Austrian M75

**austromunga** · 03-15-2017, 10:08 PM

Hi Ocad
No problem... Yes that shell has been re-listed several times!!... It's an M58 shell.... judging by the Austrian Grey finish..the "federclamen" liner clips were added, as the first of new M75 liners were ill-fitting!!!.. when these were upgraded to the M75 spec, M75 green thermoplastic liner with the German type leather matrix, fitted along with the German type anti-choke chinstrap ...... many M58 shells were upgraded to the new spec !!..unusually..... no repaint in the M75 green!!??
The price is what I would expect to pay for a complete example with liner!!..

**Ocad** · 03-21-2017, 02:35 PM

Yes I thought the price was steep for a battered shell.

On an interesting side note it would appear that the Flederclamen were also added to older shells and some US M1 shells, not just the '76 dated examples.

**austromunga** · 03-22-2017, 09:25 PM

Yes Ocad ...I just had to check for one of my more recent additions.. to see if it was actually an old US shell!!... alas it is an Austrian M58 refurb... this one has the often encountered grey spray painted finish applied to the inside, to cover the damage done to retrofit the "Federclamen" under the thin coat of paint, you can make out the grinding back to bare metal in preparation to electro spot weld the clip in place....(see photos)..to find this helmet I had to look through some of my other examples..... now!!! here's something I had not noticed before!! The 75 dated shells that I have, witch came with the Federclamen fitted from the factory!!... have 10mm wide clips...but the retro fitted one I have is 13mm wide!!!! also I noticed... the original factory ones are considerably longer!!! however after looking at all my Federclamen fitted shells...... I do seem to have one exception to that rule!!!..... in that my limited contract of only one year... Metaplast, Frankenburg manufactured MP-F 76 dated shell, has factory fitted clips of the 13mm short variety!!! (see photos) hmmmmmmm!!??? also.... I've noticed that the chinstrap bails on the MP-F made one are reversed compared to the other makers!!!

**James C** · 03-22-2017, 09:30 PM

Hi Paul ,I notice the swivel bails have been fitted in reverse too on the 3rd close up ,was this a common practice or just an anomaly

**austromunga** · 03-22-2017, 09:43 PM

Hi James.. unfortunately ....I don't have another MP-F shell to compare it to .. but both sides are the same...so......until I see..or find another example

.... I'll have to just hazard a guess.. that the MP-F made ones were all fitted this way!!

**Ocad** · 03-22-2017, 10:12 PM

Very interesting. I have just checked my two with Federclemen and the 76 dated example is 10mm as you said, the retro fitted M1 is 12mm/13mm. The helmet is a nice fixed bale with a 1990s liner. I still find it amazing how these helmets remained in service for so long!

**austromunga** · 03-23-2017, 12:09 AM

That's a real nice fixed bail ex U.S. M1 Ocad!!!!!! , front seam too??? I presume???......guess that's something else I now need to look out for

...... to display next to my Front seam fixed bail example, with the first type resinated fibre Austrian liner!!!!

**Ocad** · 03-23-2017, 07:10 AM

Thanks austromunga, your fixed bale M1 with first pattern liner is indeed a beauty and quite a rare piece...

It was a lucky pickup and a bit of a gamble. It was only after it arrived that my hunch paid off. Interestingly the shell interior has been overpainted grey green while the outer shell looks like the original OD (or atleast I can not make out any other colour under the chippings).

**Ocad** · 03-23-2017, 09:04 PM

Just noticed also that the Federclamen on the M75 protrudes out of the helmet, while the M1's is more "flush". Does anyone notice that too?

**austromunga** · 03-26-2017, 08:23 PM

Yes I think it was designed that way.. as the longer factory clips are spot welded only at the bottom....leaving all the top half to "spring" in towards the centre of the helmet to give a positive lock to the liner!!
Try getting the liner out.... with one hand!!!!! .... just as you think you've got it.... the other side pops back in... and your back to square one!!!

however..... its possible that the early factory fitted type were.... a little too long!!???.. as I have a couple of examples where this excessive flexing has caused the clip to fail and break off... so perhaps the shortened refit type were modified to rectify this fault!!???