M3 tripod

The M3 tripod is a weapon mount used on the M2HB Browning machine gun and the Mk 19 grenade launcher. The M3 tripod has a total weight of 20 kilograms (44 pounds). The M205 tripod, formerly the XM205, is intended to replace it.

Specifications

The M3 tripod is designed for portability but due to its solid metal construction weighs in at 20kg (44lb). When fully extended it measures 14"(35.56cm)high by 61 1/2"(156.21cm)wide by 76"(193.04cm)long. When collapsed it measures 48 1/2"x 8"x 7" (123.19cm x 20.32cm x17.78cm). It has a total traverse range of 425mils with the T&E mechanism and 6,400 mils without it. The maximum elevation is 100mils and the maximum depression is 250mils with the T&E mechanism. Without the T&E Mechanism, the tripod can angle the weapon at 285 mils up or 335 mils down from zero.

References

See also

Tripod

A tripod is a portable three-legged frame, used as a platform for supporting the weight and maintaining the stability of some other object. A tripod provides stability against downward forces and horizontal forces and movements about horizontal axes. The positioning of the three legs away from the vertical centre allows the tripod better leverage for resisting lateral forces.

Etymology

First attested in English in the early 17th century, the word tripod comes via Latin tripodis (GEN of tripus), which is the romanization of Greek τρίπους (tripous), "three-footed" (GEN τρίποδος, tripodos), ultimately from τρι- (tri-), "three times" (from τρία, tria, "three") + πούς (pous), "foot". The earliest attested form of the word is the Mycenaean Greek 𐀴𐀪𐀠, ti-ri-po, written in Linear B syllabic script.

Cultural use

Many cultures, including the ancient peoples of China and Greece, used tripods as ornaments, trophies, sacrificial altars, cooking vessels or cauldrons, and decorative ceramic pottery. Tripod pottery have been part of the archaeological assemblage in China since the earliest Neolithic cultures of Cishan and Peiligang in the 7th and 8th millennium BC. Sacrificial tripods were found in use in ancient China usually cast in bronze but sometimes appearing in ceramic form. They are often referred to as "dings" and usually have three legs, but in some usages have four legs.

Weapon mount

A weapon mount is a weapon component used to affix an armament for stabilization. Weapon mounts can be broken down into two categories: static mounts and non-static mounts.

Static mount

A static mount is a non-portable weapon support component used on a self-propelled vehicle.

Turret

A gun turret protects the crew or mechanism of a weapon and at the same time lets the weapon be aimed and fired in many directions.

A turret is a rotating weapon platform. This can be mounted on a fortified building or structure such as an anti-naval land battery, or on an armoured fighting vehicle, a naval ship, or a military aircraft.

Turrets may be armed with one or more machine guns, automatic cannons, large-calibre guns, missile launchers, and recently Microwave Weapons/Deterrents and Laser Weapon Systems. It may be manned or remotely controlled, and is often armoured. A small turret, or sub-turret on a larger one, is called a cupola. The term cupola also describes rotating turrets that carry no weapons but instead are sighting devices, as in the case of tank commanders. A finial is an extremely small sub-turret or sub-sub-turret mounted on a cupola turret.

Tripod (band)

Tripod are an Australian musical comedy trio founded by Scod (Scott Edgar), Yon (Simon Hall) and Gatesy (Steven Gates) in 1997. They provide original songs and harmonies, strung together by comic banter.

History

Live shows

Tripod emerged from the thriving Melbourne live music pub scene of the mid nineties, supporting popular local cover bands in such places as the Station Hotel, The Esplanade, the Central Club, the New Orleans Tavern and the Ritz, St Kilda. They were very much a cover band at first, smashing out spirited three part harmony takes on hits by the likes of Elvis Costello, Bowie, the Beach Boys and of course their beloved Queen. Prior to that they did their time as buskers in Melbourne malls with a far-fetched prop act of which no record exists (mercifully). They garnered a passionate and fairly drunk local following via regular residencies at the Commercial Hotel, Yarraville, just after it stopped being a biker bar.

They soon became regulars at the Prince Patrick Hotel in Collingwood, a then-infamous Melbourne comedy haunt, where they honed their skills in countless residencies and appearances from 1998 through to its demise as a comedy mecca in 2003.