Old & New Zig-Zag Revolvers:

The Mauser C78 Zig-Zag Revolver dates from 1878 and was a Single Acton six shot built in both solid-frame with a side hinged cylinder - and later a 'break-action' frame.

Solid Frame Mauser Zig-Zag

Hinged Frame C78 Mauser Zig-Zag

Built in three calibres 6mm, 9mm, 11mm, it was a smaller gun than the later Webley-Fosbery Automatic Revolver.

Mauser C78 Cam-lug in Frame.

As the single-action C78 hammer is cocked a frame mounted 'cam-lug' moves forward and - being mated into the cylinders 'Zig' it rotates the cylinder and indexes it in place. When the hammer falls the lug returns to the rearward 'Zag' position ready to repeat its function when the hammer is again cocked.

 Mauser Between Two Webleys.

Lieutenant-Colonal George Vincent Fosbery patented his automatic revolver in 1895 - having built his prototype on a much modified Colt SAA revolver.

The whole top assembly recoils on firing and cocks the hammer, indexing the cylinder - giving a smooth and very accurate trigger action that was popular with target shooters of its day. - The slide action must be cycled fully after loading to cock and ready the gun for use.

Designed to be carried fully cocked there is a safety-catch on left side grip.

Webley-Fosbery broken open for loading / unloading.

Fosbery's  design was built by Webley&Scott between 1901 and 1915 in .455" and .38"ACP calibres but was replaced by later designs after fourteen years production.

Although not used lately on commercial revolvers - those Zig-Zag grooved cylinders do work well to control the action.

- - - - - - - - - - -

More recently an adventurous Japanese Yoshimoto Imura was arrested in May 2014 after videoing himself firing blanks in a 'Zig-Zag' revolver he had made using a 3-D Printer.

 

- Since his arrest members of an on-line rebel group FOSSCAD are busily working at designing and making a gun they have named in his honour:

3-D Printed 'IMURA' Revolver.

(Bottom chamber - 6 O'clock Fired.)

X-Ray Image

- Now an engineering student James Patrick has published his plan for the interesting PM552 Washbear Revolver - a 3-D printed .22" rim-fire pepperbox design firing from the top chamber:

Patrick options cylinders in 8 shot configuration (ABS plastic) or a stronger 6 shot version printed using nylon polymer - and recommends use of sub-sonic ammunition.

Where all this goes will be fascinating to watch.. "Throw-Away Guns" with full on-line plans and instructions? - Certainly much will depend on the strength of the plastics available for use in the 3-D Printers and whether metal inserts are used in critical areas.

 Washbear Cylinder Metal Inserts Detail.

One interesting Washbear design feature is a "drop safety' - When the trigger is forward the zig-zag is held by its cam out of line with the striker - only lining-up when the trigger is pulled.

James Patrick reports that following successful trials with the .22" concept he is currently developing and printing a .38" Special striker fired six shot 'Pepper Box'. - The .38" Special has lower internal pressure than the .22" rim-fire.

Greywolf Project.

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?

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Nagant M1895 Gas Seal Revolvers:

I did say "No more Russian revolvers already."  - but I have a politicians weak excuse - that you could claim that the seven shot Nagant is actually Belgian as it was designed by Leon Nagant in Liege Belgium and was made there for the first three years - before the Imperial Russians bought the rights and took up manufacture at the Tula Arsenal in 1898.

Most of us will likely recall that this 'oldie' has an odd mechanism that moves the seven chamber cylinder forward as it cocks the hammer to seal off the normal cylinder-barrel gap. This only works well because the distinctive extended case-neck pushes into the barrel and 'obturates' to seal off the escaping gases - this so increases the gas efficiency that some extra 50-150ft./ sec. velocity can be gained.

- This gas seal is so good that the Nagant is the only revolver truly able to be 'silenced' in the conventional way.

Mind you the cartridge loading / unloading operation is slow - one at a time through a loading gate - and the trigger pull will amuse Colt 1911 fans.. but can be smoothed by stoning.

There's a good reason why the unusual 7.62x38R Nagant round is pictured with the .32" cartridges in the above photo - and that is that some shooters use the .32"s as a 'near enough' substitute ammunition. The 32"s .312" bullet may bounce a bit in the Nagants bore after jumping the gap.. but there are alternative H&R Magnum .32" cylinders made to better use the .32"round - although these shorter rounds won't seal gases at the cylinder gap.

I also see that some less risk averse have had cylinders made that chamber the excellent .327 Federal Magnum as well as the other & shorter less powerful .32"s. - That might be pushing the Nagants strength to the limits unless done very carefully.

- When using .32"s it would also be advisable to cut a forcing-cone into the barrel end as the original design has not got one (- because the original loading has an extended brass neck that seals into the barrel when the cylinder moves forward.)

Hand-loaders might adapt .32-20" or  .30" Carbine brass or maybe, longer .223" cases cut-down and reformed using .30" Carbine - dies to make useable substitute cartridges.

It Might be Better to Buy a .32" Cylinder

 (or the correct 7.62x38mmR Ammo!)

- but it works for some.

We might think of the seven shot M1895 Nagant as being a strange & clunky old thing - but it was produced for fifty years up till 1945 - more than 2 Million of them were made and it remained in official Russian use until 2006/2009.

M1895 Nagant With Spare .32" H&R Magnum Cylinder.

- Favoured for use by the Bolshevic Cheka secret police as well as the later Soviet OGPU and NKVD - some of the issue ammunition was rather underpowered - but it served their purposes well enough. Standard ammo is quoted as a 97gn bullet at 1075ft.per sec. velocity.

The Nagant - this gun - is said to be fixable and 'tuned' by hitting it with a hammer - but it was also issued (in a different calibre) in Sweden, Norway, Poland & Greece.. You may be able to pick-up a good one cheaply.

Hickok45 has a good video review of the Nagant,

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/posts/24075745

9x19mm Carbines & Chinese Norinco 1911 .45":

For a long time a couple of years back I was looking for a 9x19mm semi-auto carbine. - to compliment my Glock 17 on the Pistol Club range - and semi-auto action because it was easy for left-handed me to shoot.

The rifles that I was looking for were either the Marlin Camp Carbine or the Ruger PC9 - but it seemed that everyone else wanted them - and any that came-up on our 'Trademe' online auction site sold for big prices - well over NZ$1,400. (neither carbine is currently in production).

 Marlin Camp Carbine

Ruger PC9

Both of those are 'traditional' non military styled and can be had as New Zealand 'A' Category firearms (non-registered).

So failing that - I bought and fixed-up an old silenced bolt action 'DeLisle' conversion built  in 9x19mm on an antique Lee-Enfield (ex..303") rifle.

My "DeLisle" Enfield 9x19mm Rifle.

Then much later I bought my 9x19mm 'Just Right Carbine' and had it fitted with a Hardy 'over-barrel' silencer.

My Just Right Carbine takes Glock Magazines.

The JRC had to be the right choice for me - being both 9mm calibre and taking Glock magazines and readily changeable R.H to L.H action - but I've not yet changed it over.

I truly am a bit keen about 'silenced' guns - as an efficiently moderated sub-sonic calibre makes for a nice quiet day on the range eh.

My JRC is good to handle and shoot - but I disliked the "spong" noise from the naked buffer tube with each shot - right there at my ear. I guess that you wouldn't even notice the sound of that big spring if the carbine were not so well silenced - but I've ended-up squeezing a length of black foam rubber plumbers pipe insulation over the buffer tube to cushion it from my skull - as in the picture below:

 The soft guitar case makes a great cheap carry bag - and the nylon net brass-catcher velcros on for convenient use on the range. And I really like the 'look' of that New York stock .. but some folk don't like it at all!

I'm no sniper (old eyes) -  so a pistol calibre carbine can do anything I need it to at the ranges I can see and shoot.. although some years ago as a teen I could see the targets better.

That was then - now my cobber 'Cutters' has splurged-out on his 'hearts desire' - a (Chinese) 1911 in 9x19mm - and has also found a silenced Ruger PC9 to mate with it.

Poisonally I would consider buying a Ruger 9mm pistol that uses the same magazines as the PC9 - rather than his Chinese built '1911' - but that's life eh - one day honey and the next day onions.

- Talking about those "onions" - bang bang pop - Cutters had an amusing interlude on range with both new guns, a long brass rod and a hammer - as about every fourth shot just went pop as the bullet was pushed up into the barrel by primer-only loads. - That's the sort of thing that can happen when setting-up to re-load with a new press that's not yet fully sorted .. Where's the powder?

Two very nice guns that worked well when fed properly..  Been there, Done that.

Here The New Norinco 9mm 1911 keeps company

with a Silenced Browning Buckmark .22" - Nice eh.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I was shooting .22" in my wee Ruger SP101 8 shot revolver alternately with the 10 round 'Advantage Arms' .22" conversion on my Glock 17, at two bulls-eye targets mounted on the same frame at around 15 metres.

- Using cheap bulk packed Winchester 555 ammo the revolver just kept all its holes grouped in around five inches rapid double-action fire - as did the semi-auto rim-fire Glock .22" - but the magazine fed gun "stove-piped" or fail to feed /failed to go into battery about 20 % of the time.

Yes, true, both guns were dirty unlubricated and neglected - but one of them kept going eh. A decent clean, oiling - and a switch to better quality rounds would fix it and even-up the odds between them.

While I'm having a winge - That Norinco 1911 has confirmed my feelings about Americas favourite icon.
- Brand new out-of-the-box .. badly needed trigger job - floor plate fell off one magazine, and it wouldn't work much at all until the ejector was "adjusted" (bent-around until a working position was found!) - Buy gun for $1,000 - then spend $2,000 getting it to function.

 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/posts/24075745

Russian NOSOROG Revolvers AEK 906 - 1:

I swear that I didn't have any idea that there were so many Russian made revolvers!

Nosorog (Rhinoceros) AEK906 "Bottom Popper".

- However this is only the second 'six o'clock chamber' revolver I've seen that actually looks OK - and the designer has controlled himself and stopped short of adding weird space-age ugliness. (The other is the Stechkin OTS-38 captive piston silent gun)(Both are Russian made).

This gun also raises the question did Italian maker Chiappa call their bottom-chamber-popper the "Rhino" knowing that a Russian Rhinoceros was hiding out on the Steppes? - Who copied who?

Chiappa Rhino

The Nosorog is built to take 9mm Makarov cartridges in steel six round moon clips and while a sturdy built revolver it will not accept 9MM NATO ammunition - but they do have the AEK906-1 version that is built for that 9x19mm round.

- There is also a Nosorog M100 Top-Break Revolver. This gun looks suspiciously like an alternative version of the REX  Revolver - but using the bottom six o'clock chamber.

Nosorog M100 Top Break (bottom chamber)

Izhmash MP-412 REX .357 Magnum /.38" Revolver.

- US Imports Prevented.

- Life gets complicated 'ainit?'  I think that I'll stop looking for Russian Revolvers now as my head's starting to revolve eh.

Here's a question for you - to demonstrate that I do think about other things than guns: Why is one lot of my home grown Garlic so big yet another lot is next to useless? - Answers please written on the back of sealed bottles of Irish single-malt.

NZ made Magnum Leather Shoulder Holster Rig (Glock 17)placed for scale

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/posts/24075745

'Assault' Rifle Shot In Pool:

Physicist Andreas Wahl showed faith in the laws of physics when he videoed and fired a rifle at himself under water.

Nice Clear Water.

The Daily Mail Online who ran this story typically describes the firearm only as an "Assault Rifle".

Andreas can certainly claim to have the courage of his conviction - it takes some cojones to stand there and pull that trigger eh - there are no leakage stains shown in the water around his shorts.

A great shooting Video.

 

Victory Retrieve - One Bullet.

 

The basic physics is that most guns may be fired under water provided that the barrel is completely filled with water and that the firing pin has enough energy to strike the primer properly. - But the bullet will rapidly loose velocity and fall because water is some 800 times denser (thicker) than air.

 

- Just as well that he didn't use one of these eh:

Tula Arms Plant Underwater Pistol uses Four Round 'Moon Clips'

- Flechettes or Darts have a 17 metre Effective Range at Shallow Depths

 

Well done that man - but I bet that he tested that gun and ammo first eh,

 

Marty K.

460 S&W Magnum Cartridge (& Social Anthropology):

I heard a radio talk the other day saying that we should always try to start with a joke - maybe something like .. " Capitalism is Gods way to sort the clever from the poor."

 - Or maybe "Our Government is responsible and far-sighted and always spends our taxes wisely."

The 460 S&W Magnum was invented by Smith & Wesson Holding Corp (A Limited Liability Trust Company pursuant to the Act and Banking Law) to take advantage of their five shot  X-Frame revolvers oversized 2.3 inch cylinder length. (The demand for boat anchors being static).

This 460 S&W cartridge is basically a .454" Casull case lengthened to 1.8" - The .454" Casull (1.383" case) is in its turn a lengthened & up-powered  .45"Colt (1.285" long case) cartridge - that itself isn't at all under-powered. - It might perhaps be called a 'Superposed-Magnum'.

460S&W, .454Casull, .44"Magnum, .45"ACP, .22"LR

You might describe this cartridge as a high power handgun hunting cartridge that uses an increased powder charge and very high internal pressures to drive its .452" diameter bullet at a velocity of up to 2,330ft./per sec.

 I wouldn't  - I'd call it an extremely uncomfortable percussion grenade that needs a massive revolver to fire it .. one that no sentient human would choose to shoot more than once for fun.

A cartridge perhaps made for no other reason than that they could. - A bit like climbing up Mt. Everest because it's there (with a 5% Death Rate) - Odds of permanent physical injury from attempting to shoot a couple of boxes of this ammo without protection is likely much worse than 5%.

XVR stands for 'Extreme Velocity Revolver'

Versatile? - Certainly. Available with barrels up to 8.375" long - the XVR revolvers bore is notable for needing 'gain twist' rifling to cope with the pressure & velocity of the 460 S&W Magnum, - one turn in 100 increasing to 1 in 20.

X Frame makes M629 44 Magnum Look Small.

Does My Bum Look Fat In This?

I definitely wouldn't want to stand in front of one - but then again, even with this steel lump weighing up to 72 ounces (that's 4.5lb. - over 2Kg!) I don't want to be behind one either .. or to either side!

We use our unique human 'biped' stance to free our hands - but a heavy kicking two kilos is a massive lump of thunder to hold-out at arms length when shooting standing upright - it would be easier to sit and flinch at a bench with this S&W X Frame eh.

- Did you ever think about why we go on two legs rather than four? - Maxine Sheets-Johnstone from the University of Oregon thinks that long ago we men rose up onto our hind legs as a way to show-off our penises.

Men have those. - In her view females were doing it for the opposite reason - to conceal their genitals - which are otherwise much more on display when on all fours.

Social Anthropology in shooting eh ..

- But on the other hand - to be fair - waving about a revolver with up to 65,000 p.s.i internal pressure??

For Masochistic S&W  X Frame Flashers.

Have a great day,
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/posts/24075745

'BullPup Pistol' Bond Boberg @ SHOT Show 2016:

I've been impatiently looking for news of the Bobergs since their new owner Bond Arms had said that they would show their new developments at the 2016 SHOT show:

(See my 18th November 2015 post "Boberg Moving to Bond Arms").

Four Inch Barrel XR9-L Boberg (original).

Well I've just watched an Outdoor Channel video interview with Gordon Bond at the SHOT show and they had some really nice Derringers on the table - beautifully made and finished.

Toward the end of the chat Gordon Bond did introduce the Boberg - speaking well of its smooth 7 to 8 lb. trigger pull and easy slide racking. The guys commented on another design feature - that the small light return spring is unusually located to the left of the barrel instead of beneath it - allowing a lower barrel axis line for reduced recoil 'flip-up'.

Gordon also showed the bull-pup as now having a new high-quality looking Rosewood grip fitted that really enhanced the Bobergs appearance - but said that they were still reviewing the guns details before they will release it as a Bond Arms product.. much as I had expected - this will take more time.

Marty K.