The Collection – Argghhh! The home of a grumpy old troll

We needa gunpic.

Because there’s more to life and blogging than just the Medal of Honor, though you might not know that from the last few days.

Losing Gunner to entropy just kinda sucked the life out of me.

I like guns

Guns are my favorite!

Big ones, small ones, long ones, short ones. Single shot, magazine, beltfed. We love them all.

You could knock me over with a feather…

Judge overturns California’s 32-year ban on assault weapons.

I was at Fort Irwin when it was enacted and we were all concerned the state would get stupid with us when we PCSd out if they played games with movers.

And it’s the reason I refused an assignment back in California as a National Guard advisor and how I ended up at Fort Sam Houston (a better decision all ’round, regardless) for my terminal assignment.

Didn’t want to risk my babies.

I identify as a hoplophile

By their tools

…shall you get some sense of the men (and latterly, women) they were…
Apt on this Memorial Day, as all but one of the soldiers listed is at Fiddler’s Green.

Charleville Musket – Nicholas Meriwether of the Continental Line during the Revolution..
Springfield Model 1835 (percussion conversion) – William Meriwether, 5th Regiment of Tennessee Volunteers, War with Mexico
Enfield “Three band” rifle, Stephen and William Meriwether (a different William), and Alfred “Pappy” Hays, my great-great grandfather – a member of the Orphan Brigade.
Springfield M1873 “Trapdoor” – Thomas Meriwether, USV, Cuba (his actual rifle)
US Model of 1898, “Krag” – Thomas Meriwether, USV, Philippines (again, his actual weapon).
US Model of 1917, the Auld Soldier’s father, Daddy Jack, WWI.

US Rifle, M1. Colonel William Meriwether, Arkansas Army National Guard and Lieutenant Tim Donovan, AUS, WWII, Korea.
Thompson Submachinegun – Colonel William Meriwether, Korea, Lieutenant and Lieutenant Colonel Tim Donovan, Korea, Vietnam.
US Rifle, M14, Captain and Major Tim Donovan, peacetime. Me, peacetime.
M3 “Grease Gun” – LTC Tim Donovan, Vietnam, me, peacetime.
M16, LTC Tim Donovan, Vietnam, and me.

A Spugly-looking rifle

Semi-auto Springfield Armory M1A sitting in a genuine M14A1E2 stock. This rifle also has a non-functional repro selector switch. As close as you can get to the real thing on our budget!

This was the Army’s final shot at trying to make the M14 also function in the tactical slot owned by the BAR, that of the squad automatic rifle. Unfortunately, the basic M14 didn’t have enough heft, and the rate of fire was too high for the average rifleman to usefully control the beast in the full-auto mode, and so this never saw widespread issue.