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Old 03-22-2021, 12:06 AM
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StainlessSteelCynic StainlessSteelCynic is offline
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Originally Posted by Slar View Post
I thought about going there, and actually had rewritten my loads to use that pencil detonator. But it just didn't work as well as I wanted for the loads, so I fell back on the old expedient of the bomb fuse mentioned above. Which is freaking huge, BTW.
And I must admit to glossing over the links posted by others here, nuke11 posted a link directly to a discussion the heavily featured the pencil detonator and mentioned its replacement.

Doesn't solve the problem of what the game's M1 detonator is though...
I've only got 3rd edition so I don't know what 4th has to say on the matter but I tend to agree with the thoughts expressed by some people, i.e. the M1 timer detonator is a game thing and not a real world item.

As an aside, because I'm the curious type, I searched the web for info on the M147 device mentioned in the linked forum page. I did the usual thing I do, checked some specific pages and then did an image search and through that I found a website listing many US booby trap devices. Right near the bottom of the page http://tgrm.foxed.ca/boobytraps/Americanbt/USBT.html
there is a CIA AC Delay device.
It started life as a WW2 system developed for OSS and then was later taken into use by the CIA who developed several versions including one in the 1960s. It mentions that it was in use in Vietnam and it mentions that the CIA produced ampoules for up to 60 days delay so I am speculating that perhaps the writers knew of this device and reimagined it as a mechanical system rather than a chemical one?

It's just idle speculation I admit, though based on the age of the writers at the time the earlier editions were published (some of whom would have been old enough to have served in Vietnam or at least lived through that time as young adults)
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