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I just obtained a 1976 dated spare parts list for the 2inch mortar, and it lists two items I’ve never heard of before, and I wondered if any members know what / how they are used;
Rest, Aiming, ML 2in - looks like a wooden bench rest, noted as for use in training schools
And
Stop, Bomb, Ordnance, ML 2in noted as for drill purposes only, looks like a turned piece of 2” diameter wood with a metal plate screwed on one end.
I’d post pictures, but my phone isn’t playing along 😡
There's a wooden rest in the small arms training manuals showing such a rest made of wood. There was an armory tool used to remove spent cartridges from tails from recovered practice rounds and a bore gauge. Not sure about this wooden drill stop??
Not sure but I would suspect that the Bomb Stop was simply a bore diameter insert that prevented the bomb from coming into contact with the firing pin while allowing a bomb to be dropped into the tube
The 2" mortar doesnt have a fixed firing pin so there is no protruding firing pin until the lever activating the firing mechanism is depressed. I suspect the bore stop for drill rounds may be used so part of the drill round protrudes for removal, otherwise the whole mortar itself has to be tipped on end to remove the round from the bottom of the bore.
Thanks - I’ve got the 1960 and 1966 issue user handbooks, neither of which refer to these items, although interestingly the 1960 manual still lists and illustrates the Mk7 mortar (for universal carriers only) and the 1966 manual shows the webbing barrel sleeve in the photos, but doesn’t list it in the parts catalogue!
Your theories sound fair, I did wonder if the Bomb Stop was exactly that, to facilitate quick practice loading the drill bomb.
My mistake, the aiming rest made of wood is found in the 2" mortar hand book land service 1939 page 26. It think its used with the early Mark 2 2"inch mortar with large base plate as a stable base to fix the mortar to when practicing on a hard surface, Normally the large base has a spiked bottom that normally digs into the ground of a soft surface.
I would love to get my hands on a large base plate 2" mortar but only know of one in existence. I do know that a lot were converted from large base to small base spade plate type as you can still see the traversing lug part of the body casting that has been cut off, left in place or ground down, depending who made the conversion.
Here's the full kit and caboodle if it helps. All of which you speak are just training aids to teach proper use of the 2" and to save damage unessarily