Old military bolt action rifles, Part II

[donny h]

I posted awhile back about two rifles I bought, here is the follow up, this is an annual New Years party out by Joshua Tree.

Mosin Nagant M38, also known as a fireball special.

With a steel buttplate, the 7.62x54R was a little painful to shoot, it is reasonably accurate, and the muzzle flash is intense, you can see it in broad daylight. 1890s design.

8mm Mauser, also with a steel buttplate, was quite painful to shoot, a number of folks shot 5 rounds through it, nobody asked to do it again.

It is unbelievably loud.

Very accurate, I was consistantly scoring 5 for 5, shooting at a 3' diameter rock about 400' away, offhand, with iron sights. Not bad for a 60 year old rifle, designed in the 1920s.

Stupid California gun laws being what they are, I shot a few hundred rounds of each caliber before my buddy informed me that the cheap steel-core ammo I was shooting is illegal in Ca. (and only Ca.), and in that area the BLM carries magnets to check for that ammo.

Oh well, another reason not to recreate in Ca.

We had some Tannerite and other various pyrotechnic materials, and without going into details, when it comes to a loud bang, let me just say there is no substitute for high pressure/black powder/cannon fuse. Never preassemble anything, ever, and if you don't know what you're doing, don't do it.

Mexican fireworks suck, U.S. works are just okay, and the Chinese stuff kicks butt.

Tannerite is still hilarious, but not as funny as shooting Xmas trees with a Dragons Breath magnesium 12 guage shell.

[snatch]

mexico fireworks may suck but guatemalan boom booms are sweet. its flash powder wrapped up in newspaper w/ a fuse. you can buy them at almost any corner store. 10 cents a piece. great fun.

[donny h]

mexico fireworks may suck but guatemalan boom booms are sweet. its flash powder wrapped up in newspaper w/ a fuse. you can buy them at almost any corner store. 10 cents a piece. great fun.

My problem with Mexican fireworks are the 'jump fuses', they are just so sketchy, the crackers make a nice bang, but those fuses scare the crap outta me.

10 cents for the boom boom? So if I get $100 worth, and stuff them all in the same plastic clown, it should be a good time.