how did we let things get this way

[charlie cleveland]

today i went to the feed store to get me some wheat for my deer plots. a bag of wheat was 6.50... the owner said that wheat was going up i replied i guess that the dove hunters was making it go up...he says that was not it. he says that the chinese had a bad crop year some where and they were causing wheat to go up..what has happened to the american people are we gonna set back and watch our lives be run by the chinse. i will not be buying wheat if i know it was sold to us by the chinese. i guess im just getting fed up withall the folks over charging the people of the US...... CHARLIE

[Robin Lewis]

The news the other day said Russia had a very bad drought and lost a huge wheat crop, it may be that the Chinese lost theirs too? If they didn't produce their crop, they would be buying our production and driving our price up. Good old supply and demand.

[Dave Fuller]

XXX

[Ed Blake]

How did we let things get this way? That's a good question. How did the PGCA Forum become a blog for ill-informed rants about commodity prices and international relations?

[Ed Blake]

You've done it again Francis: a string of non sequiturs strung together by punctuation marks. From Sarah Brady to spontaneous combustion to the 1st Amendment all in one breath, and you worked in a BHE to keep it legal. Astounding.

[Francis Morin]

After all, I was raised a Catholic laddy- Non sounds more like the way the Frenchies say "No"-- Let's all chill out a bit- nothing we can do about the drought and fires in the USSR that are destroying the wheat crop- maybe a tot of Virginia Gentleman or George Dickel-- (rocks, water back for me)-- life is way too short to get into a micturation derby here-:whistle::whistle:

[Mike Shepherd]

And we all treasure the Second amendment- let's be charitable to ALL our PGCA members here and remember also the First amendment too- as long as the posted rules for language and behavior are followed by all, no topic that even remotely touches Parkers should be Verbotten- IMO!!:bigbye:

The First Amendment precludes the federal government from suppressing free speech. The owners of this board can delete our posts and ban us from posting in the future - all without violating the First Amendment.

Best,

Mike

[Francis Morin]

Would you believe Abbott & Costello? Sure there are limits to our First Amendment- You or I cannot stand up in a crowded public venue and yell "Fire" and cause a panic/stampede and not get in serious trouble- BUT- IMO anyway, if a fellow PGCA starts a topic or thread and a Forum participant chimes in- as long as the basic rules set up by the BOD of the PGCA are followed (common courtesy to the other fellow and the possibility he may have a different experience/viewpoint) let's live and let live.

I treasure All Ten Amendments- but as a Christian (Roman Catholic) and a Honorably Discharged veteran (USMC) it does bother me that a person like Madlyn Murray O'Hair can freely espouse her atheistic dogma, or that the piss-headed Hippies can burn OUR FLAG and be protected from harm for doing so- Until I recall such lads as Ernst Rohm, Benito Mussolini and old Adolph and what they did 70-80 years ago in Europe to folks who dared to speak their mind publicly- and then the hippies and atheists don't seem quite as harmful in comparison--

George Orwell (aka- Eric Blair) when he wrote the classic "Animal Farm" had the linchpin of equality in mind when he wrote "All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others"--:bigbye:

[Mike Shepherd]

Ahh. But if an atheist started posting arguments about religion and philosophy on here and the moderators deleted the post and banned the atheist his First Amendment rights would not be violated as this is a private site and the action was taken by it's owners.

I don't mind you arguing some tolerance of off topic topics. I am just pointing out that banning them here doesn't have anything to do with the First Amendment. If Attorney General Eric Holder was sending cease and desist orders and going to court to get a restraining order to cause Mr. Charlie Cleveland to cease posting off topic here then you could logically invoke the First Amendment as cause to let Charlie continue to post off topic.

Best,

Mike

[Ed Blake]

Mike - Some friendly advice when you find yourself in a dialogue with Francis. Take a hammer, the larger the better, and whack yourself in the head a few times. There now, feel better?

[Francis Morin]

Oh sure- now I remember- "One lawyer can""-- you fill in the blanks Mike" I see your point, and as I am just a layman (did serve on two juries in 2000) I missed that loophole-

I don't much care for Eric Holder- he looks a bit like Adolph Eichmann to me, and he conveys to me the Gestapo mentality of many of our politicans today, IMO of course. Charlie is a good old hard working Southerner, my kind of man- down to earth, straight forward- honest as the day is long- I'd like to say what roadblocks I'd place in Eric Holder's pathway were he to go after Charlie for his posts on the PGCA, but I know just enough about the law to avoid the landmine of Libel- so I'll pass and not stretch the elastic of the First- You must be a lawyer, am I right??:bowdown::bowdown:

[Mike Shepherd]

Nope, I am a mechanical contractor who got a good education in the Texas public schools of the sixties of seventies.

Best,

Mike

[Francis Morin]

Mike - Some friendly advice when you find yourself in a dialogue with Francis. Take a hammer, the larger the better, and whack yourself in the head a few times. There now, feel better?- Good shot there Ed- reminds me of the old shop wisdom: "Never force it to fit, just get a bigger hammer from the Tool Crib"-- or as my Father liked to say at times "I see, said the carpenter, as he picked up his hammer- and saw!"":bigbye::cool:

[Ed Blake]

Francis - I admit defeat. You are priceless. Your verboseness is exceeded only by your verbosity (that means you're a pretty good egg, if verbose).

[George Blair]

- Good shot there Ed- reminds me of the old shop wisdom: "Never force it to fit, just get a bigger hammer from the Tool Crib"-- or as my Father liked to say at times "I see, said the carpenter, as he picked up his hammer- and saw!"":bigbye::cool:

Shame he didn't have a saying like "Francis, shove a sock in it"

[Bruce Day]

John Wayne - The Quiet Man

Teddy Roosevelt- Speak softly and carry a big stick.

Shakespeare - Curb thy tongue, knave.

[Dean Romig]

"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt..." Abraham Lincoln

[John Dunkle]

And the next words from Francis should be:

"Where there is injury let me sow pardon"...

John

[Robin Lewis]

What are you guys smoking?:dh:

[charlie cleveland]

to john dunckle and the adminastrators please feel free totake this thread and its contents off this forem..sorry for the disturbances... charlie

[Dave Suponski]

Ah..Don't worry about it Charlie. The guy's are just venting their frustration with trying to keep Francis.... "Short ,sweet and on topic"...:dh:

[Rich Anderson]

Short, sweet AND on topic...Francis?:eek: You are dreaming there my friend or just doing this...:banghead:

Francis needs to meet Ed M. Perhaps we can invite Ed back so Francis will have someone to reiterate words with:whistle:

[Francis Morin]

I have two copies of his "Knight of The Trigger" book- ooops, make that one- the other went to Dean-o for the silent auction this Sept at Pin-The-Tail Point MD (happens when you have several daughters that like to give their Dad books I guess)-- and a friend whom I "helped" find a M21 12 gauge recently is giving me Ed's fine book on the Parker Gun (I have Peter Johnson's and Larry Baer's fine books too)--

"Put a sock in it" expression has roots in Parkerdom- here it is-- Arthur C. Middleton, CEO and "Head Fred" at RCA-Victor ordered a 16 gauge Invincible grade and took delivery of same in Sept 1929- lived in NJ. And so before the RCA and radio with rheostat volume controls came about in the 1920's, the hand wound Victor Talking Machine Phonographs had no volume control- so to muffle or mute the sounds from the records of that era, they often placed a mitten, scarf or wool sock (stocking back then I'd wager) in the horn to accomplish this- hence the term "Put a sock in it"-- Mae and I visited the RCA Victor musuem in Dover, DE in July 2009 and the Lady who was our tour guide explained that to all of us- Great place to visit indeed.

I am a serious student of history, and that includes "trivial expressions" perhaps- I finally know what both "Hobson's Choice" means, and also the WW11 aviator's term "The Whole Nine Yards" plus the above mentioned Sock terminology- Now if i only knew what Bruce Springsteen said in his song "Blinded By The Light" about the Deuce-in??:bigbye:

[Jim Williams]

Can't believe I'm going here, but since you mentioned it -

Springsteen's original lyric was "Cut loose like a deuce, another runner in the night."

Manfred Mann's better-known cover changed the lyric to "Revved-up like a deuce, another runner in the night."

Many people mistakenly hear "Wrapped up..." instead of the actual "Revved-up..."

Jim

[Francis Morin]

Deuce- like the Bleach Boyz great song "Little deuce coupe?"" Ah yes- Knew Springsteen was a biker at heart "Born to run" didn't know he was also into classic cars of another era- 1932- first year for the flat head Ford V-8--:bigbye::bigbye::cool:

[John Dallas]

Oh boy - here we go. Francis - What is your interpretation of "the whole nine yards"? Apparently it is NOT the length of a belt of machine gun ammo. Nor is it the amount of cloth required to make a suit (or a whole lot of other conjectures)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_whole_nine_yards

[Bill Murphy]

Well, Francis got the "deuse" right. The "deuse" term comes from the 2 in 1932 Ford. The "deuse" terminology was probably not used until the 1932 Ford coupes and roadsters became popular for overhead valve V8 conversions in the fifties. The 1932 body style was used extensively for such conversions whether originally equipped with the flathead V8 or the 4 cylinder.

[Bruce Day]

49 Woody

[Dean Romig]

In a 1954 issue of "Hot Rod" magazine is a feature story with several accompanying pictures of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis road testing a "Deuce" (1932) highboy roadster with a flathead with finned aluminum Offenhauser heads with triple Stromberg 97's.

[John Dallas]

The '38 Chevy "B Gasser" we ran had 6 Stromberg 97's

[Dave Suponski]

38 Chevy coupes are great. Do ya have any pictures John? What kind of motor?.....small block? Wait a minute B gas...Hemi?

[John Dallas]

Small block Chevy, bored 1/4", stroked 5/8" for 352 CID. Initially had Giovanni Cam. Later, Hilborn Injection and and Isky Roller. Giovanni cams were best known for the promotional decal which had a gal with a short skirt riding a camshaft, ala a witch on a broom

No pictures, unfortunately. Car ran in the mid Atlantic area in the late 50's, early 60's. Was painted white, and was called "TNT"

[Dean Romig]

I've always liked the Rigid Tool Co. calendars with the monthly "Miss Rigid Tool"

A Chevy small block 301 cid was one of my early favorites (high-revving screamer) and was easy to build in the garage or basement. Then GM caught on and put it into the very first Z28 Camaro's in '66 if I'm not mistaken

[Bill Murphy]

John, they are Giovannoni camshafts, not Giovanni. Don't want to insult the California Mafia.

[Dave Suponski]

Wow! This thread is outta control....This is great! Anyway..Back in the day we used to take Chevy 327 blocks and put in 283 cranks and viola a 301 motor! My buddy and I used to run a 63 Nova gaser with Hillborn Injection What a pain in the ass that setup was. Later on we went to a tunnel ram with Holley carbs and ran better times.

[Jack Cronkhite]

Mopar Garage Car - another get around to it project. Completely original - may need to change that. Outta control ? Nah, just folks jawin' From wheat to woodiies and beyond in a few seconds more than it takes for a slightly modified deuce coupe to run the 1/4.

http://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/cpg1410/albums/userpics/1974_Dodge_Charger_SE_small.jpg

[Bill Murphy]

Ray Giovannoni had a shop in DC on Maine Avenue and left town for Florida before I got involved in cars and racing. His name was left behind and he was a topic of discussion here in DC for years after he left. Strick's Automotive was the race car shop in downtown DC in the sixties. Linda's aunt Bernie still owns Strick's Bar and Liquor just over the DC line in Maryland on Pennsylvania Avenue extended and has for more than fifty years. I don't know what the connection is, but I will ask Bernie next time I see her. Strick's is the music venue that gave Jimmie Dean, Roy Clark, and many other big namers a start.

[John Dallas]

Bill - You're right on the spelling. Here's a copy of their logo:

[Francis Morin]

I'm not a "motor-head" but what a wealth of information, possibly because Mr. Murphy was kind enough to mention that I caught the proper reference to "Deuce" in my ? about the real words of that Springsteen song-

Never had a performance car- owned a 1958 Harley Sportster (with the shift peg on the brake side) first car was a 1951 Chevy Coupe with the stick and the old Blue Flame 6 (216 CID??)- ran great-I usually drive a Ford Ranger pickup or a Jeep Wrangler- both with stick and 4 cyl. stock engines- but loved the discussion of the performance "goodies" great stuff indeed-

As to answer Mr. Dallas' question- About 4 years ago this coming Fall I flew down to central FL. as part of a Church outreach- this was after the Four Hurricanes had hit FL- we stayed in Avon Park in Citrus Co.- about 125 clicks due South from Orlando- my first time ever in the State

My "roomies were two gents from SC- both active in their Church and Habitat 4 Humanity- Bob is a retired Lt. Col. USAF and flew fighter missions in Vietnam and flew with the legendary pilot Col. Robin Olds- He is the source for my understanding of the term "The Whole Nine Yards" as coming from the WW11 era- the length of the .50cal MG belts in the wing mounted guns of that era- We still send each other Christmas cards, so if you have a different version of the meaning you be kind enough to share here, I'll be glad to send it along to Bob for his perusal (like my friend Buck Hamlin- he doesn't have a computer)-

No questions (so far) about the Hobson's Choice bit- so we'll leave a sleeping doggy at rest with that- BUT- Bob also told me what the pilot's term "Balls To The Wall" meant- the H shaped throttle handle of WW11 aircraft- they added rubber balls in the groved metal section to keep the pilots from smashing their knuckles when they shoved the throttle handle all the way open (against the firewall) of the cockpit apparently- :cool:

[Dean Romig]

WOW! That pic lends a whole 'nother meaning to "bump stick"

[Dave Suponski]

Talk about a trip down memory lane. Bill, I seem to remember a Strick's Automotive as a race team in the late 60's or early 70's as a very competetive team either in Super Stock or early funny cars. Help me out here..Here's a great link to my old racing days. There are some great photos for you racing guy's.www.doverdragstrip.com

[John Dallas]

Francis - As I pointed out in a prior post, no one really knows the original derivation of "the Whole Nine Yards". We do know though that a belt of .50 MG ammunition is not 9 yards long. Not that Wikipedia is the ultimate resource, but they point out (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_whole_nine_yards) that the phrase didn't become popular until the 50's - after WW II.

[Dean Romig]

Look up Don Roberts on any drag racing website and you'll find pictures my old friend Don in various rails and funny cars up and down the East Coast. He broke many records 'in the day' one of which was 175 mph in the 1/8 mile at Norwood Ma. back in the 70's. His racing career (and it was a colorful one) ended when he had a horrific crash and as a result, lost a leg. Look up "famous quotes of drag racers" and you'll find Don's quote made sometime after that crash where he states "After the third flip I lost control."
He and I worked at the same Shell station in the mid-sixties - I had a '65 GTO and he had a 305 Honda Scrambler. We would swap vehicles often... Kathy rode with me on/in both - Great days those were.

[Dave Suponski]

Dean, You're not gonna believe this...but my first job was in a Shell station!...in the 60's. They were stock car guy's.

[Jack Cronkhite]

http://images.tolmol.com/images/modified/2009/4/21/17//tolmol_124293992222658_finalcustomizeddesign123472 18781m9v.jpgOriginally posted by Dean Romig: ... I had a '65 GTO ...

[Dean Romig]

I loved that car Jack! What a muscle car! I should have died in that car several times.... the stories I could tell :cool:

[Dave Suponski]

You got that right Dean..and I,m sure us "Ol" hot rodders have a few stories of our own to tell..I know I do. Not to worry though remember "only the good die young" and you're way to old to worry about that now....:biglaugh:

[George Lander]

Does anyone here remember seeing the Art Afrons & his brothers brothers and their "Green Monster" drag cars?

George

[Dean Romig]

Didn't Art build one of the first jet-powered dragsters?

[calvin humburg]

Personally I don't mind off subject forms there fun. We all love r shotguns but we run out of things 2 say about them sometimes. The fellow who is a typing perfectionist who grips about charlies typing get over it its not that hard to read. I'm sure theres things you don't do perfect, maby not. Abought the wheat price i hope it goes way up might get me another Parker or get wood made 4 my lifter. Fact is i need to put it back together so i can. check whole corn prices it might b cheeper than wheat 4 bate 4 your deer charlie. good day 2 all ch

[John Dallas]

Art Arfons went on to set the land speed record several times in his "Green Monster" series of cars. Was also involved in a tragic wreck at a drag strip resulting in the death of 3 spectators

[Bill Murphy]

In the process of googling around about this thread, I found that there are many websites and chat rooms around the country where old racers trade pictures, videos, and stories about the old days. One local forum is restricted to Virginia drag racing history. Oddly, although it discusses activities that went on just down the road from me, I hardly recognized any names. We Maryland racers didn't get out much since we had many strips here and in Delaware and only the big money guys who got appearance money spent any time in Virginia. I am surprised how many tracks are still operating. Our local 75-80 Dragaway reopened recently because the land development planned for the property went on the back burner because of the collapse of the real estate market. A group of history buffs on one of the chat rooms made a trip to the closed Aquasco Speedway in Charles County, MD and found that it is now a hunt club, whatever that means. I used to hunt quail around Aquasco in the sixties. It was a depressed area at the time where you could walk across twenty properties in a day and never cross a fence. No one could afford livestock and there was hardly any cultivated ground because there was very little modern planting or harvesting equipment. Tobacco was still cultivated, but in very small tracts. There were deer hanging in every outbuilding, in season and out. There was very little law in Charles and St. Marys Counties, slots were legal and other gambling was tolerated. We would never walk through the same field twice in a day of hunting, raised a covey in almost every field, and found it very hard to find singles that could be shot because of the heavy growth in the woods. This is even with great dogs and young legs. I had always hunted with a 12 gauge before, but switched to my VH 28 gauge after some experience with long days in thick brush in Charles County. My host for those hunts shot a 16 gauge Sterlingworth that had long ago been cut off to about 23 or 24 inches. He was the best quail shot I have ever seen before or since. He was only a couple of years older than I was but had probably shot thousands of quail. Only years later did he give up the setters and become a waterfowler. I remember one covey at which we both shot. His dog brought a bird to him and he claimed it. I protested that I had shot the bird in question. He was so used to success that he stuck to his guns. We sent the dog back out, with us following. We found a second dead bird within a couple of feet of where the pup picked up the first bird.

[John Liles]

And slowly the bow of the USS Parker points to windward, and the land of all things shotgun and hunting related!:)

[Dean Romig]

A bit too abruptly I think.... Murphy didn't even mention his 454 powered Surburban.... :shock:

[Bill Murphy]

Dean, the times I was discussing were before I got my first job with my Uncle. I was in the bitter end of high school and the first part of college, 1964 to 1968 or so. My uncle called me in the last part of 1967 and I never hunted birds in Southern Maryland again.

[Dean Romig]

Uncle dragged you out of college to work in the family business?? :shock:

What happened to your student deferment?

[Dean Romig]

My uncle called me in the last part of 1967 and I never hunted birds in Southern Maryland again.

That is sad. It sounds like a wonderful place to hunt quail.

[Bill Murphy]

Dean, this was the time of the "lottery". I can't even remember whether a 2-S trumped a low lottery number. However, it didn't make a lot of difference. When they told me I would be going "some day", I foolishly asked, "How about today?" They were quite agreeable.

[Bob Roberts]

Bill, regardless of the circumstance, the how, the why, or the when; “Volunteer” is still a proud title to hold and one that not all may claim.

[John Dallas]

Easy to tell - your Army serial number began with "RA", rather than "US"

[Rich Anderson]

I was drafted not once, not twice but three times. I was the last group from Michigan to get called. The numbers went to 90 and mine was 87.

The first time Uncle called I was in college. I had taken a summer course so when the regular semester rolled around I didn't have enough credits so I took an Archery class. I was drafted as soon as class was over and left for Basic Training 12/26. I shot well and was again drafted into Special Forces, needless to say this youngster was :shock:,:cuss:.

Looking back on it I think the "draft" should be reinstated as a lot of our youth is rather misguided.

[Dean Romig]

Looking back on it I think the "draft" should be reinstated as a lot of our youth is rather misguided.


I couldn't agree more!! And "misguided" is much too kind. So many of them have no direction at all and couldn't care less.

Not to paint with a broad brush.... There are a lot of kids who make us very proud who know exactly where they're going in life.

[calvin humburg]

THANKS servicemen for your duty. You all done good. Wish people in this country had a clue. Seen a picture of the president with some commanders in dress uniforms they were all saluting his hands were hanging together seems like he should of had his hand on heart or saluting but I don't know the sercumstances. But it seems he's disreceptable to our flag and country. Lot of things make me sad anymore. ch The kids are misguided parents stoped telling there kids to quit acting like an idiot so they never stopped and now it seems theres a lot of idiots. thank God my Dad helped me told me right from wrong. And I'M far from perfect but at least i no right from wrong.

[Jack Cronkhite]

I loved that car Jack! What a muscle car! I should have died in that car several times.... the stories I could tell :cool:

Do tell !!

Most GTO fans will know the Italian language vocabulary behind GTO but rumour has it that the design team had to come up with that version because the real version was thought to possibly be slightly over the top for the competition, as well as Sunday school teachers. As I recall, possibly in a dream but who knows, DeLorean, Gee, Wangers and Collins had put in an all nighter one Saturday, when they should have been home tending to the BBQs. On Sunday, old Alfred P. Sloan happened to wander in, which was unusual given his age but he still loved the company. He happened upon the team who, by then, were fatigued. Drawings were all over the place and Sloan picked up one and said "Who's idea is this?? Amazing! ". One by one, the team peered through bleary eyes and not one of them could recall the drawing. Finally, DeLorean spoke up and said "Don't know Alfred, I guess God Took Over. And so, it is rumored, was born the acronym GTO, which the legal department quckly determined had to be re-worked to Gran Turismo Omologato. Now come on, who can say that and why is legal so intent on getting God out of everything anyway? I have been a long time Mopar fan but have a soft spot for the somewhat heavenly early GTOs.

Cheers,,
Jack

[Bill Murphy]

John Dallas, those of us who "volunteered" by throwing ourselves on the grenade still maintained our US serial number prefix if we did not foolishly sign up for the third year before we had served a day of our obligatory two years. The only difference between a two year US and a three year RA was that we two year guys didn't get to choose our MOS. I remember being in a unit at Fort Lee, Virginia where returning Vietnam veterans were cursing the final year they had to serve stateside just because they were scared into the third year by being told they would die if they didn't sign the papers.

[Dean Romig]

God Took Over.


I guess that's what happened all those times I should have died in that car.

As far as Mopars are concerned, I beat out a few Hemi GTX's but I attribute that to driving (racing) skill rather than a fictitious superiority of a 389 over a 426 :nono:

[John Dallas]

Bill - I got my draft notice when I started the Wharton School for my MBA. I was able to get a deferment to let me finish the first semester and enroll in an OCS program. Including a year in Korea as an ammunition depot commander, my total time in was 2 years, 7 months. (I had an RA prefix until I was commisioned)

[Francis Morin]

As I was a E-6, MOS 0311 (basic rifleman) and 2112 (Armorer). I think you may well be right, John about the "Whole Nine yards" But understand, if you will, my Lt. Col. USAF 'friend" from the two weeks UMCOR TDY tour in FL a while ago was the first one in my life to ever offer a logical explanation to that oft-heard phrase.

Furthermore, not only is he an Officer and a Gentleman, he is a Southern Gentleman, and I tend to rank those as highly as I do the late Gen. "Chesty" Puller. Case in point- we had some female volunteers on the job site crews, as well as doing the cooking and laundry for the crews- A sweet Lady from Waycross, GA was up with us on a roof (in FL any roof built over a 4/12 pitch is considered "steep") we were removing damaged shingles and plywood, she slipped and caught her backside on a nail point- Bob caught her and took off his shirt to cover her "wounded area" and to also protect her modesty- We had a First Aide tent nearby so she received proper medical care (and a new set of clothes) from them, and came right back up on the roof and resumed the work--

So, if Bob had told me that Ho Chi Minh played Ma Jong with 5 Trappist Monks on Fridays- I'd believe him- He also confirmed the aviators term "The Iron Compass" for me, NOT to be confused with the Iron Triangle of course--

But as a qualified Armorer who serviced and test fired a few "Ma-Deuce's" back in my day (now they have a Modified M2 with closed bolt firing, fixed headspacing, right or left hand feed options, and Stellite liners in the barrels for the SLAP specialized rounds- and usually our Uncle goofs up, but this new version will also take the std. barrel group that requires headspacing and the aircraft group with its lighter profile-- anyway, I took the armament specs for my favorite WW11 Allied fighter plane, the P-51D Mustang- 6 .50 MG's total rd. capacity of 1880- 2 sets at 400 rds each, 4 sets at 270 rds. each (Thanks to my Jayne's ref books) at an aprox. working width of .850" x 1880 equals 133.2 ft. for all SIX feed trays (Belts is a misnomer here- the 1919-A-1 Cal. 30 MG had a cloth belt, the M-2 .50, like the fine German M34 and later M43 LMG's had a frangible metal feed link- most common came linked 100 rds. in a attachable feed ammo box--

Our USMC legend- Gunny Carlos N. Hathcock about 1968 worked up a modification of the M-2 set for single rd. firing and scoped it and took out an enemy target of opportunity at almost 2000 yds- a "one shot confirmed kill" Now we have the Barrett and other .50 cal modified sniper weapons in "The sandbox" Little did John M. Browning know in 1921 that two of all his great military weapons he designed for the US would endure yet today- the 1911-A-1 .45 ACP pistol and the "Ma-Deuce" in all its useful variants.

Thank you for your service to Our Country in Korea, Lt. Dallas!!:bigbye:

[George Lander]

Francis: Carlos Hathcock aka "White Feather" is also one of my true heroes. He also took out an expert enemy sniper at a somewhat shorter distance with a well placed round through the enemy' scope. Most of the grunts from there, be they Marine or Army, would tell you how much they counted on their .50 and would give their left testicle to get one if they didn't have one. 90 years later it is still a prized weapon today over in the "sandbox".

Best Regards, George

[calvin humburg]

Yes a hero Carlos pulled some fellows out of an burning a c p if I remember right. He saved a lot of lives a true honor to save somebody ch

[Lee St.Clair]

well...this thread is all over the place. :corn:
so....I thought I had a pretty good appreciation for our troops....from all wars and conflicts. I had the excellent oppurtunity to spend the evening last night with an extrordinary young man of 19. He just got back fron Iraq. His dad is retired from Navy. His brother is in the marines. He is in the army.
They were doing a sweep of homes over there and came across a mother and child huddled together. The child was 8. They were hiding AK 47's. The 8 year old grabbed one and pumped 5 rounds into this young mans chest. Unbelievable. Broke the plate in the vest but did not pierce it. Is tough for me to even write what he had to do to survive. At 19 years old. \
Prayer works. Please pray for our guys over there. Thank you.

[Rich Anderson]

What a tough position to be in. Survival is a primal instinct and thankfully it takes over without thought. When it's you or them age, sex doesn't matter. I'm sure his family is glad to have him home all in one piece.

[Francis Morin]

A "Boot brown Bar" 2nd. Looie sent the column out on a unsecured road, the gooks had planted a delayed mine, the lead vehicle took the hit and Carlos pulled out and saved the lives of three Marines, suffered major burns himself, and was nominated for the Navy Cross- He told Captain Jim Land that they should receive the medal instead of him- three years to recuperate- In 1976 Gunny Carlos Norman Hathcock was selected to be the NCOIC of the newly designated USMC Scout/Sniper School in Quantico. The USMC, like the other branches of our Military, has its legends and heroes galore- Gunny "Long Tran" Stands alone- "There have been many other Expert Rifleman, many became Scout/Snipers, but there is only ONE Gy/Sgt. Carlos N. Hathcock"

[Mike Wilkerson]

Wow I'll sure be glad when this heat is over. It seems to always make people cranky and a little mad. It's like cabin fever without the snow and cold but with lots of sweat and mosquitos.

Mike

[Francis Morin]

Mike, IMO- one of the many great things about our PGCA Forum- we have many contributors who know so many things more than our beloved Old Reliables- Now a specific thread you might start- let's say on Parker ejectors, we should stay close to that topic, add what info and experience we can offer, and maybe not get into the weather or whether Brett or not will remain a Purple People eater this Fall-he will at 16.5 mil I just heard-man could afford a matched pair of BHE 28 gauges with that!

But when a member like Charlie starts his thread with an open question or two, say commodity prices- well then, the doors are opened a bit wider, and who can predict where the discussion will lead. I learned a lot from Messers Suponski, Romig and Murphy about performance cars, engines, race tracks out East- and as my late Granddad taught me to try to learn something new each and every day of my life, I am grateful for that info- But you are right about the hot and muggy weather-but cheer up- Fall is just around the corner- :bigbye:

[Bill Murphy]

Yup, very seldom can a PGCA thread on the price of a bag of wheat can go eight pages.

[Mike Wilkerson]

Thanks Francis! This is a good thread to read. It's helps in many ways to place personalities with people. White Feather was a hero in every sense. I've often wished I'd bought one of his autographed books. It's funny but my Dad never told me to never volunteer for anything until after I already had volunteered.;-))
My dream car is a '67 Camaro.

Mike

[Dean Romig]

Mike, which do you prefer, the Z-28 the SS or the Rally?

[Christopher Lien]

As far as Mopars are concerned, I beat out a few Hemi GTX's but I attribute that to driving (racing) skill rather than a fictitious superiority of a 389 over a 426 :nono:
_____________________________________________

Dean, I know exactly what you mean... There were many a night the VW Bus decisively trounced 427 Vettes, LS-6 Chevelles, 454 Suburbans, and Holley aspirated 460 Ford Country Squire wagons, which like yourself, I also attribute to above average driving (racing) skills...:D

CSL

[calvin humburg]

70 1/2 Camaro 427 4 speed, my dream car. Don't care what it says on front fender. Jest so its got a spoiler package. ch My fun night un caped my headers and went to town bet a vett and out ran the hypo. 76 RS ran good 4 a 1976 era, musle was about gone by then.