Picture of my son while we were playing in the backyard.
Love it! Looks like he's practicing the linebacker expression...
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Photo of the Day - November 2009
- Thread starter CK Williams
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Love it! Looks like he's practicing the linebacker expression...
Looks like he's about to blow his foot off... Selector on fire and the barrel right into his foot
Looks like he's about to blow his foot off... Selector on fire and the barrel right into his foot
Never been in the military, huh?
On the AR-15/M-16 series rifles the sear is built in such a way that you *cannot* engage the safety when the weapon is not charged[1]. That is to say that the selector lever will not go back into safe if the weapon is empty and the bolt is in a forward position with the hammer down (uncocked, uncharged, locked but not loaded, however you want to phrase it.)
While you *can* charge an empty weapon, to get into the configuration where the weapon is on safe and empty in normal operation you'd have to charge the weapon then put it on safe[2]. With an empty magazine, the bolt would be locked to the rear unless you then hit the bolt release, and the dust cover would be open unless you closed it. Without a magazine in the weapon, you could charge it and either manually place a round in the chamber or leave it empty, but you'd still have an open dust cover unless you manually closed it after charging.
While firearms safety tells us to always treat a weapon as if it's loaded and to always safe a loaded weapon, in a battle rifle being able to quickly know the status of your weapon is arguably significantly more important than minor firearms safety practices.
In the M-16, the U.S. Army went overboard in status- which is why unlike an AK-47 the bolt will hold open when you run out of ammunition- which has given enemies in past conflicts an indication of when to attack a soldier who's reloading. The counter-argument is that the soldier doesn't spend time pulling the trigger on an empty chamber if they've lost count of their shots and reloads are quicker and it's easier to maintain an offensive position with since you do not have to re-charge the weapon when you reload, just hit the bolt release with your thumb after inserting a new magazine and squeeze the trigger.
So, with the M-16 series, you're always in a firing mode unless you have a loaded weapon, in which case you can place it on safe.
It's an individual weapon, so you get yours, and yours is your responsibility and it shouldn't be out of your hands unless stacked or racked somewhere and since you get to memorize the serial number and you don't mess with anyone else's weapon you should always know the status of your weapon and every time you load it when you're not engaging a target you safe it.
If you're dumb enough to load and charge the weapon, then put the dust cover back up over the bolt and point it at your foot without putting it on safe- well I sure wouldn't want you in the next fighting position over- so shooting yourself in the foot is good for you and good for your fellow soldiers, but it's not easy to do accidentally
.Paul
[1] Generally speaking other than testing operation after reassembling the weapon from a field stripping/cleaning the only time you charge it is when it's loaded, so there's no ambiguity and the intent is that you can only safe a loaded weapon, however it's accurate that you can charge an empty weapon.
[2] It may technically be possible to safe a weapon where you pull out the rear swivel pin, "shotgun" the upper reciever, reach into the trigger group hosing and manually cock the hammer then close it back up- but I haven't tried that.
I found this group of very large mushrooms in my backyard this morning. The tallest was around 8-10 inches in height. Probably should have plucked that tall blade of grass, but oh well...
Fog. Shoreline walk. Newfoundland. ( sigh )
Just down the shore from the above outhouse!
Sony DSC F717
Exposure Mode: Auto exposure
Exposure Time: 1 / 200
FNumber: 4
Focal Length: 10.9
ISO Speed Ratings: 100
Contemplating a D700. Wadda ya think and what lens ?? BJ
Just down the shore from the above outhouse!
Sony DSC F717
Exposure Mode: Auto exposure
Exposure Time: 1 / 200
FNumber: 4
Focal Length: 10.9
ISO Speed Ratings: 100
Contemplating a D700. Wadda ya think and what lens ?? BJ
HA! Why yes, yes I was. Aviation Nation at Nellis on Saturday. Were you there too? I'm pretty sure only people that were there could figure out I was at an airshow from the picture
AND, my contribution for today; from the air show:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II :: 270 mm :: f 6.3 :: 1/250 sec :: iso 125 (EF 135F2L + 2X Converter to get 270mm F4)
Larger on Flickr, full size available (SHARP!)
HA! Why yes, yes I was. Aviation Nation at Nellis on Saturday. Were you there too? I'm pretty sure only people that were there could figure out I was at an airshow from the picture
AND, my contribution for today; from the air show:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II :: 270 mm :: f 6.3 :: 1/250 sec :: iso 125 (EF 135F2L + 2X Converter to get 270mm F4)
Larger on Flickr, full size available (SHARP!)
This is sick man, great job...
After two months of inactivity (due to my camera getting fried), I finally had the chance to take some pictures this weekend while on a class trip. One of my students managed to get this recently emerged damselfly (Odonata: Coenagrionidae) to rest on his finger.
Canon XTi + Sigma 50mm f1.4
1/500, f2.2, ISO 400
Canon XTi + Sigma 50mm f1.4
1/500, f2.2, ISO 400
I'm pretty sure only people that were there could figure out I was at an airshow from the picture
Large expanse of concrete, camouflage wing in the background- I wasn't there and that was my guess... The biggest question I had was what the aircraft in the background was- there's a fair amount of wing without an engine in sight, what was it?
Place it on a Web site and link to it with the "Insert Image" feature in the message editor.
Nah... it's just the cheap seats by the soccer field. They are looking pretty shabby these days as frost heaves and sighs the logs set into the ground.
That is a nice choice of vodka you have there. Trust the party went well? Do not imagine many guests were shy and retiring by the end of the night. Have moved on to Bison Grass vodka now. Makes me feel less of an alcoholic and more of a connoisseur