rbeville%tekig5.pen.tek.com@RELAY.CS.NET (07/01/89)
From: rbeville%tekig5.pen.tek.com@RELAY.CS.NET Can any of you mil.netters comment on the following questions - Didn't the Japanese use WOODEN bullets in WW2 ? Like some one on this net( meirrose ?) said very well: woundeds consume more resources than bodies... [mod.note: I've heard this before; cherry wood, I was told. I suspect, though, that this was due more to economics than wound potential; copper and lead were probably getting hard to come by in Japan. Anyway, can anyone confirm that this is more than a fable ? - Bill ] - Wasn't there a PIGGY-BACK bullet used in Viet Nam ? I would describe it as an ordinary shell, followed by a break-away or separate slug; you'd have your regular hit, plus another projectile in a tight group to follow... - What was "PUFF, the Magic dragon"?... that's -OWARI- from GLOWWORM-7-9-4 best regards, rbeville@tekig5.PEN.TEK.COM Bob Beville, Tektronix, Inc., Beaverton, OR 97077
cyrius@cs.utexas.edu (Juan Chen) (07/05/89)
From: ut-emx!walt.cc.utexas.edu!cyrius@cs.utexas.edu (Juan Chen) In article <7909@cbnews.ATT.COM> rbeville%tekig5.pen.tek.com@RELAY.CS.NET writes: > > >From: rbeville%tekig5.pen.tek.com@RELAY.CS.NET > > Can any of you mil.netters comment on the following questions > > - Wasn't there a PIGGY-BACK bullet used in Viet Nam ? I would > describe it as an ordinary shell, followed by a break-away or > separate slug; you'd have your regular hit, plus another > projectile in a tight group to follow... > If you check out the current issue of American Rifleman there is an article about the next generation of Army rifles. They mention that one of the candidates uses a cartridge that has two bullets. A lighter on nested behind the lead bullet that is supposed to deflect slightly and provide a more effective hit ratio. They also say that this concept is not new. > - What was "PUFF, the Magic dragon"?... A C-130 packed with rotary barrel guns alogn its sides... > ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Juan G. Chen cyrius@dopey.cc.utexas.edu University of Texas@Austin (or grumpy, or doc, or happy...) P.O. Box 8362 Austin, TX 78713 =======================================================================
ars@PacBell.COM (Andy Soravilla) (07/05/89)
From: ars@PacBell.COM (Andy Soravilla) In article <7909@cbnews.ATT.COM> rbeville%tekig5.pen.tek.com@RELAY.CS.NET writes: > - What was "PUFF, the Magic dragon"?... Puff was a C-47 with three (3) 7.62 mini guns fixed and pointing out of the left hand side of the aircraft. They were aimed and fired by the pilot. He would put the aircraft in a left turn and aim out of the left side window in the cockpit. The three guns could spew out 18,000 round in just under a minute (if I am not mistaken). It was a sight to behold in the dark!! It was also very wicked sounding. I don't think they ever installed the Vulcan (20mm) on Puff, but wouldn't that have been something! andy (pacbell!pbhyf!ars)
shafer@drynix (Mary Shafer) (07/05/89)
From: Mary Shafer <shafer@drynix> >From: rbeville%tekig5.pen.tek.com@RELAY.CS.NET > - What was "PUFF, the Magic dragon"?... PUFF the magic dragon was a C-47 gunship (AC-47?) used in Vietnam. Its successor was the C-130 gunship (AC-130?) known as SPOOKY. Michael Herr writes (in "Dispatches") about how beautiful it was when these gunships fired. Every nth (10th?) round was a tracer round and it made a beautiful fountain of fire in the sky. These gunships had a number of Gatling guns (2 for PUFF, 4 for SPOOKY, I think, but it's Sunday and my library is closed so I can't get at the Jane's) with tremendous rates of fire. The a/c would orbit the target area and rain down bullets until everything was demolished. Someone (Herr, I think) wrote that he visited an area that SPOOKY had fired on and there was nothing there bigger than a toothpick, that the devastation was much greater than that resulting from bombing. -- M F Shafer shafer@elxsi.dfrf.nasa.gov NASA Ames Research Center arpa!elxsi.dfrf.nasa.gov!shafer Dryden Flight Research Facility ames!elxsi!shafer Of course I don't speak for NASA DON'T use the drynix address
fiddler@Sun.COM (Steve Hix) (07/06/89)
From: fiddler@Sun.COM (Steve Hix) In article <7934@cbnews.ATT.COM>, ut-emx!walt.cc.utexas.edu!cyrius@cs.utexas.edu (Juan Chen) writes: > >From: rbeville%tekig5.pen.tek.com@RELAY.CS.NET > > Can any of you mil.netters comment on the following questions > > > > - Wasn't there a PIGGY-BACK bullet used in Viet Nam ? I would The Navy tried a boosted shell fired from a battleship. Extended the useful range of the ship's main battery with acceptable degradation in accuracy. > > - What was "PUFF, the Magic dragon"?... An AC-47, which was a C-47 transport with multi-barrel rotary gun firing up to 6000 rounds/minute from the open door. Also carried searchlight and flares to permit fire support during the night. > A C-130 packed with rotary barrel guns alogn its sides... The AC-130 was called "Spooky" (officially it may have been called a "Spectre" gunship. The Army operates some of them now out here.
pierson@cimnet.dec.com (07/06/89)
From: pierson@cimnet.dec.com In article <7909@cbnews.ATT.COM>, rbeville%tekig5.pen.tek.com@RELAY.CS.NET writes (in part...): >From: rbeville%tekig5.pen.tek.com@RELAY.CS.NET > > Can any of you mil.netters comment on the following questions > > - Didn't the Japanese use WOODEN bullets in WW2 ? Like some > one on this net( meirrose ?) said very well: woundeds consume > more resources than bodies... > >[mod.note: I've heard this before; cherry wood, I was told. I suspect, >though, that this was due more to economics than wound potential; copper >and lead were probably getting hard to come by in Japan. Anyway, can >anyone confirm that this is more than a fable ? - Bill ] Hadn't heard of the Japanese use, however the Germans used a wooden bullet for (rifle) grenade launching purposes. The presence of a "bullet" improved the feeding... The US used just a blank cartridge. > - Wasn't there a PIGGY-BACK bullet used in Viet Nam ? I would > describe it as an ordinary shell, followed by a break-away or > separate slug; you'd have your regular hit, plus another > projectile in a tight group to follow... Dunno about Vietnam, however one of the contenders for the next generation US service rifle (program name escapes me) uses this scheme. Slightly different masses give slightly different impact points. > - What was "PUFF, the Magic dragon"?... Transport aircraft C47?) fitted with side firing Gatling guns in various calibers, (and sometimes cannon...). Used for ground attack in Vietnam. I suspect it would be _real_ vulnerable without absolute air superiority. Several books out which describe the various versions. > that's -OWARI- from GLOWWORM-7-9-4 > best regards, rbeville@tekig5.PEN.TEK.COM > Bob Beville, Tektronix, Inc., Beaverton, OR 97077 thanks dave pierson |The facts, as accurate as I can make them. Digital Equipment Corporation |The opinions, my own. 600 Nickerson Rd Marlboro, Mass 01742 ------- End of Forwarded Message