toolness1
Ultimate Member
In this year's Military Surplus magazine, there's a funny story about WWI U.S. production of Mosins for Russia.
The Russians approached Remington for a contract of 1 million M91 rifles just as Remington were finishing up a contract of British 1914 rifles. The Russians sent a bunch (1,500) of inspectors to "oversee" this production, and it was apparently a nightmare. The plans, models, and gauges they got from the Russians all differed from each other and instead of a projected 2,000 rifles a day, they were turning out just 125.
So the funny story goes that one of these inspectors wore full attire each day: fur hat, flowing red coat, red leather boots, crossed bandoliers, and a gold-sheathed scabbard. The workers at the plant named him "Alexander the Great"
He drove the workers mad with his inspections because he had some crazy fear of accidental discharges caused by jars or shocks. He used loaded rifles with live ammo for this test, inside the factory.
He took each finished rifle and slammed the hell out of it, breaking several stocks in the process. He never got one to discharge.
One day, the workers decided to play a prank on him, so they filed down the sear on one of the rifles so that it would barely engage.
He loaded the rifle and proceeded to slam the butt down on the concrete, and this time it fired. The bullet whizzed by his head and hit a large 4-inch high-pressure water line over his head, spraying him in the face with so much force that it knocked him off his feet as everyone else stood around and laughed.
This story comes from Harold Leslie Peterson in The Remington Historical Treasury of American Guns
Had to share that one... And I highly suggest you pick up this magazine, I got mine at Wal Mart.
The Russians approached Remington for a contract of 1 million M91 rifles just as Remington were finishing up a contract of British 1914 rifles. The Russians sent a bunch (1,500) of inspectors to "oversee" this production, and it was apparently a nightmare. The plans, models, and gauges they got from the Russians all differed from each other and instead of a projected 2,000 rifles a day, they were turning out just 125.
So the funny story goes that one of these inspectors wore full attire each day: fur hat, flowing red coat, red leather boots, crossed bandoliers, and a gold-sheathed scabbard. The workers at the plant named him "Alexander the Great"
He drove the workers mad with his inspections because he had some crazy fear of accidental discharges caused by jars or shocks. He used loaded rifles with live ammo for this test, inside the factory.
He took each finished rifle and slammed the hell out of it, breaking several stocks in the process. He never got one to discharge.
One day, the workers decided to play a prank on him, so they filed down the sear on one of the rifles so that it would barely engage.
He loaded the rifle and proceeded to slam the butt down on the concrete, and this time it fired. The bullet whizzed by his head and hit a large 4-inch high-pressure water line over his head, spraying him in the face with so much force that it knocked him off his feet as everyone else stood around and laughed.
This story comes from Harold Leslie Peterson in The Remington Historical Treasury of American Guns
Had to share that one... And I highly suggest you pick up this magazine, I got mine at Wal Mart.
