Heres a bit of gun porn. https://greatamericanoutdoors.com/2...ullet-a-big-bang-the-anzio-20mm-sniper-rifle/
ONLY $12K?? I once saw a 50 BMG bolt action at a gun show. Rifle, bipod, magazine, a couple boxes of ammo and a case & scope, were "only" $3K. The guy asked if I was interested (the uncontrolled drooling might have been a clue, maybe?), and I told him, "Yeah, but darn it! I left my $3000 bill in my other jeans pocket!!" To which he replied, "That's okay....I take plastic!" Damn. Don't say shit like that, mister!!
I remember Solothurn ads in Field and Stream or somewhere. I was more into black powder rifles, so I missed that opportunity. I got a call from the local gun shop that they had a Mauser 1918 that I might be interested in. I beat feet over there expecting to find this. A 13mm Mauser 1918 anti tank rifle. What I found was a common Gewehr 98 dated 1918. Ya win some ya lose some.
I had expected to see a knock off of one of those two. Was not to impressed with the shooting style of that fellow.
Spanish army rearmed with Mauser's after WW2 with rifles built on equipment from Germany and left over parts etc. Very nice, but at a severe disadvantage in US surplus sales in 1970's as were a lot of German WW2 weapons still around. Had grenade launcher and sights out to about 1/4 mile. Doctrine at the time I was told was that they knew it would be mostly a gurella war and that the idea was to make the enemy very uncomfortable. The target was fairly large and most troops weren't expected to figure our bullet drop, windage, etc, but were expected to be able to hit a truck or a tent well. Trying to sleep in a tent or riding in the back of a truck with bullets going thru it at random would likely make you upset and going out to look for the snipe or stopping the truck uses up resources and that was the whole idea. 20 mm looks crazy and I wouldn't want to fire it, carry it, or pay for it, but the idea of being able to snipe propane tanks, light armor vehicles, frame buildings, etc, would be a defensive nightmare, as well as the morale factor of trying to pick up all the body pieces and vest parts from a center of mass hit from a half mile away. Wasn't there, but pictures seem to indicate that in modern warfare, the use of drones, long range sniping, RPG and anti tank weapons, anti aircraft missiles, etc, the defensive clear space for troop protection is now measured in miles not yards. Neighbor was involved is some tests hitting targets with 155 at about 40 miles. Then you have short range, 100 miles or less missiles and the Russians have had about 25 mile range artillery since the 1970's. Whole new world out there compared to WW2
There is just something about the big boomers that appeal to some folks. When I bought my M82 back in the '80s it was the Cat Daddy Deluxe and always drew a crowd. Some folks thought it was cool, most wanted to shoot it, and some had to poopoo it. Mostly it was those cheap charlies that couldn't or wouldn't afford one-but that didn't stop them from asking to burn up someone else's ammo(mine). I see the same things for the above 20mm. I laugh now thinking back on telling folks that I needed a buck a round if they wanted to shoot it-that $1.00 is now 7 dollars a round. I would love to have one of the Anzio's. 1st problem for me is I no longer live where I have the range to give it a workout-same reason I rarely take out the M82 anymore. Back home I could shoot as far as I could see in many places, not so here in 'bama at least this part of it. The NFA BS is another. Much more hassle with anything over .50 cal nowadays. Reloading for a 20mm? LOL, now THAT would be some work without a hydraulic press. But for anyone that has the money and space I think it'd be a heck of a lot of fun.
@duane , I worked with a feller who was an Army Ranger, during the invasion of Panama. Got hit in the hand, by a ricochet of a 20mm round. Right in the meaty part of the palm, below where the "FU" finger's attached. He now has his little finger, half his palm, and maybe 2/3 of his thumb left, on that hand. Docs said there just wasn't anything left of the rest of it, to salvage.....and he was lucky it was a lower-powered ricochet, instead of straight out of the barrel!
Had a second cousin on the Missouri in the powder magazine on one of the turrets. Never saw daylight when they fired as all watertight doors were closed. While I would hate to buy powder for either the .50 or the 20 mm, the 16 in used a max load of 540 pounds per shot, 3 guns in salvo, over 1600 pounds of powder. Had a neighbor that was on the design team for the 16 in gun on modern ships, designed in late 1930's and game changer was radio in aircraft to spot shells at a distance and correct aim point. No spotting planes, had to get in close to spot shells. Radar changed all that of course. The 16-Inch Main Battery: The “Big Guns” ⋆ Battleship NC Was in USAF in 1957 and worked on F 104 and got to help bore sight the 20 mm Vulcan and watch it shoot at drones and ground targets. 20 mm impressed the heck out of me and while I have seen 30 mm shoot, not up close. The difference in shooting up ground targets with the 20 mm Vulcan vs the 6 .50's on the P51 was unbelievable. As was watching the B-52 drop a full load of 500 pounders, at first about 27, but later modified to up to 84.
Ok, Thread Derail! I got to see the Mighty Mo Fire her big guns full Broadside, We had flown out to the fleet to return some equipment we had borrowed the previous week! The Ships Executive Officer radioed us on the flight deck of the Bon Hommen Richard that we ether needed to boogie right quick and in a hurry like, stay put ( not really an option as they were runnin a lot of air ops) or we could watch from a safe distance! We launched and headed aft of the Mo, about 3000 feet up and about 1/2 mile aft on the lee side of the guns! BOOM, all 9 barrels spoke that 16 inch American Super Heavy Thunder, holy crap, even at that altitude and distance back, we got rocked, and the sound, Nothing can describe it, We hovered and watched the Mo fire 5 more full salvos before she shifted to single barrel fire, as amazing as a full board side was, a single barrel is outta this world crazy, you could actually hear the shell screaming toward the distance! We couldn't see what she was firing at, but were told she hit with an accuracy of less then 6 meters, from over 19 miles out! Radar fire control over a mechanical fire control computer that dates back to the late 1930's baby, with drone spotting ops, she could cut her accuracy variances in half! One of the coolest experiences I had in the Military! My late Uncles Battle Wagon, U.S.S. New Mexico firing her 14 inch guns, IN COLOR, circa 1945! I have a YUGE stack of photos from his time aboard ship and many of the battles she fought in! Sadly, he passed in 1947, having served aboard from just weeks before Pearl Harbor to the very end in Tokyo Bay and after when she was sold for scrap! God Bless every one who served aboard the Queen of the Seas, the mighty New Mexico, BB-40! That's the ships FULL load of 14 inch shells, total combat over load was 120 shells per gun tube, 1420 shots, and 160 ton powder! The ships 5 inch guns were over loaded to 1080 rounds per gun, X 12 guns @ 88 pounds per shot! 40mm guns were over loaded to 2000 rounds X 24 gun tubes @ 19 pounds each shot! 20 mm guns were over loaded to 4000 rounds X 28 guns! Keep in mind, the old American Standard Class Battle wagons were small even by Dreadnaught standards, But packed one hell of a punch, and were much tougher then the later ships that would come! BB-40 is 168 feet shorter then an Iowa class Battlewagon, yet carries more weight of shot in maximum combat overload, which is one BIG reason we kept them through WW-II! Sadly, None survived after the war, West Virginia should have been saved, as the greatest of all American Battlewagons to ever serve this great nation, sadly, she was scrapped like all the others! Here she is, the greatest Battle Wagon of all time, BB-48 U.S.S. West Virginia, and certainly the sexiest with her later war refit!
About The Ship ⋆ Battleship NC Been on this enough to qualify as a tour guide. Absolutely amazing. If anyone has a warship nearby to tour, worth a trip.
Not off topic, Don't said gun porn and I would class the BB's right up there with Sophia Loren vs the AR 15 as Twiggy. Can't help but love the big guns, they take an old concept to the very end. Kind of like the B-36 as the ultimate prop airplane. Uncle was a cook on the West Virginia and. was one of 4 out of 30 some in his group to survive Pearl Harbor attack because he smoked. Stopped serving breakfast and they went up on deck for a smoke and cool off. Bomb hit and ammo or bomb caused fire damage to mess deck below where he was assigned and then it was below water line when it sunk. Was just a kid and know that he was in the hospital and Gram got telegraph that he was missing and presumed dead. Came to, got out of hospital, and was assigned to the Saratoga. Served aboard that ship until injured fighting fires caused by Kamikaze attack at Iwo Jima. Hated torpedo's, West Virginia was sunk by them, Saratoga was hit by them a couple times too much excitement for him. What a generation, Minnesota farm boy, was at Pearl Harbor, etc, used to laugh that God protected the Saratoga from the Navy. Was in US for refitting when Pearl Harbor was hit, delayed by bad weather and missed Wake Island disaster, hit by a torpedo and had to go back for repairs so missed Midway, was off refueling when the cruisers were sunk at Guadacanal and the Japanese didn't spot them, and so on. The section on WW2 explains in a very narrow sense where the Saratoga was and what she did. At one point in 1943 she was the only operational fleet carrier in the Pacific. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Saraoga_(CV-3) Now that is a hijacking, the Navy in WW2 fought like h**, no matter what the odds or conditions, now they scream about pronouns. One man, my uncle, was sunk at Pearl Harbor, survived two different torpedo hits on the Saratoga, survived a Kamikaze hit and fires, had lung damage from oil at Pearl, broken back from Kamikaze attack, served for the whole war, was in during late 1930's, so fully trained when it began. Always considered himself as one of lucky ones, many he knew in the Navy in late 1930;s,early 1940's did not survive.
Got to go on the USS New Jersey before she was mothballed . Amazing ship ,,, was on shore one day she fired off a few rounds over our heads ,, nice quiet day ,, all of a sudden ka-blam ,, I hit the dirt ,, thinking our rear had been bombed again ,,, Gunny said it was the New Jersey ,, I said ,, dammit man ,, let somebody know something,, scared the shit outta me . I've heard that if they fired all 9 guns at once ,, aimed at 90 degrees ,, it would push the ship back a foot in the water . I've toured the NC as well ,, lot of history there as well .
I really need to visit the North Carolina, and the Alabama, both ony bucket list! Spent two days touring the Massachusetts, wasn't enough time, especially as there are so many other things to see there in battleship cove, hell, the P.T. Boat museum alone is a full days worth! I have had the honor of visiting the Mighty Mo, once in Bremerton back in the 80's and after she was towed to Pearl! Standing on her bridge looking forward to the Arizona really hits ya in the feels, Mo being there makes a very powerful statement! I have also been to the New Jersey, and the Wisconsin, but not the Iowa her self, something I wanna do before I go! As soon as they figure out what their doing with the Texas, that's the next one on my list!
Back in '83 was when I got to go on the Jersey ,, flew out on a Huey and saw a USO , Bob Hope show on her at Christmastime ,,,, if you can find any videos from that show ,, if it scans back out on the crowd,,, I'll be one of the ones sitting on the top right corner of one of those big 16 incher's .
USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park USS Alabama - Wikipedia Let us know if/when you're ever headed this way. If a person really wants to see everything at the park it will take a full day. Strongly suggest you go in the spring or the fall. Full summer heat is brutal as the Bama isn't fully air conditioned. Being a pilot you'll dig the warbird displays as well. The USS Drum is cool too. Gives you real respect for those men that served in the Silent Service.
