When dumb people discuss guns

Did you guys watch the one about “you can be shot by an unloaded gun”? Councilman Sheedy is quite sure it can happen.

I also liked the follow-up experiment by the very conscientious young man, demonstrating 10 times with a hand gun and 10 times with a rifle, that it is difficult, if not impossible, to shot someone with an unloaded gun.

Kirstie Allie let herself go by baking cookies with her kids. Lots of cookies. And pie. And cheesecake….

I’m going to see if I can dig up any information on incendiary bullets. Didn’t the Nazis experiment with those? Or am I thinking of Puff the Magic Dragon, the big HERC that was retrofitted to be used as a gunship during the Vietnam war?

Here’s a place where you can buy some incendiary bullets, an online, too!!!!

http://www.ammunitiontogo.com/index.php/cName/super-incendiary-raufoss

That’s $79.95 per box.

Here’s another:

http://www.gunsamerica.com/913537867/Non-Guns/Ammunition/20ct_Lapua_7_62x39_mm_Incendiary_Amm.htm

The Lapua ammo is $42.50 per box

And I thought stupidity was priceless!

And I swear, this link to a USAF doc on heat-seeking bullets is for real: http://csat.au.af.mil/2025/concepts/900809.HTM but in case it gets yanked, here’s the entire one-page report: These academic research papers are works in progress. The views expressed in these papers are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy or position of the United States Air Force, Department of Defense, or the United States Government. Document Id: 900809 Concept Category / Medium: OFFENSE AND TARGETING / AIR Concept Title: Sensor Fuzed Heat Seeking Bullet Description: These projectiles have a trajectory like any other bullet but nano-technology sensors and control surfaces deflect their flight path toward the target. Once in or near the target nano-technology projectile fuzes would cause the explosive in the projectile to explode creating a self forging slug towards the target. The sensor would be either a nano-laser transmitter/sensor or infrared sensor looking outward from the axis of the bullet. As the bullet spins the scan pattern generated would create a lethal volume around the bullet. The detonation would be aimed an appropriate number of degrees past the sensor to account for any lag in the fuzing. The seeker and control surfaces would guide by nano-technology control surfaces which would extend and retract to destabilize the flight path of the bullet in response to signals from a nano-focal plane array in the projectile nose. Advantages: Increased lethality for gun air defense systems and air to air cannons. No longer would weapons operators have to rely on a direct hit (or very close proximity for fragmentation weapons). The use of nano-technology would make this wepon inexpensive and robust. Countermeasures: The sensors on the projectile might be susceptible to countermeasures such as chaff or flares. Choice of frequency for the sensors and well thought out functional logic will minimize the effect of countermeasures. Additionally, if the algorithim notes the presence of countermeasures, or if the operator does, the special function of the bullet could be disabled and it would behave as a normal bullet. Similarly, a signal past to the projectile while in the gun barrel… Read more »

Old Dog, that sent me back.

Peggy Lee! Julie London! Two of the best women singers of the jazz age. Thanks for that link!

Ex-PH2: “Puff the Magic Dragon” referred to the AC-130’s predecessor, not the AC-130. That was the AC-47.

Yes, you read that correctly. That was a World War II-vintage cargo plane converted to gunship use. The design was developed via USAF gunship testing/experimentation at Eglin AFB under USAF Project Gunship. It was largely the result of efforts by two USAF Captains, John C. Simmons and Ron W. Terry.

The first two gunship aircraft were field-modified in Vietnam in Dec 1964, and were actually initially designated “FC-47s”. These aircraft often actually used the callsign “Puff” (it was indeed a reference to the PP&M song “Puff the Magic Dragon”). The aircraft’s designation was later changed to “AC-47” due to protests of USAF fighter pilots. The formal name for the aircraft series was “Spooky”.

First tactical success was the night of 23-24 Dec 1964 at 2 different SF camps in the Mekong Delta. Puff’s gunship support was instrumental in preserving both camps from being overrun.

It was as loadmaster of an AC-47 that A1C John L. Levitow performed the heroic actions that resulted in his being awarded the Medal of Honor on 24 February 1969.

The AC-130 Spectre was developed as a follow-on (Project Gunship II) and first flew in Sep 1967. However, AC-47s were extensively used during Khe Sahn due to the lack of available AC-130s.

Since the C-130 airframe was in high demand, the number of AC-130s was limited; most AC-130s were used along the Ho Chi Minh trail. A third USAF project – Project Gunship III – converted a number of C-119 “Flying Boxcar” cargo aircraft into gunships. These were the AC-119G Shadow and AC-119K Stinger. Being later developments, they were actually slightly more advanced in terms of targeting systems than the Vietnam-era AC-130s.