These are reproduction, Australian Pattern, belt box brackets for Vickers .303" MMG tripods.

Originally designed, developed and produced in Australia for the Australian Army, these lightweight box brackets, which hung from the right side of the Vickers tripod, were the best solution to positioning a box of ammunition for flawless feed. In the British service the solution to this was to provide a basket of steel strip or wrought iron to sit the ammunition box in. These were heavy, clumsy and awkward and were half a man load in themselves. The Australian solution provided positive support, to which either the Mk8 ammunition box or the Australian belt box liner would clip onto for extra security, were lightweight, cheap to produce and could be folded up and carried in a webbing pouch.

Although these must have been made in their thousands, original ones are rarely encountered. Why this should be so is a mystery, nearly as big a mystery as why the British Army did not adopt them, or something strikingly similar, and persisted with the baskets! Use of them did require a minor modification to the tripod in the form of a triangular notch filed in the top of the right side frame of the tripod to locate the bracket, although this could be done by any competent Armourer in a matter of minutes with no special tools involved. The majority of Australian service tripods (and a good proportion of surviving tripods have been in Australian service at one time or another) have this notch already cut.

These reproduction brackets are faithful copies, made from mild steel sheet, and finished in the same matt olive green paint as our copy example. We have tested them on tripods, and with Mk8 ammunition boxes.

Unit of sale; 1 Bracket.

Original Part Number; N/K

Stock Number; VICK64