SPITFIRE:

 So I am a slow thinking - half Irish, retired forklift driver, - but stuff gets learned from time to time .. such as my COVID infection sucks all the way.

I've just watched a great doco made by Guy Martin about rebuilding a 75 year old WW2 Spitfire Mk 1. The man is a working diesel mechanic, - motorbike racing nutter, and all round OK bloke.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxnGJsVPIFA

A small issue with becoming aged is that many start to treat you as an infant again and discount what you say .. so you don't need to keep offering pearls to the smelly pigs unless you think it's worth trying to enhance their quality of life.

- I had a distant memory of watching a Spitfire "dogfight" high above the English Fenland at my Mums village Parson Drove as a kid with my father .. BUT that could not be - as that would have to have been around 1950-55 - several years after the end of WW2.

- Maybe it was the spirit of some ghostly pilot sent out of the sky to befriend a young kid .. BOLLOCKS.

However - Guy Martin explained in his doco that these marvellous classic fighter aircraft remained in service with the RAF until 1955 - so their crews would still have been flying and training out of these East-Anglian airfields back then.

Purely in the interest of the historical accuracy - Guy demonstrates the power of a .50" Caliber Browning against a BMW car .. lovely.

Eight Of These On Many SPITFIRES ..

I'm no true flying enthusiast despite working at Air New Zealand for exactly 29 years .. but those wee planes sure are beautiful eh.

Marty K.

Advertising is MIND CONTROL:

To date The Honourable Police Minister Chris Hipkins has neither acknowleged or replied to my open letter about the new SEPARATE Firearms Unit. - He may have been busy with the weekend Labour Party Conference ..

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- 'We can fix this with More Gun Controls' ..

Voltaire 1694-1778  is somewhat well-known for once saying, "Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities."

Advertising & 'Spin Doctoring' are of the same stuff as PROPAGANDA .. The key is repeat,repeat,repeat,repeat,repeat,repeat.repeat,repeat,repeat,repeat,repeat

I've realized that we Kiwis are so strongly bombarded with advertising for a reason .. this is why I stopped watching "free to air" Television a decade ago.

Eat Apples and become Beautiful ..

The New Zealand ASA Advertising Turnover 2021 report was released in April 2022. The advertising revenue across NZ main media was $3.195 Billion dollars for the 12 months ended 31 December 2021.

https://www.asa.co.nz/industry/asa-advertising-turnover-report/

These persuaders do not waste money - they spend dollars to make more.

The reason commercial and political "Greedies" spend large budgets on advertising, marketing, and on 'educating' public opinion - is that we ordinary people ARE much more influenced by this propaganda than we like to think.

- How much of what you believe is what you are told to think by others? - Opinions are emotional things sometimes changed by persuasion - whereas the facts always remain FACTS.

- You must have noticed how much Maori ''Te reo' is being required to be spoken on our media lately - and how we are being trained by a campaign, to think of New Zealand now as "Aotearoa" (the North Island - but Niu Tirini would be better historically).

My guess would be that currently around 95% of New Zealanders are emotionally ANTI-GUN .. because they have been bombarded with repeated angry statements that GUNS are the cause of CRIME - TERRORISM - DRUG ABUSE - SCHOOL ATROCITIES - SUICIDES - ANIMAL CRUELTY - POLITICAL INSTABILITY - & POLUTION .. We are told Guns are to blame.

The sad REALITY is that people are the cause of that horror listing above ..  but, of course - that is only a fact.

It is abberant behaviour by unstable, undisciplined, 'entitled' deluded & deranged greedy selfish nutters that results in aggressive violence - NOT any machine or useful tools owned by responsible law-abiding citizens.

BUT WHAT ELSE WOULD YOU EXPECT TO HAPPEN - WHEN YOU HAND CONTROL OF THE COUNTRY TO MINORITY OWNED 'CORPORATES' WHOS SOLE AIM IS TO ENRICH THEMSELVES AT THE COST OF OTHERS?

Indeed the legislation in some lands insists that corporates do nothing that is not intended to take profit.

Marty K.

Wild Bill HICKOCKS' Watch & COLT Navy Percussion Revolvers:

 Ain't it strange that the older I get .. the more I fancy 'old stuff' .. maybe it isn't at all odd really ..

The stuff that legends are made of .. 

Davis Tutt went West to SPRINGFIELD Missouri from Yellville Marion County Arkansas where his family had been active in The TUTT-EVERETT WAR - and he stayed there (unmoving - except for a later change of cemetary plots) after the morning of July 21st 1865.

Wild Bill Hickock was from Illinois and had headed towards the Western sunset with a guilty conscience - thinking that he'd killed someone in a drunken fight.

These two Poker players were "friends" despite having fought on opposite sides in the Civil War - and the fable of their fight has plenty of "MAYBE's" in it's telling. - Did Hickock father a child with Tutts' sister? 

- Was Wild Bill's then woman friend  Susanna Moore responding too warmly to Tutts' chat-up lines?

Tutt cleaned-out Hickocks cash at the card table and took his watch as security (That's real friendly eh) until the debt was resolved - but he then set about displaying the watch publicly to further taunt & belittle 'Wild Bill'

These two Western macho nutters faced off at 75 yards around 10.00 a.m.(or some say, at 50 yards, - just before 6.p.m.) after more argument about the outstanding debt and more drinks - neither rooster backing down from their public disputing.

Was it about women? - was it about money? - was it about that damn watch being dangled from Tutts' belly? Or was it all of that and more - with both 'hard men' needing to save face in front of the whole town?

Both armed and capable men were still shouting at each other in the hope that one of them would back-off when Tutt is said to have drawn and fired. - Hickock is said to have steadied his cocked .36" COLT Navy Model on his forearm before sending it's lead ball between Tutts' ribs into his heart.

Some legendary shooting ...

Maybe: Hickock's Gun .. Serial No. 204685 is recorded as being made 

in 1868 - THREE years after the shooting. 

- Attributed as one of a Pair Carried By James Butler HICKOCK:

The Wikipedia page on this fabled shooting is well detailed:

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hickok%E2%80%93Tutt_shootout

- There followed a three day manslaughter trial for William HAYCOCKE (!!) - the name Hickock had used in that town - where the four witnesses couldn't agree who fired first - who drew first - or if the dead Tutt had actually even fired a shot at all .. but the conclusion was not guilty, - as it had been a "FAIR FIGHT" provoked by Tutt flashing the watch around ..

No-one bothers to record what gun Davis Tutt was using .. is it likely it was that other 'America's Gun' - a Glock ???(bad joke) ...

The Watch ?  .. Doubtful .. But getting warm maybe .. Is this a 'Gold Cased' Waltham Repeater' watch?

Offered by 'LiveAuctioners': Open face vest pocket watch of Wild Bill Hickok. Marked on the inside J. B. Hickok. 1873. Chain drive key wind pocket watch by L. Desh, Glasgow, Scot. From Pine Ridge Reservation. The lot includes a signed letter re: the history of the watch. 1 3/4" D.

Maybe .. but the engraved date 1873 conflicts with the 1865 shooting date.

American History is a bit like that eh.

Many publications note that Wild Bill was carrying a S&W No. 2 Revolver when he was murdered while holding the famous "Dead Man's Hand" during a poker game in a Deadwood saloon in the Dakota Territory in on August 2, 1876, - according to a release from Rock Island Auction Company. 

A historic Smith & Wesson Model No. 2 Old Army Revolver owned by Wild Bill Hickok was offered by Rock Island Auction Company in its August Premier Auction,  August 26-28 2022.

- This would be the OLD MODEL in .32" Long Rimfire caliber ..

Haycocke-Hickock died in Deadwood in 1876, shot in the back of his head by Jack McCall .. who eventually was hanged for doing it.

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.. Are any of you interested in seeing a true craftsman making a FLINTLOCK RIFLE the old fashioned way - using jigs and machinery he built himself - from the raw materials to a fine tool?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_O1-chxAdk

MartyK.

Men's Buffalo Bill Wig & Beard Set

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New 'Firearms Unit' .. Open Letter To The Responsible Minister:

 Dear Police Minister Hipkins,

On 12 November 2021 the previous Police Minister announced "the establishment of the new dedicated regulatory Firearms Unit to manage changes to the new arms regulatory system aimed at improving public safety by stopping firearms falling into the wrong hands, and reducing the risk of anyone becoming victims of firearms crime.” - "This dedicated unit will allow arms staff to focus on this work within a unit separate from, but still aligned to, Police.”

I understand Minister - that in order to take possession of and to handle any firearm - these firearms registrars and inspection / examination arms staff - being separate from the exempted sworn police will be required by the Amended Firearms Act of 1983 to possess a current Firearms Licence with appropriate ENDORSEMENTS.

For instance you no doubt will be aware that the 'B CATEGORY' Endorsement to possess or handle any pistol requires full membership of an approved PISTOL NEW ZEALAND Club and range attendence a minimum of 12 times every year following the initial more strictly controlled probationary period.

As Minister, you will know that anyone such as yourself with a record of having been arrested and charged with any violent offence will not qualify under the current regulations as 'FIT & PROPER' to obtain a Firearms Licence within New Zealand.

I am not aware to date of any such membership applications by recruits for this dedicated Firearms Unit - indeed I understand that the complex Application and lengthy interview process currently applied to obtaining or renewing Firearms Licences here will certainly prevent many staff members of this Unit becoming lawfully operational by the planned commencement date of this December - next month.

One further small point of law directly concerns the meaningful function of this new unit and the safety of the NZ Public - regarding the SERIAL NUMBERING and registration of High Capacity Magazines for MSSA Rifles such as those possessed by Endorsed Licenced Collectors and the New Zealand Police Service.

Will you please Minister reply and comment specifically regarding these considerations.

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This numbering & Registration of dangerous high capacity MSSA magazines - together with separate approved Secure Storage is required under the operation of the amended 1983 Act as an essential part of enhancing Public Safety in the event of  them falling into the wrong hands by LOSS or THEFT - I request information as to what progress your Department has made towards the proper numbering and REGISTRATION of the many thousands of magazines issued to police that may be found in their patrol vehicles and the premises occupied by serving officers? 

- Please release & publish the detail of series letter numbering registration sequences and locations allocated to permit the identification of these dangerous Public Safety items when found ..

My third & brief question is .. How much taxation revenue is allocated to the formation of this Separate Firearms Unit responsible for the controling and REGISTRATION of lawfully owned firearms and what is the amount Budgeted annualy for it's ongoing function maintaining the safety of the New Zealand population from firearms crime?

Thank you Minister for your urgent attention to my questions,

Marty K.

The Criminal Classes:

 I see  NZ Prime Minister Jacinda has been out 'hitch hiking' again, - back in September she cadged a ride from London to a General Assembly at the United Nations, after Elizabeth II's funeral, with the Canadian anti-gun boss Justin Trudeau. 

- Now she's been on the scrounge to the Italians to fly her back to New Zealand from ANTARCTICA where she had been on a fly in  Photo-Op on the ice. Her flight down was delayed by weather issues with the RNZAF Hercules not being able to depart as intended - and the return leg was prevented by technical problems with an engine on the Hercules getting too cold.

Facts is Facts ..

Last year, 2021 - The U S Bureau of Justice Statistics, the Federal agency tasked with gathering data on crime and the criminal justice system, published a report that found roughly two in five – 38% of the 24,848 incarcerated people that they surveyed across 364 prisons reported a disability of some sort. 

- Across the entire U S incarcerated population, - that translates to some 760,000 people there with disabilities living behind American bars.

Here in New Zealand -The Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment Act) of 1992 created a new definition of mentally disordered, that excluded those with intellectual disability from being found unfit to stand trial under the Criminal Justice Disabilities Act. 

It seems that around ONE THIRD of Youth offenders here have a NEURO-DISABILITY.

This FACT is known by our NZ Government.

I'm not here to make excuses for criminals. - If this is bullshit then those convicted persons should be isolated from further victims & property in our society by proper detention for a considerable duration - while they are given education and training opportunities to make their passage through life better and more productive.

IF it is true that a third of offenders are variously disabled intellectually to the extent of being diagnosed as sick .. there MUST be alternative action taken to extract them from our Justice System and to place them into proper HEALTH Facilities where they can be professionaly cared for and helped to live within society without falling into criminal activity.

I know that I am not dreaming here.

This situation is one specific example of our elected government NOT DOING WHAT THEY ARE PAID TO DO BY WE NEW ZEALAND VOTERS ..

They could use the money that they are wasting on new firearms legislation setting-up a USELESS FIREARMS REGISTER - to build better facilities and to staff them with qualified staff.

It is widely accepted that careful tutoring of prisoners to improve their READING abilities yields useful results in future employment.

It is well known that helping prisoners to obtain their DRIVING LICENSE reduces further traffic convictions as well as opening up decent employment opportunities. The country is seriously short of professional drivers. 

There is NO WAY that New Zealand can afford to waste these unfortunate peoples lives whereby they are a costly negative factor in society at the same time that we are short of workers.

POLITICIANS .. DO SOMETHING USEFUL.

Remove GST from essential basic foodstuffs.

Reduce general GST to 10%.

Introduce APT - an Automatic Payment Transaction Tax - initially at 0.5 % - a neutral broadbased fair tax to provide adequate funding for properly functional Law Enforcement, Justice, Health Services, State Housing, Social Services, Transport, & Education,

Introduce DRIVING INSTRUCTION into schools so that all leavers gain their License.

DE-CRIMINALIZE Cannabis.

Return all essential services such as Power Distribution-Generation, Health and Dentistry to Nationwide democratic control for the benefit of New Zealand families.

Introduce an UPPER HOUSE CITIZENS ASSEMBLY staffed by One Term only Jurors selected by SORTITION.

End PARLIAMENTARY PRIVILEGE - that enables deliberate lies and misleading in our Nations Highest Court.

All of this might be achieved within months by the use of 'URGENCY' - as was applied to introduce oppressive ANTI-Gun Legislation reducing Civil Rights to end lawful firearms ownership.

Marty K.

This beautiful land of New Zealand once more can lead the world by example - running it's affairs for the benefit of all it's citizens.

 

Colts Model Of 1849 POCKET Percussion Revolver :

- Something for the weekend Sir? ..

I read a lot .. they taught me how to do it at school in the 50s. I have read both that this .31 Caliber gun from Colt is ".. almost forgotten today." and alternatively - that the Uberti reproduction M1849s are very popular, accurate and fun to shoot.

- You may take your pick from the professional writers eh - but by the standard of that era the Pocket Model was regarded as a sturdy and trusty 'manstopper'. 

A Popular Modern Replica 1849 From UBERTI ..

Experts state that this most successful percussion revolver was made by Colts over a 23 year period - starting 1850 - with production numbering around 335,000 units from factories in both U S and England. The appellation "Model 1849" is a label used by modern collectors & enthusiasts.

Sale numbers were doubtless helped by manufacture covering the whole span of the American Civil War period April 1861-April 1865 - with this small pistol being popular as private purchases by combatents of both armies. - Every review about this Model 1849 seems compelled to trot-out the apocryphal legend that this percussion five-shot revolver was carried mainly to prevent battle-field surgeons from over-eagerly amputating damaged limbs. 

Later improved steels led to SIX shot versions being machined without increasing the cylinder's size.

This best seller .31" 'Pocket Model' - 'The Gun That Won the West' - is reputed to have been nicknamed by some 'A Fifth Ace' due to it's popular carry by saloon card gamblers - to smooth the run of the betting.

Good Looking Lads Displaying Their Period Essentials ..

"YOU GONNA PULL THOSE PISTOLS OR WHISTLE DIXIE?"

My "pet point" would be that the projectiles for these .31" Caliber black powder pistols actually measure larger than the later .32" caliber guns ammunition .. but only by a wee bit eh. - These revolvers were nowhere near as powerful as the earlier .44s - BUT they weighed half as much and didn't suffer from ball-creep, where the strong .44" recoil resulted in balls loaded into the chambers shifting forward with each shot to jam the gun by preventing the cylinder rotation .. the .31"s didn't kick as much .. nor blow apart so often either. Original M 1849 barrels have 'Gain Twist Rifling'.

Maybe - after a few beers - I'll admit that the '36" caliber makes a superior black powder arm and that then went on through the ages to become a 'sweet spot' sized cartridge handgun that encompasses the .38 S&W, .38 Special, .357 Magnum and the many other 9mm (.355") sized arms .. but the 'Thirty-Twos' (8mm really) had a lot going for them as early times tools and at the later higher smokeless velocities.

A thirty-one caliber .323 inch ball weighs 50 grains - which is somewhat heavier than a typical .22 Long rifle slug - and it will penetrate to plus or minus 12/13 inches in clear gelatine depending on how much black powder you like to ignite. Conical bullets are naturally heavier again and harder hitting. These 'Pocket Pistols' are small in the hand - and while small caliber, are multi-shot, easily carried and accessed .. being both accurate AND deadly.

Before I go on .. may I bring to your notice 'C&Rsenals' Small Arms Primer No.151 US Colt 1877

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8CkTwrU3IY     .. Which while being about a different, later cartridge gun - is VERY insightful & most interesting about Colts hidden innermost secret family stories.

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Now - these wee pocket pistols would be scorned by some as being underpowered mouseguns - only fit to threaten before running away .. as they throw their 50 grain soft lead balls or 70 grain conicals at around 500 to 700 feet per second or above, producing POWER similar to today's 'two-two' rimfires and perhaps up to the 32 ACP lower levels.

I don't think that those 340,000 free citizen customers used their hard-earned bucks in the day to buy this compact tool because they were deluded - they were bought to serve a useful  purpose ..

The power debate continues (endlessly) of course .. but I insist that a HIT with a small caliber is far more effective than a miss with any magnum.

Colts slightly earlier small .31" percussion revolvers were known as "Baby Patersons" - then the "Baby Dragoons" appeared that developed into this popular model, - which itself was upsized in due course into the .36" caliber ''.Navy Models

The "Wells Fargo" .31" model had to make it's way through the West without the benefit of an under barrel loading lever .. as do too some other versions with the shortest of barrels.

STAGECOACH HOLD-UP Roller Engraving:

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I got one - an ORIGINAL Colt M1849 ...

- love it - here's the other side ..

Five inch barrel, with a fair bit of silver plating still on the brass bits but no blueing or case hardening colour remains. The steel parts have a matt grey/pewter patina appearance. The 'safety' pins at the rear of the cylinder are battered & worn. There is an area (25%?) of bad rust pitting on the cylinder - but for a 165 year old it is in excellent working order eh. - Check-out the foresight, that has been changed sometime from a pin to a blade ..

This sort of forsight blade modification was not uncommon .. perhaps to correct damage to the original short pin - or to lower the usual high point of impact closer to the line of sight.

Grey patina o/a. - strong hammer spring - gain twist rifling - no major damage - suggested 1857 year of manufacture - such a sweet little original revolver I'm well pleased to have it ..

I've seen worse ..

Marty K.

YOU'VE GOT TO BE JOKING.

 New Zealand as you like it ..?

It seems to have taken two years for the NZ JUSTICE System to sentence 18 y.o. Jayden Meyer with Nine Months HOME DETENTION  for the RAPE & SEXUAL ASSAULT of five young New Plymouth girls.

Police claim to have arrested nearly 350 RAM RAIDER Offenders and to have laid 1,000s of charges in Waikato & Auckland.. I doubt these offenders are being held under supervision or in detention .. 

As Police are finding it difficult to deal with these "COMPLEX MATTERS" they are now pleading with car owners  "Owners of these vehicles are asked to take extra precautions to keep their vehicles safe..This includes simple things such as purchasing a steering wheel lock, removing valuable items, locking your vehicle and parking it in a garage or driveway."

Five year old MALACHI SUBECZ was killed by his carer because of a "LITANY OF FAILURES" by ORANGA TAMARIKI. - Meanwhile, Oranga Tamariki and Nga Pirihimana o Aotearoa (Police) are being asked if they might have done more to prevent the killing of a 15 month old child Leith Hutchison by his father DANE BLAKE

Sexual Abuse in New Zealand Residential Schools? "Mistakes were made"

The New Zealand Justice System and Police Service are malfunctioning because of the long term lack of funding and under-resourcing - BUT they have sufficient tax revenue to spend MILLIONS OF DOLLARS on introducing another GUN REGISTER .. that we all know from past experience - WILL FAIL IN EVERY WAY TO BE EFFECTIVE AT REDUCING GUN CRIME.

- But these expensive new licensing amendments are discouraging legal gun ownership by making it difficult and costly to comply with the law.

New Zealand is short of police, judges, doctors , nurses, qualified builders, and various other essential workers .. BUT we seem to have an abundance of well fed CAREER POLITICIANS and Criminal Gang Members.

We elect governments to manage & provide the BASICS needed for a civilized society ..

- HEALTH 

- LAW ENFORCEMENT 

- EDUCATION 

- HOUSING 

& SOCIAL CARE.

- Which of those five basic needs can you say Government are doing well?

OUR POLITICAL SYSTEM IS FAILING TO SERVE NEW ZEALAND PROPERLY.

Why are we short of essential tax funding, with increasing CRIME, while businesses enjoy low Corporate TAXES?

Is one issue that we live in a CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCHY that has NO WRITTEN CONSTITUTION?

A second UPPER HOUSE of Government CITIZENS ASSEMBLY would give the people a voice that would be heard .. and fairer taxation.

Marty K.