Recovering a War Trophy in Iraq - 12.7mms of Faded Glory

I reek of CLP!

from JoeUser Forums

     Buried under the shifting sands deep in Iraq lay a relic of a forgotten war... A relic harkening from The Great War... Waiting for an explorer to plumb the Stygian depths of it's slumpering sepulcher... Waiting for... Indiana Colangelo and the Raiders of the Lost Milvan!

     14 foot S&M bullwhip coiled at his side Colangelo and his troop of gullible naive guides defeated the ancient guardian of the reliquary (a rusty 2500 series padlock) and emerged with their age-encrusted prize... a 12.7 mm DSHK 38/46 Heavy Machine Gun... umm... of Doom!

     Summoning the sagelike resources of his trusted collegial colleague (me) we began the delicate rites of resurrection and restoration..

The tools at our disposal were quite primitive :

We pressed on undaunted... (note the schematic I downloaded from the net) finally freeing the gas return tube from the bottom of the barrel:

The oddment you see at the top of the frame is the weapons unusual rotary cylinder feed mechanism (spins like the cylinder of a revolver only with massive bullets) :

 

A second view...

I spy some ancient glyphs etched into the surface of the corrupted eldritch metal...This was a weapon forged in order to beat back the Hun!

The engineering behind this artfact was clearly beyond the capability of the locals, this was made evident by the gorgeous simplicity of the bolt mechanism...

We noted the meticulous labeling of each individual part which I have rendered here for you in inverted color so you may gaze upon it's orderly glory more easily...

The robustness of the firing pin alone suggested a cyclopean theory of mechanical engineering!

The trigger a magnum opus of the smith's craft...

Weary but filled with excitement at the prospect of giving life to this magnificent beast we moved it's entirety to the sanctity of our workshop to begin the long road back to functionality...

If anyone cares (and even if you don't) I will post post restoration pictures later...

 

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Reply #1 from JoeUser Forums Top
I want to see them....and by the way that was Colangelo's hand wasnt it? His hairy hand is very recognizable and very hard to miss.
Reply #2 from JoeUser Forums Top

Do you think that any of the others will bother?

We do. And thanks!

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Reply #3 from JoeUser Forums Top
Holy cats, that pin's freakin' HUGE!!!!!

I want to see the post restoration pics too!
Reply #4 from JoeUser Forums Top
EL, you focused in on his hand? That's the worst Vince Colangelo crotch shot I've ever seen.

Holy cats, that pin's freakin' HUGE!!!!!


Evidently, some would disagree with me...
Reply #6 from JoeUser Forums Top
I'm not very witty tonight, so......Dude.............sweeeeeet.
Reply #7 from JoeUser Forums Top

and by the way that was Colangelo's hand wasnt it?

Indeed it was...

I want to see the post restoration pics too!

We got a long way last night, I just wish I had thought to beg for the camera before we had gotten started on the disassembly... getting the bolt fre was a major undertaking...

That's the worst Vince Colangelo crotch shot I've ever seen.

I hesitate to ask but how many have you seen?

I'm not very witty tonight

Well you consistently make it half-way there

 

Reply #8 from JoeUser Forums Top
I hesitate to ask but how many have you seen?


About half as many as you, I'd bet.
Reply #9 from JoeUser Forums Top

About half as many as you, I'd bet.

Yeah I guess most of the time you were facing the other direction...

Reply #10 from JoeUser Forums Top
Oh the witty banter! Brings back the old times...

That weapon is a beauty! So does it join the others in the unit's armoury, or do you get to take it home?
Reply #11 from JoeUser Forums Top

Brings back the old times...

I note that you didn't say the good old times...

So does it join the others in the unit's armoury, or do you get to take it home?

We are trying to take it home as a unit trophy...

Reply #12 from JoeUser Forums Top
my...what big


Ahh if I had a nickle for every time I have heard that... I'd be well on my way to a bit of dime candy!
Reply #13 from JoeUser Forums Top
collegial colleague


colloquially called colangelo's collegial colleague??


there's a way of determining when it was made?
Reply #14 from JoeUser Forums Top

there's a way of determining when it was made?

The Soviets stamped it right into the metal... 5th picture (extreme close up) In point of fact our running theory is that the weapon may have been scavenged together from other weapons and reserialized as CA 974. This is supported by numerous hand chisel strike throughs (also seen in pic 5) of other serials on the components...

Reply #15 from JoeUser Forums Top
If anyone cares (and even if you don't) I will post post restoration pictures later...


I'd love to see them. I've seen a captured DSHK once, about 8 years ago at a Vietnam War museum in Chicago.
Reply #16 from JoeUser Forums Top
The Soviets stamped it right into the metal


The Russkies were like that with a lot of things, yeah? Are the tank names (T-74, T-72) their doing or ours?

pseudosoldier checks with house Russian expert
Okay, it's their doing. They named their tanks T-72, etc. after the year they were designed (1972, in this particular case). I think that's pretty utilitarian of them.

Damn, wait. Do we stamp the fracking dates in the metal, too? (It's been like a year and a half since I touched my rifle...)
Reply #17 from JoeUser Forums Top
Okay, it's their doing. They named their tanks T-72, etc. after the year they were designed (1972, in this particular case). I think that's pretty utilitarian of them.


Well, I have an M-1903 which is a .30-'06 . A few people I know have M-1911's.

But I guess we've gotten away from that practice.
Reply #18 from JoeUser Forums Top
ED - Nyet, Tovarisch. I was referring to the Soviets' method of nomenclature. When we refer to (some of?) their gear, we just call it what they call it (T-72s, AK-47, etc.).
Reply #19 from JoeUser Forums Top
ED - Nyet, Tovarisch. I was referring to the Soviets' method of nomenclature. When we refer to (some of?) their gear, we just call it what they call it (T-72s, AK-47, etc.).


I know. I'm just saying we used to name some of our gear based on the year of its design production too, but it looks like we don't do that anymore.
Reply #20 from JoeUser Forums Top

Do we stamp the fracking dates in the metal, too?

not for the M-16's, M249's, M203's, or M240's anyways...

As for the utilitarianism... man you should hold this thing! Everything about it is genius en simplisme... We have been spinning a fantasy yarn about this gun which I will likely use in the fully restored article. Colangelo has been slaving over this thing for 4 days now and it looks pretty sweet...

Reply #21 from JoeUser Forums Top
The Soviets stamped it right into the metal... 5th picture (extreme close up) In point of fact our running theory is that the weapon may have been scavenged together from other weapons and reserialized as CA 974. This is supported by numerous hand chisel strike throughs (also seen in pic 5) of other serials on the components...


i was confused by your remark about the huns (figuring the 1923 musta been a typo or something unless the it belonged to the lost brigade or perhaps the prescient brigade). thanks
Reply #22 from JoeUser Forums Top
I'm just saying we used to name some of our gear based on the year of its design production too


My mistake, then. I assume the M-16 is one of our later attempts, yes? (And the M-1 Abrams, etc.) I suppose it never struck me (although I should've known the M1911, at least, so obvious), as I'm too "new Army".
Reply #23 from JoeUser Forums Top
I assume the M-16 is one of our later attempts, yes?


It's older than you'd think, almost fifty years. It goes back to the AR-15 developed from the more interesting (.762)AR-10, in the fifties to fire those damned .223 squirrel bullets. Add a forward assist, and voila, the 1962 M-16 P.O.S. is born.

No year in the name anymore though, unless you consider my ETS date whenever I'm cussing the damned M-16 out to be part of a nickname. U.S. Army issue weapons blow (with the exception of the M-2 and maybe the M-240). Give me a Mossberg 12 gauge for up close, a 30.06 for distance, and a tactical nuke for anything I can't see, and/or better armored than a breadbox, and I'm a very happy guy.......
Reply #24 from JoeUser Forums Top

i was confused by your remark about the huns

I confess to using the Hun reference for the sake of poesy over strictest accuracy....

Reply #25 from JoeUser Forums Top
It's older than you'd think, almost fifty years.


Were you saying it's almost fifty years old, or fifty years older than I'd think? I'm aware it was in use in Viet Nam.



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