Wanted: Vickers .50 tech data

[Dave lean]

Hi Tony, am after the whole gun mate, be nice to poke ones noggin down through the hatch and see as much correct detail as possible. Another contact of mine does very excellent and discreet gas conversions for all manner of weaponry so the desire is to have a pair of Vickers that not only look the part but sound it as well. I have only one photo of the two guns mounted in the Bovington tank but there is insufficient detail to scale off. B2U Dok

[Dave lean]

Sorry Tony I missed adding the type, It's really up to Col but I suspect it doesn't really matter? Were the Au built units used in these tanks I guess is the question.

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

Originally Posted by Dave lean

Hi Tony, am after the whole gun mate, be nice to poke ones noggin down through the hatch and see as much correct detail as possible. Another contact of mine does very excellent and discreet gas conversions for all manner of weaponry so the desire is to have a pair of Vickers that not only look the part but sound it as well. I have only one photo of the two guns mounted in the Bovington tank but there is insufficient detail to scale off. B2U Dok

A pair of Vickers .50s is ambitious. A single would be a score. And even if you found them the cross border restrictions shipping may be a deal stopper. I wish you the best of luck. Fabricating replicas should be a day's work for Colin given what he'd demonstrated so far but getting hold of an original would be the key. Let me know if you need details on a plain old .303 Vickers.

[Dave lean]

G'day Bruce, I have been in touch with Richard Fisher in the UK and it would seem that he is able to give me sufficient info/detail on these guns. I hadn't realized that the Lithgow small arms facility in NSW has info on the .50 as well. Regarding originals.. wouldn't it be nice to pop into the local butchers shop and ask for a pair of NOS .5 ins ?? Anyway I am confident that with some basic drawings and measurements of the correct Mk, I can replicate what is needed. I note that the turret mounted 303 V has a slightly shorter cooling jacket than does the standard unit, can you confirm this? As I only have some less than ideal photos to go on. As for the fabrication of all these guns, this will be my contribution to Cols project. I can assure you he has plenty on his plate with all the other details that need his attention.

[Tony Smith]

Originally Posted by Dave lean

I hadn't realized that the Lithgow small arms facility in NSW has info on the .50 as well. Anyway I am confident that with some basic drawings and measurements of the correct Mk, I can replicate what is needed.

OK, so you want a .5 MkV Tank Vickers? Well, you can't have all 3!

Lithgow have a .303 MkXXI TANK Vickers (Lithgow made), a .303 MkV Aircraft Vickers, and a .5 MkIII Naval Vickers. I will have a deeper look through the Archives on Tuesday to see if there any drawings or images of the .5 MkV Tank Vickers.

BTW, the nomenclature for these guns is .5, not .50. The ammunition is unique and not regular .50BMG

[Tony Smith]

Mk III .5 Naval Vickers. The feedblock is significantly bigger that the regular .303, but otherwise, the receiver end and cooling jacket are approximately similar sized to the standard .303. I am doubtful of the displayed ammunition, it looks to be a .50 Spotter round for a 106RCL. not the correct .5 Vickers.

[Tony Smith]

The Mk XXI .303 Tank Vickers. The forward end, including the barrel and cooling jacket, and the main body of the gun appear the same components as the standard .303 Vickers. The significant difference is the change from the double spade grips on the rear of the body to a single pistol grip underneath the body.

[Tony Smith]

.303 Mk V Aircraft Vickers. The significant change with this model is away from a water-cooled jacket surrounding the barrel and operation of cocking handle and trigger by remote cable. Note that this is a closer relative to the standard Vickers MG than the "other" aircraft Vickers, the Vickers K or "GO" (Gas Operated).

[Dave lean]

Hi Tony, I suspect that with the info coming in I will be well on the way to creating reasonable replicas of both these guns, Thanks for clarifying the correct nomenclature by the way. Do you have access to the LSA collection? Even though I have some reasonably good photos of the 303 in its various Mks, I am still to get my hands on accurate measurements ( particularly the pistol grip assy and the set up forward of the main frame) and I have no measurements whatsoever for any part of the .5 MkV tank.