Who needs an AR-15 when they could have THIS!

[ZigZagMarquis 9]

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2013/12/03/han-solo-star-wars-blaster-to-be-auctioned-off/?intcmp=features

Han Solo's 'Star Wars' blaster to be auctioned off
Published December 03, 2013

Who needs a light saber when you can have Han Solo's original blaster from Star Wars?

The blaster pistol that Harrison Ford used in the Star Wars films "Return of the Jedi" and "The Empire Strikes Back" is being auctioned off later this month.

The pistol is set to hit the auction block on Dec. 21 in California, and it is expected to fetch up to $300,000.

It's being sold by Profiles in History, and according to a description of the item, it is still in relatively good condition.

"The blaster is exactly in its original filming condition and therefore exhibits wear from use, but retains all of the original details, including the flash suppressor and scope (the eye-piece of which is detailed with reflective scotch-lite tape). The added distinction of this particular piece is that it was also likely used by Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, as both characters shared the same style of weapon in 'Empire.'"

The non-firing DL-44 blaster will be given to its buyer with a letter of authenticity.

"This is a truly incredible item of motion picture history and quite possibly the most exciting science fiction weapon to have been offered for public auction," the auction site boasts.

[davjohns 1]

Those blasters always seemed unreliable to me. One shot would zip through a guy in bodyarmor. The next one would fail to go through an overturned table. (What the hell do they make Hollywood tables out of, anyhow? They always seem to stop everything.)

I'll wait for the functional lightsaber. Those babies went through everything but another lightsaber.

I know it just wouldnt be right to kill all the stupid people that we meet..

But do you think it would be appropriate to just remove all of the warning labels and let nature take its course.

[shropshire 0]

[phew] .. so relieved that it's been de-activated

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[Andy9o8 2]

davjohns

Those blasters always seemed unreliable to me. One shot would zip through a guy in bodyarmor. The next one would fail to go through an overturned table. (What the hell do they make Hollywood tables out of, anyhow? They always seem to stop everything.)

Sigh. For a military guy, your lack of understanding of elementary weapons technology is, well, disappointing.

The blaster charge does not go through the soldier. Rather, the blaster charge energizes the armor plates with a positronic field. The soldier's body is in direct contact with most of the armor, so the charged field passes into the body, causing organ disruption and cardiac arrhythmia or arrest. Thus, it's possible that if you were hugging the table when it was hit by a blaster, you'd get fried, too.

Now you might ask: then what the hell's the purpose of the armor in the first place, if it doesn't deflect a charge from a garden-variety hand blaster? For a retainer of $1,500 to my paypal account, I will explain it to you.

[yoink 321]

So you're saying that if all the Storm Troopers were dressed in rubber armour it wouldn't conduct and they'd be protected?

KINKY TROOPERS.

[BIGUN 1,488]

Mechanics

"The components are fairly simple. Every lightsaber has a standard power source, the same type used in small blasters, even in glowpanels. They last a long time, though, because Jedi should rarely use their lightsabers. […] One of the other crucial pieces is a focusing crystal. The most powerful and sought-after gems are rare Kaiburr crystals. However, though lightsabers are powerful weapons, their design is so flexible that practically any kind of crystal can be used."
~Luke Skywalker, to his students

The typical lightsaber hilt consisted of a metal cylinder between twenty-four and thirty centimeters in length. However, the size of individuals hilts varied drastically, as the weapon was tailored to the creator's specific needs and preferences. The hilt had a pommel cap at the bottom which sometimes held a backup power cell. The lightsaber mechanisms were contained within the hilt. High levels of energy generated by a high-output Diatium power cell was unleashed through a series of focusing lenses and energizers that converted the energy into plasma. The plasma was projected through a set of lightsaber crystals that lent the blade its properties and allowed for the adjustment of blade length and power output. The ideal number of crystals was three, though only one was required. A power insulator was installed on the hilt to protect the wielder from any energy discharges. Activating the lightsaber usually required a button of some sort. A blade power adjustment knob was sometimes installed to allow the wielder to vary the power of the blade. A discharge energy cell could also be installed to increase a lightsaber's power output.

Once focused by the crystals, the plasma was sent through a series of field energizers and modulation circuitry within the emitter matrix that further focused it, making it into a coherent beam of energy that was projected from the blade emitter. The blade typically extended about a meter before being arced by the blade containment field back to a negatively charged fissure ringing the emitter, where it was channeled back to the power cell by a superconductor, completing the circuit.
Cutting power

A lightsaber blade was a mass-less form that neither radiated heat nor expended energy until it came into contact with something solid. The power of the energy blade was so great that it could cut through almost anything, although the speed through which it cut depended on the density of the subject. One important note about lightsaber wounds is that they rarely bled profusely, even when a limb had been severed. This is because the energy blade cauterized the wound as it passed, and thus even a severe wound did not tend to bleed heavily.

When cutting through dense material, the immense electromagnetic field generated by the arc caused resistance rather than letting solid matter enter and interrupt the arc. This gave the blade a feeling of being solid when immersed in dense material. Rarely, some solid materials could actually pass through the electromagnetic field and short out the arc. Other electromagnetic energy fields and coherent energy were also repelled by lightsabers' arcs. These include most force fields, blaster bolts, and other lightsaber blades.
Lightsaber-resistant materials

Aside from the blade of another lightsaber, there were rare materials that could withstand a lightsaber blade, but with varying degrees of success:

Cortosis, although a rare and expensive metal, was a popular defense against lightsabers. Purified cortosis ore had the ability to momentarily "short out" a lightsaber blade, rendering it inoperable for a brief period of time before the wielder could reactivate it. Lightsabers with Mestare crystals were known to be immune to this effect. Cortosis alloy was sturdier than purified cortosis ore, but was only capable of deflecting a lightsaber blade and not deactivating it. One reason why cortosis was so expensive was the need to refine it. Pure, unrefined Cortosis ore was—for unknown reasons—dangerously ionized and anyone who touched it would be killed instantly. There were multiple methods of forging cortosis armor and weapons, each with varying effects.[source?]

Phrik, was a rare metallic compound that could withstand a lightsaber blade, although unlike cortosis, Phrik did not possess the ability to cause the blade to short out. Phrik was most notably used in the construction of the electrostaffs wielded by General Grievous's MagnaGuards. Other notable uses of Phrik included elements of Palpatine's lightsaber and Dark trooper armor.

Luke tikuliniA tikulini's skin could withstand a lightsaber strike

Darkswords were an ancient type of sword made from a special material that could parry lightsabers. Unlike cortosis, this material did not possess the ability to temporarily deactivate a lightsaber blade it made contact with.

Armorweave was a cloth said to give some resistance to lightsabers, although the protection the reinforced material afforded was limited.

Sith alchemy was employed during the eras of the first Sith Empire to augment the properties of metals so as to counter the seemingly unstoppable lightsaber. The Sith also made use of such elements as cortosis in the forging of their Sith swords. After the original Sith Empire, the most notorious use of Sith alchemy was in the construction and reinforcement of Darth Vader's armor.

Mandalorian iron: A metal found on the planet Mandalore—known as beskar in the Mandalorian language—Mandalorian iron could be forged into several configurations to take advantage of its exceptional lightsaber-resistant qualities. Commonly used in the creation of Mandalorian armor or weapons, the metal was also used to construct the door sealing Freedon Nadd's tomb.

Force weapon: Weapons imbued with the power of the Force could be used to parry a lightsaber's blade without harm.

Vong technology: Vonduun Skerr Kyrric armor proved to be lightsaber resistant, and Amphistaffs were able to clash with lightsaber blades repeatedly without sustaining damage.

Water: All lightsabers, unless specially made, would short out when they were submerged in water, due to rapid chain reactions and the instant overpowering of water on the blade. In rain, a lightsaber would steam up, but not short out. Some Jedi, specifically those of aquatic species, designed special lightsabers that could activate underwater.

Other counteracting materials existed in the galaxy, such as various energy shields. Some animals, such as lava dragons, were possessed of natural armor that reflected the blade. Superconductive materials (e.g. ultrachrome, Quantum-crystalline armor) deflected lightsaber strikes. The skin of the Tikulini worms of Jazbina was able to withstand a lightsaber strikes. The Zillo Beasts native to Malastare also had plate-like armor resistant to lightsaber blows.

SOURCE: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Lightsaber

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[dpreguy 14]

Love the broomhandle Mauser Model 1896 pistol grip. Very menacing.