Fury over killer freed to wipe out family
...
He had been out of prison for less than two years after serving half of a seven-year sentence for manslaughter for killing another girlfriend who had refused to leave her husband for him.
Seven year sentance for killing a woman, and out after half of that. Flat idiotic. And to make it even better? Mark Goldstraw, 31, was jailed for life yesterday for setting fire to the house in revenge after being jilted by his teenage girlfriend. Emphasis most emphatically mine.
And it just gets better:It also emerged that Goldstraw could have been back in custody before the murders because he was in breach of his licence by living with his mother rather than at the address given to the Probation Service.
Officials insisted that mistakes were not made in their handling of Goldstraw. Rob Mandley, Staffordshire's chief probation officer, said: "From the evidence we had, Goldstraw was complying with the licence requirements as far as we knew."
Translation: "Don't blame us, we had Evidence! he was complying. It was wrong, but it ain't our fault."
I've got one disagreement with this statement from a member of the family:Last night Mr Hine's brother, Robert, said: "I'm very angry that he should be allowed out of prison to do this to my brother and these children.
"There's no appropriate punishment. He's done it before. He shouldn't be let out at all. We don't ever want to see him again. No prison sentence will replace the lives that have been lost." It's not that he shouldn't be let out at all; it's that the bastard should be hanged. Or shot. Or fried. Or some method of capital punishment. Not only does he deserve it, you know that if he stays in prison, in a few years you'll have some of the same idiot-level 'public servants' who let him out before trying to do it again.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Everybody's been piling on John Effin',
and I'd like to join in
Over at Michelle Malkin, found this post on past remarks he made, which touches both on what he thought of the military then, and how it relates to his idiot remarks now.
During a Vietnam-era run for Congress three decades ago, John Kerry said he opposed a volunteer Army because it would be dominated by the underprivileged, be less accountable and be more prone to "the perpetuation of war crimes." Bunch of dummies who couldn't get a 'real' job, and have no self-control? Check.
"I am convinced a volunteer army would be an army of the poor and the black and the brown," Kerry wrote. "We must not repeat the travesty of the inequities present during Vietnam. I also fear having a professional army that views the perpetuation of war crimes as simply 'doing its job.' Only stupid minorities would join? Bunch of moral cretins who have no problem with 'war crimes'? Check.
But we're supposed to ignore everything else he's said and believe him when he says NOW that he 'supports and respects the troops'.
And flying monkeys just flew out the back of my pants.
Over at Michelle Malkin, found this post on past remarks he made, which touches both on what he thought of the military then, and how it relates to his idiot remarks now.
During a Vietnam-era run for Congress three decades ago, John Kerry said he opposed a volunteer Army because it would be dominated by the underprivileged, be less accountable and be more prone to "the perpetuation of war crimes." Bunch of dummies who couldn't get a 'real' job, and have no self-control? Check.
"I am convinced a volunteer army would be an army of the poor and the black and the brown," Kerry wrote. "We must not repeat the travesty of the inequities present during Vietnam. I also fear having a professional army that views the perpetuation of war crimes as simply 'doing its job.' Only stupid minorities would join? Bunch of moral cretins who have no problem with 'war crimes'? Check.
But we're supposed to ignore everything else he's said and believe him when he says NOW that he 'supports and respects the troops'.
And flying monkeys just flew out the back of my pants.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
A single murder that points out two problems
I know I whack on the Brits a lot. Well, not a lot, but I do. Things like this are why.
A successful City lawyer was stabbed to death by two hooded robbers only yards from the flat he shared with his fiancee, the Old Bailey heard yesterday.
Tom ap Rhys Pryce, 31, was just eight months away from his wedding to Adele Eastman, 31, when Donnel Carty, 19, and Delano Brown, 18, attacked him after he refused to hand over his mobile phone and Oyster card, the jury was told.
A horrible crime committed for crap. Here's the two parts that really bother me here. First, remember all those CCTV cameras that are supposed to make people so much safer, etc.?
Two people living in the street told police they had seen two hooded black youths attacking Mr ap Rhys Pryce. Mr Horwell said that the killers, cousins who deny murder, were caught because of their "incompetence and naivety".
He said that only 17 minutes before they robbed and murdered Mr ap Rhys Pryce they were caught on closed circuit television robbing another man, Kurshid Ali, of cash and his mobile phone at Kensal Green Tube station.
Ok, most crooks get caught because they're not too damn smart, but here's the problem with the damn cameras: it doesn't do any good to have them recording crimes if nothing happens about it.
And the second: "Their motive was greed," said Mr Horwell, opening the case. "It was two against one. They were armed and he, of course, was not. It did not matter to them that this man worked hard for his position in life. He had a promising career in the legal profession. Emphasis mine.
OF COURSE he wasn't armed, he be in jail if he was caught with a cane and admitted he carried it for self-defense, let alone any other 'offensive weapon'(which includes a freakin' pepper shaker). And if he'd had some hand-to-hand skills and hurt the little bastards, this same Mr Horwell would be trying to put him in jail for it.
This is so disgusting. And so sad.
A successful City lawyer was stabbed to death by two hooded robbers only yards from the flat he shared with his fiancee, the Old Bailey heard yesterday.
Tom ap Rhys Pryce, 31, was just eight months away from his wedding to Adele Eastman, 31, when Donnel Carty, 19, and Delano Brown, 18, attacked him after he refused to hand over his mobile phone and Oyster card, the jury was told.
A horrible crime committed for crap. Here's the two parts that really bother me here. First, remember all those CCTV cameras that are supposed to make people so much safer, etc.?
Two people living in the street told police they had seen two hooded black youths attacking Mr ap Rhys Pryce. Mr Horwell said that the killers, cousins who deny murder, were caught because of their "incompetence and naivety".
He said that only 17 minutes before they robbed and murdered Mr ap Rhys Pryce they were caught on closed circuit television robbing another man, Kurshid Ali, of cash and his mobile phone at Kensal Green Tube station.
Ok, most crooks get caught because they're not too damn smart, but here's the problem with the damn cameras: it doesn't do any good to have them recording crimes if nothing happens about it.
And the second: "Their motive was greed," said Mr Horwell, opening the case. "It was two against one. They were armed and he, of course, was not. It did not matter to them that this man worked hard for his position in life. He had a promising career in the legal profession. Emphasis mine.
OF COURSE he wasn't armed, he be in jail if he was caught with a cane and admitted he carried it for self-defense, let alone any other 'offensive weapon'(which includes a freakin' pepper shaker). And if he'd had some hand-to-hand skills and hurt the little bastards, this same Mr Horwell would be trying to put him in jail for it.
This is so disgusting. And so sad.
National Ammo Week is a'comin!
November 11-19. Can't believe I forgot to mention it before, but happily Kim reminded me.
Get ready, folks. 100 rounds minimum if you can. A brick of Federal .22's runs about $8 at Academy, that'd be 500 rounds. Two boxes most anywhere would only be $3-4 at most. And you know it'll get used.
Get ready, folks. 100 rounds minimum if you can. A brick of Federal .22's runs about $8 at Academy, that'd be 500 rounds. Two boxes most anywhere would only be $3-4 at most. And you know it'll get used.
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Something I've got to build one of these days
is a vampire hunting kit. No, I didn't just dream this up.
The first time I went to the big Tulsa gun show one of the first displays I stopped at was an antique dealer. All kinds of neat stuff, but right in the middle of the table was The Kit. Beautifully made case of walnut withsome light oak inlays on the top. Open the top and, neatly arranged, was
Bottle for Holy Water
Sprinkler bottle for the above
Mallet
Nicely turned stakes
Crucifix(clipped to the lid)
Butcher knife for cutting out the heart and off the head
and a couple of other things I can't remember offhand. At the bottom was a drawer that pulled out to reveal
Double-barrel percussion pistol
Box of silver ball for the pistol
Silver-plated dagger
Small mirror
Small crucifix.
All items well made, with partitions to keep them separate and from rattling around. Spent a while talking to the guy. Said his buyers turn up one or two of these every year, almost all from Louisiana and usually in/around New Orleans.
My daughter would love this setup. Dad's got a bandsaw & table saw, I've got some other stuff, the pistol can be had in kit form and everything else can be made or bought. So I need to draw up some plans and work on this. Everyone should have one; who knows, the undead might rise with the damned zombies when the time comes. On that note, you should also read this at South Park Pundit. Two of the good bits:
-The woman/man/child with the bite mark on their arm is going to get a bullet in their head. Deal with it and move on.
-It is not OK to snipe zombies from the roof of our darkened hideout. There is a reason we’re being quiet, numbnuts.
Yeah, Halloween's almost over, but next year will come. Unless the zombies show up first.
The first time I went to the big Tulsa gun show one of the first displays I stopped at was an antique dealer. All kinds of neat stuff, but right in the middle of the table was The Kit. Beautifully made case of walnut withsome light oak inlays on the top. Open the top and, neatly arranged, was
Bottle for Holy Water
Sprinkler bottle for the above
Mallet
Nicely turned stakes
Crucifix(clipped to the lid)
Butcher knife for cutting out the heart and off the head
and a couple of other things I can't remember offhand. At the bottom was a drawer that pulled out to reveal
Double-barrel percussion pistol
Box of silver ball for the pistol
Silver-plated dagger
Small mirror
Small crucifix.
All items well made, with partitions to keep them separate and from rattling around. Spent a while talking to the guy. Said his buyers turn up one or two of these every year, almost all from Louisiana and usually in/around New Orleans.
My daughter would love this setup. Dad's got a bandsaw & table saw, I've got some other stuff, the pistol can be had in kit form and everything else can be made or bought. So I need to draw up some plans and work on this. Everyone should have one; who knows, the undead might rise with the damned zombies when the time comes. On that note, you should also read this at South Park Pundit. Two of the good bits:
-The woman/man/child with the bite mark on their arm is going to get a bullet in their head. Deal with it and move on.
-It is not OK to snipe zombies from the roof of our darkened hideout. There is a reason we’re being quiet, numbnuts.
Yeah, Halloween's almost over, but next year will come. Unless the zombies show up first.
Project Valor-IT
So John Effin' Kerry is
a condescending, elitist slimeball. This is a surprise to anyone?
And his 'save' on what he said(just scroll up at Malkin's site) it just damned pathetic. Again, this is a surprise?
And his 'save' on what he said(just scroll up at Malkin's site) it just damned pathetic. Again, this is a surprise?
Monday, October 30, 2006
Well, I'm back
The last two times I planned on going to Texas to visit folks, something came up. This time I made it. Good visit.
I do have to admit that something unplanned happened. As I was nearing Fort Worth, listening to the radio, on came a commercial: there was a gun show this weekend.
(Aside: I can't help myself! I'm an addict. I need HELP, I tell you!!)
Ahem. As I was saying, turned out there was a show down there, so I went on Saturday. If anything, one matter was worse than Tulsa; some people have a very exaggerated idea of the worth of some firearms. On the other hand, I'm now the owner of a Dillon Square Deal 'B' press with dies for .45acp and 9mm. Guy who loads ammo for sale had just gotten a 550 to assist with the 650 he'd had for a short time, and decided the 'B' needed to go. So I got it with a bunch of brass and several hundred cast bullets for a good price. A few other bits & pieces, including the oil bottle I'd meant to pick up at Tulsa but forgot.
Otherwise, some good time with some good people. One of these days I'm going to be going down there at a time when Kim & Family aren't busy getting ready for some business trip, and I'm going to arrange to meet them. Didn't try this time, as I have the impression they're a wee bit busy right now, with the trip to multiple countries coming up and all.
I do have to admit that something unplanned happened. As I was nearing Fort Worth, listening to the radio, on came a commercial: there was a gun show this weekend.
(Aside: I can't help myself! I'm an addict. I need HELP, I tell you!!)
Ahem. As I was saying, turned out there was a show down there, so I went on Saturday. If anything, one matter was worse than Tulsa; some people have a very exaggerated idea of the worth of some firearms. On the other hand, I'm now the owner of a Dillon Square Deal 'B' press with dies for .45acp and 9mm. Guy who loads ammo for sale had just gotten a 550 to assist with the 650 he'd had for a short time, and decided the 'B' needed to go. So I got it with a bunch of brass and several hundred cast bullets for a good price. A few other bits & pieces, including the oil bottle I'd meant to pick up at Tulsa but forgot.
Otherwise, some good time with some good people. One of these days I'm going to be going down there at a time when Kim & Family aren't busy getting ready for some business trip, and I'm going to arrange to meet them. Didn't try this time, as I have the impression they're a wee bit busy right now, with the trip to multiple countries coming up and all.
Thursday, October 26, 2006
I have a question for those with greater knowledge
than I on the subject.
I've been looking at the drawings of the 'man-stopper bullet' from Mr. Webley. I know how you can cast hollow base or hollow nose bullets, but I'm thinking that a bullet with both would most likely have to be swaged; am I correct on this?
If I am, it makes it less likely I'll be able to get hold of some, because I have little interest in setting up to swage bullets. Among other things, I'm thinking having the dies made would be a bit on the expensive side.
I've been looking at the drawings of the 'man-stopper bullet' from Mr. Webley. I know how you can cast hollow base or hollow nose bullets, but I'm thinking that a bullet with both would most likely have to be swaged; am I correct on this?
If I am, it makes it less likely I'll be able to get hold of some, because I have little interest in setting up to swage bullets. Among other things, I'm thinking having the dies made would be a bit on the expensive side.
Not exactly my definition of 'hot stuff'
but according to Sheik Hilali, hot women are like a dish of meat left out for the cat to find. Or something like that. You expect actual sense from a BPM?
This idiots method of preventing rape: If the woman is in her boudoir, in her house and if she’s wearing the veil and if she shows modesty, disasters don’t happen. Sure, honey, just stay in the house, wrapped in a tent, in your room, and all will be well. Unless you don't like being a friggin' prisoner, of course.
Take a look. While you're there, scroll on around, Tim Blair comes up with a lot worth looking at.
This idiots method of preventing rape: If the woman is in her boudoir, in her house and if she’s wearing the veil and if she shows modesty, disasters don’t happen. Sure, honey, just stay in the house, wrapped in a tent, in your room, and all will be well. Unless you don't like being a friggin' prisoner, of course.
Take a look. While you're there, scroll on around, Tim Blair comes up with a lot worth looking at.
First one's what the enviroweenies plan for all of us
From the Telegraph, we find this:
4x4 drivers face £300 bill to park outside home
Millions of drivers of sports cars and 4x4s face hefty charges to park outside their own homes under a scheme being pioneered by a local council.
Town hall chiefs across the country were said last night to be closely watching a move by Liberal Democrats in Richmond upon Thames, south-west London, to target the owners of so-called "gas-guzzlers".
So for the 'privilege' of parking in front of your house, if you have a vehicle the weenies don't approve of, they council wants to charge you up to, I think it converts to about $450-500. And here's the "We HAVE to!" from the local council weenie:
Serge Lourie, the council leader, said: "Climate change is the single greatest challenge facing the world today. We can no longer bury our heads in the sand and pretend that it is not happening.
"For too long it has been seen as a problem that only central governments or international organisations could address. The truth is that we must all start acting now at local level."
By screwing the taxpayers again and more.
The other is just for the fun of it:Scots' plan for England as radioactive dustbin
SCOTLAND’S First Minister has said that one of the benefits of remaining part of the UK is that the country can continue to dump its nuclear waste in England.
Whee, English that glow in the dark so you can shoot them at night!
4x4 drivers face £300 bill to park outside home
Millions of drivers of sports cars and 4x4s face hefty charges to park outside their own homes under a scheme being pioneered by a local council.
Town hall chiefs across the country were said last night to be closely watching a move by Liberal Democrats in Richmond upon Thames, south-west London, to target the owners of so-called "gas-guzzlers".
So for the 'privilege' of parking in front of your house, if you have a vehicle the weenies don't approve of, they council wants to charge you up to, I think it converts to about $450-500. And here's the "We HAVE to!" from the local council weenie:
Serge Lourie, the council leader, said: "Climate change is the single greatest challenge facing the world today. We can no longer bury our heads in the sand and pretend that it is not happening.
"For too long it has been seen as a problem that only central governments or international organisations could address. The truth is that we must all start acting now at local level."
By screwing the taxpayers again and more.
The other is just for the fun of it:Scots' plan for England as radioactive dustbin
SCOTLAND’S First Minister has said that one of the benefits of remaining part of the UK is that the country can continue to dump its nuclear waste in England.
Whee, English that glow in the dark so you can shoot them at night!
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
See? I did NOT forget the bumper
Not completely. Just took 'till today for me to have the truck, and the time to shoot it, AND to remember to haul my ass outside and shoot it.
This one is a heavy stamped-steel bumper with a rubber or plastic coating. Which both means no glare off chrome and no rust from scratches and dings. It's held up nicely so far. My previous truck's bumper was chromed but otherwise identical and was still good after fourteen years, so this one I'd expect to last as well.
This one is a heavy stamped-steel bumper with a rubber or plastic coating. Which both means no glare off chrome and no rust from scratches and dings. It's held up nicely so far. My previous truck's bumper was chromed but otherwise identical and was still good after fourteen years, so this one I'd expect to last as well.
Gun show report
And one of my remaining dream finds found
Now that I've mostly recovered(yeah, I'm a wimp) and have some time, the basic would be that the Wanenmacher show is a very, very nice show. They advertised about 3900 tables, and I believe it. Guns, parts, accessories, tools, knives, more tools & parts, books and surplus gear. Unlike last year I didn't stock up on ammo, though I picked up a few bits & pieces there. Mostly I was looking for parts for the M1 Carbine receiver, some replacement screwdriver bits and other things like that.
On the Carbine, every part you can think of was indeed available, but I've got to say this: the price of GI-production barrels is officially insane. I saw one Inland barrel (in very good shape externally but a bullet would slip into the muzzle all the way to the case) priced at $350. If the damn thing was new in the wrapper, maybe; no way in hell it was worth near that much in that condition. Some others were anywhere from $150-250, with much less muzzle wear. I'd hoped to find an Inland barrel to go with the receiver, but at those prices it ain't gonna happen.
Now to the find: I'm now the owner of a Webley Mk VI revolver
chambered for the, as Kim puts it, manly .455 Webley cartridge.Unfortunately, yes, the cylinder is cut, but that's the big reason I could afford it; those with uncut cylinders run about twice what I paid for this one. The bore is bright with very strong rifling, the barrel & frame lock up without any play or slop, and the cylinder locks up like a bank vault. I saw one other for a bit less, but the barrel/frame lockup wasn't as tight as this one.
Monday was partly devoted to detail-stripping this and cleaning and lubing. I've torn down/helped with several Enfield and Webley revolvers, and the thing they all had in common was being dry inside, no trace of any lube. Cleaned and oiled(greased where appropriate) they've all proven to have smooth actions and light, clean single-action triggers(in those pistols that had single-action capability). And it's a very simple design inside. In the case of the Mk VI, the 'V' mainspring delivers power to the hammer and rebounds the trigger; the only other springs are one in the cam that works the ejector and the one that tensions the single-action sear. A very robust design.
Sights are a front post that's locked into the base with a screw(I've seen sight blades marked for the range they were sized for) and a wide 'V' rear that's actually part of the barrel latch. It should be noted that they did make target versions of this pistol which had adjustable rear sights.
Last couple of days I've done more research on this cartridge, which included finding this page of British revolver cartridge data if you want the entire rundown. Short version, this cartridge originally fired a 265-grain bullet of 12 parts lead and 1 part tin loaded to 700 fps. That, I would say, would leave a mark. There were several modifications over time, and at the time this pistol was made the standard was a flat-nose hollow-base bullet at about 650fps. One thing I'd like to note is that in 1898 this cartridge was produced with 'Thomas Webley's patented man-stopping bullet'
cast in 12 parts lead to 1 part tin. Now THAT would leave a mark. The record notes:Patented by Thomas Webley in 1897. It had a conical cavity in the nose which was to aid expansion, and the outer radius (of the nose) was slightly chamfered to aid initial penetration. This design was meant to increase stopping power when non-vital parts of the body was hit. It appears to have worked too, as the Mk III round was withdrawn from service because of it´s "over-effectiveness". I would tend to wonder, how can a combat bullet be 'over-effective'? In any case, that hollow base would also let the bullet swage out to fit the bore, which would help explain the reputation for accuracy of this pistol/cartridge.
I mentioned the cylinder was cut. At the start of WWII, when the Brits were desperate for any firearm that would go bang a lot of these were dug out of the armories for use. However, there was a shortage of the ammo for them, and no way to take manufacturing capacity from other cartridges to make them. So, since they could get lots of .45acp ammo from us, the cylinders/extractors had a little milled off the back; this made enough room for .45acp in spring-steel clips to be used. Accuracy suffered as the bullet of our .45 was of a bit smaller diameter, but it worked. So now it's not easy to find either a pistol with or an uncut cylinder alone, and the prices are high.
Fast forward, and a lot of these revolvers are on the market. You can shoot them with .45acp and clips, but if you don't want to do that there was a problem: .455 Webley ammo or brass was hard to get and expensive. Answer to this was to create the .45 Auto Rim, basically the acp case with a very thick rim
Auto Rim case on the left here. The rim engages the extractor properly, and the thickness fills in the space for the clip.
So you can set up to shoot it, but there's still a problem, the different bullet diameters. Which means not only is a standard .45acp bullet too small but the case is a bit smaller in diameter, too. I wanted to give this one a try before I wrote this so I did the same thing as I did for the .380 Enfield revolver: cast the bullet and don't size it, just lube with Lee Liquid Alox. I cast some 230-grain ball and 200-grain flat-nose, and this method gave me bullets of .455 in the ball and .453 in the flat-nose. I dug up some load information and put these in the Auto Rim cases with a suitable charge of Unique and this morning took it to the range.
Note: I've read everything from "It's perfectly safe to shoot with standard .45acp ball" to "You're a fool if you shoot it with .45acp". I've got a bunch of full-moon clips, and I'll use them with handloads kept to about the same pressure-velocity levels as the original cartridge, but mostly I plan to use the Auto Rim cases to load this.
Overall a very smooth action with, as I said, a clean and light single-action pull. I couldn't set up the chronograph so I'll have to check the velocity of the loads later. I boiled down to this: first target was fired single-action at about fifteen yards with the 200-grain loads:
(the hole an inch south & a bit east should be ignored; yes, there is a reason)
The second target was fired double-action at seven yards with the 230-grain loads, all fired in about five seconds:
Overall, I'm very happy with this thing. These groups in a dimly lit range with sights designed for fast acquisition, not precise marksmanship, ain't bad at all from my eyes. And recoil was negligible with both loads; the combination of size, weight, barrel length and grip size/shape made it very comfortable to shoot. A very nice pistol that I'm going to enjoy being the caretaker of for a while.
Other stuff about the show
One dealer was selling Duracoat in all the various colors. I got a kit of matt black(bottle of resin and bottle of hardener, with instructions) to try out. I've got an air brush I can hook up to the compressor, so we'll see how this works out. If I get good results there are a number of things I can use it on.
I found a very nice powder measure that I'm going to get when I've got some money again. Weighing every charge on a stick powder like IMR4895 or 3031 or whatever can be a pain, but every measure I've tried doesn't work well with them; you have to throw a charge that's a bit light and then put it on the scale and and add powder to bring it up to weight. This measure was dropping very consistent charges with a large, coarse stick powder( I can't remember which one offhand) with no cut grains.
There were a lot of old double-rifles out there, in calibers from .450 on up. Some absolutely beautiful examples of the gunmakers art, marred only by the fact I'd have had to sell my house to afford any of them.
Overall a very good show. I will make a suggestion if you're going to it: if you plan on buying much of anything and spending the day/s, take some kind of cart. I borrowed a suitcase cart(the kind that folds up) and used a bungee cord to hold a small storage bin on it and it was VERY nice to have. Among other things it lets you carry a couple of bottles of water and some munchies along.
Now that I've mostly recovered(yeah, I'm a wimp) and have some time, the basic would be that the Wanenmacher show is a very, very nice show. They advertised about 3900 tables, and I believe it. Guns, parts, accessories, tools, knives, more tools & parts, books and surplus gear. Unlike last year I didn't stock up on ammo, though I picked up a few bits & pieces there. Mostly I was looking for parts for the M1 Carbine receiver, some replacement screwdriver bits and other things like that.
On the Carbine, every part you can think of was indeed available, but I've got to say this: the price of GI-production barrels is officially insane. I saw one Inland barrel (in very good shape externally but a bullet would slip into the muzzle all the way to the case) priced at $350. If the damn thing was new in the wrapper, maybe; no way in hell it was worth near that much in that condition. Some others were anywhere from $150-250, with much less muzzle wear. I'd hoped to find an Inland barrel to go with the receiver, but at those prices it ain't gonna happen.
Now to the find: I'm now the owner of a Webley Mk VI revolver
chambered for the, as Kim puts it, manly .455 Webley cartridge.Unfortunately, yes, the cylinder is cut, but that's the big reason I could afford it; those with uncut cylinders run about twice what I paid for this one. The bore is bright with very strong rifling, the barrel & frame lock up without any play or slop, and the cylinder locks up like a bank vault. I saw one other for a bit less, but the barrel/frame lockup wasn't as tight as this one.
Monday was partly devoted to detail-stripping this and cleaning and lubing. I've torn down/helped with several Enfield and Webley revolvers, and the thing they all had in common was being dry inside, no trace of any lube. Cleaned and oiled(greased where appropriate) they've all proven to have smooth actions and light, clean single-action triggers(in those pistols that had single-action capability). And it's a very simple design inside. In the case of the Mk VI, the 'V' mainspring delivers power to the hammer and rebounds the trigger; the only other springs are one in the cam that works the ejector and the one that tensions the single-action sear. A very robust design.
Sights are a front post that's locked into the base with a screw(I've seen sight blades marked for the range they were sized for) and a wide 'V' rear that's actually part of the barrel latch. It should be noted that they did make target versions of this pistol which had adjustable rear sights.
Last couple of days I've done more research on this cartridge, which included finding this page of British revolver cartridge data if you want the entire rundown. Short version, this cartridge originally fired a 265-grain bullet of 12 parts lead and 1 part tin loaded to 700 fps. That, I would say, would leave a mark. There were several modifications over time, and at the time this pistol was made the standard was a flat-nose hollow-base bullet at about 650fps. One thing I'd like to note is that in 1898 this cartridge was produced with 'Thomas Webley's patented man-stopping bullet'
cast in 12 parts lead to 1 part tin. Now THAT would leave a mark. The record notes:Patented by Thomas Webley in 1897. It had a conical cavity in the nose which was to aid expansion, and the outer radius (of the nose) was slightly chamfered to aid initial penetration. This design was meant to increase stopping power when non-vital parts of the body was hit. It appears to have worked too, as the Mk III round was withdrawn from service because of it´s "over-effectiveness". I would tend to wonder, how can a combat bullet be 'over-effective'? In any case, that hollow base would also let the bullet swage out to fit the bore, which would help explain the reputation for accuracy of this pistol/cartridge.
I mentioned the cylinder was cut. At the start of WWII, when the Brits were desperate for any firearm that would go bang a lot of these were dug out of the armories for use. However, there was a shortage of the ammo for them, and no way to take manufacturing capacity from other cartridges to make them. So, since they could get lots of .45acp ammo from us, the cylinders/extractors had a little milled off the back; this made enough room for .45acp in spring-steel clips to be used. Accuracy suffered as the bullet of our .45 was of a bit smaller diameter, but it worked. So now it's not easy to find either a pistol with or an uncut cylinder alone, and the prices are high.
Fast forward, and a lot of these revolvers are on the market. You can shoot them with .45acp and clips, but if you don't want to do that there was a problem: .455 Webley ammo or brass was hard to get and expensive. Answer to this was to create the .45 Auto Rim, basically the acp case with a very thick rim
Auto Rim case on the left here. The rim engages the extractor properly, and the thickness fills in the space for the clip.
So you can set up to shoot it, but there's still a problem, the different bullet diameters. Which means not only is a standard .45acp bullet too small but the case is a bit smaller in diameter, too. I wanted to give this one a try before I wrote this so I did the same thing as I did for the .380 Enfield revolver: cast the bullet and don't size it, just lube with Lee Liquid Alox. I cast some 230-grain ball and 200-grain flat-nose, and this method gave me bullets of .455 in the ball and .453 in the flat-nose. I dug up some load information and put these in the Auto Rim cases with a suitable charge of Unique and this morning took it to the range.
Note: I've read everything from "It's perfectly safe to shoot with standard .45acp ball" to "You're a fool if you shoot it with .45acp". I've got a bunch of full-moon clips, and I'll use them with handloads kept to about the same pressure-velocity levels as the original cartridge, but mostly I plan to use the Auto Rim cases to load this.
Overall a very smooth action with, as I said, a clean and light single-action pull. I couldn't set up the chronograph so I'll have to check the velocity of the loads later. I boiled down to this: first target was fired single-action at about fifteen yards with the 200-grain loads:
(the hole an inch south & a bit east should be ignored; yes, there is a reason)
The second target was fired double-action at seven yards with the 230-grain loads, all fired in about five seconds:
Overall, I'm very happy with this thing. These groups in a dimly lit range with sights designed for fast acquisition, not precise marksmanship, ain't bad at all from my eyes. And recoil was negligible with both loads; the combination of size, weight, barrel length and grip size/shape made it very comfortable to shoot. A very nice pistol that I'm going to enjoy being the caretaker of for a while.
Other stuff about the show
One dealer was selling Duracoat in all the various colors. I got a kit of matt black(bottle of resin and bottle of hardener, with instructions) to try out. I've got an air brush I can hook up to the compressor, so we'll see how this works out. If I get good results there are a number of things I can use it on.
I found a very nice powder measure that I'm going to get when I've got some money again. Weighing every charge on a stick powder like IMR4895 or 3031 or whatever can be a pain, but every measure I've tried doesn't work well with them; you have to throw a charge that's a bit light and then put it on the scale and and add powder to bring it up to weight. This measure was dropping very consistent charges with a large, coarse stick powder( I can't remember which one offhand) with no cut grains.
There were a lot of old double-rifles out there, in calibers from .450 on up. Some absolutely beautiful examples of the gunmakers art, marred only by the fact I'd have had to sell my house to afford any of them.
Overall a very good show. I will make a suggestion if you're going to it: if you plan on buying much of anything and spending the day/s, take some kind of cart. I borrowed a suitcase cart(the kind that folds up) and used a bungee cord to hold a small storage bin on it and it was VERY nice to have. Among other things it lets you carry a couple of bottles of water and some munchies along.
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Two things tonight
And I promise that tomorrow I'll write about the gun show. In this case that should be Gun Show.
First, from across the Atlantic, maybe this will finally get them to understand why we treated the Kings taxmen so nastily:
Council tax inspectors will be given the right to enter homes and fine householders who refuse to cooperate under a new property revaluation scheme, the Conservatives claimed last night.
They accused ministers of "covertly" pushing through new laws that would give the inspectors power to levy fines of up to £1,000 to back up a revaluation that could see council tax bills soar.
The new powers are due to be rubber-stamped today by a little-noticed committee of MPs dealing with delegated legislation reforming the domestic rating system in Northern Ireland.
And from the sorry excuses for journalists we have running around we get this about the CNN snuff video:
Hunter's fury over the video underscores the tightrope often walked by news media in the war. Critics of the war say Americans see very little of the daily violence in Iraq because of television's reluctance to show gory footage. Dangerous conditions also keep journalists from reporting independent of military units that provide them protection.
Don't you just love it? These are the little bastards who don't want to write about it when our troops stomp bad guys or treat sick & injured locals, they don't EVER want to write about the truly heroic actions of many troops, but the put out this crap and then excuse it with "But we're walking a tightrope, here! People need to SEE the carnage!" Worthless little shits don't worry about showing the 'carnage' of our people busting ambushes or whacking terrorists who say that murdering teachers and children is doing their gods' work, but by their god we HAVE to see this garbage.
We need a hunting season on CNN.
First, from across the Atlantic, maybe this will finally get them to understand why we treated the Kings taxmen so nastily:
Council tax inspectors will be given the right to enter homes and fine householders who refuse to cooperate under a new property revaluation scheme, the Conservatives claimed last night.
They accused ministers of "covertly" pushing through new laws that would give the inspectors power to levy fines of up to £1,000 to back up a revaluation that could see council tax bills soar.
The new powers are due to be rubber-stamped today by a little-noticed committee of MPs dealing with delegated legislation reforming the domestic rating system in Northern Ireland.
And from the sorry excuses for journalists we have running around we get this about the CNN snuff video:
Hunter's fury over the video underscores the tightrope often walked by news media in the war. Critics of the war say Americans see very little of the daily violence in Iraq because of television's reluctance to show gory footage. Dangerous conditions also keep journalists from reporting independent of military units that provide them protection.
Don't you just love it? These are the little bastards who don't want to write about it when our troops stomp bad guys or treat sick & injured locals, they don't EVER want to write about the truly heroic actions of many troops, but the put out this crap and then excuse it with "But we're walking a tightrope, here! People need to SEE the carnage!" Worthless little shits don't worry about showing the 'carnage' of our people busting ambushes or whacking terrorists who say that murdering teachers and children is doing their gods' work, but by their god we HAVE to see this garbage.
We need a hunting season on CNN.
Why I dislike Tony Blair
Here's one of the ways
Tony Blair called yesterday for the national DNA database to be expanded to include every citizen.
...
The Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 permitted police to retain DNA samples from everyone who was charged. Previously they had to destroy samples and fingerprints from anyone who was found not guilty or had their charge dropped.
The Criminal Justice Act 2003 gave police the power to take and keep a DNA sample.
...The DNA database could be a vital tool in the fight against crime but the terms of its use must be properly laid down and approved by Parliament.
"There is no provision to deal with people who have a DNA sample taken, are innocent of any crime but still remain on the database," said Mr Green.
And Blair says Mr Blair said he did not believe there was "any problem" with the public providing samples because if they had committed a serious offence they "should be convicted". The database sent a "strong signal" to the criminal community that they could be identified and caught from even the smallest trace at a crime scene.
Ok, first: apparently Blair has been watching CSI: Wherever after saying that 'smallest trace' crap. Second, it's a logical next step for Blair & Co.; they think the government should control all parts of your life. Third, don't you just love the logic? "You might someday do something wrong, so we're going to keep samples of you around. And if it turns out you were arrested in error, we'll keep all samples; never know when someone like you will do something".
Last excerpt: Downing Street said later that no thought had been given at this stage to requiring everyone to give a DNA sample, although they will have to give scans of their eye and fingerprints for a passport and eventually a national identity card. I call bullshit on this; no thought had been given my ass. They've been planning for and pushing this for years. The fact that they'll lie about it even now says all you need to know about their intentions.
Tony Blair called yesterday for the national DNA database to be expanded to include every citizen.
...
The Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 permitted police to retain DNA samples from everyone who was charged. Previously they had to destroy samples and fingerprints from anyone who was found not guilty or had their charge dropped.
The Criminal Justice Act 2003 gave police the power to take and keep a DNA sample.
...The DNA database could be a vital tool in the fight against crime but the terms of its use must be properly laid down and approved by Parliament.
"There is no provision to deal with people who have a DNA sample taken, are innocent of any crime but still remain on the database," said Mr Green.
And Blair says Mr Blair said he did not believe there was "any problem" with the public providing samples because if they had committed a serious offence they "should be convicted". The database sent a "strong signal" to the criminal community that they could be identified and caught from even the smallest trace at a crime scene.
Ok, first: apparently Blair has been watching CSI: Wherever after saying that 'smallest trace' crap. Second, it's a logical next step for Blair & Co.; they think the government should control all parts of your life. Third, don't you just love the logic? "You might someday do something wrong, so we're going to keep samples of you around. And if it turns out you were arrested in error, we'll keep all samples; never know when someone like you will do something".
Last excerpt: Downing Street said later that no thought had been given at this stage to requiring everyone to give a DNA sample, although they will have to give scans of their eye and fingerprints for a passport and eventually a national identity card. I call bullshit on this; no thought had been given my ass. They've been planning for and pushing this for years. The fact that they'll lie about it even now says all you need to know about their intentions.
Sunday, October 22, 2006
Remember I wrote about the attacks on police in France?
I noted the article spoke of 'intensifying attacks'. I just took a quick look at Gates of Vienna and found this post, When Will the First IED Explode in Paris?. Here's a key quote:
The figures are stark. An average of 112 cars a day have been torched across France so far this year and there have been 15 attacks a day on police and emergency services. Nearly 3,000 police officers have been injured in clashes this year. Officers have been badly injured in four ambushes in the Paris outskirts since September. Some police talk of open war with youths who are bent on more than vandalism.
112 cars a DAY? EVERY DAY this year? Almost three thousand injured cops, including outright ambushes?
This isn't 'going bad', this is flat out of control.
The figures are stark. An average of 112 cars a day have been torched across France so far this year and there have been 15 attacks a day on police and emergency services. Nearly 3,000 police officers have been injured in clashes this year. Officers have been badly injured in four ambushes in the Paris outskirts since September. Some police talk of open war with youths who are bent on more than vandalism.
112 cars a DAY? EVERY DAY this year? Almost three thousand injured cops, including outright ambushes?
This isn't 'going bad', this is flat out of control.
I'm back
Tired and hungry and thirsty and my legs are killing me; boots or no, spending that much time walking around on concrete is not good.
I can't honesty say I was there the entire time. I left not quite an hour early Saturday to avoid the rush, and about a half-hour early today; otherwise, two days of the biggest gun show you'll ever see. Approximately 3900 tables according to what I read.
I'll put more up about it later, right now I need to put things away and get a drink.
I can't honesty say I was there the entire time. I left not quite an hour early Saturday to avoid the rush, and about a half-hour early today; otherwise, two days of the biggest gun show you'll ever see. Approximately 3900 tables according to what I read.
I'll put more up about it later, right now I need to put things away and get a drink.
Friday, October 20, 2006
A piece on the Oklahoma City Bombing case
KTOK had this today: FBI documents reveal how the government had reported contact with the Southern Poverty Law Center and its alleged undercover operative at Elohim City before the Oklahoma City bombing, even though SPLC director Morris Dees denies any such knowledge of an operation.
They've got audio links on their on-air report, and the interview with Dees, who's apparently playing Sgt. Schultz and 'knows NOTHING!'. Yet we read His denial came Thursday in an interview with KTOK news. Yet the FBI memos released last year to Salt Lake City attorney Jess Trentadue in a Freedom of Information request contain dozens of references to the SPLC and its role in an undercover operation aimed against the white supremacists at Elohim City, a right wing compound frequented by bomber Tim McVeigh and others.
In a 1993 news conference in southeast Oklahoma, Dees talked of Tim McVeigh and Elohim City. Yet in Oklahoma City this week, he said he 'knew zip about Elohim City'.
I haven't had any respect for Dees for a long time; he's one of the people who was really pushing "The militias are coming!" crap in the 1980's, and whatever he may once have been he's a standard issue-hustling lawyer now. There's been a lot of stuff in the past reports on this, and this would further seem to show Dees is not telling the truth about this. Which makes me wonder what else he's not being forthcoming about in connection with this.
They've also got a link to the memos themselves.
They've got audio links on their on-air report, and the interview with Dees, who's apparently playing Sgt. Schultz and 'knows NOTHING!'. Yet we read His denial came Thursday in an interview with KTOK news. Yet the FBI memos released last year to Salt Lake City attorney Jess Trentadue in a Freedom of Information request contain dozens of references to the SPLC and its role in an undercover operation aimed against the white supremacists at Elohim City, a right wing compound frequented by bomber Tim McVeigh and others.
In a 1993 news conference in southeast Oklahoma, Dees talked of Tim McVeigh and Elohim City. Yet in Oklahoma City this week, he said he 'knew zip about Elohim City'.
I haven't had any respect for Dees for a long time; he's one of the people who was really pushing "The militias are coming!" crap in the 1980's, and whatever he may once have been he's a standard issue-hustling lawyer now. There's been a lot of stuff in the past reports on this, and this would further seem to show Dees is not telling the truth about this. Which makes me wonder what else he's not being forthcoming about in connection with this.
They've also got a link to the memos themselves.
In case Kim can't get to it, here's a Righteous Shooting
Masked Man Meets Match, or as I would put it, "Don't (bleep) with the ladies".
Dirtbag enters liquor store and demands money from 84-year old lady as owners wife walks in. "My wife told him his ski mask was crooked, she can't stand things like that, and to get on the other side of the counter and she'd give him the money," said Bob Almond, owner of the liquor store who was at home at the time.
"He told her he was going to blow her heart out," Almond said. "She's just had a triple bypass, and she told him it wasn't very good anyway." Ever heard a nicer way of telling someone to kiss your ass?
Sheila Almond opened the cash register to get the money and pulled out a .38 revolver and shot the robber in the shoulder. He continued to go for the money.
When the shot didn't slow the assailant down, Almond got reinforcements. She told an employee to "Bring her Baby, that's what we call the shotgun," her husband said.
Sheila Almond then shot the robber in the abdomen.
If you ain't cheering, what's wrong with you?
Guy Wade Buck, 50, was flown to a Texarkana hospital and remains in critical condition, according to OSBI.
And just to top it off? The gun turned out to be a plastic air gun, OSBI officials said.
I know, he's not dead. At least not yet. But he definately counts as stomped on.
Dirtbag enters liquor store and demands money from 84-year old lady as owners wife walks in. "My wife told him his ski mask was crooked, she can't stand things like that, and to get on the other side of the counter and she'd give him the money," said Bob Almond, owner of the liquor store who was at home at the time.
"He told her he was going to blow her heart out," Almond said. "She's just had a triple bypass, and she told him it wasn't very good anyway." Ever heard a nicer way of telling someone to kiss your ass?
Sheila Almond opened the cash register to get the money and pulled out a .38 revolver and shot the robber in the shoulder. He continued to go for the money.
When the shot didn't slow the assailant down, Almond got reinforcements. She told an employee to "Bring her Baby, that's what we call the shotgun," her husband said.
Sheila Almond then shot the robber in the abdomen.
If you ain't cheering, what's wrong with you?
Guy Wade Buck, 50, was flown to a Texarkana hospital and remains in critical condition, according to OSBI.
And just to top it off? The gun turned out to be a plastic air gun, OSBI officials said.
I know, he's not dead. At least not yet. But he definately counts as stomped on.
Well, I'm cleaned out for the weekend
Physically, due to lunch. I was taking care of some things and since I was nearby decided to try a Thai restaurant on 23rd near the capitol. By the time lunch was over I'd gone through about 1/4 of a tree in napkins to blow my nose and wipe off my face. No, not with the same napkins. If you asked me what I had I'd have to reply "Uh, vegetables and meat cooked together" because nothing was labeled. I have discovered two things about Thai cooking:
Yes, some of it IS that hot, and
Damn, it was good.
Happily, the first place I hit after that was the library, which has a bathroom, because my system informed me of the need to purge itself. I don't think it etched the porcelain in the bowl, but I didn't look all that close.
Speaking of hot, apparently I raise wussy habanero chilis. The plant I had last year and this one both. Don't get me wrong, they're hot, and they add a wonderful flavor to things, but they're more 'good hot jalapeno' hot than "I'm comin', Elizabeth!" hot. I mean, habaneros are supposed to be 'eat one and you could blow Andrew Sullivan and not have to worry about social diseases' hot, and these aren't. Not that I'd want to do that in any case.
These were just labeled 'habenero', so the places that carry them here may have the mild-to-standard level chilis instead of the 'death to the gringos' varieties. I'll have to check next spring and maybe order some of the more WMD variety to see how they come out.
Yes, some of it IS that hot, and
Damn, it was good.
Happily, the first place I hit after that was the library, which has a bathroom, because my system informed me of the need to purge itself. I don't think it etched the porcelain in the bowl, but I didn't look all that close.
Speaking of hot, apparently I raise wussy habanero chilis. The plant I had last year and this one both. Don't get me wrong, they're hot, and they add a wonderful flavor to things, but they're more 'good hot jalapeno' hot than "I'm comin', Elizabeth!" hot. I mean, habaneros are supposed to be 'eat one and you could blow Andrew Sullivan and not have to worry about social diseases' hot, and these aren't. Not that I'd want to do that in any case.
These were just labeled 'habenero', so the places that carry them here may have the mild-to-standard level chilis instead of the 'death to the gringos' varieties. I'll have to check next spring and maybe order some of the more WMD variety to see how they come out.
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