Meet 'Captain Crunch,' gun muncher that has destroyed 1M firearms

[IIIIIREPOIIIII]

It’s the place where military weapons go to die.

Once a weapon is marked for destruction, it is sent to Anniston Army Depot where it will more than likely spend its final moments being chomped apart by the military’s Grim Reaper for guns: "Captain Crunch."

The massive metal shredder has been in operation since the early 1990s and has used a pair of intertwined blades to chop up more than a million weapons during that time.

“There were days when approximately 2,500 weapons, mostly rifles that were deemed unserviceable, were shredded using Captain Crunch,” said Susan Lowe, a public affairs specialist for the Defense Logistics Agency, the overarching government organization that oversees the demilitarization work done at Anniston. “Approximately 500-600 pistols that were deemed unserviceable can be demilitarized in a day using Captain Crunch.”



Lowe said in an email to FoxNews.com that any small arm or light weapon in the military arsenal marked for destruction has probably passed through Anniston, which is the only small arms demilitarization center in the United States. Despite the huge number of weapons that flow into the facility, Lowe said Captain Crunch can be operated “with a minimum of two people.”

The Army Depot sits on a 25-square-mile tract of land about 10 miles outside Anniston, Ala. and about 60 miles east of Birmingham. The facility does more that destroy; it also repairs all manner of combat vehicles. But inside the Nichols Industrial Complex sits Captain Crunch.

No one seems to know who first coined the catchy moniker; however, it’s not difficult to imagine why it was devised. Completely intact weapons are loaded on a conveyor belt at the front of the machine, and by the time Captain Crunch spits them back out, they’ve been deconstructed into small, jagged metal scraps.

“We have one guy that throws ‘em in, feeds the Crunch,” said one operator, Jason Nail, during an interview for the History Channel series “Boneyard” in 2007. “At least two, if not three, other guys on the line make sure nothing don’t go where it’s not supposed to go. All the little pieces that come off – triggers, sights, bolts, etcetera – get thrown into the box. We take the box at the end, when we’re done using Captain Crunch, bring it to the torch cutting stations and light ‘em up.”

Rifles, though larger, are easier to destroy. Small weapons take more time because of the smaller parts and pieces that each must be sufficiently demolished.

Two types of weapons are sent to the shredder: those deemed “unserviceable” and those that are “obsolete.” The determinations are made by the individual military services that used the weapons.

Some items marked as “obsolete” are refurbished and sold to collectors through the Civilian Marksmanship Program in Anniston. Even some of the Captain Crunch operators, many of whom are gun enthusiasts in addition to gun destroyers, get a kick out of seeing some of the older weapons.

“It’s like Christmas,” property disposal specialist Jerrod Kirkpatrick said in a 2011 article for the Army’s website. “You open up a box and say, ‘I’ve never seen this before. What is this?’”

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/02/25...l?intcmp=hpbt4

[QuackXP]

Cool, but not quite as interesting as where the mil sends its aircraft to be retired/scrapped.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/309th_...neration_Group

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Da...48ce38!6m1!1e1

[daschnoz]

I wonder how many of these "unserviceable" arms get rebuild and find new life in someones collection. I understand that at some point, parts are worn beyond repair, but with enough time and effort, I'm sure that some of them can be repaired and made functional again.

Never underestimate the engineering capability of a truly motivated individual.

[QuackXP]

...but with enough time and effort...

All of that adds up to $$$$$ vs the $ it costs to dispose of the asset.

What would be worse that firearms that are beyond repair are destroyed or that taxpayer money was wasted.

[daschnoz]

All of that adds up to $$$$$ vs the $ it costs to dispose of the asset.

What would be worse that firearms that are beyond repair are destroyed or that taxpayer money was wasted.

Yes, for the government entity that originally purchased the gun that may be true.

I'm talking about the 100 "unserviceable" guns that were sent to be destroyed, each weighing 10 pounds ... but the only 990 pounds of scrap that came out of the machine. Someone's personal collection just gained 10 pounds, and that someone would be willing to put the time and effort into making it a functional gun again - even if some of the parts are custom made to fit a new dimension.

I'm sure we've all had that car - think of that stripped oil pan screw that was 5/16-18 and has been re-tapped to 3/8-16. Non-standard, but who cares, it works.

Worn out {whatever} hole on {old master blaster}... drill it out to the next closest size and make a new part to fit the new, larger hole. ShaZam! Functional master baster...

[pennlineman]

What a waste. Even if the receiver was unserviceable look at all the money in small parts were lost. I wonder how many of those offensive old AF model 15 revolvers went through that machine.

[Gunowner99]

I'll take 'em and fix 'em, maybe?

[ShooterInPA1]

What a waste. Even if the receiver was unserviceable look at all the money in small parts were lost. I wonder how many of those offensive old AF model 15 revolvers went through that machine.

Exhibit 97,674 which proves the government is staffed by idiots.

[eyecanshoot]

What a waste. Even if the receiver was unserviceable look at all the money in small parts were lost. I wonder how many of those offensive old AF model 15 revolvers went through that machine.

We probably lease that machine for a billion dollars a year.

[bogey1]

It would be nice if the taxpayers got some of their money back.