Chieftain's Q&A #22. Ian McCollum and Whisky.

[@williammorris1626]

The Chieftan's description of the Holy Hand Grenade was perfect. "It's a round thing. It's got a little cross on the top... and a questionable fuse."

[@fathead8933]

Forget that “when the pin is pulled….” nonsense. Mr Grenade is never your friend. You give infantrymen a hand grenade and you’ll see them start walking around like they have eggs in their pockets.

[@SonsOfLorgar]

@@fathead8933 I've only thrown one live grenade, and I don't trust the little green bastards even half the distance I threw it... they just ooze a sense of pure, indiscriminate malice that makes ones back hairs crawl... Only land mines are worse, especially ones with magnetic field fuses...

[@fathead8933]

@@SonsOfLorgar I’ve been handed quite a few that I didn’t have to hand back in. Just the fact that you know you’re carrying explosives changes your behavior. On indiscriminate, we had an African American team leader that had a phrase “I’m not scared of haji shooting me, I’m black. He won’t shoot a black man. But IEDs? Those things terrify me. Mfers are indiscriminate and don’t care about your color.” But when you throw them, you know you’re doing the LORD’s work, because you don’t know everything he’s gonna eat.

[@Allan_aka_RocKITEman]

_"...who, being naughty in My sight, shall snuff it."_ 😊😊😊😊😊

[@SonsOfLorgar]

@@fathead8933 my current expected and preferred fighting range is about 3-8km without line of sight to the area my unit throws our ~13kg bombs at.

[@tarjei99]

"Can Elbonia be saved" is an excellent slogan for a t-shirt.

[@BenjaminWeimer]

Or "Elbonia can yet be saved".

[@Allan_aka_RocKITEman]

I *STILL* think _Elbonia's_ greatest export is its _Grease._ I mean, who DOES NOT use _ELBONIA GREASE??_ 😊😊😊

[@JanoTuotanto]

Can Elbonia be shaved

[@jgranger3532]

Elbonia can be saved, Afghanistan not so much sadly.

[@dave_h_8742]

@@jgranger3532 We did tell you it was a bad idea that we had tried three times before and had our arses handed to us by tribes men.

[@brandonwestfall3241]

You get a thumbs up just for Nick doing the stupid ear to glass thing lmao

[@TheChieftainsHatch]

Well, would you drink any whisky that was making strange noises?

[@77LCJ]

That is a very astute answer 😁👍 BZ!

[@vaclav_fejt]

"I don't eat anything that stares back at me!" "I don't drink anything that listens back at me!"

[@marcusnichols5595]

All he can hear is "drink me"

[@Matt_The_Hugenot]

You can hear the surf in Islay whiskies.

[@StrangelyBrownNo1]

Just the absolute best crossover. Nick is great at asking follow up questions and drawing more out of Ian. I’m also hoping they’ve discussed the possibility of a headstamp tank book written by Nick!

[@joshy7759]

Haven't bought a headstamp book yet (they are fantastic and I try to support them, just hasn't hit my niche yet) but a tank book from headstamp would be a for sure buy.

[@samholdsworth3957]

What's a book?

[@AndrewPalmerMTL]

At about 58 minutes, for anyone who cares: The "wrong kind of snow" was excessively light and fluffy, very dry rather than wet and "clumpy". I believe it was associated with unusually cold conditions (for the UK). Because it was so light it got kicked up into big cloud as the train passed and then sucked into intakes, either for combustion (for diesel trains) or cooling (for electric trains). Either way, it hadn't been accounted for in the design. "Leaves on the track" isnt just an issue for the third rail type ground level pickups. Train wheels running over leaves on the rails forms a thin mulch which drastically reduces friction, screwing with both driving force and braking force available. Neither of which are a good thing. Australia, of course, had a different version of the problem: "millipedes on the track".

[@rdfox76]

The "wrong kind of snow" problem crippled the US's Northeast Corridor a few times, too, when very fine snow particles associated with unusually cold conditions got sucked into the traction motor cooling blowers on the electric locomotives, then blown into the motors, where they would lodge between the motor windings, melt, and short out the motors. The earliest time this happened was back in the steam era...

[@anotherianp]

Very fine snow also causes problems with track circuit train detection as, rather than being cleared by the train wheels, it gets crushed and forms an insulating layer between the train wheels and the track. Thus the signalling system doesn't know where the trains are and doesn't work. Cue major problems. Slightly more surprisingly, the same happens with very cold water, aka "the wrong kind of rain": It gets crushed and becomes ice, again, an insulator and, again, no functioning train detection system means no functioning signalling system. Yet another one? Leaves on the line... Again, the thin mulch is an insulator... see above, in addition to the traction issues. Where the traction one can be partially resolved using sand, track cleaners, etc, the track circuit one is a major issue. Slowly, they're being replaced as much as possible by magnetic field axle counters, which aren't affected by insulators on the line. There are more MPVs and track cleaning trains in service now than there were... Has anyone solved the intake problems yet? Or ice forming on overhead line equipment, which then gets ripped down by train pantographs? Probably not! ;)

[@Matt_The_Hugenot]

Leaves have become more of a problem as trains have got lighter. With just steel on steel friction for traction mass is especially important to cut through the leaves. Because of the age of Britain's railway network the bridges and tunnels are far too low to permit the height of trains in most other countries reducing the mass further. Additionally in leafy England in the last 150 years trackside trees have grown and matured and the amount of leaves has increased. Cutting down trees costs money and penny pinching government accountants see such maintenance as an easy target.

[@aritakalo8011]

" Because it was so light it got kicked up into big cloud as the train passed and then sucked into intakes, either for combustion (for diesel trains) or cooling (for electric trains). " We encountered form of this with Pendolinos here in Finland...... connectors for the train cars had aerodynamic protective covers. Well fine snow and frost would collect behind and around those doors and the connectors. Thus.... jamming them. from operating. both the doors and the connector even on getting the doors open. It isn't enough to make trains and tracks snow proof to operative in cold via having plows etc. The whole locomotive has to be *frost* proofed. In this case I think the solution was installing heater element kits. There is no way to make the connector sealed. Can't connect then. Or you can seal it, but as said then the problem is the sealing doors will freeze. So install heater kits to the critical joints and edges to keep the freeze away and keep parts moving.Also remember to design the drain and potentially necessary drain heaters. Since otherwise one has bowl of water making it not work instead of clump of ice. Same with intakes for air. Often the solution is: You just have to have intake/radiator defrosters. If the engine heat doesn't take care of it, as it is often takes on say smaller vehicle like car or truck. If not, you need defrosters. Infact it used to be common part and system to have radiator covers or shutters for cold climate cars and trucks. Since same as with said train: the high speed cold air would overwhelm the engines waste heat capacity. Leading to frozen radiators, frozen air in takes and so on. So unless the equipment is every kind of snow and frost proof it really.... isn't. One can get away with luck operating with it at some frost days, but well one will get bitten in the behind. One time the wind is from the wrong direction, the temperature is little lower, the moisture is little different and..... freeze in wrong place, equipment no workie.

[@anotherianp]

@@Matt_The_Hugenot Although, interestingly, the rail network operator (whether it was BR, RT or NWR) has a complete exemption from tree preservation law, for safety purposes. Every time they cut trees back hard, or cut them down, environmental groups and local residents kick up a huge fuss, yell and scream at contractors/maintainers and try to drag the media in at the "needless destruction", "criminal damage" and "illegal acts". Yes, they do believe (not without some validity) that the trees are more important than the railway and would rather the line be axed than the trees chainsawed. (Edited to fix tpyo!)

[@SurplusGeek]

Anyone say M14 right before Ian, like we all knew where that was going!

[@MandoWookie]

The M14 would have made sense in 1946, by the time 7.62 NATO was adopted you had guns like the FAL and AR10, choosing a gun from the 1920s with a box mag hanging off the bottom, when you have to retool everything anyway is dumb. The BM59 is a better take on the concept.

[@SurplusGeek]

@@MandoWookie oh for sure, the BM59 is the right way to modernize the M1 but "muh merica design" had to win out, all history now though

[@MandoWookie]

@@SurplusGeek More like Army Ordnance desperately trying to reassert themselves after having been shown up by all of the civilian industry guys that had been brought in for WW2. All those guys went back to their normal lives, and Ordnance learned nothing and went back to their old incompetence.

[@looinrims]

M14 is the worst of every world

[@DanielWW2]

@@MandoWookie Nah, it didn't even make any sense in 1946. The STG-44 had shown that full powered cartridges where completely unnecessary and the advantages of an intermediate chambered, select fire rifle where enormous. The cartridge itself might be kinda meh because the Germans had to use the same case diameter as 7.92x57mm for production reasons, but its ballistics really seem to have hit a sweet spot right from the outset. Because that class of rounds, just below 7.62x39mm in terms of power, seems to be generating quite the level of interest these days. Further the M14 and its cartridge also still has its effects on small arms to this very day. Because the moment you accept an intermediate cartridge, you face the question what to do with infantry machine guns and sniper rifles. The former is an ever going debate that keeps going back and forth between intermediate because of commonality and overall weight and full power because of more range and power. The latter is developing between the standard full power cartridge and special very high power cartridges. And 7.62x51mm kinda sucks in all of this. It was an attempt at making a new 30-06 with only a fraction less performance with a shorter case. But it was matched against M2 ball, which was introduced as a substitute for the more powerful M1 cartridge. And that is the problem. With a more powerful cartridge in this role, you gain a better round for machine gun and sniper rifle usage. The additional recoil or most other factors don't matter as much because you already have an intermediate cartridge for most troops. Then you also don't have to throw away all the WW2 surplus either. You can shoot all M2 ball in training and actually use the stocks of M1 ball. Finally you have more headroom for development of special rounds with either higher velocity or a heavier bullet. Finally, if you really and I mean really want to leave politics out of it while still adopting a whole new family of small arms, well adopt the 7.92x57mm s.S. Patrone after WW2 and also just take the MG-42 while you are at it. Because like that, you don't have to bother with the BAR, M1919, M15, or the M60. Only for tank mountings does the MG-42 might get a bit awkward with is barrel changing mechanism. It also has other benefits. A lot of European countries had plenty of German rifles and ammunition laying around. Further British even used 7.92x57mm for their tanks during WW2 and seem to not be opposed to adopting the round for other small arms either.

[@allenbt11]

Point of order: The running gag on FW is Ian disassembling guns with a bic pen...

[@RichWhiteUM]

You mean the handy disassembly tool!

[@LIGHTNING278TH]

@@RichWhiteUM *universal disassembly tool.

[@johnladuke6475]

Captive pins. Screwdrivers included in the grip of the gun. Really nice checkering. These are some of Ian's favourite things.

[@aritakalo8011]

That actually kinda is the "how easy is the track to tension" equivalent of firearms. How easy is it to field disassembly for cleaning. Ian kinda goes over it with "well there is no maintenance, you just clean it". Cleaning IS maintenance and daily tedious work. As anyone having served in any military can attest. You might not be even firing the gun, but you will be cleaning it. Since one would have been out in the forest/desert/jungle/snow. Motor vehicles on sand or on gravel roads have nice tendency to create this cloud of fine sand dust floating around the convoy, that gets.... everywhere not hermetically sealed or at minimum filtered. May have shot rifle zero times today, BUT have to take it apart everyday. Since have to check has dust/moisture/mud etc. Infiltrated into mechanisms. since there usually is stuff like gas ports etc. Even stuff like the openings for the trigger mechanism etc. allow entry of moisture, fine dust and all kind of other interesting stuff. So take it apart, wipe off dust, moisture etc. apply new coat of protective lubricant. As such "How easy is it to pop it open to get the bolt and action bits out to wipe them down and coat with protective lubricant daily or at least to check does it need new coat of oil" is the "tension the track" of a service weapon. Since one doesn't want to leave it to "this is well sealed weapon" only to find out week later..... Actually it wasn't as well sealed as you thought. Sure it went boom, but failed to feed since there was frost and ice mixed with dust frozen into the receiver rails. Thus just enough slowing and hindering bolt travel bolt to make the action not feed correctly. So how easy is the daily "pop the dust cover" or "snap the pin, pop the upper and lower" is important. If the firearm is slow and tedious to field strip, troops won't do it as frequently. Since it is slow, tedious and cumbersome. Meaning each cleaning time takes more time, more effort and thus will be done more rarely. Thus potentially leading to failure at exactly wrong time.

[@RichWhiteUM]

@@aritakalo8011 Let's be honest, there are a lot of things Ian gets wrong, when he tries to analyze them from a modern military prospective. This stems from him never having served himself. One of my favorites is when he says that there is no modern real-world military use for a shotgun, yet, every major military force on the planet has shotguns in their inventory. I think they disagree that they don't have a need for one. My younger brother carried a shotgun in Iraq with the USMC. Ian is a great source when it comes to history, but his ideas on modern military doctrine simply aren't up to snuff.

[@Ghatbkk]

The original reasoning behind the Offensive Handgun from SOCOM (the weapon that became the Mk23) was primarily not jungle, but rather restricted spaces CQB - the SEALS were the largest proponents (and still are the largest users) and that is specifically because of shipboard constraints.

[@jfess1911]

The ammunition shortage is a complex issue, but it is important to note that Remington's bankruptcy also had an impact. Remington is one of the largest ammo manufacturers in the US and its ammunition plant was shut down for several months.

[@seanmalloy7249]

The comment Ian made about not being able to scale up production readily is the same situation that produced a shortage of canned goods -- panic buying drove up the demand for canned goods, but the production lines didn't have the excess capacity to supply enough cans, and the can makers could project that this run on canned goods would die off, and demand would go back to normal, so buying enough additional equipment to fill the demand would leave them with idle -- and largely unsellable -- equipment when things went back to normal. So they bumped up what they could, and the companies producing canned goods in many cases trimmed their product lines to try to keep ahead of demand, producing weird shortages.

[@jfess1911]

@@seanmalloy7249 Good point. When I worked in manufacturing, it would often take several years to add significant capacity (if it required new equipment). US ammo demand is cyclical, it makes no sense to add capacity that won't be used much of the time.

[@TreeBarkSide]

I would include the fact that with Joe Biden and the Gun-Control Dems in charge, many gun owners fear that guns and ammo will be restricted, so they want to get whatever they can while they can.

[@s.marcus3669]

@@TreeBarkSide ABSA-FUCKING-LOOTLY, and the emphasis on the "LOOT"! Nice to meet another 2AYid, btw...

[@diablodelfuego6633]

It was hilarious to see 60 minutes of dialogue and then Chieftain goes, " did I press record? 🤔"

[@chrisspencer6502]

The Irishman likes to hear the opinion of the whiskey

[@catfish552]

The Whisk(e)y Whisperer

[@fuuryuuSKK]

@@catfish552 it's whiskey if it's irish, and whisky if it's scotch

[@vladlavcon]

@@fuuryuuSKK yes and no. The spellings were interchangeable in both countries up until the late 19th Century and the spelling without the "e" persisted in Ireland until the early 20th Century. In the legal framework governing the Irish whiskey industry either spelling may be used and there are a few newer Irish distilleries, such as Waterford, that are using the whisky spelling. Contrastingly in Scotland nowadays it is a legal requirement to use the no "e" spelling.

[@TurboSnail8734]

@@vladlavcon great explanation can we just chalk it up to... My man is drunk, with a lisp...and Irish...no shame

[@glandhound]

Just read the bottle, Lagavulin is a whisky.

[@jameshealy4594]

Gotta say, I think Ian missed the forest for the trees on the firearm equivalent of track tension. I would say ease of disassembly.

[@matthayward7889]

Absolutely

[@gyrene_asea4133]

And also the likelihood of overly fussy parts getting separated from the firearm during field stripping/cleaning. I think that Othias is a bit more tuned into that kind of thing, but I think that Ian did miss an easy 'track tensioning' analog.

[@blindalienproductions5589]

Ian: Ships are not supposed to be defeated by infantry. Me: Laughs in Command and Conquer Red Alert.

[@dave_h_8742]

Also hit a submarine with a Carl Gustav (unless that's the "ship" They mean) and that was that for the sub being a subsurface vessel.

[@timberwolf1575]

A fair number of torpedo boats and even destroyers had their days rained on by infantry in coastal combat. Think E-Boats around Dunkirk, the Guadalcanal campaign, and river boats in Vietnam.

[@steveclarke6257]

@@dave_h_8742 I think you will find that ARA Santa Fe was depth bombed off South Georgia, by a Wasp Helecopter deployed by HMS Glamorgan

[@Gagis]

On a tangent about leaves stopping train traffic: Wet leaves on train tracks also get amazingly slippery. I have been on an old diesel engine train in Finland that simply had to stop its journey because it couldn't get over a very small hill because its wheels would simply spin on the wet leaves without going anywhere during an unusually wet autumn.

[@mgreen7063]

The last bits of the recording are like post Marvel movie credits. Not to be missed. Thanks for a very enjoyable hour plus.

[@minarchist1776]

As far as the Italians vs the Ethiopians went, just giving the Ethiopians chemical weapons protective gear and instructions on how and when to use it could have been significant.

[@iivin4233]

European soldiers don't usually dominate whenever it's a fair fight, but when is it ever a fair fight?

[@passantNL]

@@iivin4233 It is rarely a fair fight because smart soldiers try to avoid fair fights.

[@dariuszrutkowski420]

Just give them some Gloster Gladiators or Avia 534 fighters and Vickers 6 ton tanks or their upgraded versions the 7-TP or T-26 and surplus WW1 75mm artillery and chem. wepon protective gear ad the Italians are out.

[@corvanphoenix]

@@iivin4233 You weren't listening to the part where UK infantry shot the sh*t out of a warship?

[@beekaa5]

Compensating: Trying to reduce the shortness of your shorts with the height of your socks. Love the vid, just wanted to share the laugh. Ian and Nic provide gre4at content, let there be no mistake about that!

[@dave_h_8742]

I did find the shorts disconcerting

[@geofftimm2291]

Based on second hand information; I was a Small Arms Repairman / Armament Inspector 1972-82. I talked to a lot of surviving SVN vets. For irregular operations the MAT 49 and Swedish K were favorites. So was the Browning HP. I also knew a Special Forces vet who carried a 7.65mm Walther PPK, literally as a body pistol his whole time in the field. Geoff Who has been around awhile.

[@jonathangriffiths2499]

Did they mention any revolvers ?

[@geofftimm2291]

@@jonathangriffiths2499 People mentioned private revolvers, but not specific models. I've heard that some Special Ops executives were trading S&W Model 60 stainless steel revolvers for favors, but the source was HIGHLY questionable. Geoff Who is low standards of authenticity or "There I wuz.." is Army talk for "Once upon a time.."

[@jonathangriffiths2499]

@@geofftimm2291 understood . Thank you for the reply

[@geofftimm2291]

@@jonathangriffiths2499 An additional thought. In that era the US Army issued the S&W Model 10 revolver, fixed sights, small rounded butt or grip. They were issued to female MPs, Special investigators and US Army helicopter air crew. The revolver, hoster and a dozen extra rounds being lighter than an M1911. M-16A1s were commonly carried in the larger helicopters, plus M-60 machine guns in the door mounts. Geoff Who takes more time to remember.

[@hermatred572]

I muttered m14 under my breath and then had to take a few minutes to let my laughing die down

[@Activated_Complex]

Sweet, another Tracks & Trunnions! Thanks for doing another collaboration, these are always great. And kudos to Ian on his choice of an Islay single malt. No messing around here, he sprang right for the Lagavulin.

[@Plastikdoom]

Those 14.5’s would go through the sides of panthers at close range. Why the Germans developed the skirts for panthers, and why the panther 2 had thicker side armor from the get go, while being designed.

[@ErulianADRaghath]

14.5 is a superb round for AP performance, they are still used in anti-material rifles today. Although, I often wonder what's the barrel life of a 14.5 weapon, since they have high pressure, high velocity projectiles.

[@aizseeker3622]

@@ErulianADRaghath 14.5 is rare to use anti-material rifles as they heavy and kick more than 50 bmg rifles. Beside they just use 40mm HEDP grenade launcher as they pen more and have frag effect against infantry

[@glandhound]

I guess it depends on whether you consider ZPU anti materiel...

[@ErulianADRaghath]

@@glandhound Hahahaha! True!

[@fabiogalletti8616]

@@ErulianADRaghath If a new complete rifle costs 3 rubles and the entire Red Army had the regulation number of rifles per unit, would be that a problem if the barrel had a short lifespan? Just get another one. Or, actually, the new replacement rifle came with the new replacement crew, as the old rifle and its crew are gone.

[@nirfz]

It's not american, but the AUG was develloped in a pretty close relationship between Steyr and the Austrian army. (According to the 40 years AUG book)

[@keithlevanway6871]

"Ships aren't supposed to be defeated by infantry." LOL

[@looinrims]

*Supposed to*

[@Boric78]

I like watching these guys togther - you can tell they not only respect one another but like one another too. Gun Jesus & Tank Man.

[@dariuszrutkowski420]

Yes Ian you remember correctly. The Charlton mg was from New Zeland. Probably was the mg mounted on the Bob Semple tank (wouldn't surprise me since it says that they were armed with Bren guns)

[@MBkufel]

You can change a barrel on an MG3 in a Leopard. It's just that there is much, much more room to do it.

[@moosemaimer]

I think the big difference between ammo and things like toilet paper and canned food is: price per cubic foot. You may well be able to purchase ten yards of TP, but then you need someplace to put it; you will eventually run out of space. People aren't buying the ammo they can physically fit in their homes- they're buying what they can afford. An average gun safe full to the rafters with 5.56 at modern prices would cost tens of thousands of dollars. People go out, buy what they can afford (if they can find it), and when they have more money they do it again. When literally everyone in the gun community is doing that for over a year it's more than the manufacturing capacity can keep up with, and prices go up. I can't tell you how happy I was to walk into a shop a month ago and they actually had pallets of cased ammo; it was expensive, _but it was in stock._

[@feedingravens]

There was a caller to the Thom Hartmann Show (the show is for, say, moderate democrats) who told the following story: He went into a gun shore and complained about that nowadays ammo is nowhere to find Shop owner: "Are you a republican?" "Yes." "Do you have a problem with the N-word?" "Nope" "You can have 1,000 rounds, and I can make you a special price for 2,000" When you give that any credibility, then there is something weird going on. But when you see the popularity of QAnon, and the total insanity that is spread there, outright doomsday prophecies, then it becomes plausible that there is a considerable number of people arming up for The Stand. Granted, Aug 13 is probably already shifting backwards, as all predictions for the rapture are shifted each time, but nevertheless millions are convinced that it can come any day now. So that you do not have to be angry with anyone at home, I am german. But what I see since 4 years in the US is a slow drift into a status that looks so oddly familiar to what happened here in Germany 90 years ago. It only needs a rather small devoted fellowship, organized paramilitarily to form a whole Nation. And the stormtroopers back then usually had just batons, in the US the militias have full body armour and AR-15s. And vias social media are able to organize 100 times more efficiently than back then.

[@feedingravens]

@kevin barker "Only the truly obtuse" - LOL Well, and people that claim Biden is a communist, believe all Democrats are satanic pedophiles slaughtering children to drink their blood for eternal life are NOT obtuse? I once asked one of the 2nd Amendment nuts why the hell one needs an assault rifle, and he told me "to fight against a rogue government". I replied "I see, this (Trump) government is not rogue enough? What do you think a REAL rogue government would look like? It was definitely democratically elected, it is the commander of justice, police and the military. And a decent rogue government will have collected enough loyal military so that it has the best weapons. And when you set out to gather for your heroic triumph drive to the capitol, they will detect you within minutes, and it will look like in the WikiLeaks videos from Iraq, either with drones or with Apache helicopters from miles away. You will not even know that something is around before your pickup truck is blowing up". But one has to admit, Jan 6 demonstrated how feeble the US state is. Not much was missing, and it might have worked out. And one party is downplaying it to the point of "just tourists that wanted to have a look around the Congress". The issue is not even the weapons, it is the mindset that is the issue. It is the constant talking of fight, freedom, tyranny; the constant spreading of paranoia, the idea anything is a threat, everybody lies, not only Democrats, the Deep State, the New World Order, Bill Gates, all scientists lie, the school system, everything.

[@bewawolf19]

@@feedingravens Honestly, QANON and that kind of stuff is the same as Charlottesville, movements with absolutely no actual broad support doing a singular stunt then people over-reacting for it as political clout for years to come. Comparing them to the paramilitary groups within the Weimar republic that had military weapons (The Freikorps fighting other groups especially in Bavaria shows how extensive and violent it often got) is definetly over-exaggeration. Current issue within the US isn't conspiracy theories of armed coup, it is larger and larger groups of people becoming disillusioned with the government and believing it is not representative and/or legiitimate. We had now two presidencies in a row where the opposition repeatedly said the election was won/lost due to fraudulent reasons, and that isn't conducive to a stable society. However, comparing it to things such as the run-up to Nazi Germany just doesn't make sense, as US doesn't have the same German culture nor history nor politics that allowed Nazi ideology to occur when it did.

[@positroll7870]

@@bewawolf19 The Bierhall putch was no more successful than Trumpists trying to storm the Capitol. SA riots werent a big problems whenever German police had clear orders to suppress them. At one point, the state of Prussia even forbade the NSDAP, which worked really well - until the federal level reversed that decision. The Nazis didnt take power via a military coup but after the 1933 elections, where they won 45% of the vote and still needed to form a coalition with a nationalist (but not fascist) party. Only after the Reichstag fire allowed them to ban the communist party did they gain an outright majority in parliament and could then (semi-)legally establish their dictatorship via the Ermächtigungsgesetze. And just like in the US today, throughout the 1920-30s there were large groups of society (monarchists and fascists on the right, communists on the left) who didnt think a democracy could work, limiting the options of the democratic center. There was nothing specific to "German culture" that allowed fascism to occur. I also happened in Italy, Spain and Japan for instance. There were strong fascist movements in much of Europe (Quisling rings a bell?) - and even in the US (where btw up to 40% of Americans claim some German heritage) . The difference was that - Germany had lost the war, all of its colonies, a good chunk of its home territory, - was denied the self determination accorded to all others under the Wilson plan (e.g. Austria wasnt allowed to join, Sudetenland was made part of CZ) - had to pay vast sums as war reparations based on a highly dubious claim that it alone was responsible for WW1, - had to suffer the humiliating occupation of the Rhineland by allied troops to force more of those payments out of Germany, leading to - hyperinflation ruining a lot of those middle class people who still had money after the war. German culture influenced the specific way fascism turned out in Germany (no half measures! => holocaust), but did not cause Germany going fascist. The beer hall putch was in 1923. Hitler only took power 10 years later. So you better pray there wont be a second big depression in the cards for the US over the next 8 years ... .

[@Malikyte13]

@@positroll7870 Oh, look. Another post comparing Conservatives to Nazis. In, out, blame Trump. Yawn. Credit where credit is due though, your name is spot-on at least.

[@quintonb9870]

I love the fact that two of my favorite channels are able to do collaborations like this. I hope to see more in the future.

[@EdHunter55]

Just like with the trigger/snow issue Ian mentioned, snow builds up in the track switches and gets compacted to the point the switch can't make contact with the other set of rails preventing trains from passing.

[@MarvinCZ]

The equivalent to track tensioning in Forgotten Weapons videos to me is the ease of field stripping. With commentary on how many parts there are and how small and easy to lose they are.

[@gyrene_asea4133]

Needed Othias to be in that same lobby.

[@NathanOkun]

Projectile length discussion: Spin rate needed for stability goes up directly with projectile length -- by some formula -- and this is due to the center of force of the turbulence over the projectile surface compared to the center of mass of the projectile. The farther away from the center of mass, the more leverage the sideways forces have and the less able the spin of a given rate has to overcome said forces. This is why the long post-WWII APDS projectiles are now fin-stabilized. You can delay the onset of this somewhat by various things like boattailed/base=bleed bases and high spin rates, but this makes the guns and projectiles more expensive, too. If you want a bigger bang and/or longer range with the same diameter weapon, most weapons went from guns to fin-stabilized -- and guided as an added rather cheap (with modern technology) benefit -- missile launchers.

[@snipersl270]

My 2 cents to add to yours; ballistic coefficient goes up for heavy for caliber slugs (long) and penetration, the latter they did mention.

[@Orinslayer]

16 inch super heavy shells were just a longer version of the regulars shell.

[@NathanOkun]

@@Orinslayer 2700-lb and 4.5 caliber (72") 16" Mark 8 AP Projectiles instead of the earlier 2110-lb and 3.7-caliber 1920s Mark 3 AP shells. The COLORADOs (and their earlier 14"-gunned warships with scaled projectile) could not store or handle the 4.5-caliber shells, so they got the similar, but shorter, 2240-lb and 4-caliber (64") 16" Mark 5 AP shell. The guns that fired the heavier shells could of course fire the lighter shells, though usually only for training/gun tests as BL&P Target (Practice) projectiles. I do not think that the rifling in the new guns firing the heavier shells was any different from that used in the older guns, though in most other ways the new guns had lighter weight and tougher steel composition. The muzzle velocity of the 45-cal guns in NORTH CAROLINAs and SOUTH DAKOTAs was only 2300 ft/sec (compared to a slightly low but more usual 2500 ft/sec in IOWA's guns), the lowest of any modern major-caliber gun used in WWII, but the guns could elevate to 45 degrees and thus could reach any fighting range that the other guns could, with actually somewhat superior anti-deck-armor "plunging fire" effects. The spin rates from the 45-cal guns were so slow that it caused problems with arming the fuzes in the HC shells, so the fuzes had to be modified to allow for this, since these guns fired HC at a lower velocity too (matched by the 50-cal guns in the IOWAs to keep ballistics the same by using less propellant powder for HC shells). I do not think that spin-rate stability was a problem with any shells used in any of these guns.

[@NathanOkun]

@@snipersl270 The drag effects of heavy, longer shells is effectively less for a given cross-section due to inertia, but this is very much also a factor of shell shape, both nose (how pointed) and base, such as narrowed by boat-tailing and/or more advanced things like base bleed (extra-hot tracers) to reduce the turbulent drag at the bottom of the shell. Spin can help or hurt, since if it is not properly applied you get either wobble ("nutation") of the nose off-center or, at the other extreme, the shell refuses to tilt as it goes from nose-up to nose down during its motion over the top of its trajectory, getting a high-drag "belly-flop" effect. This is not a simple subject!

[@snipersl270]

@@NathanOkun No, its not simple at all. But for a given shape and spin a longer projectile will have a better BC provided we aren't changing the structure.

[@Hamzat22]

Love the colab. Do more!

[@admiraltiberius1989]

Thank you for bringing up my question, much appreciated.

[@felicitylongis3605]

So thrilled to get such an awsome discussion on my question(s)! Really glad this all worked out for you guys :D

[@michaelemberley2767]

I was ridiculously pleased with myself when Ian's answer to the Bob Semple question matched my own.

[@captainbackflash]

"The wrong kind of snow!" Sound like the four main enemies of the Deutsche Bahn (german railroad) spring, summer, fall and winter!

[@redaethel4619]

Wrong kind of snow is a legitimate thing, even on streets it can turn a pile of powder into a substance more resembling concrete, requiring different snow clearance methods - standard plows can’t do it, you need much heavier construction equipment. I imagine a train could easily smash through due to its massive weight, but you might smash up your tracks in the process, and a derailed passenger train could be mildly inconvenient.

[@jerry2357]

The “wrong kind of snow” was a famous excuse from British Rail Southern Region, after new trains were introduced.

[@Palora01]

A couple of winters ago our politicians gave a 'wonderful' excuse for not having enough Winter Service Vehicles to keep the roads clear: "We didn't know it was going to snow" . And who can blame them really, it's only been snowing in the winter since the dawn of mankind :D

[@captainbackflash]

@@Palora01 In 2009/2010, we had a very bad winter. It froze from mid november to almost may. It went down to minus 18°C. A lot of snow and ice everywhere. And...NO roadsalt, because ther was no snow and low degrees in ages, so there will not be a cold winter, local authorities said!

[@Echin0idea]

@@redaethel4619 I heard from a railway engineer I got chatting to on a commute home from London some years back that "the wrong kind of snow" for British trains is very fine and powdery - it can apparently get through the air filters, subsequently melt, and cause all sorts of havok by shorting out electrical equipment.

[@jeffreytam7684]

20:00 the PTRD does just this: throws the bolt open using a cam and ejects the cartridge

[@donica42]

Love this collab, hope for more like this in the future. 😁

[@jantschierschky3461]

The barrel change on a MG34 is 200, MG42 150. German tanks have and had spare barrels. Modern German tanks have a modified MG3

[@SonsOfLorgar]

I belive the Swedish Strv 122 variant of the Leopard 2 uses an FN MAG (Ksp 58) as coax, and uses the MG3 under the designation Ksp94 in the weapon station up top as the ksp 58 has a 300rnd barrel change interval and variable rate of fire from 1-1100rpm due to it's gas operated mechanism and the standard setting around 650-700rpm making it much more useful against infantry as a coax than the three(possibly four) fixed firing rates of the Mg3/Ksp94 that requires disassembly and bolt replacement to change firing rate as it's flapper locked mechanism firing rate is dictated by bolt mass.

[@davidmurphy8190]

Used to have Army pubs from WWII on German and Japanese infantry weapons. Think Jan is right on barrel changes.

[@jantschierschky3461]

@@SonsOfLorgar you don't need to remove anything with the MG3. Push safety, than palm release and out comes barrel. I doubt the coaxial is the FN, because you would change the structure of tank. The rooftop would be the FN

[@hex1c]

I just love these crossovers! Ian and Nick is a match made in a tank! Pun intended!

[@petesheppard1709]

Fun video! Thanks, Nick for pulling it off. You and Ian do very well together.

[@adityasanyal1678]

Talking about freezing weather and one of Ian's I-need-to-know guns that is the INSAS, those froze up in various ways in the Himalayas in 1999's Kargil border war. Polymer magazines would crack in sub zero temperatures, tolerances were strained due to dust and ice which led to frequent jamming inspite of the long stroke piston system and extended firing over a couple of days led to sears wearing out that led to the three round burst setting becoming full auto after firing for double digit hours of engagement (units climbing to dislodge the intruders were often pinned down by machine gun and mortar fire on isolated cornices until Indian artillery could be moved into position for screening them for advancing or retreating). It was put into service only two years prior to the conflict and suffice to say the setting clarified many of the things that had been overlooked while designing it. It's the reason that AKs and SiGs are now the basic rifle for the general infantry and frontline troops today.....

[@phatmaus]

Re: Nick's understatement, I thought that was an English exclusive trait, not an Irish one. Apparently during the Korean war, British troops ran into trouble, when, being overrun, they're radio the American artillery something along the lines of: "We're in a spot of bother here and could really use some artillery support" and the Americans would ignore them, since the issue obviously wasn't serious 🤣

[@johnfisk811]

Brigadier Tom Brodie described his 29th Infantry Brigade’s situation to his American higher command as ‘a bit sticky’. Which in English means ‘we are in real trouble and only just hanging on’ but in American sounds like having minor difficulties. He could have made it even less translatable from English if he had said that they were ‘batting on a sticky wicket’.

[@Malikyte13]

@@yt45204 Can confirm. Half my family is Italian, other half is German. Italians just scream all the time even when they're not angry, Germans just sound angry even when they say "Ich liebe dich" (I love you)

[@JesusvonNazaret]

58:24 for small arms: longer projectile = better ballistic coefficient = flatter shooting ; but you after a certain length to diameter ratio you can't spin stabilize it anymore

[@HereticalKitsune]

German MG3 gunner here for the spare bolt. Our kit, back in 2006-2008, had a spare barrel and a full spare bolt. Spare barrel was something we used regularly, but bolt not so much.

[@mil-collector_enby2250]

2022 Finnish Brutality featuring the Chieftain... yes please, would pay to see that

[@johnladuke6475]

Guys, I have two propositions for Ian's version of track tension. He's always a sucker for some really nice checkering. The whole rest of the gun can be a dumpster fire, but if there's some nice deep checkering on the grip or the handguard he'll be sure to point that out. And he sounds almost offended when there's some *ahem* "checkering" that's not even square. The other possibility would be convenient disassembly; having the screwdriver built in to the gun, or the whole thing is held together with captive pins that you push out with a cartridge. That kind of stuff always gets his hat collection twitching.

[@SlavicCelery]

I mean, the checkering on the Benet-Mercie barrel was something magnificent.

[@Stukov961]

I don't know if Ian didn't think of it, or didn't think it qualified, but unless I'm mistaken the infamous Blish "lock" seen in the Thompson submachine gun, and the failed self loading rifle, was based on an incorrect assumption about principles learned from naval guns.

[@Amac1825]

Really enjoyed this cheif. Love the collabs

[@F1ghteR41]

37:37 So basically, a proper revolver cannon, like Mauser MK 213, ADEN, DEFA, M39, NN-30, R-23 etc. 43:49 Closer, but not close enough. Also, there's the compactness factor. And the ballistic effectiveness of the lightest carbines is somewhat overstated: the low-impulse cartridges turn anemic, while still producing big flash and boom, while the bigger intermediate calibres obviously have much higher recoil. 46:02 Oil levels in some old machineguns are such items of regular attention.

[@Togen2063]

Sorry Nick but I have to give a little clarification on the issue with UK trains regarding the problem of leaves on the line. The general problem is that in the UK train detection is done through the use of Track Circuits. A low voltage is ran through the rails detecting the absence of a train (this way it fails safely) ensuring safe use. When the train runs onto the track circuit the relay attached to the circuit is powered down since the train wheels create a shorter path, creating a short circuit. When you introduce the dreaded leaves these get compacted into a slimy mush that acts as an insulator stopping this working correctly, this makes a trai could "disappear" in regards to the signalling system potentially allowing (in the worst case) for another train to be sent into the area causing a crash. As for the snow problem I thinks that's mostly down to the UK not getting a lot of snow general therefore not having a lot of snow ploughs. Best regards a slightly over enthusiastic signalling designer lol

[@IRMacGuyver]

@1:34 my favorite part about the Chinese Warlord book is that when Ian finished the first book he said he'd take a while before starting another book. Then like a couple months later he announces that his next book is finished and ready for printing

[@amitnachman3840]

Getting Ian to show some legs is a disgusting publicity stunt. I mean it works, but it's disgusting.

[@Floreal78]

If it draws in the crowd....why not. :D

[@ulissedazante5748]

The good ol' "hey, sailor" trick. Works every time.

[@esoteric783]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@pegzounet]

I know right ? And useless too, he just has to show off his fabulous hair for the same effect

[@vaclav_fejt]

Taking a note from James Reeves' book.

[@Colinpark]

Great stuff, that hotel room looks like it rents by the hour! I would say the most "buildable gun" is the Sten Gun, the hardest part will be making a reliable magazine. The shorter barrel and lower pressures opens up more options for materials and doable for most smaller hobby lathes.

[@demonprinces17]

Make it to take Glock mags

[@SonsOfLorgar]

The Swedish K, as a sten gun derivative with improved functiobality comes to mind with some national bias ;)

[@k4b44l]

Revolving magazines are useful when the round is heavy and stacking them could overstress the round or the brass.

[@tgapmax4051]

or the Milcor M32 low pressure 40mm

[@philipbrereton2656]

The L85 trigger was increased in mass due to an ND when one was dropped from a helicopter during trials and fired on impact. The Helicopter bit was missed out of the report, so the mass of the trigger had to be increased to stop a reoccurrence of it, this leads to the snow issue.

[@pablononpicasso1977]

In the 80's, and before my time in the 70's, we had the FAL (SLR FN) as our crew weapon. It was like trying to pull a javelin out of the inside of a tank. Gunner's got F1 Aust 9mm top feed SMG and TC's the 9mm Browning. A sub or short m4 style would have made sense.

[@scottwatrous]

The 'running gag' for Forgotten Weapons analogous to track tensioning is probably the Universal Disassembly Tool, and to a broader sense maybe the concept of ease of disassembly. Some guns are real easy to take apart in a few motions and provide captive pins or simple buttons with parts that stay mostly together; others require a variety of tools and have small bits that go flying away during field stripping if you aren't meticulous. That's definitely very analogous to tasks like tensioning.

[@politenessman3901]

The Lithgow Small Arms Factory in New South Wales began building Bren guns in 1940; a total of 17,249 were built.

[@CannaCJ]

The Snider carbine is relatively craft-producible. I've seen a couple of people make those from scratch on the interwebs. Wrong side of the turn of the century, though.

[@m2hmghb]

@Colin Killian Money. The amount of time needed to produce it would be more then it could be sold for. Hobbyists don't mind sinking time into it. Just look at the FG 42 reproduction for an indication.

[@ivanmonahhov2314]

Fedorov 1916 is supposedly very garage manufacturable. On a Russian forum which also had schematics , it said so arguing that they were produced by soldering plates with copper on conductors.

[@samuelneese482]

Slamfire shotguns are probably the simplest. All you need are two pieces of steel tubing and a nail.

[@dave_h_8742]

I know a guy who had a police chief inspector say on an official tour of the Armouries that he'd ban all laths as they can be made to make guns illegally ! Note. The UK also has stupid people in authority !

[@jakobc.2558]

When he said that the charlton LMG was also made in New Zealand I almost fell out of my seat laughing.

[@jeffprice6421]

Naval guns are a completely different beast. Ground based artillery probably the same. The gun I worked on, Mk75 76mm 62 Cal, had a large (70ish) round cyindrical magazine, with a chain hoist which brought rounds to rocking arms which then laid the rounds into a set of star wheels. When the Mk75 rammed a round, the projectile is/was set into the rifling. So in the event of a misfire, if the round won't fire, you jack the can out of the breach andshoot the "clearing charges" which are cans without projectiles to shoot the stuck projectile out.

[@karlvongazenberg8398]

23:24 "The Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch" - that is modelled after the "Globus cruciger", which is a part of many crown jewelry sets, for example the Sovereign's Orb. It certainly would show who is sovereign, after you count to five... I mean three.

[@tgapmax4051]

and it isn't "a picture" - I think he's referring to Camalot "it's only a model." Has Cheiftan answered if the HHGA would defeat an M1 frontal armor yet?

[@VonRammsteyn]

I love this crossovers!!! I'm still working on Understand Ian's sense of fashion... But i worship the guy, so...

[@neilwilson5785]

The PTRD could pentrate the side armour of Pz1 to 4 in many cases. Even a Panther side armour could sometimes be penetrated. Given the huge numbers of PTRDs, and the close-range tactics used, they were very effective.

[@DTOStudios]

I would certainly agree. And not just Panthers, mobility kills were possible against Tigers as well, and a shot could penetrate the commander's cupola and machine gun ports. While outright kills may not be possible, if an antitank rifle could know off the track and prevent the tank from reaching the battle, that's incredibly effective

[@deezboyeed6764]

I mean, the ptrds were effective enough that the Germans started putting skirts on to counter

[@nemilyk]

Show of hands, who else guessed the M14 and felt really proud of themselves?

[@CountArtha]

🙋‍♂️

[@bmcg5296]

Nick, “oh bugger the tanks on fire” what’s on my hip is all I need, with my long legs making me run like Usian Bolt.

[@Chezeehat]

Ian: "I don't wanna start rerecording at 10pm." Nick: "Oh fuck no." The difference between an American and an Irishman.

[@jb76489]

They’re both American

[@Chezeehat]

@@jb76489 pedant.

[@CallanElliott]

@@jb76489 Nick was born in the US, and grew up in Ireland.

[@SuperchargedSupercharged]

It is still so funny to me that they issued Chieftain a bayonet when he was in a tank LOL.

[@Plastikdoom]

Ehh, good for playing mumbly peg. Or just general hacking stuff, cause they usually aren’t too sharp, unless you do it yourself. I liked the Ka-Bar bayonets they ended up giving us in the Marine Corps. Bigger and sharp. With a sharpening rod built into the sheath.

[@ryanthorne5432]

I was issued an M9 bayonet as an M113 driver

[@demonprinces17]

Comes in handy when securing supplies

[@vaclav_fejt]

@@demonprinces17 And opening them.

[@SuperchargedSupercharged]

@@ryanthorne5432 Does every body except M.P.'s get issued one? I am starting to feel like I was left out. LOL

[@pogwog5309]

"Shooting chunks of metal at tank" Best anti tank strategy right there

[@rkoopa_bro]

A true meeting of the minds

[@terifarley4770]

I used to pick up and flip the pages of any gun rag that had a 1911 on the cover. I like 1911s a lot but by no means prefer them and I agree with Nick, I like the hi power over the 1911 any day! I may at some point own another 1911 at some point and it would be just one if I got one, but I sold the ones I used to own and its really not likely I'll get another.

[@iamnolegend483]

These are always entertaining. Thanks !

[@patfracc]

I know I’m a year late with this comment. I’ve been following your channel and Ian’s on and off for a long time, and although I do love the content, I think that in this particular case, posting pictures of the subjects at hand on these Q&As would be helpful for the non experts like myself to follow along on the subjects I’m not knowledgeable about. Keep up the good work. Cheers!

[@DanielWW2]

As for an infantry based machine-gun that won't work that well in a tank, well the MG-42? Because it would require quite some space inside a tank to actually operate the barrel changing mechanism. Almost the entire gun needs to be inside the tank to even remove a barrel. Then you need the room on the side to actually move the barrel to and swap it out. Finally you will also have all kinds of mounting issues with both coax and ball mounts. A coax mount tends to be part of a gun shield assembly and might very well be too massive for the barrel change mechanism with something getting in the way. Further these days loaders sit on the left while the barrel changing mechanism sits on the right. Thus you will have to get the barrel out between the rest of the gun and the main gun itself. A ball mount simply won't work without a large distance between the operator and the hull because the entire mechanism needs space to allow a barrel change. There where good reasons the Germans didn't switch over to the MG-42 themselves for their tanks. The MG-34 its barrel changing mechanism just works so much better inside a tank. Finally from what i can quickly gather, the MG3 inside a Leopard looks kinda awkward as well in terms of barrel change. For inside a tank, the Browning just seems better, the exact reversal of the infantry situation. edit: Just finished the rest of the video and it got brought up. 😓

[@glandhound]

Having a semi-auto mode is beneficial on a crew / coaxial gun. 42 is full auto or nothing.

[@ElysiumNZ]

Funny thing is the Charlton MG has become quite popular in the Call Of Duty series known as the NZ-41.

[@dogloversrule8476]

We need to get Nick, Ian, & Drach together in a video

[@chrisgeddes26]

Hey! The M1A is a nice rifle. Great .308/7.62. Civilianized version of the last full battle rifle. And, yes, I am an M85 fan. I believe the problem was in the cupola. Great Vid. guys. Thanks and liked.

[@paulbelci3945]

Informative and fun. Can’t wait for the next one.

[@papaaaaaaa2625]

Lagavulin, excellent choice. The grande Dame of Islay.

[@MRichK]

It is fun to walk down the road on Islay past all these microbrewery sized distilleries with the awesone names, Laphroig, Lagavulin, etc.

[@papaaaaaaa2625]

@@MRichK It is more fun to walk the road back after one or two sips...😁 But you're right. Islay is a awesome place to visit. Lagavulin, Laphroaig, Ardbeg, Coal Ila...all great Scotch I also fell in love with Kilchoman, even if their Scotch is still younger.

[@shamasmacshamas7135]

You spoil us with your Q&As proximity to each other!

[@fathead8933]

I’ve gotten to shoot an INSAS. We hosted the 3/9 Gorkah Rifles. I was a range safety on a left seat/ right seat qual on our pop up range. Well some Indian officer followed by a bunch of other officers and my Battalion Commander, walked towards my side of the range. He came up asked about the range, I explained it. I asked if he would like to try it with my rifle. Well he shot a couple of shots couldn’t hit shit and immediately asked me to shoot the INSAS. I remember thinking it felt plasticky. Like a knockoff of a gun feeling. I wasn’t that impressed but I also only fired 20 rds.

[@agustinperretta1043]

That was both informing and entertaining, thank you both

[@judahjohnston9954]

regarding the holy grail, I just had the image of Ian as Indiana Jones. Once he finds the grail gun, he will move on to alien weaponry (ala the crystal skull)

[@Chiller01]

Ok am I wrong here but the black socks with shorts? His firearms knowledge is impeccable. When larping in camo either modern or historic he does well. I’m just a little concerned about Ian’s real world fashion sense.

[@geofftimm2291]

Previous incarnation as a US Post Office Delivery Person. Geoff Who notes that uniform was conspicuous, especially with the woven pith helmet.

[@ryanpeck3377]

Personally i feel any socks that length are a bad choice with shorts. (Although black are worse than white)

[@geofftimm2291]

@@ryanpeck3377 As a vastly experienced carbon dioxide and methane production specialist, in Florida, I am deeply offended along with my peers! Geoff Who has hardly worn long pants, since he retired. They are medically recommended compression stockings.

[@JohnE9999]

When I was a kid, only old men wore black socks that long with shorts. Now than I'm an old man, the kids are dressing that way again.

[@dave_h_8742]

@@geofftimm2291 Bermudan Police wear a blue uniform, shorts and black long socks.

[@TheNecromancer6666]

Artillery Shells can made longer for additional weight, payload and ballistics, and better aerodynamics, usually also requires a longer barrel as well though for the same muzzle velocity.

[@TerryDowne]

Thank you, Ian, for using the word "inconceivable."

[@gyrene_asea4133]

Yes, I've got to reply to that!

[@madalheidis]

The Charlton and Bob Semple both are examples of New Zealand's number 8 wire mentality. We've historically been so far from where everything is made that we had to get good at jury-rigging everything. Although, there was another NZ tank design, the convertible Schofield.

[@joshwagner4368]

I agree with the MAT-49 being a good choice for a Sheridan crew, but as the TC I would add on an M79 and a healthy supply of 40mm.

[@kylebrady969]

M79 isn't the smallest thing in the world though, so hopefully there's room to quickly retrieve it

[@joshwagner4368]

@@kylebrady969 I'd keep it up in the cupola. If nothing else, it would be useful for putting up flares or marking targets with smoke.

[@elituttle2606]

@The_Chieftain - Thank you for teaching me the world "litotes!" My family does this all the time and it has ticks off my wife too!

[@JTMC93]

The Bob Semple tank always makes me think of the Luty SMG. And then you ask a question that pretty much is tailored to the Luty SMG...

[@loneghostone6883]

Cold temps for firearms: Yes, engineering something to work at cold temps that heavily relies on a lack of friction is difficult. In Automotive we work with parts that have to run from -40C to 80 C, many lubricants which might work at -40C will become too thin to work at 80C, and many that work at 80C will be too thick at -40C. It took a lot of special development and testing to find a lubricant that would function properly for our use cases - and our use case doesnt involve surviving fouling and sudden temperature changes from firing. Projectile length vs caliber: Look at the long range community, a 140gr 6.5 creedmoor bullet stays super-sonic for a farther distance than a 140gr .308 bullet will when chucked at the same speed. A longer, heavier projectile will have a higher ballistic coefficient resulting in less overall drag during flight. stampings, stampings, stampings! They're so cheap, but my god are they a pain to get right. How do you even prototype/tune without having tooling made?

[@anthonykaiser974]

IHC Garands might be the exception to the rule of US small arms manufacturing being spread across various subs for one prime contractor. Line Materials (LMR) barrels, stocks from various mfrs, not to mention some receivers from Springfield and H&R. All this from a plant originally built by Republic for the P-47D. Grew up with it in my backyard, and this farm kid didn't know it until maybe 15 years ago. My collector is none other than the IHC.

[@AgentB7]

Wow, my question drove Ian to reload. Anyway, thanks for the expert answer. I might a little review my ideas on handgun vs. carbine. I’m just a bit too obsessed with a concept of a rifle-thing-fitting-in-purse-or-on-hip, but I guess modern rifles/carbines/SMGs/long barrel pistols fit it well and give you more than any handgun ever would. Anyway, about the thing that is overlooked yet essential, like track tensioning... Ian actually made a whole video on it. It’s the magazines, their quality, availability and specialization. A bad mags is an easy recipe for disaster, be it failure to feed or damaged ammo, and also using something standard really holds back the development (“Does it take Glock mags?”).

[@alanhelton]

Now there is people on one set I love!

[@TomSalesJr]

Proud to be a crossover firearms owner. Guns are a useful tool to secure my freedom and safety (and maybe some duck meat) They are also a fascinating piece of human history, art and engineering I get to hold in my hands.

[@barelyasurvivor1257]

Well that must be fantastic Camo, hiding in plain sight for 27 years is a true feat of Camouflage

[@grimlock1471]

I wish he offered more mugs, cups, mousepads, etc. I don't wear a lot of graphic tees. :-(

[@Centurion101B3C]

Hm, as to maintenance on weapons, I would say that doing the 'Go-NoGo' thing on an M2 is farly important, as well as the 'Fire-NoFire' thingy if fired with a solenoid. That, and a regular checking of the baffle-count in the backstop of the bolt. If you want the thing to keep working, that is.

[@Whiskey11Gaming]

I must admit, I am simply irresistible! OHH, you are talking about the drink. Nevermind... carry on!

[@Whiskey11Gaming]

Also, Reference Ian saying we shouldn't have adopted the M14... he can go right to some nasty place for that comment! I'll keep my M14 over the FAL ANY DAY!