Disruptive Technologies with Applications in Airline
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5. Challenging the Ammo Companies from Grass Roots [Mai] Student Learning Objectives 1) The student will learn the 2nd 2) The student will learn the major influences that resulted in the modern guns and ammunition we enjoy today. 3) The student is encouraged to gain further study to understand how guns helped develop the United States, how guns protect the other amendments outlined in the bill of rights and keep and protect the Constitution of the United States of America. Introduction The Constitution of United States of America 1791 (rev. 1992) Amendment II states explicitly: A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a Free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be Infringed. (Madison, 1791) [1] The wording leaves plenty of room for legal and political wrangling over the meaning of words like “well regulated,” “militia,” “right,” “people,” “keep,” “bear” and “arms.” (Ingraham, 2016) It does not leave room for any abridgement of the word Infringed. The term ‘Arms’ in the ‘Second’ Amendment refers to weapons. The cutting-edge technology for weapons when the Amendment II was written, would have been the Revolution War era smoothbore musket (Figure 5.1): Figure 5.1 American Revolution War era Smoothbore Musket 230 | Challenging the Ammo Companies from Grass Roots [Mai] Source: (Ingraham, 2016) Without gunpowder and bullets, a smoothbore musket was and is nothing more than a fancy walking stick or at best an artifact of history. This fact still relevant today. The relationship between gunpowder, bullets and their corresponding firearms/weapons/ guns/arms is as intimate relationship as they come. One without the other, the guns and bullets intended function cease to exist and operate as they were designed. “….a musket is a smoothbore weapon much like a 12-gauge shotgun.” (Harrington, 2013) Few things have changed the world as much as when humans learned to harness the power of gunpowder. Gunpowder in its earliest form, was not called, ‘Black Powder’, until an early version of smokeless power was invented. At that time, it became known as ‘Black Powder’. At the time of original discovery, it was black in color. Gunpowder was first thought to be discovered by the Chinese, they learned to use hollow tubes with gunpowder and projectiles to harness its power for something different than fireworks. Black powder formula in its purest variant is synthesized as Potassium Nitrate (saltpeter) 75%, Carbon (in the form of charcoal) 15%, and Sulfur 10% See Figure 5.2. (Wallace, 2018) Challenging the Ammo Companies from Grass Roots [Mai] | 231 + + Figure 5.2 Gunpowder Composition Source: (Wallace, 2018) There have been many iterations in the development of guns, propellants, and bullets. The development and improvement of these three basics tend to occur within relative similar time frames. Guns over time have become more reliable and able to deliver 232 | Challenging the Ammo Companies from Grass Roots [Mai] multiple shots/rounds/bullets/projectiles in a shorter time. Black powder was the initial propellant of a bullet/projectile. As guns evolved, their propellants and bullets/projectile evolved with them and were dependent on gun evolution. Relevant History – From Muzzle loaders to Modern Cartridges The first useable guns started as a Matchlock (Figure 5.3) where a burning wick, typically made from hemp, was triggered to ignite a small amount of powder in a flash pan. Figure 5.3 Match-Lock musket Source: (Kolander, 2016) This was difficult to control with a burning wick, which was not much more than a small burning piece of rope that maintained a hot ember. In an effort to eliminate the use of a burning rope, a wheel lock was designed to create a rotational force that created a spark. The wheel would be wound with a crank then released upon a pull of Challenging the Ammo Companies from Grass Roots [Mai] | 233 the trigger. The unwinding motion would create sparks and igniting the powder in the open pan (See Figure 5.4) . Figure 5.4 Wheel-Lock Source: (Kolander, 2016) This method was better due to elimination of the burning rope! However, being mechanical it was not without design problems and the open flash pan was still exposed and vulnerable to environmental moisture. (Kolander, 2016) The next most successful design was based on a piece of shaped flint-rock that was held in the jaws of a hammer. It would strike an extension, “Frizzen,” on a flash pan cover. Figure 5.5 Flint-Lock 234 | Challenging the Ammo Companies from Grass Roots [Mai] Source: (Kolander, 2016) This design (Flint-Lock shown in Figure 5.4) covered the vulnerable gunpowder laying in the flash pan until the trigger was pulled allowing the flint to strike the Frizzen on the flash pan cover. That action forced the Frizzen out of the way and expose the gunpowder in the pan, allowing it to be ignited. It allowed for no burning rope and the spark created was relayed to the gunpowder being protected from moisture or spillage until an instant before firing. (Author, 2020) The gun was placed in halfcocked position while the flash pan was being loaded with powder. This design feature was to allow the operator to perform the pan loading procedure while not being in a fully cocked position, supposedly safer. However, sometimes the operator would set off the trigger in the halfcocked position either by accident or poor design. This is where we get the saying, ‘Don’t go off halfcocked!’ (Martin, 1761 (first Citation) 2021) The initial, and up to this point, guns were considered muzzle loaders and their barrels were smoothbore. Muzzle loaders were Challenging the Ammo Companies from Grass Roots [Mai] | 235 loaded from the end of the barrel or what is commonly called the business end. Here are the loading steps for muzzle loaders (Figure 5.6): • Ø 1&2) a metered amount of gunpowder was first inserted into the muzzle end. • Ø 3-7) a cotton wad with a round lead ball was inserted and tamped in the gun barrel until properly compacted. • Ø 8&9) before being able to be fired, a small amount of gunpowder was then placed into the flash pan. • Ø 10) Eventually, a percussion cap was developed, which sped up the operation. If everything had been done properly, the gun was ready to fire once the trigger was placed into the fully cocked position. Figure 5.6 Loading Steps of a Muzzle loader Source: (Martin, 1761 (first Citation) 2021) Figure 5.7 Bullet position in a Muzzle loaded gun 236 | Challenging the Ammo Companies from Grass Roots [Mai] Source: (Youtube, 2021) You can see how the ball in the lower portion of Figure 5.7 is positioned after loading. The upper portion of Figure 5.7 shows the bullet design after the round ball. Even though, it was called the mini-ball, it looked nothing like the earlier round ball. What the Challenging the Ammo Companies from Grass Roots [Mai] | 237 mini-ball did was capture all the escaping gases from the barrel. This increased muzzle velocity, distance, and accuracy. However, that caused the pressures within the barrel to increase which demanded that increased strength within the metallurgy of the barrel had to be increased. You can almost say that ammunition design and gun design became like a dog chasing its tail. An improvement forced and improvement in the other. Eventually, breech loading guns were designed so that the powder and bullet could be loaded from the breech end. Several things had to come together to allow this to happen. The breech loading gun design had to be worked out at the same time as the cartridge had to be invented. The two were reliant upon each other.Early cartridges had a paper wrapped charge of powder and a mini-ball incorporated into the pre-assembled bullet or round. A round in the world of guns is considered to be a single bullet or called a shot. Many of the terms relating to guns and ammunitions become interchangeable and are usually familiar to the user or in this case the shooter. Figure 5.8 Bullet design progression 238 | Challenging the Ammo Companies from Grass Roots [Mai] Source: (BackCountry Chronicles , n.d.) Figure 5.8 shows how the bullet progressed in design. Muzzle loaded bullets and muzzle loaded guns are still used today. The first paper cartridges to include the bullet and placed into the breech were quickly replace with a canister called a shell or brass cartridge. A cartridge can be called a shell and vs. versa. A bullet can be called a shell, cartridge or a shell and ammunition. The context the words are used in are important. As the paper cartridge came into its existence breech loading guns became better. Figure 5.9 Paper cartridge used in early breech loading guns Source: (contributors, Paper cartridge, 2021) Figure 5.10 Early breech loader w/ fitted cartridge Source: (contributors, Breechloader, 2021) Challenging the Ammo Companies from Grass Roots [Mai] | 239 The above Figure 5.10 was a very early breech loading design. The actual cartridge was loaded much like that of the earlier muzzle loaders. However, the loading of the cartridge was then entered into the breech end of the gun. Eventually, the paper cartridge led to advent of the metallic cased gunpowder and bullet. See Figure 5.11. Figure 5.11 Bullets w/ brass casing Source: (Jeff, 2020) Figure 5.12 Metallic cased bullet in chamber of breech loaded gun 240 | Challenging the Ammo Companies from Grass Roots [Mai] Source: (II, 2017) Figure 5.13 Rifled barrel Source: (BackCountry Chronicles , n.d.) Figure 5.14 Black powder Challenging the Ammo Companies from Grass Roots [Mai] | 241 Source: (YouTube, 2021) Figure 5.15 Smokeless Powder Source: (YouTube, 2021) 242 | Challenging the Ammo Companies from Grass Roots [Mai] Several events came together to make a more powerful, accurate, reliable, and easier to use gun.