M1A1 Howitzer History (+)

Towed Artillery, Wanted, For Sale,(NO EBAY ITEMS) and Knowledge Base
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vol923
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M1A1 Howitzer History (+)

Post by vol923 » Sat Aug 30, 2014 5:01 pm

Is it possible to learn a weapon's history from its various serial numbers?

And a disassembly question; got the top sleigh off, but can't get the barrel turned so as to remove it. Don't know how long the piece has been either exposed to the elements or in storage; if the interrupted threads between barrel and breech are rusted, any recommendations on how to proceed - heat, perhaps?

And Tim, that's a mighty fine looking gun in the south of France.

Thx


dwing
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Re: M1A1 Howitzer History (+)

Post by dwing » Sat Aug 30, 2014 5:16 pm

Lift barrel and ring out of sleight together. Get breech block out of ring. Make barrel immobile. I would suggest creating a jig to hold the barrel. Once I welded the barrel to a metal work bench with angle iron. Then I stuck two pieces is 4x4 through the ring. Heated ring a bit. Use an entire case of PB blaster / penetrating fluid Canning wax works wonders with hot metal. Stick the 4x4 through the ring. Find the largest friend you have to hang on the end of the lumber. Leverage does wonders if you can immobilize the barrel. Ring comes free. Grind the welds out. No harm done to barrel. Yes it's ugly but so is half a century of rust and weather
If your gun doesn't leak oil, it's time for a bigger gun.

napavalleyartillery
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Re: M1A1 Howitzer History (+)

Post by napavalleyartillery » Sat Aug 30, 2014 7:22 pm

Everything Dustin says. In addition I'v found it necessary on occasion to apply force with the backhoe. Keep in mind that a constant force is not nearly as effective as an impact, even of a considerably lesser amount. And if you can apply a significant constant force and then add an impact force pretty much anything will eventually come apart. Just remember that if improperly supported, what comes apart will be seriously deformed, thereby rather defeating your purpose. And if you fail to properly support, and contain, the parts you will be astonished at the velocity with which your applied forces will launch pieces… Good luck!

NavAirDave
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Re: M1A1 Howitzer History (+)

Post by NavAirDave » Tue Sep 02, 2014 2:46 pm

I'm searching the same thing vol923 is searching for. We had a 75mm Pack Howitzer at our Veterans Park in Kenyon, MN. We would like to find out some history on this piece. I have photos and serial numbers just need a place to do the research.

Also, I'm new to this site. How do you post pics?

vol923
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Re: M1A1 Howitzer History (+)

Post by vol923 » Mon Sep 08, 2014 11:03 am

Got the barrel out; couldn't lift it and breech as a unit because the tube has a tab on the right side that hits a horizontal ridge that runs inside the bottom sleigh; the barrel must be turned and taken out first. Elevated the tube and liberally applied some kind of solvent and let it set for about a week; darn if the barrel didn't turn with some muscle on an iron bar thru the fwd eyebolt.
Thx for all the advice.

Want to reiterate my history question for myself and 'NavAirDave;' is there a data base or such that can give me the history of the piece? I have the four serial numbers, and the barrel and breech ring numbers are close, which tells me they probably came from the same production run, but the carriage and recoil mechanism have completely different numbers.

Thx, Bob

NavAirDave
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Re: M1A1 Howitzer History (+)

Post by NavAirDave » Mon Sep 08, 2014 11:41 am

I'm doing the same thing, searching for a history of our piece. I can get the serial numbers from all the parts. I know the barrel was made by the Draper Corp. out of MA. It would be nice if we could post a bit of the history in our park with the weapon.

vol923
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Re: M1A1 Howitzer History (+)

Post by vol923 » Mon Sep 08, 2014 1:32 pm

Our barrel and breech ring are GE (!), recoil Rock Island Arsenal, and carriage J.G. Brill.

New question for the group, pls; any leads on who might have a breech assembly? (breechblock, firing lock, operating handle, trigger, gear cover)


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