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Posted: 3/24/2007 3:55:33 PM EDT
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I have a bunch of M14's and Garand's and their USGI toolkits Early/Late and I'll be darned if I can get all of them in the two holes of the rifle they were made for. I can get all but the bore cleaning brush in the Garand if I put the rod handle/universal tool in half of the oiler. This on the model with the double oiler and no chamber brush. I can get the chamber brush also with the single oiler. Each of these with a single small grease pot. I have seen the diagram somewhere but I suspect it shows something missing. I would love to see what others have worked out to get the most or most useful tools in the buttstock of the new or old style kits for either rifle. Anyone with a link to the diagrams? CSP has a diagram by Gus Fisher of the M14 kit. No room for a grease pot or the rod handle/small universal tool. Where did a GI carry the leftover stuff in their gear? In a belt pouch? ARDog |
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That's neat and immediately reminds me that troops could easily have had a hypothetical "A" loadout and a "B" of tools with crossover. A guess. There were shelter halves and you were in a hole with a buddy. Cleaning your wep you just shared stuff. I have the full kits from early and late for the Garand and would like to hear some favorite combinations and thoughts on efficient ways to stuff them away. I haven't seen the combo tool shown in the CMP pic in any of the complete kits and think it was a separate item. How was gear for the rifle distributed back then? Did the guys choose shooting supplies or were you just given what you needed? Did tools and firearm maint gear come with the ammo? I am only interested in what was carried in the field. ARDog |
What was carried, and by whom certainly varied over time. For example, the combo tool pictured in the link above was changed in no small part due to the changeover from the original rear sight (combo tool needed to adjust) to the lockbar rear sight which did not require same. www.billricca.com/m3a1m.htm Note there is a Part II. |
Great link, looks like there is alot to know about just the combo tools! |
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What cleaning equipment and sling you got, depended totally on what the quartermaster had in stock. A certain piece might be the "Standard" but if the quartermaster was out, you got whatever he had. A typical setup would be: In the top hole: 4 sections of the cleaning rod. A bore brush and the cleaning rod tip joined by the threads by a short section of clear tubing. All stuffed into the OD Canvas tube. The small jar of grease would be put in last, and a couple of patches would be folded over it all to prevent rattling. In the bottom hole: Either the long nickel plated brass oiler tube, or the later long amber plastic tube. The front of the oiler would be filled with oil, the rear would contain either a bore brush thong set, OR the M10 cleaning rod handle wrapped with patches to prevent rattling. Again, patches would be folded and put over the oiler to prevent rattling. As an option, the M3 or M3-A1 Combination tool would be used instead of the long oiler. Again, what you got issued and what you put in the butt after you left boot camp, depended on what was available, and what you wanted to use. |
Outstanding! That's great. Do you remember if there was a preference for a certain combo tool being better? Do you remember if combo tool pouches were issued? |
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