Real Versus Fakes: Chamber Brushes

[Bill Ricca]

This kit was sold to me at a gun show a few months ago. The Missouri company has its name printed on the rear of the package. Notice:

Brush Chamber G.I.
30.06



They are reproductions from China. They are not US GI.

The top is repro, the bottom is US GI. Notice the difference in the tips.





Reproductions today have the circular tips. They look nice but unfortunately the inside piece that connects the plastic ratchet to the plastic base, often bends and sometimes breaks. They are made very cheaply, although they look beautiful. The diameter of the brush's bristles is less than the originals.

Originals were produced in the 1960's and had tips that were highly tightened with metal sealed ends.

The above pictures are 30 Caliber. The same applies to the M14 Chamber Brushes, which are slightly shorter.

[Col. Colt]

As always, Bill, thanks for locating and pointing out the fakers! If someone wants to sell properly labeled reproductions, that's one thing - but labeling them "GI" should be cause for legal action. I'm sure they will just say it was "issue" to some governement somewhere! Again, thanks for saving us from wasting our hard earned greenbacks. CC

[Bill Ricca]

There is a conflict between many dealers and me.

History:

A while back the Navy Seals units needed M14A1 Bipods. As we all know there were none in the system. By the mid 1980's all were destroyed and released as demilled. Shortly thereafter a few large companies started producing bipods in Taiwan. The first few years, they were junk. By the late 1990's they had improved and were not bad, but they did not meet military specifications. (The Red Chinese started making them too, and they were and still are junk). When the Navy needed bipods circa 2002-2005, they changed the drawings and lowered the specifications to purchase these Off The Shelf Commercial Reproductions from Taiwan. Once the word got out many dealers starting listing them as US GI.

The last 10-15 years military units have purchased many small quantities of junk items off the commercial market because the military items have been are gone from the supply system for many years.

With the dealers' mindset to ignore history and sell foreign made copies, everything in existence is now US GI because over the last 150 years our military, somewhere, has purchased just about everything on the commercial market.

The battle will continue.