FlSwampRat
Member
One of my faves, Boom. Nice to see another fan.If you can scrounge up a copy, there is a pretty good discussion of such in an old science fiction book--Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen.
One of my faves, Boom. Nice to see another fan.If you can scrounge up a copy, there is a pretty good discussion of such in an old science fiction book--Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen.
One of my faves, Boom. Nice to see another fan.
Loading for a rifle is pretty well limited to bullets specific to that bore size. Loading for a smooth bore can be bore size, or it can be whatever random bits of hard stuff is laying around.Why a smoothbore? If the apocalypse starts I'm looking at a rifled barrel for better accuracy. I can see later on when people are making their own that a smoothbore would come back into existence, but rifling is a known advantage and some would look to still incorporate it.
If you can scrounge up a copy, there is a pretty good discussion of such in an old science fiction book--Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen.
H. Beam Piper was a noted firearm collector and wrote a mystery called Murder in the Gunroom that directly taps his knowledge of firearms (you can find that on Project Gutenberg for free).
A lot are being reprinted as most of Piper's work is now in public domain. I think that some other places have it in perhaps a more readable format. His memorial page with links to Gutenberg is found here including Murder in the Gunroom. http://h-beampiper.com/index.phpThose were good stories, though it's been a right long time since last I read them. Thanks for the Project Gutenberg tip.
Yes you are correct.Don't discount the value of the Girandoni air rifle brought on the Adventure by Meriwether Lewis.
Long been my assumption, and gripe for near-term post-apocalyptic fiction. There's a hell of a lot of ammo around. Even in fairly gun-free countries, there are armies, police forces, game wardens, etc.
If it's such the end of the world that there's no manufacturing better than what you have at home, there are no people either. So lots of the current inventory to go around. Think that wars cause all ammo to be used up? Check out how much (say) WW2 production stuff is still available and functional, 80 years on. Starting to dry up, in a civilized, supply-chains, shooter culture, just sorta now.
Someplace like the US where everyone has guns, you could scavenge ammo a half box at a time from every other farmhouse for decades, even if you didn't manage to find a case —or pallet — at an abandoned base, or the back of a truck at some fight location. If you don't practice anymore, how long does 800 rounds of 5.56 last you? A long, long time even if you hunt periodically. Some is probably passed down to your kids.
Ammunition lasts /forever/ under even remotely reasonable conditions. Hard agree that if everyone disappeared from earth today, you could wake up from your cryo freezer in a couple hundred years and almost all the ammo not actually underwater or on fire at some point would work.
And the airgun point is also a very good one.
Why a smoothbore? If the apocalypse starts I'm looking at a rifled barrel for better accuracy. I can see later on when people are making their own that a smoothbore would come back into existence, but rifling is a known advantage and some would look to still incorporate it.
I don't think many of us would blast through our existing ammo supply at the same rate we do now. How long would 5000 rounds last if every cartridge had a purpose other than target shooting?
View attachment 913203
For a couple seasons there was a TV show on called Revolution. In short, an event happened that caused electricity to not be able to be created. What machinery that was used was steam operated. Applying that to real life, we'd still be able to produce brass cartridges loaded with smokeless powder using steam tech. And if we couldn't, there'd be enough rounds available to last several generations. What I'm sitting next to right now in the basement could easily last me (and my children) many lifetimes if I came down to it.
A flintlock is not unbreakable, and they were largely handmade so replacement parts would need to be custom created. So you go to a blacksmith? Or you make those parts yourself with your forge and tools. But if things are so dystopian that factories aren't making 9mm Luger and .223 Remington don't kid yourself that your electric shop tools are still going to be useful for anything other than metal stock. Or that your gas/diesel generators are going to be running for more than a couple months. Even modern compound bows and crossbows aren't going to stand up to constant use. Nope, I'll keep my 10/22's, AR15's and 870 Expresses with interchangeable parts and rapid fire ability over a flintlock.
I'll have to locate that one as I have never read it. Fortunately, Ebay is open for business even if the used bookstores aren't. Thanks.
boom boom, Dunross, and FlswampRat just cost me some money. I just ordered a copy of all the Paratime stories by H. Beam Piper. Should be here next week.
This has been a fun thread. I've seen discussion of the most versatile firearm in extreme situations when little or no technology could help. Strictly fantasy. A smoothbore flintlock or fowler was the general favorite choice. Coming to that conclusion took some serious mental review of various firearms styles and systems. It was an interesting exercise.
Jeff
If you have a small lathe and some brass rod, you can make cartridge cases though the process is labor intensive. Shotgun shells are easiest.
It is possible but not easy to make brass shotshells with a drill press, a file, appropriate drill bits and brass rod.
Flintlock smooth bores - Flintlock fowlers - were the first guns made in America. They are marvelously versatile firearms.
Give me a Baker or a Ferguson Rifle and I will be all set with my flintlock weaponry! That is of course, if I already ran out of the hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition I have stashed away in my basement!
Always good to have a back-up plan!