A few Ross Rifle tidbits I found today

TheIndifferent1

TheIndifferent1

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Thought you guys might appreciate this. I didn't get a chance to take any photos yet (LAC has the most backasswards policies :rolleyes: I hate doing research there) but:

10 Ross Rifles had their stocks modified to imitate the Boys Anti-Tank Rifle for training purposes.

Some Ross's were turned into sub-cal inserts for 6 pdr anti-tank guns.

Hopefully I can get some digital copies of the stuff I'm finding - a lot of it is on microfilm and their reader/copiers are horrible.

Also, when the jamming problems came up with the Ross, DND (or munitions and supply.. can't remember) did some torture testing on the ross by getting it as hot as possible to see if it would jam. Interesting reading, and there are about 4cm of files related to the Ross jamming at LAC.
 
Are there still sheets of plastic over the shelves to keep the leaks off the priceless materials?
The original documents describing the testing should be very interesting reading.
 
tiriaq said:
Are there still sheets of plastic over the shelves to keep the leaks off the priceless materials?
The original documents describing the testing should be very interesting reading.
Click to expand...

Wouldn't surprise me - I haven't even been in the stacks though.

I only scanned the docs quickly because they weren't what I was actually there to look for. I'd love to make copies but their reproduction costs are insane and there are at least 200-300 pages worth of information there. Next time I go I'll take some pictures of any documents that you guys might find interesting. The pseudo-Boys rifle looks really interesting, and there's a huge blueprint I can photograph.

The archives really are a national embarrassment. They do not even have the technology that the Public Records Office in London was using 27 years ago.
 
Here are two pictures from one of the files. More to come, hopefully. As you can see, this file is water damaged unfortunately. Most of the papers are legible though as it is the bottom right corners that were destroyed.

IMG_1423.jpg

IMG_1432.jpg
 
tiriaq said:
Are there still sheets of plastic over the shelves to keep the leaks off the priceless materials?
The original documents describing the testing should be very interesting reading.
Click to expand...

Would like to hear more on the origin of the water damage...maybe caused when the archive burnt down...I heard/read the archival documents of the Ross plant had burned down therefore explaining the small amount of info on the Factory buildings (on the plain of Abraham)...my grandfather worked there and I took interest but this archive fire (in Ottawa I believe) erased a lot of the info trail on the Ross.
 
That grip on the pseudo boyes rifle looks like something from the planet of the apes movies. I can understand why they went to the .22 inserts for the boys.

Neat material. It will be interesting to see what else you dig up on both the boys rifles and the ross.
 
stencollector said:
That grip on the pseudo boyes rifle looks like something from the planet of the apes movies. I can understand why they went to the .22 inserts for the boys.

Neat material. It will be interesting to see what else you dig up on both the boys rifles and the ross.
Click to expand...

Not inserts, but a piggybacked receiver/barrel. Cooeys I think.

When they were pulled out of service, Canada kept 900k rounds of .55 for practice as well. There were originally aluminum jacketed bullets for practice but they stopped using them and switched to AP because the factories could not keep up supplies for both.

I've dug up about 300 pages worth of correspondence and documents on the Boys. Little of interest from a technical/collector point of view. Whatever is of interest I'll post once my paper is finished and it's sent in to some journals for (hopefully) publication.

I'm heading out the door right now but I'll post a few more things tonight.
 
Anti Tank rifle sub calibre unit...

The Finns did the same thing with the Lahti 2cm M26 Anti tank rifle as well.
Picture attached. Fired by a Bowden cable to the trigger of the AT rifle. The receiver and barrel is a MN 91/ rifle converted to single shot in a recoiling mount. I have a spare one for sale/trade, so if anyone is interested, drop me a line.
P1020184.jpg
 
TheIndifferent1 said:
Not inserts, but a piggybacked receiver/barrel. Cooeys I think.
Click to expand...
All I have ever seen were the rifled cooey sub cal rounds. I have 2 or three, but only one with the center adapter. I have to lathe out a couple spares when I get a chance.
cooeysubcal.jpg






TheIndifferent1 said:
I've dug up about 300 pages worth of correspondence and documents on the Boys. Little of interest from a technical/collector point of view. Whatever is of interest I'll post once my paper is finished and it's sent in to some journals for (hopefully) publication.
Click to expand...

Clive Law is always looking for Cdn oriented subjects for his series of pamphlets. They are limited to about 24 pages mind you, with lots of photos. At least this way the info gets out further. Mind you, with only 30 Boys registered in Canada, sales in this country may not be that brisk.
 
Be careful with the .22 sub cal units for the Boys. They had a tendency to ring the barrel which was the reason their use was discontinued. There is also one type with the chamber off centre to allow the use of a .22 round without the "normally lost" plug/firing pin.....
 
wheaty said:
Be careful with the .22 sub cal units for the Boys. They had a tendency to ring the barrel which was the reason their use was discontinued. There is also one type with the chamber off centre to allow the use of a .22 round without the "normally lost" plug/firing pin.....
Click to expand...

I can't use them anyway....my rifles changed over to 50 cal. I have never seen one of the offset ones.
 
stencollector said:
All I have ever seen were the rifled cooey sub cal rounds. I have 2 or three, but only one with the center adapter. I have to lathe out a couple spares when I get a chance.
cooeysubcal.jpg
Click to expand...


I stand corrected :D I had only seen pictures and documentation regarding the piggybacked .22 set up. Unfortunately they were all on microfilm and of bad quality so I couldn't get any copies to post on here :( If I find any easily reproduced copies I'll make sure to post some.
 
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