Hi

I’m from Belgium (Europe), can it be that i have the very first nitro express?
Greetz from Belgium

Welcome Brian,

You do, indeed; have the first Nitro Express.

That rifle was picked up, in Maryland, and taken to Holland. I hope it will be good to you, and you will enjoy it.

Thanks for posting!

Gary

Gary,

In the first place i want to thank you for making art that works... I’ve also got the bullet casting moulds singned by you... I went to great lengts to get this gun... in Europe they are realy hard to find... and you know what... it was worth the effort, it still outperforms my airforce Texan, I don’t know when it was manufactured, but I put a Leupold vari x III on it also vintage, no modern nightforce or sightron because it would ruin the look, by the way, i also own a quakenbush but I’m a barnes guy, Dennis gun is kind of soulless like the Texan, i like guns with Some love put in it... Keep up the good work, a die hard fan
Grtz from sunny Belgium

Hello Brian,

I missed this post until now. Thank you. That’s very kind. I’m glad that you noticed the soul of the piece. That “Soul” costs me a good bit. I have so very many ideas, that I rarely make things twice. I only do, because friends have seen a previous piece and want one like it. It would be so much more efficient to tool up and make a run of the same design. And, I’ve even tried that ... in order to have a background piece that goes along while I make my new ideas. I’ve even thought that I could/should make a regular more simple piece, and make many copies of that. But Brian, no matter what policy I try to subject myself to ... my mind designs a way around it. My mind is both friend and barrier to efficient production.

My mind will take my self imposed idea of developing a simple design, and making many copies of that simple design. And so; instead .... it will present me with an endless chain of new simple designs. One, then another, and another, and on. If it were not so interesting, it would be maddening. Even if I force myself to make a copy, it will have a dozen developments or options ... making it seem to most; that’s its a new model. I can’t stop it or help it. My mind has a model shop, fully staffed, and running three shifts per day. It’s been this way since I was single digits old.

And of course, it’s interesting to some, and horribly aggravating to others. Most Collectors desire a clean, logical progression of models. Someyfhat fits into a chart. On a timeline. Partly that’s because there are many others they watch too. And, when they thing of Gary Barnes, they’d like to mentally envision an image of his “typical” work. That makes sense. I understand. However; with Gary Barnes ... that image is going to change weekly. Not to be annoying, but because the ideas never stop or slow. I can be worried sick, and still see designs. I sleep, and get up in the middle of the night with ideas. I write some down. Draw out schematics of some. But I have drawers full. I’ll never live to make them.

Another factor is “tooling”. A lot of the ideas require a specialized tool or several, to produce the new effect, new part, or improve accuracy. I enjoy making the tooling, but it’s difficult to get paid for it, unless you use it a lot. And, there’s the problem. “Use a lot”, when referring to specialized tooling ... means making copies.

Well, your compliments triggered a line of thought from me. I hope you found something of interest in there. Once again, Welcome.

Gary

Brian
Very nice set up you have . I can imagine that barrel extension quiets her down ALOT ! Congrats on your purchase. You will get a lifetime of fun I'm sure .

Thanks
Kurt

Thanks Kurt,

This is no normal silencer but a spring Acton multi chamber silencer, it goes from bang to kaching...

Just to clarify, the moderator is not mine. I don’t know who made that.

I see you have the set of mold blocks and the sprue plate. Good. Hope you have the sizing Die and Ram. .4515” if I recall. I can look it up.

Moderator looks like nice work.

Best

Gary



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/07/2018 04:23PM by barnespneumatic.

No Gary, I had it custom made, i just wanted to show how nice the moderator is, not just baffles... but spring action, pressure pushes the springs open so the air can enter the chamber and the same thing happens in the 3 other chambres, very quiet... but broken for the moment... ☹️

I just noticed .... looks like you shot the center out of your moderator. A common assumption is that you need to make the clearance tight between the Slug and the bore of the moderator. Not so. Make the clearance wide. Even if you loose (in theory) 5-15% effectiveness, your ear will not know. But you will sure know when the recoil makes the gun jump and alignment shifts relative to the Slug line of sight.

Consider that you are dealing with a long barrel, long moderator, and around 900 FPS. Open the baffel bore and save yourself a lot of grief.

Hope it helps.

Gary

Gary,

Thanks for the advice, next week i’m going to my cnc guy, and i will make the holes larger, i messured youre barnes bullets and they are 0.452 so i use the same diameter, but i’m still testing...

Grtz

Gary,

Witch one is youre favorite, first one gary 209 gr, second one rpsolutions 145 gr, third one maxiball 258 gr, fourth one flatnose 353 grain, the lead here is a bit softer is that a problem? I charge 3000 psi, is that to little? I don’t wanne have lock...
Grtz

Hi Brian

I hope found a lot of info on your gun. But I just have to work right now. Here is one neat thing ...

This is funny. Above my bench are some posted targets pinned there with map tacks. I just checked them after I got a date on your rifle. OH ... BTW ... your rifle was made during April of 2000.

A couple of the targets turned out to be from your gun!!! Faded and the ink gone, the impression on the slick poster board chart paper is visible in raking light. Take a look.



That’s .498” at 100 yards! Sub 1/2 MOA at 100 yards. With a totally handmade Rig. Barrel, bullets, the entire rifle!!!!

And I found a notation in my shop ledger.



I don’t recall yet, why I was dissatisfied with the first barrel. But I clearly made another while building this gun. Here are notations made while field testing your rifle (before finishing) and during the field test phase. See, I didn’t finish a batch of guns and then grab one to test. I tested every rifle, all along the build.

Note that last line of this shop ledger pic. Ha! Refers to this target I located.

I like the first Slug out to 100-125 yards. That’s a Barnes 2nd Gen Raptor. I also think no 3 should be good. No 4 would be good on a Wild Boar. Not for target. Sometime you need me to make you a Barnes “Bishop” mold. About 290-310 grains as I recall.

You won’t shoot every projectile at the same diameter. Designs like the ball and the narrow drive ring slugs; ride deeper. Harder lead or longer slab sided slugs ride more shallow. Even cut shallow with the rifling, the slab sides are giving you a lot of lead to cut. Cut it more shallow, and it still adds up to great control. If you shoot it too fat, you just strain the gun for nothing.

Shoot soft lead. Just enough tin to make the lead fill out the casting mold well. Old antique cartridge guns and such only used hard lead as they approached 2,000 fps.

Gotta go.

Gary



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/07/2018 07:42PM by barnespneumatic.

Brian
It will keep the neighbors happy for sure . I really like the stock shape . It looks like it would fit me just fine. Hehe . The Nitro looks well taken care off for sure . Will you hunt with it or just shoot ?
You indeed are a very lucky member of the Barnes family now . You hit the nail on the head when you said functional art . Each of Gary's airguns & knives have a lot of heart and soul deeply imbedded within and a personality on the outside !

Thanks for sharing

Thanks
Kurt

Thanks Kurt,

I do hunt, but not with the nitro, i think it’s a range gun, the dove tail rail is inclined 2 degrees for 100 yard or more and it is heavy, pure steel... but man it does reach out there, the only minus is that the bullet chamber is small so a flat nose 350 grain had to put firmly ( Apply a little force) in the chamber... but basicly it’s the finest gun in my collection, and i own like 45 airguns... my wife tells me it’s getting out of hand... actualy i’m not allowed to buy more guns, but when i’m iching it’s always hard to resist,

Grtz, Brian

Cool post.

That's a bench gun first and foremost. I own a few related siblings. Awhile back I shot my best group ever with my Barnes Tundra 45 Mag with Gary as a witness (three slugs basically thru the same hole at 75 yards). And of course the Delta 45 is a favorite . . . with that cocking lever you can sit there all day and just feed it lead.

Gary, I miss our time on the New Windsor field. I wonder if anyone would notice if I snuck up there one Saturday?

-- Jim



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/07/2018 11:08PM by admin.

Hi Jim,

I miss it too. Very much. They rotated the crops back when. Last I saw the field it was in corn. You know, I got my permission thru a close boyhood friend of the owner. I never met the owner. I have no contact.

I don’t know if they still shoot over there. You recall that I had an experience of riders on dirt bikes and/or horseback riders materializing. Freaked me out. The change in our Town, our Home Insurance being sandbagged by my 32 year Agent, my health regarding cold weather ... it all wrapped up the decision. But I miss you and Jerry and the Camelot that was Saturdays for years.

Thought I might set up more Festivals here. I guess that door hasn’t closed. But there are quite a few details to producing those. We’ve done it about 9 or 10 times. Great memories.

I look forward to Fall here. And I hope the loop of life has opened more time to enjoy shooting and building Airguns.

Gary

Gary,

If you set another meet down there in FL, count me in.

Karl

Look closely:

Wow, sleek and svelte ...

I want you to organize my data so I can find stuff.

That’s indeed the way to shoot, no bench! Real life situation... I love it... I always shoot from a lying position, I ve got my own 60 yard range in my garden

Ps that is a heated floor...

Excellent Brian. It looks like a wonderful garden and home.

Gary

Great Thread.

I am really anxious to get back to Airguns.

This really makes me wish for it sooner

That’s great Brian.

Sure like looks nice. I love fields. The tree/shrub/vines of Florida fill the fields here.

May I humbly suggest to anyone with a range, put in a “Splash Plate” behind your backstop. A sheet of steel plate, with the back resting on the ground, and the top angled forward about 45 degrees. The severe angle will cut down any huge CLANG!!!!! Noise, and will allow you to use thinner material. Slugs will deflect down, and you can even harvest them to recast. I’ll go find a link to show some of my Slug penetration testing.

Thanks Brian!

Hey .... Party is at Brian’s Place this Fall!!!! Woot Woot!!!!

Haha
Gary

[m.youtube.com]

Ok. Here is a link to a movie I made Range testing the penetration of a couple of Barnes Slugs. This is probably about 18-19 years old, but very valid.

Gary



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/10/2018 06:04PM by barnespneumatic.

My backstop is indeed a manhole cover, so clang with echo love it... when I see the pictures of youre range day’s with all the Barnes guns... that is what makes me jaleous... so many nice guns... rumor has it that there are 2 more Barnes in Holland... one is in parts beond repair and one is still fine, still seaching... And yes Gary make more guns! Grtz

A little picture of the backstop and the field behind it.... And Gary, artists like you are always welkome at my house!

Thank you Brian,

That is very kind of you. I will have to travel by pictures, and enjoy that.

Best,
Gary

Lon,

It seems i’ve got youre gun, and i enjoy it very much... It’s weird to see someone else across the ocean with the same gun. I Will take good care of it,
Greetz from Belgium

Thanks for the picture Lon
I love the fact your freehand shooting too . A bench shoot proves the gun , free hand needs a lot more skill and not a gray hair insight !

Thanks
Kurt

Brian,

That's a sweet airgun for sure! In fact, I have a later version of the same gun. There are pics archived on this site if you are interested in the differences.

Karl

Hi Guys,

Tommorow my supressor will be fixed, then it’s range day in my garden, shot 5 times before the silencer broke and the gun was alwelsome... can’t wait! Gary do you ship to Belgium? Now that you going to make guns again... only one Barnes in my collection... the other ones now are just... you know rubbish...

Grtz from a happy extatic airgunner