Early Leica iiic US Military issued?

[James_b]

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On 10/9/2022 at 5:11 PM, Anbaric said:

I think it's simpler and safer to trim the leader according to the profile shown in the manual - the clearest loading instructions are probably those in the IIIf manual here, from p27:

https://www.cameramanuals.org/leica_pdf/leica_if_iif_iiif.pdf

There's a picture of the correct profile on p29, in this case with 23 'unpaired' sprocket holes. The original metal cutting templates are now overpriced collectibles, though there are some (mostly plastic) modern equivalents. Personally, I just use scissors, taking care not to damage any of the sprocket holes (i.e., cutting between rather than through them) and rounding off the corner. This is easy with a little practice and a small pair of scissors. If a piece of film breaks off from an untrimmed or incorrectly trimmed leader (as you've seen), there's a risk it will get in the mechanism and jam something, so it's worth taking a little extra time to do this properly. If you trim your films before you go out, reloading in the field is much simpler and quicker than any method that requires you to take off the lens and mess with the shutter.

Thanks for the info! I wasn't very familiar with loading the camera and i cut the lead as the photo shows. The cut just wasn't exact being in a rush to load and get out there and shoot.  I checked to see if any remnant would be in the camera, but nothing. Once this last roll is finished, I'll send it out for a full clean, Lube and adjustment. Lens as well. Loading the camera using the self timer was simple and i didn't have to touch the curtain, just guide the film through straight so no worries. The lens being taken off is the only inconvenience. 

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