Saturday, October 30, 2010

Weekend gun blogging

Didn't have time to blog on Friday, so today I give you some gun stuff for all ages.

I spend a lot of time browsing Militaryphotos.net, and I just saw this thread about the Special Forces variant of the ARX160 from Beretta; the same rifle I got to handle at the Modern Day Marine convention this year, but with water transfer camo. Sweeeeeeeet.

There is also a desert tan version for those who think operators with black rifles are squares.

There is also this thread, which is one of the best threads I've seen from this site. I'll give you the blow-by-blow:
- A DEA agent has been spotted in Afghanistan toting a LWRC REPR with 20" barrel and Leupold MK4 LR scope. To tell the truth, it kinda sucks to see the drug warriors with better individual equipment than US Soldiers, but whatever.

- Next, in the first line of photos, ships from a US carrier group get to light up another ship that has been set up for a little target practice. It seems that every Sailor assigned to a weapon got to send rounds into the sacrificial ship, and you get to see the awesome firepower that our warships have at their disposal. Our Navy has a large footprint on this planet, but you don't often get to see the kind of whoopass our Sailors are capable of dishing out. The flipside of that is that our Sailors risk their asses every day on the water, that they may at any moment be asked to go up against another warship capable of doing damage like that. Yikes!

- This thread has flying dogs and ghost ninjas. Just in time for Halloween.

- From the ghost ninja lineup, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev playing with sniper rifles and Trijicon Accupoint equipped AKs is way cooler than anything President Obama did all of last month combined.

- US and Korean Sailors hang out and practice a little archery.

Lastly, we have a Bruce Willis a-lah Tears of the Sun garb, and Ollie North. Cool, huh!?! There's lots of other gun stuff in there, and tons of US Navy kicking some ass. I'm a big fan.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

The British Army goes super sized

Members of 30 Commando Command Support Group (CSG) from Royal Marines 3 Commando Brigade fire the 50mm calibre weapon on the The Defence Training Estate (DTE) ranges at Lulworth, in Dorset.
Dang! Those crew served weapons get bigger all the time! 50mm calibers of Taliban shredding terror!!!

Hey, that gun looks a lot like the machine guns seen often in the hands of the Mexican drug cartels. So you're telling me that they're getting their firepower from Britain? It's those blasted weak gun laws again!

Local savages pounding the war drums again

"Bledsoe said the incident occurred about 10:30 p.m. at a home in the 900 block of Myrick Street. The suspect was arguing with his girlfriend's 22-year-old daughter when Haskins pulled a knife and the girlfriend intervened. During the scuffle, she suffered a severe cut on her hand."

****


"It was the second time in three days that city police had been to that home. On Saturday night, a man pulled up in front of the home and fired a shot into the air. That man was later arrested at his home in Spotsylvania,
where they found a large cache of banjos, Evan Williams bottles, and David Allen Coe CDs."
Alright, I made that last part up. But seriously, where did all the weirdos come from? I guess these things can be expected from the folks living in a rural Virginia county called Spotsylvania.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Some rifles move faster than others

Some scumbag is wandering around Virginia firing rounds at the Marine Corps Museum, the Pentagon, and now a Marine Corps recruiting center. In a bout of irony, the Marine Corps Museum and the Pentagon are Gun Free Zones.

The question remains though of how this miscreant makes his or her way around Northern Virginia while shooting up buildings with impunity. The answer is here:
The civilian Pentagon Force Protection Agency's director, Steven Calvery, said last week that the Pentagon shooting appeared to be "a random event" involving a high-velocity rifle.
The scumbag in question is not a scumbag at all, but a rifle that moves about very quickly on its own will. Some rifles have been known to move quicker than others, as you may know. A good rule of thumb is that if you read about one of these precocious rifles in the news for committing a naughty act, than it's sure to be one of the high-velocity types; the low-velocity rifles have better control over their actions, and do not lash out at Marines.

All of mine are low-velocity rifles, as I have had them spayed so that they stay exactly where I put them, and do not move about freely under their own power. If you have not properly spayed your assault thingy, you may want to think about contacting your nearest gunsmith without delay. Think of the lawsuit that you would have on your hands if one of your precious rifles got out of the safe one night and started moving at high-velocity, shooting at buildings and such.

Safety first, I always say!

Fighting the mighty allergy

Sorry about the lack of posting. I've been going toe-to-toe with what seems to be a cross between the cold and the flue, although it's apparent that it's neither; I have some sort of seasonal allergy that is kicking my butt. Problem is, since I'm not contagious, I'm still going into work. By the time I get home I'm completely spent and ready to go to bed early.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Make your own .40 caliber hollow points. . . .

. . . .from 9mm casings!

That looks sweet!!

Makes me think of that common Hollywood error showing a fired "bullet" being the whole cartridge like on the cover of The Naked Gun. Now it's fer' real!

Under the weather

Sick as a dog last night, to the point where I felt like I had one foot in the grave. Fortunately, my immune system is frickin' amazing, so I'm running at about 85% this morning. When I get closer to 95% I'll be blogging something worthy of reading.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

You're not fooling anyone

"In an effort to ease traffic and keep drivers safe, Gov. Bob McDonnell will be increasing the speed limit across Virginia highways by the end of the year."
Uh-huh. Sure. It's all about safety, just like speed limits in general are all about safety.

It's well known to anyone who had driven on an interstate highway in Virginia that the flow of traffic towards the left hand lane is moving at 79 mph, if it's not completely gridlocked from all the out of state yahoos that have moved here from bumfuck New Jersey to escape that insanity.

The reason that traffic moves at 79 mph is because -- at least it used to be -- that anything over 80 mph landed you a big fat reckless driving ticket with big fat fines. Virginians know that 79 mph makes you safe from all the state, county, local Revenue generators - identified by their Crown Vics with light bar on the roof, or blacked out Charger sitting conspicuously in the crossovers in between the highway - because Johny Law isn't going to waste his time and risk getting run over on the side of the road over a $65 ticket.

Let me spell this out for those who think speed limits keep you safe: speed limits have nothing at all to do with public safety, and everything to do with courts operating in commerce with the gentle population.

Lots of research on my part went into this in my youth as I was constantly solicited by these Revenue generators for my hard earned FRNs over my callous disregard for the recommended speed limit. Take away the speed limit signs on Rt. 62whogivesashit and sit back and watch absolutely nothing happen. Why is this? Let's look at this scenario: You are on your way to work, but first have to drop off your two beautiful children sitting in the plastic car seats behind you at the day care center, and you're running a little bit late. It appears that there is no posted speed limit on this road. Man that's awesome! Should you take advantage of this obvious flaw of someone not telling you exactly how fast you can operate this powerful and heavy piece of machinery, and just punch it and go as fast as you can?

The answer is: of course not, because you are a sane individual who has driven a car for years and know by feel just how fast you should be going. Do you really need a sign to tell you this? I once read a book explaining that roadways are audited every five or so years for the safe speed by taking the total average speed of cars over a period of time, and then lowering it a tad. Thinking about that, what help would it be to the courts if everyone moseyed along at a safe speed which also just happened to be the lawful speed allowed? There wouldn't be commerce!

The book (I don't recall the title) made a compelling case about how absent posted speed limits, the vast majority of drivers would not swerve out of control all over the road in total, blissful, speedy abandon, but would instead drive along in what they perceive as a safe speed. The one's who have total disregard for their gift of life will of course drive like maniacs, but big ass signs will not remedy this. This is of course not much different than laws against shooting people in general anger; my point being that the vast majority of Americans don't need some screed scribbled down in a book in some court house to tell them not to kill people for the hell of it. They just don't do it as it's not right.

So call me unflattered over the speed limit getting raised by a whopping five miles per hour. If Governor McDonnell really wanted to make a difference in the lives of Virginians, and not just a half-assed perception of one, he would bar Virginia State Troopers from stacking up two fucking cruisers per mile on I-95 for the sole purpose of siphoning the sweat equity of my people.

The zombies are coming! The zombies are coming!

Just a heads-up, there will be hordes of Zs' in Silver Spring this Saturday.

That begs the question: what to do for zombies in a Gun Free Zone? I'm pretty sure CCW isn't outright outlawed in MD, just really difficult. And what about ARs and AKs? Seems to me like Mossberg may save the day in Maryland if the Zs' do attack.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Quote of the Day: Gunny addition

"I comforted myself as I pushed past him with the fact that I had 49 rounds of defensive ammunition with me." - Nancy, from Excels at Nothing.

Double stacked security blankets rule!

**Bonus points in the comments!!

Hump day gun p0rn

Bonus points to me for using 'hump' and 'p0rn' in the title. This one's for all you AK-47 lovers out there: 25 pages of AK goodness from around the world.

It is simply amazing to me how people modify or personalize a weapon like the AK. It's not modular like the M16/AR15 family, but that doesn't stop people from constructing a shoulder stock from a shovel handle.

Anyways, I've never been in love with the AK family, but for my readers who are, there ya go!

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Pistons are all the rage

While driving to work this morning, I was thinking about the accuracy bug that I've been chasing in the 308 rifle and why I still don't have consistency.

I have been a staunch advocate for direct impingement (DI) gas systems as they lend themselves to great accuracy. I've never bought into the myth that DI guns jam because of fouling, or that they jam more than any other firearm in general, and I have plenty of experience with the M16, AR15, and LR308 platforms to back that up. Sure, it fouls the action with soot, but it doesn't lead to the jams that uninformed/inexperienced people whine about on various internet forums. Discounting the defective magazine nightmare that I had with the LR308 when I first started shooting it, the only jam in one of these platforms that I can recall was 100% shooter induced. I was on the rifle range at Camp Pendleton, and I clicked off a shot on the 300 yard line which was ejected back into the action because my pinky was blocking the ejection port. This was before the days of forward grips and all, so we pulled in tight to the magazine well with our support hand.

As far as the heat involved with DI rifles, I've never worried about that too much as I don't even run my carbine like a carbine. When you never fire more than ten rounds or so at a time, why do you need to worry about snapping your bolt from all the high volume fire that will never happen? It's just never been an issue, or so I thought.

My epiphany occurred this morning as I was deducting that with the LR308, my groups always, always, always open up as the gun gets hot. I don't subscribe to the theory that it's because of the barrel; there's plenty of information and evidence about modern high quality barrels and how the point of impact does not shift when they get hot. Within reason, of course. No, my groups open up as the gun heats up overall, even if the barrel is not too hot to touch. I keep all of my targets for later analysis as I'm dorky like that, and I have lots of proof of why this is happening, and just hadn't put it together until now.

Gun powder is fickle stuff that performs differently depending on the climate where it is at. Temperature seems to me to be the big factor, as loads that you so carefully tested and approved of in the spring under clear, 60 degree temperatures go all screwy when the mercury hits 100+ degrees. Probably the main reason why Hodgdon's Varget is so popular is that it is extremely resistant to temperature changes (climate change?), but even the mighty Varget has its limits. I found this out this summer after one really hot day when I took the empty shell casings home after firing max loads of Varget with 175 grain bullets, and noticed that the cases wouldn't fit in a shell holder. Seems they had swelled a little too much. Looking at my data book shows the first five round group to average 2,547 fps, and consecutive groups going 2,603 fps.

The conclusion I came to was that it's not the barrel temperature that's causing it, but the chamber temperature. DI operating systems direct hot gasses straight into the bolt, right behind the case head. It's like hitting the back of the case with a blow torch every time you fire, and then the next unfired cartridge has to sit in that hot chamber with a glowing hot bolt until you shoot again. That is what is causing inconsistencies, and that is why the fifth round in a five round group in my warm rifle sometimes opens up. Checking through my data book, I see a variance of up to 90 fps with Varget loads, so who knows how screwed up things get with Reloader 15 or other temp sensitive powders. I would bet money that this phenomenon is why my gun will stack five rounds of 168 grain Federal Gold Medal right on top of each other, than the next group will be like buck shot.

If you think about it, you can eject a just fired .300 Winchester Magnum case out of a bolt action rifle straight into your hand, and it's kind of warm, but then try to pick up a .308 Winchester case off the ground that was just fired from a DI type AR rifle and it will immediately remove skin. They come out that hot even if it's the first round of the day. What I'm saying is that as I shoot, I'm basically cooking the round that I'm about to fire, and this increase in temperature causes pressure and velocity to climb which opens up my groups, and it gets worse with each round fired.

The solution is to either fire three round groups before letting the gun cool for fifteen minutes, use a powder that's impervious to temperature, or go with a gas piston system. The gas piston system does put reciprocating parts on top of the barrel, which can effect accuracy, but reading through the gun forums shows the technology is such that this isn't really an issue any more. The piston is getting very popular, to the point where even the Israelis are thinking about them.

I will have to take the route of least resistance and try out some of the new IMR 8208 XBR powder to find out if it is the magic solution for all of my DI problems. Looking on the IMR website shows that 8208 XBR is "totally insensitive to changes in temperature." Oh, we will see about that!

Now, I just have to find some. Last night I swung in to Ganderous Mountainous to see if they had Varget, and I found the store's condition to be exactly the same as it has been for years: deplorable. I hate that store. Not only did they NOT have any Varget, they didn't have any 175 grain Sierra Match Kings, no 165 grain Sierra Game Kings, no .223 Remington shell casings for a Stony Point OAL gauge; to tell you the truth, they really don't have much of anything. Time for a trip to Green Top!

I have some chain saw and machete work to do to perfect where I am going to test these rounds, and I'll get back to you with a range report when I get it done. If this doesn't work, I'll be looking to acquire a piston system for both ARs.

Bold cowardice

Shooting at a building that honors the Marine Corps is bold, but I'm calling out the vandal scumbag(s) as there are bona fide living-and-breathing Marines less than a mile away that dare you to try that shit in their vacinity.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Chicks with guns

No caption to go with this picture here. I don't have any words to describe it.

+5 brownie points if you spotted the Glock first.

I'm guessing that coed type FOBs probably aren't the smartest idea. Before you get all Libertarianish on me, know that I'm not advocating some sort of smart law to stop coed sleeping quarters in combat. But you can't tell me that anything good is going to come out of this remote hamlet in the middle of nowhere filled with mostly men, as well as a woman or two, all very stressed, lonely, and hanging out with machine guns in their underthingies, some of them leapard print.

Oh I bet you're all clicky on that link now!!!

Feeeelings. . . . . .nothing more than feeeeelings

Some pathetic little thug murdered a Baltimore detective with a rock, leaving his wife a widow and his kids fatherless, all over a parking space. This reinforces my belief to never argue such things if at all possible, which is not clear from the information in this story.

What we do have is a man who is presumably armed and trained to use a firearm getting killed by a guy wielding mankind's oldest weapons system, thereby demonstrating that safety from predators is not always certain even if one is prepared and has all the proper tools on hand.

Fortunately the dirtbag in this case was easily apprehended, as he was relaxing in a club sipping on a cold one. Let's hope the jury gets to hear that part; although I don't have any confidence in the justice system in Maryland regardless. I'm waiting with bated breath to hear about this piece of work's extensive criminal history; you don't just get to the point one day where casually brain someone with a stone. These things develop over time.

The reason for the title to this post though has nothing to do with murderous scumbags and everything to do with the clueless people who domicile in and around noted dangerous cities talking about how they want to feel safe. The woman in question didn't happen to mention how she's going to go about making herself safe using her mind and her own two hands. My guess is that when pressed, she will mention something about voting for some Baltimore lawyer-critter to apply for the daunting task of running that violent city, all in the hopes of being tuff on crime or something.

I'm sure they'll get right on that.

Human beings are aiming for a life of extinction considering that the majority of the folks out there would flat out be beaten to death or starve in the wilderness if someone didn't completely protect them. "Feeling" safe has absolutely nothing to do with actually being safe; the latter having everything to do with life favoring the prepared, or so I've been told once. Even that is no guarantee, but it sure does help. I just don't get though how people can be so naive, as if they can magically will away the bad people. Crazy.

As my wife often says to me: "Don't talk about it; be about it!"

Yup!

Friday, October 15, 2010

When blunt force trauma is outlawed, only outlaws will use blunt force trauma. . .

It seems the savages in DC are finally respecting the gun ban and have instead chosen bludgeoning as their way of aggressive commerce.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Live a life of avoidance, de-escalation, and detterence

It's imperative if you carry, as even if you're right, someone may take the very sight of your holstered handgun as a threat to their personal safety.


Beasley eventually let the other driver know he wasn't pleased, and the two drivers exchanged words and gestures.

The two ended up in a parking lot on Corporate Drive, where they continued their dispute.

The complainant accused Beasley of displaying a gun, and Beasley said the other man had a knife. Beasley said he never took his gun out of its holster.
The complainant, aka slow-assed driver who doesn't know the law, felt that Beasley was a big-scary-man-hiding-behind-that-humongous-weapon, and called the po-po. Why in the world did Beasley decide to stop on a remote side of a highway at night to dispute someone's shitty driving?

One might argue that just because you carry doesn't mean that you don't have the right to give someone a piece of your mind, but I would retort that in this particular situation, as well as any that are even remotely close, it doesn't matter one teeny bit whether or not someone is armed. You don't purposefully engage in a heated conversation with anyone, armed or not.

I make it a general habit to not argue with anyone over anything while I'm out in public, and certainly not after midnight on the highway on a school night. Someone screams at me over a parking space - go ahead and have it, hoss. Say something nasty about my wife while we're eating at Olive Garden - sorry you feel that way; have a good night. There is simply no reason why I am going to engage in conflict when I strive at all times to avoid it.

Now, about the complainants driving. I cannot stand folks who will not yield the passing lane to another driver, and it makes me yell out loud in my truck when I'm stuck behind some douche who is in the passing lane riding abreast of a slow-ass driver in the right lane. One day amongst all my screaming a vein in my beet red forehead is going to pop, sending a lazer beam of blood smashing through the windshield and slicing through shitty-driver's rear tires. If you're too chicken shit to overtake the car to your right, then tap the brakes and move on over behind them. There is no excuse.

And to all the old folks who say that there's no reason to be in such a hurry, "it's only going to save you five minutes", well. . . . go piss up a rope. Every day driving to work, I end up behind three of you blue knuckled sonsohbitches, which adds up to thirty minutes of my time you have robbed from my kids every single day because you can't get the fuck over. Happened not an hour ago.


And for all you city folk who have moved down here from yankeeville to find your country roots, and still have all the I heart DC/NYC/Baltimore bumper stickers stuck on the back of your Prius, when you're riding down the country roads where all the disgusting hillbilly people live, and you have a line of headlights behind you as far as your eyes can see, and there's no cars in front of you, then pull over at the first available driveway and let the folks who know how to drive pass. Back roads around here go on for ten miles or more, so your non-driving ruins productivity for the people who work for a living. GTFOver!!

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Tools are handy

During the shoot from this weekend, I was initially guessing at the velocity of my rounds as I hadn't clocked them yet. I use JBM Ballistics calculators when I'm at home and have internet connection, and in the field I use Point Blank software on my netbook.

My guestimates got me in the ballpark, and the Point Blank gave me drop in inches for some of the other shooters with me so that they could get close as well. I didn't have much data for the others except for a few velocity readings, so it was hard to get them on target. My only problem with Point Blank is that I use Mils for the 308 and MOA for my AR. I could do the math and get the solutions, but I didn't have enough data at the time to do that.

Yesterday I downloaded the Shooter Ballistics Calculator for my Samsung phone which uses the Droid OS, and it's fantastic. Entering all my load information from my data book from this weekend and comparing it to the actual results from the shoot, and it's spot on. There's also some other cool gadgets in Shooter to help you get results, and it will give it to you in whatever measurement you desire. Feed it good information and it will provide you with a good solution so that you can blast grapefruit at distance.

Best ten bucks I ever spent!

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

What a $40,000 Failure to Fire looks like




If that missile isn't creating distance between you and it, you need to be creating it manually with your feet as fast as you can!!

H/T MilitaryPhotos.net

Monday, October 11, 2010

The Long Ranger

This is my first range report where I break the 500 yard barrier. Good times.

I got an invite to go out to a field in the middle of Virginia and shoot rifles, so I thought I aught to do an OCW test to find some rounds appropriate for closer to a grand in my 308, just in case I ever get to shoot that far. My test didn't go as well as planned; or so I thought.

I settled on some of Alliant's sweet Reloader 15 powder as it's manufactured by beautiful angels in a temple made of goodness. It's also been around for like forever -- Adam and Eve used to use it when they shot F-class -- so the accuracy nodes are very well known. That saves me a lot of time. 43.1 grains of it seem to be a popular load; my only concern is that I'm not using Lake City brass, which is what that charge is used in.

I loaded three rounds each in 42.5; 42.8; 43.1; and 43.4 grains using brand new Winchester brass, CCI BR2 primers, and 175 grain Nolser Custom Competition bullets, seated at 2.227" to the ogive. I also loaded a bunch of other stuff to try out that I never got to shoot. I finally got to set up to shoot this test the evening before range day, which is not ideal.

I got all set up with my table at 104 yards, chrono up, Practical Riflery Forums official test target up, and settled in on shooting from lowest charged rounds to highest in round robin style. The first three rounds went well enough, and then the chronograph failed to catch the velocity from the first 43.4 charge, which prompted me to raise the tripod a bit so that the rounds fly a little closer to the timing lights. It was getting dark, which makes chronos give errors. Back around from the 42.5 charge and all is looking good, and then at the 2nd 43.1 and 43.4 charge the chrono didn't get the velocity. Up goes the tripod again, and then nothing. I raised it a little more and finished my shoot, firing the last charges one right after another, and noticed the very last round, the last 43.4 charge, hit about six inches low and almost sideways. This would be why:


Cutting it a bit close. It seems these things need sunlight or some shit to function properly.

I absolutely lost it.

My brother was walking up and asked me what was wrong, and unfortunately got to hear a ten minute, profanity laced, hundred-and-ten decible diatribe about how I would pay a billion dollars for one hour of perfection, absent people or distractions, so that I may actually get to participate in my silly hobby.

So now I have a target where my groups are tightening up nicely at 43.1, and at the next charge my round is keyholed because of a stupid chain of events, so it's a big assed guess as to what my decided charge should be.



Top left is 42.5; top middle 42.8; top right 43.1; and bottom left is 43.4. The shots from the test are circled with blue pen (43.4 charge only has two shots); the rest of the shots were the contents of a 20 round magazine that was promptly fired at that target in an un-scientific manner (There was a lot more target than you can see here, for those of you counting shot holes!).

Velocities were:
42.5 - 2,398, 2,402, error
42.8 - 2,455, 2,433, error
43.1 - 2,478, error, error
43.4 - error, error, OWWW!! WTF!!!

After some careful thought I gambled on 43.3 grains. The 43.1 and 43.4 were hitting tight from what I could see, and more importantly to the exact same point-of-aim, point-of-impact. Theoretically if all three 43.4 charges hit tight in the same manner as the 43.1, than my accuracy node may fall in between the there. I loaded fifty of them, as well as five each of 43.1 and 43.2, just to see what they would do, and headed off to shoot.

We got the targets set up at 100, 200, 250, 450, and 514 yards in this bean field:



I started at 100 yards over the chrono, and we had bluebird skies, so there was no excuse for the chrono this time. Temp was 79, wind was 5-10 for awhile, then still as can be in the afternoon. Couldn't ask for a better day for shooting! You people in the South West have to deal with all that wind, while us East Coasters only have to worry about the humidity.

Final velocitie were:
43.1 - 2,515, 2,501, 2,482, 2,501, 2,510
43.2 - 2,520, 2,534, 2,515, 2,496, 2,525
43.3 - 2,554, 2,534, 2,544, 2,539, 2,534

My sand bag setup left my hundred yard groups all over the place, so I fixed my rest and got down into the gun and fired a decent five shot group at 250 yards:



I was pretty happy with that. I can work with it. The target on the right is the 450 yard target, and I used a 2.8 Mil hold at last light with a scalding hot barrel to put a best four into 4.2". I almost didn't shoot it as my hands were shaking from not eating all day, and as I was pressing the trigger the reticle would wobble back and forth. I would guess it explains the horizontal stringing. The fifth round hit about five inches low, which I can't explain. It happens. I'm sure if I took my time I could tighten that up, but the vertical measure makes me hopeful.

On the 500 yard target, my first five shots with 3 Mils of hold over and .6 Mils right hit the top right target at the bottom. This was my first ever attempt at 500 yards with this rifle. Losing the wind call, and using 3.2 Mils hold later on got me four rounds centered on that middle target, but that was after ten rounds fired quick at balloons I had stapled onto the sides of the ply wood, as well as five rounds at the 450 yard target. The bottom shot was with the 3 Mil hold:


(Click to make bigger)

Not the tightest group, but I'll take it under the circumstances. Now I get to fine tune this round so that it shoots like I want it to. I'm also going to start a 69 grain SMK work up with Varget for my AR15 when I save up that billion dollars to buy some time.

I don't shoot so well when I'm rushed, which is pretty much all the time. This day at the range was very relaxed, which was great. Every day needs to be like this. I'm lucky I didn't destroy my chrono, as I've shot one accidentally before, and I seriously considered seeing what a 175 grain round would do to the LCD of this chrono after the test incident. Really though, you just have to have daylight and you're good. Hopefully I'll get to go back soon, and maybe I'll have my loads dialed in tight like they're supposed to be.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Someone didn't read their Sun Tzu

This is a great lesson of what happens when you blow your element of surprise.
LAKEBAY, Wash. – An attempted invasion robbery at a home on Key Peninsula that housed a large marijuana grow operation turned into a gun battle between the owner and the robbers Thursday night. One robber is dead, at least two other people are wounded and as many as four people may be on the run in the neighborhood.
The video says that the home owner was expecting the company, so I would imagine that he probably fired first. Shear numbers of gunman don't always add up when the potential target is armed and ready for you.

I wonder what kind of legal fallout is going to come out of this. Sure, the scumbags were invading the home, but the question of the day is whether or not the homeowner's leafy hobby negates his US Citizenship rights to protect his property. I guess you could always argue that anyone growing pot deserves to not get shot to death by a band of unprepared morons, and by shooting back, you are in fact attempting to maintain your gift of life.

Also, the article mentions the use of handguns and shotguns. Why would the owner of a 'substantial' amount of pot not be armed with the latest and greatest AR15 or AK clone? You would think that he would be better prepared. Must be that all the good stuff in Washington state is flowing like a river to Mexico.

H/T Ace.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Full predatorial release

It takes a true bleeding heart to suggest paroling violent kiddie humpers back into the wild before their time is up, but hey, the laws the law, right? It's mandatory!

What could possibly go wrong?

CONCORD – Saying they had no other choice under new mandatory parole laws, state Adult Parole Board members yesterday agreed to set free eight inmates nearing their maximum term in jail. Among the paroled were child sex predators who have not completed prison programs aimed at rehabilitating them, according to Department of Corrections records. "

You are a danger. You are a predator," board member Mark Furlone said to Robin Woodburn Jr., 34, of Manchester. "I think it is disgusting we have to parole you out."

So do I. Of course, states say that they will monitor the lunatics as close as possible, but that's usually only until the cameras are off. Something tells me that guys like Woodburn aren't going to run out and land a job at Pep Boys, find an apartment in a beautiful community, and start an account at eHarmony to help find a meaningful, committed relationship.

Why is it that rule makers decide to blanket everything with their dumb laws? Seriously, of all the people suffering in the world, these dipshits decide that violent scumbags are suffering more, and need the attention of the government to help them pass the time faster. Go save the homeless or something. Their is a reason that prisons are known as places of suffering.
Advocates for Senate Bill 500 have said the bill would reallocate savings from the early release into programs within the community and provide treatment such as counseling for inmates.
And hopefully rape counseling and child victim rehabilitation, too. Let's not forget about the non-felon members of the community.
They argue that in the past, inmates who "max" out their time go into the community without any plan or support, and that this change ultimately would be safer and give victims more knowledge and control.
Apparently not, as felons are paroled regardless if they have a fat 401k, trust fund, and Bentley driven by loving family members waiting for them at the prison gates. And how does releasing them early give them control? What kind of control?
Sex offenders Woodburn, Michael Navarro, Anthony Blakney and Theodore Roosevelt are among the first inmates to be released under Senate Bill 500.
Awesome. Go on and read about what upstanding members of the community these guys were, and now envision them using the enlightening experiences that they earned in state prison for the good of all. What, why are you laughing? You don't think Navarro can make it as a grounds keeper at the local elementary school? Maine won't let him have any porn, which we all know will definitely keep his urges suppressed in the safest fashion. Wouldn't want him looking at nude pictures of consensual adults; we need his mind focused on flowers and stuff. And Blakney? With a little sprinkle of hope, and a dash of state sponsored caring, I am sure that he will do just fine as a little league coach. Your little Tommy is gonna have a smashing good swing with some of Blakney's gentle touch. Just watch!

(H/T to my brother)

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Heroism

I try to read up on the heroic acts of Service men and women who earn various medals and such.

Staff Sergeant Robert J. Miller postumously received the Medal of Honor today, and while I'm astonished as always about how his citation reads, seeing the re-creation of the battle is something that has to be seen to be believed.

It's simply amazing that such people exist, and I'm thankful for that.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Scoped H und K

Palestine chooses Leapers. Nothing but the best for the G3A3.

Is that a home made mount?

Monday, October 4, 2010

SCAR surgery

Are you sad because you hate the stock on your FN SCAR? Fear no more, Vltor has made an adapter that lets you put whatever AR type stock on your assault thingie. Read the review at Military Morons.

Good stuff!

Coolest picture I've seen in awhile

This picture, from this thread at Militaryphotos.net


Air Force PJs have some nice gear. That M14 EBR is one sexy rifle!

Another alarming loophole

Mentally distressed people have too easy access to heights and natural landmarks. Why settle for concrete barriers and steel nets though; let's just dismantle the Brooklyn Bridge altogether. It's a machine of death that launches helpless souls into a violent, grisly death, and if it saves just one life, right?

Draper, of the suicide hot line network, said that popular opinion aside, research shows that barriers making the jumps from high places impossible will prevent the public suicides.

"Many people are under the impression that if you just put up a barrier they will find another way to kill themselves. It's an argument that people will make against putting up a barrier," Draper says. "And it's myth."
Seriously? Well then, what's stopping cities from emplacing safety devices on bridges and tall buildings to stop crazy people from jumping to their deaths?

Transportation authorities voted two years ago to hang stainless steel nets from the bridge to deter suicides, although funding for the $50 million project remains elusive.
Oh. Funding, that's usually a biggie. Seems people that run cities and all like to spend the public's hard earned bucks on keeping those bridges maintained so that they can be used for good things, like spanning rivers and such. And those large buildings, they hold offices and work space for thousands of workers that keep the country running.

Perhaps diverting "elusive" public funding away from what the bridges and buildings were initially designed to do -- facilitate public commerce for millions of people -- and re-direct it towards saving handfuls of people who have decided for whatever reason to fore go public commerce and use such things in a manner that they were not intended. . . . .yeah, I can see how that might not go over so well.

It sucks that people kill themselves. Even more so if it could be prevented. I just don't see the logic in padding the entire world to stop random people from being random. The entire argument can go full idiot, like making Tylenol bottles harder to open when you're sad, or making guns sense distress and lock up, or carbon dioxide sensors on your Flowmasters that shut off the engine so you can't poison yourself to death in your garage. There's also the unintended consequences of it all; I can guarantee you that the first time some diseased seagull gets stuck in one of those safety nets, thousands of animal activists will picket city hall to have them removed.

I still say that people will find a way to kill themselves once they commit to it. Spending millions to make the world safer for a small amount of people will not stop it.

It's obviously the fault of the NRA

Three men were fatally shot in three incidents in the District over the weekend, D.C. police said.
I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that the shooters and probably the victims were not responsible enough to just walk into a gun store and buy a pistol. Maybe DC should have some sort of law making it illegal for criminals to carry guns and shoot one another. Common sense and all.