cloth belt options for 08/15

[crash520]

Gents,

Currently I have been using Vickers belts in my 08/15, they are 1) a bitch to load due to them being tight obviously 2) they are deteriorating quickly. Has anyone used 1919 30-06 cloth belt in them. I just hand cylcled some through it and by all accounts its not too bad, possibly doable.



I cant use the original with the tabs every 4-5 rounds as im using blanks and need to have a filler block in place for the shorter rounds etc.



BR

Crash520

[bbigbore]

Cloth 1919 belts work fine in my 08.

[jmann]

If the feed block/feed components are worn or the lower feed arm has been repaired incorrectly from when it was broken in an earlier life (that was the demil process of most of these guns) there is a good chance browning belts will work. I know some shooters who have had good luck with them. One gun I am familiar with runs them quite well, but it does not run maxim belts very reliably. Some run both ok, but by ok I mean they would be hard pressed to run a belt without having to touch the cocking handle a few times. If you have an original lower feed arm and there is little or no slop in your feed machanism, then I dare say browning belts could pose a problem. The aluminum Turk belts IMA has can be handloaded and should work if the browning ones wont feed. They are the correct pitch for the maxim at least. Good Luck.

[crash520]

Thanks Gents,

I have a couple of those Turk 8mm metal belts like IMA have, they are fragile being aluminum, I feel the browning belts could give me issues as hand checking thme I'm not 100% happy so I will continuue to use the Vickers for now.

Was there a mod to change the feed blocks to suit a different belt at one point, somehting like a MG34/42?? I'm digging way back in my old brain cells with this!!!

VR
C