firearmsTag Archive for firearms archive at Robert Pogson

Tag Archive for 'firearms'

Lead

Published by Robert Pogson April 17th, 2013 in firearms and hunting. 5 Comments

Lead is a cheap and plentiful metal. It is a waste product of the nuclear processes in stars and radioactive decay. The universe has recycled lead as a metal we can mine as sulphides, carbonates or as metal. Man recycles lead from scrapped batteries, roofing, pipes etc. Some of it eventually ends up in percussion caps and bullets used by shooters.

Besides the low price, lead has several very useful properties for shooters:

the high density, 11.34 g/cm³, which makes projectiles have a higher ballistic coefficient and deliver more energy to the target,
malleability, being very soft, lead is easily swaged into the shape of a bullet with modest pressure, and also easily deformed on impact to deliver a bigger wound,
low melting temperature, 327C, making it feasible to form bullets by casting, and
ease of alloying with antimony or tin to make harder bullets where required.

Copper, on the other hand, has a much higher melting temperature, is much harder and more expensive while having a lower density (8.96 g/cm³).
“Even though the Arizona Game and Fish Department distributes copper ammunition free to hunters, a small number continue to use lead. As a result each year up to half of the wild Grand Canyon condors require chelation treatment to remove high levels of lead from their blood.
"It is critical that we take mandatory actions to remove it from ammunition and require less toxic alternatives, said Sandy Bahr from the Sierra Club.
"Requiring non lead ammunition for hunting on public land would be an important step in limiting lead exposure for condors and other wildlife," she added.”
see BBC News – Lead bullet fragments poison rare US condors.

Sigh. Lead has the important disadvantage of being toxic to workers handling it, shooters firing it and ducks and condors eating it. Still, it will be a major expense to replace it followed with higher costs in the future and lowered performance on game. For example, a .308 Winchester can easily kill deer to 350 yards without adjusting sights for range while copper bullets although they may start with higher velocity because of the lower mass will slow faster. Copper bullets, except for energy delivered downrange are superior in performance but have a much greater cost:

There is some misinformation about all this on the web. For example, in long-range hunting country, the government of USA tested .30-’06 with lead and copper bullets at 50 yards! Clearly, this is the wrong rifle/bullet combination for hunting at such ranges. I always use a heavier/slower RN bullet for hunting in such situations because lead splashes like water at the very high velocities. One should not use a high-power rifle with high-velocity bullets at less than 100 yards. In bush most kills are at such short ranges. One should use hardened cores at least in such cases.

Because hunters are using the wrong rifles/bullets should not be used to justify the higher cost of copper. Education about better choices is key. I would recommend light high-velocity lead bullets only for long shots like 200 yards or greater. If you are in mixed open/bush country, have a heavy RN bullet in the top of the magazine and faster pointed bullets for open situations.

If you hunt with a rifle, use proper tools and you should not have to worry about lead fragments.

- Robert Pogson

Local News – Murder In My Old Neighbourhood

Published by Robert Pogson April 9th, 2013 in Uncategorized. 10 Comments

When I was a boy, we played hide-and-seek outside in safety in an old neighbourhood. No longer is that a safe place. I read this:
“Police said the victims were walking in the Langside area when they were approached by suspects, who accused them of being gang members.
The victims said they weren’t gang members and walked away to avoid any further confrontation.”see Homicide investigators call for tips in fatal shooting; believe attack was mistaken identity case | CTV Winnipeg News

View Larger Map
Stupid gangs. Stupid people in stupid gangs. I am glad I don’t live there any more but what about the thousands of ordinary folks who do? Is my nearest city becoming like Mexico with drug cartels staking out free-fire zones? What about gun-control? Why isn’t that preventing this stuff? Stupid gang-members don’t follow the law, so the law has very little effect. Even if police/ambulance arrive in minutes people die and the law gives them no protection.
Maybe it’s time Canada becomes a right-to-carry kind of place. If we are going to be targets, should we not have the ability to shoot back?
Wikipedia:“In a 2003 article, Yale Law professors John J. Donohue III and Ian Ayres have claimed that Lott’s conclusions were largely the result of a limited data set and that re-running Lott’s tests with more complete data (and nesting the separate Lott and Mustard level and trend econometric models to create a hybrid model simultaneously calculating level and trend) yielded none of the results Lott claimed. However Lott has recently updated his findings with further evidence. According to the FBI, during the first year of the Obama administration the national murder rate declined by 7.4% along with other categories of crime which fell by significant percentages. During that same time national gun sales increased dramatically. According to Mr. Lott 450,000 more people bought guns in November 2008 than November 2007 which represents a 40% increase in sales, a trend which continued throughout 2009. The drop in the murder rate was the biggest one-year drop since 1999, another year when gun sales soared in the wake of increased calls for gun control as a result of the Columbine shooting.”

I’d like a .45 ACP, please, before I go walking there.

- Robert Pogson

A Man And A Rifle

Published by Robert Pogson April 6th, 2013 in firearms. 1 Comment

Since I was little, I’ve always enjoyed a good rifle. I suppose it’s for the same reason boys throw stones. A good rifle throws a tiny stone with great range and accuracy. Some men spend great time, money, energy and care doing that. Recently I had the opportunity to fire a rifle older than I am. It’s a Mauser 98k virtually in mint condition after all these years because it was not used in WWII and was in storage for many decades. It’s not the best, most accurate or most powerful of rifles but it is an excellent deer rifle, delivering great stopping power to 350 yards without adjusting sights.

A man carries the rifle, loads it, aims at the target and squeezes the trigger. The rifle then leaps to life accelerating the bullet and recoiling. No man can truly tame that. The rifle does its own thing. A great rifle like this does it very well.

Commercial ammunition in North America is whimpy for this cartridge because there are 8X57J barrels around which are smaller in diameter… Handloaded ammunition is necessary to get the best performance from this rifle. This rifle loves IMR4064 powder and shoots most accurately with 170 to 220 grain bullets. My favourite bullet for hunting in bush is Hornady 170 RN. In open country the 150SP gives much better range. 220 grain bullets give best accuracy for target-shooting but they are scarce.

Hornady 150SP (red) delivers about the same energy 100 yards farther than 170RN (blue)with similar height of trajectory.

900 ft-lb is the recommended minimum for deer

Beautiful, isn’t it?
It was made in a time when German craftsmanship was still prevalent and factories were not being bombed back to the Stone Age. It was shipped to Spain in the hope that Spain would be an ally of Germany but the Spaniards were tired of war so they kept it in storage. I was privileged to touch such a fine work of art. I fired a couple of rounds of hunting ammunition of calibre 8X57JS and 170 grain round nosed bullets. I have seen deer just drop where they stood in the bush with that combination. I think it is superior to the much more popular .308 Winchester and the more usual 150 grain pointed bullets. You can’t beat the original sometimes.

One of my shots hit the target right where I aimed. The other was a bit further away… Either would have killed a deer promptly. I will work on my consistency over the summer. My increased hiking distances are a start towards a successful hunt this fall.

- Robert Pogson

Confused USA Charges Soldier For Fighting Assad’s Regime in Syria

Published by Robert Pogson March 28th, 2013 in technology. 0 Comments

“According to a criminal complaint, Mr Harroun is accused of crossing into Syria in January 2013 and fighting alongside members of Jabhat al-Nusra (the Nusra Front) against Mr Assad’s forces.”
see BBC News – US ex-soldier 'fought in Syria with terror group'.

Give the man a medal, I say. Who cares who was fighting alongside him? How many lives did he save by weakening Assad’s forces?

- Robert Pogson

Syria: John Kerry Gives Something Better Than Nothing

Published by Robert Pogson February 28th, 2013 in firearms. 2 Comments

“The Syrian rebels say weapons and ammunition are what they need most”see BBC News – Syria conflict: John Kerry extends US aid to rebels.

Come on Kerry! The time for sending food and medicing was two years ago when Assad began to slaughter civilians wholesale. That was the time to send small arms, ammunition and light artillery, too. The war might be over by now if the USA had done that. Instead, the USA wrung its hands worrying about who was fighting Assad as if some fighters for liberty are OK and others are not.

Clear the sky of Assad’s planes.
Supply the refugee camps with food, shelter, clothing and medical assistance.
Air-drop all the radios, rifles, ammunition and light artillery the rebels can manage.
Supply all kinds of weapons, not just assault weapons. They need snipers’ rifles, laser designators for air-support, laser rangefinders and night-vision.
Open up a seaport for the rebels.

The sooner the rebels are properly equipped and trained the more lives will be saved. As long as Assad and his partners think Assad can hang on they will keep fighting and killing. Eliminate the doubt.

- Robert Pogson

Ancient Rifles Still Do The Job

Published by Robert Pogson February 21st, 2013 in firearms. 2 Comments

Recently, a young man acquired a refurbished Mosin-Nagant rifle. When challenged why such an antique was desirable he mentioned:

collecting/nostalgia,
target-shooting, and
hunting.

The old clunker can do that. Despite it’s ancient heritage with European, US and Russian influences, and a sloppy trigger, it does the job:

Top Line (red) 168 gr BTHP at 2650 ft/s
Bottom line (green) 150 gr SP 2900 ft/s (31 inch barrel)

Performance With 150 SP Bullet

There’s plenty of energy at 350 yards to make short work of a deer and with a scope such rifles are plenty accurate for the job. I hope to shoot this thing sooner or later… With a new barrel it will probably shoot as well as many modern firearms. Reloadable ammunition is still made around the world. This cartridge is sometimes seen on the news in coverage from Syria where they serve in modern sniper’s rifles.

- Robert Pogson

War And Rumours Of War

Published by Robert Pogson February 18th, 2013 in firearms. 21 Comments

Added to the wave of consumers’ interest in firearms in USA recently, the government’s solicitation of suppliers for immense quantities of ammunition lead one to speculate that USA is bent on uncivil war.
“An approximation of how many rounds of ammunition the DHS has now secured over the last 10 months stands at around 1.625 billion. In March 2012, ATK announced that they had agreed to provide the DHS with a maximum of 450 million bullets over four years, a story that prompted questions about why the feds were buying ammunition in such large quantities. In September last year, the federal agency purchased a further 200 million bullets.

To put that in perspective, during the height of active battle operations in Iraq, US soldiers used 5.5 million rounds of ammunition a month. Extrapolating the figures, the DHS has purchased enough bullets over the last 10 months to wage a full scale war for almost 30 years.”
see » DHS Purchases 21.6 Million More Rounds of Ammunition Alex Jones' Infowars: There's a war on for your mind!

It’s either war or severe cuts coming at the end of the month (slide over to 4:50). What else could prompt the government to stockpile that much ammunition?

- Robert Pogson

Firing An M1A-like rifle

Published by Robert Pogson February 17th, 2013 in firearms. 0 Comments

I had a rare opportunity to fire an M1/M14/M1a-like rifle yesterday. It was fitted with a very nice muzzle-brake which practically eliminated recoil and muzzle-jump. The trigger was very crisp and from the standing position I was able to hit the “X” on a 25 yard target at 50 yards. I did have trouble with my thick glasses and the rear peep site. It appeared egg-shaped because I could not get my eye down low enough for normal incidence. I tried to centre the group in one end of the “egg” and it was decent. Certainly good enough for deer to hundreds of yards. The ammunition was 7.52×51 NATO, probably a 147 grain bullet (not sure).“Most of the M1A rifles manufactured since 1971 were made for the commercial market and thus were only capable of semi-automatic fire.see M1A rifle – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

This rifle, while evolved from a design of the 1930s, is certainly beautiful and with the muzzle-brake, very easy to shoot. It was brand-new and still has a few rough edges but those will polish out with use. Even the ejected brass were well treated and in a tight group. That’s good news for reloaders like me.

- Robert Pogson

Examining and Modifying the Code

Published by Robert Pogson February 9th, 2013 in technology. 29 Comments

A few trolls here have derided the utility of being able to examine and to modify code. I am not a C-programmer but I am not a complete idiot and can and do examine the source code. I have been using a neat little prgramme, gebc (GNU Exterior Ballistics Computer) but found a couple of rough edges. One of them I could fix…
“On my system, the column heading "Wind Drift" is cut at both ends to "Vind Drif" in the Range Table. I edited the file RangeWindow.cpp to change "Wind Drift" to "Windage" in this (123) line: tbl->add("@b@cRange\t@b@cDrop\t@b@cDrop\t@b@c
Velocity\t@b@cEnergy\t@b@cWindage \t@b@cWindage\t@b@cTime",0); There still appear to be a couple of pixels shaved off the "W" but it is more readable this way. The programme gives me accurate results. I would like to see it improved with resizable windows, fonts, etc. It is very usable as is but my eyes are old…”
see GNU Exterior Ballistics Computer | Reviews for GNU Exterior Ballistics Computer at SourceForge.net.

The programme is easily built with
./configure make make install
in the directory gebc-1.07 for the version I have. The download came as a .tar.gz file.

The idea that being able to examine or to modify the source code of software is somehow a disadvantage or useless is silly. Clearly it is an advantage and one that ensures bugs can be squashed more rapidly and by a more diverse group of users.

- Robert Pogson

Laws Don’t Control Firearms. They Barely Control People.

Published by Robert Pogson January 30th, 2013 in firearms and technology. 7 Comments

The shooting at the school in Newtown, CT may well have happened no matter what laws are on the books. Already there are reports that various nut-cases have been able to pass “background checks” simply because the databases are woefully incomplete. Jurisdictional disputes and resource prevent that from working:
“Hume bought the rifles at the Walmart in Moore, Oklahoma, on September 25. The next day he bought the Glock at Gun World in the nearby town of Dell City, according to Nelson. Both are federally licensed gun dealers that conduct background checks. The checks, in theory, are supposed to stop certain people — including the mentally ill with a history of violence — from buying them.
see How the violent mentally ill can buy guns.

Banning firearms certainly doesn’t work since firearms can be made, stolen, purchased/supplied illegally or smuggled to get around the laws.

Registering firearms doesn’t work because not all get registered and criminals don’t follow the rules anyway.

The only way to protect soft targets like schools is to guard them. Do it. It’s the right thing to do. All this nonsense about legislating the problem away don’t work. In fact local legislation making schools “gun-free zones” is part of the problem. Arm the guards appropriately. I suggest a light-weight accurate rifle much like the gun-grabbers are trying to ban… The .223 Remington ammunition in most of these is far more powerful than needed in the close confines of a school (perhaps not for a school-yard), so I would suggest a firearm shooting accurately something like a pistol-bullet. That was the idea behind the .30 M1 Carbine. A good idea and one that still works. It’s important that guards be elevated too to keep kids out of the line of fire as much as possible and to give the guards good sight-lines.

M1_Carbine_ballistics

These kinds of tools in the hands of trained people will do more than any law. With them guards can stop intruders in their tracks and save innocent lives. That’s what we want. Isn’t it? Some parking lots are guarded more closely than schools. That should change.

- Robert Pogson

Sometimes Old Technology is the Best

Published by Robert Pogson January 29th, 2013 in technology. 2 Comments

From time to time revolutionary ideas emerge in technology that change everything and become indispensible. Think of wheels, axles and hammers. You can tweak the design a bit but the basic idea is still valid and important after thousands of years. In IT we have many such concepts: ICs (integrated circuits – Yes I am old enough to remember how crude things were before ICs…), Moore’s Law, stored programme computers, computer languages, operating systems, drivers, open standards, networking protocols, UNIX-like operating systems… It goes on endlessly.

My point is that we can overdo the extravagantly endless tweaking we do for IT: new PCs every few years, new releases several times per annum, so many “features” in an application that no one knows them all…

A counter-example demonstrating how IT might find more value per dollar for all of us: The brass bottle-necked rifle-cartridge. Check this out… The first such cartridge appeared about 1867 but by 1888, this became state-of-the-art:

8X57JS Cartridge, crimped Berdan primer

Almost all rimless cartridges copied that design to the present day. Sure, there were many changes to the calibre of bullets and a few changes of length but the head of the cartridge, the rimless design and the diameter of the head are common to modern firearms like .308 Winchester and .30-’06 and all derivatives of those.

What made this concept so important was that for relatively little effort a cartridge could:

seal high-pressure propellent gases in the breech of a steel barrel,
the slight taper permitted easy feeding into the chamber and aligned the bullet with the bore,
the springiness of the brass permitted the case to expand momentarily to seal but still slide in and out without binding in a clean chamber,
with modern slow-burning propellants, the large volume of powder could maintain a higher pressure longer and obtain much higher velocities than are easily possible with black powder or a much longer cylindrical cartridge, and
rifles with short barrels could give velocities similar to longer barrels resulting in lighter (shorter barrels) and more accurate rifles (faster bullets leave sooner).

In effect, there is no downside to the basic good design and there is no reason to change it just for the sake of change. This has the enormous benefit that rifles of more than 100 years of age can still fire modern ammunition (NB the original 1888 rifles fired a .318″ diameter bullet (J) while the modern calibre is .323″ (JS). Some 1888 rifles were rebarreled about 1905 but others were not. You need to measure the bore to be sure. I have seen one with a prominent “S” on the receiver to designate the .323″ bore.). That‘s backward compatibility.

In IT I see a few people foolishly denigrate UNIX-like operating systems merely because some of the basic concepts of the technology are old, dating from the late 1960s but I can tell you a lot that looks new these days is derived from concepts current in those days. I know. I was there… GNU/Linux is the OS I usually use and it works really well. There is no reason at all to replace it with the latest issue from Apple or M$. There would be no benefit and lots of costs. For one they both charge money for the privilege of using hardware that you own, a bizarre concept. For another both restrict the use of their software arbitrarily (not based on technical reasons but marketing) which greatly increases the cost and complexity of IT for no benefit whatsoever. Look at Munich. Because they switched from M$’s OS to GNU/Linux it cost tens of $millions. If they had switched from UNIX to GNU/Linux the cost would have been much less because of many other irrelevant lock-ins that M$ uses to entrap users. With GNU/Linux you get an OS designed from the ground up to work rather than to enrich M$. I recommend Debian GNU/Linux.

- Robert Pogson

Telling It Like It Is On “Gun-Control”

Published by Robert Pogson January 27th, 2013 in firearms. 10 Comments

The riotous “debate” on gun-control in USA is actually about “people-control”, not saving children. One editor gets it.
“Protected by a hundred supersonic fighter jets, ten thousand armored vehicles with machine-gun turrets, and twenty million fully functional military tanks (many of them equipped with really cool-looking flamethrowers and some awesome newfangled sonic crowd-control technology), Senator Dianne Feinstein boldly rode her bulletproof limo into Washington DC yesterday and called for a new ban on so-called “assault weapons.””

see Uncle Sam, Give Us Your Guns – Taki's Magazine.

The bottom line? The editor writes it might be reasonable to expect citizens to give up their firearms when the government does… As if that will ever happen. This is above and beyond other uses of firearms like hunting, collecting and target-shooting where firearms of many kinds make sense one way or another. Most of the debates engaged by the politicians don’t seem to make sense. The politicians seem to love to ignore other arguments, beg the question or make unreasonable leaps of logic.

On a related note, see “Disarming the Slaves” on the same site. Refreshing.

- Robert Pogson

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My Mission

My observations and opinions about IT are based on 40 years of use in science and technology and lately, in education. I like IT that is fast, cost-effective and reliable. I do not care whether my solution is the same as yours. I like to think for myself.

My first use of GNU/Linux in 2001 was so remarkably better than what I had been using, I feel it is important work to share GNU/Linux with the world. I have been blessed by working in schools where students and school systems have benefited by good, modular software easily installed in most systems.

I have shown GNU/Linux to thousands of students and hundreds of teachers over the years and will continue in some way doing that until I die in spite of the opposition.