Originally Posted by
Peter Laidler
If I remember correctly, Ordnance made available the steel sling loop from the rear of the return spring cap. They were a two part item, ready shaped to fit with a male and female end that joined together externally. Then the the other ends slipped in the opening of the return spring cap. The M&F parts were brazed together, made good and sent through the phosphate plant. We also used these replacement sling loops on the Navy Lanchesters that came through the workshop
Lots of other casing bits that weren't usually available as spare parts were available to us including finger guards and foresight protectors. Great little guns - the Rolls Royce of SMG's.
As a matter of interest......... Now you know that I'm going to go off at a tangent..... Before he perfected the sharp chiselled helical ribs on the breech block, George Patchett inserted captive ball bearings in places radially around the front and rear of the (believed to be ex Lanchester) breech blocks he was experimenting with. This was initially to reduce the friction of the reciprocating breech block. It was moderately successful in that it did indeed reduce the reciprocating friction but GENERATED friction in the recesses that housed the rotating(?) balls. What finally ended this small trial was that the reciprocating balls wore grooves along the inside walls of the casing where they ran. To be honest, and sorry to say it George, you'd thought he'd have foreseen that!