RE..Walter Birdsong Inventor of the Black-T Fininsh

[CliffCargill]

I'm sorry to say, he did indeed pass away this morning. His shop is 30 minutes from my house. I went by there Wed., and he was in ICU at that time. I spoke with his son today, and it is true.

I understood y'all were trying to confirm it. Please move this to the right thread as I had no idea where to put it.

Questions?

cliff@nrams.com

 

[UNIQDEFTECH]

Walter Birdsong....Former NSA...Father....Husband widowed...He and Norm Mabry approached Ronnie Barrett the photographer...and put Ronnie in business to construct the Bin Ladin Rifles when Bin Laden was a good little boy....Birdsong...shot straight from the hip all the time....knew inside politics that others didnt know...had many contacts with the Fed....was a concrete inspector for the Atlas Missile silos...spent time at Cheyenne Mntn...Been to the Museum that the FBI only invites special people to...he had seen many things this country secretl offers....He has done many projects for me and others....and....his son has a backbone of steel and will continue to keep the Birdsong flag high in the air...the serial number on Birdsong's Barrett Rifle?....666

 

[UNIQDEFTECH]

Walter Birdsong and his Black-T®Finish is on this rifle...When it comes to rifle finishes, the standard by which all the others are measured is the legendary Black-T. Black-T is specifically singled out as the required finish on the weapons from numerous government agencies around the world, including the FBI's HRT rifles and 1911's. One of the interesting things about the Birdsong company is that they do no advertising and really do not push their product, making public available information fairly scarce.

The finish itself is something to be marveled. One of the most critical aspects of a firearm finish is the thickness of the coating when applied. Most Teflon and other new age finishes are 1-3 mils thick (.001" - .003"), Black-T is .2-.3 Mils thick (.0002" - .0003"). Remarkably thin, and extremely slick with a drag coefficient of only .08. The finish is very durable and is "chemically bonded" to the metal and can be applied to almost any type of metal, ferrous or nonferrous, including the likes of Titanium. The finish is even applied to springs with no problems. Another feature of the finish is that it needs no lubrication, and is even recommended NOT to use oil or other lubricants on internal parts. So how tough is the finish? Based on my own personal experiences, it is extremely tough. The color will wear in high wear areas, like slide rails and bolts. But it takes a while before it does! Birdsong says he has NEVER had to warranty a finish on any product. That is not bad considering how firearms are sometimes abused, and the finish has been in use for over 25 years. One of the reasons for its durability is because there is NO color pigment in the finish at all, providing extreme wear protection, and the finish never stops hardening. during its lifetime. The corrosion protection is just as good. An independent testing committee quit the salt test spray after 7464 hours because there was no sign at all of corrosion and they felt they were wasting their time and wouldn't see any for a long time. The finish also has 50,000 hours of US Navy use with no corrosion. I have two firearms from Tactical Operations with Green-T finishes and they have held up extremely well with just light wear marks on the bolts, and these rifles are field rifles that are not babied at the range. They see much field work and the finish has held up great.
Unrelated...The Green-T finish came many years after the Black-T and was developed at the request of US Navy Intelligence. It took 3 years of development before the finish was finalized to match the provided green color from the US Navy. Again, there is no color pigment in the finish at all. An interesting fact was that the Green-T used to be IR Reflective until the FBI approached Birdsong and asked them to please remove that capability, in which they did do.

 

[CliffCargill]

I'd like to put this info on the MS Gun Owners Forum.

Thanks,
Cliff

 

[UNIQDEFTECH]

Birdsong has this fairly large pond on the back forty of his property....one day his son was down near the pond when he detected a poacher trespassing on the property....his son came back uphill and warned "The Bird" that there was a dumb **** down there.....so "The Bird"comes out and shouts down the hill towards the pond,"Ya better get jour ass outta here!"....the response from the poacher was a couple rounds of 12 GA in the air in defiance of The Bird's commands....Well The Bird's solution to trespass and poaching are the same in one....The Birds final braccado was anounced with The Barrett Serial #666 Battle ****n Rifle....He commenced fire downrange shredding trees large and small into little pieces...sending toothpicks free of charge to the would be poacher as a thank you for his visit to The Birdsong Ponderosa....After the shreak's of near death and dismemberment bellowed from the perpetrator as he exflitrated in high gear,there was one final holler as the jackass snagged himself on the fenceline,leaving trace evidence....of his hasteful exodus...needless to say....dont **** with Birdsong.

 

[UNIQDEFTECH]

When Bird was younger proofing/inspecting silos for the Atlas Program...he and another co-worker would travel in their free time to find anything of entertainment...In one instance...They were told of a large sinkhole...so Bird and his cohort drove and found the entrance to the private property and proceed to find the sinkhole....The sinkhole was over 100 yards wide and 300 ft deep....and as the men traversed further into the hole....discovered where the remains of skeletal buffalo remains imbedded into the wall and on the ground scattered about them....it had such an effect on Bird,he never forgot it....What Bird and Cohort 2 discovered was the kill ground for commercial buffalos back in the later 1800's....

http://www.aggregat456.com/2009/04/98th-parallel.html scroll down

Google refrains from showing the images...but if you travel to the Dakotas...you can find photos there of mass killings of Buffalo.

 

[ROGUE JESTER]

ttt

 

[UNIQDEFTECH]

Walter Birdsong Inventor of Black-T

Input?

 

[CliffCargill]

Input?

Great stories! I knew about the guy on his property, but hadn't heard abut the other one.

If anyone went to visit Bird, they'd be there for a little bit, because if he liked you, he was gonna do some talking. I sat across from his desk a many a morning listening to his stories (all of which were true) him awnsering the phone. Some very high-end people would call him up just to say hello.

 

[Tier1Mike]

Do you know if his son, or someone else, will continue with the business?

 

[UNIQDEFTECH]

His son has a spine of steel who already has been the kingpin in the operation...

 

[CliffCargill]

Yes,

His son Walley will continue. He's like his Dad, an expert when it comes to that finish. He's worked there since the old shop days back in the 80's.

 

[UNIQDEFTECH]

In remembrence of...

 

[UNIQDEFTECH]

Creamation was today...shop back in action Monday...R.I.P.

 

[Gus McCrae]

Bummer, I spoke with him on the phone once. Really nice guy.

 

[CliffCargill]

Walter Birdsong Sr.
Mr. Walter Ernest Birdsong, Sr., 68, died at MS Baptist Medical Center, Friday, July 17, 2009.
Family and friends will gather at Chancellor Funeral Home in Florence Thursday, July 23, 2009, from 6-7 pm prior to his memorial service at 7 pm in the funeral home chapel.
He was preceded in death by his loving wife, Marcia.
Mr. Birdsong, a devoted family man and a world renowned businessman, loved his family and career. He formed W.E. Birdsong Associates which he owned and operated and created a patented metal coating for weapons. This fulfilled his love and affection for military and armaments. He also loved flying and airplanes.
He is survived and remembered by his sons, Richard Hampton Birdsong of Silver Springs, MD, Walter E. Birdsong, Jr., of Florence, Tyler Birdsong of Byram; brother, George Birdsong of Brookhaven; sister, Dorothy Dunbar of Texas; and four granddaughters.
On-line guestbook may be signed at www.chancellorfuneralhome.com.