I really cannot envision a sane person piercing a bullet with a knife. All
my stuck .22 bullets or shells were extracted by pushing a pen knife blade
behind the flange at the rear and scratched the shell. But I could see a couple
of liquored up teens (or adults with a teenage mentality) dreaming up some
sort of mumbly peg dare game of stabbing bullets (maybe for dollars).
Ron May
Legacy 106, Inc.
In a message dated 2/11/2009 8:55:30 A.M. Pacific Standard Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:
IMHO:
The logic behind cutting metallic cartridges to salvage lead and
powder seems a little "forced" to me. A pair of pliers to pull
bullets make a lot more sense, and would be a lot safer than cutting
into loaded cartridges, and frankly, I would assume that most lead
bullets could be dislodged from most cartridges using simple
hand/finger power, even without a pair of pliers. But I haven't
personally tried that ...
.22 caliber wind chimes made me laugh, though ...
Mark
>Hmmm...interesting responses you've gotten and all sound like viable ideas.
>
>A co-worker of mine, Doreen Cooper, found a number of Colt .45
>cartridge cases that had been cut in a similar manner in a military
>context dating to 1902 in Skagway, Alaska . Here is what her
>armaments analyst, Charles Atkins, had to say:
>
>"A cut in the case, in the area that formally held the bullet, is
>rare but not unknown in Alaska. This cut is used to unload the case
>and salvage the powder and lead. This was accomplished by placing
>the loaded cartridge on a hard surface, probably containing a groove
>to stabilize it.. Then a knife like tool was placed in such a way as
>to cut the brass case lengthwise over the bullet. The tool was then
>struck, cutting the brass case and releasing the bullet. The bullet
>could then be removed and saved for recasting into whatever shape or
>size was needed and powder could be saved and reloading into another
>cartridge."
>
>Cooper went on to suggest that the soldiers inhabiting the small
>sheds where these cartridges were found were salvaging bullets and
>powder for use in personal weapons for hunting wild game in
>off-hours.
>
>Here is the citation:
>
>Cooper, Doreen C.
>2004 Gold Rush Life in Skagway: The Second Avenue "Cabins."
>Report submitted to General Services Administration, Auburn,
>Washington, by R & D Consulting, Skagway, Alaska. p. 95.
>
>Hope this helps.
>
>Catherine Holder Spude, PhD
>7 Avenida Vista Grande #145
>Santa Fe, NM 87508
>505-466-1476 home
>505-913-1326 cell
>
>"Life is not tried, it is merely survived if you are standing
>outside the fire," Jenny Yates and Garth Brooks.
>
>--------------------------------------------------
>From: "Avery, Paul" <[log in to unmask]>
>Sent: Wednesday, February 11, 2009 6:07 AM
>To: <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Cartridge Case Question
>
>>Hello all,
>>
>>We did some work recently at an 1830s plantation house in North
>>Carolina. We recovered a fairly large number of cartridge cases from
>>what appears to be an early 20th century deposit. It was located just
>>off of the front porch, so it looks like they were sitting on the porch
>>and plinking. There were some unusual calibers, including several .32
>>Winchester Self-Loading Rifle and .22 Winchester Automatic. The most
>>unusual thing though, was that there were more than a dozen .22 short
>>and .22 long cases that appear to have been jabbed with a knife. The
>>cut goes through one wall of the case and runs lengthwise just above the
>>rim.
>>
>>Is this just random behavior indicative of boredom or is there more to
>>it than that?
>>
>>Someone suggested that the cases were sticking in the person's gun and
>>they used the knife to remove the case. That makes some sense, but
>>there isn't enough space between the edge of the cut and the mouth of
>>the case on the .22 shorts for it to be stuck. I can't imagine how they
>>managed to get the things to stay still while they punched the hole in
>>them. Risky indeed to hold something that small and stab it with enough
>>force to puncture the case!
>>
>>I plan to try it myself as soon as I have a chance to create some empty
>>.22 cases, but in the meantime, I'd like to hear from the group.
>>
>>Thanks!
>>
>>Paul G. Avery, RPA
>>Senior Archaeologist
>>MACTEC Engineering and Consulting
>>9725 Cogdill Road
>>Knoxville, TN 37932
>>Phone: (865) 588-8544x1169
>>Fax: (865) 588-8026
--
Mark C. Branstner, RPA
Historic Archaeologist
Illinois Transportation
Archaeological Research Program
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
209 Nuclear Physics Lab, MC-571
23 East Stadium Drive
Champaign, IL 61820
Phone: 217.244.0892
Fax: 217.244.7458
Cell: 517.927.4556
[log in to unmask]
"I hope there's pudding" - Luna Lovegood (HP5)
"If you only have a hammer, every problem looks like a nail"- Anonymous
**************The year's hottest artists on the red carpet at the Grammy
Awards. AOL Music takes you there.
(http://music.aol.com/grammys?ncid=emlcntusmusi00000002)
|