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Colt 1914 Belgium contract


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<p>I you wire wheel the front end beyond the manufacturer ID where there is further stamped info you should find the caliber. I'd guess 7.65mm which was a caliber widely used by the Belgians, but it could also be another caliber.</p>

<p>As you must know this is the actual 'receiver" of a digger and it is clearly a complete receiver with internals intact. As such is an unregistered MG which is a problem as it is illegal to possess an unregistered MG. Even if registered it is not registered to you, another serious legal problem, and finding the pertinent registration document and the current registrant or relatives is extremely difficult and probably not possible with this receiver.</p>

<p>By law, for legal possession, the unregistered receiver must be rendered a "non-gun" at the very least by cutting it in half with a hacksaw. Current import destruction requirements are three diagonal torch cuts and in this case evenly spaced along the body of the receiver leaving four parts. Domestic requirements are different but at least cut it in half after disassembly of the internals.</p>

<p>Test the action to see if it is free by pushing the actuating slide back to cock the bolt. Pushing it back into the receiver will move the bolt back where it will be caught by the sear. Pulling the trigger will allow the bolt to slam forward if everything is free.</p>

<p>Disassembly: the grip frame slides out of the back of the receiver and it is clear that the frame retaining parts already are not engaged since they are not there. Remove the grip panels, so as not to damage them, and tap the front edge of the grip with a brass hammer, etc and try to slide the grip frame out. There is no reliable way to get oil into the seam between the grip body and the receiver without heating the parts but impact is the first effort to try. I suspect it is rusted in place so it might take some greater impact to see if it will move. If you have a vice that will allow it, you can hang the receiver by the grip and then tap the back end of the receiver to see if that will move the grip frame out of the receiver.</p>

<p>If that doesn't work, heat the area around the receiver where the grip body goes in. Propane torch will do it but will take a long time. Acetylene torch carefully used can heat the whole ares fairly quickly. Once hot let it cool a bit and when still a bit too hot to touch, apply oil around the seam of the grip body and receiver. Let that penetrate for a long time and when parts are cool, try again to tap the grip frame out. Repeat until it comes out.</p>

<p>Once the grip frame is out, you will see that the "hammer" which is a piston and spring are in the tubular part of the frame.</p>

<p> Now the bolt can be moved back, once freed from being stuck from rust, by pushing back the rectangular bolt actuating slide protruding from the front. On the right side of the receiver just below the "key" shaped hole is a small hole. On the left side is another larger hole. There is a cross pin joining the slide and bolt inside the receiver. Moving the bolt back will align the pin with the two holes and it can be driven out through the small right side with a small drift and out the larger hole on the left. when the pin is out, the bolt will slide out the back end of the receiver and the actuating slide out the front. </p>

<p>That is basic disassembly.</p>

<p>FWIW</p>

Edited by Black River Militaria CII
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A small number of Diggers were used in WWI by the Belgians in 7.65mm. But it is much more likely to be Canadian in .303 or possibly British in .303. The Canadians brought Diggers to Belgium in 1914. In 1915, they started to re-equip with Vickers guns. The possible British use would be by Royal Marines. Off-hand I do not know for certain that they used any Diggers in WWI. But they had them earlier.

 

I would be very interested in the markings that you find!

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