British SA-80 Assault Rifle:

This British 'Enfield' designed Bullpup weapon was politically and fiscally handicapped right from it's origins in the late 1940's as a replacement for the .303" "smellies" .. Short Magazine Lee-Enfields

 .. but in 1954 the bigger L1A1 SLR's in 7.62x51 mm  (.308" as required by USA) were introduced and served well for years before - these small caliber 'ENFIELD' SA-80s came in to use the new NATO 5.56x45 mm standard caliber ammunition.

- But it is now reasonable to state that in it's current much modified and re-designed iteration it does at last work .. for right-handed shooters.

But from it's early 'Mark 1' issue it gained a terrible reputation - one of it's pet UK titles was "THE CIVIL SERVANT .. because it NEVER works and can't be fired". 

It seems that during this rifle's first 18 years of use it experienced some 83 major modifications to malfunctioning components - that included weak firing pins that broke and safeties that jammed - all this BEFORE a 80 Million Pound contract in the year 2,000 was handed to Heckler & Koch in Germany to redesign it so that it might work. - That is not quite as bad as it sounds .. because at that time H&K were actually owned by BAe.

The Thatcher Conservative Government commercialized-privatized the Royal Enfield armory makers in 1984 and then sold it to BAe in 1987..

 - British Aerospace Industries promptly announced that they would shut-down Enfield with 1,200 job losses - to shift production to Nottingham .. leaving these dismissed workers to sort-out the urgent production & development issues on the SA-80 while waiting for their final pays. - That'll work eh.

"Thanks to privatization, the atmosphere in the factory was a poisonous mix of bitterness, anger and apathy. Workers who thought that they had a job for life felt betrayed by a government which, many had believed, was both patriotic and pro-military.

 An officer who visited Enfield at the time says morale was so low in the final days there that 9,000 of the last 10,000 rifles made there had their receivers, the metal core of the gun to which other parts were fitted, squeezed in a vice to make them fit. "Everybody knew they'd got the sack, and the only thing they wanted to do was get the damn thing out the door."

In 1985 engineers at H&K pointed out to the BAe. makers that if you dropped the rifle it fired.

 - Even years later - after Heckler & Koch had redesigned the later version of the gun and it's magazines into a functioning, reliable, & usable arm - it remains a complicated design that still cannot be converted to fire from the left shoulder.

Link to The Guardian's version of this story:

https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2002/oct/10/military.jamesmeek

The L85-A3 version SA-80 is the current hammer-fired, gas operated rotating bolt UK service rifle in 5.56x45 mm NATO caliber.

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Both 'British' Australia & New Zealand stayed away from the SA-80 and instead bought the Steyr AUG Bullpup rifle system in 1987 - but New Zealand have in 2015 purchased the CQB16 version of the AR-15 rifle from Lewis Machine & Tool USA to replace the aged AUGs

... in September 2018 it was reported that some of these New Zealand AR-15 rifles had experienced breakages, including 130 with cracks around the bolt, and that all 9,040 rifles had had their firing pins replaced under warranty.

- Meanwhile the Russian Military are happily updating their older AK-47, AK-74 weapons to the AK-12 and AK-15 versions.

Marty K.

New Weapons For Both NZ Police & Defence Forces:

Israel has announced sales to the NZ Army of Robotic tactical UGV systems:

New Zealand army buys Roboteam's unmanned ground vehicles

Link: https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-new-zealand-army-buys-roboteams-unmanned-ground-vehicles-1001287200

And we have our Police spending-up large on new equipment including civilian BANNED MSSA's:

Police Supplied Photograph:

Police Commissioner Mike Bush has revealed a major rollout of extra equipment for frontline staff.

Hundreds of extra Tasers and tactical sets – comprising hard armour plate, Bushmaster rifle  and Glock pistol – will be delivered to districts.

The rollout includes:

• 179 extra tactical sets to be delivered to districts this financial year; and 482 next year;
• 517 extra Tasers to be delivered this year;
• 387 extra weapons for specialist groups;
• 50 percent increase in live fire training and 50 percent increase in simunition training;
• body armour rollout to be completed a year early, by June 2021.

Link to Police Announcement:

https://www.police.govt.nz/news/ten-one-magazine/extra-equipment-frontline-police

I'm not too sure that I'm properly informed on this whole current Defense - Law Enforcement scene for me to make a pertinent comment .. but I am wondering if these urgent purchases are linked to each other in any way or whether they may also be linked to threat of terrorist activity within New Zealand.

Marty K.

TASER Is Now AXON:

How does time fly so fast ..?

Long time ago in 1969 a NASA employee Jack Cover thought-up a electro-stun weapon that he called the TOM SWIFT ELECTRIC RIFLE ..T S E R - he was remembering a kids book "Tom Swift and his Electric Rifle".
Later he added the 'A' to make it easier to say TASER.

Cover's original system used 'gunpowder' propellant and was classed as a firearm and his company failed .. but in 1991 Rick & Tom Smith formed Air Taser with Cover and used compressed nitrogen to power the darts.

The team tried various products and they tried hard .. at one time they had an Auto-Anti-Theft system that electrified car thieves lives - but they still ran up big debts. A key move to their eventual success was when they started a scheme to pay L.E. Officers to train and market their products to other police officers.

Rick Smith at AXON:

There are lots of histories around where brilliant ideas just go nowhere until someone invents a clever marketing ploy.

So Axon-Laser are now flying high with a range of law enforcement products, software and bodycams - but their Laser Guns continue to be somewhat controversial - on one hand they are said to be deadly instruments of torture - and at the other side of the debate they are said to be ineffective and failure prone.

My guess would be that in California or Florida I'd be fairly confident on stopping a lightly clad & sweating attacker - but up in cold multi-layer-insulated Alaska and Minnesota during wintertime - not so much.

PLUS people are very variable in their strength and 'vitality' .. are they "high on drugs"? - some individuals are "hard to put down". - Try my rough tale about the murder of "Mad Monk Rasputin"

https://flicense.blogspot.com/2017/10/death-of-rasputin-handgun-stopping.html

Right now Axon are in a happy place commercially - but things can change .. what if Turkish outfit WATTOZZ  cut the Laser's wires & manage to push into the stun gun market?

https://flicense.blogspot.com/2019/03/new-wattozz-wireless-energy-stun-weapon.html

Marty K.

Colonel Martin L Fackler & Ballistic Gel:

This was quite a guy - He served as a surgeon with the US Navy for fifteen years (Vietnam & Japan) and then with the US Army for 16 years - before founding and working for some ten years at his Wound Ballistics Laboratory of the Letterman Army Institute of Research. 

Sadly Martin Fackler died four years ago (May 23, 2015) aged 82 after a very worthwhile life - but I think his writings about the effectiveness of bullets will long be consulted - as without a shadow of doubt - so will the 10% BALLISTIC GELATIN that he developed to simulate swine muscle tissue .. which also closely correlates to human tissue.

This following link will take you to a page containing further links to some of Facklers writings:

https://military.wikia.org/wiki/Martin_Fackler

Colonel Fackler concluded that wound depth or 'penetration' was much more important than previously thought, and recommended ammunition that could send a bullet at least twelve inches into his ballistic gelatin.

Bullets basically kill by either destroying or disrupting the CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM  CNS located in the brain & spine .. or by exsanguination - blood loss that results in 'hypovolemia' - diminished body fluid (.. lovely words to remember both 😊 eh).

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Natural gelatin is collagen .. which is fibrous proteins from the connective tissues of animal bodies - extracted by slow cooking of pig skin etc .. before being cleaned & dried, & perhaps granulated for packaging.

The original gels made from natural gelatin are typically clear yellow-brown in color, and are generally not re-usable, being biodegradable - but the more expensive synthetic substitutes are engineered to simulate the ballistic properties of natural gelatin, while being colorless and clear.

 Some synthetic gels are also re-usable, since they can be melted and reformed without affecting the ballistic properties of the gels.

This next link is of a factory visit to see how gelatin is produced .. followed by some playing with differing percentage blocks for penetration:

https://www.gelita.com/en/applications/specialities/ballistic

Note: Bullets are sometimes found stopped from exiting on the far side by the animal skin - animal skin is very tough-strong and said to be roughly equal to four inches of flesh. Is this because of the concentration there of the fibrous protein collagen?

Synthetic ballistic gelatin is expensive stuff made from "unobtanium" but may consist of polymer-thickeners, stabilizer, adhesives .. so there could be some interest & fun to be had playing at cooking-up your own synthetic gels from mixes of PVA glues combined in water with Borax. The Borax cross links the PVA ... to likely make a sticky gooey mess.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bring-science-home-playing-with-polymers/

Have fun, Life is good,

Marty K.

Kiwi GUN BAN Appeal:

Graeme Minchin has lodged an Appeal against the HIGH COURT Judges "striking down" of the KIWI PARTY's court action challenging the NZ Govt's 'MSSA' GUN BAN'.

Our appeal states that "the LEARNED HIGH COURT JUDGE" erred in his findings.

https://kiwiparty.co.nz/kiwiparty-declaratory-judgement-appeal.pdf

When this Learned High Court Judge dismissed our proceedings - he complied with the Labour Government's own Attorny General's instructions. 

The Attorney General of New Zealand David Parker reports to the Prime Minister and has a salary of $288,900.

It is very important that kiwi shooters pay attention to this struggle to defend and reclaim our gun rights.

PLEASE join and support both COLFO & the KIWI PARTY. 

Marty K.

Gun BANS Come From The Same Place As Chocolate Milk:

One problem with "democracy" is that 50% of the electorate have an IQ that's below average .. I'm not saying that there should be an intelligence test to vote - but how about a compulsory multiple choice questionnaire about the issues of the elections each time before you make your mark on the paper?

- When a range visitor once firmly declared that guns were dangerous - I demonstrated that my Model 610 S&W revolver would not attack or shoot anyone - by placing it on the floor between us and watching it carefully for several minutes .. until she asked what was I doing  😁😁.

... A (US) study found 48% of respondents weren't sure where chocolate milk came from - and 7 percent of them thought chocolate milk only comes from brown cows 

.. further an earlier study in the 1990s found that nearly 20% of people did not know hamburgers are made from beef.

 - A current British radio advert says that 10% of children think that fish-fingers come from chickens.

While I do understand that a lot of us working folk don't even bother to register on the electoral roles .. quite a few do vote and their understanding of various issues may be strongly guided by what they have seen in action movies or in newspaper stories.

'CIVICS' and 'Political Theory' definitely need to be taught at school ..

The British tabloid newspapers and politicians have been blaming just about every problem with their own failings for the last forty years on the EU Laws .. so it's no great surprise that Brits voted against remaining as part of Europe.

BREXIT Means BREXIT
LEAVE MEANS LEAVE
 - America Will Save UK Again.

Here in New Zealand people are naturally outraged by violent crime - so when they are told by police & politicians that legal GUNS are the problem and the cause of killings .. and that it would all be solved by BANNING THEM - they agree that this must be done now. - Quick and easy and obvious eh - FIXED.

They won't get excited later when shootings continue at a similar level - because they have already done something about it.

It strikes me that Mental Health issues are part of these killer-nutters despairing death wishes .. many amok killers are found to have been taking anti-depressant medications. - But decent Healthcare takes a fair level of taxation .. as does Education, Law Enforcement, & Prison Services etc.

Hey Ho,
Would it be rude of me to mention that while we are concerning ourselves with little issues like GUN BANS and GLOBAL WARMING and TRUMPS arguments with IRAN and all the rest while the Queen of New Zealand is preparing a massive huge banquet in London for 'Donald' with wine specially bought - because none of the 250,000 bottles in the Palace wine cellars are suitable for Donnie and the other guests?? --- MEANWHILE has anyone else been so boring as to mention that there are 14,900 live armed nuclear warheads actively deployed around this wee blue planet by these MORONS .. AIMED AT US ?

Marty K.

GUN RIGHTS in New Zealand:

In England a Private Prosecution by Marcus Ball is moving forward against Boris Johnson charging that he repeatedly lied as Mayor of London and as a Member Of Parliament. 

Deliberately Dishevelled Boris:

Johnson has been accused of misconduct in public office after repeating the claim that UK pays 350 million Pounds every week to the EU during the 2016 EU referendum campaign.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-48445430

District judge Margot Coleman has cited the contention by Lewis Power QC, counsel for Ball, that “there will seldom be a more serious misconduct allegation against a member of parliament or mayor than to lie repeatedly to the voting public on a national and international platform, in order to win your desired outcome”.

Here in New Zealand the KIWI PARTY in cooperation with shooters groups like COLFO has commenced Court proceedings against legislation that BANS ownership and use of various kinds of firearms.

There are multiple (12) contentions sited including that The 1688 Bill of Rights has Constitutional status in NZ law and cannot be abrogated by Parliament.

- and Breach of the constitutional right to bear arms.

The New Zealand Police have repeatedly stated that firearms ownership in New Zealand is "A Privilege"  not a RIGHT .. and at last somebody is defending our basic rights as citizens in the courts.

Sadly it has taken a flawed & hurried Parliamentary anti-gun action to stir anyone into resistance by also seeking justice via an interim Injunction against the recent BAN.

Legal Action is always an expensive business - and legal action against a government will be VERY lengthy and VERY expensive. 

PLEASE JOIN & SUPPORT THESE ORGANIZATIONS.

________________

https://kiwiparty.co.nz/

[10] No statement of defence has been filed by the Attorney General. Rather, and as noted above, the Attorney General has filed an application to strike out the proceedings. 

JUDGE  REJECTS  KIWI  PARTY  LEGAL  CHALLENGE  TO  ARMS  ACT

In giving his judgement to the case brought by the Kiwi Party in the Auckland High Court on 15 May Justice Wyle has, at the request of the Attorney General,  struck out all causes put forward to challenge the latest Arms Amendment Act and the process followed by Parliament on the basis that they could not succeed.  He did consider the first cause of action to challenge the Order in Council that made all semi autos in to MSSAs, but concluded that since it was now repealed by the Act it could not succeed. The application for interim orders was declined.

You can read the full judgment here:

https://kiwiparty.co.nz/news/declaratory-judgement-result/?fbclid=IwAR2fQD_LenGtImmA97baQ5mvwCLBGxEmI-nl9XV5jBhkw7H9IWqmy6I-sC4

Where do we go from here?

Marty K.