firearms

[shark_za]

As a side note, the Savage pistol was adopted by the Portugese Army in .32 ACP, with the result that it is one of the most common pistols you're likely to encounter in southern Africa.

Not from where I am sitting.
I am a private collector and jumped through all the hoops to get certified as such. What a mission.
They must have all been destroyed at some point. I have seen 1 or 2 in my life.

I have nlt spent much time in Angola but pistols are almost totally absent in Mozambique.

[jerseydevil]

The Winchester 62 is a variant of the Model 1890.  It was designed by a certain John Moses Browning.  Browning wasn't a huge fan of lever actions, though he designed a fair number of them that are still in production.  The Model 1886, Model 92, and Model 94 Winchesters are all Browning designs.  The Model 1887 lever action shotgun (see Terminator 2) was also a Browning, but he didn't want to make it a lever action.  He felt that a slide-action was more suitable.  Winchester let him know that their signature designs were lever guns, so get to it.  Browning was right though, and eventually the Model 1897 shotgun he designed allowed the pump gun to dominate the American shotgun market.

[Mr. Whippy]

My dad's model 62 was produced in 1934, which makes sense, since he got it for his 10th birthday.  (Born 1924).  Even with the ancient scope, it's wickedly accurate and has a smooth, clean action. 

[jzmtl]

There's just something cool about a lever action though. I'd love a lever action .22, but they are pretty hard to find and cost 5x as much as a marlin 795 that does pretty much the same thing.

[Lynn LeFey]

Mr. W: I never shot a 62, but I've liked pretty much every .22 rifle I've ever fired. They're all super accurate.

Of course most of my experience is on the Ruger 10/22, but a good deal on old bolt action Savage my grandfather owned. A friend of mine is getting a Crickett single shot bolt action 'for his kids' this Christmas, and I expect that'll be just as much fun to me.

I bet your dad's model 62 has a ton of memories for you, huh?

[jerseydevil]

You're right, there is something cool about lever actions.  They dominated the US civilian market in regards to rifles until after World War I.  After the war, millions of men returned home having had been introduced to another system - the bolt action.  Remington introduced its Model 30 soon after the war, which was a version of the M1917 Enfield that most US troops carried in Europe (NOT the '03).  Bolt actions allowed for more powerful cartridges than many lever actions available, and unlike tubular mags on most Winchesters, a box magazine allowed spitzer bullets to be used, taking advantage of the ballistic potential of cartridges like the .30-06.  Yes, I know the Lebel rifle used spitzers in a tube magazine.  The French designed the later versions of the 8mm Lebel with a groove around the primer that took the nose of the round behind it in the magazine, preventing recoil from potentially setting off the entire magazine.

[jerseydevil]

Jeez, now I'm just babbling.    Sorry, but it's a topic I know a bit about.  Sorry for the history lessons folks. 

[Lynn LeFey]

No EXCUSE! You have to give us all chocolate or a SAK!

[jzmtl]

Jeez, now I'm just babbling.    Sorry, but it's a topic I know a bit about.  Sorry for the history lessons folks. 

Nah, always interesting to hear, especially now that I don't have the time/place/money to expand on that front myself. 

[ColoSwiss]

As a side note, the Savage pistol was adopted by the Portugese Army in .32 ACP, with the result that it is one of the most common pistols you're likely to encounter in southern Africa.

Not from where I am sitting.
I am a private collector and jumped through all the hoops to get certified as such. What a mission.
They must have all been destroyed at some point. I have seen 1 or 2 in my life.

I have nlt spent much time in Angola but pistols are almost totally absent in Mozambique.

Read that some where a few years back. Thanks for the correction. 

[ducttapetech]

I was just cleaning a couple of my dad's guns,

A Winchester model 62 (22 rifle, pump action):
(Image removed from quote.)

And a Ruger Mark I with right hand grip:
(Image removed from quote.)

Been a while since I have seen a .22 pump. Nice looking rifle.

At Chako, I have a Henry .22 mag. I will post a pic for you when I get home.

[derekmac]

I stumbled upon a Steam game called World of Guns Dis-assembly.

So far, I have learned how to field strip and assemble an AK 47 in just under 6 minutes. My time keeps improving the more I do it. I haven't played with the Colt 1911 much.

The game is free to play, but you have to earn points to open up new weapons...or you can just buy them outright. So far, I have earned enough for the Colt and the HK MP5.

Great game to teach folks how to take apart and assemble firearms. Not only that, you can see how they operate with various x ray modes, and slow motion.

Worth a look. 

That looks pretty cool!   Though I'm not into guns, it would be cool to get to know them some.

[captain spaulding]

I always wanted a old lever action shotgun. 

[ColoSwiss]

Christopher Spencer brought out a pump action shotgun in 1882.

http://www.peashooter85.com/post/57845555024/the-first-pump-action-shotgun-the-spencer-m1882


Colt brought out their Lightning pump action rifle in 1884. Repro versions are still available.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colt_Lightning_Carbine

[ColoSwiss]

The Winchester 1895 lever action used a box magazine and was chambered for .30-40 Krag, .30-06 Springfield, etc.

Teddy Roosevelt carried one in .405 Win on his African safari.

[jerseydevil]

The Winchester 1895 lever action used a box magazine and was chambered for .30-40 Krag, .30-06 Springfield, etc.

Teddy Roosevelt carried one in .405 Win on his African safari.

Yep he called it his "big medicine" for lion.  The Czar's army ordered over 30,000 M1895's chambered for 7.62x54R during World War I as well.  I don't think any were delivered.  My father has an M91 Mosin-Nagant manufactured for the Imperial Russian Army by Westinghouse.  Remington and Westinghouse made them, but they weren't delivered before the October Revolution.  US troops used them during the intervention, and they were used as training rifles in the US as well, sort of like how the Arisaka was an official British rifle for a time!  I've seen pictures of RN boarding parties where their rifles are clearly Type 30 Arisakas.  This freed up SMLE's for the front line.

[Lynn LeFey]

Don't know if anyone cares, but a LONG while back, like last year, I got an EP Poly lower for an AR15. When i get bored and feel like tinkering, I'd work on it. It pretty much just requires a dremel and files and such.

I also picked up a Palmeto Armory lower kit months and months back when they were super low cost.

Well, I started assembling today. And, I have to say, I'm pretty sure I haven't said the F word this many times in one day for a LONG time. 

Getting roll pin started for bolt catch, impossible. launching springs and pins into thick carpet? Check. trigger assembly not fitting in milled out cavity? Check. Rear breakdown pin not sliding fully into place? Check. Screw hole in pistol grip not propperly aligned? Check. Ah... I could go on forever.

The good news is, apparently you only need a castle wrench, brass hammer, and Leatherman Rebar to do all the work.

[jerseydevil]

The good news is, apparently you only need a castle wrench, brass hammer, and Leatherman Rebar to do all the work.

For the Schmidt-Rubin, you needed a screwdriver.  A man named Karl Elsener thought that the knives that carried included that screwdriver should be made in Switzerland and not in another country, and the rest is history......... 

[HarleyXJGuy]

I was just cleaning a couple of my dad's guns,

And a Ruger Mark I with right hand grip:
(Image removed from quote.)

I do not mean to tell you guys what you should like. That being said imo while the pump Winnie is very nice it baffles me why we are not cleaning drool off the floor for that beautiful blued Mark I.

Harley's Mark II needs a little playmate, just saying.



I mean is there a better .22 pistol?

Rhetorical question, there is not. 

[jerseydevil]

In terms of oddballs I'd love to shoot, there is one at the top of my list, the Webley-Fosbery. 



Imagine a .455 Webley Mk VI that would reload and cock itself like an automatic pistol when the trigger was pulled.  To use it, the barrel and cylinder was "broken" down like a standard top break Webley.  Six rounds were put in the chambers, and the front end pulled back up and locked.  The top of the pistol was then pulled back like the slide on an automatic to cock it.  When the trigger was pulled, after firing the top half of the revolver would recoil back, turn the cylinder, cock the hammer, and return to battery for the next shot.  They were very fast and very accurate, but jammed easily in the mud of the Western Front.  In 1914, a British officer could purchase any pistol he wanted as long as it was in an approved caliber (the Japanese actually did this as well until 1945).  Many Webley-Fosberys ended up in the trenches, where they proved to be very unreliable.

[Lynn LeFey]

I saw a Webley-Fosbery on an auction list a few months back, along with a ton of other great guns.

As for no love for the Mk I... well.. I mean... it's a right-handed pistol. What do you want from me? Things must first be practical for me to appreciate. Beauty comes second. Sorry. I'm sure it's terribly comfortable for a right handed shooter. But it's practically impossible to shoot left handed.

[jerseydevil]

Has anyone ever noticed that the loading gate on the Colt 1873 Single Action Army and its clones is on the right side of the frame?  All of those cowboy wheelguns are left handed!    Bonus points for the person who knows why.......

[HarleyXJGuy]

I saw a Webley-Fosbery on an auction list a few months back, along with a ton of other great guns.

As for no love for the Mk I... well.. I mean... it's a right-handed pistol. What do you want from me? Things most first be practical for me to appreciate. Beauty comes second. Sorry. I'm sure it's terribly comfortable for a right handed shooter. But it's practically impossible to shoot left handed.

Just a simple grip change.

I do understand how it would be easier to like it if it was set up for lefty.

[HarleyXJGuy]

Has anyone ever noticed that the loading gate on the Colt 1873 Single Action Army and its clones is on the right side of the frame?  All of those cowboy wheelguns are left handed!    Bonus points for the person who knows why.......

Reins?

[jerseydevil]

Has anyone ever noticed that the loading gate on the Colt 1873 Single Action Army and its clones is on the right side of the frame?  All of those cowboy wheelguns are left handed!    Bonus points for the person who knows why.......

Reins?

We have a winner!    Are you Cav, Harley?  My uncle was in the Ia Drang with the 1/7th in 1965, and our driver at the store was a Blue with 2/9th in 1969.

[HarleyXJGuy]

Has anyone ever noticed that the loading gate on the Colt 1873 Single Action Army and its clones is on the right side of the frame?  All of those cowboy wheelguns are left handed!    Bonus points for the person who knows why.......

Reins?

We have a winner!    Are you Cav, Harley?  My uncle was in the Ia Drang with the 1/7th in 1965, and our driver at the store was a Blue with 2/9th in 1969.

Brave Rifles!

Can you guess the unit?

[jerseydevil]

   3rd Cav.  Didn't even have to look that one up.

[Lynn LeFey]

Has anyone ever noticed that the loading gate on the Colt 1873 Single Action Army and its clones is on the right side of the frame?  All of those cowboy wheelguns are left handed!

One of the things I love about cowboy action revolvers. 

I also love civil war reenactments, where you see a cavalryman with two revolvers, reins in his teeth, doing a 'drive by' on enemy forces. That looks so awesome.

[HarleyXJGuy]

  3rd Cav.  Didn't even have to look that one up.

Yep you got it.

Fun fact. 3RD Cavalry Regiment was recently changed from an Armored Cavalry Regiment to a regular Cavalry Regiment. Now we as known as Mounted Riflemen.

[ColoSwiss]

Has anyone ever noticed that the loading gate on the Colt 1873 Single Action Army and its clones is on the right side of the frame?  All of those cowboy wheelguns are left handed!    Bonus points for the person who knows why.......

You hold the pistol in your left hand and use your right hand to operate the ejector and and load new rounds.