brickhistory

"How the Helicopter Changed Modern Warfare" by Walter J. Boyne. Good opinion piece on how the helicopter developed, engaged in war with significant development during its first 30-40 years, then stalled in the 1980s until today. Lots of good historical episodes from, mainly, the United States and Soviet Union to make his point. That slowdown is having significant impact on the current, modern battlefield at the cost of crews and machines. Lots of praise for the crews making it work; lots of finger-pointing at the political and military system that condones, indeed perpetuates, such.

Sweet gun, classic lines! Any concern about buying used in the blind, i.e., not knowing the gun's history/upkeep?

M2, yeah, I remember the "why" you collected FSU/bloc stuff. I just didn't/don't know much of the "how." Thanks for the explanation about swapping parts.

M2, I knew/know nothing about them there Commie typewriters, but have learned a lot here at baseops' non-PC gun thread. (Funny how every gun is fantastic in the gun magazines (no pun intended)). But, does it change the value of the weapon to hang different furniture? Also thanks to baseops' thread, I've got a Saiga semi-auto shotgun on my wish list now. Just think of the charities I could be donating to instead...

Yes. We trust him/her enough to pull a trigger or turn a wrench and put his/her ass on the line, then we should trust him/her enough to have a brew on base/post.

Opulence...he haz it...

Stand down with your fear-mongering, mister. Once again, good ol' Uncle Sam's already been there... Unfortunately, the 'captain' of this US Navy floatie thing was relieved of command due to saying the word "fcuk."

I see my 1980s Political Science degree didn't go to waste. Your technical description of what it actually is captures my description of "goofy." edited to add:

Smith & Wesson M&P 9mm not my photo I wasn't looking to buy this gun. I'm not really enamored by this gun's looks and wasn't when I purchased it. It's another black, polymer auto in a market flooded with the same by various manufacturers. Glocks just don't feel right to me, H&Ks don't do anything for me, neither do XDs. I'm not faulting any of those brands as they obviously have a huge share of the market and have glowing reviews here and elsewhere. For me, however, none of them really did anything for me in the looks ("cool" department if you will) or any other reason I can think of. This M&P is in the same boat. I've read a bit that it is utterly reliable. That it has a good reputation for quality in the manufacturing, yada, yada, yada. Still it did nothing for me. Made in the U.S.A. I was in the market for another 9mm to go with my Walther P99 and had seriously been considering the Colt Defender in the smaller caliber. When one of my local dealers offered me this M&P for $400 + tax, my logic - to quote Dave Barry, "I am not making this up" - was that I could get this in 9mm and then get the Colt in .45 which is what I wanted anyway. As if I had to rationalize anything to anyone. But that's how I made it work in my brain. Besides, a Colt 1911-ish in anything but .45 is blasphemy anyway. So I got the gun. I reset my disposable income meter to "E" and started saving for the Defender, but that's for a later, hopefully, time. Plastic box with foam cut-outs, two 17 round clips, three different sizes for backstraps, a lock, the gun, and instructions. I put the largest backstrap on this one. The very bottom of the frame contains a plastic tip that rotates to pull a long pin out of the grip. Pull this, swap grips, there ya go. The fit and finish of the gun is pretty good. Tight but not ludicrously so on the slide and magazine release. There is no safety on this version, so don't touch the trigger (more on this later) if you don't want it to go off. I played hookey today and did some errands. 300 rounds through this was one of them. Equally split between 147gr. ball and 147gr. JHPs, and it never skipped a beat. Not a jam, not a FTE, not a failure to fully seat, nothing. Boringly reliable. I usually shoot 10 rounds per clip as after that, aimed fire for me requires a break after that number. And it eats through a 50 round box more slowly than going 18 at a pop. Hey, I'm old now, I need a break in between... The gun is striker fired and double-action only. The trigger is ok, no great shakes as far as crispness, but it's not a hike to take the slack out of it either. One characteristic that I didn't like, actually two, was the trigger has a pivot/hinge in it about half-way down. I guess it's to avoid such a long pull in a reasonably short pistol, but it felt goofy. The other thing that I didn't care for was this was a no-kidding double-action only trigger. Second shots for double taps were awkward as I'm used to the single-action follow up from every other pistol I own. First shot, no problem, but attempting a rapid follow-up was disconcerting the first few times because you had to let the trigger go forward.i.e., it's just what the label says, double action. Every pull is exactly the same. This reads/sounds much worse than it is; it's just different. Nothing that some more time/familiarization won't cure, but it must be done if this is to be a carry gun. Specs: Overall length: 7.5" Barrel length: 4.25" Height: 5.50" Width: 1.08" Weight empty: 24 oz Capacity: 17+1 9mm The length and height are just under an inch more than my primary CCW, a Bersa .45 which is a 7+1, all steel. The weight is not even close, the S&W wins hands down. Field-stripping and cleaning it are pretty standard save for one step: lock the slide back, pull the grip tool, use it to fish the sear pin down into the empty magazine well, rotate the take-down lever, pull the slide forward, remove the spring and rod, remove the barrel, clean, reverse the steps except for the sear pin -which putting a magazine in does for you - and there you have it. As this is a service weapon, I think the needed any extra tool to strip it is a fail. Sure, a paper clip could fish the sear pin down if need be, but that step in itself is a no-go for field conditions to me. Likewise, lose the grip pin needed and not only can you not strip the gun, but the backstrap is held on by that pin. Lose it and it could be awkward. As I started out by saying, this gun does nothing for me. I like, mostly, the old school stuff - steel, wood, blued, etc, etc. As much as I don't feel much for this pistol, I am gong to replace my heavy steel.45 for CCW when I'm able to carry a larger pistol under a jacket, sweater, etc with this S&W. For summer, it's probably a little big. As has been noted in previous posts in this thread, those that carry do so not wanting to have to use it, but if required, want something utterly reliable. The downside of that selection is often times it's gonna be a pricey gun. It'd be worth it to be the one still around to explain to the cops what happened, but those same cops are most likely to take your gun with them. It will be a long time before, or if, you see that one again. For reliability and not shedding a tear if it should ever be taken, God forbid, this is a good one for me. It did, however, probably keep me from getting the Beretta Px4 Storm. I don't think I'll be getting another 9mm auto anytime soon. Something could tempt me, but not just now.

This Better'n a big, shiny watch...

HU&W's post reminded me to post on this: Springfield Armory Champion .45 note: not my photo I picked this up about a month ago as the result of an estate sale (at least the gun collection part) handled by one of my local gun shops. Normally, I don't buy used guns unless I know the original owner and his/her reputation, but this exception was due to what looked like a guy with lots of money having a massive gun collection and never/rarely actually fired them. There were some other buys I'd have liked to make, but the wallet bingo light illuminated, so I only picked up the Springfield. Specs on the gun are: 4" inch bull barrel 8+1 .45 ACP 34 ozs 7.5" length Like all 1911s for me, the grip of this one was too narrow in girth until I put a set of Pachmyers on it. Now it is a blast (no pun intended) to shoot. The low-profile sights aren't the greatest for precise work, but the low-drag could be a convenience if you need it out in a hurry. I'd rather have a good set of tritium sights, but these are usable. Not as heavy as my Colt 1911 since it's shorter, this Springfield went through 300 rounds without a hiccup. If I'd had more rounds with me, I could've kept going which is rare for me when using a larger caliber like the .45 or .44. Usually, after a couple hundred, I'm ready to call it a day with that weapon due to recoil and arm fatigue. This one was low-felt recoil yet heavy enough to stay (relatively) down for follow-up shots. At 7.5 and 15 yards, it was consistent 9 rings. Moving out to 25 yards and the shots were more scattered, but that's a combination of the small sights and 47 year old eyes. Operator weakness, in other words, and not the gun's. The fit and finish are pretty good, black parkerized with wood grips (replaced on mine as noted above). I picked up a couple of Wilson Combat 8 round clips when I bought with the gun, but my standard 7 round G.I. issue clips work as well. Is this a Kimber or other high dollar 1911? Nope. I had the opportunity to shoot a friend's Kimber ultra-carry for the first time that same day and have to say "daddy like." But for a mid-range price, I'm digging this Springfield. Some of them there fancy laser sights (Crimson Trace I think you young 'uns call 'em) would come in handy if this were a daily carry weapon. It's not for me, but I could easily see it being one. Overall, I like this gun. P.S. I'm looking forward to M2's review of the TCP. Those micro's are just too small for my paws, but I'm interested to read his thoughts on the .380. I took my PPK/S carrying JHPs to dinner tonight in a front pocket, a first for me.

Jake Herring passed away today. He was 89. He was raised on a tobacco and hog farm in nowhere North Carolina. He was drafted into the Army Air Corps, later Army Air Forces, trained in electronics and the then top-secret world of radar. Assigned to a signal aircraft warning battalion, he shipped out for Australia, then on to New Guinea. He did combat landings on the islands of New Britain and Biak (first wave of troops on this one), where he operated as part of an early warning net, using a vacuum-tubed 1st generation ground radar that broke down into two duece and half and a jeep loads. The gas-fired generator put out a blue flame exhaust that drew Japanese snipers multiple times. Moving on to the Phillippines, he finished out the war there assisting in one radar-controlled confirmed P-61 kill on a Betty bomber, returning to the North Carolina farm at the end of the war. Later, he walked a US Postal mail route, about 18 miles per day for nearly twenty years. He had a voice like a country-fied Richard Burton; pure joy to hear a story told in that voice. Godspeed, Uncle Dick, godspeed.

Another lesson learned here. We're 5 years from being them financially.

Outstanding! Unfortunately...

Gunship book Some on the -130s. Lots more on the predecessors. Not too bad.

Walther PPK/S (licensed built by Smith & Wesson) or Old School little pistol Finishing up my Walther obsession, I bought via gunbroker ($480 + $30 FFL transfer) the Smith & Wesson built Walther PPK/S in .380 acp, stainless steel. The “or” part of the title for this review had its genesis in a comment my wife made when I showed her the pistol yesterday. She said it look “old fashioned.” And she was right. Specs: 6.1” long ¾” wide 22.4 oz empty weight 7 +1 .380 acp Gun came with two 7 round stainless clips, one with a pinky extension, one without, instruction manual, plastic foam-lined case The lines are classic and flow much more than most modern polymer or 1911-style autos. Built under license by S&W in a Maine factory, the machining is flawless and the thing is incredibly tight as to fit, finish, and operation. The machining is so tight that some of the edges could cut. I’d read some on-line comments on this and sure enough, the trigger guard edge, the bottom of the slide, and the safety are damned sharp edged. A little fine grain steel wool took care of the trigger guard and safety. I didn’t touch the slide. Speaking of the slide, the longer tang of this model certainly helps keep the thing from biting with those razor edges. I guess the original PPK’s have a reputation for nice surgically clean slices in the webbing of the hand. I can see how it could happen easily. I put 200 .95 grain FMJs through it yesterday and 300 today (100 of them being 102 gr. Remington Golden Saber HPJ). I had a slide not fully return forward nearly every clip – sometimes multiple times per clip – yesterday and still too many today, but not as many. Except for the 102 gr rounds where it never happened. So the moral of the story is this thing likes heavier rounds. Or at least until it gets broken in. As noted above, the construction is really solid. The big-ass spring is very impressive. That might be part of the problem with the slide not returning consistently. It happened much less today, but still too many times. A tap of the slide with just a thumb moved it forward to continue firing. The sights on such a little gun are tiny as well. Surprisingly, they aren’t bad, however. I shot everything at 25 feet since you aren’t likely to use this to reach out to someone very far away. Center mass (9 ring or better) was very easy and consistent – more so just aiming it along the ridge along the top of the slide versus centering the miniscule front post and rear notched sights. Think Colt New Agent and you’ll have it. If you noticed in the specs, the empty weight of this thing is surprising as well. It’s heavy. Add in a clip and it’s not a lightweight gun at all. Small yes, light no. That weight, however, made it easy to shoot and reacquire quickly. It is a snappy little gun and I was tired after only 100 rounds. The weight helps absorb some of it, but as it is small, your hand does most of that. Yesterday I shot it using the factory plastic grips which were slippery and narrow. That contributed to the uncomfortableness. I had some pre-ordered Hogue checkered wood grips waiting on me in the mail when I got back and swapped the grips out. Today was much better. The checkering helped with the grip, but the wider girth of the Hogue’s was key for me. My hand wasn’t nearly so tired today after the session (sts). There is no slide release. Insert a magazine, rack it (pretty heavy pull), and you have it ready to fire in single action. The safety/decocking lever is for right-handed shooters only. It’s on the left side of the slide and is simple to use/understand. Push it down, hammer moves forward to a block, push it back up, the block retracts and the chamber is loaded but the pull must be double action or a manual cocking of the hammer. The double action pull of this pistol is really, really heavy. You practically have to put your back into it to get it to move. I can’t measure it, but on-line guys say 13-17 lbs. There’s no pull to speak of. It’s pull hard, then “bang!” No in-between. The single-action is much less, maybe 4-5 lbs. Again, no trigger travel noted, just a much lighter pull, with the bang result. The magazine releases with a right-handed only button very similar to a 1911. Cleaning it was very straight forward. Pull the trigger guard down a la an M1 Garand, push the guard slightly to the side to keep it from returning, push the slide back until it clears the rails, remove the slide from the barrel which is an integral part of the frame and there you have it. Clean it up, put the spring on – make sure the small end goes on the barrel first – push the slide onto the frame all the way to the rear, line up the rails, and let it move forward. Push the trigger guard up to lock it in and you are done. I kinda like this gun. I got it as noted above because I was on the Walther kick but also with an eye to hot/humid summer carry. With shorts and t-shirts, something smaller sounded attractive and this in stainless steel was a potential solution. While it’s small enough physically to fit in some gym shorts pockets, the weight is too much. I think a holster will be mandatory. If that’s the case, then something with a bigger diameter than a .380 would be better, at least to me. Doesn’t mean I won’t carry it, but I’ll have to see how it goes this summer. Ok, yes, it will fit under the cummerbund of your tuxedo (you know a James Bond reference had to appear somewhere!) if you want it. Those Euro bad guys much drop easier than our Dirty Harry .44 magnum catchers, but for a back up gun or something small, I can see it as useful. Pros: Solid construction Simple, reliable operation (provided the bigger round is used. So far, those 95 gr. Bullets make me suspicious) Classic piece of hardware Cons: Racking the slide requires some muscle. Might be too much for smaller ladies, older folks It’s still a .380 Why yes, that is my appropriately titled for this thread book underneath the Walther...

I have found Bersa to be a trusty, reliable, cost-effective brand. I have not shot their 9mm, but I use their .45 compact as my daily CCW. Several thousand rounds through it, failures less than fingers on one hand. It's all steel, so it's heavy compared to a polymer, but it's rugged as hell. Fair trade for me.

Out-fu*king-standing.

My shooting would be in the "adequate" category. To ensure we are talking the same 8 ring, I use the B-27E standard law enforcement-type black silhouette target. The 8 ring is a shade under 12 inches wide and just under 18 inches tall. At 25 yards, that's still pretty big. My consistency hitting that is with untimed, aimed fire, i.e., I don't shoot until I like the picture. For center of mass, more rapid fire, the target comes forward quite a bit. I also have been averaging 200-300 rounds per week since October. Practice certainly helps. As to the 9mm vs. .45, you are correct. The 9mm is very effective as demonstrated in it's worldwide use for military, law enforcement, and personal roles. I'm just old-school (probably just old) and prefer a .45 if given a choice. As the psychology is an important element of the confidence needed for any self-defense weapon, I likes what I like. For me, size matters and I make the choice to have fewer .45 bullets available as opposed to using a similar sized 9mm. YMMV which is fine by me. But I really do like that P99.

"A Nightmare's Prayer" by Michael Franzak, Lt Col, USMC (ret) Pretty good read about a loooong deployment of a squadron detachment of six AV-8B's to Bagram during the 2002-2003 period. He was the XO during the deployment. He does a good job of describing the combat and sometimes lack thereof due to weather, ROE, CAOC remoteness from the facts on the ground, Pakistani collusion, and political correctness. He also does a very good job of capturing the endlessness of extended deployments - from the homesickness, the petty frustrations that can blow up to soul-destroying anger, trying to keep up morale, unlearning bad habits from ROE restricted missions when dropping during real ones, the sight, sound, and smells of Bagram. He's not a great writer, but he did seem pretty honest describing his experiences including when he was an assh*le or stupid.

"The King's Speech" starring Colin Firth, Geoffery Rush, Helena Bonham-Carter Very good flick. About the second son of King George V starting in the 1920s. Dude was the forgotten son and stuttered. Given that their duties involved a lot of public speaking, that was an auto-fail which made it even worse. Could've been shunted out of the public eye except when George died, the heir was boinking Wallis Simpson, a married American woman already divorced once (and a man, baby, yeah! She was one dude-looking woman...). After becoming king, that guy was forced to abdicate by the government (Churchill played a major role in this as well) when he wanted to marry Simpson. The line of succession brought forward stuttering guy as king who developed a friendship with speech therepist Geoffrey Rush. No skin, no explosions, no cool gadgets. Some very good writing and performances. YMMV.

Walther P99 AS in 9mm note: Not my photo Before getting to my review of my P99, a quick, probably superflous lesson learned: Watcht the F*&K out for noobs at the range! I've nothing against new guys learning to shoot, in fact I encourage such. But if you don't know what you are doing, please don't try to fake it. If you are shooting besides such, keep your skull on a swivel. Went this morning, guy beside me has the blue plastic bucket which signifies he's using their guns. Looks like he's got a SIG something and a 1911, both in 9mm. Ok, no worries so far. Lots of delays/stutter starts in loading his magazines, readying the weapon, etc, etc., enough to make my spidey senses start tingling. After about 10 minutes, I see him put down the 1911 after shooting a couple of shots from his current magazine. He puts it down hammer back, no safety and in the middle of the bench while he then starts fumbling with the other pistol. After about a second of delay considering being a d1ck or not, I put my gun down, exit my lane, and catch his attention. I tell him I don't want to be a jerk, but that I think he put down his weapon in an unsafe condition and was he aware of it? (I'm not wanting to get the RSO involved ((which is another discussion, he should've already been involved)), but that what he was doing was unsafe. Fortunately, the guy took the criticism well and I wound up giving an impromptu safety and operation lesson. I can see, however, someone too full of themselves to take such intrusion. In that case, it's for the RSO/range to deal with, but damned if I'm gonna get shot due to someone else's stupidity and/or inexperience. In other words, if you don't know what you are doing or how it works, figure it out before arriving at the range or ask. The range should never have let him rent without ensuring he knew how to operate both guns. It's all fun and games (and profit) until someone puts an eye out. And now back to the review: After working my way up the Walther polymer pistol ladder, I finally got via Bud's ($551 + $30 FFL transfer fee) the P99 AS in 9mm I've been lusting after. The gun comes in a plastic, foam cut case with a plastic cleaning rod, two 15 round magazines, three grip backstraps (S,M,L), and three front sights, a lock, and a fired casing. It also has the target enclosed from where it was test-fired at the factory. My "schutze" was named Ronelhabs and at 25 meters hit 5 shots center ring, lower half. The "AS" stands for "anti-stress" in the marketing literature, but means essentially the first shot is traditional double action, the rest are single action. This is a polymer-frame, steel slide, internal striker fired pistol. The first time I ever fondled one in a store, I knew I wanted one due to the just great feel of the grip. I'm certainly late to the polymer pistol party and adjustable grips, but I liked this one for quite a while. Surprisingly, the large backstrap was too big for me and the medium works just fine. The three dot white sights are good, the gun points very easily, it's light, but big enough to come back quickly for follow up shots. The magazine releases from the now-standard to me Walther design consisting of the back third of the trigger guard. The slide release (yea! The damned PK380 I wrote about earlier doesn't have one) is in the standard position and easily reachable with the shooting hand thumb. There is no safety per se. There is a decocking button on the top of the slide, but you either have to turn your gun hand into a funky position and move the pistol from pointing forward or use the non-shooting hand. The first shot after decocking is now double-action which means a long trigger pull. You've gotta mean it for that long a pull hence, I guess, the "AS" moniker. If you are in single action mode, there is a red pin pointing at you from the back of the slide. You can see it easily and feel it at night if need be. The specs of the gun: Barrel Length: 4 inches Dimensions: Length: 7.1 inches Height: 5.3 inches Width: 1.3 inches Weight: 21.2 ounces Eyeball comparing it to my Government Model 1911, it's about 1.5 inches shorter lengthwise, about 3/4" shorter in height. Curiously, it's about 1/8th-ish of inch wider than the Colt. While this could be a good concealed carry gun, it's a little on the long side for that for me. As it was designed for a service weapon for some of the German police departments it is better suited for that role than as a covert gun. Although, {GEEK ALERT!}, it is the new 007 gun. Helluva jump in size from the PPK to this under a tux. Bond must be getting a gut... Again, the slide is milled into this rounded triangle shape that just looks cool, all panzer-like. The chamber on the P99 is beveled to match the shape and compliments the lines so much better than leaving it square like a lot of other semi-autos do, but again, that's looks, not performance. I put 200 rounds of Federal 115 gr. FMJ ball ammo and 25 rounds of Remington Golden Saber 147 gr. hollow point and it never skipped a beat. As noted, the first double action is both long and heavy (sts) with the single action pulls crisp and short. I was shooting all 8 rings from 25 yards down to 10 ring at 10 and 5 yards, both two-handed rapid fire and one-handed slow aim fire. Something new for me and having 15 rounds available was my experiment in just pulling as rapidly as possible. The string looked like a Thompson submachine gun spray. Climbed from the 10 ring all the way up into the throat. Field stripping and cleaning it was very straightforward. Push the retaining ring down, push the slide forward, take the spring and guide rod out of the slide, pull the barrel, and that's it. So simple like it should be. No extra keys required, no additional tools either. If they can do this for the full-size P99, why couldn't they do that for the sibling P22 and PK380? Pros: - Most comfortable pistol I've ever shot - Simple, clean, elegant engineering and lines - Good on-line reviews and performance today with those 200+ rounds - I like the decocker button except for the placement, but that does keep the lines clean. - The P22 is the 3/4 scale version of the pistol and allows for even more cheap muscle-memory practice although the 9mm certainly is not that expensive either. Cons: - 9mm. Although 15 in a double stack is a lot of rounds, I'm still a believer in that anything over one or two fired and my day is gonna be bad. All things being equal, I'd like a bigger bullet. Note, it does come in .40, but I wanted the 9mm as I probably will get other 9mm's so wanted to keep ammo logistics simple (yeah, right...) - Starting to get a bit dated in technology. The original design was late 1990s and has morphed into the SW99 (same clips) and the SW M&P series. I've heard that Walther is coming out with something new next year or so. Overall, I really, really like this pistol. My only complaint is that it is not in .45 ACP. I think I'm out of the acquisition phase for bit because I'm having a custom made gun cabinet built. The three sizes of Walther will look really good in there, but that's not why I bought them. Just got on a Walther kick and can't seem to shake it. My next might be a PPK/S in .380, but I'm still waffling on that one.

A cop was killed in Baltimore this past weekend while breaking up a chick fight outside a bar. A by-stander and/or another cop killed him and another by-stander. While I do regret the death of the innocent victims in Tucson, especially the little girl, not one mention of this cop's death in the line of duty. Or the guys doing the job overseas who won't be coming home. Ever. Aren't they worthy of the attention being heaped upon this tragedy? Not one word beyond the local media and even that is buried in the middle of the paper/broadcast.

Those that have a personal connection to the event or victims will have a very different view on the incident than I will. Acknowledging a bad situation, but not pouring out essentially feigned grief (I don't know any of the victims personally) is not good enough for you? Wondering how the over-reaction to the event is going to affect me and my ability to protect my family is embarrassing? I shall try to live with the approbation. It will be difficult, but I'll try. God bless you for your universal view. Who are you to decide if "all that is necessary?" How about if I just want it? (*cue what about RPGs or tactical nuke arguments...) The illegal act of this headcase is the issue, not those who exercise their freedoms responsibly. Hint: it's illegal to murder someone. That didn't stop this idiot. Restricting even more those of us who decide what we want to have is not going to undo this tragedy or stop future ones. Ever b1tch about Big Blue's penchant for making everyone wear diapers for the stupidity of one?

Much obliged!