Mk1 .55 Boys Anti Tank Rifle Parts and tools accessories

[stencollector]

Great to see and thanks SC. It'd be a piece of cake to make a .50" sub calibre adaptor from a suitable piece of .22" barrel wouldn't it?

As a matter of fact I bought a heavy .22 cal barrel blank just for that purpose. My only concern is that I have heard that the 22s would tumble down the barrel of the Boys. I have a Kreiger match barrel on my rifle, and while it is by no means a sniper rifle, with it's original iron sights, I don't want to ruin it either.

I also picked up an old 50BMG barrel to chop up and make a similar sub cal device for the Bofors 40mm.

[Claven2]

SC: If the barrel was any more than about 3" long, it should not tumble, just like a .22 pistol. The main thing is to put a suitable o-ring near the chamber shoulder to keep it all centred in the bore of the barrel.

[Peter Laidler]

So let me get this right SC. You have got a bit of .50 barrel to make a sub cal adaptor for a 40mm Bofors............... From this....., do you mean......, that you've got a, er...., 40mm Bofors AA gun? Sheeeeeesh! That really IS big boys toys

[stencollector]

Because size really does matter.

[Peter Laidler]

Jeeeees, he has too........! I thought my Centurion was big boys toys but it hasn't got a gun as it's a recovery thinggy. But I can pull 90 tons!

What a pleasure to see SC, magnificent..... We have Saab-Bofors working with us on a project at the moment and they've just admired yours. And tell me that 40mm Bofors ammo is still their biggest seller

[PeterM]

Gentlemen,

I am the Peter mentioned in this thread who reloads for the Boys. I am wondering if any of you have a surplus original British Army manual for the Boys ATR?

I have a copy of the Australian "Small Arms Training Volume I, Pamphlet No. 5A, 1940 (Australia). Anti-Tank Rifle Courses (Based on War Office Pamphlet, No. 18, 1939)", and also a copy of the British WO "Small Arms Training Volume I, Pamphlet No. 18, 1939. SUPPLEMENT Anti-Tank Rifle Course (For all units at Home other than R.A.C., A.D.G.B., and O.C.T. Units)."

I'd love a copy of the original pamphlet for the Boys to complete the set (Pamphlet No. 5, 1937). I live in hope!

Thanks,

Pete.

[Peter Laidler]

I'll have a look through our Tech Libtrary tomorrow or during the latter part of the week. But I don't think that we'll have duplicates. I'll tell you what we've got and if you'd like a copy.......................

Where are you based in the world?

[PeterM]

Thanks Peter.

I'm in Eltham, Victoria, Australia, an outer north-eastern suburb of Melbourne. (I don't know how to put my location on my postings!) I already have a photocopy of the pamphlet somewhere (well, I hope I still do after several moves!) as a friend of mine had an original 1937 No. 5 Boys pamphlet, but it was stolen after we copied it, along with some ammo pouches. We had a fair idea who did it, but proving it was another matter!

StenCollector - don't chop up your .50 cal barrel for a sub-calibre for your Bofors, or the .22 for the Boys. In both cases you can make up a chamber plug shaped like the original round, then turn the outside of your sub-calibre barrel down to just a nice slip fit into the larger barrel. Thread the end of this and the inside of your chamber plug and screw the full-length sub-calibre barrel into the chamber plug from the muzzle end by making up a specially extended screwdriver or socket arrangement. Should work OK shouldn't it? You may need to make up a striker plug (as per the originals) for the .22 sub-calibre for the Boys, but this is simple machining. A hard rubber insert in its rear end would protect the Boys firing pin, much like a snap cap.

I once knew an ex-Bofors gunner from the London Blitz, Jack Stanley, who had migrated to Australia. During combat he had a rope attached to the ankle of his firing foot so the gun captain could pull it away when he wanted Jack to stop shooting as the noise was so bad Jack couldn't hear voice commands!

I also met the son of a Aussie Boys rifleman who was surrounded and captured at Tobruk because the rifle wouldn't fire after routine servicing by the armourers. He spent years in Germany as a POW as a result, but would never talk about any of it afterwards. Any bets that the armourers hadn't screwed the firing pin assembly fully into the bolt body on reassembly???

Lot of interesting and unrecorded yarns like these around. Such as the Russian woman who just picked up a Boys and knocked out a German tank with it. She must have been large! Got that one from a staff member at the Solihull Library when researching my BSA Boys (which I no longer have).

Pete.

[PeterM]

Peter,

Just in case your wondering about why the word "pu**y" was filtered out was NOT tongue-in-cheek, here's one from the ODD SPOT from the front page of this morning's (Thursday 14 Jan.) Melbourne AGE. "Fur enough! Canadian magazine The Beaver is changing its name after 90 years because the title is too often censored by online porn filters. It will become the less racy-sounding Canada's History.

Gotta be a clue in there somewhere . . .

Pete.

[dcfaltot]

Anyone know where I might be able to pick one of these up? I had one a few years ago, beautifully refinished, but then sold it. Sorry I did.