Gauge, inspectors, headspace, 7.62 mm rifle

[Peter Laidler]

These tools take me back....... We all made them and generally they were simpler and worked far better than the issued tools. We did a year of bench fitting and made all sorts of stuff, just Like Tankie says! I inevitably had mine put back on my bench with a sarcastic note by the fatherly but strict Mr Surtees, our class ex Artillery basic trades Instructor. Nice to see the little A in U stamped on the little tool (photo 4, thread 23). That indicated a tool that was made according to a spec/drawing/EMER instruction and as such, was taken 'on account' by the technical stores. It was logged in 'the A in U account' which told us that it was from the tech stores and was an 'ARTICLES IN USE'.

The Tech storemen were not generally the brightest lights in the box, but a few rungs up the ladder from the Ordnance Blanket stackers. It was quite easy to get one over on them by handing in a few broken bits that could pass as a something that you'd like to keep. Like a set of nice recently calibrated Vee blocks or vernier caliper....... You know the sort of thing!

Great thread, brings me out in a chuckle. Let's have some more.......................................