Indians For Guns

(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.950_JDJ)



The .950 JDJ cartridge is a large-bore rifle cartridge developed by J.D. Jones of SSK Industries. Jones is also the noted developer of many other well-known cartridges, such as the Whisper family.

Cartridge
The .950 JDJ is among the world's most-powerful, and largest-caliber, rifle cartridges. Loaded .950 JDJ cartridges are approximately the length of an empty .50 BMG casing (i.e., 4"), and are based on a 20mm Vulcan case shortened and necked up to accept the .950" bullet. Projectiles are custom-made and most commonly weigh 3,600 grains (8.2 ounces, or over half a pound).

Rifles
As its name implies, rifles chambered for the cartridge have a bore diameter of 0.950", which would normally classify them as Destructive Devices under the 1934 National Firearms Act. However, SSK sought and received a "Sporting Use Exception" to de-regulate the rifles, meaning they can be purchased like any other Title I rifle by a person over age 18 with no felonious criminal record. The rifles themselves, of which only a handful have been made, use McMillan stocks and extraordinarily thick Krieger barrels bearing an 18 lb (8.2 kg) muzzle brake. Overall, depending on options, the rifles weigh between 80 and 110 pounds and are therefore only useful for shooting from a bench rest or heavy bipod. Despite the weight, recoil is significant, and shooters must be sure to choose components (i.e., scopes and bipods) that can handle the abuse. The sheer size and weight of these weapons makes them impractical for hunting use, as they cannot be carried afield. Thus, though impressive, they are largely "range queens"—rifles that are brought to the range for a fun time, but not usually used for hunting or other "more practical" uses. Additionally, the cost of owning and operating such a firearm is beyond most shooters; the rifles cost ~US$8,000, loaded cartridges are $40 each, and the individual lathe-turned bronze bullets are $10 apiece.


http://www.everydaynodaysoff.com/2009/1 ... ber-rifle/

Ballistics
The .950 JDJ has become something of an internet legend, and is frequently cited as an example of a "ridiculously large" cartridge, thanks to its overwhelming ballistic figures. The cartridge drives its aforementioned 3,600 gr (230 g) bullet at approximately 2,200 ft/s (670 m/s). This yields a muzzle energy of 38,685 ft•lbf (52,450 J).For comparison, the 5.56x45 cartridge, used in the M16 rifle, produces approximately 1,200–1,300 ft•lbf. The .308 Winchester, a favorite for hunters and medium-range police/military sniping, produces between 2,000 and 3,000 ft•lbf (4,100 J) depending on the load used. The .950 JDJ produces a colossal amount of energy by comparison. In a 110 lb (50 kg) rifle, this will develop well over 200 ft•lbf (270 J) of free recoil energy if an efficient muzzle brake is not used. This is far beyond the shoulder-firing capacity of nearly all humans, even without considering the difficulty of shouldering such a heavy rifle. Shooting should be done with a heavy "lead sled" or similar shooting rest, and the rifle should not be held to the shoulder unless the shooter is prepared for severe recoil and possible injury. The rifle scope should have significant eye relief to avoid injuring the ocular orbit.

SSK http://www.sskindustries.com/

Why?

Why what??

Regards

m24 wrote:Why what??

Regards

I think he means "what's the bleedin point?". You can't shoulder it, you can't shoot it,you can't kill anything(legally),you can't use in war,god knows if it is accurate and the only victim is the shooter. A completely pointless exercise except as a demonstration of what can be done if purpose is irrelevant.

As an aside, I read of the effects the Weatherby magnums have on the range testing staff-cracked collar bones,concussions,detached retinas,bleeding noses,bleeding ears,hearing loss,nausea,slit eye brows etc. These must be tame compared to what can happen if one were to shoot beasties like the one in question.

Very interesting,M24,and thank you for sharing.Keep bringing them up.

Best-
Vikram

This is something! I think of casting bullets for this, at half a pound of lead at a whack! Well, there's always something and there's always someone who wants it, I guess.

I remember that, as a little kid, I had an uncle down here in Texas that we'd come to visit. He was quite a hunter -- an amazing hunter, actually -- and he had the trophies to prove it, including large grizzly and polar bear rugs from beasts that squared in the 9 foot range.

His rifle for the many elk and deer hunts he went on in Wyoming was a 742 Remington in .30-06. On one of his later hunts in Wyoming (this would have been around 1960 or a couple of years later), one of the guides had him shoot a 300 Weatherby, and my uncle was hooked -- he had to have one. As my youthful memory can recall, he talked a lot of how flat the 300 Weatherby shot, when the target was a large, cross-canyon rock, compared to his .30-06.

My uncle was quite a story teller, and it was lots of fun, as a boy, to sit and listen to his many tales. But like any good story teller, a bit of embellishment was sometimes used to spice up these stories, something I didn't recognize at the time.

My uncle was always going on about the fearsome recoil of his mighty Weatherby, and how many of his Texas friends had been "scoped" -- cut by the recoiling eyepiece of the Bausch and Lomb glass my uncle insisted on -- whenever he took them out to test fire the gun.

Of course, the object of these exercises was to establish my uncle as the "he-bull" in the area, by showing how he could master such a hand cannon as his new Weatherby. He finally chivvied my Dad into shooting it once -- I went along to see. Dad was a pretty quiet guy who seldom would tell you what he'd done or could do.

Unfortunately for my uncle, Dad has served for quite some time on the 7th Infantry Rgt. Target team before WW2, and had probably shot rifles as much as my uncle, and he had no trouble handling the Weatherby's recoil and delivering my uncle's expensive Weatherby lead on target, to boot.

Nothing was said, tho I'm sure my uncle was a bit disappointed in not being able to establish "he-bull" claims over his lowly, Slavic brother in law. Ha!

For such purposes, there are always going to be those who would find this .950 JDJ to be just the ticket.

Very interesting, thanks for sharing.

Under today's hunting condition around the world, a 30-06 and a .375 H&H with get every thing done for a big game hunter under most situations if he does his part. You will be backed up by a PH with a .400 + if hunting dangerous game.

Personally I will not go near something like this but there are shooters with passion for other forms of shooting - 1000+ yards, ultra big bores etc. Some one some where wants something different, hence such things exist.

Herb

Timmy: Shooting an Elk with this would yeild; optimistally; a cheesburger McDonalds style.
a Half pound of anything at a target is artillery not a rifle. Bronze, Copper, Brass, Lead, Depleed Uranium... what is the point?
The only reason I can think of for this rifle, is a pointless mine is bigger than yours...
Other than that... this is not een close to a .3xxx anything. The huners love them, fair enough. I love groups in the .1's. But what on earth is a practical purpose for this? Other than.. because I can? I could build a 155mm rifle.. but what would the point be?

MoA wrote:Why?

Why not? Because we can? Pushing the boundaries of what we know (to find out what we don't know) has always been a human characteristic.
When Kennedy first proposed the Lunar program, a lot of people questioned "why?". While we can hardly compare the space program to a seemingly impractical rifle and cartridge, I think anytime we try something different, we can gain new knowledge. The knowledge and new technology that mankind gained in the process of landing on the moon was something that fueled American Industry for years after the event.
Would I want to own one or shoot one of these monstrosities? Probably not.

Some words from Kennedy's "we choose to go to the moon speech"

"We choose to go to the Moon"

As we sit at the precipice of a new era of exploration, I thought it appropriate to revisit the original inspiration and rationale for the first lunar exploration program as so eloquently stated by John F. Kennedy. The original speech by JFK was held in Houston, TX at the Rice Stadium in the fall of 1962.

"Many years ago the great British explorer George Mallory, who was to die on Mount Everest, was asked why did he want to climb it. He said, 'Because it is there.' Well, space is there, and we're going to climb it, and the moon and the planets are there, and new hopes for knowledge and peace are there. And, therefore, as we set sail we ask God's blessing on the most hazardous and dangerous and greatest adventure on which man has ever embarked."

-John F. Kennedy, Rice University, Sept. 12, 1962

[youtube][/youtube]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouRbkBAOGEw

The why and why not debate reminds me of Jack Nicholson's immortal words "Why can't we all just get along"
Watch it until 03:55 in the video please.



As you must have guessed,I am using the posts as a pretext to post this video.Sorry,M24 for hijacking your post.

Best-
Vikram

The only reason I can think of for this rifle, is a pointless mine is bigger than yours...

Yes, that's my point.

Other than that... this is not een close to a .3xxx anything. The huners love them, fair enough. I love groups in the .1's. But what on earth is a practical purpose for this? Other than.. because I can? I could build a 155mm rifle.. but what would the point be?

I agree. If the "mine's bigger than yours" tendency is with things like 300 Weatherby Mag, what must it be with something like this?

But, hey -- each to their own! It's not my money that's getting spent on one.

Vikram -- a wonderful movie. My favorite part is Sarah Jessica Parker with the chihuahua head at the end. Too bad for her, the swap wasn't permanent. ;^)

Good story Timmy..

xl_target wrote:

MoA wrote:Why?

Why not? Because we can? Pushing the boundaries of what we know (to find out what we don't know) has always been a human characteristic.
When Kennedy first proposed the Lunar program, a lot of people questioned "why?". While we can hardly compare the space program to a seemingly impractical rifle and cartridge, I think anytime we try something different, we can gain new knowledge. The knowledge and new technology that mankind gained in the process of landing on the moon was something that fueled American Industry for years after the event.
Would I want to own one or shoot one of these monstrosities? Probably not.

Some words from Kennedy's "we choose to go to the moon speech"

"We choose to go to the Moon"

As we sit at the precipice of a new era of exploration, I thought it appropriate to revisit the original inspiration and rationale for the first lunar exploration program as so eloquently stated by John F. Kennedy. The original speech by JFK was held in Houston, TX at the Rice Stadium in the fall of 1962.

"Many years ago the great British explorer George Mallory, who was to die on Mount Everest, was asked why did he want to climb it. He said, 'Because it is there.' Well, space is there, and we're going to climb it, and the moon and the planets are there, and new hopes for knowledge and peace are there. And, therefore, as we set sail we ask God's blessing on the most hazardous and dangerous and greatest adventure on which man has ever embarked."

-John F. Kennedy, Rice University, Sept. 12, 1962]

Comparing the Moon Shot to this, would be like saying that Al Gore did invent the internet.
We already have things like the 20 Vulcan chambered rifles.

Not practical for anything. Then again I know someone who built a custom car to resemble a Corvette with 1500 hp, and then at the end of three years figured out he couldnt get into it.

Pushing the limits of ballistics? Read this