Parker-Hale Armourer's clearing rod

[bombdoc]

Folks..

I have aquired one of these - it was designed to clear pullthroughs which had got stuck in barrels..

It is almost complete, including the box..

However the tip is missing.. I presume it had some sort of wood screw shape?

Has anyone ever seen or used one of these?

Information

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[bombdoc]

Ah...

Just found it in the 1940 P-H Catalogue page 71!

The thing I want is the "Rag Drawer Bit" - anyone got one? They were only ninepence (4p) each in 1940!

[Peter Laidler]

Clearing broken pullthroughs............. used one................. are you kidding.............? Used them MILLIONS of times. Half a shirt tail, bits of camouflage net, length of wood/pencil, old lumps of bandage, wire wool, sandpaper, even nails.......... The imagination of a squaddie to clean or mess up his rifle known no bounds

THey were a good idea in theory but the best way was to shoot the crap out with a blank round!

[Son]

I made one up for work. Just used the cleaning rod with a piece of self tapping screw silver soldered into the end, with the point forward. Has to be well under bore size of course. Then I wrap the end of the rod with PTFE thread tape to centralise it in the bore to ensure the screw cannot contact the rifling. Works a charm, even got a broken bore snake out that had been hammered into the middle from both ends with a cleaning rod and a rock! Whatever were they thinking?

[Peter Laidler]

I think that unbeknown to the training staff and the Armourers, the crunchies used to have a bet among themselves to see who could pull the largest bit of 'scotch-brite' through the barrel on the pullthrough. I think a pillow case size was the winner..................

[conec]

The "crunchies"? Great stuff that...

[browningautorifle]

but the best way was to shoot the crap out with a blank round!

I saw it done in the field...a brush with a cloth wrapped around and pulled in dry...didn't go far and broke. The blank was hammered in and discharged and cleared the barrel forthwith. The rifle was unhurt. Tough lot those FNs. The pullthrough on the other hand...

[Peter Laidler]

Yes, crunchies............. It was another slang term for the Infantry National Servicemen in Australia. Apologies for any of you ex Nasho Crunchies!

[RCEMERalf]

They would also manage to really wad things into the gas cylinder of the C1/C2, often a brush wrapped with cleaning material. I recall some being soaked with gasoline and burned to attempt to loosen. This in addition to all the tricks to fire blanks full auto. Sometimes in post Ex inspections these home built full auto mods were found still in place. Piece of cork behind the firing pin caused it to protrude from the breech causing runaway firepower. Fortunately this was discovered before firing with ball ammo!.

[browningautorifle]

Most of those mods didn't really work either. Usually just enough to really cause a problem...