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Post by julesd68 on Aug 10, 2014 11:16:04 GMT
This weekend I managed to fulfill a bit of a childhood ambition - handling an original Winchester rifle! Took the family for an excellent visit to the Stratford Armouries Museum which houses a large private collection of militaria. It's well worth a visit if you have any interest in arms or military history. The staff are incredibly knowledgeable and eager to answer any questions. We were chatting to the Head Conservator who asked us if we'd like to handle a couple of weapons from his personal collection. He pulled out a totally original Winchester rifle which he allowed myself and my son to handle, with white gloves of course ... Quite amazing to get one's hands on such an iconic piece of wild west history! He then produced an amazing modern version of the rifle made under licence from Winchester which featured a burr walnut stock and 14 carat gold inlays ... I discovered pieces such as these are shockingly expensive to acquire. It was a shame we couldn't nip outside to test them on a range but don't think that would work with modern health and safety rules! www.stratfordarmouries.com/ |
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Post by Chris on Aug 10, 2014 15:58:22 GMT
Tricky one this. Not too sure how I feel about it.
Seems like a great day out but I'm not keen on all this celebration of weapons. I'm reading about arms dealers just now - Andrew Feinsteins The Shadow World - and it really is pretty despicable.
Just glad you enjoyed your day though.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 10, 2014 16:16:21 GMT
I can see both sides. I hate the whole idea of war and therefore the weapons that help make it worse. However, the Imperial War Museum is such a fascinating place that its almost possible to separate the hardware from its uses. I used to go regularly just to wonder at all the models and I love old warplanes, many of which are just beautiful examples of industrial design and function. My brother in law and regrettably, his son, seem to worship the whole scene, doing war games and playing violent games on the computer. They find my reaction strange. Maybe I just find killing other people abhorrent. I have enough trouble with chickens. Anyway, as I said, the science and engineering is certainly fascinating in its own right so I can see what enjoyment can be had there. Like Chris, pleased you had a good day.  |
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Post by ChrisB on Aug 10, 2014 16:41:58 GMT
Sounds interesting Julian.
I've never fired a repeating under-lever - only the old Martini-Henry single shot types, which always felt really solid and seemed very accurate with diopter sights.
There is something strangely attractive to blokes about guns but shooting can be an incredibly absorbing sport - it's not all about killing people.......or anything else!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 10, 2014 17:17:14 GMT
Sounds interesting Julian. I've never fired a repeating under-lever - only the old Martini-Henry single shot types, which always felt really solid and seemed very accurate with diopter sights. There is something strangely attractive to blokes about guns but shooting can be an incredibly absorbing sport - it's not all about killing people.......or anything else! I always used to win bagfulls of goldfish at the fair!! Didn't amuse my mother too much as I recall.  'ere wossis?  It now says Gold member.....how come me stars is pink? |
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Post by MartinT on Aug 10, 2014 19:59:26 GMT
I can see both sides. I hate the whole idea of war and therefore the weapons that help make it worse. I completely agree. However, machines of war have given us some of our most iconic designs ever. The Spitfire, Hurricane, Mosquito, Lancaster, Lightning, Vulcan and Harrier are simply superb form=function designs. From the US, the P51 Mustang, Lockheed Starfighter and SR-71 Blackbird likewise. A nuclear submarine is an astonishing piece of technology. The Battleship Texas in Houston and USS Intrepid in NYC are huge war machines beyond reckoning. Like it or not, wartime inventions have given us lots of trickle-down peacetime technology, like Radar. |
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Post by DaveC on Aug 10, 2014 20:26:20 GMT
There is a rumour that the Germans had Radar before WWII and we just perfected it not invented it? The net isn't too good on research in this area and is often conflicting.
Whatever, the bulk manufacturing of electronics in WWII helped shape the world thereafter.
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Post by julesd68 on Aug 10, 2014 22:33:42 GMT
I can see both sides. I hate the whole idea of war and therefore the weapons that help make it worse. However, the Imperial War Museum is such a fascinating place that its almost possible to separate the hardware from its uses. I used to go regularly just to wonder at all the models and I love old warplanes, many of which are just beautiful examples of industrial design and function. That pretty much sums up how I feel about the subject. Please don't misunderstand me, I'm not remotely an arms 'fetishist'; just probably watched a few too many westerns as a kid so was fascinated to handle something so iconic as I said ... |
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Barry
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Post by Barry on Aug 10, 2014 23:35:26 GMT
There is a rumour that the Germans had Radar before WWII and we just perfected it not invented it? The net isn't too good on research in this area and is often conflicting. Whatever, the bulk manufacturing of electronics in WWII helped shape the world thereafter. No one country can lay claim to the invention of radar. Several countries had already experimented with the idea of using the reflection of radio waves by metallic objects as a means of detection. The earliest work was done by Hulsemann, who though it could be used as a means of detection of shipping in busy waterways and harbours in foggy conditions. No goverment was interested in his ideas at the time. The Germans were using radio waves to guide their bombers at the beginning of WW II. There were rumours that these radio beams were some sort of 'death ray'. The Royal Signals Establishment were asked to look into this. They did the calculations and showed the amount of power required would be far too high to be practical. As a footnote to the report, it was mentioned that such disturbance of a radio beam might be useful as a means to detect enemy aircraft. If Britain claims anything, it was the development of a practical radar system and the use of central coordination between several radar stations. |
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Post by Chris on Aug 11, 2014 6:21:55 GMT
A nuclear submarine is an astonishing piece of technology.
Actually saw one of these at sea on the flight home once and I have to agree. The power and menace it portrays are just phenomenal.
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Post by DaveC on Aug 11, 2014 8:10:54 GMT
Barry said :
a) The Germans were using radio waves to guide their bombers at the beginning of WW II. There were rumours that these radio beams were some sort of 'death ray'.
b)Several countries had already experimented with the idea of using the reflection of radio waves by metallic objects as a means of detection.
a) Wasn't this RDF though ? Although automated, not Radar ? This was using a "passive" RF beam to navigate from, as opposed to the "active" detection by "transmit and return" Radar ?
b) You might say Radar was invented in 1904, from the net : "The German inventor Christian Hülsmeyer was the first to use radio waves to detect "the presence of distant metallic objects". In 1904 he demonstrated the feasibility of detecting a ship in dense fog"
My memory of people who were around at the time, and radio people in the 60's were only too keen to share their war experiences, was that Germany had it first in WWII, but the UK got it to work more reliably ?
Whilst writing this I have just re-read Arthur C Clarkes "You're on the Glide Path - I Think" where he talks about the "blind approach" landing system. This seemed to use Radar so that the airfield could ask the pilot to get close by detection, and a sophisticated DRF for the pilot to navigate and to land by.
If I had all day I would crack this, but customers await................. Barry ??
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Post by MikeMusic on Aug 11, 2014 8:23:19 GMT
I can see both sides. I hate the whole idea of war and therefore the weapons that help make it worse. I completely agree. However, machines of war have given us some of our most iconic designs ever. The Spitfire, Hurricane, Mosquito, Lancaster, Lightning, Vulcan and Harrier are simply superb form=function designs. From the US, the P51 Mustang, Lockheed Starfighter and SR-71 Blackbird likewise. A nuclear submarine is an astonishing piece of technology. The Battleship Texas in Houston and USS Intrepid in NYC are huge war machines beyond reckoning. Like it or not, wartime inventions have given us lots of trickle-down peacetime technology, like Radar. Think Supermarine had the Spitfire to win speed contests as a seaplane before the 'real' Spitfire |
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Post by MikeMusic on Aug 11, 2014 8:27:16 GMT
There is also something magical in using a sword or wooden staff - from my weapons training in Aikido Takes a lot of practise to get to a satisfying movement, but when you do..... ooh This was all self defence work and no humans were harmed (except accidentally !) in the practise of this martial art |
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Post by DaveC on Aug 11, 2014 8:36:10 GMT
Mmm : editing and quoting defeated me ! My view :
RDF : A "passive navigation" system that any number of people can use simultaneously
Radar : An "active detection" system that in essence only one person can use at a time
Mixed systems : Are where an issue lies as they are sometimes juxtapositioned
History : Often not as remembered correctly
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Post by MartinT on Aug 11, 2014 8:57:54 GMT
Think Supermarine had the Spitfire to win speed contests as a seaplane before the 'real' Spitfire Stricly speakeing, the Schneider cup trophy winners were the Supermarine S5, S6 and S6B. The Spitfire, derived from them, was designed as a fighter from the outset. |
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Post by danielquinn on Aug 11, 2014 8:58:28 GMT
There is a rumour that the Germans had Radar before WWII and we just perfected it not invented it? The net isn't too good on research in this area and is often conflicting. Whatever, the bulk manufacturing of electronics in WWII helped shape the world thereafter. So what ? Are you suggesting but for war they wouldn't have existed or it was a price worth paying ? |
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Post by Dave on Aug 11, 2014 14:23:48 GMT
There is a rumour that the Germans had Radar before WWII and we just perfected it not invented it? The net isn't too good on research in this area and is often conflicting. Whatever, the bulk manufacturing of electronics in WWII helped shape the world thereafter. So what ? Are you suggesting but for war they wouldn't have existed or it was a price worth paying ? I don't think anyone is suggesting that DQ but it is a fact that warfare encourages technological development. |
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Post by danielquinn on Aug 11, 2014 14:28:02 GMT
So what ? Are you suggesting but for war they wouldn't have existed or it was a price worth paying ? I don't think anyone is suggesting that DQ but it is a fact that warfare encourages technological development. I would suggest it is the fact that nobody gives a shit about money during times of war and it becomes no object ,so the innovation is accelerated . Sod the balance of payments , we can always borrow of the yanks when its over . the reason the military remains at thew cutting edge of innovation and once upon a time the space race is money |
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Post by Dave on Aug 11, 2014 14:31:42 GMT
I don't think anyone is suggesting that DQ but it is a fact that warfare encourages technological development. I would suggest it is the fact that nobody gives a shit about money during times of war and it becomes no object ,so the innovation is accelerated . Sod the balance of payments , we can always borrow of the yanks when its over . That's the human condition for ya...
Until we can learn to grow up and tolerate one-another then we're in for more of the same, a glance in the general direction of the Middle East will confirm that point.
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Barry
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Post by Barry on Aug 11, 2014 18:26:09 GMT
Apologies, I made a mistake: it was Christian Hülsmeyer, who in June 1904 demonstrated his “anti-ship-colliding system”, a radar-like apparatus, in the harbour of Rotterdam. His apparatus was crude and did not use any form of tuned circuitry. He had great difficulty in obtaining European patents for his system, which would have been inadequate for aircraft detection. But it could be argued that Hülsmeyer ought to be given credit for having specified the first basic elements of radar, as well as showing that its elementary principle could work. |
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It now says Gold member.....how come me stars is pink?
