Saga of the Asperly Aimless

[Buckshot]

...........Note: The idea came from an early "Handloader" or "Rifle" magazine, and the title of the article therein was the 'Asperly Aimless'.

My iteration consisted of 3 posts on the "Single Shot" forum at the old Shooters.com BB. These were dated from Jan 12th to Jan 16th, 1998.

..........I recently came across the name of Proff Brutus Asperly in some casual reading, and recalled his remarkable firearms invention, the Asperly Aimless series of rifles. In fact I had been almost successfull in expunging from my memory the fact that I did in fact still own one. I felt that by now I might be safe in re-aquainting myself with the piece.

I then went outside and removed the Asperly from where it was propping up a corner of my wife's potting bench. As I stood there holding it, my mind went back to when it had become mine. I'm sure all of you can recall such incidents yourselves. I had the 'Need', and you know how that goes. The haggleing was long and drawn out. Both the owner and I were growing weary of the back and forth offers and counter offers. It was becoming acrimonious and I could get him to go no higher.

Giving up, I pocketed his hard earned $30 and shouldering the Asperly, I went home. Reference material on these is scarce to the point of being non-existant. I suppose it wasn't well advertised and owners may have been reluctant to mention owning one?

Regardless, I have done my best in determining the model of which I became the owner. I have come to beleive that this is the Asperly Grande Deluxe Spontaneous Model, MkII. The Target version at that. I further believe it had been owned by a target shooting team, as the initials AT&SF are branded into the stock. As further evidence of it being a target model, what I thought at first were spare cartridge recepticals are in fact places for addition weight.

There are 4 such places and after much experimentation I have found that cheap and easy to come by railroad spikes fit handily into each hole. This allows weight regulation. The stock is also very well weatherproofed. The stock is also fully checkered in what appears to be the rasp and hammer method, an early forerunner of the more common impressed type checkering.

Beyond assertaining it to be the Target version, strong evidence of it being also of Grande Deluxe lineage (and the MkII at that) is how the stamped sheet metal breech block and cotter key breech locking device are both fully engraved. Bear in mind too that the cotter key is retained by a BRASS bead chain. The engraving is very tastefully done with what was apparently a prick punch and single jack.

As an example, on the side of the action, what some have thought to be a dog pointing at a turkey, is in fact a dog pointing. However under close examination it comes to light that he is using his left rear leg to point not at a turkey but a bush. There must be quail under it. Scenes of this type are not often seen on the more mundane firearms.

To leave the firearm for a moment, we should know the reason for the good proffessors developement of these rather unique firearms. While not a hunter or even a 'Gun Guy' himself, he felt that there was no longer any real sport in game hunting with the modern cartridges available. Add to that the magic of rangefinding scopes, scent killing clothes, etc and etc. In addition to that, with such things, the poor hunter's entire experience is over way too fast. So our exceptional Prof Brutus Asperly conjured up a means to give both the game animal and the hunter a much richer experience.

In the next installment I'll explain and describe the rather unusual sights, loading proceedure, and if I feel up to it we might even fire it.

....................Buckshot

[wmitty]

Outstanding!

Please Continue!

[NVcurmudgeon]

Breathlessly awaiting next Aimless installment.

[Bullshop]

I have one of those. I have always had a keen eye for such treasures.
BIC/BS

[Frank46]

Buckshot you are entirely correct about the 4 railroad spikes being used for additional weight. Mine came with the super rare spiking attachment. This allows one to remove the 4 spikes and spike the asperly aimless to the ground for more stable and accurate shooting. I always thought the dog was peeing on the bush rather than pointing at it. Unfortunately I had to sell it as the wheels kept coming off and at my advanced age found it difficult to chase after it when it rolled down hill. Sincerely, Phineas Fartblat ESQ.

[waksupi]

Please, carry on!

[walltube]

This opening chapter has caused me to miss my after breakfast nap. Buckshot, please don't torture me this way. Bring the next one on!!

[fourarmed]

The Asperly Aimless that I recall reading about in the Journal of Irreproducible Results was intended to fire ammo with very tough primers. It had an external hammer that weighed - as I recall - 9 pounds.

[HORNET]

I seem to sort of remember reading in Guns and Ammo about fall of 1973 ( I was in the EM Club bar in San Diego [smilie=1: ) about the original .45-.22 Asperly Aimless (.22 rimfire necked up). Is yours still in the original caliber or is it a rebore?? We want loading info...:kidding:

[Jim]

So, tell me why I can't find the first reference to this firearm on the internet.

[waksupi]

Jim, the reason is, Buckshot is the world's foremost authority, and he has kept most of the research secret. He wouldn't want anyone reproducing these valuable collectors items.

[Old Ironsights]

Very few posts anywhere have caused me to need to wipe my keyboard/monitor.

Congratulations. [smilie=l:

[longhorn]

Ooooh, an Asperly MkII Deluxe! Those things sometimes turn up, like bad (very bad) pennies. I own a Chinese air rifle that may have been designed with help from Asperly.........

[Catshooter]

Without pics Buckshot I find myself amonst the un-beleiving.

In fact, I shall at this time announce to the world that I am sure you are lying.

How can you possibly try to get us to think you have a Deluxe model, and a target one to boot!

The gall! The termerity! I am disgusted. After all, anyone who has ever actually handled one knows that they use five railroad spikes, not four!

What are you thinking man? How, oh how can you try to decive us in this most unethical manner?

And to think I was just preparing to write you into my will. Well, that's never gonna hap . . . oh no. I just had a thought. Does yours use four spikes because it's equipped with a suppressor?

Oh the shame of it all.


Cat

[Single Shot]

I bet with the railroad spikes attached it makes the new Assault Weapons ban list.[smilie=1:

[waksupi]

Next thing you know, someone will call R.J. Poteet a liar. Then the fat will hit the frying pan.

[Buckshot]

...........I can assure one and all that it is real, and in fact I shot it today. Those of you who read this and remembered you had one, I commiserate. I know that the average age of cast boolit disciple is slightly , ah, er .......... advanced. And I apologize for your having had to crawl under the house, jack up the outhouse, or drain the cesspool in order to find your Asperly to determine which model it might be.

A bit more history. As mentioned previously Proff Asperly desired to increase the hunter's length of time in the field, and to enhance the "Fair Chase" aspect of hunting season. To this end he created the vaunted "Totally Random Shot Placement Theory". He also carried this over to his target rifles.

Inasmuch as he felt that underachievers, or those who didn't practice sufficiently should have the the same chance as those who applied themselves and worked dilligently, the TRSPT target rear sight would be a big seller at the range. As you may have noted, this is serious business as it has been adopted in our schools. So as you might have gathered by thsi time, Porff Asperly was well ahead of his time.

As I previously mentioned, I beleive my Apserly is the Asperly Grande Deluxe Spontaneous Model, MkII (target version). I say 'believe' as info is sketchy and also the rifles were assembled by committee, so finding any 2 alike is extremely slim. In addition the good proffessor being the humaitarian he was, used the handicapped to a great degree. As those poor folks being blind are discriminated against to a great degree in the manufacturing sector, they formed the larger part of the workforce.

To get on with it, I did take it out and shoot it. If no one gives me too much grief I'll explain why doing your target shooting inside a barn or a 2 car garage is the best.

The cartridge cases were called the "Everlasting" type, as they require no strenuous resizing. After firing you merely drag the now empty 'case' out with you fish gutting blade, bent tine of a salad fork, or the common fingernail will suffice. The cases are made using the cheap and ever available aluminum foil. The spent primer usually just falls out. Shake the foil out to clean and re-wrap around the supplied wooden mandrel to reform.

The other end of the madrel has a cavity to 'wad' the foil up, and form the primer pocket and a pick to puncture through the flash hole. I personally prefer Reynolds Quilted foil to be the best. For fixed ammunition the boolit is best held by Lepage's library paste or 2lb monofiliment. If using the monofiliment a double clove hitch on a half bite, finished off with a bowline gives it a nice florish to the completed round.

However, I much prefered to breech seat as the target shooting greats of yore practiced. However if you shoot this way your targets had to all be uphill, and it worked well for targets in trees. I sometimes used targets tacked up over the bottom cross arms on telephone poles. Otherwise, if the muzzle was lowered the boolit had a bad habit of slidding out the muzzle onto the ground.

To overcome this, you MUST paper patch. I find that 1 sheet of 2 ply bathroom tissue (like me you'll probably prefer white, unscented) works great merely chewed thoroughly with common mouth variety saliva. This wad is then inserted first into the breech and pushed home with the case extracting tool (finger, fork, fish gutting knifeblade, stick, whatever). Then the boolit and then the freshly made case.

Once these actions are completed, the breechpiece is swung over, which cocks the action and totally randomizes the floating apurture of the rear sight. If you don't see the aputure at the time, don't worry as it will put in an appearance at some point. You then drop the cotter pin on it's bead chain throught the 2 holes to lock the breechpiece, and you're ready to fire.

I'm still recovering a bit and tired so I'll have to post about the shooting tomorrow or so.

.....................Buckshot

[dromia]

Are you absolutely sure that its an Asperly Buckshot?

Sounds more like a Lee Custom job.

Pictures my man pictures!

[Wayne Smith]

You shot that thing!! NO! At least, not until you finish my crimper!!!

[walltube]

Thanks B'shot, it was worth the sleepless night. :coffee:

[MT Gianni]

My asperly has always put forth it's best groups with reynolds foil with the shiny side facing in. Any true afficionado of the aimless should try it that way. Gianni.

[9.3X62AL]

You all now see the sort of mindset I shoot against on Tuesdays.

[Old Ironsights]

And now I supose you are gong to tell me that the AA "Everlasting" case was designed to use 5F Unique Blue-Green Dot, when everyone knows it was supposed to use Elephant 1F Loosegroup Sticks.

[Swagerman]

To date all known Asperly Aimless firearms have been confiscated by the BATF, if you own one you'd better give it up...before they have to pry it from your cold dead hands.

The Asperly Aimless, the only firearm that gun control protects the general public...so says Congressional heads who have written special Admendments to disban them.

Jim

[Old Ironsights]

To date all known Asperly Aimless firearms have been confiscated by the BATF, if you own one you'd better give it up...before they have to pry it from your cold dead hands.

The Asperly Aimless, the only firearm that gun control protects the general public...so says Congressional heads who have written special Admendments to disban them.

JimDisban? The HSUS, the VPC and Sarah Brady are trying to get the current unlicensed Chinese manufacture outsourced to Bangladesh and write a Law for them to become the mandatory firearm of the CMP and all Hunter Safety Programs...

[LarryM]

Is it at all possible that the Asperly organization also made custom modifications to T/C muzzle loaders as late as the early '80s?

[Swagerman]

Ah so, the Asperly Aimless is being copied and produced by unscrupulous Chinese capitallist, thrust upon an unsuspecting western market. The stocks are being painted with lead base paints, your child could be poisoned while teething on this firearm.

That is why the instruction broshure said: do not ever use Hoppe's No. 9 to clean the practically smooth bores. Use only Wang Foos soy sauce to swab the shallow rifling, allow sauce to drain out of barrel into family stir fried noodles. (waste not, want not)

Jim

[Old Ironsights]

... Use only Wang Foos soy sauce to swab the shallow rifling, allow sauce to drain out of barrel into family stir fried noodles. (waste not, want not)


AH SO! The sorution to Miclogloove fouring issues! :bigsmyl2:

[jonk]

WTH are we talking about? Is this some inside joke that I've missed not being a member for years and years? It is fun reading though either way.

[Junior1942]

I distinctly remember seeing an Asperly Aimless on the wall behind the bar at the Seaman's Club in downtown Norfolk in 1962. It looked old and rusty, but that could have been from beer and drinks thrown in fights.

[Herb in Pa]

My Asperly Aimless is one of the rare takedown models, to wit the stock is removed while twisting the receiver in an anticlockwise (it's a rare British Model) direction while simultaneously pulling up on the retaining pin for the ramastan device. Reassembly is best facilitated with a quart of sour mash.

[montana_charlie]

WTH are we talking about?
If you find the definition of 'iteration' to be elusive, you will probably have trouble keeping up...unless you take notes.
CM

[AZ-Stew]

Buckshot,

My research has uncovered references to an exclusive club who's membership was limited to original retail purchasers of the Asperly Aimless devices. Thankfully, these memberships were offered to, rather than forced upon new owners. The marketing department wanted to ensure that owners would not feel that insult had been added to injury.

The name of the club was The Asperly Tippling & Shooting Federation, which explains the letters branded on the stock of your Asperly. Many historians have mistakenly concluded that these letters stand for Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe, which can be easily understood, given the coarse, straight-grained character of the stock wood and the unmistakable scent of creosote often encountered when one comes within a few yards of an authentic Asperly. As an aside, it's rumored that the Asperly marketing department had originally intended that the brand be applied to the "caboose", so to speak, of the club members, but this rumor has never been substantiated.

Just thought you'd like to know.

Regards,

Stew

[onceabull]

Gents: While much on this thread is enlightening, there is some additional info.that has been either omitted,withheld,or edited. For example,most researchers now agree a stock marked A T & S.F. would either be a replacement,or ,if original,would be found on one the last 23 sold. Earliest production "rifles" ,which were allocated to the leading gunscribes of the day, had B&A RR (Bangor & Aroostock)marked stocks,and these purportedly continued until the Asperly Org. fell upon hard times,and in order to economize acquired the inferior(in terms of figure and strength) A.T. & SF wood. Asperly had purchased adv.materials calling his "rifles" Model Perfect,but Geo.L.Herter obtained injunctive relief and recovery of costs. thus the adoption of the nomenclature proffered by Buckshot.. Hope this helps...[smilie=1: [smilie=1: Onceabull

[9.3X62AL]

Bull--

So, a stock cartouche of "BNSF" is bogus due to date conflict, then? I had a feeling that dealer was a crook. Glad I passed.

[Phil]

Alas, I remember going through the personal effects of Dr. Murphy after his untimely death. He had been a close friend of Asperly since childhood and had (completely unknown to me) written (at Prof Asperly's request) the complete illustrated and annotated history of the Asperly Aimless concept. There were two copies of this tome in Dr. Murphy's effects. His daughter let me keep one as a reminder of our friendship. I know not what happened to the other. Mine was stolen some time ago in a home robbery while I was visiting the Asperly Museum and Barbershop. The culprit was never caught, even though the neighbors told police he was Chinese. And now we find the Chinese are making crude copies of the Asperly Aimless. Kinda makes you think doesn't it?

Phil

[sundog]

I had one, probably produced sometime between the first and last model. It was transferred to a gentleman of dubious ancestry who resided somewhere east of the Verdigris where it intersects with the Arkansas - hill country. I suspect that his parents may have been very closely RE-lated, if you get my drift. Anyway this fine 'gentleman' had several other models and wanted to add to his collection. He claimed that the Aimless was astoundingly accurate, mostly, in all but a few situations, most of which he had found himself in. BUT, having the opportunity acquire yet another example would surely remedy that shortcoming.

It wasn't long after that I saw his name in the Arkansas Mountain Gazette as having been done in while feuding with neighbors. A picture of the alleged scene clearly showed him with one of his Aimless's, still cocked and in the ready mode. Doubtful anyone will ever know what really transpired.

When contacted about the alleged incident, Professor Asperly indicated that this fine gentleman should have had the upper hand, what with being so aptly armed. The only thing that could possibly explain his untimely demise is that the perpetrator very well had another model of the very same.

I saved the article. Let's see, it's around here somewhere....

[MT Gianni]

Phil, did you get to see the used book store in the back half of the museum/Barbershop? I found a copy of Safari by Keith in there for $4.00 but passed as it had a couple of bullet holes making it unreadable. Gianni.

[Phil]

Yes I saw that MT Gianni, and passed on it for the same reason. They also had a copy of Sharpe's book on handloading signed by Sharpe and dedicated to J.B. Smith for a mere pittance but I passed on it as the cover was mostly burned away.

What did you think of Asperly African display? A number of quite interesting trophies I thought.

Cheers,

Phil

[Old Ironsights]

Note that before the "Everlasting" cartridge was invented, Dr. Asperly spent precious resources attempting to develop a reloadable brass cartridge and automatic swaging/reloading system...

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y180/MrMisanthrope/Asperly.jpg

[Buckshot]

...................As I said I shot the thing the other day. One nice thing is that there is no utility whatsoever in taking sighters. The Random Floating Apurture rear sight, by design, makes such an activity fairly useless.

I had found a suitable barn for my shooting range, with no one at home and the animals all out to pasture, a reasonably safe distance away, or protected by topography. Repairing to the barn, I went inside and closed the doors at both ends.

I dragged out a bale of hay, and tossed a bag of oats on top as a rest for the Asperly. Then I went to the far wall (maybe 30 feet) and chalked a mark to aim at that was high enough to geep the boolit from rolling out of the barrel. I settled down behind the bale of hay, settled the Asperly on the bag of oats. Carefully inserting the 'cartridge' I then closed and locked the breech.

This action randomizes the floating apurture in the rear sight. There is also no elevation or windage adjustment, which amazingly simplifies it's use. However, the rear sight is no simple object in itself. I believe it's action is affected by static electricity, planetary alignment, barometric pressure, and the current state of the stock market.

With a fevered brow I had my cheek to the stock. I placed the 3 fingers on the "Asperly Patented Safety Trigger" required to pull it. I patiently awaited the apurture to appear in the rear sight. After some tantalizingly quick glimmers of it's edges, or of it zooming past, it finally presented itself (although a bit obliquely) long enough for my brain to send the urgent signal to my fingers to "YANK NOW!".

The trigger oozed backwards as only the Asperly Safety Trigger can. Kind of like squeezing a plum. The sear tripped, the intermediate lever slammed down releasing the clockspring to unwind in well oiled fashion, powering the eccentric cam to rotate around and open the path for the 3/4" ball bearing to begin it's tortuous path to smack the striker a good one.

With a hearty boom and amidst a cloud of crimped oats I reloaded. I put out the fire on my bale of hay and resolutely refused to view my handiwork. I've seen shooters pop up and down like jack in the boxes to look through their spotting scopes, but not me.

By the time I'd fired the 5 shots for a group, my deoderant had quit, my hair was singed back to mid-scalp, my eyebrows were gone, and recoil had about done me in. I suspect I was the only person in 3 counties who could clap his shoulder blades together.

As I walked forward amidst a cloud of dust, crimped oats, and the occasional falling cedar shingle to check my target, I found not one boolit hole. A carefull survey of the interior of the barn turned up 3 very recently deceased rafter rats, and one hole in the loft behind my shooting position. Ah yes, nothing like the ole Asperly!

After recovering sufficiently enough to drive, I walked out to my car and saw a power company truck pull up, obviously to replace a couple insulators, as the lines were sagging low. Hmmm, wasn't like that when I arrived?

As I drove home with the Asperly dragging on the ground from the bumper hitch, I realized the old piece still had it. If I set my mind to it, in the next few months I may be able to save enough money to possibly move the Asperly on to someone else who doesn't know where I live.

To those of you who've replied to this opus, with advice, and further information, I thank you. To those having freely admited to having owned, or currently owning an Asperly (of whatever description) I will take your name and pray for you. You are of stout heart, and rapidly diminishing number.

.................Buckshot

[BCB]

It has now become crystal clear that I have lived a boring and unfulfilled life and I shall never have enough time to make up, or hope for, adventures such as I have just read…BCB

[MT Gianni]

If I were in California I would check the tide tables. Shoot on a low tide and if performance isn't improved toss it out on the outgoing tide. gianni.

[montana_charlie]

If I set my mind to it, in the next few months I may be able to save enough money to possibly move the Asperly on to someone else who doesn't know where I live.
As it happens, I do not know where you live. In addition, with some diligence on my part, and a reasonable amount of compensation on yours, I could probably remain ignorant on that score.
Moreover, I might be willing to relieve you of that treasure for less than you imagine.

I have a barn which has been taken over by wild pigeons, and no amount of skulking about can place me in a position where I can shoot even one in an attempt to begin reducing the population.
As one looks away, and I begin my stalk, another sounds the alarm and the entire interior of the barn becomes a swirling malestrom of feathers and feces.

As any who has tried 'flock shooting' with a shotgun can attest, just letting go with the twelve bore results in nothing more than a pile of empty shells to be policed up.
Similarly, firing a rifle into the melee is equally useless. If one aims at a bird, it is gone before the trigger can be pulled...and to aim accurately at an empty space presupposes a bird will fly into it just as the bullet arrives. We all know the folly of that!

No...something which is as totally random as can be devised by Man surely has to be the best tool for my predicament. From your description, it appears that you possess the solution I have been seeking...maybe...probably...hopefully...if Allah wills it.

If you will arrange transport of your Asperly to me, along with ten of it's 'cartridges', I will test it thoroughly for a period of three days. At the end of that period, I wll inform you of how much you owe me for the three day respite in possession...and will (in the same communication) present an offer detailing the amount I will require to keep the Asperly indefinitely.

Should you decline my offer, I will (of necessity) be required to find out where you live.
CM

[sundog]

Charlie, something along the lines of FAE (fuel air explosive) may possibly solve your problem. Guaranteed that the ole barn would not survive. So, that idea might be a bit counter productive.

[waksupi]

Charlie, I have a solution to your pigeon problem. When they are on roost at night, go in the barn with a bright flash, or spotlight. Shine it at the pigeons, and they will fly directly at the light. Grab them ,and stuff them in a gunny sack. It is nice to have an assistant.
Once you have a bag full, put them out of your misery, and save the breasts. Put them in a roaster, with some dressing, and you will have some excellent eating.

Sorry for going off topic!

[trk]

Charlie, I have a solution to your pigeon problem. When they are on roost at night, go in the barn with a bright flash, or spotlight. Shine it at the pigeons, and they will fly directly at the light. Grab them ,and stuff them in a gunny sack. It is nice to have an assistant.
Once you have a bag full, put them out of your misery, and save the breasts. Put them in a roaster, with some dressing, and you will have some excellent eating.

Sorry for going off topic!

The common game (back in IOWA) was to go into the barn at night, take the light and shine it in large circles - round and round - the pidgeons would watch, getting dizzy. Shoot one round into the dirt and ALL the pidgeons would take off - most flying right into the walls and falling - easy to pick up and stuff into the gunny sack.

One shot - many pidgeons! Almost as much fun as cow tipping here in Virginia.

[Catshooter]

9.3X63AL,

You shoot with this guy each Tuesday? I hardly know what to say. Do you suppose we could negotiate um, an 'accident'?

Think of it as self-preservation, after all, some Tuesday he may bring the AA.


Cat

[Phil]

Hey Sundog,

Ever build a fougasse "device"? (insert politically incorrect term if desired)

Cheers,

Phil

[Swagerman]

Hello Phil, what is the aircraft in your little picture.

Looks vintage WW-2, maybe a Bell AirCobra with the Packard engine. The Allison engine was not the best performer in that bird.

Didn't it have the automobile door on the left side.

The fighter jocks use say, pile one of those up and you get Packard stamped on your butt...the engine being behind the pilot.

Jim

[Phil]

Hi Jim,

The airplane in the picture is a Bell P-63 Kingcobra. big brother to the P-39 Airacobra. The P-39 and P-63 series had doors on both sides but you usually entered and exited by the right door as the power levers and trim wheel was in the way on the left side.
The pictured airplane, with me on the wing, had a late model Allison V-1710-133 engine installed. With Bob Eucker flying, it won the Sohio Trophy Race and was second in the Tinnerman Trophy Race during the National Air Races held at Cleveland, Ohio in 1948.
The Packard engine you are thinking about was a license built Rolls Royce V-1650 as used in the P-51. To be honest about it, the only thing better about the Rolls engine was the supercharger. Dwight Thorne, who until retirement built most of the Rolls Royce engines used in P-51 racers flown at the Reno air races, used Allison connecting rods in them. The Rolls engine didn't have the toughness of the Allison. At lower altitudes the P-63 could wax the P-51 royally in mock combat. I have talked to many test pilots and combat pilots who confirm this. The blower in the Merlin made it the better engine when you got up to 20,000 feet or so though.
Thanks for the interest, those were great years for a little kid, and some of the pilots of those planes are still my friends, one of them among the best of my friends. As an aside, Cook Cleland recently passed away. Cook won two of the Thompson Trophy Races at Cleveland with a P&W R4360 powered F2G Corsair. These WWII veterans of all services diminish at an ever increasing rate, very sad.

Cheers,

Phil

[Swagerman]

Thanks Phil, for your in depth answer with all the good information you shared with us.

The Russians really loved the Cobras, used them mostly for tank busting.

I believe we used them mostly at the lower altitudes in the Pacific arena, but some went to Europe as well.

The Allison must have been pretty good, it was used in the P-38 as well.

Jim :drinks:

[montana_charlie]

Ever build a fougasse "device"? (insert politically incorrect term if desired)
I am not Sundog, but if you will accept 'foo gas' as a spelling, I have helped build several...and used some of them as intended.

I refer to a large container of a refined petroleum product that has (either) been gelled...or thickened with the addition of stolen flour...which is meant to be ignited remotely by an explosive device (such as a claymore mine).

When 'visitors in the night' are too numerous to greet each (individually) with a personalized 5.56mm welcome, 'foo gas' has the ability to extend a blanket greeting in a form of mass mailing that reaches all members in a squad (more or less) simultaneously. While not really classifying as 'spam', it did create 'crispy critters' on Nui Ba Den in 1972.
CM

[Phil]

Thats the one!

Cheers,

Phil

[sundog]

That's some stuff, Charlie. Foo gas. goood s&!t, Maynard! Lights things up real good, too.

But, so is FAE. Different concept. Aerated fuel over a wide volume, like a cave, then ignited. Sucks every drop of oxygen out of the air. Not to mention, detonation, heat, and other nice attributes. Not real familiar with it, but supposed to work real good.

Foo gas is really some nasty stuff....

[montana_charlie]

Foo gas. goood s&!t, Maynard!
Actually, that comes very close to being a direct quote of the words said by my foxhole partner on the night I let loose the first one.

His last name was Jackson, and I never knew his first. He was a big, soft spoken, well-built black man who was an Army Spec 5 radio operator. He and I (an Air Force E-5 electronics tech) got on quite well, but his most trusted friend was his dog...a large, black, (possibly) pit bull that he called '******'.

Jackson was left-handed, which is why I asked him to be my compadre. The fighting position we manned was primarily responsible for protecting our generators, and had three fields of fire to cover. A southpaw was a natural choice for the zone to our west.

In all cases, our job (the ten of us) was to blunt any attack long enough for a gunship to arrive above us. Sometimes that happened quickly...sometimes not.

On the night in question, we were under attack by a force numbering around a hundred. Not the largest we ever faced, but larger than normal.
And, we already knew our AC-130 was a long way off.

Things would seem to heat up in one area of the perimeter, then cool down some, to start up elsewhere. Eventually, it was our turn (Jackson and me) and the bad guys persisted long enough that we began to take turns reloading some of our empty magazines when firing slackened a bit.
Sensing movement in a (known but hidden) gully slightly off to the right of our front, I called in to say we might have a sizeable group about to come up from that quarter. The Captain said 'everybody was busy' so he had no one to send to our position to assist. Then he asked, "Isn't that one of the places you guys put that foo gas?"

It had been there so long, I had forgotten it existed. When I confirmed the location, he said to use it if we needed it.
I handed Jackson the radio handset, and began searching for the wire for that particular claymore. I connected a 'clicker' to it, and laid it on top of our sandbags...within easy reach.

When the real push started, we kept a careful but steady fire going, which seemed able to hold them back. But, when the number suddenly doubled, we opted for the foo gas.

This 55 gallon drum, buried at an angle at the head of that gully, had been sitting there for a couple of months. It's contents started out as a gravy-like mixture of mostly diesel, about ten gallons of gasoline, and several sacks of flour appropriated from our small stock of mess hall 'groceries'.

Probably because the gas had evaporated, the mixture must have become 'thicker' than originally intended...perhaps more like cake batter or biscuit dough.
When I lit it off, instead of a 'spray' of SSBC (somewhat sticky burning crap)...what we got was a 'pattern' of flaming gobs that went blasting down among a bunch of Charlies who found some novel ways of displaying their surprise.

In the light of the fire, some were simply using the chin-on-the-chest facial expression which denotes dumbfoundedness. A few of those added emphasis to their expression by dropping their rifles.
Others in the squad chose to flee from the apparition...some straight back down the gully...some up and over the sides.
While we couldn't see any who were still down in the gully, the visible ones...standing agape, or trying to escape...made for excellent targets in the firelight.

And, a noticeable number of both groups...the motionless and the movers...managed to actually become recipients of the pastries we had flung among 'em. During the morning perimeter sweep and 'cleanup', the gully got a careful going over. While the extent of destruction was not exactly 'biblical', it turned out to be a pretty good score for a single claymore mine.

Anyway, about Jackson's comment...
You remember that I had passed him the radio handset in order to ready the foo gas detonator. During the whole sequence (pretty much) he was firing with one hand and holding the handset to his ear with the other.

When the dough lit up, and hot biscuits started smacking into bodies, and 'charred charlies' came charging into sight to be shot...well, old Jackson just couldn't contain himself.
Mashing down the transmit button with one hand and his M-16 trigger with the other, Jackson stated unequivocally to any who could hear his voice (which included our people...and all of the Army brass down at Tay Ninh City),
"G'dam Capt'n...that foo gas is bein' some gooood SH!T !!!

But, the Captain's name was MacGuiness...not Maynard.

CM

[MT Gianni]

Great story, Charlie! Gianni

[Phil]

Great story!

Phil

[Buckshot]

.............From reading, I understand the P-39 as designed (with a turbocharger) was one very streamlined and fast plane. However the army didn't want that and instead wanted a ground support fighter so the supercharger was removed. Yes?

..................Buckshot

[Phil]

Hi Buckshot!

Yes the P-39 was originally designed as a point defence interceptor. There were no requirements for aerobatics or long range. The whole idea of the airplane was to reach high altitudes quickly and shoot down attacking bombers. The main criteria were speed, rate of climb, and especially important, heavy armament. The real problem was the lack of a systems coordinator. No one had thought of systems coordinaters in the thirties. The government told Allison what engine to supply, GE what turbocharger to supply, and told Bell to stuff them all in the XP-39. It was a disaster. The NACA identifled enough problems to choke a horse and all the suppliers begged the government to lay off the turbocharger. The airframe just wasn't large enough to accommodate the turbo and necessary plumbing. Plus, in those early days, turbochargers were not at all reliable. That the P-39 was a very small airplane, with a very unconventional layout certainly didn't help.

To give you an idea of what was going on in one small segment of the industry during those times, of the first twenty or so V1710 series engines that Allison built, about fifteen contained different, government mandated, changes. FWIW a friend of mine, now sadly gone, worked there at that time.

For the whole story I would suggest reading "COBRA! BELL AIRCRAFT CORPORATION 1934-1946" by Birch Matthews. ISBN: 0-88740-911-3. Great read and I furnished data for the parts concerning Kingcobra racers belonging to Chuck Tucker and Howard Lilly. I also supplied some photographs and printed some negatives for Birch.

If you like that one I'd suggest reading 'WET WINGS AND DROP TANKS", also by Birch. The ISBN on that one is 0-88740-530-4. I printed and/or supplied photos for that one also.

Thanks for the interest in a subject near and dear to me,

Phil

[9.3X62AL]

Catshooter--

Rest assured, Buckshot never brings ANYTHING aimless to the Burrito Shoot. Tomorrow's festivities allegedly involve handguns, so I concocted some New And Improved Mondo Accurate Can't Be Beat Loads for the S&W Model 16-4. THAT'S RIGHT, I'm bringing the Mid-Caliber Magnum. I know Rick will have that (expletives deleted) K-38 along for the ride, so I had to step things up a notch or two.

The posts about the pigeons cracked me up. They sound a lot like Buckshot's crab lice remedy--shave one side, and ignite the other--then stab the survivors that escape the inferno with an icepick as they flee across the shaved open ground.

True bizness--my agency found one of those foo gas arrangements set up in a marijuana grow site a year prior to my assignment to narcotics. Several have been found in grow sites around CA over the years.

[Buckshot]

[QUOTE=9.3X62AL;219367]Catshooter--

Rest assured, Buckshot never brings ANYTHING aimless to the Burrito Shoot. Tomorrow's festivities allegedly involve handguns, so I concocted some New And Improved Mondo Accurate Can't Be Beat Loads for the S&W Model 16-4. THAT'S RIGHT, I'm bringing the Mid-Caliber Magnum. I know Rick will have that (expletives deleted) K-38 along for the ride, so I had to step things up a notch or two. [QUOTE]

..............My K-38 won :-) BTW, in case you'd like to have it I used a load I cooked up that works real well. You take a 148gr WC and stuff it into a 38 Special case with a mild roll crimp and use 2.7grs of Bullseye. No payment required for the load data. Just trying to help :-)

...............Buckshot

[9.3X62AL]

Real front-end/high-tech load work, that. Hairball.

The two loads I ran yesterday in the 32 Magnum both used the RCBS 98 SWC in Starline cases with WSP primers--7.0 grains of 2400, and 3.5 grains of SR-4756. Both shot very well over the bags, but the wheels came off once I stood up.

One of our members here--Big Slick--is doing some really intrepid loading of this caliber in a Ruger SP-101. 115-120 grain boolits to 1400 FPS........not sure I want to try that bit in the K-frame S&W. I had always thought the caliber has been under-developed and under-loaded due to the original platforms housing this caliber--H&R small-frame revolvers. The RCBS Cast Bullet Manual has likely the most extensive load data in one place I've ever found for this caliber, but is dated and is aimed at these same H&R revos. We have at least 2 and often 3 ackowledged load levels for the 45-70......there's no reason a similar doctrine couldn't be applied to the 32 Magnum.

[HORNET]

Al,
Maybe you need to get Buckshot to compete using that old .577 Snider next week. I think that had a piece of bent wire held on with a hose clamp for a front sight when last seen. Thats only slightly better than the Asperly's sights. You could sneak over when he's not looking and move it some. Of course, muzzle velocity is so low that he could run down range and push them slugs back on the right track...:roll:

[Ricochet]

That's more like it. I was afraid this thread was getting far too on-topic, not nearly aimless enough...

[Buckshot]

.................While I was delighted in the Snider carbines 5 shots into 5" at 50 yards (which is match grade accuracy compared to before) I'm still not excited about entering it into the BUrrito Invitational. You have to remember, each of us has a personal dollar bill to lose, but we stand to win a whole $4-$5. I don't think the Snider is quite up to it at this point :-)

................Buckshot

[9.3X62AL]

It's 22 rifles/iron sights next week.......methinks Buckshot is being righteous as to the Snider, wanting a bit more R&D before risking his whole dollar with the hyena pack that assembles on Tuesdays for burritos. We can be a surly, unforgiving lot--and if we sense a weakness, a feeding frenzy ensues. Law Of The Jungle gets no plea bargains on Tuesdays at Inland F&G, no sirree.

In a vain attempt to steer this back toward topicality, it wasn't the S&W being "aimless" yesterday.

[waksupi]

It puzzles me, that there were some deriding the "6" topic, while this aimless topic continues on without negative comment! I guess the technical aspects of the Asperly are more fascinating!

[No_1]

I thought the topic of 6 was easier to follow.

[Junior1942]

It puzzles me, that there were some deriding the "6" topic, while this aimless topic continues on without negative comment! I guess the technical aspects of the Asperly are more fascinating!Lots of people probably wish they'd bought an Aimless back when they were only $5,000.

[Calamity Jake]

I know one thing, if it gets any deeper in here, I'm going to have to get me some taller boots!!!!!

[Scrounger]

No, it's just as pointless. But there is a history of topics like this being published in some gun magazines as 'humor'. I guess I just have no sense of humor, but I fail to see what possible interest grown men could have in doing this. But I'm sure that I (and everyone else) do things that lots of other people don't understand, so I'll just put on the tin foil hat CarpetMan sent me and ignore it...

[Echo]

Good story! The closest I came to foo gas (USAF in Thailand) was seeing a demo on TV back home. One of the networks (only 3 at the time) showed a setup in country. When set off, you heard a VNA troop give out a big "Numba ONE!". I agreed...

[SWIAFB]

Buckshot, with the shortage of primers now a days do you have any plans in the works to convert the Asperly Aimless to match ignition ?

[HORNET]

Greatgoogleymoogley!!! Somebody done revived this again??? Do they never learn?

[timkelley]

Hornet, I thought it was Greatgoogleywoogley?

[stubshaft]

Hornet, I thought it was Greatgoogleywoogley?

Wasn't he the interim stockmaker for Asperley?

[Bigjohn]

Greatgoogleymoogley!!! Somebody done revived this again??? Do they never learn?
That' why they call it a "Saga". [smilie=b:

[Dean D.]

John, the saga is incomplete... Buckshot has yet to reveal his choice of cast boolit specifically designed for the Asperly Aimless. I'm dying to know if he chose the hollow point, hollow base or the hollow-side boolit? That wasp waisted hollow-side looks wicked to me!

[waksupi]

I have it on VERY good authority, that Santa Claus carries an Asperly Aimless for his protection weapon against unruly elves on Christmas eve.

[Beekeeper]

I feel sorry for poor Donna.
She is left holding the potting bench up!
Will buckshot ever return to replace the leg?
Should one of you complete gentlemen hurry over and releive her of this odurous task?
Will the leg ever get replaced or will Donna spend the rest of her life holding up the bench while waiting for someone to assist her?

These are important questions that must be asked of this aggust membership!

The very idea of going off to a burrito shoot without addressing this issue is a major setback for the membership of the burrito shoot.

I will come to Donna's rescue and as buckshot owes me a keyboard due to his rendition of the shoot I will solve both problems.I will take the asperly off of his hands and use it for a tomato stake and will arrive at his home with a new wooden leg for Donna.

Lets see < HMMM, Measure once and cut twice, or is it measure twice and cut once, either way I think Donna's potting bench will be a lot shorter soon.


Jim

[NoDakJak]

The perfect caast boolit for the Asperly is paper patched and shaped like a boomarang. Very effective boolit. just don't forget to duck low! Neil

[montana_charlie]

I will take the asperly off of his hands and use it for a tomato stake and will arrive at his home with a new wooden leg for Donna.
I am certain that Donna will be eternally grateful for that. Do you also plan to bring a leg for the potting bench she is holding up?

I only ask because, if she must continue to support the table, she will never have a chance to try out her new leg on the dance floor...or in the garden.
CM

[Beekeeper]

I'm not sure but I think buckshot might get a little sore if he returned from the burrito shoot and found Donna dancing with a stranger.
He even might load and shoot the aimless again and who knows what damage it would do to the neighbors houses.
And think about Donna having to live down the horror of having to repair all those houses as we know what shooting the aimless does to buckshots shoulder blades.

Maybe I should offer to bring both ie: leg for table and for Donna and just leave and have the aimless mailed to me.
I don't think the post office would mind as it isn't considered a firearm and they would be doing buckshot a favor.

Jim

[runfiverun]

i would think after almost two years you might wanna do the gentlemanly thing and bring poor donna a glass of lemonade i would think that holding up the potting bench this long would be thirsty work.
her and the benches leg could then be replaced but not in that order,good benches are hard to find.
i believe at this point the aimless will once again be used, and you should be well on your way home.

[AZ-Stew]

I'm not sure but I think buckshot might get a little sore if he returned from the burrito shoot and found Donna dancing with a stranger.
Jim

I think he'd be more upset of he came home and found her with a wooden leg.

Regards,

Stew

[Beekeeper]

Now you see there Stew ,it has been 2 years and none of you gentlemen has offered to help Donna.
It takes a feller like me that hasn't been around very long to jog your minds.
I sure hope the good Lady hasn't been put to a lot of pain by having to hold up that bench for 2 years.
Maybe buckshots shoulder blades ain't the only thing what got pushed cattywompas.

Jim

[Blacksmith]

I had a cattywompas once but he ran away. I replaced him with two housecats and two barncats

Blacksmith

[Thumbcocker]

Because there is nothing more personal than a personal firearm I have held my tounge until now. I feel I must speak out on this topic. I am very disturbed to see a desire to randomly scatter shots over the target and surrounding countryside devolve into an equipment game culminating in the Asperly Aimless.

Fellow booliteers please save your money and remember that it is not the equipment but the shooter that attains the goal. I do not own and could never hope to afford such a piece of engineering as an Asperly. Even the vanilla sporting models are beyond my modest means. That however has never stopped me from dispersing my shots all over the targets, the berm, and the surrounding county WITH OFF THE SHELF FIREARMS. While I have never had the plesure of even touching an Asperly I am confidnet that my shot dispersions would rival all but the most deluxe models. I am sure of this because on the few occasions I have been allowed to shoot high end firearms I have producerd "groups" that would make Professor Asperly proud. Then there is the area of my hunting "prowess" .

After much contemplation I have decided that I would be willing to teach my techniques to some of the younger members of this list so that they to can enjoy shot dispersion with their factory firearms. You older shooters who have grown used to regulary getting nice groups on target or one shot kills on the various critters that you use to fill your freezer are, I am sad to say, beyond my poor ability to help in your quest for shot dispersion.

So you young shooters out there if you are really willing to work hard, really hard, I will take you under my wing and share my most closly guarded shot dispersion secrets with you. At the end of your period of study you will be able to disperse shots in such a random manner that you will be the talk lf the range or every informal plinking session. You will be legnd in deer camp and game fields. No need to thank or pay me; this is my lasting legacy to a new generation.

[Beekeeper]

I have thought about this all night and think I have come up with an answer to the problem and still give Buckshot all of the credit for all of the work he did.
I have decided to take up a collection to use for Buckshots medical expences.
Send your donations to me at Prisoner 301906, San Quenton Ca.
I will send a team of medical crack personal to Buckshots place to help him to be able to see lightning and hear thunder once again.
The repairs to his shoulder blades I'm afraid will take a lot longer.

Part of the donations will be used to pay legal fees for Buckshot for as you know Non Destructive Testingof a barn from the inside with out the proper government equipment is a serious offence as well as the non destruction of a barn from the inside is also.
I have talked to the telephone and electric co's and they tell me he has no worries concerning the insulators.

I know we have all read the entire post and know the headaches and heartaches Buckshot went thru with his reasearch and development as well as the restoration of the test weapon.
A great Kudo should be sent by each of us for his dedication to the project.

Any moneys left over will be used to buy Donna a new wooden leg so she does not have to hold up the potting table anymore.

Once all this has been completed Buckshot will be able to return to the tusday burritos shoot.
A question:
How many burritos do you have to shoot to create enough foo-gas to fuel the high speed plane Buckshot is interested in.
If we help him shoot enough burritos we could fuel it and he could fly over the Kyber Pass area of Afganastan and drop off all of his paper work and copies of the original pattens and we could have brand new Asperly Aimless Deluxe rifles ,New in box , available by mid year 2010 then we will all be able to enjoy trying to hit the inside of a barn from the inside!


Jim

[thx997303]

Oops, wrong topic.

[Blacksmith]

Look at what you did. Now everybody will know and those unfortunates will never be able to get rid of their asper.... I mean outstanding examples of the gunmakers art that are the culmanation of ballistic engineering and a trip through the junk yard.

[thx997303]

But don't you want to do the world a service by expanding everyone's knowledge of these fine arms?

To shoot objects on the outside of a closed barn from the inside without perforating the barn itself is truly a miracle of firearm design! Only the finest of marksmen should be allowed to even gaze upon such a work!

[9.3X62AL]

Oh, good--the A/A returns from exile.

For the record, Donna has kept our Buckshot on the jump with construction projects and remodeling efforts since our last glance at this thread. I would hardly know the place if I hadn't checked in once in a while to keep pace with Rick's Herculean efforts. During this time, Rick has had little oppurtunity to use hose clamp ends as front sight staffs, and barn shooting has been off the grid entirely. I do miss the WHIRRRRR of cartwheeling boolits and the raw adventure of not knowing which ZIP Code the boolits will be headed for on those occasions that ignition occurs.

[thx997303]

Did Jim there ever provide Donna with a new wooden leg?

It seems insensitive that she hold that bench up for 4 years now.

I do hope Buckshot can continue shooting burritos and doing non destructive live fire testing from inside the barn in the near future.

[Frank46]

Did Asperly ever detirmine wether or not solid boolits or the ones with the hole all the way through provided the best accuracy in the reverse gain twist rifling. Last I heard he was still out in the boonies doing tests. Seems the forestry service had to go out and find him due to aftershocks when he shot some of his creations. Frank

[9.3X62AL]

Folks out here near the San Andreas Fault are a might twitchy about plate tectonics and aftershocks. Gotta keep such things in mind with the A/A, 4"-barrelled Model 29s, and 30 Carbine Blackhawks. I moved out to Ridgecrest to get around those concerns. There are even more faults out this way, and they move around daily, but the locals don't mind as much as city-dwellers when the soil joggles around. Lots less out here to damage, too.

[Box13]

I think I remember reading about the Asperly Aimless in Rifle magazine many years ago.I was quite impressed with his ability to keep the helical deflection of the rifling down to less then .001 in the average barrel and some target models were even said to be within .0001 of being perfectly straight from one end to the other...just amazing by modern standards...

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I've been lookin' on gunBROKEr for an Aimless...skunked

[TXGunNut]

I've been lookin' on gunBROKEr for an Aimless...skunked

Just another sign of the times. Some quicker, more astute buyer snatched it up immediately. I'm sure they'll be back to normal availability soon.

[fecmech]

ust another sign of the times. Some quicker, more astute buyer snatched it up immediately. I'm sure they'll be back to normal availability soon.

I wouldn't be too sure about that. The Aimless was in the new New York Safe Act as a prohibited weapon and could very well be in Feinsteins new assault ban!

[Reg]

As I recall, the final reason for the demise of such a fine weapon was the Professor was a far seeing type and just knew that he had to be first on the market with a lawyer proof trigger. Guess he was just too far ahead of his time. The 16 pound four stage trigger, not unlike some current Rugars, was simpley not accepted back then but now of course, it is accepted as standard.

[9.3X62AL]

I wouldn't be too sure about that. The Aimless was in the new New York Safe Act as a prohibited weapon and could very well be in Feinsteins new assault ban!

No wonder the Asperley Aimless has disappeared from retailer shelves! There's no better marketing scheme for a firearm system than to have it focused upon by Dianne Of The Castro District.

[Blacksmith]

I have a rare Asperley Aimless Mount which I believe is used to join two Asperly Aimless's together in order to double the randomness factor. It is of heavy steel construction with square holes perfect for holding the Asperly stock weights referred to in earlier posts. I have found a picture of a similar one on the internet here:
https://www.progressiverailroading.com/railproducts/product/AREMA-Standard-Tie-Plates--5445

However I was wondering if anyone had a picture of one in use with the Aimless guns. I am currently using mine to keep my truck bed mat from flapping but if I am ever stuck with two Asperlys at the same time I might try it out.

[Bad Water Bill]

Just another sign of the times. Some quicker, more astute buyer snatched it up immediately. I'm sure they'll be back to normal availability soon.

Wasn't the ASPERLY one of the most dangerous on the NOT SO FINE STINE list of banned firearms but also on her list of to be DESTROYED ON SITE?

[waksupi]

The Asperly is generally only dangerous to the nut that pulls the trigger.

[Bad Water Bill]

What about the fruit(cakes) that show up at a gun show with more money than brains and spend the REQUIRED 7 figure amount to purchase a firearm as rare as an ASPERLIE?

Not worried about the fruits,

just do not want to see a true piece of AMERICANA destroyed.

[Blacksmith]

It's been 6 months and we have a lot of new members that have not learned of the saga of the Asperly Aimless or the outcome of Donnas wooden leg holding up the potting bench. So bump to the top.

[Bad Water Bill]

Just to inform some of the MILLIONS that have paid their exorbitant fees to join our exalted membership

here is the start of the Saga of the Asperly Aimless as reported by one of our internationally renowned casters BUCKSHOT

...........Note: The idea came from an early "Handloader" or "Rifle" magazine, and the title of the article therein was the 'Asperly Aimless'.

My iteration consisted of 3 posts on the "Single Shot" forum at the old Shooters.com BB. These were dated from Jan 12th to Jan 16th, 1998.

..........I recently came across the name of Proff Brutus Asperly in some casual reading, and recalled his remarkable firearms invention, the Asperly Aimless series of rifles. In fact I had been almost successfull in expunging from my memory the fact that I did in fact still own one. I felt that by now I might be safe in re-aquainting myself with the piece.

I then went outside and removed the Asperly from where it was propping up a corner of my wife's potting bench. As I stood there holding it, my mind went back to when it had become mine. I'm sure all of you can recall such incidents yourselves. I had the 'Need', and you know how that goes. The haggleing was long and drawn out. Both the owner and I were growing weary of the back and forth offers and counter offers. It was becoming acrimonious and I could get him to go no higher.

Giving up, I pocketed his hard earned $30 and shouldering the Asperly, I went home. Reference material on these is scarce to the point of being non-existant. I suppose it wasn't well advertised and owners may have been reluctant to mention owning one?

Regardless, I have done my best in determining the model of which I became the owner. I have come to beleive that this is the Asperly Grande Deluxe Spontaneous Model, MkII. The Target version at that. I further believe it had been owned by a target shooting team, as the initials AT&SF are branded into the stock. As further evidence of it being a target model, what I thought at first were spare cartridge recepticals are in fact places for addition weight.

There are 4 such places and after much experimentation I have found that cheap and easy to come by railroad spikes fit handily into each hole. This allows weight regulation. The stock is also very well weatherproofed. The stock is also fully checkered in what appears to be the rasp and hammer method, an early forerunner of the more common impressed type checkering.

Beyond assertaining it to be the Target version, strong evidence of it being also of Grande Deluxe lineage (and the MkII at that) is how the stamped sheet metal breech block and cotter key breech locking device are both fully engraved. Bear in mind too that the cotter key is retained by a BRASS bead chain. The engraving is very tastefully done with what was apparently a prick punch and single jack.

As an example, on the side of the action, what some have thought to be a dog pointing at a turkey, is in fact a dog pointing. However under close examination it comes to light that he is using his left rear leg to point not at a turkey but a bush. There must be quail under it. Scenes of this type are not often seen on the more mundane firearms.

To leave the firearm for a moment, we should know the reason for the good proffessors developement of these rather unique firearms. While not a hunter or even a 'Gun Guy' himself, he felt that there was no longer any real sport in game hunting with the modern cartridges available. Add to that the magic of rangefinding scopes, scent killing clothes, etc and etc. In addition to that, with such things, the poor hunter's entire experience is over way too fast. So our exceptional Prof Brutus Asperly conjured up a means to give both the game animal and the hunter a much richer experience.

In the next installment I'll explain and describe the rather unusual sights, loading proceedure, and if I feel up to it we might even fire it.

....................Buckshot

[Blacksmith]

Asperly Aimless the original Rail Gun!

[fecmech]

Asperly Aimless the original Rail Gun!
Could this be one of the early .45-70 models?? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlpUO5aMtYk

[1Shirt]

Almost bought one once, but like making mistakes in buying guns, thought I made one once but was mistaken!
1Shirt!

[HABCAN]

I recently received an eMailed offer of a genooine Asperley Aimless from a doctor's widow who had located it in the bank of a tributary river to the Bight of Benin. It could be mine if only I would requite her great passion and incidentally marry her. I declined, telling her how lucky she was to have a genuine artifact from the days of more-enlightened exploration, and she was on no account to even dream of returning it to these shores. She called me an unfeeling racist. I told him I didn't need his attentions, but that he should seek solace with the widow who claimed ownership of a priceless artifact guaranteed to make his fortune if parlayed to the right party. Keep checking Gunlist................? It might turn up and one of you aficionados can snatch it before someone gets seriously hurt.

[9.3X62AL]

".....tributary river to the Bight of Benin." Any word on the trout fishing? I know the investment opportunities are legendary.

[montana_charlie]

Wasn't the ASPERLY one of the most dangerous on the NOT SO FINE STINE list of banned firearms but also on her list of to be DESTROYED ON SITE?
Pretty sure that it was the first rifle ever built that incorporated the shoulder thing that goes up.

[onceabull]

Thank goodness for the warning, as less than an hour ago we caught a call from what claimed to be a human..The accent was so unique I couldn't readily determine this ones sex or even guess at a race..BUT,finally got them to spell out what the were selling...An exquisite ,unmolested ,Aspxxxxy Aimxxxs...!! STAY ALERT...Onceabull

[Bullshop Junior]

I wanna see photos. I am fascinated.

[Wayne Smith]

Solly, photo impossible - camera break!

[shooter2]

I guess I have led a very sheltered life. I have never heard of it nor seen one. How about some pics?

[Blacksmith]

In some jurisdictions the mere possession of an image of an Asperly Aimless will get you locked in the pokey or worse, they may even have one and make you take it home. However once you have seen one you can never completely erase the image from your mind. Sort of like the pictures of girls the Bullshop junior used to post before he was threatened with Girty's retribution.

Of course we astute firearm aficionados are always interested in further technical details and load data for these classics of firearms history. Hopefully someday there will be enough information for someone to write a book, or at least a magazine article, maybe an ad on craig's list.

I have seen a report that Richard Lee tried to develop a Lee Loader for the Asperly Aimless but since this was before the era of the Flat Rate Box from the post office there was no economical way to ship them other than a dedicated Great Big Double Clutching "E" Flat Semi Tractor Trailer Truck which is not very economical.

[Blacksmith]

I wanna see photos. I am fascinated.

I am surprised you want pictures since according to this:
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?19413-Saga-of-the-Asperly-Aimless&p=216910&viewfull=1#post216910

Bullshop was a former owner, I would have expected him to have cured you of all Asperly Aimless curiosity. You should know better!

[Bullshop Junior]

I've never seen his.

[Blacksmith]

I've never seen his.

Obviously he is a good parent protecting the eyes of an impressionable young person. Eye bleach hurts when removing retained retinal images.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

To date all known Asperly Aimless firearms have been confiscated by the BATF, if you own one you'd better give it up...before they have to pry it from your cold dead hands.

The Asperly Aimless, the only firearm that gun control protects the general public...so says Congressional heads who have written special Admendments to disban them.

Jim

Oh yeah, a great quote :)

[fast ronnie]

Reading through the post, I have sincerely been appreciative of the fact that I have never seen an Asperly Aimless, but was reminded I had an old "Ardly Aimless out in the iron pile. I got to thinking "what a joy it would be to try that thing again", so I dug out an old can of once used Golden .22 primers, and went looking for my box of Triple E powder. I have to use that particular powder as I have very narrow fingers that won't fit in the guard with any other powder. Mine isn't a "Deluxe" model so it originally had the Target Diverter sight. This wasn't acceptable so I spent the nickel and a half to obtain the special Target Diverter system. I found this unit works really well, as I have never hit a single target with it.

I do have a couple of questions about it, though.

(1) After I pull the pin, how long do I have to hold the handle before the charge is heard? I've been holding on target for two days and my arm is starting to get tired. I almost woke up this morning as it was wobbling so bad.

(2) How far away do I have to be to insure that I do not hit the inside of my barn?

I believe I have one of the rarest as it is a .45 - .23 as the inventor couldn't hold tolerances very well.
It also came with the special order rifling on the outside of the barrel.

P.S. I haven't slugged the barrel, yet, so don't know how long of an arrow it takes. Maybe someone out there has some idea of how many fletchings I should use.

[mozeppa]

help!

does anyone have spare parts?
my father in law willed his aimless to me but the bolt is missing!....and it's a left handed rifle!

will a right handed rotating flip over bolt fit in a left handed receiver?

[onceabull]

There was back in the 20th century, a couple of old time gunsmithys that had developed quite a following among A.A. owners.. This was pre-google days,so a search may encounter obstacles, but one of them was located close to Big Suck, Ky. hard on to the W.by God, Va.line... Onceabull

[JSnover]

help!

does anyone have spare parts?
my father in law willed his aimless to me but the bolt is missing!....and it's a left handed rifle!

will a right handed rotating flip over bolt fit in a left handed receiver?
Ya jist put a right-handed bolt in backwards and yer good to go.

[MT Gianni]

help!

does anyone have spare parts?
my father in law willed his aimless to me but the bolt is missing!....and it's a left handed rifle!

will a right handed rotating flip over bolt fit in a left handed receiver?
1/4 x20 bolt will adapt just need to do some welding and fitting.

[LiveSteamer]

As a volunteer with the local railroad hysterical society, this weekend we tore down an old, dilapidated sandhouse down by the yard tracks. What a surprise when under the floorboards I unearthed a very rare Narrow Gauge model of the Asperly Aimless stamped with D & R G W (Denver and Rio Grande Western) on thickly creosote coated stock made from the floorboard of an old stock car. I knew it was genuine as the creosote could not completely cover up the smell of ancient sheep urine and excrement. It is a well know fact that the Chinese knock offs of the Narrow Gauge model used the more readily available floorboards from cattle carrying stock cars. Additionally, many of the counterfeits are incorrectly stamped D & S (Durango & Silverton) or C & T S R R (Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad). In addition to firing narrower cartridges, the Narrow Gauge model was steam powered. There were two genuine Narrow Gauge models, one wood fired and the other coal fired. Many of the counterfeits are oil or propane fired. There is even one known counterfeit produced in North Korea which is fired on oxen dung and another one from Afghanistan that is fired on camel ****. The Narrow Gauge model also used the smaller narrow gauge railroad spikes instead of standard gauge spikes and only required three spikes as the Narrow Gauge model is a carbine.

[Boaz]

I'm taking notes here ! I yearn to possess one of these . Did Asperly ever design a pistol ? I believe if memory serves me I have owned a couple in the distant past . Please continue !

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

well, it looks like we have a railroad aficionado.
LiveSteamer, welcome to castboolits :)

[TXGunNut]

Welcome to the forum, LiveSteamer! My only question is are these narrow gauge models equipped with whistles? Goodness knows if you're firing an Asperly Aimless you need to let off a little steam now and then.

[Thumbcocker]

The Asperley Aimless is a total scam. I have been dispersing shots all over the berm and away from the target for DECADES with OFF THE RACK GUNS. Anyone who is willing to listen and learn can disperse their shots randomly no matter the weapon. Factory, custom, replica or modern match grade ammo or white box special the Thumbcocker shooting method can have you equaling the Asperly effect with any gun you pick up.

[Wayne Smith]

The Asperley Aimless is a total scam. I have been dispersing shots all over the berm and away from the target for DECADES with OFF THE RACK GUNS. Anyone who is willing to listen and learn can disperse their shots randomly no matter the weapon. Factory, custom, replica or modern match grade ammo or white box special the Thumbcocker shooting method can have you equaling the Asperly effect with any gun you pick up.
... and especially from inside the barn!

[Old Ironsights]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"One man with a gun can control 100 without one." (http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/v/vladimirle136307.html?src=t_gun)Vladimir Lenin (http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/v/vladimir_lenin.html)


qaStaHvIS wa' ram loSSaD Hugh SIjlaH qetbogh loD

(Four thousand throats may be cut in one night by a running man... ancient Klingon Proverb...)

[Old Ironsights]

Professor/Doctor Asperly has surfaced again...

http://www.levergunscommunity.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=67674

182412

[9.3X62AL]

OIS--that is "necking up", with malice aforethought.

[RayinNH]

Professor/Doctor Asperly has surfaced again...

http://www.levergunscommunity.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=67674

182412

Does the pre-rifled bullet help in the non accuracy of the A.A.?

[onceabull]

I'm confident that I am one of the last 5 alive that were shareholders in the D&RG W.railroad. With that established,be assured that this gent,"LiveSteamer" may be the true oracle of NG railroading,but his knowledge of Asperly Aimless firearms has room for growth....!!! all that XXXXXXXX re: those two Colorado NG lines is just a google search away even for those resident in Latvia and points further east....Don't be taken in by these latebloomers......Onceabull

[xs11jack]

Well, Ray, only if the boolit is rifled in the opposite direction of the rifling barrel.
Ole Jack

[Bad Water Bill]

Professor/Doctor Asperly has surfaced again...

http://www.levergunscommunity.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=67674

182412

Thanks for posting that picture.

Now I know what Girty got stuck in her foot while we were cooking our breakfast by Bad Water creek in death Valley.

Dug the A A loaded cartridge loose and tossed it into the camp fire.

That sucker was so powerful it blew my gallon coffee pot 100 yards away but thankfully did not spill a drop of brew.

Talk about lucky.

[Buckshot]

..............SHEESH!

..............Buckshot

[waksupi]

Professor/Doctor Asperly has surfaced again...

http://www.levergunscommunity.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=67674

182412

That is a wildcat made from the .38-45 Polish Short Magnum. There are chambering issues with the configuration.

[Smoke4320]

It was rumored that Doctor Asperly what working on a clamshell action that could easily chamber this configuration but adding the automatic C Clamp proved cumbersome
Word was that during testing a prototype exploded in the face a young good looking apprentice named Danny Trejo

[JSnover]

I'm surprised none of you are familiar with the Asperly Patented Reverse Bottle-neck Chamber. It allowed the shooter to load fixed cartridge ammunition from the muzzle.

[MT Gianni]

Does the pre-rifled bullet help in the non accuracy of the A.A.?

That was for the adaption of the fellow that patented the piston ring compressor. After chambering you tightened up the chamber with a series of bands then shot it.

[Buckshot]

.............I suppose a few might be interested (or not) but I finally got rid of the Asperly Aimless Target rifle, and all the accouterments, flotsam and jetsam I'd accumulated over the intervening years. I sent it to Dr. Fauci with the hope in my heart that at some point in time, not too far from now that the only remembrance might be the smoking crater left in the ground. The only regret I have is that I didn't do it a couple years previously.

................Buckshot

[tommag]

Well, Buckshot, I was wondering what happened to Dr. Fauci. I'm thinking he's busy trying to wring more accuracy out of the AA than has been found in his pronouncements.

[Buckshot]

.............We live in hope!

[.429&H110]

Are any of these fine firearms preserved for future generations in museums behind glass so that we might stand in awe of our forefather's innovations? Is awe the right word?

[JSnover]

Are any of these fine firearms preserved for future generations in museums behind glass so that we might stand in awe of our forefather's innovations? Is awe the right word?
Dr. Asperly was a humble man who preferred not to showcase his creations, a trait which was prevalent among his customers.
An elderly gentleman claimed to own one but was rather secretive about it. Gesturing towards the outhouse he assured me, "That's the best place to store that rifle." Away from the prying eyes of the general public, who most certainly would not understand, I assume. You have to own one to appreciate it.

[GL49]

.............I suppose a few might be interested (or not) but I finally got rid of the Asperly Aimless Target rifle, and all the accouterments, flotsam and jetsam I'd accumulated over the intervening years. I sent it to Dr. Fauci with the hope in my heart that at some point in time, not too far from now that the only remembrance might be the smoking crater left in the ground. The only regret I have is that I didn't do it a couple years previously.

................Buckshot

Tell me it isn't so!!!

The deceiver of millions now has possession of one of the world's greatest "treasures"? The truths of which are revealed on these hallowed pages? What kind of deceptions will he foist on the unlearned of the world? What foul deeds may ensue? May the gods of the AA protect us.

Oh, the humanity!