Bullet Expansion by UPSET:

- Don't get upset now - if you take offence I'll have to build a gate eh ...😆

I guess that we all know what a "mushroomed" bullet looks like..

Mushroomed .223" Bonded Bullet.

- This is the expansion of the forward section of a fired bullet - when it decelerates on impact with a material.

- But what about the expansion or "UPSET" of the bullet's base as it accelerates from rest upon firing?

When a projectile is fired - the propellant gasses or 'muzzle blast' impact the base and cause it to accelerate and expand into the rifling of the barrel ... we know that - it's another familiar image:

BUT - those fired pills with the rifling grooves were contained by the gun's barrel for the period of forced acceleration while they 'obturated' .. have you ever wondered what might happen if that barrel restriction was removed?

Hornady 38 Special jacketed bullet fired from Revolver
with no barrel - has no rifling marks.

 - This "pregnant" looking projectile from 1976 was 'upset' by the force of the propellant gas "muzzle-blast" - but was not held to shape inside a barrel bore. The revolvers barrel had previously been removed.

Link to earlier background story about that fired round:
https://flicense.blogspot.co.nz/2017/01/bullet-sizes-diameters-v-bore-sizes.html

I guess that when you think about it - it's not really surprising that the initial force applied to a bullet's back-end is likely somewhat greater & more direct than that which causes it to 'mushroom' at the front as it impacts downrange.

Now .. there are lots of earlier interesting 'upset' images and details of experiments firing bullets from very short barrels - in this 1909 book "The Bullet's Flight".

- Dr. Mann establishes that a barrel longer than 10 inches is needed to completely prevent such upset expansion - and that the bullet's base is driven forward and starts expanding sideways before the main projectile's body and point starts accelerating.

BASES Expanded by 'Upset' Pressure As Bullet Leaves Very Short Barrel.
.32" Caliber bullets, Smokeless Powder, 1/- is unfired .. 2/- Fired from 5/8" (0.625") long barrel 12 gns powder .. 3/- Same with 15 gns. powder .. 4/- same again but 17.5 gns powder .. 5/- is front nose view .. 6 - rear view of base.

.32" Caliber rounds fired from varying very short length barrels, 5/16', 5/8", 2. 5/8"

( - excepting the top row shows a .32-40 case &

 bullets squashed by various weights between two steel plates.)

Franklin Mann was catching the fired rounds in  snow  and later, in oiled sawdust.

- So hollow-point nose technology is not the only way to expand bullets ..

- Now, imagine what dramatic video might be shot (110 years later) by an techie-expert with the latest ultra high speed cameras .. 'super-slow-motion' of such bullets emerging unrestrained from a short barrel test gun and growing in size as they're hammered from behind by the muzzle-blast powder/gasses - in full color .. WOW!

Dr. Franklin Mann concludes that lead becomes very plastic when subject to high pressure saying:

"When it is fully comprehended that a soft lead bullet, with a charge of powder behind, acts like a ball of putty in a popgun ..."

- Later in the book he further demonstrates that copper jacketed rounds driven by smokeless powder are setup in exactly the same way.

Marty K.

I can't tell you anything about this found image.

(Maybe after Major Earl Naramore - who worked with Hatcher?)

M.K.

The Bullet's Flight - F W Mann, 1909:

Old mate Rod pushed me towards this classic early ballistics book when commenting on one of my scribbles - Link:
https://flicense.blogspot.co.nz/2017/09/mushrooming-or-expanding-jacketed.html

- I bought a used copy from Amazon USA and it's just landed in the foothills of our New Zealand Southern Alps.

.. where I've started to read it - and I'm very impressed by the thorough records and inquisitive mind of the author Franklin Ware Mann (1856-1916) who grew up on a farm and started shooting at the age of twelve.

 He was intrigued by the spread of bullets fired at a single point of aim. He graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1878 and from Boston University School of Medicine as a Doctor of Medicine.

 Verry interesting, - Cheers Rod,

I LIKE New Zealand (despite the bloody earthquakes).

Marty K.

Maori Warfare Tactics .. Battle Of RUAPEKAPEKA - The 'Bat's Nest' 1845:

Have you got half-an-hour to spare?  .. to watch a freshly made video about the NEW ZEALAND WARS between Maori and the "European" settlers - that are being commemorated currently. You'll see a fair bit of the Northland countryside - and some muskets:

http://www.radionz.co.nz/programmes/nz-wars/story/2018619186/nz-wars-the-stories-of-ruapekapeka

They had lots of heavy rainfall when filming which helped make conditions very like how it was for the invading troops back in 1845.

It strikes me as being fair & honest about what actually went-on - and makes a good fist of telling how our Maori were militarily smart and resisted the British military technology with all that they had.

I must say that this story very much reminds me of the Vietnamese fighting from "The tunnels of Chu-Chi" (Cu Chi District , Ho Chi Min City area) from that much later 1968 Tet Offensive.

Marty K.

UK's HINKLEY POINT Nuclear Failures. Simple as A-B-C:

simple-minded

adjective

1. having or showing very little intelligence or judgement.
2. 
   

Oh my life ! - I was watching an ever-so-English TV doco. about pommy rivers - and it introduced the UK's defunct Hinkley Point A nuclear site (located on the River Severn)

A is for Asset.

- as a wildlife asset .. because it is under an exclusion zone that favors natures creatures.

Nuclear "Wildlife?" Wardens.

Banned Guns Are GOOD To Protect Nuclear Sites.

You know how we are bombarded at every opportunity with anti-gun hysteria whenever the smallest opening presents (- we had an antique arms auction here in NZ cancelled this month due to a "security risk" posed by anti-gun protesters) ..

Guns are "banned" in UK - while leaky radiation sites are privatized into the control of LIMITED LIABILITY corporations - and the Supreme Wise Leaders of The Nation are proposing to build even more of them - but with the interesting twist that the new Hinkley Point C  nuclear power station in Somerset will be controlled by the Chinese - if it is actually ever built.

Proposed C ( for 'cock-up')(or Chinese?)

- Now I'm no expert on things nuclear - but it's perfectly clear that British nuclear "energy" has been a total cock-up right from it's earliest 1956 Calder Hall beginnings.

The Queen Opening "epoch making" Calder Hall in 1956.

The long decommissioned Somerset Hinkley Point A blew itself apart in testing in August 1963 - two years before it first produced any power .. and it's turbines catastrophically failed again in 1969.

Hinkley Point B - since it was started in 1967, has enjoyed a succession of design failures caused by 'vibration', faulty insulation, and faulty welds - and has run for most of it's life at reduced capacity.

B is for Botch-up.

Electricity from the planned Chinese financed & controlled Hinkley Point'C' is expected to cost twice as much as clean wind and solar power to produce (-if at first you don't succeed .. try, try, & try again?) - but it may help to support Britain's nuclear deterrent Trident submarine fleet we are told.

Trident II D-5 Has Problem With “data acquisition system” 
-Are your kitchen windows covered with brown paper?

I guess there does seem to be an underlying or covert reason for persisting to build power stations that produce plutonium as a by-product. - Is there something that our Masters  representatives aren't telling us?

I used to enjoy drinking the odd pint of Somerset cider with a Ploughman's lunch when in that locale .. not any more.

Oh I don't know though - that does look very tasty .. pork pies are from pigs eh - and they don't get bovine spongiform encephalopathy, (BSE) do they?

New Zealand certainly is something of an underpopulated backwater - but we are NUCLEAR FREE. (and Mad Cow Disease Free).

Cross reference Link to an earlier piece about the Sellafield Nuclear "dump":

https://flicense.blogspot.co.nz/2016/03/sellafield-windscale-nuclear-facility.html

Marty K.

Rimmed Cartridges In Semi-Autos (& Full-Autos):

Of-course rimmed cartridges will feed fine (ish) from a properly designed magazine into a semi-auto firearm - the obvious example is the .22" rim fire

Familiar Spent .22" Rim-fire Case

 - I've used these for around 60 plus odd years. My first semi-auto 'two-two' pistol was the excellent Margolin MCM (Oh No - not a dreaded Russian!)(Designed 1948 by well known blind engineer Mikhail Margolin).

You likely will get a few mis-feeds plus a few mis-fires with 'two-twos' - but that is mostly down to cheap bulk ammunition - or a worn crappy magazine - or it being time to clean your gun - or perhaps time to sell it😅.

There are more than a few rimmed centre-fires used in 'autos' too - such as the Colt 1911 in .38 Special and both 357 Magnum & .44" Magnum are used in the massive 'Desert Eagle' ..  many older auto-rifles ran on rimmed cartridges.

 If a ''1911" will consistently feed flat nosed wad-cutter Rimmed 38 Special - it can feed anything eh. (maybe only from a 5 round magazine but).

1911 Magazine for 38 Special.

Target pistols used to often come in .32" S&W wad-cutters & .22" rim fire options

Hammerli Model 280 takes either .32" Center-Fire or .22" R/F.

'RIM-LOCK' is a sometime problem where the top round in the magazine has it's rim hooked behind the round below and just can't feed forward - & is the issue that makes the rimless cartridge a surer bet in a serious purpose gun - you can't always just raise your hand at the match firing line whenever you get a jam - and have the R.O. clear you to re-shoot that sequence without penalty.

While the rimless pattern may be better suited for a self re-loading mechanism to function reliably, - it is possible to build and refine just about anything until it will work: "If you can imagine it - You can make it."

One further small issue with rimmed (& tapered) rounds in autos is NOSE-DIVE .. As the base of the top cartridge in the mag is pushed forward to be chambered - it's nose can dip down and then impact the metal below the chamber opening and jam.

'Nose-Dived Forty-Five.

This can be fixed by adjusting the feed lips by squeezing or bending them slightly until that magazine behaves itself. - Other cartridges, despite being rim-less, can be liable to nose-diving, particularly the short'n'fat .45" ACP  ... you can even buy specially made 'anti nose dive' "Sure-Fire" magazines for your 1911 from Gun-Pro.

Marty K.

P.S.  Another issue with rimmed or tapered cartridge cases is that the magazines properly need to be curved .. such as the iconic AK 47 shape"

but there may be other design priorities eh ..

Some "Straight-walled" Cartridges such as the 9mm Bergmann / Bayard / Largo (and the 9mm Parabellum) actually taper around 12 thou. to the mouth. ( The Russian AK 7.62x39 rounds also taper a fair bit - which is why they use that distinctive curved magazine .. it is of course, a rimless cartridge).
M.K.

What Do The Headlines Mean?

.. Not a lot :

In 2016 - 62,000 Americans died from overdoses of OPIOIDS. That is almost twice as many drug deaths as were caused by guns (.. 33,636 in 2013),  The average number of US gun deaths over a ten year period is 30,179 per annum.

You need to remember that the population of USA is 323.1 Million.

So opioid drugs are twice as deadly to Americans as guns.

 America has a drugs problem that causes twice as many deaths as guns.

Have you been told that on TV ? .. of course not.

marketing:
the action or business of promoting and selling products or services, including market research and advertising.

delude:
make (someone) believe something that is not true.

belief:

1.

an acceptance that something exists or is true, especially one without proof.

politician

a person who is professionally involved in politics, especially as a holder of an elected office.

• US

  a person who acts in a manipulative and devious way, typically to gain advancement within an organization.

Representative democracy (also indirect democracy:

 is a type of democracy founded on the principle of elected officials representing a group of people, as opposed to direct democracy whereby the electorate would themselves have a vote.

faith:

1. 1.complete trust or confidence in someone or something.
3. 2.

   strong belief in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual conviction rather than proof.

Spin doctor:

a spokesperson employed to give a false interpretation of events to the media, especially on behalf of a political party.

'nuff said?

Marty K.

1. 
   

9x23 Winchester Cartridge:

 I actually started today to look at the .38" Super - but when I tripped-over the 9x23 Winchester and was awed by it's SAAMI internal pressure limit set at 55,000 p.s.i. - I changed tack. - This round is like a very much hotted-up rimless 38 Super but with a Luger styled lengthened, strengthened (& slightly tapered) case.

Then I found a new website and an excellent story about this round,  9x23 Winchester - that I had known nothing about until now. Link:

https://www.deadcalibers.net/9x23-winchester/

The 9x23 Winchester delivers more velocity & 'power' than the 357 Magnum and is being credited by someone with the greatest "STOPPING POWER" record of all handgun rounds.

I had previously researched the 9mm Winchester Magnum (The 9x29mm): Link:

https://flicense.blogspot.co.nz/2017/02/9-mm-winchester-magnum-45-auto-magnum.html

If you too don't know just how many "Nines" there are .. take a look at the table listing them on Wikipedia - I had no idea:     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/9_mm_caliber

Glock 20 adapted to 9x23 Winchester:

I'll 'fess-up' that what attracted me initially was an online SHOOTING Times story written about converting a 10mm Glock 20 to the 9x23 Winchester by a barrel swap - Link:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/9_mm_caliber

Do we need a super hotted-up 9mm ?

-Well it seems likely that the answer is no .. not really - as standard NATO 9x19 mm is currently performing fine and also seems OK with recoil sensitive people.

But for the power hungry .. it will be lighter to cart around than a S&W X-Frame 50" caliber and will hold many more rounds.

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

Every Caliber You Can Dream Of ?:

I recently said that there was a metallic cartridge in every caliber .. sized for just about every need .. (Link:  https://flicense.blogspot.co.nz/2017/09/a-super-magnum-327-federal-magnum.html  )

- So - after worrying about that for a while - I thought that maybe I'd better check that there aren't really any gaps on the shelves that need filling.

Using the 2018 Gun Digest - page 353 Centre-fire Rifle Cartridges & starting with the first & smallest round listed  .17" Hornet - I followed one-by-one each line entry in the tables up to  .50 BMG and (phwww!) sure enough, I didn't find a single gap of much more than '25 thou'. between any two different sequential  bullet calibers.

What Seems Like a Gap isn't .. 

Between .17 and .22" There's .204 Ruger (5mm) @ 4,225ft/sec. 😙

- In the pistol calibers between .22" and up to .50 S&W Magnum there is a smaller range with marginally larger gaps but I couldn't identify any gaping holes.

So it seems that shooter's needs are well served by the makers .. except that not every caliber will be catered for in all currently offered firearms. The only true openings for new cartridges are as improvements on the earlier versions.

0.025 inch is not very much difference in size to get excited over (0.0635 centimeter) .. that's about twice as thick as a hens egg shell or half as thick as your finger nails.

If you could slice ham off the bone that thin - your knife would have a good edge eh.

However ... Below .17" caliber I do see that there are several "wild-kitten" .14" calibers

.. and there even has been a 0.10" :

American Bill Eichelberger has produced sub calibers from 0.14 diameter, in fact .144, .12 ( .123) and even the diminutive .10 ( .103 ) bullet diameters, - that’s tiny!

The .10 Eichelberger Squirrel made from .22 Hornet brass, uses a 7.2gr bullet and 6.5gr of W748 for a velocity of 4,000fps. 

Is this the smallest caliber known at .103"diameter ?

- There's always got to be some clever soul eh,

There's obviously 'other stuff' to consider than the projectile's diameter .. you'll all be listing weight, shape, velocity etc - but at my low-tech level as a rifleman I'm guessing that the cartridge case takes Number 1 importance as in it's size & strength and all those other factors that I know naught-about.

 - But there really is plenty of overlap in the spread of choices laid-out for our delectation (that's a nice word eh .. DELECTATION). - If you hear two guys with gun cases arguing about the superior characteristics of 6.5 Creedmoor over 6.0 Creedmoor - you might guess that they know a lot more about long range shooting than I do.

_________________

I don't get-it:

Just before I close - I'd like to ask - what is it that differentiates between "winners & loosers"?
The .308' and "Thirty Calibers" ( -in metrics these are properly called  7.62 mm.) are widely praised as full power rifle calibers that can do anything you want.. However in handgun lore - this self-same 7.62 / 7.65  ('thirty-two') pistol caliber has been reviled as inadequate and puny by most experts - despite performing competently as both law-enforcement and military issue side arms over more than 100 years?

Marty K.

We NEED CITIZENS ASSEMBLY Systems:

Doing Democracy in the UK 'The Mother of Parliaments' last Thursday there were 18 MPs who bothered to attend the debate in the Westminster Chamber.

18 Out Of 650 MPs at work.

 - I wonder how many of the 800 'LORDS' were at work in their 'Upper House' - The House Of Lords?

May I respectfully suggest that we look at bringing-in a wee bit of democracy into our lives - sack that lot, & set-up  CITIZENS ASSEMBLIES to inform Governments of OUR needs and viewpoints .. seeing as how "that lot" who we pay a fortune to represent us - can't be bothered.

Check what Wikipedia has to say:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizens%27_assembly

A good mate maintains that some old bloke said "Democracy has been hacked by Capitalism" - which is roughly a quote from Al Gore .. who should have been President of USA in 2000 but was displaced by 5/4 by the US Supreme Court despite having a small majority of the public's votes.

- another old bloke once said ..

"Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun"

- May I respectfully suggest some factual reporting at THE CANARY ..  https://www.thecanary.co/

Note: USA has some 6,800 nuclear weapons under the control of Commander In Chief Donald Trump.

US Aircraft Close To North Korea.

Marty K.

Le-Francais .32"/ 7.65mm TIP-UP Pistol:

For some time - I've rather fancied getting a tidy little Beretta 3032 Tomcat Inox 'Tip-Up'.

- despite it being almost completely useless here in NZ - because it's short barrel would not be licensed for shooting (.. and despite it's reputation for frame cracks with poor service from Beretta USA).

BUT this model is a truly neat wee thing for use anywhere people actually are allowed to defend themselves from criminals ..

So I was interested to find images of the Manufrance Le-Francais .32" ACP that was made - guess where? (in France possibly 😆) from 1950 to 1965 - because there are some quiet similar design features .. plus a lot of differences too eh.

Le-Francais St. Etienne (MAS) .32" ACP.

This French maker has a very long history of military and Law Enforcement Firearms manufacture plus sales to the public of  "non-military caliber" handguns. I can't do better really than to only point you to a very full story here - LINK:

http://unblinkingeye.com/Guns/Francais/francais.html

It is a cleverly designed double-action-only striker-fired auto-pistol - one that I'd also love to own out of interest - should I ever have the spare cash. It takes an 8 round magazine plus the one up-the-spout.

Both the Beretta Tomcat and the Le-Francais use similar(ish) verticle 'bell-crank lever' recoil spring systems to function their blow-back operation but the 'Ooh La-la chic'  pops-up it's 83 mm. (3.27 inches) barrel automatically for chambering a round when the magazine is removed.. Clever eh.

Forgotten weapons Ian McCollum does his usual excellent review of this little known piece - Link:

https://www.forgottenweapons.com/le-francais-32acp-pistol-video/https://www.forgottenweapons.com/le-francais-32acp-pistol-video/

No John M Browning Influences Here Then.

Cute as .. but I do get a little annoyed that most 'thirty-two' pistols seem to have barrels shorter than the pointless New Zealand police 'B' Category stipulation of a minimum of four inches.

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

Russian PSS Silent S/A Pistol:

The PSS auto-pistol was developed in Russia around 1980 & first issued to KGB Spetsnaz in 1983 - being made in their special weapons plant at TsNIITochMash (weaponry precision engineering section)..
This semi-auto pistol is one of several Russian handguns specially produced for SILENT function in covert operations without a bulky silencer. The perceived noise level is very low & mainly caused by the mechanics - being at a similar level as a well silenced .22 rim-fire.

PSS Silent Pistol

The PSS has a magazine capacity of six rounds of the long(ish) cartridges, and uses a floating chamber - it might be described as a 'REACTION OPERATED' semi-auto .. as all propellant gases are retained inside the captive piston cartridge.  The pistols grip is deep from front to rear to take the magazine and gives the piece a chunky look.

SP4 Cartridge On The Right Has Been Fired.

The SP-4  captive piston steel copper washed cartridge is a well proven 7.62×42mm necked round - the same as used for the OTs-38 Stechkin silent revolver.

This cartridge uses a similar diameter projectile and over all size & shape to the old Nagant M1895 revolver rounds (**Interesting to recall that the very efficient Nagant Revolver was able to be effectively silenced**) ... and is also the same bullet caliber as 'thirty-two' caliber revolver rounds & .32" ACP.

Stetchkin OTS-38 Silent Revolver.
(Fires from the bottom chamber)

The SP-4 cartridge contains an internal piston and a powder charge of around 3.5 grains, with the stem of the piston inserted into the base of the bullet as an alignment  'guide'. On firing, the piston drives the steel bullet from the barrel to an effective range of 25 meters plus. On firing the internal piston seals the cartridge neck, preventing noise & blast from escaping.

The 155 grain mild-steel bullets have a muzzle velocity of 620 feet per second and muzzle energy of 133 ft,/lbs.

These various covert operations handguns all work fine and are established technology. - However they all, - PSS Pistol,- OTS-38 Revolver, - and the American QSPR Revolver, are the products of non-commercial MILITARY development & each depends on non-standard 'special' sized ammunition and 'special' expensive custom-made firearms.

US QSPR 'Tunnel Rat' Revolver

If you can think it .. you can make it. - A captive-piston version of some regular handgun cartridges could be produced commercially - if permitted .. See the Post about my "standard caliber"  Silent Handgun Cartridge Patent .. Link:

https://flicense.blogspot.co.nz/2017/02/silent-handgun-cartridges.html

- Here's further Link to an excellent full review of the PSS Pistol:

http://www.sadefensejournal.com/wp/?p=307

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

Notes On Shooting & Hearing Loss:
Firearms Are Loud

Exposure to noise greater than 140 dB can permanently damage hearing. Almost all firearms create noise that is over the 140-dB level. A small .22-caliber rifle can produce noise around 140 dB, while big-bore rifles and pistols can produce sound over 175 dB. Firing guns in a place where sounds can reverberate, or bounce off walls and other structures, can make noises louder and increase the risk of hearing loss. Also, adding muzzle brakes or other modifications can make the firearm louder. People who do not wear hearing protection while shooting can suffer a severe hearing loss with as little as one shot, if the conditions are right. Audiologists see this often, especially during hunting season when hunters and bystanders may be exposed to rapid fire from big-bore rifles, shotguns, or pistols.

Hearing Loss Due To Firearm Noise

People who use firearms are more likely to develop hearing loss than those who do not. Firearm users tend to have high-frequency permanent hearing loss, which means that they may have trouble hearing speech sounds like "s," "th," or "v" and other high-pitched sounds. The left ear (in right-handed shooters) often suffers more damage than the right ear because it is closer to, and directly in line with, the muzzle of the firearm. Also, the right ear is partially protected by head shadow. People with high-frequency hearing loss may say that they can hear what is said but that it is not clear, and they may accuse others of mumbling. They may not get their hearing tested because they don't think they have a problem. They may also have ringing in their ears, called tinnitus. The ringing, like the hearing loss, can be permanent.

Michael Stewart, PhD, CCC-A, Professor of Audiology, Central Michigan University.