Cylinder Gap Power Loss and Gun Digests:

That hot gas leaking from the cylinders of revolvers does cause a loss of velocity - as has been shown in tests by ballisticsbytheinch.com

- But there has to be a gap there to permit the cylinder to rotate. - Too little and you have a revolver that tightens-up and jams - too much and your wheel-gun may dangerously spit lead and hot gasses at anyone close by - including you the shooter. - Shouldn't you be wearing safety glasses?

Way back in near prehistoric times - a learned gentleman Edward M Yard built test guns with the cylinder gap adjustable from zero upwards using a micrometre scale to change the gap by rotating the barrels and then firing them through a chronograph.

Scale Marked in Thousandths of an Inch.

Mr Yard tested his gas seal at a zero-gap by wrapping white paper around the cylinder and by seeing that there was minimal staining and no damage - whereas even a 0.001" gap destroyed the paper.
(- "Hot" high velocity ammo is well known to cause flame-cutting to revolver top straps and it erodes forcing cones).

He published his findings in the 1964 'Gun Digest' in a story titled "Gas Loss In Revolvers" and I show some extracts below .. Basically both sets of tests demonstrate a measurable drop-off in velocity as the cylinder gap increases - but differences in the cartridge loads were found to be equally significant and great effort needed to be made to load accurately and to eliminate that variable.

Author Edw. Yard did a huge amount of research and precise re-loading for his small three page article - even building non-fixed front sights suspended from the muzzle - that stayed vertical as the barrels were rotated by using a pendulum effect.

The modern Gun Digest continues to be a good read - but they don't seem to publish 'in depth' technical stuff any more - must be something to do with the happening "information age" eh - and the print size has got much larger - so you get less words for your money!

Currently it seems usual to have from 0.003" up to 0.008" revolver cylinder gaps - while other variables like the barrel 'forcing-cone' & bore and groove dimensions can also have marked effect on performance..

You can conclude that we need a minimum gap that permits the revolver to function - but I also found online that the cylinder gap and end-play slop may be corrected by use of shims.

With .38 Special barrel in place:
GAP     VELOCITY (ft. per sec.)
.000" = 985
.001" = 965
.002" = 955
.004" = 935
.006" = 920
.008" = 905
.010" = 890
.012" = 865
.015" = 835
.020" = 795

- You might say that this roughly averages as a loss of 10 foot per second velocity for every one thousandth of an inch extra cylinder gap..

Mr Yard did more tests using  .22 Hornet Calibre barrels - believing that the higher velocity round might show greater variances - but he had to stop the testing early when the cylinder started to bounce with the wider gaps and caused it to dangerously rotate and even re-cock the hammer when fired.

- The only well known revolver to address this issue of propellant gas loss at the cylinder-barrel gap is of course the M1895 Nagant with its reciprocating / rotating cylinder. - Nobody else seems to think that it is worth worrying about eh

BELGIAN Design M1895 Nagant Revolvers Seal Gas Leakage 

- By Cylinder Moving Forward  & Closing Cylinder Gap 

- Inserting Cartridge Mouth Into Barrel:

- But Nagant experts claim that the gas seal yields some extra 50 -150 ft. per sec. velocity at the muzzle when compared with normal leaky structures and that appears to be about right judging from the experimental results ..

Colt FitzGerald Special.

Note: I've also been reading 'Shooting' published 1930 by J Henry Fitzgerald (well known for his "Fitz Special" revolvers) - and in his Q&A section he writes:

"Q. Does clearance between cylinder and barrel affect the accuracy?
A. Yes, if it is in excess of the normal distance, three to five thousandths, the clearance must be greater in the .22 calibre revolvers than in the larger calibers due to Lesmok powder ('less smoke' -get it?), which will bank up on the end of cylinder and barrel causing the arm to jam if it is not wiped off after every forty or fifty shots. There is no advantage in a distance under three thousandths between cylinder and barrel because, due to collection of powder residue on end of cylinder and barrel, one half of that distance will be closed."

"Lesmok" (Winchester) powder was developed in 1911 by DuPont and widely used in .22" rim fire cartridges. It was a blend of black-powder and nitrocellulose that was less smokey and less corrosive than straight black-powder.(But still smokey and corrosive!)

Marty K.

After researching & writing 1,036 blogs I've got something NEW to try .. I've signed-up to Patreon. - In over five years I've not made one cent from this .. NOW you can send me a wee support $ - starting from $1. to get all this stuff from New Zealand - over a year that's nearly the price of one Shooting magazine. - Am I worth it?

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News: 30 New Zealand Police Stations Closed:

Do we have a crime problem or a funding problem?

The closure of 30 police stations throughout New Zealand has saved a cash-strapped police force $3 million, but the police union is warning of trouble ahead.
The Police Association says funding is nearing a critical point and "re-centralisation" could see public confidence erode to levels not seen since the early 1990s.

- Yesterday in Parliament Minister of Police Judith Collins was asked if she thought that New Zealand Police were adequately funded and replied "Mr Speaker - Yes".

- To a further question had she closed 30 Police Stations in the last four years she replied that she had not done it by herself.

The Old Christchurch Police HQ Building.

Some of the stations shut down are in Otara and Mangere, in South Auckland, and Porirua, Lower Hutt and Miramar in the Wellington region.

Six Auckland community offices and kiosks were closed to centralise staff to Ponsonby station, while the entire Auckland Downtown Station was relocated to Auckland Central.

In Wellington, the Cuba street station was also axed - its staff shifted to Police National Headquarters.

Marty K.

New Australian Semi-Auto Thales F90:

Thales Australia announced at IWA 2016 that they are to offer a semi-auto only version of their Bull pup rifle made at Lithgow, NSW.

The new rifle designated F90-LE will initially be offered for Police service use only.

- I'd appreciate it if one of my Australian readers will let 'adjunct associate' Phlip Alpers at the School of Public Medicine (he has a room there) know of this latest product, from what he claims is, the non-existent Australian arms industry.

- Looks pretty solid to me.

Marty K.

After researching & writing 1,036 blogs I've got something NEW to try .. I've signed-up to Patreon. - In over five years I've not made one cent from this .. NOW you can send me a wee support $ - starting from $1. to get all this stuff from New Zealand - over a year that's nearly the price of one Shooting magazine. - Am I worth it?

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Home Detention & 'Corrections' Electronic Monitoring Devices:

The 'wireless' is repeating a tale that 'Corrections' are announcing a new "electronic monitoring device' but can't say when it will be designed, manufactured or approved for fitting to criminals released into home detention.

Figures released suggest that as many as 47 sentence-serving convicts are on the loose at any time here in New Zealand after going AWOL and cutting-off their 3M "easily cut-off for safety purposes" free bracelets. - Although these may be proudly displayed at the club-house by associates waiting to be granted their patches.

There seems to be some problems around making a 'monitoring device' that can't be cut-off and there may also be a shortage of staff contracted to do the monitoring part for the home release candidates. A few hundred years ago they solved that issue by using METAL rings and prison guards or warders.

- Judith Collins, Minister of Corrections says they are working with 3M to perfect a "World 1st" that can't be removed!

Marty K.

Most Dangerous Countries:

The world is a more dangerous place today than it was in 2008 according to the latest Global Peace Index (GPI) report from the Institute for Economics and Peace.

Syrian Boy Soldier

Most dangerous countries in the world

RANK	COUNTRY	SCORE
1	Syria	3.645
2	Iraq	3.444
3	Afghanistan	3.427
4	South Sudan	3.383
5	Central African Republic	3.332
6	Somalia	3.307
7	Sudan	3.295
8	Democratic Republic of the Congo	3.085
9	Pakistan	3.049
10	North Korea	2.977
11	Russia	2.954
12	Nigeria	2.91
13	Ukraine	2.845
14	Libya	2.819
15	Israel	2.781

Don't go there unless you have to eh. - I spotted the USA at #69, The UK at #124, and good old New Zealand at #159 - out of 162 countries listed.

The 162 nations listed are said to cover 99% of the worlds population. Here's a question - How many of the top fifteen 'most dangerous' countries have 'a presence' of "special forces" from a large well funded military capable nation ?? - All of them maybe?

Marty K.

Latest News of Indian Nirbheek Revolver:

- Now available in full colour ..

 From ..

FIELD GUN FACTORY, KANPUR Apply directly booking of 0.32 Revolver MK - III/NIRBHEEK to General Manager, Field Gun Factory, Kalpi Road ,Kanpur - 208009  with a Demand Draft for full amount of RS. 74,869/-  for 0.32. MK-III Revolver And  Rs.1,22,513/- for NIRBHEEK drawn in his favour payable at Kanpur. On receipt of full amount, registration will be done and date for collection will be intimated strictly as per priority number based on full amount deposited. For the customers, who deposit full amount by hand at the time of registration, date for collection will be intimated straightway.

At a recent open day - 'Additional General Manager Sanjeev Kumar was quoted as saying that the Nirbheek Lightweight  .32" calibre Revolver may be produced in a range of multiple colours including fluorescent pink, red and yellow. "Besides many others wish to give the gun a camouflage coating".
Kumar said, "Soon electro slag refining plant worth Rs 35 crore of European standards would be added to our inventry where the gun could be updated."    ?? Er whattt?

Priced at Rs 1.22 lakh, the Nirbheek is made of titanium alloy and weighs about 500gm. After the Delhi gang rape incident, IOF researchers had come up with the light-weight revolver which could be carried by women in purses or small handbags for self-defence.

"It is the first light-weight gun specially designed for women. We would try to improve its features," said Kumar.

- Like you could improve its price - which is more than the average years salary in India.

Another senior official said, "We will also use chrome as it will enhance the life of the gun and cut short on maintenance."

Those who notice that the new Nirbheek IOF .32 looks sort of familiar are correct (award yourself a gold star sticker). - It is in fact a reduced-calibre Titanium version of the 1899 Webley Mk IV .38" S&W calibre "Boer War Model" (- Singapore Police Version with Safety Catch.)

1899 Webley Mk IV - Singapore Police Safety Catch Version.

 - Some advanced thinking Indian design work going on here eh. - If you really needed a break-action why wouldn't you make a titanium .32" version of something later - like a copy of the Russian Izhmash REX MP-412?

 Or really up-to-date - how about an IOF version LCR 327 Federal Magnum?

Marty K.

After researching & writing 1,036 blogs I've got something NEW to try .. I've signed-up to Patreon. - In over five years I've not made one cent from this .. NOW you can send me a wee support $ - starting from $1. to get all this stuff from New Zealand - over a year that's nearly the price of one Shooting magazine. - Am I worth it?

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Detroit Shooting Video:

What Is happening to city life in Detroit?

The 'gentle' sex..

I see that she's a "Christian".

M.K.

Sellafield (Windscale, Drigg, Calder Hall) Nuclear Facility Leaks:

UK Armed Civil Nuclear Constabulary

News from UK ITV 1st March 2016.

Workers at Sellafield have finally finished removing stocks of historic nuclear fuel from the site's Pile Fuel Storage Pond.
It's being described as a "milestone" moment, which has made the entire UK safer, and also as the most significant clean-up step in Sellafield's history.

The development means radioactivity at the 68-year-old Pond has been reduced by 70 percent, vastly reducing the risk it poses to people and the environment.

Sellafields 68 Year Old Crumbling Concrete Spent Fuel Rod Storage Pond

Paul Foster, MD of Sellafield Ltd said:

"Removing decades-old corroded fuel from an ageing facility and placing into modern containment makes Sellafield, and the whole of the UK, a far safer place.
The enormity of the challenge cannot be underestimated – the pond was built with no design for how its contents would be removed.

The removed fuel has been transferred to a modern storage building at Sellafield where it can be held in a far safer environment."

Storm Desmond has surprisingly not been reported in connection with any flooding at the Sellafield and Drigg nuclear facilities - perhaps that location was unaffected?

The owners LLW Repository Ltd are not even sure themselves what is in the pits at Drigg, which is a few kilometres from the main Sellafield plant.
The company was forced to post an advertisement in local newspapers asking former workers if they could remember what was dumped there.
It stated: “We are very keen to speak to people who were directly involved in consigning nuclear waste during the 1960s to the mid-1980s in order to build up a comprehensive picture of the waste inventory in the trenches.”

Beach at Drigg Dump Site.

A massive nuclear dump near Sellafield and just over 160km from Ireland is “certain to leak” in the near future, an official report has warned.
Environmentalists have described the site which is just kilometres from Dublin and the densely-populated east coast as a “slow motion Chernobyl”.

The UK’s Environment Agency has now admitted it was a huge mistake to build the huge nuclear dustbin so close to the coast.
While authorities have played down the consequences, the report confirmed the dump will eventually be flooded and some of the radioactive waste stored there will spew into the Irish Sea.

Since the start of its operation, hundreds of accidents have occurred at the plant, and around two thirds of the buildings themselves are now classified as nuclear waste. The plant releases some 8 million litres of contaminated waste into the sea on a daily basis, making the Irish Sea the most radioactive sea in the world.

Swim anyone?

Nuvia 'Argocat' Searching Cumbria Beaches

With Front-Mounted Electronics Box And Geiger Counter

 - Collecting Radioactive Materials - Contracted to Sellafield.

- The Civil Nuclear Constabulary web-site describes itself as "a police force like no other." - And goes on to describe Sellafield - " ..it's a great area for families,"

A CNC career has an assured future (Half life of Plutonium-244 is 80.8 MILLION YEARS. (plutonium-242 is only 373,300 years).

U.K. Civil Nuclear Constabulary 'Pin-up'

Marty K.

Further inside story of the big 1957 fire in the pile check-out: damninteresting.com/ the-windscale-disaster

WIKIPEDIA says:
The core of the reactors consisted of a large block of graphite with horizontal channels drilled through it for the fuel cartridges. Each cartridge consisted of a uranium rod about 30 cm long encased in an aluminium canister to protect it from the air, as uranium becomes highly reactive when hot and can catch fire. The cartridge was finned, allowing heat exchange with the environment to cool the fuel rods while they were in the reactor. Rods were pushed in the front of the core, the "charge face", with new rods being added at a calculated rate. This pushed the other cartridges in the channel towards the rear of the reactor, eventually causing them to fall out the back, the "discharge face", into a water filled channel where they cooled and could be collected.^[7] The chain reaction in the core converted the uranium into a variety of isotopes, including some plutonium, which was separated from the other materials using chemical processing. As this plutonium was intended for weapons purposes, the burn-up of the fuel would have been kept low to reduce production of the heavier plutonium isotopes (²⁴⁰Pu, ²⁴¹Pu etc.).

In the end, Price's concerns came to pass. So many cartridges missed the water channel that it became routine for staff to walk through the chimney ductwork with shovels and scoop the cartridges back into the water.^[12] On other occasions, fuel cartridges became stuck in the channels and burst open while still in the core.^[13] In spite of these precautions and the stack filters, Frank Leslie had discovered radioactivity around the site, but this information was kept secret, even from the staff at the station

Link to later post: https://flicense.blogspot.com/2018/09/uks-cumbria-explosively-beautiful.html
M.K.

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Silent Revolver (Stechkin) Meets Nagant:

Did the quiet Russian have a Belgian granddad?

Way-Back on 10th July 2014 I did a post about the very effective Russian silent captive piston SP4 ammunition and its neat Stechkin OTs-38 revolver - in service since 2002:

Now lately (4th February) I've been looking at the old Belgian designed (but Russian built) Nagant M-1895 revolvers and their weird but effective 7.62x38R cartridge.

Nagant M-1895 Revolver with 7.62x38R Gas Seal Rounds.

- Now, I don't claim to be smart or anywhere near a MENSA* candidate - but would you believe how long it has taken me to notice that these different purpose cartridges from widely separate eras - over a hundred years apart - may be related?

The Nagant round is known as 7.62x38R and the Stechkin captive piston SP4 is designated 7.62x42.(7.62x41?)

SP4

Well they both have their flat-nose projectile loaded down inside the case eh - and they both work by sealing the propellant gases (in different ways). . And 'silenced' operation is possible with both. 

I'd only be guessing but I reckon that the modern ballistician /designer who was working on the silent captive piston cartridges may have started with the old Nagant cartridge shape in his head .. and may have even used the Nagant revolver as a development mule for his clever, silent, blast-free 155grain slug running sub-sonic at 650 foot per second.

SP4 Silent Ammunition.

Just a hunch but I'd bet ten bucks (or Roubles) on there being a link somewhere. Has anyone else made this connection?

________________

I've seen a few brainless 'commie-hater' disrespectful comments online about the Nagants "weak and ineffective" performance and "this clunky Russian designed revolver" .. Wrong on both counts eh. - I found this reference to the design requirements for the then new Belgian-Imperial Russian Revolver:

1/. It had to take down a horse with a single shot at 25-35 meters.

2/. It had to be light weight - less than 922g (2.03lb.) preferably around 825g (1.82lb.)

3/. It had to hold seven cartridges

4/. It had to use the same bore dimensions as the Moisin-Nagant rifle - so that rejected rifle barrels could be used to make the revolvers barrels

5/. It had to be single action - as double action was thought to impede accuracy

6/. It had to be single loading as opposed to using a star extraction system. This was to reduce manufacturing costs - not to make it stronger

7/. It had to be able to use smokeless powder as well as black powder.

That original 7.62x38R cartridge used a 97 grain flat-nosed lead bullet at 1080 ft. per sec. to develop a useful muzzle energy of 290 foot pounds.

These M-1895s were widely known as the "Three Line Revolver" - this refers to the Russian name for a tenth of an inch as "a Line" - thus a .30" calibre gun was a "3 line".

It is thought that more than 3 Million  M-1895 Nagant Revolvers were built - and they have seen plenty of action.

Marty K.

* Mensa is Latin for 'table' - I can vaguely remember having to decline by rote in 1st form at school .."mensa, mensae, mensis, mensarem, mensam ...." (That would be 60 years ago - Bloody Jesuits!!).

After researching & writing 1,036 blogs I've got something NEW to try .. I've signed-up to Patreon. - In over five years I've not made one cent from this .. NOW you can send me a wee support $ - starting from $1. to get all this stuff from New Zealand - over a year that's nearly the price of one Shooting magazine. - Am I worth it?

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'GUN BABY GUN' A New 'Antigun' Book- It's Great:

I went into town Friday to have two new tyres fitted to my wee Honda - so while waiting for them to do the work and check the wheel alignment I wandered down to the 'Paperplus' book shop where I proved yet again that I should not be allowed into book shops..

- So while filling-in time waiting to spend $370 on tyres etc. for the car - I spent a further $45.98 on books! - But that's the way it goes - the bad news is that the tyre fitter reported that the other two (rear) wheels rubber-bands also need replacement shortly.

- The good news is that I spent my money well - buying the March issue of 'Guns & Ammo' magazine and an 'anti-gun?' paperback book GUN BABY GUN by Iain Overton.(358 pages).

I have checked the price from The Book Depository in UK and interestingly they wanted an unexpected NZ$3 more to send it down to NZ.

 Written and published for the UK market - he does tend to use "florid" language - such as "I turned and walked through the (morgue) visitors entrance, the only person to go through those gates that morning with neither tearful nor lifeless eyes." - Well he is a journalist eh (If it bleeds - It leads).

- But before you shrug and turn away - this guy (and his researcher Jenna Corderoy) seem to have done an excellent job of researching FACTS. - In the first few pages I actually learnt new stuff - that was all properly referenced too. He actually starts by visiting the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds UK and then the 'Small Arms Survey' in Geneva Switzerland and reports what he found in an unbiased manner!

Some Of The 14,000 Exhibits In Royal Armouries Collection.

Perhaps that's why I haven't heard of this recent (2015) book before - it may be too truthful and treads on too many toes?

 Author Iain Overton can tell it how it is because he's been there - as one time head of a gun club, reader of shooting magazines (like my 'Guns & Ammo'), and as a hunter. - He knows that "guns are fun". - But he has also experienced being shot-at - and he knows the terrible things that humans do to others - too often and in too many places around our world.

A world that I see as hugely beautiful and precious but widely contaminated by corrupt power grabbing a*#*holes.

- Would that other 'anti-gunners' such as Adjunct Associate Professor Phlip Alpers did better research and published some legitimate source references (other than from quoting himself). - Really that Alpers is "a fifteen dollar hat on a nickel head."

GUN BABY GUN  e-book is available for your Kindle currently for less than $10.  - Go buy it and read what may be a good gun book.. Lots of interesting facts and I'm only part way through so far. - You don't have to agree with his sentiments - but you will enjoy his research and stories about what we do to each other.

- American readers may have to look for a different title.. 'THE WAY OF THE GUN'

- Did you know that the first recorded Gun Club was St. Sebastianus Shooting Club in Cologne that was set up in 1463?

Marty K.

New Bond Bullpup Announcement:

American Rifleman of February 11th, 2016 said:

"Bond Arms is taking a big step in a new direction by offering a sub-compact semi-automatic concealed-carry pistol dubbed the Bond Bullpup. Based on the Boberg Arms XR9-S, the Bullpup provides a variety of uncommon features designed to keep the pistol small and lightweight while reducing felt recoil. This 9 mm Luger +P pistol is just 5.1" long, 4.2" tall and 0.96" wide. It weighs just 17.5 ozs. with a seven-round magazine. The rear-feeding magazine rests directly below the rotating barrel’s chamber allowing for a longer barrel without the need for a longer slide. The stainless steel slide is topped with dovetailed three-dot sights. The 7075-T6 aircraft-grade aluminum frame features a round trigger guard and hardwood grips."

Well that's great news so far - It's coming perhaps late 2016!

If you 'Youtube' 2016 SHOT Show Bond Arms Bullpup 9mm Pistol you will see Bond spokesman "Garrett" show their version of the Boberg - and "Garrett" says that they don't have a price for their new gun yet but they are trying to get it out for less $$ than it cost from Boberg - and that they hope to have it all sorted by "summer 2016"

Fingers crossed eh - but not behind the slide of your pistol .. (OUCH!). I do hope that they'll still produce the 4 inch barrel version

Marty K.

After researching & writing 1,036 blogs I've got something NEW to try .. I've signed-up to Patreon. - In over five years I've not made one cent from this .. NOW you can send me a wee support $ - starting from $1. to get all this stuff from New Zealand - over a year that's nearly the price of one Shooting magazine. - Am I worth it?

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Select Committee Inquiry into Illegal Guns;

Judith Collins, Police Minister has set-up the required 'Inquiry' into criminal usage of illegal firearms.
Quote:

"It was important that the inquiry focused on illegal gun use and did not penalise legitimate owners and sellers of firearms," Collins said.

- Now, The Police know who the criminals are - such as the shot-gun thug who recently injured four officers conducting a rural drug grower raid. - Surely they must know how and where these known criminal offenders are getting their weapons from?

Several times I have listened to senior Police Officers state that most criminal activity in their area is by the members of a few well known families - suggesting that if they could remove these known people from the scene - the crime numbers would immediately drop.

There are an unknown number of firearms held legally in New Zealand - perhaps more than one Million if you include all the farmers and farm workers - It would be futile trying to introduce registration for them .. and our police don't have the staff or the funding to even try it.

- An Australian style "Buy-Back Scheme" or amnesty (theirs' has not reduced shootings and gang violence anyway) - is impossible here as our Government couldn't afford to buy even half of them back - The 1996 Australian buy-back was estimated to cost A$500 Million and there was a further handgun pay-out in 2003. . My Aussie mates joke that "The crims queued-up four deep right round the block to hand-in their guns".

British Style Queue.

I'm suggesting that increased funding for the police with a much improved police/population ratio would give better criminal control and more convictions - but then we'd need more prisons to keep them in - safely locked away and off the streets.

Increased police and prison funding could easily be paid for by reversing the Forty Percent Tax Reductions that Corporate big business and Banking are enjoying over past decades.

No doubt there will be some opportunity for our legal gun owners voices to be heard - but will they be listened to?

Marty K.

NZ Harper Pass & Eating Native Birds:

Harper Pass was used as the main route from Canterbury to the West Coast over the Southern Alps ( - up the Hurunui River and over the top) - until the 'discovery' of Arthurs Pass in 1866.

1866 Sketch of Harper Pass aka 'Hurunui Saddle'.

The Harper Pass is named after well connected Leonard Harper (1832-1915), (Member of Parliament and Lawyer) who was the son of Bishop Henry Harper.

- What we don't talk about is the 200,000 pounds that were embezzled in 1891 by our lawyer-friend Lennie - bankrupting his law firm - and his subsequent departure back to the old country!

Taramakau River on descent of Western Side of Harper Pass

A son of Lennie - Arthur Paul Harper (1865-1955)(another lawyer) who was equally well connected and educated at the right Christchurch school - went on to be the assistant to Charlie Douglas (Explorer) in 1893 and did much mapping and pioneering work in the Alpine country, later giving radio talks about the mountains and wildlife.

APH at Craigs Creek 1894

- I heard excerpts from one such old talk from the Radio NZ archives the other day, where APH talked about cooking and living on native birds caught by their dogs - and that they would have to tie-up the dogs to stop them bringing too many bush hens - Weka - in the early days - but then later when stoats spread through the bush (after 1890s) there was no bush tucker left for their cook pots.

They Are All Over.

- The stoats were introduced to try control the rabbits - that were introduced to provide 'sport' for the land-owners .. nobody thought to try control the land-owners eh.

Hut at Harper Pass.

 Introduced animals are a mixed but mostly sad story here in NZ. We have feral animals listed as possums (30 million), rabbits, stoats, ferrets, goats, deer, rats, pigs, wasps (10,000 per hectare in beech forest), cats (1.4 Million at the average of 220 domestic cats per urban sq.kilometre),

There is a song "There was an old woman who swallowed a fly": - Last verse..

There was an old woman who swallowed a cow,
I don't know how she swallowed a cow!
She swallowed the cow to catch the goat,
She swallowed the goat to catch the dog,
She swallowed the dog to catch the cat,
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,
That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her,
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly,
I don't know why she swallowed the fly,
Perhaps she'll die.

There was an old woman who swallowed a horse,
She's dead—of course!

 _______________

I'm surprised that those early run holders didn't introduce hyenas to catch the stoats .. and then lions to catch the ...

- An old NZ book well worth reading is 'Mr Explorer Douglas' by John Pascoe.

Marty K.

Easter Bunnies Shoot Alexandra.

After researching & writing 1,036 blogs I've got something NEW to try .. I've signed-up to Patreon. - In over five years I've not made one cent from this .. NOW you can send me a wee support $ - starting from $1. to get all this stuff from New Zealand - over a year that's nearly the price of one Shooting magazine. - Am I worth it?

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Dunblane Shooting - 20 Years Ago & Gun Crime:

13th March 1996 - sixteen children and one teacher were killed in Dunblane near Stirling, Scotland . This terrible shooting resulted in two new British Firearms Acts and the near total banning of civilian handgun ownership in UK.

Have the new Gun Bans resulted in less violent crime - less gun crime? - Feel free to research the crime statistics for your self. The latest UK police figures released suggest 'business as usual" and an upward trend.

This week in New Zealand we have had FOUR police officers shot on a rural pot growing raid, an extensive cache of 14 brand new MSSAs discovered hidden in a roof space during an Auckland area 'P-Lab' raid and TWO drug making laboratories discovered in Operation Turbo, - and all shooters must note that there are some 4,000 firearms offences committed here every year.

Parliament has fresh calls for a review of our firearms law - Is anybody surprised?

Minister of Police Judith Collins is calling for a "select committee enquiry" into how military style weapons are getting into the country.

Our leaders once again seek ways of further blaming crime on the guns and more ways to restrict the legal ownership of firearms by fit and proper persons - rather than face-up to the obvious facts that CRIME is on the increase and that the underfunding of the Police is resulting in unsolved - indeed un-investigated criminal acts, - while our prisons are so overcrowded, run by gangs, and 'policed' by private contracted-out staff - that now prison sentences are being reduced by two thirds to vacate the beds.. indicating to the 'clients' that sentencing is mostly meaningless.

- We even have convicted criminals sentenced to live at home in complete freedom - provided that they volunteer not to cut off a 'bracelet' given to them free of charge!

- WE HAVE A CRIME AND LAW ENFORCEMENT PROBLEM.

Meanwhile, prepare to face further pointless expensive restrictions and 'BANS' that will be imposed on legal shooters .. it is going to happen again.

Marty K.

Original Thinking? & Rock Art:

I had an ORIGINAL THOUGHT the other day.. something that I never claim normally - as I reckon that most that I know comes from other folks experiences and earlier work. - I'll tell you about it.

 - Well at least it felt like original - as I got this warm satisfied feeling - much like I imagine a broodmare must treasure after delivering a beautiful long-legged foal on the grass. ( - or like taking a pee in your wet-suit when diving 90 foot down under a freezing cold sea on a snowy grey day).

I'd actually been for a steep uphill climb under blazing hot skies to view some Maori 'Rock Drawings'. - Well it was a failed walk because I gave-up - and left the flies, sweat, cow shit, sun-burn, fences-to-climb & my gasping for breath to someone else - while I returned to the shade and comfort of my car down at the road and emptied a bottle of peach flavoured water down my throat.

Prehistoric Maori Rock Art - Not ORIGINAL

-as Was over-painted with House-Paint in 1929

I admit that I was saddened to not climb manfully all the way - but it was a good effort eh.

It's a sad indictment that even remotely located house-paint daubs have to be securely protected from interference.

- I think my returned companion was concerned to find me quietly stretched-out - and anxiously hoped that I had not croaked.

Do you know that joke?: "Grandad, - can you make a noise like a frog? .. Maybe kid - why do you ask? - well mum says that when you croak we'll be able to have a trip to Disneyland .."

Great views from up there - good Moa hunting country eh.

Ah yes  - that ORIGINAL thought .. well we were discussing who should and shouldn't have guns and why - and I concluded, while passing the Irish Whiskey - "that there are two kinds of people - those with guns and those without  - and I want to be one of those with."

Marty K.

“Cogito, ergo sum armatus: I think, therefore I am armed.”
- Anonymous

The First Ever Lubricated Bullet?

Around 1850 a "very curious and interesting magazine gun" known as 'The Jennings' was conceived as a repeater but proved to be too complex to make - so was initially built as a breech loading single shot. Later when attempts were again made to market it as a repeater the bores were found to so badly 'lead' from repeated shots using the pure lead bullets - that accuracy was completely lost.. one could fire some twenty shots rapidly but not hit a man sized target at 500 yards - due to leading that reduced the bore "to the extent that in firing twenty shots from a 50-100 calibre bore there would be a hole in the barrel less than 25-100."

South Island NZ 'Homer Road Tunnel'

 - Looking Much as I recall my Glock Barrel

after a Magazine Full of Soft Lead Re-loads!

(- I am very familiar with that effect from my early attempts to use swaged lead bullets in a first generation Glock 9mm. !) (You name it - I've tried it!)

A Jennings Rifle from 1850s

Robbins & Lawrence (of Windsor, Vermont) were contracted to make 5,000 of the Jennings rifles and Mr R S Lawrence recalled that " The charge of powder was contained in the ball, consisting of twenty two grains of powder only."

The leading problem was the result of not using a "spit lubed patch" like muzzle loaders used.

Early Volcanic Type Bullet.

- Now the thinking man will have already seen that this is a very early design of CASELESS Ammunition.

Mr Lawrence spent most of one night before a demonstration appointment - trying to devise some way to remedy the trouble - and recalled - "At last the simple remedy came, which has proven to be the salvation of all breech loading guns."

" .. purchased a small piece of tallow. With the aid of a lathe in the cartridge shop on the ground, I turned out a number of grooves on the balls and filled them with tallow. I then went on to the stand and hit the target ten times in twenty shots. By this time I had the sights regulated and could hit the target about every shot, and finished after many shots with a clean gun barrel."

Structure of Volcanic Type Case-less Bullet.

'Tallow' is a hard waxy substance made from rendered beef or mutton fat that is used in making soap and candles. ( Rendered fat from pork is called "lard".) - Millions of tonnes of noxious bi-products are 'rendered' every year - separating tallow from meat/blood & bone fertilisers - animal feedstuffs.

Tallow.

- My strange but non-scientific observations - Our New Zealand hard-man shearers will tend to have soft hands from their regular contact with sheep grease (crude lanolin, wool grease) - whereas many of us who like to eat meat and dairy products will suffer from what is known as 'hardening of the arteries' from the build-up of fatty deposits in the blood vessels - which impedes the flow of blood to the heart and organs. - This is the opposite affect of the grease on bullets, that helps keep the barrels clear and fast flowing.

Sourced mostly from a three part story "Forerunners of the First Winchester" by Thomas E Hall published in early "Gun Digest", 11th, 12th, & 13th editions. (1956 onward).

Marty K.
Leading in a rifled barrel is not a simple matter of  'too soft lead'  - it's all about getting a good gas seal with the projectile 'obturating' in the bore - expanding to seal - as leaking hot gas blasting past a bullet will melt the surface and 'solder' it onto the bore. A too hard alloy will fail to obturate - and a too soft surface will melt from the friction as it accelerates down the barrel. - Size is important, while the lubricant reduces friction and helps the gas seal.

It's a doubly good idea to use copper jacketed or plated projectiles - they can't spread the lead into your guns barrel or onto your skin - nor the vapours up your nose.

MK.
After researching & writing 1,036 blogs I've got something NEW to try .. I've signed-up to Patreon. - In over five years I've not made one cent from this .. NOW you can send me a wee support $ - starting from $1. to get all this stuff from New Zealand - over a year that's nearly the price of one Shooting magazine. - Am I worth it?

https://www.patreon.com/user?u=16618870