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Post by sapper44 on Apr 9, 2012 15:41:29 GMT -8
Guys;
I just picked up a m16 helmet, but the size is unreadable. Does anyone know what the measurement around the outside would be for a 66 shell? Do you measure it at the rivet holes around the outside or on the inside?
Thanks;
Christian
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Post by kingkaiser on Apr 9, 2012 16:09:47 GMT -8
Christian,
In addition to looking at the number of "steps" on the stirnpanzer lugs, the size of a WWI German helmet can be determined by taking the measurement of the inside circumference at the level of the liner split pin holes. This is particularly helpful when the stirnpanzer lugs used on two different sizes look fairly similar (like those used on size 66 and 68 helmets), or the helmet was depot refurbished with mismatched or non-original sized lugs. I hope that this is helpful!
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Post by kingkaiser on Apr 9, 2012 16:13:52 GMT -8
Christian,
A size 66 shell should have an inside circumference of 66 cm.
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Post by sapper44 on Apr 9, 2012 16:52:01 GMT -8
I'm sorry for asking what I am sure is a stupuid question by what are steps and how many should a 66 have or not have?
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Post by kingkaiser on Apr 9, 2012 17:37:03 GMT -8
Christian,
It's not a "stupid question"! If you look at the stirnpanzer lugs on the various sized helmets, you'll see that some of them have "washers" of various thicknesses, while others don't. The "washers" are what I'm calling "steps". The smaller helmets, sizes 60 through 64, have "washers" of various thicknesses that the main stirnpanzer lugs sit on. Sizes 66-70 (if the elusive size 70 helmets actually existed!) did not have "washers"----the main stirnpanzer lugs sit directly on the helmet. The stirnpanzers were made in only one size----large. So that they would fit on the smaller sized helmets, the stirnpanzer lugs had to be "built up" with the "washers".
Prairie Flower Leather Company's website has photos of the stirnpanzer lugs for the various helmet sizes. These photos should help clarify things.
I hope that this is helpful.
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Post by Larry Dunn on Apr 9, 2012 19:31:38 GMT -8
Most often, an M16 with "un-stepped" lugs will be a size 66, as 68s are fairly rare. Of the M16 shells I see on eBay, most are 64's, maybe 4 64's for every 66.
-Larry
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Post by kingkaiser on Apr 9, 2012 22:46:51 GMT -8
Most often, an M16 with "un-stepped" lugs will be a size 66, as 68s are fairly rare. Of the M16 shells I see on eBay, most are 64's, maybe 4 64's for every 66. -Larry Brian Bell's website, "German-Helmets.com", has a table with the approximate percentage of each size helmet shell produced during WWII. Size 64 helmet shells clearly outnumbered all of the other sizes. Maybe the same production trend was also seen during WWI?Estimated Percentage of Total Shells Produced
Shell Size and Percentage Produced:
60; 10%
62; 15%
64; 40%
66; 20%
68; 10%
70; 5%
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Post by Marcus on Apr 10, 2012 9:14:06 GMT -8
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