Thread: Weapons 101 & gunpowder question

If anyone on this froum knows about old fashion weapons, like ones that use gunpowder, OR if you know LOTS about gunpowder in general.... please let me know. For school project for younger daughter.

But every gun (modern or not) uses gunpowder. Are you interested only in the old ones?

Originally Posted by Ramil

But every gun (modern or not) uses gunpowder. Are you interested only in the old ones?

that's why it is weapons 101....

Okay, let's try this. She is researching the history of gunpowder AND she wants to understand how gunpowder makes a gun work. Which I don't think is the correct question but is what she wants to know. And, if I undestand correctly, most guns these days...you don't pour gunpowder into them...correct???

So, can you help me to understand so maybe I can help her to understand? When we google about gunpowder and how it works or how a gun works, we are not really getting much useful information. Probably because we are not correctly phrasing the questions, garbage in...

can ya, will ya or someone else please help us out here?

Rockzmom, I don't know if your youngest one has taken any science classes. Either way, she should know that when something burns, it produces hot gases, right?
Well, when gunpowder burns, it produces A LOT of very hot gases and a very high pressure in the limited space between a bullet (or a ball, if it is a cannon) and the closed end of the barrel. And, of course, the gases push the bullet forward — toward and out of the "business end" of the barrel. The pressure is so high that the bullet is accelerated to a very high velocity, so it continues moving even after it has left the barrel and the hot gas no longer pushes it forward. And as the bulled it pushed forward, the barrel (together with lock and stock and the rest of the gun ) is pushed in the opposite direction. Since its mass is much greater than that of the bullet, the speed of its motion caused by the gases is much lower.

That's about as simple as I can put it. Please let me know if this explanation has worked for your daugher, and if she has any specific questions.

Okay...now we are getting somewhere!

She gets the part about the gunpowder heating up and causing the bullet to leave the barrel.

Next she wants to know... HOW... does the gunpowder start to burn when you pull the trigger?

Originally Posted by rockzmom

Next she wants to know... HOW... does the gunpowder start to burn when you pull the trigger?

Depends on the weapon construction. In the old muzzle-loader guns (the ones in which you stuff the powder and bullet down the barrel) which seem to be what she is interested in, the barrel had a small hole near the bottom, called a touch hole. A little bit of powder was placed on the so-called "flash pan" outside the hole. Flash pan is just a fancy name for a small powder receptacle on the outside of the barrel. In the oldest weapons, there was a little piece of burning wicker (technically called a match) attached to the trigger mechanisms. When someone pulled a trigger, the burning "match" contacted the powder in the pan, from which the powder in the barrel was ignited.
Later, a different mechanism of ignition was devised consisting of a piece of flint and a "toothed" steel wheel. When the wheel was rotated and contacted the flint, sparks were produced; when a spark fell into the powder-filled flash pan, the powder ignited, etc., etc.
Even later, more variations of the flint-and-steel mechanism were devised; in the latest one, the flint was striking against a piece of steel instead of steel wheel rubbing against the flint. But in all of these varieties, you had a touch hole in the barrel and a powder-filled flash pan on the outside of the barrel. All of the above is about smaller hand-held firearms, such as muskets and pistols.

In cannons, instead of using a complex mechanism attached to the trigger, the cannoneer usually just lit the powder in the touch hole with a piece of burning wicker, usually attached to a long pole.

In modern breechloader firearms, a completely different system is used. Both the powder and the bullet (or a load of shot) are placed inside a metal or cardboard cartridge. A cartridge is often called a round of ammunition or simply a round (if she watches TV, she must have heard the expression). All modern cartridges have a small amount of compressed high explosive substance near their bottom part. The shape of that high explosive (called the primer) and the method of its insertion into the cartridge may differ, but it is always there. Now, when you pull the trigger on a modern firearm, a special mechanism pushes a small device called a striker which punches the cartridge on the outside, causing the primer to explode and ignite the powder in the cartridge.

By the way, rockzmom, have you ever visited http://www.howstuffworks.com?
I found out that I can spend hours on that site.

Here's a portal for your daughter about firearms
http://science.howstuffworks.com/firearms-channel.htm

Here's a whole lot of information about HOW GUNS WORK (from flintstone guns to submachine guns)

http://science.howstuffworks.com/gun-roundup.htm

Ramil.... have you ever heard an almost teenage girl screech with happiness???? You might have heard this one all the way over in Russia my friend!!!

These two graphics from How Stuff Works, made the words from translationsnmru all come together!!!





You guys are the best!!! From her to you!

Her project is not due for a LONG time, so I might need to come back to you guys for follow-up questions, but at least now she has the basics and can start!!!

THANK YOU AGAIN!!!! You ROCK!

You should know that the powder in modern a cartridge is not the same as the powder used in cap and ball muzzle loaders, which use "Black Powder" instead. Black Powder can be bought in any Gun Store in the ammunition segment along with the "percussion caps" to placed on the nipple at the end of the chamber, the cap, replacing the need for a flint. These cap and ball firearms were used at the time of the Civil war, the cartridge not being available at that time.


Watch the video to see how it is loaded. (This is the identical model that I kept in my collection):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiWmOcZBc78


You don't need all the gadgets for loading that this guy uses to load one of these. It is not that difficult and can be done much faster. But many people carry a second cylinder already loaded and stored on their belt and just exchange cylinders for fast reloading.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0K2-VAc ... re=related

Originally Posted by rockzmom

that's why it is weapons 101....

What is the sense of 101? Is it an abbreviation or a phone number, or maybe there is some connection to a fairy tail?

Originally Posted by CoffeeCup

Originally Posted by rockzmom

that's why it is weapons 101....

What is the sense of 101? Is it an abbreviation or a phone number, or maybe there is some connection to a fairy [s:2x74cdf4]tail[/s:2x74cdf4] tale?

Ahhhh... 101 is a term used for the lowest level of a college course. The 100 level classes are usually taken during your first year of college and then the 200s your second year and so on. Here are some examples from the University of Maryland from their Russian Classes:
http://www.russian.umd.edu/u_courses.html

RUSS 101 Intensive Elementary Russian I (6 credits)
Prerequisites: None
This intensive first-year course is intended to develop the four skills: reading, writing, listening and speaking with an emphasis on communicative competence.
Two hours of lecture and six hours of laboratory per week. Not open to native speakers of Russian.

RUSS 102 Intensive Elementary Russian II (6 credits)
Prerequisites: RUSS 101, RUSS 112, or equivalent
A continuation of RUSS 101 which will further develop the four skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking with an emphasis on communicative competence.
Two hours of lecture and six hours of laboratory per week. Not open to native speakers of Russian.

RUSS 201 Intermediate Russian I (5 credits)
Prerequisites: RUSS 102, RUSS 114, or equivalent
CORE course: Humanities (HO)
Continued activation and expansion of skills and knowledge acquired in an elementary Russian course with the goal of communicative competence.
Two hours of lecture and four hours of laboratory per week. Not open to native speakers of Russian.

RUSS298K Soviet Film: Propaganda, Myth, Modernism
Prerequisites: None
CORE course: History/Theory of the Arts (HA)
A survey of Soviet film from the 1920s to 1991, with the main emphases on the 1920s and 1960s. The course focuses on important directors, genres, themes, and styles, beginning with the most internationally famous period of Soviet silent cinema (1925-1930), and continuing through the Stalin period (1929-1953), into the "Thaw" (mid '50s to '60s), the period of "stagnation" under Brezhnev, and finally, "glasnost."

Theoretical issues to be considered include: "propaganda"-- ideology and its integral role in Soviet art, in particular in the overarching rubric of "Socialist Realism," declared as doctrine in 1934; "myth"-- the various myths of the individual, the Russian/Soviet "nation," and history as embodied in Soviet film; and "modernism"-- the structural and technical characteristics of Soviet film art, especially as described by Soviet film theorists.

RUSS401 Advanced Russian Composition
Prerequisites: RUSS 302 or equivalent
This course is designed to help the students develop advanced writing skills and emphasizes writing as a process. It focuses on grammar for writing, elements of written discourse, such as formulaic and idiomatic written language used in press, correspondence, and academic writing, and creative aspects of self-expression in Russian. Students practice speed writing, drafting, editing, self-correction, and peer correction.

The course uses materials from the Russian and American press dealing with Russian culture and lifestyle, and addresses such issues as women's rights, ecology, education, national conflicts, and crime. In addition to serious academic writing, students practice writing soap operas, fairy tales, humorous letters, job applications, etc.

Originally Posted by DDT

Watch the video to see how it is loaded. (This is the identical model that I kept in my collection):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiWmOcZBc78

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0K2-VAc ... re=related

The second video is GREAT!! She is at school right now but as soon as she gets home I will have her watch it. Thanks DDT... you said "that you kept" as in you no longer have? No guns in Russia right? No one to keep them for you back at where ever you are from???


Ya know, it is really sad. In chapter 8 of my book, the main character is taught all about guns as in how to field strip, the three golden rules about recoil, how to wrap the left hand around the right and the gun frame and only put your pad or the nail area on the trigger...and so on.. but nothing about what makes the gun WORK.. I need to go back and fix that!

BTW, she uses a Walther PPK and rides a Ducati 1098s.

Originally Posted by rockzmom

Originally Posted by DDT

The second video is GREAT!! She is at school right now but as soon as she gets home I will have her watch it. Thanks DDT... you said "that you kept" as in you no longer have? No guns in Russia right? No one to keep them for you back at where ever you are from???



BTW, she uses a Walther PPK and rides a Ducati 1098s.

I am not in Russia right now. I used the past tense because I left this weapon with a person for safe keeping while i travelled. He put it is a vault in his bank with 160 guns from his own collection. He ran into debt with the bank and the bank seized his collection along with mine too, by mistake. A sad story! It was one of my favorite pieces. We used to shoot black powder pistols and muskets most afternoons together back then. Did you notice in the video how much smoke is exuded when shooting with black powder? At night time they make quite a flash.

The Walther PPK is a nice little gun!

Originally Posted by DDT

I am not in Russia right now.

Orly? are you allowed to say where you are or is that top secret?

Originally Posted by DDT

A sad story! It was one of my favorite pieces.

That sucks! He owes you big time!

Originally Posted by DDT

The Walther PPK is a nice little gun!

I am very glad that you approve. It really did take me a great deal of research to find a gun I thought matched the characters. Then I had to watch videos on Youtube to learn how to field strip it and properly stand to shoot the darn thing. I have actually fired a Glock before and I think a .38...it was about 3 years ago and I can't recall. Daughter who is doing said project was also there with me and she did better on the shooting range than I did!

If I ever get back to writing this book, I might ask you to take a look at the main sections that include the guns.

The other section I was really stuck on was wondering if it was harder to learn how to drive a stick shift car if you already know how to drive a motorcycle. I never really got a clear answer about that one; but, I did learn that in the UK you need to decide before you take your driving test if you are going to do it on a stick or not as that is how the license is issued (for driving a manual car or automatic) and that is not the same here in the U.S.

Hey DDT and others in the States..... if you want the email or phone number for this....send me a PM.

MARKSMEN WANTED FOR NEW SHOW ON THE HISTORY CHANNEL
COMPETE AND WIN UP TO $100,000 IN PRIZES!

HISTORY CHANNEL NOW SEEKING THE ULTIMATE MARKSMEN FOR ITS FIRST COMPETITION SHOW!

If you are skilled with a pistol, rifle or any other firearm, you could win $100,000 in prizes on TV's biggest marksmanship competition show.

The History Channel and the producers of "The Ultimate Fighter" are looking NATIONWIDE for anyone with mind-blowing shooting skills and a big personality to take on exciting physical challenges with multiple guns and mystery projectile weapons.

It doesn't matter if you're a professionally trained shooter or a self-taught, average Joe (or Jane!). As long as you're in good physical shape, have mastered a firearm and can adapt to new weapons and demanding physical situations, you could be America's first "Top Shot."

* Applicants must be at least 21 years of age, a resident or citizen of the United States and reasonably proficient with shooting and marksmanship

TO SUBMIT:
Be sure to email ALL the information requested below, NO LATER THAN JANUARY 18TH, 2010, toemail deleted by Rockzmom)
Be sure to include:
1. Your name (first and last)
2. City/State you live in
3. Conatct phone number
4. Recent photo (jpg format please)
5. A brief explanation of your marksman abilities, and why you should be on the show

Deadline to apply is January 18, 2010.

For more information:
Call (number deleted by Rockzmom) TODAY!

Hmmm...well I'll keep that in mind, but I am sure that I would be wasting my time. There are so many events and groups like "Cowboy Shooting" taking place these days that there are an over abundance of very good shooters to be found.

Originally Posted by DDT

Hmmm...well I'll keep that in mind, but I am sure that I would be wasting my time. There are so many events and groups like "Cowboy Shooting" taking place these days that there are an over abundance of very good shooters to be found.

Yeah but DDT, do THEY have YOUR BIG personality too????

...for anyone with mind-blowing shooting skills and a big personality

Today I received a carry licence for my new Marocchi Finn 512S over/under. Gonna test it in the sporting clays ground this weekend! My old Baikal Izh-27 needs a serious repair after 15,000 shots fired.