Legion's Fate

This is why we have the internet

2012-01-31T20:09:00.001-05:00

I couldn't stop watching. It's like it was possessed!

The food chain

2012-01-31T13:12:00.004-05:00

It's been a busy day, folks. Sorry about the light posting.

Anyhow, I just found this article on Drudge and found some of it to be amazing:

The National Park Service has counted 1,825 Burmese pythons that have been caught in and around Everglades National Park since 2000. Among the largest so far was a 156-pound, 16.4-foot one captured earlier this month.

That's a ton of snakes! More than I would have ever thought, but it makes sense considering the environment those suckers are living in. The article goes on to note the dramatic decline in small mammals around the everglades. I wonder why!

There's an alarmist theme to these everglades/constricting snake articles, and I get why, but this isn't the first time in the history of the world an animal from another continent has been introduced here and thrived. Horses and wild hogs are just two critters that come to mind. Since the Burmese Python and other huge snakes are doing so well here, it's only a matter of time before their names end up a paper tag on the end of a hunting license. And honestly, who wouldn't want one stuffed on their wall with a tall, fictional tale of taking down such a beast?

So that brings me to the question of the day: What gun for a massive python? Colt Python? Will there be an archery season? Chris Brackett will sure be excited. Will it be added to the Super Slam? Someone will have to call Jim Shockey and tell him to bring his smokepole. Personally, I would forgo the treestand and take after a trophy constrictor with a spear and loincloth. More sporting that way.

I wonder what a Boone & Crocket score would look like:

Burmese pythons can grow to be 26 feet long and more than 200 pounds, and they have been known to swallow animals as large as alligators. They and other constrictor snakes kill their prey by coiling around it and suffocating it.

There's a picture of one of them coiled around a good sized alligator, and you've all by now seen the picture of the one that died while eating a huge gator. It's like Jurassic Park down there!

First they came for the lead. . . .

2012-01-30T13:04:00.003-05:00

Then they came for the ~~copper~~ brass .

This is the start of something very interesting. When the ATF says that a particular brand of ~~copper~~ brass bullet is banned because it's "armor piercing," how long before other manufacturer's bullets are banned?

Something else to think of - California is a "lead free zone" so to speak, so this really hoses the millions of rifle shooters there. And isn't it a bad idea to ban a bullet designed to penetrate deep into large dangerous critters based on the idea that it penetrates so deeply?

***ETA: The bullets are made of brass.

I know an Assault Thingie when I see it

2012-01-30T09:49:00.002-05:00

Who neeeeeds this many rapid-fire shots without reloading from a weapon designed to kill people?

Yet another from Ace of Spades

Zombie guns are getting ridiculous

2012-01-30T09:46:00.002-05:00

I mean, who needs two red dot sights, anyways?

Found at Ace of Spades

Cooking with CTone

2012-01-30T08:38:00.002-05:00

I used to think I couldn't cook to save my life, but this weekend I discovered that I have some talent. In this case, I'm not talking about cooking food; I'm talking about cooking plastic!

Like a black hole, I've been pulling in all sorts of tools for a special project that I've been working on for about half a year, and while I was at it I picked up some tools for making kydex holsters. I successfully made three holsters this weekend, though I only have pictures of one. This is the second holster I made, this time for the P30 -- here is the inside piece of kydex sitting with it in the kydex press while the outside piece cooks in the oven:

The first holster was for a PM9, and the learning curve told me to block the ejection port and tape it with blue painter's tape. I tried to get a picture of the inside of the oven, but it came out kind of gross, so I deleted it. After the piece cooks for 8 - 10 minutes (270 degrees worked best for me), I slid the piece off the bottom of the flat cookie sheet and onto the press, quickly sat the gun on the pencil marks I made, and locked it down:

Here's what it looks like when it's done cooling, which takes around 10 more minutes:

I cut two pieces, leaving an ear on the front side to fold over for a "wedge" to tuck the grip for AIWB carry:

As you can see, there's plenty of definition from the molding. Too much, actually; you have to work the piece over carefully with a heat gun to fine tune it, because if you don't the gun will be stuck fast. It's easiest to mold each side by itself so you have time to possition the gun properly and get a good mold. The two halves are held together with rivets, and to do that you need rivetting dies which I used with an arbor press. I really should have taken pictures of that process, which I'll have to do with the next holster I make. Once the two halves are riveted together, I trim them to shape on a bandsaw and rough finish the edges with a belt grinder and a 120 belt, finishing up with a file and some hand sanding:

Not the greatest picture, I know. I took that one first thing this morning in my dark kitchen as the youngest Beast slept several feet away in the Swing of Peace. There's a bit more to it than acounted for in this post, but I assure you it's easy (except for belt clips; those are a PITA). You can make a kydex press with some lumber, a couple of cheap hinges, and a yoga mat, but this press wasn't too spendy, so I went that route. Basically, for the price of a decent kydex holster, I have all the tools I need to make as many holsters as I want. Cooking is fun!

The worst kind of gun owners

2012-01-27T10:23:00.002-05:00

If this story is even true, these two morons are the dumbest gun owners on the face of the planet.

Disregarding the extreme amount of gun ignorance (Mosin Nagant being a "Russian M4" and "machine gun"), there's no sense in leaving firearms hung on a nail in plain sight in a crime ridden part of Philly. Lying to drug dealers and detectives to try to fix a jacked up situation puts this story over the top.

Crude Friday morning humor

2012-01-27T09:51:00.003-05:00

ARFCOM's General Discussion delivers today with the thread: Describe your sexlife with the title of a movie.

I almost blew my steel cut oats through my nose before I got through the first page. You have been warned.

Detroit or Afghanistan?

2012-01-27T09:13:00.002-05:00

Tough call. Remember this video when you're whining about your commute home today:

There's a bunch more combat videos at MP.net.

If you're ever in Nevada

2012-01-26T08:41:00.004-05:00

Nellis Air Force Base has an interactive commie weapon museum called the Threat Training Facility. If you've always wanted to sit in a Mig 29 and make machine gun noises with your mouth, here's your chance without going through Russian bootcamp and pilot training -- though getting paid in vodka doesn't sound all that bad.

***ETA: It's 'Nellis' not 'Ellis' Air Force Base. Thanks, Old NFO!

Self defense story of the day

2012-01-26T08:33:00.002-05:00

In Philadelphia.

A 65-year-old man riding his bicycle along a Berks County trail became the target of three teenage boys Wednesday morning.

Soon the teens became the target of the cyclist, according to Cumru Township
Police.

Fortunately, the victim survived. Unfortunately, one of the teens was killed, but such is the way of being a scumbag; it's an occupational hazard.

Raven Concealment Systems Vanguard 2

2012-01-25T10:29:00.002-05:00

There's a thread at Pistol-Forum.com and a thread at ARFCOM covering this new holster. It's meant to be for AIWB carry, but would probably work just fine anywhere on the belt, as well as for other modes of carry. The ARFCOM thread is far less understanding towards the VG2, as there are many naysayers there that pooh-pooh AIWB carry in general. It's kind of like clicking on a "show your watch" thread and finding a bunch of morons posting pictures of their iphone.

Looking at the VG2, it seems to me that they were trying to make the original Vanguard holster adjust for ride height and give it better retention. It's the same thing I was going for with my modified Zack holster, but better executed.

The VG2 is also tuckable, and that's a big deal when you can get it, and with a projected cost of $40 or less it's a bargain. I'll have to try one before too long.

Killing them soflty with M-4s....

2012-01-25T10:22:00.002-05:00

Killing them softly. . . . .with M-4s.

OK, more likely it was with HK 416s and belt fed weapons, but it's my post title and I can call it whatever I want!

Anyhow, Navy SEALs have been knocking off badguys left and right, and they managed to save a damsel in distress this time to boot. Save some for the rest of the military, guys! Dayummm! Good job though.

Custom ballisong

2012-01-24T09:15:00.001-05:00

Here's a thread on the construction of a custom, titanium handled ballisong. Looks like fun. . . . .hmmmmmm.

Down with the sickness: Family edition

2012-01-24T09:09:00.002-05:00

Two of my little people have raging ear infections, the other two have fevers, vomiting, and worse, and to top it off I wasn't feeling all that great, so I called out yesterday and took the kids to the doctor's office. One of my kids started throwing up on the sidewalk before we went in, so I knew it was going to be an adventure yesterday. Today is a full up extension of that adventure. My wife and I both called out sick, and there's a fountain of. . . .let's call it collectively "stuff" emitting from the kids. Tempers are high. It's going to be brutal.

Blast from the past

2012-01-20T08:16:00.003-05:00

I was goofing off with the kids downstairs last night and decided to take a break and check out all of my books on the bookshelf that don't have the time to read. I came across my rifle data books from my range qualifications in the Marines and thought it would be a fun (warning: profane) post. It really brought me back. You can see from my notes that my handwriting ability was proportional to the amount of coffee I had drank, and before you ask, yes, I talk to myself just like I do in my notes. Full disclosure and all.

There's some Microsoft Paint redaction going on there. Why do you neeeeeeed to know my social security number, anyways? I don't know if it's still like this, but in Marine Corps doctrine it's written somewhere that you must emblazon everything you touch with your SSN. I have a stack of certifications, awards, and promotions that have my SSN in Ariel Bold font front and center. Every one of them. I can't put up a love-me wall with all that stuff because of it, and you have to wonder what the legal-beagles at the JAG were thinking when they came up with this policy. Enough of my bitching - here's the Rifleman's Creed for y'all that want to know the whole thing:

Sorry about the blurry cellphone pics. Click on it to make it bigger and more beautiful.

Next up we have the four safety rules, which are slightly different than the NRA's version, but not too shabby. I've also included some tactically morbid doodling on my part - call it "Blue Falcon" carry (look that one up if you need to). Giving my utmost attention to an instructor with less time-in-grade than me is not my forte.

When you go to the range in the Marines it's a two week affair; the first week is basic instruction and "snapping in", which is dry firing thousands of times, and then a week of firing that includes zeroing your weapon. Unless you have stars on your collar, as far as I know, you have to go through the whole two week process every time. The data book is meant for you to keep track of your shooting throughout the week of firing, so that when your qualification day comes, you know how your rifle is performing.

The distances you shoot are at 200, 300, and 500 yards in the standing, sitting, kneeling, and prone positions. On the 500 yard line you only fire from the prone. To get an expert score, you must shoot for 40 points or better.

Those are all from the 200 yard line, and are not all inclusive. There are Marines in the pits pulling the targets and marking shots, and it can get screwed up down there; thus the reason why I'm belittling their work scoring my target. The entire target is a six foot square framed monstrosity with a canvas or plastic backing, and is chock full of shot holes. The paper target that's glued onto the backing is usually shot to shit, and when you're marking targets you place a spotting disk in the last shot to come through, and cover the old shot holes with colored stickers called pasters. Problem is, the Marine Corps is extremely poor, so you have to rip the pasters into little bits just big enough to cover **most** of the shot hole. After a week of shooting, it makes it impossible to cover the mess that is your target, and sometimes you can't tell where the shooter's bullet went through. Scoring errors are very common. Here's what the pits look like (pardon the clarity. Cellphone picture of a 35mm picture)

The 200 and 300 yard targets are in the lower target carriage, with the 500 yard target in the upper carriage. Everyone looks to be especially attentive (snicker!) The bottom picture shows a white shot spotter in the black, and a red scoring disk in the lower left corner.

Moving on to the 300 yard line:

When a round passes through the target you can hear the supersonic crack, but keeping in mind that there are about 150 Marines shooting all at once, it can get confusing knowing whether a shot came through your target or not. Also, it is not uncommon for a shooter to shoot the wrong target, either because they weren't paying attention, can't shoot, or, in the case of high-wind ranges like Edson Range, have a 35 mph wind blow a shot from the shooter next to you into your target. At it's worst, two shots can hit the target at the same time; go ahead and figure that one out for a score! You sometimes get to talk to the guys who either marked or shot your target, and when there's a problem (careers can sometimes be on the line) it can get interesting.

500 yard line:

On this particular day I was already at an expert score before I got to the 500, so there was no risk involved with shooting for headshots for fun; with little or no wind I could sometimes hit eight or more. It's actually possible to leave the 200 yard line with 40 points, but I'm convinced that it'll only happen when the planets are aligned. There's squib rounds, gusty winds, broken parts, and incompetence in the target pits to contend with for that to happen, or to even get a perfect score (it has happend though). I don't think there's any repeatability there though. I didn't win the title of Battalion High Shooter once because of a squib round, and I've had parts breakages as well. I've also had my shots not get marked at all, like the Marines running the target fell asleep or something. A couple of times, when the Marine next to me couldn't get his rounds on the target, I would tell him to aim at mine while I would put a few rounds in his target, though not on qualification day. That day was up to him. Here's what happens in the pits when Marines get bored:

That's a Baker target for 500 yard shooting. Notice his three stars. . . .

And here's yours truly:

Derrrgh!?!

I was a skinny bastard back then. That had to have been 10 years ago at least. These days my range trips are much more leasurely and pleasant, with my only concern being to watch my language:

Now isn't that the sweetest thing?

The game of Commerce

2012-01-19T08:31:00.008-05:00

DALLAS (Reuters) - A 65-year-old woman made it past a checkpoint and onto a flight at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport on Wednesday with a revolver tucked away in her handbag, and was only stopped after the plane was called back to the gate, the airport said.

This post is probably going to be controversial.

Contrary to what news article commenters say ("Oh, if it makes us safe, it's okay!"), all of this TSA nonsense has nothing at all to do with real safety and everything to do with taxing citizens via fines and charges for accidentally breaking the law. It's the same as with New York City's gun laws; these laws are designed to generate revenue in the courts, not to stop badguys, and are only changed when enough of the non-criminal element get caught as to draw attention to the scheme. And despite what angry Americans may say about all of this and how evil it is, it was done with the consent of the populace.

There is no conspiracy, nor is there evil, when the very citizens who bitch about it let it come about in the first place. Just like in the game of Monopoly, if you want to sit at the table and play, you have to obey the rules; and that means that if your thimble lands on an arbitrary square that says "Go to Jail," than you send your piece to jail. It may be nonsensical, and no true crime was committed, but it's the rules. You land on the block, you have to pay a fare.

Back to the article, notice that the 65 year old woman was not only allowed through the checkpoint, but had already boarded the plane which was on its way to the runway. The planes were only turned around when somebody realized that a mistake was made. This very well could have added up to a Jack Bauer moment in the mind of some "security officer," but in the end it was a simple accounting error: the fare for carrying a handgun on a plane was not rendered. Disagree with me if you want, but the takeaway from this is that the goons in the blue shirts are not enforcing anti-constitutional gun laws as much as they are merely facilitating the collection of a tax -- the re-venuing of currency -- on compliant, consenting persons who asked for this very thing in the name of feeling secure.

"Did you see all the knives they caught that guy with? I'm glad they got him! I'll sleep soundly on my flight to El Paso knowing that that dangerous dude is behind bars!" Feeling safe is important to many people, and I don't blame them one bit. Feeling secure is a natural human desire, and getting it at someone else's expense can make it feel even more sweet. That's not the way I live by, but I've come to accept that that's the way it is, that the vast majority of the country feel that way, and the rules are made to suit them. When somebody's thimble ends up in the fictitious slammer, the other players say "HA!" and they play right past them, because that's how the game is played. Arguing against it is like trying to stop the sun.

Now, change the rules if it bothers you, sure. Good. Great. I'm all about it. But know that when you deny one funding stream, the government with find another, and will construct an organization tasked with taking up the collection. You say that marijuana should be legal? Cool beans, but there will need to be something given in kind because there are no free lunches. I'm on a hunch that pot will be legal in the next 5 or 10 years just as citizens want, and in return for this there will be an ever larger network of sex offender laws with an agency created to enforce it. Either that or, considering the sharply divided mindset of Americans, there will be crimes against the homeland used for government commerce. If you haven't noticed yet, the struggling economy is effecting the government as well, and the predictable reaction from it is to draw funds from areas both large and small, like SOPA for a large scale revenue generating function, and nitpicking citizens for random stuff like lightbulb disposal as an example of the small stuff.

Again, there are no free lunches, and there's nothing new under the sun. If you get what you want, you have to give something in kind. Choose wisely.

New 6.5mm hunting bullets from Barnes

2012-01-19T08:21:00.003-05:00

At SHOT Barnes Bullets anounced their new LRX lineup that includes a 127 grain bullet in 6.5mm. Word from a 6.5 Grendel forum member who talked to Barnes reps at SHOT is that the bullets not only offer a better B.C. for long range shooting, but offer expansion at velocities as low as 1,400 fps. If that's true, than it expands 400 - 600 fps slower than other hunting bullets on the market, which translates to an extra 200+ yards of killing range. At an advertised price of $38 for a box of 50, Barnes has made all this possible by making these bullets out of solid gold.

MK12 Mod 0 p0rn

2012-01-19T08:13:00.000-05:00

A picture thread at Sniper's Hide.

A relaxing evening

2012-01-18T08:37:00.002-05:00

After putting the kids to bed last night, I was gifted with something very rare: a couple hours of peace. With the 5th season of 24 playing softly in the background, I was able to load up my next batch of Nosler Custom Competitions for the 2nd phase of my OCW test.

After that I sized/deprimed the rest of my once-fired .264 LBC brass and primed them with Federal 205Ms. It's nice having prepped brass already on the bench; it saves time when you think up something to load, like 123 grain bullets a full grain over the book maximum.

When I was done reloading I thought I would slip off to bed, but I ended up comforting one of my kids who couldn't sleep due to coughing. Such is life.

Snotly crew

2012-01-18T08:16:00.002-05:00

I can't tell if my kids are just sickly, or have weak immune systems, or are continually getting similar germs that cause this mess, but it has to stop. I'm starting to think the US gov't has chosen my house as some sort of test bed for cold-like viruses. The amount of snot and coughing going on has reached epic proportions, and I feel terrible for my little people because they're so miserable. That, and rocking crying kids to sleep at all hours of the night is taking away from my beauty sleep.

Oh, Mossberg!

2012-01-17T10:05:00.001-05:00

What are you smoking?!?!

Here's some "tactical" lever actions that look pretty cool. Sort of.

Open Carry in Detroit

2012-01-17T09:51:00.002-05:00

Several residents note that carrying openly has been a deterrent against scumbags. There's also the fudd police chief noting that he doesn't have a "quarrel" with people carrying lawfully, and then goes on to paint these lawful residents as being part of the problem of shootouts in the streets. Perhaps if Detroit's police chief did a better job of preventing the shootouts, residents wouldn't feel they need to carry guns for protection.

I love this part:

Over a 24-hour span beginning Aug. 12, seven people were shot to death and nine others wounded. That prompted Mayor Dave Bing to issue a "call to action" to city residents to take a stand against crime.

By "taking a stand", I presume the mayor and his police chief mean to be quick on the cellphone when they're victimized, or to take good notes and be a better witness. What a joke.

"Be vigilant!!"

"Take a stand!!!"

"We need the citizens help!!!"

My question is: how? How does a man or woman do any of those things without the means to? It seems to me that the people the article is talking about have figured it out on their own, and the mayor and the chief are whimpering about it. Good.

Busy weekend

2012-01-17T08:45:00.002-05:00

I have to post this first: this was my view yesterday morning when I woke up:

I'll come back to that in a minute.

Friday I left work and started load development on the 123 grain Nosler Custom Competition bullets in 6.5mm. I used Benchmark powder this time instead of IMR 8208 XBR, partly because I love Benchmark so much, but also to take the .264 LBC in a new direction. I was rewarded for my efforts:

The groups are not tight at all, but in an OCW test that doesn't matter; you're not looking for groups, but whether several different charge weights have the same vertical point of impact, which the bottom three do. Yes, the bottom right load is over half a grain above the maximum load Hornady recommends, and if you do not know what you're doing, then do not try to duplicate my loads. Always start low and work your way up. I know this gun very well already, and I also know how to look for pressure signs.

With that said, I'm going to take the next step and narrow my charges down until I find the sweet spot, and then fiddle with seating depth. To be getting velocities over 2,500 in a 18" barreled gun with these bullets is significant, and in the future I may have to mess around with the Lapua Scenars again as there is still room left in the case with this powder.

Next up, I got invited to check out some land owned by a local hunt club, and if all goes well I'll be filling in a recent empty spot left by a previous hunter. While we were there, I got to shoot the MK12 down a power line at 652 yards, and I got to see what the 'ol girl is capable of. My first group with my handloads went into 6 inches, and as I was clicking off a second group, I was treated to the sight of a good sized black bear running across the power line at over 1,200 yards. Pretty cool. All of my other groups sucked right up until my last one, in which five shots (one of the shots from another shooter is circled) went into 2.8", four of them going into 1.3":

This is what's commonly referred to as a "refrigerator group", being a group that's noticeably tighter than any of the others. This is because either the shooter or the gun cannot produce a group like this on demand; in my case the former symptom being the relevant one. To be fair to myself, I was shooting off of a wobbly folding table, and would have done better firing prone with a rear sandbag. That wasn't an option due to the grass being so tall.

Going now back to the first picture, My family and I were invited by some wonderful friends to stay at their family's cabin up North in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains. The cabin was amazing, as was the surrounding terrain:

I had to ask myself why we don't live in a place like this, as living where I do now is not where I want to be. On our way home yesterday, the further the car took us from the cabin, the more I wanted to turn around and go back. When we were only about two miles away, we stopped at an intersection in the middle of "town" to check our directions for about a minute and a half, and there were no other cars to be seen; nobody pulling up behind us and blowing the horn. Of the the half dozen cars we did pass, several of the drivers waved, and not with their middle fingers, either. Pulling into my subdivistion two hours later, I had to swerve to avoid being hit head on by yahoos who were busy watching what was going on in somebody's yard. Oh well.

It was a great weekend, and the kids had a good time. Now I'm thrown back into the work week, but at least it's only four days!

If it's sexy and you know it post your gun

2012-01-17T08:44:00.002-05:00

A "sexiest gun" thread at ARFCOm. Go check it out, or contribute to it by posting your own gun.

Mark of the Beasts

2012-01-13T08:16:00.006-05:00

And behold! I looked, and there before me was the smallest Beast, clothed in a garment made of soft pastel blue linen, fastened with monochrome buttons of doom. He had the power to keep mankind awake for days and days on end, and on his gums were two crowns, razor sharp and white as the stars. Out of his mouth poured drool and partially digested Formula crafted by the inhabitants of the city called Costco, which stained the tunic of whom it contacted.

Then I heard the second Beast say "Dahrglah!" - his speech still bound by the Ninny from Nuk. A giant with sandy blonde hair and fiery blue eyes, wearing a large smile, he rode a horse called Corn Popper, and smell followed with him. His power was to terrify mankind by climbing to the top of everything in his sight, and to consume all the food and all the drink in his path, and to torment with Corn Popper. Then he poured out his bowl onto the land, and soggy Kix filled the carpet and soaked all who were near.

Then I saw the third Beast, and out of his mouth came an endless stream of words, a dialect far beyond his age. He wore a T-shirt and underoos, and wielded a furious temper. His power was to horde all manner of things, and to exhaust mankind with his energy and his words. And I saw the writing on his wall, and under his bed the souls of the crackers and fruit snacks that had been slain by the Beast because he would gather them while the other Beasts slept.

And behold, the fourth Beast! Riding a thousand stuffed stallions, in her hands were colored swords of wax and paper, and her power was to send forth a plague of stickers in all colors and sizes. There was no end to what the stickers adhered to: to the socks of men, and to the bedding, and to the furniture! The fourth Beast's stickers consumed everything, and her wax swords destroyed all the paper and counter-tops throughout the land!

The the two elder Beasts looked upon the four younger Beasts with bloodshot eyes and saw that it was good.

US Army uniform insanity

2012-01-12T09:34:00.004-05:00

The Army is again looking at changing the camouflage pattern and uniform for combat. There are some really crappy patterns in there that they're looking at, which means that that's what the Army is likely to chose if the past tells us anything.

The Marine Corps did it right with the Woodland and Desert digital camo, as they realized early on that one pattern does not work in every environment. With that, the uniform is designed well, is rugged, and feels like pajamas compared to the starched Woodland BDU. If you've never had the pleasure of wearing the Army ACU, it's a shitty piece of shit; quite literally the opposite of the Marine Corps uniform. Going to the Multicam pattern was a smart move overall, I think, but now the Army is poised to piss away more funds on camouflage pattern trials.

Oh yeah? Well, how many rounds does it hold?

2012-01-11T12:36:00.003-05:00

From this ARFCOM thread, here are guys shooting the .950 JDJ:

Some facts:
2,400 grain bullet
240 grains of powder
2,100fps
25,400 ft lbs of muzzle energy
277 ft lbs recoil energy
Cartridges cost ~$40

I always did wonder why so many reloading scales went up so high!

Humans use tools to solve problems

2012-01-11T12:22:00.002-05:00

Sometimes all it takes is the right tool to find the solution to a problem, such as locating a defensive shotgunning course in NOVA.

A real-life self defense with a gun story

2012-01-11T10:58:00.002-05:00

I found this story at Light seeking a subject about the author's use of his firearm to stop an attack just before it started. It gave me chills:

"As the kids reached the front doors of my car, they turned to face it from both sides. I turned to look at the one on my left, made eye contact, raised my gun ever so slightly. His eyes widened, and he turned to run. I then looked to my right, and saw what was in the hand of the kid on the other side of the car. An ASP ."

I point out that it was his observance of his surroundings that was key to preventing the initiation of the attack; the pistol he had drawn played its part, but may not have been as effective, if at all, had the scumbag busted the window before he had noticed that he was a target.

Also, be sure to read his list of key factors. I take #2 to be extremely common -- "It was in what is considered to be a safe area. A 'good part' of town." That right there is not only important for those who carry a sidearm, but it has major weight when you're talking to someone who is on the fence about carrying. I have found in conversation that people are blissfully unaware how scumbags look for "nice" neighborhoods and "safe" towns to commit their scumbaggery. This also goes against the argument that "I only carry when I'm going to a bad area." I got news for you, there's no such thing as a safe place in this world.

I live in a "safe" area, in a state known for the crime level to be below the national average, and that doesn't keep the crazies from stabbetry or lunatics from robbery. Be prepared. Always.

The myth, the machine, the shotgun

2012-01-10T17:28:00.003-05:00

I like to test things. If this isn't apparent from my reloading addiction, then I don't know what to tell you. I started this blog almost four years ago basically to test stuff, like the live fire test where I shot a kevlar vest with everything under the sun, and due to a good discussion with a dear friend I am now thinking about what else I can do to test what I consider to be the most misunderstood weapon in the world today: the shotgun.

There are many things stated in regards to this weapon that are perhaps not founded on reality, such as the ever popular "You don't have to aim!" when talking about buckshot in a home defense scenario, or "Just racking the slide makes all badguys wet their britches!," or "It'll knock a grown man clear off his feet!" I've heard these things from drunk old codgers since I was a boy, and I have my own take on them. I've even touched on the home scenario one recently, but it was by no means comprehensive, which is why my mind keeps wandering back to the half dozen sheets of fresh drywall that I'm not using in the basement.

The one I want to address first -- the one that involves my discussion with dear friend -- is that using a shotgun with buckshot is either more or less dangerous than a rifle when used while hunting in close proximity to other hunters. The discussion started over the use of semi-auto rifles vs. shotguns with buckshot; the pervasive thought is that since buckshot is less aerodynamic than a rifle round, with a known limited range, that they are safer to use in the described environment. This comes awfully close to the rant I made just the other day about "shotgun only" hunting areas, but differs in that we're talking specifically about buckshot. Just how pervasive is the thought about safety of shotgun only hunting areas? To again quote the study at that last link:

Of Pennsylvania’s approximate 900 miles of border with other states, it was found that the centerfire rifle was unlawful along the entire boundary with the exception of western Maryland. They found that in no case was any state able to provide definitive information upon which they based their decision. In fact, most reported that they simply responded to the public perception that shotguns were less dangerous than centerfire rifles. At that time, PGC staff found there was no data to support the contention that shotguns and muzzleloaders are any less risky than centerfire rifles. They found, instead, that in the “shotgun-only” states this appears to be “an issue driven by emotion and politics rather than sound scientific data.”2

The concept sits comfortably in the minds of people, but has no weight behind it. I believe it's bunk. To go even further, I have felt that a shotgun is an inherently more dangerous than a rifle in most situations, and have felt that way since I was a boy.

In my youth, I hunted with a group of men that were known to, at times, stretch the limits of safety. We often hunted with hounds, almost exclusively in fact, mostly of the long legged breeds like Walkers or Blueticks which covered lots of ground and pushed deer hard. When an angry hound is gnawing on Bambi's mommas legs at full stride, you can either shoot or you can't; these deer are running as fast as they can, with their bellies mere inches off the ground, and opportunity to get a shot off is extremely limited. In the backwoods of Virginia, the terrain can extremely thick, limiting visibility to several feet at best. They don't call it The Wilderness for nothing. When a deer drive covered one of these areas, a shotgun loaded with buckshot was often the weapon of choice.

Now, in the name of full disclosure, I've always kinda loathed buckshot for two reasons: one, in my mind, it runs counter to marksmanship; and two, in using it you can inadvertently violate rule #4 - be sure of your target and what is beyond it. Shooting buckshot while you're on the ground, all by your lonesome -- sure, it's not hard to keep all the rounds impacting somewhere safe if you happen to shoot some doe who's farting around, oblivious to you sitting up against a hay bale. When you're in close proximity to other living, breathing human beings, with limited visibility, shooting at a fleeting animal, choosing a weapon that fires fifteen rounds or more with every trigger pull in the rough direction of your quarry is not the best choice in my opinion. Yes, you have a higher probability of hitting your target, but with that comes a higher probability of hitting Sumdood who forgot his blaze orange that day.

It was rare occasion that I would tote just a shotgun into the woods on a hunt; most of the time it was slung on my back, with a more elegant weapon in my hands, one made for surgical shots. When hunting amongst other hunters while using a rifle, which obviously has more range, the first thing you do when you get to your place in the drive is to pick out your shooting lanes. These are the directions you are absolutely certain are safe to fire in, where you know that your round will stop someplace safe. Even as a wee lad, I knew this very well; you don't deviate from your shooting lanes for any reason. If a deer comes blowing by and goes into an area where you don't know for certain there's another hunter, you don't shoot. There were very few times I felt that I could shoot safely with buckshot, and when my old man would suggest I use one I would usually look at him like he was smoking crack.

Getting back into the discussion, the argument was going towards which weapon would be better/safer/less lethal/less inconvenient to get hit with if one of your rounds happened to go in the direction of another hunter or occupied area and struck somebody. I prefer my rounds to only go precisely where I aim them, but for argument's sake, how far are buckshot pellets dangerous for? I want to embark on a journey to find out. This may take awhile, but my intention is to chronograph and shoot different shotgun loads at distance, and do the math to find out how safe they really are. My firm belief right now is that buckshot is very much lethal out to at least 500 yards or more, which is why I don't subscribe to the common belief that they are only effective at short distances, and thus safe around other hunters.

Bullets are cool

2012-01-10T14:53:00.002-05:00

I received a box of 6.5mm 123 grain Nosler Custom Competition bullets yesterday and I'm doing mental back flips trying to figure out what powder I'm going to put behind them.

Single base spherical powders like Winchester 748 or Accurate Arms 2520 will give me lots of velocity, but their downside is that they're temperature sensitive; the double base extruded powders are generally insensitive to temperature, though not as much of it fits in the case, lowering velocity. Fish or cut bait?

I've decided to stay with Hodgdon's Extreme lineup of powder, but I can't quite commit to a choice just yet. My options are H322, Benchmark, or H4895, all of which are made of awesome. Consulting with burn charts is about as accurate as talking to the dead, and despite there being a forum dedicated to the 6.5 Grendel, there's not much real data using any of these powders. Most folks are using IMR 8208 XBR like I am, but I came to the conclusion that though it's not temperature sensitive, it's sensitive to something, I'm guessing humidity.

There's no reason at all to not try a different powder with the new bullets, if only for the sake of science. I've already primed the once fired AA brass with (gasp!!) Federal Match primers, instead of the voodoo CCI Magnum primers that everybody and their brother uses. I've yet to see an adequate explanation for them, but that's what's recommended on every gun board. People sure can be fickle, or maybe I'm just a dumb-ass. We will soon see.

From the picture there, you can see the Nosler looks a touch shorter than the 123 grain Hornady AMAX and 123 grain Lapua Scenar, but that does come with its advantages: the super steep boattail and shorter length makes for more room in the case, which the .264 LBC is in need of. So that's the trade off -- a little more powder in exchange for a little less aerodynamics. So, fish or cut bait? The B.C. (ballistic coefficient) of the Custom Competition and AMAX is advertised at .510, while the Scenar comes in at .527, but those are for much higher velocities than the .264 LBC can give, making those numbers not as realistic as one would think.

Are you bored yet? If you haven't noticed, I'm the kind of guy who has ballistics charts just lying around. Just sitting there, all over the place. I'll find some coffee stained drop/drift table that I printed out 8 years ago for a caliber I no longer have, and after reading it over and over for a month, I realize that acquiring a firearm in that caliber will settle the problem that I've manufactured in my head. How much do I have in savings right now? Hmmmmm.

When I decide on a powder and start some load development, of course I'll take pictures and walk you through all the fun! Stay tuned!

I love War Stories

2012-01-09T11:34:00.003-05:00

Entertaining and funny stories are what the internet was designed for, so go over to My Muse shanked me for a tale chicks and bloosuckers. The humor will fix your day!

Want a bona fide M24 sniper rifle?

2012-01-09T08:41:00.002-05:00

The Army will be selling and raffling 4,000 of them off, starting midway through January.

Guns for sale

2012-01-09T08:26:00.001-05:00

Bonnie and Clyde's Winchester Model 1897 and Thompson submachine gun are going to be auctioned off on the 21st of January.

Vigilance to stop gun violence

2012-01-08T20:11:00.002-05:00

My advice to stop violence is to be a responsible man and prevent it from happening in the first place:

Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one. - Luke 22:36

I decided to bend the rules tonight and go with a lamp instead of a candle because it puts out much more useful light. In that regard I also decided not to add another picture of a handgun, but instead a picture of the most useful and deadly tool that I have ever owned: my Marlin Glenfield Model 25, which has honed my shooting skills since I was six. I have shed more critter's blood and fired more rounds with this rifle than all the others combined. Easy. If given just one weapon to walk this world with for the rest of my life, there wouldn't be any hesitation, the Marlin it is.

Besides the rifle and accessories and book, the table is just as it was sitting where my kids play. I thought it was appropriate to use, stickers and dinosaurs and all, as on it rests an inert tool that know I can use with purpose to defend their lives. I keep a handgun for general defense, yes, but the Marlin is fairly capable and light, and would do the job if asked. More importantly, I could feed my family with it for several months with just one $3 box of cartridges, and that matters the most to me.

My baby is clean

2012-01-08T10:01:00.003-05:00

I had forty minutes to spare yesterday evening -- I had hoped for more, but life can be like that sometimes -- so I ran 150 rounds of my 124 grain +P Speer Gold Dots through the P30 to ensure that they function reliably. There are those who say to run 500 or more for that, but I personally feel that anywhere from 100 - 200 rounds is adequate. If you're going to have a problem with a specific load, you'll find out rather quickly.

The sun had been below the treeline for over a half an hour before I fired the last of what I had, so I got to see if there was a flash from this load. There wasn't. I had some old Gold Dots that I think were the short barrel version, and they flashed some, and I had a partial box of 124 grain +P XTPs from Black Hills, and they flashed a lot. I always prefer to test the flash of my carry loads in low light, as with the Nuclear 1911 it was a huge problem. For that reason, I won't carry anything that makes fireballs, as I don't want to be blinded in the rare chance that I would need to shoot to save my life at night.

The Gold Dot bullet breaks into bigger pieces when it hits steel, and I could hear and see bits of it raining down with every shot. Last night was also when I discovered that my weak-hand shooting left much to be desired. I did fine with my strong hand, but had a hard time keeping shots on steel with my left. My draw times were hovering between 1.56 and 1.65 seconds from concealment under a T-shirt. Much quicker than from under a long hoodie. I also put up a cardboard target with a 6" shoot-n-C target to find out where my carry load hits at 30, 40, and 50 yards. I'll take it out all the way to 100 yards one day when I have the time. It's good to know where it hits, just in case.

As you can see, it hits a little to the right, but my grouping was OK considering I was resting my forearms on the back of a cracked lawn chair. I'll have to adjust that to center later.

All in all, I've put 1,112 rounds through this pistol without any problems.

I'm going to start reloading for 9mm in bulk very soon, and I have to place a bunch of orders for powder, primers, and bullets. I have more 9mm cases than I can count, so there's some savings there. I estimate that my cost per 1,000 rounds will run about $110. Time will tell.

A couple of days ago I was loading up some .264 LBC while watching 24 on DVD, and I thought a picture would be appropriate:

Yes, I'm a dork for 24; I have every season including the special 2-hour specials. Something you might not know is that Jack Bauer used a Sig in the first couple of seasons before switching over to a USP. It's old vs new in this pic, and one day I think I'll pickup a USP.

To wrap this up: I decided not to go for the 2,000 round challenge, and cleaned the pistol as it will be some time before I can start cranking out reloads. I'll probably document that when I do it.

Stressed to kill

2012-01-06T15:18:00.002-05:00

Chicago has lost its marbles. The gun ban there doesn't seem to have kept guns out of the hands of scumbags, but maybe it can be said that it's prevented them from good marksmanship.

I'm on a video kick today

2012-01-06T14:45:00.003-05:00

Slow motion gun p0rn:

Some things I took away from this video: the Glock firing confirmed what I had heard previously about the weird ejection pattern that Glocks often have. I had read somewhere from somebody in the firearms industry that slow motion footage shows the empty cases hitting all over the ejection port, making them fly in many different directions. This would be why random cases come back and smack the shooter in the face. Why Glock decided to dicker around with the recoil springs instead of lowering the ejection port on Gen 4 guns is anyone's guess. See how clean the other hadguns throw their cases?

The other thing I noticed can be seen during footage of a shooter firing a full auto battle rifle: the bullet leaves the barrel and recoil shoves the shooter back well before the bolt unlocks, which is why unsupported automatic gunfire (not in a tripod) goes up and to the right. The last time I had to qualify on the M240B, we didn't have a tripod handy, so I had to shoot off the bipods. Getting a passing score was a bitch, even with me putting all my weight into those bipods, and I had to try a couple of times to pass.

More slow motion videos here.

When the sky is torn

2012-01-06T13:46:00.005-05:00

The sound of the 30mm cannon of the A-10 being fired is almost supernatural. It sounds like the sky is being torn in two:

You hear the explosive rounds impacting first, followed by the demonic snarl of the gun's report.

The 20mm cannon on the front of a AH-1W SuperCobra sounds menacing as well; the first time I hear one I thought it was some great Norse war horn or something. And once while watching the stars over Ramadi while enjoying a tasty cigarette I saw a bright red thunderbolt looking monster grow in the sky. It scared me for a second because I had no earthly idea what it was until I heard that tearing sound, and then I heard the twin turbine engines from a F/A-18E SuperHornet. Would not want one of those shooting at me.

Check out this thread at Military Photos.net for some more cool war footage.

Satisfactory answer to a strange question

2012-01-06T13:32:00.002-05:00

This probably doesn't fit well on this blog, but I can appreciate it none the less. It's the real answer to why David Lee Roth insisted on no brown M&Ms. Clever.

Menace to society

2012-01-06T09:27:00.004-05:00

This post is many parts; the lesser of the post being the first, which is that coyotes in King George's county, Virginia are now in an almost continuous open season, and hopefully this will extend to other surrounding counties, as my county is starting to see their population increase. I take issue with some parts of this ordnance, the main one being that if you use a rifle, it has to be larger than .22 caliber. I'd love to see some evidence of how this regulation was established, and would enjoy seeing some bureaucrat publicly defend it. It's asinine. If you frequent predator forums, you'd be hard pressed to miss that hunters note the faster calibers being the ones that put coyotes down quickly, and thus "ethically" like the DGIF official wants. The gist of it is hunters have had well hit coyotes run off after being hit with larger calibers with less velocity, and anchored them well with the same hits with zippy small caliber rifles. Call it what you want, but there's definitely a trend. My guess is that this regulation is put here now to make sure that icky AR rifles don't end up being the killing tool for coyote hunters.

I'm going to go off on a tangent for a minute: this caliber restriction applies to whitetail deer hunting as well, and I've never seen any scientific evidence or studies that show that .22 caliber bullets are less effective than anything larger. The .223 Remington cartridge is a premier deer round in states where it's lawful, but general public ignorance and baseless ordinances have led them to be demonized. I've argued this with people for years, and none of them can offer anything other than "it's not powerful enough." Do you have proof of that claim, because I've seen evidence that says otherwise.

Interestingly enough, many hunters that I've known throughout the years who subscribe to this bullshit tote a magnum caliber rifle that they can't shoot because they flinch with it on every shot, and believe it has more "knockdown power" because it's so biiiiiiiiiiiig. I've tracked a ton of hit deer for them, too, some of them where the hunter felt confident to shoot a 180 lb running doe square in the ass because their cartridge case has a belt, and that bullet will definitely make it to the vitals, sure. "IT'S A GREAT BRUSH GUN!!!!" - my personal favorite. To be blunt, I've tracked more dog-sized Virginia deer hit with a magnum than I can count, but never had to track one hit with a .22 Hornet, .22 Magnum, or .220 Swift. I don't account this fact to the caliber, but to the fact that the trigger man did his job and hit them properly, and did not rely on 30 extra grains of powder, 2 more millimeters, and piss poor shooting to get the job done. Just to ensure that this dead horse is adequately beaten, if you claim that to use a .223 Remington or other similar caliber cartridge on deer, you have to "hit them just right," you are implying that using a larger cartridge means that you don't have to hit them just right. Get it?

Good. Moving on.

The "no hunting on Sundays" is an archaic regulation that needs to be repealed. I don't know where it comes from, but to my knowledge folks believe that God will be angry with them if they're in their treestand on Sunday vice raking leaves or fixing the sink. The Lord didn't smite David for eating the showbread, and I don't think He will condemn Elmer Fudd for sending a ballistic tip through Wile E's guts. If you believe otherwise, then I invite you on a witch hunting journey with me in Salem. It'll be swell! My county this year has had a continuous doe-day this hunting season in a vain effort to control the population, and if they let hunters hunt one more day out of the week, a balance in the herd might be struck. The insurance companies would surely be happy with this concept, as they wouldn't have to shell out millions every year because of all the deer hit by vehicles.

Next up on my list of shit I don't like is this:

King George doesn’t allow the use of high-powered rifles during hunting season. Bullets fired by more powerful weapons travel farther, and that can be dangerous in areas with dense populations or flat terrain, which is the case in King George.Caroline County has the same restriction.

Now, this DOES NOT apply to shooting coyotes in the county -- it's for deer hunters -- but going off on a tangent again (I can do that, you know) I note that this is an asinine regulation, and it's one that plagues many counties around mine. Whoever came up with this should be kicked in the balls. The concept is that rifles are dangerous because the bullet has the potential to go further, so some counties only allow hunting with shotguns and muzzleloaders. The problem with that is that that concept is baseless:

Of Pennsylvania’s approximate 900 miles of border with other states, it was found that the centerfire rifle was unlawful along the entire boundary with the exception of western Maryland. They found that in no case was any state able to provide definitive information upon which they based their decision. In fact, most reported that they simply responded to the public perception that shotguns were less dangerous than centerfire rifles. At that time, PGC staff found there was no data to support the contention that shotguns and muzzleloaders are any less risky than centerfire rifles. They found, instead, that in the “shotgun-only” states this appears to be “an issue driven by emotion and politics rather than sound scientific data.”2

You mean to tell me that laws and regulations subjected on Pennsylvanians was born out of politics and emotion instead of facts? Weird. Don't quote me, but I think this sort of shenanigans has happened elsewhere in the country.

Anyhow, the conclusion from the linked study from Pennsylvania is that shotguns are "more risky" when fired from the ground at a zero degree angle, and Paw Paws 30.06 is "more risky" when fired at an angle, such as from a treestand -- but the risk factor in the study is based on the "danger zone" after the projectile has ricocheted, which is based entirely on the distance that it travels. My point is that who cares if the round ricochets one mile or ten: it's one bullet, and it's dangerous no matter how far it goes before it lands. It would be different if the bullet rained death down on everything below it during its brief flight, whereas the further and longer it flies, the more harm is done. That's not the case though; what we're talking about here is if a hunter fires a rifle at a deer, and the bullet skips off a rock and heads out of the pasture, that if it strikes Timmy in his back yard a thousand yards away it's "more safe" than if the round came down and struck grandma in the next county. Sorry, but that dog don't hunt.

According to the PA study, the criteria for the "danger zone" came from studies done by the US military on the ricochet distance for small arms for military ranges. So yeah, a two mile danger zone behind Edson Range is a good idea because thousands of Marine recruits fire millions of rounds there, and all those rounds will fall in a predictable area. Finding out how big that area is and making sure some developer doesn't build a Kroger there is in the public's interest. How this somehow applies to Elmer and his carbine is anyone's guess; I just don't see how a shotgun slug bounding half a mile is less dangerous than a .30 caliber Accubond skipping two miles. The telling part to me is the chart on page 26, where it shows that the probability of a rifle round ricocheting when fired at a 10 degree down angle is 38%, and the probability of a .50 round from a muzzloader or a shotgun slug ricocheting from the same angle is 91%; what I get from this is that there's less chance of an errant projectile to begin with if I stick with a rifle, damn the distance it flies. Go ahead and look that chart over real well. See how much more probable a ricochet is when you don't use a rifle?

It seems to me that we have the dumbest possible people struggling to make public policy, which I guess is better than letting them figure it out on their own using common sense, or worse, emotion.

My Creator has a sense of humor

2012-01-06T08:09:00.003-05:00

At times he shows it just to amuse us, like in this video from an ARFCOM thread where an opportunistic thug is robbing what looks like a drug store, and hasn't noticed the cop standing in line behind him. Awesomeness!

I mean, there you are on a boring night shift with nothing to look forward to but endless domestic violence calls when you swing in to CVS for a Redbull, and no shit, this little scumbag standing three feet from you starts robbing the clerk at the register. There's no investigative work needed, no looking at cameras, no interviewing witnesses - you get to pull your gun and stuff it in that shit's face, right before repeatedly slamming his resisting ass into the floor and into the parking lot. I'm OK with this. This is how my idea of law enforcement plays out in my head.

I could only imagine the conversation the cop had with his peers at the station later on.

Pucker factor

2012-01-05T09:27:00.001-05:00

From this thread on ARFCOM comes this video:

Whoa dude!

Locks keep out honest people and teenagers

2012-01-05T08:55:00.002-05:00

A building two doors over is under construction and police said the suspect used that. He took the tools that were left behind to break through a wall to get inside the seafood eatery. But then he kept going and broke through another wall, police said, to get into another room where he thought the money was.

I'm surprised it took this long for crooks to figure this out. A brick wall is fairly easy to bust through with a sledgehammer, with reinforced concrete being the only serious barrier for criminals to get through. Residential homes are even easier - in VA in the 90's, many homes being built were only required to have plywood on the corners; the only thing separating a scumbag from your nifty watch collection was plastic siding and foam insulation, all of which can be breached quietly with a utility knife. Knowing this, I used to shake my head at builders who would turn around and install solid oak front doors with six pin locks, to say nothing of sliding glass doors and vinyl windows.

Very few structures in this country will keep out a determined crackhead with primitive tools. If you're shopping for barrier security from Lowes and Home Despot, know that it's only temporary at best.

And I'll survive. I will survive. . . .

2012-01-04T13:24:00.003-05:00

Heheheh - got that song stuck in your head now, huh?!?!

I just saw the trailer for Liam Neeson's new movie The Grey, and it looks saaahweeet! When I think of a SHTF scenario, I don't envision being all tactical clad, beebopping down the street with my 15 lb AR rifle in my Wiley-X gloved hands like I'm cool; I picture something along the lines of this movie.

Not a cause for celebration

2012-01-04T11:55:00.002-05:00

An ambulance breaks down in Detroit, and the EMTs record all the New Year's gunfire going on around them. They (EMTs) were unarmed, stopped cold in the middle of the road in the dark during all of this. Terrifying. While I'm sure it's already unlawful, EMTs should have a personal firearm with them at all times, especially in cities like Detroit.

Moronic statement to start the year

2012-01-03T08:48:00.003-05:00

The shooting renewed debate about a federal law that made it legal to take loaded weapons into national parks. The 2010 law made possession of firearms subject to state gun laws.

Bill Wade, the outgoing chair of the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees, said Congress should be regretting its decision.

"The many congressmen and senators that voted for the legislation that allowed loaded weapons to be brought into the parks ought to be feeling pretty bad right now," Wade said.

This piece of jackassery is in response to the sociopathic gunman who shot and killed a Park Ranger at Mount Rainier park shortly before stripping off what little protective clothing he had and wandering around until he died from exposure. The madman obviously didn't read the law, as shooting up house parties and federal agents and blowing through police checkpoints is illegal. If we are to take Mr. Wade seriously, the gunman may still have left the scene of his previous shooting with his guns, but would have stopped cold when he reached the boundary of the park, as violating firearms law is all illegal and shit.

It's a wonder why his "misconduct discharge", domestic violence charges, pending mental health evaluation, and restraining order didn't bar him from owning firearms. Maybe there should be some laws there which would certainly have prevented this tragedy just like keeping parks gun free would have. It's only common sense.

***ETA: Great minds think alike! A post at Hell in a Handbasket discusses the same shooting and the same moronic statement from Mr. Wade.

New Year's Eve blogger shoot

2012-01-03T07:54:00.002-05:00

This past Saturday I met up with Andy and JB Miller and others for some down-on-the-farm range time, and it was just what we all needed. This marked the first occasion where I got to shoot a suppressed weapon: a Ruger MKII with integral suppressor. That thing is ridiculously quiet, to the point where you get to hear the full sound of the .22 round smacking steel without the encumbrance of muzzle report. I want a suppressor so bad I can taste it.

We shot pistols for awhile first thing that morning to let the dew burn off. I'm happy to report that the P30's flawless round count now stands at 922 rounds, most of it being the 115 grain Federal FMJ that I picked up from ammoforsale.com, which I earlier called "POS" which it isn't; all of it has fired well. From reading up on the LEM trigger, I find that I'm doing it wrong, which explains my tendency to sometimes drop shots low. I will now practice the "rolling trigger" technique to see if it helps my accuracy.

I remembered to bring ammo for the MK12 this time, and it was grouping pretty well at 250 yards. When I first dragged it out, I was proned out on my yoga/impostor shooting mat with the bipod legs set on the ground. After the shooters to my left touched off some .308 Winchester rounds and the blasty concussion was felt, I backed up on the mat a ways and the bipod legs were sitting on it, causing some bounce that is evident in the groups. Even with that, we were holding everything within 2" to 3", and Andy had five or six shots in a row touching. I can't wait to stretch the MK12's legs out even further now that I know it can really shoot.

The Miller's AR10B was hammering steel out to the 250 yard target with ease; everyone that shot it commented on how tight the sights were, and how effortless it was to shoot and get hits. That's why the AR platform is so popular, and known for outstanding accuracy. The Mosin Nagant carbine was again a crowd pleaser, but for different reasons I believe. To me, the rifle is like the .22 rimfire of the battle rifle world, like a fire-and-forget weapon. Ammo is stupid cheap, and being steel cased you could care less about where it ejects. It's also designed specifically for that rifle, so there's no worry about groups or vertical stringing or any of the other stuff that comes with precision rifles. The little carbine was fired until it was scalding hot, ringing the 100 yard steel offhand several times out of ten shots. My guesstimate from the shell casings that made it into my range bag put the round count close to 200 rounds. Recoil from the beast is fierce, with the small profile steel buttplate jamming into your shoulder with each shot. Good times.

The grand finale was when Andy set up fruit for us to shoot. Exploding fruit is fun that has to be experienced, and we were all smiling at the end of the day. Thanks for the trip, Andy!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T09:15:00.003-05:00

I hope y'all are having fun on this fine Sunday. I have a range report to get to sometime today (hopefully at naptime), but until then, go take the Rifle Quiz at the Military Channel.

Range Report

2011-12-28T16:37:00.003-05:00

This is the first bona fide range session I've had since Andy and I went shooting this past summer. All the shooting I've done in between then has been ad hoc, and generally rushed. Today was kinda rushed, but I still clicked off over 500 rounds from the P30, did some more accuracy testing, and tested out the Safariland #27 that I got in the mail yesterday and modified last night.

As always, click on the pictures to make bigger and more beautiful, and also check to see if there's any more pics in my Photobucket account that I didn't post.

The Safariland #27 has been around for a long long time. Rumor has it that Moses used one to CCW his heater past the Pharaoh's guards, and we all know that was a long time ago. It's an inexpensive holster, which means that you can order one and it'll be at your door way before the more expensive holsters arrive. The robust J-hook is very thick and adds to the mass tucked in your waistband, and also isn't the most secure way of retaining the holster. It swivels a bit even if you tighten the allen bolt, so to remedy that I stippled the J-hook with a soldering iron behind where the bolt goes through and it didn't slip at all within the several hours I walked about the house cleaning up after the kids. The #27 doesn't help to tuck the grip in for AIWB carry so I set about adding a wedge to do just that.

My initial design failed, as the wedge I made was not that secure.

My intent was to mount it where the retention screw is, but it moved around too much. I used the plastic from an old muzzle loading stock that I had sitting around by cutting it off with a sawzall, and finishing it using a file and sand paper:

It took some time for me to figure out how to securely place a wedge on the holster without using an adhesive, and my solution was to build a bracket that went from the retention screw to the J-hook screw:

It was cut out of a piece of sheet metal that I had - I don't know the gauge, but I was able to shear it out with incredible difficulty using tin snips in order to keep from waking the rugrats. I had to bend it to match the contour of the holster, and for that I clamped it in a vice to get the initial shape along my contour lines, and put the finishing touches on it with Klein's and channel lock pliers:

I cleaned it up on the belt grinder with a 600 grit belt, and then drilled holes where the plastic gunstock wedge goes:

I truncated the first wedge I made and matched the holes for the bracket; a forster bit counter-sank the holes where the screws ran through:

The bracket was tapped and the screws were run through the wedge into it. The ends of the screws were ground off with a file, and finished on the belt grinder, making sure I kept the whole thing cool by dunking it in water to keep the plastic wedge from melting:

Here's the final product. I added a Bladetech strap instead of the J-hook to make room for the wedge, and also because I find it to be a more secure way to keep the holster on my belt:

My savvy readers will notice that the screws I used look an awful lot like green self-tapping ground screws that have had the outer edge of the head ground off. The whole thing is a little sloppy, and fugly as hell, but I did all this in between diaper changes, sippy cup refills, bathtime, bedtime, and bourbon time, so cut me some slack. Time is not a luxury I have right now, so I measure once and cut once, hoping it all works out in the end.

The holster now keeps the grip tucked into my sucked-in gut quite well:

This is all well and great, CTone, but didn't you mention a range report in here somewhere?

Sure 'nuff, I took all my gear out for a couple of hours to get some rounds on steel:

Any guesses as to where the shrubbery between those steel targets went to? My brothers and their significant others put a metric ton of 9 mil through there every month. Today was my start into some serious shooting using the P30. I started out doing some bench testing for accuracy with the 124 grain+P Speer Gold Dots and the 147 grain +P Federal HSTs. After further review, I'm going to go with the Gold Dots; they shot right to point of aim at 25 yards, and gave me a 1.865" five shot group:

I got great groups from the HSTs as well, but they were not consistent. I shot two groups with them today off sandbags: one measured 1.929" and the other 2.159". Where it was inconsistent was that the point of aim would shift by an inch; this isn't surprising if you pay careful attention to your group average, and not just the tightest one. Each of the HST groups from today and from my earlier shoot would have four rounds almost touching, and one flyer an inch out. If I shot a whole box for accuracy, I bet my group would grow to around 3" to 4".

I ran 500 rounds of 115 grain Federal POS through it for practice drawing from the #27, and I did OK. I draw from concealment, and in today's cold, windy temps, that meant drawing from under my favorite Dickies hoody, which is many years old and stretched out. Sometimes my sleeves would get trapped in between my grip and my hand, slowing my first shot. I also found out that keeping my Leatherman Wave on my belt at 9 o'clock means that it will snag the bottom of my shirt while lifting it during the draw, thus slowing me down. This is why you practice with your gear exactly like you would be wearing it so you know what works and what doesn't.

The LEM trigger is superb if you practice good trigger control, and horrific if you do it wrong. I'm a big fan of that, as it means that if I learn to not half ass any of my shots at any time, I will be rewarded with consistent hits. The P30's grip lends itself to excellent control and follow up shots. I can't say enough good about it. I haven't had a malfunction of any kind, though if I don't get a proper grip, sometimes my strong hand thumb will prevent the slide from locking back on the last round.

Soon I will be back out for some more shooting, and I'll have more pictures and stuff to post then.

Sew what?

2011-12-27T11:53:00.002-05:00

I now have three holsters for this P30 on order, and none of them are here. Humbug.

I stopped into Ganderous Mountainous last week and found a Blackhawk #7 that fit my gun, but it fit very poorly, and was designed with an FBI cant that rides too high for AIWB. My solution was to whip out the ol' Kit, Sewing, Standard Issue and fix the lass. I had to not only set the belt clip for straight drop, but move it up a full inch as well. After that I stitched along the trigger guard and down the dust cover as well to make the gun stay in the holster:

My technique won't win any beauty contests, but it is effective. I now have a cheapy holster that works just fine for quick grocery store carry, and will last me the next few days until I get my Safariland #27 and Bladetech IWB in. I can't leave well enough alone, so I'll be modifying them as well I'm sure.

I'm feeling generous after Christmas this year, so here's some more gun p0rn:

The Spyderco Ladybug is a very well built knife; as well built as their larger blades. That one belongs to my wife, and while she was cleaning out her purse I thought I would snap a pic. Who says size matters?

To all a Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T15:13:00.002-05:00

Slow blogging ahead. Y'all take care!

Watched another episode of Triggers last night

2011-12-23T10:53:00.002-05:00

I have to record the few shows I watch because of the Noggin channel, and I got around to watching the episode of Triggers which covered artillery. I was fascinated. If you want to get an idea of what the show is about, check out this link where there are lots of video clips from the show.

I read all things military (at least I used to), but one of the areas that I have always neglected is the King of Battle. This doesn't mean I don't respect it; it's just that I've never taken an interest in what the cannon-cockers do for a living. I should have. Cannons and howitzers are as cool as cool can be, and any hoplorite that's worth their salt should be drawn to the big guns.

So how about a story? STORY TIME! Yaaaaaaaay CTONE!! Grab your juice boxes and blankets and come sit next to me.. . .

I was stationed at Camp Lejeune, and my company was in the field testing a piece of equipment to see whether it sucked or not. We had just finished setting up our site at our assigned training area -- I mean, literally, we had just finished hammering in the last GP tent pin -- when we were told to tear down the sight and move to a new training area. Word was that there was a mix up, that hunters were assigned this particular area that day, and the butter-bars (junior officers) in the head-shed (command center) were worried some incompetent bow hunter would sneak within 30 yards of our parking lot sized camp and send a broadhead sailing through the heart of a lance coolie in a case of mistaken identity. Yeah, I know.

Our newly assigned training area was up against the 15' high berm of an impact area where high explosive artillery rounds are fired into. You can already see where this is heading -- because of the fear of bow hunters, which have to sneak up within spitting range of their quarry, we were relocated to the outer edge of where 100 lb steel shells filled with explosives are fired into from miles away, all in the name of safety. Such is the way of the Marine Corps, I guess.

Well, as it turns out, that impact area was very active that day, with several guns firing shells late into the night. Weird, I know. The sound of those rounds coming in and impacting is extremely unnerving, and has to be heard to understand. They seemed like they were hitting only a hundred yards away, but I'm sure they were at least one click (1,000 meters) or more from us as there was a tower with a direct view of the impacts, and they knew we were there. Danger close fire is within 600 meters, only done in dire circumstances in combat, and the range master definitely wouldn't allow that during training.

I was fast asleep in my little Eureka! tent as soon as the sun went down, as I had watch that night and wanted to get some rest. I had an awful cold, as I do right now, and my sinuses were completely clogged, and mouth breathing was giving me a sore throat. To top that off, about every ten minutes one of the guns would send a flare in to light up the area so the impacts could be seen by the tower and forward observer. I was miserable.

I don't recall exactly what time, but early that night one of the artillery rounds came in short, and struck just on the other side of the crest of the berm which was forty yards from my tent. I shot up like somebody had just stabbed me in the ass, and about 8 ounces of warm snot dumped out of my head and down my chest, compliments of the round's concussion. I didn't see the round hit, but several of my buddies who were sitting right outside of my tent sure did. The berm had done its job that night and took most of the force, leaving a bit of smoke and dirt raining down on us. Everyone was way more serious from that point on, and we all took a bit of respect for artillery home with us.

Howitzer shells are no joke, and I'll never forget that experience.

Back to the show, I learned a bunch of stuff that I didn't know, like cannon fuses were sometimes made by filling goose quills with gun powder. There was a part where Wil asks the commander of a French gun why he had to turn towards the bore counter-clockwise with the cartridge shell to load it, when it would be easier to turn clockwise. The officer tells him that during the American Civil War, sharpshooters would watch the guns closely for this exact moment, and were very successful at shooting the shell in the hands of the loader before it could be stuffed into the bore, thus detonating it and killing the gun crew. Apparently the sharpshooters were so good at this, that doctrine was changed to conceal the shell until the last possible moment before handing it to the loader, who didn't argue about why he had to turn counter-clockwise. Pretty cool.

I don't get all that excited about a TV show any more, but I thoroughly enjoy this one. It's a full hour, and I get to learn some stuff.

What goes around, comes around

2011-12-23T09:53:00.003-05:00

I have been in a perpetual state of sickness for a month now. The problem is that one of my kids will get sick and pass it on to another after a week or so, which means that I've been holding a sick child that constantly coughs in my face for several weeks. It took awhile for my immune system to be overwhelmed, and now every time I start to recover, another one of my spawn will send the germs right back on my six.

"I can't shake him, Goose!"

I'm tired of eating cough drops and just want to be well!!

Booooooolits!

2011-12-23T09:49:00.003-05:00

Nosler went and did me a huge favor and released a 123 grain Custom Competition match bullet in 6.5mm. Saahweeet! The CCs use a J4 jacket which is thinner than most match bullets, meaning that they expand when they hit the sweet sweet flesh of delicious animals. Also, they come in affordable packs of 250 bullets!

Looks like I'll be testing some of those puppies out in the MK12 here in the very near future.

Guns Guns Guns

2011-12-21T15:13:00.000-05:00

No talk, all action photo thread of guns.

They say advertising helps

2011-12-21T10:43:00.003-05:00

An appropriate cartoon at War on Guns shows how a store can quickly lose business.

When I was on the hunt for a dive watch, I got the idea to go to Jared because they carry a much larger selection of watches than the local mall. I had never been to one, and as my hand touched the door handle I spotted their "No Guns" sign, making me about-face on the balls of my feet and get back into my car.

The logic of such signs may make sense to some people at first glance, with the desire to not have armed maniacs visiting places that sell expensive jewelry, but they have never considered that said maniacs don't care about the signs during the course of armed robbery, if they are even literate enough to read them to begin with. Like it makes sense to prevent a scumbag from using a firearm to violently steal from a store by posting a sign telling them not to.

But why would someone neeeeeeeed to carry a gun to shop for jewelry? CTone, it just seems so silly! Well, consider that a shopper going into a jewelry store, where merchandise has heavier price tags than say, the dollar store, is very likely to have large amounts of currency on their person; and people leaving the store are likely to have small and highly valuable property in their possession. If you try to think like a criminal, if you were looking for the maximum payout for the holiday season, would you be looking to select a victim from Jiffy Lube, or Jared? Making sense now, huh?

Same thing with banks. Only a criminal would carry a gun to a bank, I've heard it said. Well, that's thinking like a criminal too, as people that harbor that mindset don't see a gun as a defensive weapon for preservation of life, but as an offensive tool to hurt somebody. Shame on you. Sit in a bank parking lot for a couple of minutes and watch who goes in and out. There is a high likelihood that those individuals are flush with cash. A Piggly Wiggly, not so much.

TAC TV

2011-12-21T08:35:00.002-05:00

I finished up the two part series last night where Larry Vickers torture tests two Glock pistols: a 3rd gen Glock 17 and a 4th gen Glock 17. While there are countless stories and posts of people torturing Glocks and AR15s, Larry Vickers' tests are epic and educational. There was no disappointment in both the Glock 17 tests, or the Daniel Defense carbine tests; the rifle from the latter test I personally saw at this year's Modern Day Marine Convention, and it looked like hell. I took a cellphone pic, but it turned out to be blurry.

***Spoiler alert: if you want to watch the video and find out for yourself what the outcome was of the Glock 17 tests, take a hike.

There were some of the usual tests, like freezing the pistols in water, burying them in dirt, tossing them in muddy water, and running them over with a truck. All in all, they never failed to fire. In part 1, Larry had the truck run over both of the loaded magazines on concrete. That was telling; the magazines bulged a bit, with the 4th gen magazine baseplate looking mangled. They still fired great, and I note that each pistol used the same magazine for all the tests. Another interesting part is when Larry shot the pistols with #8 shot from a shotgun at 15 yards. It stippled the polymer grips, but didn't break them. Both guns were thrown (loaded, for every test) from a helicopter at 500 feet, and as can be expected, both guns ran fine when they were recovered, and right before that test they were both thrown from a moving vehicle onto gravel. Besides being scratched up, the guns were fine.

The test that separated the men from the boys, so to speak, is when Larry detonated 30 lbs of tannerite about three feet away from a mannequin with both pistols holstered. The decision was made to have them in kydex holsters because this is how cops and the military transport their sidearms. A coffee cup sized jar of tannerite makes a decent sized explosion, and the Glock employees who were present for this test were obviously not prepared for the size bang that they got; it was enough to turn a car into a john boat, if it had been done that way. It took the crew awhile to find both guns -- the 3rd gen fired just fine; the 4th gen's slide had come partially off, which took a minute to get back on, and the trigger was blown away. Larry cycled the slide a few times, loaded one round, and fired the gun using a multi-tool in lieu of the trigger. Very impressive.

It's possible that other firearms can take this sort of abuse and still function, but it's telling to actually see it, which is good advertisement for Glock. When the conversation of guns turns to "torture test", usually the image of Glock comes up, since Glock owners gleefully beat them up just to find out what it takes to make them stop ticking. I've found this thought process applies to Cold Steel knives as well; there are plenty of hard core knives out there that will take punishment, but Cold Steel does a comprehensive test on all their knives every other year. Say what you want to about it, but Glock and Cold Steel definitely put their money where their mouth is, and I continue to support them.

That's not the half of it

2011-12-21T07:58:00.002-05:00

I'm amazed that there's such a response to the Fed Ex guy throwing a computer box over a fence. If that bothers anybody, their minds would be blown if they ever witnessed what goes on in the distribution centers.

Many moons ago I worked in a UPS distro center as a box kicker, and man, did I see some shit. The process of unpacking and packing boxes into trucks is nowhere near gentle, even if you are careful. You're talking thousands of packages an hour have to be shoved violently out of a truck onto rollers and conveyors, and then shoved violently back into another truck. This is done as fast as the human body will allow, and UPS doesn't issue you kid-gloves, nor do they issue common sense. I've seen heavy steel farm equipment loaded right on top of stacks of Gateway computers, boxes marked 'fragile' on every corner get stuck at the junction between conveyors and sheared clean in half, and boxes fall off conveyors into the dark abyss below, never to be seen again. It happens.

Now, some of the stuff that people see fit to send through the mail is nothing short of unbelievable. I never had live bees come through my center, like the USPS, but I do recall a live goldfish sent in a clear glass tank with plastic wrap rubber-banded around the top and a shipping sticker stuck to the side. That had to be some sort of sick test to see if it would get broke. We had a giant box of pink rubber dildos break open on a conveyor one morning; there had to have been 500 or more of them tumbling and fumbling all over the place, getting hung up on the belts, and nobody had any interest in grabbing ahold of them to put them back in, if you know what I mean. You never can tell what's in the faceless brown boxes until they bust open, spilling a thousand New Kids on the Block CDs or leopard print negligees all over the place. The worst was lip balm; break open a box of that and you would have a huge mess. By far the most destroyed item was Sylvania fluorescent light bulb tubes; those you could identify by their box, and, no lie, they were on every single truck. I would just shake my head at the stupidity of sending those through the mail - eight out of every ten boxes would be completely crushed, with white powdered glass leaking from the corners. I didn't know where the origin of the stupidity was -- from somebody who thought it was safe to mail them, or UPS continuing to accept them knowing they would have to compensate whomever for all the destroyed boxes.

If you think your mailman is rough with your stuff, you can't imagine what goes on where you can't see. Fed Ex box-kickers probably put luggage handlers to shame when it comes to putting their hands on your property, so I wouldn't get all worked up over the delivery guy. Believe me, you don't really want to know what Brown does for you.

One shot, one kill

2011-12-20T15:01:00.002-05:00

My brother emailed this video to me of a convenience store owner in Turkey who shoots a knife wielding attacker. This video is somewhat graphic, as the attacker slashes a man's throat and repeatedly slashes at two other men. ***Warning: NSFW -- Graphic***

The store owner takes his sweet time getting his pistol into play, but when he does he makes a fatal (I think) single shot on a moving target after being stabbed and hacked. Pretty impressive. I think that keeping your sidearm in condition one on your person at all times is the way to go.

Just when you thought your day was difficult

2011-12-20T14:28:00.002-05:00

At any given moment, some lunatic in a space suit could be calmly eating clam chowder through a straw in his helmet, not all that concerned that he couldn't possibly eject should his unarmed and unarmored glider take a missile shot fired in anger from a point over 70,000 feet below him. That such folks exist in the first place is even more amazing.

A snake has its rattle, a bee has its stripes. . . .

2011-12-20T12:27:00.004-05:00

And some store owners "get it," as this sign captured in a photo by Ragin' Dave at Peace or Freedom shows. Giving notice is the godly thing to do.

Reinventing the steel

2011-12-20T11:42:00.002-05:00

Good album; and also a way to make something old new again. I didn't realize that steel cases could be reloaded, but Mike at Mike's Spot talks you through all the important stuff that you need to know to load steel.

Of course, my imagination is asking the question of whether steel cases will allow more powder than brass cases, and also whether steel will handle higher pressures. I sometimes like to push the envelope during load development, and if I can jam another grain or two of powder in the case or load up another 3k psi above SAAMI specs, then I'm all about it.

Know your snipers

2011-12-19T13:48:00.001-05:00

A list of the top ten snipers in history.

Found at Ace of Spades.

Dies ist meine pistole

2011-12-19T07:42:00.005-05:00

My HK P30 has finally arived. Unfortunately, the Bladetech holster that I ordered has not, as in-stock items doesn't apply to relatively new H und K products. Because of that, I couldn't do any draws, so I stuck with testing out some defensive ammo to see what it likes.

A few months ago I ordered 1k rounds of 115 grain Federal ammo from Ammoforsale.com. The price couldn't be beat. I also ordered some 147 grain Federal HST +P, 147 grain Winchester Ranger-T, 124 grain Speer Gold Dot +P, and 124 grain Remington Golden Saber +P Bonded from wherever I could get it in 50 round boxes. I ran these loads through my chronograph, but I'll have to update this post with both the exact velocity information and group measurements as I don't have it at my fingertips at the moment. I shot two 5-shot groups for accuracy at 25 yards, which let me get the aftermarket Meprolight Tru-Dot sights dialed in.

The P30 didn't like the Ranger-Ts all that much; velocity was around 980 fps and the accuracy was consistently at just over 3". That's about what it gives the Glock 17, so I wasn't surprised. The Golden Sabers were stringing vertically, with by groups running over 3", but only because of flyers. The best four for both GS groups ran around 2.5", and I blame my shooting on the fact that I forgot to bring my folding table to shoot off of, and had to resort to using the back of my smiley face chair as support while crouching. Not the greatest setup for accuracy. Velocity for the GSs was near 1,150 fps. The Gold Dots had a couple of flyers too, but I think they can be counted on to shoot ten rounds into 2" or less, and velocity was about 1,178 fps if I recall. These rounds shot exactly to point of aim, while everything else shot a bit high. I'm a big fan of the Gold Dots, and they may become my carry load if I have any issues from the HSTs:

As you can see from the shot holes marked with a sharpie line, the first group was a scootch under 2" for the best four if you discount that one flyer, but the second group measured 1.3" center to center. Velocity averaged 1,047 fps. This load also felt pretty mild, with the 124 grain +Ps giving a noticable amount of snap. For fun, I shot a Gold Dot and an HST through four layers of denim and into water jugs to see if they would expand:

I only had six water jugs, and the Gold Dot penetrated into the 5th jug, destroying the first one. So I did what any good ol' Virginia boy would do in such a situation and duct taped the shot holes. Get a good look at my jugs:

Yes, I'm ghetto, but it worked well enough. The HST went clean through three jugs and stopped up against a fourth:

The Gold Dot went further because it didn't open up as much.

I don't have the exact measurements at hand at the moment, but the Gold Dot was in the mid .5"s and the HST was in the upper .6"s in average diameter. At the widest point the HST measured .712", which is pretty amazing for a 9mm bullet. I tried to put enough tape on the remaining water jugs to test a 90 grain Gold Dot from the Kel-Tec P3AT, but the last jug lost enough water that the round went through and was unrecovered. It did make it through the denim and two full jugs, and the exit hole on the last jug looked like the bullet had expanded quite a bit. Velocity was 989 for an average of five shots if I recall.

To finish off the short range trip I clicked off two boxes of the 115 grain Federals. I did get velocity data off of those as well, and I'll post them later. Since I didn't have a holster, I kept the gun low and would do some push-outs to see how the transition from Glock to HK trigger would go. The P30s LEM V2" 5.5ish trigger pull is much longer than the Glock, and the reset is basically all the way forward. There's a bunch of light takeup before it tightens up, and another 1/16th of an inch breaks the shot. It's not bad, and I can definitely get used to it, but I did find myself short stroking the trigger a few times, and I would often pull shots low. I found that when I pressed the gun forward onto the target, it worked best if I took all the slack out of the trigger before coming to full extention, and then breaking the shot right as the sights were lined up.

I'm a big fan of the interchangable grip panels on the P30. It surprised me on which ones I ended up using; I have the small backstrap on, with a large left panel and medium right panel. If I close my eyes and press the unloaded pistol out in front of me, when I open them the sights are perfectly level every time. I did this over and over with the small and medium backstrap until I was certain the small one was the way to go, and I practiced working the trigger in my basement at the Huron target Mike W. and Nancy gave me (no offense to Hurons). There's 8" of reinforced concrete behind it, so that's what I snap in on in the abundant free time that I have:

The differences in size between the P30 and the Glock 17 are mainly in the slide length, with the grip being slightly shorter and less of an angle with the P30:

The P30 is basically right in between the Glock 17 and Glock 19 in grip length (closer to the G19), and the slide is a touch shorter than the Glock 19. Perfect carry size. Once I get the Bladetech in, I'll modify it into an atrocity like my Glock 17 holster and carry it until my Custom Carry Concepts Shaggy holster comes in sometime in the distant future. As promised, here's the abominable G17 holster:

It's ugly as sin but it works great. Don't judge!

I'll have more range reports to follow in the near future, hopefully. I'll have some time off after Christmas, and I plan on shooting as much as possible. I still want to sandbag this gun from a bench to see if I can shrink those groups a bit, but it looks like the HST is going to be my carry load. I also plan on testing out the V4 springs that I have for it to see if I like a heavier trigger pull.

New show on the Military Channel worth watching: Triggers

2011-12-16T11:12:00.003-05:00

Finally, a show that has very little to do with Hitler, Nazis, or ten-minute abs: Checkout Triggers: Weapons that Changed the World.

There's a good bit of chest-beating 'yo-'bro stuff in there, and I did find it to have some cliche stuff like "knockdown power" and the like, but there's a ton of shooting stuff on full auto in slow motion, so it's like totally worth it brah. You may not be smarter at the end, but I gaurantee you will be entertained.

Ride the lightning

2011-12-16T08:33:00.002-05:00

An amazing story about a Marine pilot forced to eject over something more frightening than enemy lines.

Found at Ace of Spades.

Never again

2011-12-15T08:52:00.003-05:00

In the 28 hours that it took for my name to be approved for a new firearm transfer, I came to the conclusion that I will not go through that process ever again. Though I did willingly consent beforehand, and He who derives a benefit from a thing, ought to feel the disadvantages attending it, I've had my fill, and will stick with private sales from here on out. A man should never feel so convicted in his heart that he questions whether he is a criminal or not, or questions who he is. It is unconscionable.

To be clear, I do not blame those within the Virginia State Police or FBI who administrate background checks, as they are not the ones who placed the repulsive concept of pre-criminalization on us; that blame lies with the greater American public first and foremost for not only agreeing to this insanity up front, and perpetually consenting to it, but for also continuing to demand it, under the naive belief that scumbags would be eradicated if we could only ensnare them with a piece of paper. I'm ashamed of myself that I ever fell under that criteria.

Last night I was doing mental backflips trying to find out what it was that would make a state and federal government hesitate to approve of a transfer. Though nobody could tell, as I have a knack for taking physical, mental, and emotional punishment with a calm demeanor, I was questioning myself over and over until I was actually thinking "what did I do wrong?" It was there where I realised I had left the Line of Departure into a hostile place that I had no business being.

I recall a time when I was in sunny Ramadi, talking to my beautiful wife on a private, Iridium satellite phone, when she told me she was delayed for a transfer for a handgun. To say she was upset is an understatement, and no doubt she was feeling exactly like I was last night: convicted. Though she had harmed no one, she combed through her past out loud to me, searching for a crime she didn't commit. I tried to convince her that everything was OK, and it did turn out to be -- that moment was my first warning notice of how harmful a background check could be, and I missed it. A dear friend of mine, who was instrumental in keeping me grounded last night, was also delayed on a gun purchase some time ago, and he also felt the same convicting thoughts -- that was the second notice that I again missed. Last night was final notice.

Whether you've ever bought a gun or not, or have any intention to, feeling convicted of something you didn't do is something everyone has probably experienced at one time. It's similar to the feeling of being falsely accused of something; not a - "you're a poopie-head" accusation, but a serious one, like - "you stole from me, didn't you?!?" The latter has the tendency to cut very deep. Having to explain yourself and why you're not in the wrong used to be a viscerally unnatural act. There was a time where it used to be a man would recoil at such a thing, as it was against all human nature to stand quietly in the face of an accusation -- "Are you calling me a liar?" Perhaps it's "reality shows" and bad TV that has put us into the mindset of constantly defending who we are, that I'm-right-and-you're-wrong, and getting comfortable with conflict and confrontation in situations we do not belong in. I don't know about y'all, but I am done putting myself in the middle of situations like that.

So now I'm here, having passed through the eye of the needle, and before too long somebody will come across this post and scoff "Big deal. Get over it. It's for the greater good. Getting criminals off the street is worth making millions of good people go through a background check." My retort is to try it sometime. If you get approved in two minutes, close enough to "instant" I guess, then you most likely won't get the full effect and have an understanding. Consider though that very few transfer denials are even prosecuted (also note in there that ATF agents didn't feel that most of the prohibited persons were dangerous enough to timely retrieve a sold gun). If you still feel that catching a handful of people that probably aren't dangerous is worth criminalizing tens of millions of Americans every year, then you can have the system. Hook, line, and sinker. As for me, I'm out.

Beauty is in the eyYOW! MY EYE!!

2011-12-14T14:51:00.002-05:00

While it is very intricately made, and pretty neat considering the machining involved, the price of $800 made me snort and laugh at the same time. "Art" is the best word for it; I don't see any utility whatsoever here:

Oh Microtech. How far you've fallen. . .

Knife review

2011-12-14T14:18:00.001-05:00

The TOPS Knives USMC Combat Knife. Looks pretty sexy to me.

Virginia Irritating Criminal Background Check System

2011-12-14T08:24:00.002-05:00

I already know the problem here: I'm not a criminal, so I must not qualify for the "instant" part.

in·stant
[in-stuhnt]
noun
1. an infinitesimal or very short space of time; a moment: They arrived not an instant too soon.
2. the point of time now present or present with reference to some action or event.

Considering that the word doesn't match reality in regards to the situation here, I have substituted a more descriptive word for the system. If you still don't see why people like myself bitch about these background checks, let me just direct you to the information page for Virginia's VCHECK system:

This program became operational on November 1, 1989, and provides for a timely, point-of-sale, approval or disapproval decision regarding the sale or transfer of all firearms (except antiques) based upon the results of a criminal history record information (CHRI) check concerning the prospective purchaser pursuant to§18.2-308.2:2 of the Code of Virginia.

Emphasis mine. The VSP cannot now say that their background check system is timely, because my transaction last night was not approved before the store closed, thus violating the point-of-sale stipulation. Furthermore, if there isn't an approval or disapproval decision, the system has failed to work as required.

I heard from the dealer that ran the background check for my HK P30 last night that delays in the state were so bad, gun shows were reporting a 50% loss on sales. The VCDL is reporting significant hangups as well. I guess Tim Kaine got what he wanted after all, as I now have a gun that's paid for but not in my hands because of bureaucratic red tape. Way to go. But if it catches one violent criminal, it's all worth it, right? (That's a joke)

Can anyone in the class explain to me how a vague, half-assed system intended to catch a criminal for a crime they may or may not commit is not as destructive as inhibiting lawful commerce and transfer of property? Anyone?

"Oh, but CTone, what if some badguy was trying to buy a handgun to go on a murder spree; wouldn't you want them to be delayed or denied?" I'll answer that right after you answer this: what if a soccer mom was trying to buy a handgun to protect herself from her already armed ex-spouse who has intent to do her serious bodily harm or kill her? Is it fine and dandy for her to be delayed to? Which scenario do you think happens more often? The "what if" game cuts both ways, and I highly doubt these background check systems actually help convict criminals. Fortunately, there's a push to rid Virginia of their redundant, needless, and ineffective system, and I can only hope that with time, the nation will shed this ludicrous idea of pre-criminalizing persons for crimes they haven't committed.

I'm a member of the Old Dominion Chapter

2011-12-13T10:56:00.002-05:00

What Chapter of the Hoplorati are you in?

Mommas, don't let your hippies grow up to be toilet technologists

2011-12-12T08:10:00.004-05:00

As much as it angers me to do it, I have to again revisit the topic of toilets because this shit is pissing me off (the pun - flows through me, it does)!!

This is in no way gun related, but it has to be said.

The idea of low flow toilets had to have been conceived by stinky hippie engineers who dreamed of an invention to torture the common man. Little did they know about the severe water overuse in B.F., Virginia because toilets in a certain commercial building were flushed at least three times per use. There are babies suffering somewhere, in some forgotten country probably ending in -stan, because of this insane overuse of water here. Trust me.

Secondary to the malicious intent of torturing mankind and making foreign babies suffer is the thought that by making toilets use less water, somehow polar bears and penguins would have more ice to sit on. Or some shit like that. Saving water is what hippies do, damn the reasons and consequences, and they thought that that end could be accomplished in the engineering department of American Standard. What they in fact did is create toilets that have to be flushed, re-flushed, and re-flushed again, and possibly re-flushed several more times in order to achieve the same outcome as a toilet that uses twice as much water in one flush, which runs counter to the "low flow" label that they're branded with.

"High efficiency," my ass.

When using a toilet in the building where I work, there are always leftovers if you dare to check. Every single time. Before you even use the toilet, the very first thing you have to do is flush; and once you're done, it's a mandatory two flushes at the very least, and there will still be leftovers. And if your portion size is. . . .ummmm. . . let's say larger than industry standard, sometimes you wind up with a turd stuck fast to the side of the bowl that a measly 1.6 gallons of water just can't dislodge. That's a fact. With all the snorting toilets in the men's room, and the muffled toilet snorts heard through the wall from the ladies room, you would think a sounder of agitated warthogs lived here.

So the end result is that more water is used instead of less, which could all have been avoided by leaving toilet technology well enough alone; something some folks just can't seem to do. Accept that there are some things in life that can't be improved upon: take forks for example (You now associate turds with forks. Thanks, CTone!). There isn't anything that can be done to improve how forks function. Forks design has stayed pretty much the same for hundreds of years, if not thousands, but you can bet that some hairy toed hippie has thought of shortening the fork's tines to make people use less food or something, and thus save the moose. Following in that logic, maybe we can save the Teamster population by making shovels smaller, too; or make poop disappear just as well as 3.5 gallons by using half as much.

Fix it! Or at the very least, add a selector switch. I mean, we have adjustable gas blocks. Why not adjustable toilet flow regulators?

"Oooof. This one's gonna be a doozie! Better switch from "standard" to "dirty.""

Strike while the irony is hot

2011-12-09T12:50:00.003-05:00

This is too good:

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — The president of New Hampshire’s Plymouth State University told students Thursday they don’t have to come to class Friday because activists may appear on campus with loaded guns to protest the school’s ban on weapons on campus.

Whaaaaaaat?!? Those rebels! Anyone who would willingly break the law must have ill intent!

Later, the two said the weapons would not be loaded and would have trigger locks and other safety devices on them, the university said.

You mean these hooligans gave advanced notice to the university that the firearms they intend to bring to their claimed peaceful protest will have locks on them and be in plain view? Ms. Steen, you did the right thing. Who knows if these outrageous people will suddenly change their mind, unlock those weapons, load them, and then take out as many innocents as possible, their cause for safety be damned.

Safety first, I always say. And nothing is more useful towards safety than ensuring that non-violent folks who pass out literature regarding unsafe university policies don't have an audience. That's safer than safe. I would go so far as to personally write each student and staffer a day-pass from class on bubble wrap, so their finger tips don't get bruised when I handed it to them. Of course, I would announce this privilege softly so as to not panic the herd.

There is no need for bravery in this new world, as plans are in the works to start a society where fear has been forbiden, and it will be enforced.

Look, the only people who should be authorized to carry a weapon on campus are cops. Since these boys haven't been highly trained to handle the icky things, they have no business with weapons of death -- locked or not. Wait, what?

Jardis resigned from the Epping Police Department last year after he apparently was suspended, the Union Leader reported in 2010.

Oh. Well. . . .maybe he forgot all that training. It's well known that once you leave the force, you revert back to being a drooling moron like the rest of us. Come. . . join our ranks, good sir!

I only wish I lived in a country where I have to make stuff like this up.

They mostly come during the full moon. . .mostly

2011-12-09T08:30:00.004-05:00

Well well well. The weirdos sure came out of the woodwork yesterday. The Virginia Tech shooting still leaves many unanswered questions, but there are people out there who will gladly answer them:

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - The Virginia Tech shooting on Thursday brings up an interesting topic back in the Hoosier State. An Indiana lawmaker wants to allow guns on college campuses.

Sounds like a plan. I like it. Then along comes some yayhoo to poo-poo the idea without really thinking about what they're saying:

"Police of all types are trained for situations like the one that occurred at Virginia Tech. Students with gun permits are usually not."

Trained for what situation? The one yesterday? I don't think anyone has said that carrying a weapon for personal defense guarantees your survival, as can be seen with the slaying of the officer. Police officers are trained in policing, not getting ambushed. As for the 2007 VA Tech massacre, what is he suggesting? That police officers are trained to be shot in a classroom? Sure, cops have been trained to pool their resources together and hunt down an active shooter, but nobody is saying that students need a personal arm for that because finding and stopping a crazed gunman is not their job. It's has nothing to do with it. The concept of a student keeping a firearm for an active shooter scenario is that they won't be standing there with their dick in their hand if a shooter busts into the room shooting.

We see this time after time after time from ignorant cops, lawmakers and the media: blurring the lines between what a SWAT team uses firearms for -- offensive tactics -- and what everyone else (the general public) uses them for -- defensive tactics. The difference between the two is that cops on a SWAT team are generally not attacked without warning while peacefully receiving instruction in a classroom. If a student or teacher need their weapon, they won't need to go looking for the bad guy; the bad guy will be trying to systematically murder people several feet away. They won't be hard to spot.

"[For police] To come and find several people with guns drawn and to try and decide in a split second whether or not that person is acting appropriately or not would be almost impossible for a responding officer," Bill Mercier of the ISU Police Department said.

If an armed student gets in a shootout with a gunman, how long does Officer Mercier expect this to go on for before his merry men with guns get there? It's known to take a long time for the cops to respond, which is why law enforcement went from "wait for the SWAT team" like at Columbine, to "four man fire team of responding officers" like before the VA Tech massacre, to "first officer on scene goes after the shooter" -- time. The longer it takes for guys with guns to put holes in the psycho, the more lives the psycho will take. That highly trained law enforcement element that is equipped to handle an armed, murderous gunman arrive well after the shooter has had his way with his victims, which doesn't do much good for the poor folks trapped in the room with him. That goes for non-active shooter scenarios like forcible rape, aggrevated assault, robbery, savage mob beatings, and the like, too.

Take note that in yesterday's shooting at VA Tech, 15 minutes went by before anyone even called in that the cop had been shot in broad daylight in a parking lot. And whoopidee-doo that the responding law enforcement team had automatic weapons, body armor, radios, and wanted to find the bad guy and kick his ass; the gunman had finished the job and killed himself. The cavalry aren't there when the shooting starts -- the students are, hiding under a desk hoping to not get shot in the back of the head, because that's their only option. Of all the mass shootings in recent history that I recall, the Fort Hood shooting is the only one I know of where responding officers were there in time to exchange fire with the ~~workplace violence guy~~ crazed muslim extremist, and that attack was ironically in a place full of Soldiers who are trained to go after scumbags with firearms but were unarmed by shitty base policy.

Then we have the qualified experts weigh in:

Student Government President Nick Utterback says this isn't a law the SGA hopes to pass. "Just allowing more students to carry guns on campus with a permit that is easily obtained is just a dangerous situation for everyone," Utterback said.

And you qualify your claim with. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .cricket. . . . . . cricket. . . . . . cricket.

That's right, nothing. If you make the personal choice to not have the means to prevent your untimely death via spree shooter, then good on you. You're right. Seriously. There's no wrong answer there, because it's your life; and to be quite honest there's a super small chance you will ever need that weapon and it's a huge pain in the ass to carry it. It's also a major responsibility, which is why very few students would likely chose to carry a firearm anyways, which is why this whole fiasco of allowing them amounts to nothing. Conversely, the few students that find it's worth the inconvenience to carry a weapon to protect their gift of life, and embrace the responsibility that comes with it. . . .well, those are the very people you would want sitting next to you when Jijadi Jim Jr. decides he's had enough of the infidel's poisonous teaching and starts shooting up the joint, and to be brutally honest, you don't possess the right to tell them that they can't.

What this boils down to is cops like officer Mercier can only see things from their own point of view, and haven't taken the time to consider what it's like for those who's job is not law enforcement. Or playing music:

"I can't stand up and dictate to the world: 'it's over -- no more guns'.

Yeah, because that would turn the world back to the peace and love that it used to be:

Look at all those joyfull people who blessedly haven't been exposed to firearms. What a wonderful time it was for all.

Gesturing to the statue, he said: "It was a bad day. But it was a bad day because someone took one of these and shot John."

Yes, Ringo, before those evil guns were created the world was a swell place because mankind hadn't figured yet how to hand out bad days.

For Ringo so loved the world that he gave his only begotten opinion. I'm not impressed.

The venerable .22 Long Rifle

2011-12-08T11:36:00.002-05:00

Still seems to catch the appreciation of shooters everywhere. After shooting that very same rifle, I was sold hook, line, and sinker on the Ruger 10/22, and it wasn't long after I was the proud owner of one.

Here's to hoping the good ol' .22 rimfire rounds will be setting the stage for good shooting for centuries to come!

Seven years. . . .

2011-12-08T09:14:00.004-05:00

It doesn't seem like it's been seven years since the murder of one of the world's most talented guitarists. I realize that he played in a musical niche that most people don't care for, or even appreciate, but I didn't take it too well when he was killed.

"Dimebag" Darrel Abbott was killed on stage this day in 2004 in Columbus, Ohio by a scumbag with a handgun. Here is a video that offers a view of a mass shooting that may change your perspective a bit on what happens.

First thing I noticed was that the audience didn't go anywhere, or seem to panic at all; they kind of just stood there for several minutes like a bunch of goons and watched a gunman murder five people. Next, one of the band's technicians repeatedly attacked the gunman, and was shot multiple times all over his body, including his chest, and yet he still persisted in trying to stop the gunman from killing his friends. The whole time he was getting shot fighting the gunman, he was pleading for somebody to help him. Nobody did. Hundreds of men stood there quite calmly and watched him fight a madman alone.

A cop finally walks in with a shotgun and, when the gunman took a hostage and pointed his pistol at his head, the cop shot the gunman and killed him. The most profound part was the look on the officer's face when he walked away after killing the psycho; to me it looks like a man that did the hard thing that day, even though he didn't want to. The last thing was I noticed was what another band tech said while he was watching his friends get murdered: "I kept screaming NO! Ya' know, but. . . there was nothing I could do."

"There was nothing I could do" is not an excuse that I ever want the option of being able to make. I willingly inconvenience my life by a substantial margin just so I don't ever have to face that regret; so there's something I can do in a moment where someone may need me. I'm not knocking the guy; shit happens in life and we chose day to day how we will be postured to prepare for it.

To end on a better note, here's Dimebag at his finest (embeds are disabled, probably because of today).

***ETA: Here's one:

Going Green

2011-12-07T13:38:00.002-05:00

It doesn't mean as much as it used to.

A great post from Old NFO.

Roadside euthanasia

2011-12-07T08:54:00.002-05:00

An ARFCOM thread on why police officers don't put down animals that have been crippled by traffic. I commented that often it's department policy that either prohibits this practice, or makes it a big ball of red tape in order to do so, and not because cops are heartless and like to watch bambi struggle for life on roadways.

True story:
Nine years ago I was home from Camp Lejeune for the weekend, driving back from the video store (we still had those then) at about 10:00 at night on a four lane non-divided highway. I was close behind the only other car on the road at the time -- a black Nissan Pathfinder -- when two deer crossed the highway from our left, the trailing one getting hit on the front end of the Nissan. I could tell that he hit that deer really hard, as he caught it with the entire front end, and we were moving along at just over 50 mph. We both stopped, checked the damage, and I gave the driver and his wife my personal information as a witness in case their insurance scumbags tried to screw them on getting the car fixed. The driver and I found the deer on the edge of the road on the right side about fifty yards behind us, still alive, with its spine broken just forward of its hips. It kept trying to stand up, and because its back legs didn't work it would topple over to its left, bringing it closer and closer to the middle of the roadway.

County deputies show up, and take a solid ten minutes to get permission from the Sheriff or Sergeant or whomever was in charge that night to publicly execute this crippled doe. State cops show up stop traffic both ways, which was now significantly built up, and what I presume to have been the most junior county deputy of the six or so who were there racks the slide to chamber a round (I don't know why she didn't have her duty weapon in condition 1, but I saw it with my own eyes that she carried on an empty chamber). Me and the driver were walking back to our cars when I heard the shot. . . . and then another. . . .and then another.

I knew immediately what was going on, so I said goodbye to the driver and headed back down to see what kind of macabre scene this clueless deputy had just subjected her audience of onlookers to. It was. . . . substantial.

She had shot this youthful, two or three year old doe three times in the face at close range, but hadn't hit anything of importance -- and by importance I mean something structurally vital that would mercifully end the poor critter's life as humanely as possible. All the other jolly cops standing around weren't giving her any instruction, as they themselves didn't know how in the world this superhuman deer could take three rounds of .40 S&W in the head and still be completely alert, looking around with blood pouring out from what was left of her nose and jaw. I note that one of the police cruisers was positioned in the turn lane so that its headlights fully illuminated the public display of incompetence, and traffic was stopped not more than 75 yards away.

Whom I believed to be the senior deputy said: "Well, we'll just have to wait for the ol' girl to bleed out." I told them all in not the most tactful voice that we would be there for awhile, as superficial gun shot wounds have that tendency to, you know, heal, and that a deer missing all its teeth would definitely die -- of starvation -- but there would be a little bit too much overtime involved with the supervision of that. Then, like a middle-school science teacher, I pointed out that the deer did in fact have a head, which included the brain housing group, and attached to that was the beak-like extension of the jaw and nose, that didn't. Deputy Sally hadn't hit that brain housing group, but if she could do that, then everybody could go home.

More permission was asked for more rounds to be expended on behalf of this traumatized deer, and when it was given I pointed out just where to shoot.

Me: "Right here." (pointing to a spot right below the ear)
Cop: "Right where?"
Me: (Grabbing the deer by the ear and turning her head towards the cruiser's lights) "Here. Shoot her with one round here."
Cop: "Oh. . .ok" (as she starts to aim from six feet away I stop her)
Me: (pointing to the muzzle of her Sig pistol) "No ma'am. This is a doe. It doesn't have antlers, so it can't hurt you. Put your weapon against her head so that you don't miss."

At the crack of the gun it was finally over. All the cops looked at me like I was some sort of deer whisperer, knowing just what to do. In reality, I've just killed a ton of animals and know where the vitals are; and that doe would have been better served if, at the moment I found her, I had killed her with my pocket knife. For this reason I don't encourage cops to put animals out of their misery because, in my opinion, they are much more likely to put them IN misery.

Combat shotguns

2011-12-06T13:21:00.004-05:00

A look at the Mossberg 590, the Benelli 1014, and various other shotguns (I see a pistol gripped Mossberg 835 in there. What do you see?) as used by military forces in pictures. There are some scantily clad women sprinkled in there as well, just letting you know. Funny, I just saw Kate Mara in the movie Shooter this weekend. Weird.

And one of those high resolution pics -- #17 from the film Dead Presidents -- seems. . . .familiar to me. Where have we seen that one before?

U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand targets the ATF and U.S. AG Eric Holder

2011-12-06T07:47:00.002-05:00

U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand says she will be backing a bill to crack down on corrupt gun runners and dealers.

Alriiiiight! Keepin' the streets safe by prosecuting those who sell guns to violent scumbags! Why didn't anyone think of this before?

I know right where she can start -- prosecuting an armed gang who brokered the sale of illegally purchased firearms for violent drug cartels who used those weapons to kill innocent people. ZING!!!

Oh, wait. . . .

Recently, State Attorney General Eric Schneidermann announced that his office plans to crackdown on illegal gun distribution in the state. In fact, a probe conducted by his office revealed that many gun sellers disregard state mandated background checks, according to the Associated Press.

Ohhhhhhhhh. You mean she's backing a STATE law that would make the process of buying and selling firearms in New York even more illegal and convoluted. . . . I read you now. For a minute there I thought a member of congress actually gave a shit about preventing violent people from using firearms to commit violent crimes. My bad. I see now that state commerce has captured the interest of Rep. Gillibrand (I thought she was pro-gun? David Codrea was right about her, you know).

Well, you can't blame a snake for biting any more than you can blame a revenuer for revenuin'.

Since I'm knuckle deep in this article now, I guess I should let the mocking begin. I did find this amusing:

An individual gun seller can is legally accountable for the guns they sell, but not a gun show operator.

What's a "gun seller can?" Is that like a can of man that sells guns? I'm imagining now a secret factory run by the NRA that packages men who sell firearms into little cans in order to execute an eeeeeevil covert plot to saturate the country with individual gun sellers. The logistics of it is genius -- a pickup truck can only handle perhaps a half dozen individual gun sellers in the bed; I can't even fathom how many cans of men will fit back there. Hundreds maybe? Thousands?

And "gun show operators?" I admit to seeing one or two of those guys at every gun show I've ever been to -- they're the ones wearing old camo, and decked out in cheap nylon holsters and vests with too many pockets, handing out High Points to kids like candy. They're easy to spot, with all those patches and urine stains on their uniforms, and more than a little creepy. I had no idea they were exempt from state laws! That's totally backwards! Rep. Gillibrand is absolutely right: Gun Show Special Warfare Operators should be accountable for the guns they sell, but not canned men who sell guns. They're in a can, so they can't do much harm. Besides, how many guns will fit in a can?

Just when you though it was over, there's more:

The proposed legislation toughens penalties for illegal gun sales. Traffickers could face nearly 20 years in prisons.

Holy shit! Not *A* prison; we're talking multiple prisons! From what I'm reading here, if a gun trafficker gets caught, the court could have him torn to pieces and sent to prisons all over the state! Maybe they'll put his head on a pike in one prison, and gibbet his bloody torso in another. That's a bit morbid, but it would surely do more for placing fear in illegal gun traffickers than a bill that targets basically anyone not perfectly rehersed in the law.

New York may very well have something here. . . .

Hornady Critical Duty

2011-12-05T08:20:00.004-05:00

Huh huh huh. . . . .'duty'. . . .huh huh huh huh.

Yes, I'm a child.

I saw this stuff this weekend on Guns & Ammo TV where Patrick Sweeney and Dave Emary from Hornady's engineering department ran them through the FBI's test protocol. It's pretty impressive. A major hangup for some folks regarding the Critical Defense lineup is that it's not designed to pass these tests, but the Critical Duty lineup looks good to go. It does remedy the problem of hollow point ammo clogging up with denim or other materials and failing to expand because it has the Flexlock tip in the nose just like Critical Defense ammo. It's also not a bonded bullet; the core is mechanically locked to the jacket using a deep groove, which is the same concept of the non-bonded Remington Golden Saber bullet, but better executed. From what I saw on the show, the expansion is not as dramatic as some of the other defensive ammo on the market, which is probably why it was so uniform with penetration.

It is being tauted as "Law Enforcement Ammo", but at least it's not emblazoned on the box, not that I can tell anyways. For 9mm, there's a standard pressure and +P offering in 135 grains, with both of them being more towards the hot side. The 175 grain 40 S&W load seems to be rather warm as well.

Here's more from Shooting Illustrated.

***ETA -- Hornady has some additional information on their website where they compare Critical Defense and Critical Duty. I note this:

Critical DUTY™ handgun ammunition is built to meet the needs and requirements of LAW ENFORCEMENT and TACTICAL PROFESSIONALS, as well as those law abiding citizens who prefer a full-size handgun for their personal protection and demand superior barrier penetration and subsequent terminal performance.*

What happend to The Military Channel?

2011-12-02T09:51:00.002-05:00

Once upon a time there were a ton of cool shows on all sorts of military disciplines on The Military Channel: Future Weapons, Weaponology, Ultimate Weapons, Weapon Masters -- all of these shows were great to watch (they're still on, but all re-runs), but now The Military Channel has turned into the Nazi Channel. Seriously; when I hit the channel guide, the lineup is all "Hitler's Shock Troops," "Hitler's War Machine," "Cooking with Hitler," "Nazi Tank Battles," "Nazi UFO Conspiracy," "Nazi Ten-Minute Ab Workout." It's a Nazi cornucopia; who wants to watch that shit 24/7?

WWII was over 65 years ago, give it a rest, would ya?

What he said

2011-12-02T08:35:00.003-05:00

There is a review at Military Morons covering the Vicker's magazine release and slide stop. I've recently put both of these products on my Glock 17 and 26, and find them to be an excellent. Glock should really put both of these on their guns in the factory; they're indispensable. I like my Glocks to have commonality of parts so that they feel the same, so all modifications are done the same for both.

I have large hands, and even I can't reach the stock Glock magazine release without changing my grip. The Vicker's mag release is just long enough that I can dump the mag without changing my grip, but not long enough to inadvertently drop the mag if the gun is placed on its side on a flat surface. Installation is about as easy as changing a memory card in a camera.

On stock Glock pistols, there is what they call a "slide stop", as Glock firmly recommends using the overhand method to charge the gun with a cartridge from a freshly inserted magazine. The slide stop can be used to release the slide, but it's very hard to do, especially under stress. Glock also has an aftermarket extended slide release that you can add to the gun, and it works very well -- too well for folks like myself who are used to a "high thumbs" grip from shooting 1911s. This grip can cause either one of the thumbs to be in contact with the slide release, which often results in the slide not locking back when the magazine runs out; and for me, it also causes the slide release to ride against the slide, inducing malfunctions. The remedy is the Vicker's slide release modeled after the Smith & Wesson M&P slide release.

Installation of this part takes a whopping minute or so with the use of a punch to press out a pin. Piece of cake. It's very unobtrusive, and yet is very easy to get to when you're dropping a locked slide on a fresh round. I'm a big fan. Both of these parts combined cost less then $30 dollars, and I highly recommend them.

Excellent Civil War gallery

2011-11-30T09:21:00.002-05:00

Over 200 original pictures from the Civil War **NSFW: Graphic pictures of bodies**.

There's some seriously hard looking men in these photos, and half of them look drunk. I would never have blamed them if they were. It's wild to see pictures of my hometown in ruins. This town is bristling with history from the war and, unfortunately, we lose more and more of it every year as the population here increases. The county responds by turning large pieces of land into historical "battlefield" areas and parks to keep developers from raping what's left of the place, but then the parks won't let you do anything on the land but glance at the monuments and such. Who knows how much history is buried in the many parks here, waiting to be found by folks with metal detectors. Still, if you're looking for history on the Civil War, you'd be hard pressed to find more of it in one place than any of the counties along the Rappahannock river.

What's worse than a weekend with three sick kids?

2011-11-28T11:54:00.003-05:00

How about a weekend with FOUR sick kids!?!! Yaaaaaaay!

Fevers and snot and much much worse are my idea of a good time. I forgot I signed up for that.

Thanksgiving was great this year, and I have much to be thankful for. It broke my heart to have to eat thanksgiving lunch/dinner with both my family and my wife's family. Eating twice the food was tough, but I hung in there.

I am no longer the owner of a 1911 (temprarily), but will soon be the owner of an H&K P30. With that, there are two holsters on order for it; one of which will be here sometime in the next six months, the other should be here this week. Ammunition is on order and has been rolling in, and night sights should be here any day now, too. It's all coming together.

When I have time this week (riiiiiiight) I'm going to have to put in some hard labor to make a sufficient backstop for the amount of shooting I plan to do in the next several weeks, just to be extra safe. These days there are houses all over the place, so I want to know precisely where my rounds stop. The old target shed has long since collapsed into heap of ruin, not long after I took these pictures of it:

It's been replaced by the steel Nevco targets, and I plan to add more. I drag those pictures out every once in a while because I get a kick out of them. There's a lot of holes there!

Good concept for optics

2011-11-28T08:35:00.002-05:00

I've voiced my opinions on 1st focal plane reticles on low power optics before because I think it's a ridiculous concept for the most part, but then I read Kyle Defoor's post on the U.S. Optics SN-4S and how it has a reticle on both planes, and I was impressed. What a great idea. The large outer ring stays the same size between 1 - 4 power, with only the ranging reticle growing in size.

I'm strapped with my Glock on my block. . . .

2011-11-23T08:56:00.003-05:00

. . . . .ready to let loose on any Nevco targets that I spot.

This weekend I picked up two 8" round AR500 steel targets with hangers from GreenTop, and set them up and tested them out. I'm a big fan. After shooting Andy's steel at 200 yards with a rifle, I was sold, so when I got the opportunity to buy them sans shipping cost, I jumped on it.

I was fortunate to find the leftover 9mm rounds that were hidden from that range trip with Andy, and my brother, his girlfriend, and I shot up the 150 or so rounds to ring in the new steel. It was a good time. I'm also shooting with the aide of a shot-timer now, so I have no excuse to not get better at shooting.

I'm not using the Zack holster anymore, but have instead resorted back to the Bladetech IWB after a bit more modifications to make it conceal better. It's now an abomination, which is the title I now refer to it as whenever I speak of it. The Abominable Bladetech hides a full sized Glock 17 like it's not even there, and will do it all day long without any problems, even while driving or sitting for hours. It dawned on me how dangerous having screws inside the trigger guard can be if they ever decided to back out, so I epoxied the rubber plug thingy to the outside of the holster, and it's very secure. I also added some padding and stuff, as well as some duct tape, and it's now a sight to behold. Damn, it's comfortable though, and fast, too. I'm averaging around 1.9ish seconds from a concealed draw, which is not too shabby. I'll have to get some fresh pictures out there for folks to laugh at.

Like they say: if you can't be a good example, then be a horrible warning!

A Zack holster review

2011-11-23T08:49:00.003-05:00

The Truth About Guns reviews the Zack holster from Dale Fricke, and it's very informative, including a short video of it in action. There is some hate for the concept in comments, as well as some hate for AIWB in general.

I didn't try carrying with the Zack anywhere else on the waistband other than in the front, and I also didn't try canting the weapon. One thing I noted in comments was that the gun carries better if you adjust the slack out of the cord so that it takes the weight of the gun and keeps the trigger guard area off the belt.

I also added in my thoughts on the best part of using the Zack for AIWB: you don't have to holster a loaded pistol down into your pants -- that being the most dangerous part of AIWB carry. You will notice that he snaps the Zack onto the Glock while it is out of the waistband, and then tucks it in.

First remove the beam from your own eye

2011-11-21T11:30:00.003-05:00

Andy notes that many "gun control" states that pride themselves on strict gun laws aren't comparing so well to states with a bit more freedom. Maybe New York City Mayor Bloomberg should take a break from bashing Virginia and tend to his own issues.

Prandtl–Glauert singularity

2011-11-21T11:18:00.003-05:00

Never heard of it referred to that way; to the layman, it's a sonic boom.

Looking through those pictures, tell me you can't hear Guile from Street Fighter saying "Sonic Booom! Sonic Booom!

I dig this multi-use shovel

2011-11-21T09:56:00.002-05:00

The pun. . .the puuuuun!

Anyways, The Crovel looks like a solid piece of gear to own for when the zombies attack while the world ends, or if you just got your XTerra stuck in the mud during a thunder storm. My truck is outfitted with a machete, an axe, and a WWII folding shovel that my Opa had on his back when he was in Korea (I don't know if he had it with him on Normandy, but I wish I had known to ask). It would be handy to have all of those tools combined into one.

You CAN stop a train!

2011-11-21T09:11:00.002-05:00

Many years ago I witnessed a 2,500 hp mud-bogger with 44" paddle tires puke a red-hot piston through the hood and into the air under full throttle. I thought it was bad ass. Seeing the aftermath from when a train ejects a piston is still pretty cool, but more than a little scary.

What goes up must come down!

That feeling again

2011-11-21T07:51:00.004-05:00

When you're driving down the road to work and you think your cellphone is vibrating on your belt, only when you check you realize it's just your gut rumbling.

"Dammit, woman! I just left the house not fi. . . . . . .oh. Hmff."

Don't lie, fellas! You've been there before!

&*%$#@ TOYS!!

2011-11-18T08:48:00.003-05:00

Toy making dude #1: (Holding up shitty plastic stegosaurus) "HEHEHAHAHAHAHAH! Dads of the world will cry out in lamentations when they step on this toy!

Toy making dude #2: "Dude, stegosaurus didn't have that many spikes on its tail. They had like four or something. Is that. . . .metal?"

#1: (Petting the toy now) "Yeeesss. Yeeeeeessssss! Tuuuuungsteennnnn! I've put tungsten in the tail spikes, and razor blades in its back plates!"

#2: "You're gonna get us fired. Why don't you just stick with using plastic like we're supposed to? It's just supposed to be a simple toy."

#1: "But tungsten will penetrate even the toughest callous! Perforate the feetses, it will!"

#2: "That's not right, man; that's going to fuck somebody up! You should be locked in prison for the rest of your creepy, screwed up life! You're insane!"

#1: "MHOOHWHOOHWAAHAAHAAHAAHAA!!!"

And there I was, on my ass on the carpet in the dark holding my wounded foot. With my head on the floor, tears were welling up in my eyes, which were shut tight like a lock; stars speckling the blackness. I had fallen prey to the toymaker when I stepped right onto his cruel sadistic trap with bare feet.

"Curse you, plastic moldsman!" -- Dwayne. LaFontant! From the movie Over the Hedge

I haven't stepped on a plastic dinosaur in a few weeks, but I did have one of those PETS toys take me down a few days ago, and yesterday morning I walked right into a large plastic plaything in the dark in the hallway while holding a kid, almost planting my face into a wall. I've fallen more times than I can count due to toys on the floor, and last night I told my wonderful wife that we need a 35% reduction in toys to make room for the ones we will be getting next month. My idea was met with the comment to not bother, that the kids won't be getting many toys this year, which is precisely what I have heard every year. I'm skeptical.

When I was a kid, I recall many times when I left my toys out on the floor or on the stairs. Leaving them on the stairs was a serious offense, and my sister and I would be playing in a bedroom when my dad would come roaring in, spanking assess like it was the end of the frickin' world. I never understood why he got so pissed off from stepping on some green plastic soldiers. The man is huge -- my big-buff-rough-and-tough-and-stuff father who could kill six bears with his hands gets mortally wounded from a small, inanimate object? Whaaaaaat?

Now I know.

I see myself very soon creeping stealthily about the house while everybody's asleep, like an angel of death with a trashbag, sweeping up all the toys that I loath. I will cast them in a fiery furnace and burn them into a brittle, black ball of charred plastic while I laugh maniacally at my work. Soooooooon!

On self defense ammo

2011-11-17T09:28:00.005-05:00

I was wondering yesterday morning about why some ammunition manufacturers put "Law Enforcement Ammunition" on the front of some of their self defense ammo. To me, it could potentially offer some litigation in a shooting, but not in the way that's normally discussed.

One box of ammo in that picture -- Federal Gold Medal Match -- is not branded with a law enforcement logo despite it being a common choice amongst police who use rifles. That specific load is perhaps the most used round by police snipers. Both the Federal HST and Winchester Ranger-T are labeled "Law Enforcement Ammunition," while the Speer Gold Dot is labeled "The Choice for Law Enforcement" - a little less damning. I note that there's no federal law that I'm aware of that prohibits the use of this ammo to non-law enforcement. It's only company policy.

The argument goes that if the common man shoots a home intruder or violent scumbag using such ammo, that a prosecutor has an angle against the shooter because he used ammo that's designed for cops. I think that line of thought doesn't hold water because most police agencies chose ammo -- handgun ammo in particular, which is what I'm talking about in this post -- because it consistently meets a variety of criteria: meets the FBI requirement for handgun ammo; feeds reliably in the department's duty weapons; doesn't induce premature wear in duty weapons, and is accurate enough to be serviceable. Does any of that sound like what you would want in a handgun load for your personal defense weapon? It does to me.

Notice that nothing in there has anything at all with being more effective at killing people. It's agreed by the FBI, who's testing is considered the gold standard, that in order to "protect. . the life. . and the life of others, [and] to prevent serious physical harm [when applying deadly force to a human being]" -- "it is done with the explicit intention of immediately incapacitating that subject in order to stop whatever threat to life or physical safety is posed by the subject. Immediate incapacitation is defined as the sudden physical or mental inability to pose any further risk or injury to others." Emphasis mine.

Nothing in the preface of the FBI's standards for handgun ammunition, or anywhere in it for that matter, have anything to do with killing. The death of a subject of a police shooting is a side effect; one that is unintentional and unplanned: "The concept of immediate incapacitation is the only goal of any law enforcement shooting" -- and this is the only goal I would have if I were involved in a shooting as well, and should be for anyone who defends their life from another person.

In order to satisfy the FBI's minimum 12" penetration requirement in ballistics gelatin, in the many different barriers that are often encountered in shootings, simulated barriers are shot through into the gelatin. This is done for consistency and testing purposes. The barriers are: heavy clothing; auto glass; wallboard; plywood, and steel. Notice that in the linked ballistics information for Winchester Ranger-T, there's nothing there about killing potential. That's because there is none. Can you think of any scenario where you would want your ammo to perform against those barriers if you had to shoot someone to protect yourself, your family, or an innocent life? I can.

A common argument advocating for the common man to carry law enforcement ammo in a personal arm is that the ammo has been tested to perform in a reliable and predictable manner, and those virtues are something that one would want. If you had to gun down an attacker at a gas station, wouldn't you want to be using a load that has been tested to the highest standard? As I pointed out, cops aren't issued ammunition because it has a higher killing potential; their ammo is designed to feed in their weapon, and be accurate and predictable. Those are the same reasonable requirements that I want.

The reason I think that these ammunition manufacturers are walking a dangerous line with their "Law Enforcement Ammo" label is that it can be claimed that the ammo is somehow more dangerous or deadly, and because of this it can't be trusted to the common man - only police. Again, while it's obvious that police don't use this ammo because of killing potential, a police agency may still have to prove in court that their chosen fang-face-patriot-ninja-death ammo wasn't in the best interest of the deceased subject who was gunned down by one of their employees. So then my question is: what reason does a manufacturer have to make such a stark and divisive statement for their ammo? They could advertise that their ammo has met law enforcement standards, which would be far more defensible than branding it LEO only. I think that making that statement can be misconstrued, and that they would do well to ditch it in favor of something less damning.

Spotsylvania handgun accident

2011-11-17T09:04:00.002-05:00

Yes, the one I blogged about the other day. Some new information has come out, in that the victim was carrying his Glock tucked in his waistband without a holster. With the gun carried this way, there's nothing covering the trigger guard, which creates a dangerous situation in that something can inadvertently come into contact with the trigger and cause it to fire. A friend of the man said it's likely that he was carrying the gun loose in his pocket. I have a friend who carries a full up Glock 17 loose in his back pocket on occasion, and I've warned him about the dangers. I've offered him a holster of his choice from the many that I own, as well as instruction and ammo, but so far life has been too busy for it to happen. I'm going to push harder for a range trip now.

With a gun shoved into the front of the pants, discharging it can put a round through the femoral artery, which is the main strike against appendix carry. If carried in a serviceable, quality holster, and proper care is taken during re-holstering, this sort of accident is avoidable.

It's crushing to hear that this happened to an innocent man, in front of his kids, no doubt. My father-in-law called my wife when he found out because he thought it was me: I shop at that store with my four kids; I have a minivan, and I carry a gun. I'm thankful for the air in my lungs, and my prayers go out to the man's family.

Don't get your freak on

2011-11-16T10:06:00.003-05:00

This garbage about stopping shooters from enjoying public land. . . . the Interior Department can shove this right up their interior.

I'm severely agitated over this because of the similar situation here in Virginia. This area used to be good-'ol-boy land: a place where my fellow hillbilly heathens and I gathered together to hunt, fish, shoot guns, shoot bows, and otherwise have a great time on God's green earth. That was back when the county's population was manageable. Now, my county and the surrounding ones are awash with yuppie families who moved down in droves from New York, Massachusetts, and Maryland to live in the "country," which has put the word "history" into "historic" Fredericksburg. Now you can't fire a slingshot or clap your hands too loud or one of these pathetic people will call the police out of fear.

I wish they would all leave.

My only hope is that I can convince my wife, our family, and several friends to move the hell out to a state where I can go for a walk without hearing the sound of traffic and sirens; where I can step out on my porch in my underwear and fire an overbored rifle at a distant crow without wondering how long it will take for the cops to show up to measure my backstop; where I can park my truck in the driveway knowing that at night, thieving little shits aren't going to syphon off all my gasoline before scattering a handful of trim nails under my tires; where it doesn't take me an hour to drive five miles to work or the grocery store.

Now you're telling me that the government wants to get involved in taking away the dwindling places where folks want to enjoy shooting? All because spineless hippies that are scared of their own shadow might "freak out" at the sound of gunfire?

There are plenty of places that these chicken-shits can go where shooting is already banned. Let them go there. The meek people who would use the government to intrude on peaceable folks, how about they go take a fucking shower instead of worrying their stinky little heads over hunters and shooters. How about a bill that makes the Interior Department send their high-falutin' asses right back where they came from? I don't like wimpy people around my kids; it creates a public disturbance. It's a social issue, get it?

Two can play at this game.

You can't convince me that they're seriously scared that an elk hunter might shoot their dog when these days urban folks are terrified that police will do the same thing when they raid their home looking for a pot plant. I guess these days there's no place safe for Cujo.

So, my question is: the hippies think they have a right to live in a place free from good folks who like shooting firearms? Good. I accept that, as long as they accept that shooters and hunters have a right to live in a place free from the sight of cowards out riding their high horse.

I think the next time I see someone who's fearfully looking at my openly carried Glock, I may have to whip out my cell phone and call the cops:

"The lady is obviously not of sound mind, officer; she looks like she might do something crazy any moment, like make terroristic threats or something. Oh, she just peed down her leg. Take her away, boys!"

Assault Thingy shootout

2011-11-15T08:48:00.002-05:00

Jacksonville police said Monday that it was an AK-47 assault rifle in the hands of a man who was shot Sunday morning by an off-duty officer as he tried to rob a Family Dollar store.

The off-duty cop shot the scumbag with an AR15, thus ending the debate about which rifle is more awesomer. Good shoot!