L85 rifle new manufacture receivers?

[Brian Dick]

Funny, I always thought the MRE's were bad. Designed that way to create a special breed of mean "***" soldier.

[Vincent]

Does the British Army still have petrol cookers?

Best bit of kit ever!

[Flying10uk]

I've seen plenty of petrol cookers for sale as surplus but don't know if it's something that's still used by the British Army; personally I wouldn't be brave enough to actually light one myself.

When the British Army was operating in Bosnia, I seem to recall hearing on the news, that a tracked armoured personnel carrier was not used as this would appear heavy handed and so a wheeled monstrosity (Saxon?) was used instead.

[mrclark303]

As Geoff said, at least we won't be waisting scarce MOD resources on yet another great EU wrong turn!

Astonished that the French and Germans are prepared to commit their thinly spread resources to such a pointless duplication of NATO structure.

The German military in particular is in a terrible under resourced state these days, a faint shadow of its cold war composition!

[Vincent]

I've seen plenty of petrol cookers for sale as surplus but don't know if it's something that's still used by the British Army; personally I wouldn't be brave enough to actually light one myself.

You don’t have to use petrol. They are like an M1 tank and will also work with Kerosene (what you call paraffin), more or less the same as jet fuel or even diesel.

If you are lucky enough to be around some oil wells, it will burn natural gas condensate, sometimes called "casing head gasoline” or " natural gasoline." Some condensates are odorless and others stink of sulfur, like the exhaust of a Tijuana taxi... so I am told.

[Vincent]

The German military in particular is in a terrible under resourced state these days, a faint shadow of its cold war composition!

AND THIS IS A BAD THING?????

[bigduke6]

don't know if it's something that's still used by the British Army

No.... but Ration Packs still issued with a hexamine cooker, but a lot take or use there own stove, the big thing at present is the jet boil cooker, looks a good bit of kit but your paying for the name, I've just bought a poor mans version for £5.00 from China or Taiwan, yet to try it but will post some pics.

[Peter Laidler]

No petrol cookers are not used now. They couldn't be operated successfully with unleaded fuel due to seal and leakage problems and the very limited availability of petrol in vehicles now. Hexamine cookers are always a good standby. And I have a couple of new/still wrapped for emergency use if needed. Slow or what......... by the time you get a cup of tea or coffee, the power would have come back on!

Geoff and his pals have the idea. Buy your own simple gas cooker. But, alas, if it's bitter cold, they're crap! Geoff will have learned early on, like Tankie and Skippy, the REME don't like the cold and wet. As we used to say '.........anyone can live like a cxxx'

[mrclark303]

Got to love wondering threads, we have gone from new manufacture L85 bodies, to ration packs and cooking in the field

[brent65]

But to be honest, the L85A2 was as good as anything else.

If nothing else Peter, I do admire your blind patriotism