Maggie’s Motivational Pic Thread v2.0 - - New Rules - See Post #1
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Rubber doctrine at Sutler's Row
North-South Skirmish Association National Range at Fort Shenandoah. Winchester, Virginia. 2007
The most important "transitional period" of firearms development marked by the transition from percussion cap and loose powder and projectile to metallic rimfire and centerfire was also marked by a staggering amount of innovative proto-cartridge designs, from the overly complex Rube Goldberg-esque pinfires and 'teat-fires' that were popular with the makers of small vest and parlor revolvers to a simple, rugged, and battle tested primerless case which contained powder and bullet that was ignited by a traditional percussion nipple. Carbines like the Maynard and Model 1859/63 Sharps used this form of expedient loading innovation from 1853 to approximately 1868, when most of the last percussion breechloading carbines in military and law enforcement service were replaced with centerfire cartridge longarms. In the civilian world however, military surplus carbines left over in large quantities from the hostilities of 1861-1865 continued putting food on the table and occasionally putting two-legged miscreants permanently out of reoffending well into the first half of the 20th century, during an age when new guns were expensive and the "old" ones performed just as good, if not better. Most metallic cartridge percussion carbines used copper or brass casings, and well into the Prohibition years, one will still find small town tool shops in the hill country of the Appalachia turning out Sharps and Maynard cases as a side gig for those who continued running the old warhorses. However, among the vast world of innovative breechloading carbines that appeared in the middle of the 19th century, one, well, decided to stand out...
The Smith Carbine was patented by designer Gilbert Smith at the Massachusetts Arms Factory in 1857. Featuring a robust and simple break open design and rapid rate of fire with preloaded cartridges, the .52 caliber Smith arrived on scene just in time for the US Department of Ordnance's scouring of wartime contracts for the looming conflict on the horizon that was inevitable by then, with the brutality of the Kansas-Missouri border war and increasingly heated debates of states' rights and secession dominating newspaper headlines almost daily. Originally, the Smith was designed with a chamber beveled for use with standard copper casings of the time, but perhaps due to difficulties securing a source of copper by the M.A.F., the gunmaker resorted to a curious new material for cartridges. Officials from the Department of Ordnance inspecting these rifles for federal service would have been puzzled when they walked into the company's Chicopee Falls warehouse where the guns were set up for demonstration. A box containing black and almost alien looking accoutrements made from a mixture of natural rubber and an early plastic that would be the precursor to Bakelite greeted them upon arrival. They were soft to the touch. Almost too soft, and flexible. "But won't these things fail to contain the explosion and blow up the chamber? Or melt?", the federal representatives would have asked. Their inquiry was promptly answered when Mr. Gilbert Smith proceeded to charge 10 of the rubber casings with 40 grains of FFFg sporting powder, topping them with a beeswax lubed single ring .520 caliber hollowbase conical slug. Inserting one into the breech of the rifle, he snapped close the receiver, it's locking spring engaging with a resounding THUUP. Placing a musket cap onto the nipple and thumbing the hammer to full cock, Mr. Smith raised the gun to his shoulders. At this point, some of the more wary War Office representatives recoiled backward from the man, anticipating the rifle to disintegrate into a hideous ball of flame and metal shrapnel. Ignoring them, Smith fired, and the steel bell 200 yards downrange clanged with authority from being smacked with over 320 foot pounds of energy. Nine times he repeated this procedure, and upon the discharge of the final loaded round, he set the rifle back down onto the table and motioned for the federals to pick up and examine the still-smoking cases that he had ejected from the gun. As Smith expected, not one of the rubber casings showed any sign of failure or thermal damage, save for a greasy coat of black powder fouling that covered the inside of the casings as well as the spectacles of the curious observers. "Well gentlemen, that does it", one of the representatives remarked.
From 1857 to 1863, 30,000 Smith carbines were built for US Army wartime contract by the Massachusetts Arms Co. They would be predominantly issued to the Cavalry, who needed a fast loading and hard hitting long arm in addition to their revolvers. Over 5000 were captured in battle and saw service with the Confederate States Army. An additional 1000 or so would be duplicated by the Confederate firm of Cook and Bros. in Richmond, Virginia. At the end of hostilities in 1865, the majority of surplus Smiths were sold onto the civilian market for $2-5 a piece. Most found their way onto farms, and others were carried by their owners to their new homes in the western territories. In 1876, when the Jesse James - Cole Younger gang held the town of Northfield, Minnesota under siege as they were robbing it's bank, a man named Henry Wheeler grabbed a Smith carbine from the mantel of the saloon under the motel he was staying at, returned to the second floor and exchanged fire with the outlaws, killing one robber, Clell Miller, and shattering the arm of another Bob Younger. The death of Clell Miller prompted the outlaw gang to retreat from Northfield empty handed.
Onto 2007 Spring Nationals at Fort Shenandoah. After a long drive from New York City to rendezvous with my team for the carbine and revolver matches, the rest of the next day was spent browsing the shops at Sutlers Row when towards twilight, an Uberti Model 1865 Spencer chambered in .45 Long Colt caught my attention at one of the vendor's booths. Upon inquiry, I discovered that the gun had 3 previous owners and was still in almost mint condition. The rifle was the vendor's personal display piece and was not originally for sale on Sutler's Row due to it's chambering not being the .56-50 used in organization matches. Another small thing stood out. Instead of the friction pinned and driven Spencer long ladder rear sight just forward of the receiver, I immediately noticed the simpler tombstone profile of a Smith carbine rear sight immaculately tapped and screwed into the receiver. Thinking about it for a moment, I realized just why the previous shooter would have done this. The sight window was very large and offered a quick access to targets even in low light conditions and the two notch slider was ranged in at Smith's factory standard of 50 and 100 yards, a reasonable setting for another carbine and cartridge designed for shots at that range. So I looked back up at the vendor and said: "Well good sir, that does it"...
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I remember once, in training, calling out corpseman.
CORPSEMAN!!!!
I guess that wasn't very funny to those guys.
Need to start a collection to get her some better shoes so she doesn't slip next time. Love the "equal opportunity" punch.
Holy shit I almost pissed myself laughing
… but those SWCC guys are the shit.
I set up my dad's old lathe this morning.
With the only suitable piece of wood I could find in the garage for turning, I whipped up this special for @Dirty D and @Barneybdb to fight over
With the only suitable piece of wood I could find in the garage for turning, I whipped up this special for @Dirty D and @Barneybdb to fight over
A swollen skeeter that just drank it's fill from some poor SOB out in the sun? Fuck yeah, smash em!
Nah, it's from a satire FB page about a semi-fictional truck stop. Pretty funny stuff. She's the cashier/piss bottle collecter/local young incompetent single mother.
