SAS Webbing

Happy new year gentlemen. :)

I acquired an SAS SLR magazine pouch via a trade with a friend over the holiday period. This has enabled me to complete a webbing set and here are some pictures to celebrate.

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I won't spell out what everything is as it's all detailed on the excellent Karkeeweb:

Infantry Equipment, Pattern 1958

For my own amusement I've posed it with an example of the 'Smock, Combat, Camouflage, Windproof' - a gabardine cotton smock that was (in theory...) an SAS specific garment.

Cheers,
Mark

Nice set.

Those windproof camouflaged smocks were on regular issue to Cadet Forces for arduous training and because they were quite loose fitting, used by snipers too. There was a loose earlier non-camouflaged type too and before that another lightweight camouflaged pattern - in the old wartime camo / dennison type pattern camouflage. They all had hoods with drawstrings and a couple of drawstrings around the waist and botttom too. Those clasp knives are still in issue - as are the little sheaths. But most blokes just use a leatherman now. You can do a LOT more damage and illegal stripping/fixing/bodging/cutting/hacking/sawing/screwdrivering/allen-key unscrewing etc etc with a leatherman.

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Originally Posted by Peter Laidler

But most blokes just use a leatherman now. You can do a LOT more damage and illegal stripping/fixing/bodging/cutting/hacking/sawing/screwdrivering/allen-key unscrewing etc etc with a leatherman.

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you managed to make me both laugh and cringe at the same time. :D

Just a question Peter as soldiers like to see how things work so do you think they will ever invent in your words a "Crunchie Proof Rifle".

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Originally Posted by Peter Laidler

illegal stripping/fixing/bodging/cutting/hacking/sawing/screwdrivering/allen-key unscrewing etc etc with a leatherman.

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That's because those tools are at hand.

On the other hand, I wish those had been issued when I was carrying the .30 cal, 1919A4(C1/4/5) MG. They would have been a Godsend.

Crunchie or Nasho proof rifle. Nope, there will never be such a beast. To be honest, with the L1A1, once you were a trained soldier there was always tacit approval for the removal of handguards because the screwdriver was on the combi tool anyway. Even though the screwdriver part wasn't for that really..... Anyway, once they'd got into the gas parts and they'd sat and unclipped the gas regulator retainer, they'd notice that you could rock the gas cylinder around a bit with the explanation '......jeeees, no wonder I can't hit a cows arse with a cricket bat, the whole xxxxxxg thing is falling apart' So they'd find a suitable nail and twist the gas cyl so that it was xxxxxxg tight. Now the piston wouldn't fit into the puckered cylinder and............ Nope, I say field stripping is field stripping.

One day an Armourer somewhere in the world with a bent for humour and words and the lighter, brighter side of life will write all this down. But no one would believe that you could try to scrub the barrel out with half a shirt tail in the loop of a pullthrough. Or when it's stuck, try to shoot it out with a ballastite............ Would they John?

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Originally Posted by peregrinvs

Happy new year gentlemen. :)

I acquired an SAS SLR magazine pouch via a trade with a friend over the holiday period. This has enabled me to complete a webbing set and here are some pictures to celebrate.

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Nice set Mark!
In the late 1960's and early 1970's I occasionally had to drive SAS soldiers at the school of infantry in Warminster, this was in the days before the ration pouch was produced.
You would often see three 44 pattern water bottle pouches being used. Two for water bottles and the third for rations and general escape & evasion items.
I don't recall the shoulder straps being used but I have seen a 58 pattern yoke employed doing the same job.
Belts then were either 44 or 58 pattern and the roll pin belt came much later, I've always believed that was a para thing.

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Originally Posted by Peter Laidler

Or when it's stuck, try to shoot it out with a ballastite

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One of my earliest memories from basic training was watching my section commander do that very thing. Thing is, it worked, but it was only a blank. He DID have to hammer it into the chamber though.

We used to tell them, especially when the first AR15's came ion stream that it wasn't the worst thing in the world to break off a pullthrough or get one stuck in the bore. But to walk down from the Company lines to the Armourers shop - or if they were on the ranges to leave it safe and bring it in afterwards. But that meant telling the section or platoon commanders or whoever...... And they'd ALWAYS either a) tell them to go away and try again but this time harder (but using fewer words......) or try to do it themselves. And that's when the problems started. I've seen them roasted over the fire to scorch/burn them out..... nails pushed down, short lengths of the cleaning rode stuck down from the opposite way.