June 15, 2008
Old guns, new guns. A little gunner zen.
First up, something new... just because I like the pic.
U.S. Marine 1st Lt. Kathryne B. Schilling coaches a woman as she prepares to shoot a pistol during her training to become a Sister of Ferris, June 4, 2008, Ferris, Iraq. The Sisters of Ferris will inspect women for weapons, suicide vests, large amounts of cash and contraband at entry control points. Schilling is assigned to Combat Logistics Battalion 1, 1st Marine Logistics Group. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Cindy G. Alejandrez
Next, something old. John S. an enabler who feeds my habit gun dealer sent me a link to some fascinating pictures taken at Fort Brown, Texas, during the Punitive Expedition/WWI era.
Long time readers of this space will know that the Donovan family isn't very adventurous. I'm a third generation Gunner. Over those three generations, Donovan Redlegs have served, or been involved in the development of, an amazing transformation of the art. My grandfather was there as we were first mastering the art of indirect fire, doing all the basic math as needed for trajectory calculation, etc, where you might spend a day or more doing all the needed math to mass the fires of massed guns on multiple targets. My father bridged the era from the ultimate refinement of manual data computation through to the birth of artillery digital computers. And I span from the end of manual data through the era of the guns as roving independents, capable of massing fires on multiple targets without being massed themselves, and done on the fly.
My grandfather served on guns like these 4.7 inch guns at Fort Brown, Brownsville Texas, in 1916. Where the object of artillery was to get as many guns shooting simultaneously at a target as you could.
A slightly larger version can be had by clicking here. Or get the full size version here.
The Robert Runyon Photograph Collection, image #486, courtesy of The Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.
My Dad, served guns like this M109 howitzer - brand new when he was commanding a battalion of them in Germany in 1969 (this particular gun is Israeli)... Still trying to mass as many guns as you could, while building them to keep up with the tanks and mechanized infantry, and able to survive on a very lethal battlefield. This is the era I started in.
Heck, we've put the firepower of a battalion of cannon on the back of a single truck.
Now, at the twilight of my time doing things militant, I've been involved in the development of the tactics and doctrine for guns like the NLOS-C, in an era where we're reducing the number of guns, making them capable of being virtual snipers (even the rockets are point weapons now - and shooting artillery at "point targets" was a way to get your knuckles wrapped when I was a Lieutenant), and the guns rove around independently, and are capable of massing fires on their own - in that they can shoot multiple rounds in succession, all timed to arrive at the same time on the target - and be moving before those rounds hit. That's some serious change in less than 100 years, and the lives of three soldiers.
The NLOS-C is *still* a spugly gun.
Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �
- and shooting artillery at "point targets" was a way to get your knuckles wrapped when I was a Lieutenant
Yeah, if you were *bad* at it. I plunked a 105 round into a five-gallon pail on the third adjustment.
Unfortunately, it was Danger *Really* Close and a chunk of steel the size of my forearm decapitated the BC scope...
by
BillT on June 15, 2008 11:10 AM
Looks like the bore evacuator on that M109 needs a new O-ring...
by Neffi on June 15, 2008 11:24 AM
Yeah, it's spugly as anything seen in a video game. The video game generation will take to it.
by Fred on June 15, 2008 12:11 PM
The only thing the Sisters of Ferris lack are some wheels.
by
Chuck Simmins on June 15, 2008 1:09 PM
Since blogger doesn't do track-backs:
Head Noises: Siser of Ferris
I LOVE the picture! Gives one hope.
by
Foxfier on June 15, 2008 1:52 PM
Spugly is what Spugly does.
Brings me back to when I worked for a computer printer manufacturer and when a new printer came out we salesmen had to rate and forecast it:
1. If it was Ugly and worked we could sell it.
2. If it was pretty and didn't work we could sell it.
3. But...if it was ugly and didn't work it was an anchor.
OK...they need to work on the form factor. It looks like they built it from the inside out and once they hung everything the engineers said they needed to make it work, they just bolted plate on it to keep the rain out.
No amount of Candy Apple Red paint, racing stripes and chrome sprocket wheels is gonna pretty that thing up. Looks like the same team that designed the M-113 Personnel Carrier finally got a new job.
by Fishmugger on June 15, 2008 2:56 PM
It looks like they built it from the inside out and once they hung everything the engineers said they needed to make it work, they just bolted plate on it to keep the rain out.
...and that's *exactly* the way military stuff should be built, IMHO. It's designed to hurl sudden, violent death onto the Ranks of the Ungodly- it doesn't need to be *purty*.
Tho, yeah- it's spugly as helk.
by Neffi on June 15, 2008 3:45 PM
And Chuck wins the "Who's gonna bring up Bueller?" contest!
by
John of Argghhh! on June 15, 2008 3:59 PM
Artillery 'point weapons' means the pointy end usually returns to earth first.
Neffi- there's purposeful, functional, etc; here the "builders" abused the privilege.
Cheers
by J.M. Heinrichs on June 16, 2008 3:39 AM
Did I mention it was probably designed to satisfy "Gunners"?
Cheers
by J.M. Heinrichs on June 16, 2008 3:42 AM
The lovely Sister of Ferris is about to get bitten by the "slide viper" if she doesn't get her weak-side thumb out of the way.
by TheNewGuy on June 16, 2008 4:57 AM
Actually, CAPT H, I'm pretty sure the NLOS-C was designed by a committee.
TNG - I thought the same thing - but in the full size picture, it's more obvious that she's clear of the slide - unless she has a weak grip, then she'll get bit anyway.
by
John of Argghhh! on June 16, 2008 6:47 AM
� Dismissed, Soldier!
February 19, 2008
Seen at the SHOT Show this year...
What all the cool Bubba's will be taking to the field to bag their deer this year.
Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �
Looks like dial a deer to me. Interesting uhm.. attachment.
by
Trias on February 19, 2008 8:22 AM
One of my fellow soldiers here with me has 3 questions about the pic.
1. What is in front of the scope on the rifle?
2. How come there is a Mountain Dew can in the beer holder?
3. Where can he buy some for him and his friends?
by Jon The Mechanic (from Germany) on February 19, 2008 8:54 AM
1. I believe it is a night vision device.
2. 'Cuz the owner needed a boost?
3. The Shoppette. Or do you mean the rifle?
by
John of Argghhh! on February 19, 2008 9:27 AM
I guess that I should have been more specific. They want to know where to get the beverage holders.
by Jon The Mechanic (From Germany) on February 20, 2008 3:33 AM
Oh, you were kinda clear. I was just having fun with my answer, and to cover the fact that I didn't know, the pic having come to me in email.
by
John of Argghhh! on February 20, 2008 8:15 AM
You have to accessorise Dahlink!
by
Trias on February 21, 2008 2:46 AM
� Dismissed, Soldier!
February 10, 2008
Rednecks of Argghhh! - and a vote bleg.
This post has been pulled from the archives... not just because it's Sunday and I'm lazy (well, I got other stuff to do) but because Yu-ain Gonnano pricked me a bit (whether that was his intent or not). Oddly enough - this post first ran on Feb 12, 2006, almost exactly two years ago.
Yu-ain said:
Oh, and by the way. I just hafta share (this is a gun-ish blog of sorts):
The LG and I just completed the Safety Course needed to obtain our state's Handgun Carry Permit.
And while I've only been to the pistol range twice before, I've got to say my groups looked pretty dang good. From all the targets I could see, only one person shot better than me.
But what really made me proud was the LG, who had never shot a gun before came in 3rd. If it hadn't been for two fliers she would have beaten me.
The instructor looked at her, then at me and asked me if I played poker. I told him I played a little. He looked straight at me and said "Don't Cheat".
Heh!
Heh, indeed. SWWBO and I can shoot, too. See below.
********************************************************************
As SWWBO noted in her post yesterday, it was a very Red State day at Argghhh! Buying large animal supplies, taking care of the horses, late breakfast at Waffle House, 400 rounds downrange in the afternoon. And of course it was a Castle Argghhh! Range Day, with two WWII vets providing the fun.
SWWBO is getting more famous among gun bloggers (hey, she's getting *linked* and I'm not!) than Castle Argghhh! Why is that? She's getting dangerous with a pistol. And by dangerous, I mean to the intended target, not random locations generally downrange, either. Just take a look here.
That's three magazines, 45 rounds. No misses. Not bad for her first day shooting a semi-auto. And this isn't her only target, she put over 150 rounds downrange yesterday.
It was a typical day for a beginner - first round was a 10x. After that, we had the usual issues with grip, anticipating recoil, closing the eyes, etc. Rather than get all anal about technique, etc - I just let her blaze away downrange, keeping the occasional eye on things when they got bad (grip problems, especially) but mostly just let her get comfortable with the whole concept of shooting a pistol. We can drag out the Right and Left handed Castle Shooter Analysis Targets on a later trip, and start working on the pathologies. For all that - I must note - every round she sent downrange - hit her target. No misses, which I think says a lot about the pistol *and* the shooter. She tried both the Castle Nazi-marked Radom VIS-35 pistol and the Inglis Hi-Power. Although the VIS-35 probably fit her hand better, she likes the Inglis better - as that target above shows.
We went shooting at Total Range, L.L.C, in St Joseph, Missouri - a place we were introduced to courtesy of KCSteve who invited me to a Christmas party held there by members of MissouriCarry.com. At $20 per person per year, we bought memberships. Very nice place. We don't recommend it to you, however. Then you'd go buy memberships and start taking up range space and we might have to wait to get a shooting stall. Nothing to see here, move along.
The Armorer was pleased with his performance yesterday. I only put one magazine through the Inglis, at 5 yards, with this result. Mostly making sure the Inglis was in good shape, so that problems in shooting would be SWWBO-related, not weapon-related. Easier to fix when you can isolate the variables, eh? Our Product of Canada was in fine shape, only suffering from his user's problems, not those of his maker or bad storage.
I then shifted over to the Nazi-marked Polish Radom VIS-35 pistol. Also a 9mm like the Inglis. Three magazines (24 rounds) through that, again at 5 yards.
This is the first time I've shot the VIS-35. I'll spare you the target by target details, but after I was comfortable with it, I sent the carrier downrange to 20 yards. [I'll note at this point while I did cherry-pick the targets to post here, they were *all* like this] The head shots in the following picture are at 20 yards.
Not being happy with the leftward drift (combination of my glasses and how the downrange and uprange light interacted with target and sights), I pulled the target in to 10 yards and put a box of 50 through the Vis. You can see that in the pic above - or better yet - in this pic.
The Armorer *really* likes the VIS-35. A lot. That's 50 rounds in that target - no flyers, no misses. I really really really like that pistol. I need to find some more magazines.
Note to goblins - just remember - if you *do* get past me, SWWBO's right behind me, turning your liver into pate'. You should take the offer of "Turn around and leave" when it's offered. It will only be offered once.
All in all, a good Red State kind of day.
Which is why we think you should vote for us in the Best Master Gunnies competition! Early and often! <===Click that link! Once a day, every day! From home *and* work! At Internet Cafes! We think The BMG Trophy would look good on an Arsenal Bookshelf... but the only way *that's* gonna happen is if I steal it - unless you guys get really busy and start doing what Bill's been doing- borrowing other people's computers... of course, that would be wrong.
BTW - the bleg didn't work. I wasn't even *close*. 8^ )
Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �
Nice shooting... I always did like the ergonomics of the Radom. I shot one for years, and then traded it for a nickled M1911A1 in .38 Super- THAT was a sweet shooter, too. And a good deal- I sold it for three times what I payed for the Radom.
by Neffi on February 12, 2006 2:00 PM
She's probably much cuter than you are.......
.......Mr. C.
Imagine how she'll shoot once she's got 10 or 12 range trips in!
by
Mr. Completely on February 12, 2006 4:52 PM
Mr. C - no doubt, no doubt, on all counts. That's why we got the memberships!
by
John of Argghhh! on February 12, 2006 4:58 PM
Nice shooting, now why don't you give a few lessons to V.P. Dick Cheney, he could use them. Have you heard about the Elmer Fudd hunting incident?
Raymond B
www.voteswagon.com
by
Raymond B on February 12, 2006 7:40 PM
Indeed, Raymond, I have. I linked in the H&I post.
As for the Cheney incident, all I can tell from the news thus far is that one of the two were out of position.
Regardless, it is the responsibility of the guy pulling the trigger to ensure his line of fire is clear.
I'm sure we'll hear more about this - but the bottom line is - someone didn't pay attention to the rules.
That's why there are rules.
by
John of Argghhh! on February 12, 2006 7:44 PM
OH yes, the lib cartoonists are gonna have a field day with this, you dambetcha! I can *hardly* wait...
by Neffi on February 12, 2006 7:56 PM
Heh. I suspect a few conservative cartoonists are going to get in on it. I'm betting Muir... among others.
Mallard Fillmore, perhaps?
by
John of Argghhh! on February 12, 2006 8:18 PM
Oh sure John. Put a dozen or so rounds into the head over 5 yards away, and then complain about it. Geez, not only do we have to put up with collection envy but now accuracy envy too? Youse a cold bastid(or not, it doesn't seem that ambient temperature affects you much).
by ry on February 12, 2006 9:57 PM
C'mon, Ry. Quit whining. That's not combat shooting, that's warm dry and comfy shooting, with no messiness... like a moving target.
If I could shoot like that in a shoot-house or combat range... then I'd be impressed with my shooting.
by
John of Argghhh! on February 12, 2006 10:20 PM
" A good Red State day", what a perfect description! I took my brother out for a similar day during his weekend visit to my red state.
A Utah red state day
by
Nate on February 12, 2006 10:58 PM
Yea - the Veeps little shooting incident is already being called a 'fiasco' in the teaser for the local news ... sheesh. Just another reason why I don't watch local news. If the Olympics weren't on, I wouldn't have been watching TV at all!
by
Barb on February 13, 2006 12:32 AM
Heh....and here I thought I'd get an invite, being so close and all.
I feel unloved. ;)
by
kat-missouri on February 13, 2006 2:10 AM
Perhaps SWWBO didn't want to lose her semi-auto virginity in front of witnesses, eh?
We did buy memberships - so one *may* infer from that we'll go again.
It was also a scouting trip for a probable Castle Muster venue.
by
John of Argghhh! on February 13, 2006 6:04 AM
SWWBO isn't into pistol range voyuerism?
I admit I have gun envy.
I thought that might be the case. Scouting out the territory. I will have to make sure I have my ear plugs and safety glasses in my shooting bag and ready to go at a moments notice. Though, last time I was at the range, I used up a good bit of my ammo. Need to restock.
Hey, speaking of weapons, my Bersa is the older model and the wooden grips and screws are in bad shape. I've looked on the net and found some places, but I was wondering if you knew of anyplace locally that would custom fit some grips?
I couldn't find any new ones for the model. Everything I found was for the new Bersa .380 which has different notches for the releases and safety than my model. I was hoping to not have to send the thing away or pay $300 for grips (in which case, I'd just go buy a new pistol). 'Preciate the help.
by
kat-missouri on February 13, 2006 3:19 PM
I humbly suggest that SWWBO be coached to place her weak side thumb on top of her fingers, "cupping" the grip on the weak side of the pistol, not grasping over her right wrist.
Many "first time" auto shooters get away with the grip employed in the photo, but I've seen many eventually get their thumbs run over by the slide.
by
TmjUtah on February 10, 2008 1:32 PM
Certrainly, TM - remembering this post is two years old... and I got lots of email grief for that pic...
by
John of Argghhh! on February 10, 2008 6:01 PM
Sorry about the prickage. It wasn't intentional. I was just trying to insulate myself from being completely off-topic for hijacking a thread just so I could brag on the LG.
[Hey, it got me to post gunnish stuff - it's all good! -the Armorer]
by Yu-Ain Gonnano on February 11, 2008 11:08 AM
� Dismissed, Soldier!
by
John
on
Feb 10, 2008
�
She Who Will Be Obeyed! links with:
I love Saturdays like this
January 16, 2008
Speaking of toy pistols...
Which we did, tongue-in-cheek, in yesterday's H&I Fires... snarking my sister a bit about her attempts to keep "gunplay" out of the play-habits of her children. However, depending on where you live, and/or the relative wisdom and intellect of your child... you *should* keep toy guns away from them. As in these toys in Iraq.
![Which Pistol is the Real Deal? Photo by Spc. Adam Sanders, January 11, 2008 Staff Sgt. Terry Dahl holds a real 9 mm pistol in his right hand and a toy 9 mm pistol in his left at an Iraqi police station in Seddah, to demonstrate how similar the fake and real weapons look. Coalition forces are asking shop owners to stop selling the toys to children so they are not mistaken for insurgents. Staff Sgt. Dahl is with the 9th Psychological Operations Battalion.[The official caption is incorrect - the toy pistol is in the *soldier's* right hand, the real pistol in his left - but to us, the viewer, the toy is on the left, and real pistol on the right. -the Armorer]](http://www.fototime.com/73B313AC92BE1AF/orig.jpg)
Which Pistol is the Real Deal? Photo by Spc. Adam Sanders, January 11, 2008
Staff Sgt. Terry Dahl holds a real 9 mm pistol in his right hand and a toy 9 mm pistol in his left at an Iraqi police station in Seddah, to demonstrate how similar the fake and real weapons look. Coalition forces are asking shop owners to stop selling the toys to children so they are not mistaken for insurgents. Staff Sgt. Dahl is with the 9th Psychological Operations Battalion. .[Update: As reader BCross points out - the caption is incorrect - the toy pistol is in the *soldier's* right hand, the real pistol in his left - but to us, the viewer, the toy is on the left, and real pistol on the right. -the Armorer
A little closer look:
Now, you could put markings on them, like the blaze orange markings required for realistic toys/replicas/air soft guns that are sold in the US.
Or, better, yet, provide the insurgents with these rifles and pistols that look like this, to better identify them...
After all, we *might* get 'em to do it - the current crowd running around as insurgents have, in the past, had some silly-looking iron themselves...
Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �
Why is the Air Force guy wearing a Navy cap?
by JimC on January 16, 2008 4:36 PM
I resisted the play-gun thing too, but boys will make guns out of anything as your sister found out. Now they have tons, but ALL of them have some sort of "toy" aspect like the orange tips.
by AFSister on January 16, 2008 7:46 PM
Why is the Air Force guy wearing a Navy cap?
Same reason he's wearing the Army web belt and 9mil rig -- he's being *joint*...
by
BillT on January 17, 2008 8:16 AM
As a side note, it appears the caption is wrong. It looks like the Glock in his left hand (viewer's right) is the real one. The other one does not appear to have the "safety trigger" nor does it appear to have the means to remove the slide from the frame.
But those differences are not visible in the top picture, so they probably wouldn't be noticable at typical engagement distances.
by BCross on January 17, 2008 3:17 PM
You are correct, of course. I did what the caption writer probably did - the differences in the pistols were obvious to me (at this range) and I just said, "fake left" "real right" in relation to me.
But for people to whom that is not so obvious, I'll go edit the caption!
Good catch.
by
John of Argghhh! on January 17, 2008 4:33 PM
� Dismissed, Soldier!
December 21, 2007
Unscientific Firearms Testing.
When your internet access is slow, television blows, and what the heck, you own a farm with a pond, gotta get water for the horses, own a few guns, and have some time on your hands... what's an Armorer to do?
Well, go shoot, of course. But for a noble purpose! To break up the ice on the pond so the horses can get to it to drink...
At the same time, I can show off the Castle's newest acquistion... SWWBO's Christmas present. That's right, guys, I got my wife a rifle for Christmas and it was *appreciated!* I bask in the green glow of your envy. KCSteve and Heartless Lib excluded, since they found similar women. Heh. Ya shoulda seen the reaction at the office when I told my compatriots of my gift-giving acumen. The opinion was universal that I was making a HUGE MISTAKE. Hah.
So, meet SWWBO's new bangstick. She's been wanting a "black rifle" for a long time. She likes the SKS (especially the Albanian) but she was hoping for something with a little less kick, but still serviceable as a varmint gun - the coyotes around here have been sniffing around the chicken/guinea coop, and the cats like to sneak out now and again, and SWWBO wants to be able to deal with predators should the need arise.
Her new farming implement is a [ Armorer's note - the designation having caused some questions, this section has been added to] Bushmaster XM15-E2S, according to the receiver. Cabelas, where I bought it, called it an M15S. As a reader noted, Bushmaster doesn't market any such beast - but they do have the O.R.C.©, or Optics Ready Carbine, which is what this rifle probably is.], essentially an M4-clone with a Picatinny rail sporting a TruGlo aimpoint-style sight. With the intechangeability of uppers and lowers in the M16 universe... who knows? I'm not so interested that I'm going to ak Bushmaster if they're using XM15 lowers with their O.R.C.© uppers.] Just in case she feels the need to get up close and personal, this is a post-ban rifle with a bayonet lug, though getting a bayonet isn't really in the plan. A laser, perhaps, but I don't see SWWBO suddenly feeling the need to use cold steel nor go commit drive-by bayonetings...
So, here's SWWBO's new farm implement:
If you'd like to see it a little closer... click here.
Okay, on to unscientific experimentation. Which rifle/caliber choice works best for breaking up the ice - at least this particular form of ice, being a couple of inches thick, but not really rock hard. Now, if you recall last week I mentioned that I had already done a little ice-breaking, using my 1916 dated Mosin-Nagant M91 and my SVT-40 carbine (which might be an actual carbine, or might be one of the fakes that came out of Finland, the provenance is murky on the issue). One of the reasons I decided to try it at all is that with the ice storm, walking down the rocky hill to the edge of the pond was treacherous. With the rifle I could stand on top of the hill, on level ground by the gate, and break up the ice without risking my ample behind and limbs clambering down the hill carrying an axe or pick.
Here's a look at the Castle IceBreakers.
The fodder being used was Sellier and Bellot 7.62x54R 180 grain ball. The 5.56mm for the Bushmaster was Black Hills Ammunition 55 grain ball. I'll have to try softpoints next.
This is the target area.
One a whim, I shot 10 rounds from the SVT, and 20 from the Bushmaster (hey, I *said* unscientific).
The is the result - 7.62 on the left, 5.56 on the right. In overall terms, the 7.62 dd a better job... but both would have been sufficient for the purpose - especially as the horses enlarge the holes themselves. If you're curious about the partial melt on the pond - it's spring fed, and the way the spring empties into the pond causes a current against the bank on this side of the pond.
So, there ya go, a quick and dirty examination of what tools to use for ice-breaking out at Castle Argghhh! If this was MIssouri, and the Castle Vickers or Maxims were functional... much less the Carl Gustaf or M18 recoiless rifles...
To close this out - below the fold in the flash traffic/extended entry I've posted a picture of a Sarah BradySchumerRodhamStein nightmare...
Flash Traffic (extended entry) Follows �
� Secure this line!
Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �
Sweet!
Heck, the whole entry (including the picture).
I'd expect the 7.62x54R to do better - the round is what, twice the size and with a bullet three times the mass? But SWBO's new toy can deliver those smaller rounds a lot quicker.
And I'll bet you just don't want to give her a bayonet for reasons of, shall we say... personal safety (what with your tendency to attract the pointy end).
Oh - you should submit that final photo to http://www.peopleofthegun.com
by KCSteve on December 21, 2007 12:20 PM
The love-child of Burl Ives and John Wayne.
by
Damian on December 21, 2007 1:29 PM
... needs a kilt, ... or some woad.
Cheers
by J.M. Heinrichs on December 21, 2007 2:31 PM
Well, if you were going to get closer, I would suggest a Mosin of the M38 or M44 flavor, because of the rather large muzzle blast.
Hey, don't you have that reduced scale blackpowder cannon? Load that bad boy with grape shot and go for it!
by
Heartless Libertarian on December 21, 2007 2:58 PM
I would think a shotgun would be more effective then a rifle because you get a larger punch into the ice. Or better yet take black power pour into plastic jug and let the explosive breakup the ice. Also you don't have the lead in the water to upset the fish or horses with the funny after taste of lead.
by
Andrew on December 21, 2007 4:01 PM
Very nice! And add me to the "lucky guy" list Mrs. Pogue (aka "Her Accuracy") has her own gun safe. While hers and my collection don't rival the Armorer's, it's still enough to get the brady bunch hyperventilating.
Have you considered trying .45-70 for ice breaking duty? Once in a while it's fun to feel that kick!
by
Pogue on December 21, 2007 4:32 PM
Soooooo, you have a pond eh?
A nice, big pond with lily pads?
Do the haunting croaks of 'ribbet, ribbet' invade your REM sleep?
Not like anyone else will understand this...
/snerk
by Kevin on December 21, 2007 6:01 PM
Damn, man, you look good- you've lost a bunch since I saw you last, or the picture has taken forty pounds off you.
Nice boomsticks.
by
og on December 21, 2007 7:38 PM
Very good, Sir!
My wife has the Bushmaster with the 20" heavy barrel, shoots rabid thingies and coyotes with it too. She also has that tricked out Glock 23 in .40 calibre she carries for woods-walking and shopping. I taught her to shoot, (I'm a old drill sergeant and Top-Team Sniper, USA) and she is an excellent student. She loves me, too...weird!
Merry Christmas, and God Bless you and yours!
With you in thought and cares,
ParatroopRN
by Alan Briley, RN on December 21, 2007 7:58 PM
Damian wins the thread.
Some kinda mortar would obviously work better, projo comes straight down, something like the coehorn anti-kitty mortar we know about. Hmm, I wonder what's possible without provoking BATFEcal reactions.
by
Justthisguy on December 21, 2007 8:42 PM
P.s. I think I've seen a pic on the Web somewhere, of a sawed-off compressed-gas bottle converted into a mortar which throws bowling balls.
by
Justthisguy on December 21, 2007 8:56 PM
Do the metals and other materials in bullets contaminate water?
by
Trias on December 21, 2007 9:14 PM
JTG
Just ask nicely: one version.
Cheers
by J.M. Heinrichs on December 21, 2007 10:15 PM
Well, yeah, Trias, but not enough that any critter would notice, I reckon. Do the math. Concentration counts for a lot, in chemistry. This is not waterfowl scarfing down itty bitty lead shot with their mud dinners; those pieces shoot big jacketed bullets, not what any bird would pick as good gizzard gravel.
by
Justthisguy on December 22, 2007 12:00 AM
P.s. There is probably a hundred times more, I betcha,of weight of lead fishing sinkers in that pond, than of bullets.
by
Justthisguy on December 22, 2007 12:12 AM
Here's a thought buy a stock tank or two and be sure the horses have a drink when they want it without expending rounds multidaily.
Side note ... the son completed Robin Sage and is now qualified to wear the Green Beret as an 18 Echo.
He is home for Christmas... I can't tell you how happy his family is ... and he returns to Bragg New Year's Eve to graduate from the JFK School of Special Warfare on the 11th of Jan. Then a bit more leave here at home ... and then to a unit that typically deploys to Afganistan.
Life is good!
by
jim b on December 22, 2007 12:39 AM
Jim, Hooah! to the Son. As for your other suggestion, sure, I could buy some large plastic stock tanks, and put a heater in 'em.
And then... run 100 meters or so of hose, wrapped with heat tape, to keep 'em filled... or trench out a water line from the house main and only heat tape the exposed portions... meaning run power out there, too. Or get a water tank for the Ranger and SWWBO could schlep water out there daily. Prolly better to just get a surplus water buffalo (water trailer to you non-military types) that we can schlep around... Or, I could just go shoot 10 rounds or so every other day (the horses oft times keep the area clear).
This is the Castle, man. What do you think I'm going to do?
We do use a heater for the birds, however.
by
John of Argghhh! on December 22, 2007 8:12 AM
Life is short. Amuse yerself while looking out for the livestock, even if it involves making loud noises.
by
Justthisguy on December 23, 2007 1:44 AM
� Dismissed, Soldier!
April 28, 2007
Saturday Gun Pr0n.
This is kewl.
This one is kewler.
Update: Dave (check the comments) found the website where this picture came from. The Sports Shooting site for the German firm Dornier.
The pictures, as received by me, had their markings removed, and came with false attribution. I've fixed that by adding the data back in, and linking to the site (which, as Dave notes, has more kewl stuff on it). I'm cool with fair use, but I don't like people sending me things that have been sterilized - the sender of these was victimized, too. Regardless, what was up yesterday, wasn't fair use, and the Armorer regrets the abuse. Always feel free, if we post something here you know belongs to someone else and we don't atttibute it properly, to let me know, in the comments or in email.
Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �
Okay, the pressure wave of being supersonic is what makes the 'ring of smoke'. But why is the smoke blue in the second photo?
by ry on April 28, 2007 9:55 AM
I dunno, false color from the imaging? The color value of the flash?
JTMYATQ?
by
John of Argghhh! on April 28, 2007 12:23 PM
Probably "powder burn"
At close range, victims of gun shot wounds will have tell tale powder burns from the heated powder residue being ignited during firing.
Good chance the blue coloration is from heat dissipation and powder
Just my educated guess.
by
BloodSpite on April 28, 2007 12:46 PM
Ya know, I actually doubted you that the second pic would be cooler.
Then I clicked the link.
I was wrong, and I apologize :-)
by
Harvey on April 28, 2007 11:46 PM
High speed vids of various firears
I like the shotgun vid the best (3rd down).
by Dave on April 29, 2007 12:06 AM
� Dismissed, Soldier!
March 14, 2007
I need a gun pic.
A little Zen to soothe the Armorer's soul.
I think the Castle Armory's Suomi will do nicely.
Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �
I like the pink backdrop. ;)
by
kat-missouri on March 14, 2007 12:42 PM
Cool gun
Not that I like guns or anything
I swear!
honest! :)
by
Bloodspite on March 14, 2007 4:12 PM
Nice... I've got a Suomi drum around here somewhere, I'll see if I can find it
by Neffi on March 14, 2007 5:52 PM
Ah, yes. Just like the one Bobby Shaftoe's girlfriend used to shoot "kinda near him" to show him how much she loved/hated him in Cryptonomicon. Hey, she was a Finn. They are *famously* strange, what with that language from elsewhere, and general grumpy depressed contrariness, and all!
Y'all should read Lex's account of his Finnish drinking episode. Made the Hobbit look at him a bit cross-eyed for a short while.
by
Justthisguy on March 14, 2007 10:45 PM
� Dismissed, Soldier!
March 6, 2007
A little olio for the day...
The final assault came before daybreak on the morning of March 6, 1836, as columns of Mexican soldiers emerged from the predawn darkness and headed for the Alamo's walls. Cannon and small arms fire from inside the Alamo beat back several attacks. Regrouping, the Mexicans scaled the walls and rushed into the compound. Once inside, they turned a captured cannon on the Long Barrack and church, blasting open the barricaded doors. The desperate struggle continued until the defenders were overwhelmed. By sunrise, the battle had ended and Santa Anna entered the Alamo compound to survey the scene of his victory.
While the facts surrounding the siege of the Alamo continue to be debated, there is no doubt about what the battle has come to symbolize. People worldwide continue to remember the Alamo as a heroic struggle against overwhelming odds — a place where men made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom. For this reason the Alamo remains hallowed ground and the Shrine of Texas Liberty.
Visit the Alamo here.
On this day in 1831, Edgar Allen Poe was expelled from West Point.
Poe didn't want to stay at West Point being a poorly paid Army officer. No one could simply drop out of West Point. Poe knew that the only way to get out of West Point was to be expelled. He disobeyed orders, stopped studying. Once he obeyed orders too literally. He saw a bulletin that said that only one kind of belt should be worn. He wore the belt only, no other clothing. He was expelled from West Point in March 1831. He went to Baltimore, Maryland, and not much is known about what happened in this time
Moving on to Afghanistan - even given the parlous state of her forces under the Blair government (a condition effected by other Brit regimes as well, but Mr. Blair sits in the catbird seat at the moment) the Brits are still there and still slugging it out. These pics are from recent operations in Afstan.
I put the best on display - indirect fire is so much more mentally engaging than simply shooting at things you can see (and can see you...)
But this pic and this pic and this pic show Private Atkins and his tools to good effect as well.
Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �
..and exactly 150 years later i was standing at attention in front of a Regimental TAC officer and almost got "Poe'd" myself.
now if i could only write as well as he.
by MajMike on March 6, 2007 8:52 AM
As Grandma used to say: "Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose".
It's always "de rigeur" to look down on our men in uniform. That is until, the guns start to shoot. And then it's: Tommy this and Tommy that.
With the exception that it's now "Ã la mode" to keep kicking them down from the rear, while guns shoot at them from the front.
Sacré Bleu - Quelle Horreur!!!
by Boquisucio on March 6, 2007 10:20 AM
� Dismissed, Soldier!
October 8, 2006
Gunblogger Rendezvous
Good times! I'll have more during the week - but let's cut to the chase.
The shooting.
First off - SWWBO shoots her first 5.56mm carbine - Say Uncle's rifle.
While I don't have a pic of her target - her group at 25 yards would fit inside an Eisenhower silver dollar.
The Armorer got to shoot many rifles yesterday. Smallest Minority's M1 Garand (a 1943 Springfield, Danish return), with which the Armorer was able to keep his groups within the black at 25 meters firing rapid fire, and was pinging a spinning target at 425 yards (iron sights). Okay, that was after two clips to get the feel. Hey, 49 year old eyes, iron sights, at that range - I'm happy.
This is the Armorer blazing away with Rivrdog's 1945 dated Soviet M44 carbine - shooting battle sights, bayonet extended, supported.
This is the Armorer's 100 meter target - 11 rounds, fired in two minutes, open sights, supported - all in the black. The Armorer thinks that's credible shooting for a blind fat guy shooting an $84 rifle with old milsurp ammo. Why 11? That's what I had left, natch.
Speaking of cheap milsurp ammo... there are some risks. Even with what otherwise looks like clean ammo. Lookit the case rupture on this copper-washed steelcase combloc fodder.
More later and during the week. Breakfast, and later, the airport, calls.
Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �
I thought you were on a strict no-bayonet diet. Did SWWBO approve?
by
Bad Cat Robot on October 8, 2006 2:58 PM
I believe the restriction is lifted somewhat when a supervising authority is within range ... ie. the Lady of the Castle. Since she was present, bayonets may be allowed - as long as OTHERS affix them in place!!
Heh.
by
Barb on October 8, 2006 4:44 PM
Those case ruptures ain't uncommon- I had more than a few with some 70's Czech milsurp this summer. But it didn't affect the functioning of the arm, so no big deal. Sometimes a rupture like that will prevent extraction but that AK kept popping away- we only noticed the ruptures after the fact.
Nice looking range... sigh.
by Neffi on October 8, 2006 7:42 PM
Did he say 'clip' instead of 'magazine'? Care to explain, Massa John?
by ry on October 8, 2006 8:58 PM
The Master pointed out to the Student that the bayonet on an M44 must always be extended while firing.
He is most assuredly right, as I scattered the first five all over a target, but put a respectable (but not as respectable as the Master's) group together after I extended the pigsticker.
So far, so good on the Windex flush of the weapon after firin g the corrosive ammo.
by
Rivrdog on October 8, 2006 10:03 PM
And, Ry - the *integral* magazine of the M1 Garand is fed by... a clip.
Clips feed magazines.
Magazines feed the beast.
It is probably the M1 that caused the rift in the space-time continuum that causes the word "clip" to be used in place of "magazine" in the common argot.
Do you need further schooling, weedhopper?
As for the bayonet snarks - the M44 bayonet is an integral folder, and a pointy sticker, at that, and therefore not likely to be misused by me in a manner to produce the effects alluded to by BCR and Brab.
And yes, owners-of-combloc weapons... if your bangstick has a pigsticker option, whether integral or snap-on, the factory default setting is... bayonet attached/extended.
As Rivrdog found when he extended the tent-peg on his M44 and found... groupness.
by
John of Argghhh! on October 8, 2006 10:51 PM
Why does the bayonet have to be extended? Does it balance it or something?
You know i think i've only just discovered the round has the bullet which actually flies out but the casing stays where it is. I finally understand why the odd shape.
by
Trias on October 8, 2006 11:25 PM
The odd shape on the round or on John?
by
cw4(ret)billt on October 8, 2006 11:43 PM
Well, John's not shaped like a rifle cartridge at all. But a Round, now ...
*scurries away quickly*
by
Barb on October 9, 2006 12:53 AM
Umm, Trias, I think there is some physics involved; may have to do with resonant frequncies and vibrations, and if the muzzle of the piece is always waving in the same direction each time a bullet comes out of it.
by
Justthisguy on October 9, 2006 2:56 AM
Ah, that's resonant *frequencies." Sorry about that.
by
Justthisguy on October 9, 2006 3:17 AM
Speaking of resonance and vibrations, I think it was Vitruvius who wrote that an artilleryman should be good at music. Gotta tune them catapultae and ballistae just right.
by
Justthisguy on October 9, 2006 3:21 AM
The case ruptures may not be uncommon - and in a bolt gun they're mostly an annoyance - but in a semi they can be dangerous if they come much farther back than that crack did.
by
John of Argghhh! on October 9, 2006 8:37 AM
Boy-o-boy the snarks keep a commin'. Great way to aereate a "small" bore rifle target. Though the same size as an Ike Dollar, I'd rather compare the grouping size to that of a Peace Dollar.
You know what they say: Peace Through Strength
Besides Teresa Cafarelli de Francisci was easier to the eyes than that Ol' War Dog.
by Boquisucio on October 9, 2006 10:16 AM
Boq - Peace Through Superior Firepower.
Personally, I'm not surprised that John ventilated the black, but I am kinda thunderstruck that he found Nevada...
by
cw4(ret)billt on October 10, 2006 12:05 AM
I didn't find Nevada, Bill. The hired help that sits up front did.
by
John of Argghhh! on October 10, 2006 6:45 AM
� Dismissed, Soldier!
May 12, 2006
In the midst of too much to do...
...while suffering the dammed curse 'o the Sassenach, I find this gem in my email box.
Dateline 1979, Germany. A Troop, 3/7 Cavalry is on maneuvers at the military training site at Hohenfels... a handsome and studly young tank commander removes the shoulder holster containing his Army .45 and hangs it from the turret roof near the loader's station. It'll be safe there whilst negotiating the cross-country target acquisition course!
Now imagine if you will, gentle reader, the pendulum effect of a heavy pistol suspended by a leather strap from the turret of a 52 ton M60A1 tank- when in the course of the aforementioned exercise the tank is traversing rough terrain and our hero is desperately manipulating the commander's override turret control to engage close range targets... all in a days work for the Cav! But somewhere along the line physics and gravity overcome the precarious hold of the leather holster strap on it's mounting and the pistol falls!... and becomes intimately engaged with the gear mechanism which rotates the turret... the 16 ton turret... which requires a powerful motor to drive said gear... which consumes and ejects a .45 pistol with all the disdain of yer cousin Bubba spitting a sunflower seed.
Sheesh... this cost me $54, the Gummint cost for the WWII Remington Rand-made .45. A chunk of money for me at the time; I was an E-5 and making 450 monthly- and then the bastids wouldn't let me keep it! I wanted it for a conversation piece, ya know- like, "Hey looky what some dumbshirt did to this here gun thingy!!!" but the bean-counting sumbirtches insisted it was still US Property even after they stripped the dinero from my miserable stipend.
The M16 I crushed two months later cost me $174 and they wouldn't let me keep that, either. Bastids.
Heh. Just in case you're interested in what they retail for now... admittedly in somewhat better condition.
You may amuse yourselves determining *who* might have provided this tale of woe...
Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �
Lucky thing it ate the 'empty' end of the gun. Not that it would have slowed it down if the grip had gotten between the gears, just that it would have been more... noticeable.
by KCSteve on May 12, 2006 3:47 PM
Reminds me of an M-16A1 that got leaned against the turret of an M109 Howitzer. You wouldn't think the barrel could bend 90 degrees like that.... (No, it wasn't mine!)
by
Pogue on May 12, 2006 7:26 PM
One of the reasons the M16A2 etc has the thicker barrel was because of turret rings, loading ramps, and to put a little weight on the end of the rifle.
by
John of Argghhh! on May 12, 2006 8:30 PM
Well, considering how much crap you give Maj Mike about his firearm misshaps I'm betting pocket lint that it's him. ;)
by ry on May 12, 2006 9:05 PM
Damn, I do *not* need more pocket lint. Pay up, boyo.
by
John of Argghhh! on May 12, 2006 9:51 PM
It's a trick, the .45 is more than able to handle being a little looser, (it only helps functioning). I suspect the b'counters just needed a little more friday cash.
by Rod Thorsen on May 12, 2006 10:35 PM
I'm still wondering if someone's ever found that set of dogtags I left hanging on a tree at Hohenfels. LOL
by fdcol63 on May 14, 2006 10:00 PM
not I!
by
MajMike on May 15, 2006 9:17 AM
� Dismissed, Soldier!
February 10, 2006
Armorer@Home
No, not really home yet, I'm getting ready to pack and head out the door for this morning's confabulating, but I couldn't let this calumny go undefended!
This *is* the Home of the Armorer. This *is* Castle Argghhh! And this, ladies and gents (and undecideds) is the Smorgasbord of Argghhh! What's not to like about this decorating schema? (Plus, it's another reason to Vote For Us!)
SWWBO has her own version of the what this is, a sofa-table-thingy or some such term of art. And she's kinda whining about the use I put it to prolly less than 24 hours after I schlepped it into the house.
But hey, she wanted to go shooting, and I was just laying out her options for what we had ammo on-hand for that she might find interesting.
I repeat - that stuff is there for *her* benefit. That fact that we were going shooting last weekend and the pistols are still there on the table is *not* relevant. Sheesh. The kitties like to play with 'em, too, y'know.
Oh - and KCSteve - The Interior Guard *is* present - there are two of them On Duty (or snuggling) just above the Polish VIS pistol. (To understand that, you'll have to visit SWWBO's place and read the comments.) So it's not like these things are just laying around unattended or something.
And for those of you muttering to yourselves, "He *is* going to id those things, right?" Here ya go.
Left to right: The Armorer's nickel-plated Remington-Rand vet-bringback M1911A1 (I could afford this one - collectors don't like plated guns, but hey - it has *history* which fits 'round here) - Polish TT-33, Austrian Steyr M1911, Polish Radom Vis, and, snuggled in it's holster-stock, an Inglis Chinese Contract Browning Hi-Power.
Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �
Great set of hatchmarks in that there PIX. Wonder what the Coffee Table did to earn them?
by Loooooong AWOL Boquisucio on February 10, 2006 10:29 AM
That chromed M1911 is a ringer for the one that a certain Vulture carried--*not* this Vulture--to replace the lump of rust he found in his holster the day after he got pulled out of a flooded paddy. The pistol's history wouldn't perchance include a sojourn in the Land of the Two-Way Aerial Gunnery Range ca. '68 through '70, with one of the owners being a pilot and another being an SF E-7, would it?
by cw4(ret)billt on February 10, 2006 11:46 AM
Ooop--almost forgot. Boq's on the loose, so the Moat Fleet will prolly get that much-needed de-barnacling over the weekend...
by cw4(ret)billt on February 10, 2006 11:49 AM
Don't know what's worse, the barnacles encrusting her, or the green algae covering them. Her teak deck hath turn grey, and its brass and copper fittings are pitted and bespoilt.
Oh! The Sand Pebbles is a sad-sad sight to behold.
by Loooooong AWOL Boquisucio on February 10, 2006 11:55 AM
Boq! Welcome back :-)
by
Barb on February 10, 2006 12:29 PM
I see them now - in our house they'd be on the table, rather than next to it. In fact, that's why the 'coffee table' in our living room is kept scrupulously clear of all objects. Not necessarily by us, you understand.
by KCSteve on February 10, 2006 1:34 PM
Interior Guard, eh? I tellya, man, if I ever get the estate settled and find I have some play money, I'm gonna get y'all an anti-cat-fur air filter for the place. I reckon the stuff doesn't hurt the loosely-fitted military weapons, (the hand-held ones, anyway) but it can be hell on the 'puters, and I betcha you're more influential with the latter than the former, these days.
I recall the time I made snarky remarks about cat hairs in one of yer almost-photomicrographs of one of your prime specimens.
by
Justthisguy on February 10, 2006 6:04 PM
Ah, the Admiral returneth from his looong voyage. Welcome back.
I admit I got tired of polishing the brass, and Marvin just bitched about doing it.
Bill - that pistol was carried in WWII, Korea, and early Vietnam by a Marine Colonel. The family was liquidating assets for undisclosed reasons after his death.
I took the pistol off their hands and made a promise that if they wanted it back within 15 years I'd let 'em have it for the purchase price.
5 years to go.
by
John of Argghhh! on February 10, 2006 8:53 PM
His twin brother stayed longer--and his last owner hasn't checked into the net this week, so I can't ask him if he managed to keep the souvenir hunters at 90th Repl Depot from stealing it.
by cw4(ret)billt on February 10, 2006 9:06 PM
� Dismissed, Soldier!
January 23, 2006
Time for a gun post...
...and not just because we've been nominated at Countertop Chronicles for "Best Gun Pron" in the Gunnies, either!
A topic covered in the gunblogs, I know by Murdoc and others, as well as me... Metalstorm gets closer to entering service. This is an ugly little spud.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 20 (UPI) -- Next month a new high-explosive munition will be fired in Singapore and then tested again by the U.S. Army, heralding what may be a sea change in weaponry: a gun that can fire 240,000 rounds per minute.
That's compared to 60 rounds per minute in a standard military machine gun.
Metal Storm Inc., a munitions company headquartered in Virginia but with its roots in Australia, has been developing a gun that can shoot at blistering speeds, albeit in short bursts as each barrel is reloaded.
Company website with video click here.
Speaking of Murdoc, I'll let him have at this story.
Speaking of machine guns... take a look at the durability (not to mention reliability) of the latest rendition of that venerable old pig, the M60. Do me a favor - right click and save as - don't stream it. Right-click and save-as here.
I'll close this post with a picture of a new Castle Armory acquisition - a M1886 German Shrapnel round - that has a very interesting (to the Armorer) time fuze. Subject of a future post.
Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �
Okay, kids, nip over to Countertop Chronicles, ASAP. We're number two so far, but Oleg's running away with it.
by cw4(ret)billt on January 23, 2006 9:40 AM
Hey, John - Remember my e-gram when you first ran the MetalStorm story, about my vision of a deuce-and-a-half full of bullets and batteries following each GI?
Heh. Now we know why SecDef is turning those six ARNG combat brigades into truck drivers...
by cw4(ret)billt on January 23, 2006 9:54 AM
I have been following metalstorm for years!! They actually have ideas about ways to use that technology for more than just bullets that kill, including firefighting, etc. The technology is really impressive, and has had the U.S. interested for a loooong time.
Glad to see it coming along nicely...
by
SangerM on January 23, 2006 10:23 AM
The Metalstorm ideas look useful, and I can think of a number of military applications. For that matter, science-fiction author John Ringo has envisioned multi-barrelled Metalstorm packs firing 105mm APFSDS rounds from a heavily modified M1 tank chassis as a HEAVY Short Range Air Defense (SHORAD) system. Evidently the barrel packs would be easily ejectable and replaceable, rather like MLRS six-packs are today.
Changing the subject a little...
As someone who spent a LOT of time as an infantry company armorer in the late 70's and early 80's keeping a sextet of Hawgs functioning, I'm duly impressed by the M60 video. However, when I was an armorer, the problem was never with NEW guns, but rather with the older guns that had been beaten around a great deal. Consistently, the two biggest maintenance problems with the M60 were excessive play in the reciever due to loose rivets or cracked welds connecting the longitudinal rails to the front plate, and wear and spalling on the camming surface on the front of the operating rod yoke. The M240 has its own quirks, but receivers that become loose over time is not one of them, and it uses a vastly different mechanism for locking the bolt.
The M60 was based on a great concept: marrying the action of the Lewis Gun to the feed mechanism of the MG42. The concept just wasn't implemented as well as it might have been.
by Blake Kirk on January 23, 2006 11:08 AM
The M60 series machine gun?
*shudder*
Ugh! The trigger housing group is held on by a forward retaining pin, which, in turn, is held on by a leaf spring that hooks onto the trigger retaining pin, and the forward trigger housing retaining pin. It drops off, the forward pin goes, and you lose all ability to control the firing of the weapon...
The M60E3 was even worse, as they tried to lighten the weight, and put the bipod assembly on the gas tube... Waaaaaay too much dependance on spring loaded detent pins...
Nope, didn't like the M60, but it was the only thing we had...
by
Sgt. B. on January 23, 2006 1:37 PM
The M60 was fun to shoot. It was also easy to take apart (cock it, lift the feed tray cover, and pull the retaining pin - oh yeah, stand to the side). Also a lot easier to haul up and down the lava and mud hills in Hawaii than pieces of .50 cal.
But I was only a temp-hire-grunt, and as soon as I could, I went east-way east-to wear the 1AD patch instead of that electric strawberry.
And my first PSG was a 60 guy in vietnam, and he LOVED the thing, but then he was a healthy 6-4 montanna swede on whom it looked like an M16 did on the rest of us. He's the one who taught me how to take 'em apart in a hurry. Of course, he also taught me how to make candles out of the wax wrapping on 4.2 mortar shell cartons, and how to roll my own one-handed (I never could get that right, though). A real product of the era...
by
SangerM on January 23, 2006 7:43 PM
Quick question/fact check:
That's compared to 60 rounds per minute in a standard military machine gun.
According to FAS, an M-16 can go
90 rpm and 900 rpm. (A true expert would have to verify these for this research jockey). And I'm sure that there are other guns in the arsenal that have similar or higher rates of fire.
Anyone care to have at it?
by
lawhawk on January 24, 2006 1:42 PM
I actually meant to get into that in the post, but saw a shiny object...
There's a conflation of the MK19 40mm grenade launcher with machine guns.
I was posting this for the geeks, and forgot that normals might drop by...
...and then the shiny thing walked by, er, caught my attention.
by
John of Argghhh! on January 24, 2006 1:57 PM
And the Mk 18 could dump them down the spout as fast as you could crank it. Of course, your arm would be ready to fall off after about thirty seconds...
by cw4(ret)billt on January 24, 2006 3:15 PM
� Dismissed, Soldier!
December 10, 2005
Gun Pr0n!
Heh. Kinda. It's gonna make some readers react like it was pr0n, anyway...
Click here.
Yep. *Ours*
I haven't done anything for you airplane fellas lately.
How about this?
Something for the sailors... here.
The Coasties... That's the Storis commissioned 1942 and still serving. Talk about "the forgotten service"...
CUTTER STORIS (FOR RELEASE) KODIAK, Alaska (Sept. 26, 2005)--The crew of the Coast Guard cutter Storis will celebrate their ship's 63 years of service on Sept. 30. The Storis was built by the Toledo Shipbuilding Company, Toledo, Ohio and commissioned in 1942. The Storis saw action in World War II in the North Atlantic while assigned to prevent the establishment of Nazi weather stations in Greenland. In 1948, the Storis changed homeport to Juneau where it supplied medical treatment to native villages and surveyed uncharted watersin the Arctic. The Storis and two other cutters, now decommissioned, completed a historic transit of the Northwest Passage and circumnavigation of the North American continent in July of 1957. Soon after, the Storis was transferred to its present homeport here. The Storis continues to patrol the Gulf of Alaska and the Bering Sea proudly bearing its gold "38" hull numbers, which is a distinction given only to the oldest cutter in the fleet. Official Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer Christopher D. McLaughlin
and, of course, Marines.
Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �
I *think* that's the Hurricane I got to sit in at RAF Duxford, lo these many years past...
by Neffi on December 10, 2005 2:09 PM
mmmmm ... milling machine! Want! I even have a shed to put it in! *drool*
by
bad cat robot on December 10, 2005 3:13 PM
Damn, BCR. A woman who knows her machines??? I'm impressed. Actually, it looks like a combo: milling, lather and possible drill press but I could be mistaken. I too, would love to have that sitting in my garage. I can imagine all the stuff I could make.....
by
klkk on December 10, 2005 4:05 PM
It looks like the kid brother of the really, really fancy milling machine the Penn State Physics machine shop had (I was to keep my greasy little fingers off, of course, but I could *look*). Thing was so clever you could dog the metal stock, feed it digitized CAD drawings, push the GO button and go for coffee. Us grad students were permitted to use the old mil-surplus lathes, a cruddy drill press with only one way, and a band saw that sounded like a bowling ball in a jet engine. ahh, those were the days! still have all my fingers, too.
by
bad cat robot on December 10, 2005 4:32 PM
Caption for the sailors pic.
"I hate it when Darth Vader forgets to flush!"
by
Harvey on December 10, 2005 4:43 PM
And Harvey comes in with a Monty Python flair...
MSG Keith has the right of it - mill, drill, lathe.
Will take CAD inputs, but don't have that.
Nice thread cutter cams though.
by
John of Argghhh! on December 10, 2005 5:09 PM
Lest someone think that the Storis is atypical of the Coast Guard Cutters this will be the last winter for the USCGC Mackinaw. It will finally be replaced. But the Toledo Shipbuilding Company laid her keel on March 20, 1943. And there is a new movie out which is a remake of an old one called Yours Mine and Ours. The star (Dennis Quaid) plays a CG Admiral and several scenes take place on the USCGC Sherman (WHEC 720) whose keel was laid in 1967 and fought in Vietnam. It truely is an aging fleet that needs dramatic upgrade. The Deepwater program is just not going to meet the needs from what I have been told and read.
by LarryK on December 11, 2005 1:15 PM
I don't believe those are Marines... they look too comfortable. :-)
by
SGT Jeff (IRR) on December 12, 2005 11:22 AM
� Dismissed, Soldier!
September 9, 2005
Since Boquisucio needs help..
...with his Rangefinder ID, here is the Castle's Barr and Stroud Rangefinder that is part of our Vickers kit. Also in the pic are a Carl Gustav 84mm recoilless rifle and a PIAT. The Gustav and PIAT are for use against people who drive tanks or hide in bunkers. People like that, well, they suck. Of course, the sorry jerks who gave the PIAT to the Brit soldier in WWII suck too. But that's a different story.
Next up is a sample of the Castle Argghhh! LRS, Looter Repellent System. Rabbit ears (German made, ex-Argentine) for target acquisition, sniper loop w/rifle for retail responses, Max the Maxim should a more robust response be needed.
The minefield sign doesn't hurt, either.
Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �
... and Gunners BLOW, BIG TIME, like hurricane Ophelia!
Take that, you Arty person! I pick my nose at you!
Cheers
JMH
by J.M. Heinrichs on September 9, 2005 7:30 AM
And this after I was nice to you Canuckistanians and posted pics of the Navy responding to Katrina.
Fie!
Tankers still suck!
by
John of Argghhh! on September 9, 2005 7:38 AM
Long Rod Penetrators!
Cheers
JMH
by J.M. Heinrichs on September 9, 2005 9:52 AM
Feh, John. Ask any target you're trying to penetrate... they prefer width to length.
LRP's are definitely sub-caliber and arrive too quickly.
by
John of Argghhh! on September 9, 2005 9:56 AM
Ya'll need to uncock your pistols and put them back in their holsters.
the truth is, if you cananot deliver on target everytime for more than thirty minutes, penetrate the target, regardless of types of barriers, and insure less than 3% failure rate, you will not make it in this woman's army.
Might as well send you back to the mess as a baker's mate.
by
kat-missouri on September 9, 2005 10:08 AM
***PapaGulf-17 twitches into coniptions***
by Boquisucio on September 9, 2005 10:45 AM
What's wrong with talking about artillery and ammunition, Boq? *looking around innocently*
by
Fuzzybear Lioness on September 9, 2005 10:50 AM
Kat, 30 minutes Heh..not a problem.. and I can GUARANTEE 100% success rate, and then some... and multiple 'targets'.....
*i think the PG-17 just ran into a hole to hide...*
by klkk on September 9, 2005 1:14 PM
I agree K-MO, a long and sustained FFE Heavy Arty Barrage, is what is requied to fulfill the mision, no matter how reinforced the target may be.
FbL, there's nuthin' wrong about discussing Arty and Ammo. It's just that ol' PapaGulf-17 gets sparking too easily. ;)
Oh and Boss, that Barr&Stroud standing rigidly on that mount, is sure to find the range to any required target.
***BZZZZTZAAAP*** ***SNAP-SNAP***
"Down boy - DOWN"
by Boquisucio on September 9, 2005 1:46 PM
When we get to ramming the round to seat the projectile and then tossing in the powder, bending over, peering in the breech and saying "Charge 6 White Bag, I see Red!", the PG-17c will consult its glossary and just... *twitch*.
by
John of Argghhh! on September 9, 2005 1:57 PM
did i just hear the sound of an angel's wings getting clipped? LOL
you folks are just...just...BAD!
by
alix on September 9, 2005 2:04 PM
no, alix, we are very, very, VERY good.....
by klkk on September 9, 2005 2:09 PM
And humble, too! ROFL
by
Fuzzybear Lioness on September 9, 2005 2:15 PM
hehe.
by
alix on September 9, 2005 3:17 PM
*still here, quietly stirring the fire*
Ooop.
*brushes errant ember from 27" zipper*
by cw4(ret)billt on September 9, 2005 3:18 PM
*fans self*
Long Rod Penetrators; width; deliver on target; multiple 'targets'; standing rigidly; 27" zipper....
must...resist...POLE DANCING....
oh, SO hard to resist!
by MAWK on September 9, 2005 3:55 PM
Easy there MAWK. At this pace PapaGulf-17 MOD C will burn out a fuze before sundown. We do not want him to be out of commission for the rest of the week-end.
by Boquisucio on September 9, 2005 4:04 PM
Weekend... Do I hear the stirrings of a (careful now!) Castle Party?! Nahhh.... surely not. :)
by
Fuzzybear Lioness on September 9, 2005 4:22 PM
Acquiring the target requires extensive knowledge concerning positioning of the weapon and using the range finding equipment. You should know how to work the elevation screw in case of a system failure requiring manual override.
by
kat-missouri on September 9, 2005 4:28 PM
Before the inroduction of electronic equipment and contained ammunition, the gun captain would select appropriate elevation using an elevation screw. He would eye the target and, using calculations learned from long years of school and practice, adjust the proper angle of the gun. He would use a number of types of ammunition with the most effective being the explosive ball. Though, the ball and chain ammunition could cause extensive damage to the enemy's masts.
Keeping the powder dry in wet conditions was extremely difficult. The balls would be lit using a specifically measured fuse. Once the balls were seated and the gun was raised to the proper elevation, another fuse would be lit causing the large bore weapon to eject it's ammunition.
A gunner's mate would be standing by to swab the gun whenever it became overheated.
by
kat-missouri on September 9, 2005 4:49 PM
Speaking of mine warnings... here's a souvenior I brought back from my deployment to the Zone in the late 70s.
Hope nobody wandered into the field after I took the sign... heh
by Neffi on September 9, 2005 5:30 PM
Yep, counterfeit assignations.
by Justthisguy on September 9, 2005 5:45 PM
Ah, Boqui? That's Fuse with an Ess? The electrical kind, not the kind that sputters and makes yummy smoke and then causes something to go boom?
Pedantic, c'est Moi! Heinrichs ain't in it!
(He was normal enough that the docs let him join up. Well, he may have memorized the answers to the psychological tests...)
by Justthisguy on September 9, 2005 6:02 PM
Ah - I stand corrected JTG
by Boquisucio on September 9, 2005 6:23 PM
Scruffy The Scruple sez: DID SOME ONE SAY PARTAY!!!.
by Boquisucio on September 9, 2005 6:36 PM
Boq, that is one ugly kitty...
Looks like she could use a maragarita!
[kick] [kick] [kick] Oh... turns on gas valve
kick... sput pop sput varoomm............
...and the Harley powered Margarita-Matic purrs into life......
by Neffi on September 9, 2005 6:50 PM
Hi, Neffi! *waves*
Got any Cosmopolitans around?
*snuggles down in the couch*
by
Fuzzybear Lioness on September 9, 2005 6:55 PM
Damn..kat knows balls as much as she does oranges.....
by klkk on September 9, 2005 9:04 PM
oh...sorry..CANNON balls... just wanted to clarify that...
by klkk on September 9, 2005 9:06 PM
Not in the mood to Par-Tay, m'self, aged Daddy being in h'ptal and maybe leaving planet sometime soon, but will look in from time to time, for distraction, to keep from going completely batso.
Dang! That's a damper, ain't it! No, really, y'all have a good time, I'll stop by now and then, just to keep from getting too weird.
Whoops! Already too late for that.
by Justthisguy on September 9, 2005 9:22 PM
cannon balls, oranges...you're all a buncha coconuts! :oD
by
alix on September 9, 2005 10:49 PM
I'll be spending today in writing salacious proposals to the government in an effort to entice them to have their way with me... for money.
We know what I am... we're just negotiating on price.
by
John of Argghhh! on September 10, 2005 8:35 AM
Since the original theme of this was guns, thought I'd give you an update. Remember back in March, I went to the range and earned the German Schutzenschnur? Well, I finally got it in the mail yesterday, and they apparently awarded me the Gold medal. I thought they had said Silver at the range, but then again they were speaking German. So I earned the Gold, AND I get to wear it...(neener, neener...)
by msg keith on September 10, 2005 9:48 PM
Since the original theme of this was guns, thought I'd give you an update. Remember back in March, I went to the range and earned the German Schutzenschnur? Well, I finally got it in the mail yesterday, and they apparently awarded me the Gold medal. I thought they had said Silver at the range, but then again they were speaking German. So I earned the Gold, AND I get to wear it...(neener, neener...)
by msg keith on September 10, 2005 9:50 PM
Heh. Well, okay, we have the same one, you get to wear it... and I think I'll check my paycheck stub...
Plllppppttt!
by
John of Argghhh! on September 10, 2005 10:47 PM
� Dismissed, Soldier!
August 30, 2005
The way to the Armorer's Good Graces...
...is via firepower.
Something SWWBO knows well, having bought me this for Christmas before we got married, and *this* after, and not being annoyed by this or this or this.
Now comes AFSis, fresh from New York. (Happy Anniversary, kiddo!)
And she sends this, a 24 pounder in Castle Clinton... who could ask for more?
Heh. Mebbe cannon with a Cute Chick©? Like this?
Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �
*laughing*
I thought you'd get a kick out of those pix....
I should have more up later today, along with your military history lesson for the day.
by
AFSister on August 30, 2005 1:36 PM
Hubba-hubba - a 3"/50 Packing Mama!!!
Who could ask for anything more.
by Boquisucio on August 30, 2005 1:49 PM
Eat yer heart out, Jane Fonda! The Castle's got the Kitty with *real* firepower...
by cw4(ret)billt on August 30, 2005 3:31 PM
hmm. John dear, perhaps I should pose with the Vickers?
he he he.
by
beth on August 30, 2005 9:33 PM
Yes!
Yes!
Yes!
Cheers
JMH
by J.M. Heinrichs on August 30, 2005 9:35 PM
*glancing up and counting*
*gazing over the assemblage*
Motion has been made, seconded and those in favor have been heard. Any
*flicking thumb-latch of shoulder holster*
opposed?
The "ayes" have it. Polish up the Vickers, John...
by cw4(ret)billt on August 31, 2005 8:25 AM
Argghhh! Now we're letting Canadians vote on domestic policy?
by
John of Argghhh! on August 31, 2005 8:42 AM
Oh yeah! Go for it Beth!
Good thing Cricket is so far away- she might wrestle you for that Vickers spot....
And thanks for the compliments guys... very nice.
by
AFSister on August 31, 2005 9:11 AM
LOL. I love old cannons. What is the correct plural for them anyway?
Now, in our history lesson for today, we were watching the history channel and one of the Child Labor Units was impressed with a huge cannon. He asks the Armorer this:
Was the gauge of the cannon determined by the weight and size of the cannonball? IOW, was it called a ten pounder or a 400 pounder because the ammo weighed that much?
We can look it up, but I would rather have an answer from someone who has not only been an artillery officer but has studied them closely
as it related to his profession.
Thank you.
by Cricket on September 1, 2005 11:35 AM
Cannon is both singular and plural. Cannons is also acceptable.
When you see a gun referred to as a 6 pounder, 10 pounder, 12 pounder, 18 pounder, etc, that refers to weight of the "standard" round, normally solid shot, though in later eras it would refer to the standard HE round (such as the 18 pounder howitzer of the Brit Army in WWI).
Caliber references bore diameter, and you'll see that in two fashions. One, the generic 105mm or 8 Inch designations, for example. You will also see guns classified as 5inch/38 caliber,5inch/54 caliber, and 5inch/62 Caliber. This is more common in Naval service, where there might be several different versions of a cannon in service. The second number is barrel length expressed in terms of barrel diameter... in the terms of you normals, barrel length divided by barrel diameter.
Ground artillery makes those distinctions as well, but in Army usage it rarely makes it into the nomenclature, the Army preferring to use the "M" number, such as the M110 vice the M110A2 howiters, which had 8inch cannon of differing lengths.
by
John of Argghhh! on September 1, 2005 12:22 PM
So, to get the caliber, you divide the length of the barrel by the width of the diameter of the barrel?
Is that like 'sizing up a weapon?'
by Cricket on September 1, 2005 2:43 PM
Darnitall. I hate when that happens. Otay.
Third question: So, caliber or weight isn't always
consistent?
You can have a four hundred pound cannon fire and ten pound round?
by Cricket on September 1, 2005 2:46 PM
� Dismissed, Soldier!
August 3, 2005
Paper targets fear them...
...and I have no doubt live ones would, too.
Castle Adjutant Barb and the Snarkatron Bad Cat Robot, Denizennes both, did a little shooting yesterday.
BCR has her target posted.
We are, *ahem* waiting on the Adjutant's target pics...
BCR needs to pull back the trigger finger a bit, and not pull so hard - an easy touch will do, and drag that center of mass right where it oughta be.
Not that where it *is* isn't going to be hard on a live target.
Lest anyone snark, the Armorer has posted his sadly deteriorating skillz before, too.
Here are some more Armorer targets.
Update: Okay, so Barb did post one some time in the past... Last night! Last Night! Last Night! The Peasants with Pitchforks are roaring!
Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �
John - Don't you remember the target I posted a couple of weeks ago???
Truth be told - none of mine from last night were too great, but I was more focused on teaching safety than on demonstrating marksmanship!
[That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!!!]
by
Barb on August 3, 2005 2:53 PM
Feh! Old news! Last night! Last night! Last night!
by
John of Argghhh! on August 3, 2005 2:56 PM
Um, that *is* a decent target though...
by
John of Argghhh! on August 3, 2005 2:58 PM
I kinda liked it ...
That's 20 rounds of .22 at 25 feet, with 1 reload, since my AWB-era S&W 622 came with a 10-round magazine :-)
by
Barb on August 3, 2005 3:16 PM
John, I think it's time we go target shooting again - I want to post a target!!!
by
Beth on August 3, 2005 5:11 PM
Hey - a Shooting Fest!! Whoopie!
by
Barb on August 3, 2005 5:17 PM
I'm thinking we need a Denizens With Guns post...
by
John of Argghhh! on August 3, 2005 5:58 PM
I'm in... When?
How about the first Blog-Match?
We could agree on all of the particulars, as well as a prize for the top three shooters... (What did they used to call them? NRA Postal Matches?)
I submit my M1911A1 Colt Gold Cup (National Match)...
by
Sgt. B. on August 3, 2005 6:00 PM
Sgt B - Maybe "E-Postal Matches"? Like this.
by
Barb on August 4, 2005 1:08 AM
Exactly!
by
Sgt. B. on August 4, 2005 10:04 AM
One of these days I really must go out and get me a weapon(s).
Any suggestions?
Home defense: certainly a 12 gauge pump shotgun, but what manufacturer? Any thing else?
Rifle?
Handgun?
by Masked Menace© on August 4, 2005 2:03 PM
I found a nice Maverick (by Mossberg) was a good deal for home defense.
You'll want to take a look at where you would be forced to shoot (you want to see where any potential rounds would go beyond the intended target.) Shotgun rounds won't go as far through walls as pistol or rifle rounds.
You also want to take into account what condition you'd be in when you might have to engage a target. If you were roused out of a sound sleep in the middle of the night, you might want to stay with a shotgun for the shot pattern, as the situation may not be condusive to pinpoint marksmanship.
by
Sgt. B. on August 4, 2005 2:08 PM
Thanks for the recommendation Sgt.,
For home defense, it would definitely be a shotgun. I live in suburbia (couple hundred yards from an elementary school, no less) so over penetration is a real issue. Plus, there's not exactly any good sniping positions in the house where I'd have time to aim. Point, Yes. Aim, maybe for you pro's, but not for this newb :-)
Now, what about shooting range weapons, both handgun and rifle and which if I can only get one?
Keep in mind, I'm a relative newbie with a limited (but not scrawny) budget living in suburbia (not much, if anything, beyond 100 yards within driving distance).
by Masked Menace© on August 4, 2005 3:03 PM
� Dismissed, Soldier!
by
John
on
Aug 03, 2005
�
Don Surber links with:
Git Er Done, East Virginia
July 20, 2005
Morning Glamour Shots...
Lessee, what's up this morning?
Denizen AFSis had a tough Monday. Go say nice things.
Poor John Roberts. As Confederate Yankee points out - it didn't take the Kossacks long... Right Thoughts caught it too, and linked directly. I prefer to *not* have my IP address showing up in Kos' server logs...
Anybody know what movie this gun was made for?
SWWBO (waxing eloquent here about schools) would go for this room! We can't afford it, but she'd go for it! H/t Larry K!
Jeff over at Alphecca has his Weekly Check on the Bias (regarding guns in the news, etc) up.
Xrlq offers this analysis of what Judge Roberts *might* mean to the Supreme Court. For us 2nd Amendment types, looks like we'll need to get at least one more Justice besides Roberts.
Michelle Malkin offers more.
Matty at Blackfive has been having some fun. Stuff like this is one reason I'm just as glad I'm not as big as Matt. The tediousness of dealing with wilful ignorance is just numbing.
Dean Esmay takes on Hugo Chavez... Always a romp when Dean gets rolling!
In closing... wouldn't this look *wonderful* on the Castle Coffee Table?
(and I didn't mean the Grant there. It would take *many* Grants to put that hunka-hunka-burning brass on the Castle Coffee Table!)
Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �
That would look great on the coffee table, and I love the miniature guns - all that brass!!!
To me, shiny brass is - what do they say - bling, bling?
Better start buying lottery tickets, though!
by
Beth on July 20, 2005 8:34 AM
Thanks for the linky-love John!
Everybody has been so nice, and you've been leaving some of the coolest comments evah.
*in my best drunken sailor voice*
ILOVEYOUGUYS.....
by AFSister on July 20, 2005 10:32 AM
Don't know why, but does Useless Grant looks a wee-bit non-plussed about being upstaged by the Baby Brass Thingy?
by Boquisucio on July 20, 2005 11:04 AM
On Chavez... he is a very dangerous man. He is dangerous, not so much because of his lunatic ideas, but because he is as sly as a fox; always keeping a step ahead of the opposition.
He also, has alot of gumption and a serious case of in-your-face attitude. About three years ago he came to a South American President's Summit in Cartagena, Colombia. Instead of bringing in the Venezuelan equivalent of the Secret Service as his escort, he brought in a crack team of ELN Guerillas (Colombian Narco-Terrorists).
Think of our President bringing into a Chineses Summit, a squad of Tianamen Square exiled survirors as his personal escort.
Needless to say, his Colombian hosts were nonplused.
by Boquisucio on July 20, 2005 11:19 AM
MGM gun- dunno about the movie, but it appears to be modified from an American 180. I owned one for a while and what a fun toy it was! .22 long rifle is the way to go with autos, you can actually afford to shoot them... suffered a bit from fouling, though- I had to give it a thorough clean after every coupla drums but that's the nature of .22 cartridges I guess.
...that Gatling *is* purty...
by Neffi on July 20, 2005 1:25 PM
OMG I want one! It's shiny, it spins, it's a gun, you get to crank it, it uses cheap ammo... ooh ooh ooh....
by Justhisguy on July 25, 2005 10:41 PM
� Dismissed, Soldier!
June 27, 2005
It's that time again...
This is my basement:
After having *no* Instalanches ever, and now having had 3, there are probably some new readers... It's time to drag this thing back up into the light for all you not-long-time readers. This is just a periodic post for relative newbies to the site who don't realize the real reason I set this thing up was to share my gun and militaria collection -The Arsenal of Argghhh! - with the world. I decided to move out from primary deviancy (where you hide what you are) and move past secondary (where everybody knows what you are) to tertiary - where you embrace what you are - and point out you don't know what the guy next door has in his basement... but that doesn't mean he's a nut. I did that after a friend asked me to be the guest speaker on the subject of gun collecting at my Rotary Club (which has a fair number of liberals in it) and the response was not hostile, though some were taken aback - but mostly, "Wow - that's kinda kewl, and you aren't some troll hunkered down in your basement with racks of AR15s and cases of ammo waiting for the Apocalypse..." Mind you, if you have a rack of AR15 and cases of ammo, that's fine with me, as long as you aren't (hopefully) delusional on top of that... if you are, get out more, eh? I *do* have cases of ammo, but they aren't stored with the weapons... But be damned if I'm going to spend the money on new-manufactured when there's all the nice surplus fodder out there! But that experience, along with being poked by Beth and Jonah to blog, is what got the Castle established, back on Blogspot, almost two years and 610,679 uniques ago.
As the blog has morphed over time, now and again I've gotten a little too wrapped up in the politics and the war - and, well, yes, work, too - and I've strayed a bit from my roots. A lot, really. Well, that and the great parties the Denizens throw in the comment sections now and again... It makes it fun when sometimes it's real work to maintain. SWWBO and I fought off 2,780 spams today, for example... but 0 got through and had to be slain inside the Keep. The Defenses have improved - if they are sometimes frustrating when the laser turrets fire on that comment you are trying to post.
I don't believe that I make the mistake that many celebrities make - that my opinions on things political somehow matter more than others. Not really. This is more the equivalent of standing on a soapbox at "Speakers Corner". And you have to come find me - I'm not infesting broadcast media. You *ask* my server for these packets.
Anyway - for you guys who are here because you heard that John of Argghhh! actually sometimes talked about guns and militaria - here's the navigation map to The Story So Far. They link to the appropriate archives by topic. I'm (still)working a new post on the evolution of the Vickers Machine gun - but these things take time! In fact, here's proof - I have the collecting jones so bad that I actually tracked down this - an actual Australian Army inventory sheet - so that I could fill this (procured buck-nekkid empty three years ago) so that it looks like this.
Hi-res click here.
Anyway - here's some linkages to the discussions - where it says "The Arsenal" is a link to the photo-archive. (always available on the sidebar) - the rest are links to the blog archives.
Rifles
Pistols
Sub-machine Guns
Machine Guns
Gun P0rn: A Naughty Expose' of the fiddly-bits.a>
Artillery
Grenades
Helmets
Ammunition
General Militaria
Guns by Nation
And, of course, there is always the direct link to the Imperial Arsenal itself!
Visitors should also note the following caveats:
Periodic Goblin Warning (SM)
As a service to Goblins who are considering Seizing The Arsenal (this excludes LE types: y'all come with a warrant, knock [no no-knocks, please, the front door is expensive], take what the warrant specifies and we'll talk about it in court - just please take care of 'em, you know, periodic cleaning, oiling, etc. They're used to being spoiled like that) here is a periodic warning on Why Trying To Steal My Collection Isn't A Good Idea.
Note to thieves trying to figure out where I live: Once you do that, you've got to get past the living interior and exterior guard, the security system (hint, cutting the phone and cable WON'T help), and finally, if I'm home - me. WonderWife (TM) v3.x is also right handy with the Winchester M97 trench gun. I like that one because it's handy, will blow you into large chunks, but not pass through the walls of the house to annoy my neighbors. Hardwood floors, so clean-up is easy. I'm a reasonable fellow, if you surrender meekly or run away, that will be fine. Not interested in killing or maiming anyone unless you are dumb enough to attack me or my family. The furry members count as family, BTW. Do that, then I will clean the gene pool. Plus guys, impressive as it looks, it's not as valuable as you might think - and it would be very hard to move, since you would be flooding the market. Not to mention the fact that every dealer within a (classified) radius would have a list of serial numbers and descriptions within 24 hours (ain't the internet great?). Oh, yeah - did I mention that robbing licensees is a federal offense? The feds don't go overboard after little stuff, but whacking this collection would likely garner their interest - so choose your accomodations! Plus 'bangers won't like these - the ones that look like they can shoot a lot - can't, and many of them won't work properly if you hold them sideways like they do in the movies.
So, go find an easier target, eh? No - better yet - get a real job that has better fringes.
Periodic Disclaimer for anti-gunners and law enforcement surfers (I don't mind you LE types) Heck, I don't mind the anti-gun types until they start trying to send LE types to take 'em away... here we go with the Periodic Disclaimer (TM):
Everything you ever see in photos here that I own is fully legal to own, federal, state, and local - WHERE I LIVE! Your mileage may vary, such as living in the Borg Collectives of California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, etc. Though ya might be surprised to find out what's legal where you live. I am a licensed collector (which isn't a license to collect, just to receive via the mails), and that only applies to curio and relic firearms. Fortunately, that's about all I want to own. On these pages I will from time to time share my toys, much like Kim du Toit does.
Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �
Interesting collection of thoughts today John.... lots of disclaimers out there to go along with The Armory.
Newbies- go check it out.... it's very impressive, and extremely cool, even if you're NOT into weapons.
by Were-Kitten on June 27, 2005 7:08 AM
Here, where Liberals infest every child's bedroom, a trip through the Imperial Arsenal is a great antidote to the fetid winds that blow in places like our Borg Colective/People's Republic of Suburban Maryland.
Thanx again John.
by Boquisucio on June 27, 2005 7:48 AM
wow two years. I've been lurking here for about 1 1/2. I remeber my first visit. I did a google search on "something" and in the top ten was "Gun P0rn: a Naughty Expose' of the fiddly-bits"
How could I not click on the link...been a fan ever since.
by John from VA on June 27, 2005 8:42 AM
Nice.
by Neffi on June 27, 2005 11:33 AM
Ran across a gunner's handbook for the Vickers, dated c.1918, in the NDHQ library. If you asked your library people, you might borrow it (and others) on an inter-library loan.
Also, weekend reading:
1. The Emma-Gees- H.W. McBride
2. Machine Guns:History and Tactical Deployment- LCol G.S. Hutchison
3. The Canadian Emma-Gees- LCol C.S. Grafton.
Cheers
JMH
by J.M. Heinrichs on June 27, 2005 9:29 PM
I've got a complete set of original War Office books from WWI, and I've read McBride's book, the other two are new to me, thanks!
by
John of Argghhh! on June 28, 2005 5:58 AM
Just Curious.. what do you think of Turkey Shot as a home defense load? Given that shot that misses should generally not want to go through fairly thin walls...
http://www.remington.com/NR/exeres/00001699pkelbgfuaervnsvy/Product+Category.asp?NRMODE=Published&NRORIGINALURL=%2fammo%2fshotshell%2fam_hevishot_tky%2ehtm&NRNODEGUID=%7b91668DDB-80A5-4A2D-9F08-4A73210230EE%7d&NRQUERYTERMINATOR=1&cookie%5Ftest=1
Righ Now looking at a Mossburg 20 gauge semi auto..
by LarryConley on June 30, 2005 4:38 PM
� Dismissed, Soldier!
June 7, 2005
A good idea, combined with Gun Pr0n!
Over at Barking Moonbat Early Warning System the Skipper posts his idea on what to do about Darfur, while simultaneously helping in Iraq. We concur.
But what really caught our eye was the photograph of Darfurian Women and the Weapons They Like.
Go visit, and take a look. It's a collectors dream! I'm not posting the pic - play nice and go visit the skip - then come back and see if your list agrees with mine.
Lessee - in order front to rear..
German STG44
German/Italian Beretta MP38A SMG
Egyptian Hakim
Italian M91 Carcano Carbine
Two CZ52 Rifles (bayonets extended) Could be 52/57s...
Mauser
M14/M1A (Most likely a 14)
M49/56
I think I got 'em all...
I wouldn't want to be the G4 Ammo guy for this horde, however!
Hat tip to the Heartless Libertarian!
Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �
That job for the G4 should be a cinch. Just order a bucket-o-cartridges-in-a-drum, and there should be plenty of fun for all of them.
I'll hafta research the NSN on that assorted drum though.
by Boquisuicio on June 7, 2005 11:36 AM
Good eye, John- though the Carcano could also be the TS carbine model. Gawd, that StG44- and in great shape, too...
by Neffi on June 7, 2005 12:49 PM
uh... yeah....
and lots of big sticks and a kitchen carving knife too....
Man, you guys are way too good. I AM impressed.
by SangerM on June 7, 2005 1:21 PM
Now what if they are all PMS'n at the same time?
But seriously, would the Stg-44 still be chambered 7.92x33mm? And if so, who would still be making this caliber ammo? Something to ponder on supplying the bucket-o-ammo.
by Boquisucio on June 7, 2005 1:51 PM
Yer thinking too hard, Boq-me-boy, you really are!
by
John of Argghhh! on June 7, 2005 1:53 PM
And the irony is that, if this lady could sell her STG44 as a live, functioning firearm on the collector's market in America, she would be set up for life in the Sudan and could presumably buy a big mansion somewhere away from the fighting. This isn't the first photograph of third-ish militiapeople to feature an STG44; there was a photograph going the rounds a while back of Iraqi militiamen with STG44s modified to fire AK47 magazines, and there was a press shot in the 1970s by... Don McCullin or someone similar, taken in Biafra, or wherever, somewhere, of one of them. There.
by
Ashley Pomeroy on June 7, 2005 2:01 PM
You could smell the burning taco-brain of mine, eh John?
As always, the procurement fullfilment side of me working overtime.
by Boquisucio on June 7, 2005 4:24 PM
Heh, Boq- 9 weapons, possibly 8 different cartridges depending on post-manufacture modifications... gotta be a nightmare for ya...
-and after consulting "The Carcano- Italy's Military Rifle" by Richard Hobbs, that Carcano is either the M1891 or the M1938 carbine- impossible to tell from the pic, as calibre was the only diff.
(and- to get a bit of bayo-geek stuff in here- there are nine different [known] attachment mechanisms for the permanently-mounted folding bayonets)
oooooooooooohhhhh... I want that StG 44 so badly...
by Neffi on June 7, 2005 6:09 PM
Dude - I will *kill* to keep the STG44 for myself!
by
Beth on June 7, 2005 6:59 PM
[bows to SWWBO] Your wish, my lady... and the hurtful part is- if you showed up there with $50 cash and an AK to trade (probably $50-$100 in that region), I'll bet you could walk away with that StG... oh, ow...
by Neffi on June 7, 2005 7:49 PM
OOOOoooooh, Looove the challenge to fill-up the YaYa Squad's bucket-o-boom-boom®.
Let's start with the easy ones:
The MP38: Any TomDicknHarry (hence TDH) can drop a pile of 9x19mm 124gr. FMJ's. into the drum. All TDH has to worry about is that the load is the correct one in order to cycle the SMG.
The Egyptian Hakim: This bad boy was chambered 7.92x57mm. If however, it is a Ljungman AG-42, then we are talking 6.5x55mm.
The Carcano M1991: This LoverBoy kisses off 6.5x52Rmm
The STG42 eats 7.92x33mm
The MAS 49/56: Her diet is 7.5x54mm
Believe it or not we can do almost a one stop shop for the Bucket-o-BoomBoom®. The good folks at Prvi Partisan - PPU makes all of the above calibers.
Unless our CZ52/57, who usually likes 7.5x45mm hasn't been rechambered for 7.62x39mm, The Yaya Squad have them selves a purty Czech Club in their hands.
Placing the order at PPU, is the easy part. The hard part is moving the Bucket-o-BoomBoom®, from Serbia to the Yaya Squad in Darfur. No common carrier wants to touch 1.4S HAZ Class Cargo with a 10foot Pole. Never mind the squimishness by the UN's SFOR, the Govm'ts of Austria and Germany to have this cargo transit through their soil. Best way is to charter an Antonov124 and go straight outta Beograd to the Yayas Camp. Though them AN-124's transport service do come at a purty penny; say at $250K.
by Boquisucio on June 7, 2005 9:00 PM
That's a Hakim (you can tell immediately from the muzzle break).
As for the CZ52... I have 7.62x45 to the tune of 1500 rounds.
by
John of Argghhh! on June 7, 2005 9:07 PM
And Boq... puh-leeze, buddy- don't consider arms supply to Africa in those narrow, regulated ways. The arms trade in Africa and the Middle East is carried on in ways far pre-dating aircraft and EUCs... the arms merchants have been running in guns and ammo to these areas for a long time now, and all the angles have been worked out.
A touch of baksheesh is all that is required for that tramp steamer to land it's cargo of 'tractor parts' from Roumania or Hungary... air traffic is far too conspicuous for the trade. It's all done by sea, eh?
by Neffi on June 7, 2005 10:09 PM
John, Boq, and Neffi, you guys really just amaze the crap out of me. Really!
How did you know about PPU!?! Are they a big ammo supplier or just a big 3rd world supplier. I noticed their US offices are in Boca Raton, Huntingon Beach, and Stratford, CT. Big import towns, those, eh?
What a weird place this is....
by SangerM on June 7, 2005 10:11 PM
I can't speak for Neffi - but Boquisucio and I are, or have been, 'in the trade,' n'est ce pas?
by
John of Argghhh! on June 7, 2005 10:20 PM
Well Neff, I know that there are many ways to skin a cat. But at least I sleep with a clean conscience at night. There's nothing like a good night sleep.
Let's just say that just like the good merchants of another industry say:
"I may sell it, but I don't use it".
Back in the 80's before Yugoslavia became "Balkanized", PPU was a major player in the small arms ammo bidnez. We all know what happened in the 90's when they were forced to almost shut-down. And now that we are buddy-buddies again with the Serbs, there are all of these transport restrictions on the goods.
Logisticly speaking, they are in a Bottleneck. They could rail their stuff out to their Adriatic Port of Bar. But there are very few common carriers that accept this HAZ Class. The few that do, tranship in ports that prohibit them (i.e. Taranto Italy, Marsaxlokk Malta, or any Spanish port). Thus you are forced to truck it accross the continent to Hamburg, Cherbourg, etc. That means that it has to receive transit permits through SFOR (overseer of Bosnia) Austria, Germany, Switzerland. Forget about Italy, Greece, or Rumania Bulgaria; there is Macedonia in the middle. Running a truck full of ammo through Macedonia would be like driving the Good Humor Truck through an elementary school at recess.
Though tortuous, it can be done for sporting calibers, but anything remotely resembling military grade: Forgettaboutit!
And yes, SangerM, PPU has a footprint in Sunny Places for Shady People such as Boca Ratón, for it is there that outfits such as Century Arms do their business.
by Boquisucio on June 8, 2005 7:47 AM
Oh, and John:
Would love to see a pic of the HeadStamp on that 7.5x45mm. Must be a beaut.
by Boquisucio on June 8, 2005 7:51 AM
We can do that!
by
John of Argghhh! on June 8, 2005 9:37 AM
"PPU has a footprint in Sunny Places for Shady People such as Boca Ratón"
Kinda makes you wonder, don't it. What were we saying about people finding their kind?
I suppose it's just about the money in many cases.
by SangerM on June 8, 2005 9:49 AM
Well you know the saying: Birds of a feather...
by Boquisucio on June 8, 2005 10:05 AM
� Dismissed, Soldier!
March 5, 2005
Since I'm busy with computer issues today...
I'll leave you with this video. Watch closely. The Armorer thinks there is a problem with this particular approach, that is visible in the video. Lemme know what you think I'm talking about - or just your comments altogether!
Castle Denizens - this weapon will be available to play with at the party tonight.
Click here to view the video. If you are coming in dial-up, you probably want to right click and save as.
Hat tip to SangerM for the video!
Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �
So, uh...How much for the new weapon? Can I get one this week?
Nice piece. What were the differences in loads? Are there examples of the target?
Thanks for your good work.
Dan Patterson
Arrogant Infidel
Winston-Salem, NC
by Dan Patterson on March 5, 2005 10:34 AM
Two things: a quicker loading system for the magazines would be nice. And, the problem that you are probably referring to: shooting from the hip looks cute on film, but you don't hit anything that you're aiming at when you do it... Have fun with it though.
by Dr_Funk on March 5, 2005 11:04 AM
I take it the drum magazine is legal?
by
Instapilot on March 5, 2005 11:41 AM
Except for the hip shooting thing, I'm good with it. And I want one!
by
Nate on March 5, 2005 11:42 AM
That'd play he*l in the dove field! :-o
It's a shotgun so shooting from the hip is no problem. From the length of the barrel the choke is at least a modified so it will hold pattern out past fifty. If it's intended to shoot buck then it's probably a full and will hold range for a considerable distance past fifty.
Other than the fact that it is a shotgun I can't see where your scruples come in John. Spray and pray? With that much firepower in close combat there wouldn't be time for much prayin'! ;-)
by JarheadDad on March 5, 2005 2:30 PM
I see the prob- no bayonet lug! Good eye, John ;) Looks like a good room-clearer. A bit clumsy on the mag change, but it's not a weapon designed for sustained firing (beyond that drum)
by Neffi on March 5, 2005 2:54 PM
Like, WOW- that is sooo KEWL! Sanger found a video of someone using one of those "round bullet thingies". OMIGOD!
Actually, it is pretty darn cool... Can I play with it later?
by AFSister on March 5, 2005 3:43 PM
Yes, of course you can, ZoomieSib.
Does anyone besides me not feel a little uncomfortable with the amount of flash *inside* the receiver?
by
John of Argghhh! on March 5, 2005 4:53 PM
Auto loading shotguns have that problem- its a matter of the physics being different from that of a regular rifle or pistol cartridge pushing a solid projectile. A shotgun load doesn't produce the gas-seal you need for an efficient gas operated action... this is why the slide-action shotgun is still in use as a combat weapon- when every other military firearm in the world is auto or semi-auto- it's reliable in function. Auto-loading shotguns are fine for doves but when the chips are down serious shotguns still rely on manual reloading actions... (with a few exceptions).
And while the demo flick was impressive in a showy way, any serious guy in that line of business will tell you that the proper tool for the job is a 3rd generation SMG (MP5 for example). Compared to a 12 gauge shotgun, the operator can carry three times the ammo load and maintain accurate burst-fire, with much greater penetration than any shotshell load to boot.
The combat shotgun has it's place but the one in the video is in a sense a 'toy'- flashy and fun on the range... that's my humble opinion and with $3 it'll getcha a Starbucks ;)
by Neffi on March 5, 2005 7:43 PM
Load 'er up with slugs and it's just the ticket for clearing those annoying Bambis from the tonier gah-dens up in Princeton.
"Oh, Reggie, they're at the gardenias again..."
"Don't fret, Cissy, the RonCo™ Deer-O-Matic© is readily to hand."
[*ties red pseudo-regimental tie around head, slaps a drum into the sanger-banger, kicks open the ornate front door and leaps outside*]
"A-DREE-ENNNNNNNN!! I'M COMIN' FOR YOUUUU!!!"
by cw4billt on March 7, 2005 7:28 AM
cw4billt,
It has been a spell since I've had good venison. Mind if I can have some? I don't mind spitting a couple of OO's here and there. Besides the impart a good source of iron and zinc, and tenderizes the meat to boot. What's not to like.
by Boquisucio on March 7, 2005 6:19 PM
Dr. Funk,
with that thing loaded with #4 buckshot, you don't have to aim.....
by Keith Khan on March 11, 2005 7:07 AM
� Dismissed, Soldier!
March 2, 2005
Getting back to my roots.
In light of comments in the post below, it is obviously time to drag this thing back up into the light for all you not-long-time readers. This is just a periodic post for relative newbies to the site who don't realize the real reason I set this thing up was to share my collection with the world - and point out you don't know what the guy next door has in his basement... but that doesn't mean he's a nut. As the blog has morphed over time, now and again I've gotten a little too wrapped up in the politics and the war - and, well, yes, work, too - and I've strayed a bit from my roots. Well that and the great parties the Denizens throw in the comment sections now and again... Please don't stop, Denizens! It makes it fun when sometimes it's real work to maintain (fought off 1,780 spams today, for example... but 132 got through and had to be slain inside the Keep!).
With great hubris I too have made the mistake that many celebrities make - that my opinions on things political somehow matter more than others. Well, not really. This is more the equivalent of standing on a soapbox at "Speakers Corner".
Anyway - for you guys who are here because you heard that John of Argghhh! actually sometimes talked about guns and militaria - here's the navigation map to The Story So Far. They link to the appropriate archives by topic. I'm working a new post on the evolution of the Vickers Machine gun - but these things take time! In fact, here's proof - I have the collecting jones so bad that I actually tracked down this - an actual Australian Army inventory sheet - so that I could fill this (procured buck-nekkid empty three years ago) so that it looked like this.
Hi-res click here.
Anyway - here's some linkages to the discussions - where it says "The Arsenal" is a link to the photo-archive. (always available on the sidebar)
Rifles
Pistols
Sub-machine Guns
Machine Guns
Gun P0rn: A Naughty Expose' of the fiddly-bits.a>
Artillery
Grenades
Helmets
Ammunition
General Militaria
Guns by Nation
And, of course, there is always the direct link to the Imperial Arsenal itself!
Visitors should also note the following caveats:
Periodic Goblin Warning (SM)
As a service to Goblins who are considering Seizing The Arsenal (this excludes LE types: y'all come with a warrant, knock [no no-knocks, please, the front door is expensive], take what the warrant specifies and we'll talk about it in court - just please take care of 'em, you know, periodic cleaning, oiling, etc. They're used to being spoiled like that) here is a periodic warning on Why Trying To Steal My Collection Isn't A Good Idea.
Note to thieves trying to figure out where I live: Once you do that, you've got to get past the living interior and exterior guard, the security system (hint, cutting the phone and cable WON'T help), and finally, if I'm home - me. WonderWife (TM) v3.x is also right handy with the Winchester M97 trench gun. I like that one because it's handy, will blow you into large chunks, but not pass through the walls of the house to annoy my neighbors. Hardwood floors, so clean-up is easy. I'm a reasonable fellow, if you surrender meekly or run away, that will be fine. Not interested in killing or maiming anyone unless you are dumb enough to attack me or my family. The furry members count as family, BTW. Do that, then I will clean the gene pool. Plus guys, impressive as it looks, it's not as valuable as you might think - and it would be very hard to move, since you would be flooding the market. Not to mention the fact that every dealer within a (classified) radius would have a list of serial numbers and descriptions within 24 hours (ain't the internet great?). Oh, yeah - did I mention that robbing licensees is a federal offense? The feds don't go overboard after little stuff, but whacking this collection would likely garner their interest - so choose your accomodations! Plus 'bangers won't like these - the ones that look like they can shoot a lot - can't, and many of them won't work properly if you hold them sideways like they do in the movies.
So, go find an easier target, eh? No - better yet - get a real job that has better fringes.
Periodic Disclaimer for anti-gunners and law enforcement surfers (I don't mind you LE types) Heck, I don't mind the anti-gun types until they start trying to send LE types to take 'em away... here we go with the Periodic Disclaimer (TM):
Everything you ever see in photos here that I own is fully legal to own, federal, state, and local - WHERE I LIVE! Your mileage may vary, such as living in the Borg Collectives of California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, etc. Though ya might be surprised to find out what's legal where you live. I am a licensed collector (which isn't a license to collect, just to receive via the mails), and that only applies to curio and relic firearms. Fortunately, that's about all I want to own. On these pages I will from time to time share my toys, much like Kim du Toit does.
Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �
You know you are a long time reader of Castle Argghhhh! when: You can nearly recite word for word the Periodic Disclaimer for anti-gunner and law enforcement surfers. *grin*
by
Boudicca on March 2, 2005 3:16 PM
And we appreciate our long-suffering Denizens! Even if you did skip the party yesterday!
by
John of Argghhh! on March 2, 2005 4:33 PM
hmmm I see a transmission link for the '48 Studebaker coupe in one of those boxes, and a left-handed Veeblefetzer adjusting tool. And an inverted Tesla conjoining rod...
by Neffi on March 2, 2005 5:59 PM
So *thats* what those are. I wondered.
by
John of Argghhh! on March 2, 2005 6:37 PM
You have dam good stuff, John- the Arsenal is muy impressivo those of us with 'a collection on a budget' are only jealous hehehe
by Neffi on March 2, 2005 6:49 PM
John - I like the Disclaimer, particularly the part about the furry members of the house being family! And on the soapbox thing - you are better than most any other 'moderated' forum (such as a radio talk show) for encouraging conversation and discussion on a wide variety of topics.
I hope the folks who come here mostly for gun pr0n don't feel that the occasional comment party gets too out of hand ;-)
by
Barb on March 2, 2005 7:11 PM
Barb - as I told the one grumpy emailer... unlike radio and tv, he can just scroll past it!
by
John of Argghhh! on March 2, 2005 7:13 PM
Well I haven't seen it before (and skimmed most of it anyway as I'm not planning a break-in or lawsuit anytime soon and have better things to do with my time than to turn you in to the feebs) so I don't mind.
by
Cassandra on March 2, 2005 7:18 PM
I believe in the RKBA. Many many years ago when I was a young teenager (19), I was visiting some friends in CA. It was a hot midsummer night (well, in the south bay a heat wave was 80 degrees but I digress)and I was awake past midnight.
I heard some scraping and footsteps, and I barely turned my head to the window. What I saw froze my blood and I could not scream. I was paralyzed with fear. A man was at my screen window, with a knife, poised to cut his way in. Just then, my friends' dog
came around the corner, growling with deep anger and chased the intruder off. As soon as he was distracted, I rolled off the bed, low crawled to their bedroom and they were WAY ahead of me.
He had a .357 magnum and she had a .22 pistol.
He didn't want to tangle with the dog, but he just leaped the fence and was gone.
This perp came back twice more and the third time they fired warning shots into the ceiling. He took off and was never heard from again.
But that first night was my intro to personal safety. The next day, L taught me how to take apart a .45, and how to load and clean both a revolver and a semiautomatic pistol. He taught me to dry fire using a pencil until I got my glitch worked out and could hit the bull's eye.
N, his wife, is an excellent shot and well, even though I believe in the second amendment, I never worried about it until now.
That was for other people. Not anymore. I don't want my kids to have to worry about their personal safety, but I also don't want to them to be targets.
I don't have an arsenal, but I have some weapons and I know John would howl with laughter if he heard what they were. However, they mean responsibility to me and I take the 2nd seriously.
So, if any of the castle ladies pack some heat, share with this little old bug what you learned and why.
by Cricket on March 2, 2005 7:20 PM
And I concur with Barb - it's your blog - talk about what you want.
If folks come back, you know you're doing something right, neh???
by
Cassandra on March 2, 2005 7:21 PM
I don't own a gun and have never felt the need to buy one, but if I lived somewhere where I needed one, I would like to think I could go out and buy one.
And I have no objection to others owning one.
I grew up with guns in the home (hunting rifles) and have fired one before. I'm not afraid of them - I just never thought of having one. I almost bought one once when the Unit was overseas, but the kids were too young to teach about safety and I was afraid they'd get into it and there would be an accident. At that point in my life I was in my early 20's and wasn't that careful 24/7 - my youngest boy wandered into a neighbors' bedroom once and picked up their pistol (which didn't have the safety on, by the way) and was loaded. I never forget that day. So it wasn't worth it, to me, after seeing my toddler with a loaded pistol in his hand. One second of carelessness is all it takes and I wasn't sure I had what it took to ensure their safety - my boys were curious and climbed like little monkeys.
But I know it's possible to be safe with guns in the home. I just didn't want the responsibility.
by
Cassandra on March 2, 2005 7:28 PM
C'mon, Cassie... you know we try to gauge the crowd. We *need* our claques! But yeah, aside from a weak self-image that's pretty much how things run 'round here.
by
John of Argghhh! on March 2, 2005 7:30 PM
...of course we're talking about a woman whose youngest boy unlocked her tool chest and drilled three little holes over his bed with her favorite push drill before neatly locking it back up again...
sigh...
by
Cassandra on March 2, 2005 7:31 PM
Cricket - I never laugh at people's choices. I may not concur with them, but ya gotta work with what you can handle and what you can afford.
And treat 'em all as dangerous.
by
John of Argghhh! on March 2, 2005 7:31 PM
Well, having seen the Arsenal and a portion of the disclaimer elsewhere, I decided to read it and go to the links.
Blogs are free speech. Iffen I don't like it, I scroll past. Here, though, the only things that make my eyes go out of focus is when the jet jockeys and chopper jocks start talking about lift and physics in relation to enemy identification and I think to myself: That is why they are paid the big bucks.
by Cricket on March 2, 2005 7:31 PM
Cassie - your experience with the pistol and the kid are important considerations. Congratulations on making the prudent choice for the situation.
Many people don't.
And I don't keep loaded weapons. That's my compromise.
by
John of Argghhh! on March 2, 2005 7:38 PM
I think that's what played into it for me.
The only point for me in having a weapon was for protection. And if it was going to be any good, it kind of needed to be loaded - I wasn't going to have time to stop and load it if someone broke in.
But with small children around, I didn't want to keep a loaded weapon in my home. So it was rather a catch-22, since I was afraid I wouldn't be vigilant enough (others might, but I was afraid I wouldn't, given the inquisitiveness of my boys). And though I'm extremely conscientious about big things, I'm the kind of person who often leaves caps off things, so I just didn't think I ought to take that kind chance.
But if we ever move to the country where there are no police, I'll get a big dog and a gun in a heartbeat. It's the difference between feeling relatively safe and knowing you need to rely on yourself.
by
Cassandra on March 2, 2005 7:53 PM
My pieces are loaded, always. I keep one in my bedstand, one in the bookcase near the front door, one in a hidden compartment in the Jeep, and I carry a Sig in a paddle holster (legally). But my kid is grown and gone away... my daughter (at UTSA in Texas) is a crack shot with a revolver and practices regularly. She is also thoroughly familiar with the TX laws regarding use of deadly force, and mature enough to pack the heat (years of training and exposure, courtesy her Old Man).
Obviously, this situation isn't for everyone... and might be unnecessary. But then- a convicted child molester just recently went on a rampage down the road in Denver, raping five women and children (known)in three days before being caught. I believe in being ready...
by Neffi on March 2, 2005 7:59 PM
What is it Bob Heinein said..."an armed society is a polite society"?
That always made me laugh.
by
Cassandra on March 2, 2005 8:03 PM
HEINLEIN...
argghhh
by
Cassandra on March 2, 2005 8:05 PM
Residing here at The People's Republic of Suburban Maryland, you hafta be coy about poking 158gr. of LRN's; even in the defense of your own home. Couple of months ago, a home owner in the same county, got prosecuted when a fiend broke into his own home. Thank God the jury saw the light and did not convict. No one should go through so much headaches, sleepless nights and legal fees trying to justify the defence of your own family.
At least I'm not 3 miles down the road in DC, where even peashooters are verboten.
John, thanks for reinviting me into your Armoury. 'Tis many moons since I poked my head into the nether cubbies of your collection. Thanx
by Boquisucio on March 2, 2005 8:29 PM
Sir, and Ma'am:
I do wish y'all would put a stouter door, and a better lock, on the likker locker. When the Maenads and Scruples get going, I just want to hide in a corner, having first grabbed a shiny pretty weapon to take apart and reassemble to distract myself from their shrieking and howling.
by Justthisguy on March 2, 2005 8:56 PM
JTG - noted, but it doesn't work. Bad Cat Robot gave the little weasels handheld Dimension Doors. Bill's working on a fix, but he used the wrong screws and the gizmos fell apart from the vibration due to the dancing.
Boqs - you pretty much just confirmed why I should post a variation on this post more often!
by
John of Argghhh! on March 2, 2005 9:00 PM
Understood, Sir.
We have, I betcha, all of us, been wrongly screwed (morally, if not physically) at one time or another.
by Justthisguy on March 2, 2005 9:10 PM
Cricket - Both Hubby and I have handguns, not for any particular protection event, just 'cause. His 'n' hers handguns for protection, several rifles for hunting (which are going on the sale block soon, doubtful we'll hunt anytime soon with 'em), and shotguns for trap shooting.
Don't pack yet, in the sense of carrying concealed - because I want to take a class before I do. It's on the to-do list, though :-)
by
Barb on March 2, 2005 10:31 PM
I have never been wrongly or badly screwed physically, as even bad is good.
Morally, I've been raped. No-lube, prison nightmare raped.
But I got over it. Though the perpetrator survived and prospered. The Multi-verse is a cruel mistress without conscience or care.
by
John of Argghhh! on March 3, 2005 6:30 AM
� Dismissed, Soldier!
February 25, 2005
The Answer
All righty then... yesterday I brought out the Arsenal's Chinese Type 51 copy of the Soviet Tokarev pistol. He was damaged during his career on active service, though not as badly as his previous owner who was deadlined and dropped from the reporting system.
And the answer? How many dings?
And the Lord of the Keep spake, saying, 'First shalt thou peer closely, seeking the places where metal is not, yet whereat it should be. Then shalt thou count those places where metal, due to energetic energy transfer, hath been made thinner, yet denser, than previous. Seek thou also the place where plastic no longer is where it once was. Truly, there shall also be a lessening of metal, and a increase in density there. When thou has done this aright - Then, shalt thou count to four. No more. No less. Four shalt be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be four. Five shalt thou not count, nor either count thou three, excepting that thou then proceed to four. Six is right out. Once the number four, being the fourth number, be reached, then, lobbest thou thy Cap of Celebration towards yonder scruple, who, being naughty in My sight, shall snuff it.' So ends this reading from the Book of the Castle, Chapter Miniatus Armas.
Indeed. Four is the answer. Except when it is five. As it is. But not for this, as the 5th point of damage is on the side that is terra incognito - the Far Side of the Pistol, (a new album coming soon from Pink Floyd). The hit on the backstrap hit a pin which transferred the energy over to the other side, damaging that grip as well. Per the comments from some of you yesterday, you may recognize this staining pattern, as well. There's more than that, but it proved challenging to photograph with the time I have this morning.
Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �
Its a pitty that Mr. Parker hasn't been much acquainted with her as of late. Then again, her patina fits her well for an old girl like her.
by Boquisucio on February 25, 2005 9:05 AM
Well, she'd be offended to be parked, since she was blued! Some girls are just old fashioned girls...
by
John of Argghhh! on February 25, 2005 6:04 PM
I guess it wasn't a holy handgrenade that caused the damage?!?
Mighty small dings if from a 30 cal. MG.
by SezaGeoff on February 26, 2005 4:59 AM
Geoff - who actually knows when the damage occured - the owner was pretty badly used, having been pounded back into a burning BTR, with cooking off ammo and spalling from the .50 caliber fire that continued to pound the BTR because the occupants were fighting to the end.
Sorry I can't *exactly* account for what caused each bit of damage. It wasn't someplace you wanted to be.
And go figure how the pistol survived the fire without damage...
by
John of Argghhh! on February 26, 2005 6:11 PM
Just wondering,
I hear that 140lbs worth of protein makes a great fire blanket.
by Boquisucio on February 28, 2005 12:12 PM
OK, Boq, since you brought it up....
I wasn't gonna post my thoughts on that, they being the kind to provoke the "Ewww Gross!" response in my self and others, but I must say that water, H2O, is famous for its great heat capacity, and I think an "object" composed mostly of water may well have fallen across that there pistol and absorbed a lot of that fire's heat.
by Justthisguy on February 28, 2005 10:47 PM
Justy,
Sorry for the distasteful images that I conjured. Usually, I'm all thumbs when expressing myself.
by Boquisucio on March 1, 2005 8:49 AM
� Dismissed, Soldier!
February 24, 2005
Okay - we did it with Bill, now let's do it with me.
Get yer mind out of the gutter.
This is the Arsenal's Chinese Type 51 Pistol, a copy of the Soviet TT33. Like "Hubert," Twitchy Bill's Trusty Steed, this pistol and its previous owner had a tough day at the office.
Unlike Twitchy and Hubert, the pistol's then-owner did not survive the encounter. Evidence of the encounter is visible on the pistol. How many hits do you see?
Click here for hi-res.
Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �
6, maybe 7??
by AFSister on February 24, 2005 10:11 AM
I see 4 hits.
by
cowboy blob on February 24, 2005 10:12 AM
A 1966 Vintage, 7.62x25mm Tokarev Chink Knock-off. Nice museum piece; though I wouldn't like to get poked by one.
Of all the baby pictures, its good to see that were willing to adopt even ugly ducklings like that. Good thing for you that its previous parent wasn't too quick on its trigger.
At a quick glace, I count Four (4) chips: Middle-Rear Slide, Trigger, Lower Receiver, and Lower-Rear Hand Grip.
by Boquisucio on February 24, 2005 10:19 AM
It was an orphan, what could I do? Actually - I like the Tokarevs as shooters. Fit my hand comfortably, reasonably accurate. Not the most potent round, perhaps... but who uses just one anyway?
by
John of Argghhh! on February 24, 2005 10:25 AM
Looks like six definite Close Encounters of the Third Kind with an M-79 round and two possibles, for a guess of eight:
1. Sleeve above safety.
2. Two possibles on top of sleeve, just to the right of #1.
3. Trigger.
4. Frame between grip and trigger.
5. Two on rear of frame, one intruding into grip.
6. Just below "8" of "1968."
Lot of minor dings and pitting (good ol' ChiCom backyard blast-furnace steel).
by cw4billt on February 24, 2005 10:36 AM
It's a 1966, for clarity's sake. Made at Factory 66. It did *not* however, come from where you might expect from that date.
by
John of Argghhh! on February 24, 2005 10:38 AM
I see 4, but there could be one more toward the front (a hazy area.)
Which leads me to wonder, if the gun got hit 4 times, how many times did the owner get hit. Ouch.
-SangerM
by SangerM on February 24, 2005 10:40 AM
Actually, could this have belonged to someone on the wrong side of a claymore? Looks possible. . .
by SangerM on February 24, 2005 10:54 AM
Claymore wouldn't have left that much pistol to be picked up.
by name muffy the merciless on February 24, 2005 11:04 AM
What Muffy said.
The individual holding the pistol had just finished really pissing someone off by shooting it at them.
Those were the 'ti-ti' hits.
The sent/returned ratio was about 30 to 1. Then the belt had to be changed.
by
John of Argghhh! on February 24, 2005 11:10 AM
John,
Certainly, for its day the Tokarev was the cat's meow. At an age in which the best that the EuroWeenies could match was the 6.35x16mm, the TT was a Tiger in comparison.
And besides, a parent's love is unconditional; specialy to his adopted children.
by Boquisucio on February 24, 2005 11:11 AM
oh
by SangerM on February 24, 2005 11:18 AM
Late as usual, I see. Even at highest res, I only see 4, myself.
Ouch, indeed.
by
Barb on February 24, 2005 11:27 AM
*grin*
Belts, huh?
Since it didn't leave the field with its owner, and assuming that the owner didn't leave under his own steam... Does it really matter..?
by Sgt. B. on February 24, 2005 2:48 PM
SGT B - yep, and I should correct the earlier... the sent/recieved ratio from the pistol's perspective was 1 to 30, not the other way around.
by
John of Arghhh! on February 24, 2005 3:08 PM
cw;
I saw the same, plus a possible in the lower right corner of the grip. That's pretty fuzzy, but there's a streak and dimple I can't explain otherwise there.
by Brian H on February 24, 2005 6:06 PM
Brian H - That's the half-ring the lanyard clips to.
by cw4billt on February 24, 2005 7:04 PM
I saw four dings. I imagine you've cleaned it. My (definitely, but still talks to me) ex-sweety has an Arisaka her Daddy brought home (late production, with gross tool marks) which has its Mum and some "brown" stains on the stock.
She is absolutely opposed to cleaning off the "protein stains."
by Justthisguy on February 24, 2005 7:05 PM
Anybody know where "Factory 66" is? My 213 is stamped with a 66 within a triangle; absolutely no Chinese stampings.
by
cowboy blob on February 24, 2005 7:50 PM
I see four hits fer sher... and I expect that on a dark, still night- with the moon glowly softly through the mists swirling about the Redoubt of Castle Arrgh- a somewhat tattered spectre drifts slowly through the halls and chambers... seeking his pistol... [flicker of blue light; rolling crash of thunder] oooooohhh...
by Neffi on February 24, 2005 7:57 PM
Well the Chinese have delt with Albania and Cuba alot. so I say it may be from the Yugoslavian-Kosovo area, or Grenada.
I also see only the 6 dings
by
gunner on February 24, 2005 9:44 PM
I once owned a No 1 Mk III Lee Enfield whose former user had had a very bad day. The forward end of the forestock/handguard and the rear part of the buttstock were completely filled with chunks of ragged metal on the left side. The area not affected corresponded to where a human torso would have protected the stock. Sorta felt creepy holding the rifle and imagining an HE round or grenade going off behind me.
by Robert From NC on February 24, 2005 10:24 PM
Oh, and by the way, I only see 3 hits on the pistol, since the notch in the slide ahead of the slide release is there for takedown purposes, and I'm betting the grip area was covered by the wielder's hand. (Shadowy areas on the grip appear to be logo and lanyard ring)
by Robert From NC on February 24, 2005 10:33 PM
� Dismissed, Soldier!
February 23, 2005
OKay, let's answer that teaser...
The consensus (with some not-so-gentle shoving by the Armorer) was moving towards a Vickers firing lock. Some people picked up on the hint that when the Armorer does this sort of thing he's using pictures which are up in the Arsenal photo album... and paid attention to what folder was what.
Of course, in preparation for this, there was also some Maxim stuff in that folder...
Here is a Vickers lock and a Maxim lock side by side - and just as importantly - they are oriented as if they were in their respective receivers.
They are in the 'locked' position - ready to fire.
Some of you twigged fairly early to a Maxim-style lock (on the right in this photo, a Russian/Finn M1910). All Maxims, all calibers, use a lock that is virtually identical. There may be slight dimensioning differences based on calibers and materials, but they all follow this pattern.
The Vickers is a Maxim-derived gun - and the difference is in the lock. The Vickers shoots more quickly, and is smaller and lighter than equivalent-caliber water-cooled Maxims. And the secret to that is in the lock. Vickers took Maxim's design and left the extractor as it was (that's the part to the right side of the locks which strip, feed, and eject the rounds) and flipped the lock upside down. This made the 'break' of the knuckle in recoil all take place within the vertical space occupied by the lock - instead of breaking below the lock, like the Maxim does. Got that?
1. Strip.
2. Feed.
3. Eject.
This action is why you cock a Maxim-style gun twice... once to strip from the belt, second time to feed the stripped round to the breech, while stripping the next round.
A safety note. In the pics above, you see what looks like a cut-out in the extractor. That's actually a modification done to make the lock safe to handle. This was a training lock used by the Finns. These weapons are VERY DANGEROUS - aside from the Usual Caveats for firearms - WHEN HANDLING THE LOCK. Why? Because the lock contains the firing pin, firing pin spring, sear, and hammer - though you wouldn't recognize the hammer as such. Technically, it's termed a *tumbler*. Point being - if you have a round in the extractor, in front of the firing pin, and you trip the sear (not hard to do) you have an unsupported round that is going to explode. Wear your goggles and Interceptor if you are planning on running with these scissors.
In this picture, you can see how a Maxim operates - loading, firing, ejecting. In most machineguns - the action is straight line - reciprocating back and forth, with the bolt twisting to lock in the breech. On Maxim's guns - the lock stays in the vertical plane, but the actual 'locking' of the weapon occurs when the arm returns to horizontal. Then, upon firing, the barrel gets an initial rearward impulse that moves the recoil plates back along the sides of the locking arm, camming it to break, at which point the lock continues rearward against the action of the fusee spring, which sends the lock forward again to start the process all over again. Complicated. Expensive - but damned reliable, which is why the Maxim still serves in China, and the Vickers served in Brit usage until 1968 or so. But all that, with pictures... is the subject of a later eye-glazing post.
Let's take a look at the locks overlaid on a full-scale poster of the Soviet Maxim. If you click the link, you'll see the Maxim lock overlaid on the poster. Take a look at how the receiver extends down below the water jacket surrounding the barrel (the right side of the picture).
Now take a look at a Vickers. Although this picture doesn't show it that well (hey, excuse to take more!) the receiver on the Vickers is not much deeper than the water jacket - and the reason for that is the weapon ejects the spent brass through a hole right under the water jacket. A tremendous savings in strategic materials, weight, production time, and an increase in firing rate. What more could you ask? The Maxim is much deeper, hence heavier and more clumsy to lug around. I wish I had an MG08/15 to show the attempt to deal with that.
That then - is the genius of the Vickers modification to Maxim's design. Flipping the lock. Just look at the space it saves.
The drawings in this post are from Dolf Goldsmith's book, The Devil's Paintbrush - though the actual drawings are Ministry of Defense drawings from the MoD Pattern Room. Anyone who is *serious* about their machineguns parts with the lucre for those two books - which aren't cheap.
Vickers - The Grand Old Lady of No Man's Land.
Maxim - The Devil's Paintbrush.
Available from the publisher, and elsewhere, I'm sure.
Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �
Mine hat doth tip on to you, Master of this Keep.
That Belgie Engineer was truly an inspired man. To devise this contraption at such an early developmental age, took great forethought.
by Boquisucio on February 23, 2005 8:14 AM
I'll stick with Wayne Mutza's pubs. He sends me freebies [*large cheese-munching grin*]...
by cw4billt on February 23, 2005 8:50 AM
And Hiram was born in Maine. Just sayin'.
So, who's Wayne Mutza and do I wanna get to know him?
by
John of Argghhh! on February 23, 2005 9:17 AM
Wayne Mutz is a photographer- I just sent you a pic on email.
by AFSister on February 23, 2005 9:32 AM
ok- make that "MutzA". Wayne Mutz is, like, a totally different dude. Ohmygaud, he is so NOT Wayne Mutza!
by AFSister on February 23, 2005 9:34 AM
INteresting to note that the .50 cal Browning also must be double pumped, again, first to strip the round from the belt, and second to insert the round into the chamber. The .50 is a closed bolt weapon, and is the ONLY machinegun that we would initiate ambushed with (the M60 and M249 were open bolt, and if the round failed to fire, the bad guys would hear the distinctive sound of the bolt slamming home...
Keep 'em comin' Papa! Thanks for the G-2!
by Sgt. B. on February 23, 2005 10:02 AM
Wayne Mutza is also a technical writer--he's done books for Squadron Pubs (among others), making the mysteries and intricacies of various aircraft palatable for the aficionados.
Dunno if you'd want to get to know him, though, John--he's kinda old, y'know? I mean, the guy's got at least six months on me...or I've got six months on him. I forget...
by cw4billt on February 23, 2005 11:21 AM
Well, Bill, you're not 55 yet are ya? if not, you ain't old.
Otherwise, oops.
:-)
by SangerM on February 23, 2005 11:40 AM
Been red shifting from the double-nickel for some time now...don'tcha remember that e-gram: "Dude--yer OLD!"
by cw4billt on February 23, 2005 1:00 PM
Sanger- Remember Twitchy Bill in the picture is a 1st Lieutenant college graduate in Vietnam...
Dude is oooooold.
Bill - I like you older guys... easier to trick you out of Margarita money!
by
John of Argghhh! on February 23, 2005 1:41 PM
And we like you guys because after the first one, you never realize that your drink gets smaller every time you turn your head...or that your change keeps disappearing a quarter at a time...or that charges for six-packs of Geritol keep showing up on your AmEx bill...
by cw4billt on February 23, 2005 2:30 PM
� Dismissed, Soldier!
February 21, 2005
Teaser
Here's a teaser for an upcoming series of posts I'm working on. Another multi-day fest of Gun Pr0n!
Anybody besides JMH and Neffi (c'mon guys, it's not like it's a challenge for you - this would be like having a pro player on a high school team) want to hazard a guess as to what this is? For? Etc? You two can respond email so you can still count your coup points...
I'll give you something I usually leave out - scale. This is a little larger than life size.
Update: Here's a really obtuse hint. Just cuz' SWWBO's gone and I'm feeling mean.
Otay. Here's another hint.
Yet another hint...
Final (I think) Update:
Okay - we're getting close now. CRFan - I'm jealous you've got an MG08/15!
Final hints - look at the pic, look at the pics below - and tell me which one you think is which - and why... because there is a key difference, and it is the key difference between any weapon with Maxim in it's name and a Vickers (vice a Maxim-Vickers... which, has Maxim in it's name, but sometimes you guys don't keep tips like that in mind). I dunno about you guys - this really wasn't intended as a "What is it?" post like I've done in the past - but this one has been fun for me.
Pic 1.
Pic 2.
Pic 3.
Pic 4.
Okay - one of 'em is a red herring for Phil! Wanna take a guess at what that is, Phil? It's not the obvious one...
Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �
Hammer, Ordnance, Armourer for the use of, MK1*
too easy....
by Neffi on February 21, 2005 10:02 AM
Pintle, machinegun...
M60 series?
by Sgt. B. on February 21, 2005 10:17 AM
Belt buckle pistol from WWII?
by Mike on February 21, 2005 10:19 AM
All three are *not* correct.
by
John of Argghhh! on February 21, 2005 10:22 AM
Wuz looking at that and came to the same conclusion... It'd be difficult to elevate the weapon...
by Sgt. B. on February 21, 2005 10:36 AM
Ian Hogg's favorite paperweight!
by Neffi on February 21, 2005 10:44 AM
...errrr.. that would be Ivan, natch
by Neffi on February 21, 2005 10:48 AM
Ivan?
by
John of Argghhh! on February 21, 2005 11:00 AM
Hmmm, about 60% of normal weekday traffic at this point... which indicates an awful lot of readers are gov't/bankers surfing from work!
by
John of Argghhh! on February 21, 2005 11:06 AM
Government Issue automatic nose picker. (For those really hard to get loogies.)
by
GEBIV on February 21, 2005 11:12 AM
Consider the topic, John! I have no idea what the first pic is, and the 'obtuse hint' was not terribly helpful ;-)
by
Barb on February 21, 2005 11:15 AM
My comment was on visitors, not commenters!
by
John of Argghhh! on February 21, 2005 12:11 PM
A cannon lock. Is that round smooth part on the left where you tie the lanyard?
by Justthisguy on February 21, 2005 12:32 PM
Nope. I've provided another hint.
by
John of Argghhh! on February 21, 2005 1:00 PM
Yet another piece of equipment to chuck down the TC's hatch to see if the gunner and loader are on their toes...
by Sgt. B. on February 21, 2005 1:10 PM
I'm with Barb on this one (although I do work for a financial company and am off work today- LOL!).
Looks like some fandangled (technical term, ranks up there with "whatchamacallit", "thingy" and "thingamajig") corkscrew to me.
Pass me the wine, willya, Sanger? You bottle hog!
by AFSister on February 21, 2005 2:21 PM
It's part of one of those thingamajigs. You know, the kind that go BANG really loud and wake up the neighbors? Like guns. That's it. Kinda like guns.
by spd rdr on February 21, 2005 2:22 PM
The hints are so-o-o helpful, thanks!
Could you pass the bottle over here next, AFSis? I'm at work, but I need something to drink anyway.
by
Barb on February 21, 2005 3:12 PM
Blech...I can't get either of your hints to open in either IE or MF.
But it's obviously the hatch release handle on a Panzerkampfwagen Mk IIc.
by
cowboy blob on February 21, 2005 3:29 PM
Or a mounting attachment for a Boys Antitank Rifle?
by
cowboy blob on February 21, 2005 3:33 PM
Barb- catch. And don't spill. No party fouls allowed at work- gets the boss really angry.
See John? I HAVE been paying attention to your lessons in weaponry. spd rdr confirmed my suspicion that this is, in fact, a thingamajig. And here you thought I'd been goofing off in Tech Terms 101!
Of course, everyone else is claiming this is a part to a gun thingy, but I'm sticking to the corkscrew theory.
Yellow Tail, anyone??? *hic*
by AFSister on February 21, 2005 3:37 PM
A Jack or some other type of hoisting equipment.
by TIM C on February 21, 2005 4:39 PM
And it turns an M-5 Stewart tank into a lowrider, right?
by
Cowboy Blob on February 21, 2005 4:45 PM
Jack... that's a good guess in some respects.
Completely wrong, but understandable.
A lotta you guys have never *seen* an armored vehicle jack up close, have you. I did say the pic was slightly larger than 1:1...
by
John of Argghhh! on February 21, 2005 4:52 PM
Thanks, AFSis! No breakage here, wouldn't waste a nice wine.
by
Barb on February 21, 2005 5:29 PM
Looks like a Shock Puller.
by purple raider on February 21, 2005 5:52 PM
Just so it's clear... it's a firearm component...
by
John of Argghhh! on February 21, 2005 6:01 PM
I'm going with the Fingerspitzengefuehl.
Degtyarev lockwork.
by Justthisguy on February 21, 2005 6:01 PM
It is the lock from a Maxim or Vickers machinegun, which are the same thing only with different names because Vikers was just the first company licensed to produce the Maim designed gun.
by Chris Denny on February 21, 2005 6:17 PM
Corkscrew. I'm tellin' ya- it's a corkscrew. Even has a cute little foilcutter and a re-corker. Very convenient.
by AFSister on February 21, 2005 6:25 PM
Chris - you are close - but they aren't the same thing. There is a significant difference between the Vickers-Maxim and the Vickers. Between any Maxim and a Vickers.
So, to keep it from being just a guess... if you think that's what it is - which is it, and why?
by
John of Argghhh! on February 21, 2005 6:37 PM
It's the barrel release mechanism for a Bren gun.
Either that or a cigarette lighter.
by
cowboy blob on February 21, 2005 6:40 PM
Hmmmm. Blob, that's so out in left field I'm tempted to trot downstairs and take a picture of the barrel release of a Bren...
by
John of Argghhh! on February 21, 2005 6:47 PM
Since you are a red leg and I see what I think is an optic I'd say the head assembly for a primitive (antique) aiming circle
by
Phil on February 21, 2005 6:57 PM
I wish I had about 10 of them for my 08/15--the only one I see for sale is $550 retail. The lock is the heart of the gun.
by CRFan on February 21, 2005 7:02 PM
I am indeed a Redleg, and I own about eight or nine - I'd have to go count - different aiming circles... but this ain't one of 'em!
by
John of Argghhh! on February 21, 2005 7:02 PM
...ruptured case extracter for da Vickie??
by Neffi on February 21, 2005 7:20 PM
breech assembly/disassembly tools
by
Phil on February 21, 2005 7:26 PM
Dang, you have a Bren, too? I'm olive-drab with envy.
by
cowboy blob on February 21, 2005 7:56 PM
Is it a barrel release for a Vickers/Maxim, then?
by
cowboy blob on February 21, 2005 7:59 PM
Blob - Heh. I hate to break it to ya, son. I have a Mark I and a Mark II. Someone hasn't been paying attention on the Castle tours...
All - make sure you check the updates. There's new pics up there - and no, Blob, that ain't a barrel release. To get the barrels out of either of those guns you had to unload 'em, pull off the backplates, remove the recoil plates with the barrel secured in them by the trunnions. And then ya hadda repack your asbestos seals.
by
John of Argghhh! on February 21, 2005 8:09 PM
OK I would say it is from a vickers as it has more parts and see,s to have a higher level of fit and finish than one would see on a Maxim made in russia like yours.
by Chris Denny on February 21, 2005 8:09 PM
Well, it's a Vickers part because it's in the Vickers folder...and the post's subject line is "gun pics / machine guns" but damned if I can tell what it is, perhaps the rear sight?
by
cowboy blob on February 21, 2005 8:47 PM
Magazine release, perhaps?
by
cowboy blob on February 21, 2005 9:01 PM
Blob - go look at the Maxim folder... or the Maxim posts in the Machine Gun/Gun Porn archives...
by
John of Argghhh! on February 21, 2005 9:02 PM
And Blob... since when do belt-feds have magazines?
Let's see who jumps that comment first...
by
John of Argghhh! on February 21, 2005 9:08 PM
No, wait...not magazine, it's not the aircraft version. My final guess, part of the trigger mechanism.
by
cowboy blob on February 21, 2005 9:21 PM
ooh ooh MG34... used drum mags in the AA role... [pant pant]
by Neffi on February 21, 2005 9:24 PM
I'd argue that point. You could argue they were just round boxes for the belts. No springs were involved, you couldn't just load 'em with bullets sansabelt (heh) and expect 'em to fire...
by
John of Argghhh! on February 21, 2005 9:26 PM
MG Lock?
by
cowboy blob on February 21, 2005 9:39 PM
Well, ok- but a magazine is just an enclosed box containing cartridges to be fed to the mech of the gun, independent of a seperate source (ie ammo box). The saddle drum for the MG34 is kinda a hybrid, eh? Belt feed within a magazine... hmmmmmm mebbe you could say a true belt gun has a feed pawl, while a mag gun relies on springs within the magazine to force the cartridges into play. So the MG34 (sans feed tray cover) will accept a magazine, but is still belt-fed for all that... my head hurts, I'm going beddies...
by Neffi on February 21, 2005 9:42 PM
While you're all wracking your brains, contest on my blog, no weapons involved...Sorry.
Lotsa weapons elsewhere, though!
http://cowboyblob.blogspot.com/2005/02/where-is-it.html
by
cowboy blob on February 21, 2005 10:38 PM
No wonder the scruples keep getting out--you took the trandimensional sub-quantum heavy-left router off their cage!
I will not be responsequence for the consibles to any etaoinshrdlu...
by cw4billt on February 22, 2005 5:29 AM
I see the drugs are kicking in, Bill. You've got to keep an eye on those dogs...
by
John of Argghhh! on February 22, 2005 5:47 AM
Don' need no steenkeeng drawgs.
Sorry (Darn--I always do that on tequila...).
by cw4billt on February 22, 2005 7:01 AM
pft. Bill- you broke out the tequila at 5AM!
And didn't invite me, Cass, Barb OR Cricket? I would have brought limes and salt, and Cricket has been working so hard on her Mexican menu.
hmpf. I thought we were friends.....
by AFSister on February 22, 2005 9:32 AM
AFSis - wondered where you guys were. Been waiting for you in the "HOO-AH!" post...
Ow!
by cw4billt on February 22, 2005 9:56 AM
...feedpawl?
*don't laugh too hard plz*
by YaRdApE on February 22, 2005 10:52 AM
Scratch that...it's the biocanooten valve off the Johnson Rod...
...or it's the stabilizer joint from a Belgian waffle maker...
It's a toughie.
by YaRdApE on February 22, 2005 11:55 AM
If it's not a Vickers MG lock, it's a Maxim MG lock that got misplaced in your Vickers kit.
Right?
by
cowboy blob on February 22, 2005 1:58 PM
� Dismissed, Soldier!
February 18, 2005
Just sayin'
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.
Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �
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 ;-)
by
Barb on February 18, 2005 12:05 PM
I note, as James Earl Carter was wont to say, "with hevvuh hot," the conspicuous absence of TOW tube(s).
Heh.
Heh times six...
by cw4billt on February 18, 2005 12:34 PM
Hmmm, it's nice to have goals we aspire to...
Nice... Pretties...
by Sgt. B. on February 18, 2005 12:45 PM
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...
by Neffi on February 18, 2005 12:47 PM
Neffi - I'm college educated--ya doesn't has ta call me "lug"...
by cw4billt on February 18, 2005 12:54 PM
By the way, what's up with the trowel in the middle of all the petunia markers?
by cw4billt on February 18, 2005 12:56 PM
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.
by AFSister on February 18, 2005 1:08 PM
Beanie Babies! That's what his collection needs!
Impaled on the tips, just so folks walking too close to the wall don't get SangerM'd...
by cw4billt on February 18, 2005 1:16 PM
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!
by
John of Argghhh! on February 18, 2005 1:35 PM
Neffi- yes, please explain.
by AFSister on February 18, 2005 1:37 PM
As John sez, it 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...
by Neffi on February 18, 2005 2:13 PM
Looks like that was standard recreation, judging by the curvature on a few of 'em.
by cw4billt on February 18, 2005 2:27 PM
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.
by AFSister on February 18, 2005 2:28 PM
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.
by Boquisucio on February 18, 2005 2:28 PM
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.
by
John of Argghhh! on February 18, 2005 2:33 PM
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.
by
John of Argghhh! on February 18, 2005 2:36 PM
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!
by Neffi on February 18, 2005 3:40 PM
Well, let's stand off 3,000 meters apart and see who--.
Dang. Six tubes, zero missiles.
Okay, then--bayonets at 3,000 meters...
by cw4billt on February 18, 2005 3:59 PM
Hey, go for the Bimp, too--make Monteith posilutely viridian...
by cw4billt on February 18, 2005 4:01 PM
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...
by
John of Argghhh! on February 18, 2005 4:15 PM
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...
by Sgt. B. on February 18, 2005 6:29 PM
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?
by AFSister on February 18, 2005 6:46 PM
SGT B.- google 'surplus military vehicles', and hang onto yer wallet! But most of the good stuff is in Europe (natch)...
AFSis, from left to right is a British Infantry Officer's sword by Wilkinson, embossed on the blade with a family crest of a stag's head and laurel leaves, and the initials LMG in fancy script. Made in 1868, according to Wilkinson records (via the serial number). Next is a French artillery sidearm, made in Paris in first part of 19th century. These were for defense if enemy forces broke through, but were mostly used as machetes to clear brush etc in front of the guns... Patterned after the Roman gladius, the Springfield arsenal copied it for US issue- French weaponry was on the 'cutting edge' then hehe
and the last one 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...
by Neffi on February 18, 2005 7:14 PM
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... ;)
by Neffi on February 18, 2005 8:18 PM
Thanks Neffi!
by AFSister on February 18, 2005 9:17 PM
Humph!
I'm not permitted to put a edge on my parade sword (Wilkinson, natch) so I would have to beat my opponent to death ...
http://www.wilkinson-swords.co.uk/uk_swords/army/infantry.html
Nice collection of blades!
Cheers
JMH
by J.M. Heinrichs on February 18, 2005 9:31 PM
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!
by Justthisguy on February 18, 2005 9:49 PM
Is that WD-40 I see???? Eeeekkkkk!!!!!! You gummed up dinosaur.
Corrosion X my friend. Corrosion X. Once you use it, you will never go back.
http://www.cbhobbies.com/corrosionx/forguns.html
by
CDR Salamander on February 18, 2005 10:41 PM
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?
by cw4billt on February 18, 2005 11:52 PM
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...
by emdfl on February 19, 2005 4:31 AM
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.
by
John of Argghhh! on February 19, 2005 8:35 AM
John,
I'm with you. Ah, the sweet smell of gun mayo permeating the air.
by Boquisucio on February 19, 2005 8:58 AM
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"...
by cw4billt on February 19, 2005 10:58 AM
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...
by Neffi on February 19, 2005 12:58 PM
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.
by
CDR Salamander on February 21, 2005 9:22 PM
� Dismissed, Soldier!
February 16, 2005
Baby Pictures!
I had an email exchange with Neffi yesterday, inspired by the Mulligan Day post.
Just co-inky-dink, I guess, but today I received in the mail a pair of checkered walnut grips for the Sig (replacing the too-slick plastic originals). So MD is off to a good start... better get some pork chops on the way home!
He then sent me a picture of his new baby. Which gave me an idea. Baby Pictures! Mebbe a monthly thing, where you guys send me pictures of your babies and we here at the Castle post 'em? Along with any good stories if you have 'em. If you have ugly babies, they can be anonymous - ugly in the sense that you don't want your friends and neighbors to know you have, well, y'know, guns. Of course, people like that likely don't visit here much. We can also elide s/n's from the picture for those of you who have concerns about that. And perhaps Neffi will provide pics of his MP40 other than that teaser he sent a while ago...
Anyway - to initiate the process - here's a picture of Neffi's baby, a SIG P232.
A slightly higher-res picture is available here.
Given the Armorer's tastes, this is about the only way newer civilian weapons are going to find their way onto these pages...! So - let's see if there's any interest... and remember, you don't *have* to have a digital camera - Wal Mart and other places will take your film and give you digital photos back.
For a review of the SIG by shooters, see Les Jones' post on the pistol.
Update: While my intent was to do a large post, once a month or so, the Airborne Combat Engineers jumps on the bandwagon early - but he makes a good point - if you blog, post it yourself and send me the link if you'd like.
Really like the Carnival of the Recipes... in this case, the Carnival of the Toys. Not that it's *ever* going to be as big as SWWBO's COTR!
Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �
Jeez--he got the walnut grips on already!
by cw4billt on February 16, 2005 8:06 AM
Neffi!
It looks JUST like you! A chip off the ol' block, that one is.
by AFSister on February 16, 2005 8:39 AM
You must have seen Young Neffi. The pistol's in a lot better shape than the Neffi I saw a picture of...
by
John of Argghhh! on February 16, 2005 8:45 AM
Y'know, Neffi - that *is* a *purty* thang... or is that like the airbrushed pictures of models - it was all photog and make-up?
by
John of Argghhh! on February 16, 2005 10:21 AM
Thanks AFSis- I was hoping for twins, but...
...and John twigged it. The piece is actually a broken-down, rusted H&R .22 I found in a swamp- amazing what you can do with Photoshop these days.
by Neffi on February 16, 2005 10:42 AM
I see you've already caught my A-C-E post showing my "baby" (my smallest, not my youngest), John.
http://airbornecombatengineer.typepad.com/airborne_combat_engineer/2005/02/aces_baby.html#more
by ACE on February 16, 2005 11:26 AM
Sounds like a fun idea, John. You could do categories - handguns, shotguns, etc. I'll go rev up the camera ;-)
by Barb on February 16, 2005 8:00 PM
Carnival of the Cordite
http://gullyborg.typepad.com/weblog_archive/2005/02/coming_soon.html
by
coturnix on February 18, 2005 11:59 AM
Helluva site! Can I pick some brains on this listing for info on Maxims? I am counterfitting (propane fired) the big four of WWI and need input. Got blueprints of the 08/15 and the beginnings of info on the Lewis- plus some leads on the Vickers- but the LMG-14 is a total dark hole. No, I am NOT interested in the William's Brothers interpretation of these guns, as I have seen their idea of a Lewis and it is not even close. These will be totally scratch-built, no gun parts used. Aircraft versions will be aluminum and various scales (most replica WWI birds are not full scale) whilst the WWI re-enactors (read- ground-pounders) will insist on steel. This way, real DEWATS do not get butchered so's people can play Army.
Thank you for your time,
Gregory F. Howard
the antiquegunsmith@hotmail.com
by Gregory F. Howard on February 21, 2005 12:10 AM
� Dismissed, Soldier!
by
John
on
Feb 16, 2005
�
Airborne Combat Engineer links with:
Cute little baby handgun
�
Airborne Combat Engineer links with:
ACE's "baby"
February 7, 2005
Dreams...
The Castle does not yet have the resources, in both time and funding, for a display of this sophistication.
WWI German equipment at the National Infantry Museum, Fort Benning, Georgia.
But it *is* nice to know that Great Minds think along similar lines.
The "Germanic Wall" in the Arsenal at Castle Argghhh!, which includes Austrian and Swiss long iron. (Like I said, space is at a premium, so disregard the Brit sniper rifle and the Bren gun on the AA tripod...)
Hi-res version is here.
Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �
Nuttin shabby about that, John- I'll take my displays 'hands-on' rather than under glass any day. But that Maxim would look good next to the Bren, no?
by Neffi on February 7, 2005 7:17 AM
When the War of the Worlds hits, I'm heading for the Castle! You've got enough fire power for a small army of bloggers, haven't you John?
by AFSister on February 7, 2005 8:17 AM
Hands off the Bren! It is mine, mine mine I tell you!
*sobbing*
by Cricket on February 7, 2005 8:22 AM
Why the goesche der kriegsmarine as a backdrop? Shouldn't it be displayed with the 20mm mount from the Prinz Eugen?
by cw4billt on February 7, 2005 8:24 AM
Cricket - Wash your hands before you go posting again--you've still got linseed oil all over them from caressing the Bren's stock!
by cw4billt on February 7, 2005 8:27 AM
Cuz I like that flag, that's why. And they carried those rifles on the ships.
I'm not terribly naval at the Castle, but we give 'em some credit here and there.
by
John of Argghhh! on February 7, 2005 9:06 AM
I like navels. Innies, not outies.
Oh hell-navAL.
by AFSister on February 7, 2005 9:15 AM
Oh pooh. You are just being piththy.
by Cricket on February 7, 2005 9:29 AM
And what's with the dinner plate directions?
You got me all hungry for salad and I couldn't see it
in this browser.
I may have to switch browsers.
by Cricket on February 7, 2005 9:37 AM
AF Sister - you need to click on the Castle in the left sidebar. All questions are therein answered.
by
John of Argghhh! on February 7, 2005 10:28 AM
John:
Cricket = Looking for buttons
AFSister = Looking at buttons
by cw4billt on February 7, 2005 12:09 PM
John - Darned if you're not right again. I'd totally forgotten about shipboard Arms Lockers. Doubly embarassing to have to admit to forgetting the two primary functions of the Marines, too:
1. Insure the maintenance of good order and decorum aboard ship and
2. Give the sailors practice leading during the dances...
[*swiftly donning kevlar jock*]
by cw4billt on February 7, 2005 12:42 PM
Bill,
I suggest a package of frozen peas for that soreness. It worked quite well for my neighbor following his vasectomy.
John-
OK. Scrap that. You have enough to arm a SMALL COUNTRY of bloggers. Maybe even enough for all of Europe by now, with the way they seem to be lifting their petticoats while running from conflict. Jeesh! I hope you have a sprinkler system installed. That would be one hella BOOM if anything ever happened!
by AFSister on February 7, 2005 1:39 PM
Oh yeah-
John you should make the Eagle "Jihad This" into a mug or t-shirt! That was OUTSTANDING!
by AFSister on February 7, 2005 1:41 PM
Sis - what, you think I store the ammo and explosives with the weapons? Fates forfend!
Nothing in the house except the Ready Reaction Force ammo. All the rest is properly secured, stored and marked.
My neighbors might be annoyed, but the Castle would be okay...
by
John of Argghhh! on February 7, 2005 1:54 PM
AFSis - The kevlar is to prevent structural damage from fragments.
Brass doesn't get sore.
by cw4billt on February 7, 2005 3:16 PM
John-
Glad to see Beth has knocked some sense into you over the past few years. Seeing all of those grenades, guns and other weapons of mass destruction together made me shiver. Well, I think that's what gave me the goose bumps.
HEY!!!!!!!!!!
WAIT A MINUTE!!!!!!
So THAT'S where Saddam hid the WMD's! Man, oh man. They were right here under our noses this whole time, in hidden jpg's!
Bill-
Don't you need a structure to prevent from damage before the Kevlar will help?
*puts on really fast shoes and runs away*
by AFSister on February 7, 2005 3:32 PM
Don't bother running, you'll only die tired.
As for the grenades and stuff - that's all in the house.
It just ain't live.
I don't own *live* 155mm DPICM. That would be dumb, not to mention illegal.
But I do have purpose built inert dummies, or inerted ordnance...
Purpose-built inert dummies... no, I'll leave that one lie today, given 1SG Kasal.
by
John of Argghhh! on February 7, 2005 3:46 PM
"Gunner, target. Twelve o'clock, three thousand--snarkstress at desk, nose pressed against monitor, sensible shoes. TOW with SARAFIM warhead, selector AUTO."
"Searching...searching...okay, middle window. Gimme constraints."
"You're in constraints. I confirm your sight pic with pipper. Wire-cut switch identified. Shoot."
BAMF! "TOW on the wire. Tracking...tracking..."
by cw4billt on February 8, 2005 9:40 AM
� Dismissed, Soldier!
January 13, 2005
Gratuitous Gun Pic
One of these would look good on the battlements of the Castle. Mebbe two.
A CIWS - not the Royal Navy sailor servicing it! Something for you sailors, today.
Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �
I'll send you some (expended) brass and links--you can scatter them 'round the trebouchet and pretend...
by cw4billt on January 13, 2005 11:29 AM
I remember when the Canadian navy's contribution to Gulf War I left Halifax these were on each vessel, we watching from an office tower each had a moment of illogical dread that these guns responded automatically not only to incoming missles but also wharfs of flagwaving schoolkids. Nasty pieces of machinery.
by
Alan on January 13, 2005 12:10 PM
Ahhh... Those old Vulcans still stand the test of time.
That rocks. :)
by
Casey Tompkins on January 13, 2005 12:25 PM
Bill - what makes you think I don't have a belt or two? I just haven't posted a picture...
by
John of Argghhh! on January 13, 2005 1:32 PM
TP, TP-T or DU?
by cw4billt on January 13, 2005 1:48 PM
Beats launching a cow via catapult, I'll wager.
by
Ciggy on January 13, 2005 1:52 PM
Nothing beats a catapult cow!
Except APFSDS.
Cheers
JMH
by J.M. Heinrichs on January 13, 2005 2:13 PM
You can take the CIWS if I can have her.
Deal?
by Sigivald on January 13, 2005 5:54 PM
Deal, Sigi. I've got a gurl already. I don't have a CIWS!
by
John of Argghhh! on January 13, 2005 6:10 PM
Did you see in the Inside the Ring a couple of Fridays ago?:
Force protection
Tuesday's bombing of a mess tent in Iraq that killed 22 U.S. service members, American contractors and Iraqis has focused more attention in the Pentagon on the issue of force protection.
In addition to suicide bombers penetrating base security, enemy rocket and mortar attacks continue to be a major threat that the Pentagon is working to counter.
Weapons designers have started one crash program that uses the Navy's Mk15 Phalanx Close-In Weapons System, known as the CIWS and pronounced "sea wiz." The gun uses six extreme rapid-fire 20 mm cannons guided by search-and-tracking radar that has been used effectively by ships to guard against anti-ship missile attack.
The land-based system uses a fire-finding radar that can detect mortar and rocket launches, allowing the Phalanx gun to lay down a line of fire in the direction of the incoming round.
Tests at the White Sands, N.M., testing range have shown that the ground-based CIWS can hit targets up to 50 percent of the time. While not perfect, the new anti-mortar system would provide limited protection from insurgent attacks and may be rushed into service in Iraq.
by
Myron L. on January 13, 2005 7:04 PM
Better+cheaper:
1. Procure Hughes (ooops) MD-530 with pilot, with ANVIS-6, with GIB (Guy In Back) armed with M-240/M-249.
2. Fly zone recon.
3. Take out weapons, gunners and al-Jazeera camera crews while they're still setting up and fiddling with the makeup and light meter.
4. Return for fuel, ammo and coffee.
5. Repeat as necessary.
by cw4billt on January 13, 2005 7:46 PM
(Caption for the picture)
"R2, is that a gun in your chasis or are you just happy to see me?"
by Mythilt on January 14, 2005 8:20 AM
Mythilt - HA! Good 'un!
by cw4billt on January 14, 2005 9:03 AM
Thank you.
I really wish we had been allowed to see the CIWS fire when I caught a ride on the Connie from Seattle to San Francisco back in 1997. One of the smarter things the Navy used to do, the Tiger Cruises, family members allowed to ride on the ships for a few days experiencing what the crew experiences. Didn't get to see the CIWS fire, but did get to watch carrier ops, and the escorts gave us a show blowing holes in the water a few miles away.
Was much fun.
by Mythilt on January 14, 2005 12:15 PM
Mythilt - two short video clips, one with sound, are at http://tri.army.mil/LC/CS/csa/aagatlin.htm#Phalanx
if you want to see R2 in action...
by cw4billt on January 14, 2005 1:01 PM
� Dismissed, Soldier!
January 3, 2005
New Equipment updates.
I recently got sent an update brief on some of the new, or newly modified gear, being fielded or scheduled for fielding. I'll be posting it in chunks over the next couple of days.
First installment includes updates on the XM107, the Semi-Auto Sniper Weapon System (SA-SWS), updates to the M249, Mk46 and Mk 48 machine guns, Shotguns, grenades, non-lethals, and the TOW Bunker Buster.
Download file
November 29, 2004
A little more Fallujah news.
Know someone who fought at Fallujah? Know someone who didn't, but is in awe of the fight and fighters? Know someone who likes to collect comparatively rare t-shirts?
Look no farther! The wife of a deploying National Guardsman has designed a shirt to fit your needs!
LollaFallujah 2004
Her eBay store can be accessed here.
Hat tip to Myron for the pointer!
Regular visitors to the Castle know about the Arsenal. And the fact that the Armorer generally eschews new firearms for those that have a firmly established history.
The Armorer is pleased to see that US troops serving in Fallujah share his tastes, and are making use of an oldy-but-goodie, the PPSh 41, the Russian 'burp gun.' Although, given the source of most Iraqi weapons, this one is probably actually chinese, the Type 50.
Hat tip to Chris C. for the pics.
Next, Strategy Page has two interesting bits on Fallujah:
1. Some analysis of how we went about it. Fallujah, the Plan Survived Contact with the Enemy.
and,
2. Jim Dunnigan's thoughts on how Iraq may represent a tipping point in how Muslims are forced to view the world.
Update: Doug MacGregor continues his habit of not making friends. In the last link, he continues to show that truth-telling to power never is a very popular job that gets you promoted - just like John Boyd found out. Interesting views expressed herein - and I'm not in a position to strongly agree or disagree, but I find the viewpoint, well, interesting, and I freely admit I'm always having to fight with myself to keep an open mind and *not* get locked into a "Waterloo Mentality."
Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �
MacGregor seems to be rather armored-centric, and is in fact incorrect in several of his statements.
For example, he completely discounted the effect produced by six weeks of bombardment in the 1991 Gulf War. The colonel apparently thinks that the Iraqis were so bad that "A fraction of the force" would have sufficed. I don't suppose the above-mentioned six weeks of bombardment, pre-war operations which convinced the Iraqi leadership to adhere to their static defense, and a deliberate use of American mobility had anything to do with our victory. Whoops. I forgot to mention how careful the Air Force was to destroy the Iraqi C3I capability before the war. Why should they waste resources like that if (as Mac says) the pilots "knew from the time we decided to go in there that they had no threat in the air?"
Some other assertions which are incorrect, or misinterpretations include force retention (right now the only challenges relate to reserve forces), and the use of wheeled armor, even though the Strykers seem to be doing well in Iraq.
MacGregor also ignores the intelligence gathered which shows that the Iraqi Baathists had developed detailed, extensive plans, over several years, to create a "resistance" after an American victory. These men literally invested in the plan by scattering caches of (well...) cash through Iraq, which would be later used to disrupt any foreign efforts to rebuild the country.
This is not to say that the man doesn't know what he's talking about; he clearly understands the need for greater "joint-ness" in all operations, for a more flexible mindset -including integration of special forces-, and for a move away from divisions to brigades. I'd love to have more folks like that around the DoD, just to keep the bosses challenged.
But then, I'm the kind of crazy who thinks we should reintegrate the Air Force with the Army... ;)
by
Casey Tompkins on November 29, 2004 12:48 PM
Not good enough, Casey: The Air Force must be returned to its previous subservience to the Army. Only then will it rise to its rightful place in the military firmament.
(And my tongue is only partially in my cheek.) I did a "staff paper" in 2002 titled "Iraq War: Tactical Exercise With Live Enemy Troops", so I tend to not be in the Billy Mitchell Club.
Cheers
JMH
by J.M. Heinrichs on November 29, 2004 1:33 PM
A TEWLET, eh? Or, perhaps, TEW(LE)T...
So, John, izzis classified NREL(US), or can it be shared?
by
John of Argghhh! on November 29, 2004 1:39 PM
You'll have to wait until I resurrect the hard drive it's lurking on; on a computer not used since '94.
I wrote "staff paper" because my syndicate director pointed out that real staff papers use the staff paper format, but mine appeared to be something called an "essay".
And I will not offer it for distribution until I re-read it, and consume a large quantity of Single Malt (to account for hitting the 'Send' button).
It probably should remain "BF'd" (Buried Forever).
Cheers
JMH
by J.M. Heinrichs on November 29, 2004 9:20 PM
Actually, J.M., that's what I had in mind... :)
I mean -really- what can the Air Force do know that they couldn't do as the Army Air Force? Seriously?
The sad part is that I've been an Iron Bird nut all my life. Even as a wee lad, my favorite pages in the American Heritage History of World War Two were the pictures of the planes. I long ago lost my heart to the Queen, and the Lightning. But I will -to be honest- admit that the smart pilots picked the Jug. Heh. :)
I'll also admit that part of my comments were -to a degree- not accurate. Some reports (notably StrategyPage) have given high marks to the Styker in combat, while others (here at Arrrgh!!) give the vehicle lower grades.
It's all due to context. Sometimes you need to bring in the heavy iron, no? And it just occured to me that this segues quite nicely back to my above comment. The Lightning and the Mustang were magnificent long-range escorts, but the Jugs were much, much better at ground support and tank-busting. I guess it's a "Republic thing..." Heh.
On the gripping hand, I think we should ditch the B-1 and B-2, and work on building the Stratofortress II; a (relatively) stealthy airborne truck which can deliver UAVs and JDAMs to order, with a long loiter time.
by
Casey Tompkins on November 30, 2004 2:24 AM
� Dismissed, Soldier!
August 28, 2004
The answer to the question...
If you need to refresh yourself on the question... go here.
Many good guesses, not just in the comments, but in email, from people who were afraid they might get ridiculed for being wrong... (this is *not* that kind of site - unless you get stupid and snarky first!). Lots of people (22 in all) played this time, and much good logic and knowledge was on display.
Pretty much everybody fell victim to what Douglas Adams spoke of in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: '.....where due to a tragic miscalculation of scale, the entire battlefleet was swallowed by a small dog.'
1. We had people guess this.
2. And one like this.
3. And this.
4. Mebbe one of these.
5. Possibly one of those.
6. Someone even suggested these.
7. Surprising me (as this would have been my guess a few months ago), no one guessed this.
The answer is in the Flash Traffic.
Flash Traffic (extended entry) Follows �
Just to refresh your memory... it looked kinda like this.
In scale, with (L-R) an 8mm Mauser, 9mm Parabellum, mystery bullet, 81mm Mortar primer (12 guage blank, essentially).
See what I mean about scale? By photographing it on fine-grained white paper, and giving you no context, you supplied the scale. And y'all went big. And, to be fair, you really had to be a geek to know it was the bullet to a Gyrojet Pistol.
Gunner, of No Quarters Blog, went out and did a little searching himself and came up with this French site, which shows another variant of Gyrojet bullet. Be patient - Google is translating it for you.
Here's a crappy shot of the base end - showing the primer and the angled venturis that spun the bullet for stability.
I'll close this out with a shot of all of 'em together... just to reinforce that scale thing!
Last, but not least, what's in the numbered pictures above?
UPDATE: Oops. I screwed up (has to do with how I was building the post). I actually answered the question below in the version of the post that I apparently threw away... Beck having actually provided an answer (correct) in the comments clued me in to there was a problem! Which is cool, since I now know an interesting tidbit about Beck! So, I'll repair this post... and provide the answers.
1. 90mm Armor Piercing solid shot.
2. 57mm/6pdr Armor Piercing solid shot (essentially identical to the 2pdr guessed, just proportionately larger)
3. 75mm APCBC (Armor Piercing Capped Ballistic Capped) in this case in the 75mm recoiless rifle cartridge.
4. 57mm Recoiless Rifle.
5. US Navy 5in dummy training round.
6. As Beck noted, a pipeline pig.
7. 30 pounder Parrot solid bolt.
� Secure this line!
Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �
OK, I'm not up on your collection. Do you have a gyrojet pistol? That is the ultimate in old Science Fiction cool!!!! It was used as a murder weapon in an old Larry Niven story, and probably a lot of other stories from the early, glory days of SF pulp fiction. If you have one, post a photo, please!!!!
by
Jack on August 28, 2004 12:46 PM
Gyrocs are cool sounding, but the practical limitations really kind of kill them. First off, they are not close in weapons, the 'bullet' has to accellerate out of the barrel a pretty decent distance I recall. Thus, in the kind of combat one expects with pistols, its a bit useless (Close in, tight fighting.) That said, I'd think the Gyroc from RunAway would be cool, heat seeking bullets.
by Mythilt on August 28, 2004 7:54 PM
Neat!
I hate guessing!!!
Cheers
JMH
by J.M. Heinrichs on August 28, 2004 8:06 PM
John, you spoilsport.
Jack - I've been tempted, many times, but haven't yet broken out the bucks for a Gyrojet.
by
Beth on August 28, 2004 8:45 PM
I wonder if the price of unshot Gyrojet ammo is now high enough to justify going into new production. Think about it. Fewer legal hassles than making actual gun ammo; it's a rocket with less than four ounces of propellant, and thus completely (Federally, at least) unregulated. I don't even think the G-j launcher qualifies as a gun under the Fed regs. If it did, you could certainly cobble up one for yourself more easily than rifling a steel barrel, etc.
I do wonder what the guy used for propellant, and of course there's always the issue of the development work he must have done, and how to duplicate and/or acquire it.
by Justthisguy on August 29, 2004 12:37 AM
Two things: first, the whole concept of rocket bullets is unbelievably neato. I would even go so far as to say it's nifty. I didn't even know such a weapon had ever been developed.
Second thing, #6 is what's known as a "pig." It's a big wodge of metal for raming down a pipe. They serve various purposes, from pipe cleaning, pipe wall thickness checking for QC, and even pipe expanding. When I worked at Shell Oil, I helped develop technology for a pig that could be rammed down solid well pipe at enormous pressure & thereby expand the pipe diameter by ~20%.
Since such enormous abuse to metal combined with high pressure meant absolutely rediculous amounts of friction, heat, and stress, accidents were extraordinarily messy to clean up.
by
Beck on August 29, 2004 1:54 AM
� Dismissed, Soldier!
August 26, 2004
XM8 Rifle
Neil over at Digitus Finger & Co, pointed me to this article about the new Army rifle currently under development.
I thought I had already covered the topic - but it turns out that got lost in the shuffle. I did post a pic of the rifle I got via Murdoc Online.
But I hadn't yet posted this briefing. So, here it is. Click the pic to get to the whole thing.
Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �
This is a 5.56 right? All I want to know is when my local gun store is going to be selling civilian versions.
by
Neil Uchitel on August 26, 2004 3:21 PM
Personally, I want the following:
FN-P90
Sterling
Sten (Mk II)
BREN (Mk I or II I care not)
Vickers MMG
FN-Mag (I have the mount, vehicle and sights, no farking gun because there's only 5 farking guns that are on the civilain NFA registry).
by Montieth on August 26, 2004 11:39 PM
I have your Brens and Stens. Albeit unshootable, I live in Kansas. If I lived 2000m east of here, across the river, they could be shootable - except then I couldn't afford 'em. Well, I could afford a STEN, but not a full-auto Bren or Vickers.
I wouldn't mind a Sterling. As for the FN90 and FN-MAG, there's always the high-end Air-Soft guns. Those are pretty nice, if, of course, emasculated.
by
John of Argghhh! on August 27, 2004 4:30 AM
WOW! You have a really cool site! I am a lady, and I don't know too much about what I am seeing, but I am impressed! I did try to enlist in the Navy in 1980, but I didn't pass the physical. I am a 2nd Amendment Right Defender. I admire our military immensely. As for you both being retired, that means you have already served. If case no one has said so, "Welcome home, and thank you for your service." Godspeed
by
Rosemary on September 3, 2004 11:48 PM
As the owner of a fist full of various Ar15’s I can honestly say I’m comfortable with the designee, in fact .. I love it! it makes a lot of sense to me and I can do just about any thing to my rifles with a few basic tools and a manual. I’ve never had any real problems that weren’t solved in a few seconds. Everything is more or less inexpensive for them, and better yet there’s hundreds of after market things you can get to really touch up that rifle just right for you.
On the other paw, those aren’t serious combat conditions either, so, if it’s fielded reliability is sub par, then I suppose it’s time to upgrade. Starting with the positive features first and foremost is the gas system, from what I’ve seen it looks like it’s based on the G36, which in turn has it’s roots in the AR18 I believe. It’s ergonomically designed, round ..as said to keep plants and junk from slowing you up. .. it has a sight package much like or identical to the G36, it uses the “weapon system” approach .... just like the G36 .. magazines inter lock, mag release, charging handle .. it’s all basically ambidextrous, and easy to clean.
The down side? .. well look at it, I grew up on a staple of Ar’s and Ak’s .. it looks like an over grown super soaker. Secondly, for as much as it steals from the G36, it isn’t a G36 .. What’s the big deal? .. why can’t we just use the G36? .. (Hehh, yeah I think they’d get some civilian versions of those out pretty quick too, and I really want one as if you couldn’t tell : ) it’s other down fall I can see is the stock ... I’m pretty skeptical about it, from the looks it seems like it just uses “dimples” to hold it in place, I think there’s some reliability issues there, I’ve always favored a rugged fixed style stock for inexperienced shooters, little to go wrong, hard for them to adjust it and get into bad shooting habits. 5.56 If we’re making a new rifle, then we need a need a new cartridge, my vote is for 6.8mm SPC :3
All in all, I’m not excited about ever owning one in the least, I’ll spend that money on more AR parts : ) but, it’s probably a good thing, after all look how many people hate the AR for no reason other then one little thing, aesthetics .. no mater how starship troopers inspired .. shouldn’t get in the way of reality : D
by Fox_Silverwing on January 26, 2005 3:34 AM
� Dismissed, Soldier!
by
John
on
Aug 26, 2004
�
The Kommentariat links with:
Must stop drooling!
August 22, 2004
Today is Maintenance Day at Castle Argghhh!
So, aside from mowing the grass, the Armorer will be engaged in activities like this.
Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �
Mmmmm, I love the smell of firearm oil almost as I love the smell of an expended round!!! *drools helplessly*
by
Rob on August 22, 2004 8:10 PM
ahhhh...those were the days.
Arditi www.arditi43.com
by
Arditi on August 22, 2004 8:45 PM
For the perpetually "gun identifier impaired" what type of gun is it? And how long does it take to clean it in all that sand? *grin*
by
Teresa on August 22, 2004 9:07 PM
Sweet, so why not just mow the lawn with that?
by
RS on August 22, 2004 9:09 PM
That weapon be the ever popular machine gun, caliber .50, M2 heavy barrel.
It is been said that the weapon slices, dices AND makes swiss cheese!
by Eric on August 22, 2004 11:57 PM
If Shooter's Choice is good enough for Ma Deuce,it's good enough for me.
In my NRA Youth days(roughly 27 yr. ago),my instructor imprinted my mind w/ Hoppe's No.9.That's what I usually buy.
John,which does the armorer prefer?
I'll admit I just need to kick myself in the keister & use SOMETHING.
by
mike on August 24, 2004 2:49 AM
Well, to be truthful, the Arsenal doesn't use Hoppe's any more. Not because it's bad, just because, any more, all the gun cleaning products are sufficient, in our view.
We pay more attention (unless it's in the closet where we, ahem, don't look very often, apparently) to display storage versus shooting storage.
For those items that are on the 'don't shoot it list,' either because we don't have ammunition and don't choose to make any, or due to considerations of delicate health and age (not too mention parts availability) those get hit with Rennaisance Wax for the wood if they still have no oil finishes. Oil finished wood gets, well, nothing, since if it isn't out in the open or hot sun, they don't need anything. In fact, when I get a new acquisition to the Arsenal that needs degreasing I sit it out on the deck in the sun, sitting on newspaper. That will sweat out the cosmoline or equivalent it was dipped in. If the metal still has a good finish, that gets hit with the wax, too. For those weapons that have a poor finish, they get hit with RIG, rust inhibiting grease, a very light coat on the outside, a liberal coating in the bore.
For the active weapons, a very light coat of machine oil for the metal parts, and whatever the wood requires.
The real deal is to clean 'em after you shoot 'em (especially milsurp ammo, which is usually corrosive) and then pay attention to how you store them. I have a dehumidier in the basement, and all the weapons are in 'open storage' where they are in circulating air. Gun safes are mighty fine things (I prefer the vault door, make the room the safe - but I can do that, I have a cast concrete basement) but a gun safe in a humid environment is a moisture trap unless you use some form of dehumidification in it. Make sure the carpeting in there is treated (it should be, if it's a competent gun safe) and don't store your weapons in cases with cloth interiors. Hard cases are usually okay. If you do have to store them in case with cloth interiors, you need to keep an eye on them.
by
John of Argghhh! on August 24, 2004 4:59 AM
John-thanks for the info.I've got 3 pounds of silica gel dessicant in my safe;I realize that's a saturation point situation.
I've heard you can "renew" silica gel by "baking" it in the oven.Obviously,if this works for the gel itself,I know it depends on the container whether I have a fire or not.
Have you heard anything like this?
www.swornenemy.org
by
mike on August 25, 2004 1:51 AM
swornenemy,
Silica gel isn't flammable. The packages it's in may be, though.
Silica gel can be partially renewed by placing it in a very slow (less than 200 degrees F) oven for a long, long time. The problem is that most people don't have a way of checking to see if it's finished.
You can put a sample into a sealed jar with a humidity test strip (you know, the things that change color with humidity). Leave it for an hour, then check. Humidity test strips may be available at your gun shop, or they can be bought at companies that sell packing and shipping materials.
Keeping a test strip in the gun cabinet is a good idea, too. IIRC for most things -- certainly for electronics -- 40% humidity is ideal. You don't want either too much or too little.
Regards,
Ric
by Ric Locke on August 25, 2004 10:48 PM
� Dismissed, Soldier!
by
John
on
Aug 22, 2004
�
Sgt Hook - This We'll Defend links with:
Spring Cleaning
August 16, 2004
Someday, after I win the lottery...
The Arsenal hopes to be able to display the collection like this, or something similar.
Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �
Hey a Krag! When my Grandpa passed away one came to me, I would gladly have waited much longer. It means a lot to me and reminds me of him. The first rifle of our Nation's serious work overseas: Cuba, the Boxer Rebellion, Moslem bandits in the Phillipines. But it's a gun, so I shoot it in club competitions. Krags are not lottery-level expensive, but the displays and all the other associated stuff are!
by
keith in mtn. view on August 16, 2004 7:05 PM
I don't know; what does Beth say about you being posed like that?
Cheers
JMH
by J.M. Heinrichs on August 16, 2004 9:29 PM
My dad likes to torture me w/ a Krag story.When he was in his early 20's(mid 1950's),he was on a deer hunting trip in the hill country region of TX.They go in this general store type place for some food & they had a few used guns on the wall to sell.
He goes over & spots a beauty of a Krag for $15.Does he buy it-hell no."I didn't have money for food & the rifle".
Damn,damn,damn,why did my father need to eat?Damn!
www.swornenemy.org
by
mike on August 16, 2004 9:49 PM
If you check out the Arsenal (assuming you haven't) by clicking on the Castle on the left sidebar - you'll see I've got the guns (to include a Krag, that like yours, was inherited - but sideways from a cousin who died in a wreck) - I'm whining about the displays!
by
John of Argghhh! on August 17, 2004 6:20 AM
Well, John, I can only point out that the Arsenal hopes to display like that (the Arsenal is snarky that way, like Jonah's couch), not the Armorer.
I would fit better in Henry VIII's tournament armor, were it a tad taller.
by
John of Argghhh! on August 17, 2004 6:22 AM
If it's ever a choice between eating and buying a gun, the gun always wins around here. I have Big Mac's stored years ago around my waist for just that purpose... ;^)
by
John of Argghhh! on August 17, 2004 6:23 AM
� Dismissed, Soldier!
July 26, 2004
Convention-Free Zone
Since others, who know a heckuva lot more than I do, are going to cover the convention ad-naseum, this will be a mostly convention-free zone this week. I might mention it if something really extraordinary catches my eye - but go elsewhere, like Blackfive, Smash, The Commissar, Dean Esmay, the Queen of All Evil, or Michele for that stuff and come here to clear your head.
SWWBO and I will be going to Las Vegas tomorrow (N.B. Goblins - #1 Son with Shotgun still patrols premises, plus the other elements of a well-rounded defense). I'm sure we'll find something to blog about (heck, we're bringing two wireless laptops with us) and if I can't find anything, I'll do what I'm doing now - re-runs! Which, based on some comments to previous posts, ain't a bad idea. Some of you newer guys apparently don't examine the sidebars, and never visited the Arsenal - even though you were interested in guns!
So, if nothing else, I'll do posts like this, that link to the Archives! Click the pic to view Machine Guns...
Visitors should also note the following caveats:
Periodic Goblin Warning (SM)
As a service to Goblins who are considering Seizing The Arsenal (this excludes LE types: y'all come with a warrant, knock [no no-knocks, please, the front door is expensive], take what the warrant specifies and we'll talk about it in court - just please take care of 'em, you know, periodic cleaning, oiling, etc. They're used to being spoiled like that) here is a periodic warning on Why Trying To Steal My Collection Isn't A Good Idea.
Note to thieves trying to figure out where I live: Once you do that, you've got to get past the living interior and exterior guard, the security system (hint, cutting the phone and cable WON'T help), and finally, if I'm home - me. WonderWife (TM) v3.x is also right handy with the Winchester M97 trench gun. I like that one because it's handy, will blow you into large chunks, but not pass through the walls of the house to annoy my neighbors. Hardwood floors, so clean-up is easy. I'm a reasonable fellow, if you surrender meekly or run away, that will be fine. Not interested in killing or maiming anyone unless you are dumb enough to attack me or my family. The furry members count, BTW. Do that, then I will clean the gene pool. Plus guys, impressive as it looks, it's not as valuable as you might think - and it would be very hard to move, since you would be flooding the market. Not to mention the fact that every dealer within a (classified) radius would have a list of serial numbers and descriptions within 24 hours (ain't the internet great?). Oh, yeah - did I mention that robbing licensees is a federal offense? The feds don't go overboard after little stuff, but whacking this collection would likely garner their interest - so choose your accomodations! Plus 'bangers won't like these - the ones that look like they can shoot a lot - can't, and many of them won't work properly if you hold them sideways like they do in the movies.
So, go find an easier target, eh? No - better yet - get a real job that has better fringes.
Periodic Disclaimer for anti-gunners and law enforcement surfers (I don't mind you LE types)
Heck, I don't mind the anti-gun types until they start trying to send LE types to take 'em away... here we go with the Periodic Disclaimer (TM):
Everything you ever see in photos here that I own is fully legal to own, federal, state, and local - WHERE I LIVE! Your mileage may vary, such as living in the Borg Collectives of California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, etc. Though ya might be surprised to find out what's legal where you live. I am a licensed collector (which isn't a license to collect, just to receive directly via the mails - I still have to do the dealer-style record-keeping), and that only applies to curio and relic firearms. Fortunately, that's about all I want to own. On these pages I will from time to time share my toys, much like Kim du Toit does.
Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �
I love it when you post the PGW. Gives me that warm, fuzzy feeling. ;)
by
pam on July 26, 2004 8:11 AM
Of course, so does wetting your pants! 8^D
That probably lost me a reader or two...
by
John of Argghhh! on July 26, 2004 8:29 AM
Have fun in Vegas. Remember, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.
by
Rosemary the Queen of All Evil on July 26, 2004 9:15 AM
Have fun in Vegas, and say "Hi" to Elvis for me.
by
Jack on July 26, 2004 11:04 AM
Thanks, you two. I'm sure we will. Penn and Teller are on the agenda, as is Mystére. We'll be staying at the Luxor for the first time. We've always liked the place, we thought we should finally stay there - besides, we've seen the Blue Man Group there twice! Our other fave is the Rio.
We don't gamble much, I can't sit at a slot machine for more than 10 minutes before my head explodes (which annoys people nearby) and I suck at anything else and am too chicken with my own money to bet big enough to win big, anyway.
We did Circus Circus once. And that number is likely to never change.
by
John of Argghhh! on July 26, 2004 11:28 AM
If they have it there, try Pai gow poker. It's fun, and the odds aren't so stacked in the house's favor that you can't play for a long time on $20. I have played several times for hours on a $20 investment, and the free drinks made losing the $20 at the end pretty cheap.
The rules are here:
http://www.casinocity.com/rule/paigow.htm
by
Jack on July 26, 2004 12:39 PM
Sorry but your email address returned as "unroutable" (mailto:armorer@DIESPAMDIEthedonovan.com)
Hi John;
Sorry to bother you but someone posted
a quote of yours over on Jennifer's blog
and I'm beside myself with glee. I want
to share it but I've read all the way down
your new page on donovan.com and
don't find it. It's the one about
"Singularity Stupid"
I want to share it with my list but I also
want to properly link to the original page.
Did that survive the move? If so I'd much
enjoy being pointed to it. I should be
able to rustle you up some readers in
exchange.
Keep up the good work over here.
Thanks for your service and more
recent actions to keep America free.
Earl Doty
fmr. CH-47 driver for the 101st
I Corps, RVN Sep 68 - Aug 69
by Earl on July 26, 2004 4:55 PM
Earl, I think this is the URL you want: http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/001467.html
John didn't write it but he shared it with the world and it is funny.
by
Beth Donovan on July 26, 2004 5:15 PM
Well, I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who won't be doing convention blogging. I'll be happily reading everyone else, but I can thing of few things that would waste my time more, than watching a convention. I've never watched, and don't care to watch - either the Dem or Rep BTW - I'm a non-partisan non-convention watcher. :-)
by
Teresa on July 26, 2004 8:57 PM
Oops! Forgot... Have a terrific time in Vegas. I've never been, but I'll still hope all goes well and you come back happy and rested. Some vacations aren't worth the hassles they cause - LOL.
by
Teresa on July 26, 2004 9:00 PM
Teresa and I are on the same exact plane!
Have a great time in Vegas. I've heard it's fun and there is good food! Nothing like a good vacation to soothe the soul.
by
Boudicca on July 27, 2004 8:51 PM
Speaking of food, tomorrow is all Emeril all day. Emeril's cajun place at the MGM Grand for lunch, Delmonico's at the Venetian for dinner.
10PM Showing of Mystere at Treasure Island.
Beth will probably blog it.
by
John of Argghhh! on July 27, 2004 9:01 PM
� Dismissed, Soldier!
June 6, 2004
Navigating the Collection
Having all my gun pics in one category is killing my picture-hosting bandwidth, and must suck for you guys with slow machines/dial-up access. So, I'm experimenting with a new format. You guys have to navigate a few more pages, but they'll load faster and you can find what you are looking for faster, too. I also have converted most of the displayed photos to links, which dramatically decreases bandwidth usage, with the trade-off that you have to click some more. I think that's a fair trade for both of us - you still get the pics, and I don't have to keep buying bandwidth!
Rifles
Pistols
Sub-machine Guns
Machine Guns
Gun P0rn: A Naughty Expose' of the fiddly-bits.
Artillery
Grenades
Helmets
Ammunition
General Militaria
Guns by Nation
And, of course, there is always the direct link to the Imperial Arsenal itself!
Visitors should also note the following caveats:
Periodic Goblin Warning (SM)
As a service to Goblins who are considering Seizing The Arsenal (this excludes LE types: y'all come with a warrant, knock [no no-knocks, please, the front door is expensive], take what the warrant specifies and we'll talk about it in court - just please take care of 'em, you know, periodic cleaning, oiling, etc. They're used to being spoiled like that) here is a periodic warning on Why Trying To Steal My Collection Isn't A Good Idea.
Note to thieves trying to figure out where I live: Once you do that, you've got to get past the living interior and exterior guard, the security system (hint, cutting the phone and cable WON'T help), and finally, if I'm home - me. WonderWife (TM) v3.x is also right handy with the Winchester M97 trench gun. I like that one because it's handy, will blow you into large chunks, but not pass through the walls of the house to annoy my neighbors. Hardwood floors, so clean-up is easy. I'm a reasonable fellow, if you surrender meekly or run away, that will be fine. Not interested in killing or maiming anyone unless you are dumb enough to attack me or my family. The furry members count, BTW. Do that, then I will clean the gene pool. Plus guys, impressive as it looks, it's not as valuable as you might think - and it would be very hard to move, since you would be flooding the market. Not to mention the fact that every dealer within a (classified) radius would have a list of serial numbers and descriptions within 24 hours (ain't the internet great?). Oh, yeah - did I mention that robbing licensees is a federal offense? The feds don't go overboard after little stuff, but whacking this collection would likely garner their interest - so choose your accomodations! Plus 'bangers won't like these - the ones that look like they can shoot a lot - can't, and many of them won't work properly if you hold them sideways like they do in the movies.
So, go find an easier target, eh? No - better yet - get a real job that has better fringes.
Periodic Disclaimer for anti-gunners and law enforcement surfers (I don't mind you LE types)
Heck, I don't mind the anti-gun types until they start trying to send LE types to take 'em away... here we go with the Periodic Disclaimer (TM):
Everything you ever see in photos here that I own is fully legal to own, federal, state, and local - WHERE I LIVE! Your mileage may vary, such as living in the Borg Collectives of California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, etc. Though ya might be surprised to find out what's legal where you live. I am a licensed collector (which isn't a license to collect, just to receive via the mails), and that only applies to curio and relic firearms. Fortunately, that's about all I want to own. On these pages I will from time to time share my toys, much like Kim du Toit does.
by
John
on
Jun 06, 2004
�
Electric Venom links with:
Great Green Gobs o' bloGGy Goodness
�
triticale - the wheat / rye guy links with:
Overt Act Toward Buying A Gun Day
�
The Gantry Launchpad links with:
Warriors and Soldiers
June 3, 2004
Gratuitous Gun Pics
INFANTRY: Long Range Sniping and Thin Air
June 3, 2004: When the .50 caliber (12.7mm) sniper rifle was introduced in the 1980s, it was expected that records for the longest range sniper shot would regularly be broken. That finally happened, in Afghanistan on March 2-1, 2002. A team of Canadian snipers (Master Corporal Graham Ragsdale, Master Corporal Arron Perry and Corporal Dennis Eason of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry), using the .50 caliber MacMillan Tac-50 sniper rifle, got at least one kill at 2,400 meters. There were several others at ranges nearly as long.
The previous record had been 2,250 meters, set by U.S. Marine Gunnery Sgt. Carlos Hathcock in Duc Pho, South Vietnam in 1967. The Hathcock shot was also made with a .50 caliber weapon, but this was not the modern .50 caliber sniper rifle, but a standard M-1 .50 caliber machine-gun with a scope on it. The previous records, many with poor documentation, with 7.62mm caliber sniper rifles, rarely exceeded a thousand meters. Technically, the 12.7mm sniper rifle is only accurate enough for consistent hits at up to about 1,800 meters.
Carlos Hathcock
The Canadians, and all modern snipers, use custom built rifles and ammo for their work. Hathcock had another disadvantage, he was firing in hot and humid Vietnam, while the Canadians were firing in the thin (at 11,000 feet) and cold air of Afghanistan. The hot, humid lowland air provides more resistance, and distortion, for a bullet. With that in mind, Hathcock always insisted that the shot was as much luck as skill. The Canadian shots were all skill, as they killed nearly two dozen Taliban and al Qaeda fighters at ranges of around 2,000 meters.
Before the specially made .50 caliber sniper rifles came along, the standard sniper rifle was 7.62mm (.30 caliber), with a standard effective range of 800 meters (although shots out to 1,000 meters were not unknown). The .50 caliber sniper rifle doubled those ranges, and then some. U.S. troops in Iraq are using .50 caliber sniper rifles, but are not getting as much opportunity to make really long distance shots because most of the operations are in flat areas.
I can't resist a little fun here... the PPCLI are also known as Princess Patti's Completely Lost Infantry...
This is probably a good point to bring up this little tidbit, too:
Conservative Leader Stephen Harper wants to give Canada's armed forces a $1.2-billion per year and bring troop levels up to 80,000.
Harper's defence package would see the number of troops skyrocket from the current 52,400. The Conservative plan also gives Parliament the right to authorize the deployment of troops to combat and peacekeeping zones, a decision cabinet members currently make.
While the state of Canada's military has yet to emerge as a major election issue, funding shortfalls and the aging equipment used by troops have been the focus of much debate in recent years.
Last week, Harper said the Liberals have put the lives of Canadian troops at risk by not funding the armed forces at levels that can afford appropriate equipment. In particular, the Iltis jeeps used in Afghanistan have been blamed for not protecting Canadians from mine accidents.
"We don't want to go over the top and start pointing the fingers at particular individuals and saying they are guilty for deaths, but hopefully as political figures we'll take our responsibilities towards citizens, towards our troops seriously," Harper said.
Just as we're having trouble with troop fatigue meeting our current commitments, so too have the Canadians. Not that this will provide immediate relief - the time between authorizing an increase, and accessing, training, and integrating those troops is about two years, especially if you are standing up units, not just filling out existing units.
Of course, as the thoughtful contributor of this little tid-bit pointed out:
Sweat it! We're going to be #15 no longer; #14 here we come!
Hat tip: Strategy Page, and JMH!
Reporting As Ordered, Sir! �
More sniper stuff (ie new rifle) here: Fussy
Cheers
JMH
by J.M. Heinrichs on June 3, 2004 10:56 AM
We're #15? Yeah!!!
/heavy-metal-horn-finger-hand-gesture
by
Ghost of a flea on June 3, 2004 11:51 AM
The biography of Carlos Hathcock is a hell of a read. That 2250m shot of his should have been a miss. When he fired, the target was kneeling. He stood up before the bullet could get there, and the bullet hit him in the throat.
I doubt anyone will be breaking Hathcock's confirmed kill record any time soon though.
by
John Beck on June 3, 2004 4:46 PM
Carlos is not forgotten! Semper Fi...
Jennifer Martinez sends
by
Jennifer Martinez on June 3, 2004 7:40 PM
"One of the most famous Canadian snipers in the First World War was a Métis marksman who went by the name of Henry Louis Norwest. Norwest was born in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, of French-Cree ancestry. In his nearly three years of service with the 50th Canadian Infantry Battalion, the lance-corporal achieved a sniping record of 115 fatal shots."
"Francis Pegahmagabow (1st Bn CEF) was one of those rare Canadian soldiers who enlisted in 1914 and fought to the end of the war. Throughout his service at the front, he became Canada’s premier sniper of the war. Although there are no exact figures recorded, accounts of his "kills" vary to as high as 378."
Also Herbert McBride of "A Rifleman Goes to War" might has written of his statistics.
Cheers
JMH
by J.M. Heinrichs on June 3, 2004 9:30 PM
Actually, Hathcock doesn't hold the confirmed kill "record".
Chuck Mawhinney had 10 more confirmed kills than Hathcock, and I remember reading somewhere that there were a couple Army snipers who topped that number.
That shot with a 2250m shot is still amazing though, when you consider the distance and the fact that he was using a machine gun not designed for sniper work.
by
Jed on June 10, 2004 10:04 AM
Who's confirmed kill record? Some Finnish snipers during WW2 had several hundred kills to their names!
Plus there were two other Army snipers who had more kills than either Hathcock or Mawhinney - see snipersparadise.com for details.
by Matt on June 11, 2004 4:17 PM
� Dismissed, Soldier!
by
John
on
Jun 03, 2004
�
Les Jones Blog links with:
Thursday Gun Links #20
�
Les Jones Blog links with:
Thursday Gun Links #20
© Pamela Bobik
