Original Item: One-of-a-kind. This relic condition Chinese ChiCom 60mm Mortar Round Tail fin section has a handwritten tag that reads:

Tail Section from a VC mortar which I took from the camp at Marble Mountain Air Field just 100 yards from where I sleep. 28 Jan 68

60mm Mortars: (ChiCom Type 31, and Type 63): Weight 12.3 kg. tube length: 610 mm Maximum range: 1530 meters Maximum rate of fire: 20 rounds per minute The Type 63 was really an updated version of the Type 31, with emphasis on portability for use in irregular and guerrilla warfare. It was much lighter in the firing position at 12.3 kg (27 lb) and had the same range as the Type 31. The basic features were the same except that there were angle plates at the rear corners of the baseplate for bedding in, rather than a rectangular spade. The Type 63 had one recoil cylinder, where the Type 31 had two. The weapon folded together for carriage, with the baseplate and bipod being placed under the barrel. Using the carrying handle on the top of the barrel, one man could easily carry it in rough country with the Number 2 mortarman carrying the ammunition. A consequence of this was that the mortar could be set up, sighted and ready to fire in a very short time. It had a slightly slower rate of fire at 15-20 rpm compared with 20-30 rpm for the Type 31 and M2, Its barrel length was also slightly shorter at 610 mm (24 in.) as opposed to 675 mm (26.6 in.) for the Type 31 and 726 mm (28.6 in.) for the M2. All these mortars fired High Explosive (HE) rounds, but the M2 also had an illuminating bomb, the M83.