Magazine February 2009 No 11

Ron Owen Bulletin March 2, 2009

Welcome to the Eleventh Edition of the Owen Guns Bulletin.

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Where we are in the process of listing 1000s of rifles,shotguns, handguns, accessories, and gun parts that we have for sale. Visit the website now. We also have shooting articles and important firearm information for the gun enthusiast. Take away free gun photos and free firearm images for your gun gallery collection. New firearm related material being added every day.

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Thought for the Week

We have enjoyed many years of Western civilisation and when people in the future reflect on our on our period hopefully it will be adequately recorded. History repeats itself to such a degree of regularity and uniformity that is disgusts and frustrates thinking people, who are helplessly placed to do anything to prevent it. Our politicians fiddle while Rome burns.

The decline and fall of the Roman Empire was not like the sedate decline of the British Empire with the American Empire taking over the caring ‘White Mans Burden’. It was an onslaught of barbarians hordes, the soft Roman cities, market places,churches, craftsmen, professors of literature, were wiped out, murdered, enslaved. Where for four hundred years there had been law and order, respect for property and an educated middle class. It was torn down burnt and disappeared.

What will inherit the American Empire? The Goths and Vandals of the third world? The West has grown soft too dependent on luxury and technology. Its like the Roman Empire, it has reached a stage where it has lost the will to accept human losses in warfare. It tries to compete with an Iron Age culture who have no need of mobile phones, I pods, hi technology, or democracy and has the will to accept any amount of human losses. The Modern Goths and Vandals are happy with an AK 47 and a home made bomb. They are now aware of there inspired superiority. The decline of our civilisation may be read in the morning papers the cracks occurring at an ever increasing rate. The Americans and the rest of Western civilisation now have to make a decision, either to succumb into a third world economic wreaking lot, or a diametrically change, fight the immigration invasions, fight for national markets against free trade, fight for its natural resources. As it will never get out of the hole it has dug for itself until the people stop the banks from burying them in debt and war driven stock markets. Everyday it dithers, it reduces its chances of winning. Ron Owen

Monthly Specials

Prostaff 3-9×40. Nikon have been manufacturing the worlds most sort after Optical lens since the 1960s. Now you can own one of their Rifle Telescopic Scopes for:-

$375.00

plus registered post.

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Norinco Model 213 ‘Tokargypt’ 9 shot Semi Auto

The Model 213 original basis was designed by John Moses Browning, the world famous firearm designer. In the late 1920s the Colt /Browning mechanism was redesigned by Russian, Feoder Tokerev, simplified for mass production and chambered in the powerful 7.62×25. It used the Mod 1911 swinging link, short recoil system.

To enable easy maintenance the hammer and lock mechanism can be removed as a single assemble. To improve the Browning feed system the ammunition feed lips are machined into the frame rather than relying on pressed tin. Which on a battlefield where magazines lips do not get the best attention is a great advantage in reliability and makes the magazines cheaper to produce. It was an extremely tough, reliable and powerful pistol and was later modified by Hungary for export to Egypt this was known as the Tokagypt. The pistol differs from the Tokarev in being chambered for the 9mm Parabellum, a fitted safety catch (WHICH SHOULD NEVER BE RELIED UPON) as well as the half cock safety.

It has a plastic wrap around grip stock, instead of the Tokerev ‘bakelite’ and a finger piece type floor plate on the magazine, which improves your chances of quickly getting it out and getting another one in after someone has rammed one in covered in mud. The M 213 Chinese version of this also has a chrome plated barrel shown in the above photograph. These are brand new unfired but have the usual scratch marks and rough corners as shown in the photographs. As standard the barrels are a millimetre short for club licences so are fitted with a slightly longer barrel. The steel is excellent and once a few surfaces, such as slides, are polished they are a slick an easy pointing pistol. Eight rounds in the magazine.

One for $275
Two for $500

plus registered post and appropriate licences.

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Tasco 4 x 32

Thirty years ago we would have paid a $1000. for the same quality of vision and precision, a guaranteed leading optical manufacturer who warranties their products all over the World. They have a light gathering clarity that would have made those old dark Pecar’s appear like looking through a knot hole in fathers wooden leg. What’s more they are Waterproof. In 1970 during a storm in the Victorian mountains I can remember emptying my Pecar like a jug. It had a steel tube but it leaked like a sieve.I was so disappointed I hunted Samba for years with open sites as I wanted reliability. I took the low priced option then and will always follow that example, at this price I could afford to buy a spare one.

4 x 32 Silver Antler Rifle Scope $40.

plus Post

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This book originally printed by the War Office, was intended for use by officers under instruction at the British School of Musketry at Hythe. It is a complete examination of everything needed to be known about smallarms, ammunition and ballistics. It looks at rifles, swords, lances and bayonets, as well as revolvers, grenades and machine guns. There is a section dealing with small arms ammunition (including pre-.303inch ammunition) which is very comprehensive. The book also looks at the ballistics of this ammunition. The book is amply illustrated with photographs, line drawings and tables, and forms a complete record of the weapons and ammunition that were in service between the two World Wars. It was the Text Book Bible referred to by all the 20th Century Gun writers such as Hatcher, Ackley, and Askins. 430 A4 pages.

Special for this Month Only $59.

Remington Genesis 1000 fps.

Ideal for Dad and Son, An Adult Air Rifle. Practice Target Shooting in the Garage.

Includes a 3-9×40 Variable Air Rifle Scope and Air Rifle Mounts. $398.00

(Air Rifle Scopes have to be EXTRA shock resistant for High powered Air Rifles) . These single shot spring air Genesis pellet rifle feature ultra Hi ergonomics in its soft, synthetic pistol style grip and sculptured cheek piece, 28 pounds of cocking force gets up to 1000 fps. Other features included.Two stage Adjustable trigger, Ventilated rubber recoil pad, Precision rifled steel barrel, Crossblock trigger blocking mechanism, Ambidextrous safety, made in the USA.

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Leupold 3-9×40 Variable Riflescopes

$349.

plus postage

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RCBS Great Prices, Get the Best Reloading Tools for the Lowest Price.

Big-scale features and capacity with an affordable price. Two-poise design lets you weigh up to 505 grains with 0.1 grain accuracy. The 5-0-2 also sports our magnetic dampening system for fast readings, maintenance-free movement and a rugged die-cast metal base. Tip-proof aluminum pan for loading convenience. Ounce-to-grain conversion table on the base for handy shotshell reference

$99.00

Special Price RCBS 502 RELOADING SCALES $99.00 plus post

For More RED HOT PRICES

EMAIL Or PHONE 0754825070

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Savage /Stevens Model 200 Synthetic Stock Bolt Action Centrefire Rifle
Brand New in the Box
25-06 Remington

$550Plus Freight

Stevens® Centrefire
Stevens Model 200 – Long Action
Caliber	(25-06 REM, 270 WIN, 30-06 SPFLD) (7MM REM MAG, 300 WIN MAG)
Overall Length	42.75 inch (25-06 REM, 270 WIN, 30-06 SPFLD)44.75 inch (7MM REM MAG, 300 WIN MAG)
Barrel Length	22 inch (25-06 REM, 270 WIN, 30-06 SPFLD)24inch (7MM REM MAG, 300 WIN MAG)
Weight	6.5 lbs
Magazine Capacity	4 rounds (25-06 REM, 270 WIN, 30-06 SPFLD)3 rounds for (7MM REM MAG, 300 WIN MAG)
Stock	Gray synthetic with positive checkering, dual pillar bedding
Sights	No sights. Drilled and tapped for scope mounts
Rifling Rate of Twist	1 in 9.5 inch (7MM REM MAG)1 in 10? (25-06 REM, 270 WIN, 30-06 SPFLD, 300 WIN MAG)
Features	Standard trigger, blued barreled action, free-floating and button-rifled barrel, top loading internal box magazine, and swivel studs.
Special Price	$550.00

 

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History of Gun Barrel Steels.

The outside diameter of any firearm barrel must be large enough so that its wall thickness is sufficient to sustain the breech pressure of the discharging cartridge without expanding or disrupting. The greatest breech pressure occurs at the breech of the barrel, particularly at that portion (chamber) which contains the cartridge, and for perhaps an inch forward of this portion, therefore the barrel must be thickest at the breech. As this portion of the barrel is also threaded to screw it into the receiver, the threaded portion must also have sufficient thickness. Hand guns and shoulder arms shooting light cartridges which give low pressures can have thin and light barrels even at the breech, but rifles using high pressure cartridges require much heavier barrels for safety if not for other reasons such as accuracy.
Of course barrel diameters also depend upon the physical properties of the steel used. A soft steel lacking in tensile strength and elastic limit would be compressed and enlarged in interior diameter, even if it did not burst, with the high pressures of certain modern cartridges, so that we must consider the various steels used for the barrels of small arms.

Forged Steel. (Soft Steel)Normal charges of black powder give relatively low chamber pressures, seldom exceeding 25,000 pounds per square inch in the largest rifles, or 10,000 pounds in revolvers. In the days when black powder was the only propellant, that is before about 1892 , barrels of all small arms were generally made of wrought iron or a simple, soft, carbon steel. Breech pressures were hardly a factor, the chief consideration was a metal that could be easily machined, which could be economically internally worked to a smooth, even uniform finish and rifled with the cutting tools then available. Such simple and soft steels of relatively low tensile strength answered all the requirements for rifle and pistol barrels in black powder days.
Such soft steels are also still perfectly satisfactory for barrels of rifles and pistols using .22 calibre rim fire cartridges, and many such barrels are still made of these steels, because they can be so economically machined.

Shotguns have very large bores, and if their barrels were made of such steels as the above they would have to be given considerable wall thickness, that is be very large in diameter in order to stand the pressure, and the gun would be much too heavy. A 12 gauge shotgun barrel can hardly have a wall thickness greater than 3/16 inch at the breech and 3/32 inch at the muzzle, and still make up into a total gun weight not exceeding the limits already given. A tougher steel or greater tensile strength was needed. In early days the metallurgy of steel was not well understood, and our gun makers arrived at the desired toughness and strength in shotgun barrel material by taking small strands of wrought iron and steel alternately, twisting them into a rope, flattening the rope into a band, and then winding and forging this band around a mandrel of slightly smaller than bore diameter. The mandrel was then withdrawn, leaving the rough bore in the centre of the welded tube, which was then reamed out smoothly to bore diameter. The resulting barrel showed the finely interwoven bands of light and dark coluored steel and iron, and the attractive pattern which is characteristic of the Twist, Laminated, and Damascus barrels seen on our older shotguns. Such fabricated barrels answered requirements perfectly in black powder days, but they do not have the tensile strength necessary for use with modern high speed and high velocity smokeless shotgun shells, and are decidedly unsafe with such modern ammunition. Today shotgun barrels, even made by the cheaper Third Word gun manufacturers, are made of modern alloy steels having high strength and elasticity.

With the advent of high power cartridges none of the above steels would suffice for rifle barrels. High power cartridges at the smaller end of the spectrum give breech pressures of about 38,000 pounds per square inch, and with some of our more modern cartridges pressures now reach 55,000 pounds. These pressures were way above the tensile strength and elastic limit of the older steels. Also the new cartridges used bullets jacketed with cupro-nickel or a copper-zinc alloy without lubrication, instead of the lubricated lead alloy bullets used in black powder arms, and the friction of these modern harder bullets quickly wore out the rifling in the old soft barrels.

Ordnance Steel. It was not long before firearm engineers developed a new barrel steel to meet these higher requirements, which became known generally as Ordnance steel.Thanks to the work of Sir Henry Bessemer, F.R.S who invented the ‘Bessemer Steel Process’, Ordnance steel was quickly adopted and used by most British and American manufacturers of high power rifles, including Enfield, Springfield Armory, the Remington Arms Company, and the Savage Arms Corporation, until the beginning of World War II, that is until about 1939. It proved to be a very satisfactory steel for all kinds of rifle barrels (except perhaps for the most ultra high intensity cartridges) and for shotgun barrels, being easily machined, having high tensile strength, and excellent wearing qualities. Its composition was: as percentage

Carbon 0.45 to 0.55
Manganese 1.00 to 1.30
Phosphorus (max.) 0.05
Sulphur (max.) 0.05

After being partly fabricated, the barrel is heat treated to increase its yield point and ultimate strength, which in the case of barrels manufactured at Springfield Armory for the .3006 cartridge must be at least 75,000 and 110,000 pounds respectively.

Nickel Steel was used by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company for all high power rifle barrels from about 1896 to about 1930, and also extensively by certain custom barrel makers, and it was used extensively in England. It has, perhaps, slightly greater tensile strength, slightly better wearing qualities, and very slightly better resistance to corrosion than Ordnance steel. On the other hand it is more difficult to machine, and consequently more expensive. Rock Island Arsenal also used this nickel steel during a portion of the time that Model 1903 Springfield rifles were being manufactured there. It contained 3.5 percent nickel and 0.30 to 0.40 percent carbon, and was made by the acid open hearth process.

Early Stainless Steel. Certain stainless or rust-proof steels were developed in and used to a certain extent in Germany from about 1910, to 1920. The more common ones were the Poldi “Anticoro” steel, and the Boehler “Antinit” steel. Neither of them was entirely rust-less, but would give much greater resistance to corrosion than ordinary steels. Most of the corrosion at the time was due to the corrosive (mercury based mixture) in the cartridge primers. For several years prior to 1930 the Winchester Repeating Arms Company supplied a “stainless” steel to a limited extent. It was really not a steel but rather a high chrome iron, its approximate composition being chromium 13 percent, carbon 0.10 percent, and copper 1.50 percent. Certain intricate heat treatment was necessary to make it both machinable and rust proof. It could not be successfully blued and was copper plated outside and then subjected to a treatment which turned the copper black. High cost of production and the advent of non-corrosive ammunition led to its discontinuance. As modern small-arms ammunition is now nearly (always got to be careful to check) all non-corrosive, the quest for a true Stainless barrels ceased in the 1950’s and early 1960’s and did not re-emerge again until the 1990’s as a sales promotion to give the appearance that they do not need cleaning and harder wearing. Both theories proving baseless.

Chrome Molybdenum Steels. About 1930 the chemists and metallurgists of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company undertook a study of their barrel steels, resulting in a complete revision of their specifications, and that study is continued until the 1960’s with a view to utilizing the most recent knowledge of metallurgy to provide the best steels possible; which is as it should be. These steels are termed “Winchester Proof Steel” which title does not mean any particular kind of steel, but rather “the best steel which Winchester has been able to find for the particular purpose.” Thus the Winchester Proof Steel used in .22 caliber rim fire barrels may be entirely different from that used in high power cartridge barrels.
It is understood that the Winchester Proof Steel now being used in high power rifle barrels is an alloy steel containing chromium and molybdenum, heat treated to give the required physical properties. It is claimed, and it is believed to be a fact, that in all its qualities this steel is slightly superior to Ordnance steel and nickel steel. Chrome-molybdenum barrels have also been used to some extent for the past ten years by most of our custom barrel makers.

The .220 Swift cartridge erodes the barrel faster than any other commercial cartridge at present made, due to the heat and pressure evolved by the charge. To withstand this erosion better and give a longer barrel life, Winchester has in the 1970’s developed a new steel which has considerably increased the life of barrels for this cartridge. Whether this is an entirely new steel, or merely a different heat treatment of their chrome molybdenum steel, is not known.
It is probable that the wonderful military Ordnance activity and metallurgical research of World War II assisted in the development of better barrel steels, and all manufactures continue to make improvements.

So Called Stainless Steel specifications seem to keep changing as the fashionable popularity of so called modern stainless barrels which are still not truly stainless, still need the guilding (copper)metal cleaned out ,still eroded by burning hot powder and still corroded by condensation and moisture that collects between the guilding metal and the surface of the metal bore. To manufacture barrels the alloy steel needs a certain amount of carbon and when stainless barrels corrode they may not go brown as in rust but they pit in thousands of little holes which do the same damage in the bore as the rust pitting does, it ruins the finish and ruins accuracy. Barrel manufactures can more easily get a finer finish on the internal surfaces of Chrome-moly steel barrels than Stainless and that should be reflected in their respective performance, but no matter how good either is, once they are pitted by corrosion both will be equally as bad.

Next Edition, Diameters and Shapes of Barrels.

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Understanding Reloading Ammunition.

The “O” Press.

The “O” type press is a variation of the “C”. The open side is simply closed to form a more rigid and distortion free link between ram and dies. One side of the “O” is usually offset or the entire area rotated somewhat to provide more finger room for handling cases. In other forms, the “O” is rotated a full 90° for the same purpose.

A classic example of the “O” press is the RCBS Rock Chucker which inherited from its predecessor, the A-series, a form of compound ram linkage in place of the simple toggle already described in the “C” press. The “O” press, at the lower pivot point of the toggle it is supported on swinging arms and is not fixed. Consequently, greater power may be generated by the same force application; in other words, the design produces a much greater mechanical advantage. This feature was patented by Fred Huntington of RCBS, and as the patent ran out many years ago can be found on nearly all other makes and models.
Heavy cast “O” presses are the least subject to distortion and are best for heavy work such as swaging bullets. The “O” press is found in another variation called the “H” type press. It consists of a heavy base and die head joined by two (occasionally three) vertical rods. A plate-like ram or riser bar carries the shell holder and rides on the rods between base and head. A large shaft passes through the base, carrying a toggle arm on each end. They are attached to a second pair of arms pivoted on the ends of the ram. All this forms a pair of typical toggle joints operated by a handle attached directly to the shaft in the base. Unless the die head and ram are unusually thick in section, the “H” press uses a fixed vertical primer punch beneath the ram. Some makes and models provide a cam-operated shield to keep falling primer debris from clogging the sleeve. One useful variation is found in the Bonanza Co-Ax press with its cam-operated, multiple-calibre shell holder and slotted rather than threaded die seat.

All reloading equipment is designed to be simple operated they are not complicated even what once was the Bonanza H Co Ax Press is now the Forster Co-Ax Press which may look the most complicated is still simple while still delivering precision ammunition. They are expensive and not seen much these days but everyone that has one will never have anything else. Sort of a cult worship thing, that you get when people have to have a Holden of a Ford.
The Co-Ax Loading Press comes with several unique features that help make it truly one of a kind, including: Snap-in and snap-out die changing. You can actually change from sizer die to seater die in two seconds. A positive spent primer catcher system which passes all spent primers and dirty carbon through a tube and into a container. That helps keep all working parts free of dirt and abrasives. Dual floating guide rods to help ensure perfect alignment.
Because there is absolutely no torque on the head of the Co Ax Press, long life is the rule rather than the exception. (The old Super Simple used to get a bit of wear in the head but never heard yet of anyone wearing out a Rock Chucker.) Due to the design of the linkage and pivots, all forces are in equilibrium whether the press is at maximum work load or at rest.
Forster claims that Co Ax Press has three times the mechanical advantage of an ordinary “C” press. It’s so effortless, full length sizing can actually be accomplished by operating the handle of the press with the little finger! All that could also be said about the Rock Chucker.
The Co-Ax Press delivers perfect alignment of the die and the case because the shell holder jaws are designed to float with the die, thereby permitting the case to centre precisely in the die. It has no frame supports or swinging primer arms to interfere or cause an obstruction, the Co-Ax Press provides plenty of elbow room for both right handed or left handed operators.
The Co-Ax Press accepts any standard 7/8″ X 14 reloading die, some with existing locking rings.
Numerous minor variations of the foregoing presses will be encountered and rather exaggerated claims are made for same. Nevertheless, they are all based on the C, O, or H types, differing only in price size and small details.

Next Edition Multiple Station Presses followed by Progressive Station Presses.

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FREE FOR ELECTRONIC DOWNLOAD

Manual for Glock Pistols Models 17,17L,19,20,21,22,23,24

Operators Instruction Manual,Exploded Drawing and listed Parts numbered, photographs, specifications and details of all types and different Models. With Assemble and Diss-assemble methods.

Email : OwenGuns@spiderweb.com.au and it will be sent to you in .pdf format free of charge.

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