If it please the moderators, I would like to post several

[old mark]

gun information posts here over the next few weeks. They would deal with basic information on various types of guns I hope thay would be of some use to those here who are new to guns or are thinking of buying a gun (or not buying one).
I have no desire to offend anyone here, but this is the forum we have been given, so I guess this it where these posts will appear.
These posts wil be based on my experience with shooting (over 50 years) and especially with my experience buying, tinkering with and shooting verious types of rifles and handguns (over 40 years)., and WILL NOT be advertisements for any products or organizations, pro or anti gun.

I hope some people will be interested-Please reply either way.
(If there is no interest, I won't bother.)
Please PM me if there is a problem with this.

Thanks.

mark

[SteveM]

1. Sounds good to me. Put a good "handle" on it...

So when folks are asking for information about "cop killer" bullets and .50 BMG which can "shoot down planes" we can readily refer them to your series.

[tburnsten]

3. Or maybe we should just refer them

to .50 caliber terror.

[tburnsten]

2. Sounds great

Plus I'd like to see a little more traffic in the Outdoors section.

[old mark]

4. Shit. Now I actually have to do it.

Thanks.

mark

[tburnsten]

5. Any time! Outdoors would be nice if it wasn't so boringly slow

[Paladin]

6. Well, Now---That Didn't Take Too Long, Did It?

Old Mark, I believe you put your proposal forth with good motives, I really do. But it was a big, big mistake to cross-reference your Outdoor Life thread down in the Gun Dungeon. Look at the results: in the very first response, here, stevem starts talking about "cop killer" bullets, and that oh-so-outdoorsy caliber, the .50 BMG (and its supposed lack of ability, God help us, to bring down a plane). Tburnsten weighs in immediately thereafter about .50 caliber terror, and we're off to the fucking races, one more time.

Don't get me wrong---for months I've been advocating the sort of new forum for the pleasurable, informative discussion of firearms (as opposed to firearms politics) that your project merits; see my comments on the Outdoor Life thread devoted to the subject. Why the hell the DU administrators haven't set it up yet, I don't know. In the meantime, I don't want a bunch of DU gun militants turning Outdoor Life into an ugly little adjunct of the Gungeon. They can't help themselves, that's exactly what will happen if action isn't taken.

I'm referring this to the moderators for further consideration.....

[old mark]

7. Paladin: Thanks This is what I wanted.

I am not seeking a debate, rather to share what experience I have with others who may be interested.
If it's OK, good. IF not, that's OK, too.

Thanks for your help.
As far as offending people here, I have seen very few new posts here over tha last several months - I guess they are all out hiking?
FWIW, I posted on the Guns forum to get some idea if this would be wanted or not.

mark

[Paladin]

10. Godspeed On Your Project, Old Mark. Truly.

Let's keep after the powers that be to set up that new guns site we've been asking for....

[tburnsten]

8. Not looking for a rumble

but the .50 BMG can not bring down any aircraft of any significant size from a rifle platform. A dual or quad mounted machine gun, however, can, but only in limited circumstances. Those setups have pretty short effective range, they were used as last-ditch anti-aircraft weapons for warships during World War II with some success but only because the warfare of the time involved attacking planes getting very close to the ships and defensive emplacements. So please spare me the "god help us" talking about a .50 BMG rifle shooting down an airliner, it will never happen, and if you don't understand marksmanship and aircraft mechanics enough to realize how hard it is to hit ANY object moving hundreds of miles an hour from a great distance, and that aircraft already have plenty of vent holes in their fuselage, so another half inch hole isn't going to make any significant difference, just say so.

[Paladin]

11. Let's See If I Can Figure This Out.....

If a person wants to shoot down an airplane, said plane is going to be...outdoors, correct? So, I guess you figured this would be a proper topic of discussion in the Outdoor Life Group, right?

But enough of this frivolity. It's confession time: You have me dead to rights---when it comes to the subject of downing aircraft with firearms, I don't know a blessed thing: Nothing. Nada. Zip. Bupkis. Jack Shit. The truth is, I have never given such a scenario a single thought in my entire life. I hereby freely admit that you're the winner in this showdown; if you say that using a machine gun is a more likely means of blowing an airliner out of the sky than a .50 BMG "platform," I By-God believe you. It's obvious you've spent some time looking into the matter. And I think I speak for everybody here in the plodding, slow-moving, hiking and fly fishing Outdoor Life Group in expressing gratitude to you for sharing your expertise with us---and anybody else who might happen by---on this lively subject. Well done, sir.

Can we still be friends? :)

[tburnsten]

12. Nope, not what I was saying at all

What I was saying is that a pair or quartet of .50 BMG machine guns firing in synch at a small plane divebombing the machine gun emplacement was pretty mediocre-terrible way to stop those planes, because the .50 BMG just isn't really up to the task. So if four machine guns at once were required to bring down small planes, since they needed to basically be disassembled by the guns, didn't work out so well, what makes you think a single shot from a .50 BMG rifle fired from a good distance can bring down a jumbo jet?

It's just one of those claims that people like to use to try and get a certain caliber of weapon restricted or banned, so it can be a touchy subject. Ridiculous claims are not solid things to base legislation on.

[Paladin]

15. Whatever You Say, Expert

Hey, Outdoor Life people! I'm going on a guided trout fishing trip next week. South Platte River near Colorado Springs, where the big Browns ought to be running. Wanna hear about it afterwords? It won't be as melodramatic as shooting planes out of the sky, but it'll at least be a better fit for the group........

[SteveM]

9. I was being facetious, but I do think folks may think along these lines...

Perhaps the effort could be set up like a glossary or mini-Wikipedia, containing stuff you have accumulated or accept from other sources both within and without this forum.

Yeah, this group is slow. I have posted about hunting matters, but there are very few folks who join in. It could be enlivened.

[old mark]

13. I'll work something up this weekend.

I want to start with real basics, and I'm trying to avoid the "shooting dowm the police helicopter" type of thing and concentrate on information for those who know nothing about guns,and those who get their information from TV and movies and thus know nothing about guns.
Again, I'll try to get something written over the weekend for installment #1 and see what happens.
(Remember I am both retired and lazy, so give me a little slack.)
mark

[tburnsten]

14. Don't leave out those who get their information

from videogames! They are a fairly large part of the population now!

[ManiacJoe]

16. You might want to post early drafts elsewhere.

After they get posted here, editing them is not possible outside the initial hour of posting.

[spin]

17. Sounds good to me...

also mention your new posts in the Gungeon when you post them.

[Wickerman]

18. Seems that as long as the topic steers clear of the usual Gungeon

fodder (RKBA advocacy or counter) and no marketing is done it stays within the confines of the group. I'd suggest a keeping your posts in one thread rather than a series of original threads as this forum is intended to cover all aspects of outdoor living. Is that doable?

[old mark]

19. I'll do my best - Try to have first post up next week.

running a bit slow right now - my wife is sick.
First post might be a long one, then I will ask for questions.

I'd like to have Real questions, if possible, not politics - I have had enough of that for awhile.

Thanks everyone for your help and advice.

mark