the main concern is the balance between keeping tight so the max of powder is burned, the max pressure from that burn is retained, and the max guidence of the barrel on the projectile is achieved, then adding spin for stability; with the actuality of the pressures not being too much for the chamber or barrel. As yours wouldn't have been of any pressure concern, I'd say it would have been true for maybe 5 feet.. Most don't even have trigger mechanisms, and use the release of the hand to cuase the impact on the rim fire toinitiate the priming. Most of that kind also blow the shell back at the UH DUH user.
On Tue, 5 Jun 2007, Edward Przybylek wrote: > Hi Ray, > > Back in high school I attempted making a zip gun. It consisted of an > aluminum tube that snuggly housed a 22 caliber bullet and a handle made of > wood. I was working on the trigger/hammer mechanism when the shop teacher > figured out what the final result was to be. A very stern lecture and the > threat of being thrown out of shop class for the remainder of the year > convinced me it was not the time nor the place to attempt the project. He > did, however, admit that the design was looking pretty good. Who knows. > Someday, with a little free time, it might be worth revisiting the project. > > Take care, > Ed > > > > _____ > > From: [email protected] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > On Behalf Of Boyce, Ray > Sent: Monday, June 04, 2007 11:05 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: [BlindHandyMan] How Is a Revolver Made > > > > Hi All > Anyone tried to make there own Gun? > How is a revolver made? > > Background > > The term "handgun" refers to any small firearm intended for use with one > hand only. Currently, the two most important types of handguns are revolvers > and > automatic pistols. The key distinction between the two is that the former > contains a cylindrical magazine (the firearm > compartment > from which cartridges, or bullets, are fed into the barrel) with multiple > chambers that enable the shooter to fire repeated shots without pausing to > reload. > An automatic (self-loading) pistol feeds cartridges into the barrel from a > detachable magazine that is inserted through the bottom of the butt (the > gun's > handle). This type of pistol utilizes some of the > recoil > force from each cartridge firing to feed the next cartridge into its single > chamber. As the two varieties differ widely in design and production, this > article > will concentrate on the revolver. > > The earliest firearms ensued from the invention of black powder, a precursor > of gunpowder developed in China during the ninth century A.D.; among other > things, the Chinese apparently used their invention to propel primitive > rockets. The recipe and uses for black powder were eventually transmitted to > Europe > by Mongol conquerors, and it was the Europeans who perfected the substance > during the fourteenth century. Within one hundred years, the first small > arms > were being developed. However, early handguns remained > troublesome > for several centuries. For one thing, very few people could shoot them > accurately (sighting targets proved easier with the long barrel of a > musket > to serve as a guide). Another problem was that their > firepower > had to be minimal if soldiers were to fire them with one hand. Until the > mid-eighteenth century, most handguns could hold only one cartridge at a > time, > and this had to be loaded through the gun's muzzle (barrel). > > The handgun became > vastly > improved in 1835, when Samuel Colt patented the first > workable > revolver, which became known as the cap-and-ball. Although Colt's > handgun > still had to be front-loaded, its revolving cylinder contained five or six > chambers, and the shooter advanced it automatically by cocking the hammer > (earlier > models had required shooters to align each chamber and depress the hammer > separately). Later improvements yielded a cartridge revolver that did not > have > to be loaded through the muzzle, better ejection designs, and double-action > cocking mechanisms. > > By the end of the nineteenth century, when handguns incorporating these > innovations were being mass produced, the revolver had reached its mature > form. > It remained the weapon of choice for military personnel until the second > decade of the twentieth century, when it was replaced by automatic pistols. > Although > many predicted that the advent of the automatic model would render the > revolver obsolete, it has remained popular. Today, revolvers continue to be > used > alongside automatic pistols by police officers, members of the armed forces, > and target shooters throughout the world. > > Design > > To understand how a revolver is made, it is important to know how each > subsystem functions within the weapon. A revolver contains four main > subsystems: > the Frame Group; the Cylinder, Extractor, and Crane Group; the Barrel and > Sight Group; and the Trigger, Timing Hand, and Hammer Group. > > The Frame Group consists of the main frame, the trigger guard, and the hand > grip. Its purpose is to provide a strong frame to contain the powerful force > of the cartridge discharge, position the shooter's hand correctly, and > insure that the trigger functions precisely. Designs vary slightly due to > manufacturers' > patents, but the operation is basically the same. Some frames have a > removable sideplate that provides access to the trigger group, while others > insert > the trigger group as a separate assembly though the bottom of the frame. All > modern revolvers utilize a frame design incorporating a solid top > strap > that connects the top of the grip area to the barrel mounting area, > reinforcing the structural integrity of the frame. > > The Cylinder, Extractor, and Crane Group consists of the cylinder itself, > the shaft upon which it rotates, the extractor, the extractor shaft, a > return > spring, and the crane. The cylinder commonly contains six chambers for six > cartridges of the correct > caliber > arranged in a circle. The rim, or outer edge of the cartridge base, rests > upon a > semicircular > ledge formed by the extractor, which contains six small depressions in the > center. The outside of the cylinder has six corresponding locking grooves. > The > cylinder rotates on the cylinder pin, which locks into the frame on one end > and the crane on the other end. While the inside of the frame supports the > base of the cartridge, the forcing cone on the barrel helps the bullet > accurately jump the gap between the cylinder face and the barrel. > > The Barrel and Sight Group is very important to the accuracy of the weapon. > Threaded onto the frame, the barrel receives the bullet from the chamber > upon > firing. Inside, the barrel is rifled, or inscribed with a series of grooves > that > impart > a stabilizing spin to bullets as they leave the gun. The sights consist, .of > a Rear Sight with its groove or > notch > and a Front Sight which is typically shaped like a blade or post. The notch > and the top of the blade, which can be adjusted, are aligned to help > shooters > aim. Most high quality revolvers feature sights purchased from companies > whose specialty is fine mechanisms. Optical sights, low-and no-light sights, > and > lasers are also available. > > The Trigger Group is best explained by describing the firing sequence, > initiated when the shooter pulls back on the hammer spur. This action > compresses, > or cocks, the hammer spring and pushes the timing hand connecting the hammer > to the trigger group into an extractor depression, rotating the cylinder to > align that chamber and the barrel. The trigger mechanism > latch > engages the locking grooves, stopping further rotation and securing the > cylinder for firing. At the end of the travel, the hammer is latched by the > trigger > sear > and held ready for firing. When the trigger is fully depressed, the hammer > unlatches from the trigger sear and is propelled forward by the hammer > spring. > This energy is transmitted to the firing pin, which strikes the > primer > of the cartridge, firing the weapon. This sequence of firing is called > single action. > > With the advent of the double action design, a connection bar was used to > allow the trigger to rotate the cylinder, > cock > the hammer, and complete the firing in one motion. This design promoted an > increase in rate of firepower and simplified the draw and fire situation. > Most > modern revolvers are of the double action design. After firing, the shooter > releases the trigger. The trigger spring then returns the trigger to the > forward > position and forces the hand and latch to > retract > within the frame in preparation for the next shot. Once the cartridges have > been fired, the cylinder latch on the side of the frame is pressed, > disengaging > the cylinder pin from the frame. This allows the entire assembly to swing > out of the frame on the crane for reloading. The extractor shaft is pressed, > lifting the cartridge cases out of their chambers, after which the cylinder > spring returns the extractor to the cylinder. Live cartridges are again > loaded > and the cylinder is then simply pushed back into the frame, where the > cylinder pin spring latches it back into place. > > Raw Materials > > With the exception of the grips, which may be wood or plastic, nearly all > components of the revolver are metal. Steel was the primary metal until > changes > in its availability and advances in other metals rendered them more > desirable. For example, during the 1860s, the disruption in the steel supply > caused > by the Civil War led to the use of brass for revolver frames. During World > War II, the need for a lightweight weapon for use by aircraft crews brought > about the use of a > aluminum alloy > frame. The > stainless steel > frame and barrel soon followed, improving > corrosion > resistance and reducing maintenance. > > The Manufacturing > Process > > Forging the components > List of 1 items > * The major components of most revolvers begin as a group of steel or > stainless steel blanks that are forged into close approximations of the > desired parts. > The basic shape of each part is formed by placing a heated blank of material > into a forging press and impacting it with several hundred tons of force. > This impact forces the metal into the forging die, a steel block with a > cavity shaped like the part being produced. Sometimes, multiple strikes by > the > press are required, each with a more precise die than the previous step. The > resulting part is both extremely strong and very similar to final shape. > list end > > Annealing and machining > List of 3 items > * After forging, the flow patterns of the metal must be stabilized by heat > treating. This procedure consists of > reheating > the parts in a controlled atmosphere to relieve internal stresses without > reducing the metal's inherent strength. > * Machining can now begin on the frame, cylinder, and other component parts. > Most modern revolvers are manufactured on automated, computer-controlled > machining > centers and lathes. However, a number of manufacturers have had such > excellent service and results with some of their machines that they continue > to utilize > fifty-year-old equipment. Regardless of whether older or modern equipment is > used, the basic process actions of milling, drilling, and tapping are > essentially > the same. The tolerances on this machining must be held within one or two > thousandths of an inch. All of the components, from the screws to the > trigger, > are machined using similar processes. > * To effectively machine the raw forging, a worker clamps it into a holding > apparatus that secures the part during machining. Properly designed > fixtures > also contain tool guides and bushings to support the cutting tool and > increase accuracy. Many of the operations performed will require several > specialized > fixtures. Cylinders, screws, shafts, and barrels are made on lathes while > frames, sideplates, sights, and triggers are made on a milling and machining > center. > list end > > Rifling the barrel > List of 2 items > * One of the most unique processes is the rifling of the barrel. Rifling is > essentially a series of grooves within the barrel. These grooves have a > precise > twist that, through contact with the bullet > circumference, > causes the bullet to spin during firing. This rate of twist is about 1 turn > in 16 inches (40.6 > centimeters). > To produce the rifling, a worker subjects the barrel to either the cutting > or the button rifling process. Cutting is accomplished by drawing a > broach-like > cutting tool through the barrel blank repeatedly, removing metal to > approximately .010 inch (.025 centimeter) deep. Cutting marks and other > scratches within > the rifling can impair accuracy by damaging the bullet, which throws it out > of balance. However, one advantage of these marks is that they are different > in every gun barrel, producing unique rifling imprints on the bullets they > fire. This is how law enforcement specialists match bullets to the gun that > fired them. > * Button rifling refers to an operation in which a > hardened > form tool is drawn through the barrel blank under high force, displacing the > metal in the grooves without cutting. This is similar in some respects to > the > forging operation, only it is done without heating the barrel. The > advantages of button rifling are increased production, no chip formation, > and improved > surface quality. > list end > > Applying protective coatings > List of 1 items > * After machining, the metal surfaces of most steel or aluminum weapons > receive a protective coating to reduce corrosion. Commonly referred to as > blueing, > this process entails submersing the parts in tanks of acid and other > chemicals. In these vats, the chemicals react with the metal to produce a > durable > barrier against the elements. Chrome and > gold > plating, parkerizing, and > anodizing > (for aluminum) are some variants of the blueing process, while plating, > another means of applying a protective coat, is accomplished by setting up > an electric > current between the parts and the supply > anode, > which consists of another type of metal. The electrical path carries > molecules of the plating metal to the component, where they bond very > tightly to the > surface. > list end > > Assembly > List of 1 items > * The entire weapon is assembled by one person who fits all of the > components, many of them manually. While dimensional control has improved > significantly > over the past twenty years, the timing of the trigger and hand mechanism and > the crispness of the trigger pull are still set by hand. Most manufacturers > have grades of fitting quality; for example, the trigger pull of a service > weapon that will be used by police is set heavier than that of a target or > specialty > handgun. One would expect to > exert > a more determined effort to discharge a weapon in a law enforcement setting, > while at the target range the lighter trigger pull is desirable to increase > accuracy. Once the weapon has been put together, any necessary filing, > polishing, and turning will be performed before testing. > list end > > Quality Control > > After assembly and fine tuning, the weapon is dry fired (without ammunition) > and checked for function before being sent to the firing line for proof > firing. > The first phase of the proof firing process entails inspecting and recording > the gun's trigger weighting, sights, and cylinder spacing. Next, the gun is > loaded with special ammunition and fired. Industry standards dictate the > types and relative power of the proofing cartridges. They are typically > heavier > charged than the service cartridge, assuring that any weakness in the gun > will be detected before it is placed into service. The gun is then packaged > and > shipped to law enforcement agencies, military contractors, and federally > licensed weapons dealers. > > The Future > > From the manufacturing > standpoint, > the handgun is still making use of new materials and processes, even though > the design is quite mature. With the advent of investment castings, net > shape > forgings, and lightweight alloys, revisions to the standard design will > continue. From a social perspective, the handgun has been the center of > increasing > debate since the 1960s. Many people have contended that limiting access to > guns and ammunition would reduce violence in the United States. However, > such > proposals have been counterbalanced by a popular interpretation of the > Second Amendment to the Constitution, which many believe guarantees > individual citizens > the right to bear arms. This debate continues in both the media and various > state and federal legislatures. As of today, revolvers remain popular with > law enforcement officers and military personnel. In addition, ordinary > citizens can purchase and utilize them with relative ease, as the > constraints that > some states have recently imposed upon gun purchasers are generally limited > to mandatory waiting periods that enable salespeople to perform background > checks. > > ********************************************************************** > This message and its attachments may contain legally > privileged or confidential information. If you are not the > intended recipient, you must not disclose or use the > information contained in it. If you have received this e-mail > in error, please notify the sender immediately by return > e-mail and delete the e-mail. > > Any content of this message and its attachments which > does not relate to the official business of Eraring Energy > must be taken not to have been sent or endorsed by > Eraring Energy. 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