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Re: MIL specs?

To: Larry Macy <macy@bblmail.psycha.upenn.edu>
Subject: Re: MIL specs?
From: Bill Henry <wohenry@bellatlantic.net>
Date: Sat, 29 Aug 1998 12:36:21 -0500
Larry Macy wrote:
> 
> Exactly what are MIL specs? My MG Midget Manual says MIL-L-2105B and the
> bottle of Castrol I bought says MIL-L-2105C (and D). Is this better -
> worse or what??
> 
> Larry Macy
> 78 Midget

Larry:

Military Specifications (Mil Specs) were descriptions of materiel to be
purchased from suppliers for use by the U.S. military.  Their purpose
was to provide quality and performance standards for materiel to be
purchased for use by the military which could be used both by the
supplier and  the purchaser.  The intent was to ensure the items
purchased were suitable for use by the military under vatious
performance and climatic conditions. Subsequntly, they were adopted,
formally or informally, by various organizations to specify the
performance and quality characteristics of items sold in the civilian
market.  I have put most of this in the past tense because use of many,
if not most, mil specs in purchasing materiel has been discontinued. 
Much of the materiel purchased for the military now uses other national
or intermational standards, i.e. ANSI, DIN, etc.

In your specific case, without reviewing the pecific standard you cited
it would be difficult to say anything other than that they are different
- and different how is impossible to say.  One approach is to compare
civilian standard that may also be listed to the mil standards, for
instance oil with a service standard of HD may also list mil soecs which
it also meets.  Comparing this to another oil with a different  civilian
service specification and military specification may provide information
to compare mil specs.  

I believe that for a product to list mil specs it meets it must have
been tested and proven to meet them at some point, if that makes a
difference.

Bill Henry
'72 MGB-GT

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