Puff The Magic Dragon

Big Sky Redneck

How 'bout you military folks tell me what this thing is and is it still used. I just read a book called War Paint by John Goshen and he talks about Puff completely ruining the day for some select individuals. If any of you have seen this thing could you please give a good description and can I buy one for deer season?!

mudge

I will, of course, defer to some others here who have more knowledge of the subject than I, but...I believe "Puff" was a C-47 that had all the armament hanging out the side and was used in 'Nam. The current C-130 that is being used in Afghanistan, I believe is called "Spectre". Not sure.Mudge the speculative

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I can't come to work today. The voices said, STAY HOME AND CLEAN THE GUNS!

Pelican

Puff was loaded with electric gatlings. Caused a hellofa lot of damage.

badboybob

The original Puff was a C-47 with 7.62 mini guns used in Viet Nam in the 1960's. One of my friends was shot down on a recon extract and spent an evening and night with the recon Marines. Puff was on station all night shooting up the gooks and the only target reference was my friend's red lensed flashlight aimed at them. At dawn they were all extracted with one KIA. He received the Navy Cross for his actions.

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PC=BS

Redleg

The current platform is a C-130 "hercules" and it is called the AC-130 Spectre Gunship.It is fitted with:2 20 mm Vulcans or 1 GAU-12 Gatling1 40 mm Bofors cannon1 M-102 105mm howitzer

Gordian Blade

Here are some links: http://www.specwarnet.com/vehicles/spectre.htm http://www.specialoperations.com/Aviation/AC_130/default.html

Txs

Puff was a C47, the USAF version of a DC3, outfitted with multiple 7.62 miniguns. The old twin boom C119 Flying Boxcar, stuffed with as much ammo it could haul, was later used in this role.My hometown was the birthplace of the C-130 gunship program in the late '60's. As a kid it was common to see them flying around at night with their belly mounted 40kw "night sun" lights fired up. It was probably the cause of numerous UFO calls! I remember having a backyard barbecue one night in the summer of '68 and hearing a Spooky droning overhead. All of a sudden the whole neighborhood lit up so bright you could read a newspaper. I thought it was the coolest thing I'd ever seen.They still outfit all of the Spectre gunships and Combat Talons there. It's just as cool now seeing these big heavily armed bad@$$es droning around, but they don't light up the town anymore-they don't have to.I'm not in the habit of posting links to others sites, but this ex-Spectre crewmember has an outrageous amount of fixed wing gunship info and pics: http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/8758/index.html

Gordian Blade

7mm nut, I almost forgot that you wanted to buy one for deer season. I just happen to have one that is like new with the original box and papers, only 1,000,000 rounds fired. I don't want to post it on GB to avoid the transaction fee, so you can email me privately at quartermaster@usaf.gov. Oh yes, don't forget you'll have to pay the $200 Class 3 transfer fee, for some reason those jack-booted thugs at ATF consider it a destructive device.

Rembrandt

7mm, you better buy a lot of deer tags if you're planning to use one......

Bullzeye

....if you can find a hoof or horn to hang it on after you're done shooting....

concealedG36

My dad used to tell me about his experience with those in Vietnam. He said that they staggered tracers in every 4th or 5th round but because the rate of fire was so fast it looked like laser beams at night.

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Gun Control Disarms Victims, NOT Criminals

Varmintmist

alledan

I have some real good closeups of the Ac-130 and it's guns taken from Wright Patterson AFB. When I can afford a scanner I will post them for you.

Txs

Varmintmist-That's actually an old VN era photo showing 7.62 minigun fire from a relatively low altitude. The miniguns got phased out on 130's fairly quickly. The smallest guns used on these now, even on the older ones still in service, is 20mm. Due to the danger of ground fire from heavy machine guns they attack from altitudes so high that the crewmembers require oxygen and cold weather gear, even in tropical climates. 7.62 rounds tumble and become inaccurate from way up there, so every gun they use now fires large caliber projectiles.The AC-130's have always had some serious computerized fire control systems. That's the bread and butter of my old hometown contractor. Even during VN they could fire a single round out of their 105 and drop it on a tank turret. Back around '70 they were equipped with FLIR, NOD's and even had sensors for picking up emmissions from vehicle ignition systems.[This message has been edited by Txs (edited 03-23-2002).]

Miss. Creant

I have seen the AC-130 in action. It is amazing they fire that 105mm like we fire a rifle.

Bullzeye

I recall that we used an AC-130U to excellent effect during Desert Storm.I believe it was along what was referred to as the Highway of Death.It killed untold hundreds of vehicles trying to escape Iraq before it was shot down into the ocean in the early morning light by a Stinger missile to it's right engine.Really a shame, it was.

gunnut505

I got to witness the first retest of Puff outside the McGregor Range at White Sands.WOWAfter the first pass; the empties rained for almost a minute. Glad they saved the really big ones!After action reports were filed describing ..."..football fields of widespread impacts...so that a person could not lay his hand upon the ground without touching an impact..." and " ...awesome, It appeared as though a tongue of fire licked the range and scoured it of targets, stands, staff and witnesses"

skipjackone

Puff still flys. Thank God He is on our side.