This from Bangor, Wa. circa 1957. An official Navy photograph. Gramps had a hand in crafting it I’m speculating, based on it being in his tool box. He was Head Toolmaker at one point. Sometimes that genius skips a generation you know.
Could be a firing device for centerfire cartridges for some specific purpose other than a weapon though maybe a perimeter alarms...
I wish we could see more of it, but Sea's guess is as good as any. It would not take a lot to convince me that the part with a spinny thing on it is a breech block that can be opened to put in a test cartridge, then closed and the parts on the right moved in close enough for what just might be a spring loaded hammer to strike the pointy thing in the center of the spinny thing.
Dad says it looks like a line thrower that uses a 40 mm bofors shell. basically, you would take the projectile out of the shell, insert a couple of waxed powder cards, and then stuff in a wad of hemp, then the rope end which would ether be a tar ball or have a lead added to it!
I have a line throwing device in .45-70, it shoots a brass rod with line attached but the barrel is smoth bored. The rifle mechanism is a very popular long distance rifle from the 50s that has a number of barrels available including .222, .30-30. 45-70, an d all shot gun gauges
Thank you everyone. I took a picture of a picture. There is info on the back that perhaps I’ll post later. Nothing that categorizes it.
While we're at it, what the hell is this thing? They're all over the back yard, apparently eat house cats and butterflies, and smell like a sewer rat
On the far right is a spring loaded solenoid. That is all I can ID from the photo. It almost looks like an electrically fired universal receiver for testing ammo.
A neighbor saw the big old fat African toad and actually had three stuffed ones. They looked fresh baked until I realized they were stuffed. He said a friend caught a whole barrel of them in Georgia and brought them here to stuff and sell at their curio shop and sold every damned one of them for a considerable amount of cash. Always interests me when I see a cottage industry like that pop up. Hope they didn't get in hot water with Fish and Wildlife for transporting non-indigenous dead amphibians across multiple State lines for profit?
I’m soon to be the sole owner of my Gramp’s stomping grounds. How cool is that?! I’m picturing a new reality show, I’m the star of course. Lol. Dropped in the city limits(now) surrounded by Liberal Loons! Television gold! As far as Gramp’s goes I never truly knew him or the other one. Guess I’m feeling nostalgic or ? I’ve gathered he was quite the machinist which I find to be one of the coolest trades ever. He sure liked to put his SS# on things and I mean everything. Different era eh?
Snooped around the Navy photo history sites. While some pix can be found by the serial number, that one isn't listed anywhere I looked. Not an extensive search, by any means, so it could still be lurking in the archives.
I’ve already been doing that a bit, geniuses. Lol. Great idea for the show though. Like Oak Island only more stupid.