British MGs in the Falklands War

[Peter Laidler]

That's right Skippy. We had one that we brought back to the UK that came from the old submarine that was beached in Gritviken. That one was an old ex British one, complete with the FTR/55 markings.

I think we gave it to the Navy plus the AA mount. No recoil buffers on that! Sort of defeats the object a bit.....

Information

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[tankhunter]

After an enquiry last evening to a good mate of mine who very recently retired from 'A well Know Engineering Company'. In the UK who manufactures the .50" Cal BMG!

It transpires that ALL of the original wartime variants held at Donnington. are now out of Service & have been cut up.

This 'Company' produces the conversion kits to QCB from the original screw in Barrel method.

ALL Brit in Service BMGs are now converted to QCB. & I am reliably informed that visits to Donnington have ceased. To inspect the suitability of what they held there, for conversion to QCB.

The M.O.D now only buy in brand new guns from this 'Company'.

The QCB variant is good in theory, BUT. In practice, because of the amount of metal removed from the Barrel extentions to accommodate this Mod. It weaken's the original design!

Cracks appear in the edges of the extention in a straight line. & this component is now a 'Lifed Item' I believe? IE: so many rounds are to be fired through it before checks are made. & either it is changed before fracture. Or fired until it Fractures!.......

There are a lot of complicated procedure on this item during manufacture. Like stress relieving, heat treatment at different temps in different places on this one component alone!

The one thing that came to me a LONG time ago. When defects & Problems arose were: 'They got this right over seventy years ago from the start.' Here we are with all the 'Amazing' Technology & brilliant machinery at our disposal. & we STILL cant get it right!.......

Also, the design has been 'messed' with with the QCB Modification. & the old maxim of: 'If it Aint broke' don't fix it' comes to mind!...............

If you think about it. When you start removing metal from somewhere, where it was designed to be originaly. Then why should you be surprised when something fails?....
It's a little more complicated than that really. BUT, a contiuous round hole is machined away in THREE places, creating SIX straight lines within that Hole. Mmmmm, reverberating like a tuning fork during firing................WHY, are 'Designer's' surprised that the componants fails along a straight line?.............A child may well possibly have worked that one out?.....................HOW many Tons per square inch does the .50" Browning round generate?......................NOT really difficult, is it?......

A few original spec Fifties, were gifted to museums, as per normal practice. Peter will confirm this I am confident!

[mrclark303]

.50" Cal BMGs In Service
After an enquiry last evening to a good mate of mine who very recently retired from 'A well Know Engineering Company'. In the UK who manufactures the .50" Cal BMG!

It transpires that ALL of the original wartime variants held at Donnington. are now out of Service & have been cut up.

This 'Company' produces the conversion kits to QCB from the original screw in Barrel method.

ALL Brit in Service BMGs are now converted to QCB. & I am reliably informed that visits to Donnington have ceased. To inspect the suitability of what they held there, for conversion to QCB.

The M.O.D now only buy in brand new guns from this 'Company'.

The QCB variant is good in theory, BUT. In practice, because of the amount of metal removed from the Barrel extentions to accommodate this Mod. It weaken's the original design!

Cracks appear in the edges of the extention in a straight line. & this component is now a 'Lifed Item' I believe? IE: so many rounds are to be fired through it before checks are made. & either it is changed before fracture. Or fired until it Fractures!.......

There are a lot of complicated procedure on this item during manufacture. Like stress relieving, heat treatment at different temps in different places on this one component alone!

The one thing that came to me a LONG time ago. When defects & Problems arose were: 'They got this right over seventy years ago from the start.' Here we are with all the 'Amazing' Technology & brilliant machinery at our disposal. & we STILL cant get it right!.......

Also, the design has been 'messed' with with the QCB Modification. & the old maxim of: 'If it Aint broke' don't fix it' comes to mind!...............

If you think about it. When you start removing metal from somewhere, where it was designed to be originaly. Then why should you be surprised when something fails?....
It's a little more complicated than that really. BUT, a contiuous round hole is machined away in THREE places, creating SIX straight lines within that Hole. Mmmmm, reverberating like a tuning fork during firing................WHY, are 'Designer's' surprised that the componants fails along a straight line?.............A child may well possibly have worked that one out?.....................HOW many Tons per square inch does the .50" Browning round generate?......................NOT really difficult, is it?......

A few original spec Fifties, were gifted to museums, as per normal practice. Peter will confirm this I am confident!

Morning Tankhunter,

A friend of mine works for an engineering company that supplies digital measuring and calibrating equipment to the same company, he was surprised when he entered the workshop to find new BMG's in production....I wonder if anyone has told Browning, afterall we do have a history of blatant copying in this country SA80-AR18, Sterling SMG, Enfield .38 revolvers to name a but a few!

[tankhunter]

Hello Mr.C! The patent's for the ORIGINAL BMG have long expired. I went into this with the Boss when I worked for said company. However.......it was the way the engineering blueprints were obtained. That was questionable!........But that's another story!!!!

The QCB variant WAS 'Admired' & 'Imitated' (ALLEGEDLY!!!) from FN. But this 'Company's' Variant has minor details that set it aside from the FN Version. A Rep from FN visited whilst I was working there on one occasion. He was NOT pleased with what he saw, & later legal action was threatened. However, this was overcome by pedanticaly pointing out the different aspects of 'This' Company's design. So a Patent Infringment case could NOT be bought upon 'The Company'!..........

I could write a book on the 'Horrors' that are perpetrated within the defence Industry! However, a lot of Peoples jobs would be lost subsequently. & those People have Families to support!

It is well known within the Defence Procurment sector what 'Alledged' Fraud & malpractice goes on. BUT, the 'Agent's from the Procurment Dept don't seem interested!! Perhaps the Wining & dining on a fine scale. & the Expensive Xmas hampers from SOME Companies are 'Possibly' the reason for this?..........

And also well know when contracts for Millions of pounds are up for grabs. Are the 'Pension Fund' Payments executed to secure deals!..............(ALLEDGEDLY!)......