USGI Gunners Quadrant Box

Gunner's Quadrant Chest

This is the US Army packing chest built to carry a gunner's quadrant, the precision instrument artillery crews used to check the elevation and depression angles of gun barrels and mortars. The quadrant had to reach the gun line still accurate, so it traveled in a dedicated wooden chest with a fitted interior instead of loose in a crate. Collectors of artillery kit, reenactors building a gun crew display, and anyone who wants a solid military-marked box for storage will find a use for it.

Features

• Genuine US Army Issue — An originally issued government packing chest, documented to the World War II period and US Army field artillery units.
• Original Stenciled Markings — White block lettering on the lid reads "CHEST, PACKING FOR GUNNER'S QUADRANT", the Army's own nomenclature for the box.
• OD Green Exterior — The outside is painted olive drab (OD green), the standard US military field color.
• Solid Wood Construction — The body and lid are solid hardwood boards, and the interior is left as bare, unpainted wood.
• Fitted Interior Cleats — Diagonal wooden braces and end blocks in both the lid and the base held the quadrant in place so it could not shift during transport.
• Brass Hinge Plates — Two hinges with shaped brass plates are screwed to the lid and back of the chest.
• Hook-And-Eye Clasps — A pair of metal hook-and-eye fasteners on the front edge keeps the lid shut.
• Chest Only — This listing is for the packing chest; the gunner's quadrant itself is not included.

Issue And Construction

The gunner's quadrant set the barrel angle on artillery pieces and mortars, and it also served aboard aircraft such as the B-29 Superfortress to level guns and align them with their sights. Each instrument had its own chest. This one has a painted olive drab shell, a bare wood interior with bracing cut to cradle the quadrant, brass-plated hinges and twin front clasps. You get issued equipment with real provenance, marked by the Army for a single job, and no reproduction can offer that.