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 Jihadin wrote:
I test fired a 50 cal mini gun in '92
GAU19

Turtleback Humvee mounted. They tried it on the Blackhawks but forward firing it blew out the pilot door windows, inward

This is my jealous face. I never even got to fire a mk 19.

 Bromsy wrote:

 Jihadin wrote:
I test fired a 50 cal mini gun in '92
GAU19

Turtleback Humvee mounted. They tried it on the Blackhawks but forward firing it blew out the pilot door windows, inward

This is my jealous face. I never even got to fire a mk 19.

Left trigger handle had "God" stamped into it. Like 1200 rounds a min
Right trigger handle had "Better then God" into it. Like 3000 rounds a min

Whole cargo area in rear of Humvee was nothing but ammo

40 ft container gone
Some old Deuce and Half made very nice metal chip (even the engine block was blown out from its housing
....
it was FUN

This thing?


Where can I get one?

Wouldn't mind having one while driving through Ferguson.

 Jihadin wrote:
I test fired a 50 cal mini gun in '92
GAU19

Turtleback Humvee mounted. They tried it on the Blackhawks but forward firing it blew out the pilot door windows, inward

I sometimes regret not going into the military, specifically the airforce. I love planes and fighter craft. It would be cool to actually fly them.
Then i remember I wouldnt have made it.

 whembly wrote:
This thing?


Where can I get one?

Wouldn't mind having one while driving through Ferguson.

Here Whembly

 Hordini wrote:
The potential problems I could imagine is that it looks like it'd be harder to break a link if you have a runaway gun. And if there's a problem in the pack or in the feed line, that's a lot of ammo that you're going to have to waste a lot of time getting to, where before you could just swap a magazine or break a link, reset and continue firing. It's also more gear hanging off you to get caught up or tangled on something.

But I don't know. Maybe they're getting the issues ironed out and maybe it'd be worth it.

Ever grab linkage on a gun firing cyclic? It is nearly impossible unless the A-gunner has a grip on it prior. if it is a real firefight, he is probably firing his weapon(though he should be monitoring what you're doing too) and might not realize you've got a runaway gun until the belt is almost gone. There is a much better solution for run away gun. Grab the bolt, and pull it to the rear, keeps the gun from firing. Don't need your AG for that.

M240: 27lbs
Per 100 rounds of 7.62 NATO: 7lb (500 rounds 35lbs) This includes link. You're still not at combat load for a gun team.
Feed chute + pack: maybe 6 or 7lbs total.

60 pounds of weapon system. Screw that. All a gunner really needs is a 50 round teaser belt, and maybe 300 rounds. The AG, AB, and other members of the squad carry the rest. Best SOP I encountered was each man carried 100 rounds in a pack. Squad + attached gunteam could bring 1200-1500 rounds. Even when I was an Automatic Rifleman I carried 100 rnds of 7.62, plus my 1000 rounds of 5.56.

 hotsauceman1 wrote:

 Jihadin wrote:
I test fired a 50 cal mini gun in '92
GAU19

Turtleback Humvee mounted. They tried it on the Blackhawks but forward firing it blew out the pilot door windows, inward

I sometimes regret not going into the military, specifically the airforce. I love planes and fighter craft. It would be cool to actually fly them.
Then i remember I wouldnt have made it.

You're still young, it's not too late to give it a go.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Firehead158 wrote:

 Hordini wrote:
The potential problems I could imagine is that it looks like it'd be harder to break a link if you have a runaway gun. And if there's a problem in the pack or in the feed line, that's a lot of ammo that you're going to have to waste a lot of time getting to, where before you could just swap a magazine or break a link, reset and continue firing. It's also more gear hanging off you to get caught up or tangled on something.

But I don't know. Maybe they're getting the issues ironed out and maybe it'd be worth it.

Ever grab linkage on a gun firing cyclic? It is nearly impossible unless the A-gunner has a grip on it prior. if it is a real firefight, he is probably firing his weapon(though he should be monitoring what you're doing too) and might not realize you've got a runaway gun until the belt is almost gone. There is a much better solution for run away gun. Grab the bolt, and pull it to the rear, keeps the gun from firing. Don't need your AG for that.

And no, I've never experienced a runaway gun so I haven't had the chance to try, but they told us to grab the links and twist. Although they did say if we were close to the end of a belt to just keep it pointed downrange and let it go. Pulling the charging handle back sounds like it would work too though.

How can one know what their limits are unless you push beyond the boundaries you yourself set. Inner drive, motivation, and can do attitude will take you far

 Hordini wrote:

 hotsauceman1 wrote:

 Jihadin wrote:
I test fired a 50 cal mini gun in '92
GAU19

Turtleback Humvee mounted. They tried it on the Blackhawks but forward firing it blew out the pilot door windows, inward

I sometimes regret not going into the military, specifically the airforce. I love planes and fighter craft. It would be cool to actually fly them.
Then i remember I wouldnt have made it.

You're still young, it's not too late to give it a go.

I have a bad knee now that prevents me from running sadly

 djones520 wrote:

 hotsauceman1 wrote:

 djones520 wrote:
I'm an Chairman thank you. We develop our brain to do the work of 50 Soldiers.

Fixed that for you.

Ok... you're young, you've been known to make mistakes before, so I'll go easy on you right now.

What you just did would be considered a mighty faux pas. See, you'll occasionally see myself and others who have served trading barbs with each other regarding our respective branches. We call this inter-service ribbing. Something that we, who have served, feel is an earned privilege of our timed served, shared sacrifices, etc... while we do it, never doubt that there is an underlying respect for all branches. We all specialize in different forms of warfare. We all are trained to do different tasks. We all share different levels of risk. We have all taken the same oath though. We have all sworn to defend our nations with our lives. We are all willing to be the shield that keeps you safe from the dangers of this world.

You have done none of that. So whenever a civilian decides to "partake" in such affairs, at best you can expect a cold shoulder. So if you'd like me to continue to treat you with respect in the future, don't do that again. You have not made any of the sacrifices I've made. You have not had to deal with any of the responsibility that I have had to. You have not earned the right to mock the path that I walk, even if it is in a friendly manner.

I'm a little late to this party, but I wanted to jump in anyway.

I spent 23 years in the Air Force. I spent most of that doing "joint" duty. What that really means is that I spent most of that time with the Army. Few things I wanted to clear up.

- Most people in the Air Force are not pilots (not quoted here, from another post). While fly, fight, win! might be our primary mission, it doesn't mean that the majority of Air Force members are actually pilots. I've been retired a couple years and things change, but last I checked number one was security forces, and number two was maintenance. Neither of which is particularly tied to a chair. BTW, I don't care if you've served I find the Chairforce comment to be ignorant and offensive no matter who it comes from or when they've served.

- Beyond security forces and maintenance there are tons of jobs done that do take Air Force members into harms way. I will grant that it isn't the main job of the Air Force. All you have to do is look at the lists of dead and wounded to see that the vast majority of them are Army and Marines. My point isn't that Air Force is out on the other side of the wire as often. Just that there are Air Force members out there. Operation Anaconda I know there were Air Force ParaRescue at the front getting hit with the same mortars falling on everyone else.

- Long gone are the days of single force operations. Just about any operation anywhere these days is done by joint forces. (I'm sure there are operations that just involve some special unit here or there, not what I'm talking about). These days there is just as likely to be Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines all in the same operation. Which is one reason I think that the "friendly banter" is just plain ridiculous. It would make more sense for the front line forces (of mixed service) to make fun of the supply, mess hall, maintenance, etc, troops that stay inside the wire. All forces have people doing jobs that keep them inside the wire.

- I, 23 years Air Force, have been shot at, mortared, shot with rockets, and walked on a land mine (it failed to operate, I'm fine). I've been in 30 countries, I've been in 5 "wars" (or whatever you want to call them). In Somalia my partner was Navy. How about that? Air Force and Navy running around Mogadishu, Yah... I didn't get it either, but there we were. I was in Desert Storm, Somalia, Afghanistan, Iraq. In Iraq I spent most of my time in the green zone in Bagdad, but I also spent some time out in Fallujah. A few weeks after I left Iraq a rocket hit the compound I was at in Bagdad and killed a bunch of good people. People that were in the "safe" part of Iraq.

- I don't banter. I do not insult my fellow brothers and sisters in arms. The United States has the finest Army in the world. We have the finest Navy in the world. We have the finest Marines in the world. And I know for certain that the United States has the best damn Air Force in the world. I'd be happy not to hear Chair Force again thank you.

BTW, to the Chairman up above, the people I get maddest at are fellow Air Force who think it is funny to denigrate themselves. I've run into Air Force members that have never left the United States (hello Space Command). Please do not assume your comfy Colorado life style applies to the Operational and Largest part of the Air Force. The 1968 Tet Offensive involved attacks against Air Force bases. Regardless of career field Airmen were involved in the defense of those bases (primarily Tan Son Nhut Air Base). There were cooks, maintenance and any one else able to hold a rifle. Yes, the job of defense was primarily the job of the 377th Security Police Squadron, but anyone in uniform had a role in defending the base.

Anyway, just add what I said to what djones said. At the end of the day men and women of all services are out there putting their lives on the line. A little respect would go a long way.

Well said.


OT: Looking at the setup, wouldn't it make more sense to have the belt feed come from the bottom of the pack? I don't know how much laying down is done in a fire fight (genuine ignorance here), but if I wanted to move and shoot, it seems like this thing is designed to make that even more of a pain in the ass.

Also, power armor +1

Having the feed come from the top would reduce the chance of jamming.
If it fed from the bottom, you'd have the weight of the belt on top of itself, which could cause restriction in the free running of the belt.

Also,
Army digs in, Air force checks in.
We don't go to any war that doesn't have air con and a mini-bar...


15 years in the RAF as an Airframe Tech, I'm allowed....

 Grey Templar wrote:
Yeah, seems like one busted or jammed link and you've got the weapon out of commission.

Plus it doesn't look like the wearer would actually be able to fix the problem himself as its on his back. So he would need a buddy, at which point you might as well have the second guy be the one carrying the ammo, and then you would probably get more ammo capacity by having two guys carry drums instead of just one.

You already have an assistant gunner to hump your extra ammo cans, another spare barrel bag and kit, and half your regular crap anyway. The squad support weapon is a two-soldier deal, pretty much always has been.

Also, is it me or is the back pack actually attache'd to his armor?
So, to take it off and fix it in battle would mean bad stuff

 draugadan wrote:

- I, 23 years Air Force, have been shot at, mortared, shot with rockets, and walked on a land mine (it failed to operate, I'm fine).

I'm sure all of those situations would require your brown pants though. Particularly the land mine. Jeez! Does NOT bear thinking about!

 hotsauceman1 wrote:
Also, is it me or is the back pack actually attache'd to his armor?
So, to take it off and fix it in battle would mean bad stuff

Just you. It appears to be using the "Medium Assault Ruck" frame, which is designed to be worn with body armor in mind. Due to the shape, the plastic frame conforms around the plate and the armor, making it more comfortable for the wearer.

 Psienesis wrote:

You already have an assistant gunner to hump your extra ammo cans.

The inner 5 year old in me screams...

Looks cool though.

Ahh, ok, disregard that then.

*drools*

Okay, this thing is sooooo cool

 Firehead158 wrote:

 hotsauceman1 wrote:
Also, is it me or is the back pack actually attache'd to his armor?
So, to take it off and fix it in battle would mean bad stuff

Just you. It appears to be using the "Medium Assault Ruck" frame, which is designed to be worn with body armor in mind. Due to the shape, the plastic frame conforms around the plate and the armor, making it more comfortable for the wearer.

MOLLE system

It looks fething awesome, but the practicality of it doesn't look that well. If I was in combat I'd rather have the extra fuss of dealing with the traditional sacks/crates of ammo for weapons like the M60 or SAW. If the feed gets jammed up, there's always another set.

But if that tube-feed thing is damaged, you're going to require your buddy to hand-feed the gun instead. Just looks far too easy to break. Especially depending on the environment. Should the US ever end up in another jungle war, using that "Iron Man" ammo system would be a freaking nightmare I imagine.

There is some real chest beating going on in this thread.

I am not a soldier, never have been but the 'we can banter but you cant' is more than a little galling. This is an open forum and people can post their opinions and join in the fun, if this isn't to your taste don't open up topics to banter if you aren't happy to accept input equally without having to categorise whether another board member is 'worthy' to comment.

I wouldn't intentionally disrespect a veteran, but then I don't like or appreciate veterans pushing the you must be grateful and humble schtick in peoples faces.

It doesn't help that the last bit of chest beating was all about "we are the best in the world". I won't comment on that directly, but I know commanders who gave the US opposites a two or three times numerical advantage in exercises, and still beat them consistently.

Yes, the US has a fine military, please remember that others do to. The thing is those who know don't need to show. The veterans I have the privilege of knowing don't do the 'we are the best' chest beating crap, they are quite quiet about it actually. Chest beating is for gorillas.

I agree that soldiers seem a little overglorified. Sure, you risk your life and it takes some courage... But it's still just a job. It's voluntary, no one forced you to take it.

I mean, I see people cracking joke at politicians all the time here. How many of those who do so are actually politicians? None? Exactly. Sure, politicians are less likely to die on the job, but that a job is risky does not mean that taking it gives you a free high horse.

Not saying all soldiers are war pigs. Some are, not all.

TL;DR: being a soldier, or ex-soldier, is no justification to act all high and mighty.

...I'll probably get my throat bitten off for saying this, but so be it.

As a tradesman I reserve the exclusive rights to use jokes about tartan paint, long weights, left handed screwdrivers etc between other tradesmen and myself.

Unless you've been there in the greasy spoon café eating bacon at 8 o'clock, drinking tea from a dirty mug onsite until 12, having a three pint lunch, fixing your own tools until 3 then clocking off early for a few more beers and to wolf whistle at the office girls as they leave work do not ever joke about 'our people'.

I didn't once hit my thumb with a hammer just to have you suits disrespecting me and all other tradesmen by making light of our noble profession.

You weren't there man.

 Alex Kolodotschko wrote:
As a tradesman I reserve the exclusive rights to use jokes about tartan paint, long weights, left handed screwdrivers etc between other tradesmen and myself.

Unless you've been there in the greasy spoon café eating bacon at 8 o'clock, drinking tea from a dirty mug onsite until 12, having a three pint lunch, fixing your own tools until 3 then clocking off early for a few more beers and to wolf whistle at the office girls as they leave work do not ever joke about 'our people'.

I didn't once hit my thumb with a hammer just to have you suits disrespecting me and all other tradesmen by making light of our noble profession.

You weren't there man.

Nothing wrong with knuckle draggers

 djones520 wrote:

 hotsauceman1 wrote:

 djones520 wrote:
I'm an Chairman thank you. We develop our brain to do the work of 50 Soldiers.

Fixed that for you.

Ok... you're young, you've been known to make mistakes before, so I'll go easy on you right now.

What you just did would be considered a mighty faux pas. See, you'll occasionally see myself and others who have served trading barbs with each other regarding our respective branches. We call this inter-service ribbing. Something that we, who have served, feel is an earned privilege of our timed served, shared sacrifices, etc... while we do it, never doubt that there is an underlying respect for all branches. We all specialize in different forms of warfare. We all are trained to do different tasks. We all share different levels of risk. We have all taken the same oath though. We have all sworn to defend our nations with our lives. We are all willing to be the shield that keeps you safe from the dangers of this world.

You have done none of that. So whenever a civilian decides to "partake" in such affairs, at best you can expect a cold shoulder. So if you'd like me to continue to treat you with respect in the future, don't do that again. You have not made any of the sacrifices I've made. You have not had to deal with any of the responsibility that I have had to. You have not earned the right to mock the path that I walk, even if it is in a friendly manner.

So it's cool to mock soldiers as being dumber than dirt, but god forbid someone refer you to as a chairman? That's a sign of a POG if I ever saw one. If you're in the Air Force and doing something other than MP or Pararescue (or other similar MOSes) than you have ribbing rightfully coming in your direction. Thinking you should be afforded the same amount of respect as a damn grunt taking rounds down range every damn day is absolutely fething absurd.

 trexmeyer wrote:


So it's cool to mock soldiers as being dumber than dirt, but god forbid someone refer you to as a chairman? That's a sign of a POG if I ever saw one. If you're in the Air Force and doing something other than MP or Pararescue (or other similar MOSes) than you have ribbing rightfully coming in your direction. Thinking you should be afforded the same amount of respect as a damn grunt taking rounds down range every damn day is absolutely fething absurd.

He was getting on to hotsauce about referring to him as a "chairman"... which is completely fething up the joke for starters. There is, quite frankly, a certain amount of banter that gets thrown about by people who have actually served (calling marines leathernecks, or jarheads; Navy squids or similar. The AF gets referred to as Chair Force, not "chairman" as was originally stated, etc)



And if I recall from other threads, djones is a TACP.... which is about on level with pararescue (not MPs... feth the MPs) as far as getting gak done.

IMO, using the various "derogatory" terms that we Vets use for each other while not having served at all is a huge disrespect to all who have served... it's not about demanding greater respect than someone else, it's about having "earned" the right to that sort of banter. Just as Alex Kolodotscko, if he's really a tradesman will have some inside jokes that none but other tradesmen will understand, I won't engage in his type of banter, or banter with a doctor/nurse, etc. so long as it is regarding their profession.

Leave Dj alone. He knows how to get free cable TV off a Blue Force Tracker.

 Jihadin wrote:
Leave Dj alone. He knows how to get free cable TV off a Blue Force Tracker.

Lol, I'm helping the guy out here

Christ some people are hard of reading it seems... I love that my direct statement is quoted, and then they don't even bother trying to understand what I wrote.

As for the other question Ensis, I'm not a TACP. Would never lower myself to that. My current position is Battlefield Weather. The Army refers to me as a SWO (Staff Weather Officer). I am a weather forecaster currently attached to the Army.