Oto Melara L5 pack howitzer parts
 

I'm looking for muzzle and breech covers for a L5 pack howitzer as well as a complete travelling handbrake mechanism if anyone has any leads.


Russell

Spaghetti guns
 

I wonder if Rob Love's wonderously surprising scrap metal dealer might have any L5 parts. Canada used them for a while.

Helston Gunsmiths in the UK had loads a few years ago.

http://www.helstongunsmiths.com/


You will need to email them for the stuff not listed on their website.


Tim

They were more of a Petawawa thing, although there were the remains of 3 or 4 portee kits, which would winch the L5 into the back of the old deuce for speedy transport.

Aside from the portee kits, I have never seen anything L5 at the local scrapyard. We do have several pallets of L5 parts (almost enough to assemble one), here at the museum, but they are not up for grabs.

Thanks guys.

Helston Gunsmiths is an option as they still have parts for these guns... the prices are high though and trying to correspond with them via emails is a bit hit and miss. If the helpful people on MLU can't help then they are my back-up plan.

There seems to be a number of people around with partly complete guns... one of the pitfalls of a gun that can be readily disassembled I guess. Some NOS parts are available here in NZ but not what I'm after unfortunately.

Russell

So you've been out to Featherston for a look see?

I have indeed Tony. A lot of great stuff there. I'm surprised no one hasn't already snapped up those parts.

Oh, I've dropped hints, it's the Ditch that's the problem. :rolleyes

Still looking
 

Bumped. - Also looking for a set of wheel hub housings, brake drums and elevation balancing gear.
I have heard that someone in Australia had a bunch of L5 spares a few years ago and at the time traded with someone in NZ who also had some L5 stuff. If anyone might have any leads as to who that person in Australia might have been I'd be keen to find out.

Russell

I might be able to help you out on that question ( :rolleyes :D), but I can't help you with anything else on your list. I hear, too, that the Featherston Cache has now all been sold, do you know anything about that?

I think trades will become much harder now following recent developments in the South Is. Every firearm part and accessory now requires an Import Permit and the permits are no longer processed by your local AO. Instead they are being sent to a centralised office in Wgtn, and the backlog for Permit approvals is running into months. I don't think that anyone realised quite the workload that the changes would create.

Yes Tony, th Featherston bits have indeed changed hands... just too tempting to resist. it does however mean that the parts wanted list has expanded somewhat as, whilst there were some great bits there, a number of vital items are absent to enable a gun to be put together.