We're the Military and Airpower Guys of Jonah Goldberg of National Review Online + a stray we found wandering around looking lost. All original material JHD, BHD, JR, WT, and KA 2003-2007 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html Sun, 03 Aug 2008 17:28:08 Z Movable Type 4.12 en Copyright 2008 http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification This is your collection. (The Arsenal at Castle Argghhh!) This is your collection on a budget. (The basement at Outpost Neffi) This is your collection on steroids. (Springfield Arsenal) Click on the first and third pictures to take virtual tours of the Arsenal at Castle Argghhh! and the Springfield Armory museum.... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html Fri, 18 Feb 2005 11:02:01 -0600 Hopps #9. That and the perfume of a girl I knew in High School.... À la recherche du temps perdu...... A little froggy for you... Very Proustian. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15503 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15503 Mon, 21 Feb 2005 21:22:28 -0600 Chief, those blades in the socket row ain't warped- it's an hoptical allusion, caused by the lighting and the camera flash. And I know the slicks-on-sausages yer talking about, but I try not to chuckle too loud- I may someday be trying to signal one from a mountain-side, eh? 10-4 on the smell of WD40, John- and it's a dang good solvent when cleaning old grease out of the corners and crannies of an old military device (one of my favorite pastimes). Just don't get it in your eyes- trust me on this one... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15304 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15304 Sat, 19 Feb 2005 12:58:09 -0600 Knew I had this someplace... From the 2003 Darwin Awards Nomination Pool: Nominee #6 [The Indianapolis Star]: A cigarette lighter may have triggered a fatal explosion in Dunkirk, IN. A Jay County man, using a cigarette lighter to check the barrel of a muzzle loader was killed Monday night when the weapon discharged in his face. Sheriff's investigators said Gregory David Pryor, 19, died in his parents' rural Dunkirk home at about 11:30 PM. Pryor was cleaning a 54-caliber muzzle-loader that had not been firing properly. He was using the lighter to look into the barrel when the gunpowder ignited. Well, if the powder ignited while he was holding a lighter to the muzzle, it's fairly simple to figure out why the smoke-pole wasn't "firing properly"... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15295 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15295 Sat, 19 Feb 2005 10:58:41 -0600 John, I'm with you. Ah, the sweet smell of gun mayo permeating the air. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15283 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15283 Sat, 19 Feb 2005 08:58:14 -0600 emdfl - you're welcome. A service we at the Castle are happy to provide. CDR Salamander. Amateur. Amateurs always jump to conclusions. There's cleaning, there's lubrication, there's preservation - long term and short term. Absent demage done during - it's the final coating of whatever that matters. Besides. I like the smell. Many good memories associated with the smell. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15280 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15280 Sat, 19 Feb 2005 08:35:11 -0600 Beautiful collection. I may have to bring my wife over to the site and show her just how well off she is with my two little safes,heh, heh, heh... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15270 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15270 Sat, 19 Feb 2005 04:31:49 -0600 Well, thanks for the info on the yataknitanafghan-style blades, Neff, but I was referring to a couple of 'em in the socket row... BTW, ever aviate into Eagle County and chuckle at the Hueys-on-Skis at the HAATS? http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15256 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15256 Fri, 18 Feb 2005 23:52:23 -0600 http://www.cbhobbies.com/corrosionx/forguns.html ]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15253 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15253 Fri, 18 Feb 2005 22:41:36 -0600 Ach! Those old-fashioned wapp I mean weapons are useless against high-explosives falling upon the Anglo-Saxons from great heights! Hark to the beating of the screws of our Zeppelin airships, and tremble! http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15252 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15252 Fri, 18 Feb 2005 21:49:56 -0600 http://www.wilkinson-swords.co.uk/uk_swords/army/infantry.html Nice collection of blades! Cheers JMH]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15250 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15250 Fri, 18 Feb 2005 21:31:35 -0600 Thanks Neffi! http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15248 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15248 Fri, 18 Feb 2005 21:17:46 -0600 oh, bayonets- don't get me started!!! Too late- Chief, the curvature on some of those blades is called 'yataghan' style- after the Afghan sword blade that was designed to reach around a shield. But the bayonet blades with this shape were mostly those which replaced socket bayonets at a time when rifles were still muzzle-loaders... the off-set blade gave clearance for the ram-rod hand. Things were bad enough for the PBI without ripping up your hand on the reload... the yataghan blades were phased out as cartridge guns became the norm. oooooooooooo don't get me started... ;) http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15243 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15243 Fri, 18 Feb 2005 20:18:05 -0600 is a bayonet, the Enfield M1858 cutlass bayonet- probably the bulkiest bayo ever made. It was designed for boarding parties- very intimidating and useful if needed after firing your one shot- by dismounting it and swinging away! Gawd knows what it did to the barrel harmonics but boarding parties weren't concerned with long range accuracy anyhoo...]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15240 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15240 Fri, 18 Feb 2005 19:14:36 -0600 Neffi- What are the three mounted horizontal near the ceiling? I know they're swords, not bayonettes, but what kind? What's the history there? http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15236 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15236 Fri, 18 Feb 2005 18:46:55 -0600 While yer at it... Anyone know where I can find a BTR cheap... I'm serious, dammit... Ya'll can have all the guns in the world, but ya need to transport 'em to the front line... That's where MY collection comes into play... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15233 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15233 Fri, 18 Feb 2005 18:29:18 -0600 Well, at $1 a pound shipping... I wonder if Dusty can call in any favors with the C5 guys? And there will definitely have to be a Castle Fund-Raiser... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15222 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15222 Fri, 18 Feb 2005 16:15:19 -0600 Hey, go for the Bimp, too--make Monteith posilutely viridian... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15217 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15217 Fri, 18 Feb 2005 16:01:02 -0600 Well, let's stand off 3,000 meters apart and see who--. Dang. Six tubes, zero missiles. Okay, then--bayonets at 3,000 meters... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15215 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15215 Fri, 18 Feb 2005 15:59:15 -0600 Boz is right John- as a miltary weapon, a finely-wrought bayonet is far superior to a generic machine gun. This was repeatedly proven in The Great War. Oh- wait a minute... doh! http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15212 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15212 Fri, 18 Feb 2005 15:40:55 -0600 Oh, and Bill - while there may be no TOWs, there is a LAAW, with rocket. And TWO 3.5 inch bazookas. And the Arsenal is in negotiations for a Sagger... on the rail, albeit sans box and sight/controller. Well, actually, this never would have had those, being the rail from a BMP. Of course, that will probably require a fund-raiser. Owner has some idea what it's worth, dang it. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15202 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15202 Fri, 18 Feb 2005 14:36:07 -0600 Boz - aren't you conflating *use* with construction? It's not like those bayonets weren't produced with machinery in their gazillions - especially after 1830. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15201 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15201 Fri, 18 Feb 2005 14:33:16 -0600 Certainly, the sight of all three collections makes me weak at the knees. But there is something to be said about the artisanal-craftmanlike pride found in Neffi's toolshoppe Sure; The Armourer and Springfield's tools are a sight to behold, but there is a certain "je-ne-sais-quois" lost amongst all those impersonal, mass produced power tools. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15199 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15199 Fri, 18 Feb 2005 14:28:48 -0600 Thanks Neffi- Cool idea. Too bad it didn't really work out. Sounds like a rare item you have there! My neighbors would like your collection. Their bedroom is decorated with blades of all sorts. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15198 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15198 Fri, 18 Feb 2005 14:28:35 -0600 Looks like that was standard recreation, judging by the curvature on a few of 'em. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15197 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15197 Fri, 18 Feb 2005 14:27:58 -0600 is a trowel bayonet- Rice's Patent Entrenching bayonet. First issued on a trial basis in 1869, the idea was to enable an infantryman to quickly scrape a shallow furrow in which to lie prone, lending both cover and concealment... mine is the second model, with an improved locking latch. These were issued with a detachable handle to improve the grip when dismounted from the rifle. The idea was sound- and worked in field trials- but as a bayonet it was deemed to have too little penetration, due to the broad blade and thick edges. Production was cancelled and the trial pieces withdrawn from service... Lt. Rice's design was one of the earlier efforts to supply troops with a multi-functional bayonet, but it failed by sacrificing it's primary function, ie ramming a section of sharp steel into the torso of the Ungodly Foe [ewwwww]. This experiment soon followed by the Ramrod bayonet, which was suitable only for roasting hot dogs...]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15192 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15192 Fri, 18 Feb 2005 14:13:53 -0600 Neffi- yes, please explain. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15179 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15179 Fri, 18 Feb 2005 13:37:25 -0600 The trowel is just that, a trowel bayonet, but I'll let Neffi explain that. And, Nefster, if you'd provided more pics, there'd be more pics... hardly dissed... just used as a "Compare and Contrast" is how I would prefer to put it. (Seriously, though, send me more pics and I'll add 'em to the Virtual Museums I'm building). And, send me yer dingle-dang-darned snailmail address, like I've asked for three times now! Sheesh! http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15177 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15177 Fri, 18 Feb 2005 13:35:48 -0600 That's what his collection needs! Impaled on the tips, just so folks walking too close to the wall don't get SangerM'd...]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15172 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15172 Fri, 18 Feb 2005 13:16:26 -0600 Yeah, Neffi- what is that thing? I hadn't noticed it until Bill pointed it out. Definately looks like a garden trowel. Nice collection!! Puts my Beanie Baby collection to shame. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15170 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15170 Fri, 18 Feb 2005 13:08:04 -0600 By the way, what's up with the trowel in the middle of all the petunia markers? http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15168 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15168 Fri, 18 Feb 2005 12:56:20 -0600 Neffi - I'm college educated--ya doesn't has ta call me "lug"... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15167 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15167 Fri, 18 Feb 2005 12:54:14 -0600 oooooh OW ! My collection of rare, antique and significant bayonets- DISSED ! Keep in mind, gentle reader, that photo is but one corner of the Bayonet Vault... and while it ain't the Imperial War Museum, it's prolly the best blade collection on my street! [sotto voice- Ill get you fer this, howitzerhead] ... Chief, Ida got a TOW tube but they don't have bayonet lugs... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15166 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15166 Fri, 18 Feb 2005 12:47:41 -0600 Hmmm, it's nice to have goals we aspire to... Nice... Pretties... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15164 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15164 Fri, 18 Feb 2005 12:45:06 -0600 I note, as James Earl Carter was wont to say, "with hevvuh hot," the conspicuous absence of TOW tube(s). Heh. Heh times six... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15159 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15159 Fri, 18 Feb 2005 12:34:35 -0600 The tours will have to wait until I get home - but I am intrigued by Neffi's collection! Our last discussion of methods of torture was illuminating - and I find the potential for blade work very enticing ;-) http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15152 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2005/02/just_sayin.html#comment-15152 Fri, 18 Feb 2005 12:05:43 -0600