The ZG 1229, code named “Vampir,” was an infrared night scope developed during World War II for the German Wehrmacht for night operations. It was intended to be mounted on a Sturmgewehr 44 (StG 44). It was first used in combat in February 1945. Built at the C.G. Haenel Munitions plant at Suhl in Thuringia, Germany, a total of 310 units were issued by the end of the war. Its main drawbacks were its weight and bulk. It was too cumbersome to use in fluid situations; however, it worked well when in a fixed position.

The infrared scope and spotlight weighed a little over 5 pounds. The battery unit that was encased in a wooden box and carried on a harness on the back of the Nachtjager (night hunter) weighed 30 pounds. The battery that ran the image converter sat under the main battery box in a modified gas mask container. The whole package was strapped to the Tragegestell 39 (pack frame 1939). Ernst Leitz GmbH, located in Wetzlar, Germany, developed the complete package.

The searchlight contained an incandescent, tungsten filament light source that had a color temperature of 3200K. The light projected through a filter that only let infrared wavelength light pass. The telescopic sensor operated in the high infrared, not the low infrared which the human body emits, so it could not detect body heat. Eastern Front Russian fighters reported that the Germans were using it at night with the aid of “peculiar non-shining torches coupled with enormous optical sights” mounted on their rifles.

Close to the end of hostilities, the MG34 and MG42 machine guns were fitted with similar night vision optics. However, the war ended before many of these reached the front lines.

C.G. Haenel Munitions

The Vampir system was produced by C.G. Haenel Munitions. Carl Gottlieb Haenel, a Prussian gun factory commissioner, began weapons production in 1840 with the production of bicycles and weapons, a common combination in pre-World War I years. During that war, C.G. Haenel produced large quantities of the Mauser M98 rifle. After World War II, the factory was disassembled and transported to the Soviet Union as part of war reparations. Only air rifles and carbines were manufactured until 2008 when the Suhl Arms Alliance was formed with Merkel, and rifle production began again.

The Six-Day War between Israel and Egypt, Jordan and Syria was fought from June 5 to June 10, 1967. During that conflict, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) captured thousands of AK-47 assault rifles and huge amounts of 7.62x39mm ammunition. At the time, the IDF was armed with the FN FAL battle rifle in 7.62x51mm caliber. This rifle was not suitable for operation in dusty, sandy environments without frequent service; it would jam if not maintained. The AK-47 was seen to be more controllable and reliable and required less maintenance than the FAL. It also was easier to maintain, and the conscript troops needed less training on it.

The IDF realized it needed an assault rifle that would be low maintenance with the accuracy of the FAL, so they looked for a replacement. The M16A1, Stoner 63 and HK33 were tested, but an Israel team consisting of Uziel Gal, inventor of the Uzi, Yakov Lior and Yisrael Galil began testing prototypes towards the end of the 1960s that were based on the Valmet RK 62 receivers. These tests paved the way for the Galil assault rifle chambered for the 5.56x45mm NATO cartridge. The Galil became the official service rifle of the IDF from the mid-1970s to the early 1990s. It was eventually phased out when the M16A1 began arriving in Israel through the U.S. Military Aid Program in 1975.

VARIANTS

Numerous variants of the Galil were produced over its lifespan. Here’s a brief summary:

• AR: This is the standard rifle, chambered in 5.56 NATO and 7.62 NATO.
• SAR: This is a short-barreled carbine with either a 13.1-inch barrel in 5.56 NATO or a 15.7-inch barrel in 7.62 NATO.
• ARM: This is a light machine gun in both calibers that is famous for having a bottle opener at the rear of the handguard.
• MAR: This is commonly known as the Micro Galil. It is a smaller version of the SAR. It was downsized by using a shorter 8.27-inch barrel, receiver, gas tube, piston and handguard. Empty weight is 6.57 pounds. The later version of the MAR, the 699, has the charging handle positioned to the left side of the bolt carrier and protrudes through a slot on the left side of the receiver cover. A metal dust shield covers the opening when the bolt is in the forward position. Its barrel is slightly larger at 10.5 inches. This upgrade also extends to the Galil ACE, chambered in 5.56 NATO, 7.62 Soviet and 7.62 NATO.

IKON’s One-Off G223

A number of Micro Galil parts kits became available recently. These are original Israel Military Industries (IMI—now known as IMI Systems) parts, except the receivers are not included. IKON Weapons, LLC, headquartered in Florence, SC, has built a one-off G223 pistol using these parts kits. These firearms are truly bespoke weapons; each will be built to the customers’ specifications. IKON won’t be building another one just like the one in this article. The number “43” on the magazine is the gun’s serial number. This version is sold, so another differently configured pistol will replace it.

Features

The new receiver has the cocking lever on the left side, similar to the MAR 699. The fire selector is operated by pushing it forward. A two-piece rail is installed on the gas cylinder and receiver cover, making it possible to mount many different styles of optics. The barrel section at the gas port tower is chrome-plated. This prevents gas corrosion of the barrel. The front sight is adjustable for windage and height as per factory specs. Rear sight is windage-only adjustable.

The new receivers are CNC, cut from a 9-pound block of 4140 ordnance steel (containing chromium, molybdenum and manganese). The steel is widely used in firearms construction due to its toughness, high fatigue strength and abrasion and impact resistance. It’s then heat-treated to 45 Rockwell—a hardness scale based on indentation hardness of a material. During the heat treating process, a custom designed insert is used to prevent warping. This insert also allows proper oil quench soak over the entire surface.

Barrels are fabricated using Green Mountain 1-inch diameter blanks. These are 41V50 chrome moly vanadium steel. Each pistol barrel is indexed to the receiver, and then drilled for the gas port. Headspace is set using a pull-through reamer. As on the OEM weapon, the gas tower is pressed into the barrel. Each firearm has two 10-round mag-azines. The gun is finished with a Cerakote H-series oven-cured, thin-film coating. This provides corrosion, chemical and durability protection. It’s done using a ceramic-polymer technology that imparts both flexibility and physical performance. Cerakote has been used to coat pistons used by Top Fuel Dragster engine builders. It can tolerate operating temperatures up to 1,800 degrees. It is suggested that an operator does not try to fire the Micro Galil at this temperature.

The firearm will be shipped with its original stock. To mount the stock, the gun would have to be registered as a Short Barreled Rifle (SBR) with the ATF. IKON mounts an SB Tactical F1319 brace that gives the gun a 13.5-inch Length of Pull (LOP) so as to conform to current ATF regulations regarding braces and LOP.

Chrome Moly Barrel Life

A chrome moly barrel should be good for 10,000 rounds. After 7,000 some wear may be present. The barrel can go to 20,000 rounds, but there will be measurable wear to the lands. IKON did a 6,000-round endurance test on one of their Micro Galils. They had 50 magazines and blew through 6,075 rounds in 3.5 hours. The gun was rigidly mounted and then fired by pulling a string tied to the trigger. I would imagine that trigger fingers got rather tired. Suliban Deaza, IKON Weapons’ CEO, measured the front of the barrel temperature at 935 degrees after the last mag was dumped. Back near the receiver, the barrel temps ranged between 287 and 368 degrees.

Considering that most IKON Weapons owners will put less than 1,000 rounds downrange in a year, and at less than 50 yards range, there’s little, or no, chance of losing any discernible accuracy. Two or three trips to the range per month won’t ever cause an accuracy problem.

IKON G223

Caliber 5.56 NATO
Operating system Semiautomatic
Magazine NATO STANAG
Mag capacity 30
Barrel Hammer-forged, chrome-lined
Barrel length 8.3in
Weight (empty) 6.4lb
Rate of twist 1:7 Right hand
Sights Tritium adjustable
Info: iconweapons.com

Wikipedia defines a submachine gun as: “a magazine-fed, automatic carbine designed to shoot handgun cartridges.” The term submachine gun was coined by John T. Thompson, the inventor of the Thompson submachine gun. In modern parlance, they’re frequently referred to as “subguns.”

Most subguns operate using the blowback action where the force and gasses of the fired shell drive the bolt back against a strong spring while ejecting the spent casing. As long as the trigger is held down, this action will repeat until the magazine goes dry. The most common calibers are 9mm and .45 ACP. The rate of fire can vary by gun, but 650 rounds per minute are easily attained. A subgun can empty a 50-round magazine in less than 5 seconds. Normally, a submachine gun is fired in short bursts of three to four rounds; they are primarily a short-range weapon, with shots kept under 50 yards.

The submachine gun was never intended to be a front-line weapon, but it worked well in close quarter battle (CQB) and under short-range assault conditions. The idea of a man-portable, full-auto weapon became popular with the militaries of the world toward the end of World War I. Up until then, fully automatic machine guns firing rifle cartridges were heavy (the Browning 1917, including tripod, gun, cooling water and ammo, weighed 103 pounds) and required a crew of up to four soldiers to operate and transport. One man could carry a submachine gun and enough ammunition to sustain him for a battle.

The First Submachine Guns

Standschütze Hellriegel

The Austro-Hungarian military force ordered a pistol-caliber, fully automatic weapon in 1915. The Standschütze Hellriegel submachine gun was the result. Not much is known about this weapon, and it appears not to have advanced past the prototype stage. It used a large drum magazine located under the receiver and connected to the action by means of a flexible chute. It could also accommodate box magazines. Its likely caliber was the 9x23mm Steyr that was originally designed for the Steyr M1912 pistol. Ballistics with a 115-grain bullet were 1,025 feet per second and 268 ft-lb of muzzle energy.

An unusual feature of the gun was its water-cooled barrel. A water jacket encased in leather was fitted over the barrel. Two ports allowed the jacket to be filled or drained.

Villar Perosa

The first operational submachine gun was the Italian Villar Perosa Model 1915. First designed in in Italy in 1914 by designer Abiel Revelli, the creator of the Fiat-Revelli Modello 1914 machine gun, the Villar Perosa is a rare and unusual gun in that it is really two complete guns joined together by a bronze casting at the rear of the actions and a circular steel plate in front of the ejection ports. Both guns can be fired simultaneously, or each can be operated separately. The cartridges—9mm Glisenti—feed from dual 25-round magazines. With only a 100-grain bullet trundling along at 1,000 feet per second (if lucky) and 300 ft-lb of muzzle energy, it wasn’t too successful at hitting its intended targets—aircraft—but it worked satisfactorily as a ground attack weapon. A period black and white photo shows the Villar Perosa mounted on a bicycle’s handlebars, so it had to be fairly subdued when fired.

Normal operation consisted of firing one barrel at a time while an assistant gunner changed magazines on the other. One of its drawbacks was that it would empty a magazine in slightly over 1 second which made continuous rapid fire next to impossible. A fate of a lot of these subguns was being broken down to individual guns in 1918 and made into submachine guns by the addition of a forearm, buttstock and single trigger.

There’s a lot of room for funny comments about the care and operation of the Villar Perosa, but it was a reliable weapon for the time, and the one this author inspected was beautifully fabricated. One recently changed hands as an NFA weapon for $50,000+.

The Ubiquitous Thompson 

There’s been millions of words written about John Thompson’s submachine gun and millions of rounds fired through them. John T. Thompson was born on the last day of 1860 in Newport, Kentucky. His father was a Lt. Col., and the family moved around a lot of Army posts. John followed in his father’s footsteps and trained in engineering and artillery and then was assigned to the Army Ordnance Department, Fort Lee, Virginia. He spent the balance of his military career there.

John Bell Blish, a career Navy officer and inventor, had developed a blowback action that used a friction delay method of controlling rate of fire. This became the well-known Blish lock. Thompson saw in the Blish Lock a method of developing a fully automatic submachine gun that would be an excellent weapon to use in sweeping trenches clean. This trench sweeper was chambered in the cartridge used in the Colt 1911 pistol—the .45 ACP. The range wasn’t great, but the heavy 230-grain full metal jacket (FMJ) bullet excelled in its trench sweeping duties. Unfortunately, the Thompson submachine gun didn’t come out of development until after the armistice was signed, ending WWI. The U.S. Army adopted the Thompson in 1928, and it saw action in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. 

Variants 

Annihilator, Persuader and Model 1919 

The Persuader was a belt-fed prototype designed, but never finished in 1917. The Annihilator resembled the later models but had no provisions for a rear sight or buttstock. The Model 1919 laid down the final design for future models. Other prototypes were built, but none of them saw production. 

Production 

Model 1921. This was the first model produced in volume. Over 15,000 were produced by Colt for Auto-Ordnance Corporation, an arms firm founded by John Thompson in 1916. The company’s purpose was to handle and develop the Thompson submachine gun. The Model 1921 was expensive to manufacture due to the amount of machining required on the receiver and Blish lock. Fitted with a high grade stock, it retailed for $200; a large sum in the early 1920s. Strangely enough, that’s the exact same amount of money the ATF charged for its U.S. National Firearms Act tax stamp in 1934 forward. 

Model 1923. This was a heavy machine gun and was demonstrated for the Army. It was not adopted. 

Model 1921 AC. This was an M1921 with a Cutts Compensator on the muzzle. 

Model 1928. This gun was ordered by the U.S. military. The major users were the Navy and Marine Corps. Weight was added to the actuator to slow down the cyclic rate of fire which made the gun more controllable. This model had an “8” stamped over the last “1” on the model designation of the 1921. It was known as the “28 Navy,” or “1921 Overstamp.” 

Model 1928A1. The distinct, vertical forward grip was changed to a plain horizontal one, and sling attachment points were installed. Over 562,500 were made. Wartime variants had a fixed rear sight, no ribs on the barrel, and most of them used a stick magazine in lieu of the heavier, rattling drum magazine. 

Model M1. In 1942, the Thompson was re-engineered to be a more rugged, more serviceable weapon. The Blish lock was removed, the drum magazine latch and receiver grove disappeared, and the Cutts Compensator abandoned. The cocking handle was moved to the right side and the action converted to straight blowback. Late stocks were re-enforced with bolts and washers. 

Model M1A. The major change from the M1 to the M1A was the transition from a floating firing pin to a pin machined directly onto the bolt face. 

There are other versions of the Thompson, but they were all semiautomatic or never produced for sale. 

The M3 Grease Gun 

By 1945, the Thompson was replaced with the low-cost M3 “Grease Gun;” termed as such due to its striking resemblance to an automotive grease gun in use at the time. It fired the same round as the Thompson. Most of its major parts were made from cheap metal stampings. Adopted by the military at the end of 1942, it saw service up to and including the Syrian Civil War. 

George Hyde, a German-born American machinist, was the chief gun designer for the Inland Division of General Motors. He oversaw the production of more than 700,000 M3 Grease Guns. 

Its cyclic rate of fire is 700 rounds per minute, and it can empty a magazine in 7.5 seconds. It has no provision for semiauto fire. This helped keep costs down to a 1943, $15.00-level per unit. Guide Lamp division of General Motors produced 343,372 M3s in 1944 alone. 

One of the more interesting of the various cost cutting measures employed over the M3’s production life was the ejection port cover/safety. It has a stud that engages the bolt when it’s for ward, stopping the bolt from moving backward when subjected to rough handling. As the M3 fires from an open bolt, this is very important. When the bolt is retracted the stud engages a recess on the bolt which stops it from firing. The cover has to be open for the gun to fire.

STEN Gun

Over 4 million STENs were produced in various types during the 1940s. (Depending on who is asked, the numbers run anywhere from 3.7 to 4.6 million.) It was a cheaply fabricated British weapon with most of its parts assembled from steel stampings in a similar manner as the American M3. It was a blowback action firing from an open bolt. The magazine was on the left side of the tubular receiver and carried 32 rounds of 9x19mm Parabellum.

There were seven variants of the STEN, with the latest version, the Mk VI, costing His Majesty’s government a huge $10 in 1942. Some of the cheapest models had only 47 parts. The cheap quality of the STEN, coupled with its rudimentary open bolt, made it prone to accidental discharges.

The STEN had a long life cycle. As late as 1994, the Zapatista Army of National Liberation operating in Chiapas, Mexico, still had some in circulation. Not bad for a $10 subgun.

Post-WWII

Uzi

In the late 1940s, after Israel became a nation, an Israeli Army Lieutenant, Uziel Gal, designed a submachine gun for the Israel Defense Forces. Israel had just fought its Arab neighbors—Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and Transjordan (Jordan)—with a motley collection of foreign machine guns, rifles and submachine guns which proved to be a logistical disaster and alerted the need for an arms industry of its own.

Lt. Gal designed a short, compact weapon with a collapsible stock that fired from an open bolt. Similar to other types of submachine guns, the Uzi was constructed from metal stampings which reduced production costs and made it easy to manufacture. Rate of fire was a relatively slow 600 rounds per minute, and it could be loaded with either a 25- or 32-round magazine. The slow rate of fire made controlled-round bursts easier for recruits and conscripts to operate. Its low recoil 9mm cartridge aided in keeping rounds on target.

The Uzi’s first armed conflict took place in October 1956 when the 202nd Brigade of the Israeli Army, led by Ariel Sharon, captured Mitla Pass during the Suez War. The Uzi was subsequently employed against Jordanian and Syrian troops in further conflicts.

Various military variants of the Uzi have been produced.

Uzi submachine gun. This is the standard Uzi with a 10-inch barrel. It was manufactured in both 9mm and .45 ACP. The .45ACP model has a sustained rate of fire of 500 rounds per minute.

Mini Uzi. This is a smaller version of the standard Uzi, introduced in 1980. Overall length with the stock extended is 23.6 inches. Due to its smaller bolt, the rate of fire is increased to 950 rounds per minute.

Micro Uzi. First shown in 1986, it fires from a closed bolt and weighs just 3.3 pounds.

The Uzi Pro. This is a much modified Uzi that uses polymer in its non-stressed parts. Its future is uncertain.

Here in Las Vegas, the weather has been known to get a tad on the warm side from time to time. When the temp crawls above 110, the uniform of the day is shorts, shirt, flip-flops and sunscreen. Packing a CCW weapon can be rather tough. Anything that weighs more than a few ounces can render your shorts to a new low if a belt isn’t employed. Even my Smith & Wesson 342 PD that weighs in at 10.8 ounces empty, will sink my shorts when it’s loaded with five .38 Special +P loads. So, what happens is that the gun stays home, where it does no good whatsoever. 

The North American Arms Mini-Revolver comes chambered for the .22 Long Rifle or for the .22 Magnum. The Magnum is the best choice for hot-weather concealed carry, as it can be hidden just about anywhere—even in the breast pocket of a shirt. It is available with an ankle holster, and seeing as how the gun weighs less than 8 ounces loaded, it would be an easy carry. An associate of mine packs an M4 as his main tool, but carries a GLOCK G27 .40-caliber subcompact in a shoulder holster as his backup. He also has a Mini-Revolver in an ankle holster. His .40 is his go-to gun if the M4 is out of reach, but if everything goes Tango Uniform, he’s got the Mini as his last chance weapon. 

It would be easy just to drop one in your pants pocket, but it can be tricky to get it out in a hurry. My method of carry is to use the combination holster/grip. It has a clip on the side that can be attached anywhere on your clothing. This revolver has the 1-5 / 8-inch barrel, and the holster grip actually makes the gun controllable. All my fingers fit on the grip—no little finger below. The Mini is single-action, so it must be cocked for every shot. This can take an extra second, but if your gunfights go down in 2 to 3 seconds, you either need something that can be rapidly deployed, or you need another line of work. The NAA Mini-Revolver is intended to be something to carry when other options won’t work. 

When you’re out of ideas, ammo and places to duck, and your back-up 9mm is doing pushups in your safe; having this little beast tucked away in an accessible spot becomes a good idea. 

North American Arms Mini-Revolvers are equipped with a unique safety cylinder, giving you maximum protection against accidental discharge. 

NAA Safety Cylinder 

North American Arms’ website offers the following useful information and advice: 

“The North American Arms Safety Cylinder feature allows the gun to be carried fully loaded. There are halfway notches located between the chambers. The hammer is lowered into one of these notches after the gun is loaded. When the hammer is pulled back to the firing position the cylinder rotates to the next chamber. 

NOTE: The traditional half-cock position is to be used for loading and unloading only. THE HAMMER SHOULD NEVER REST IN THE HALF-COCK POSITION OVER A LIVE CARTRIDGE OR ON THE RIM OF A LIVE CARTRIDGE. 

If you have an older model NAA Mini-Revolver, or know someone who does, please check to see if it is equipped with the NAA Safety Cylinder—if not, please call [NAA] at 800- 821-5783 to find out how to update the gun to the new cylinder. 

NAA Mini-Revolvers come with a Lifetime Warranty. If anything should ever go wrong with your Mini-Revolver, please call Customer Support to find out how to send the gun to us for repair. 

NOTE: The following instructions are from our FAQ – .22 Caliber Mini-Revolvers: 

The Safety Cylinder is a critical part of the gun. We recommend that you practice the following steps to become proficient at using the Safety Cylinder before loading the gun. 

1. Make sure the gun is unloaded. 
2. Make sure the gun is unloaded! 
3. Retract the hammer to the point that the cylinder spins freely (about half-way) and keep it retracted. 
4. Looking through the top/rear of the frame, locate any of the five milled safety slots (those notches on the cylinder between the chambers) and position any slot directly beneath the blade of the hammer (which is still retracted).
5. While still retracting the hammer, depress the trigger (and keep it depressed); you will now be able to slowly lower the hammer and allow it to settle into the slot.

You can (should) confirm engagement of the hammer in the slot by attempting to rotate the cylinder. If it does rotate, the hammer was not engaged in the slot; repeat the process. Always visually confirm by examining the alignment of any chamber with the bore; if a bullet could physically pass from the chamber through the bore, the gun is not ‘safe.’ In other words, if a chamber is located at 12 o’clock, the gun is not ‘safe.’ In the ‘safe’ condition, the upper two chambers are at one and eleven o’clock. 99.9% of the failures are because the trigger was not kept fully depressed while the hammer was being lowered (Step 5). Once you get the hang of it, however, you’ll find the process becomes surprisingly easy, quick and natural.”

.22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire (.22 WMR)

The .22 WMR was introduced in 1959. It was loaded with bullets that ranged from 30 grains to 50 grains. The 30-grain bullet travels at 2,200 feet per second and has 322 ft-lb of muzzle energy from a rifle. It has 50% more energy at 100 yards than its cousin the .22 Long Rifle has at the muzzle. Sighted for maximum point blank range, it is effective out to 125 yards. At first glance, it seems like a too-small caliber for a defense weapon; however, that’s not quite true. Many guns have been developed for the cartridge, but the one that stands alone is the Argentinian EDDA submachine gun. It is a blowback weapon that resembles a MAC and has select-fire capabilities. It is fed by a 30-round magazine. It seems as though at least one country feels like the .22 WMR is sufficient for the job.

One of the more potent loads for the .22 WMR is the CCI 22 Maxi Mag TNT. It’s a 30-grain Speer TNT jacketed hollow-point bullet. When shot through a 1.63-inch barrel, velocity is 1,253 fps. At up close and personal distances, it expands almost out to 40 calibers. Penetration in wet dirt varied from 4 to 6 inches. Accuracy? Out of a barrel that’s less than 2 inches long, it shot minute of softball. Plenty accurate for what it’s intended to do. See northamericanarms.com for more information.

NAA Mini-Revolvers come with a Lifetime Warranty. If anything should ever go wrong with your Mini-Revolver, please contact NAA’s Customer Support to find out how to send the gun to them for repair. 

Most gunpowder comes in three forms: black powder, cordite (now obsolete) or smokeless powder. The invention of gunpowder comes from a strange twist in the search for immortality. Back around A.D. 850, Chinese alchemists were mixing various chemicals, hoping to find something that would extend human life. What they got was gunpowder, definitely not a life-extending invention. The Chinese made the first reference to gunpowder in a Taoist text produced in 142 A.D. But it wasn’t until the 9th century that the dangers of gunpowder were really understood. Another Taoist text in 858 A.D. says: “Some have heated together sulfur, realgar (arsenic disulphide) and saltpeter [potassium nitrate] with honey; smoke and flames result, so that their hands and faces have been burnt, and even the whole house … burned down.”

By the year 904 A.D. the Chinese warlords had figured out how to burn other people’s houses down. An assortment of weapons utilizing gunpowder as an incendiary appeared. Fire arrows, fire lances and rocket arrows were deployed when the Liao Dynasty attacked the Song Dynasty in 994.

In 1044, the first chemical formula for gunpowder appeared in the Chinese military manual Wujing Zongyao (Complete Essentials for the Military Classics). The same manual discussed “thunderclap bombs.” Period depictions show them to be a stick with a vessel loaded with black powder attached to one end—similar to Nazi stick grenades used in World War II. The earliest depiction of a cannon appeared on some of the Dazu Rock Carvings in Chongqing, China done in the 12th century.

It’s not until 1267 that gunpowder was mentioned in Europe. English Franciscan friar Roger Bacon covered it in his work titled, Opus Majus (Major Work) where he discussed its properties. The gunpowder formula began appearing in Europe in 1280. The word cannon from the Old Italian word cannone and the Latin canna, meaning tube, was used to describe the large black powder devices. 

The oldest known hand cannon in the world is believed to be the Heilongjiang hand cannon found in 1970 in Banlachengzi, China. It’s not so much as a gun, but it is one of the first firearms created. It was constructed out of bronze and was small and light enough to be carried on a soldier’s back. It was used by Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368) soldiers in putting down a rebellion in 1287.

Black powder was in continual use from 904 A.D. until 1880 when smokeless powder was invented and began replacing black powder. The first smokeless powders weren’t exactly too stable or safe, and it wasn’t until 1886 that a much more refined powder was produced in France. By 1890, Europe had replaced black powder with smokeless powder which was then known as “gunpowder.” By 1902, gunpowder replaced black powder worldwide. 

Making ‘Powder 

Black powder 

Black powder is composed of three chemicals: potassium nitrate (saltpeter), charcoal and sulfur. Potassium nitrate is a chemical compound, containing potassium ions and nitrate ions. It occurs in nature as the mineral niter. It is the major ingredient in black powder, comprising 75% of the mixture. It decomposes rapidly at a high temperature which provides oxygen for the reaction. Because black powder provides its own oxygen, it doesn’t need to be exposed to air to burn. 

In the past, saltpeter was sourced from caves filled with bat droppings or islands where seabirds had been nesting for years. These droppings are known as guano and have a very high concentration of saltpeter. In the early part of the 19th century and throughout the Civil War, caves in many southern states were viable sources of the mineral. The Chincha Islands off the southwest coast of Peru were also a source of guano. The mining was grueling, and in earlier times, the workers could develop respiratory diseases from inhaling the guano dust that they created when they dug the guano by hand with picks and shovels. 

Charcoal makes up 15% by weight of black powder. Willow or grapevine is considered the best source of charcoal for black powder. It contains incompletely decomposed cellulose which provides the fuel. If pure carbon is used, the powder will ignite but won’t explode. 

Sulfur makes up the final 10% of black powder. It will burn, but it’s used to provide more energy at lower temperatures and lowers the ignition temperature of the charcoal. 

Cordite 

Cordite was in use from the late 1880s to the end of World War II in 1945. It usually consisted of long thin strands similar to pencil lead. It was developed in Britain to replace black powder as a military propellant. The components are nitroglycerine, nitrocellulose (gun cotton) and petroleum jelly. The original cordite as manufactured at the Royal gunpowder mills at Waltham Abbey (1787–1991) in England was composed of 37 parts of guncotton, 57.5 parts of nitroglycerin and five parts of petroleum jelly. The high amount of nitro in this cordite eroded gun barrels over a short period of use. Modified cordite, Cordite M.D., was introduced in 1901. It proved to be quite stable and had a long storage life. 

During World War II, cordite was altered by replacing the nitroglycerin with other nitrates like dinitrotoluene. This lowered the combustion temperature which reduced barrel erosion by a significant amount. Cordite is now obsolete and is no longer manufactured. It has been replaced by newer propellants such as the Improved Military Rifle (IMR) extruded powder in use in modern weapons. Cordite is mostly seen today in older British cartridges manufactured before 1945. 

Gunpowder (Smokeless) 

The first practical smokeless powder was Poudre B. It was introduced in 1882 at Laboratoire Central des Poudres et Salpêtres in Paris, France. It was dark greenish grey in color and was first used to load the 8mm Lebel rifle cartridges issued for the Fusil Mle 1886 M93 rifle. 

Gunpowder is a common term used to describe all types of powder. Actually, it pertains to smokeless powder in use today. It’s not really smokeless, but produces much less smoke and residue than black powder. Modern powders are a derivative of cordite in that guncotton, which was an ingredient of the older propellant, is the base ingredient. There are two common smokeless powders: single base and double base. Single-base powders are based on nitrocellulose alone, while double-base powders use both nitrocellulose and nitroglycerine. To control burn rates, grains of powder are formed in different shapes or have different surface coatings. Some coatings can reduce the smoke produced by combustion to the point where it is nearly non-existent. 

Lately, some triple base powders are being produced by adding nitroguanidine to a double-base powder. This type of propellant is used in larger weapons like tank guns and artillery and is seldom seen in small arms use. 

Smokeless powder is about three times more powerful than black powder and should never be used in a gun built specifically for black powder. There are certain smokeless-for-black equivalents, but in general, swapping powders can have disastrous consequences, with a destroyed gun the least of them. 

Smokeless powder is available in a wide variety of types, each designed for specific requirements like smoke, burn rate, flash and reduced deposits. A good reloading manual will show which type of powder is suitable for any particular load. 

Propellant 

Technically, propellant is any substance that makes a gun fire. However, many current powders aren’t truly “powders” but cylinder-shaped grains. Today, the term propellant is used as a general term in the firearms industry to describe any flammable combination of chemicals suitable for propelling a bullet out of a gun. 

In World War I, tanks first appeared at the Battle of Flers-Courcelette in September 1916. It was the first time tanks had been used in a military conflict. The British tanks were quite slow; seldom able to meet their top speed of five miles per hour. However, the British Army’s officer corps was dominated by people from existing cavalry regiments who despised the new devices and stubbornly clung to their horses despite the fact that horses and deep mud versus German machine guns was a losing proposition.

As the tank took on a bigger role on the Western Front, it became obvious that some sort of tank-killing system was needed. Early in the War, artillery proved effective in destroying tanks, and to a lesser extent, so did land mines and the trench system so prevalent during the War. The first tanks had side armor 5/16-inch thick which made them immune to small arms fire, but with the development of the German 7.92x57mm K bullet with its tool-steel core, the British armor could be penetrated on an average one out of three shots. By the Battle of Messines Ridge in June 1917, heavier armor was in use.

The emergence of armor-plated vehicles and tanks forced armament companies to design man-portable, anti-tank weapons. Initially, the German Army employed a single-shot Mauser, the 13.2mm 1918 T-Gewehr, to destroy armored vehicles. It was the only anti-tank rifle to see service in WWI.

After the end of the War, a small Swiss arms company, Solothurn Waffenfabrik AG, named after the Solothurn Canton in northwestern Switzerland, began manufacturing weapons. In the late 1920s, it was purchased by Germany’s Rheinmetall Borsig AG to use as a manufacturing plant for military arms. The Treaty of Versailles was signed June 28, 1919, in Versailles, France, ending the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. Germany was prohibited from the arms trade, limits were imposed on the type and quantity of weapons and tanks, and armored cars and military aircraft were forbidden. By merging with Solothurn, Rheinmetall AG could use their engineers to invent and manufacture weapons of war outside of Germany.

Solothurn’s Small Arms

Solothurn developed a number of innovative small arms, ranging from submachine guns to anti-tank rifles that were more cannon than rifle. The first anti-tank, anti-materiel rifle was the Solothurn S18-100, initially deployed in the early 1930s. It was a semiautomatic rifle that used recoil to cycle the action. It could be carried by a single infantryman, but with an empty weight of just over 88 pounds, it could not be fired off-hand.

It was a bullpup configuration with the magazine and action behind the pistol grip/trigger assembly. This setup reduced overall length and weight while not sacrificing barrel length and the resultant loss of velocity. The 36.6-inch barrel is capped by a muzzle brake to aid in control of the massive recoil. The buttstock has a thick pad to help disperse the mind-numbing kick. Two hinged bipods helped support the rifle when it was deployed on the ground–one on the front of the barrel shroud, one under the aft end of the buttstock. The rifle was fed horizontally from the left using either a five-round magazine on the S18-100 or a five- or 10-round magazine on the S18-1000. The spent cases were ejected from the right side of the receiver. Iron sights were fitted, but provisions were made to use a 2.5x telescopic sight.

The Solothurn S18-100B was in use by Hungary, Italy and Switzerland by 1934. The weapon saw service with the armed forces of Bulgaria, Mexico and the Netherlands. By the onset of WWII, the German Army had a large number of S18-100B rifles in their arsenal. The Finnish Army obtained some S18-100 guns by way of the Swiss; however, they arrived too late for use in the conflict known as the Winter War (November 1939 to March 1940) but saw service in the Continuation War (June 1941 to September 1944). Due to the improvement in armor, the S18-100 didn’t see much use in the fighting and was withdrawn when the improved S18-1000 was introduced. This upgraded rifle used the more-powerful 20x138mm cartridge. Towards the end of the War, the S18-1000 was upgraded to the S18-1100, capable of firing in full-automatic mode.

The S18-1100 as a selective-fire 20mm rifle had tremendous recoil. Its 6 foot, 11-inch length and weight in excess of 121 pounds made it too difficult to be transported by infantry, so a two-wheel trailer was provided. Once in position, the rifle could be fired from the trailer, mounted on its bipods or set up on a high-angle, three-legged mount to act as an anti-aircraft weapon. Its rate of fire varied between 15 and 20 rounds per minute. Muzzle velocity was 2,500 feet per second, and in anti-tank mode it could reach out to 1,500 yards and still penetrate over one-half inch of armor (see sidebar for more information on ammunition). However, the advancement in tank warfare and the arrival of man-portable, armor-piercing rockets rendered the S18 series of rifles obsolete.

Ammunition

20x105B

This cartridge was developed in the interwar years by Solothurn, a Swiss company closely associated with Rheinmetall (Germany being banned from developing certain armaments by the Treaty of Versailles). As it is the smaller of the two 20mm rounds developed by Solothurn, it is commonly known as the “Short Solothurn.” It was developed in conjunction with the Lb 204 aircraft cannon, which saw little if any use but saw service by various armies in the Solothurn S18-100 series anti-tank rifles. It is therefore generally found loaded with AP projectiles, of which there are various types. Rather bizarrely, one variant (the S18-350) was used as an aircraft gun by the Dutch Air Force, despite offering only semiautomatic fire.

20x138B

The 20x138mmB cartridge (Solothurn Long) was the second of the 20mm cannon cartridges developed by Solothurn in the 1930s and is known as the “Long Solothurn” round. It proved far more successful than the 20x105B, being primarily used in the highly successful FlaK 30 and 38 AA guns which were extensively used by German forces in WWII (and remained in service in some nations for decades after the War). It was also used in the KwK 30 L/55 and 38 light AFV guns and in the Solothurn S18-1000 series anti-tank rifles.

As well as being used in these German and Swiss weapons, it was used in the Finnish Lahti L-39 anti-tank rifle and L-40 AA gun and in the Italian Breda M35 and Scotti cannon. A very wide range of ammunition was developed for this gun, including M-Geschoss (mine shell) and Pzgr 40 tungsten-cored AP.

SPECIFICATIONS

Foxfury Lighting Solutions, which specializes in portable LED headlamps, flashlights, shield lights and more, has now introduced T.E.D.D.—Tactical Electronic Distraction Device. It is a light grenade—a reusable substitute for a flashbang grenade. A light grenade is a tactical light that is thrown in dark environments to both confuse a perceived threat and provide illumination over 360 degrees. T.E.D.D. is designed to mimic a flashbang without causing injuries. Its 2,600 lumen LEDs are bright enough to confuse without causing injury. Its 120dB whistle aids in causing confusion.

A distraction device can be used in certain circumstances such as hostage rescue, riots, barricades and high-risk warrant situations. T.E.D.D.’s side casing is high temperature polycarbonate attached to a steel base with a heavy nylon top cover. It can be thrown through windows, dropped three stories onto concrete, submerged to 10 feet, stepped on and driven over by a Mazda (Yes, I did! Not on purpose—I swear).

The rechargeable battery has a 60-minute continuous operation cycle and can be recharged in 1.5 hours. The battery is good for 500 charges. The included DC charger attaches to a charging port on the metal base.

Using T.E.D.D.

To operate, press the On-Ready-Off switch once. A green light will let you know that the unit is ready. To deploy, press the switch again, and the green light will start to blink. Now would be a good time to give T.E.D.D. a toss. To deactivate, press the switch once more; the green light goes off.

To program light and sound, the On-Ready-Off switch must be in Off mode. The programming switch is located next to the On-Ready-Off switch. Programming must be set within four seconds:

One press—light and sound (10 seconds on, 15 seconds off, repeats)
Two presses—sound only
Three presses—light only
Four presses—turbo strobe and sound
Five presses—turbo strobe only
Six presses—two seconds on strobe and sound, six seconds off, repeats
Seven presses—safety lock

The activation delay can be changed by using the same programing switch; however, the unit must be in Ready mode with the green light on:
Press once—two seconds delay
Press twice—four seconds delay
Press three times—seven seconds delay
Press four times—10 seconds delay

SPECIFICATIONS

Light: 2,600 lumen LED: 360 degrees horizontally, 110 degrees vertically
Sound: 120dB @ 3ft
Submersible: 10ft
Shock resistant
Rechargeable
Seven programmable light and sound modes
Four programmable activation delays
On-Ready-Off switch
For more information about Foxfury, see foxfury.com

A lever action rifle similar to this Marlin 30-30 would have been in the gun room of the Clark County Sheriff’s office when gambling was legalized in 1931. The Model 1893 was made from 1893 to 1936.

By Tom Murphy

1855 – 1899
The Early Years

Nevada Territory became our 36th state on October 31, 1864. Las Vegas is generally thought to have begun in 1905 when the Union Pacific Railroad began stopping at a site where there was water from a spring and an area for passengers to rest.

The sight was named Las Vegas (The Meadows) Springs for the three springs that ran into two pools of water. It’s said that American adventurers John C. Fremont and Kit Carson camped at the springs in 1844. By 1924 so much water had been used that the water table had dropped below the surface and the Las Vegas Land and Water Company drilled Well #1 in 1923.

The Mormons out of Salt Lake City established the first non-native American settlement near the springs in 1855. Due to hardship, high temperatures and problems with the local Paiute inhabitants, the 30 Mormon missionaries petitioned leader Brigham Young in Salt Lake City to be allowed to abandon the settlement and a fort that was under construction. They departed in 1857 and the settlement was left unattended.

During this time, prospectors had found their way to a remote canyon south of Las Vegas, near the route of current-day Hwy 95, where Spaniards had discovered silver back in 1775. The early Spanish miners built a small settlement at the canyon mouth where it drained into the Colorado River. They named it Eldorado (El Hombre Dorado – literally “The Man Golden”, or The Gold Man). Unfortunately for the Spaniard prospectors, they mined the silver, but completely missed the gold just under the ground.

The new miners began by sluicing the streams feeding into the Colorado River. Then the gold was found in the hills and times became interesting in Eldorado Canyon. They managed to keep the gold secret more or less, due to the remoteness of the discovery. However, this all changed in 1858 when paddle wheel steamboats made their way up to the remote encampment from Yuma, Arizona. Gold fever struck and in short order miners began to arrive and stake out claims on any available, or sometimes un-available, piece of dirt that looked like gold might be below.

By 1862 miners had discovered a vertical seam of gold and named it the Techatticup – a Paiute word for starving. Next up was the nearby Nelson District, where the Gettysburg, Duncan, Solar, Rand, and other mines were sunk. The area was to become the earliest and richest mining district in Nevada.

Many of the area’s inhabitants were deserters from the Civil War, gamblers, men on the run from serious crimes and other ne’er-do-wells. Their skill at extracting wealth from the ground wasn’t quite as good as their ability to extract wealth from people. Disputes grew into gunfights rapidly. Greed reared its ugly head. Claim jumping was commonplace, and vigilante justice was the only justice in this very remote area.

Mine ownership came to question. The Techatticup Mine was a case in point. At one time part of it was owned by Senator George Hearst, father of William Randolph Hearst of publishing fame. So much dispute, labor problems and bad management overshadowed the mine that it grew a dangerous reputation.

The killings in Eldorado Canyon, by that time with a population of nearly 500 people, became almost a daily matter. Regular law enforcement refused to patrol the canyon for fear of getting murdered.

The weapons the residents used to dispatch each other with great frequency ranged from whatever was close at hand, be it a pick, or some blunt object, to well-worn-but-serviceable black powder weapons for the most part. Commonly used firearms would include Civil War rifles like the Sharps New Model 1859 rifle as carried by Col. Hiram Berdan’s 1st and 2nd Regiments of U.S. Sharpshooters. Some guns came from the British Isles via Confederate deserters like the John Dixon and Son of Edinburgh, Scotland .577 sharpshooter rifle. Southern blockade runners brought these into South Carolina. The South had little or no gun making facilities and relied heavily on gunmakers in Great Britain for their weapons. Like other British gun makers, Dixon had been around since the 1820s and turned out shotguns and rifles.

Handguns would vary from pocket pistols like the Remington-Beals 1st Model Pocket Revolver built 1857-1858 to a Colt 2nd Model Dragoon Revolver manufactured around 1850-1851.

Prospectors weren’t the only killers. Eldorado Canyon had two of Nevada’s nastiest murderers who were Native Americans – Ahvote and his stepbrother Queho. Ahvote is said to have been responsible for five victims. Queho was a bit more active and is believed to have sent over 20 souls to the happy hunting ground; with the last being Maude Douglas whom he dispatched in 1919. Adding insult to injury, he then proceeded to successfully avoid all efforts of capture by various posses. His bones were located inside a cave near the Colorado River in 1940 by prospectors. They are now interred at Cathedral Canyon, NV, 40 miles Southwest of Las Vegas. Ahvote’s outcome? Hunted down by Queho and slain for the murder of some local residents.

1875
Kiel (Kyle) Ranch Killings

Running a ranch in the Las Vegas area back in the late 1800s was a back-breaking, thankless, arid job. Water was scarce, the alkaline soil wasn’t suitable for many crops, and feeding livestock on scrub brush made for very skinny cows and sheep.

The Kyle Ranch was established by Conrad Kiel in 1875 near the corner of Losee St. and Carey Ave. in North Las Vegas. It had a well-earned reputation as a hideaway and shelter for some serious badmen like Jack Longstreet – a particularly nasty fellow. In his youth, he had an ear removed, probably not gently, for stealing a neighbor’s cattle. He hired on with the Tonopah Stage as a gunman – not as a stage guard. Thusly employed, he proceeded to kill his brother-in-law. Both his temper and his guns were deadly quick. He died from an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound at 94 years of age.

Then there was the killing of Archie Stewart at the Kyle Ranch in 1884. Archie owned the Las Vegas Ranch a few miles south of the Kyle Ranch. His wife, Helen, was in charge while Archie was down in Eldorado Canyon delivering produce and meat to hungry miners. While he was bouncing over rocks in his freight wagon many miles from home, one of his ranch hands, Schyler Henry, announced in fairly foul terms that he was quitting and wanted his wages. Helen Stewart said he’d have to wait for Archie to return. He replied threateningly in what she said was a “black-hearted slanderer’s tongue.”

Archie was tired from many hours in a stiffly sprung wagon, but after a short meal and a long drink, he saddled a horse and loaded his rifle (said to be a Winchester 30-30, a very popular gun for ranchers) and headed out to find Mr. Henry at the Kyle ranch.

He arrived at the Kyle ranch house and proceeded to the back of the house, gun in hand. All the windows and doors were open. He was spotted and shot first – and missed. Shots rang out from the ranch house. He fell dead with bullets to his chest and head. Schyler Henry had two minor flesh wounds. Conrad Kiel and Schyler Henry were hauled before a grand jury for killing Archie Stewart. The jury elected not to indict. Though as an example of the gentle nature of the early ranchers, before the gunsmoke had cleared, Conrad Kiel dispatched a rider to Helen Stewart with a note saying, “Mrs. Sturd (sic) send a team and take Mr. Sturd (sic) away he is dead. C. Kiel.”

1900 – 1949
The First Half Century

The Census of 1900 showed Las Vegas to have 30 inhabitants. In 1904 the San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad Co. ran a line connecting Las Vegas to the rest of the world. Along with a depot, the station had a cafe and the town’s first casino. Prior to the coming of the railroad, travel was limited to wagons on a dirt road. The Las Vegas area actually had fewer people than Searchlight, a mining town 60 miles to the south.

Montana Senator William Clark saw the possibilities of the Las Vegas Springs area as a stopping and watering spot on the Salt Lake City – Los Angeles rail line and he bought a large parcel of land near the Springs. He then sold 600 lots to the tune of $265,000 in 1905 and the city was born. Then, if the heat and the dust weren’t enough to keep visitors away in hordes, Nevada banned all gambling in 1909. However, railroad workers kept moving to Las Vegas, and Las Vegas was incorporated as a city March 16, 1911.

Over the next 20 years small ranches began to appear both in and around the new city. Some of them didn’t do so much farming, but were only thinly disguised brothels. Soon the town became a draw for Californian residents, especially from the Los Angeles basin. Then Hollywood discovered Las Vegas. Both actors and people in the rapidly growing entertainment business were drawn mainly to the gambling, which even though outlawed continued to flourish, the climate, and Nevada’s liberal divorce laws. Future divorcees had to live in Nevada for only six weeks before obtaining a decree.

Life in Las Vegas during the formative years was a bit on the wild and wooly side and law enforcement became a top priority in Clark County beginning around 1909. (Clark County, named after William Clark, was spun off from Lincoln County Feb. 5, 1909.) The county needed a sheriff’s department and the Clark County Sheriff’s Office was established. The first sheriff appointed was Charles C. Corkhill, owner and editor of The Las Vegas Age newspaper. He had no law enforcement background and only held the position for 18 months.

Replacing him was “Big Sam Gay.” Six foot tall and 260 pounds, he came by his nickname honestly. Born March 1, 1860 on Prince Edward Island, Canada, Sam came to Las Vegas in 1905 and became Charles Corkhill’s deputy.

Now, Sam had a slightly slanted outlook on crime and criminals. He firmly believed that all the miners and freight haulers had every right to raise hell, get drunk and generally lose money at the gambling halls. He just wanted to keep them from doing serious harm to each other, or killing their drinking companions. Big Sam came by this attitude honestly, as he was known to enjoy the taste of good whiskey and he claimed to having been instructed in the manly art of fisticuffs by none other than John L. Sullivan, the heavyweight boxing champion.

Gay was noted to prefer to settle a drunken brawl by banging the participant’s heads together. Should that not stifle the festivities, he would drag the drunks out to the bar’s hitching post, tie them there and apply a liberal application of cold water from a hose. He could settle most problems without resorting to a gun. As a matter of fact, he said many times that he preferred not to carry a gun… except for one well known situation, that is. The incident was reported in The Las Vegas Age as “Bloodless Scrap; Adam Kramer and Sam Gay Talk Politics with Rock and Gun.”

It seems as though Big Sam and a local barber, Adam Kramer, were having a somewhat heated discussion based around politics. Sam invited Kramer to step behind his barber shop and continue the discussion. Kramer opined that Sam might be amenable to changing his mind if persuaded by an outside source – like a large rock upside Sam’s head. Sam rightfully determined that he really didn’t wish to be a recipient of such largess and elected to settle the argument by a display of one of Mr. Colt’s .44 caliber revolvers. Kramer wisely decided to return said rock to its resting place in the dirt.

Though seldom wielding his firearm in the course of his work, it must be said that Sam did enjoy taking a large dose of his favorite drink, and then proceeding to shoot out street lights. One seriously drunken night Sam managed to lower the population of overhead lights on downtown Fremont Street by quite a respectable number. This show of, shall we say, “unadvised” behavior earned him a visit to the District Attorney. He did not plead, but informed the DA that “so long as I am sheriff of Clark County, I will no longer take a drink of intoxicating liquor. If I do, I will hand in my resignation.”

He stuck it out as far as is known. However, in later years he said that Prohibition, made law in 1919, helped him out. “I quit drinking it after they started making it out of old shoes,” he said. Sam Gay lived until 1932 when a massive heart attack hit him and he died in Las Vegas Hospital.

1930s
The Mob

And then came 1931 and Nevada legalized casino gambling. Clark County issued a three month gaming license to the Northern Club at 15 East Fremont. The first Casino to open on the three mile, dusty, Las Vegas Strip was the El Rancho, built by Thomas Hull in April 1941. It sported a casino, a 250 seat showroom and 63 rooms. Later, in 1946, the Flamingo was opened by a “gentleman” named Benjamin Siegel, aka Bugsy Siegel. The Mob had arrived. Well, not exactly. Back in the 1920s Jim McKay and Bill Graham, contemporaries of Chicago’s notorious Alphonse Capone, ran a casino in Reno. Later that decade, another of Al Capone’s business associates, Frank Detra, opened the Pair-O-Dice Club on Highway 91, now Las Vegas Blvd.

Siegel got his start on the West Coast in the usual way – killing his opposition and muscling into Hollywood movie unions in the late 1930s. He figured that with gambling legalized in Las Vega, he could make some serious money in southern Nevada. He and his cohort in crime, Moe Sedway, then got involved with the race wire service- Trans America Wire.

With that venture in hand, the twosome decided that the El Cortez needed some new management. After taking over that casino for a reputed sum of $600,000, Bugsy decided to build and run his own gambling hotel. So began the Flamingo. He had a partner, but the partner had a drinking and gambling problem, so goodbye to the partner (who later died of a heart attack – not lead poisoning).

Problem was, Bugsy wasn’t too good at running a casino, but he and girlfriend Virginia Hill were great at skimming money. It was reported that she took a short trip to Switzerland with $2.5 million as part of the skim.

The next problem was that Bugsy’s boss, Meyer Lansky, was aware of the skim. He considered Bugsy a friend; but finally decided that Bugsy had to go. In the evening of June 20, 1947, an unknown assailant fired nine rounds from an M1 Carbine through a window at Virginia Hill’s home. Bugsy was sitting on a couch, and there he died.

The next day David Berman and Moe Sedway walked into the Flamingo and announced that they were taking over.

The Mob then decided to get into the casino business in a big way. For the next 20 years just about every casino in Las Vegas had some sort of ties to organized crime. The Mob owners also branched out into other businesses. For example, Desert Inn CEO Moe Dalitz built homes, shopping centers and country clubs.

Many people speak of the Mob rule days as a time of safe streets, cheap casino food and less crime. Like many other tales of the Mob, time has lent an aura of fantasy to “The Good Old Days.” Unfortunately like all tales, the reality was much different. Some of the Mob that died violently over the years include Gus Greenbaum and his wife, Anthony Bracanto, Anthony Trombone, Anthony Spoliator, and Sam Giancana.

1950 – 1974
Population Growth

The onset of affordable air conditioning did a lot towards making the Las Vegas area more attractive to Clark County residents during the hot summer months. There were 30,000 home units sold in 1946. That number grew to one million by 1953. All of a sudden living in Las Vegas looked much more feasible.

Nevada is/was not burdened with a state income tax. Back in the time period gambling was unregulated, and there was no waiting period for marriages. Plus, gambling was done with actual silver dollars.

Elvis first appeared at the Venus Room at the New Frontier in 1956. The Rat Pack came to town. Liberace put sequins on his jackets, and divorce was, if not as quick as marriage, still quicker than any other place in the USA.

In 1961 a new sheriff came to town – Ralph Lamb. He was born and raised in Alamo, NV, A small town 95 miles north of Las Vegas. Lamb joined the sheriff’s office as a deputy in 1947 but took a few years off to run his own detective agency. He ran for sheriff in 1960 and was elected and served from 1961 to 1979. He was known as “The Cowboy Sheriff” because he spent a lot of time on a horse. This established a persona that he went to great lengths to perfect.

Here’s a part of an interview he gave to the Las Vegas Review-Journal in 1999 that shows his style.

Ralph Lamb walked into the old airport on Las Vegas Blvd. and a man he had never seen before tried to kill him. “Shot at me three or four times and I wasn’t as far as from here to that door,” said the retired lawman, gesturing at a doorway perhaps 12 feet away. “And he didn’t hit me once. I hit the concrete and shot at him a couple of times and I didn’t hit him once. Then he was running away and I would have had to shoot him in the back, so I run him down, tackled him. He turned out to be just a wanted guy. He must have seen me coming in maybe saw me fix my coat to cover my gun or badge, and assumed I was coming for him.”

Lamb never actually shot anybody in a lifetime of law enforcement, he said. Gunplay wasn’t his style. Fisticuffs, calf roping and politics were. Sheriff Lamb had a huge dislike for corruption and criminal activities in general, and the Mob operation in specific. He brought down on them an immense amount of pressure, which in turn hampered their multi-million dollar day-to-day operations. He was responsible for incarcerating mobster “Handsome Johnny” Rosselli long enough to where he was never able to regain his gangster stature again. By the way, “Handsome Johnny” was found ten years later in a 55-gallon oil drum off the coast of Miami.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department

Prior to July 1, 1973, there were five police agencies in Clark County; namely the Clark County Sheriff’s Department, City of Las Vegas Police Department, City of North Las Vegas Police Department, City of Henderson Police Department, and Boulder City Police Department. The cities policed their incorporated areas and the Sheriff’s Department provided police services to the unincorporated areas of the County of Clark.

Senate Bill 340 was passed and became effective on July 1, 1973 wherein the Las Vegas Police Department and the Clark County Sheriff’s Department were deactivated and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department was activated to take their place. The new department (Metro) would be responsible for all police services within the city limits of the City of Las Vegas and the unincorporated areas of Clark County.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department has several qualifications on what type of handgun may be carried:

• The firearm MUST be manufactured by: Beretta, Colt, Glock, Kimber, Para Ordnance, Wilson Combat, Unertl Ordnance, Heckler & Koch, Ruger, SIG Sauer, Springfield Armory, Steyr Mannlicher, or Smith and Wesson.
• The firearm MUST be chambered in either: 9mm, .40 S&W, or .45 ACP.
• The firing mechanism must be: Traditional double/single action (Beretta, H&K, Ruger, SIG Sauer pistols), single action (1911-style pistols), striker-fired or “safe-action” (i.e. Glock and Steyr “M” pistols), double-action only (i.e. Smith & Wesson 5946 pistol).
• The finish must either be blued/black or stainless steel.
• Barrel length must be at least 3.5 inches and not exceed 6 inches.
• Grips must be either a high-impact plastic or rubber (black in color), or wood; and must be designed to be used with either hand.

Photos courtesy of UNLV Special Collections, (Silverstateghosttowns.com), Historical Image Bank, Las Vegas Metropolitan Museum Association, David Condon, Clark County Museum and the Mob Museum.

All guns shown courtesy Metropolitan Police Museum Association – Lt. Dennis Larson retired and Lt. Stan Olsen retired.

The passive night scope, Meopta ZN 6x, has a 1,000 meter effective range. The red reticle, powered by two AA batteries, has variable brightness adjustments. Battery life is said to be greater than 50 hours. The scope’s robust construction makes it a perfect match for large caliber, high-recoiling anti-materiel rifles. The rifle does come equipped with iron sights, but obviously for use only in extreme emergency situations.

Transport is facilitated with a standard carrying case; or a backpack is available for airborne operations.

Like most Eastern bloc weapons, not much is known about the Falcon. Accuracy and efficiency depends entirely on the quality of ammunition as is typical in similar types of anti-materiel weapons. The Falcon is being successfully used by Czech Armed Forced and has proven its reliability under extreme conditions on missions in Afghanistan.

Manufacturer: ZVI, Czech Republic
Caliber: .50 BMG (OP96)/12.7×108 mm (OP99)
Service date: unknown
Weight: OP 96 – 13.4 kg; OP 99 – 12.9 kg
Length: OP 96 – 1,380 mm; OP 96 – 1,260 mm
Barrel length: OP 96- 927 mm; OP 99 – 839 mm
Action: Bolt, rotary with double-lock.
Single shot or two round detachable magazine
Effective range: 1,600 meters at day; 1,000 meters at night
Optics: Day – Meopta ZD 10×50;
Night – Meopta ZN 6x
Stock: Synthetic
Penetration: 25 mm armor at 100 meters
Bipod: Standard equipment
Muzzle Brake: Standard equipment

Never let it be said that ordnance engineers won’t go to the most extreme measures to build a bigger, man-portable, method of destruction. The weapon presented here is the Rucini Top 20 anti-material, anti-armor rifle.

“Rucini Top, 20mm” means “Hand Cannon, 20 millimeter.” This unique beast was developed by the Croatians towards the end of the 20th century. It is manufactured in Croatia by RH-Alan and has been accepted by their army. It is also in use by Explosive Ordnance Disposal teams.

It is built around the Hispano-Suiza HS404 anti-aircraft cannon ammunition of World War II, which is still in current use for anti-aircraft work. The original cannon was also used on numerous aircraft of the United States, United Kingdom, France, and the ex-Yugoslavia. The projectile weighs 2,000 grains and leaves the muzzle at 2,900 feet per second. Effective range is 2,000 meters.

The action is single-shot with a three-lug bolt. The bolt must be removed for each shot, the empty cartridge removed and a fresh round inserted, which takes considerable time. However, the time spent reloading is about equal to the time spent in recoil recovery, so it really isn’t a factor. Optics are offset to the left to clear the reactive tube.

Due to the very heavy recoil of the 20mm x 100mm round, the RT-20 rifle design incorporates a one-of-a-kind recoil system. Generated recoil from the 20 kilogram rifle is approximately four times heavier than that from a Barrett M107, even with a large muzzle brake installed, so some sort of additional recoil system is necessary.

On top and in front of the action is mounted a large reactive tube connected to the barrel at midpoint. The rear part of the tube extends to the rear of the bolt action and the end cup forms a gas nozzle. When the gun is fired, a large portion of exhaust gasses are vented into the reactive tube and out the rear nozzle, forming a reactive force against the recoil. This type of design is similar to the Carl Gustaf Bofors m/42 20mm of World War II, and the American M67 introduced after the Korean Conflict.

This system of controlling recoil works well in larger rifled guns, but in the RT-20, it introduces some problems that are almost insurmountable.

First, and probably most important to the shooter, is the nature and position of the backblast. Care must be taken to insure that the backblast doesn’t set anything on fire, like backpacks, fellow military, or the shooter’s lower extremities.

Secondly, the RT-20, like other recoilless weapons of the type, cannot be fired in a confined area. Firing the rifle in a small room would likely kill everyone within.

Thirdly, position must be considered, as the backblast and muzzle blast combined will give away a shooter’s position to a much greater extent than most conventional weapons.

Truly a case of the old saying; “if a little is good, then a whole lot is way too much.”

RT-20 Rucini Top 20

Manufacturer: RH-Alan
Caliber: 20mm x 110mm Hispano Suiza
Service date: mid-1990s
Weight: 42.3 lbs
Length: 52.4 inches
Barrel length: 36.2 inches
Action: Bolt, single-shot
Effective Range: 2,000 meters
Sights: Optical, offset to left
Stock: Alloy/synthetic