WWII 81mm Repo Tube

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Mike McCrea
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WWII 81mm Repo Tube

Post by Mike McCrea » Fri Mar 28, 2014 10:49 am

Hi Guys,
I have a few original WWII 81mm end caps and am planning on making some repo tubes using the end caps I have. My question is does anyone have an original WWII M431A tube they can measure? I just want to be sure before I make my cut..I think they are 36.8 cm which is just about 14 1/2" can anyone please confirm this?

Here is the tube Im working on with the original end cap in place. Thanks for any help. I may have a few extra for sale when done.

Rgds, Mike
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Last edited by Mike McCrea on Fri Jun 20, 2014 8:42 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: WWII 81mm Repo Tube

Post by Mike McCrea » Fri Mar 28, 2014 3:21 pm

I confirmed the length on Inertord and made the cut and put the other end cap on. Here is the first finished tube..now just gotta find out if the tubes had printing on them.
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Re: WWII 81mm Repo Tube

Post by RobL » Sat Mar 29, 2014 10:38 am

HI Mike,

Caps look great. And so does the tube. Well done refurbishing that 'battlefield pickup'!

Your measurement of 14 1/2 is pretty right on. This image from the manual shows a microscopic measurement that looks like it reads 14 13/32.

And the use of white markings on the side of the tube may or may not have been in practice until later in the war. I've seen nothing that mandated that it be on the tube itself. I think it was done in lieu of printing on the sealing tape. So you can be entirely accurate with just the lot number stamped (in white) on the end cap, and the round nomenclature stamped (in black) on the yellow sealing tape.

If you did want to roll on some white ink nomenclature on the tube itself, it would also include the round's AIC marking. Which may be R4FCB. It depended on how it was packed. But don't quote me that AIC just yet. I gotta check some other stuff.

Image

Image

Enjoy.

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Re: WWII 81mm Repo Tube

Post by Mike McCrea » Sat Mar 29, 2014 12:43 pm

Thanks for the info Rob, you always have the best info. I plan on making the 6 bundle unit. :) Let me know if you need an original end cap for the ones you plan on making, I have two styles..this one and another one.

Here are pics of original end caps i found online.
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Re: WWII 81mm Repo Tube

Post by 1944M8 » Sat Mar 29, 2014 4:24 pm

Mike, sent you a little info... great stuff that Rob supplied !

Kration

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Re: WWII 81mm Repo Tube

Post by Mike McCrea » Sat Mar 29, 2014 6:13 pm

Now I will work on the inside ring that supports the front near the fuze.
inside ring 2.jpg
From my cell phone, hope the pic quality is ok.
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Re: WWII 81mm Repo Tube

Post by Mike McCrea » Thu Apr 10, 2014 4:07 pm

Got the bundle done..now gotta make the rod to hold it together.
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Re: WWII 81mm Repo Tube

Post by RobL » Thu Apr 10, 2014 4:41 pm

That looks killer! Love the center cloverleaf unique to this 81 stack.

Impressive restoration Mike!

Looking like a manual page in the making!

Image

After the bundle, then its time for the lobster crate?

Image

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Re: WWII 81mm Repo Tube

Post by Mike McCrea » Thu Apr 10, 2014 7:42 pm

You always post the coolest pics Rob...Great lookin lobster traps.. Mikey likey. :)
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Re: WWII 81mm Repo Tube

Post by RobL » Thu Apr 10, 2014 8:02 pm

Glad Mikey Likey!

Appreciate the compliment. You are, after all, the guy who hooked me on these things with your first mine box replica with original hinges and hasps - that was about what? 10 years ago?

I made about a hundred of those three round bundles/crates for the movie Fury. Those are the 76mm gun shells for the M4A3E8 Shermans used in the movie. A mix of AP, HE, and even smoke round bundles.

Could've used your skills here in the Arcadia Ordnance Depot last summer! (and by that I mean my driveway/backyard shop)

In the manual page that I posted earlier, it says that there were 18 rounds in a crated bundle of 81mm shells. But that would mean that they crated up three of those six tube cloverleaf bundles. I think thats a typo. That would have made for a very heavy and awkwardly large bundle. Yet I can't find any photos of 81mm crated bundles to convince myself. I think only 6 rounds were in a crated bundle.

Anyway, keep up the good work! Looking forward to seeing the polished diamond!

Rob L.

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Re: WWII 81mm Repo Tube

Post by Greaser » Fri Apr 11, 2014 5:01 am

It's a typo. R4FCA was a bundle of 6 rounds in m36 fiber containers. Crated for overseas shipment in the crab trap crate as illustrated. R4FQA / R4FLA was the AIC for the heavies in m38 containers. Same rules apply.

They typically kept the crate weight around 50lbs for mortar ammo. Thus 6, or 3 for the traps. For handled crates it was 4 and 2 - about 30 lbs.

I would be game to team up with you both on the 81mm crabgrass and make some printing plates or at least the art.
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Re: WWII 81mm Repo Tube

Post by Mike McCrea » Thu Jun 19, 2014 1:39 pm

Mike McCrea wrote:Now I will work on the inside ring that supports the front near the fuze.
Ok..with the help of Desertricks measurement of the fuze support.. 2 7/8" tall I was able to make one..now just 6 more. Now just to add tape and end cap stamp.
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Re: WWII 81mm Repo Tube

Post by Mike McCrea » Thu Jun 19, 2014 5:39 pm

Fuze support glued in and Ravenna Armory made up some tapes for me..tomorrow I will stamp the end cap
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Re: WWII 81mm Repo Tube

Post by Mike McCrea » Tue Sep 02, 2014 8:19 am

Ok..finished tubes.
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Re: WWII 81mm Repo Tube

Post by Steve Webb » Mon Sep 29, 2014 1:36 pm

I am rereading the account of Merrill's Marauders of which my father in law was a member of and they have a good picture of those cloverleafs being unpacked from a parachute bundle after a supply drop. it appears that there were 3 cloverleafs of the 81 mm in the bundle. The 81mm mortar was the heaviest thing they had going in on foot although later they did get 2 75mm pack howitzers air dropped when it wasn't enough to dislodge the Japanese's
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