I was reading the Applied Welding magazine put out by Miller Electric and came across an article about Barrett Firearms. Barrett Firearms manufactures .50 caliber rifles in both semi-auto and single shot types. These are shoulder fired weapons that have an effective range of 2000 yards. Now, I do a little bit of target shooting but I can't imagine hitting anything at 1000 yards plus. The ammo they sell drops off 350 inches at 1000 yds. So all you need to do is aim about 28 - 29 feet high and you should be right on the money. Not to mention, each shot is going to cost you between 4 and 5 bucks each. The world record is 5 shots within a 3 inch circle at 1000 yds, so it can be done. Just not by mere mortals. The article was a plug for Millers new 350 Dynasty DC TIG pulsing welder, which is pretty darned impressive in it's own right, but not as impressive as those guns. Both the weapon and the welder are pretty good examples of what creative R & D can do for you.
.50 caliber guns have been in the news lately because some politicians are seeking to get them banned. I'm not sure what the reasoning is. A guy is not going to spend 3-8 k on a gun that weighs 40 pounds to stick up a Starvin' Marvin. Of course, what civilian needs a 1000 yd sniper rifle, either? With last weeks Supreme Court decision, the .50 cal debate will probably go on the back burner for a while.
The technology of the rifles doesn't seem all that exotic. Accurately machined and fabricated parts assembled with exceptional care. There are probably quite a few people capable of producing a .50 caliber firearm. Maybe not to the same standards as Barrett but certainly workable. That may be the reasoning behind banning them. One of these babies in the wrong hands could certainly wreak havoc with a capitol H.
Regardless of your viewpoint on owning a .50 caliber rifle, the U. S. Industrial Revolution was brought about in large part by the manufacture of guns. The U. S. didn't have a guild system like Europe but quickly established training methods to produce the the skilled people needed to produce both the machine tools and the finished products. It was a very creative era. Now is also a very creative era but it's more in the fields of electronics and medicine. That's why we're seeing inverter power sources with pulsing capabilities in the welding field. Lots of new developments in manufacturing means lots of opportunities for sharp young people. So if Junior is going off to college, he might want to think about the manufacturing field. America's future depends on our manufacturing capabilities.
4 comments:
Ronnie Barrett makes a nice rifle. Blue Grass Armory in KY is another fine 50 cal maker. If I could afford to own one I'd buy one just to make Sarah Brady and Chuck Shumer cry.
The hysteria over 50 cal rifles is kinda funny actually. There is not a single instance where one has been used in a crime but the Brady's, et al are convinced that we are all gonna die if you were to own one.
The state of California banned them there a year or so ago. Problem is, the LA SWAT teams and others in Calli use them. Ronnie got one sent back to him for maintenance. He kept it and refuses to sell to or repair any of them that come from Calli. STI arms recently cut off sales to any Calli police dept in response to the gun bans and regs instituted by the state and many municipalities.
It would be nice to see more arms makers do this.
I don't know shit about Miller welders but if you say they work it must be so.
Nice visit and good to see you last week.
If we all paid more attention to how well a welder worked and less attention to any fucking lobbyist we would all be better off.
Make stuff not laws.
Unk - the magazine also had an article about the circus train. We were just talking about that the other day.
Surly - make stuff not laws. I like that. Kinda the whole idea with the blog.
"Make stuff not laws." - That could be a nice t-shirt. And you're own personal motto of course!
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