Gun Care Question: Cleaning Vera

POSTED BY: BYTEMITE
UPDATED: Saturday, June 16, 2012 01:20
VIEWED: 7786
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NEWOLDBROWNCOAT

Wednesday, June 13, 2012 9:21 PM

Geezer:
total time with re-assembly, what ? Maybe 30 seconds?

GEEZER

Thursday, June 14, 2012 2:17 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by NewOldBrownCoat:
Geezer:
total time with re-assembly, what ? Maybe 30 seconds?

If all you're doing is a field-strip and re-assemble, probably so.

Cleaning, on the other hand, takes a bit longer.

Quote:

Cleaning the Callahan Fullbore Autolock:

- Field-strip the weapon as described.

- Using a coated carbon-fiber rod and a brass jag, swab the bore from the breech end using a cotton patch soaked in a ferro-bronze solvent such as Geezer's Bore Blaster, Then swab with the activator and set aside for 30 minutes. Breathing, eye, and skin protection is highly recommended when using ferro-bronze solvents.

- Use a carbon-release spray to clean the trigger group, and then apply only Mark 17 lubricating film to all parts but the sear.

- With a brush and ethyl alcohol, remove any deposits from the bolt unit. (grain alcohol of at least 120 proof can be used if ethyl alcohol is not available). Apply a light film of Mark 17 to the bolt.

- After 30 minutes have passed, swab deposits from the bore with a copper-bronze brush, followed by patches soaked in alternating solvent and activator. When the activator patches no longer turn blue, the ferro-bronze deposits have been removed and the bore can be lightly oiled.

- Using a solvent-soaked Q-tip, clean the muzzle brake ports.

- Using a soft cloth, wipe all parts of the weapon to remove dust, blood, and other contaminants, and re-assemble the Callahan by reversing the field-stripping procedure.

EBFIDDLER

Friday, June 15, 2012 12:33 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by BYTEMITE:
Who would beat the others at a shooting gallery, Zoe, Mal, or Jayne?

I think it depends on what kind of targets and what kind of guns are used.

We see Jayne shooting a rifle prone, with a scope, in Serenity Pilot. It's implied that he's good at this kind of marksmanship. So I'd be inclined to say Jayne's going to be an accurate shot at a distance with a stationary target. Jayne also made a couple of other more spontaneous shots (in the Train Job, and I think the Message), so apparently he's good at rapid fire and moving targets as well.

It's shown or implied on many occasions that Mal is a crack shot with a pistol at a moving target, as he makes a number of difficult and accurate shots during the course of the series and the movie. (Shooting Dobson in the head, and avoiding shooting River, while walking himself, in Serenity Pilot; shooting the Reaver's grappling rope, without shooting Jayne, three shots necessary to sever it (one of the few times we see him aiming); fatally shooting the Alliance soldier in the downed ship on Haven from a distance without prolonged sighting; shooting the weapon out of the Operative's hand at close range.)

I'd have to review the gun battle in Serenity Pilot and the various scenes in The Message to assess Zoe's strengths when it comes to firearms. I seem to recall that she made a very accurate shot (very close range) in defense of Wash when Tracey was threatening him with a gun in The Message. She also made some pretty accurate shots at a farther range with a rifle (I think) in Our Mrs Reynolds.

At a shooting gallery (let's set aside the fact that at most carnival versions of this exercise, the weapons are crap and the sights are not calibrated in the least, and assume that they're acceptable), if moving targets are involved, I'd lay my money on Mal, but Zoe and particularly Jayne could probably give him a good run for his money.

And as an addendum, the shooting you see in any Hollywood production is, shall we say, very imaginative. If you shoot without aiming, as is depicted in nearly every movie and TV show I have ever watched, you will very rarely hit your target. Accuracy is all about knowing your equipment, your target, the distance, calibrating the sights, and creating a steady platform for making your shot. Competitive target shooters take a position that relies mainly on bone (not muscle) support of the firearm; they aim, aim, aim, aim, aim, and squeeze the trigger gently between breaths and even between heartbeats. With that kind of deliberation, it's possible to be extremely accurate. The Hollywood mode of quick draw and blam is going to result in lots of wasted ammunition.

M52NICKERSON

Friday, June 15, 2012 3:13 AM

I think EB has the right idea.

If you are talking pistols, Mal. Rifles, Jayne. Combination, Zoe might take it.

River might beat all of them.

I do not fear God, I fear the ignorance of man.

NEWOLDBROWNCOAT

Friday, June 15, 2012 3:42 AM

As to a shooting match, I'd take Zoe.

Mal would be great on a carnival midway, with one of those BB machine guns and the little red cardboard star-- that's his natural character, in spite of his instinctive shooting of Dobson and the pilot in the BDM.

Jayne is good with the sniper rifle in the Pilot, but I don't think he's a natural gunman-- he's bigger on threats and intimidation, scary knives and fist fights.

But our Zoe-- she's quietly, efficiently, ruthlessly, non-flashy lethal. Anything she wants shot is gonna have little round holes in it in very bad places, and is going to be surprised to find itself dead.

EBFIDDLER

Friday, June 15, 2012 5:03 AM

Newoldbrowncoat, I think you're right on with your assessment. Jayne can shoot, but if he can threaten or intimidate his way out of a fix, that's his preferred mode of operation. Mal's spontaneous, and even if he's accurate, it seems more the result of serendipity than deliberation. Zoe, on the other hand, is determined and has the skills and patience to carry through. She'd be an awesome target shooter, and with her stealth skills, a good hunter, too.

BYTEMITE

Saturday, June 16, 2012 1:20 AM

Let's see. In the Serenity RPG, the characters are given dice value for their skill with a weapon, up to twelve total, with an ability to specialize in specific types after d6, which represents general know how ability handling a firearm.

Mal
Guns: d6
Pistols: d12 (d6 + d6)
Rifles: d8 (d6 + d2)

Zoe
Guns: d6
Rifles: d10 (d6 + d4)
Shotgun: d10 (d6 + d4)

Jayne
Guns: d6
Assault Rifle: d10 (d6 + d4)
Pistol: d8 (d6 + d2)
Rifle: d10 (d6 + d4)

River
Guns: d6
Pistols: d10 (d6 + 4)
(She might primarily rely on her psychic ability to boost her skill to supernatural levels)

Book
Guns: d6
Shotgun: d8 (d6 + d2)

Wash
Guns: d4
(average shot, not great)

It could be noted that Inara is d8 with her newtech bow. (though if it were me, I'd adjust her skill points to make her slightly better at hand to hand combat, since that seems far more useful for her if her clients take a turn on her)

In line with NOBC, Zoe has the best ability with stealth.

However, it's possible that these might not be accurate representations of reality, since they had to assign the crew's abilities within the framework of the rules they established.

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