Police Body Armor - Information:

For those of you working in 'Law Enforcement' - wearing personal BODY ARMOR is an important issue. Many NZ Police front line officers are required to wear it.

There are different levels of protection (.. plus ballistic shields and screens). If you work in an occupation that puts you at risk from assault - you should read this article by US police trainer Greg Ellifritz on using body armor:

SEVEN THINGS YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT BODY ARMOR.
Link:

 http://www.activeresponsetraining.net/seven-things-you-dont-know-about-body-armor?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ActiveResponseTraining+%28Active+Response+Training%29

NZ Police SRBA .. Stab Resistant Body Armour.

Marty K.

Rubber Bullets - Russian 10 mm x 28 - Less Lethal:

WOW - there's always something new to learn eh.

Had you ever heard of the 10x28 Less Lethal Cartridge?  (.. I hadn't - is ignorance bliss?)

The 12mm rubber balls are said to weigh 1.8 grams (nearly 28 grains) and are fired at 500 meters per second - 1640 ft/sec.. This weapons effect on target is traumatic - causing pain, contusions, & hematomas .. even bone fractures or internal injuries & death may occur at close ranges out to 5 meters.

- This theme started when I saw a post (The Firearm Blog) about a Russian Molot designed pistol in two versions - 9x19mm and 10x28 mm - civilian-legal handgun firing only defensive rubber bullets .."Less Lethal".

VPO-514 Pre-Production Pistol.

This particular gun never started production in Russia (but there is a Steyr model around).

This civilian legal form fires rubber balls and the barrels have to be 'barred' to prevent conversion to real ammunition:

Barred Barrel.

- It seems that Steyr do have a version made for this Russian market ..

Link:

https://www.steyrclub.com/threads/less-lethal-steyr.8459/


If you read that lot - plus this next Link - you'll know as much as me (.. that's not much).

http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2018/05/29/molot-pistol-that-never-was/

For Shooting At Kiwis:

I was certainly conversant with military "rubber bullets" and 40mm Sponge Rounds that our NZ Police have for shooting from their grenade launchers - and I have imported 9mm rubber bullets that were sold in US for indoor practice (- good fun but may only be shot here in NZ on an approved range).

- See my post four years ago: LINK:

https://flicense.blogspot.com/2014/06/practice-bullets-for-handgunssoftair.html

If you want access to a legal handgun in Mother Russia you might best sign-up for the KGB or NKVD that was .. it's now called FSB -  the initial letters of the Russian words Federalnaya Sluzhba Bezopasnosti - Federal Security Service - the country's secret police.

Vladimir Putin says:

"Working in intelligence, you need to be informed about a lot of things and you need to be able to work with people and respect your partners."

Marty K.
I've signed-up to Patreon. - NOW you can send me a wee support $ - starting from $1 to get all this stuff from New Zealand:        https://www.patreon.com/user?u=16618870

BIGGEST Handguns Video - Love 'Em ..600 Nitro &.460 XVR:

For those who NEED a big one😁... because they like big BOOMS.

.600 Nitro Express:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ea_Q8C_67jY

.460 v red cabbage:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DP5WgfoDfA4

Hickok 45 with a .460 XV
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ec8vYqHZdL0

We know men and women ARE somewhat different. - Latest research finds that male brains mature from between the age of 25 - 45 ... while the female gender make it to mental adulthood up to eleven years earlier.

Of course - some girls claim that their menfolk NEVER grow-up eh.

Marty K.

Stevens Arms Invented The .22 Long Rifle Cartridge:

Stevens Arms & Tool Company was an American firearms manufacturer founded by Joshua Stevens in 1864 in Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts.

Image Of Success: 5.6x15mmR - The Superb .22" Long Rifle Cartridge.

When In 1887, Stevens developed the little .22 LR round - by combining the casing of the .22 Long with the 40-grain (2.6 g) bullet of the .22 Extra Long. - They really started something BIG.

It's likely that around 14 Billion rounds of ammo are made in US every year .. so what percentage of that is .22 Long Rifle? - Nobody seems to know ..

This light recoiling & superbly useful round is made by the BILLIONS ** every year (2.5 plus Billion? .. seems LOW to me). - From punching holes in paper targets, - shooting possums or rabbits - to killing a "beef" for the freezer - it does the job.

Sub-sonic - standard velocity - high velocity to Hyper Velocity with speeds of up to 1,800 feet per second.

- The weak point of the design is said to be it's HEELED bullets as shown here and it's required EXTERNAL lubrication:

An engraved, gold-plated Stevens-Gould No. 37 pistol in .22 LR was given to sharpshooter Annie Oakley in the 1890s by her husband Frank Butler. The pistol had finely engraved dog and horse head motifs on both sides of the frame. The Stevens-Gould No. 37 was one of three embellished guns cased for Oakley as a presentation group.

In 1915 Stevens was purchased by New England Westinghouse, a division of Westinghouse Electric. New England Westinghouse was created specifically to fulfill a contract to produce 1.8 million Mosin-Nagant rifles for Czar Nicholas II of Russia for use in World War I. They needed a firearms manufacturing facility in order to accomplish this and chose Stevens. After the purchase they sold off the tool making division, halted production of Stevens-Duryea automobiles, and, on July 1, 1916, renamed the firearms division the J. Stevens Arms Company. When the Czar was deposed by the communists in 1917, New England Westinghouse was never paid and they fell into financial distress. They managed to sell most of the rifles to the U.S. Government and keep the Stevens firearms facility operational .

Stevens was then purchased by the Savage Arms Company on April 1, 1920 with Stevens operating as a subsidiary of Savage.

It's a "dog-eat-dog' corporate world.

I have just come across a British Web site with very good content about "Miniature Cartridges" (.22"s)
LINK:

 http://rifleman.org.uk/Miniature_Calibre_Cartridges_Main.htm

The 'parent site' is VERY extensive and informative of British shooting & guns .. well worth the time to wander and read.

Marty K.

** That would be a "short scale" Billion of 1,000,000,000 - as opposed to a 'long scale' or 'British' Billion that until 1974 was 1,000,000,000,000.(a million million) - Blame the change on then Prime Minister Harold Wilson.

SUBSONIC: Did you know that the speed of sound in air at 68 °F (20 °C) is approximately 1,126 ft/s?
 - However, I read that under cold air conditions at 32 °F (0 °C), the speed of sound drops to 1,088 ft/s (332 m/s), approximately muzzle velocity. Hence, a "subsonic" round used in these temperatures could be supersonic, and during the transition from supersonic to subsonic velocity, it may become unstable, reducing accuracy. To counteract this, some cartridge manufacturers have lowered the speed of their subsonic ammunition to 1,030 ft/s.

- I make my subsonic 9 mm 157 grain rounds for my fully silenced Just-Right Carbine even slower .. and they are very quiet at around .45 acp speeds - of around 800 foot per second.

MK.

'MARE'S LEG' - Designed By Von Dutch:

Wikipedia says that "Von Dutch" is an multi-national apparel brand .. Well maybe that's how the 'In Crowd' see him - but that's not what I'm talking about:

Would You Want to Pay $40.00 for a Three Buck Chinese poly-cotton Cap?

-" FASHION ".

I'm no-way stuffing my dressing room full of handbags or Baseball Caps & designer T-Shirts .. but I'm certainly interested in the original guy who was a motorcycle mechanic, custom car maker - and a bit of a gunsmith.

Kenny "Von Dutch' Howard (1929-1992) was talented and artistic - but it seems he also was a racist nazi anti-social alcoholic, - Ed Boswell who founded the Von Dutch clothing empire described him as "hating everybody too much to be a white power activist.- He was a provocateur".

A keen gunsmith and knife maker, Von Dutch made numerous art knives and embellished firearms. Most of these were adaptations of existing items to which he added his artistic flair. In 1958, Von Dutch designed and produced the "Mare's Leg", a cut-down 44-40 Winchester rifle for the 1957 television series Trackdown & the later 'Wanted: Dead or Alive'.

Steve McQueen & ' Winchester M 1892 Mares Leg'
AKA a "Winchester Randall".
9" Barrel - No Sights.

- Actually, Steve McQueen designed the Mares Laig 'duck-billed' hammer & enlarged cocking lever-loop - also redesigning the special holster.

Some 'Von Dutch' Customised Guns.

Original Mare's Laig S/N 468096.

Reputed to WANT to piss people off - Von Dutch put this sign up in his work area ..

Perhaps he was "misunderstood" .. but anyway he made some good looking lock-knives too:
- Did he make them or decorate them?

They say he used old piano keys for their ivory..

Marty K.

WHY would anyone RUIN a perfectly good motorcycle by stuffing a crappy

 Volkswagon Beetle motor into it?

A Half Decent Triumph - Shame About That Paint.

Ruger LCR Ain't The Only Plastic Wheel-Gun (- & PRACTICE:

Smith & Wesson have worked-up their version of a Polymer-Framed revolver - but I didn't hear much cheering from the fans.

The 'S&W M&P BODYGUARD 38 CRIMSON TRACE' has a  l o n g name for a short revolver that turns out to be lighter than their 'Airweight' model. - It boasts a complete redesign of it's clockwork system with a five chamber cylinder that rotates clockwise (seen from the rear) - no cylinder-hand - & the cylinder-latch is "top mounted" awkwardly but ambidextrously. (That means that it might be a crap idea for both sinister southpaws & the righteous) - or maybe it just needs to be practiced with until you get used to it.**

Cylinder Latch Where The Hammer Usually Lives

- Is That A Lock-Keyhole I see?

The controls for the laser pointer are inconvenient too & some folk are saying it's a shame they didn't also re-design the undersized synthetic grips that seem to mimic S&W's ancient "Wood Splinter" slabs.

.. traditionally you could improve those with a vintage Tyler T-Grip - but that won't work with this S&W Bodyguard 38:

.. They don't seem to like it much eh,

Link to a Three-way comparison & review:

http://www.handgunsmag.com/reviews/snubbie-showdown-comparing-polymer-revolvers/

Taurus appear to have made a "better fist" of their five shooter 'PROTECTOR' polymer revolver ..

- as it comes in both 38" and .357" magnum flavors - and has the normal d/a - s/a exposed hammer spur too - and it does have a considerable pricing advantage - a very comfortable rubber grip - and a day-glow front sight.

.. And - those dummies who like to disrespect Taurus firearms should note that since 1984 Taurus Holdings have offered an unqualified FULL LIFETIME REPAIR POLICY.

Then here is another revolver from Taurus - the Public Defender Polymer that shoots both .410 shells and .45"LC from it's long cylinder:

This is a light-weight big bore - so it's going to blast & kick a bit with full power loads .. It might be better if it had a three finger sized grip ..

 - Why would you put a shorter grip on a .44" revolver than on a .38" Mr. Taurus?

But we all know that there's no such thing as a free lunch (unless you're a politician or a "royal") - If you want a big bore in a small gun ... that's what you get 🐵.

The Charter Arms Undercover shorty revolver is also said to now have it's one piece silver colored trigger-guard /grip-frame molded from polymer .. does that qualify as a 'polymer pistol' - when the maker isn't marketing it as one?

________

Then there's the best one, the original Ruger LCR polymer Revolver .. now tried & tested in a good range of  calibers.

Six shots in 327 Federal Magnum, five shots in 357 Magnum or 38 Special, Eight rounds in .22" L/R., six shot in .22" Magnum-WMR, - & five rounds of 9x19 mm fit in moon clips. 

These five "POLYMER" revolvers use stainless steel and aluminum in the hot bits - so I'm not completely convinced about the utility of the plastic bits. The cost saving and strength in auto pistols such as the Glocks is apparent as well as some weight saving, corrosion resistance and recoil absorption .. time will tell.

.. Sighs .. you can get some LCR models with a three inch barrel and even a d/a-s/a version. - It's almost enough to make an old man think of emigrating State-Side .. except for their "Luney Tune Trump" and the city understories of spaced-out druggy sewage psycho-nutters.

** Referring again to PRACTCE .. and how it smooths & speeds the nerve impulses - "Practice Makes Perfect" .. Recently, - Having building maintenance work resulted in no hot water at the taps - for days I repeatedly just automatically reached-out to get that warm flow while fully knowing there was none. "Muscle Memory" and 'conditioning' actually produces MYELIN  that speeds & strengthens the nerve pathways - almost making your actions "automatic" !

"Roughly half of your brain is made of grey matter (where neural pathways are forged and reside) and the other half is made of white matter. - First it’s key to know that neurons that fire together, wire together. This means to learn something new, to set a new habit in place, repetition is required. When you practice something deeply, intentionally, and with conscious effort - a neural pathway is formed. Neurons are now firing together in a new sequence, and thus are wiring together as a collective. Repeated firing says that this neural pathway is important. Repeated firing with deep practice and either struggle or ecstasy, alerts oligodendrocytes and astrocytes that this pathway needs to be upgraded, or insulated, and the process of myelination begins.

The newly forged and repeatedly fired neural pathway is then insulated like an electrical wire wrapped in a protective coating. This pathway (grey matter) is strengthened via the myelin (white matter) insulation and it is upgraded from the equivalent of dial up to broadband. Heavily myelinated neural pathways are up to 300 times faster—they’ve been optimized for speed and efficiency. They’ve also become the default behavior, as the brain will choose the most highly myelinated pathways (because clearly they are the most important). This is how we form new automatic behaviors, also known as habits or habitual behavior choices."

- So there you go -PRACTICE your shooting .. Front Sight. Front Sight. Front Sight ...

Marty K.

Lawful Gun Owners And Police:

Two Points for 'starters':

1: Police Officers spend most of their working hours dealing with below average stoopid, spaced-out smart-arses & Bad men who often may be dangerous .. and angry road speeders..

2: Average people mostly only contact L.E. persons when they are annoyed & have a penalty fine to pay for traffic offences  .. It's costing them MONEY for no return.

- Try to remember that around HALF of your neighbors are of below average intellect 😲.

___________

Now you as a legal, sensible, kiwi gun owner and user - are none of these - indeed YOU are above average in every way. - You will contact police and licensing authorities more often than the average - so please be friendly, reasonable, helpful, and welcoming.

The uniforms that you are dealing with are not the morons making the rules that make life difficult and expensive ..

 - Don't be hostile to anyone .. especially workers trying to do the difficult task of keeping your mothers and grandmothers and your kids safe from predators crooks and nutters. You don't need to be defensive (or offensive) - be nice and offer them a cup of coffee and a smile.

Then be factual and aware of your legal rights. Help them if you can - that way everyone will go away happy.

Life is good - be happy.

Marty K.

Self-Defense For Disabled - Constitution Arms Palm Pistol:

Palm pistols are an old design idea - but this one is specifically meant for use by folk too handicapped to manages "normal" defensive handguns. This is a brilliant consideration that I fully support - but is this design practical -  as it is only a single shot?

This 38 Special design dates from around ten years back & is fired by using the thumb - & is meant for use by anyone disabled by amputation or perhaps living with serious arthritis or other issues.

When a shooter urgently needs this gun - she or he has to manually & simultaneously disengage three separate safety mechanisms.

The controls are designed to not need much strength to activate .. for example the method of opening it's chamber for reloading this SINGLE SHOT pistol is as shown below:

I really should't knock this gun as I have no chance to test one .. but it's reported price may be either $300 or  US$1350 which is a bit scary (unless that's "fake news") and it looks to be complicated in function.

Surely the fact of the fire button being covered by a flip-up cover is enough - without all the other "safeties"? - If there has to be another safety .. why not a trigger-in-the-trigger something like the GLOCK'S ?

If the palm-pistol design is easier to use .. why aren't all handguns made that way?

The whole point about any defensive firearm is that it IS dangerous to an attacker if needed .. not a "chinese puzzle" to be first resolved as a challenge.

Here's a Link to an expert review from Shooting Illustrated:

https://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2016/6/20/disabled-but-not-defenseless/

I really don't know about this - but I'm still thinking that the wee Beretta TOMCAT .32" would be my first suggestion to try.

'Tomcat' Pop-Up Barrel

By Design Simple & Easy For Weaker Hands.

No Slide Racking Needed. 

Although the second Generation prototypes below do look better - it seems possible that this design may not progress much further - but fingers crossed for them as they've obviously done a lot of work and thinking.

P.S. S&W have recently introduced their M&P Shield EZ Model in .380 ACP designed to be easy to operate.

"The new EZ addition to the M&P M2.0 family is designed for both first-time shooters and experienced hand gunners thanks to its easy-to-rack slide and easy-to-load magazine. It's an internal hammer fired gun with some safety pluses too." 

Now - I don't want to be "pickie" here - but shouldn't those design features of being functionally easy to operate be the standard priority of every manufacturer at all times ?

If you or someone in your life is aging or in less than peak athletic condition - it may well be worth them reading this following review of the EZ  - it's interesting anyway:

https://gatdaily.com/grandma-gun-380-shield-ez/

Marty K.

Increased Funding For New Zealand Police:

Our New Labour Party New Zealand Government does the Right Thing in their first Budget:

"Extra investment in Police welcomed "

Police Commissioner Mike Bush welcomes today’s announcement by the Minister of Police and says it represents a significant investment in NZ Police that will help make New Zealand the safest country.

“We are now positioned to deliver 1,800 new police and 485 support staff," says Commissioner Bush.

"This is an extra 920 officers and 240 support staff in addition to the 880 officers and 245 support staff announced in Budget 2017.

“This means more Police in our communities, with an additional 1100 constabulary officers to be deployed in community policing roles across the country.

These officers will be key to preventing crime, responding to calls for service to help keep our communities safe, and apprehending offenders who commit burglaries, robberies, theft and violence."

- Is "1,800 New Police" the same as 1,800 additional police?

2015 New Zealand sworn Police numbers were 8,923.

In June 2015 there were 37,473 OFFENDERS "under Corrections management." - out of a Population of 4,596,700 (that's 0.8152 %)

Interesting article about NZ policing numbers: LINK:

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/83008493/Analysis-Police-numbers-in-the-political-crossfire

Marty K.

Japanese Type 89 "Knee Mortar" 1929 - 1945:

New to me - I recently saw one of these on the TV series "Pawn Stars" .. These "Knee Mortars" were very versatile and effective weapons that were a blend of a grenade launcher/mortar that reached out into the range of 120 - 670 meters. They caused much damage to US Forces in the Pacific WWII.

Although quiet light weight and looking much like a simple tube launcher - they were sophisticated & adjustable for range and could be very accurate - having a rifled barrel.

What they were NOT was .... NOT FIRED BRACED ON THE KNEE OR LEG !

Trigger fired at an angle of 45 degrees - the range was adjustable using a scale and the grenades are an efficient - clever design .. for example they slide freely into the barrel when loading - but have a driving band that expands and engages the rifling when fired.

As is often the case, FORGOTTEN WEAPONS.com explains this system better than I might: Link to their video:

https://www.forgottenweapons.com/type-89-knee-mortar-at-james-d-julia/

TYPE 89 Mortar Shell - Grenade

-Brass Driving Band at Base.

Marty K.