[ECHO CHARLIE]

So, I have this M80TR landmine from Major Paintball and I was just wondering what the TR stands for.

[Wheeldogg]

Possibly, training round?

[dorsai]

Not sure what Nathan had in mind when he named
it that, but odds are you're right. The M80TR is in
wide use by the military both here and abroad as a
training mine. When you fit it with what's called a
'burst tube' it gives off a nice bang that'll ring the
ears.

After he developed the M80 he also came up with a
much, much larger device, which is used to simulate
a IED. We're talking about dumping 20 ounces of
CO2 into a chamber which is 6"-8" in diameter. At
one end there are ports for up to eight of the same
sized 'burst tubes' used on the M80, plus one that
takes a piece of really large diameter surgical tube,
approx. 3/4" in diameter. When this beast goes off
all those tubes swell and then bust, releasing 30-50
ounces of talc. As a result even larger armored
vehicles disappear in a cloud, thus simulating hitting
a IED. At that point the convoy will typically halt,
troops will dismount in order to run whatever the
standard SOP happens to be.

Nathan formed a new firm once DOD saw what he
was doing and then sold out his share some time
after that. As I understand it, he's now past the
point where he couldn't do any related work, but
he hasn't told me what he plans to do next.

If you want to see what these kinds of devices
can do just goggle M80TR and you'll find several
clips. NOTE: Some videos show the mine w/o
the flail tube, or the burst tube. To be effective
you'll need one or the other. You can also find
several other mines made by Major Paintball as
well as some copies which are produced in Asia.

Got more questions about these devices, either
drop me a note or give my office a call.