Originally Posted by dragoon500ly
Like it has been shown many times on this forum; Uncle Sam stores a lot of equipment and just lets it set. Doesn't mean that it is in servicible condition. There is one thing to watch for on tanks; if the tank is in servicable condition and has been mothballed, critical equipment is pulled from the interior, packaged in a dehumidifer containers and then stored in a wooden, plastic lined crate bolted onto the back deck, and usually has a tarp in place, covering the turret hatches and most of the container.
If the vehicle is stored in a vehicle park, without the container on the back deck...its very likely that the interior has been stripped of anything useable and its waiting on disposal, either as a reef, or for a smelter.
A comment was posted stating that ammunition for a M-103 would be available...well, the correct answer is both yes and no. Ammunition degrades over time, as the propellent approaches the end of its service life (roughly 15 years with modern propellent), it is sent back to an ammo factory for refurbishment or disposal. Back in the 60s and 70s, you certainly could find 120mm tank ammo. But by the 80s and 90s, most of it had been disposed of or dearmed and used for museum displays; the Patton Museum has a decent selection of demilled ammo that they pull out on occasion, and, of course, Aberdeen Proving Grounds has probably the best selection.
Another thing that people overlook is the museum/static display vehicles, please rest assured that for the most part, what you have is a stripped vehicle, often missing critical equipment such as the engine pack. Next time you see one, stand off to the side and see if the tail end is noticeably higher than the bow of the tank, if it is, then the pack is missing. My local National Guard Armory has an M-60A3 on display, won a dinner at TGI Fridays when I proved that one was missing its pack, breechblock and fire control equipment!
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