Posted on 07/11/2010 1:30:09 AM PDT by ErnstStavroBlofeld
Meet me at the gun range and I’ll change your mind.
My range is off my back porch, and it's just about good for about 600 yards, the distance for the NM course.
But that last line was a quote from the movie, so it's not my mind you'd have to change.
See, on Free Republic we pretty much get the nit of things before it is all over :)
“
You’re all missing it. The Iraqis believe that Obama will cut and
run as soon as possible and there they’ll be standing there among a
thousand Muslim terrorist holding an American M-16.
“
I remember seeing a report (during “The Clinton Years”) about how
some M-16s issued to the Israeli Defense Forces ended up in the hands
of the Palestinian “freedom fighters”.
IIRC, the Israelis eventually found a way to convey booby-trapped
M-16s to the Palestinians.
E.g., gun blew up in their faces after a clip or so.
Later, I think I heard that Clinton had put plenty of M-16s into the
hands of the Palestians “police force” allied with Arafat/Al-Fatah.
Mad me ill to think of this.
These gentlemen wipe their butts with rocks. How well do you think they’ll do cleaning their rifles?
I thought the Aussies finally got it fixed with helical cuts.
The trooper on the left is flagging his buddy. Are they Rhodesian? I don’t recognize the camo pattern.
regards,
You are right on target. They won’t maintain them, or do the necessary marksmanship training 30 seconds after we ‘un-ass’ the country...
regards,
A Soldier of mine gave an IA soldier a large bottle of CLP for his AK47. The fool dumped the entire bottle all over his rifle, and called it clean.
You can’t fix stupid.
The sand cuts were a Brit development, their improvement on the first batch of FAL test rifles they got from FN. All the *Commonwealth* rifles used by former British colonies/possessions had the sand cuts, including the Canadian C1 and C2, Indian Ishapore-built 1A and 1A1 rifles, the Australian Lithgow-produced L1A1 and L2A1, and British-produced L1A1s [Enfield and BSA, from about 1954 on] and most Israeli rifles- which were *metric* pattern, not *inch* or *Commonwealth.*
The Rhodesians used both L1A1 rifles sent their prior to their Unilateral Declaration of Independence, and after that, mostly metric pattern rifles, particularly South african R1/R2 versions- without sand cuts.
The Australian L1A1 SLRs [pronounced *slurs* by the Digger troopies] worked fine in mud. I wasn't around them anywhere operational where there was that much sand [there's plenty to be had out back of Alice around Pine Gap!] so I can't say how that might have worked out. But my Lithgow L1A1, now fitted with a DSA L1A1 lower receiver, works pretty well in the grit.
Indeed. The camera angle makes it look like the R1 is pointed his way, but those lads were so scrupulous about muzzle discipline that I suspect that there's a bit of camera angle involved. Grey's Scouts could be a little more sporty to be around, as their horses didn't always cooperate, so usually carried their gats muzzle skyward when possible. And the lads in Armoured Cars could be a bit risky to be around.
The only AD I saw, which holed the borrowed VW Rabbit I was using, though not while I was in it, came from a .303 Browning MG on a RhAF base where an armourer had failed to clear a gun properly. He let the bolt go forward, with no belt in place but with one round in the feedway, and BANG!. Of course, if there's been a belt in, there would have been a great many bangs, those aircraft guns ran at around 20-25 rounds/second.
The green beanies mark the troopies around the Mog mortar carroer as Rhodesian Light Infantry, reckoned by many, including themselves, to be Rhodesia's Best.
You can’t fix stupid.
At least he didn't drink it.
“But officials said the Army concluded that the AK-47 was more reliable in the searing Iraqi summers.”
~~~
Yup,,,They won’t boil over!...;0)
I discovered the struggle for Rhodesia while doing internet research for a paper at command and staff ‘college’. The army struck me as both noble and brave, defending what they must have known was the end of their way of life.
Sad to see what has become of the country they and their ancestors built.
Regards,
Well, not that I saw at least...
My involvement was just a bit more personal,m but you're spot-on about the nobility and courage of the troopies, at least that I saw displayed by the EM, most of the NCOs and junior officers. That can't be said for some of the more senior personnel unfortunately, the most notorious of whom was probably Slick Richie Stannard.
Sad to see what has become of the country they and their ancestors built.
True that, though of course it's not quite all over yet. But it's certainly been a hard couple of decades for those of the RAR.
Regards,
Cheers, mate!
Scribbling the Cat: Travels with an African Soldier By Alexandra Fuller
I've read it, but don't have a copy. You might find this one to be an interesting bit of advanced study.
Thanks Arch,
Looks like a good book. I worked in eastern Africa for two years and while the place is high frustration with all the lost potential, I enjoyed the experience a great deal.
Cheers
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