Drug War Weapons Reclaimed As Musical Instruments

Reclaiming weapons into a whole different amalgamation of functionality, speaks volumes on a political level. Guns and weapons of all sorts will forever be a hotbed of debate, as some think they help to drive crime. In a country such as Mexico with vast corruption and large organized crime families fueling a thirst for their notorious product, guns are just one of the tools in their arsenal. Seeing the work of Pedro Reyes is a quick reminder, that even a gun which was used to kill another individual, can be re-purposed into something more useful. The tragedies cannot be remedied, but the collective mindset can be changed, which may help to save lives in the long run.

Check out original post on This Is Colossal

Find out more on Pedro Reyes


pedro reyes: imagine - musical performance from designboom on Vimeo.




"As part of his latest project Imagine, Mexico City based artist Pedro Reyes acquired some 6,700 weapons that were scheduled to be buried (as is customary in mass weapon disposals) and instead collaborated with six musicians to create 50 working instruments as part of a statement regarding increased gun violence in Mexico. The numerous firearms were cut down, welded and formed into a variety of string, wind, and percussion instruments over a period of two weeks last month. Via his blog Reyes says:

"It’s difficult to explain but the transformation was more than physical. It’s important to consider that many lives were taken with these weapons; as if a sort of exorcism was taking place the music expelled the demons they held, as well as being a requiem for lives lost. [...] This is also a call to action, since we cannot stop the violence only at the place where the weapons are being used, but also where they are made. There is a disparity between visible and invisible violence. The nearly 80,000 deaths by gun-shot that have occurred in Mexico in the last 6 years, or the school shootings in the US are the visible side of violence. The invisible side is that one of gun trade-shows, neglecting assault rifle bans, and shareholder profit from public companies. This is a large industry of death and suffering for which no cultural rejection is expressed. Guns continue to be depicted as something sexy both in Hollywood and in videogames; there may be actors who won’t smoke on the screen, but there has not been one who would reject the role of a trigger-happy hero."

Surprisingly this is not the artists first project involving the reuse of guns. Back in 2008 he was provided with 1,527 destroyed weapons which he melted down to build shovels to plant 1,527 trees as part of his Palas por Pistolas project. If you liked this also check out the work of Al Farrow. (via my amp goes to 11)"

The .700 WTF : For Hunting Dinosaurs From The Firearms Blog

So you have hatched a plan to go out and hunt wabbits. Those pesky furry varmints that are only cute around easter, continue to raid your garden and you can only imagine taking out their population in one fell swoop of manliness. Well compadres, we have found the shoulder cannon just for you. This gun also doubles as a dinosaur hunter if you choose to turn on ye ol' time machine and go back a few million years for T-Rex sushi.

Link to post on the Firearms Blog

"A member of the Cast Boolits forums posted photos and video of a rifle and .700 caliber cartridge he designed. The only component he did not make himself was the barrel.

The tools of the trade in firing a .700 WTF cartridge and 1132 grain bullet

The cartridge, named the .700 WTF ("What The F...") and is made by fire forming a .50 BMG brass case, trimming it to 3" in length and then sizing it. The round is loaded with a 1132 grain paper patched .700 lead cast bullet.

The rifle, with just a 16.25" barrel, can push the 1132 grain of lead up to 2300 fps. Thats 13,000 ft/lbs of energy, right up there with the .50 BMG and far exceeding the .700 Nitro Express. The cast lead bullet has enough energy to pass clean through a 1/4" steel plate.

Look at the size of that casing and bullet compared to the revolver

The rifle uses a shell-holder style action. My understanding is that the difference between a shell holder and a bolt action is that a shell holder lacks an automatic ejector and must be entirely removed from the action in order to load a new cartridge. Note how in the video below the shell holder, holding the cartridge, it loaded into he rifle.

the .700 WTF Caliber bullet and rifle even comes in camo

The rifle is accessorized with a Magpul pistol grip (probably the largest caliber gun to ever be fitted with a Magpul accessory), a Limbsaver recoil pad and a Aimpoint comp M4.

Need a scope to pick off tanks and small dinosaurs at a couple hundred yards?

Juding by the video case extraction is tough. If you miss your shot at a charging
Rhino

T-Rex, you need to be able to reload quickly.

UPDATE: The inventor believes the rifle is not classified by the BATFE as a destructive because it is a sporting weapon. There is sporting weapons, such as shotguns and big bore double rifles, are exempt, the usual procedure it to obtain a letter from the BATFE stating that the particular weapon is a sporting weapon."

DIY Weapons Of The Libyan Rebels - The Atlantic

Our buddies Jefe and Elwood of the Road Devils posted this up on Facebook and these are some amazing photos taken of the Rebels over in Libya fightin' that mustachio'd ego maniac known as Qaddafi. Please rebels take this asshole out as no one will never forget the bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland. Be empowered by these photos as it is true DIY weaponry engineering and seeing what little they have to assemble from, damn right its DIY. All images and text below are copyright of the The Atlantic

DIY Weapons of the Libyan Rebels

In Focus with Alan Taylor

For the past four months in Libya, rebel forces made up of civilians and army defectors have been waging battles against Muammar Qaddafi's armed forces, holding their own and sometimes advancing with the assistance of NATO air strikes. Scrambling to arm themselves against mercenaries and a professional army, rebels have been making use of everything they can -- from using captured weapons and munitions to rigging anti-aircraft guns and aircraft rocket launchers to the backs of civilian pickup trucks. Collected here are recent images of some of this weaponry used by the Libyan rebels.