Mystery Object - fits a No.4 barrel?

[Charlie303]

Someone in our club has this item, thinks it may fit a No.4 barrel;

Attachment 121517Attachment 121516

Can anyone confirm what it is?

Thanks

[Roger Payne]

Those better qualified will no doubt chip in, but it looks like a rod guide to me, & appears to have been made by AG Parker, the precursor company to Parker-Hale.

[Thunderbox]

I think its actually for a Long Lee barrel.

[Alan de Enfield]

I think its actually for a Long Lee barrel.

It is.
It is designed to clamp around the barrel so a rod can be hammered down the barrel to clear a blockage. The clamp protects the crown of the barrel from damage.

This is my version :

[boltaction]

I at one point also had several made in Canada for the Ross Mk II** target rifle, but they were lost in a move. I have never seen more since but they are obviously around. Purely for target shooting as something like that would never survive in the field.

Ed

[Alan de Enfield]

Purely for target shooting as something like that would never survive in the field.

I very much doubt that it was standard issue to every soldier - it would be issued to an armourer, ordinary soldiers would not be allowed to 'mess about' with their rifle.
It is less 'delicate' that some of the armourers tools and would certainly stand up to use in 'the field ' workshops.

Give 3 infantry, each a steel ball bearing and lock them in solitary confinement, after 12 hours open the doors and ask to see their ball bearings.
You find : One has lost his, one has sold his and the last one had broken his.

[Daan Kemp]

Agree with the steel ball bearing saga, except it was a large one.

[Warren]

They were also found in the Vickers accessory kit.
Presumably for guiding the rod when removing a stuck bullet in the barrel as if you hit the thread on the muzzle end you could not reinstall the booster cup.

[CINDERS]

Here is my one with a 2 stamp and G.E.S mark think the story I got with it was it was for cleaning the barrel and protecting the crown from the rod on the Vickers M.G but looking at pics of the Vickers not quite sure how it would actually work. Agreed it fits the No.4 having tried it on my rifles.

[Warren]

It protects the threads on a Vickers barrel because if you bugger the threads the blast cone will not fit and the gun is out of action.
The crown of the barrel you are not worried about the threading you sure are.
Screw it up and the gun is out of action unless you have the special hand die nut to clean up the threads.
I'll pop it on a Vickers barrel later tonight