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We’re only 15 days into January, and Filament v3.2 has already launched! This release is packed with a bunch of really exciting updates, so let’s dive right in and take a look!

As always, if you prefer to read about the changes directly on Github, check out the v3.2 changelog here.

CSV/Excel Export Action

In Filament v3.1, we introduced the ability to import large amounts of data using a CSV. Since then, one of our most commonly requested features has been to add the exact opposite feature–exports! Now, in v3.2, a prebuilt ExportAction has been added to do just that.

Using a very similar API to the Import feature added in v3.1, developers can create Exporters that tell Filament how to export a given set of data.

Within the context of an Exporter, developers can define which columns should be included from the data, how they should be labeled, and even tweak the data itself that should be displayed in each table cell. Additionally, just like with Importers, Exporters can handle displaying data from related models via ExportColumn objects. At the most simple, they can be configured to display data from related models (the name of the User who wrote a Post object), but ExportColumns can even go so far as to aggregate relationships and output data based on the existence of a relationship.

This all just scratches the surface, so make sure to check out the official Export Action documentation on the Filament website for more details!

• https://filamentphp.com/docs/3.x/actions/prebuilt-actions/export

Clusters

Clusters are one of the most exciting additions to Filament in v3.2! Building on the sub-navigation feature added in v3.1, clusters are a hierarchical structure within Filament panels that allow developers to group resources and custom pages together. To give a less abstract definition, clusters help to quickly and easily group multiple pages across your Filament panel together, bundling them into a single entry in your main Filament sidebar.

Creating and using clusters is incredibly simple and can be set up in a few easy steps:

1. Use the discoverClusters() method in the Panel configuration file to tell Filament where to find your Cluster classes
2. Run php artisan make:filament-cluster YourClusterName to have Filament set up a new Cluster class
3. Add the protected static ?string $cluster = YourClusterName::class property to any resource or page class you want within a given cluster

Once you have completed these three steps, you’ll see your cluster appear on the main sidebar. And when clicked, Filament will open to a page with sub-navigation containing all resources and pages you gave the $cluster property.

This unlocks an incredible amount of flexibility and customizability when building panels in Filament. For more details on clusters and how best to use them, check out the documentation:

• https://filamentphp.com/docs/3.x/panels/clusters

Deferred Table Filters

One of the most important features of the Filament tables package is the ability to quickly and easily create filters for the table data. In the past, whenever one of these filters was interacted with on the front-end, it would immediately fire off a request for new, filtered data. A lot of times, this was perfectly fine and users wouldn’t notice much of a delay (if any). However, there are certain occasions where interacting with a filter would cause a noticeable delay in the interface due to heavy queries, immense datasets, etc.

Now, in v3.2, table filters can now be deferred! When a table’s filters are deferred, the user can click around and toggle as many filters as they desire, but the actual query only gets run when the user clicks “Apply”. Enabling deferred filters for a table is as simple as adding one line of code to the $table object: ->deferFilters().

For more information on deferring table filters, take a look at the documentation:

• https://filamentphp.com/docs/3.x/tables/filters/getting-started#deferring-filters

Unsaved Changes Alerts

We’ve all been there. We’ve all been 90% of the way through a long and complex form when we accidentally navigate away from the page, wiping out all of our hard work. Well, thanks to the v3.2 release, this will no longer be a problem for Filament panels!

By chaining the unsavedChangesAlerts() method onto a $panel configuration object, Filament will automatically send an alert to users who try to navigate away from any given page without saving their in-progress changes. As you’d expect, these alerts are enabled for “Create” and “Edit” pages, but they are also enabled for any open action modals as well!

For more details on these alerts, see the following section of the panel configuration documentation:

• https://filamentphp.com/docs/3.x/panels/configuration#unsaved-changes-alerts

ToggleButtons Component

Filament v3.2 includes a new form component called ToggleButtons. ToggleButtons act as an alternative to the Select, Radio, and CheckboxList components by presenting a new UI for the same sort of functionality. ToggleButtons appear as a grouping of Filament buttons that the user can select one or more of, similarly to how a user would select one or more results from any of the alternative components listed above. As with all of Filament’s UI components, ToggleButtons have plenty of options when it comes to customizing their look and feel, so there should be a solution for every occasion.

Give them a try and let us know what you think!

For more information on ToggleButtons, check out the new dedicated documentation page:

• https://filamentphp.com/docs/3.x/forms/fields/toggle-buttons

Grouped Table Column Headers

Sometimes, data that is contained within our models and database tables is connected in the business logic, but not in the actual data model itself. This is typically the case with loose groupings; for example, both a status and a is_featured column on a Post model may affect the overall “Visibility” of the Post. Previously, there was no good way in Filament to convey to the user that these two properties were related other than placing them next to each other in the table. However, that all changes with v3.2.

Now, with the same ease with which a developer would add a new column to a Filament table, they can also add column groups to bind columns together in the UI. For example, in our example earlier, status and is_featured are both grouped under the umbrella of “Visibility”. So, instead of just placing those two columns side-by-side and hoping that the association is picked up on by the user, we can wrap them in a ColumnGroup and let Filament display the association directly in the table.

The code for those columns would go from this:

TextColumn::make('status'),
IconColumn::make('is_featured'),

to this:

ColumnGroup::make('Visibility', [
TextColumn::make('status'),
IconColumn::make('is_featured'),
])

It’s that simple!

To learn more about grouping columns and the other ways you adjust the ColumnGroup object, take a look at the documentation linked below:

• https://filamentphp.com/docs/3.x/tables/columns/getting-started#grouping-columns

Revealable Password Fields

This is a seemingly small update that has been asked for time and time again, so we’re very happy to bring revealable password fields to Filament v3.2!

This does exactly what it says on the tin. Now, by chaining the revealable() method onto your password field declaration, Filament will add a toggle button to the end of the TextInput field that will show/hide the password characters. No more having to hope that the characters behind the masked dots in the input are the ones that you intended to type! Just click and reveal your "password123" password in all its plain-text glory!

KeyValueEntry Infolist Component

In v3.2, a new Infolist component has been added called the KeyValueEntry. KeyValueEntry components simply display a list of key-value pairs in a nicely formatted two-column table. This list of key-value pairs can be rendered from either a one-dimensional JSON object or a PHP array, which makes this entry exceptionally flexible to meet many use-cases.

The KeyValueEntry component also pairs very well with the existing KeyValueField in the Filament form builder!

For more information, check out the documentation:

• https://filamentphp.com/docs/3.x/infolists/entries/key-value

Split Form Layout Component

The Split form layout is another highly-requested feature that we’ve added into v3.2! Until now, form layouts were fairly strictly confined to using a grid with N number of columns. With the Split layout, however, forms can be built with flexibility in mind!

Split, unlike the Grid layout, will allow you to define your layouts with flexbox. This allows for form sections to grow and shrink as the content requires without needing to worry about the content clipping if the section is not wide enough.

One very common use-case for Split so far is to handle sidebars. Often, forms will have one main section that takes up the majority of the page’s horizontal space and will have another sidebar section for metadata, settings, etc. Using the Split layout, we can set the sidebar section to shrink to only take up as much width as the section contents require, allowing our main section to take up as much space as is available!

There are a lot of different uses for the Split component, so take a look at the documentation to see where you might be able to implement it in your app!

• https://filamentphp.com/docs/3.x/forms/layout/split

Enum Descriptions

This is a simple, but very handy quality-of-life change! Now, in v3.2, Filament offers a HasDescription interface that allows enums to have a textual description displayed in the UI, usually under the label. Similarly to the HasLabel interface, HasDescription will require developers to implement the getDescription() method on the given enum, returning the desired description string for each enum case.

For code examples and specific instructions, see our documentation here:

• https://filamentphp.com/docs/3.x/support/enums#enum-descriptions

Sidebar Centering UI Tweaks

Last, but certainly not least, now, when you have a scrolling sidebar in your Filament panel, the active item will always attempt to remain as close to the vertical center of the window as possible when navigating between pages! Hopefully, this will further enhance the user experience, since your users won’t have to hunt around for the currently-active page!

Thank You!

As always, we could not have done this without the incredible Filament community! All of you are so crucial to the work that we do, and we are so thankful for the contributions, discussions, and ideas that each of you gives day in and day out in our Discord and on Twitter.

We’re so excited to finally have released v3.2 for all of you to use. Let us know what you think, we’d love to hear it!

Until next release!

The post Introducing Filament v3.2 appeared first on Laravel News.

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Laravel News

namespace App\Exports;

use App\Models\Supplier;
use Maatwebsite\Excel\Concerns\Exportable;


class ItemExport implements FromCollection, WithHeadings, WithEvents
{
    use Exportable;

    protected $selects;
    protected $rowCount;
    protected $columnCount;

    public function __construct()
    {
        
        $suppliers = Supplier::orderBy('name')->pluck('name')->toArray();

        
        $selects = [
            ['columns_name' => 'A', 'options' => $suppliers], 
        ];

        $this->selects = $selects;
        $this->rowCount = count($suppliers) + 1;
        $this->columnCount = 11; 
    }
}

public function registerEvents(): array
{
    return [
        AfterSheet::class => function (AfterSheet $event) {
            $row_count = $this->rowCount;
            $column_count = $this->columnCount;

            $hiddenSheet = $event->sheet->getDelegate()->getParent()->createSheet();
            $hiddenSheet->setTitle('Hidden');
            $hiddenSheet->setSheetState(\PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Worksheet\Worksheet::SHEETSTATE_HIDDEN);

            foreach ($this->selects as $select) {
                $drop_column = $select['columns_name'];
                $options = $select['options'];

                
                foreach ($options as $index => $option) {
                    $cellCoordinate = \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Cell\Coordinate::stringFromColumnIndex(1) . ($index + 1);
                    $hiddenSheet->setCellValue($cellCoordinate, $option);
                }

                
                $validation = $event->sheet->getCell("{$drop_column}2")->getDataValidation();
                $validation->setType(\PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Cell\DataValidation::TYPE_LIST);
                $validation->setShowDropDown(true);
                $validation->setFormula1('Hidden!$A$1:$A$' . count($options));

                
                for ($i = 3; $i <= $row_count; $i++) {
                    $event->sheet->getCell("{$drop_column}{$i}")->setDataValidation(clone $validation);
                }

                
                for ($i = 1; $i <= $column_count; $i++) {
                    $column = \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Cell\Coordinate::stringFromColumnIndex($i);
                    $event->sheet->getColumnDimension($column)->setAutoSize(true);
                }
            }
        },
    ];
}

use App\Exports\ItemExport;
use Maatwebsite\Excel\Facades\Excel;


public function export()
{
    return Excel::download(new ItemExport(), 'exported_data.xlsx');
}

Laravel News Links

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Read the full article at https://realpython.com/python-for-data-analysis/ »

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Planet Python

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Okay, why can’t I live in Asia? It seems like they always get the best pizza over there. Check this one out.

Not the Bee

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Just as it is with power tools, each type of firearm has its own purpose. With the modularity of platforms like the AR-15, one type of gun can be configured in many different ways, covering different kinds of tasks. In my personal collection, I have a shorty AR for close range, a standard 16” do-it-all […]

Read More …

The post Step by Step: Building A Precision AR-15 Upper Receiver appeared first on The Firearm Blog.

The Firearm Blog

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 | Buy

This tasty knife from Boker looks like a hot dog. Its wiener-shaped red blade has a squiggle of mustard, while its aluminum handle cradles the dog like a golden-brown bun. It features Kalashnikov’s push-button automatic mechanism, a button lock, and a ketchup-colored pocket clip – a BladeHQ exclusive and part of the unique Warrior Buffet collection.

The Awesomer

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Gizmodo

https://www.alloutdoor.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/HK-G3.jpg

The Small Arms Survey estimates that, as of 2018, there are over one billion guns in circulation. A significant majority – around 85% – rest in the hands of the civilians, leaving about 133 million to military stores and 23 million for law enforcement agencies. That ten-digit figure grew by around 200 million in just a single decade, and the number in 2024 is likely to be even higher. After all, more than 7 million Americans became gun owners during the Pandemic alone. But which of those billion guns is the most popular or prolific guns in circulation? Many of the firearms contributing to that striking figure are archaic: World War and conflict relics, many of which were manufactured decades ago. Here are the top ten most prolific guns ever made, by the numbers. You have any preemptive guesses to what are the most prolific guns in history?…

Gun Coverage on AllOutdoor

• NEW Mossberg 500 & 835 Optic-Ready Turkey Shotguns w/ Holosun Sight
• Top 5 Guns I Wouldn’t Mind Finding Under My Christmas Tree
• Butler Creek Element Gun Covers for Rifles & Shotguns Now Available
• A New Bullpup Blaster from Escort Shotguns – The BullTac Pump Action

#10 – Prolific Guns – Heckler & Koch G3

• Number Produced: ~7.8 million
• First Manufactured: 1959
• Country: Germany
• Caliber: 7.62×51 NATO

Sharing a contended title with the FN FAL as the “most successful battle rifle ever made,” the Heckler & Koch-produced G3 has seen service with over 70 countries’ militaries, with at least 15 of those nations manufacturing the rifle under license. The G3 remained the official rifle of the German armed forces until it was replaced by the G36 in the 90s. Some may claim the G3 is not deserving of this spot: They say other guns, like Russia’s Makarov, Japan’s Arisakas, Israel’s Uzis, and America’s M1 Garand were produced in greater numbers. But the production estimates of those and other guns that might fit here are poorly recorded, with figures attributed to secondhand accounts or otherwise lacking manufacturers’ citations. The Germans, however, are quite good at keeping numbers. Per a report from the Armament Research Services (ARES) in 2015, Heckler & Koch affirmed production of the G3 exceeds 7.8 million units; this is often rounded up to 8 million. The G3 is still produced, too, ensuring that – if it hadn’t already – it will exceed production numbers of those contested guns.

#9 – Prolific Guns – Marlin Model 60

• Number Produced: ~11 million
• First Manufactured: 1960
• Country: U.S.
• Caliber: .22 LR

If you’re an American who grew up in the 20th century, chances are high your first experience with a firearm involved shooting at cans with some .22 LR fired from a Marlin Model 60. Based on the defunct Marin Model 99, designed by Marlin engineer Ewald Nichol in 1959, the Model 60 became the most successful rimfire rifle ever sold to the American public, with approximately 11 million units sold – a figured collated by Walt Kuleck and Scott A. duff, author and publisher of of The Ruger 10/22 Complete Owner’s and Assembly Guide, respectively.

Its bull barrel contained a then-new “Micro Groove” technology introduced by Marlin a few years earlier. This rifling used 16 shallower lands and grooves – as opposed to the typical 5 deep grooves in competing barrels – to provide stabilization of the round while imparting less deformation upon it, resulting in greater accuracy. Coupled with factory taps for bolt-on scopes, the Marlin 60 became a top choice for varmint hunters. Although its manufacture ceased in 2020, the Model 60’s production numbers still eclipse that of its modern replacement, the Ruger 10/22.

#8 – Prolific Guns – Remington 870

• Number Produced: 11+ million
• First Manufactured: 1951
• Country: U.S.
• Caliber: Varies

The Model 870, produced by Remington and favored as the pump shotgun of choice by militaries and police departments globally, was made to replace the expensive and handcrafted Remington Model 31, designed by John Moses Browning in 1931. The Model 31 was produced to compete with the Winchester Model 1912 which was, at the time, the most popular shotgun sold on the civilian market. The M12 designation also served as a trench gun for the U.S Army, Navy, and Marine Corps in World Wars I and II.

After its debut in 1951, the Model 870 quickly became a commercial success and sold more than two million units by 1973, eclipsing all sales of the Model 31. A decade later, the Model 870 became the most sold shotgun in history, reaching 3 million units. The 870’s popularity again surged in 1996 with the introduction of its Express variant, an economy model that brought total sales up to 7 million units. Just over a decade later – on April 13, 2009 – Remington celebrated production of the ten millionth 870. With at least twelve factory variants available – and dozens more retailer-built configurations dotting store and digital shelves – for applications ranging from competition and self-defense to hunting, law enforcement, maritime and military use, the Remington 870 remains an affordable, utterly reliable everyman’s gun that can satisfy just about every shooting niche.

#7 – Prolific Guns – Mossberg 500

• Number Produced: 12+ million
• First Manufactured: 1961
• Country: U.S.
• Caliber: Varies

Trailing its direct competitor by a decade, the Mossberg 500 is to the Remington 870 what Coke is to Pepsi, or Ford to Chevy: A nearly identical peer in form and function, commanding as much popularity and proliferation as its counterpart – a statement certain to sound reductive and which will certainly rustle the feathers of staunch fans of either camp. But it’s true. The Mossberg 500 is, like the Model 870, one of the most popular shotguns ever produced, with O.F. Mossberg & Son declaring over 12 million variants have rolled off its factory floors. Though lighter and cheaper than its competitor – the 500 uses an aluminum receiver and some more plastic bits than the 870 – it is practically indecipherable from Remington’s gun at a glance, and police and military rely on the Mossberg as much as the Remington.

But unlike its peer, the Mossberg was made initially for military use only. It wasn’t until 1987 – 26 years after its initial manufacture – that Mossberg sold the 500 to the public and instead designed a newer variant, the M590, as the gun for uniformed use (though the 500 continued military service, too, as the M500). The 590A1 became the standard-issue shotgun for the United States Military and saw its first combat use in the 1991 Gulf War.

#6 – Prolific Guns – SKS

• Number Produced: ~15 million
• First Manufactured: 1945
• Country: USSR
• Caliber: 7.62x39mm

With an estimation of 15 million units produced – per data collated by Janes author and firearm historian Ian Hogg – The Samozaryadny Karabin sistemy Simonova, or SKS, became the most widely produced semiautomatic battle rifle, perhaps ever. Designed between 1941 and 1944 and first manufactured in 1945, the SKS was the Soviets’ answer to the Germans’ G43 and the Americans’ M1 rifles. Mechanically, the SKS was immediately inferior to those rifles and to its own Soviet counterpart, the SVT-40. While other semiautomatic battle rifles had detachable magazines, the SKS relied on an integral box magazine fed by stripped clips, limiting its reload speed and capping capacity at just 10 rounds. Some variants of the SKS also lacked a detention spring on the firing pin. The pin was instead allow to float inside the bolt – meaning that a forceful drop could slam the pin into the primer on a loaded round, allowing for potential slam fires.

The SKS was also rendered obsolete by its own nation with the production of the AK-47 just a decade later. But in spite of its limitations (and its short life in the limelight before being overshadowed by the AK-47) its simple, cheap design made it a favorable weapon for licensed production in China and dozens of other countries in the mid-20th century. Between 1988 and 1993, millions of Chinese and Russian SKS rifles were imported to the U.S. At publication, they’re still readily available on the secondhand market for between $600 and $2500, depending on condition and rarity.

#5 – Prolific Guns – Lee-Enfield

• Number Produced: ~17 million
• First Manufactured: 1895
• Country: Britain
• Caliber: .303 British

One of the first repeating rifles to use smokeless powder, the Lee-Enfield was Britain’s response to the Germans’ then-new Gewehr 88, a bolt-action rifle that also relied on smokeless powder and smaller 8mm rounds to obtain higher velocity and accuracy. A direct descendant of the Lee-Metford rifle, the Lee-Enfield’s new cartridge and detachable, 10-round box magazine provided British troops with significant advantages over opposing forces, many of which still relied on rifles fed by integrated magazines with lower capacities. The Lee-Enfield’s high capacity and reliability made it capable of providing some of the fastest rates of fire possible with a bolt action. Though citations are questionable, anecdotes from World War One include reports from German soldiers who claim they thought they’d encountered machine gunfire, when they had merely been fired upon by groups of British marksmen using Lee-Enfield rifles. The Lee-Enfield remained in service with the British military until the 1990s, when the sniper variant (the L42A1) was retired. But the rifle remains in service with some militaries and law enforcement organizations today – including the Bangladesh Police – making it one of the longest-serving rifles in existence.

#4 – Prolific Guns – AR-15/M4/M16 (and GLOCK)

• Number Produced: ~20 million
• First Manufactured: 1959 (AR-15), 1982 (GLOCK)
• Country: U.S. (AR-15), Austria (GLOCK)
• Caliber: Varies (both)

The AR-15

Two of the most popular modern firearms ever made share the next spot on this list. With over 20 million units sold, the AR-15 and GLOCK – and their endless variants – tie for the 4th most widely produced gun(s) in history. Originally developed by Eugene Stoner for ArmaLite in 1956, the AR-15 would first serve as an automatic rifle issued to U.S service members in the Vietnam War. ArmaLite sold the design to Colt in 1959; shortly after, the rifle would receive the M16 designation and be fielded by troops in 1963. Colt later introduced the semiautomatic variant of the M16 for civilian purchase, retaining the AR-15 namesake.

when Colt’s patent on the design expired in the 1970s, other manufacturers began producing AR-15 rifles. The rifle enjoyed widespread adoption and favorable review for its lightweight profile, simplicity, and good accuracy with little recoil thanks to its small, fast 5.56 NATO and .223 Remington loads. But the AR-15 would only become a rifle with a nearly occult following after it was thrust into the political theater. When the Assault Weapon Ban of 1994 expired in 2004, sales of the AR-15 exploded – as did the political commentary surrounding its legality and civilian ownership.

The GLOCK

Designed by Gaston Glock in Austria, the GLOCK handgun is, today, the most popular handgun manufactured and solid. The GLOCK was designed for the Austrian forces, earning its first contracts for military and police service in 1982 after becoming the favorite in field testing. The GLOCK beat competing designs from five manufacturers: H&K’s P7M and P9S; Sig’s P220 and P226; Beretta’s 92SB-F; an FN prototype based on the Browning Hi-Power; and the Steyr GB. Notably, Gaston Glock had no experience as a weapon designer. He was only an expert on synthetic polymers, but endeavored to use the material to produce a lightweight alternative to the steel and aluminum frames all handguns then relied upon. Glock assembled a team of firearm experts to compile the most desirable characteristics of a combat pistol to develop his first handgun. Friedrich Dechant, former Head of the Austrian Armaments and Defence Technology Agency, remarked on observing the GLOCK’s clear superiority over competing pistols. Today, GLOCK produces over 50 pistols of varying sizes and calibers, and it remains in service with thousands of police and military organizations globally.

#3 – Prolific Guns – Mosin-Nagant Rifle

• Number Produced: ~37 million
• First Manufactured: 1891
• Country: Russia
• Caliber: 7.62x54R

Holding the title as the longest-serving military rifle in existence, the Mosin-Nagant is one of the most recognizable bolt actions ever made. For collectors, the Mosin is usually the first “old war” gun to purchase. Just a decade ago, one could attend any public gun show and find the ever-present crates of Mosin rifles filled with M91/30s and M44s for less than $100 a piece. The Mosin-Nagant was designed to replace the Soviet empire’s aging stock of single-shot rifles, which contributed to heavy losses at the hands of the Ottoman Empire, whose troops were equipped with Winchester repeating rifles. In response, the Russian Ministry of Defense procured and tested the Lebel Model 1886, a French bolt action rifle, to spur development of what was officially called the 3-line rifle, M1891; the “3-line” refers to the Soviet rifle’s .30 caliber round. The Mosin also introduced the 7.62x54R cartridge, a round that became one of the most prolific machine gun cartridges ever fielded.

Although early Mosin rifles were finicky and suffered poor quality control, the M1891/30 – the “91/30” commonly available for sale on civilian marketplaces today – modernized the original design to improve feeding and disassembly. Since its widespread use by the Soviets in World Wars I and II, the Mosin-Nagant and its variants have traveled the globe, been used in more conflicts than any other bolt-action rifle – including present conflicts in the Middle East – and seen adoption by more than 40 countries.

#2 – Prolific Guns – Mauser 98

• Number Produced: ~100 million
• First Manufactured: 1898
• Country: Germany
• Caliber: M/88, 7.92x57mm

In spite of its relatively short lifespan – the rifle and its variants were only produced in large numbers between 1895 and 1945 – the Mauser Gewehr 98 (including rifles like the Karabiner 98k) remains the second most produced firearm in existence, with estimates placing total production north of 100 million guns. After initial delivery in 1898, the Mauser 98 saw immediate action during the Boxer Rebellion in the hands of German troops at Peking. By World War I, Germany had already produced nearly 2.3 million rifles; it would make an additional 7 million before the war ended. Originally chambered in M/88 – a long defunct, early smokeless cartridge – the Mauser 98 adopted the now infamous 7.92x57mm in 1903, commonly called 8mm Mauser.

The Mauser 98 also introduced the controlled feed method of cycling: the base of the shell casing is gripped by the bolt’s extractor claw before it’s stripped from the magazine and chambered; prior bolt action rifles relied on a simpler and less reliable “push feed” system, which relied on simple inertia and blunt contact to drive rounds into the chamber via the bolt face. The controlled feed system is relied upon to this day by all modern firearms that use conventional bolts and bolt carriers, and is regarded by many as one of the most important developments in modern rifle design. Although manufacture of the original 98 rifle ceased with Germany’s demise at the end of World War II, the rifle’s popularity spurred Mauser Jagdwaffen GmbH to resume production of 98 actions and rifles for civilian use in 1999. Modern iterations of the Mauser M98 are considered top-shelf safari guns, with big game models chambered in .30-06, .375, and .416 demanding $13,000 USD or more at retail.

#1 – Prolific Guns – AK-47

• Number Produced: ~150 million
• First Manufactured: 1948
• Country: USSR
• Caliber: 7.62x39mm

The Avtomat Kalashnikova needs no introduction. You’re probably not even surprised it’s number one. It is, after all, the single-most recognizable firearm ever made and, arguably, a creation that has defined humanity and influenced modern life as much as the automobile, airplane, and the internet. Conservative estimates place historical production figures of the AK-47 at a “measly” 75 million. But with licensed manufacturing and cloning of the most famous rifle spanning dozens of countries for decades, the figure is likely closer to 150 million.

If current production of modern variants like the Yugoslavian M70, American PSAK-47, Romanian WASR-10, and the Kalashnikov-licensed KR-103 (alongside other endless makes) are considered as part of the tally, the number of AK-47s roaming the planet is likely to climb in perpetuity. Even if the AK-47 were to disappear from all civilian markets, it would remain the most prolific firearm ever, as it continues to be the standard infantry rifle for 106 nations’ militaries. Speaking of AKs – Palmetto’s PSAK-47s ditch the archaic 7.62×39 in favor of decidedly superior cartridges, like 6.5 Grendel and 300 Blackout. Check ’em out here.

The post The Most Prolific Guns Ever Made, By The Numbers appeared first on AllOutdoor.com.

AllOutdoor.com

http://blademag.com/wp-content/uploads/Tire-Hammer-Clutch.jpg

A clutch player in the knifemaker’s shop, the tire hammer gives more control than other D.I.Y. power hammers.

Like a variable-speed hand drill, your backyard power hammer should be able to run slowly, at full speed or in between, depending on the task. The simplest way to guarantee it does this is to use a slipping clutch.

There are two main designs of slipping clutch. One uses a slack belt, a flywheel and pulleys. The drive pulley rotates within a slack belt. The foot pedal linkage pushes an idler wheel into the slack belt, increasing the belt tension to the point that the belt begins to turn the pulley on the flywheel.

Another design uses a tire clutch, where the foot pedal linkage pushes a drive wheel into an automobile tire, with the hub of the tire serving as the flywheel. The most common “tire hammer” design uses a similar clutch but turned the other way and connected to a linkage. Your available parts will dictate your design. 

Why A Clutch

A function of the clutch is to reduce the RPM of the motor speed to get the hammer rate of beats per minute (BPM) into a safe and useful range. You want the hammer rate to generally end up between 150 and 250 BPM, though many variables change with each hammer. In general, a heavier tup (aka hammer head assembly) requires a slower BPM, whereas a lighter hammer can have a higher BPM. You do not want your hammer running faster than you can control it, nor so fast that the inherent forces tear it apart. My hammer uses a 24-inch tire and a 3-inch drive wheel for an 8:1 reduction of a 1750 RPM motor, yielding a calculated 218 BPM at full speed. Your hammer will run differently depending on your motor RPM, your drive and driven wheel diameters, and the hammer’s overall design. I rarely run my hammer full speed during general forging work, and the tire clutch gives good speed control. Full speed works acceptably well for drawing out damascus billets or breaking down large stock.

My tire clutch has an integral flywheel bolted to the hub. On the flywheel I welded several different nuts for attaching the pitman arm (for more on the pitman arm, see part three last issue). Each nut is a different distance from the center of the hub. This allows me to vary the length of the stroke, in my case between 6.5, 7 and 7.5 inches, based on where I connect the arm to the flywheel. Coupled with an adjustable-length pitman arm, this setup allows a degree of tuning to get the hammer hitting in a way that transfers the power directly to the workpiece with efficiency, yet in a way that doesn’t place undue stress on the hammer itself.

Choosing A Motor For Your Tire Hammer

As for motors, the size may vary a bit depending on the overall tup weight of your hammer. For most homebuilt hammer sizes, a 1 or 1.5 HP motor is plenty. My 40-pound hammer uses a 1.5 HP motor running on 110v and does not trip a standard 15-amp breaker, suggesting that 1.5 HP is more than plenty for a 40-pound head. Whether the motor runs on 110v or 220v will depend on your shop setup and what you have available, but you’d be best served either way with a motor that runs in the 1700 RPM range, not one that runs in the 3400 RPM range. There’s no need to go three phase or variable speed unless you’re already set up for either.

You will need an on/off switch for your motor. To run the hammer, turn the motor on, then use the foot pedal linkage to engage the clutch.

Sourcing Dies

Most power hammers have a set of dies in between the anvil and the hammer shaft. Dies may be built in a variety of shapes and sizes, depending on how you want your hammer to move the metal. Two basic die designs are flat and crowned. Flat dies move the metal somewhat equally in all four directions, while crowned dies will draw out the length of your workpiece perpendicular to the crown on the dies. Some smiths design their hammers to accommodate various top or bottom tools, or spring swages as well.

On my personal hammer, the dies are built out of 1.5-inch square 4140 steel bar stock, heat treated and ground essentially flat, with slightly radiused corners. Some hammers are set up with dies that are interchangeable but mine is not. Full disclosure: My die attachment is one point of weakness in my design. I ultimately welded my bottom die plate straight to the anvil, and I’ve had to reinforce the top die connection and re-weld it several times. Perhaps a more skilled welder could have done better!

Creative Necessity

I can’t emphasize enough the creativity necessary to build a functioning power hammer from scrap. It’s one thing to watch a YouTube video and think, “It must be nice to have a power hammer.” It’s another thing entirely to watch the same video and try to discern how the rocker arm connects to the center post, or how the tire clutch axle is set up.

At the time of my hammer build, there was an online gallery hosted in Czechoslovakia that had hundreds of pictures of various homebuilt and factory built hammers. I couldn’t have built mine without those examples. I don’t speak Czech but the pictures tell the story well.

Read More On Power Hammers:

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