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Rock Island Arsenal Museum

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meckanic View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote meckanic Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Rock Island Arsenal Museum
    Posted: Jan 13 2018 at 11:15pm
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m1a1fan View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote m1a1fan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 14 2018 at 1:34am
Nice! What is the one above it?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote meckanic Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 14 2018 at 9:31am
No idea. Road trip is in order.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote tomfitz1037 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 15 2018 at 8:48am
Dang!  I was in Quad Cities just last week.  Didn't know there was a museum.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote sling00 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 15 2018 at 9:39am
Not knowing anything about the museum I did a quick Googlin' and found this link that anybody planning to visit might want to read for visitor Security Requirements. 

Also found out it is in Moline, IL and only 1.6 miles from the John Deere Pavilion.  

Talk about a road trip to bore your wife.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote sleeplessnashadow Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 17 2018 at 12:11am

In answer to the question of what's that above it ....

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote sleeplessnashadow Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 17 2018 at 12:21am
It's been my intent to start a sub forum dedicated to the museums that have carbines on display. Similar to the sub forum I started for the Displays in the Carbines of the Collectors forum. I haven't had time to get to it but it's coming.

I've been partly holding off due to a project we have going on with another museum at the moment. Figured when it was ready to be announced I'd do the subforum showing a number of museums and their carbines and invite everyone else to add to it.

But, since the question came up here's a partial group of photo's I shot at the RIA museum a couple years ago. The challenge is their lights cause sufficient glare off the glass to make the pics a real challenge. Next trip, hopefully in April, I'll take a tripod and try to do it right.

Jim

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote AlanDavid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Feb 10 2018 at 9:17pm
Great photos, thanks for posting.
Number 6061 just under 6060 in the last photo is a silenced carbine designed in one of the Special Operations Executive workshops in the UK.
I have some drawings of these and some reports on various tests that were held in the UK with them. Two serial numbers of the test weapons are quoted in the reports. It would be interesting to see if the example in the photo is one of the carbines used in the trial.
The Springfield Armory Museum also have one which is missing its special rear sight which is graduated from 25 to 150 yards for the trajectory for the subsonic projectile. I hope to view the Springfield Armory Museum example on my next visit to the USA in October this year, and exchange information with them.
Unfortunately, I am unable to visit the Rock Island Museum as being on a base I am barred being a "foreigner" unless I am on official business.

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AlanD
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (2) Thanks(2)   Quote sleeplessnashadow Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Feb 10 2018 at 10:27pm
The Rock Island Museum has a variety of suppressed .30 caliber carbine prototypes. While it's always possible the UK carbines found their way to RIA, RIA conducted their own research with suppressed carbines.

I didn't have the time to record and photo each of the carbines and the documents they had for each in three ring binders on a table outside the glass.

My sister and her two sons live in Davenport, IA. I'm hoping to make another trip there in the next year. Unfortunately the museum has had to cut back it's hours to half days due to a lack of funding. That same lack of funding has prevented the Ordnance Museum from reopening after Aberdeen was closed and the museum holdings were moved to Ft Lee, VA.

I've been to the Australian War Memorial and Museum in Canberra. I was impressed and also deeply moved by the memorial. A friend's grandfather's name is on one of the walls.

I wasn't aware of the base restriction preventing non U.S. citizens from visiting the museum. It's sad arrangements can't be made to include our native born closest allies and their veterans.

Even sadder is the gun museum of the the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. Between the funding, their management and the politics that ebb and flow not even U.S. citizens can view the history they possess.

Jim
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote AlanDavid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Feb 17 2018 at 7:26pm
Jim

There was quite an exchange of information in the war regarding special service small arms. The British designed Welrod was made in the USA. I have enlarged the photo you took of the silenced carbine and compared it again to the blue print I have and the carbine in the photo is identical to the drawing so it was either a copy made at RIA or it is an SOE prototype supplied for test and evaluation. I will correspond with the Museum and let them have the info I have. How many were made is unknown, but the intention was for a production run of 1,000 units, which never took place in the end.

I note your comments about the Smithsonion in Washington. I did try to organise a visit in 2016 but never got past a series of automated e-mails saying they would get back to me, which they never did. Looking at their web site it appears that research visits to the reserve collection can still be applied for. I will start the process off six months before my trip, hopefully that will work.

Lack of funding for these public institutions is a word wide problem. I visited the Birmingham Public Library in the UK last year. It is one of the largest public library's in Europe. They don't open the doors until 11:00am and when I visited and asked to read copies of The Field magazine for 1940 to 1945 was told they did not have enough staff on duty to fetch the magazines from the on site storage area. I should point out that the staff were doing theire best, just underfunded.
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AlanD
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote m1a1fan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Feb 17 2018 at 9:50pm
Were the records from Aberdeen analyzed by the club before they were moved?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote sleeplessnashadow Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Feb 18 2018 at 1:50am
Over the years a number of club researchers have gone thru the records that were maintained by Aberdeen. Doing a thorough search for everything carbine wasn't organized. The club hasn't been an organized research group. Just a loose knit group of individuals operating on their own and sharing info.

Taking the time to do research is time intensive with different people having different skill levels and different goals. In addition to the time and funding. The research that's been done by the individuals has been brought together by the club in the form of the newsletters. Now the forum. There are those who choose not to share the info they find. It takes time and usually comes in bits and pieces.

Museums and curators are in a never ending quest to keep their museums in business. Tourism becomes a primary focus out of a need to survive. A few times over the years I've volunteered at a couple non government archives. It helps them and gets me access to learn their system and do research.

The Smithsonian firearm collection appears to have suffered from political influences pushing them farther down the funding chain. But I suspect there's more to it than just funding. The gal who is the current curator at the Cody Firearms Museum worked there before moving to Cody.

Jim   
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote m1a1fan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Feb 19 2018 at 11:11am
I've reached out to Ft. Lee. As discussed, don't expect to hear back from them without a brick and mortar museuem. Even if they don't respond, really appreciate all of the hard work by yourself and other club members, both current and past.
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