What is this thing?
David emailed me to ask what the below object is. I have no idea, although the suggestion that it’s a cartridge delinker sounds plausible.
I believe it is a military accessory and I would like some help to identify what it is. Attached is a picture, there is a stamp on the side that says “8D/2538″ with a crown and “M” below that, and a circle below that with “R G 31″ inside the circle. It appears to be made from brass. Someone suggested it is possibly a delinker to remove shells from a machine gun belt.
Anyone know?
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The rounds in the pictures are rimmed and resemble .303 British. The "RG" stamp on the item is reminiscent of the same abbreviation appearing on UK manufactured ammunition ex the Radway Green factory. So - a linker/delinker for a .303 Browning perhaps?
I wonder why it's brass. Could it be to prevent sparks? What kind of links is it for? I would think cloth links wouldn't need it.