gas operated, auto-ejecting SAA ( & I don't think it was an April foolie)

[gunsmith]

looks like something out of firefly
http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=446857
some of you may know Jim or of him, I met him around the turn of the century-incredible guy.

[230RN]

Well, if you have enough energy available, you can make almost any mechanism do almost anything.  With enough lube.

One of Garand's orginal designs also had a muzzle cap to trap gas.  Another one was unlocked by allowing the primer to set back and unlock the mechanism, whereafter it operated on recoil.

Even Browning's original "potato digger" and his flapper-on-the-muzzle machine guns were pretty awkward.

And look what developed from those ideas. 

Same story with internal combustion engines.  Comparing some of the originals, with poppet valving and brush carburetors with today's slick, compact injected powerhouses gives you pause.

Jim March was the one who built that weird sight for (I think) an SAA.  I've got a picture of it somewhere --big brass tube atop the barrel.  You gotta hand it to the guy for being able to think out of the box.  I gotta admit, I've done a lot of things in iron and steel and brass and aluminum just for the sake of seeing if I could make them work, practical or not.

Right now I'm tiddling with a hot-wire anemometer made out of a 1004 automotive lamp for really slow air flows.  Just diddlin' around.  Sensor (1004's filament) is one side of a Wheatstone bridge.

"Why?" you ask?

"Jeeze, I dunno," I answer.

Some people make enormous and incredible projects out of Lego bricks.

"Why?" you ask?

"Jeeze, I dunno," they answer.

My main concern with Jim March's effort is that somebody from the BATFE would consider that a suppressor somehow.  After all, he's not bleeding off the barrel, but off the muzzle.  And I don't want to sign on to TFL to ask about that.  Seems to me he'd'a been better off drilling through where the ejector housing screw is and rigging something to tap the gas thataway.

Terry, 230RN

[Brad Johnson]

It just screams "Steampunk!!".

Brad

[AmbulanceDriver]

It may scream, "steampunk."

But I scream, "I WANT ONE!!!!!"

[Hawkmoon]

And I scream, "WHY?"

But I'm sure his response would be, "Because ... just because."

[French G.]

I'm trying to talk him into doing some gas porting to recock the hammer. I'm sure you could make one go full auto to if legal, look at the occasional malfunction you can get with cap and ball with big flash holes. 

[seeker_two]

Not sure of the practicality or safety of this one.....but, I wouldn't mind seeing him do something like this for another purpose....like using the gases from the bullet to launch a dart or something....

[230RN]

Not sure of the practicality or safety of this one

Practicality?  You want practicality?  I've done a lot of things just for the sake of seeing if they work or can be made to work.  Maybe it's a control-freak thing, I don't know.  Like the time I used half Q-tips in my airsoft just to see how they'd fly.

Or the time I used office push-pins in my blowgun  --although that turned out to be pretty practical for short-range practice without doing any real damage if I missed.  (Yes, they do fly point-first.)

As Michael Faraday supposedly replied to a question as to what use one of his "toys" was, "Of what use is a newborn baby?"  Or was it, "Someday you'll tax it."  I forget.

On the other hand, maybe this kind of undirected experimentation is just part of some kind of Nature-Testing Syndrome --NTS.

Practical?

Maybe not.  But Faraday's "Newborn Baby" grew up into the electric motor.



And... of what use is this monstrosity?



Terry, 230RN

[AmbulanceDriver]

Practicality?  You want practicality?  I've done a lot of things just for the sake of seeing if they work or can be made to work.  Maybe it's a control-freak thing, I don't know.  Like the time I used half Q-tips in my airsoft just to see how they'd fly.

Or the time I used office push-pins in my blowgun  --although that turned out to be pretty practical for short-range practice without doing any real damage if I missed.  (Yes, they do fly point-first.)

As Michael Faraday supposedly replied to a question as to what use one of his "toys" was, "Of what use is a newborn baby?"  Or was it, "Someday you'll tax it."  I forget.

On the other hand, maybe this kind of undirected experimentation is just part of some kind of Nature-Testing Syndrome --NTS.

Practical?

Maybe not.  But Faraday's "Newborn Baby" grew up into the electric motor.



And... of what use is this monstrosity?



Terry, 230RN

I believe that is the first transistor.........

ETA:  Yep, was right. that's the first transistor.

[230RN]

Alex:  "Oh, I'm sorry.  You should have answered in the form of a question.  We were looking for 'What was the first transistor?'" 

[dogmush]

I'm trying to talk him into doing some gas porting to recock the hammer. I'm sure you could make one go full auto to if legal, look at the occasional malfunction you can get with cap and ball with big flash holes. 

Hmm.... Gas operated, semi automatic, Single Action Army.

Hmmm...... Have to rig up a disconector of some kind, and run the gas tube to the hammer....Maybe through the Cylinder pin?

Would be cool to try, to bad even the cheap clones are kinda pricey to cut apart.  Can you imagine showing up to a CAS with one though? 

[AJ Dual]

It needs to fire from the bottom cylinder. And it needs to eject the shells, but then be top-break so you can quickly load an entire moon-clip.

And the over-lug barrel space needs to be reserved for a laser and white-light combo.

[seeker_two]

And... of what use is this monstrosity?

Your argument is invalid....nobody uses those...not even Apple.... 

It needs to fire from the bottom cylinder. And it needs to eject the shells, but then be top-break so you can quickly load an entire moon-clip.

And the over-lug barrel space needs to be reserved for a laser and white-light combo.

Hmmmm....a Schofield Mateba....that could work.....

[De Selby]

That is one awesome machine - I think he should rig up some kind of sliding metal weight on top, switch out the cylinder for a spring loaded contraption that automatically puts new rounds into position, and then maybe use the sliding metal piece to re-cock the hammer and load the new round all in one!

Really, I don't get trying to make old things work just like new things - eventually you either end up replicating modern designs, or you have a machine that carries out the same functions but not as well.

[230RN]

^

Thee:

Really, I don't get trying to make old things work just like new things - eventually you either end up replicating modern designs, or you have a machine that carries out the same functions but not as well.

Me:

Practicality?  You want practicality?  I've done a lot of things just for the sake of seeing if they work or can be made to work.  Maybe it's a control-freak thing, I don't know.  Like the time I used half Q-tips in my airsoft just to see how they'd fly.

Or maybe for the sake of just plain old seeing what happens.

Perhaps that's why.

No less practical than, say, playing chess.

And then there's serendipity --the "Gee, that's odd" factor.  I already cited Michael Faraday's "toy."

May I also cite Becquerel's noticing the bones of his hand showing up in a photographic plate?
ETA:  Got my scientists mixed up.  Bequerel noticed that an iron cross blocked the rays.  Roentgen "took" the first x-rays: http://www.aip.org/history/curie/images/photos/0301-matte.jpg


Or the first person to notice that a copper oxide coating allowed current to flow in only one direction?

All these things were followed by "Gee, that's odd."

And "Gee, that's odd" is the starting point for all technology and science.

Terry, 230RN

[AmbulanceDriver]

^
And "Gee, that's odd" is the starting point for all technology and science.

Terry, 230RN

Ahem.  You also forgot, "I wonder what would happen if....."

[sanglant]

and, "hold my beer while".

[AmbulanceDriver]

and, "hold my beer while".

No, that one's been responsible for most of the "Oh God, oh God, it burns!!!!!!!!"

[AJ Dual]

That is one awesome machine - I think he should rig up some kind of sliding metal weight on top, switch out the cylinder for a spring loaded contraption that automatically puts new rounds into position, and then maybe use the sliding metal piece to re-cock the hammer and load the new round all in one!

Really, I don't get trying to make old things work just like new things - eventually you either end up replicating modern designs, or you have a machine that carries out the same functions but not as well.

That spring loaded contraption, it could be it's own box. Maybe just fits in the grip. And you could carry spare boxes on your belt and reload the whole pistol in seconds..

[seeker_two]

That spring loaded contraption, it could be it's own box. Maybe just fits in the grip. And you could carry spare boxes on your belt and reload the whole pistol in seconds..

Nah....that'll never catch on.... 

[GigaBuist]

All these things were followed by "Gee, that's odd."

The really cool stuff was followed by "WHAT THE FLUCK!?"

[RaspberrySurprise]

The really cool stuff was followed by "WHAT THE FLUCK!?"

Or ooooohhhh SHINY!