India's Defense Forces Rifle - & Our Choices:

The selection of a main issue Rifle in India is proving to be complex. Recent reports claim that the locally built Escalibur 5.56 mm will be issued - while the long-term replacement process's continue.

The Excalibur is supposed to be an improved version of the INSAS rifle (Indian Small Arms System) firing 5.56×45 mm ammunition. It has full-automatic capability (the INSAS fires a three-round burst).

India's Defense Forces have been using an additional 100,000 AKM rifles in 7.62x39mm since 1990-1992. - The INSAS design is a "mix & match" design "based on" the Kalashnikov design but in NATO 5.56x45mm caliber.

The Excalibur barrel is shorter by 4 mm, has a side folding butt stock and features a Picatinny** rail that allows a range of weapon sights and accessories to be fitted on the rifle.

 Rifle Factory Ishapore is said to need at least eight months to incorporate design changes suggested by the ARDE - and to produce field prototypes of what they are calling the ‘Modified INSAS Rifle’ (MIR). - Hopefully this 'indigenous' Excalibur design will select the best features of other designs and incorporate them successfully.

Changes after trials include an improved polycarbonate magazine to replace an earlier magazine found to be prone to failure from cracking.

**  "Picatinny"  is the Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey, USA - where this design of accessory attachment rail was tested and set as a military standard .. Mil-STD-1913 (dated February 1995).

The New Zealand DF have recently changed our general purpose rifle from the worn-out Steyr AUG Bullpups to the CQB16 from US supplier Lewis Machine & Tool - reportedly buying some 8,800 rifles.

It seems that capability to fit various optical sighting options is a critical factor (- along with mix'n'match compatibility with the US forces supply system.)

NZDF CQB16.
Lewis Machine & Tool

While the Indian authorities appear to be grappling with an additional caliber choice (AK or NATO?) - We Kiwis decided to go away from the advanced (NATO caliber) Steyr AUG Bullpup rifle design and have regressed to an M16 style "American Black Rifle".

 - Meanwhile our Australian friends across the ditch (Tasman Sea) opted to update to a locally developed iteration of the Steyr AUG made by Thales Australia.

Australia's Choice: Thales F90 (EF88)

- With constant technical progress (eg. caseless ammo) being investigated - It is not easy to wisely spend so much taxpayers money .. when the wrong decision can seriously harm the countries security and the lives of valued service personnel.

 - However, I get the impression that NZs serving warriors are happy with the new 5.56mm LM&T 'Black Rifle' choice.

Marty K.

The Sporting Shooters Association NZ - and The Real Wool:

TV NZ says that 83% of New Zealanders want tougher gun laws.

Would you join the NRA if you lived in America?

New Zealand Shooters: Please Join SSANZ

www.sportingshooters.nz

SPORTING SHOOTERS ASSOCIATION OF NEW ZEALAND

Membership Enquiries:

09 436 4065

E.Mail: oilyrag@xtra.co.nz

- If you can't bother to join an organisation (for only $20) that represents you - don't be surprised when new Laws cost you personally thousands of dollars to keep your guns.

_____________

Well I'm the first to admit that I'm getting older and tend to stick with the familiar - but I reckon that woolen clothing and blankets really are 'better' than plastic 'fleece'.. Baaah!

Cotton is definitely Cooling  - & Wool is Warming .. but polyethelene terepthalate??

- Testing seems to suggest that they are similar in insulation value - both when wet or dry - but I reckon our local winds seem to rip the heat away easier from 'fleece' than from the sheep's back-hair.

http://woodtrekker.blogspot.co.nz/2012/11/fleece-vs-wool-insulation.html

New Zealands winds are very lazy - They'll go straight through you rather than go around.

The synthetic stuff dries quicker than t'other so it may chill you more while drying - but the real swinger for me is that WOOL is naturally flame-retardant and won't burn you. - Woolen clothing will char, stink and go-out - But fleece 'sticks like sh*t to a blanket'  as it melts.

"Polar Fleece" is generally made from re-cycled soda bottles that are Polyethelene Terepthalate - an oil based polyester - a petroleum derivative. It makes static electricity (as does wool) and when laundered it generates micro-plastics into the waste water.

Re-cycling is good for sure (But glass soda bottles would be better) - but are you going to dress your kids in fleecy plastic rompers and blankets that might harm them?

Smelly Old WOOL SwannDri Bush Shirt

 - Strong Enough to Carry that Porker by Itself When Wet.

Yes I know that coarse wool can be scratchy - but 'Merino' wool is fine and soft.

New Zealand Merino Sheep Look Plenty Warm Despite The Snow.

Here in NZ - I buy socks and 'tops' made from merino wool blended with possum fur (a natural hollow fiber) - and it's so cosy on a frosty pistol range.

Fits Like a Glock In a Sock.

There may still be some black powder shooters who stamp-out their own wool felt wads to use between the powder and the ball.

Wool - You pays your money and makes your choices eh.

Marty K.

Beretta 3032 Tomcat Inox - A Handy Pistol:

Introduced in 1996 - I'd like to say that the 3032 Tomcat is a great little pistol - except that they had a major problem with the frames cracking above the trigger guard area on early production of the blued models.

Beretta fixed this issue by increasing the thickness of this section of the frame - and the freshly introduced 'INOX' stainless model has been free of this failure.

Inox Model Beretta Tomcat .32 ACP 

I think that the open-top slide and 'Tip-Up' action of the very short .32 ACP barrel (2.4") is the most noteworthy and useful feature of this subcompact design:

Beretta 'Made in USA'

Operating that 'release latch' above the rear of the trigger - frees the barrel to spring-up - exposing the chamber so that a round can be inserted (chambered) without having to manually pull open the slide against the frame mounted recoil springs. - This is a feature that might be very special to anyone having a strength problem in their hands.

The 'INOX' model uses an aluminum frame color anodized to match the stainless steel finish of the slide and barrel.

- It is a simple hammer fired 'blow-back' action that operates reliably without any extractor - the empty cases being 'blown out' of the chamber by residual pressure. The trigger action is DA / SA while the magazine holds seven rounds .. plus the eighth round that is chambered into the barrel by hand.

Although some online folk complain that the Tomcat is heavy at 14 ounces empty - and wide for a sub-compact - it is a small pistol - so small that most shooters will only get a two finger grip on the butt with their pinkie curled under.

Sootch00 does a good job of shooting & reviewing the Tomcat and showing you how that barrel springs up:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGkbnV_OyY0

Marty K.

P.S: On reflection - I guess that a small framed revolver in perhaps .32" (327 Federal Magnum?) - .38" or .22" caliber might also suit strength and function impaired shooters in a similar fashion. The only remaining limiting factor would then be the required trigger pressure.

6 Shot Ruger LCR 327 Federal Magnum.

- Can Also Fire 32 ACP

M.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

Gun Digest 2017 & NZ Labour Day:

Today being the fourth Monday in October is Labour Day here in New Zealand - a Public holiday making it a three-Day Weekend - that is generally reckoned to herald the end of Winter and to be soon enough to get-out into the garden and plant-up the vegetables.

- Well I started this years 'backyard Supermarket' weeks ago - which is just as well 'cos today is grey, cool and too wet outside for gardening - so instead I've been looking through the latest 71st edition Gun Digest instead.

Some excellent articles - so I won't 'do a 1911' and tell you how wonderful it is as long as you correct all its faults - except to note that the catalog section at the back seems to have been hurriedly thrown together by the computer-savvy office junior with some photos appearing on a different page to the entry - or even  totally AWOL.

One story piece compares the velocity performance of various projectile coatings - with surprising results - molybdenum disulfide, copper plated, and polymer coated - with cast, swagged and FMJ pills.

The fastest pills from the experimental measurements were CAST .. followed by polymer-coated, - then Moly-coated, - Swaged,  - FMJ - and last (slowest) .. the Plated projectiles.

- A Spread over a significant variation of nearly 100 foot per second velocity range.

Another story about the 327 Federal Magnum tells the history of .32" developments with the various cartridges that have evolved over the last 138 years since the .32 S&W was introduced and focuses on the very same model SP101 Ruger that I'm STILL waiting for.

- I looked through the Catalog section for Auto-loader Handguns and was pleased to record that five different makers list pistols in .32 caliber - including the clever** Beretta Tomcat with its "tip-up" barrel. ** It is a different and useful design - BUT there is a big problem with frame cracking on early blued guns that the later 'Inox' stainless models seem to have fixed.

Marty K.

Glock Rim-Fire - High Cap Mags.- (Or even in .32"?)

I own an Advantage Arms .22 conversion kit for my G 17 - it also fits & works OK on 'Cutter's' .40" S&W caliber Glock.

I have to tell you that this good looking conversion works very well when clean and lubricated and when using decent ammunition that suits the pistol. - I also need to say that when the gun is dirty and feeling neglected - and if it is being force-fed "El-Cheapo" brand long-rifle rounds - it will choke about every other pull of the trigger - just like some other .22" pistols I've owned.

I would guess that this level of performance would NOT be acceptable to Glock Ges engineers.

If Glock were ever to work on the development of a rim-fire firearm - their first decision might need to be - do we build a 'Practice gun' that would simulate shooting a G19 sized gun perhaps, - or do you develop a pistol that is built down-sized to match the small .22 Long Rifle cartridges compact dimensions? - or maybe why not explore both alternatives together.

- Could it be time for their Germanic engineers to be really brave and design a completely new pattern of 'Glock' that is totally reliable in all flavors of the .22 Long Rifle cartridge (and maybe the .32 ACP** too)? - Could be that it is time that someone designs a box magazine that works perfectly with more than ten rim-fire rounds - how about a twenty round double stack .22 R/F magazine for a pistol? - I know they'd be banned anywhere the place name begins with 'C'.. but the small rim-fire rounds might have been designed for a high capacity pack (except for those 'sticky-out' rims).

 - Kel-Tec seems to have warp-jumped forward successfully with the PMR-30 thirty round .22" WMR rimmed cartridges - by using a stub divider wall to keep the two rows of rimmed rounds apart in the magazine body below the feed lips. - However the .22 Magnum is around a third longer than the one inch .22 L/R round and it may be more stable.

Kel-Tec PMR-30 - A Successful THIRTY ROUND 
Double Stack Rim-Fire Magazine

Let's hear it for Kel-Tec.

- So it may be possible to do something similar for the shorter .22 rim-fire caliber.. indeed it is rumored that Kel-Tec are working on it.

- Another decision required is - do you opt for a fixed barrel blow-back design which is generally capable of good accuracy - or do you attempt to make a .22" function and look like a center-fire gun?

Ruger Mk.IV Fixed Barrel With Blow-back Bolt.

- Distinctively a "Two-Two"-With Quick'n'Easy Take-down.

Maybe 'Austrian Sporting Arms' has already answered the design issue with their ISSC M22 pistol (G19 sized) that provides a 'Nearly-a-Glock' in .22" R/F. These guns seem to function well when using high-velocity ammo and they use a fixed barrel with the recoil spring wound around the barrel.

Austrian Sporting Arms ISSC M22

 -Early Guns Were Near Enough to Get Sued By Glock.

ISSC build their current models with several deliberate changes to the Glockish looks - plus they come with manual safeties fitted. ISSC also chooses to build these pistols with an external hammer.

http://www.handgunsmag.com/reviews/review-issc-m22/

Gunblast has a positive review here:

http://www.gunblast.com/ISSC-M22.htm

- Now, if ISSC Handels GmbH were to make a double-stack high capacity 20 round .22 L/R rim-fire magazine - there is after-all plenty room enough in the average sized pistol grip.

Marty K.

**  Now there's a thought .. How about Glock considering a .32 GAMP ?   A new extended, strengthened case, maybe 7.65x22mm - high pressure versatile 32 caliber auto-pistol cartridge might prove to be a winning formula with a large-capacity magazine that might be both soft recoiling when wanted - and a full-power 'Magnum' cartridge when loaded for high velocity.

It could be a hand-loaders dream with so many 30 Caliber (.312"/.313") rifle bullets in use.

- Let's hear it for a 32 Glock Auto Magnum Pistol.

M.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

Jerry-Lee Lewis Was Armed On Stage:

Which wild man of Rock'n'Roll is this then?

"But underneath the chemicals was a plain streak of ornery, with bright flashes of outright crazy. He began to collect guns, nickel plated .357s and even machine guns, carried them with him in the touring cars, on private planes, and even took pocket guns onstage, a habit that would continue for years and years.

"I'd go on stage an, pull my pistol out, set it on the piano," he says. There were threats, and rumors of threats, and they still had to fight their way out of the best joints they played , - and he used that trick with the microphone stand again and again - from the Midwest to Atlanta.

He had learned to take the microphone off the stand and fling it out like a rock on the end of a rope - at a rude fan or a drunk, holding onto one end of the cord ..."

Jerry Lee Lewis in the 1960s . - Booze, Pills, Girls, Guns, & Rock and Roll!

"Hey Jerry Lee, Myra's (his thirteen year old third wife) in the next room." And I said "Well she'll have to wait her turn."

Myra - Jerry's 13 Year Old Wife

 - And Second Cousin

The words frenetic energy were written 100% for him - try listening to this live recording:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oxh9XIiVUAE

Jerry Lee With Two Of His Loves.

The book 'Jerry Lee Lewis. His Own Story' by Rick Bragg is full of the real stuff of Rock and Roll - written by an author I really rated already - for his books telling about his own childhood and family down in the Deep South, Louisiana and the Appalachians.

"Lost pills and empty casings mixed in the shag pile carpeting. He carried a pocket pistol pretty much all the time now - pearl handled automatics, dependable snub-nosed .38s and over-and-under .22 derringers.."

Talk about "politically incorrect"! - A different place and a different time.

Marty K.

Dry Firing - WHY Practice Makes Perfect: MYELIN:

We all know that practicing a skill repeatedly makes us better at that task.  - One story is that our bodies develop 'MUSCLE MEMORY' - Nah, it's really 'Neural Pathways'.

Of course - when you consider it, this muscle memory idea is daft - as our muscles are mostly 'meat' and don't retain memories - that job is done in the brain.

- However - you had better make sure that what you practice is the right way.  The above picture shows focus on the front sight. - If you practice this - you will DO this when shooting.. which is likely what you need to do.

When you practice anything by repetition - what actually happens is that neural pathways develop in your brain and nervous system which will help you to repeat that action.

When you repeatedly perform any action your brain recognizes that repetition as significant and responds by coating these special neural pathways with a fatty substance myelin that reinforces that circuit and helps the signals to travel faster - this results in incrementally faster and more reliable actions.

Practice well & practice often and you will reach a stage of  'Automation' where your brain will know what your body needs to do - before you consciously input the instructions.

- The next time you need to shoot for real - these myelinated smooth pathways act like sealed Expressways rather than bumpy dirt tracks - guiding your brains instructions through a circuit to your muscles - resulting in faster, accurate function.

Google says:
Myelin: a mixture of proteins and phospholipids forming a whitish insulating sheath around many nerve fibres, which increases the speed at which impulses are conducted.

Wikipedia says:
Myelin is a fatty white substance that surrounds the axon of some nerve cells, forming an electrically insulating layer. It is essential for the proper functioning of the nervous system. It is an outgrowth of a type of glial cell. The production of the myelin sheath is called myelination or myelinogenesis.

Anyone who practices carelessly, - lazily - when bored - is fixing poor performance levels and pathways into their head.

- When yesterdays 'old fashioned'  'has-been' school teachers made their students repeat their 'Times Tables' - over & over (and over) - They knew what they were doing - just watch how 'modern' young folk now have to reach for a calculator to work-out how much two items at $1.75 each costs.

Marty K.

"Children don't need to learn stuff anymore - all they need to know is how to find the answers." HAH.

P.S: - Now before we congratulate ourselves about our clever myelin smoothed neural pathways .... SQUID have got neural pathways too - except that theirs are around a thousand times bigger and quicker than ours. - A FISH!

M.K.

Transporting & Carrying In BANNED States & Cities:

Having just read this guest post by 'Ed Monk' on Active Response Training I am once more impressed that when you are making any law enforcement contact (especially if it involves guns) - your personal attitude will make a whole lot of difference on how you are treated.

 - Link:

http://www.activeresponsetraining.net/experience-with-leosa-carrying-in-nyc

If you can be friendly, helpful & confident that what you are doing is lawful - you should be generally assured in return - of co-operative and helpful responses from the authorities.

NZ Border Protection (CUSTOMS)

- But not always..

I have occasionally met with a panicked response from Customs personnel when faced with a situation that they have not been trained for .. both here in New Zealand and in Australia.

Four times now I have seen young International counter staff 'blanch' and even hit the panic button when told that I was carrying firearms ! - The color drains from their face - only for it to then become flushed as they defensively step backwards and stare wide-eyed.

I believe that these poor things were likely part-time casual staff engaged at peak traffic times to process routine holiday travelers - on each occasion the arrival of the professionals broke the tension - "Oh hello Martin - we've been expecting you to arrive."

On one occasion I was requesting an export 'Sight-Out Form' for a pistol barrel (for taxation purposes) at the airport Customs Office - and was belligerently informed by a young guy that this was illegal and that all handguns were banned! - I just sighed and tried to smile while asking for his Senior Officer.

You know how it is - if a big dumb bumble bee gets trapped inside your windows - you could squash it and make a sticky smear on the glass - but could be much better to kindly help it find its way out of the situation eh.

Marty K.

Hickok45 on Full30:

- Just a 'Quickie' to remind you that following his problems with YouTube - you can now find Hickok45 posting regularly on the Full30 website. - I located this and have subscribed so I now get an e-mail telling me of each new review he posts.

I just watched him trying a new Colt Commander 1911 in .45" (He liked it).

Marty K.

ORTGIES 7.65mm Pocket Pistol:

The Ortgies pistols are cleverly designed compact carry pistols made in Germany for some five years immediately following the end of WWI -  until they were forced by the occupying powers to cease production and close-down in 1924.

A French Soldier Occupies A German Ruhr Freight Yard 1923.

- The basic design is noted as having been bought by Heinrich Ortgies from Karl August Brauning who worked for Fabrique Nationale (F.N.) of Liege, Belgium. - However Ortgies himself patented more than ten firearms designs.

. There were 3 Ortgies iterations - in.32 ACP, (7.65x17mmSR Browning),  - the .380 ACP  aka 9 mm Short, 9mm Kurz, 9mm Corto, 9x17mm, 9mm Browning Court, - & the smaller frame .25 ACP aka .25 Auto, 6.35x16mmSR.

Note: Always bear in mind that .380 ACP is not the same as the more powerful & longer, semi-rimmed .38 ACP (- which is also called 9x23mmSR. (- nor the 9x23mm Winchester). - I know, it's all very confusing and messy eh.

An Early ORTGIES 7.65 (32 ACP)Pistol.

- Pins and springs aplenty - but looking carefully you'll see that there were only 29 parts listed when these neat pistols were made back in 1919.

 - The Glock 17 is acclaimed as being a superbly efficient modern design - having only 33/35 parts.

Economy of purpose - check-out how the striker-spring also powers the "grip-safety" - and the firing-pin also works as the ejector for the fired cases. - The recoil-spring uses the barrel as a guide & the 'grips' or stocks are retained by a hidden spring-loaded internal latch.

The grip safety is not like that on the 1911s - as it only works 'on-safe' when the pistol is cocked - and when disengaged by squeezing inwards it 'clicks' into the Fire position and stays there without needing to be squeezed any more - until the wee button is pushed-in to release it.

 - That round button also doubles as the 'take-down' button - by holding it in while pulling the slide rearward & up to 'unhook' it from the frame.

The guns are striker fired - and the grip badge (schutz-marke) is an intertwined "H O" for Heinrich Ortgies  - who developed this 'blow-back action' gun during WWI while living in Liege, Belgium.

- Some time later - after State owned Deutsche-Werke AG took-over making the pistols - a new badge of a "D"  in the form of an 'art deco' cat or lion was used.

They are an accurate, streamlined, & sturdy German design - that was very successful in target shooting competitions in the 1920s - but they must surely have modified those weeny sights - unless they had younger eyes than me. - Link to Video of shooting the 7.65/.32 Auto:

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NV6MRSPEJoc

Ortgies's pistols sold well right from the start in 1919 - and Heinrich transferred the whole business 'lock-stock-and barrel' for a good price to Deutsche-Werke AG in 1921.

 - But postwar Germany was under the control of The Inter-Allied Military Control Commission - who were determined to restrict Germany's economic and military power by using the Treaty Of Versailles following the 'Great War'.

History records that Hitlers friend Eva Braun 

owned Ortgies Serial # 42668 - a 6.35mm Pistol.

Small Frame "Vest Pocket" .25 ACP with Larger .32 ACP / .380 ACP Model
(There is an Ortgies .25 ACP gun in
 The Franklin D Roosevelt Presidential Library & Museum)

 - Deutsche-Werke Ag's production was compulsorily terminated in 1923/1924 and 91,000 of the guns were "dumped" onto the American market at give-away prices - quoted at around only seventy cents each wholesale.

Ortgies Barrel SWIVELS to The Left for Take-Down.
- a precise fit.

- So that stopped that then - a promising design squashed underfoot like a bug. - This may also partly explain why these fine old pistols are common in USA.

This is a link to a comprehensive review site on the Ortgies Pistols:

http://unblinkingeye.com/Guns/Ortgies/ortgies.html

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

.17" Winchester SUPER Magnum:

I was introduced to the Winchester SUPER Magnum .17" cartridge the other day. - I read that it is descended from the .27 caliber nail gun blank - by necking down that blank case to take a .17caliber (4.5 mm) bullet. Mark told me that it throws a 20 grain bullet, delivering muzzle velocities around 3000 ft/s .

.17" WSM .. Winchester SUPER Magnum.

That seems extra-ordinary to me - that a rim-fire round can accelerate any bullet to 3,000 feet per second.

I haven't even 'absorbed' the earlier .17 HMR (Hornady Magnum Rimfire) from 2002 yet.. which itself is no slow-slug.

.17 HMR next to . 22" WMR.

Winchester & Savage, introduced this 17 WSM cartridge in 2013. - The brass case for this Super Magnum round is roughly 50% thicker than the .17 HMR, and the max average internal pressure is 33,000 psi, versus the 17 HMR's 26,000 psi.

To me - both of these small bores are high-velocity flat shooters .. But the 17 WSM is even more so.

I'm not going to give statistics for the .17 WSM as I don't have any insight - but this round can achieve hits /kills out beyond 200 yards - which is way beyond my eyesight capabilities even wearing my lenses.

Mark is really getting into this long range rifle stuff and having a lot of fun - and you don't need to be the brightest-button-in-the-box to understand that fun is what IT is all about,.

________________

I was surprised to read that S&W have been told by The US Department of The Army that their entry for The Modular Handgun Program will not be going forward to the next stage of these trials.

That leaves only GLOCK, - Beretta APX - and the Sig P320 as candidates for the next US military handgun. - This is after the UK Defense Forces buying more than 25,000 Glock 9mms back in 2013.

Glock 17 - L131A1 General Service Pistol

Life is good,

Marty K.