Redneck Liberator - Olin flare pistol with .22 conversion, destructive testing

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AJAX22

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Preface Edit by ugaarguy:
I, the other moderators of THR, the staff of THR, the administrators of THR, and the owwnership of THR do not endorse the use of chamber adapters, caliber converters, or any like device in any non-firearm device in general and in plastic flare guns in particular. We urge all who view the below video to consider it strictly for entertainment and / or theoretical use. Please do not attempt to replicate the acts depicted in the video below.

[YOUTUBE]riaUc2THl0k[/YOUTUBE]

I had to go out of state for this project....

Kind of surprising how well it worked all things considered.

Don't do this in CA, seriously, if there was ever something that would trigger the zip gun laws, this is it.
 
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My 2nd favorite part was seeing the bulged brass....and your ungloved hand in the next frame along with hearing your desire for catastrophic failure. My favorite part though was seeing the gun with a totally busted frame, the only thing holding the barrel to the frame was the plastic trigger guard...then hearing your plans to get the hammer, which had flown out of the gun, back into the gun, to shoot it again.
Bulging cases is the best scenario I can predict for that.

I'm glad you came out ok, you could easily have gotten some brass imbedded into your hand.

Entertaining!
 
Surprised they don't machine a groove for an oring on the outside of the adapter. Would using the adaptor like that be legal? Would be nice to put in the boat in case of emergencys.
 
love how it auto ejects the spent case. Label that a 'feature'. you'll make millions :D
 
I have an old Olin flare pistol with a crack in the frame about 30 years old; have already bought a replacement. I thought seriously about testing it (by remote control) with an Aguila 12ga minishell, gun mounted inside a cardboard box (the box the kitchen air conditioner came in would be perfect, with 50' of packing twine to pull the trigger).
 
Ajax, roughly how many rounds did you fire through the flare gun / 12 ga to .22LR adapter?

For those who are curious (and I was one of them), based on ATF opinions on similar .22LR adpters in larger bore flare pistols this appears to be legal on the federal as long as there's rifling in the adapter's bbl. I'm not a lawyer though, and this is not legal advice. Do your own research, check your state and local laws, and proceed at your own risk.
 
Legality aside, there's also the safety issue. Ajax22 could have gotten a particularly sturdy plastic 12ga flare gun, or an average example. There are no guarantees that one wont get a plastic flare gun from a bad batch. So:

I, the other moderators of THR, the staff of THR, the administrators of THR, and the owwnership of THR do not endorse the use of chamber adapters, caliber converters, or any like device in any non-firearm in general and in plastic flare guns in particular. We urge all who view the above video to consider it strictly for entertainment and / or theoretical use. Please do not attempt to replicate the acts depicted in the above video.
 
Ajax, roughly how many rounds did you fire through the flare gun / 12 ga to .22LR adapter?

For those who are curious (and I was one of them), based on ATF opinions on similar .22LR adpters in larger bore flare pistols this appears to be legal on the federal as long as there's rifling in the adapter's bbl. I'm not a lawyer though, and this is not legal advice. Do your own research, check your state and local laws, and proceed at your own risk.
Click to expand...

It appeared to crack the frame on the 7th round, (one round .22short, 6 rounds .22LR

Catastrophic failure occurred on round 31 (one round .22short, 30 rounds .22LR)
 
Weren't these adapters designed for the Polish Surplus metal flare guns? They (Kenesaw Cannon Co.) also make one in .410/.45LC. I doubt they were expecting people to use them in a plastic flare launcher.
 
Weren't these adapters designed for the Polish Surplus metal flare guns? They (Kenesaw Cannon Co.) also make one in .410/.45LC. I doubt they were expecting people to use them in a plastic flare launcher.
Click to expand...

This was not one of the Kenesaw ones,

I used the Numerich one:

http://www.gunpartscorp.com/ad/881160.htm

and then turned it down on a lathe to clear the more restrictive bore of the olin pistol.

it was designed for use in a conventional shotgun, not for use in a flare pistol, particularly not for use in a plastic flare pistol.

I have one of the larger zinc olin flare pistols as well, I intend to eventually do a video with that one as well, but will need better safety precautions before playing with any sort of larger cartridges
 
Note that putting an UNrifled adapter into a flare pistol is construction of an Any Other Weapon, an NFA item. That is a BIG no-no. Smoothbore pistols are illegal unless registered.
 
You need a .22 adapter that encloses the brass case fully.

Not the Dina Arms Corp. one.

Might machine a cap to fit over the .22 case and the cap has a firing pin in it. When the guns firing pin strikes the back of the insert the cap transfers to blow to the rim of the .22 round.

Deaf
 


Round 2 with epoxy reinforcement worked. frame failure is likely a result of the adapter just not being glued into the barrel.

As soon as I can scrounge up another set of materials I'll build one that is just glued with no side reinforcing.
 
WardenWolf Note that putting an UNrifled adapter into a flare pistol is construction of an Any Other Weapon, an NFA item. That is a BIG no-no. Smoothbore pistols are illegal unless registered.
Click to expand...
This.
 
Unrifled adapters exist, they just have become increasingly uncommon (a decade back they were almost the norm)

But with more and more people doing pistol type things with it the market demand has been pushing towards rifled on everything
 
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