Offshore Maunsell Forts Defending The Money-Laundry - Leaving The EU:

APRIL I 2018:

I'd like to draw my British readers attention to the various isolated Maunsell type Forts that litter enhance their beautiful coastlines .. helping to isolate this proud nation of seafarers from the common mainland Europeans - or "Continentals" as we "les Rosbifs' sometimes refer to them ("frog-eaters" all).

Article 50 will again restore Henry VIIIs glorious days of freedom from Rome.

 Maunsell Forts.

 English Channel Forts May Once Again Be Manned:

 Haile Sands Fort On Humber Estuary:

Gun Emplacements Ready & Waiting:

The beginning of the new financial year signals to City Financiers & 'Venture Capitalists' that - now is the hour to seize this opportunity to further refine our English Banking system rules.

 - Take the initiative to dump the restrictive regulations that those unimaginative 27 Union Members (BOOOO - Here-Here) deem necessary for fair commerce.

Our British Lords & Bankers don't need such external constraints .. but should be free at all levels to choose what they know is best for the wonderful hard-working people of these wonderful islands.

There are also many mainland forts and batteries waiting to be recommissioned .. such as Fort Bovisand in Devon that remains ready - since it's completion in 1869 - to be refitted with it's nine & ten inch guns aimed at Europe.

 Fort Bovisand - I can personally testify that it's walls are solid and that it's jetty remains sound .. as I jumped off it - forty foot into hard salty water in full diving kit - in August 1975 as part of my qualification for Second Class Diver.

Jetty At Fort Bovisand.

This 1816 Stone Jetty May Help To Make Britain GREAT Again.

- Enjoy your chocolate easter eggs ..

Marty K.

Unwin & Rodgers KNIFE PISTOLS:

The English Rodgers firm made knives including, razors, pen-knives, Bowies and Trade knives for export. - Rodgers was joined in Sheffield by Unwin in 1828 - but he died only one year later in 1829.

The works continued successfully for years and made a range of these neat single shot pocket knife-pistols:

Top Knife-Pistol is Percussion - Then a .25" Rimfire, & Bottom is a .32" Rimfire.

This one is a .32" Rimfire with a 3.5/8" long octagonal barrel, folding trigger and two 4" blades.

I guess these combination weapons were a bit of a novelty .. more curious than practical - but they certainly are easily concealed ..

.. and might impress strangers when used to sharpen a tooth pick or to cut the rounded cap off a cigar .. but they sold for many years while progressing from percussion ignition, pin-fire to rim-fire.

Perfect Caliber "CARRY GUNS":

How would you define the most perfect carry gun?  - There are as many different priorities as there are different body types to be seen in a shopping Mall crowd .. so I'm not expecting my reasoning to extract a standing ovation with cries for "..author-author".

It needs to be said that the selection of any particular self defense tool must come secondary to then training safely with this aid -  to a level of practiced smooth and accurate skill. We must also accept that an essential part of that ability is our own fitness and awareness.

 In 'modern days' .. say the last 100 years .. the military (or "Defense Forces" 😊) have mostly settled for rifles from .50" caliber & 7.62 mm (thirty caliber) - down to .223"(5.56MM) caliber - including the .22" rim-fire.

- For handguns both Military & Law Enforcement have selected within the range 11.43MM(.45") through 9 MM to "thirty-twos"(7.65MM) and includes the "lowly" .22"(5.58mm) rim-fire in specialized applications such as Israeli Mossad covert operations.

New Zealand Law currently precludes defensive carry & ownership by citizens** - but in the USA there is a huge variety of pistol models to choose from - and a spread of priorities - resulting in a wide range of preference.
** Some Foreign Nationals are however permitted to carry covert arms in New Zealand - e.g. watch for visiting Presidential Security personnel.

The physical size & weight of the carry piece is widely accepted as needing to be "compact" and lighter than both sporting or military sidearms .. however, larger bodied folk can conceal larger lumps easier about their person and may also control a more powerful caliber.

That 'cream-of-the-cream' - fit, active, strong, experienced & above average performing well trained military / law enforcement person IS NOT a typical defensive firearm user - and her/his standard issue offensive arm is rarely suited for every day civilian carry.

The US civilian choosing a 'carry gun' may well need a smaller lighter caliber piece that is easier to control & carry while having limited strength - and one that is not painful when fired .. perhaps one that is fun to shoot when used recreationally while maintaining their skills.

The point for me about 'concealable' is that means 'non-threatening', - non intimidating to casual passers-by.

The beauty of all those sometimes heated "stopping power debates" is that most every firearm caliber when directed to a critical area may be a fatal performer and "stopper" - So the right defensive firearm is the most powerful one that you are able to control safely & accurately - and one that is to hand when needed ..

All guys who believe that a pistol caliber has to begin with "fortyfive" are asked not to hold a soda can on their head while a "thirty-two" owner pops at it at twenty yards range - are there any stupid volunteers?

For a FACT-based study of actual shootings go to: LINK:

https://www.buckeyefirearms.org/alternate-look-handgun-stopping-power

- Accepting that NO defensive handgun caliber is a complete 'death ray' and that accurate shot placement is the key ... is there one caliber that while doing the job - is available in a compact lightweight format with adequate capacity that does not need high strength to manage? - Certainly - there are in fact several. - A light recoiling handgun will allow the experienced shooter to rapidly fire multiple rounds on target.
You know which ones these are already 😁
.. Your choice,

Beretta Tomcat .32 ACP

327 Fed. Magnum Ruger SP101

Ruger LCR

S&W Ladysmith .38" Special.

Glock 26 - 10 Shot "Baby"

NOW: I have changed my search engine of choice from 'Google' to ECOSIA. It works just as well as that other site AND it is funding tree planting where needed around the planet.

- Run by those oh-so-clever Germans🙂 .. may I prompt you to switch over to ECOSIA - particularly if you like eating foods that grow on or under trees .. or if you enjoy breathing oxygen rich air.

Marty K.

This Gas-Powered Gun Is A "Real Tack Driver":

How does a 42 / 52 round magazine gun weighing 3.7 kg. that can drive 3.3 inch long projectiles to fully penetrate hard timber impress you?

 - With a gas powered cyclic rate of three (0.131 in. caliber) rounds per second from it's stainless steel magazine raceway .. and tested as fully functional down to -10 degrees Celsius - this nail launcher is fully portable & is fitted with an advanced specification Lithium-ion ignition battery that's good for  1250 rounds (- up to 9,000?).

- No License required. (unlike 'powder activated' "Ramset type" guns)(Certificate Of Competence).

Impressive eh?  These cost about the same as a 'B' Category restricted (FLC endorsement-needed) sporting handgun - but come without the restrictions - you can use them anywhere. - there may be a reason for that eh.😁 - I came across one of these at home when having a new bathroom update - well to be accurate .. a new shower room as I've removed the bath.

Just what velocity will these gas fueled guns achieve with a three and a half inch nail? - well the 'powder driven' guns have been used to send air-gun pellets down range at around 2,800 feet per second!

"Nail guns can be pneumatically driven by an air compressor or battery-powered and cordless. Cordless nail guns have a replaceable gas cartridge filled with butane, a flammable gas. An electrical current from the battery powers a spark plug, which causes a small explosion in a combustion chamber that ignites the gas. The explosion powers the piston, which releases the nail and drives it forward and into the material being fastened. Gas pressure gives consistent nail drive and speed at low velocity."

Ballistics for a 3.5" nail are unknown but nails are likely to tumble down-range after a short distance and may sometimes bounce back from a cardboard target.

.. The powder activated ("blanks") nail-guns are a whole different product.

Marty K.

Sharps Carbine Coffee Grinder Model 1859:

Now Here's a novelty ..

A rifle with built-in coffee grinder?? - Well I don't know .. but I read about this in a new book that I've just started called 'LOCUSTS ON THE HORIZON' . A new "preppers" book that Greg Ellefritz recommends ... and that's good enough for me. Full Stop.

The e-book "Locusts" is great - so far - on my 'Kindle' and only cost around US$7.

Now I've found several versions of this rifle coffee grinder story - the following linked version strikes me as being as good as any: But it seems that there may be some twelve Civil War Sharps carbines around that may or may not be judged to be fakes - but the strongest point to be made is that this design was not actually built to grind coffee bean but to grind grain for various needs in the field.

https://vimeo.com/225146307https://vimeo.com/225146307v

And here's a bit of coffee-grinder-rifle video from the TV Show 'Pawn Stars':

https://vimeo.com/225146307

Very interesting for sure - and as I wasn't around during the American Civil war or in the 1920's when these carbines may have been faked I'm not in any position to comment or pass an opinion.

I have read that early Sharps rifles used various "percussion" systems, caps, stacked pellets, and the Maynard tape primers and indeed they progressed through paper cartridges to metallic cartridges - from the 1850's to the late 1880's.

It is what it is 😁

Marty K.

Porton Down - THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING .. THE RUSSIANS ARE ...

Definition: hypocrisy: the practice of claiming to have higher standards or more noble beliefs than is the case.

Definition 2: credulity: a tendency to be too ready to believe that something is real or true.

Definition 3: coincidence: a remarkable concurrence of events or circumstances without apparent causal connection.

- ever heard of PORTON DOWN ?? - It's a 'Science park'  near Salisbury (excuse ME while I laugh until I vomit) where the British developed nerve gases or 'nerve agents' as they now choose to call them - it was actually opened in 1916 to develop mustard gas and phosgene gas for use against the Germans in WW I.

This CHEMICAL WARFARE EXPERIMENTAL STATION has changed it's name repeatedly over the years in an attempt to confuse the public .. in similar fashion to CALDER HALL where the English atomic bombs were built - that became 'Windscale' then 'Sellafield' !

Are you confused? - I am. Wikipedia lists fifteen different names for this government facility where we British developed NERVE GASES, and ANTHRAX, (and LSD), and BACTERIA - & tested them over time on some 20,000 people (plus military personnel) .

check-out LINK:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porton_Down

.. But the RUSSIANS did it.

Marty K.

LORCIN Budget Priced Semi-Autos:

I was flicking through the Gun Digest 2000 just now - and spotted what surely was a printing error - a seven shot semi-auto 'thirty-two' pistol listed at US$89. and the .380 ACP at only $100. - But no - no mistake there, as that was what they cost.

  - Where have I been not to know these are said by everyone to be "Saturday night specials" that even Wikipedia says that these are meant to be sold out of pawn shops to 'low income people'.

Made out of injection molded "pot metal" ZAMAC zinc alloy - that even the soft-air-gun boys hate.

Matchbox Zinc Alloy & Plastic Toy Car.

Lorcin L22 Zinc Alloy & Plastic Gun.

Sure it's the right size and shape for a pistol .. Now I worked in the plastics injection molding industry for just short of 15 years and there is nothing much wrong with parts made from the right engineering polymer in the right application.

You make buttons or toothbrush handles from cellulose acetate and you're not cheating customers - If you engineer a pistol frame in high strength Nylon 6 or glass-fiber filled Nylon you may have a superior quality tool. Make "tupperware" out of low density polyethylene or polypropylene .. fine & fit for purpose. - Wet cell lead-acid batteries for cars? - Their casings may be multiple layers of three different polymers.

 -  And I'd suggest that toys for example, are fine when die-cast from Zamac zinc alloy .. but the slides on semi-auto pistols? ... Naah.

There's a phrase much used in the computer techie world 'GiGo'
 - "Garbage in - Garbage out."

Owner / salesman Jim Waldorf named his firm LORCIN after his two daughters Lori & Cindy .. and this South California gun maker would sell you one of his toys with pink grips to match your lipstick.

Wikipedia says: "In 1993, Lorcin was the number one pistol manufacturer in the United States, producing 341,243 guns. However, in 1996, Lorcin filed for bankruptcy, with 18 pending product liability, personal injury, and wrongful death lawsuits. The company emerged from bankruptcy in 1997, but went out of business permanently in 1998 with an additional 22 lawsuits having been filed."

Marty K.

P.S. Talking about the "Weaker Sex" - have you watched this failed-defended Tulsa armed robbery?
(.. after the annoying advert!)

http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/crime/article202118409.html

Marty.

Armed For Independence or For Power - 2nd Amendment Rights:

A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.
I just heard one of the most fallacious anti-gun arguments trotted-out on radio again .. that the US 2nd Amendment was OK back in the day (1791) of flintlock muzzle-loaders - but it shouldn't apply nowadays to "Assault Rifles".

WRONG: In 1791 the flintlock rifle was the main arm of Government - and the right to possess that same weapon for the security of a free State gave the citizen similar strength to that of the ruling authority's troops.

Today - the US Government has .. not only semi-fully-auto "assault rifles" - but also 6,000 rounds-per-minute rotating barrel 'mini-gun' cannons, M1A2 Abrams Tanks, fuel-air explosives, nerve gas, cluster bombs, nuclear weapons, stealth bombers & fighters ad infinitum. The Citizen's right to bear arms in parity has been much diluted by this "progress".

Since 1791 the power of the American Executive has hugely expanded. The US's Military strength currently exceeds that of the combined strength of the next eight strongest forces together - depending on how you calculate it. The American people's taxes pay for US$ 580 BILLION spend on it's Military every year - and they maintain over 800 military bases in 150 countries outside of mainland USA.

There's a morality argument here too - how empty is it to condemn evil 'assault weapons' while knowing millions of them are being bought by the political bosses for enforcement purposes by the military?

 There are TWO U.S. military bases in New Zealand. The largest is at Harewood Airport, Christchurch, where under the cover of the U.S. Antarctic Research Program, the military maintains a general purpose Naval depot, an Air Force Military Airlift Command Base, and a Naval Communications Unit (part of which is situated at RNZAF base, Weedons).

 And at Mount John - the U.S. Air Force's Satellite Tracking Station pinpoints the position of enemy satellites so that in the event of nuclear war the U.S. Aerospace Defense Command can shoot them down. The operations base for Mount John is at Washdyke, near Timaru.

I am not complaining here - I just believe that we all should know the facts. For example .. we citizens of 'NUCLEAR FREE NEW ZEALAND' should know that we own x6 Lockhead P3K2 ORION anti-submarine warfare aircraft based at Whenuapai - who's primary designed armament is nuclear depth-bombs & torpedos.

That 'Stinger' in The Tail is The MAD Boom
- Magnetic Anomaly Detector Used To Locate Underwater Vessals.

A current upgrade will equip the aircraft with a new underwater intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capability package in order to boost the P-3K2 planes’ anti-submarine warfare capabilities.  This so-called anti-submarine acoustic processing system will be very similar to the one installed aboard the U.S. Navy’s P-8A Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft. (Australia runs x12 P-8A's)

What is an "Assault Weapon" or an 'assault rifle' anyway? ANY tool can be used to assault someone. How about an 'Assault Truck' - 'Assault Axe', or an 'Assault Screw-driver' ?

Personally I think the US needs a few amended laws to curb excess .. like tighter BANKING Regulations, Lobbying Regulation, Tax Regulation, CORPORATE Control, Health Care and decent limits on ages & safety training for gun users - but I'm not a US citizen and it's hard to get politicians to do something useful anywhere.

Marty K.

Gun Makers Mauser & 'H&K' in Oberndorf:

GERMAN GENIUS:

In 1806 the Augustinian Roman Catholic Monastery (built 1264 C.E.) in Oberndorf (Kingdom of Wurttemberg) was taken-over by the local 'Royals' .. a political deal stemming from the Napoleonic wars.

Augustine Monastery Becomes Arms Factory. 1824.

What's this got to do with anything? - Well - Hard times followed the monks leaving - & these buildings on the River Neckar became used as barracks and then State owned iron works machinery was moved in and used to make weaponry. The monastery church was used as a coal and raw materials store .. The river was used to drive a water wheel and they made barrels for flintlock rifles and pistols, bayonets, spear heads, spurs, battle axes, sabers, & rifles.

By 1815 they were really on a roll and 100 workers produced 3,600 rifles, carbines & cavalry sabers that year. - In 1838 a certain (Peter) Paul Mauser was born in Oberndorf .. born to be a gunsmith like his father (Master Gunsmith Andreas Mauser) before him and his four older brothers - so in 1852 aged 14 he started work. (Mother Merira Agatha had thirteen children there).

Twenty years later in 1872 the Mauser Brothers opened their own factory .. and a mere two years later took-over ownership of the struggling Royal Wurttenburg Factory and it's old monastery buildings - giving them three factories in Oberndorf.

(The "German Empire" was unified and formed the year before in 1871 under Otto von Bismark.)

Paul Mauser was the leading engineer and Wilhelm ran the business side.

Their Gewehr 98 was patented by Paul Mauser in 1898.

.. Cocked On Opening:

I've never owned a German Mauser - but had a couple of excellent Swedish 6.5 x 55 mm Mausers.

6.5 x 55 mm Swedish Mauser.

All "Swedes" - whether Swedish built or German - used high-grade Swedish nickel-copper-vanadium steel and - cocked on closing like the British Lee-Enfields. That 6.5 x 55 mm round is a 'good'un'.

Beautiful quality and fine shooting Mausers.

There are well known variations of the classic M 98 Action: - Short Mauser actions .. Long & even Intermediate - small ring and large ring .. these actions and rifles are widely appreciated and have been made around the world in various calibers.

21st Century OBERNDORF

 - Now Home To Heckler & Koch.

H & K Factory - Up The Hill A Bit.

- Where they make (alongside other good stuff) the HK416 rifle - an upgraded M4 type with a short stroke piston & rotating bolt that is replacing M4s with US Marines and multiple Infantry Units.

.. Piston Action H&K doesn't "crap on it's own dinner plate" like the original Stoner 'Direct Impingement' system!

Superior Performance From German Engineers.

H&K MR556A1 Civilian Version NOW AVAILABLE.

Marty K.

Personal Weaponry - Percussion Caps -Toy Gun Caps - Ignition Systems:

Researching early 'pin-fire' systems pointed my head at 'percussion caps' and got me thinking about how we initially made things go BANG - and then progressed to where we are today with our very reliable  current metallic cartridges.

Inside A No.11 Percussion Cap

 - A Little Dab'll Do You ..

Way back when - I guess that the guys used a flaming stick or a length of red-hot poker - maybe removed freshly radiant from a fire-pot - to make their 'cannon' or mortar powder go WUMMPPHA & scare the horses.

13th Century Chinese Hand Cannon

Then the history moved us forward again to a hand-held smoldering cord impregnated with saltpeter (a quick or slow 'match') - that later was held conveniently in a pivoting  'Serpentine' which becomes 'THE MATCHLOCK'

Matchlock led to 'SNAP MATCHLOCK' which further advanced greatly when some smart joker adapted the flint-and-steel fire making gear into the 'SNAPLOCK' around the year 1540 C.E.

The big thing to remember about a flint working it's magic on high-carbon steel (- 0.7% carbon gives the biggest, longest lasting incandescent sparks) - is the really hard flint rock "percussively" & forcefully scrapes minute particles of hardened steel to fly as white-hot molten sparks and to rain-down onto the gunpowder fuel-explosive.

 Then in stages on-wards to the 'Miquelet' - 'Snaphance', 'Wheelock' & 'Doglock', all variations of what we know as 'FLINTLOCKS' - that were the only way to go .. for some three centuries .. until percussion caps made that next great leap forward. LINK:

https://flicense.blogspot.co.nz/2014/06/a-3rd-look-at-black-powder-flints.html

So .. although the "flintlocks" actually operate using a percussive system (flint striking steel) .. in 1840(ish) the percussion cap was developed .. following the discovery of fulminates in 1800 by Edward Charles Howard. The fulminate ions are highly unstable ions that are friction-sensitive explosives. - Knock them hard enough and they explode.

Cap'n'Ball Black Powder Revolver Night Time Shot ... Works For Me.

Note: Only about 50% of black-powder charges turns to gas - the other 50% is ejected as solids and Glowing Charcoal. - Nitro powders are MUCH more efficient. There were of course several different ideas tried - copper cup / caps, discs and pellets, and the tape roll (Maynard) system - familiar to old kids who were once allowed to play "Cowboys & Indians" with cap guns ..

Toy Cap-Gun  Roll Caps

Maynard Percussion Tape From American Civil War

By 1850 the idea of fitting a metal, steel or copper percussion cap or primer into a self-contained cartridge had started. - One version was a horizontal pinfire cartridge - as in this rare image ..

Horizontal Pin Strikes Primer At Base Of Bullet.

 But the logical placement of the "cap" in the base of the cartridge took-off commercially replacing muzzle-loading systems with the breech loading guns by 1860. There are many individuals that had a claim to their part in developing & improving these systems. Claims & counterclaims .. but we've now arrived at fairly fool-proof and reliable cartridges that permit our firearms to perform well as manual revolvers, semi-autos, and full autos.

Along the way the cap gained an inbuilt 'anvil' ..

 'Mini Guns' such as the VULCAN can spew bullets from multiple rotating barrels at up to 6,000 rounds per minute:

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

Very Deadly efficient - but there may be a further move just around the corner .. 'Caseless Ammunition' .. (once they get the propellant design right and eliminate "cooking-off").

The Next Development?

(Caseless Square 'Rounds')

Marty K.