Hi Max I am glad you stated that in that order or we might have been in trouble.
Ray ----- Original Message ----- From: "Max Robinson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com> Sent: Wednesday, June 06, 2007 2:57 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] How Is a Revolver Made > Hi Ray. I enjoyed the posts about beer and balls. > > Regards. > > Max. K 4 O D S. > > Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Transistor site http://www.funwithtransistors.net > Vacuum tube site: http://www.funwithtubes.net > Music site: http://www.maxsmusicplace.com > > To subscribe to the fun with tubes group send an email to, > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Boyce, Ray" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com> > Sent: Tuesday, June 05, 2007 5:45 PM > Subject: RE: [BlindHandyMan] How Is a Revolver Made > > >> Hi Dave >> I try to come up with different topics which I hope makes reading them >> interesting and takes the list members out of the square. >> From some of the past posts recently some of them are finding them ok >> and that gives me a lot of pleasure. >> You can not please everyone as we have both found out but I am glad I >> found this list some years ago and I have made a really good friend in >> meeting you. >> >> Regards >> Ray >> >> >> ________________________________ >> >> From: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com >> [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of David & Patricia >> Ferrin >> Sent: Tuesday, 5 June 2007 21:28 >> To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com >> Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] How Is a Revolver Made >> >> >> >> Well this will sure add another degree of difficulty all right, and >> sited people are afraid of us using power tools. Ray my friend you have >> got the gift for research above anybody else I know. I'm just lad you're >> on our side. >> David Ferrin >> http://www.jaws-users.com <http://www.jaws-users.com> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: Boyce, Ray >> To: blindhandyman@Yahoogroups.Com >> <mailto:blindhandyman%40Yahoogroups.Com> >> Sent: Monday, June 04, 2007 11:04 PM >> 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. 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