A Five Doller SLINGBOW:

- Way back on 20th March 2014 I showed how I had built two working bows from PVC pipe in a post called "A Low Cost ($10.?) PVC Pipe Bow."  working from online video instructions. Those bows are still working fine after close to a year and still get taken out into the yard now and again.

 - Well here's another home build project that should cost a similar handful of loose change to make and may be easier to move around and use accurately. - Once again I was shown the way to this by 'All Outdoors'

The video is interesting and clear and has got me thinking about my next project.

This guy sounds like he comes from just across 'the ditch' - in Australia (our western island).

- You might like to have a look at some more of his stuff on Backyard Armoury on You-tube.

Marty K.

Incendiary "Zeppelin" Bullets WW1.

Germany, early in The Great War sent its huge "Zeppelins" across the English Channel and bombed targets around 'The Wash' (Norfolk) - I watched a 'centennial' TV program the other night focussed on this.

and later reached as far as London. - My mums family come from near Wisbech.

Six months later on the night of 6/7 June, 1915, there was a major breakthrough in the war against the Zeppelin, Sub-Lieutenant RAJ Warneford RN of No 1 Squadron RNAS was off to bomb the Zeppelin sheds over The Channel in a Morane-Saulnier Type L parasol-wing monoplane.

He saw a returning Zeppelin (LZ.37) and attacked from below, only to be driven off by machine gun fire. He followed and waited until it descended to land, then hand-dropped six 20lb Cooper fragmentation bombs on it. Only the last one reached its target, but it caused the huge hydrogen filled craft to burst into flames, falling near Ghent. He was awarded the Victoria Cross for this victory but was killed in the air only days later.

1918 Sopwith with two Lewis Guns.

Brock, Buckingham and Pomeroy:

By the middle of 1916, there were new developments in incendiary/explosive ammunition for .303" Vickers and Lewis Guns. Initially, there was a reluctance to use them as they contravened the Hague Convention, but Germany's first use of poison gas in April 1915 hardened the resolve to beat the 'Hun' by any means possible. There were three types used together as 'mixed incendiary' the effects of which complemented each other.

Brock & Pomeroy Cartridges

Pomeroy

New Zealand (Invercargill) engineer John Pomeroy (born in August 1873) - developed in 1902 this explosive bullet which was quickly adopted by British defence services as a means of combating the growing Zeppelin threat. Filled with nitro-glycerine the bullet ignited the hydrogen gas which escaped from the tear in the Zeppelin gas bag created by the bullet's passage. - Later Pomeroy moved to Melbourne where he was well known for his night-time pie-cart drawn by a white horse, - "Pops Pie Cart" operating outside Flinders Street station where he sold plates of peas and pies, pasties and steak'n'kidney on toast etc.. 

Flinders Street Station Melbourne 1927.

His explosive bullets proved to literally need cotton-wool handling to avoid accidental explosion.

Buckingham

The Buckingham bullet (Mk VII bullet) was an incendiary/tracer bullet based on phosphor, invented by James Buckingham in 1914. The bullet contained an incendiary filling of between 10 to 14.5 gns phosphorous which percolated through annular weep-holes, the seal of which melted on firing - the phosphorus igniting on contact with the air leaving a white smoke trace.

 

Brock

An explosive bullet developed by Commander Frederick Brock RN and first successfully demonstrated in 1915, the Brock bullet was designed to explode between the outer covering and gas cells of an airship. - Brock was a member of the "Brock Fireworks" family and designed his explosive bullets initially as a .45" calibre but it was modified to .303 and used by the RFC until 1917 and the RNAS throughout the Great War.

I recall buying "Brocks Bangers" in London as a kid in the 1950s and dropping them down street gutter drain grills!

 - I also well remember - as a spotty teen-ager - being dealt with by a beat Constable who put the fear of everything in me by lifting me high against a wall with one hand under my chin and telling me what he'd do if he caught me with penny bangers again ! - Good Man.

Marty K.

P.S. looking at the photo of Flinders Street Station - the last time that I was there - the area diagonally opposite the station (a church?) was a hang-out for aggressive junkies & "street people'" - no pie cart to be seen any more.

M.K.

Colts Revolving Shotguns:

I'm exposing my ignorance again - but until reading 'Chancy' by Louis l'Amour I'd never heard of these guns - The Model 1839 and Model 1855.

I'd heard of revolving rifles for sure - but had no clues at all about these early percussion shotguns.

Model 1839.

Maybe that's because they were a bit dodgy to use - with the habit of powder leakage causing all cylinders to go-off together in a "chain-fire" when one cap was struck! - Kaboom.

Model 1839 Detail.

Again - maybe the later Model 1855 made as rifles, carbine and shotguns was better.

The late Louis L'Amour was an accurate Frontier Historian and his books are generally known as realistic and factual. Our hero Clancy in the book certainly is using his Colt Revolving Shotgun quiet effectively.

The Model 1855 shotgun seems to have been made in 10 gauge, 16 gauge, and 20 gauge.

So rather slow to re-load, - Keep your hand away from that cylinder gap flame, and kiss your ass good-by if you get a chain-fire. - Apart from that they look great.

Circuit Judge  45 Colt /.410 -A Modern Revolver - Shotgun.

The 'metallic' cartridge has made shooting so much safer and more convenient eh.

Circuit Judge Open For Re-Load

Below is an interesting and honest test of this wee revolving carbine - are they permitted as imports into NZ?

PS: from Rod  gundoc@xtra.co.nz

Hi Marty

 The only safe way to shoot ANY revolving long arms is to have your support hand on the trigger guard and not on the fore-end.  This avoids the many high-velocity small particles that come out of the cylinder gap.  A chain fire in a percussion revolver is not dangerous from the pressure point of view and will do no damage to the gun.  If, however, the shooter has chosen to put their support hand on the fore-end then that is a different matter altogether!  In my younger days I experienced a couple of chain fires with an old .44 Colt 1860 Army, caused by not putting a good seal of bullet lube over each projectile.  It is the flash over from the cylinder gap that causes chain fires, not anything to do with the caps which are protected by a steel fence.

As a matter of interest, .56 cal. Colt revolving carbines were issued to the Otago Goldfields Mounted Police in 1864 (sadly, I haven’t located any around here!), and also the NZ Government purchased some .56 Artillery carbines about the same time.  They were all ultimately withdrawn because of injuries caused by multiple discharges, something that could have been avoided with proper training (where have I heard that before!).< o:p>

Cheers

Rod

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 Zealand Firearms Ltd.:

My shooting mate "Cutters" has sent me a link to NZ Firearms Ltd as being a good source of well priced shooting stuff here.

I've had a look and their online site offers a wide line of shooting gear - re-loading components, clothing and shooting accessories. They have a selection of Glock pistols in stock including the G20 10MM and G21 .45ACP.

- It seems that Glock Ges. have stopped making these two larger models - so now is the time to grab one if you've been thinking about those calibres to add to your safe.

www.nzfirearms.co.nz

Their prices do appear reasonable and they say they have their items in stock for immediate delivery.

Looking Good,

Marty K.

Ruger Pistol Calibre CARBINES:

All Outdoors have just reviewed the Ruger carbines in 9mm and .40" chamberings. Does this review suggest that there is renewed interest in this model?

 If listed again as the PC9 these would I think be welcomed by shooters for both serious social work and for their acceptability for target practice on pistol ranges.

I'd say that they'll be a winner down here for the importer - provided they came with a magazine that meets our 'A' Cat. requirement of under seven rounds capacity for semi-autos.

 

I know they don't come with all that "mans Barbie doll" stuff like picatinny rails and collapsing butt-stocks etc. but at the right price that should help their sales here in NZ where guns are assessed on looks by our authorities. - Their less threatening  'civilian cloths' would make them easier to import.

 

- Handy rifles for pigs, possums, hares, and other feral animals at medium ranges.

 

- Come on Ruger - how about a short re-run for export to NZ and places like California & New York?

 

Marty K.

Guns Tied-Down on Toowoomba Range:

An enterprising Australian gun-shop has jumped through all the police hoops and now has their indoor range open to the public.

The issues here in New Zealand were different in detail when I did this in Christchurch - but I have some understanding of the hurdles this facility will have overcome to arrive at "OPEN".

Of course, the tethering of firearms does restrict the misuse only somewhat, as there have been instances of range customers committing suicide - even with tethered guns - by climbing or leaning forward to end it all - and there is little to prevent a determined person bringing a pair of wire cutters onto the range hidden in their clothing. - The main control is an alert range officer at the side of any shooter.

But when faced with restrictions and lots of rules one needs to be brave and determined to move forward while complying with every sensible regulation.

Marty K.

PolyCase Ammunition - Plastic Bullets:

PolyCase Ammunition are an injection moulding company in USA  that has developed a range of nylon/copper filled polymer bullets . The raw plastic has copper particles blended in that provide some mass to the self lubricating projectiles - then the melted material is squirted under pressure into the mould cavities.

They say that they are currently producing their bullets at a rate of 90,000 per eight hour shift from two 80 ton presses and they come in eight different sizes that can be loaded into conventional brass cases.

I make that 18,900,000 a full week - running round the clock.(19M)

 

Injection Moulding is a way of bulk producing plastic components cheaply. The moulds or 'dies' are expensive precision engineered tools that are fitted into big heavy powerful  machines that can run continuously with little attention when set-up right. - I should know - as I worked in the UK plastics industry for decades as a machine setter / supervisor!

 

 

 

A Multi-Cavity Injection Moulding Tool.

 

It costs a lot to set-up - but once running the unit cost is negligible (- peanuts cost much more!)

 

So this range of light-weight ammo should eventually be on sale as a low cost choice - once the initial investment cost has been amortised - it's all profit.

 

 Screw caps x96 every 3 Seconds

- Yeah, that's the kind of stuff I used to do before NZ

 

 

As the name 'PolyCase' suggests - they also produce plastic cased ammunition.

 

 

I'm not able to say if this stuff is any good - but I don't doubt that it will be fine once all the wrinkles are sorted.

 

 - Well, - plastic bullets in plastic cases to fire from plastic guns - what will they think of next?!

 

Marty K.