"What's the Diff" .. Antique or 'Wall Hanger'?

 How can you tell if an old dirty rusty Flintlock is a genuine antique or a fake .. did I just pay dollars for an artfully aged modern repro from the tribal zone of the Indian Continent?

I honestly don't have the answer as I'm very recent into buying old shooters. - AND if you bought this gun, at a price you could afford, because it looks genuine and is made from traditional steel, copper alloy & wood - how can you lose? .. probably you could shoot it either way, with moderate loads.

"Bird-Mouth" or "Fish-Mouth" Muzzle.

I posted this image on-line asking could anyone name this style of flintlock muzzle form, only to be told this .. "I suspect it is a tourist trade wall hanger trying to look like a blunderbuss"

Maybe .. if you can't recognise cast POT METAL and plastic when you see it .. THIS is not either

Here is a useful article from the NRA Museum called 'FAKE' by Jim Supica:

https://www.nramuseum.org/gun-info-research/fake!.aspx

.. But be warned that they reference RL Wilson as an 'expert' with collectible Colts .. well he was an expert thief, liar, forger and con-artist. He definately knew his stuff .. You need to watch this Wilson expose' from C&RSENAL ..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uq8yHzNF3

Enough Patina for an Expert?

When I get an old gun - I want to clean it and remove any active rust before waxing surfaces to protect - and then lubricate moving parts. If there are broken & missing parts I try to fix it. 

- Problem .. these experts say that signs of corrective work and preservation are evidence of fakery ...

I dispute that - how would any genuine firearm survive from antiquity, 200+ years without damage, maintenance & repairs - that would mean only an investment piece kept as a safe queen for centuries would qualify as 'genuine'?

Variables again .. are your priorities MONEY or your interest and use of various kinds of guns?

I have seen an interesting FLINLOCK TINDER LIGHTER complete with remains of a beeswax candle .. that could be either a centuries old 'antique' or a "modern" unmarked Italian reproduction that ceased manufacture in the 1960's so might be only 70 years old.

An "expert" would need to take metalurgy samples and examine perhaps for machining marks etc. - Oh to be aged 'only' 70 years old again ..

Marty K.

Use Of Nitrocellulose Propellant in Black Powder Guns

 EEEK  

.. Now I'm not going to repeat that this can be extemely DANGEROUS - Nor am I recommending that anyone ever experiments at using 'smokeless powder' in any blackpowder firearm or cartridge. - 'Needs Must' - The key to understanding is awareness of VARIABLES.

But .. I just watched Jake from 'Everything Blackpowder' demonstrate shooting a percussion revolver he loaded with mixed powders. Another of his excellent videos - linked here ..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPbXOLQr40A

His video is thought provoking and very interesting to watch. Full Stop.

- Going back in time, there used to be, from around 1900-1945ish various brands of .22" Rim Fire ammunition using 'LESMOK' that was a "Crossover" transitional powder that was something like a mixture of BLACK POWDER & NITROCELLULOSE .. possibly nitrated wood pulp was the base propellant.

Now this 'LESMOKE' powder was in a semi-smokeless cartridge using around 10-20% smokeless powder to it's advantage BUT it was still  dirty stuff  and corrosive to shoot .. They used more powerful VERY CORROSIVE MERCURIC PRIMING COMPOUNDS - because the smokeless powders were less easily ignited than the charcoal-saltpeter stuff.

- Later the makers Winchester changed the priming chemicals and renamed this blended powder range 'STAYNLESS'.

I understand that other cartridges were loaded by manufacturers with blended mixed powder at the time so this clearly shows that the simple prohibitive DIRE WARNING to never use smokeless powder in black powder guns may be questioned by thoughtful shooters.

And it seems that - to this day - the real BIG BORE ORDNANCE on warships actually are loaded with a little old fashioned mixed Gunpowder to set-off the main nitrocellulose charges ..

All I'm suggesting is that - if you know what you are carefully doing .. variations of the generally accepted RULES may work.

I had a mate once who became a millionaire and he would say "Every practical problem has got a practical solution .. The only REAL problem is people." 

Marty K.

Israel has More Nuke Ability Than Britain:

Wintertime STOP PRESS:

 New Zealand Police records show that 60% of criminal cases considered for action are now dropped due to lack of funding and resources. - Pretty good odds to be a Criminal Nutter eh - 60% likely NOT to be prosecuted even before going to Court and being dealt with and given a plastic ankle bracelet.

How do you feel about the current restrictions on lawful civilian ownership of guns?

New Zealand's "Mother Country" - GREAT BRITAIN has four nuclear submarines Vanguard, Victorious, Vigilant, & Vengeance. - Each of these aging rusty vessels from the '90s could carry some 128 nuclear warheads - but their deployment & use is entirely at the whim of USA ..

Faslane Scotland September 2023

“If the US pulled the plug on the UK nuclear program, - Trident would be immediately unable to fire, making these submarines little more than expensive, undersea follies.”

So much for UK.

Israel, - a NUCLEAR POWER currently in the process of killing 35,000 Palestinians - is believed to have between 80-400 nuclear weapons deliverable by missile - aircraft, submarines and by land forces - produced independently - under the direct control of PM Benjamin Netanyahu.

This Israeli nuclear capability goes a long way to explain the lack of any aggressive action by her Muslem neighbours and Iran .. so far.

Another British NATO ally - FRANCE has around 300 operational nuclear warheads and they are currently commiting to send an army Battalion of 2,000 men to Ukraine to oppose RUSSIAN FORCES .. Good Luck to all of us with that enterprise.

- Russia maintains around 15 nuclear submarines in the Pacific Ocean at all times.

In January 2019, the Russian Navy announced plans to procure at least 30 Poseidon NUCLEAR WEAPON CAPABLE unmanned underwater vehicles, deployed on four submarines, two of which would serve in the Russian Northern Fleet and two in the Pacific Fleet.

- Who can say what the U S, Chinese, Indian navies are up to?

Are you feeling nicely secure?

Marty K.

Up the Spout with an Antique FLINTLOCK:

.625 Caliber "Stopping Power 😮".. This piece landed on my front step recently .. Good One. - It wasn't cheap - as usual, I paid too much eh.

How did I get to be almost 80 before getting a FLINTLOCK ? 

- Well I reckon it's from the Ottoman world - possibly around 200+ y.o. - The LOCK, Cock & Frizzen bits strike me as being wholly genuine and of decent quality - and the wood & barrel look honest, whereas the rest of it's furniture is a bit crude. It ain't no Tower Service pistol .. but it sure has big balls .. around .625 inch bore.

"Patina": As received this antique was a little rusty and had 'pimply splodges' of black carbon/rust solids stuck on the steel - it was dirty and in need of 'TLC'. - DIRT is not Patina.

This thing seemed to have been washed or wiped all over with 'Brass Blacking'.

I had started to give it a clean and brush-up & de-grunge - when I thought I must check down the barrel just in case it was loaded - It had come from an antique shop. - I cut a length of dowel and checked with a tape - only to find that the dowel was solidly blocked 60 mm before the vent. That's SIX BLOODY CENTIMETERS of something nasty and hard lurking in the bottom of the bore.

I started chiseling out what seems to be solid sawdust and fabric imbedded in rusty mortar - Is there a 20 gauge lead ball underneath, sitting on top of a charge of old gun powder?

How can you shine a torch and look down a long barrel without pointing the damn thing at your brain?

- Dunno if you can see in my pics - that eleven inch barrel pipe is round at the muzzle BUT it gradually 'morphs' into a eight sided exterior before the lock, with faded engraving - did they hammer forge that back in the 18th Century? 

- NZ ecologists announce that they have found SMEAGOL SEA SLUGS (gravel maggots) on a beach south of Dunedin .. I'm hoping I don't find one in the bottom of my flintlock's barrel .. The SANDWORMS OF DUNE 2.

NZ Gravel Maggot Smeagol:

I almost need a jackhammer as so far I've chipped-out 1 cm and extracted this ..

This extracted 'infill' from the barrel might, 

perhaps be from a "Mud Wasp" nest?

. BUT there is a suspiciously rounded metallic surface emerging .. Uh Oh.

If that ball measures 5/8 inch dia .. my sums suggest there could be 11/4 inch of powder below.

The good aspect of this loaded condition is that it conclusively proves this gun is NOT a tourist item. - Plus, looking at the next image, you can see the scrapes above the flash pan where flints have impacted the barrel when firing ..

Can anyone suggest what this engraved word is? Namuomiu ?? - What language ?

-Your guess will be better than mine.

I made an extended shaft DRILL and a long woodscrew with a L Handle to pull this ball by using steel rod that had collars pressed-on .. from an old camp-cot. I 'glued' a center drill into one collar and a woodscrew into another, bent to form a handle, using SELLEYS' KNEAD it - a sort of epoxy putty that smells like old canned sardines in oil.

Well ... THAT didn't work. -The epoxy putty was OK but the woodscrew eventually just pulled right on out of that soft lead ball jammed way down that tube ..TWICE.

- Now the answer has proved to be a new Bunnings 12mmx380mm Auger Bit (Made in China) in a vintage 'cranked brace' - to drill through the lead followed by a bit of poking about ..

I Wonder If That Powder Will Work ..

What a load of crap I bought there ! - but I can now blow air down the clear bore and out the vent & I've got a safe tube to clean and de-rust ..

THE END

Marty K.

30 SUPER CARRY Cartridge:

 If I was Glock Ges. I'd call it '8MM Auto'.

Square eyed people who have their 'Mustn't Miss TV Series' say they think of their fave characters as friends .. I've got news for them - these actor a-holes haven't & don't want to meet them.

I know we all have our most personal favorite calibers and cartridges .. and brands of gun makers too.

One excellent way to raise blood pressures and RAGE is to mock a Glock - or a S&W or Colt 45 after first verifying your range mates preference and size. - Always good for a laugh when you're an old fart like me and immune from attack (mostly).

.380 ACP - 30 Super Carry - 9 MM

The 30 SC drives a 100 grain projectile at 1,250 feet per second velocity with low recoil levels.  This is 347 foot pound of energy (470 J). The 1mm reduced diameter when compared to 9 MM permits  around 20% more ammunition to fit in a double stack magazine - while this caliber maintains the same fine accuracy potential as the early .32" Centerfire target pistols.

Most educated thinkers with IQs above 40 understand that SHOT PLACEMENT is the critical factor for effective self defence from murderous attack - unless your personal SWAT TEAM is three deep between you and the threat.

You need an adequate power level that YOU can shoot accurately and quickly.

60 foot pounds of energy is accepted militarily as sufficient to disable .. That measure is surpassed by .22 LR.

- All you need to do is hit the target WHERE IT NEEDS TO BE HIT.

Greg Ellefritz An Alternative Look At Stopping Power - Linked:

https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/an-alternate-look-at-handgun-stopping-power

The records clearly show that the most effective handgun caliber for ONE SHOT INCAPACITATION is the .32" (8mm). - No arguments .. Just FACTS.

Get your SAAMI Specs here for 30 Super Carry ..

https://saami.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Public-Introduction-30-Super-Carry-2022-06-30.pdf

- So that's the cartridge of choice for a semi-auto pistol .. while revolver fans can rest assured with the 327 Federal Magnum.

WHY? - Ease of shooting accurately a powerful compact cartridge sized for maximum capacity.

I'm talking about a "Carry gun" - not being 'loaded for bear'.

If you are already set-up for 9MM or .40 S&W or .45 ACP don't panic .. just train and practice with what you have eh.

Here's a good article and video about the Federal 30 Super Carry:

https://www.gunsandammo.com/editorial/federal-30-super-carry-tested/455614

So there you go then .. when will Glock Ges. introduce their 30 SC 8MM Auto models?

Marty K.

NZ has Lead Deposits - Sulfur - Saltpeter & Steel for Guns too ..

"PLUMBAGO" is an old word for the lead ores like GALENA.  - Believe it or not, there is lead naturally in the earth of New Zealand and it was successfully mined in past times - particularly at the TUI Mine in Te Aroha .. an interesting NZ geological report linked below: 

TUI Mine Entrance ..

https://www.nzpam.govt.nz/assets/Uploads/doing-business/mineral-potential/zinc.pdf

Galena is a heavy Lead-Sulfide Ore

"Plumbago" is also the name for blue flowered plants that are said to grow in lead containing soils .. and a species of butterly.

White Island (Whakaari) Bay of Plenty

SULFUR .. some 11,000 tonnes of sulphur were mined historically on White Island (Whakaari) - an active volcano that has taken lives several times, most recently in 2019.

Brimstone - SULFUR found at Hot Springs & Volcanic Vents.

Lead, Zinc, and Silver, GOLD & Copper tend to be found together - and like Sulfur, are generally Volcanogenic - and NZ has a fair amount of volcanic activity around our islands eh. - Silver was commercially mined back in 1897 at TARAWERA, Preservation Inlet, Southland.

Silver Bullets - 10% lighter but harder than lead would have been fairly common (or lead-silver alloy) back in the good old days, as silver was sometimes regarded as a nuisence by gold miners - but then they'd have needed ammo for their firearms .. especially if there were vampires sniffing around.

- If you are interested in Saltpeter, Potasium Nitrate .. well you can brew your own by collecting bat shit from caves or by storing urine-rich excrements in heaps kept moist until it magically appears by efflorescence .. this would work better up around Auckland where they have more shit and rain eh.

Mangare Sewage Works, Auckland:

It can be a bit dry Down South.

If you're curious about where you might find some STEEL down here .. No Problem as NZ STEEL in Waikato are busy sucking-up IRONSANDS and smelting it and churning out COLORSTEEL®. and other stuff.

Our Iron Sand (57% iron) is from the West Coast of the North Island - deposited by VOLCANIC activity from the TARANAKI region 2.5 Million years ago.

A lot of ironsand ore is exported by pumping it as a slurry to an off-shore terminal for shipping

Someone is making money .. Sucking It Up - piped 3 km off-shore Taharoa at the 185 tonne Mooring pipe Terminal Buoy.

I guess that what I am saying is that were we to be totally isolated down here in the South Pacific .. we might still be able to make traditional guns and other tools from local resources - including wood for charcoal and for stocks. - Just a thought anyway ..

Marty K.

"Gun Twirling" & The Road Agent's Spin. - Patina:

 Gun Twirling is 100% bullshit or Showmanship.

Gun Twirling Showmanship:

- That reminds me of  an English joke about naming pensioners as "Twirlies" for trying to use their travel perks on London's buses before 10 a.m .. "Am I too early? (twirly)"

Western performers and some 'trick shooters' liked to end a performance with a flourish by twirling the now EMPTY guns around their trigger finger as they re-holster.

Naturally some Hollywood Movie Makers think that this looks fantastic and have their fake gunslingers act it up at least once in every celluloid fantasy .. and it's equally logical that the hard of thinking Gangsta boys will try this with their loaded shootahs when impressing mixed company. Of course the Emergency Depts retain reasonable supplies of blood and plasma ..  It is unfortunate that the run-of-the-mill thickos don't differentiate between SINGLE ACTION revolvers and DOUBLE ACTION guns - nor do they consider that twirling a LOADED firearm is somewhat less safe than playing tricks with an empty banger.

A maneuver that might be more legitimate from the Wild West is the 'Road Agent Spin' where the bad guy agrees to surrender his arm by holding it out butt forward before flicking it back into his grip for immediate discharge ..

Border Roll or Road Agent's Spin ..

John Wesley Hardin is said to have schooled Wild Bill Hickok on this potentially valuable technique ..

172 Year Old Antique Colt 1849 Pocket Model (a 1852 original)

I doubt too many cynical lawmen were caught by the road agent's spin .. certainly they would not have been fooled twice by it eh.

PATINA:

I like a feed of patina every now & then - but I don't like rust nor grot, grunge, or grubbiness .. my shooters may arrive pretending to be sticky Petri dishes growing mushrooms from toilet seats - but I clean them.

Boiling the metal bits works.

I welcome a little characterful corrosion pitting, wear and impact cratering .. but I insist on them overcoming their old age handicaps by accepting repairs & replacements where possible. I failed with this antique Colt - being a useless old fart - but an old IPSC and Antique Arms mate came to my rescue by doing what I couldn't. He got it working great.

 

A friend in need. You know who you are. A brilliant job - Thanks Mate.

Marty K.