New Hummer Machine Gun Mount?

[wholagun]

I was just watching CNN and I got a quick peak at this new type of device on which soldiers can mount thier machine guns on. This device allows the soldier to slide his machine gun from side to side without having to move his torso as much, as compared to a stationary bi-pod. This device was built by a son for his father who's currently in Iraq, the sun wanted something to make his father safer - et volia ;) . This device has caught the attention of the military apparently,, but thats all I was able to get out of 60second CNN preview. Does anyone know anything more about this or seen pics of this thing?

[Seoulstriker]

I was just watching CNN and I got a quick peak at this new type of device on which soldiers can mount thier machine guns on. This device allows the soldier to slide his machine gun from side to side without having to move his torso as much, as compared to a stationary bi-pod. This device was built by a son for his father who's currently in Iraq, the sun wanted something to make his father safer - et volia ;) . This device has caught the attention of the military apparently,, but thats all I was able to get out of 60second CNN preview. Does anyone know anything more about this or seen pics of this thing?

have you seen BHD? your description sounds a lot like the machine gun mounts in that movie, but I'm not sure...

[wholagun]

with this thing its not the protective shields on the sides of the machine gun. No this device allows the machine gun to slide from side to side, right now in Iraq the soldiers have to move thier entire body if they want to shoot to the sides. this device actually slides the whole machine gun itself allowing the solder to only have to turn his head.

[Vance]

Cool. Never heard of that before.

[Seoulstriker]

with this thing its not the protective shields on the sides of the machine gun. No this device allows the machine gun to slide from side to side, right now in Iraq the soldiers have to move thier entire body if they want to shoot to the sides. this device actually slides the whole machine gun itself allowing the solder to only have to turn his head.

so the machine gun is mounted on a circular swivel so that if the gun is pointed to the right, he can just swing his gun along the track to the left?

[Vance]

with this thing its not the protective shields on the sides of the machine gun. No this device allows the machine gun to slide from side to side, right now in Iraq the soldiers have to move thier entire body if they want to shoot to the sides. this device actually slides the whole machine gun itself allowing the solder to only have to turn his head.

so the machine gun is mounted on a circular swivel so that if the gun is pointed to the right, he can just swing his gun along the track to the left?
Exactly

[wholagun]

so the machine gun is mounted on a circular swivel so that if the gun is pointed to the right, he can just swing his gun along the track to the left? its more semi-circular, actually. I was only able to get a quick peak at this new device. You know how CNN always says some stories that are comming up are....well they showed this during a preview like that.

[wholagun]

From Tribnet.com


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Fort Lewis father of invention creates machine gun mount
DAN VOELPEL; The News Tribune

Capt. Michael Pottratz wants to save his troops. Businessman Dave Russell wants to save his son.

Their seemingly separate goals merged last month after the deployment order arrived at Fort Lewis for the 44th Corps Support Battalion. Destination: Iraq.


The result might end up saving more than Spc. David Russell Jr. of Puyallup, a Humvee driver for the 44th Corps Support Battalion and Dave Russell's son.


The U-shaped machine gun mount created by the two men and built at Russell's Auburn machine shop could save the lives of many U.S. soldiers.


And for those of us who hear the words "military procurement" and think months of research, volumes of paperwork and purchases of $435 claw hammers and $640 toilet seats, the Pottratz-Russell invention may have set a military product speed record.


Plus it's a bargain at $1,000 - less than the combined cost of a toilet seat and hammer.


At Fort Lewis, Capt. Pottratz, commander of the battalion's headquarters unit, didn't mind the orders for Iraq. But he didn't like what he saw on CNN or during training exercises.


In the news from the desert, Pottratz saw reports of deadly attacks on supply convoys just like the 44th.


In the practice field, Pottratz saw his soldiers struggle for stability and accuracy when firing the 25-pound M249 machine gun from a moving Humvee.


"There were problems balancing it, standing up with it, putting it out the window. There's no solid platform," Pottratz said.


With the ability to fire 700 rounds a minute, the 249 has a lot of firepower - if soldiers could just steady their aim.


So the Spokane native in his third year of active duty sketched out his idea for a mount.


But how could the Army get it built? Especially with Deployment Day on the horizon.


Capt. Pottratz knew that the father of 21-year-old Spc. Russell ran a machine shop. The subject had come up in passing a few days earlier.


The son arranged a meeting. Russell, an Army veteran himself, studied the design and refined it.


It would work like a roller coaster. The machine gun - known by the soldiers as a SAW gun for Squad Automatic Weapon - would hook onto the roller coaster's "car," and the car would ride ball bearings along a U-shaped track. The soldiers could stand in the Humvee, hook in their SAW gun and swing it to cover both sides of a convoy.


It went from design to deployment within a week.


On Oct. 8, two machine gunners and a Humvee crew took the prototype to the Yakima Training Center for live-fire tests. Russell had to make some minor modifications to prevent the machine gun's barrel from dropping so low it would blast the Humvee's radiator. But the gun mount was a hit.


"The soldiers just absolutely raved about it," Pottratz said proudly. "The 249 carries an immense amount of firepower. ... It's a big portion of the defense of convoys.


"Now, with the mount, you can hold up your weapon perfectly - even when the vehicle is moving - for the next 600 miles, and that's what matters to the soldiers."


He submitted an order to his commander for Russell's 19-month-old company, Advanced Welding & Manufacturing, to make 35 gun mounts for $35,000. After several days of review to make sure the contract met procurement rules, the Army approved it.


Pottratz and Russell expect the mounts to arrive in Iraq shortly after the troops and Humvees.


"Necessity is the mother of invention, I guess you could say," Pottratz said, quoting the ancient Greek philosopher Plato. "The Army does have a way of encouraging that to occur. Once we got the ball rolling, the Army was really supportive of this endeavor."


For Pottratz, call it mission accomplished.


"Basically, what I wanted to do was make our soldiers safer moving from point to point," he said. "The bottom line - the most important thing - is the soldiers make it through the convoy without losing anybody.


"If this is what it takes, we're going to produce these as fast as we possibly can to save those lives and increase the lethality of our convoy."


One of the lives saved could be Spc. Russell Jr.


"When my son first brought up the idea, I thought, 'He's going someplace people die every day; my son's going there,'" the senior Russell said. "Whatever I can do to improve the odds of the unit, and my son, I'd do it."




Dan Voelpel: 253-597-8785
dan.voelpel@mail.tribnet.com

[Seoulstriker]

awesome. thanks for the story!

[garyfanclub]

Very cool, Thanks!