BORE - CALIBRE - GAUGE ..

'BB' used to be my school boy fantasy ..

Brigette Bardot - Better Looking than Elon Musk:

The population of America is around 350 Million while Elon Musk is said to be worth $420 BILLION - that means he could give every man, woman, child, and baby $1,000 each to ease their hardships AND still walk away with $70 Billion to continue using his genius to enrich the world further ..

Yeah well you can take it from me that I might be an 'Old Bore' .. which is something like a "Fud" - but this piece started when I saw a gun described as a "50 Bore" and I wondered was this a .50 inch caliber or was it a .44" (.45") smoothbore which is 50 bore (- many 44s are 45s - but a 44 Magnum measures .429 inch !). Like many things in American society - nothing much is what it is presented as being. - American pork/beef  Hotdogs are made from dyed and flavored waste chicken & turkey slush.

I do not recomend going down this numbers game rabbit hole on Google as much confusion exists there. - I am trying to get this clear in my head - not just to be a smart prick ..

BALLS

Commonly we now use BORE & GAUGE interchangeably as meaning the same thing. It is a reference to the size of the inner diameter of the hole bored through a gun's barrel .. BUT this is NOT a linear measurement - but rather it is a "multiplicative inverse" of the weight of a spherical ball of lead as a fraction of a pound weight .. 

SO - a 1 Gauge is a gun bored to accept a ball weighing 1 Pound

a 2 Gauge is bored to use balls that come two to the pound .. (1/2 a pound)

a 4 Gauge uses leaden balls each weighing 1/4 of a pound .. four to the pound

The conversion of this, balls into a linear measurement, is complicated crap and there is a basic formula ..

- That's best ignored .. as the actual size measurement takes no interest in whether the ball is to be naked or PATCHED .. or how thick the patch material is recommended - OR if the gun is to be used with SHOT  or is it - as a Shotgun - to be 'Back Bored' to improve performance. - Or is it a rifled bore ..

Consider: A 12 Gauge Shotgun bore will vary between .720"-.740" whereas the British 'Brown Bess'  Musket started at around .750 inch (using .70 patched balls) but would grow bigger up to .80 inch caliber as they were re-bored after rough use.

You need a table to consult as to which BORE or GAUGE relates to what size hole you've got for example a '50 BORE' gun has it's smooth-bored barrel measuring internally .453 inch. approximately.

Here is a good page with Tables ..

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gauge_(firearms)

CALIBER or CALIBRE is a true measure of that hole size BUT it might not be the actual size of the NAMED size as these are nominated according not only the bore but also the brass shell case size and capacity.

e.g. There are around TWENTY different power 30 caliber rifles and they don't all use the same sized bullets.

And 'rifling' only compounds the issues as some rifles are christened after their GROOVE diameters while others are sized from their LANDS. 

Then there was METRIFICATION ..

I mean for gawd's sake - the planet's politicians can't even sort-out which side of the road to drive on.

Ridiculous .. and - how the hell did my gorgeous Brigitte Bardot get to be 90 years old ?

Are You Fit and Proper?

Are NZ Police 'FIT AND PROPER PERSONS'?

FIREARMS LICENCES FOR NZ POLICE.

Marty K.

RUSTY, BROKEN & Unlicensed:

Joke: I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous .. 

- I bought this crappy antique relic from trademe - for something to do.

Birmingham Proofed, English Quality  piece of c**p  but only NZ$250 plus p&p

You don't get much here (or anywhere) for $250 .. but I'll try a 'Before & After' story .. that's after I've improved ruined it's "collector value"

Bloody AWFUL condition, Broken HAMMER ("with old repair")

- destroyed Nipple (crushed & rust-frozen)

That's What You Get around here - gouged Initials 

The R.H side is Rust-as-Bad

It wasn't worth $250 but it will be something to do for a few days - so I had a go at the handle wood while the metal bits were boiling (- first in detergent, then clean water ..

Gouged 'H' sanded-out, reshaped handle stained with "dark Walnut" .. that loose screwhole needs plugging. - When working on old wood that's age-darkened, any sanded repairs will stand-out light until stained back darker ..

-So after a good 'Boil-Up' without any puha, out into the garage workbench to fight with that nipple ..

YEss - It's out in a sprinkle of rust-dust after using two vicegrips and a propane flame - but then, - a hopeful search through my bag of nipples yielded only one, a stainless ROA nipple that fits, if I hack-off half the threads. Hmm. I am not an engineer.

 What a 'sad' specimen .. break filed clean for welding - But I will not be retaining its PATINA

(or that TANG !!)

- A skilled man with a welder at EAGLE ENGINEERING will do me a favour - not too far up the road in the wine growing area. - That broken hammer had been pinned some time, while it's break had been partly obscured with disgusting crud.

I would hope that the pinned but wobbly original hammer was made as a FORGING rather than a CASTING .. but the key is the chemistry of the metal (iron/steel rather than 'cast iron') and the kind of flaws that might have caused it's failure. - It feels forged and filed ..

These old antiques, as here, seem often to have been passed-on to stupid boys to play with and destroy .. so that makes it OK for me to mess with it, - moi being a stupid old boy.

Hot from the Welder .. Tobias did a good job ..

Something Like

A bit more fettling to do and it'll be half decent (or at least a 1/4 decent) .. but I find the welding FILLER ROD (chrome-moly ?) metal used is very hard & tough when compared to the hammer's original softer metal .. which may perhaps be iron rather than steel? .. I'm having to use small diamond files to reshape.- I'm no metalurgist but understand that modern steels are very much "tailored" as specific alloys (blended metals) to fit their proposed use.

Repaired Hammer, Replacement Nipple - Some Refinishing

NEXT: Well, I cocked-up .. I tried to put a bit more curve into that top tang, using pliers to bend it - and I SNAPPED IT OFF *ping* at the drilled screwhole .. 

Rusted and Porous Surfous at the Break.

New Metal Welded

Excuses sure - it was already corroded and weakened - but another trip was needed to my friends at EAGLE ENGINEERING Amberley. - I reasoned that trying to weld new metal right at the broken thin section screw hole was a bad move so we amputated back to solid metal before welding on new material .. sighs.. Actually, why am I upset? - as I wanted something to do eh .. Start cutting, drilling & grinding now.

Rough Enough but Better Than It Was ..

This old wreck kept my interest for many hours and is now a fully functional, genuine antique .36" Caliber Muzzle Loading, Black Powder Pocket Pistol with a strong main-spring - that holds on both 'Halfcock' and 'Full Cock' and releases with the trigger press. Better than new

It's got to be worth at least $250 now don't you reckon? 😂Good eh.

____________

RUST is a pain in the rrrse ..

Those raised SCABS on this FRIZZEN are ACTIVE RUST CORROSION

It will only get WORSE - unless someone DOES SOMETHING ..

- this is NOT "Patina"

- You need to gently scrape-off those scabs because they are porous and hold moisture that is acidic-corrosive. Probably SULPHURIC ACID and hygroscopic salts sitting there.

I bought an 'endoscope' from U S (Chinese) .. just installed the 'app' on my phone/camera - worked-out how to scan a QR code,  and how to take a pic with it .. not too shabby for an 81y.o. twat. - This is down the bore of a 200 year old rust frozen Flintlock turn-off barrel - same gun as the frizzen above.

That bore ring is where the barrel meets the powder chamber - an area where I've had Wintergreen Oil dissolving rust .. the far rusty inner recess (under the PAN & flash-hole) has not had any wintergreen treatment (yet). The next challenge is getting the barrel to unfreeze and screwing it off ..

 - You need to dig all rust out from the bottom of any pits .. or they'll get worse

Many of the dents and dings on this Adams revolver barrel are small CORROSION PITS of activity.

Get a PICK and carefully dig it ALL out - flush it and scrub with self-drying HOT water - before applying your OIL of preference, Wintergreen Oil or WAX or BALLISTOL  that is alkaline. - Whether you go further and attempt a degree of restoration depends on your starting point, - personal opinion and purpose .. are you up for a re-finish?

.. leave them rusty as they come and they'll grow ever more awful.

Do you care?

ARE YOU A FIT AND PROPER PERSON?

Are NZ Police 'FIT AND PROPER'?

- they are not

FIREARMS LICENCES REQUIRED FOR NZ POLICE

Marty K.

"Revolvers Are Simple"? - & a Lesson at Using a Shotgun Properly:

REVOLVERS have around 50-60 parts, give or take a few depending on the model, if you count all the pins and small bits like springs and such - Of those, some 20 or so are directly involved with making sure the cylinder lines-up correctly with the forcing cone at the right time - when the gun fires. Or, in other words, they’re involved in “timing” the revolver. 

Single-Action Revolvers mostly have fewer parts than Double Action revolvers - mostly - but this is variable depending on which ideas are tried by the designers copying other guns or are changed for reasons of 'originality'.

In the movie ALIENS - 'Newt' says "We'd better get back, 'cause it'll be dark soon, and they mostly come at night... mostly."

Inside an old S&W Revolver

For the idiots out there (Politicians, Senior Police, 'Anti-Gun Campaigners', and "Do-Gooders") .. REVOLVERS are so-called because they have a CYLINDER that REVOLVES - whereas other types of pistols - not having a revolving cylinder - are NOT called revolvers.

Revolvers are pistols - but pistols are not revolvers ..

This is a CYLINDER - Seen from the rear:

Again, - for the parasitic anti-gun morons like HERA COOK at Otago University (- a specialist in womens pudenda - she knows what a c*nt is) - a revolver cylinder is a cylindrically shaped metal component that contains a firearms multiple CHAMBERS. - Revolvers are sometimes refered to as "SIXGUNS" - but many revolvers have Five, Seven, Eight or Ten or more chambers ..

A Ruger "sixgun" .22" LR Cylinder:

When firing a revolver - double-action or single-action - if you notice bits of lead stinging your hands or face - this is a strong sign that the pistols TIMING is dangerously faulty and it should not be used until proper repairs are completed.

Incidentally - there are those other misguided morons of a different ilk who insist that the safety has to be turned-off revolvers before shooting them .. when most revolvers do not have a "Safety" switch.

This is The Safety of a Firearm ..

I used to run on range firearms use sessions as an instructor and had few 'issues' with visitors 30-40 years ago - back in the '90s - but more recent school graduates - seem to specialize in completely ignoring instructions and have evolved a blank staring, slack-jawed, pouty face that requires instant removal from the zone - for their carer to refresh medications and to counsel them.

- Just saying ..

This person has recently moved fresh supplies of NUCLEAR WARHEADS to England and is reportedly claiming to have moved two nuclear missile armed submarines closer to Russia.

Can someone please hold his attention by waving his favorite toy before his eyes while two large medics approach from the rear with a straitjacket ?

What do you call a childishly stupid adult?: Emotionally immature! Someone's psychological or emotional age is often evident in emotional reactions and habits. Signs of emotional immaturity/childishness include. emotional escalations, blaming, lies, and name calling. Someone who is emotionally childish may also have poor impulse control, need to be the center of attention, or engage in bullying, manipulation, and abuse!

Right after I wrote this piece - this video from my favorite old timer Jack Hargreaves popped-up on YouTube ..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gazcYX1_mUM

Good Stuff. - Perhaps, if I'd had some expert tuition on shotgunning at clays I might be less useless than I am at moving targets ..

Are You a Fit and Proper Person?

Are NZ Police 'FIT AND PROPER'?

FIREARMS LICENCES FOR NZ POLICE.

Marty K.

BOXERS and BERDANS Primers - What about BENET and SMOOT?

Primers are tiny explosive charges that detonate the main propellant charge in a firearm by the triggered hammer-blow. We know these things could be dangerous and need to be handled with care - 

Unlike the multiple explosive charges that are hidden into all "modern" cars - as many as SIX TO TEN or more explosive charges .. called by the Marketing Men AIRBAGS. Deliberate Deception.

They are nothing to do with "air" and these exploding inflators can and do cause injuries.

I never had a clue that our primers are wrongly named or wrongly attributed by the Sales liars - Well, I'd not really thought about it at all .. PRIMERS that is - and their historic development.

You could call me "Pig Ignorant" about this - please do, - and you'd be right.

That's a PRIMER in there.

If I had seen those cartridges I'd have said 'old RIM FIRES' not centerfire cartridges with internal primers.

We all have stuff that we know little or nothing about - that's fine as long as we don't pretend that we do know .. The Corrected History indicates that BOXER primers are not properly named.

Two Interesting stories to read - well researched :- Linked:

https://gunsmagazine.com/guns/throwing-down-with-the-saa/

To be even further honest - I didn't really know what "throwing down" was ..

And the second piece of Reading Homework .. linked

https://www.reloadingtool.com/primers-in-america

This is very detailed and fine writing about Metallic Cartridges - their PRIMERS and PATENTS history.

I am not in any way qualified to write about this stuff .. And it needs to be said that if you can't be bothered to read THE FACTS you won't suffer much at all - like you won't lose your job or be expelled from your Masonic Lodge whatever.

- It's just that there is SO MUCH BULLSHIT & Marketing SPIN around, - it is refreshing to sometimes get the truth .. Presently, the whole Western political narrative is nonsensical 'spin' with every accusation made of Chinese, Iranian & Russian aggression and terrorism being a transferance of the facts. UK and U S leaders seem to be believing their own propaganda machines.

Are You a Fit and Proper Person?

Are NZ Police 'FIT AND PROPER'?

FIREARMS LICENCES FOR NZ POLICE.

Marty K.

Wouldn't it be nice .. GREAT even - if it was a criminal offence to LIE?