Saturday, January 23, 2010

Happy Birthday, JMB.

Today is the day when Orthodox Browningites such as myself celebrate the birth of Le Maitre. (Heretical Reform Browningites celebrate on the 21st.)

Someday the U.S. Army will have a hovertank with a frickin' laser beam for a main gun, and it will still have an M2HB on a pintle mount above the commander's hatch.

22 comments:

Grant Cunningham said...

Hard to get excited about a guy who never made a revolver...{wink}

-=[ Grant ]=-

Tam said...

Since the Hand Ejector was already in service, St. John the Divine knew there was no need to reinvent the wheel. ;)

Ed Foster said...

Ma Deuce Forever!

Mikee said...

So JMB (pbuh) didn't make a revolver because one was already around?

Can you imagine what JMB would invent if he started today? Hovertanks with frickin' lasers would be the least of it!

Turk Turon said...

Yes, but wasn't it St. John of Garand who helped part the Red Sea?

Chas S. Clifton said...

I praised his name today as I cleaned the factory oil out of a new Kimber Classic II.

Anonymous said...

It's a sad state that 75, and 100 year old designs feel and shoot better than anything we can come up with today.

Jenny said...

Chas, but were you facing Ogden? ;)

Mikee... My guess is he'd be in prison.

Unknown said...

I didn't even know. But at least I had my Colt 1911 (Gold Cup Trophy) at the range today. Would the Master (pbuh) have ripped me a new one for the beaver tail, the wide trigger, or bobbed hammer? At least it doesn't have a FLGR.

Old NFO said...

Agreed on all, including the M2 :-)

James family outpost, Iowa. said...

Huh, only one Browning in me safe at the moment, a 20ga semi. (note to self...) Ah, but me dear old mum down in Texas packs a Hi-Power.
Bless her.

Robert Langham said...

Colt, Browning, Garand, Stoner. That's my toast when among gunnies.

Anonymous said...

I have nothing to add except an interesting captcha: Exteddic.

Perhaps the feeling of joy at Ted Kennedy finally getting his just reward, and then an R getting elected to the seat he stank up for 40 years?

Jim

gamachinist said...

Thanks for the reminder from some of the "Heretical Reform Browningites at
http://garagegunsmithing.com/

Seems we forgot with all the commotion surrounding out public opening!

T.Stahl said...

It should be a National Holiday.


Oh, and Happy Birthday, Tam!

Anonymous said...

The funny thing about the M2HB is they keep TRYING to replace it, there have been at least 2 R&D efforts that I know of ( and I don't even really play attention,)
and in both cases it was " eh, nevermind, we spent all this money and the only replacements were more expensive, less reliable and offered no particular improvements in leathality that couldn' be accomplish by fiddling with the .50 round and making very minor materials and manufacturing changes.

Mechanical engioneering has not chnaged enough in 100 years and material science and chemistry have not changed either, so the design is well balanced.

Tam said...

Materials science moves on and yes, we're living in The Future, but as it turns out, round is still a good shape for a wheel and rubber makes pretty good tires.

TJP said...

I'm looking forward to a Karl R. Lewis national day of recognition, but I know that's about as likely as Elgin Gates-mas.

I don't think there's anything sad at all about the fact that century-old technology is still viable. That's awesome. Mission accomplished!

If only that mindset were contagious, since there are an awful lot of other areas of technology where folks still haven't quite figured out that "new" means, "provides continued employment", not "better".

randy said...

I've felt for some time that there has been no significant improvement in semi-auto handgun design since 1935

Boat Guy said...

not sure the P-35 is really an improvement so much as "giving the customers" - in this case the Euros - "what they want".
There's been some talk recently about a fixed-headspace Ma Deuce, but I've not heard what's come of that. A headspace-and-timing-gage was an item of required kit for all hands back in "operatin' days", something I bequeathed to younger son for his first deployment.
ColtBrowningGarandStoner indeed hear-hear! Here's to ya and a belated "many happy -and healthy -returns of the day to you, Tam.

Hunsdon said...

Someday the U.S. Army will have a hovertank with a frickin' laser beam for a main gun, and it will still have an M2HB on a pintle mount above the commander's hatch.

Maybe because it reminded me of middle school days playing Steve Jackson's GEV, but that line hit my funny bone, then drew back, lined up, spit in the dust, aligned itself, and whomped my funny bone out of the park.

wv: methect: no, I'm not even going to touch that one.

Ian Argent said...

I always am a little surprised upon rediscovering that the blowers of Hammer's Regiment don't have a Ma Deuce on them... (Speaking of fricking laser beams)