I recently received one of IMA’s reproduction wood ammo boxes for use with the 1917 and 1928 tripods. I thought some of you might be interested in a review of the product. Original ammo chests are getting difficult to find in working and usable condition and are also getting pricey. I also do not like to expose original boxes to additional wear and tear.
The box appears to be reasonably well made all things considered. It is not oak but rather another hard wood and the grain is nowhere as nice as oak. The corners are finger joined together with lots of filler evident where the wood splintered during the cutting of the T&G (but it was filled in). If you paint the box this will not be evident. The corner nearest the tripod (when mounted) is cut away for clearance, as were the originals. The wood is left unfinished except for what appears to be an oiled surface.
The box is tight and solid, with many wood screws attaching the bottom and small top piece. All screws were countersunk. The box is square and the lid fits tightly. Hardware is steel which has paint on the exposed surfaces and none where hidden. Some rust was evident on those unpainted surfaces. The lids latch works as it should. There are painted cartridges in the boxes bottom to indicate which direction to lay in the belts. All outside edges were left sharp and need to be sanded down to prevent splintering in use.
The carry handle is thin leather and was fastened with a single small rivet on each end (originals were stitched together at the ends). The rivets will pull out soon due to the leather strap being too short and too thin. (On mine, one rivet already has pulled out) The pins holding the strap were inserted into blind holes in the side of the lid and then a wood plug inserted. The plugs were left quite proud and rough. The lid has a rounded cutout under the handle (as did the originals) to facilitate picking up the handle.
The groves in the side of the box for mounting on the tripod were cut too far inwards on the box and, as a result, the box would not fit in the tripod mount until the groves were widened somewhat. Also rounding the end corners of the box and sanding down the end grain of the T&G allow the box to slide into the mount much easier. I assume that every box will have to be fitted to the tripod.
Overall the box would not fool a collector, which is a good thing. It is however, a good substitute for original wood ammo boxes that are more then 60 years old now and are getting too valuable to risk in everyday use. With some minor clean up the box is quite usable and will appear to the casual observer to be original. I would recommend the box to anyone desiring to shoot their gun from these tripods. It would also be appropriate for use with the M2 or 1919A6 set up also. The following link contains all the pics you need to see the product.
http://www.ima-usa.com/product_info.php/cPath/4_215_98/products_id/1578
The box appears to be reasonably well made all things considered. It is not oak but rather another hard wood and the grain is nowhere as nice as oak. The corners are finger joined together with lots of filler evident where the wood splintered during the cutting of the T&G (but it was filled in). If you paint the box this will not be evident. The corner nearest the tripod (when mounted) is cut away for clearance, as were the originals. The wood is left unfinished except for what appears to be an oiled surface.
The box is tight and solid, with many wood screws attaching the bottom and small top piece. All screws were countersunk. The box is square and the lid fits tightly. Hardware is steel which has paint on the exposed surfaces and none where hidden. Some rust was evident on those unpainted surfaces. The lids latch works as it should. There are painted cartridges in the boxes bottom to indicate which direction to lay in the belts. All outside edges were left sharp and need to be sanded down to prevent splintering in use.
The carry handle is thin leather and was fastened with a single small rivet on each end (originals were stitched together at the ends). The rivets will pull out soon due to the leather strap being too short and too thin. (On mine, one rivet already has pulled out) The pins holding the strap were inserted into blind holes in the side of the lid and then a wood plug inserted. The plugs were left quite proud and rough. The lid has a rounded cutout under the handle (as did the originals) to facilitate picking up the handle.
The groves in the side of the box for mounting on the tripod were cut too far inwards on the box and, as a result, the box would not fit in the tripod mount until the groves were widened somewhat. Also rounding the end corners of the box and sanding down the end grain of the T&G allow the box to slide into the mount much easier. I assume that every box will have to be fitted to the tripod.
Overall the box would not fool a collector, which is a good thing. It is however, a good substitute for original wood ammo boxes that are more then 60 years old now and are getting too valuable to risk in everyday use. With some minor clean up the box is quite usable and will appear to the casual observer to be original. I would recommend the box to anyone desiring to shoot their gun from these tripods. It would also be appropriate for use with the M2 or 1919A6 set up also. The following link contains all the pics you need to see the product.
http://www.ima-usa.com/product_info.php/cPath/4_215_98/products_id/1578
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