[archy]

A lasting memory I have of Ma Deuce is that she will bite you if you don’t pay close attention to her head-space.

She will do worse than that if you remove the backplate with the spade grips on it and then pull back the charging handle without removing the recoil spring. If you do so and its very tiny retaining pin slips out of its hole, it will fly out the now-open rear of the gun and spear anyone behind it. I know a fellow who had it happen, and he was REAL happy he had his plate carrier with the rifle-rated bulletproof plate in it. Not as bad as a .50 hit, of course, but he described it as *worse than a plate hit from an AK round.*

Incidently, Ma Duece's little brothers, the .30 caliber M1919A4 and M37, will also bite you pretty good if you don't keep your middle finger down and out of the way when you reach into the open bottom [ejection area] of the gun and trip the accelerator by hand, particularly when mounted as a tank's co-axial gun. The result is far worse that the well-known *M1 thumb* and after I had it happen in 1967 I have not done it since. And now almost 50 years later that fingernail has still not grown in right.

[Squantos]

All the way in and three and a half out, ...... use the headspace gauge as a bottle opener instead.

[eartrumpet]

And now almost 50 years later that fingernail has still not grown in right.

For goodness sake, try to have a little patience!

[Vigilantcitizen]

At the old USN gunnery school building located at Great lakes, one block wall of the small arms lab had a hole blown through it because of an unattentive student not paying attention on ma duece day.

Since I got here in 2001, ive always enjoyed your posts. Thank you.