Oscar Pistorius Prison Release?:

- Latest news published on this nut-case killer is that he is about to be recommended to be released on parole in August. - Already!

SKY NEWS Picture of "Blade Runner" Pistorius with 9mm Pistol.

 

This maniac who was previously found guilty of firing his handgun in a restaurant - presented a defence that he thought it was a burglar locked in the toilet - like that makes it OK to fire four shots through a door at an unknown person? - killing your girlfriend.

 

- His defence plea resulted in a lot of comment world-wide - including dubious humour:

 

 

- I'm not in favour of so-called 'Gun Bans' - but I am certainly in favour of restricting licences to folk who are 'fit and proper' and clear of any criminal convictions.

 

This killer was only found guilty and sentenced in September 2014 - and is now said to about to be released in August 2015 ????

 

Marty K.

Old Folding Pen-Knife - Lockwood Pampa:

I have a few knives both old and new ( guns and knives - must be a maniac eh!). The French made Opinels are a favourite brand being reasonably priced and good quality working 'ring-lock' folders ..

Opinel Ring-Locks.
Actually, the smallest knife is not a 'ring-lock'.

But one old pocket knife below is a top favourite despite its poor corroded condition ..

The lower knife is marked  C+X Lockwood 'PAMPA Real Knife' and is beautifully made with hard wood bolsters, a copper lanyard loop (Bail) and slide-out tweezers. I believe this is a genuine antique made before WW1 and despite its age (or maybe because of its age?) it really "walks and talks".

 - Its strong but smooth spring action first resists movement - then assists to the halfway 90 degree point where it firmly stands (half-stop) - then resists again to about the three-quarter stage before finally pushing-on and then snaps (the talk) into the fully open (or closed) 'locked' position..

There aren't many modern pen-knives made that "walk & talk" properly.

Note: The 'walk' is the bearing face of the knifes spring.

 - There is a 'slide-out' tweezers in the handle (shown partly out) and the fine old carbon steel blade takes and keeps a sharp edge. - Badly showing its age but still beautiful.

The contrasting (upper) pocket knife is a good quality modern spring-assisted stainless steel 'tanto' bladed  S O G Flash that - once started by single handed using the thumb-nut or stud, - takes over to spring into the locked open position - keep your fingers clear!

Very different tools - similar sized - but each excellent individually.

Ancient and modern.

Marty K.

Swedish made Firearm Simulator:

Marksman Training Systems AB of Sweden are producing a decent shooting / training aid that projects the shooting scene and targets onto any flat white surface.

Their computer is linked to the projector(s) and sensor systems and may be supplied complete with a dummy shotgun - however, the shooting simulator may also be mounted onto any firearm of choice and may be fitted with a mechanical trigger firing-detector that permits use of a firearm that would normally require cycling to re-set the trigger.

Barrel Mounted ST-2 Sensor.

 

There are many 'simulators' around - but this one interested me because The Firearms Blog posted about the use of this particular coaching aid - on-board a British cruise ship sailing around the UK.

 

The lucky cruisers reported that they enjoyed using the facility when in port and also posted video on the TFB post. - The manufacturers own website is well laid-out and details how their computer based simulator is designed.

 

The dummy shotgun may be fitted with an optical sight to simulate rifle target shooting.

 

Lots of Video Clips on Youtube.

 

The British on-board simulator was reported as restricted to 'targets' only - no live animal shooting allowed. - No surprises there then.

 

The ST-2 system is an indoor simulator and the projected images screen needs to be shaded from any bright lighting source.

 

- No mention anywhere of use with handguns - but I'd guess that the sensor, sights, and trigger detectors can readily be adapted and mounted to revolvers and other pistols.

- Could be useful as a training simulator for a large pistol target shooting club (one with money - and a clubroom!).

 

Marty K.
 

 

 

Ruger Old Army On Range:

Todays Quiz:
Your Starter question for five points: - What is this and do you have to be a complete banana to do it?

That's a "Dry Ball" 

- Yup, - 'someone' loaded six balls into the cylinder - but only five charges of black-powder.- I later "pulled" the stuck ball using a wood-screw.

 

Anyway, - apart from that one small glitch - the weekend went well and we shot some 70 rounds from the ROA over both days..

 

Why Has Everything Gone Misty?

 

I ran one cylinder load over the chronograph and my '35 grain' charge seemed to indicate either a nonsense 1700 foot per second or 260 ft. per sec. with the 140gn ball - but I was getting the false readings from all the ejaculate of paper and globs of grease, unburnt powder etc. going down-range.

 

  - We were out-of-luck to try the chronograph again later, as some poor soul (not me - Hi Col.) then perforated the chronograph body using a modern round - and let all the electricity out - so now he needs to go shopping.

 

- My guess is that the .457" balls are making just below 1000 ft. per sec. - Many folk may think of these old charcoal burners as low powered antiques - but the tales of riding through a herd of  'buffalo' firing to right and left and dropping several bison with single shots from a 44 Revolver are fact.

 

One respected version  of the historic 1865 Hickok -Tutt duel has Hickok use a .44 Colt Dragoon (or was the gun a .36"cal. Colt Navy?) to kill Davis Tutt with a heart shot at a measured 75 yards. This shot was tested and repeated five out of six shots by Mike Cumpston using a replica Uberti Dragoon on an IPSC target in his book Percussion Revolvers.

____________

 

- I've observed that my Ruger SP101 .22 R.F. revolver goes crack, crack .. (8 times)

 - my GP100 .357" Magnum goes BANG (x6),

  - but the Ruger Old Army .44" goes BOOM - YEHAAH!

 

First Cylinder Load at 35 feet Range.

 

The ROA 44 seemed popular and there was a small line waiting to have a shot.. I was calling "fire in the hole" when raising the capped gun onto target.

 

It had been a cold week prior to the shooting weekend - but Sunday was a lovely sunny mild day and we had a good humoured crowd plus guests on range.

 

 - Official first day of Winter here in New Zealand on Monday 1st June - as well as "Queens Birthday" public holiday.

 

- There are both good points and negatives when using the home-made Self-Consuming paper cartridges ..

 

 You certainly can't forget to load the powder when it's attached to the ball eh - but the cup of charred paper left in the chamber meant that I needed to strip the gun down and clear each chamber before reloading. - So what you save in the loading procedure is lost in the stripping-down.

Black Powder Shooting Adds Another Dimension to The Day Out.

- Remember to bring a waste rag for grubby hand wiping!

 

The revolver gets very greasy and sooty all over. - The off range "apres shoot" cleaning may have settled into a pattern of removing the grips (stocks) - take-down and place the cylinder into a boiling pot of  soapy water, - hold the frame and barrel into a sink of hot detergent water and scrub well inside and out.

 

 - Flush with clean boiling water then place all the hot S.S parts to dry - then polish, lubricate and swab the bore. - Re-assemble.

 

You can do most of this while brewing a pot of coffee and drinking same - before elevating the feet for a 'granny nap'.

 

Life is good,

 

Marty K..

.44" Calibre Combustible Paper Cartridges:

Using Zig-Zag "Rice Paper" rolling papers to form combustibles may be a good idea - but that thin nitrated paper is a worry to work with.

Forming the 'cones' and end-caps was fiddly - but got easier after I smoothed and polished the taper of the dowel former - the paper cones then slid off much easier. - I used the same cigarette paper throughout - rather than soft tissue paper for the base.

- Charging them with 35grains (scooped by volume) Triple 7 powder was easy and I only spilled a few grains. The lead balls 'plopped' into place as hoped - only one proved to be too tight but I persuaded that one to squeeze-in with a little stroking - but sealing the balls into place was a whole new game - messy, and sticky - but it too seemed to get easier as I went. - Hopefully these paper cartridges will work beautifully - but I'm not too sure .. they certainly take time and effort to make!

The .45" Calibre Balls Glued in Place and Drying.

I used a BIC glue stick to glue the cigarette paper cones - and found that the best way to handle them and move them around was by lifting with the dowel former just slipped into the bore - fingers just squashed them out of shape. - Maybe I'm slow -but each conical paper form took me approx. three minutes to cut, shape, and glue.

- But to seal/glue the balls in place I watered-down some PVA wood glue to 'loosen' it - and used a  small artists paint brush.

Ball Gluing Operation - Needed Coffee.

I seemed to need a cup of coffee for every three or four cartridges - and the adhesive outsides had to be carefully kept from contact and sticking to the other cartridges - I imagine that trying to separate siamesed rounds would just rip the flimsy paper and spill propellant everywhere.

____________

These 'combustibles' had dried nicely in time for my black-powder shooting debut on range with the Ruger Old Army - but I'm thinking that although they loaded and fired well - if they don't completely transform the shooting experience and really ease the reloading - I'll probably stick to just using pre-weighed charges.

- Another aspect is that while they work fine - these self-consuming samples do leave a cup of unburnt paper lurking in the chambers that has to be removed before starting the re-load. - Could be I need to try a different glue to the BIC stick - old fashioned flour paste maybe?

Three 'Combustibles' with two of the Unburnt Remains.

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

'MSSA' BANKS - Police DONATIONS Investigation 'Robust':

A report by the Independent Police Conduct Authority found that the Police investigation into Ex Police Minister John Banks was "thorough and robust".

The Police had decided NOT to prosecute 'The Honourable' John Banks over allegations that he had falsely declared two $25,000 "donations" from Kim Dotcom as anonymous. - Banks was found guilty (but later successfully appealed) - when a private prosecution was pursued and then adopted by the Court system.

Sir David Carruthers - Chair of the IPCA said " The report has found that the investigation held by the police was comprehensive and thorough".

The Authority is satisfied, from its enquiry and interviews, that there was no interference or pressure on the investigation team from the Police Executive or politically."

Marty K.

P.S. - I once complained to IPCA that police policy regarding Import Permits for handguns was in conflict with Firearms Law and Regulations and the Commerce Act.  The IPCA replied, in due time, - that "the police Import Permit procedure was in line with police policy".
MK.

Blackpowder Charges & Combustible Cartridges:

I've spent a few amusing hours preparing individual pre-measured charges for my ROA.

I'm getting ready to take the .44" Ruger Old Army for my first weekend shoot with it.

I started by weighing 35 grains of black powder onto my scales using a plastic Lee scoop - then I cut the neck from a .308" case and poured that weighed charge into it and marked how high it came on the case, - before cutting-down to that mark.

 -  35 grains dropped back in to check it filled nicely to the top - then I soldered a rough folded copper handle on to the brass measure.

This home-made 35 grain measure easily scooped loose powder into some plastic phials for individual charges - each then closed with their own lid.

I picked 35 grains as a starter load - identified by the books as being accurate with a .44" lead ball. - Time will tell, - but it shouldn't be a problem to make a larger or a smaller scoop/measure if needed.

 - I read that if you play about with lighter small charges - you may then need to top-up each chamber with a wad, or loose corn meal or similar inert filler to take-up any air gap.

Pre-loaded Powder Charges.

- I have pre-loaded both 'Holy Smoke' black-powder and some Triple 7 (FFF) 'replica' powder charges for manual loading - but I've also made a start trying to build some combustible paper cartridges..

- These paper cartridges are tricky as the nitrated cigarette papers are flimsy. - Winding them around the tapered dowel former is OK(ish) - but the second that glue is applied they seem to want to stick to everything in sight (apart from what you want them to !).

- Given half a chance they stick to the former - which is marked where it is approx. .465" diameter for inserting the lead ball.

Forming the wee end cap and gluing it into the bottom of the tapered cone is the stuff of nightmares.

Now I say that - as a thirty year smoker (started aged eleven) who should know my way around a "roll-up".  I've been off them now for thirty years too - but once a roll-up fag smoker, you never forget that dark art!

- Anyway - I will get some paper cartridges sorted eventually I'm sure -- but it's not as easy as I expected eh. - It's fiddly!

I don't know how I'll get-on with filling the cones with powder and then gluing-in the balls !

Patience is a virtue - patience is ...

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