Weekend Open Thread: You Want Gun Pr0n? I Got Yer Gun Pr0n Right Here!

So, a 5.56x45mm or 9mm isn’t enough gun for you? You’re not sure if a .45ACP or a .357 Magnum will do the trick? Does a .308 or .30-06 make you say, “Meh”? Do you lust after the .50 S&W, or daydream about big-bore elephant guns of yesteryear?

Well, then this is the gun for you:

 

 

And here’s a photo of that rifle’s cartridge (far right below) – with a few others included for comparison:

 

 

No, those are not Photoshopped images. That’s an actual rifle, and an an actual cartridge – the .950 JDJ.

Yes, that “.950” means exactly what you think it means.  The barrel of the above rifle has a groove diameter of 0.950 inches.

It was developed by J. D. Jones of SSK Industries. The cartridge was based on a 20mm cannon round (the 20x110mm Hispano); the case was shortened to 70mm, then necked UP from 20mm to accept a .950” diameter bullet.  It’s commonly referred to as “Fat Mac”.

The rifle and cartridge were formerly produced by SSK Industries. Three rifles were made; production of the ammunition ceased a few years ago. When in production, the rounds cost around $40 – each.

Yeah, both are      freakin’ huge      quite large – and yeah, that’s a bench-rest stock on the rifle. There’s a good reason for that.

It’s a bench-rest stock because the rifle’s muzzle brake alone weighs roughly 18 lbs; various accounts give the rifle’s total weight at somewhere between 60 and 110 lbs, depending on the precise configuration.

From Wikipedia, here are the ballistic characterists of the round when fired from the above rifle (barrel length not given):

Bullet Weight: 3,600 grains (!)

Muzzle Velocity: 2,200 ft/sec

Muzzle Energy: 38,685 ft-lbs

Those numbers aren’t misprints. The bullet indeed weighs 3,600 grains, not 360 – and at 7,000 grains per pound, that’s a bullet weight of over half a pound (nearly 8 ¼ ounces). The muzzle energy approaches 3x that of a .50 BMG round. In fact, the muzzle energy is over 1,000 ft-lbs greater than the kinetic energy of a 2,800 lb car moving at a speed of 20 MPH.

Believe it or not, apparently it’s actually legal to own in most states without going through the BATFE’s “destructive device” rigamarole. It seems SSK sought – and received – a “sporting use exception” for the cartridge and rifle during development.

Video of “Fat Mac” being fired – along with other big-bore rifles – can be found here. Fat Mac’s firing is near the end, starting at around 13:20. One note: whoever prepared the Fat Mac ballistic “storyboard” that pops up at 13:21 screwed up; the Fat Mac’s muzzle energy is NOT the stated 8,900 ft-lbs – it’s 38,685 ft-lbs. (8,900 ft-lbs is the muzzle energy of the .700 Nitro Express, which they fired earlier in the video; my guess is that someone forgot to update that number when they prepared the storyboard for the .950 JDJ. They did get the metric equivalent muzzle energy for the .950 JDJ correct at 52,450 J, though.)

So, there ya go. Gun pr0n aficionados, enjoy. Just don’t blame me if you drool all over your keyboard or smart phone and it doesn’t work so well afterwards.  (smile)

And, for the record: I have absolutely no desire to fire one of these (though accounts say the recoil is actually much less than expected). I’m no masochist, and I’d also prefer my retinas stay firmly attached to the rear of my eyeballs.

But if someone else is     a damn fool     a highly adventurous soul and wants to try, I’ll be happy to watch them from a safe distance – and call 911 if necessary afterwards. (smile)

. . .

OK, time for the WOT. Enjoy the thread and the weekend, everyone.

And hey: be careful out there.

 

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Author’s Note:  in case anyone reading this article missed it: yeah, I was using the term “gun pr0n” in the article’s title for humorous effect.  So if you’re reading this and are among those of the liberal/gun-grabbing political bent . . . try not to get your manties/panties in a wad, OK?

Category: Guns, Humor, Open thread, WTF?, YGBSM!!