Monthly Archives: June 2015

A sleepy deuce on a green island

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click to big up

click to big up

A crewman finds the only shade there is on the airstrip on Green Island (now Nissan Island), Northern Solomons, beneath an F4U-1D Corsair fighter, No.974 of Marine Squadron 222, 1943-44. Source United States National Archives via the Bobby Rocker Collection via Library of Congress.

VMF-222, “The Flying Deuces,” was stood up at Midway in March 1942 and stormed ashore at Nissan in 1944.

Nissan is in the Green Islands of Papua New Guinea, exactly midway between Rabaul and Bougainville. The place had just been secured a month before by Kiwi’s of the 3rd New Zealand Infantry and at the time a young Richard Millhouse Nixon was a Navy supply officer at the base.

It was a home to no less than 9 RNZAF Corsair squadrons, several Navy Black Cat units, a PT-boat flotilla (Higgins and Elco boats with nicknames like Bed Bug, Dracula, and Knight Rider), and others. However as the war wound down it was swiftly abandoned to the jungle– although some Japanese soldiers remained in the mountains around the base into the 1970s.

As for VMF-222, they only flew Corsairs and were deactivated at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina on December 31, 1949.

Sea Sheperds pick up a couple 110s

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sentinel compared to Island class coast guard cutter (distance)wpb uscg patrol boat

154-foot Sentinel compared to 110-foot Island class patrol boat (distance). Click to big up

The Island-class patrol boats of the U.S. Coast Guard have put in yeoman’s service since the 1980s. These hardy 110-footers, armed originally with a 20mm Mk. 16 forward and pair of 12.7mm guns port and starboard amidships, have fought the war of a thousand drug smugglers in the Caribbean, deployed constantly to the Persian Gulf, sank radioactive Japanese ghost trawlers, and saved countless lives that would have otherwise been lost to the sea.

Over time they were updated with better radars, overhauled engines and a 25mm Mk.38, but they are showing their age.

They are now being replaced by the 154-foot, $88 million Sentinel class Fast Responce Cutters after some 30 years of hard service.

And the Sea Shepherd group of maritime thugs conservationists have picked up a couple of them:

The former USCGC Block Island (WPB-1344) and the USCGC Pea Island (WPB-1347), now renamed the MY Jules Verne and the MY Farley Mowat, were purchased in Baltimore earlier this year and are now berthed in Key West, Florida.

You can see the 25mm and M2 mounts removed as well as the racing stripes painted over, but the ready boxes are still there...

You can see the 25mm and M2 mounts removed as well as the racing stripes painted over, but the ready boxes are still there…

and the profile is unmistakeable

…and the profile is unmistakeable

“These two ships, the Farley Mowat and the Jules Verne, give Sea Shepherd USA a combination of speed and long-range capabilities,” said Sea Shepherd Founder Captain Paul Watson. “We have already offered the Jules Verne to assist the rangers at Cocos Island National Park Marine Reserve with anti-poaching interventions, 300 miles off the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica, and the Farley Mowat has been offered to patrol the Sea of Cortez in partnership with the government of Mexico to protect the endangered vaquita.”

Its not the first time that the group, seen often on Animal Planet/Discover Network’s “Whale Wars” have bought old Coasties. They picked up a 95-foot Cape class patrol boat from the Coast Guard in the 1990s and their ship MY Steve Irwin was the 195-foot Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency conservation enforcement patrol boat, the FPV Westra, for 28 years.

The 110s will be getting a new paint job as part of “Neptune’s Navy”, which actually looks kinda cool, but you can bet there are some USCG Chiefs out there whose eyes are going to twitch when they see it…

sea shepherd 110

SIG is bringing the P-225 back from the dead– with a twist

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One of the most elegant slim line all-metal 9mm handguns of the last quarter of the 20th Century was the Sig Sauer P-225. While the gun was only ever imported into the U.S. in small numbers– and most of that former German police sidearms– it is now, with 9mm caliber offerings all the rage, apparently making a comeback.

Basic design

Introduced in 1975 as a more compact version of the P220 with a push button magazine release (except in Switzerland.) They were very popular with Swiss, Swedish, Canadian and UK (yes some of them carry guns) police forces. The Swiss designed P225 was manufactured in Europe only and as such, you will find that all three main sections, the slide, frame, and barrel, are serial numbered.

When various West German police forces began purchasing a slightly modified P225 as the P6 variant in 1978, they became the largest user of the design and the only user of the P6 variant. J. P. Sauer & Sohn made all P6s in Eckenförde Germany where the P225 remained in very limited production up until about 2011.

The P6/P225 is a double-action, recoil-operated pistol. It has a single stack eight round magazine. Its barrel length is 3.9 inches and overall length is 7.1 inches. Using an alloy frame and a steel slide like most SIG P-series pistols, the P6 weighs in at 25.9 ounces. The difference between the P225 and the P6 is in the weight of the trigger pull (28-pounds!, whereas the standard 225 is 10 lbs./4.5 lbs. DA/SA) and in the funky hooked hammer. In addition, pre-June 1989 made P6s have a steeper feed ramp that often will not feed larger (over 124-grain) 9mm JHP rounds reliably.

The P6

The Sig Sauer P6 is the then-West German Federal Police derivative of the Swiss SIG P225 handgun used until about 2005, at which point some 40,000 surplus guns were sold to importers in the U.S. and proved extremely collectable.

p6 note hammer

This now nearly three-decades-old P6 lived a good 15 year life in a West German police armory before I got my hands on it and upgraded her with night sights and a new set of springs. Since 2005 she has gobbled up about 10,000 rounds on the range in my hands and still is hanging strong.

According to West German police code, the funny looking hook is a Deformationssporn, which means, “deformation spur.” This was a requirement of the West German Police for all their pistols, regardless of manufacturer, to alert police armorers if the pistol was dropped on its hammer.

basic disassembly p6
Magazines are a bone of contention for many P6 owners. Old surplus former German police Sauer-made steel magazines are around but run in excess of $35 apiece. Marked “P6” and having characteristic zipper backs, they are quality hard-wearing magazines. They have steel floor plates and followers and with the possible exception of having the spring replaced over time, should last forever. New production Sig Arms factory replacement magazines made OE by Mec-Gar in Italy were available on the company’s website for around $50 until recently.

But hopefully that is all about to change because…

The 225 is coming back!

P225.jpg~original

Read the rest in my column at Firearms Talk.

 

Full House, comrade, naval infantry over rocket troops

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And now for something different, we have Russian military playing cards. These are just great.

1400090360_chervy-13 1400090342_chervy-10 1400090116_kresti-6 1400090051_kresti-2 russian playing card 11 russian playing card inspector russian playing card

 

More over at English Russia

Suppressed rabbit hunts?

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In the past decade, there has been an explosion in popularity of the use of NFA-compliant suppressors (commonly but incorrectly termed silencers) both in recreational use and in hunting. With that being said, is there a place in the rabbit dog community for these devices?

Hunting with suppressors?

First off, sound moderating devices such as suppressors and silencers have never been illegal in the United States, the country of their birth. From 1909 when the first Maxim silencers came out, until 1934 when the National Firearms Act placed restrictions on these devices, you could even buy them mail order over the counter.

In just the past four years, suppressor ownership across the country has doubled from 285,000 registered “cans” in 2011 to more than 571,000 today. No less than 39 states allow ownership of NFA-registered suppressors, and most of these further allow their use in hunting, with this club increasing every year. In 2014 alone, Georgia, Louisiana, and Alabama all expanded this right to their sportsmen, while Florida and Montana approved the measure so far this year.

According to the American Suppressor Association, 35 states currently allow for their use in hunting, with most of these having regular rabbit seasons.

Why fool with it?

Obviously, use of a suppressor can translate into quieter hunts in which hearing protection is built-in to the firearm rather than stuffed in your ears. Sadly, many of us choose not to use earpro while in the field so we can listen to the sound of the dogs, the flush of the bunnies from the brush, and other reasons. This translates into loss of hearing over time. (How often do you say, “What?” when people are talking to you?)

As noted by the ASA, “Suppressors reduce the noise of a gunshot by an average of 20-35 dB, which is roughly the same as earplugs or earmuffs. By decreasing the overall sound signature, suppressors help to preserve the hearing of recreational shooters, hunters, and hunting dogs around the world.”

Overseas, especially in New Zealand and Great Britain, taking rabbits with what they term “moderated” shotguns is considered not only smart, but also downright polite.

So why not here?

vaughan-410-shotgun-over-barrel-suppressor-08-1024x710-206

Read the rest in my column at Rabbit Dogs.net

Back when Colt reigned supreme

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From the Wausau Daily Herald-

An intriguing piece of Wausau law enforcement history has found a home at the Wausau Police Department thanks to the descendants of Thomas Malone, the city’s first police chief.

A pistol once carried by Malone was given to the Wausau Police Department last week. The Colt .38 revolver was found by Malone’s great-great grandson Adam Robinson as he was cleaning out the home of his grandfather David Robinson — Malone’s grandson — after David Robinson’s February death.

The Malone gun obviously was a working man’s firearm. The bluing is worn down to bare steel in places, and the metal bears the pitting and scarring that came from decades of use.

And yes, its a Colt Model 1892 New Army and Navy...

And yes, its a Colt Model 1892 New Army and Navy…

Pictures can often say more than a thousand words

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A Canadian UN soldier in Korea with a U.S. made M-1 Carbine and British Mills bomb grenades

A Canadian UN soldier in Korea with a U.S. made M-1 Carbine and British Mills bomb grenades. Private Heath Matthews of Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment, awaiting medical aid after night patrol near Hill 166

When the Second Battalion of the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry set sail for Asia on Nov. 25, 1950 the war in Korea seemed about to end. However, by the time the Princess Patricia’s arrive in Japan on Dec. 14, the tide of the war has turned dramatically with China’s intervention.

In all some 26,000 Canadians served in Korea, with over 500 never leaving there alive.

Vale, Christopher Lee

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You may not known this about me, but I’m named after a film icon.

Yup, I am Christopher Lee Eger, after the Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee, CBE, CStJ. You know? Count Dooku, Saruman, The Man with the Golden Gun. My mother was a huge fan of 1970s Hammer films.

He was also a real-life legend.

Well before all that he volunteered for the Finns in the 1939 Winter War, then served in the RAF in World War II doing intelligence work.

Years later he said of this, “I was attached to the SAS from time to time but we are forbidden – former, present, or future – to discuss any specific operations. Let’s just say I was in Special Forces and leave it at that.”

Sadly, the world’s most renowned man card holder is no longer with us. He died yesterday at 93 and I truly don’t think anyone could ever fill his shoes.

I will leave you with this sobering interview of him recalling his WWII service in an interview in Italy in 2009

The world is somehow not as bright today.

Did you jump on the Glock 42 or 43 bandwagon but want a light?

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If you waited all this time for one of the slim line Glock .380 and 9mm single-stacks to hit the market, but miss the tactical weapons light you had on your other platforms, Pennsylvania-based Streamlight has you covered.

Introduced this week is the TLR-6, what the company is calling an “ultra-compact” lightweight combination illuminator light and red aiming laser– the first of its kind meant for a sub-compact pistol as thin as the Glock 42/43.

Designed to fit on the trigger guard of either the 42 or 43, the light is crafted from durable, impact-resistant engineering polymer. As Glock spent years trimming the weight of these guns down, the TLR-6 does its best not to spoil that, tipping the scales at just 1.27 ounces including the weight of its two 3 Volt CR-1/3N lithium coin batteries (included). For reference, that’s about the weight of $1.25 worth of U.S. quarters.

Glock 42 with Streamlight TLR=6 combination light. Total weight package with the gun, light, batteries, and 7 rounds of 9mm is 24 ounces. Click to big up

Glock 42 with Streamlight TLR=6 combination light. Total weight package with the gun, light, batteries, and 7 rounds of .380 is just 18.5-ounces. Click to big up

More on it in my column over at Glock Forum

 

Look, in the fjords, what are those guys doing?

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One of the most unexpectedly versatile missile in the Western arsenal is the Hellfire missile. Originally set up to arm U.S. Army AH-1 and AH-64 helicopters in the 1970s to smother the Soviet tank armies in the Fulda Gap, the Hellfire has expanded to use in drones, C-130s, land vehicles, fighter bombers (as Brimstone) naval vessels, and coast defense.

Say what?

Yep,

With the thousands of miles of craggy coastline in Sweden and Norway, the armed services of those countries have long used a ground-strike version of Hellfire.

The Hellfire Shore Defense System (HSDS).

Kystjegere setter opp hellfire våpen / Soldiers from the Norwegian coastal artillery preparing hellfire weapon

Kystjegere setter opp hellfire våpen / Soldiers from the Norwegian coastal artillery preparing hellfire weapon

Kystjegere setter opp hellfire våpen / Soldiers from the Norwegian coastal artillery preparing hellfire weapon

Kystjegere setter opp hellfire våpen / Soldiers from the Norwegian coastal artillery preparing hellfire weapon

Kystjegerkommandoen fyrer av et Hellfire-missil mot bevegelig sjømål på finnmarkskysten / Soldiers from the Norwegian coastal artillery fire a Hellfire missile towards moving targets

Kystjegerkommandoen fyrer av et Hellfire-missil mot bevegelig sjømål på finnmarkskysten / Soldiers from the Norwegian coastal artillery fire a Hellfire missile towards moving targets

It consists of consists of a pair of single rail launchers, a pair of control cables, pair of safe and arming boxes, four batteries and a control box with a designator. Each single-rail launcher is in two parts legs and rail/trunnion. Total weight is 105-pounds.  An HSDS Hellfire in its floating transport container weighs 156-pounds and can be set up by a two-man crew in less than 8 minutes. Range of this system is given as 300-10,000m and for anti-shipping applications has a 9kg HE blast/ fragmentation warhead.

If you think such a small missile has no use against naval vessels, keep in mind the Battle South Georgia in 1982 where 22 Royal Marines equipped with nothing more than small arms and 84mm and 66mm AT rockets crippled the modern Argentina corvette Guerrico.

You can bet a hellfire could scratch the paint-job on a Russian gunboat or submarine sail.

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