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Mommy! The Bad Man Won't Stop!

By The Armorer on February 3, 2010 | | Comments (15)
<Poit!  Releases fly and watches it join the other flies flying in circles>  That's why you only pull off one wing...   Er, the Whatzis continues to day three...


No change.  Related to yesterday, and related to day one.  Some further info.  The knob that Og noticed yesterday is in fact made of brass.  And there is only one of them.

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15 Comments

By John (Not The Armorer) on February 3, 2010 9:45 AM
The dangly down thingy seems to be to indicate the angle of elevation for the device.  That suggests that this may be some sort of launching device with range controlled by elevation angle.

Yesterday's view shows a trough type section with two hooks at the end, which could serve as stops to keep something like a rocket from sliding out the back of the tray.   Rockets need little more than something to hold their weight and point them in the desired direction, and the construction of this thing seems adequate.

Perahaps we have a rocket launcher tray, to be elevated with the first day's unassembled bipod.  This would be a descendent on the Congreve or Hale type rockets.  Possibly for a warhead type rocket, or merely one for throwing a line, or a line charge.  Ask our Israeli friends about the former, and what they look like (mainly incoming) but they have snatched a few launchers from the miscreants pestering them.
 
By JamesLee on February 3, 2010 10:48 AM
Yes, definitely an elevation indicator, further suggesting this is a mount of some type.  The shot yesterday I also thought was something that looked like it was elevation adjustable. 

I still go with some kind of machine gun mount.

Maybe the sticks and rope are used to hold up a tarp so one doesn't get sunburned while blasting away on a nice sunny day.
 
By Mike L on February 3, 2010 11:15 AM
Well, clearly - the angle of the dangle is equal to the mass of the a......, oh wait; something else - never mind.  ML
 
By Fishmugger on February 3, 2010 2:54 PM
That doesn't seem like a really fine tuning device: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 and no locking pin or ratchet. The thing will move under any pressure and have to be realigned. Taking time while the bad guys are trying to shoot you in the butt, while you're bent over trying to reposition that stupid lever....or not.

It's the "Down" marker in the shortened flag football field over in the Stan so nobody will run into the mine field.
 
By Dennis on February 3, 2010 3:06 PM
Tent cordage and framework; you only need a bit of canvas to have a complete Divisional field HQ. The little brass wheel allows the CG's chair to negotiate any minor bumps between the OPS map and the Intel map, all without sloshing his brandy snifter.
 
By Flintlock on February 3, 2010 4:03 PM
Perhaps it's a unit-manufactured machine gun mount, used in WWI for indirect machine gun fire by massed machine guns.
Such fire was quite effective at night to interdict enemy movements and deny the use of  open areas behind the lines.
 
By heath on February 3, 2010 4:04 PM
The arm off of a boom to load or sling ammunition.  Wild guess.

Heath

Arte et Marte
 
By Justthisguy on February 3, 2010 4:47 PM
Line throwing. I think of those line throwers they used at Point du Hoc.
 
By Justthisguy on February 3, 2010 4:54 PM
Oh, on the outstruck text: I mind a Momma kitty I used to know who would catch grasshoppers and bring them home to train the kittens. She'd bite off one hind leg so they could only hop in circles.
 
By htom on February 3, 2010 6:27 PM
Launching mount for that rocket-powered line of charges used to clear mines.
 
By RetRsvMike on February 3, 2010 6:56 PM
you mean a MICLIC?
 
By og on February 3, 2010 7:33 PM
I don't think it's a lyle gun, I've seen those, and it doesn't look anything like this. I would be more inclined to think it's some kind of a launcher with the two hooks on the bottom used to hold the projectile in place until it's launched. The "brass" knob at the bottom could either be the trigger or the firing pin, while the rope is to tie wile-e coyote to the back of the rocket

http://www.alexross.com/80932-big.jpg
 
By htom on February 3, 2010 10:36 PM
RetRsvMike -- yes, or something older.
 
By Lt on February 4, 2010 1:51 AM
Dear John,

Not the armorer,

Your use of "The dangly down thingy" has made my day.

-Lt-

 
By Rich on February 4, 2010 7:12 AM
Looks like it may be a pendulum to roughly indicate elevation set elseware. Still no idea why.