The humble screwdriver would have to be one of the common tools in use today. Widely used and sometimes abused, I have seen them used as scrapers, levers, pry bars, paint stirrers and tent pegs.

Many years ago, I was a trainee technician with the P.M.G’s Department (now Telstra).  One of the many topics covered was hand tools and their uses. I can recall our instructor lecturing us on the importance of selecting the correct screwdriver for the job. Of course, back then, it was so much simpler.  In fact, our initial issue of tools had three screwdrivers, all of the flat blade type. These days, the choice is broader (e.g. Phillips, Allen, Pozidriv and Torx ).

Sooner or later, the ownership of a firearm will entail disassembly for maintenance purposes. Newer types of firearms, such as the Smith & Wesson Victory semi-auto pistol, use Allen head screws. However, most of the screws encountered on firearms are the familiar flat blade type. Using the wrong size screwdriver can damage the screw head or put a scratch in the pristine bluing finish on your favourite gun.

Flat blade gunsmith screwdrivers usually differ from conventional screwdrivers in that the tips are hollow ground. This means that when the screwdriver blade goes into the screw slot, more of the blade surface is parallel with the sides of the screw slot. This means that the screwdriver blade makes more contact with the screw slot, meaning that the screwdriver is less likely to burr the screw head or jump out of the slot.

The screwdriver set under review is made by Grace Tools in the USA. The 7 piece set is listed in their catalogue as a Pistolsmith set. The screwdrivers range in size from P7 (5.7mm tip) down to P1 (2.3mm tip). The shafts are square, allowing a spanner to be used for extra leverage if required. Handles are made of hardwood, and have a square profile, meaning they are less likely to roll away when placed on the workbench.

(L-R) Sizes P7 to P1

The screwdrivers were tried out on a Winchester Model 1894 carbine, a Smith & Wesson Model 586 revolver, and a Lithgow 1A single shot .22 rifle. I was able to find a perfect fit for all of the screws encountered on these firearms. The wooden handles are a nice touch, and make life easy if your hands are oily. All in all, they feel like a quality product, and are definitely a great addition to my workbench.

Until next time, have a safe and happy shoot!

Also known as the .45ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol), this cartridge was designed by John Moses Browning in 1905 for use in a locked-breech automatic pistol manufactured by Colt. The pistol is usually referred to as the Model 1911 or the Government model, and was the issue sidearm for U.S. forces for most of the 20^th century. To see how this occurred, we have to go back to the late 1890’s.

The Cartridge Tests of 1904

In 1892, the U.S. Army adopted a Colt revolver chambered for the .38 Long Colt cartridge. Its less than stellar performance led to the purchase of some .38 Special revolvers from Smith & Wesson as an interim measure. Moves were made to determine the ideal cartridge from a military point of view, and whether an automatic pistol would be stand up to the rigours of combat use.

In 1904, the U.S. Army commissioned Captain John Thompson and Major Louis LaGarde to ascertain which cartridge would be suitable for service. Thompson was an ordnance officer; LaGarde was a surgeon with an interest in gunshot wounds. The tests were carried out in two stages. During the first stage, they used unclaimed cadavers. After testing, the cadavers were x-rayed, dissected and photographed. They second stage of the test was carried out on the killing floor of a Chicago stockyard. Cattle were shot at close range and the effects were noted. As a result of these tests, it was recommended that a .45 calibre handgun be adopted.

The Handgun Tests of 1907

The U.S. Army commenced testing to determine which handgun would be suitable for military use. A wide range of revolvers and automatic pistols were trialled. There were two automatics chambered for the .45 ACP that made it to the finals of the handgun trial. These were made by Colt and Savage. The Colt outperformed the Savage. The Colt fired 6,000 rounds without a stoppage. This led to the Colt being adopted in 1911. The Colt served as the issue handgun in the U.S. forces until being replaced by the Beretta in the 1990’s. As well as this, the Colt is still manufactured today, and has been widely copied all over the world.  Interestingly, John Browning did not regard the Colt as his best design, as he felt the Browning Hi-Power was superior.

.45ACP Ballistics

The standard military load is a 230grain Full Metal Jacketed bullet. Ballistics for a couple of commercial rounds are:  

Winchester             230 gr FMJ            880 fps MV           395 ft. /lb ME

Remington              230 gr FMJ            835 fps MV           356 ft. /lb ME

Having been in military and commercial production for so long, the .45 is available in a wide variety of configurations, such as blank, drill rounds, soft nose, etc. Some of these are shown below.

Half-Moon Clips

What is a half-moon clip and why was it necessary?

During World War 1, demand for handguns outstripped supplies of the Colt .45 automatic. The U.S. Army contracted Colt and Smith & Wesson to supply revolvers suitable for the .45ACP cartridge. As the .45 is a rimless cartridge, the revolver’s ejector star had nothing to grip onto. The problem was solved by the use of a half-moon clip (Fig. 3). Once the cartridges were inserted into the clip, the revolver could be loaded, fired and ejected in the normal manner.

Until next time, have a happy and safe shoot!

References:

Remington Ammunition Catalogue (Current)

Winchester Ammunition Catalogue (Current)

Cartridges of the World 13^th Edition

 Acknowledgement:

Thanks to Roy for the loan of his cartridge collection

We’re thrilled to announce some exciting changes at the Pine Rivers Shooting Club that we believe will make our shooting community even stronger.

In response to the rising cost of living and our commitment to inclusivity, we are reducing our membership fees for the 2024 – 2025 season to a flat rate of $50 for all categories of membership. Yes, you read that right—whether you’re a pensioner, youth, associate, or adult member, your membership fee will be just $50!

This reduction represents a significant decrease in fees, with some members experiencing a 50% reduction and others benefiting from over 70% off their previous fees. Our goal with this change is to make membership more accessible to everyone who shares our passion for shooting sports.

We believe that by lowering barriers to entry, we’ll not only increase our membership numbers but also foster a more diverse and vibrant community of shooters. So, whether you’re a seasoned veteran or just starting out, we invite you to join us for what promises to be an exciting year ahead.

Spread the word and let’s make 2024 – 2025 the strongest year yet at the Pine Rivers Shooting Club!

by Anthony Mitchell

The Lithgow Small Arms Factory

In the time between Federation and World War One, the newly-formed Commonwealth Government looked at the logistics of equipping the defence forces. It was felt that Australia could be isolated from her traditional suppliers in a time of conflict, so a decision was made to establish a factory to manufacture the Lee-Enfield .303 rifle, this being the service rifle throughout the British Empire at the time.

The Lithgow Small Arms Factory was established in 1912. The first Lee-Enfield rolled off the production line in 1912, the last one in 1956. Other useful items manufactured included bayonets, Bren Guns and Vickers Guns.

 One of the problems with running a factory is matching output with demand, and arms factories are no exception. During the period between the two world wars, the factory produced a variety of commercial goods in addition to its core products. These included items such as sewing machines, shearing equipment and handcuffs.

When peace was declared in 1945, the factory had large stockpiles of materials on hand and a diminished need for its core products. Even though Lee-Enfield production would continue into the 1950’s, the day of the military bolt-action rifle was coming to an end. Production of the L1A1 SLR would commence in the late 1950’s. Manufacture of the Steyr assault rifle commenced in the 1980’s, and continues to this day.

 The Post War Period

In the post war era, many wartime measures such as rationing continued for several years. Restrictions existed on many imported goods (including firearms).  To cut a long story short, a partnership was formed between SAF Lithgow and Slazenger to produce firearms for the civilian market. The guns produced were a .410 shotgun and a .22 Hornet rifle (both based on a Lee-Enfield action), a .22 bolt-action repeater and a .22single shot. The single shot was the most numerous one made.

The Lithgow Single Shot

Manufacture of the single shot rifle ran from 1946 until the early 1960’s, with around 224,000 rifles made. The barrel was made of .303 grade barrel steel and is 610mm long. The stock is made of coachwood.  (The same timber used for .303 stocks)  No butt plate is fitted. A single knurled screw holds the barrel and stock together. Open sights are fitted. The front sight is a blade, the rear sight is a “v” notch adjustable for elevation, with each notch on the ramp equal to 25 yards. The sights are OK, but are a little on the fine side if the shooter is on the wrong side of 60. All up weight is 2.1Kg.

The bolt locking lug is on the root of the bolt handle in common .22 fashion. Once a cartridge has been chambered, the cocking piece has to be pulled back manually. The safety can only be engaged when the rifle is cocked. This is done by pulling back the cocking piece slightly and turning clockwise about ¼ turn.

This is definitely a “no frills” rifle, but they gained a reputation for being reliable, accurate and durable. They were made from military grade materials after all.

Field Stripping

Stripping the rifle down for cleaning is pretty straightforward. The trigger also acts as the bolt stop. To remove the bolt, pull the trigger with the bolt in the forward position and slide the bolt to the rear. Undo the knurled takedown screw and remove the barrel from the stock.

 The photo below shows the three primary parts.

At the Range

 My Lithgow is a Model 1A which left the factory in 1948, and has had two careful owners since then. I recently spent an afternoon at Belmont testing several different brands of ammunition. The rifle is exactly the same as when it left the factory. No sight adjustments were made during testing.  50 metre pistol targets were used. There was a breeze drifting the shots from left to right.

At 50 metres, using a rest, the following 5 shot groups were obtained:

Federal Classic

Standard Velocity 40grain solid

45mm Horizontally

42mm Vertically

Winchester Bushman

High Velocity 37.5 grain hollow point

22mm Horizontally

75mm Vertically

Winchester T22

Standard Velocity 40 grain solid

36mm Horizontally

61mm Vertically

These groups were the best obtained. I am not a bench rest shooter, nor is the Lithgow a bench rest rifle. Several other brands of ammunition were tested. Rimfires have a reputation for being fussy, and this one is no exception.  The most expensive ammunition is not always the most accurate.

Summing Up

Well made from military spec. materials, the Lithgow single shot rifles are fun to shoot and are an interesting part of Australian firearms history.

Until next time, have a happy and safe shoot!

References:

The Lee-Enfield by Ian Skennerton

By Anthony Mitchell

Introduction

When we aim at a target and pull the trigger, there is a reasonable chance that the bullet will end up fairly close to what we aim at. If we have a look inside the barrel of a rifle or a handgun, we will see some spiral grooves known as rifling.

As the bullet travels through the barrel, it engages with the grooves. This makes the bullet spin, and enhances accuracy. The grooves also leave their mark on the bullet, as seen in the photograph below.

As to how much difference is made by having a rifled barrel, we might just travel back around 200 years and have a look at the difference in accuracy between a smoothbore and a rifled musket.

The Smoothbore Musket

A typical example was the “Brown Bess” musket used by the British army. A muzzle-loading weapon, it fired a round lead ball of around .75 calibre propelled by a charge of black powder. Ignition was by flintlock. For a description of accuracy, we have an account by a Colonel Hanger, an officer in the British army. He wrote in 1814:

“ A soldier’s musket if not exceedingly ill-bored (as many are), will strike the figure of a man at 80 yards, perhaps even at 100; but a soldier must be very unfortunate indeed who shall be wounded by a common musket at 150 yards, provided his antagonist aims at him; and as for firing at a man at 200 yards with a common musket, you might as well fire at the moon and have the same hope of hitting your object. I do maintain and will prove, whenever called on, that no man was ever killed at 200 yards by a common soldier’s musket by the person who aimed at him.”

In 1841the  Royal Engineers conducted series of tests on “Brown Bess.”

At 150 yards “By very careful shooting” they could hit a target “twice as high and twice as broad as a man” three times out of four shots.

At 250 yards  “The mark was made twice as wide as before, but of 10 shots at 250 yards, not one struck”

As shooting at long distance was a waste of ammunition, most  military engagements were at less than 100 yards. Soldiers were taught to fire in volleys, the theory being that if a lot of people fired at the target, there was a greater chance of hitting it. Rapid reloading was emphasised,  with a good shot able to load and fire 3 times in a minute.

The Rifled Musket

In 1801the British army adopted the Baker rifle. Designed by  London gunsmith Ezekiel Baker, this was a muzzle-loading rifle. In order to enable the round lead ball to engage with the rifling grooves, the ball was loaded with a greased patch of leather or fabric around it. It was slower to reload, but much more accurate.

Testing proved that the Baker rifle could hit the target 9 times out of twelve at 200 yards.  Ezekiel Baker himself claimed it could strike targets at 400 to 500 yards away, but not with any certainty of hitting what was aimed at. The Baker rifle was so successful that it was issued until 1837.

Initially issued to specialised units only, by the mid 19^th century, the muzzle-loading rifle was general issue across all major armies.

Terminology

Armies may no longer fire musket balls at a target, but still use the term “ball” to describe plain full metal jacketed ammunition.

The hammer of a muzzle-loader was always placed at the “half cock” position to guard against the firearm discharging whilst being loaded. (If the hammer slipped off the half cock notch during loading, this could be very unfortunate for the shooter concerned).  Thus the phrase “going off half-cocked” gained common use in the English language.

The term “Lock, Stock & Barrel” indicating a completed product, also dates back to the muzzle loading era.

Rifling is a detailed subject in itself. The number of grooves and the rate of twist, for example, are two things that are carefully matched to the calibre of the bullet being used. 

Next time you loose off a shot, spare a thought for the shooters of yesteryear, we dfinitely have it a lot easier these days.

Until next time, have a happy and safe shoot!

References: The Book of Rifles by W.H. Smith & J.E. Smith

                     The Sharpe Companion by Mark Adkin

                     One Shot, One Kill by Andy Dougan

By Anthony Mitchell

Introduction

In this article we will have a brief look at what makes a gun go bang: propellants (or powder) and the primers.

Propellants

Broadly speaking, there are two main types of powder, black powder (or gunpowder) and smokeless powder.

Black Powder has been around for centuries. It is a mixture of saltpetre, charcoal and sulphur. It is bulky, generates a lot of smoke when fired, and leaves a lot of carbon fouling in the barrel after firing.

Smokeless Powder was developed in the 19^th century. It was less bulky than black powder and could propel a bullet at much higher velocity. Also, the amount of fouling was greatly reduced.

Primers

When struck by the gun’s firing pin, the priming compound ignites the powder charge. In a centrefire cartridge the primer is located centrally in the base of the cartridge, whereas in the rim fire cartridge, the priming compound is located in the cartridge rim.

Corrosive vs Non-Corrosive Priming

As we have seen earlier, smokeless powder had many advantages over black powder. However, after smokeless powder came into use, it was noticed that gun barrels were wearing out more rapidly than before. Initially, smokeless powder was thought to be the culprit. However, the priming compound was found to be the problem. A by-product remaining in gun barrels was found to be a chemical similar to common table salt. And just like table salt, it attracted moisture, which started rust.

When black powder was the propellant, the carbon fouling tended to protect the barrel to a certain extent. This meant that guns had to be cleaned rigorously to prevent premature barrel wear. A common method used previously involved pouring boiling water down the barrel to remove any salt. Cleaning solvents were also developed specifically for corrosive ammunition.

Nowadays, virtually all modern ammunition has non-corrosive priming. The exception may be old military surplus ammunition, especially from the Communist Bloc.

Summary

Modern ammunition is inherently reliable, clean and accurate. Modern barrel steels combined with modern cleaners and lubricants can mean that the life of a gun barrel is generally pretty long. In the case of a .22LR firearm, the barrel will generally wear out before it will rust out.

Until next time, have a happy and safe shoot!

By Anthony Mitchell

Introduction

In this article we will take a look at the shotgun cartridge, how it works, and some of the terminology surrounding it. This article concentrates on the 12 gauge, as this is the most commonly encountered.

The shotgun cartridge is of the centrefire type. The ones commonly encountered have a plastic case; previously, cases were made of cardboard.

The cartridge contains a powder charge and a wad, topped off with a load of shot. The case is then crimped over.

The “standard” 12 gauge load was usually a 3 dram equivalent, 2¾ inch cartridge with a payload of 1⅛ ounces of shot. This gave a muzzle velocity of approx. 1200 feet per second.

Calibre

Shotguns and their cartridges are usually described by the term “gauge”, and relate to the diameter of a lead ball. A 12 gauge gun barrel has the diameter of a lead ball, 12 of which would weigh one pond. A 20 gauge gun barrel has a diameter of a lead ball, 20 of which would weigh one pound. In the UK, they use “bore” instead of gauge. E.g. 12 bore instead of 12 gauge.

As always, there is an exception to the rule. The .410 shotgun has a bore diameter of .410 of an inch.

Dram Equivalent

A dram is a unit of measurement in the Imperial system. A common load was 1⅛ ounces of shot propelled by 3 drams of black powder. When smokeless powder came into being, shooters wanted to know how powerful a particular load was. Thus the term “dram equivalent” came into common usage.

Case Length

The case length is specified after the cartridge has been fired. A standard shell is 2¾ inches or 70 mm long. Some guns are chambered for 3 inch shells. Do not use 3 inch shells in a gun chambered for 2¾ inch shells. To do so may give rise to dangerous chamber pressures and risk of injury to the shooter.

Shot

 The standard load was previously 1⅛ ounces (32 grams).  Loads used for clay target shooting are usually 1 ounce (28 grams). Field loads are often heavier than this.

Shot Size

In the smaller shot sizes, pellets are given a number according to their size. The larger the number, the smaller the pellet size. E.g. No. 4 shot is bigger than No. 7.  Larger shot sizes are given a letter descriptor. (For instance,   SG has 9 pellets in a 32 gram load).

The shells in Fig. 1 are Remington 12 gauge with 28 grams of 7½ shot

Wad

The wad sits between the powder charge and the shot, and is usually cup-shaped and made of plastic. Sometimes they are made of cork or similar material. The wad protects the shot as it travels down the barrel.

Steel Shot

Due to environmental considerations, some field loads contain steel shot instead of lead. As steel is much harder than lead, it should only be used in guns designed for steel shot.

Points to Remember

• Always check that the shells are compatible with the gun.
• Ammunition manufacturers put a lot of useful information on the box, take the time to read it.

Until next time, have a happy and safe shoot!