December 2012 - Argghhh!

ATLANTIC OCEAN (Dec. 9, 2012) The X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) demonstrator taxies on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75). Harry S. Truman is the first aircraft carrier to host test operations for an unmanned aircraft. Harry S. Truman is underway supporting carrier qualifications. U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Northrop Grumman Corp. by Alan Radecki

...without any real verbiage? And such crappy pics? With no embiggenation? Easy. Just to see what you'd do. And you didn't disappoint, you figured it out. +10 to Raging Tachikoma for his perspicacity and snarkage. John (JPJ) did ID the M1903, but quit too early to qualify for any prizes... ;^ ) And J(NTA) even provided the snark about the Navy not trusting sailors with firearms! Collectively, you guys embraced your inner Armorer. The top picture was indeed, a Parris-Dunn Mark 1 USN training...

...who have lost our moms! Maggie's buckling Malone, who's look is clear "Dammit! You aren't my Mom! Where is she? And don't come close to me, you look dangerous!"

Air Raid Pearl Harbor. This is no drill. Stark words clattering from the teletype machine. It was a bad day, 71 years ago, throughout a large swath of the Pacific Ocean, as the Japanese moved to secure their "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere." And kicked a giant in the nuts.

Get yer double-barrelled M1911A1 next year... Heh. I'm torn. On one hand, kinda kewl, in an abstract sense. On the other - not much obvious utility.

One nice thing about living right.next.door (in delivery terms) to MidwayUSA is that it never takes more than two days for the goodies to arrive. I have my Rennaissance Wax, cleaning pad, and optics batteries. Heh. I knew them when they were still a retail operation out by Midway truck stop. They were specializing in making reloading kit and ammo for uncommon calibers, and when they were done developing, they'd retail out the guns. The Castle's MAS36 and Danish Rolling Block came to us from...

I'm not catholic, but there is one Saint's feast day I celebrate - that of Saint Barbara, which is today. "St. Barbara, please intercede for us, and guide us, not only in times of danger of fire destroying our physical bodies, but more importantly for those times when our souls are in danger of eternal fire. Amen."