Nipples, Prickers, & Rough Old Holes ..

I see the TASMANIA Govt. is complaining that feral deer are causing 53 Million Dollars of annual damage in that State and they forcast 1.4 BILLION DOLLARS costs over the next 30 years in trying to control them ..

It will be similar here in New Zealand with Captain Cooker Pigs, Possum, Deer, Wallaby, Feral cats etc - now that they have made it an expensive problem to legally own a firearm.

Put the "Defence Forces" onto it and just charge-up these costs to the Anti-Gunners .. No, don't bother 'cos they won't be able to hit anything, and will be falling out all over the bush from their five new 2 BILLION DOLLAR MH-60R choppers.

I opine that NZ will have to revert to the old lifetime Gun Licences eventually and offer a bounty for ears again. I also suggest that BLACKPOWDER guns of all kinds should be completely OFF-LICENCE and free of restrictions ..

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I cut, bent to shape, and sharpened a piece of springy piano-wire to use as a 'POKY THING' - a pricker to recall the right terminology, to try the nipples on my English made antique pepperpot pistol.

It worked fine on five of the six chambers, but one of the nipples is peened-over and my pricker won't enter .. Naturally - this is the one flash path that I can't blow through like a crazed trumpet player.

 

I got out the endoscope-smartphone to have a look down the .34" caliber bores, and have been reminded that I am still dithering about if/when to chelate these bores with my Oil of Wintergreen. - I would really like to get a soft scouring device down to the bottom (if I had something).

I will superglue some nylon Pot-Scourer to a length of small pine dowel and give it a go ..

Then the Wintergreen Oil followed by BOILING WATER. - Then work on that blocked nipple ..

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Many old percussion pistols look to have been handed down to a 'boy child' as capguns to play with - naturally these old pieces become hugely battered and damaged before being left to rust-away into relic condition.

Not so this pair ..

Freshly Acquired PAIR of Percussion Pistols by BLISSETT of LONDON

Mid 19th Century Uncleaned

Annoyingly, I didn't take a pic before poking at it with a wooden toothpick - but the fine checkering on this pair looked to be crushed flat in a 10mm area on the top pistol .. but this proved to be a splodge of grunge that came off, and joined the other dirt in my carpet when scraped & puffed at.

DIRT IS NOT PATINA: You don't have to be grubby as you get older.

This pair of pieces have 45mm (21/4 inch) turn-off, breech-loading barrels with smooth bores in shiny condition, good threads. Fine 'Dolphin Hammers' and working 'half-cock safeties'. - No bad corrosion.

- Most of the antique pistols I find to buy here are generally lower quality pieces in poor condition and in need of repair-restoration but this pair above seem to be nice quality, - grubby but not too bad. One of them, the action is at fault and waiting for some attention .. a mainspring issue?

Antique Antics: Cleaning-up, to Show Clear Proof Marks

Life is Good

Are You Fit and Proper? Are NZ Police 'FIT AND PROPER PERSONS'? - SEVEN Police Commissioners have retired/resigned in disgrace - The Executive Director of the FIREARMS SAFETY AGENCY The Firearms Register has "retired" - so should we now expect things to improve?

 Immaginative President of NZ Police Association - CAHILL has "stood down" on long service leave .. 

- NOW Police Commissioner CHAMBERS is the EIGHTH Senior Administrator to be subject to investigation.

In the interest of Public Safety

FIREARMS LICENCES FOR NZ POLICE.

Marty K.