M6A3C warhead

[Peace]

Hi all,

 

I just finished up restoration of this M6A3C warhead for a bazooka rocket. I managed to find the odd head at a fair, unfortunately it didnt come with its tube and tail assembly.

Now I'm on the lookout for those.

 

Here is a before picture;

 

[Peace]

And this is 'after'.

 

 

 

The first thing I did was of course check to see if it was indeed inert. After that I sandblasted, since I didnt want the rust to come back due to improper removal.

Turns out the warhead wasnt all that badly damaged from rust. A few traces of original paint did appear during sandblasting. The paint was too far gone to preserve, unfortunately.

It needed a few light applications of filler, all over, to take care of the rustpits. Fortunately no holes needed to be filled out, exept for a minor pinhole.

The filler was sanded down, by hand. Round surfaces are a pain in the *ss. Did this process 3 times, to make sure I had a good surface for paint.

The rest is obvious. Primer & paint.

After the paint cured & hardened, I manufactured some correct looking stencils, and added those to the rocket head. I just make up the stencil in word, tape over it with some regular clear tape, and then cut out the letters using a sharp hobby knife. I tape that to the surface needing the stencil, and dot out the letters with -in this case- yellow paint. I can reuse the stencils too, thats handy.

To add some age & wear to the stencil, once applied, I scorch it a little with a lighter. Wipe off the soot, & voila...

 

What do you think?

[willysmb44]

I think it’s more likely this is an M7A3.

I find it odd how you can find the warheads detached from the bodies so often. I have a few training heads, most with their original paint. You did a good job on the markings but finding the rest of the rocket will be a real chore, I’d think. I have owned many WW2 bazooka rockets over the years, but not too many A3s. I don’t have any good detailed photos of my rocket restorations, though (one A3 can be seen to the right in the display photo below). It’s odd because they used that design well into the postwar era, so you’d think there would be far more out there than one can find today.

[Peace]

Thx for the reply.

Its not an M7A3, since it has the 'cone' inside the head. It would be impossible to fit the counterweight inside, the cone would be in the way.

Indeed, finding it hard to find the neccesary parts, never seen any on the loose...

 

Regards,

Stijn

[mpguy80/08]

Thx for the reply.

Its not an M7A3, since it has the 'cone' inside the head. It would be impossible to fit the counterweight inside, the cone would be in the way.

Indeed, finding it hard to find the neccesary parts, never seen any on the loose...

 

Regards,

Stijn

 

A true M6A3 with the cone intact... outstanding!!! Sounds like someone took the time to steam melt the explosive charge out of the warhead. I have two M7A1's... one with and one without the counterweight rod. You are right though about the tail assembly... thats going to be a cast iron bear to find. The A3 rounds remind me of a rifle grenade on steroids... :w00t: I have an M1A1 launcher myself... I picked it up at a reenactment in Camden Ohio. It came with a hollow fake round that honestly looks nothing like the real thing so I was loucky enough to find two rocks here on the forum for sale... (Thanks to the two I got them from). One was red and I repainted it as an M6A1. I have a second Practice rocket in black with the remnants of the original markings. I'm probably going to try a repaint of this one as well. I just need to find some semi gloss black paint. I'm trying to find a third rock to complete my rocket bag for my launcher. I'd prefer it to be an A3... but if not, oh well. The A3 rockets were more acurate due to the cylindrical fin assembly and had a greater chance of detonation on impact with the more rounded warhead. The M6 and M6A1 could penetrate 3 inches of armor. The M6A3 rocket could penetrate up to 5 inches of armor.

 

Good luck with the tail of this beast!!!

 

Wayne

 

PS here's a photo of my repainted rocket....