A 1920 Ithaca and it's factory chambered for the 3-inch 12 gauge! And with a railroad history!

Cool Beans!

I'd be for taking it to the duck blind for a little exercise every once in awhile.

Love the mug with the UP logo.

 

Dug around a little bit into 12ga history. In 1920, 12ga was still commonly a 2 1/2" shell length rather than the current 2 3/4". 3 inch was a hoss it seems. Also, I would have expected a railroad gun to be a good bit shorter than 28" for 'wieldability'. A long bird to use on board a train car. Therefore I think it was a trainYARD gun, likely to keep 4 legged, and 2 legged, varmints away from the cargo.

 

Paid a visit to my favorite little gun shop. This time, I just couldn't leave without this one

The top one is a new arrival. Can't bring myself to spend the coin on it, but it's a 1952 non-issued M1 still in cosmoline

 

Nice M1. It's amazing how collectible they have gotten in recent years. If my dad were alive he'd probably kick himself over a few of the ones he sold for $150.

 

Never thought about it, but a trainYARD gun has much to recommend it. You're probably correct.

You did well to acquire that one. I love the M1 and have great respect for its capabilities, both cartridge and rate of accurate aimed fire. Don't tell anyone I said this, but I consider it to be better than the rifles adopted since.

This one here is dated two months before yours. Perhaps they are near kin, though Springfield Armory was really cranking them out by summer of 1944.




Yee-haa!!! That 1952 M1 is priceeey!

 

Oo...that's a beautiful example!!

I'm sure this won't be my last. I seem to seek 2 of everything that doesn't talk back lol

 

But of all forum-members who "fired" the biggest weapon ?

 

That's going to be one of our vets that was field artillery or Navy.

 

I cracked my head on one of the 14-inch guns in 1961 while climbing around on the battleship seen in my avatar photo of the Texas.

Does that count? I can still remember the "recoil" after all these years.

 

I'm sorry to say I don't remember what engine that is, but is was a training aid used at Chanute AFB; and on display in their museum. I feel very blessed to have gotten to go through the facility the year before they closed. It was an impressive museum

 

That's okay, without proof otherwise, I'll just think that I'm correct.

I live near Ft. Sill, home of Henry Post airfield, and one of the other airfields established along with Chanute in 1917. Aviation actually began here two years earlier when the 1st Aero Squadron arrived from California. They weren't here long as San Antonio was determined to be a more suitable location after they were dispatched to accompany Pershing during the Punitive Expedition.

Once we entered the First World War the Army saw the need to quickly expand their aviation program and opened a total of thirty-two airfields for training pilots across the country, including Chanute and Henry Post.

 

I’m extremely interested in firearms particularly when the firearms are aimed at me!

 

I'd say it's a version of a Wright R-1820.
Spent many hours getting covered in oil and cursing access to the CSD on the R-1820-82WA.

Bonus points for anyone who can guess what aircraft that was.

 

I'm gonna guess the S-2

 

Bingo!

As the US equivalent of "plane captain" my aircraft was an S-2E, serial 851. Here's a shot of one from my era.
Two Wright Cyclone R-1820s clattering across the sky told you it was a Tracker coming way before you could see it.



Sorry for the thread drift, probably should be in the Aviation thread.

 

I, for one, am happy for the interjection. It confirms that my eye isn't too terrible, and I enjoy hearing aviation stories. My grandad was a Navy plane captain back in the late 40s through Korea.

 

Largest "ammo" I fired was 5.08 meters long ...

 

The biggest weapon I've "popped" was an AIM-7 Sparrow HE Rod Fragmentation warhead in a lethality test. Caliber 800.0 (approx).

I think this "competition" should be limited to small arms, i.e.: man carried weapons.

So, my submission is caliber 40mm from the old "Thumper" (M79).
Most painful: Barret M82 .50 anti-materiel weapon. I forgot to snug into it before pulling the trigger.

 

44mm is going to be hard to trump for a man carried weapon.

If we are going with bore diameter, then it's a 12 ga. for me, it weighs in at .72 caliber, or about 18.5mm. I imagine this will be true for many of us.

 

Hello again, been a long time! Just wanted to show off a new find. A nice *new* H&R M12 22LR Military Trainer. These were made decades ago, but this one is in perfect, crisp shape and still had the packing grease I had to clean off. Don't see many of these around anymore, but it weighs about 13lbs so you can plink all day and never feel a thing. Only downside is not with the rifle, it's my tired old eyes as it has the Olympic sights on it, so a tiny point to line up. BUT, I have no plans to shoot it. Its just cool and I have many other 22s.