Not too many years ago, ammo was cheap and gas was cheaper. I remember filling up my car for under $15, less then 10 years ago. At the same time, ammo was 50 rounds of 9mm for about 6 or 7 bucks. A box of 45 ACP was less then $10 and 550 rounds of 22LR in the Federal bulk box was like $8.99. I was buying 7.62x39mm for $1.99 a box of twenty and blowing through thousands at this cost.
Now, gas is over $4 a gallon and it takes me $45 to fill up the tank. Even the cheap boxes of ammo cost $12 for 50 rounds of 9mm and you are lucky as hell to find 45 ACP for $20. The surplus 7.62x39mm is about gone and, if you can find imported stuff, it is running at least $5 a box. Long gone are most of the surplus 8mm Mauser, 6.5mm Swedish, 9mm Mak, 7.62x51, 30-06, and 7 mm Mauser.
The price of the U.S. dollar has dropped through the floor, less then a third of the international value it had 10 years ago. So, the cheap import stuff is not as much of a savings, if any, as it used to be.
Places to shoot are a lot further out now then they used to me. Housing has encroached on my old shooting spots and many of the other ones I shot at were closed down because people were dumping stuff. So, not only do I have to drive further, which costs more, each box of ammo is a least double what it used to me. Even the cost of components for reloading has gone up enormously.
I need to win Powerball to get back to the amounts of shooting I used to do.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Friday, June 13, 2008
Fear of guns
The Brady Bunch and the rest of the Anti-2nd Amendment crowd tell us guns are bad. This indoctrination may have been caused by their parents, the media, an idol, literature, a bad experience, or whatever else. This belief can be a misunderstanding, a feeling, a curiosity, or a fear.
There is a term for fear of guns: Hoplophobia. Depending on your source, this word can be traced back to either 1962 or 1980, but in either case, it was created by legendary Gun Guru Jeff Cooper. He created the term to describe a "mental disturbance characterized by irrational aversion to weapons." Hoplophobia is described as an uncommon phobia in Contemporary Diagnosis And Management of Anxiety Disorders.
The term is derived from the Greek `Hoplites' which meant armored man. These were the spear guys who were part of the formidable phalanx formation of men they used to subjugate most of the known world.
The term has also been misapplied to all anti-gun people, which just isn't proper. It's a clinical term, not a general term. Basically, it's like calling a magazine a "clip" which is generally accepted, but not correct.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoplophobia
http://www.gunlaws.com/GunHate.htm
There is a term for fear of guns: Hoplophobia. Depending on your source, this word can be traced back to either 1962 or 1980, but in either case, it was created by legendary Gun Guru Jeff Cooper. He created the term to describe a "mental disturbance characterized by irrational aversion to weapons." Hoplophobia is described as an uncommon phobia in Contemporary Diagnosis And Management of Anxiety Disorders.
The term is derived from the Greek `Hoplites' which meant armored man. These were the spear guys who were part of the formidable phalanx formation of men they used to subjugate most of the known world.
The term has also been misapplied to all anti-gun people, which just isn't proper. It's a clinical term, not a general term. Basically, it's like calling a magazine a "clip" which is generally accepted, but not correct.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoplophobia
http://www.gunlaws.com/GunHate.htm
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Frommer "Stop"
One of the oddest looking pistols ever made is the Hungarian made Frommer "Stop." To me, this looks like a water gun. It was manufactured from 1912 until about 1930, but was used by the Hungarians until the end of World War Two. While, aesthetically, it is unappealing all reports state that this ugly duckling was very reliable and well made.
Rudolph Frommer worked at Fegyvergyar Small Arms and Machine Company, in Budapest when he improved upon his earlier designs, like the M1910 to come up with this pistol. I have never found a reason why he named this design "Stop.".
The "Stop" used a long recoil system to operate; the bolt and the barrel both moved a longer distance (the barrel actually moved all the way back to the magazine to strip a fresh round from the magazine) then the length of the cartridge. This system is fairly rare in pistols. This added massive complexity to a small gun in 32 ACP or 380 Auto (the vast majority were in 32 ACP). In addition, the bolt head rotated to lock the breech. Most designers of weapons of these caliber opt for blowback designs as they are easier to make, reliable, and do not batter the guns.
There is some debate on the 32 ACP designation for pistols used by the Austro-Hungarian and Hungarian militaries. Apparently, there is a cartridge called the 7.65 Frommer. This round is almost perfectly identical to the 32 ACP, but loaded more hot. So, while the gun will chamber and fire the 32 ACP, some people believe this gun was intended for use with the 7.65 Frommer round used in earlier pistols designed by this gunsmith.
Magazine capacity for the "Stop" is seven rounds. While there is no manual safety on the "Stop" it did have a grip safety, a-la M1911. For its time, it was a very light weight pistol, only weighing 21.5 ounces. The barrel was 4 inches long.
The pistol was accepted as the Pistol 12M by the Hungarian portion of the Austro-Hungarian Army. When Hungary became its own country in 1919, it was re-accepted as the Pistol 19M.
There was even a "Baby Stop" that even smaller, with a 3 inch barrel. It also used the 32 ACP and 380 Auto cartridges. This was produced from 1912 until about 1930. It only held 5 rounds and weight about 3 ounces less then its bigger brother. Approximately 90000 Stop and Baby Stop pistols were produced. Numbers of these guns were sold to Germany, Bulgaria, and Austria.
All sources of information on these pistols state the same thing, Do Not Attempt to Disassemble This Pistol Without Expert Guidance. Apparently, it is a pain in the butt to take apart and a nightmare to put back together.
Rudolph Frommer worked at Fegyvergyar Small Arms and Machine Company, in Budapest when he improved upon his earlier designs, like the M1910 to come up with this pistol. I have never found a reason why he named this design "Stop.".
The "Stop" used a long recoil system to operate; the bolt and the barrel both moved a longer distance (the barrel actually moved all the way back to the magazine to strip a fresh round from the magazine) then the length of the cartridge. This system is fairly rare in pistols. This added massive complexity to a small gun in 32 ACP or 380 Auto (the vast majority were in 32 ACP). In addition, the bolt head rotated to lock the breech. Most designers of weapons of these caliber opt for blowback designs as they are easier to make, reliable, and do not batter the guns.
There is some debate on the 32 ACP designation for pistols used by the Austro-Hungarian and Hungarian militaries. Apparently, there is a cartridge called the 7.65 Frommer. This round is almost perfectly identical to the 32 ACP, but loaded more hot. So, while the gun will chamber and fire the 32 ACP, some people believe this gun was intended for use with the 7.65 Frommer round used in earlier pistols designed by this gunsmith.
Magazine capacity for the "Stop" is seven rounds. While there is no manual safety on the "Stop" it did have a grip safety, a-la M1911. For its time, it was a very light weight pistol, only weighing 21.5 ounces. The barrel was 4 inches long.
The pistol was accepted as the Pistol 12M by the Hungarian portion of the Austro-Hungarian Army. When Hungary became its own country in 1919, it was re-accepted as the Pistol 19M.
There was even a "Baby Stop" that even smaller, with a 3 inch barrel. It also used the 32 ACP and 380 Auto cartridges. This was produced from 1912 until about 1930. It only held 5 rounds and weight about 3 ounces less then its bigger brother. Approximately 90000 Stop and Baby Stop pistols were produced. Numbers of these guns were sold to Germany, Bulgaria, and Austria.
All sources of information on these pistols state the same thing, Do Not Attempt to Disassemble This Pistol Without Expert Guidance. Apparently, it is a pain in the butt to take apart and a nightmare to put back together.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Polygonal Rifling
Since the Glock was introduced about twenty five years ago, one of it's selling points was that it had Polygonal Rifling. This is a "special" type of rifling that, according to Wikipedia's description, "... Is a type of rifling wherein the traditional lands and grooves are replaced by "hills and valleys" in a rounded polygonal pattern, usually a hexagon." Theoretically, the advantages of this over traditional rifling are: Less friction since there is less surface area, less bullet deformation which can increase range, reduction in amount of lead and copper fouling, and finally increased barrel life.
Polygonal rifling is nothing new. It has been around almost as long as rifled barrels have been used. It was a time consuming process to form these barrels and "traditional" rifling was much easier to do. By the late 1800's, polygonal rifling was virtually dead. As we all know, everything old is made new again. In the late 1930's, Germany gunmakers started using polygonal rifling, again, and it has slowly been reaccepted in Europe and now the U.S.
Currently, Glock, Kahr, Magnum Research, and HK are the big users of this type of rifling---but only in pistols. Polygonal rifling is extremely rare in long guns and even rarer in target rifles. Apparently, for all it's hype, polygonal rifling is not any better then traditional rifling and possibly worse for long barrel or long range accuracy. It it was more accurate and deformed the bullets less then traditional rifling, this would increase accuracy in long range shooting. This appears not to be the case. In pictures of recovered bullets, the polygonal rifling does cause slight deformation, which looked to me like little valleys grooved in the copper jacket of the bullet. Traditional rifling causes small cuts int he jacket of the bullet. 6 of one, half-dozen of the other. However, Glocks are very popular in pistol shooting circles.
This leads to a major disadvantage to polygonal rifling: Many experts and the Glock company advise that lead bullets (non-jacketed) should not be used in polygonal guns. There have been reports of KABOOMS (insider name for a gun blowing up) with Glocks using lead bullets. I have read reports but never seen actual proof of this. The Glock owners manual and website specifically state not to use lead bullets. Kahr and HK's do not come with this warning. The notion is that lead bullets leave a thin film of lead in the barrel each time the gun is fired. This builds up differently in polygonal rifling then in traditional styles. Eventually, the lead buildup is enough to cause the bullet to slow down and cause extreme pressures within the barrel. This can lead to a catastrophic breakdown of the weapon.
Noted Glock website Glockmeister states ( http://glockmeister.com/faq.shtml ): It is not a good idea to shoot bare lead bullets from your Glock. There are two basic reasons, the first is that the polygonal rifling in a Glock barrel really grips the bullet - this causes lead bullets to leave heavy deposits of lead when the gun is fired - heavy deposits of lead can lead to over-pressure problems - over-pressure problems can lead to nasty things like case failures. The second reason is that where the chamber meets the bore there is a sharp full edge (standard rifling does not have such a pronounced edge). This edge can shave off lead from the bullet and cause a headspace problem (the round will not fully seat) - again, this can lead to things like a case failure. Shoot plated or jacketed bullets only.
Polygonal rifling is nothing new. It has been around almost as long as rifled barrels have been used. It was a time consuming process to form these barrels and "traditional" rifling was much easier to do. By the late 1800's, polygonal rifling was virtually dead. As we all know, everything old is made new again. In the late 1930's, Germany gunmakers started using polygonal rifling, again, and it has slowly been reaccepted in Europe and now the U.S.
Currently, Glock, Kahr, Magnum Research, and HK are the big users of this type of rifling---but only in pistols. Polygonal rifling is extremely rare in long guns and even rarer in target rifles. Apparently, for all it's hype, polygonal rifling is not any better then traditional rifling and possibly worse for long barrel or long range accuracy. It it was more accurate and deformed the bullets less then traditional rifling, this would increase accuracy in long range shooting. This appears not to be the case. In pictures of recovered bullets, the polygonal rifling does cause slight deformation, which looked to me like little valleys grooved in the copper jacket of the bullet. Traditional rifling causes small cuts int he jacket of the bullet.
This leads to a major disadvantage to polygonal rifling: Many experts and the Glock company advise that lead bullets (non-jacketed) should not be used in polygonal guns. There have been reports of KABOOMS (insider name for a gun blowing up) with Glocks using lead bullets. I have read reports but never seen actual proof of this. The Glock owners manual and website specifically state not to use lead bullets. Kahr and HK's do not come with this warning. The notion is that lead bullets leave a thin film of lead in the barrel each time the gun is fired. This builds up differently in polygonal rifling then in traditional styles. Eventually, the lead buildup is enough to cause the bullet to slow down and cause extreme pressures within the barrel. This can lead to a catastrophic breakdown of the weapon.
Noted Glock website Glockmeister states ( http://glockmeister.com/faq.shtml ): It is not a good idea to shoot bare lead bullets from your Glock. There are two basic reasons, the first is that the polygonal rifling in a Glock barrel really grips the bullet - this causes lead bullets to leave heavy deposits of lead when the gun is fired - heavy deposits of lead can lead to over-pressure problems - over-pressure problems can lead to nasty things like case failures. The second reason is that where the chamber meets the bore there is a sharp full edge (standard rifling does not have such a pronounced edge). This edge can shave off lead from the bullet and cause a headspace problem (the round will not fully seat) - again, this can lead to things like a case failure. Shoot plated or jacketed bullets only.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Webley-Fosbery Automatic Revolver
The Webley Fosbery Automatic Revolver, or more correctly, theWebley-Fosbery Self-Cocking Automatic Revolver is one of the most fascinating handguns to ever be developed, let alone produced.
In 1896 a British Colonel named Fosbery patented a weapon design that combined the reliability of a revolver with an automatic action, so the pistol auto-cocked after each shot. No more fanning or thumbing the hammer or dealing with a long, heavy double action trigger. The gun was manufactured between 1901 and 1915 by Webley-Scott. The gun was large, 40 oz, about 6 oz more then the already standard Webley MkIV, though both were in standard British .455 Caliber. The Webley-Fosbery held six if these rounds. There was a later version in 38 Auto, and this model held 8 rounds in half-moon clips.
There are two main parts for this weapon, the frame and the cylinder/barrel portion. On the frame is a zig-zag. When the gun is fired, the cylinder/barrel assembly runs through this zig-zag and begins cycling the gun to the next round. When the gun returns to its original position, it is cocked and locked for the next round. It was fired by standard double action, though notably lighter then standard Webley Mk IV, V, or VI models. It loads and extracts like most British revolvers of the time, a break open.
It was an ingenious idea, designed at a time when semi-automatic pistols were in their infancy. Problem is, those zig-zags didn't hold up too well in the trenches of World War 2. Basically, they got covered in dirt and debris and jammed the gun.
The gun was extremely reliable and very accurate. Supposedly, due to it's recoil absorbing action, it had extremely tame recoil. The gun was so accurate that it was banned from Service Pistol competitions in England because it created an unfair advantage for shooters, according to Ian Hogg. Apparently, this was due to smooth trigger and ability to make quick follow-up shots.
Less the 5000 were built and the The Webley-Fosbery Self-Cocking Automatic Revolver is an interesting footnote in the annuals of modern weaponry.
In 1896 a British Colonel named Fosbery patented a weapon design that combined the reliability of a revolver with an automatic action, so the pistol auto-cocked after each shot. No more fanning or thumbing the hammer or dealing with a long, heavy double action trigger. The gun was manufactured between 1901 and 1915 by Webley-Scott. The gun was large, 40 oz, about 6 oz more then the already standard Webley MkIV, though both were in standard British .455 Caliber. The Webley-Fosbery held six if these rounds. There was a later version in 38 Auto, and this model held 8 rounds in half-moon clips.
There are two main parts for this weapon, the frame and the cylinder/barrel portion. On the frame is a zig-zag. When the gun is fired, the cylinder/barrel assembly runs through this zig-zag and begins cycling the gun to the next round. When the gun returns to its original position, it is cocked and locked for the next round. It was fired by standard double action, though notably lighter then standard Webley Mk IV, V, or VI models. It loads and extracts like most British revolvers of the time, a break open.
It was an ingenious idea, designed at a time when semi-automatic pistols were in their infancy. Problem is, those zig-zags didn't hold up too well in the trenches of World War 2. Basically, they got covered in dirt and debris and jammed the gun.
The gun was extremely reliable and very accurate. Supposedly, due to it's recoil absorbing action, it had extremely tame recoil. The gun was so accurate that it was banned from Service Pistol competitions in England because it created an unfair advantage for shooters, according to Ian Hogg. Apparently, this was due to smooth trigger and ability to make quick follow-up shots.
Less the 5000 were built and the The Webley-Fosbery Self-Cocking Automatic Revolver is an interesting footnote in the annuals of modern weaponry.
Monday, June 9, 2008
More power !!
The 45 ACP was the U.S. standard pistol cartridge from 1911 until the early 1980's. Even now, it's still the caliber of choice for many of our specialty military organizations. like the Seals. The standard 45 ACP round has a 230 grain FMJ bullet being propelled at about 800 feet per second with about 330 ft-lbs of power. Not too shabby.
Even as decent as those stats are, people are always looking for more power. An early supped-up 45 was called the 45 NAACO. It was developed by the North American Arms Corporation in Canada around 1948. (The company was only in existence until 1952.) NAACO developed a beefed uo Browning High Power (over 4.25 pounds) to launch this new 45 caliber round. The pistol was called the Brigadier and the bullet popped out of this gun's five inch barrel at 1600 fps and about 1300 ft-lbs of energy. The cartridge was made from trimming down 308 Winchester cases. The Brigadier carried 8 rounds of this high powered ammo.
In addition, the pistol had the ability to have the removable trigger module replaced by a special one allowing selective fire. A 20 round magazine and a shoulder stock could also be purchased.
NAACO was pursuing the Canadian militaries requirements for a new weapon after World War 2 and were crossing their fingers that their weapon would be chosen. In a piece of bad luck, the NATO standardization pushed the 9mm cartridge in Canada's direction in 1951 and NAACO folded just a year later.
NAACO was ahead of their time with the 45 NAACO round. It faded into obscurity, or did it? In the early 1970's Winchester created the nearly identical 45 Winchester Magnum. This cartridge never fared too well, except with some silhouette shooters and those who picked up Automag pistols, LAR Grizzlies, or some of the other super automatics that were crated but haven't done so well.
Many other attempts on improving the 45 caliber automatic have been attempted, all with limited success: 451 Detonics, 45 Super, 45 Wildley Magnum, among others. It's a fairly rough trade off.. more power at a cost of a heavier gun, more recoil, larger grip circumference, control, etc. The 45 ACP is a fine balance in weight, control, and power.
Even as decent as those stats are, people are always looking for more power. An early supped-up 45 was called the 45 NAACO. It was developed by the North American Arms Corporation in Canada around 1948. (The company was only in existence until 1952.) NAACO developed a beefed uo Browning High Power (over 4.25 pounds) to launch this new 45 caliber round. The pistol was called the Brigadier and the bullet popped out of this gun's five inch barrel at 1600 fps and about 1300 ft-lbs of energy. The cartridge was made from trimming down 308 Winchester cases. The Brigadier carried 8 rounds of this high powered ammo.
In addition, the pistol had the ability to have the removable trigger module replaced by a special one allowing selective fire. A 20 round magazine and a shoulder stock could also be purchased.
NAACO was pursuing the Canadian militaries requirements for a new weapon after World War 2 and were crossing their fingers that their weapon would be chosen. In a piece of bad luck, the NATO standardization pushed the 9mm cartridge in Canada's direction in 1951 and NAACO folded just a year later.
NAACO was ahead of their time with the 45 NAACO round. It faded into obscurity, or did it? In the early 1970's Winchester created the nearly identical 45 Winchester Magnum. This cartridge never fared too well, except with some silhouette shooters and those who picked up Automag pistols, LAR Grizzlies, or some of the other super automatics that were crated but haven't done so well.
Many other attempts on improving the 45 caliber automatic have been attempted, all with limited success: 451 Detonics, 45 Super, 45 Wildley Magnum, among others. It's a fairly rough trade off.. more power at a cost of a heavier gun, more recoil, larger grip circumference, control, etc. The 45 ACP is a fine balance in weight, control, and power.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
It's not guns...
It's not guns that cause violence, despite what the Brady Bunch and the other goofball lunatics tell you... it's the idiot with the gun. Guns are a tool, neither good nor bad. It's the action with the gun that causes bad problems for good people.
Enter Japan:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080608/ap_on_re_as/japan_stabbing
A crazy guy who said, "He was tired of life. He said he was sick of everything," plowed his vehicle into a crowd then got out and stabbed about 17 people. Seven of those innocents died from the psycho's attack, so far. What would have happened if just one person in the area would have had the right to carry a gun for self protection? How many lives could have been saved?
This is the latest in a rash of knife attacks in the past few years. It's all the crazy guys fault, isn't it? No, wait ! Rather then addressing the issue..the crazy guy...let's follow the current path of logic and ban trucks and knives, since they are, obviously, evil in nature.
One guy who had thousands of people in a shopping center running for their lives could have been saved with the simple possibility that a legally armed person might have had a gun in their possession and stopped most of this tragedy from happening.
Enter Japan:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080608/ap_on_re_as/japan_stabbing
A crazy guy who said, "He was tired of life. He said he was sick of everything," plowed his vehicle into a crowd then got out and stabbed about 17 people. Seven of those innocents died from the psycho's attack, so far. What would have happened if just one person in the area would have had the right to carry a gun for self protection? How many lives could have been saved?
This is the latest in a rash of knife attacks in the past few years. It's all the crazy guys fault, isn't it? No, wait ! Rather then addressing the issue..the crazy guy...let's follow the current path of logic and ban trucks and knives, since they are, obviously, evil in nature.
One guy who had thousands of people in a shopping center running for their lives could have been saved with the simple possibility that a legally armed person might have had a gun in their possession and stopped most of this tragedy from happening.
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