Jerry Miculek Long-Range Shooting a 9MM NATO:

Various critics have historically (and more recently) 'dissed' the 9mm as being a "mouse-gun" that is less capable than other more serious calibres.

The 9MM NATO is the most widely used handgun and sub-machine gun calibre for good reason.

 It is of course projecting a smaller, lighter projectile in its class - but is fully able to be effective at reasonable contact ranges - as too are the .22RF, the 45ACP, and .38"s etc. - However if you know your gun and distances - with required hold-over - it's amazing what might be achieved.

Jerry Miculek 1000 Yard  9MM Shot.

Wow - Check-out the time delay between shot and impact - that's long-range shooting!

Jerry says that the gun is a Smith&Wesson 929 JM using Hornady XTP 147gn cartridges and mounted with a Vortex Razor Red Dot reflex sight.

These S&W Performance Centre guns come with a compensated 6.5" barrel - take 8 rounds in a titanium alloy cylinder using full-moon clips and have a RR Price of US$1,189.00 - if you can find one.

 Already folk are making inane online comments to the recently posted video - such as - "anyone can do that if they practice" !!

Maybe I'll have to sight-in and practice with my new Just Right Carbine when I get it. - Duh!

- Unless I just join the crowd and bang away down range at clods of dirt - that saves on targets eh

Marty K

One Year In Hell (Bosnia):

- Just a 'quickie' today - but it may interest you regarding relative values ( and the value of relatives - family.

- Just Google ' ONE YEAR IN HELL' and read the story that is reported as being from a Bosnian survivor . - Interesting.

Now I don't know if you'd call me a survivalist - or just sensibly careful!

Have a great day, - Life is Good,

Marty K

1997 'Thorp' Review of Firearms Control -3 Year Licences:

Kiwi shooters should try to remember this 1997 Firearms Control Review - as its implementation affects us all. It would be very restrictive and very costly.

Thomas Thorp (Sir) formerly a High Court judge was commissioned in 1996 to conduct a review of firearms control in New Zealand. - This was despite the Arms Act 1983 being extensively amended in 1992.

Sir Thomas Thorp.

The final 281 page report of 30 June 1997 was completed after public hearings were held in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch, - six research projects by independent consultants, - visits to Australian states - and 2,884 written submissions were received.

- This report is still 'out-there' and 'before Parliament' and while some of the recommendations therein have already been adopted - many others - including registration and a three year renewable licence have not, -  yet.

I recommend that you down-load Greg Newbolds  PDF Appraisal of the "Thorp Review" as it is well written in plain language and is only 14 pages. - You might, like me, print it off and place it in your bathroom as reading matter while seated.

Greg Newbold (University of Canterbury) nicely covers the reviews contents and background while adding his own comments and observations.

Marty K

Little Tom Pistols:

Way back in 1910 Alois Tomiska (Tomischka) of Czechoslovakia patented the first semi-auto pistol in 'double-action' form (double-action for the first shot without needing to cock the hammer).

The name 'Tomischka' is the diminutive form of Thomas - hence the "Little Tom" name for these pistols.

.32ACP Little Tom Pistol.

Now - with any luck you may have noticed something different in the picture - Yup, that's right - the magazine is loaded / unloaded in the gun from the top - with the slide locked-back. - It may also be re-loaded by inserting a full replacement magazine from the bottom while pushing-out / ejecting the spent unit upwards.

- There were also .25ACP versions made - and the guns were built both in Vienna Austria and later in Pilsen Czechoslovakia.

 .25ACP Little Tom Pistol

A really nice touch with these guns is that the magazines are built using brass thus eliminating problems of rusting as occurs with many folded steel magazine bodies. (some early magazines were steel built.)

Production Brass Magazines without Lips.

The top-loading magazine feature was intended to be familiar to users of other Austrian pistols of that time - the Roth-Steyr and the Steyr-Hahn which both were loaded with loose cartridges from the top.

Czech made .25"ACP - Note the standard lack of sights.

It was possible to modify Little Toms to be conventionally fed only from the bottom of the grip, and to add a floor-plate with a lip to the magazine base.

Total production of this successful design in both calibres from both factories is estimated to be in the region of  35,000 - mostly in .25"ACP calibre.

Ref: A very thorough article by J B Wood in the 1980 'Gun Digest' (and Google !).

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/user?u=16618870

California Quail Again:

I have just been on the phone with "Cutters" who was asking how every little thing was going - the short answer was "- Still Waiting".

 - Still waiting for my Just Right 9mm Carbine. (from Auckland)
 - Still waiting for my Ruger SP101 .22"RF Revolver. (from America via Auckland)
 - Still waiting for 500 copper-plated 147gn 9mm pills.(from South Africa via Christchurch)
 - Still waiting for a response from NZ Customs Service with their decision regarding seizure of my two wee coil-springs imported from Brownells USA for the revolver.(from Auckland)

- But I have got my Hogue Monogrips for the SP101 revolver!

Then I glanced-up at movement in my garden and what should I see but a covey of eight California Quail hurrying across to a position under a weed 'cherry-plum' tree that has just burst into flower (white) on the fence-line. -It must be Spring allready.

Well of-course I grabbed my camera and carefully moved to a position in the window where I might get a decent shot - and - there you go - still bloody waiting - as the batteries were flat !!

- No, there's ten of them and they seem to have a couple of orange-beaked black-birds and a sparrow acting as out-riders while they busy themselves feeding - and one is standing guard on the raised asparagus bed. - I managed to get the camera working but the shots that I got aren't worth showing.

So that's brilliant - quail are pretty wee fellows and have cheered me up no end when combined with Cutters phone call.

Good luck to them eh.

Marty K

Upgrading IRISH Steyr AUGs:

I'd like to thank "Mike Foxtrot" for his update on the Irish Steyr AUGs.

"Mike" has commented that the Irish Defence Forces have purchased 6,000 new A3 Housing Groups that permit mounting *ACOG TA32x4 sights.

New Irish updates for Steyr AUG.

Also newly fitted/purchased will be Tactical 2 point slings and Istec Blank Firing Attachments.

Wikipedia says that the NZ SAS bought 260 of these sights back in 2004 - and that they are not at all concerned that there are cryptic references to bible quotes on the mounts ( "I am the light of the world"?) - as they are the best sights in the world. - The Biblical references appear as a "serial no." - but new production has eliminated these markings.

 - I was looking at one of them to mount on my new purchase  "Just Right" Carbine but shied away quickly when prices were identified.

The ACOG Sights cost plenty here in NZ - in the area of NZ$1,800 - while in USA they are approx. $1,250. Excellent sight optics though.

The NZ DF could do worse than to consider a similar upgrade maybe.

*ACOG = Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight.

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/user?u=16618870

New .303" Rifle - - AIR-RIFLE That is !

The American marketed Daystate WOLVERINE .303" rifle uses a five shot magazine to send 50gn pills (50.15gn) effectively out to at least a hundred yards (or metres). - that's a 100ft/lbs .30-calibre - that's got a muzzle velocity not much below supersonic.

Daystate 'WOLVERINE' .303" Air-Rifle.

A seriously capable rifle that will deliver 15 heavy-weight shots before needing its 250-bar cylinder re-charging.

The 50gn .303" pellets make the typical .177" - .22" - & .25"  slugs look anaemic - while remaining very accurate on target all the way out to maximum range.

Shot with a good silencer fitted they are unlikely to cause much disturbance other than the collapse of the quarry.

This is not a toy - but I'd certainly like to play with one. - I'm not being annoyingly coy about this - but I haven't a clue how much these high-quality rifles will cost anyone - They certainly will not be cheap and my guess would be at least 3 or 4 times the price of a .22RF semi-auto.

As I am not about to try (- never again!) ordering and waiting for any gun to land ex-USA - you will have to do it and let me know how you get-on!

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/user?u=16618870