1st Sergeant William Wallace Burgess

1st SGT W.W. Burgess, Co K, 1st VA Cavalry, ANV

 

W.W. Burgess, a hero of the great Confederate States Army, is pictured with some interesting weapons. 1st is probably the largest D handle Bowie knife I've ever seen in a period photograph. Second is a Griswold & Gunnison revolver. Third, is an 1842 Mississippi rifle. These may have been photographer props but they are all excellent weapons for repelling a Yankee invasion. 

No Suprise: AK-74 in Crimea

Russian Troops using AK-74 rifles in Crimea

 

No real surprises, the Russian troops are using Soviet era AK-74s. In fact, the entire invasion seems to be a showcase of Cold War equipment. I fear the Crimea is forever lost to the Russian bear. 

Read this interesting food blog!!!

Recipe Archeology is an outstanding blog which uncovers great recipes from the past as discovered in old recipe boxes.  The dishes made are nostalgic and very interesting.  They are a fine companion to your classic firearm. TRY SOME!!!!!

http://recipearcheology.blogspot.com/

The Pathetic Walther P-22.

Old model P-22 had the handsome features of the P-99

I have to admit being an ardent Walther fan. I’ve toured the Walther factory in Ulm, Germany, and I’ve treasured such pistols as the PP, PPK, and P.38. I’ve admired Walther Target pistols such as the Olympia and GSP. I still believe these are the best pistols of their type in the world.  I’ve owned two Walther P-22 pistols and here is my review.  

In 2003 I purchased a Walther P-22, a light handy polymer framed gun which caught my fancy.  I expected it would perform similarly to my Walther PP .22LR which was made in 1943. In short, the gun did not live up to those expectations. First, the P-22 makes extensive use of polymer, plastic, and zinc. This keeps the pistol light weight and inexpensive.

 The gun I purchased in 2003 had several problems, its accuracy was indifferent, during the first range session the safety fell off and was lost. It was never reliable in spite of buying several additional Walther magazines.  In 2012 the gun would not function at all.  I returned it to Smith & Wesson, Walther’s  American partner at the time, for repair.  I was informed the frame was cracked and the pistol would be replaced.

New Q series P-22 is much less attractive than the old model.

I felt this was excellent customer service. About 6 weeks later my replacement pistol arrived at my FFL.   I was immediately disappointed by the new Q series styling, I found the “stealth fighter: styling on the P-99 and the scaled down P-22, very attractive and modern.  The Q series guns look like a failed modern art project. However, the worth of a gun is how it functions.  I found the Q series P-22 to be a failure. 

Here is a list of the things that are wrong with the Walther P-22.  

·        The pistol is inaccurate. It performance at 25 yards is abysmal. Usually .22 caliber pistols are usually very accurate, the P-22 is a sad exception. It will not build confidence in new shooters.

·        The pistol is unreliable, there is always a failure to fire, failure to feed, failure to eject in almost every magazine. Unlike a steel gun, it cannot break in since polymer, zinc, and plastic can’t rub off edges like two steel surfaces can. The shooter is constantly clearing jams or chambering rounds to get the pistol to shoot.  The P-22 is useless as a training weapon for novice shooters, who have no confidence in a continually malfunctioning weapon.    

·        The quality of manufacture is poor, it looks and feels cheap and chintzy. Zinc alloy is really unsuitable for firearms, especially Walther. The plastic pieces such as the sights and safety are flimsy and will not stand up to daily use. This pistol feels like an airsoft gun rigged to fire .22LR. It was apparently never built to last or preform, so unlike previous Walther pistols.    

·        The P-22 is the most ammo sensitive design ever made, my two pistols would not shoot standard velocity, and many high velocity brands of ammunition. Given the difficultly in obtaining .22 ammunition, this is a serious problem. The P-22 is simply not worth wasting expensive ammunition on.

·        The earlier P-22 looked like the P-99, which was used in several James Bond movies. Although the newer Q series gun has a stronger slide, it does not have the “Bond 007 “ allure for younger shooters.

The P-22 is really unfit to wear the Walther banner.  I would sell mine in a heartbeat but I’d hate to see another shooter get stuck.  It’s a poorly made toy which shoots live ammo, its not fit as a range gun or for any more serious purpose such as hunting or competition. Avoid this gun like the plague.

Another Hammer of Thor, a 45-70 Springfield Cadet Rifle

1884 Springfield Cadet Rifle with ammunition. 

The 45-70 Government is an outstanding cartridge. Introduced in 1873 as a U.S. military cartridge, its still popular in lever action and single shot rifles today. In the tradition black powder loading it launches a 405gr lead bullet at about 1200 feet per second.  The rifle pictured is a model 1884 Springfield Cadet Rifle. The cadet rifles were specially designed for and issued to military schools.  There are several differences between the regular Springfield trapdoor and the cadet rifle, however the maid difference is the cadet rifle is 4" shorter.  The reduced length made the cadet rifle easier to handle....by cadets.  As many military schools were essentially the same as today's high schools,  the shorter rifle was much easier to handle during drill and marksmanship by young teenagers.

      130 year old trapdoor cadet rifle at the range

 

The 45-70 rounds are loaded singly into the breach. the bore received a thin coat of bore butter to reduce fouling and leading. the off hand groups at 50 yard were excellent, once slight elevation corrections were made.

 

Target and group for the cadet rifle.

 

 

 

In the course of firing, two of the cases cracked, this was the third reload for this brass so I was surprised at the cracks. On the other hand it illustrated the danger of unseen case corrosion which can lead to brass failure.

 Two cracked cases!







Time for the Trainedband

This would be an awesome Trainedband

 

The Trainedband was the earliest colonial militia tactical unit. Their purpose was to protect the other colonists. Every man over a certain age was required to join and serve in some capacity. My ancestor, and early American colonist Daniel Burgess, was an armorer for his Trainedband. The term fell out of use in the 1700s.

Perhaps we need this today, our neighborhoods are not safe for children, our schools need additional security, many of our public places are hunting grounds for criminals. Trainedbands of law abiding citizens could assist police and be a valuable part of overall security.  They could provide the trained observers and become witnesses which helps solve crimes. Some selected members could provide an armed deterrent or armed response to crime. This would not be a great change to current public policy and law, it would be a modest expansion of concealed carry.  This expansion is necessary for the Trainedband to protect itself and victim or potential victims of crime and terrorism.   

Interesting G3 Rifle Magazines.

5 round PSG sniper steel magazine (top) 20 round lightweight G3 aluminum magazine (left) 20 round CETME steel magazine (center) and early G3 20 round steel magazine. 

During the recent cold weather testing of the Heckler & Koch (HK) G3 rifle, I had the opportunity to examine a large number of G3 rifle magazines. The G3 rifle was used by many NATO countries, including West Germany, Norway, Portugal, Greece, and Turkey. Many other countries also purchased G3 rifles and it’s still used in remote parts of the world.

Close up of 5 round steel magazine.

 

The interesting magazines examined included some from Norway, Germany and Portugal, Unmarked magazines included unmarked Spanish CETME magazines, unmarked G3 steel magazines, and a 5 round magazine which must have been made for the PSG Sniper rifle or commercial HK 91 rifle. It appears purpose made and not simply a converted 20 round magazine. The only marking on the 5 round magazine is 7.62x51 IH.

Early steel magazine with a 12/60 date.

There are two types of magazines, the all steel 20 round magazine and the 20 round ribbed pattern aluminum magazine. The follower, spring, and base plate are identical in each type of magazine.

Portuguese G3 magazine with a 2/65 date.

 

These were the most interesting ones I saw in a group of about 40 magazines.  The oldest all steel magazine was marked G3 HK 12/60 produced by HK in December 1960. The earliest date on an aluminum magazine is   G3 HK 2/63 produced in February 1963.  There were also examples of Norwegian made magazines marked with a crown over a K, and Rheimetall made magazines marked with a circle diamond.

 7/64 dated Rheinmetall made magazine.

 

 The unmarked magazines could have come from Greece or Turkey.  I sure many other countries manufactured G3 magazines and many of these are not marked.   All the different magazines performed equally well during the cold weather testing. I do have a preference for the CETME magazine, its slight curve is appealing to the eye and complement the lines of the rifle.

HK manufactured aluminum magazine with a 2/63 date. The waffle patterned may have been influenced by earlier AR-10 and AR-15 magazines. 

These are interesting bits of firearms trivia.  I thought about the world of 1960, the earliest dated magazine.   The Cold War, Berlin Crisis, election of JFK, U2 downed over the Soviet Union, and Elvis discharged from the Army all happened in 1960.