'BUY BACK' - Minnesota:

A Minneapolis gun buyback program targeting weapons used in street crimes may be shooting blanks, as detractors said a Saturday collection mostly took in antiquated, unused or homemade arms from legal owners and did little to thin the firearm supply actually available to dangerous criminals.

Two Minneapolis locations collected about 150 firearms Saturday, but both exchanges were forced to shut down several hours early when officials ran out of Visa gift cards – $25,000 worth, The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported.

One person constructed a “shotgun” out of a piece of wood, some tape and a pipe. They were given a $100 gift card for the contraption. It appears that firearms users are following the Australian 'buy-back' scandal from a few years ago - and are making "guns" from rubbish just to hand them in for cash.

One anonymous gun owner said he received $200 in gift cards that he planned to use to buy a new firearm. That man said he didn’t think the program was serving its intended purpose.

“I just don’t feel that a criminal is going to come up to a fire department with a bunch of police around it and turn in a gun,” he said.

Marty K.

Wedgetail Industries Australia - AR-15s:

The Firearms Blog are reporting that Wedgetail Industries has started manufacturing in Australia semi-automatic AR-15s for domestic sale. Named after the Aussie wedgetailed eagle, they are making the critical components for the AR-15 including, but not limited to:

• Barrel
• Bolt
• Bolt Carrier
• Trigger Group
• Upper Receiver
• & Lower Receiver.

Seeing that the firearms are already very restricted there, Wedgetail are offering the weapon in what the US would classify as “short barrel” and standard rifles. The first offerings include a 10.5″, a 14.5″, and 16″ carbine. All weapons are 100% ambidextrous, using an ambi charging handle, Norgon ambi-catch, and a Teal Blue Bravo PDQ style bolt catch/release.

- Replying to the Firearms Blog post - Wedgetail say we should expect to see further developments from them in coming weeks - possibly in them selling new products & hard to find spare parts into the very regulated Australian market.

Rifles in .223" and 300BLK are offered by WEDGETAIL INDUSTRIES who are listed as a private company registered in Tasmania? / Victoria.

This is great news for the Aussies - now having both Lithgow Arms. & Wedgetail making shooting gear inside their borders - so no Import Permits required.  Good news.

If anyone can give me more details, - contact information etc. - I'd be happy to post it and support them in any way.

https://wedgetailindustries.com/contact/

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?

https://www.patreon.com/posts/24075745.

Safeties on Glocks & 'Little Cartridges' 32s &.25s:

I got a real bargain the other day - second-hand paperback by Gerald Seymour for 50 cents from a Christchurch "Op-Shop" run by the St. Vincent de Paul Society.

- Great book - 'The Walking Dead' that held my attention for hours while running three separate story lines that come together in the end.

The best value read you can imagine - while also being a revelation about anti-terrorist activity and suicide bombers - with only a couple of annoying references to the use of a 'safety' on Glock pistols!

- Glocks do not generally come fitted with an external safety switch .. and I'd not describe the normal sights as "a V and bead".

But there you go - Twenty Chapters -  559 pages for 50 cents - and that's all there is to complain about?

_____________________

 - And to a link to more reading ! - http://weaponsman.com/?p=34224 

    
 'Why Were Little Cartridges EVER Good Enough?'

An unusual post from a murican that reaches outside the fashionable gun issues and attempts to explain how it was that .32"s were the 'in' caliber for Police Law Enforcement from around 1900 to the 1960s.

- So maybe we have grown some 30 pounds average heavier eh - is that the difference .. sodas, shakes, & fries?

Not only is the main article good - but the 'comments' that follow are almost as entertaining and informative - with several stories about citizens shooting to terminate robberies etc.

 " - And to the standing joke, which may have originated with Jeff Cooper, is, “Never shoot a man with a .32"  - It might make him angry, and then he’ll want to fight.”

Marty K.

http://weaponsman.com/  - may have something worthwhile to say on other topics?

Charlton Automatic Rifle - Made Here In NZ:

Just to remind you guys - before & during WWII New Zealand was directly threatened by the forces of Japan in the 'Pacific Theater' - and we were pushed for military supplies. We are for ever indebted to US Forces for saving our butts by stopping the Southern movement of the Japanese forces in the Pacific Islands.

US Marines Raising The Flag on Iwo Jima

- Philip Charlton and his shooting mate Maurice Field invented and developed a system in the early 1940s that modified old Lee-Metford .303" rifles into light machine-guns - and they really worked.

The story of how they built 1,500 'Charltons' here in NZ and how their design was also taken-up in Australia is brilliantly told by Forgotten Weapons.Com. - just click on the link eh:

http://www.forgottenweapons.com/light-machine-guns/charlton-automatic-rifle/

- Sadly nearly all of these interesting firearms were destroyed in an armory fire and only very few survive in museums.

Note: Christchurch dealer Gun City were recently offering a replica for NZ$7,000. I don't know if they still have it.

Marty K.
P.S.  Rod (the Retiree) has added this extra meat to the Charlton story from the 'deep
down South':

Hi Marty,  I have been researching the Charlton for the past 40 years. There are only about 9 – 10 originals known to exist in the World today.  I have examined or seen 6 of them and currently own two of them.  The very few that survived the Palmerston North fire were gas-axed by the Army and dumped.

  An example recently sold at the Wellington Branch auction for $5800 but is believed to be a reproduction.  I was not there to examine it but I can tell from the photos that there are inconsistencies with the originals I have examined over the years.

 Although that parts were made on a production basis during WW2 by a variety of companies in the North Island, the guns were hand assembled and tuned.  Consequently they were never fitted with truly interchangeable parts as is usual with military weapons.

  I knew an old WW2 armourer who was tasked with accepting them into service and he told me they needed constant tuning to keep them running.  The handbook said that full-auto fire should only be used in emergencies.  He told me that too much full-auto fire caused the gun to speed up until the bolt head fractured.  Apparently the various friction adjustments loosened up when the gun warmed up.  They remain an interesting stop-gap example of ingenuity!

Cheers, Rod.

Only in America - Gun Legislation:

Some students at the University of Texas in Austin are protesting new laws that allow students older than 21 to carry their guns in specified areas of the campus - by carrying Dildos as a symbol., "Cocks not Glocks"

Texas's Legislature passed the law last year allowing licensed concealed carry permit holders to retain their guns in most public areas of  public university campuses.

___________

Meanwhile in California - concerned citizens are signing a petition organised by San Diego based CEO Barry Bahrami against California's "Gunmageddon Gun Laws" that Governor Jerry Brown recently signed to make any rifle with a detachable magazine be classed as an "ASSAULT RIFLE"

"These laws are completely insane to almost anyone with a real knowledge of firearms, and I did not think Gov. Brown would sign them," Bahrami told FoxNews.com. "Many California gun owners are still unaware they will be criminals soon."

Marty K.
.. The whole world's gone mad !!

Frauds, Lies & Corruption - Illegal "Assault Rifles":

So in the UK - The CHILCOT INQUIRY has exposed the lies, deceptions, and stupidity of our crazy invasion and destruction of Iraq. - They (We) didn't even bother to record the civilian casualties and deaths.

- But we took part in it (and still are.).

Meanwhile the same "Clean - Green" National Government as above - paid some form of 'lip service' to the Kyoto Agreement (about reducing Global Climate Change). They approved a farcical set of regulations that encouraged corporates to buy $100 million of fraudulent Ukranian and Russian carbon credits that have virtually no value or use unless there's a toilet tissue shortage

BP, Z-Energy, NZ Steel, Fonterra, - and the likes of local Ngai Tahu Forest Estates rushed into the credits grab of useless fancy printed paper to show how green they are (and to save tax).

- Someone should call on the Police to investigate and expose this fraud to NZ taxpayers - now that the Morgan Foundation has pointed it out. But the Police likely don't have the resources for a proper investigation.

________________

This morning Radio NZ ran an interview with David Tipple - owner of Gun City - where they tried to embarrass him about sales of "MSSA"s which the uninformed & ignorant are claiming are the cause of all gun crime.. Question "What use can these weapons have?"

(This is NOT an 'MSSA')

The Parliamentary panel looking at criminals with guns of that type - is obviously going to further restrict lawful ownership or 'BAN' semi-autos.. while it is equally obvious that what needs to be done is - spend more on police and crime prevention.

Meanwhile back in Parliament - The Parliamentary Commission into Law & Order will eventually finish ignoring the 90 odd submissions that New Zealand shooters could be bothered to make about criminals stealing guns that they are not allowed by law to have or use.

 - And they will no doubt announce what further restrictions and costs they will impose on legal lawful 'FIT & PROPER' licensed firearms users and shooters in due course.

I doubt that their changes will include resourcing a couple of thousand more front-line Police Officers or building a few more large prisons to keep the crooks in off the streets. I think that high walls work better than a plastic ankle bangle .. but they might cost a bit extra short term.

Mary K.
Note: From 230,000 New Zealand licensed firearms users - and the 7,409 'E' Category endorsed licence holders - (legally able to own and use an "MSSA" ) - only 90 Submissions were made to the committee investigating Criminal use of illegal firearms ! 

- I've heard it said that we get the government that we deserve.

Delayed Releases: Kimber K6 Revolver & Bond Arms 'Bull-Pup':

I keep looking for news that these two guns are available and being reviewed independently while shot on range .. But NOTHING !

The Kimber K6 was announced back in January but since then there has been  Nout - Nada - Zilch!

Back then they did manage to publish a superb picture of a prototype firing a dramatic flame ring:

- Maybe something happened that they don't want anyone to hear about.. (there's not much metal around those chambers eh).

_____________

- and as for the Bond Arms "Bull Pup" - that used to be aka the 'Boberg' ? - Bond Arms announced that they had bought Boberg way back in November 2015.

Lovely new wooden grips at the gun Show so far - but still waiting ..

- Forum gossip is that maybe the issue Bond Arms has is trying to get the selling price down below $1,000 to encourage buyers. - Bobergs original manufacture involved much expensive precise machining.

 If Bond Arms were listening I'd suggest they approach Rugers lost wax casting facility to see if they can squirt some stainless steel components for them in a near finished state. - That's 'Pine Tree Castings', Newport, NH. - most of the other Stateside gun-makers use Rugers investment castings  already!

I know that we are most unlikely to ever see examples of either short-barreled piece down here in New Zealand because our current regulations won't permit them to be owned or shot outside of Military or Law Enforcement control.

 But they are interesting & new and shooters deserve to have some light shone on the true situation by the shooting media. - However I am well aware that most American shooting magazines are owned by (- and the content is controlled by) - the Industry's leading manufacturers .. no partiality here then.

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?

https://www.patreon.com/posts/24075745

Olympic Shooting Results & Medals:

I think that it's all about over - apart from "the fat woman singing" - and the tables are being published so that we can all work-out just how many millions each medal has cost its respective nations tax-payers.

The 'Gold' medals - in this the 'Corrupt Age' - are of course NOT gold - as the last time real gold ones were handed-out was in 1912 ..  only the silver and bronze are genuine honest metal.

Medal standings · SHOOTING

	Country
	1 Italy		4		3		0		7
	2 Germany		3		1		0		4
	3 China		1		2		4		7
	4 South Korea		1		1		0		2
	4 Vietnam		1		1		0		2
	5 United States		1		0		2		3
	6 Greece		1		0		1		2
	6 Independent Olympic Athletes		1		0		1		2
	7 Australia		1		0		0		1
	7 Croatia		1		0		0		1
	10 New Zealand		0		1		0		1

It's perhaps a little surprising that the United States shot below top - scoring only Fifth in the shooting sports - when you recall how infamous they are meant to be for firearms usage.

- Still it will be a small compensation for the US medal winners to get $25,000, $15,000, or $10,000 each - awarded from the US Olympic Committee. - Sadly they have to pay income tax on that cash - as well as on the medals value (Bronze valued at $4. - $600 for the plated one).

The great thing for us Kiwis is that we can count one Silver Medal for the Womans Trap Shooting - Well done Natalie Rooney.

Marty K.

US Gun Sales Up & the Age we Live in?:

The gun manufacturer Smith & Wesson’s share price reached an all-time high on Monday after it was reported that the background checks for new guns had set a new record for July.

Shares in Sturm Ruger, the US’s largest gun maker, also surged on the news, ending the day up 2%, at $69.40.

A total of 2,197,169 firearms background checks were processed last month.Like its rival Smith & Wesson, Sturm Ruger has benefited from a huge rise in gun sales under the Obama administration. Share prices in both companies are close to record highs and have peaked after each mass shooting as gun owners worry that new rules will restrict ownership.

_____________

Nothing at all to do with the above booming gun sales .. but has anyone else noticed that just about EVERY current organisation we live with on this planet is CORRUPT ?

FIFA, Cricket, Cycling, Olympic athletics, Formula 1 motor sport, International political 'facts' (like "weapons of mass destruction") - even the big Charities are run for the benefit of their executives.

- How can the worlds largest "Democracy" select a bum  like Trump as a serious Presidential Candidate? - with the alternative choice a Clinton that nobody likes or wanted?

They prefer the 'Trump Has No Balls' Statues to The Real Thing In America.

 - How can something like a proposed pedestrian  'garden bridge'  across the Thames have cost UK tax-payers 37.7 MILLION POUNDS  already  before a single brick has been laid?

- How can elected Western governments claim that there is no money available for better policing, better health services, better education etc., while cutting corporate business taxes (as they have) by 40% in the last 40 odd years?

I would suggest that we have come a long way over the years that we humans have been around: The Stone Age - The Bronze Age - The Iron Age - The Industrial Age - The Information Age - and now - The Corrupt Age.

Everyone seems to be lying, lobbying, and fiddling the books to grab wealth for themselves while the rest of us sit back watching crap on TV - sucking fizzy sodas and eating 'fast food'.

- The Rich are getting richer and ...

Does anyone still think that "we the people" are running the world - or is it Big Business and crooks?

Marty K.

Black Powder Charging - Ruger Old Army;

I had the 'Number One' Old Army on range again last week .. fun, fun.

Everyone seems to appreciate it's soft "BOOM" and smelly smoke screen - including a Harley rider first-time lady visitor.

I had some failures to fire - maybe caused by percussion caps not seated solidly? - and indeed also had one go 'crack-fizzle-nothing'. - Life must have been precarious back in those Frontier Indian fighting days eh.

 All went 'boom' nicely the second time around - Maybe I have been getting a wee bit over-confident and need to settle down and seat those caps more deliberately.

I've now used three different systems for charging the chambers with powder - and think that I'll settle for just scooping loose doses from a container on the firing line - making sure to seal the lid in place and remove the container from the firing position before capping and firing.

- Both using pre-weighed doses in small containers and building consumable paper cartridges work fine - but hardly seem to be worth the effort.

Black-Powder Clutter.

The messiest part of black powder revolver shooting is using grease to seal and lube the chambers after seating the balls. I seem to smear the grease around a bit and then - when fired it generously spreads itself further around the shooting bay (splat!) and down-range onto close-by targets.

I actually (almost) enjoy the cleaning and oiling chore after charcoal burning - I must be getting more tolerant with age - but you definitely need to make the soapy boil-up & scrub out the very first job to do BEFORE sitting down to relax!

I was also thinking that JBTFL might improve his first-strike capabilities on his .36" Uberti Navy by unscrewing his nipples a turn - or even by inserting some wee washers or shims under them?

Life is good,

Marty K.

Effectiveness of Handgun Calibers - & Guard Dogs:

Greg Ellifritz's 'Weekend Knowledge Dump' just landed on my desktop .. desktop because my laptop failed in a big way a week ago with a "corrupted hard-drive"? - so I have been rescued again by good friend 'J' who spent more than 12 hours locating, checking and setting-up the new upgraded (recycled & used) p.c. while also stripping open the lap-top and replacing that hard drive with a new, larger-solid state component bought from his favorite computer component suppliers.. involving a lot of driving around Christchurch.

Note: That fairly expensive laptop is only just about two years old - but I guess its maker can't be blamed for the invading viruses that have stuffed it.

- Enough already - Gregs weekend newsletter included this link to a story about effectiveness of various calibers for self defense .. well worth a look:

https://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2016/8/9/bullet-penetration-and-expansion/

- And a link to a story by firearms expert  Massad Ayoob about thoughts and practicalities of getting a dog as a pet and for home security:

http://www.personaldefenseworld.com/2016/08/canine-canine-security-trained-protection-dogs-for-home-defense/#protection-dog-3

- And for any of you not aware of Gregs FACT BASED original research as a Police Officer and Trainer - into the effectiveness of the more usual handguns (and long arms!) - from recorded events gathered over a ten year period:

http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/node/7866

I had (sort-of) forgotten the details of Gregs research findings based on ACTUAL shootings and was elated to note that the table for .32s .. only 32"Long & .32ACP - records 72% actually incapacitated by one shot (torso or head hit).

That is a top performance for small caliber rounds/guns dismissed by many as ineffective mouse guns.

_____________

Just as anyone thinking about having a gun in their control - will need to like and to be interested in their use - and to train / practice with that gun..

-  Owning a large effective animal such as a protective DOG has to be taken equally seriously as a long term commitment.

Marty K.

BOTTLENECK Pistol Cartridges & 7.5FK:

The August issue of Guns & Ammo magazine carried a full page advert for the 7.5FK Brno cartridge and pistol.

- Never heard of either of them! - but I noted that this was another "Bottleneck" suped-up round (or is that 'souped-up?) that might be the new improved best-thing-since-sliced-bread.

Actually I should like this new cartridge as it is "a .30 Caliber"  - or more accurately it is very close to being a high pressure, high velocity .32"  - but it currently is not SAAMI specified and it is pricey.

Since 2010 - the 7.5FK promises to deliver a 103gn .30 caliber pill down range at 2,000 feet per second for a muzzle energy of 960 ft.lb. as a long range hunting round.

BRNO 7.5FK Field Pistol. - 2,000ft./sec.

(looks a bit like an old Webley Air-gun)

Don't confuse this proprietary 7.5FK round with the FN 5.7x28 which is also a 'bottleneck" high speed hottie.

FN 5.7x28mm - Can Drive its .22"s at 2,800ft.per.sec.

Next addition is the .22TCM that looks like a 9mm necked down to .22" but it's actually based on 5.56x54 brass. This bottleneck also runs at  2,800 feet per second with 40 grain bullets and there is a conversion based on Glock 17 magazines.

 .22TCM Compared to FN5.7x28, and .223" Rem.

Then there is the .357 SIG - developed in 1994 that can push-out its 9mm sized bullets from a .40" size necked-down case at around 1,500 ft. per sec.

.357 SIG

- Then there is the .32 NAA from 2002..

.32NAA is a suped-up .32 ACP that appears as a necked-down 380acp case that can push its 60gn pills out at 1,222ft.per.sec.

- These bottlenecks all bring to mind that 'oldie-but-goodie' - the .30 Luger (7.65x21mm) - even this antique could manage 1,200ft.per.sec. way back when my old Co. Wicklow Dad was in shorts and bare feet.

________________________

- However - while recognising that it must be fun to pee-about looking to re-invent & improve the mouse-trap in hope of making a fortune - may I just slip-in an observation that even our nearly as ancient European 9x19 Luger can be driven as fast as 2,000 feet per second with a 50gn bullet? (Liberty Civil Defence Ammunition)

.. Time will tell as to how many of these will still be around in 2116 eh.. but we should remember that bottleneck rounds do feed very reliably in autos.

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?

https://www.patreon.com/posts/24075745