Search found 7 matches

by mrvmax
Sat Jan 13, 2018 6:51 am
Forum: Off-Topic
Topic: 80 blocks of C4 and Claymores found buried in Arizona desert.
Replies: 39
Views: 7764

Re: 80 blocks of C4 and Claymores found buried in Arizona desert.

WildBill wrote:
mrvmax wrote:
crazy2medic wrote:Crazy thing is it's relatively safe as long there is no blasting cap.
Yep, had to be pretty safe to handle under most circumstances. Some guys did dumb things with it, one of them being eating small amounts. Supposedly small amounts ingested cause some temporary craziness but I never saw that first hand. I’ve been told C4 works well for small fires since it burns well. You just don’t want any shock on it when it’s burning.
We used more C4 than I can remember, it was our main go-to explosive along with time fuse and igniters. I got to use a variety of stuff - c4, TNT, dynamite. C4 was best for most applications though, I regularly had bits of C4 on my Leatherman blade from cutting those 1 1/4 pound blocks. I still have my blasting cap crimpers and blasting cap box in my office.
During the Vietnam war some [hard-up] soldiers would chip off pieces from ordnance and eat HMX/RDX to get high.
One project I worked on many years ago was a process using HMX in high energy rocket propellants so we had to test it in the lab.
The procedure called for using DMSO as a solvent to suspend the particles. One of the lab techs didn't use his gloves and absorbed some of the material
through his skin. He went home sick that day. He told me that it was not a pleasant feeling. He learned from his mistake and always wore his gloves after that.
One of my instructors in EOD school told about one of his teammates who ingested some C4 on a bet, that’s the story I referred to. He said the guy went bonkers i don’t remember the full details but I remembered not to try it myself. Dares to eat c4 seemed to come up frequently but I never saw anyone do it.
by mrvmax
Fri Jan 12, 2018 7:06 am
Forum: Off-Topic
Topic: 80 blocks of C4 and Claymores found buried in Arizona desert.
Replies: 39
Views: 7764

Re: 80 blocks of C4 and Claymores found buried in Arizona desert.

E10 wrote:It’s my guess that, 20 years or so ago, some AZ National Guard guys had to get rid of some extra munitions before a big inspection. Then they forgot where they hid it.
If they are that stupid then they need to go to jail. We had sctrict procedures to keep all of our explosives secure from shipment to the end use. Considering we were the ones called when IEDs were found (in both military and civilian world), it wouldn’t make sense for us to supply the IED makers with explosives for their weapons. The last thing we wanted was to let them fall into the wrong hands.
by mrvmax
Thu Jan 11, 2018 4:31 pm
Forum: Off-Topic
Topic: 80 blocks of C4 and Claymores found buried in Arizona desert.
Replies: 39
Views: 7764

Re: 80 blocks of C4 and Claymores found buried in Arizona desert.

The Annoyed Man wrote:
OldCurlyWolf wrote:
SQLGeek wrote:
mrvmax wrote: I’ve been told C4 works well for small fires since it burns well. You just don’t want any shock on it when it’s burning.
A USMC Nam vet friend of mine told me how they'd burn small pieces. That evidently stopped when one of the guys in his unit stomped it out with his boot.
Makes me shudder just to think about that.
Was there anything left of the foot?
My dad told me that on Iwo Jima, they used burning pinches of C4 to coffee in cups. Apparently, it burns nicely, and fairly safely - requiring a detonator of some kind to make it detonate. Otherwise, a pinch of it burns just like a candle.
Heat, shock and friction are what initiates explosives. It normally takes two out of the three so if it’s burning you have heat. Stomping on it can provide friction or shock.
by mrvmax
Thu Jan 11, 2018 9:46 am
Forum: Off-Topic
Topic: 80 blocks of C4 and Claymores found buried in Arizona desert.
Replies: 39
Views: 7764

Re: 80 blocks of C4 and Claymores found buried in Arizona desert.

crazy2medic wrote:Crazy thing is it's relatively safe as long there is no blasting cap.
Yep, had to be pretty safe to handle under most circumstances. Some guys did dumb things with it, one of them being eating small amounts. Supposedly small amounts ingested cause some temporary craziness but I never saw that first hand. I’ve been told C4 works well for small fires since it burns well. You just don’t want any shock on it when it’s burning.
We used more C4 than I can remember, it was our main go-to explosive along with time fuse and igniters. I got to use a variety of stuff - c4, TNT, dynamite. C4 was best for most applications though, I regularly had bits of C4 on my Leatherman blade from cutting those 1 1/4 pound blocks. I still have my blasting cap crimpers and blasting cap box in my office.
by mrvmax
Wed Jan 10, 2018 9:28 am
Forum: Off-Topic
Topic: 80 blocks of C4 and Claymores found buried in Arizona desert.
Replies: 39
Views: 7764

Re: 80 blocks of C4 and Claymores found buried in Arizona desert.

crazy2medic wrote:
Charles L. Cotton wrote:
mrvmax wrote:Well, if they left the military nomenclature on it then it won’t be hard to track down. Well, at least to the point showing who it was issued to. It will only be a matter of time from there to find out who’s going to prison.
When you were in the military, you were one of the crazy guys that played with bombs, right?

Chas.
This could be interesting, 7 year statute of limitations on everything but murder and tax fraud, if they manage to find out who made the cache can they actually prosecute them?
Charles there is nothing wrong with playing things that go BOOM! I came within three days of going to Redstone Alabama for Bomb school, the city ran out of money and I didn't get to go!
I would guess that if they were still active duty yes.
by mrvmax
Wed Jan 10, 2018 9:27 am
Forum: Off-Topic
Topic: 80 blocks of C4 and Claymores found buried in Arizona desert.
Replies: 39
Views: 7764

Re: 80 blocks of C4 and Claymores found buried in Arizona desert.

Charles L. Cotton wrote:
mrvmax wrote:Well, if they left the military nomenclature on it then it won’t be hard to track down. Well, at least to the point showing who it was issued to. It will only be a matter of time from there to find out who’s going to prison.
When you were in the military, you were one of the crazy guys that played with bombs, right?

Chas.
Yep, used plenty of c4 and the packaging makes it easy to track. Disposed of some claymores but never got to play with them.
by mrvmax
Tue Jan 09, 2018 9:40 pm
Forum: Off-Topic
Topic: 80 blocks of C4 and Claymores found buried in Arizona desert.
Replies: 39
Views: 7764

Re: 80 blocks of C4 and Claymores found buried in Arizona desert.

Well, if they left the military nomenclature on it then it won’t be hard to track down. Well, at least to the point showing who it was issued to. It will only be a matter of time from there to find out who’s going to prison.

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