands with a pair of needle point tweezers.
This is verry time consuming but gives the best results for me.

Steven

[WW2Hunter]

But are you not supposed to get the cordite out of the casing also? Maybe it does not matter as long as the hole is there. I have some 7.62x54R rounds i have to deac. Would be nice if i could also just drill a 1mm hole and leave it at that.

On US and German cartridges i remove the bullet first, by tapping method or soon with a unloading hammer, and empty them that way.
The small hole I drill afterwards at the base, is to be in order with Belgian law.
The size of the hole isn't specified in the law.

Steven