And before you lock this one, it's a feasibility question as regards using moscarts, not about using CO2/explosives to launch flour bombs/tennis balls/monkeys that shoot bees out of their mouths etc! 
So yeah, anyway. I'm currently halfway through building a replica 2" British airborne mortar, (pictures to follow, it's fecking awesome, even if i do say so myself!). Well, i say 2", but 2" int. diameter steel tube was nowhere to be found, so it's actually about 1 7/8", which is a pisser as the original mortars won't quite fit, but i'm rambling here.
My original plan was to knock it up purely as a PBI prop, not designed to fire anything, but useful when calling in marshall controlled barrages etc, but then i got to thinking about maybe fitting a 40mm sleeve insert so it can fire moscarts, or making fake 2" mortar rounds using the moscart as the body, then fitting fins on the bottom, so it can actually be dropped down the mortar tube to fire.
However, having never actually used one i was wondering if anyone had any thoughts as regards practicality/usefulness etc?
i've read through the tank 40mm moscart thread, but that's about using it in a direct fire mode, this would be indirect, obviously.
comments? abuse? pointing and laughing? anyone? 
practicality... hmmm... zero I'd have said? You'll get about maybe 5 metres with the bbs.
However coolness... very high. The ability for a mortar to be placed in and a jet of gas to be produced is very nice indeed.
Also... if its that good, can you make me one please? Major was supposed to be making me one, but nothing has happened for ages...
practicality... hmmm... zero I'd have said? You'll get about maybe 5 metres with the bbs.
i wasn't so sure, some of these madbull M203 rounds are claiming ranges in excess of 100ft or so with a CO2 conversion? even indirect, i thought you'd maybe get 30ft out of them? useful for fairly close indirect fire, i'd have thought?
either way, a nice gas cloud and a noise would be desirable!
as far as reproducing one, i'll let you take a look when it's more done and see what you think. it's currently got a 21" barrel, but i'm debating whether to cut that down to the 14" version, or make another barrel so it can be used as either.
The only problem i've had is that i've had to work solely from a bunch of photos on the 'net, so it's as close as i can get it, but i don't know if it'll be good enough for the stitch-nazis. 
Ah... Major took some much better pics... which BTW are on the same card as the Varsity photos.
BTW, barrel lengths... make 2... I need the long one... for airborne we need the short one... 
(actually mine also needs a bren handle on it... )
hmm 30ft indirect fire sounds fun!
Ah... Major took some much better pics... which BTW are on the same card as the Varsity photos.
BTW, barrel lengths... make 2... I need the long one... for airborne we need the short one...
(actually mine also needs a bren handle on it... )
hmm 30ft indirect fire sounds fun!
thought you'd want two. do you realise how difficult it is to make a 1/4" internal screw thread on the barrel?
and yeah, i've seen some with the handle, from what i read, that wasn't used in NWE, was it?
if the photo's turn up finally, let me know, i spoke to major, but they haven't emerged yet!
No Bren handle is for the Far East... hence why I'm interested in that..
I meant make 2 mortars... one short for you, one long for me...
If you make the mortar over/undersize then it's more likely not to be bothered by "anyone"..... Only has to be a mill here and a mill there if you get my drift......
Speaking of "drift" TLSFx tested a pyrotechnic "mortar round" last week. Will be used by "trained staff" at a milsim next weekend (19/20 April)
Could be available at some stage to other "trained personnel" once the HSE have had a chance to look at it.
No details other than - not fin stabilised, not impact detonating and not fired directly using a mortar......... Preliminary results are however....... very appealing to the discerning eye.
LOOK! I ham now four meggle man!
A001
Ah, there will be the ones for Josh at D-Day +2 then?
If you make the mortar over/undersize then it's more likely not to be bothered by "anyone"..... Only has to be a mill here and a mill there if you get my drift......
Speaking of "drift" TLSFx tested a pyrotechnic "mortar round" last week. Will be used by "trained staff" at a milsim next weekend (19/20 April)
Could be available at some stage to other "trained personnel" once the HSE have had a chance to look at it.
No details other than - not fin stabilised, not impact detonating and not fired directly using a mortar......... Preliminary results are however....... very appealing to the discerning eye.
all sounds very interesting! it's def. safe as far as 'other people' are concerned as it's under-size, and anyway, doesn't have a firing pin mechanism.
Certainly interested in hearing more about the mortar rounds once they're worked out!
pictures as mentioned earlier:
still need to make up the rest of the base with the (fake) firing mech in it, but it's looking good so far i think!
anyone got any blueprints of the brit 2" mortar?
Do you like my little tank?
anyone got any blueprints of the brit 2" mortar?
Not that i'm aware of, i'm working from photos and memory.
DM... pics of a real 2" mortar with measurements can be found here:
http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/Yithdit/2 ... TTJ2lEMLUc
These are the pics that Major took for me.
Note that this mortar is missing the actual trigger which is a small triangular thing with a piece of string that goes on the little axle on the base.
Note... I am after one myself!
Hi, just got back from D-Day and the mortars their were legendary. The mortar itself may not be correct to a real one in that it has an opening breech but load in a special two stage pyro (TLSFX), strike and close. Bam, pyro goes approx 50m and then when fuse burns to it, second ignition. No fins, not rocket propelled etc, Josh reckons they are legal and HSE ok'd the TLSFX pyro. Mortar cost approx £300 and pyro approx £2 each.
I have a couple of questions as I think a flash one so it is quiet and a smoke one also so you could select the round based on that.
It was great calling in the mortar team, firing shots and calling fire adjustments!
Peter Rabbit - Tank Killer
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hawk914/2159973655/
It was great fun indeed to run around with the mortar and quite a challenge to get a line of fire through the trees to prevent us fragging our own guys, josh's mortars would be unbelievable in open ground with no overhead obstacles to worry about!
we are currently planning on building our own mortars as per josh's and tfx's requirements for use for our us airborne and brit airlanding loadouts.
"Major Bernard Himmler, does the name mean anything to you?"
these sound bloody good, whats their status at cia events??? yay or nay ????
would it be worth investing in one ????
"Take that you rotton helping of strawberry flan!"
Joseph Porta to "strawberrys and cream", in the sven hassel book ,ogpu prison
Please don't invest in one!
It would be a complete nightmare if people turned up with pyrotechnic devices untested, not risk-assessed, nor approved by the host site.
Besides which, big elements of gameplay which these are will have to be written into the scenario and equality maintained on each side.
That's not to say there is anything inherently dangerous with them - Tony (TLSFX) carefully instructed organisers, commanders and operators in their safe use and they worked very well and notched up many a kill, and Tony has come up with a very ingenious solution to a problem.
Pyro kit provided by organisers is fine - players bringing kit into games isn't!
The mortars were brilliant and well worth lugging around, we were having a great time regardless of whether we hit anything. 
They don't really have the range to be used offensively in most situations and trees can be a problem but for defensive purposes they are fantastic.
I'd definatley like to see them at a few more games but I agree with CW that they would have to be carefully planned into a scenario rather than just have someone turn up with one.
cool
didnt think about it turning into "MORTAR SOFT"
the problem with good stuff is we all want it
sounds good to have them scripted in games though 
"Take that you rotton helping of strawberry flan!"
Joseph Porta to "strawberrys and cream", in the sven hassel book ,ogpu prison