Steam-Pump-Action Shotgun?

Hello Friends!

*You probably didn't notice the poll I had going.  I asked you what you wanted me to cover next, and out of a meager three votes, the winner is "History and Science".  So today's post is the result of that poll, and is especially for the two of you whose votes won!  Keep an eye peeled for the next poll, coming soon.*

The role of firearms in steampunk comes up often.  Firearms, so misunderstood, often become over or underpowered in the name of plot or assumed knowledge.  As a shotgunner myself, I would like to talk to you about shotguns in the 19th century, and some of the actual developments coming to the turn of the 20th century.

The term shotgun itself was first used in 1776, in Kentucky, USA.  With other terms like scatter gun, riot gun, pepper gun, and even fowling piece as appropriate names for the iconic weapon, nothing rings with as great a thunder as "shotgun".  Typically a smooth bored barrel and designed to fire shot of various size, including a single, larger projectile, it is a short/medium range gun with an effective range of 50-75 yards depending on the quality of workmanship, and ammunition, with high quality slugs from a rifled barrel (a possible feature even in the Victorian era) reaching an upper effective limit of 100 yards.  The shotgun was certainly the weapon of choice for hunters, but also served a significant military role, especially by cavalry troop in the American Civil War.  The last few decades of the 19th century saw a decline in military use, however, but they remained a strong presence in law enforcement, home defense, and sport.  As iconic to the American frontier as the revolver, it even developed little sister in the coach gun, a shorter barreled version designed to be used from the passenger seat of a stage coach, in tight brush, and other circumstances where a long gun would be disadvantageous.  The use of the shotgun in military action would not be redeemed until the Great War, where is served magnificently in the trenches.  Since that time, it has found various modifications and uses, and garnered favor among various demographics.

So, what of the technology?  Let's start with the basic design.  By the Victorian era, muskets and blunderbusses had given way to the more recognizable shotgun.  The muskets saw their last tour of duty to the crown in 1838.  The break action, breech loading design had taken hold, but it wasn't until the 1860s that cartridges, or shotshells, came on the market.  Until that time, the guns were hand loaded, and would take life threatening time to reload in battle, or in the face of a stampeding boar.  This led to the double barreled shotgun being a favored design, allowing a second shot before the necessary reload.  Another notable innovation was the hammerless firing mechanism.  Several designs were put forth in the middle 19th century, but it was the 1875 advent of the boxlock that gained the most success.  With its simple design it allowed for cheaper manufacture, and greater reliability.  Since its innovation, double barreled shotguns have had little need to adapt, and are still favored by sport shooters.  1880 saw the innovation of the ejecting cartridge, and the first automatic cocking mechanism upon closing the breech.

Enter John Browning.  The man who revolutionized firearms in a way no one else could.  In 1887 he completed the lever action shotgun.  More of a gimmick for Winchester, the company he worked for at the time, he went on to finish his design for the first, more reliable, pump action shotgun (1893).  In 1900, the very end of the wild west, and Victorian era, he patented the Browning Auto-5, the first semi-automatic shotgun.  The first two decades of the twentieth century saw some astounding firearms innovation, much done by Browning.

Let us backtrack for a moment, to 1884.  Up until this point firearms relied on black powder which was loud, smokey, and corrosive, and later, guncotton, which was unstable, and resultingly dangerous.  Both produced a number of problems on the battlefield, including unnecessary fatalities.  Then the invention of smokeless powder.  Smokeless powder proved more powerful than black powder, more stable than guncotton, gave off negligible smoke, and would even burn wet.  Beginning its use in France, it swiftly moved into prominence in middle Europe.  By 1890 there were patent disputes because several different folks developed chemical variations.  Needless to say, this became the standard in ammunition manufacturing.

A final, somewhat random note is that early shotshells were manufactured of brass, with paper shells becoming an option from the 1870s through about 1900.  The paper shells had many problems, including dampness and pinholes (which would reduce the effectiveness of the powder burn).  This led to brass bases, and wax coated paper to give them a little more reliability.  Plastic shells, of course, would not be seen until 100 years after the first, in the 1960s.

So where does this leave us in the world of steampunk?  Well, it leaves us with the king of close range combat an option.  Depending on the specific date you're meddling in, you could certainly wield a pump action, or even semi-automatic shotgun.  Being steampunk, it wouldn't be complete without some clock work or steam-powered anachronistic advances and ornate brass work, but this is technology you could certainly feel good about using in your projects.  Me?  I'll be taking my coach gun with me into town, just in case some bandits want to rough up the locals.  Hell, I even have a gypsy spell engraved inside the barrel for a little extra oomph.  Good Journey.

Trousers or Pants?

Hello Friends!

I was once told, "Men wear trousers, women wear pants!"  Certainly, I had to check the veracity of that statement, and these are my findings:

Trousers is a 16th century word derived from a combination of the word "trews" and "drawers".  Of course, you know what drawers are.  It is simply a term denoting leggings that are drawn up.  However, I needed to dig a bit deeper to find out what trews were.  The word is derived the Scottish "triubhas", or French "trebus".  Triubhas, or trews, are close fitting tartan trousers, especially worn by select Scottish regiments.

Now, what about pants?  Pants has a simpler story.  Pants is short for pantaloons, which is in turn a French derivative of the Venetian "Pantaleone", a name of a favored Venetian saint from the fourth century.  So what does that have to do with clothing?  Venetians were known for popularizing a style of close fitting leggings, and so the clothing became synonymous with them.  Interestingly enough, the term "pants" became popular (along with the style) in the middle 19th century. 

What remains is the question, "Are pants for women?"  Well, in a word, no.  There is no gender role assigned to either term.  Of course, in proper Victorian, or 19th century American society, the grand majority of women would be wearing dresses, and be expected to wear dresses.  The lines drawn against the sexes were certainly far stricter than today.

We are not, however, living in Victorian England, nor on the frontier.  In fact, the majority of us are just seeking the flavor of the era to set in our fantasy.  Then there are those like me who are looking to develop a lifestyle largely based in the principles of the steampunk genre.  In steampunk, it is simple to find a woman wearing a pant suit as a business owner, or trendy woman on the town, however, this does not in any way delineate the terms.  No, The choice is yours.  Are you a stickler for the old ways, a pastoral laborer?  Trousers is yours.  Are you trendy and cosmopolitan, like a Victorian Londoner?  You'd be wearing pants.  Of course, there are other terms (breeches/britches, knickers, slacks...) but this article is about that one debate which fired my mind for a time.  Me?  I prefer trousers, as I have no need for Venetians hugging my ass.  Good Journey.

My Time on the Mountain

April 21, 2011, my wing chun sifu committed suicide.  It was a painful day, followed by more painful days.  There was a great cloud of sadness and depression over me for a time.  You see, I had, to the day, one week prior, been tested and advanced to the chum kiu level of wing chun.  Sifu conducted my test.  I was on top of the world, learning a new martial art, making progress, and making friends, including sifu.  Then it ended, so abruptly, so violently.  The following week I decided to practice my siu lim tao form and techniques at the normally scheduled class time, and then go hike up Camelback Mountain.  I decided to make it a progressive timed challenge (of which I made a 5 minute temporal improvement over the course of a month.)  I found it inspiring, purifying, and just what I needed.  Next week, on June the seventh, 2011, wing chun classes will start up again with sifu's wife (a skilled and capable wing chun sifu herself) and some of the senior students will take over teaching duties.  I will, of course, not cease to go to the mountain, my peace, and my stimulation, but I will have to change my schedule to accommodate the trip every week.  So I've come to this juncture, and I decide to tell you a bit of a personal story about my time on the mountain.

I had been to the mountain once before, made a three hour tour of it, going off trail, taking rest breaks, photos, and just generally enjoying the time.  Since I was a child, I've loved mountains, but never spent much time in and on them.  After relocating to Arizona in 2009, it took me more than a year to make my way to one of the many mountains here.  Camelback Mountain is perhaps the most famous mountain in the Metro-Phoenix area.  On that first trip, I decided that I would be coming back.  It was such a joy and adventure.  Then the events of April 21 occurred, and the decision to make another visit was at hand.

An interesting formation from part way up the mountain, with more mountains in the distance.

Wearing my wing chun school t-shirt, and my beat up old sneakers, I began up the mountain.  It was slow going at first, catching my stride and my wind, but once the trail devolved into stone and boulder, I'd found my pace, and my high.  You see, the extra oxygen and adrenaline heightens your system, and as a side effect, heightens your mood.  Forty minutes after entrance, I reached the summit.  I was worn, but as I looked out over my city at dusk, I was happy.  I found a flat spot, and performed siu lim tao in remembrance of sifu one time.  It felt good.  I pounded down a protein bar, and a pint of water, and jaunted back down the mountain.

A view of my city from the summit.  Yes, there are more mountains on the horizon!

This pattern continued for more than a month, with one week off for a trip to Vegas (another blog, another time.)  In the midst, I found I needed better shoes, and purchased a new pair of hikers, and they have served me well.  Rocks and gravel (yes, there is plenty of loose earth along the path) make for difficult footing without tread, and I slipped, non-hazardously, several times.  After the first week, I began timing myself.  With an initial time of 40 minutes for the 1.2 mile trek, I conditioned myself enough over the course of a month and more to a 35 minute summit.  There were a couple of weeks I even summited an extra day, just because I yearned for the adventure.  One night, I didn't summit at all because an old friend called me on my way there, and I just took a side trail to a big boulder, and once I hung up, I practiced some wing chun atop a great stone.  It was certainly a refreshing night.  I even found myself summiting on the night of "The Rapture" and as I looked out at my city at dusk, I said, "Who needs a rapture when we have this?"  You see, folks, I do not need heaven, I need life, adventure, and experience.  After all, isn't that what the steampunk lifestyle is about?  Innovation and exploration?  There may not be much left to discover, not much need to plant a flag, but there are personal journeys, discoveries, and adventures to be had.  Every place, every day holds the possibility of adventure.  I urge you, be that curious Victorian or frontiersman, get out and explore your world!

Looking over my city from Camelback summit at dusk, the very evening of "The Rapture"

Tonight, June 2nd, I made my way up the mountain.  My final trek in lieu of wing chun class (remember, I'll not cease the journey, just reschedule.)  Upon summit, I saw something peculiar.  I noticed a man sitting atop a rock, reading from a leather bound tome with a seemingly captive audience.  I decided to disengage my personal music, and listen in.  What I found was that I had adventured my way to a wedding.  A pair of fellow adventurers had decided to make the grand life commitment atop the mountain, atop my mountain, in my city.  I was nearly moved to tears, for I am surely a romantic soul.  It was so wondrous, and so beautiful to see a couple in love sharing one of life's most singular moments in such a grand place, and such a grand way.  I audited the ceremony, and once completed I felt the need to applaud and congratulate.  Folks, the newly married Casey and Ashley Phillips, joined by the minister David Joaquim, are such a lovely couple, and a couple I am indebted to meet.  They allowed me to give them special mention here, in front of all of you, and asked nothing in return.

Casey and Ashley Phillips, joined in union by the minister David Joaquim

To them I give the greatest of my wishes.  And so fitting an end to my wing chun mountain journey.  I began when a minister ended it all, and ended when a minister helped a couple to a brand new beginning.  Indeed, every chapter closes to a new beginning.  Good journey.