Wouldn't he also need an early rounded cocking handle as well?
(And thanks again to KG for finding one for me a couple of years back :) )
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That was a very astute comment Peregrine because cocking handles were one of those items where the sub contractor was granted almost immediate permission to utilise the best means available with the machinery at their disposal to make/simplify the actual handle part. As a result, there are many. many slight variations of the handle. There's different knurl patterns, helix swirl types , opposite twists etc etc etc. As a result, it's difficult to really say which type is 'original'. Just on Warminster guns alone and in my spare parts lockers I counted about 7 different types
Maybe BP, KevG and ZGB can comment on this. But, it is a feature that I use in the bbook to illustrate various points as 'manufacturing variations'.
I think Peregrinvs is refering to the early ball type like the ZB that I think KG said was changed for the straight sided type in 1938. I've not got them on my 1939 guns but all the '38s have, although only one of the 1938s actually had it fitted when I bought it.
I could well be recalling what Kev said incorrectly, hopefully he will be a long at some point to give us a correct date. If I remember the photo correctly, I think the butts also have the disc fitted too, can anyone (Peter ;-) ) remind us when they were removed/stopped?
That was at the same time as the big simplification of the manufacture of small-arms committee sat. They eliminated masses of superflkous crap at a stroke of a pen. But it wasn't THAT simple. Some sub contractors used certain features as datum points for the next stage of the manufacturing operation and so on so thay had to retain certain features until they could update their processes. So there was a good deal of overlap and goodwill until the changes were implimented. But this goodwill wouldn't have lasted for long as standardisation is what you need in all out war