No4 butt srew seized! Tool help...

[Scout Sniper]

Well done - it just needed the right tool for the job.

And persistence! I refused to give up...

[Mk VII]

I saw one of these tools, and the brace for it, at the RAF club's boot sale in July - but didn't buy it, as I already had one. No doubt somebody else did ...

[Scout Sniper]

How much was it up for out of curiosity?

I did get a PM on here, offering me one! I replied but that was the last i heard from him??

[Mk VII]

I didn't ask them, but I doubt it would have been very much.
When rifles have been through a river crossing it's hard to dry out areas like this.

[Nigel]

Attachment 102671

[Peter Laidler]

Nigels photo shows the commercial 'de-luxe' version of the BRACES, hand, Armourers. The real McCoy were a tad more agricultural!!! No fancy wood top bit to push on....., it was just a round slightly dished plate. No fancy round wooden grip part either. You just gripped the steel and twisted it. With this tool and the various assorted 'bits' we had that went with the brace, you could enough leverage onto pretty much anything. Enough to stop the rotation of the earth I'd say

[Scout Sniper]

Thanks for the picture Nigel, although a little late to the game as i no longer required this. I ended up sourcing other tools and found a solid and reliable solution..

Im surprised to see the end of the tool tapers? Especially after everybody stressing the importance of the tool head having parallel faces.

[browningautorifle]

it was just a round slightly dished plate.

But that was supposed to bear against your shoulder or upper chest wasn't it? Thus the saddle affair. The one pictured resembles the user we had on the farm when I was young...was for use originally by the men when they built barns and such.

[Peter Laidler]

You're right BAR, it was meant to bear the weight of your shoulder or chest. The same tool had loads of uses on the Bren and BESA too.. Buffer nut, pistol grip, No1 and 2 pistol chamber scrubber etc etc. I've still got one. Our brace was a one-size-fits-all, unlike the commercial version with an adjustable 4-jaw drill chuck for square shanked wood drills

[browningautorifle]

the commercial version with an adjustable 4-jaw drill chuck for square shanked wood drills

I had forgotten that part...haven't seen that one in...45 years or so.