So ... you want to start with tea cups? .... No???

OK .. Bullpups. I know there are a number of you that like them. I've had a number of conversations recently, regarding that family of design. Enough so, that I thought I'd disclose that there are a few of them on the books. I know Joebill ... it's just not right that other people like them too. haha.

Well, the one that's under build is a beast. Only about 39" long ... but with a barrel nearly 30" long. Called the "Barracuda 58". It should fire about 600 foot pounds. Nice puppy ...

Now - before we come back to that ... I will open a nice can of worms. Which I suspect I'll eat over the new few weeks. The question that arises is ... "Why do designs we never saw on the Barnes Pneumatic site, come up under build?" Valid, good question. If you read with a bit of patience, I'll explain it in detail. You might want a nice glass of tea ... or cup of tea.

1). Let's just start on a sore spot. You are waiting, your gun delivery is late, and you don't give a rat's whiskers about some bullpup. I understand. Well, your gun is under build too. Nearly everybody's gun is under build. I've explained that decision before - but here's the thumbnail: when my health hit the fan about 6 years ago or so, I figured we'd just go thru the issues, and fix my health. Seemed a reasonable assumption. It took a couple of years, several operations, for the whole thing to play out and to disclose that my issues were going to be very long term maintenance issues ... no cure ... no fix. This isn't a pity party, so just a quick list: degenerative disc desease, spinal stenosis, fibromyalgia, diabetes. Those are the high spots. Now ... I didn't order any of them. I didn't cause any of them. You'll note that there's NO chronic gambling - NO chasing skirts - NO drug abuse. Just junk in my gene pool. Same gene pool that created the brain too ... which made this entire business possible. The good with the bad. What's left is that I don't know how many good hours of work I'm going to get in each day. Chronic pain is an evil task master. I use all the hours I get. I didn't know all of this was in my future ten years ago. That's the current state of my baseline. I don't think most people would get out of bed if they felt like I do most of the week. The pain doesn't come thru on the typed page. The pain doesn't come thru in the carvings, the engraving, or in the blast of the big bore. That makes it hard for people to believe that I deal with anything but smiles, praise, and satisfaction.

So; the guns are under build. Next related issue/question ... "Why are not each and every one of those redeemed hours spent on MY gun that is late? Just finish that, and THEN do whatever you want." It's because of the reality of keeping my business open in order to finish your project, and everyone else's project. I don't live for free. The shop doesn't operate for free. My family home wasn't free. No free materials and utilities, etc. So; to catch up ... I now have to purchase back the time to work on each of the older projects. And I do. And it's expensive. The time I buy to work on the older projects now costs me far more than it did when those projects were started. Everything is vastly more expensive. And, you'll note ... I've held your costs. If you paid, and your contract is complete ... then it's complete. The years I've lost to medical issues, etc., were not free. Nobody sent in any gift baskets of money to cover those. Just the same as you ... when I sit down and pay a bill ... it doesn't make me any money, it costs money. The guns that I'm building are bills I'm paying. That being said, there's no option to just let everything crumble around me, while I go hell bent for leather and finish your one project. I have everybody else's project to complete too. I can't crash and burn on any given one of them. So; I've been bringing them all the the final range test. And I've done an amazing amount of work, considering how I've felt.

"Where do the designs come from that we didn't see on the website?" They are the results of years of experience gained while building the ledger guns. Some of them are the results of ideas mixing with the desires of ledger customers who ordered blank spots. Far, far more then you might think did this. Seeing the flurry of designs I turned out when I started, they suspected that the well would not soon run dry. They left the details open, and today ... some of these blank spots are fitted with unique designs created since the order was placed. If you find that impossible to believe ... would you believe that many people order these guns ... wait for them, and then never, never shoot them once? I wouldn't have believed it when I started the business. Things don't have to make sense to you, for them to be true. Some people actually ordered specific guns, and later reverted them to blank spots ... again ... seeing the flow of work produced, and the unique designs created.

The business interest ... and frankly ... anybody's interest in the gun you are waiting for ... is directly related to the unique attraction people find in the creativity displayed on these pages. Were I to be currently making yet another hundred copies of the same thing I'd made forever ... would you tune in to see what's new? Nothing. That would be the answer. All I could say was ... "It's Tuesday, or Friday" ... that would be the only thing that changed.

So; I fill these blank spots with unique designs that formed in the back of my mind. The bullpup has always been an interesting concept. You may know that the second professional gun I made was a very unique bullpup with recipricating barrel, and gull wing loading port. Anodized molded aluminum exo-skeleton frame ... it still makes me wonder how I made it. This one will be quite a unique pc. Very creative design, if I say so.

I'll let you see some as it progresses. Beside that, the 46 Nitro is due to be back on the bench again soon. The 62 Yukon is being completed. There's a great Tundra 45 Magnum that's due back on the bench after it's parts were blued. A 56 Bison needs to be assembled from it's completed parts - and needs a stock. There will be a flurry of stock work sometime in the future. There's a 32 Scout - and a pump 45 I haven't forgotten about. Huge amount of work. It will all get done.

OK ... thanks for reading.

Gary

haha

figured I couldn't resist this one, huh?

a .58 bullpup - holy cow! whoever this ultimately belongs to better wear ear plugs for sure !

will this have the "fail-safe breech" or is it not that far along yet?

can't wait for the pics!!!

Slide breech with enclosed cheek rest blast deflector. I'll make certain the shooter is protected. Any of these guns need ear protection anyway ... you bet ... from 100 fpe 32 calibers on up.

Gary

Funny how 100 FPE .32 seem almost quaint now! Holy escalation Batman!

Much as the really big guns delight, I sure do like shooting the Prairie 3 on low power without ear cups. Plenty of power for 50 yard groups or even 100 yard groups with good conditions.

Still, there's going to be a mad rush for this gun! 600 FPE in a short case! Hunting in thickets so dense you can't turn around with a "long" gun! I look forward to seeing it. I like the looks of bullpups and nobody makes a bigbore big power bullpup...

I'm looking forward to the new designs showing up. I for one welcome you keeping your interest up by stretching the limits of design and artistry.

I agree with the earplugs being necessary for the unshrouded guns. The shrouded 25s & 32s are very pleasant to shoot "bare". This is one of the pleasantries of shooting air. Even rimfires have more of a crack than is pleasant for any sustained fire without protection. Regardless of the caliber these air guns are not harsh and allow one to enjoy the slap of the slug on the target. The only exception I've found is the Hoss pistol requires a left sided ear plug due to the proximity of that ear to the muzzle blast.

Kent

I find bullpups interesting but since you don't see, don't believe I have ever seen, one in lefthand I have never given them much thought. I'm sure you will change that though. Keep up the good work Gary, I love seeing what comes up next. There is one that I have been waiting to see in action for quite a while, it's the falling block design with steel cartridges. Is one of those in the works? I liked that rifle the first time I saw it drawn out on your site.

Crikey, a 58 cal bullpup at 600 fpe.....there will be no bulls standing after meeting with that puppy
Can't wait to see what this next creation looks like Gary!
Cheers
Neil

Gary,
you're interesting in air cartriges, is it true?
That is one of my loveing designes!
I've finished and test my owne designe 4 years ago.
It does not make a big advantage with small calibers but it
can be usefull for you.
the start point of my work was the Saxby patent from 1987.
Started in 1999 my project was accomplished at 2004 with great success, I guess.
The volume of my air cartrige was 1.2ccm pressure 220-235 bar and 20.5 jouls of muzzle
energy with .177 cal 10.5gr. I've made 860 shots without any problems.
The designe is simple enough, in comparison with Saxby's one, the fabrication tolerances
is not very tight.
The estimated energy for .45cal with vol.12ccm should be around 290 jouls.
If you interesting in, I'll send the drawings.

with regards,
Alex
p.s.The special thanks to Joe Hoover



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/19/2010 08:30AM by alex.

Well, thanks guys. Nice to note that four of you are waiting for guns, and still interested in seeing the new designs.

Joe ... there is a Predator rifle in the works, yes. Also - whenever possible, I make the guns ambedexterious.

Alex, I'd be honored to look at your drawings if you care to share them. My "cartridge" was not a pressure vessel though. Sorry. It is a bullet cartridge, a metering device, and a breech seal for the falling block. Large caliber guns, of considerable power, would require a cartridge about a foot long. Doesn't lend itself to carrying a few in your pocket. haha. Interesting design for small bore. Glad you had success with it.

My addy:
Barnes Pneumatic
Box 138
New Windsor, Md. 21776

Gary

Gary,
I did never sought that your foot has only 4inches (LOL).
Well, I'll gonna explain once more, useing jmperial units

cartrige .177 cal
volume- 0.073 cubic in, muzzle energy - 15.12 fpe

.45 cal
volume- 0.95 cubic in, muzzle energy - 275 fpe
the pressure is 3336 psi in boss.
The inner dimentions could be
diam - .70 , length - 3 inches
The main problem of classic pcp is low efficiency in respect with total
pressurised volume and large "parasite"volume between valve and barrel.

with regards,
Alex



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/19/2010 08:01PM by alex.

Hello Alex,

.70" by 3". That would indeed be remarkable effeciency. Let us see the range testing for that. What's the weight of your slug?

Gary

Hello Gary,
the weight of the slug was 185gr, muz velocity - 819fps, high strenth alum alloy barrel - 0.42 cal,
two feet lenghs, rifled - one turn per 3.5 feet approx, slug was lubricated.
It does not make me a sence to fabricate the complete rifle and test it in a reason of
very represive laws concerned the bigbore airguns in my country.
I invite you to use that designe in your projects.

Alex.

.

It's simple. Just design an inexpensive, lightweight cartridge that can safely hold 10,000 atmospheres and you can get outstanding performance with a one-inch barrel. Let's see, where did I put that new billet of unobtanium alloy....

No, I will not do that.
I gonna fear to be stolen by small green aliens in that case.

bullpups ,,,, mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm ,,,,