Bofors 40mm Spare barrel box question???

[rob love]

I just saw something about the stowage in the barrel chest. It does have the woolen and regular brushes inside. I'll research the subject further.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Is this a Bofors spare barrel box? Note it has been sanded down to serve as a piece of furniture.

"length 3.07 meter, width 26 cm x height 28 cm"

houten munitiekist wapenkist 1.jpg houten munitiekist wapenkist 2.jpg

[rob love]

Whatever your crate is for Hanno, it is not the British version. The latches look like the ones on some of the Finnish tool and spares chests that I have for mine.
Dimensions for the Canadian chest I have here is 103"L x14"Wx9.5"H not including any exterior protrusions like the handles and latches. In metric that would work out to roughly 262x35.5x24
I did not find the reference I was using for the brushes, but did find this in the manual. The chest here at work does not have the little round mount with the clip that you have pictured Rob. I'll check my crate at home and see what it has. There was a mk1 and mk2 version of this chest. Add to that it is now 80 years later so modifications could have happened. Check the right end of your chest Rob and there should be makers marks and date.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Thanks Rob, that’s a big help.

Alex found the wooden box I posted above on a site and suggested to a mutual friend with a Ford F60S LAAT this may be a Bofors spare barrel box. Now seems it isn’t one as it is considerably longer than the wartime one.

[tankbarrell]

It might still be a Bofors spare barrel box, just for the L/70, rather than the wartime L/60. Is it about 400mm longer?

[Hanno Spoelstra]

That’s what Alex suggested, too. The one for sale is 45 cm longer compared to the dimensions listed by Rob.

[Alex van de Wetering]

Yes, it would have been so nice to add an original box to Egbert's LAAT!

A real shame the seller, or a previous owner, sanded off the original paint and markings.....but chances are that if it was/is a Dutch post-war 40L70 barrel box (which I think is likely), it was just green overall with small white lettering. Sometimes these former army boxes end up in thrift stores here in Holland; I recently found a box for a Leopard shock absorber for sale!



To add to the Bofors box data on the forum:
Here is a box I pictured at the Gunfire museum in Brasschaat, Belgium, last year. I have no idea if this is an original wartime box, or a postwar one dressed up to look like an original. I did take some measurements at the time for modelling purposes, but somehow I can't find them now! If I find them, I will add them here.