In this episode we're looking at the ignition source for the 16in guns. To support this channel and the museum, go to: www.battleshipnewjersey.org/v...
When you push the clip into the receiver of the garand, it releases the spring loaded bolt and it slams shut against the breach. If you didn’t get the thumb you pushed the clip in with out of the way in time your thumb will get smashed between the bolt and the breach of the barrel. This can happen when only loading two rounds in competition, or if you push the bolt closed on a full clip and forget to make sure your thumb is not out of the way first.
Me too. The powder and it's storage is really interesting to me. So there is no secondary casing, just a projectile and a propellent and it all uses the barrel to contain the explosion. Great engineering.
@@mikeburch2998 : The only thing that "explodes" or "detonates" in the gun is the primer, originally fulminate of mercury, on the blank cartridge. The main charge in the blank burns, rapidly, as does the propellant pushing the shell out the barrel. It has to burn rapidly to accelerate the shell. If it explodes or detonates, it would shatter the breech.
@@andybreglia9431 Battleship propellent is actually quite slow burning for a powder. if it burned rapidly it wouldnt produce the energy and pressure to launch the shell out of the muzzle. they used a D846 rate NACO. Nitrocellulose with a small amount of Blackpowder.
Ryan, as someone who is a hand loader that reloads competition grade rifle cartridges, I'm astounded that 16" Naval gunnery isn't too dissimilar. Scale is the only difference. I was astounded further to learn that naval gunners paid close attention to powder lot numbers. They zeroed off of specific lots. Same goes for Hugh power rifle loading. You don't mix powder lots.
@@Melanie16040 Zero'ing a gun means , you take your ammunition.. aim at a known distance For a rifle, say 400 yrds (for a 16 inch gun it would be a LOT further out) and shoot it Then you check to see if your shot was low or high to your aiming point. Left or Right With this info, one adjusts the aiming device accordingly. Now repeat the zero shot, to confirm your aim is set to where the shot will land if not, repeat adjustment. Once your gun's aiming device is zeroed to that known distance, It becomes possible through ballistics calculation, to select other distances, simply measure range to target, set the aiming device to that distance And the shot should land on target or at least very close to it. For the example given the rifle is now "zero'ed at 400 yds". Whenever the aiming device or ammunition is changed, a new zero will be required. Match rifle shooters will do everything in batches. Weigh all the cases to be in the same category weigh all the projectiles to be in the same weight Use powder from a known batch and measure it to exact weight They will even use different loads and combinations tailored to each specific gun. Such ammo will be at least twice more accurate as even the best 'match grade" commercial rounds. For 16 inch guns all components come delivered separately, primer, projectile, powder bags. So the gunners do not weigh anything, but, they will check the bags to make sure they are using the same batches of powder, from the same factory, same production lot, same age in storage, same humity in storage, etc etc... So once they zeroed on that batch, their expectation will be that the other powder bags will deliver the same result or as close as possible to it.
I fired M110 eight inch howitzers for ten years. My guns had the same type of breach mechanism, the Whelen interrupted stepped thread breach block with the De Bang obturation system. We also fired them with a primer that looked very much like the one you showed but it was percussion only. The De Bang "obturator spindle," we called it the "mushroom" for obvious reasons, had a hole through the stem to the face of the mushroom and the primer was placed in this hole and a percussion hammer firing mechanism was slid up to place the hammer in line with the primer. When the lanyard was pulled it cocked the hammer and then let it fly to hit the primer, the flash from the primer went through the hole in the mushroom lighting the red pad of black powder on the base of the first powder bag and the rest is history. My high explosive projectiles weighted only 200.0 pounds but my nuclear projos weighed more. (did they ever have a nuclear projo for the 16 inch?) Max range with the HE shells was 26,800 meters and the nuclear shells was slightly less due to their heavier weight. I then switched down to the tiny guns in an M60A3 tank, only 105 mm (about 4 inches) but very high velocity of 5,500 feet per second. These rounds are fixed, just like a rifle round, the projo with its brass case and with a primer in the center of the base. These shells were fired electrically, with triggers on the gunner's turret controls, and on the track commanders turret controls. If there was an electrical fault there was a back up way to fire the shell which consisted of a standard five cap blasting machine in a bracket mounted next to the gunners left knee. All he had to do was grab the t-handle and give it a twist to fire the shell.
A friend has an 8'' D 651 howitzer shell inside his front door. It is completely hollow and thin walled, maybe 5/8 inches thick. I think it was used to disperse mines. It's unfired and his wife uses it to hang her umbrella and park a sun hat on. It's a chunk of metal! He has some brand new unprimed irridite plated steel 105mm tank propellant cases, too. His mailbox stand is the 105 tank round with the squash head base fuzed projectile. It has been there for 20 years but some Karen called the Sheriff last year to report him saying that he has torpedoes on his lawn. The guy is a CCW instructor and knows every Sheriff in the county. It still holds his mail box. Yes they had nuke 16 inch projectiles but never really admitted it. There were supposed to be 50 of them and were known as W-23 and had 15-20 kiloton yield. They have one in a museum. They were removed from service in 1962.
Guessing the reason for the two methods of firing was for during battle, if the electric firing circuit was damaged/disabled they can fire the guns locally by using a striker or firing pin connected to a lanyard (similar to the way a M114 Howitzer is fires) to set off the powder.
If the electrical was out the breach fans would not work meaning the rounds you could fire at that point would be limited. I believe the ship that learned this the hard way was the Sammy B Robertson
@@Wesrl very true, however remember the firing pin would be as a backup "just in case" ive never heard of any instances where it has had to be used though.
@@Wesrl It doesnt have to take the whole electric system down. A shot to one of the control rooms might take the firing circuits down, but doesnt hinder the rest of the ship. This gives you a way to keep the guns running .
Remember. A battleship should fight. If a splinter cuts the wires controlling the firing circuits. You are down to telephones or the old voice tubes to communicate with the turrets. Alternatively. Use the rangefinder hidden in the turret and ask the gunnery officer to start guessing where the shells need to land and calculate the Destination and watch your fall of shot.
Cool. None of the videos that I've seen about loading and firing the 16" guns gives any detail about the primer. The closest that they've come is having a voice-over that says 'while the shell and powder are being rammed a primerman inserts a primer from below'.
@@frutt5k Wow mercury & lead & not sure of the second item mentioned but would not want to breath it. Back in early 60's my dad brought home some mercury for us to play with on the kitchen table. Doubt if we washed our hands after handling it. Used to play with 3 to 8 ounce fishing lead weights. Would hammer them to make a thin sheet then make something out of it. Served in the Army but naval ships always fascinated me. Several summers we would go down to the Philly Naval Yard during open house and walked the flight deck of a WW 2 aircraft carrier. Worked with.a lot of navy vets and enjoyed ship stories.
@@garbo8962 Metallic mercury is pretty safe, although the vapors give you a smacking headache... MercuryFulminate is a 'salt' of mercury and HCNO and it is extremely explosive. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury(II)_fulminate Lead azide is a connection of lead (Pb) and N3 (azide) and is even more explosive. Touch it and it goes (and so does your arm) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead(II)_azide
@@frutt5k Thanks for great explanation. Military definitely has some cool but scary stuff. First job was as an apprentice electrician at a large slaughterhouse. Use to clean grease & grim off our hands with carbon tech which was banned due to it causing cancer. Like every old building had lots of asbestos. None of the 7 retired maintenance guys that my dad would talk to every month lived past 67. All died from cancer. They were more in contact with hazardous stuff then my cheif electrician dad. Cancer got him at 75. OSHA can be a pain but saved thousands of lives by making work place safe.
They literally have so much in the way of powder and explosives that they need a primer to detonate a low grade explosive to set off all the explosives. Reminds me of the Sprint Anti-Balllstic Missile system where the missile being launched was "too slow"... so they shot out. Where it then continued on its first stage. For 1.2 seconds. And having the second stage start only about 2 seconds after being fired out to save time for the launch sequence. The engineering on some of these things is crazy. And it's even more crazy when you realize how long ago they were doing it.
@@matchesburn Not to mention that Sprint missile accelerated at 100G at launch... It literally went so fast it needed ablative heat shielding to protect it from the plasma that formed around it due to how fast it went in the lower atmosphere. Same sort of shielding used to protect space craft returning from orbit.
Sure - been shooting for over 40 years. BTW, those primers look a lot like old fashioned straight wall black powder rifle rounds - something like a .45-70 only a little smaller. VERY cool!
It's actually known as a Lock Combination Primer: This is the internal construction of the thing. eugeneleeslover.com/AMMUNITION/PAGE_27_FIGURE_3C4.JPG
@@Melanie16040 that's awesome. I didn't mean to imply that the internals were that of a simple rifle cartridge, just that they appear to have cribbed the geometry from such a cartridge.
@@dimesonhiseyes9134 it is smaller, but an older cartridge. .375 Winchester dates from the 1970s. I found a source detailing it some weeks ago, but don't have it in front of me. If I recall correctly, it was either 32-40 or 38-55. 38-55 is the ancestor of the .375 Winchester - and they look very similar.
Even a little match can light a fuse that can set off tons of explosive. The primer is a 30 cal "blank" filled with powder "shards". When fired it ignites the black powder which in turn ignites the main charge. Kaboom !!
Love your video on the New Jersey and learning more about the ship as well as the other ships in the comparison videos. Really looking forward to more content
I am continually amazed at the detail of the topics and vast array of wide ranging subjects that you speak on for the Battleship New Jersey. It feels almost as if you served on that ship for decades Ryan. I appreciate your professionalism and dedication to making the museum one of a kind. Thank you for making these YT videos. I know that they are not easy or quick to do.
The videos just keep getting better and better. There is no subject about this great ship that we don't want to know more about. This simple video about the primer may seem trivial to some but to others of us it's just as important as learning about the engines. Thanks again for another super video.
I would gladly contribute for the labor and materials to remove that damned rust patch on the breach. For god's sake that's unacceptable! Post script. I know as curator of that beast of a ship you must think it unacceptable as well. The conservancy of such a tremendous artifact under your care has to be at once exciting, overwhelming, heartbreaking at times I'm sure. Know that there are those of us who support your efforts. We're proud of the ship, and proud of you as her curator. Keep up the great work and the videos.
Very informative video, saw the article in the Ledger too. Besides shooting a 1903 and a Garand I have fired a few 100 rounds through an M68 cannon on M48A5, M60A1, M60A3 and M1 tanks as well as all the machine guns associated with them. Retired US Army tanker. I visited the ship once years ago. can't wait to get back aboard.
Friends bought gun Powder Bags from WWII Battle Ships. It came with loading data for use in most Guns. They bought 3 bags. It lasted a long time. It was great gun powder. This was in the late 70's.
I find this particular video to be very interesting. The primer & primerman are rarely discussed but they actually install the device that begins the process of firing the main battery guns. They are responsible for the primers & the inspection of the firing lock. Who knew this rifle fires just like any other by cocking a hammer. The primerman isn't easily seen and usually forgotten in videos & pictures because he isn't in the gun pit with the gun captain, rammer operator, powder hoist operator, & cradle operator. He's down below in the gun pocket standing on the pan plate above the electric deck, which is where four more forgotten personnel are stationed which are the three gun layers & one gun trainer. I have lots of good pics/illustrations of the primer, firing lock, & primerman including the long stick they use to insert the primer into the lock, if anyone is interested. Thanks for the video Ryan!
Hi bryanshaw3711 - yes I would be interested in anything you have regarding the primer, firing lock, etc. Am curious about exactly how the primer can be fired both percussively and electrically. Percussion firing is just like a bullet. But how is it also fired electrically? What's the circuit? Looked a little more and found the answer posted by @halo3zocker. If you search for "Mk 15 Mod. 1,2,3 Primer" it's there. Has a drawing showing how the cartridge has both a percussion section and an electrical section ignited by a bridgewire. That's why the green insulating ring around the percussion primer.
Thanks for all the excellent information. I've had people ask me how they fire these naval rifles and I had to admit I didn't know. Now I do. I didn't know how guncotton was made until this video and I didn't know a black powder charge was used to set off the main charge of powder. And WOW! those gunners mates could service the rifles much faster than I would have guessed.
Thank you, was a genuine question I had and despite much searching of the internets there's very little on what actually ( and how) sets off the main charge
I wish I had recorded my Dad's accounts of working those guns while on the Wisky. I know he handled the powder charges and talked about those silk bags and the brass in the loading mechanism. RIP Dad...enlisted at age 42 along with my two oldest brothers.
I still have one of these spent 16" primers used 8 Feb 1984 during our 288-projectile onslaught into the Syrian forces invading from the east through Lebanon's Beqaa Valley. And, yes, the gunpowder grains are fascinating to observe... and, frankly, also to light! The grains are varied in length and thickness, but they are all a very light greenish grey in color and with three sides running each grain's length. Imagine a long, very thin prism in shape. They vary from less than an inch to about 3 inches in length. A GM friend of mine got hold of a few grains and, in a well-ventilated area, we ignited them one by one. They each flared and disappeared like flash paper, each in turn. It was fascinating to watch. Looking forward to that future video from you, Ryan.
Ryan, at 1:52, the extra sleeve worn by the gun captain is not to wipe off anything, but to protect his arm from heated exhaust. In theory the muzzle exhaust gas extraction system will not allow any heated combustion gasses into the turret, but in reality, the gun captain protects his arm, which passes by a possible exhaust path. He may wipe, but this is not the reason for the thermal sleeve. Love your show, MCI
I was a chief of fire direction in a field artillery battery computing the data for towed M198 155mm howitzers and M109A1 self propelled howitzers. The shell is a hefty beast over 90lbs with big bags of powder but nothing like that used in those old 16inch guns. A 155mm shell is more or less 6 inches compared to 16!!! When I was younger I helped the gun crews load ammo from a resupply vehicle and at about 90lbs that kicked my butt. For those huge naval guns they have to use hoists and crane systems, and I remember watching a film from WW2 of German gun crews loading their huge 350mm guns and larger siege mortars. Those were gigantic shells the size of a small car!!! As an old artillerist I love these videos, wouldn't mind seeing something about a naval fire direction center. The concepts are the same as for field artillery, but I know the equipment such as maps, charts and computers were very different. Because a lot of what a fire direction center does is classified even film of older FDCs is hard to come by. Btw I did enjoy the video
Wait... is that giant patch on the breech of the gun some leftover tape/paper or a rust spot? Looks more like a rust spot to me. Kept thinking "I want to remove that" the entire video.
Hi Ryan and team, great video. I’ve noticed in several videos that various pieces of electrically/hydraulically powered equipment throughout the ship are staged at different points in their work cycles, the spanner tray and powder hoist door in this video being a good example. We know none of these systems are operational so my question is, were/are the museum staff able to manually manipulate some of these items/systems to set up displays when a section is being opened to the public?
Love the videos. On HMS Belfast (much smaller guns of course, but a similar opertating prniciple) the primer casings, once used, were knocked onto the dog clips handles on the turret‘s doors to make them look more ’tiddly‘. Bit like a brass sleeve on the handle that could be o polished up. You can still see them now.
It *can* be… but just once. The next video would be Hi! I’m Ryan Szimanski, former curator of the Battleship New Jersey. I fired the 16” guns. It was amazing. That is all.
I found a video of 16 inch guns being fired in the late 80's and it looked like the breech guy was manually firing by pulling on something, but i wasn't sure that was possible. its really cool that they designed it to be so fail proof. all else fails, you could literally smack it with a hammer and it would go off (albeit it would probably break your arm when the breech rockets back). having the option to electrically cook off the primer too is pretty awesome
Some of the German heavy naval guns had what amounted to a "glow plug" in the breech. When the breech was closed the "glow plug" made contact with the powder charge. When fired, the glow plug instantly got red hot and ignited the powder charges.
Great video! Never knew what that firing mechanism was. Would absolutely like to know more about how these guns functioned and what equipment and chemicals were used. Thank you sir!
I was 12 years old when I first fired an M1 Garand. Everyone else (grown men) fired it from a Caldwell Lead-Sled. I picked the rifle up, threw in the 8 round enblock (didn't get Garand thumb) and racked off 8 rounds from the shoulder. I set the rifle back down and said "if you're going to shoot one of these, atleast show it the respect it deserves."
I've fired, 30-30, 30 Army 30-40 Krag) 30-06, 300 Blackout and 30-06 Improved. I shot everything from 22 Rimfire to 220 Swift up to 45 and 50 rifle caliber. I used to hang out at a range and got to shoot a lot of guns that belonged to buddies I got to know. My favorite belonged to a retired FBI agent. He use to allow me his Model 1927 (if I recall correctly) Thompson SMG. That was a lot of fun shooting 50 rounds from it in bursts. He had a progressive reloader. I picked up all 45 ACP brass I found at the range and gave it to him and cast bullets for him as I cast special stinkers that didn't catch in the wéeds on the bottom of the of the Potomac and Chesapeake Bay. I miss VA living in SC
Well, since you are taking requests... Could you lob one over towards Trenton? Be sure to set up a camera near your aiming point so we can see the results. :) Thanks for all the great work!
So let me get this straight. 1 - small primer at base of 16 inch primer ignites, 2 - primer propellant in primer cartridge ignites, 3 - black powder in quilt on rear of main powder bag ignites, 4 - Main powder nitrocellulose ignites. Each step in turn makes the resulting 'charge' larger and larger until the final powder charge itself ignites propelling the 16 inch shell. That 1 heck of a ignition train that needs to work perfectly.
Good video, Ryan. Yes, I have had the pleasure of shooting an M-1 Garand rifle. Also avoided getting "Garand thumb", just like you and others. Have fired other WW-II vintage rifles, too. Fun hobby. :-)
Cleaning my Garand as I watch this. Please do a video on the powder types used. Some people use a small amount of smokeless pistol powder in the bottom of large black powder cartridges as a kicker for better ignition.
It has been over 30 years since I was on the Iowa but I seem to remember that the sleeve used to wipe down the breech block between shots was made out of asbestos.
Very interesting video. It occurs to me that the act of igniting each bag in sequence from the back effectively means that the overall gas pressure in the barrel is ramped up in stages instead of the whole lot going off simultaneously. Neat!
I'm not entirely sure that will be true. Suspect that, as it goes off, the pressure of the rear bag will already push the other bags forward, and the next bag goes off pushing the others forward even more etc etc.. So as they go off the space in which they go off becomes bigger as well. This is similar to in rifle reloading, light projectiles use faster powder with higher pressure at the chamber but speed of the powder has to be slower when the weight of the projectile becomes higher. As a result, the chamber pressure for heavy projectiles is typically lower, but the pressure is kept up for longer down the barrel because of the slower conflagration That is the main reason why you cannot shoot heavy 3006 or 308 pill in an M1 Garand or M14 : the higher pressure at the gasport at the end of the barrel.. causes the oprod to slam hard.
The 16” propellant firing chain is surprisingly like ground heavy artillery systems, the primer cartridge looks just like the ones we used on the 8” M110A2 weapons system back in the 80’s.
At one time I loaded 19 different calibers of blank ammunition. That igniter looks to be the same dimensions as a .45-70 case. I'd love to know the rim diameter, base diameter, mouth diameter, and overall length. Before you showed the head my first thought was the .45-70.
Hello Ryan, thank you for this amazing Video. I'm very interested in seeing more details about the type of Powders that were used in these 16-inch guns. I'm a reloader myself and to my eye the primer looks like a beefed up .45-70 Government case with blank fire-star-crimp. On a quick search on the webs, I found a cross sectioned drawing of a Mk 15 Mod. 1,2,3 Primer on bulletpicker. In the description, there is stated that the ignition charge is 30 grains of Black Powder. Furthermore, I find it especially interesting that you can see at min 2:27 the greenish electrical insulating Ring around the Percussion-Primer for the electrical firing. Also, the headstemping in the primer-head shows some significant signs of pressure, is it known today, how high the peak pressure was, when firing the 16-inch guns? As a recreational black-powder shooter, I know that you have to clean the barrel after each range session to prevent your barrel from corrosion. You mention that the primer alone would be too weak on its own to ignite the powder charge, so they quilt a black powder patch on the back of the silk back. So that raises the question: if there was in the primer and the back-patches black powder, must they clean the gun barrels after each firing, and how do you clean a 16-inch gun barrel? Or do you have already a video on the topic and I missed it? In my gun safe are two .30-06 Springfield caliber rifles. The M1917 and the M1903 A3. And I shot a view other rifles in that caliber, including the M1 Garand and even a lever action Browning BLR. Good to hear that you didn't get the Garand thump, safety first on the gun rage. Greetings from Germany
Yes we need more information about the powder and other gun related stuff. I mean they are what makes the ship what it is. I'd pay astronomical amounts of money to see one fired a few times
Yes , please do go into the type of gunpowder used . I'm a hand loader , and I remember my Granddad ( who taught me how ) talking about military surplus gun powder . He called IMR 4831 Cannon Powder , because so much of it was left over after WW2 , that it was sold to the civilian market at some very low prices . I think the 4831 was mostly used in 50 cal and 20 mm ammo , from what I can find .
I was artillery when I was in the army a friend of mine was able to get his hands on a primer for the m198 and fired it out of a pistol he said it was the biggest flash of light he had ever seen come out of a pistol I don’t remember what revolver he used I think it was a judge he always wished he could get his hands on more of them
@@FIREBRAND38 Below Yeoman Burch's photo is a photo showing primers for a 155 howitzer. They look the same. cache.getarchive.net/Prod/thumb/cdn10/L3Bob3RvLzIwMDMvMDIvMDIvdHdvLWNhbm5vbi1wcmltZXJzLWZvci10aGUtdXMtbWFyaW5lLWNvcnBzLXVzbWMtbTE5OC0xNTUtbW0tbWVkaXVtLXJhbmdlLWhvd2l0emVyLTE5MmY0Ny0xNjAwLmpwZw%3D%3D/320/208/webp
The first gun I fired was an M14 my grandfather had. I think that was a 7.62 (.308 maybe?) I did inherit his M1 carbine, but I haven't taken possession yet. He used the Garand in Korea, so the gun holds a special place in my memories (he didn't get to keep the Garand of course, and bought the carbine later, i believe its not an actual M1, but I haven't looked into it yet).
M-1 Garand. Uses .30-06 cartridge. Military ammo specifications keep the chamber pressure within safe limits for the rifle. Some variations of civilian hunting ammo are not compatible with M-1 Garand. M-14. Uses 7.62NATO cartridge. Very close to the .308 Winchester cartridge. Small differences in specifications. Same cautions regarding mil-spec versus hunting ammo. M-1 Carbine. Uses .30 Carbine ammunition. Looks like a large pistol cartridge. Congratulations on your inheritance. Not many left in circulation.
have you made the video on the powder used in the 16 inch guns? my father lives nearby the seal beach naval weapons depot. he always told that it was mostly the only place that still stores the powder bags
Thanks. How is the primer set off electrically? Does it heat the primer? I'm thinking in both cases some sort of hammer hits the primer in the primer, but I don't know for sure.
Definitely interested in the powder, some pictures would be nice if what the powder looks like, I actually figured it was just a massive amount of cordite.
That's one question I was always wondering about, just how they set the charge off. I thought that there was something inserted into the last powder bag, like the quill of older muzzle-loading artillery, but I guess that's not quite necessary here.
I thought your "Garand thumb" comment was missed, but someone caught it.
However bad Garand Thumb might be - its nothing compared to "16 inch Hand" :D
If I'm correct, Garand thumb, was what happened to your thumb, from pushing the clip into the gun.
When you push the clip into the receiver of the garand, it releases the spring loaded bolt and it slams shut against the breach. If you didn’t get the thumb you pushed the clip in with out of the way in time your thumb will get smashed between the bolt and the breach of the barrel. This can happen when only loading two rounds in competition, or if you push the bolt closed on a full clip and forget to make sure your thumb is not out of the way first.
"Hi, I'm Othias. And this..."
[UUUUUUMMMMMPH!]
"...is a Mark 7 16 inch/50 caliber naval gun. Now let's get it over to the light box."
Lmao 🤣
A minute of Mae would be interesting.
I'd become a patron of that were a possibility. That minute of Mae............ooofff my wife would hate it
And I am still convinced Othias has enough strength to just lift it on his desk.
@@IvorMektin1701 Might need a special 5 Min of Mae for this one. :D
Definitely looking forward to the upcoming video on the types of powders used in the BB's guns! Thank you!
The shitposter in me really wants to say "but bb guns use air or co2 not powder".
Me too. The powder and it's storage is really interesting to me. So there is no secondary casing, just a projectile and a propellent and it all uses the barrel to contain the explosion. Great engineering.
@@mikeburch2998 :
The only thing that "explodes" or "detonates" in the gun is the primer, originally fulminate of mercury, on the blank cartridge. The main charge in the blank burns, rapidly, as does the propellant pushing the shell out the barrel. It has to burn rapidly to accelerate the shell. If it explodes or detonates, it would shatter the breech.
@@andybreglia9431 Battleship propellent is actually quite slow burning for a powder. if it burned rapidly it wouldnt produce the energy and pressure to launch the shell out of the muzzle. they used a D846 rate NACO. Nitrocellulose with a small amount of Blackpowder.
Ryan, as someone who is a hand loader that reloads competition grade rifle cartridges, I'm astounded that 16" Naval gunnery isn't too dissimilar. Scale is the only difference. I was astounded further to learn that naval gunners paid close attention to powder lot numbers. They zeroed off of specific lots. Same goes for Hugh power rifle loading. You don't mix powder lots.
What does zeroed off mean? What's Hugh loading?
@@Melanie16040 "zeroed off" meaning that they knew the exact range that they will get from specific powder. And he meant "high power rifle"
@@Melanie16040
Zero'ing a gun means , you take your ammunition.. aim at a known distance For a rifle, say 400 yrds (for a 16 inch gun it would be a LOT further out)
and shoot it
Then you check to see if your shot was low or high to your aiming point.
Left or Right
With this info, one adjusts the aiming device accordingly.
Now repeat the zero shot, to confirm your aim is set to where the shot will land
if not, repeat adjustment.
Once your gun's aiming device is zeroed to that known distance, It becomes possible through ballistics calculation,
to select other distances, simply measure range to target, set the aiming device to that distance
And the shot should land on target or at least very close to it.
For the example given the rifle is now "zero'ed at 400 yds".
Whenever the aiming device or ammunition is changed, a new zero will be required.
Match rifle shooters will do everything in batches.
Weigh all the cases to be in the same category
weigh all the projectiles to be in the same weight
Use powder from a known batch and measure it to exact weight
They will even use different loads and combinations tailored to each specific gun.
Such ammo will be at least twice more accurate as even the best 'match grade" commercial rounds.
For 16 inch guns all components come delivered separately, primer, projectile, powder bags.
So the gunners do not weigh anything, but, they will check the bags to make sure they are using the same batches of powder, from the same factory, same production lot, same age in storage, same humity in storage, etc etc... So once they zeroed on that batch, their expectation will be that the other powder bags will deliver the same result or as close as possible to it.
I fired M110 eight inch howitzers for ten years. My guns had the same type of breach mechanism, the Whelen interrupted stepped thread breach block with the De Bang obturation system. We also fired them with a primer that looked very much like the one you showed but it was percussion only. The De Bang "obturator spindle," we called it the "mushroom" for obvious reasons, had a hole through the stem to the face of the mushroom and the primer was placed in this hole and a percussion hammer firing mechanism was slid up to place the hammer in line with the primer. When the lanyard was pulled it cocked the hammer and then let it fly to hit the primer, the flash from the primer went through the hole in the mushroom lighting the red pad of black powder on the base of the first powder bag and the rest is history. My high explosive projectiles weighted only 200.0 pounds but my nuclear projos weighed more. (did they ever have a nuclear projo for the 16 inch?) Max range with the HE shells was 26,800 meters and the nuclear shells was slightly less due to their heavier weight. I then switched down to the tiny guns in an M60A3 tank, only 105 mm (about 4 inches) but very high velocity of 5,500 feet per second. These rounds are fixed, just like a rifle round, the projo with its brass case and with a primer in the center of the base. These shells were fired electrically, with triggers on the gunner's turret controls, and on the track commanders turret controls. If there was an electrical fault there was a back up way to fire the shell which consisted of a standard five cap blasting machine in a bracket mounted next to the gunners left knee. All he had to do was grab the t-handle and give it a twist to fire the shell.
A friend has an 8'' D 651 howitzer shell inside his front door. It is completely hollow and thin walled, maybe 5/8 inches thick. I think it was used to disperse mines. It's unfired and his wife uses it to hang her umbrella and park a sun hat on. It's a chunk of metal! He has some brand new unprimed irridite plated steel 105mm tank propellant cases, too. His mailbox stand is the 105 tank round with the squash head base fuzed projectile. It has been there for 20 years but some Karen called the Sheriff last year to report him saying that he has torpedoes on his lawn. The guy is a CCW instructor and knows every Sheriff in the county. It still holds his mail box.
Yes they had nuke 16 inch projectiles but never really admitted it. There were supposed to be 50 of them and were known as W-23 and had 15-20 kiloton yield. They have one in a museum. They were removed from service in 1962.
Guessing the reason for the two methods of firing was for during battle, if the electric firing circuit was damaged/disabled they can fire the guns locally by using a striker or firing pin connected to a lanyard (similar to the way a M114 Howitzer is fires) to set off the powder.
You're absolutely correct.
If the electrical was out the breach fans would not work meaning the rounds you could fire at that point would be limited. I believe the ship that learned this the hard way was the Sammy B Robertson
@@Wesrl very true, however remember the firing pin would be as a backup "just in case" ive never heard of any instances where it has had to be used though.
@@Wesrl It doesnt have to take the whole electric system down. A shot to one of the control rooms might take the firing circuits down, but doesnt hinder the rest of the ship. This gives you a way to keep the guns running .
Remember. A battleship should fight. If a splinter cuts the wires controlling the firing circuits. You are down to telephones or the old voice tubes to communicate with the turrets. Alternatively. Use the rangefinder hidden in the turret and ask the gunnery officer to start guessing where the shells need to land and calculate the Destination and watch your fall of shot.
Cool. None of the videos that I've seen about loading and firing the 16" guns gives any detail about the primer. The closest that they've come is having a voice-over that says 'while the shell and powder are being rammed a primerman inserts a primer from below'.
Me too. Have been watching history channel & other vid along with war movies and never heard or saw a primer for 16" guns.
Mercury fulminate and lead azide were widely used primers that were capable of 'translating' a mechanical impact into a chemical explosion.
@@frutt5k Wow mercury & lead & not sure of the second item mentioned but would not want to breath it. Back in early 60's my dad brought home some mercury for us to play with on the kitchen table. Doubt if we washed our hands after handling it. Used to play with 3 to 8 ounce fishing lead weights. Would hammer them to make a thin sheet then make something out of it. Served in the Army but naval ships always fascinated me. Several summers we would go down to the Philly Naval Yard during open house and walked the flight deck of a WW 2 aircraft carrier. Worked with.a lot of navy vets and enjoyed ship stories.
@@garbo8962 Metallic mercury is pretty safe, although the vapors give you a smacking headache...
MercuryFulminate is a 'salt' of mercury and HCNO and it is extremely explosive.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury(II)_fulminate
Lead azide is a connection of lead (Pb) and N3 (azide) and is even more explosive. Touch it and it goes (and so does your arm)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead(II)_azide
@@frutt5k Thanks for great explanation. Military definitely has some cool but scary stuff. First job was as an apprentice electrician at a large slaughterhouse. Use to clean grease & grim off our hands with carbon tech which was banned due to it causing cancer. Like every old building had lots of asbestos. None of the 7 retired maintenance guys that my dad would talk to every month lived past 67. All died from cancer. They were more in contact with hazardous stuff then my cheif electrician dad. Cancer got him at 75. OSHA can be a pain but saved thousands of lives by making work place safe.
You answered my question, the white sleeve worn in the gun pit, thank you.
Must be awfully hot work!
Yep same here
It's quite badass that it needs a four stage explosion to fire a shell
They literally have so much in the way of powder and explosives that they need a primer to detonate a low grade explosive to set off all the explosives.
Reminds me of the Sprint Anti-Balllstic Missile system where the missile being launched was "too slow"... so they shot out. Where it then continued on its first stage. For 1.2 seconds. And having the second stage start only about 2 seconds after being fired out to save time for the launch sequence. The engineering on some of these things is crazy. And it's even more crazy when you realize how long ago they were doing it.
@@matchesburn Not to mention that Sprint missile accelerated at 100G at launch... It literally went so fast it needed ablative heat shielding to protect it from the plasma that formed around it due to how fast it went in the lower atmosphere. Same sort of shielding used to protect space craft returning from orbit.
I wonder if the new russian anti icbm rockets are faster or slower than the sprint
Sure - been shooting for over 40 years. BTW, those primers look a lot like old fashioned straight wall black powder rifle rounds - something like a .45-70 only a little smaller. VERY cool!
Maybe a thick walled .30-40 krag case cut off before it necks down possibly? But I also agree it looks like a .45-70 case.
It's actually known as a Lock Combination Primer: This is the internal construction of the thing. eugeneleeslover.com/AMMUNITION/PAGE_27_FIGURE_3C4.JPG
@@Melanie16040 that's awesome. I didn't mean to imply that the internals were that of a simple rifle cartridge, just that they appear to have cribbed the geometry from such a cartridge.
Looks too small for 45-70. Looks like a 375 Winchester
@@dimesonhiseyes9134 it is smaller, but an older cartridge. .375 Winchester dates from the 1970s. I found a source detailing it some weeks ago, but don't have it in front of me. If I recall correctly, it was either 32-40 or 38-55.
38-55 is the ancestor of the .375 Winchester - and they look very similar.
Had no idea those mighty guns had such relatively small primers! Genius system.
Even a little match can light a fuse that can set off tons of explosive. The primer is a 30 cal "blank" filled with powder "shards". When fired it ignites the black powder which in turn ignites the main charge. Kaboom !!
Love your video on the New Jersey and learning more about the ship as well as the other ships in the comparison videos. Really looking forward to more content
Where's the Kaboom? There's supposed to be an earth shattering Kaboom!
Ok Marvin.
Some creature has stolen the space modulator.
I think today they just say pew pew
...it's called a hangfire. Do NOT open that breach for **BOOM** minutes!!
🤣👍
@@danielharnden516 That would be a really big Pew...
First time that I ever heard of a primer for the 16" guns. Thanks for yet another great vid. Served in the Army but find naval ships very intetesting.
I am continually amazed at the detail of the topics and vast array of wide ranging subjects that you speak on for the Battleship New Jersey. It feels almost as if you served on that ship for decades Ryan. I appreciate your professionalism and dedication to making the museum one of a kind. Thank you for making these YT videos. I know that they are not easy or quick to do.
Finally! I've been searching forever for how the big guns were primed! Thank you!
The videos just keep getting better and better. There is no subject about this great ship that we don't want to know more about. This simple video about the primer may seem trivial to some but to others of us it's just as important as learning about the engines. Thanks again for another super video.
Very cool stuff! So glad you started doing these. Similar cartridges were used in the 5"/38 powder cases.
Super interesting about the quilted patches on the bottom of the bags. Thanks for the insider info!
I would gladly contribute for the labor and materials to remove that damned rust patch on the breach. For god's sake that's unacceptable!
Post script. I know as curator of that beast of a ship you must think it unacceptable as well. The conservancy of such a tremendous artifact under your care has to be at once exciting, overwhelming, heartbreaking at times I'm sure. Know that there are those of us who support your efforts. We're proud of the ship, and proud of you as her curator. Keep up the great work and the videos.
Agreed, my eyes kept zeroing in on that nasty rust spot.
@@spidersinspace1099 Ditto...
Very informative video, saw the article in the Ledger too. Besides shooting a 1903 and a Garand I have fired a few 100 rounds through an M68 cannon on M48A5, M60A1, M60A3 and M1 tanks as well as all the machine guns associated with them. Retired US Army tanker. I visited the ship once years ago. can't wait to get back aboard.
Excelent description. My father told me the exact same thing. He was a gun capt on the Iowa. Still going strong.
I absolutely love this channel cant wait to visit
Friends bought gun Powder Bags from WWII Battle Ships. It came with loading data for use in most Guns. They bought 3 bags. It lasted a long time. It was great gun powder. This was in the late 70's.
I find this particular video to be very interesting. The primer & primerman are rarely discussed but they actually install the device that begins the process of firing the main battery guns. They are responsible for the primers & the inspection of the firing lock. Who knew this rifle fires just like any other by cocking a hammer. The primerman isn't easily seen and usually forgotten in videos & pictures because he isn't in the gun pit with the gun captain, rammer operator, powder hoist operator, & cradle operator. He's down below in the gun pocket standing on the pan plate above the electric deck, which is where four more forgotten personnel are stationed which are the three gun layers & one gun trainer. I have lots of good pics/illustrations of the primer, firing lock, & primerman including the long stick they use to insert the primer into the lock, if anyone is interested. Thanks for the video Ryan!
Hi bryanshaw3711 - yes I would be interested in anything you have regarding the primer, firing lock, etc. Am curious about exactly how the primer can be fired both percussively and electrically. Percussion firing is just like a bullet. But how is it also fired electrically? What's the circuit?
Looked a little more and found the answer posted by @halo3zocker. If you search for "Mk 15 Mod. 1,2,3 Primer" it's there. Has a drawing showing how the cartridge has both a percussion section and an electrical section ignited by a bridgewire. That's why the green insulating ring around the percussion primer.
Thanks for all the excellent information. I've had people ask me how they fire these naval rifles and I had to admit I didn't know. Now I do. I didn't know how guncotton was made until this video and I didn't know a black powder charge was used to set off the main charge of powder. And WOW! those gunners mates could service the rifles much faster than I would have guessed.
I love these videos. Fascinating. Thanks for making these.
Great work...Jersey Guys N' Gals were always fun to hang with while I was in the Service.
I had no idea how that worked. So fascinating. Thank you!
Thank you, was a genuine question I had and despite much searching of the internets there's very little on what actually ( and how) sets off the main charge
RYAN polish that breach! Who stuck a label on there and caused it to rust...grrrr!
Yeah RYAN! For your next feat of manliness clean the breach and the pit to level one of the gun captains would not spit redman at you for.
I was just thinking that lol, I wanna get some steel wool on it haha
Skip the polish, lets just shoot the gun.
I'm glad that I wasn't the only one bothered by it.
@@sc1338 right. Lol
I wish I had recorded my Dad's accounts of working those guns while on the Wisky. I know he handled the powder charges and talked about those silk bags and the brass in the loading mechanism. RIP Dad...enlisted at age 42 along with my two oldest brothers.
enlisted at 42? what
@@humorss Indeed. I thought the cutoff was 39.
I still have one of these spent 16" primers used 8 Feb 1984 during our 288-projectile onslaught into the Syrian forces invading from the east through Lebanon's Beqaa Valley.
And, yes, the gunpowder grains are fascinating to observe... and, frankly, also to light! The grains are varied in length and thickness, but they are all a very light greenish grey in color and with three sides running each grain's length. Imagine a long, very thin prism in shape. They vary from less than an inch to about 3 inches in length. A GM friend of mine got hold of a few grains and, in a well-ventilated area, we ignited them one by one. They each flared and disappeared like flash paper, each in turn. It was fascinating to watch. Looking forward to that future video from you, Ryan.
Ryan, at 1:52, the extra sleeve worn by the gun captain is not to wipe off anything, but to protect his arm from heated exhaust. In theory the muzzle exhaust gas extraction system will not allow any heated combustion gasses into the turret, but in reality, the gun captain protects his arm, which passes by a possible exhaust path. He may wipe, but this is not the reason for the thermal sleeve.
Love your show, MCI
Always very interesting your explications or documentation videos. Thank you for that
I was a chief of fire direction in a field artillery battery computing the data for towed M198 155mm howitzers and M109A1 self propelled howitzers. The shell is a hefty beast over 90lbs with big bags of powder but nothing like that used in those old 16inch guns. A 155mm shell is more or less 6 inches compared to 16!!! When I was younger I helped the gun crews load ammo from a resupply vehicle and at about 90lbs that kicked my butt. For those huge naval guns they have to use hoists and crane systems, and I remember watching a film from WW2 of German gun crews loading their huge 350mm guns and larger siege mortars. Those were gigantic shells the size of a small car!!! As an old artillerist I love these videos, wouldn't mind seeing something about a naval fire direction center. The concepts are the same as for field artillery, but I know the equipment such as maps, charts and computers were very different. Because a lot of what a fire direction center does is classified even film of older FDCs is hard to come by. Btw I did enjoy the video
Very cool thanks for sharing your knowledge and time saving this mighty ship
Wait... is that giant patch on the breech of the gun some leftover tape/paper or a rust spot? Looks more like a rust spot to me. Kept thinking "I want to remove that" the entire video.
This is so amazingly fascinating
Hi Ryan and team, great video. I’ve noticed in several videos that various pieces of electrically/hydraulically powered equipment throughout the ship are staged at different points in their work cycles, the spanner tray and powder hoist door in this video being a good example. We know none of these systems are operational so my question is, were/are the museum staff able to manually manipulate some of these items/systems to set up displays when a section is being opened to the public?
Yeah, these were manually operated to get to that stage. Its an extremely slow and arduous process.
Love the videos. On HMS Belfast (much smaller guns of course, but a similar opertating prniciple) the primer casings, once used, were knocked onto the dog clips handles on the turret‘s doors to make them look more ’tiddly‘. Bit like a brass sleeve on the handle that could be o
polished up. You can still see them now.
A video on propellants? yes please!
You do a great job young man.
Excellent video. All this time I figured the ignition was exclusively electric from a circuit in the threaded breach plug
I sure hope you guy keep that ship ready juuuuust in case of an alien attack. :) Thanks for the great videos.
I hate that I was thinking the same thing
This is a great!
I thought this would be a primer on how the 16in guns work, instead it's all about primers 😂
Shame the video can't be, for obvious reasons, "Like this! (Boom!)"
It *can* be… but just once.
The next video would be
Hi! I’m Ryan Szimanski, former curator of the Battleship New Jersey. I fired the 16” guns. It was amazing.
That is all.
So what if it shatters every window in Camden? Totally worth it!
All day everyday
@@hancock63 And half of them in Philadelphia also :)
@@stevewindisch7400 there aren't that many intact windows in Camden to shatter.
Excellent videos sir.
Looking forward to that powder video. Great content!
I found a video of 16 inch guns being fired in the late 80's and it looked like the breech guy was manually firing by pulling on something, but i wasn't sure that was possible. its really cool that they designed it to be so fail proof. all else fails, you could literally smack it with a hammer and it would go off (albeit it would probably break your arm when the breech rockets back). having the option to electrically cook off the primer too is pretty awesome
Would definitely be interested in more videos on the guns, powder, and associated topics.
I have one of those primer casing and until I saw this video I had no idea what it was used for, thanks
Good video! I am a member of the last decommissioning crew. I served from 1989-1991.
That rust patch at the top of the breech is making my OCD itch. Could you guys please do something about it or do you need me to come down there?
yes! its CERTAINLY not up to Navy Standards!!!
go ahead, the surely appreciate any volunteer ;-)
Our man has gotten much more confident on camera 👌
Fascinating and informative.
Awesome content!😀
I never knew this. Wow. Interesting. Thank you.
Some of the German heavy naval guns had what amounted to a "glow plug" in the breech. When the breech was closed the "glow plug" made contact with the powder charge. When fired, the glow plug instantly got red hot and ignited the powder charges.
Great video! Never knew what that firing mechanism was. Would absolutely like to know more about how these guns functioned and what equipment and chemicals were used. Thank you sir!
I was 12 years old when I first fired an M1 Garand. Everyone else (grown men) fired it from a Caldwell Lead-Sled. I picked the rifle up, threw in the 8 round enblock (didn't get Garand thumb) and racked off 8 rounds from the shoulder. I set the rifle back down and said "if you're going to shoot one of these, atleast show it the respect it deserves."
Didn’t know that. Thank you. Great video thank you
Thanks for sharing this information.😃👌👏👏👏
Heavy naval artillery has always interested me.The physics of getting a shell on target are monumental feats.
I've fired, 30-30, 30 Army 30-40 Krag) 30-06, 300 Blackout and 30-06 Improved. I shot everything from 22 Rimfire to 220 Swift up to 45 and 50 rifle caliber. I used to hang out at a range and got to shoot a lot of guns that belonged to buddies I got to know. My favorite belonged to a retired FBI agent. He use to allow me his Model 1927 (if I recall correctly) Thompson SMG. That was a lot of fun shooting 50 rounds from it in bursts. He had a progressive reloader. I picked up all 45 ACP brass I found at the range and gave it to him and cast bullets for him as I cast special stinkers that didn't catch in the wéeds on the bottom of the of the Potomac and Chesapeake Bay. I miss VA living in SC
Well, since you are taking requests... Could you lob one over towards Trenton? Be sure to set up a camera near your aiming point so we can see the results. :)
Thanks for all the great work!
Fascinating, always assumed it was an electrical system that set off the charges. Excellent presenter by the way.
It is an electrical circuit that sets off the primer normally.
So let me get this straight. 1 - small primer at base of 16 inch primer ignites, 2 - primer propellant in primer cartridge ignites, 3 - black powder in quilt on rear of main powder bag ignites, 4 - Main powder nitrocellulose ignites. Each step in turn makes the resulting 'charge' larger and larger until the final powder charge itself ignites propelling the 16 inch shell. That 1 heck of a ignition train that needs to work perfectly.
All in a fraction of a second.
Times NINE for a full broadside...no wonder the Iraqis surrendered to the Wisconsin's drone!
Good video, Ryan.
Yes, I have had the pleasure of shooting an M-1 Garand rifle. Also avoided getting "Garand thumb", just like you and others.
Have fired other WW-II vintage rifles, too. Fun hobby. :-)
Firing an M-1 Garand was one of my favorite range experiences.
Man that rust spot does a good job showing off the layered construction of the gun.
Great video! Thanks Ryan
Another great video..keep em comin.
Thank you.
CVN-72
Cleaning my Garand as I watch this. Please do a video on the powder types used. Some people use a small amount of smokeless pistol powder in the bottom of large black powder cartridges as a kicker for better ignition.
Definitely interested in the powder video.
It has been over 30 years since I was on the Iowa but I seem to remember that the sleeve used to wipe down the breech block between shots was made out of asbestos.
Very interesting video. It occurs to me that the act of igniting each bag in sequence from the back effectively means that the overall gas pressure in the barrel is ramped up in stages instead of the whole lot going off simultaneously. Neat!
I'm not entirely sure that will be true.
Suspect that, as it goes off, the pressure of the rear bag will already push the other bags forward, and the next bag goes off pushing the others forward even more etc etc.. So as they go off the space in which they go off becomes bigger as well.
This is similar to in rifle reloading, light projectiles use faster powder with higher pressure at the chamber
but speed of the powder has to be slower when the weight of the projectile becomes higher.
As a result, the chamber pressure for heavy projectiles is typically lower, but the pressure is kept up for longer down the barrel because of the slower conflagration
That is the main reason why you cannot shoot heavy 3006 or 308 pill in an M1 Garand or M14 : the higher pressure at the gasport at the end of the barrel.. causes the oprod to slam hard.
thanks for the info !
The 16” propellant firing chain is surprisingly like ground heavy artillery systems, the primer cartridge looks just like the ones we used on the 8” M110A2 weapons system back in the 80’s.
At one time I loaded 19 different calibers of blank ammunition. That igniter looks to be the same dimensions as a .45-70 case. I'd love to know the rim diameter, base diameter, mouth diameter, and overall length. Before you showed the head my first thought was the .45-70.
Hello Ryan,
thank you for this amazing Video. I'm very interested in seeing more details about the type of Powders that were used in these 16-inch guns. I'm a reloader myself and to my eye the primer looks like a beefed up .45-70 Government case with blank fire-star-crimp. On a quick search on the webs, I found a cross sectioned drawing of a Mk 15 Mod. 1,2,3 Primer on bulletpicker. In the description, there is stated that the ignition charge is 30 grains of Black Powder. Furthermore, I find it especially interesting that you can see at min 2:27 the greenish electrical insulating Ring around the Percussion-Primer for the electrical firing. Also, the headstemping in the primer-head shows some significant signs of pressure, is it known today, how high the peak pressure was, when firing the 16-inch guns?
As a recreational black-powder shooter, I know that you have to clean the barrel after each range session to prevent your barrel from corrosion. You mention that the primer alone would be too weak on its own to ignite the powder charge, so they quilt a black powder patch on the back of the silk back. So that raises the question: if there was in the primer and the back-patches black powder, must they clean the gun barrels after each firing, and how do you clean a 16-inch gun barrel? Or do you have already a video on the topic and I missed it?
In my gun safe are two .30-06 Springfield caliber rifles. The M1917 and the M1903 A3. And I shot a view other rifles in that caliber, including the M1 Garand and even a lever action Browning BLR. Good to hear that you didn't get the Garand thump, safety first on the gun rage.
Greetings from Germany
I think if you watch a firing, there is a big jet of compressed air or steam to blow out any loose residue.
Very interested in the powders!
Yes we need more information about the powder and other gun related stuff.
I mean they are what makes the ship what it is.
I'd pay astronomical amounts of money to see one fired a few times
That's pretty cool how you did the camera work.
Yes , please do go into the type of gunpowder used . I'm a hand loader , and I remember my Granddad ( who taught me how ) talking about military surplus gun powder .
He called IMR 4831 Cannon Powder , because so much of it was left over after WW2 , that it was sold to the civilian market at some very low prices .
I think the 4831 was mostly used in 50 cal and 20 mm ammo , from what I can find .
I was artillery when I was in the army a friend of mine was able to get his hands on a primer for the m198 and fired it out of a pistol he said it was the biggest flash of light he had ever seen come out of a pistol I don’t remember what revolver he used I think it was a judge he always wished he could get his hands on more of them
Definitely interested
i love these because it is a first for me to see
I have shot both an original 1903 Springfield And an M-1 Grand and the 03 Kicks like a mule, and the Grand a beautiful smooth action and recoil.
It's not clear as to where that primer goes. Ryan, can you show that more specifically? Thanks
Sorry, we get a few hundred comments a day, we can't see them all, but those are the same photos we used in the video, because we love them too!
@@FIREBRAND38 Below Yeoman Burch's photo is a photo showing primers for a 155 howitzer. They look the same. cache.getarchive.net/Prod/thumb/cdn10/L3Bob3RvLzIwMDMvMDIvMDIvdHdvLWNhbm5vbi1wcmltZXJzLWZvci10aGUtdXMtbWFyaW5lLWNvcnBzLXVzbWMtbTE5OC0xNTUtbW0tbWVkaXVtLXJhbmdlLWhvd2l0emVyLTE5MmY0Ny0xNjAwLmpwZw%3D%3D/320/208/webp
The first gun I fired was an M14 my grandfather had. I think that was a 7.62 (.308 maybe?) I did inherit his M1 carbine, but I haven't taken possession yet. He used the Garand in Korea, so the gun holds a special place in my memories (he didn't get to keep the Garand of course, and bought the carbine later, i believe its not an actual M1, but I haven't looked into it yet).
M-1 Garand. Uses .30-06 cartridge. Military ammo specifications keep the chamber pressure within safe limits for the rifle. Some variations of civilian hunting ammo are not compatible with M-1 Garand.
M-14. Uses 7.62NATO cartridge. Very close to the .308 Winchester cartridge. Small differences in specifications. Same cautions regarding mil-spec versus hunting ammo.
M-1 Carbine. Uses .30 Carbine ammunition. Looks like a large pistol cartridge.
Congratulations on your inheritance. Not many left in circulation.
I would be nice to hear about the power great video
The primer cap sets for the primer cartage that sets off the primer patch that sets off the main charge damn
have you made the video on the powder used in the 16 inch guns? my father lives nearby the seal beach naval weapons depot. he always told that it was mostly the only place that still stores the powder bags
Please do more video about the different powders and how they were made.
Thanks. How is the primer set off electrically? Does it heat the primer? I'm thinking in both cases some sort of hammer hits the primer in the primer, but I don't know for sure.
Definitely interested in the powder charge. Burn rates, cordite shapes etc
Definitely interested in the powder, some pictures would be nice if what the powder looks like, I actually figured it was just a massive amount of cordite.
thank you, now i can properly shoot my battleship 16" gun
That's one question I was always wondering about, just how they set the charge off. I thought that there was something inserted into the last powder bag, like the quill of older muzzle-loading artillery, but I guess that's not quite necessary here.