Mushrooming or Expanding Jacketed Bullets - A Different Way?:

I've been thinking again !

"Mushrooming" is planned bullet distortion .. Almost any bullet subjected to enough force will distort or set up. I remember firing pellets from my Webley Mk. III air rifle at an electric iron placed in a cardboard box as a teenager (some time ago) .. boy did they distort -  they just shattered into bits 😊.

I have an idea about maybe there might be a different way to make an expanding bullet .. then I saw this photo image that shows interesting distortions .. look at the forth slug from the left - it's not just the bullet nose expanding:

- What my thought was - that maybe if a bullet was structurally weakened between it's front & rear parts - perhaps by 'through cuts' or incisions in the gilding metal (a type of brass 95% copper + 5% zinc) - it could possibly be made to expand greatly under impact in that mid-section.

The degree of expansion might be made 'adjustable' by the length of the cuts .. but with this ballistics technology you are always juggling with the variables of shape, velocity, strength, & weight.

Going               Going                Gone

Please excuse my crappy photography and sketching

- just 'dreaming' I guess - but you never know until you've tried it eh .. Kiwi Ingenuity.

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Here's another fascinating thought that I just came across on-line - It seems likely that if a lead cored bullet is driven fast enough .. it's lead core can melt from the friction heat at velocities of around 4,000 ft. per sec.  ??

- Another "wee gem" that I just picked-up is that it was one Colonel Eduard Rubin, a Swiss gentleman - who invented the Full Metal Jacketed Bullet in 1882. - His name rang a bell for me regarding the Schmidt-Rubin rifle eh.

Anyway - here's a link to an excellent & interesting piece about bullet design. Link:

http://www.chuckhawks.com/bullets_beginners.htm

- Well I found it interesting anyway.

& Here's a Link to some fascinating "Slow Motion" video of bullet impacts & penetration:

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

Marty K.
A late P.S. Hey Guys .. read the Comment below as it seems that idea has been used before. - You just don't know what you don't know. 😄

"DUM-DUM" Expanding Bullets:

Ladies & Gentlemen - May I introduce to you Lieutenant-Colonel Neville Sneyd Bertie-Clay - & Sir John Ardagh.  (both British "toffs" - you'd never have guessed eh).

Briefly, the early simple solid lead ball and cylindrical projectiles - being made of soft pure lead - tended to flatten and expand on impact when fired by the old gunpowder (Black-Powder) propellant loads.

Balls.

- However - when "Cordite" or smokeless powders came into use to produce much faster velocities - the soft projectiles smeared lead onto the rifling and clogged the rifle bores - leading (that's leading as opposed to leading 😁) to the need to wrap the heavy soft lead in harder copper skins. And those 'jacketed' rounds tended to not expand but to 'drill' much tidier holes in targets .. thus causing less injury.

Bertie-Clay - working at the Ordnance Department of the British Indian Army, was the guy who in 1896 invented the 'evil' Dum-Dum expanding bullet for the .303" rifle. He was Superintendent of the British arsenal at Dum Dum near Calcutta in Bengal.

There were several 'iterations' of official plus home-made versions of .303" expanding rounds used by British soldiers against enemy forces - who, naturally protested at their inhumanity and effectiveness.

 During the Hague Convention of 1899 - Sir John Ardagh explained to an absorbed audience, 
"men penetrated through and through several times by our latest pattern of small calibre projectiles, which make small clean holes,' were nevertheless able to rush on and come to close quarters. Some means had to be found to stop them.

 'The civilized soldier when shot recognizes that he is wounded and knows that the sooner he is attended to the sooner he will recover.

 He lies down on his stretcher and is taken off the field to his ambulance, where he is dressed or bandaged. Your fanatical barbarian, similarly wounded, continues to rush on, spear or sword in hand; and before you have the time to represent to him that his conduct is in flagrant violation of the understanding relative to the proper course for the wounded man to follow—he may have cut off your head."

Ardagh.

A very British approach, what !

- There were expanding bullets before Dum-Dum - and certainly afterwards - but "Dum-Dum" has entered into our folk-law books as the archaic name for the expanding bullet.

Bertie-Clay died on 17 October 1938, having lived for some time at Villa La Pensee in Tahiti - down our way in French Polynesia. - Ardagh died in 1907 following a long and most distinguished career (worth Googling).

Marty K.

P.S. While talking about "dum-dums" - I'm pleased to note the return of a very few neighbor Australian mates to my blog stats.. this surely indicates that some aussies are able to read eh.
(- I'm currently recording around a thousand total 'hits' per week.)

martyk.

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

A SUPER-MAGNUM - 327 Federal Magnum:

I'm making sure that YOU have heard about the 327 Federal Magnum.

Me personally - "Moi" - I am fully sold on this super-magnum cartridge .. and would hate to think that there's anyone out there that remains unaware of what this neat caliber can do for you.

When I handed my SP101 Ruger Revolver to the NZ Police firearms employee during a recent 'Home Security Check' - saying "this is my new 327 Federal Magnum" ...  He expertly stated - "There is no such thing."

357" Magnum Compared to 327 Fed. Magnum.

- I pointed to the barrel markings before quietly explaining.

That the '327' is a SAAMI high pressure rimmed round that is the latest development in 'thirty-twos'.

The very original S&W 32s of 1860 were black-powder rim-fires in various lengths and strengths - but the first center-fire S&W 32" cartridge was the (now so called)"Short" in 1871 with a case length of .61 inch ... then S&W introduced the "Long" in 1896 (case length .920"). Next in 1984 Harrington & Richardson worked with Federal to introduce the again extended thirty-two they called the 32 H&R Magnum with a 1.075 inch case length.

The semi-rimless John Browning designed 32 ACP (Automatic Colt Cartridge) was introduced first by F.N. in 1899 and uses the same sized bullets - and is also known as 7.65×17mmSR Browning.

'Thirty-twos' have been used extensively where low weight and controllable accurate performance is valued. The .32 calibers are compact and light. While some believe it has marginal stopping power*, - it has been used effectively by military and police worldwide over the past hundred & fifty years.

.32 ACP

*  "Stopping Power" is a widely discussed concept - factually more dependent on accuracy than other factors.

- These guys kept up-grading the .32 because it was a bloody good & accurate cartridge that did the job - but was sometimes considered "under powered" when held alongside the big bores and their magnum versions. 

- In 2007 Ruger got together again with Federal to once more hot-up the thirty-two by strengthening it's brass case and further lengthening it to 1.20 inches. The 327 Federal Magnum comes with a SAAMI pressure rating of 45,000 p.s.i. - So it is a magnumized magnum cartridge.

Don't take a Kiwis word for it .. Check-out Jeff Quinn at Gunblast.com

http://www.gunblast.com/Ruger-LCR3.htm

- and again .. Link:

http://www.gunblast.com/Ruger-SP101-327.htm

327 Revolver shooters have a choice of five different factory loaded cartridges.

Top 327 loadings are in the .357 Magnum power zone with less recoil and blast.

The slightly smaller size means that you get six rounds instead of five .. or seven instead of six.

The long strong 327 case makes it ideal for custom loads - Duplex, Triplex, "buck'n'ball"

- and now, at last, - the first US maker - Henry has produced a lever action rifle for the 327.

.32 ACP, .32 S&W "Short", .32 S&W Long,  .32 H&R Magnum, 327 Fed. Magnum.

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One very popular 'old-time' cartridge is the 32-20 or .32" WCF. Loaded for both revolvers and rifle .. this useful round takes the same .312" dia. bullet & has shot many a deer since it's beginnings in 1882. Originally a black-powder round - the 32-20 runs a SAAMI maximum pressure of only 16,000 p.s.i compared to the 327's 45,000 p.s,i.

32-20 (32"WCF), -  327 Fed. Magnum, -  32" H&R Magnum.

The 327 Fed. Magnum effectively renders those older rounds obsolete.

Try reading John Taffin's story on Bowen Classic Arms .327 Federal Magnum Custom Sixguns. Link:

http://www.sixguns.com/range/327Federal.htm

The best thing since sliced bread .. Or as John T says - "The Best Thing since the 44 Magnum".

.. But one problem for a 'new caliber' is that there is already a cartridge sized to meet just about every need out there - except for the minor point that they all are damn loud .. and their unprotected use will permanently stuff your ears with mushy bananas and permanent whining sounds (Tinnitus).

 - Now if only someone could invent a non-toxic & silent cartridge system eh.

 Life is good,

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

Writer John Taffin Sees the Light Calibers!:

All British types will be familiar with their constitutional monarchy class system & how it is supported by handing-out "titles" to the successful and wealthy.

 Indeed here in New Zealand (Yes - you are British) it's usual for knighthoods to be awarded to 'personalities' when they retire - or when it becomes known that they are unlikely to live much longer .. as a cheap way of cementing their names permanently into the ruling class establishment.

A near equivalent is selection for a 'Literary Award' or an honorary degree - and this story is my attempted tribute.

John Taffin of Boise, Idaho is a venerable gun writer approaching his dotage (born 2 May 1939!) .. why, he's even older than me. - To me, Mr Taffin has dedicated his life to finding, collecting, customizing - shooting - and writing about 'Big Bore' Single-Action Sixguns.

- And interesting to note that John T was (like Hickok 45) for a large part of his life - a school teacher.
John Taffin is the public face of the shooting world for .44" and .45" magnum single action revolvers.

Now at last he is revealing "the wisdom of age" by declaring that he has been, for decades - a closet Thirty-Two fan and that he regrets not having "come-out" earlier.

* .32s: A Small Magnificent Obsession *

is the title of his 11 page admission in the new 2018 Gun Digest.

"Suddenly, big-bore sixguns were not as much fun as they used to be., which allowed me to look where I should have been looking decades earlier for real shooting pleasure, namely .32 sixguns; the .32s were around, I just didn't pay much attention to them."

He has been working on a new Small Bore Book for more than a few years already - and that is definitely on my wish list for the home book shelf.

"The little .32"s, even in their heaviest versions, are always a pleasure to shoot, without a kick in a car load, and they do very well for punching holes in paper, tin cans, varmints, and should the need arise could certainly be used in a self-defense situation."

Great stuff,

Marty K.

FBI Handgun Wounding Factors And Effectiveness:

This FBI document written July 14 1989 is invaluable reading to all chums - even slightly or vaguely academically interested in "STOPPING POWER".

Link:


https://www.scribd.com/document/252518687/Handgun-Wounding-Factors-and-Effectiveness

- very interesting,

I must take those old carrots down the range eh.

Marty K.

Shooting Left Handed:

Apparently both Queen Elizabeth II and 😈The Devil 😈 are, like me - Left Handed.

- But don't panic - as so were Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, Charle Darwin, Michelangelo & de Vinci.

SHE Likes To Hear THE GUNS On Her Birthday.

Strange to see - but that my 'ex', my clever daughter, & I .. makes three out of the four of us "lefties".

It seems that some 12% of homo sapiens are ( all kangaroos actually are too) - left-handed.

-"Lead with The Right".

For my first seven years at school - unsmiling nuns in black robes and wimples whacked my knuckles with rulers to convert me to the right path .. only to be later followed by black gowned Jesuits who insisted that only ITALIC calligraphy be used for five years more - impossible for the left-handed - & that ruined my writing.. 

Left Handed or Sinister people were thought to be odd and evil - and more likely to be criminals & nutters - but like some other minority we have lately been forgiven -  rehabilitated even .. but that doesn't make it any easier to shoot a right-handed bolt-action rifle eh.

I try to stick to semi-autos rather than Bolt-Actions generally - but even they can puff gas in your face at every shot - as well as flicking the hot brass cases just past your (left-handed) nose.

STAG ARMS Do a Left-Handed AR - & My Just Right Carbine Is Convertible.

I've never really found handguns a problem to shoot with either hand (Other than being an "ambidextrous flincher" (that's with both eyes shut!) - as you learn to be adaptable when you hang-on-the-left .. and many recent iterations are partly ambidextrous controlled.

I have an otherwise excellent SOG 'FLASH II ' spring assist' folding knife that is definitely better handled with the right-hand

.. as it's blade retains a good edge and opens very positively once started. - Don't get me wrong here - it is readily opened  & controlled left-handed -but manipulating the other controls is R.Hd.

My SOG has the TANTO Blade.

- It's all relative anyway - ask 'lefty' Einstein ... when you look at us down in the Southern Hemisphere .. we might all be "back-to-front" or upside-down..

Marty K.

"Double-Taps" v Duplex Loads v Volley-Gun?

I was very pleased to find that the new Gen 5 Glock 19 has the chamfered  "rounded nose" treatment that I'd liked on an earlier .40" caliber gun:

I missed that change on first view .. which says heaps about my powers of observation eh! - I might have made a half-decent copper (except for my glasses) .. but would definitely have been a crap 'D'.

That cosmetic change and better trigger pull might persuade me to buy a Gen 5 when they arrive down here in the "roaring forties".

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Anyway ...

Meanwhile .. I just spotted the weird Standard Manufacturing S333 in the  2018 Gun Digest  ..

- What is not obvious from the pictures is that this oddball is a THREE-SHOT   handgun.

- This volley gun fires two of it's .25 ACP rounds for each trigger pull.. it's not a revolving "pepperpot" but has rotary twin firing-pins.

Like the Arsenal Double 1911 - it delivers two rounds on target simultaneously - BUT it's a lot cheaper - at a suggested retail price of US$300 .

Their Standard Manufacturing website is awful and next to useless .. but they do claim that other chamberings than .25" ACP will follow.

Now I am 'world-famous-in-New Zealand' for my terrible taste in guns ... I love my shorty 12 gauge side-by-side and the consensus vote is that the butt-stock on my 9 mm JRC carbine is b-ugly - But I love it - and the Standard Volley Gun 😍 

JRC Also 'weird'?

No taste - no brains ... maybe - but delivering two shots into a proper target doubles the impact surface area and should produce the needed result as long as a decent caliber at a decent velocity is used.

- As for me shooting rapid 'double-taps' from any of my handguns (past or present) in the expectation of the legendary "snake-eyes" .. No Way - my fast second rounds just fly wildly & randomly around the backing boards .. if I'm lucky.

 I need aimed fire.

And likely it won't affect the result whether the pills come from two barrels simultaneously or from one duplex loaded cartridge eh.

My Deconstructed DUPLEX LOAD for .327 Federal Magnum -Ball & Bullet

That's that then,

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