Jump to content
Please support this forum by joining the SH Patreon ×
Sturgeon's House

That’s Suspicious

Contributing Members
  • Posts

    162
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Reputation Activity

  1. Tank You
    That’s Suspicious reacted to Alzoc in French flair   
    Not that I know of.
    The poor initial reliability is basically cited in every book I came across so there must be truth to it.
     
    Maybe you can try through reports for the parliament, the availability rate of various material can be published when asked by a parliamentary.
    Here are the number for 2016-2017:
     

     
    http://questions.assemblee-nationale.fr/q15/15-5567QE.htm
     
    Problem is it's only the overall availability, not the reliability of one particular component.
    Also note that both the Leclerc and it's recovery vehicles are listed on the same line (while the Leclerc use V8X the DNG/DCL use the EuroPowerpack MTU MT883).
     
    Your best bet would be to go through the archives of the national assembly and the senate searching for older reports and inquiry (senate reports tend to be a bit more technical and detailed):

    http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/
    http://www.senat.fr/
  2. Tank You
  3. Tank You
    That’s Suspicious reacted to Stimpy75 in Turkish touch   
  4. Funny
  5. Metal
    That’s Suspicious reacted to Scolopax in United States Military Vehicle General: Guns, G*vins, and Gas Turbines   
    AAV-P7A1 CATFAE (Catapult launched Fuel Air Explosives).  Troop carrying capabilities were exchanged for 21 fuel-air ordnance launchers for the purpose of clearing minefields and other obstacles during an amphibious assault.
     

  6. Funny
    That’s Suspicious reacted to FORMATOSE in AFV Engines   
  7. Tank You
    That’s Suspicious reacted to LoooSeR in T-80 Megathread: Astronomical speed and price!   
    T-80U of Kantemirovskaya on firing range
     
  8. Funny
    That’s Suspicious reacted to heretic88 in The Leopard 2 Thread   
    If Poland indeed buys M1, Damian will be the happiest man on earth!
  9. Sad
    That’s Suspicious reacted to LoooSeR in The Soviet Tank Thread: Transversely Mounted 1000hp Engines   
    IS-3 on Shikotan island.

     
     
  10. Funny
    That’s Suspicious reacted to Collimatrix in General AFV Thread   
    I've never seen a color picture of a Tiger II being recovered and towed before.
  11. Tank You
    That’s Suspicious reacted to Sturgeon in Starter Firearm Thread   
    Yes I have three uppers for my 6920 now. The lowers last practically for forever.
  12. Tank You
    That’s Suspicious reacted to OnlySlightlyCrazy in Starter Firearm Thread   
    A big part of the reason why this advice is so valuable is that mainstream = cheap and easy accessories. No, you don't need to rice your handgun out at first, but having access to the best holsters, cheap and good magazines (as opposed to cheap or good), and easily accessed spares for if/when things breaks is reassuring.

     
     

    Agreed, but I would like to add something. As I'm sure Sturgeon can attest (having held everything from the first to the latest AR-15s), the AR is delightful in large part because of it's modularity. Although it won't be an issue for you within the first, say, 1-2 years of owning and shooting an AR-15 (possibly more!) the dated components of a Colt 6920 are primarily in the upper receiver group, which is not legally a firearm. It is thus entirely possible to keep your existing AR-15 and buy or build a new, hyper-modern, whiz-bang upper receiver and install it on your rifle merely by popping a few pins. There is a lot of upward growth potential in a rack-grade 6920 when you're ready to do so.
  13. Tank You
    That’s Suspicious reacted to Sturgeon in Starter Firearm Thread   
    Yeah I didn't either. You'll get over it, trust me.
     
     
    I thought I already made a few recommendations. I've shot a lot of different handguns. I'd stick with the mainstream striker-fired guns, the best of those being the various Glocks and the M&Ps.
     
     
    Yes I have some experience with them and would not recommend spending your money on either. It's a roll of the dice. Bushmaster mostly made its name through being referenced in CNN articles about school shootings. They aren't the best choice.
     
     
    Of everything you mentioned the M&P 15 Sport II is the best, but the Colt 6920 is better yet.
  14. Tank You
    That’s Suspicious reacted to Sturgeon in Starter Firearm Thread   
    Moved to the appropriate subforum.

    First of all, the provisions you are outlining are not "loopholes" as they are explicitly outlined in Federal law. Specifically, 18 U.S.C. 922(b)(1) from the 1968 Gun Control Act, the BATFE advisement about which states:
     
     
    Provided that your state has no relevant prohibitions, then, yes you may acquire a handgun from a non-FFL ("unlicensed individual"), usually via gifting. I would be very careful how you conduct this as it's relatively easy to create a condition that could be regulated by state or Federal law. For example, if you live with your parents in a state with no additional regulations and are over 18, your father or mother may gift you a handgun without issue. However, if your father lives in another state, this would fall under interstate commerce and would be illegal, as interstate transactions must go through an FFL (who can't sell you the firearm).

    Gun shows are dicey in this way because generally speaking you don't have any way to verify that the seller lives in your state or not. You can ask for ID, but that's not a surefire thing either. If you do decide to go this route, I would definitely insist on seeing an ID and photographing it.
     
    Another thing to worry about is accidentally conducting a straw purchase. If, for example, you had the above case with your parent, but instead of a Christmas gift, you reimbursed them for the gun then that would become a straw purchase and a Federal crime. More confusingly, if this handgun were already owned by your parents (if for example it was Grandpa's gun), and you bought it off them, that would not be a straw purchase and would be legal. There are also, so far as I know, no regulations against trades of handguns between individuals who reside in the same state. So, conceivably, you could trade for a privately owned handgun, for example - but we enter yet another grey area if the gun you are trading for was purchased with the knowledge that you'd be trading for it. In this case it's possible that this could be considered a straw purchase in the same way as if you had bought the weapon from them with cash.
     
    Given the above, I would go about acquiring a handgun very carefully. Some Don'ts, Dos, and Mays:
     
    DON'T arrange for someone else to buy a gun for you from an online store or any place with an FFL. This is one of the key ingredients of a straw purchase - if they can prove you arranged the purchase ahead of time, bad day for you.

    DON'T purchase from or trade with people who are not family members or very close friends (e.g., you've been to their house). It's the only way to be sure.
     
    DON'T post on online message boards or Facebook groups conspicuous or incriminating requests for handguns

    DON'T use Armslist to arrange a private sale. Armslist is a cesspit, full of scams and ne'erdowells, just avoid it. You'll thank me.
     
    DON'T go "gun shopping" for a handgun with anyone who might want to sell or gift you a gun unless they agree not to buy anything from that store. Even if it's innocent, "hey dad, I want that one" followed by an attempted sale will give any decent gun store clerk the heebie jeebies.
     
    DO let people you know and trust know you want a handgun, and which kind. As long as you don't plan for them to purchase a gun, this is fine. And you may get lucky, or find someone wants to sell a gun you'd be happy with. You never know without bringing it up.
     
    DO inform those you know who may be willing to sell, trade, or gift you a handgun what the relevant laws are. Show them the BATFE regulations using your phone or computer. Make sure they do not think they are doing something illegal.

    DO make an effort to shoot a variety of handguns before you buy. Since you are under 21, you generally can't rent handguns but you should have no problems accompanying a legal purchaser and shooting any guns they rent. Also, look out for folks who might be happy to let you shoot their guns at the range. A .22 LR rifle is nice for this, since you can shoot it anywhere you can shoot a pistol.

    YOU MAY want to arrange a nice gift for someone who seems like they would be willing to gift or trade you a handgun. Doesn't hurt, right?
     
    As for which handgun to pick, this choice is very personal. I shoot Glocks well, and most people do, so that's my default for you. Glock 19 or 17. I estimate there is an 80% chance it will work well for you. If not, you can sell it later for close to full value. If you are a part of that 20% of the population who just really does not agree with Glocks, I would give the well respected competing brands (S&W, SIG, CZ, etc, not Springfield) a try and see which one shoots best for you. "Feel" of the handgun can be related to your performance with them, but isn't necessarily. For example, the most comfortable handgun for me is the Browning Hi Power, yet I shoot Glocks better.
     
    The biggest mistake in my humble opinion that a first-time handgun shooter can make is saying "hey, I'll buy a full-size or compact (G19) handgun and it'll be both my IDPA/training gun, and when I'm 21 it'll be my CCW too!" No. Do not do this. Yes, people can and have concealed full size guns every day. They are not you. You've never concealed a handgun before. You want the smallest, most concealable gun you can get that still offers good shootability and lethality (that would be a Glock 43 btw, plus maybe the SIG P365 in a couple years once it's debugged). Right now, I would just pick a good gun to build fundamentals on, and worry about what you want to carry when you get closer to getting your license. If after a year or two of actually carrying that smaller gun, you want to go up to a Desert Eagle or whatever, be my guess. But practice carrying with something that's less of a pain in the ass, first.
     
    I would also keep an eye out for anything friends or relatives have that might be a good range gun, even if it's not exactly what you want. Remember, guns usually hold their value so if you don't end up liking it, you can sell it and usually lose less than the cost of renting it.
     
    For your starter AR-15, there are a lot of good options. The baseline gun people are usually going to tell you to get is the Colt 6920. This gun offers basically zero nice features (like trigger, free float rail, etc) but it is mechanically still one of the best guns you can buy and makes an excellent host for upgrades. Many other guns below the $1000 mark today offer rail systems, triggers, midlength gas, and other upgrades, but in my case there aren't many of those packages that I really like as a whole, and chances are very good their quality won't be quite as high as the 6920. That's not to say the 6920 is the best rifle out there, but in terms of QC it has been the gun to beat for a while now. With a Colt OEM2, you get the rifle and none of the stuff that goes on it, too, and you are left with roughly $250 of your budget to slap on stocks, rails, etc. Even if it doesn't have all the modern creature comforts (it has a carbine gas system and the notorious GI trigger), it's hard to do better than taking one of those and decking it out the way you like. I've owned a 6920 for 8 years, and it's had close to 10,000 rounds through it. Nothing has broken. Everything still works as it should. The original upper still shoots 2 minute with quality ammo. The 6920 isn't good enough anymore that if you get anything else there'll be a riot, but if you do get one, nobody will question it either. And you'll be satisfied, I think.
  15. Tank You
    That’s Suspicious reacted to Renegade334 in United States Military Vehicle General: Guns, G*vins, and Gas Turbines   
    His anecdote about the pressure sensor on the bustle ammunition compartment's sliding door was fascinating. I love those little-known details.
     
    And lucky for him, too. Having your arm crushed by a quarter-ton slab of steel sounds like an extremely bad, career-ending day.
  16. Sad
    That’s Suspicious reacted to Renegade334 in Movie tanks and terrible Vismods   
    The guys who made the film "USS Indianapolis" (starring Nicolas Cage) would like you to hold their beer while they proceed to lower the bar. 
     

     
    For some reason, that Portland-class cruiser was in the middle of mutating into an Iowa when the Japanese decided to voice their disapproval.
     
    So...yeah, the CGI guys are occasionally capable of utter blasphemies that simply elude our understanding. Sorry for the naval digression, I just felt I had to post it in response to Conner Webb's statement.
  17. Tank You
    That’s Suspicious reacted to AssaultPlazma in United States Military Vehicle General: Guns, G*vins, and Gas Turbines   
    Depends on the circumstances. In this instance our tank got the new engine of a sister platoons tank since said tank didn't have functioning internal coms anyway. That being said once the problem was over a replacement engine was ordered. in reality if a engine blows they just order a replacement and it's always expedited anyway so it usually just takes a few days to up to like a week and a half. 
     
    During my first problem (coincidentally the same kind of field problem) my tanks engine blew up (no air filters while driving around in a desert on a turbine engine will do that) and we had a replacement engine within 1 week of getting back from the field. 
  18. Tank You
    That’s Suspicious reacted to Jeeps_Guns_Tanks in The M4 Sherman Tank Epic Information Thread.. (work in progress)   
    Here's a link to the manual
    http://www.theshermantank.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/TM9-1756A-Model-RD-1820-Caterpillar.pdf
     
    On the M4 Hybrid 76, as far as I know, none built as far as I know. 
  19. Tank You
    That’s Suspicious reacted to DogDodger in Name that AFV: The New Tank ID thread   
    Front sprocket and the driver's on the wrong side, though. Related to the Type 61?
  20. Tank You
    That’s Suspicious reacted to Valryon in Polish Armoured Vehicles   
    @Conner Webb
    " Rubber Band Tracks are made with grade 5 rubber and reinforced with Kevlar fibre, a lightweight and non-flammable compound that protects against RPGs and high temperatures in harsh environments. Their carbon nanotubes confer twice the durability of steel tracks."
  21. Tank You
    That’s Suspicious reacted to Collimatrix in Ukrainian armor - Oplot-M, T-64M Bulat and other.   
    Proper, god-fearing Soviet tanks use four-stroke diesel engines.  When the tank is cruising, the engine should be happy and produce very little smoke.  But when the engine is suddenly changing RPM, the fuel/air mix usually isn't quite right, and there will be some un-burned fuel that creates the clouds of black smoke.  If you watch videos of Soviet tanks they usually smoke a bit whenever they turn, because Soviet tank steering mechanisms don't maintain the same average track velocity when the tank turns, which means that the engine changes RPM.  It's the same thing as the puff of smoke you usually see big rig semis produce when they accelerate.

    The Kharkov design bureau favored two-stroke diesel engines for their tanks.  The advantage of a two-stroke diesel is that it produces a lot more power for a given size and weight of engine than a four-stroke diesel.  In theory they are also more fuel-efficient, although I am not sure they are in practice.  The disadvantage is... well, there are lots of disadvantages.
     
    One other quirk of two-stroke diesels is that they aren't lubricated the same way as four-stroke diesel engines.  A normal four-stroke engine has separate oil and fuel.  You fill up your car with gas, and every once in a while you check the oil and replace the oil.

    Two-stroke motors aren't like that.  They don't have separate fuel and lubrication systems.  Think of a chainsaw; the fuel and lubrication oil are mixed together, and the moving parts of the engine are lubricated using this fuel/oil mixture.  This further reduces the size of the engine, but it means that there's a bunch of oil mixed in with the fuel, which tends to produce a blue or white smoke as the motor runs.

    If you look at pictures of Chieftains on parade, they're usually surrounded with a blue/white smoke for the same reason.
  22. Tank You
    That’s Suspicious reacted to Renegade334 in United States Military Vehicle General: Guns, G*vins, and Gas Turbines   
    Mmmm...I don't have any DTIC docs on the XM291 and its performance; Ogorkiewicz did however give a couple stats for 140mm smoothbore guns in his book Tanks - A 100 Years of Evolution:
     
    And:
     
    And then there was a short comparison with 120mm ETC gun performance:

    I tried retracing Ogorkiewicz' sources but my google-fu proved neurasthenic today. The only thing I was able to fish in a short amount of time was this study by Lanz (yes, that Lanz) that does give some 140mm stats: http://ciar.org/ttk/mbt/papers/lakowski.2006-09/Penetration_Limits_of_Conventional_Large_Caliber_Anti_Tank_-_Kinetic_Energy_Projectiles.pdf 
     
    Anyway, I think this conversation would find a better home in the Ballistics Science Discusion section instead, where more competent people (Bronezhilet, for one) than me could bring you better answers.
  23. Funny
    That’s Suspicious reacted to AssaultPlazma in Israeli AFVs   
  24. Tank You
    That’s Suspicious reacted to LoooSeR in GLORIOUS T-14 ARMATA PICTURES.   
    Each system is different. Hard to tell how well this mode of fire will work against real systems. Frontal missile after interception will create number of big parts that may result in inaccurate data for APS system to intercept second rocket. Chinese APS from Norinco for example fire 2 munitions during single interception procedure to combat such salvo type of ATGM attack.
  25. Tank You
    That’s Suspicious reacted to Mighty_Zuk in GLORIOUS T-14 ARMATA PICTURES.   
    Those with rotating launchers, like Trophy, and Iron Fist do. They can be defeated with salvos with near simultaneous impact. 
    To defeat the Trophy or Iron Fist from the front or rear you need 3 missiles, or 2 to the sides where their coverage doesn't converge. They also need to be configured for each APS so there's not one anti-APS mode.
     
    i.e vs Trophy the missiles need to be parallel.
    vs Iron Fist they need to be in a line.
     
    Static launcher systems have different weaknesses and these are usually their coverage zones. They can usually be defeated by top attack munitions diving at certain angles of attack.
     
    i.e vs Afghanit it's just a guess but you need something along the lines of 30° or 40°. To ensure defeat against inclined targets, RAFAEL made the Spike LR 2 dive at 70°. They say it was designed this way to defeat APS. 
    Attack profiles can be configured via software, so just like this demonstration with Kornets, western missiles like Javelin, Hellfire, MMP etc can be configured for an anti-APS mode.
     
    Trickier systems like the ADS perhaps, may necessitate even closer to 90°. Although I don't really know of its configuration on available platforms.
     
×
×
  • Create New...