A Dutch Madsen short barrel Light Machine Gun. . . . . . . . with a forward grip (scroll down)!!! More here if you want to see how real SWAT operators fire a Madsen: with eyes closed, no cheekweld, and stock under the arm pit!
Expert badge for that one!!!!!!
There is an 80+ year span in firearms development in this one single post on this thread about the war in Brazil. There are weapons there that I don't even have time right now to identify. I get a kick out of seeing the Bushnell 3200 fixed 10X scopes used on M16s, FALs, and beat to hell, wooden stocked bolt action rifles! Awesome!
Also, seeing pepper-haired Klauseus Schteinmunfuertez with a 10" AR15 sporting a ginormous Counter Sniper scope with an EOTech tacked to the side gives me the screaming giggles. Is he wearing the MP3 player Oakleys?!?!?
Oh man! There's an AK type rifle with an upside down stock, a guy casually taking pictures of some poor fella who just got cut down by gunfire, a bare-chested balaclava'ed drug dealer totin' a SIG 551/552 hybrid, and my personal fav, the one guy on a mounted machine gun of some kind cowered down in terror while his buddy gets some with the Right Arm of the Free World!!
I can't stop giggling!
Go check this one out folks; you don't want to miss it!
Friday, December 3, 2010
Upgrade or downgrade?
Last night I replaced my Horus Hawk scope on the LR308 with a 10X Super Sniper. The Hawk has been good to me thus far, and the reticle works better than I had hoped, but it's a hunting scope, and the only thing I hunt these days are Shoot N' C targets. It was time to go to dialing in my shots for more precision.
Since Christmas time is right around the corner, I couldn't afford to drop $1,000 on a Leupold or Nightforce. The Super Sniper scopes are budget priced and have a reputation for being tough as nails. Also, the fixed 10 power with parallax adjustment makes it super simple, and I figured I might as well give Mil-dots a try. It's got MOA adjustments, which these days are old school considering the long range shooting world has realized the benefits of the Mil/Mil type scopes.
Thinking about that, how is it that it took mankind like fifty years or more to figure out that ranging in Mils and then doing complicated mathamatics to find out how to adjust the trajectory of your bullet in Minutes might be a stupid idea, especially in the heat of battle where even simple math is hard? One would think that Ludwig Von Tasco or whoever the fuck designed the first precision adjustable rifle optic would have put two and two together and just made it correct right from the start. Who knows; but now I have willingly joined this madness with the procurement of this type of scope. To my rescue is the Mil-Dot Master, which is pretty badass.
Comparing it with the Horus, the SS is significantly lighter, which makes sense as the Horus is a variable optic with a 50mm objective, while the SS is a fixed 10X with a 42mm objective. Glass is heavy, and the Horus has more of it. They are about the same size though:
I took off the Horus and added the SS upstairs on my kitchen counter so I could watch Lie to Me with my wife like a good husband should. There's only so much hiding in the man cave in the basement that she should endure. There's also a liquid attractant somewhere on that counter top that I normally reserve for when we watch Boardwalk Empire, as they somehow go together.
I continued with the learned trick of coating the inside of the Burris XTreme Tactical (matte black = tactical) rings with black silicon to give them more purchase on the scope tube. I had problems with the Horus sliding around in the rings until someone on Sniper's Hide gave me the remedy. The silicon also cleaned off of the Horus and rings really easy.
Once I had the scope mounted, I realized that the scope was too high, so I have to order some lower rings in order to get a good cheek weld. Oh well, it was a good evening regardless.
Of note is that I do not need a 20 MOA canted base to get this scope to 1,000 yards. Right out of the box, I started twisting the SS's turrets and found it to have 137 & 3/4 Minutes of total elevation, which is amazing even for a 30mm scope tube. The contenders for a spot on this gun were 1" and 30mm tubes from the likes of Burris, Bushnell, and Weaver, and none of them had more than like 60 Minutes total elevation adjustment. That means more cash for a canted base, as well as the task of figuring out what rings to buy with that base. Keep all this in mind when buying a scope. I have no idea how the glass compares with the Horus; I wasn't able to check it out last night as it was already dark.
This weekend if I get the chance to do some shooo-eeeehn done, I'll get some through-the-scope pictures at some wildlife to give an idea of the glass quality.
Since Christmas time is right around the corner, I couldn't afford to drop $1,000 on a Leupold or Nightforce. The Super Sniper scopes are budget priced and have a reputation for being tough as nails. Also, the fixed 10 power with parallax adjustment makes it super simple, and I figured I might as well give Mil-dots a try. It's got MOA adjustments, which these days are old school considering the long range shooting world has realized the benefits of the Mil/Mil type scopes.
Thinking about that, how is it that it took mankind like fifty years or more to figure out that ranging in Mils and then doing complicated mathamatics to find out how to adjust the trajectory of your bullet in Minutes might be a stupid idea, especially in the heat of battle where even simple math is hard? One would think that Ludwig Von Tasco or whoever the fuck designed the first precision adjustable rifle optic would have put two and two together and just made it correct right from the start. Who knows; but now I have willingly joined this madness with the procurement of this type of scope. To my rescue is the Mil-Dot Master, which is pretty badass.
Comparing it with the Horus, the SS is significantly lighter, which makes sense as the Horus is a variable optic with a 50mm objective, while the SS is a fixed 10X with a 42mm objective. Glass is heavy, and the Horus has more of it. They are about the same size though:
I took off the Horus and added the SS upstairs on my kitchen counter so I could watch Lie to Me with my wife like a good husband should. There's only so much hiding in the man cave in the basement that she should endure. There's also a liquid attractant somewhere on that counter top that I normally reserve for when we watch Boardwalk Empire, as they somehow go together.
I continued with the learned trick of coating the inside of the Burris XTreme Tactical (matte black = tactical) rings with black silicon to give them more purchase on the scope tube. I had problems with the Horus sliding around in the rings until someone on Sniper's Hide gave me the remedy. The silicon also cleaned off of the Horus and rings really easy.
Once I had the scope mounted, I realized that the scope was too high, so I have to order some lower rings in order to get a good cheek weld. Oh well, it was a good evening regardless.
Of note is that I do not need a 20 MOA canted base to get this scope to 1,000 yards. Right out of the box, I started twisting the SS's turrets and found it to have 137 & 3/4 Minutes of total elevation, which is amazing even for a 30mm scope tube. The contenders for a spot on this gun were 1" and 30mm tubes from the likes of Burris, Bushnell, and Weaver, and none of them had more than like 60 Minutes total elevation adjustment. That means more cash for a canted base, as well as the task of figuring out what rings to buy with that base. Keep all this in mind when buying a scope. I have no idea how the glass compares with the Horus; I wasn't able to check it out last night as it was already dark.
This weekend if I get the chance to do some shooo-eeeehn done, I'll get some through-the-scope pictures at some wildlife to give an idea of the glass quality.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Reporters and guns
Guatemalan style! I like how those folks think!
And, Russian heads of state continue to be more awesome than the US, as here the Prime Minister is helping a young boy holster a gold plated Makarov. Obama plays golf and gets stitches in his lip, while Putin plays with sniper rifles, takes down tigers, and flies airplanes. I see a pattern here.
And, Russian heads of state continue to be more awesome than the US, as here the Prime Minister is helping a young boy holster a gold plated Makarov. Obama plays golf and gets stitches in his lip, while Putin plays with sniper rifles, takes down tigers, and flies airplanes. I see a pattern here.
Amtrack starting to become rational
Come December 15, they will join most of the rest of mass transit and allow firearms to be in checked baggage. Now, about that carry on stuff. . . .
Also, I do note the guidelines for checked baggage says:
Actually, I took that rule entirely out of context. Forgive me?
Also, I do note the guidelines for checked baggage says:
". . .the maximum weight of each piece (50 lb/23 kg)."So your mortar tubes and 20mm rifles will have to be checked separately.
Actually, I took that rule entirely out of context. Forgive me?
A new type of marksmanship
Shooting long range is never a quick process. You have data books, wind meters, wristop computers, ballistics applications for laptops and phones, etc. and it takes a true marksman to put all that information together along with the fundamentals of shooting to make the projectile hit its mark.
Not any more.
I hope this weapon truly is a game changer. Military advancements have sometimes made old tried-and-true methods of warfare obsolete, like how artillery made fortified walls not so appealing as had been for thousands of years. Damn military/industrial complex!
Not any more.
The revolutionary advance involves an array of sights, sensors and lasers that reads the distance to the target, assesses elements such as air pressure, temperature, and ballistics and then sends that data to the microchip embedded in the XM25 shell before it is launched.The round already knows how to get there before it's even fired. That's pretty cool.
Let's not make it too easy boys!"It takes out a lot of the variables that soldiers have to contemplate and even guess at," Lehner said.
****
Lehner said the XM25 was special in that it requires comparatively little training, because the high-powered technology does so much of the work.
"This system is turning soldiers with average shooting skills into those with phenomenal shooting skills," he said.
I hope this weapon truly is a game changer. Military advancements have sometimes made old tried-and-true methods of warfare obsolete, like how artillery made fortified walls not so appealing as had been for thousands of years. Damn military/industrial complex!
"You get behind something when someone is shooting at you, and that sort of cover has protected people for thousands of years," Lehner said.Awesome! So how long before I can get a XM25 on Bud's Gun Shop? I just hate when I can't get the shot on that doe-of-a-lifetime because she's selfishly feeding behind a big tree.
"Now we're taking that away from the enemy forever."
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Dangerous jackassery
You have to be a real asshole to shoot deer well outside of your limits. Shooting animals at distance is cool if you can actually hit where you aim at, but this douchebag lobs round after round of .50 BMG at deer at a mile until he finally kills one. The reason I decided to post this here is to show my several readers that most rifle rounds actually do ricochet.
The ones ricocheting off the water near the end are perhaps the most dangerous.
The ones ricocheting off the water near the end are perhaps the most dangerous.
Stupidity begets a Claim
The University of Mary Washington is a "Gun Free Zone;" and despite their insistence that the campus is safe, people still get hurt there.
The thing about it is, when you say that a facility is safe, and prevent folks from protecting themselves under written code, you have a contract; anything that happens contrary to that contract opens you up to a claim.
Now the very policy that UMW took to insulate itself from littigation will probably cost $10 million. I hope that poor girl gets every penny.
It's telling though that students willingly embrace this assinine policy; in the past, UMW students have made statements to the effect that security cameras in the parking garage would have prevented the attack on the victim because the cops would be able to later identify the rapist. Read that sentence again, because I'm not making it up. That's the sort of youth that Americans are sending to these campuses.
That still doesn't take away from the fact that if a corporate type entity makes the statement that you cannot provide for your own security, as the entity will provide that for you, than when they fail at their stated duty, they can and will get their asses sued. Common Law can be a bitch.
The thing about it is, when you say that a facility is safe, and prevent folks from protecting themselves under written code, you have a contract; anything that happens contrary to that contract opens you up to a claim.
"The suit says UMW creates "an illusion of campus security." The school's literature and other advertising material "emphasize safety and note the presence of campus police."Yup. This is interesting to me because the whole purpose of "Gun Free Zones" is to avoid the bloodsucking lawyers coming forward in droves to sue for some sort of negligence. It seems to me that the opposite is true.
The university assumed responsibilities for the victim's safety because she was a full-time student who lived on campus, according to the lawsuit."
Now the very policy that UMW took to insulate itself from littigation will probably cost $10 million. I hope that poor girl gets every penny.
It's telling though that students willingly embrace this assinine policy; in the past, UMW students have made statements to the effect that security cameras in the parking garage would have prevented the attack on the victim because the cops would be able to later identify the rapist. Read that sentence again, because I'm not making it up. That's the sort of youth that Americans are sending to these campuses.
That still doesn't take away from the fact that if a corporate type entity makes the statement that you cannot provide for your own security, as the entity will provide that for you, than when they fail at their stated duty, they can and will get their asses sued. Common Law can be a bitch.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Russian sniper rifle pr0n
The Ruskies have some interesting ranged weapons; for instance, I did not know that there was a bullpup full-auto Dragunov. Neat-oh!
While I'm sure that these guys can shoot and kick ass like other well trained snipers, I just can't get over the ridiculous spray painted 80's motorcycle helmets. Cool guns though.
While I'm sure that these guys can shoot and kick ass like other well trained snipers, I just can't get over the ridiculous spray painted 80's motorcycle helmets. Cool guns though.
A lame duck in denial
"There seems to be some denial about what's contributing to the crime and violence in our community. . ."
You got that right, Mrs. Bland.
Hey, if it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and assaults county employees for starting a meeting without master. . . . .oh, wait.
And, apparently, what's good for the goose isn't good for the gander. Hmmm.
Monday, November 29, 2010
I'm alive
Had a four day weekend with Thanksgiving and all. My wife worked two of those days, so I went full loser and maintained pajama posture while hanging out with the kids, playing video games, and not shaving. There was also a birthday party in there too, which was interesting in that cramming a dozen kids and twenty+ adults in such a small house makes for some good times.
There were no accomplishments to speak of, with perhaps the acception of the loading of 100 rounds of .380 acp, as well as some .308 to refine my RL15 loads for another test. Now I just need time to shoot them. One of the bigger problems that I have found is that when you load up some new rounds for a test, and don't shoot them immediately, you start to second guess your work. That can be bad.
Other than that, the world still turns and the Republic lives on. More to follow when I get it.
There were no accomplishments to speak of, with perhaps the acception of the loading of 100 rounds of .380 acp, as well as some .308 to refine my RL15 loads for another test. Now I just need time to shoot them. One of the bigger problems that I have found is that when you load up some new rounds for a test, and don't shoot them immediately, you start to second guess your work. That can be bad.
Other than that, the world still turns and the Republic lives on. More to follow when I get it.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Subtle hints
I stumbled upon this this morning, and thought I'd share it. Can you tell me what's wrong with this picture?
Diabetes I'm sure doesn't sound like much fun, so why the warning about it right next to the heaping pile of butter slathered pancakes being soaked in sugery syrup? FREE PANCAKES DAY!!
I'm totally going to IHOP for lunch.
Diabetes I'm sure doesn't sound like much fun, so why the warning about it right next to the heaping pile of butter slathered pancakes being soaked in sugery syrup? FREE PANCAKES DAY!!
I'm totally going to IHOP for lunch.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Disregarding Rule #4
Either this guy owns 5,000 acres of uninhabited land, or he's a moron. Don't fire rifles up into the air! Rule #4!!
Thinking about it, even if you owned enough land to know that your rounds wouldn't be impacting in a school yard four miles away, you simply can't guarantee where your rounds are going to land. Bad juju.
Thinking about it, even if you owned enough land to know that your rounds wouldn't be impacting in a school yard four miles away, you simply can't guarantee where your rounds are going to land. Bad juju.
Adorable marksmanship
Starting safety and marksmanship early on makes for good habits. It's cute too!
And for the ladies, it's important that the weapon matches the outfit!
And for the ladies, it's important that the weapon matches the outfit!
Going the distance
Yesterday was a watershed moment for me in that I maxed out my little AR15 at distance. We were shooting out at 710 yards, and my 69 grain Varget handloads were punching outstanding groups as they were de-stabilizing. My AR only has a 16" barrel like many on the market today, so my average velocity is 2,582 fps which JBM Ballistics tells me my loads will run out of gas at 700 yards. I was not zeroed for any of the loads that I shot, as I was just testing groups. The group above the bull marked "223":
I'm tickled pink with that for several reasons: for one, I know exactly what the limits are for my gun; and two, despite the 69 grain bullets starting to keyhole as they hit the target, I'm still getting 4" or less vertical dispersion, which is awesome; and three, I now know that there's no point in going for another .223 chambering for the MK11 Mod 0 build that I was planning as I would only pick up another hundred yards capability. Looks like I'll be checking out 6.5 Grendel again!
This little AR with its 2-7 Burris FFII Tactical scope and lite barrel shoots circles around my custom built, Krieger barreled 308 with 3-12X50mm scope. Weird.
The little group was fired at the black dot, and I hadn't adjusted my dope from my first group. The large group was also fired with the same dope, but into a 8mph wind while chasing the yellow balloon around. It was getting dark, and everyone was packing up, so I figured what the hell. Almost all of the shot holes are slightly elongated from the rounds not hitting square. It's really cool though because they were not hitting completely sideways yet, so they were in the process of going transonic. Some of them hit straight on too, which have to be the ones that left the barrel with a little more speed.
I brought my reloading press and all associated gear to find a Varget load for my 308, and it ended badly. I again, for reasons I can't recall, I decided to shoot off of the Harris bi-pods for an OCW test, and again found out the hard lesson that bi-pods bounce like shit on any surface, at least for me. I do think that it's shooter induced error, but I've tried every trick in the book and it still happens: putting a towel under the bi-pod feet; digging a little trench in the dirt for the feet to push into; loading the bi-pod with various tention; watched the Sniper's Hide video on how to shoot off bi-pods without bounce; none of this helped. I then did myself the greatest favor by removing those pieces of shit and slinging them down as far into the woods as I possibly could. I will never ruin another load development effort because of bi-pods again.
For fun, I brought along a box of 175 grain Federal Gold Medal Match to see how it shoots from my gun at distance. The wind was slightly breezy, between 2-5 mph, and I didn't use a wind call:
The vertical dispersion is about 2 1/2", which makes me happy. The horizontal spread I blame on the wind. Mirage was also really bad when we first started shooting. My plans at this point are to stop wasting valuable long range time by testing loads, so I'm going to have to get sorted out close to home and decide on a load. My Reloder-17 OCW test a few days ago went alright, but I didn't find a load that I wanted to use; and without any data for the powder, I'm scared to go any higher. I also didn't get the velocity I was hoping for with 175 grain bullets until I was at almost 49 grains of the stuff, which is a lot of powder.
Either way, I'm glad to have success with the AR knowing that it's minute-of-groundhog at over 700 yards. You can't ask for more of a 16" factory barrel.
I'm tickled pink with that for several reasons: for one, I know exactly what the limits are for my gun; and two, despite the 69 grain bullets starting to keyhole as they hit the target, I'm still getting 4" or less vertical dispersion, which is awesome; and three, I now know that there's no point in going for another .223 chambering for the MK11 Mod 0 build that I was planning as I would only pick up another hundred yards capability. Looks like I'll be checking out 6.5 Grendel again!
This little AR with its 2-7 Burris FFII Tactical scope and lite barrel shoots circles around my custom built, Krieger barreled 308 with 3-12X50mm scope. Weird.
The little group was fired at the black dot, and I hadn't adjusted my dope from my first group. The large group was also fired with the same dope, but into a 8mph wind while chasing the yellow balloon around. It was getting dark, and everyone was packing up, so I figured what the hell. Almost all of the shot holes are slightly elongated from the rounds not hitting square. It's really cool though because they were not hitting completely sideways yet, so they were in the process of going transonic. Some of them hit straight on too, which have to be the ones that left the barrel with a little more speed.
I brought my reloading press and all associated gear to find a Varget load for my 308, and it ended badly. I again, for reasons I can't recall, I decided to shoot off of the Harris bi-pods for an OCW test, and again found out the hard lesson that bi-pods bounce like shit on any surface, at least for me. I do think that it's shooter induced error, but I've tried every trick in the book and it still happens: putting a towel under the bi-pod feet; digging a little trench in the dirt for the feet to push into; loading the bi-pod with various tention; watched the Sniper's Hide video on how to shoot off bi-pods without bounce; none of this helped. I then did myself the greatest favor by removing those pieces of shit and slinging them down as far into the woods as I possibly could. I will never ruin another load development effort because of bi-pods again.
For fun, I brought along a box of 175 grain Federal Gold Medal Match to see how it shoots from my gun at distance. The wind was slightly breezy, between 2-5 mph, and I didn't use a wind call:
The vertical dispersion is about 2 1/2", which makes me happy. The horizontal spread I blame on the wind. Mirage was also really bad when we first started shooting. My plans at this point are to stop wasting valuable long range time by testing loads, so I'm going to have to get sorted out close to home and decide on a load. My Reloder-17 OCW test a few days ago went alright, but I didn't find a load that I wanted to use; and without any data for the powder, I'm scared to go any higher. I also didn't get the velocity I was hoping for with 175 grain bullets until I was at almost 49 grains of the stuff, which is a lot of powder.
Either way, I'm glad to have success with the AR knowing that it's minute-of-groundhog at over 700 yards. You can't ask for more of a 16" factory barrel.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Honor, Courage, Commitment
Somehow I missed these photos on Veteran's Day. Quite moving, but not as moving as the stories on this page dedicated to Marine Corps Major Megan McClung; if the picture of the running shoes with the note by her headstone doesn't suck the air out of your lungs, you're not human.
Semper Fi, Marine!
Semper Fi, Marine!
Thursday, November 18, 2010
More contept for government not giving young gangsters a long enough vacation
Longest title in this blog, I know, but I found another article from the same author at the Washington Times as the one I blogged about a couple of days ago.
In this article, both the shooter and the shootee were proud "active" members of DC's Youth Rehabilitation Services, and it's apparent from the author that DYRS did not send thems two keeeiiids away to someplace exotic for a long enough period of time. If only Mr. Kearney had been sent to purgatory in Carlsbad to sip margaritas and think about how eluding and assaulting police officers is frowned upon in today's society, maybe he would not have shot another human being to death over something so petty as a bag of meth, or whatever the dispute was.
Do note that twice Kearney was sentenced for some crime amongst a stack of crimes, and that had he actually served the time he was supposed to, he could not have possibly killed Wilson as he would have been behind bars. So really, what is the failure point here? These guys were both allowed to walk the streets on their own free will as long as they reported occasionally to DYRS, instead of serving the time that they were sentenced to. Hmmmm.
It's obvious to me that the solution to young people who repetitively demonstrate dangerous criminal behavior is not to stroke their feelings and give them a pompous vacation, but to place them in a facility that separates them from the people who are not lunatics. This facility should have high walls and fences, topped with concertina wire and towers filled with men with rifles.
It's a revelation, I tell ya! You heard it here first!
In this article, both the shooter and the shootee were proud "active" members of DC's Youth Rehabilitation Services, and it's apparent from the author that DYRS did not send thems two keeeiiids away to someplace exotic for a long enough period of time. If only Mr. Kearney had been sent to purgatory in Carlsbad to sip margaritas and think about how eluding and assaulting police officers is frowned upon in today's society, maybe he would not have shot another human being to death over something so petty as a bag of meth, or whatever the dispute was.
Do note that twice Kearney was sentenced for some crime amongst a stack of crimes, and that had he actually served the time he was supposed to, he could not have possibly killed Wilson as he would have been behind bars. So really, what is the failure point here? These guys were both allowed to walk the streets on their own free will as long as they reported occasionally to DYRS, instead of serving the time that they were sentenced to. Hmmmm.
It's obvious to me that the solution to young people who repetitively demonstrate dangerous criminal behavior is not to stroke their feelings and give them a pompous vacation, but to place them in a facility that separates them from the people who are not lunatics. This facility should have high walls and fences, topped with concertina wire and towers filled with men with rifles.
It's a revelation, I tell ya! You heard it here first!
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
A river ran through it
Almost five years ago, a good friend of mine was out canoeing in the river when the water was up pretty high from two weeks of rain. The trip ended in disaster as he and a friend almost lost their lives, destroyed the canoe, and lost all of their gear except for the cooler. Among some of the gear lost was a Ruger P9, which my friend promptly reported to the local Sheriff's office. Well, some good ol' local yokel found that pistol and turned it in to the Sheriff, who called my buddy and returned it to him.
The finish may not impress you, but it still seems to function just fine:
He hasn't fired it yet, and has said that he has no desire to, but he did give it a thorough cleaning. I didn't get a pic of the internals, but they seemed fine as well. The blued magazine was pretty rusted, but didn't look as bad as I would have thought after spending four and a half years submerged in the mud on the bottom of the Rappahanock.
I have had a good experience in the past with Ruger's customer service, so I suggested that he send it to them for some OEM TLC, and just maybe that gun might be something again. It definitely needs a new slide, but after handling it I have no doubts that if I stuck a loaded magazine in it it would fire as you see it. That's after a bunch of WD-40; nothing more.
Over all, I'd say that this was a serious torture test that speaks to the quality of Ruger. I have no dog in that fight, as I do not own any Ruger products, although I've had good luck with them in the past.
Ruger tuff!!!
The finish may not impress you, but it still seems to function just fine:
He hasn't fired it yet, and has said that he has no desire to, but he did give it a thorough cleaning. I didn't get a pic of the internals, but they seemed fine as well. The blued magazine was pretty rusted, but didn't look as bad as I would have thought after spending four and a half years submerged in the mud on the bottom of the Rappahanock.
I have had a good experience in the past with Ruger's customer service, so I suggested that he send it to them for some OEM TLC, and just maybe that gun might be something again. It definitely needs a new slide, but after handling it I have no doubts that if I stuck a loaded magazine in it it would fire as you see it. That's after a bunch of WD-40; nothing more.
Over all, I'd say that this was a serious torture test that speaks to the quality of Ruger. I have no dog in that fight, as I do not own any Ruger products, although I've had good luck with them in the past.
Ruger tuff!!!
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
The blame game
"Department puts teens at risk on D.C. mean streets"Uuuuhm, no. That is the subtitle to this article in the Washington Times on how screwed up teens and young adults buy/sell/do drugs and murder one another. I'm sorry, but you cannot blame government for the actions of crazy people.
That agency, despite all its problems, did all that it could to show this man - 19 year old individual: man - that there was life outside of DC ghettos, and sent him to a wonderful neighborhood out of state for two frickin' years to figure himself out. I don't see the connection here on how a DC government agency is destroying lives; if you are 19 years old, you are responsible for getting a hold of yourself and making your way through life without selling crack and ambushing armed drug dealers in seedy alleys.
Yeah, government agencies countrywide are not known as being bastions of efficiency or sensibility, but it seems that this particular agency did this scumbag a solid by sending him to a lovely academy so that he could play sports without being shot at. What the author, Mr. Anderson, is suggesting is that the agency condemned this man to die because they didn't finance his vacation permanently, and instead released him "arbitrar[ily]" on his own recognizance to make adult choices and do his own thing. That his own thing consisted of selling drugs and running from the cops is nobody's fault but his own.
Check this out:
Older teenagers pose the most significant challenges, he added, because group homes won't take them and they cannot be forced to go to school. "They age out," he said. "It's a programming failure. If we miss the opportunity to connect with them when they are 15 or younger, it's harder to get through to them later."Get that? They "age out," which seems to me to be the point where they are supposed to transition from being a juvenile to an adult, but is suggested here as being the point where government doesn't grab ahold of both of their hands and make them not kill people. And that transition stage of adulthood is no longer a natural stage, it's a "programming failure." Someone needs to tell the Lord to stop screwing these kids up with all these awkward stages and stuff.
To recap, Chicquelo's mother, who allegedly gave birth to him before she reached the programming failure stage, has lived in a dangerous ghetto in DC for probably her whole life, and has no responsibility whatsoever from the author's perspective in her son growing up a violent, wannabe, drug dealing gangster, and a never heard of DC agency is to blame for not financing a fantasy life for an adult with a long criminal history. I'm starting to put it all together now.
See, DC should be like one great big-ass game of The Sims, with some responsible individual constantly overseeing someone of questionable scruples. Who cares how that's gonna be paid for; we're talking about making people make better choices, like choosing to go to Lowes and apply for a job instead of shooting heroin and smoking cigarettes on the porch all day. Common sense stuff.
Think about how 24/7 oversight could have prevented this scenario:
The police affidavit states the bullet that killed Chicquelo was fired in self-defense, and the youth who fired the shot, who had charges pending against him and was under a court warning against possessing a gun, was not charged.Maybe if the scumbag who killed Chicquelo in unlawful self defense had simply been placed in a beautiful town in Wisconsin for his prior felonious acts, for several years, he would have a scholarship to Yale instead of a ticket to prison. Let's not worry our pretty little heads over the court putting a warning out against him for being an armed scumbag instead of locking him up for being a threat to society; all of these choir boys are victims, can't you see? We can't be locking up victims!
Yikes. It's apparent that Mr. Anderson believes in glad handing scumbags, instead of placing them behind bars. I say give them one chance and one chance only to not be a heathen, and then slam them in prison for the rest of their lives if they decide to keep hurting people.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Beam me up Scotty!!
Mars is a six-month flight away, possesses surface gravity, an atmosphere, abundant water, carbon dioxide and essential minerals. They propose the missions start by sending two two-person teams, in separate ships, to Mars. More colonists and regular supply ships would follow.Dude! If I were a single, 60-something space cowboy I would totally sign up for this! Impossible mission. . . check! Space ship. . . check! Making the history books for being seriously awesome. . . check! And can you imagine having all that frontier and different gravity to test new long range rifle ballistics?!?!
5. . .4. . .3-2-1, Blast Off! Another Rocketship Run!!!!
You 20-something whippersnappers without kids watching endless Noggin channel have no idea what in the world that's all about, but I gather one or two of my readers do! Listening to Lauri Berkner during a three and a half hour car ride is a serious upgrade from the Wiggles. Trust me.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Handy Reloading Tip
I'm not only a cheapskate, I also appreciate being able to improvise, adapt, and overcome when confronted with a problem; like being able to fit almost 49 grains of Reloder-17 in a Winchester case under a 175 grain Nolser J4. What would make this task better?
A drop tube would allow that much powder to fit, but I'm loading now, and don't have time to order from Sinclair or MidwayUSA. What to do, what to do. . . .
BIC pen tube to the rescue!!
If you recall, I've found uses for these tubes before. Just be careful to line up the bottom of the tube with the mouth of the case or you'll spill powder all over the place. Slow is better; I hold the powder pan from my scale over the funnel and tap it softly with my index finger so that the powder barely trickles out. For fun, try loading a full case without the drop tube, and then use the drop tube to see how much more room you get!
I'll give a range report soon to let you know what I've been up to.
A drop tube would allow that much powder to fit, but I'm loading now, and don't have time to order from Sinclair or MidwayUSA. What to do, what to do. . . .
BIC pen tube to the rescue!!
If you recall, I've found uses for these tubes before. Just be careful to line up the bottom of the tube with the mouth of the case or you'll spill powder all over the place. Slow is better; I hold the powder pan from my scale over the funnel and tap it softly with my index finger so that the powder barely trickles out. For fun, try loading a full case without the drop tube, and then use the drop tube to see how much more room you get!
I'll give a range report soon to let you know what I've been up to.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
The Organ Trail
. . .you don't want to die from Exposure on the Organ Trail, so follow these handy tips to ward off the fleshy sickness:
Weirdos who like to show their satchel to random joggers don't seem to me like they fear spandex clad trail wanderers with cell phones. However, broadcast a story over national news about how a trail lurking pervert got a little too hands on with a running lady and ended up with a sucking forehead wound and I bet you that they might think twice about showing their wares in public.
- Stay alert and be aware of your surroundings and don’t wear earphones.
- Walk, run, hike and bike with a partner or group.
- Let someone know when you are on the trail and when you expect to come home.
- Don’t use paths or trails when it is dark out.
- Carry a cell phone.
- Carry a .357 Magnum handgun loaded with poison-laced teflon-tipped bullets made of lead and adamantium.
Weirdos who like to show their satchel to random joggers don't seem to me like they fear spandex clad trail wanderers with cell phones. However, broadcast a story over national news about how a trail lurking pervert got a little too hands on with a running lady and ended up with a sucking forehead wound and I bet you that they might think twice about showing their wares in public.
Road Ragers
It's stories like this that make me doubt the future of humanity.
Interesting part is the charges associated with these two morons; misdemeanors for the handgun guy, and felonies for yogurt slinger. Oh that just sounds bad.
At some point, the driver of the Lexus pulled up and threw a container of yogurt at the Toyota. That’s when the driver of the Toyota displayed a small caliber handgun.Dude. I get mad at other drivers just like anyone else, but even though I may scream a long list of obscenities, I never get to the point where I would throw things at another moving vehicle or brandish a gun, and certainly am not stupid enough to call the state police if I did.
Interesting part is the charges associated with these two morons; misdemeanors for the handgun guy, and felonies for yogurt slinger. Oh that just sounds bad.
Monday, November 8, 2010
On Daylight Savings Time
Many moons ago, some jackasses decided to fuck with the way human beings experience their lives while having enough light to see, and now twice a year we have to endure the mild mayhem that results in this arcane retarded practice.
Either way you look at it, you're screwing somebody out of the time/daylight continuum that they need to function. This is most apparent to me right now as all of my kids are wide awake at six o'clock in the morning, and stumbling around in exhaustion at seven o'clock at night because their little bodies don't know what the hell is going on.
I swear, anyone that I hear say that daylight savings is a good idea within ear shot of me is going to get punted right in the nuts. Period.
Pick a time already, and stay with it. Or at the very least, split the difference and call it settled. Humans are creatures of habit, and tweaking the clocks twice a year so that half of the office comes in an hour late is a stupid idea. My $.02
Either way you look at it, you're screwing somebody out of the time/daylight continuum that they need to function. This is most apparent to me right now as all of my kids are wide awake at six o'clock in the morning, and stumbling around in exhaustion at seven o'clock at night because their little bodies don't know what the hell is going on.
I swear, anyone that I hear say that daylight savings is a good idea within ear shot of me is going to get punted right in the nuts. Period.
Pick a time already, and stay with it. Or at the very least, split the difference and call it settled. Humans are creatures of habit, and tweaking the clocks twice a year so that half of the office comes in an hour late is a stupid idea. My $.02
Booooolits n' brass n' stuff
Sinclair International is loving me these days. I've been on a massive reloading kick in order to maintain my shooting habit, and I'm not above trying new things.
This weekend I tested two brand spankin' new loads; one for my 308 and the other for my darling, the-AR15-from-DPMS. I've had some consistency issues with the 308 at distance, so I boiled up some 210 grain Sierra Match Kings over the new Reloader-17 for a nice OCW test. It went well, as did my 69 grain SMK over Varget OCW for the AR15. At long range though, one of these loads went fantastically well, while the other went very bad.
Browsing the Sniper's Hide thread on using the 208 grain Hornady A-Max with RL-17 verifies the "start slow end fast" mentality of ballistics, whereas you heave a ginormous (no autocorrect, awesome) bullet with a high B.C. for some long range groundhog splattering goodness. Checking my Shooter Ballistics software shows the 210 SMK as superior to my 175 Nosler CC load in the wind deflection department, with an additional 150 yards or so of sweet supah-sonic flight time, if I can start out in the 2,360 fps range, which I achieved. Somewhere though, something didn't go right - when I chose the load that had the 2,300 fps that I needed, and appeared to be on the accuracy node , it clocked it in a the range yesterday with a velocity of 2,437. Huh? I'm going to have to find out what went wrong there, as I shot some of these at 620 yards and my groups were spreading like two feet apart.
In for the win though was the trusty and reliable 155 grain Nosler CC handloads that I've used as a baseline for a year and a half. That one shoots really well, but at 2,668 fps average it's a little slow for serious long range work. My next move is to try tweaking my 175 grain loads, and perhaps doing an OCW test with those using RL-17, as I hear good things about that combo.
As for the 69 grain SMKs in the AR15, I was hitting groups of 7" or less at 620 yards, and that was with a Burris 2-7 variable with heavy reticle that obscures the entire 8" dot that I was shooting at. I'm pretty impressed.
On the way now are some more 155 grain booooolets for the 308, as well as many 69 grain pills for the 223.
Something that I also caught this weekend which explains the wild inconsistencies that I've been getting with my loads is that RL-15 and RL-17 get hung up in the LEE Perfect Powder Measure. I couldn't figure out why several shots would hit lights out at 500+ yards, and then one or two would hit like six inches low. Apparently, the long powder kernels get hung up like a horrible game of Jenga in my powder thrower, and that would explain why velocity on some of those shots would be 100 fps or more slower. I noticed when I was throwing charges and measuring them on the scale, that some of them would be way light; I bumped my powder thrower and a bunch of powder fell out. Now I know.
I have good things to report about the Competitive Edge Dynamics M2 chronograph that I am now using, as my last chrono - a Competition Electronics - had a C-Products magazine and .380 acp induced malfunction from which it could not recover.
As I've mentioned before, chronographs - like geraniums - need lots and lots of sunlight to function, and when you're a busy working dad that spends half his life driving to-and-from someplace, you may not have adequate light to work with. Also, Virginia is full of all these damned trees, which make what little sunlight you have pretty useless. The CED M2 chrono is all about combating the light problem, and it worked out very well this weekend.
Much reloading to do in a short period of time, as I am hoping to have a gazillion rounds loaded for the AR15 for some marksmanship lessons with my nephew. Hell yeah!
This weekend I tested two brand spankin' new loads; one for my 308 and the other for my darling, the-AR15-from-DPMS. I've had some consistency issues with the 308 at distance, so I boiled up some 210 grain Sierra Match Kings over the new Reloader-17 for a nice OCW test. It went well, as did my 69 grain SMK over Varget OCW for the AR15. At long range though, one of these loads went fantastically well, while the other went very bad.
Browsing the Sniper's Hide thread on using the 208 grain Hornady A-Max with RL-17 verifies the "start slow end fast" mentality of ballistics, whereas you heave a ginormous (no autocorrect, awesome) bullet with a high B.C. for some long range groundhog splattering goodness. Checking my Shooter Ballistics software shows the 210 SMK as superior to my 175 Nosler CC load in the wind deflection department, with an additional 150 yards or so of sweet supah-sonic flight time, if I can start out in the 2,360 fps range, which I achieved. Somewhere though, something didn't go right - when I chose the load that had the 2,300 fps that I needed, and appeared to be on the accuracy node , it clocked it in a the range yesterday with a velocity of 2,437. Huh? I'm going to have to find out what went wrong there, as I shot some of these at 620 yards and my groups were spreading like two feet apart.
In for the win though was the trusty and reliable 155 grain Nosler CC handloads that I've used as a baseline for a year and a half. That one shoots really well, but at 2,668 fps average it's a little slow for serious long range work. My next move is to try tweaking my 175 grain loads, and perhaps doing an OCW test with those using RL-17, as I hear good things about that combo.
As for the 69 grain SMKs in the AR15, I was hitting groups of 7" or less at 620 yards, and that was with a Burris 2-7 variable with heavy reticle that obscures the entire 8" dot that I was shooting at. I'm pretty impressed.
On the way now are some more 155 grain booooolets for the 308, as well as many 69 grain pills for the 223.
Something that I also caught this weekend which explains the wild inconsistencies that I've been getting with my loads is that RL-15 and RL-17 get hung up in the LEE Perfect Powder Measure. I couldn't figure out why several shots would hit lights out at 500+ yards, and then one or two would hit like six inches low. Apparently, the long powder kernels get hung up like a horrible game of Jenga in my powder thrower, and that would explain why velocity on some of those shots would be 100 fps or more slower. I noticed when I was throwing charges and measuring them on the scale, that some of them would be way light; I bumped my powder thrower and a bunch of powder fell out. Now I know.
I have good things to report about the Competitive Edge Dynamics M2 chronograph that I am now using, as my last chrono - a Competition Electronics - had a C-Products magazine and .380 acp induced malfunction from which it could not recover.
As I've mentioned before, chronographs - like geraniums - need lots and lots of sunlight to function, and when you're a busy working dad that spends half his life driving to-and-from someplace, you may not have adequate light to work with. Also, Virginia is full of all these damned trees, which make what little sunlight you have pretty useless. The CED M2 chrono is all about combating the light problem, and it worked out very well this weekend.
Much reloading to do in a short period of time, as I am hoping to have a gazillion rounds loaded for the AR15 for some marksmanship lessons with my nephew. Hell yeah!
Violent video games are the cause of this
The game doesn't go on sale until Tuesday. But some thieves in northeast Maryland got their hands on more than 100 copies of the game. On Saturday night, they staged a covert operation at the GameStop in Bel Air.See, that just proves that if video games didn't have guns and icky shooting in it, thugs wouldn't feel that they needed guns to steal copies of it.
***
The men, who were armed with guns, planned the heist for closing time at the store.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Zombie preparedness
I just found this website called Zombie Tools which offers edged weapons custom made for zombie killin.
The Rough and Ready Bone Machete is my fav; although I don't have the dough for one at the moment. Check out their sweet lineup of zombie images!
The Rough and Ready Bone Machete is my fav; although I don't have the dough for one at the moment. Check out their sweet lineup of zombie images!
Old school DMR rifles
The US military has drug out the M14s and used them in the DMR role, as well as fielded the dead sexy Mk12 Mods 0 and 1 based on the M16 platform, but what does the rest of the world use?
Seeing these two Spanish Army CETME Model Cs complete with beat to hell wooden furniture leads me to believe that the DMR concept was not created at the same time as XBox 360 came out, and may actually pre-date the Atari.
It is kinda sacrilegious to see one of them wearing a Leupold MK4 - which has made its bones in combat like the CETME - sitting next to another well worn CETME wearing a NC-Star. It would be less offensive to put pearl handles on General Patton's Peacemaker.
I don't know what other countries use for an interim range precision rifle, but I wouldn't want to have one of Spain's finest taking a crack at me with one of those CETMEs, NC-Star or not!
Seeing these two Spanish Army CETME Model Cs complete with beat to hell wooden furniture leads me to believe that the DMR concept was not created at the same time as XBox 360 came out, and may actually pre-date the Atari.
It is kinda sacrilegious to see one of them wearing a Leupold MK4 - which has made its bones in combat like the CETME - sitting next to another well worn CETME wearing a NC-Star. It would be less offensive to put pearl handles on General Patton's Peacemaker.
I don't know what other countries use for an interim range precision rifle, but I wouldn't want to have one of Spain's finest taking a crack at me with one of those CETMEs, NC-Star or not!
Thursday, November 4, 2010
I propose a different solution
"The Commonwealth isn’t so thrilled about Washington’s plans to "relocate" some wild animals and critters pulled from homes in the District. It’s not the relocation that has Virginia officials so upset; it’s where the animals may end up: Virginia."DC plans on trapping opposums and other vermin critters and moving them South of the Potomac for a better life. As the article states, government officials are limited on being able to kill them, so my solution is to pass out Ruger 10-22s to the populace and let them handle it. I bet it would be cheaper, too.
Commenter Bob_Ryans_Toupe for the win
"I don't know why Virginia officials are so upset about this when hundreds of thousand of vermin from Virginia travel to and from DC every workday."That's funny right there!
To all those from free states. . . .
. . .DC is not concerned about your gun or property rights. It's a gamble just driving through on the beltway with your guns locked in a vault underneath a viscious doberman with a toothache; best leave the roscoe with your friends while you visit.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Gunfight in Mexico
There really isn't much to see, as this is a cell phone video shot at night, but the audio tells of a gun battle with full auto weapons, and not gunshow ARs and AKs. The only semi auto fire that I can tell is at the very beginning.
The back story is that the Mexican military had some drug lord cornered, and a convoy of cartel guys came to get him. I wouldn't bother watching the whole thing; it sounds the same from the first minute til almost the last. It does give you an idea though.
The back story is that the Mexican military had some drug lord cornered, and a convoy of cartel guys came to get him. I wouldn't bother watching the whole thing; it sounds the same from the first minute til almost the last. It does give you an idea though.
USMC fielding M110 SASS
Another Sniper's Hide link with a SAM stating that the M110 will replace the MK11 Mod 1 and M39 EBR.
The Knight's Armament folks have to be dancing on the table tops right now. I can see why the 308 AR platform is so popular, as it's a blast to shoot.
The Knight's Armament folks have to be dancing on the table tops right now. I can see why the 308 AR platform is so popular, as it's a blast to shoot.
Pimp your M14
The M14 platform may be dated, but it still makes for one sexy weapon system! This guy built a MK14 Mod 1 from a Springfield Scout, and it has more bumps and protrusions than you can shake a stick at. Saaaahhhweeet!!
If only I had several grand layin around, I might have to build one of those babies for shooting four legged critters while clad in Multi-cam and skateboard helmet!
Boop. "Whiskey One Niner, we have an unidentified marmot digging an entrenchment at five-eight-two meters. Requesting permission to reduce the Tango."
Sksssssst
Boop "Roger that, Eco Three, your cleared hot."
Sksstckk
Boop "Solid copy, Whiskey One Niner. And don't call me Roger."
If only I had several grand layin around, I might have to build one of those babies for shooting four legged critters while clad in Multi-cam and skateboard helmet!
Boop. "Whiskey One Niner, we have an unidentified marmot digging an entrenchment at five-eight-two meters. Requesting permission to reduce the Tango."
Sksssssst
Boop "Roger that, Eco Three, your cleared hot."
Sksstckk
Boop "Solid copy, Whiskey One Niner. And don't call me Roger."
Monday, November 1, 2010
Equipment Change Proposal: Suunto edition
**Update: A picture is worth a thousand words:
Click to make bigger. The black watch is the Suunto, and you can see where the pathetic little nubbins of elastoplastofantastico broke with such ease. Also, you can see the Suunto's $40 replacement which connects the strap via big steel nubbins of stainless glory. Not gonna break there. I'm going to JB-Weld the hell out of the Suunto vice sending it back for a new plastocraptoelastomerase housing that will fall apart when exposed to pressure.
But to make my point, the engineers at Suunto managed to cram all that techno goodness into a rough and tough housing small enough to go onto your wrist, and then when it came down to the structural part that connects to the strap, they went to lunch. It's the exact same phenomenon that happened with my Maxpedition phone case. They built a hardcore case and then when it came to the belt clip they just stuck some junk on there and called it a day. No wonder we outsource so much labor to China; if it's going to suck, might as well make it cheap too!
To any engineers that may make it to this site, please take the time to do a 100% job so that stuff doesn't suck.
****
OK, so my Suunto Vector watch broke on me again this weekend, and I'm really pissed off about it. If you recall, I broke it earlier this summer after it was waaaaay out of warranty, but Suunto fixed it for $55 which made me happy. Turn around time was short as well.
So Saturday night the holes where the pin that attaches the wrist strap broke clean in the exact same way it broke before. The pin just pulled right through with little effort. At the time, I waswrestling in a life-or-death fight with a crazed killer in an alleyway sitting on my bed holding baby CTone, and as I casually placed my arm down as support so I could lean back, that's when the watch broke. Again, no effort involved; the watch had just slipped down to where my wrist bends, and when I put my weight onto my hand, I felt the watch give.
So now I'm looking at the back of the watch, right at the failure point, and it dawns on me how shitty the construction of the watch housing is. I forgot to take a picture this morning to show you, but here's a 5.11 watch that had a similar failure, and you can at least get an idea of the problem.
Now I'm no engineer, but I am a mechanically minded soul who has built a ton of shit in his time. You people out there who have also built a ton of shit take a look at that last link at that man's watch and tell me: who the hell thought that it was a great idea to construct a watch with a tough housing to hold all the cool ballistic doodads, and then just go all half assed on where the strap connects?
"Hey Earl, you reckon we aughta put some more material in there, you know, where the strap thingy that physically holds the watch to the arm attaches? Looks like there's barely enough material there to hold off a good sneeze."
"Hell no! What are you crazy? Failure points Shmearlure points!!! We're engineers for cryin' out loud!! We do shit our way, even if it sucks and makes no sense!!"
"So what, you wanna keep it that way? It would be so simple to just reinforce that area to make it stronger, and we would end up with a product that is 100% bomb proof! We could really be proud of what we built!"
"No. Just. . . .no. If anything, we should make those pin holes as thin as possible to save the company the extra money for the high tech polymer. If the damn thing breaks, that's not my problem."
So there you have it. I was browsing the comments on the Suunto website, and noticed a glaring trend where people bitch about the wrist straps breaking. I found this to be the case with the Vector, as the strap on mine basically rotted off from several years of me never taking the watch off. Ultimately it's going to happen with anything other than aluminum or steel, which brings me to my latest dilemma: do I send my shitty Vector back to Suunto for another $55 servicing, after which I will have an awesome watch that could be ripped off my wrist by any four year old kid, or do I buy a Casio G-Shock from Wal-Mart for $50, and then save up some cash for a quality watch made of steel that's not likely to fold like a cardboard box the moment it has some torque applied to it?
The thing that gets me is that no one out there that I know of makes a watch with the features of the Suunto or Casio Pathfinder in a material that doesn't suck. I'm thoroughly convinced at this point that plastic watches are basically just disposable. Suunto just happens to make really awesome disposable watches, and if I want something that will last me a lifetime and I can pass down to one of my kids, it has to be constructed from something that has stood the test of time.
What it all boils down to is that I have plenty of other things to spend money on right now, least of which is fixing something that was supposed to already be fixed. I don't have time for that.
Suunto, why don't you make us all a bad-ass watch that doesn't suck? Can you make one out of steel? And by steel, I don't mean one that has a bunch of steel held together by that worthless elastospectacularplastomer bullshit that you guys cheerlead on your website; I mean a hardcore steel housing with a steel wrist strap held on by big ole' honkin steel pins. Can you do that for me please, thanks much.
Click to make bigger. The black watch is the Suunto, and you can see where the pathetic little nubbins of elastoplastofantastico broke with such ease. Also, you can see the Suunto's $40 replacement which connects the strap via big steel nubbins of stainless glory. Not gonna break there. I'm going to JB-Weld the hell out of the Suunto vice sending it back for a new plastocraptoelastomerase housing that will fall apart when exposed to pressure.
But to make my point, the engineers at Suunto managed to cram all that techno goodness into a rough and tough housing small enough to go onto your wrist, and then when it came down to the structural part that connects to the strap, they went to lunch. It's the exact same phenomenon that happened with my Maxpedition phone case. They built a hardcore case and then when it came to the belt clip they just stuck some junk on there and called it a day. No wonder we outsource so much labor to China; if it's going to suck, might as well make it cheap too!
To any engineers that may make it to this site, please take the time to do a 100% job so that stuff doesn't suck.
****
OK, so my Suunto Vector watch broke on me again this weekend, and I'm really pissed off about it. If you recall, I broke it earlier this summer after it was waaaaay out of warranty, but Suunto fixed it for $55 which made me happy. Turn around time was short as well.
So Saturday night the holes where the pin that attaches the wrist strap broke clean in the exact same way it broke before. The pin just pulled right through with little effort. At the time, I was
So now I'm looking at the back of the watch, right at the failure point, and it dawns on me how shitty the construction of the watch housing is. I forgot to take a picture this morning to show you, but here's a 5.11 watch that had a similar failure, and you can at least get an idea of the problem.
Now I'm no engineer, but I am a mechanically minded soul who has built a ton of shit in his time. You people out there who have also built a ton of shit take a look at that last link at that man's watch and tell me: who the hell thought that it was a great idea to construct a watch with a tough housing to hold all the cool ballistic doodads, and then just go all half assed on where the strap connects?
"Hey Earl, you reckon we aughta put some more material in there, you know, where the strap thingy that physically holds the watch to the arm attaches? Looks like there's barely enough material there to hold off a good sneeze."
"Hell no! What are you crazy? Failure points Shmearlure points!!! We're engineers for cryin' out loud!! We do shit our way, even if it sucks and makes no sense!!"
"So what, you wanna keep it that way? It would be so simple to just reinforce that area to make it stronger, and we would end up with a product that is 100% bomb proof! We could really be proud of what we built!"
"No. Just. . . .no. If anything, we should make those pin holes as thin as possible to save the company the extra money for the high tech polymer. If the damn thing breaks, that's not my problem."
So there you have it. I was browsing the comments on the Suunto website, and noticed a glaring trend where people bitch about the wrist straps breaking. I found this to be the case with the Vector, as the strap on mine basically rotted off from several years of me never taking the watch off. Ultimately it's going to happen with anything other than aluminum or steel, which brings me to my latest dilemma: do I send my shitty Vector back to Suunto for another $55 servicing, after which I will have an awesome watch that could be ripped off my wrist by any four year old kid, or do I buy a Casio G-Shock from Wal-Mart for $50, and then save up some cash for a quality watch made of steel that's not likely to fold like a cardboard box the moment it has some torque applied to it?
The thing that gets me is that no one out there that I know of makes a watch with the features of the Suunto or Casio Pathfinder in a material that doesn't suck. I'm thoroughly convinced at this point that plastic watches are basically just disposable. Suunto just happens to make really awesome disposable watches, and if I want something that will last me a lifetime and I can pass down to one of my kids, it has to be constructed from something that has stood the test of time.
What it all boils down to is that I have plenty of other things to spend money on right now, least of which is fixing something that was supposed to already be fixed. I don't have time for that.
Suunto, why don't you make us all a bad-ass watch that doesn't suck? Can you make one out of steel? And by steel, I don't mean one that has a bunch of steel held together by that worthless elastospectacularplastomer bullshit that you guys cheerlead on your website; I mean a hardcore steel housing with a steel wrist strap held on by big ole' honkin steel pins. Can you do that for me please, thanks much.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Weekend gun blogging
Didn't have time to blog on Friday, so today I give you some gun stuff for all ages.
I spend a lot of time browsing Militaryphotos.net, and I just saw this thread about the Special Forces variant of the ARX160 from Beretta; the same rifle I got to handle at the Modern Day Marine convention this year, but with water transfer camo. Sweeeeeeeet.
There is also a desert tan version for those who think operators with black rifles are squares.
There is also this thread, which is one of the best threads I've seen from this site. I'll give you the blow-by-blow:
- A DEA agent has been spotted in Afghanistan toting a LWRC REPR with 20" barrel and Leupold MK4 LR scope. To tell the truth, it kinda sucks to see the drug warriors with better individual equipment than US Soldiers, but whatever.
- Next, in the first line of photos, ships from a US carrier group get to light up another ship that has been set up for a little target practice. It seems that every Sailor assigned to a weapon got to send rounds into the sacrificial ship, and you get to see the awesome firepower that our warships have at their disposal. Our Navy has a large footprint on this planet, but you don't often get to see the kind of whoopass our Sailors are capable of dishing out. The flipside of that is that our Sailors risk their asses every day on the water, that they may at any moment be asked to go up against another warship capable of doing damage like that. Yikes!
- This thread has flying dogs and ghost ninjas. Just in time for Halloween.
- From the ghost ninja lineup, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev playing with sniper rifles and Trijicon Accupoint equipped AKs is way cooler than anything President Obama did all of last month combined.
- US and Korean Sailors hang out and practice a little archery.
Lastly, we have a Bruce Willis a-lah Tears of the Sun garb, and Ollie North. Cool, huh!?! There's lots of other gun stuff in there, and tons of US Navy kicking some ass. I'm a big fan.
I spend a lot of time browsing Militaryphotos.net, and I just saw this thread about the Special Forces variant of the ARX160 from Beretta; the same rifle I got to handle at the Modern Day Marine convention this year, but with water transfer camo. Sweeeeeeeet.
There is also a desert tan version for those who think operators with black rifles are squares.
There is also this thread, which is one of the best threads I've seen from this site. I'll give you the blow-by-blow:
- A DEA agent has been spotted in Afghanistan toting a LWRC REPR with 20" barrel and Leupold MK4 LR scope. To tell the truth, it kinda sucks to see the drug warriors with better individual equipment than US Soldiers, but whatever.
- Next, in the first line of photos, ships from a US carrier group get to light up another ship that has been set up for a little target practice. It seems that every Sailor assigned to a weapon got to send rounds into the sacrificial ship, and you get to see the awesome firepower that our warships have at their disposal. Our Navy has a large footprint on this planet, but you don't often get to see the kind of whoopass our Sailors are capable of dishing out. The flipside of that is that our Sailors risk their asses every day on the water, that they may at any moment be asked to go up against another warship capable of doing damage like that. Yikes!
- This thread has flying dogs and ghost ninjas. Just in time for Halloween.
- From the ghost ninja lineup, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev playing with sniper rifles and Trijicon Accupoint equipped AKs is way cooler than anything President Obama did all of last month combined.
- US and Korean Sailors hang out and practice a little archery.
Lastly, we have a Bruce Willis a-lah Tears of the Sun garb, and Ollie North. Cool, huh!?! There's lots of other gun stuff in there, and tons of US Navy kicking some ass. I'm a big fan.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
The British Army goes super sized
Members of 30 Commando Command Support Group (CSG) from Royal Marines 3 Commando Brigade fire the 50mm calibre weapon on the The Defence Training Estate (DTE) ranges at Lulworth, in Dorset.Dang! Those crew served weapons get bigger all the time! 50mm calibers of Taliban shredding terror!!!
Hey, that gun looks a lot like the machine guns seen often in the hands of the Mexican drug cartels. So you're telling me that they're getting their firepower from Britain? It's those blasted weak gun laws again!
Local savages pounding the war drums again
"Bledsoe said the incident occurred about 10:30 p.m. at a home in the 900 block of Myrick Street. The suspect was arguing with his girlfriend's 22-year-old daughter when Haskins pulled a knife and the girlfriend intervened. During the scuffle, she suffered a severe cut on her hand."Alright, I made that last part up. But seriously, where did all the weirdos come from? I guess these things can be expected from the folks living in a rural Virginia county called Spotsylvania.
****
"It was the second time in three days that city police had been to that home. On Saturday night, a man pulled up in front of the home and fired a shot into the air. That man was later arrested at his home in Spotsylvania, where they found a large cache of banjos, Evan Williams bottles, and David Allen Coe CDs."
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Some rifles move faster than others
Some scumbag is wandering around Virginia firing rounds at the Marine Corps Museum, the Pentagon, and now a Marine Corps recruiting center. In a bout of irony, the Marine Corps Museum and the Pentagon are Gun Free Zones.
The question remains though of how this miscreant makes his or her way around Northern Virginia while shooting up buildings with impunity. The answer is here:
All of mine are low-velocity rifles, as I have had them spayed so that they stay exactly where I put them, and do not move about freely under their own power. If you have not properly spayed your assault thingy, you may want to think about contacting your nearest gunsmith without delay. Think of the lawsuit that you would have on your hands if one of your precious rifles got out of the safe one night and started moving at high-velocity, shooting at buildings and such.
Safety first, I always say!
The question remains though of how this miscreant makes his or her way around Northern Virginia while shooting up buildings with impunity. The answer is here:
The civilian Pentagon Force Protection Agency's director, Steven Calvery, said last week that the Pentagon shooting appeared to be "a random event" involving a high-velocity rifle.The scumbag in question is not a scumbag at all, but a rifle that moves about very quickly on its own will. Some rifles have been known to move quicker than others, as you may know. A good rule of thumb is that if you read about one of these precocious rifles in the news for committing a naughty act, than it's sure to be one of the high-velocity types; the low-velocity rifles have better control over their actions, and do not lash out at Marines.
All of mine are low-velocity rifles, as I have had them spayed so that they stay exactly where I put them, and do not move about freely under their own power. If you have not properly spayed your assault thingy, you may want to think about contacting your nearest gunsmith without delay. Think of the lawsuit that you would have on your hands if one of your precious rifles got out of the safe one night and started moving at high-velocity, shooting at buildings and such.
Safety first, I always say!
Fighting the mighty allergy
Sorry about the lack of posting. I've been going toe-to-toe with what seems to be a cross between the cold and the flue, although it's apparent that it's neither; I have some sort of seasonal allergy that is kicking my butt. Problem is, since I'm not contagious, I'm still going into work. By the time I get home I'm completely spent and ready to go to bed early.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Make your own .40 caliber hollow points. . . .
. . . .from 9mm casings!
That looks sweet!!
Makes me think of that common Hollywood error showing a fired "bullet" being the whole cartridge like on the cover of The Naked Gun. Now it's fer' real!
That looks sweet!!
Makes me think of that common Hollywood error showing a fired "bullet" being the whole cartridge like on the cover of The Naked Gun. Now it's fer' real!
Under the weather
Sick as a dog last night, to the point where I felt like I had one foot in the grave. Fortunately, my immune system is frickin' amazing, so I'm running at about 85% this morning. When I get closer to 95% I'll be blogging something worthy of reading.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
You're not fooling anyone
"In an effort to ease traffic and keep drivers safe, Gov. Bob McDonnell will be increasing the speed limit across Virginia highways by the end of the year."Uh-huh. Sure. It's all about safety, just like speed limits in general are all about safety.
It's well known to anyone who had driven on an interstate highway in Virginia that the flow of traffic towards the left hand lane is moving at 79 mph, if it's not completely gridlocked from all the out of state yahoos that have moved here from bumfuck New Jersey to escape that insanity.
The reason that traffic moves at 79 mph is because -- at least it used to be -- that anything over 80 mph landed you a big fat reckless driving ticket with big fat fines. Virginians know that 79 mph makes you safe from all the state, county, local Revenue generators - identified by their Crown Vics with light bar on the roof, or blacked out Charger sitting conspicuously in the crossovers in between the highway - because Johny Law isn't going to waste his time and risk getting run over on the side of the road over a $65 ticket.
Let me spell this out for those who think speed limits keep you safe: speed limits have nothing at all to do with public safety, and everything to do with courts operating in commerce with the gentle population.
Lots of research on my part went into this in my youth as I was constantly solicited by these Revenue generators for my hard earned FRNs over my callous disregard for the recommended speed limit. Take away the speed limit signs on Rt. 62whogivesashit and sit back and watch absolutely nothing happen. Why is this? Let's look at this scenario: You are on your way to work, but first have to drop off your two beautiful children sitting in the plastic car seats behind you at the day care center, and you're running a little bit late. It appears that there is no posted speed limit on this road. Man that's awesome! Should you take advantage of this obvious flaw of someone not telling you exactly how fast you can operate this powerful and heavy piece of machinery, and just punch it and go as fast as you can?
The answer is: of course not, because you are a sane individual who has driven a car for years and know by feel just how fast you should be going. Do you really need a sign to tell you this? I once read a book explaining that roadways are audited every five or so years for the safe speed by taking the total average speed of cars over a period of time, and then lowering it a tad. Thinking about that, what help would it be to the courts if everyone moseyed along at a safe speed which also just happened to be the lawful speed allowed? There wouldn't be commerce!
The book (I don't recall the title) made a compelling case about how absent posted speed limits, the vast majority of drivers would not swerve out of control all over the road in total, blissful, speedy abandon, but would instead drive along in what they perceive as a safe speed. The one's who have total disregard for their gift of life will of course drive like maniacs, but big ass signs will not remedy this. This is of course not much different than laws against shooting people in general anger; my point being that the vast majority of Americans don't need some screed scribbled down in a book in some court house to tell them not to kill people for the hell of it. They just don't do it as it's not right.
So call me unflattered over the speed limit getting raised by a whopping five miles per hour. If Governor McDonnell really wanted to make a difference in the lives of Virginians, and not just a half-assed perception of one, he would bar Virginia State Troopers from stacking up two fucking cruisers per mile on I-95 for the sole purpose of siphoning the sweat equity of my people.
The zombies are coming! The zombies are coming!
Just a heads-up, there will be hordes of Zs' in Silver Spring this Saturday.
That begs the question: what to do for zombies in a Gun Free Zone? I'm pretty sure CCW isn't outright outlawed in MD, just really difficult. And what about ARs and AKs? Seems to me like Mossberg may save the day in Maryland if the Zs' do attack.
That begs the question: what to do for zombies in a Gun Free Zone? I'm pretty sure CCW isn't outright outlawed in MD, just really difficult. And what about ARs and AKs? Seems to me like Mossberg may save the day in Maryland if the Zs' do attack.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Quote of the Day: Gunny addition
"I comforted myself as I pushed past him with the fact that I had 49 rounds of defensive ammunition with me." - Nancy, from Excels at Nothing.
Double stacked security blankets rule!
**Bonus points in the comments!!
Double stacked security blankets rule!
**Bonus points in the comments!!
Hump day gun p0rn
Bonus points to me for using 'hump' and 'p0rn' in the title. This one's for all you AK-47 lovers out there: 25 pages of AK goodness from around the world.
It is simply amazing to me how people modify or personalize a weapon like the AK. It's not modular like the M16/AR15 family, but that doesn't stop people from constructing a shoulder stock from a shovel handle.
Anyways, I've never been in love with the AK family, but for my readers who are, there ya go!
It is simply amazing to me how people modify or personalize a weapon like the AK. It's not modular like the M16/AR15 family, but that doesn't stop people from constructing a shoulder stock from a shovel handle.
Anyways, I've never been in love with the AK family, but for my readers who are, there ya go!
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Pistons are all the rage
While driving to work this morning, I was thinking about the accuracy bug that I've been chasing in the 308 rifle and why I still don't have consistency.
I have been a staunch advocate for direct impingement (DI) gas systems as they lend themselves to great accuracy. I've never bought into the myth that DI guns jam because of fouling, or that they jam more than any other firearm in general, and I have plenty of experience with the M16, AR15, and LR308 platforms to back that up. Sure, it fouls the action with soot, but it doesn't lead to the jams that uninformed/inexperienced people whine about on various internet forums. Discounting the defective magazine nightmare that I had with the LR308 when I first started shooting it, the only jam in one of these platforms that I can recall was 100% shooter induced. I was on the rifle range at Camp Pendleton, and I clicked off a shot on the 300 yard line which was ejected back into the action because my pinky was blocking the ejection port. This was before the days of forward grips and all, so we pulled in tight to the magazine well with our support hand.
As far as the heat involved with DI rifles, I've never worried about that too much as I don't even run my carbine like a carbine. When you never fire more than ten rounds or so at a time, why do you need to worry about snapping your bolt from all the high volume fire that will never happen? It's just never been an issue, or so I thought.
My epiphany occurred this morning as I was deducting that with the LR308, my groups always, always, always open up as the gun gets hot. I don't subscribe to the theory that it's because of the barrel; there's plenty of information and evidence about modern high quality barrels and how the point of impact does not shift when they get hot. Within reason, of course. No, my groups open up as the gun heats up overall, even if the barrel is not too hot to touch. I keep all of my targets for later analysis as I'm dorky like that, and I have lots of proof of why this is happening, and just hadn't put it together until now.
Gun powder is fickle stuff that performs differently depending on the climate where it is at. Temperature seems to me to be the big factor, as loads that you so carefully tested and approved of in the spring under clear, 60 degree temperatures go all screwy when the mercury hits 100+ degrees. Probably the main reason why Hodgdon's Varget is so popular is that it is extremely resistant to temperature changes (climate change?), but even the mighty Varget has its limits. I found this out this summer after one really hot day when I took the empty shell casings home after firing max loads of Varget with 175 grain bullets, and noticed that the cases wouldn't fit in a shell holder. Seems they had swelled a little too much. Looking at my data book shows the first five round group to average 2,547 fps, and consecutive groups going 2,603 fps.
The conclusion I came to was that it's not the barrel temperature that's causing it, but the chamber temperature. DI operating systems direct hot gasses straight into the bolt, right behind the case head. It's like hitting the back of the case with a blow torch every time you fire, and then the next unfired cartridge has to sit in that hot chamber with a glowing hot bolt until you shoot again. That is what is causing inconsistencies, and that is why the fifth round in a five round group in my warm rifle sometimes opens up. Checking through my data book, I see a variance of up to 90 fps with Varget loads, so who knows how screwed up things get with Reloader 15 or other temp sensitive powders. I would bet money that this phenomenon is why my gun will stack five rounds of 168 grain Federal Gold Medal right on top of each other, than the next group will be like buck shot.
If you think about it, you can eject a just fired .300 Winchester Magnum case out of a bolt action rifle straight into your hand, and it's kind of warm, but then try to pick up a .308 Winchester case off the ground that was just fired from a DI type AR rifle and it will immediately remove skin. They come out that hot even if it's the first round of the day. What I'm saying is that as I shoot, I'm basically cooking the round that I'm about to fire, and this increase in temperature causes pressure and velocity to climb which opens up my groups, and it gets worse with each round fired.
The solution is to either fire three round groups before letting the gun cool for fifteen minutes, use a powder that's impervious to temperature, or go with a gas piston system. The gas piston system does put reciprocating parts on top of the barrel, which can effect accuracy, but reading through the gun forums shows the technology is such that this isn't really an issue any more. The piston is getting very popular, to the point where even the Israelis are thinking about them.
I will have to take the route of least resistance and try out some of the new IMR 8208 XBR powder to find out if it is the magic solution for all of my DI problems. Looking on the IMR website shows that 8208 XBR is "totally insensitive to changes in temperature." Oh, we will see about that!
Now, I just have to find some. Last night I swung in to Ganderous Mountainous to see if they had Varget, and I found the store's condition to be exactly the same as it has been for years: deplorable. I hate that store. Not only did they NOT have any Varget, they didn't have any 175 grain Sierra Match Kings, no 165 grain Sierra Game Kings, no .223 Remington shell casings for a Stony Point OAL gauge; to tell you the truth, they really don't have much of anything. Time for a trip to Green Top!
I have some chain saw and machete work to do to perfect where I am going to test these rounds, and I'll get back to you with a range report when I get it done. If this doesn't work, I'll be looking to acquire a piston system for both ARs.
I have been a staunch advocate for direct impingement (DI) gas systems as they lend themselves to great accuracy. I've never bought into the myth that DI guns jam because of fouling, or that they jam more than any other firearm in general, and I have plenty of experience with the M16, AR15, and LR308 platforms to back that up. Sure, it fouls the action with soot, but it doesn't lead to the jams that uninformed/inexperienced people whine about on various internet forums. Discounting the defective magazine nightmare that I had with the LR308 when I first started shooting it, the only jam in one of these platforms that I can recall was 100% shooter induced. I was on the rifle range at Camp Pendleton, and I clicked off a shot on the 300 yard line which was ejected back into the action because my pinky was blocking the ejection port. This was before the days of forward grips and all, so we pulled in tight to the magazine well with our support hand.
As far as the heat involved with DI rifles, I've never worried about that too much as I don't even run my carbine like a carbine. When you never fire more than ten rounds or so at a time, why do you need to worry about snapping your bolt from all the high volume fire that will never happen? It's just never been an issue, or so I thought.
My epiphany occurred this morning as I was deducting that with the LR308, my groups always, always, always open up as the gun gets hot. I don't subscribe to the theory that it's because of the barrel; there's plenty of information and evidence about modern high quality barrels and how the point of impact does not shift when they get hot. Within reason, of course. No, my groups open up as the gun heats up overall, even if the barrel is not too hot to touch. I keep all of my targets for later analysis as I'm dorky like that, and I have lots of proof of why this is happening, and just hadn't put it together until now.
Gun powder is fickle stuff that performs differently depending on the climate where it is at. Temperature seems to me to be the big factor, as loads that you so carefully tested and approved of in the spring under clear, 60 degree temperatures go all screwy when the mercury hits 100+ degrees. Probably the main reason why Hodgdon's Varget is so popular is that it is extremely resistant to temperature changes (climate change?), but even the mighty Varget has its limits. I found this out this summer after one really hot day when I took the empty shell casings home after firing max loads of Varget with 175 grain bullets, and noticed that the cases wouldn't fit in a shell holder. Seems they had swelled a little too much. Looking at my data book shows the first five round group to average 2,547 fps, and consecutive groups going 2,603 fps.
The conclusion I came to was that it's not the barrel temperature that's causing it, but the chamber temperature. DI operating systems direct hot gasses straight into the bolt, right behind the case head. It's like hitting the back of the case with a blow torch every time you fire, and then the next unfired cartridge has to sit in that hot chamber with a glowing hot bolt until you shoot again. That is what is causing inconsistencies, and that is why the fifth round in a five round group in my warm rifle sometimes opens up. Checking through my data book, I see a variance of up to 90 fps with Varget loads, so who knows how screwed up things get with Reloader 15 or other temp sensitive powders. I would bet money that this phenomenon is why my gun will stack five rounds of 168 grain Federal Gold Medal right on top of each other, than the next group will be like buck shot.
If you think about it, you can eject a just fired .300 Winchester Magnum case out of a bolt action rifle straight into your hand, and it's kind of warm, but then try to pick up a .308 Winchester case off the ground that was just fired from a DI type AR rifle and it will immediately remove skin. They come out that hot even if it's the first round of the day. What I'm saying is that as I shoot, I'm basically cooking the round that I'm about to fire, and this increase in temperature causes pressure and velocity to climb which opens up my groups, and it gets worse with each round fired.
The solution is to either fire three round groups before letting the gun cool for fifteen minutes, use a powder that's impervious to temperature, or go with a gas piston system. The gas piston system does put reciprocating parts on top of the barrel, which can effect accuracy, but reading through the gun forums shows the technology is such that this isn't really an issue any more. The piston is getting very popular, to the point where even the Israelis are thinking about them.
I will have to take the route of least resistance and try out some of the new IMR 8208 XBR powder to find out if it is the magic solution for all of my DI problems. Looking on the IMR website shows that 8208 XBR is "totally insensitive to changes in temperature." Oh, we will see about that!
Now, I just have to find some. Last night I swung in to Ganderous Mountainous to see if they had Varget, and I found the store's condition to be exactly the same as it has been for years: deplorable. I hate that store. Not only did they NOT have any Varget, they didn't have any 175 grain Sierra Match Kings, no 165 grain Sierra Game Kings, no .223 Remington shell casings for a Stony Point OAL gauge; to tell you the truth, they really don't have much of anything. Time for a trip to Green Top!
I have some chain saw and machete work to do to perfect where I am going to test these rounds, and I'll get back to you with a range report when I get it done. If this doesn't work, I'll be looking to acquire a piston system for both ARs.
Bold cowardice
Shooting at a building that honors the Marine Corps is bold, but I'm calling out the vandal scumbag(s) as there are bona fide living-and-breathing Marines less than a mile away that dare you to try that shit in their vacinity.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Chicks with guns
No caption to go with this picture here. I don't have any words to describe it.
+5 brownie points if you spotted the Glock first.
I'm guessing that coed type FOBs probably aren't the smartest idea. Before you get all Libertarianish on me, know that I'm not advocating some sort of smart law to stop coed sleeping quarters in combat. But you can't tell me that anything good is going to come out of this remote hamlet in the middle of nowhere filled with mostly men, as well as a woman or two, all very stressed, lonely, and hanging out with machine guns in their underthingies, some of them leapard print.
Oh I bet you're all clicky on that link now!!!
+5 brownie points if you spotted the Glock first.
I'm guessing that coed type FOBs probably aren't the smartest idea. Before you get all Libertarianish on me, know that I'm not advocating some sort of smart law to stop coed sleeping quarters in combat. But you can't tell me that anything good is going to come out of this remote hamlet in the middle of nowhere filled with mostly men, as well as a woman or two, all very stressed, lonely, and hanging out with machine guns in their underthingies, some of them leapard print.
Oh I bet you're all clicky on that link now!!!
Feeeelings. . . . . .nothing more than feeeeelings
Some pathetic little thug murdered a Baltimore detective with a rock, leaving his wife a widow and his kids fatherless, all over a parking space. This reinforces my belief to never argue such things if at all possible, which is not clear from the information in this story.
What we do have is a man who is presumably armed and trained to use a firearm getting killed by a guy wielding mankind's oldest weapons system, thereby demonstrating that safety from predators is not always certain even if one is prepared and has all the proper tools on hand.
Fortunately the dirtbag in this case was easily apprehended, as he was relaxing in a club sipping on a cold one. Let's hope the jury gets to hear that part; although I don't have any confidence in the justice system in Maryland regardless. I'm waiting with bated breath to hear about this piece of work's extensive criminal history; you don't just get to the point one day where casually brain someone with a stone. These things develop over time.
The reason for the title to this post though has nothing to do with murderous scumbags and everything to do with the clueless people who domicile in and around noted dangerous cities talking about how they want to feel safe. The woman in question didn't happen to mention how she's going to go about making herself safe using her mind and her own two hands. My guess is that when pressed, she will mention something about voting for some Baltimore lawyer-critter to apply for the daunting task of running that violent city, all in the hopes of being tuff on crime or something.
I'm sure they'll get right on that.
Human beings are aiming for a life of extinction considering that the majority of the folks out there would flat out be beaten to death or starve in the wilderness if someone didn't completely protect them. "Feeling" safe has absolutely nothing to do with actually being safe; the latter having everything to do with life favoring the prepared, or so I've been told once. Even that is no guarantee, but it sure does help. I just don't get though how people can be so naive, as if they can magically will away the bad people. Crazy.
As my wife often says to me: "Don't talk about it; be about it!"
Yup!
What we do have is a man who is presumably armed and trained to use a firearm getting killed by a guy wielding mankind's oldest weapons system, thereby demonstrating that safety from predators is not always certain even if one is prepared and has all the proper tools on hand.
Fortunately the dirtbag in this case was easily apprehended, as he was relaxing in a club sipping on a cold one. Let's hope the jury gets to hear that part; although I don't have any confidence in the justice system in Maryland regardless. I'm waiting with bated breath to hear about this piece of work's extensive criminal history; you don't just get to the point one day where casually brain someone with a stone. These things develop over time.
The reason for the title to this post though has nothing to do with murderous scumbags and everything to do with the clueless people who domicile in and around noted dangerous cities talking about how they want to feel safe. The woman in question didn't happen to mention how she's going to go about making herself safe using her mind and her own two hands. My guess is that when pressed, she will mention something about voting for some Baltimore lawyer-critter to apply for the daunting task of running that violent city, all in the hopes of being tuff on crime or something.
I'm sure they'll get right on that.
Human beings are aiming for a life of extinction considering that the majority of the folks out there would flat out be beaten to death or starve in the wilderness if someone didn't completely protect them. "Feeling" safe has absolutely nothing to do with actually being safe; the latter having everything to do with life favoring the prepared, or so I've been told once. Even that is no guarantee, but it sure does help. I just don't get though how people can be so naive, as if they can magically will away the bad people. Crazy.
As my wife often says to me: "Don't talk about it; be about it!"
Yup!
Friday, October 15, 2010
When blunt force trauma is outlawed, only outlaws will use blunt force trauma. . .
It seems the savages in DC are finally respecting the gun ban and have instead chosen bludgeoning as their way of aggressive commerce.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Live a life of avoidance, de-escalation, and detterence
It's imperative if you carry, as even if you're right, someone may take the very sight of your holstered handgun as a threat to their personal safety.
One might argue that just because you carry doesn't mean that you don't have the right to give someone a piece of your mind, but I would retort that in this particular situation, as well as any that are even remotely close, it doesn't matter one teeny bit whether or not someone is armed. You don't purposefully engage in a heated conversation with anyone, armed or not.
I make it a general habit to not argue with anyone over anything while I'm out in public, and certainly not after midnight on the highway on a school night. Someone screams at me over a parking space - go ahead and have it, hoss. Say something nasty about my wife while we're eating at Olive Garden - sorry you feel that way; have a good night. There is simply no reason why I am going to engage in conflict when I strive at all times to avoid it.
Now, about the complainants driving. I cannot stand folks who will not yield the passing lane to another driver, and it makes me yell out loud in my truck when I'm stuck behind some douche who is in the passing lane riding abreast of a slow-ass driver in the right lane. One day amongst all my screaming a vein in my beet red forehead is going to pop, sending a lazer beam of blood smashing through the windshield and slicing through shitty-driver's rear tires. If you're too chicken shit to overtake the car to your right, then tap the brakes and move on over behind them. There is no excuse.
And to all the old folks who say that there's no reason to be in such a hurry, "it's only going to save you five minutes", well. . . . go piss up a rope. Every day driving to work, I end up behind three of you blue knuckled sonsohbitches, which adds up to thirty minutes of my time you have robbed from my kids every single day because you can't get the fuck over. Happened not an hour ago.
And for all you city folk who have moved down here from yankeeville to find your country roots, and still have all the I heart DC/NYC/Baltimore bumper stickers stuck on the back of your Prius, when you're riding down the country roads where all the disgusting hillbilly people live, and you have a line of headlights behind you as far as your eyes can see, and there's no cars in front of you, then pull over at the first available driveway and let the folks who know how to drive pass. Back roads around here go on for ten miles or more, so your non-driving ruins productivity for the people who work for a living. GTFOver!!
Beasley eventually let the other driver know he wasn't pleased, and the two drivers exchanged words and gestures.The complainant, aka slow-assed driver who doesn't know the law, felt that Beasley was a big-scary-man-hiding-behind-that-humongous-weapon, and called the po-po. Why in the world did Beasley decide to stop on a remote side of a highway at night to dispute someone's shitty driving?
The two ended up in a parking lot on Corporate Drive, where they continued their dispute.
The complainant accused Beasley of displaying a gun, and Beasley said the other man had a knife. Beasley said he never took his gun out of its holster.
One might argue that just because you carry doesn't mean that you don't have the right to give someone a piece of your mind, but I would retort that in this particular situation, as well as any that are even remotely close, it doesn't matter one teeny bit whether or not someone is armed. You don't purposefully engage in a heated conversation with anyone, armed or not.
I make it a general habit to not argue with anyone over anything while I'm out in public, and certainly not after midnight on the highway on a school night. Someone screams at me over a parking space - go ahead and have it, hoss. Say something nasty about my wife while we're eating at Olive Garden - sorry you feel that way; have a good night. There is simply no reason why I am going to engage in conflict when I strive at all times to avoid it.
Now, about the complainants driving. I cannot stand folks who will not yield the passing lane to another driver, and it makes me yell out loud in my truck when I'm stuck behind some douche who is in the passing lane riding abreast of a slow-ass driver in the right lane. One day amongst all my screaming a vein in my beet red forehead is going to pop, sending a lazer beam of blood smashing through the windshield and slicing through shitty-driver's rear tires. If you're too chicken shit to overtake the car to your right, then tap the brakes and move on over behind them. There is no excuse.
And to all the old folks who say that there's no reason to be in such a hurry, "it's only going to save you five minutes", well. . . . go piss up a rope. Every day driving to work, I end up behind three of you blue knuckled sonsohbitches, which adds up to thirty minutes of my time you have robbed from my kids every single day because you can't get the fuck over. Happened not an hour ago.
And for all you city folk who have moved down here from yankeeville to find your country roots, and still have all the I heart DC/NYC/Baltimore bumper stickers stuck on the back of your Prius, when you're riding down the country roads where all the disgusting hillbilly people live, and you have a line of headlights behind you as far as your eyes can see, and there's no cars in front of you, then pull over at the first available driveway and let the folks who know how to drive pass. Back roads around here go on for ten miles or more, so your non-driving ruins productivity for the people who work for a living. GTFOver!!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Tools are handy
During the shoot from this weekend, I was initially guessing at the velocity of my rounds as I hadn't clocked them yet. I use JBM Ballistics calculators when I'm at home and have internet connection, and in the field I use Point Blank software on my netbook.
My guestimates got me in the ballpark, and the Point Blank gave me drop in inches for some of the other shooters with me so that they could get close as well. I didn't have much data for the others except for a few velocity readings, so it was hard to get them on target. My only problem with Point Blank is that I use Mils for the 308 and MOA for my AR. I could do the math and get the solutions, but I didn't have enough data at the time to do that.
Yesterday I downloaded the Shooter Ballistics Calculator for my Samsung phone which uses the Droid OS, and it's fantastic. Entering all my load information from my data book from this weekend and comparing it to the actual results from the shoot, and it's spot on. There's also some other cool gadgets in Shooter to help you get results, and it will give it to you in whatever measurement you desire. Feed it good information and it will provide you with a good solution so that you can blast grapefruit at distance.
Best ten bucks I ever spent!
My guestimates got me in the ballpark, and the Point Blank gave me drop in inches for some of the other shooters with me so that they could get close as well. I didn't have much data for the others except for a few velocity readings, so it was hard to get them on target. My only problem with Point Blank is that I use Mils for the 308 and MOA for my AR. I could do the math and get the solutions, but I didn't have enough data at the time to do that.
Yesterday I downloaded the Shooter Ballistics Calculator for my Samsung phone which uses the Droid OS, and it's fantastic. Entering all my load information from my data book from this weekend and comparing it to the actual results from the shoot, and it's spot on. There's also some other cool gadgets in Shooter to help you get results, and it will give it to you in whatever measurement you desire. Feed it good information and it will provide you with a good solution so that you can blast grapefruit at distance.
Best ten bucks I ever spent!
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
What a $40,000 Failure to Fire looks like
If that missile isn't creating distance between you and it, you need to be creating it manually with your feet as fast as you can!!
H/T MilitaryPhotos.net
Monday, October 11, 2010
The Long Ranger
This is my first range report where I break the 500 yard barrier. Good times.
I got an invite to go out to a field in the middle of Virginia and shoot rifles, so I thought I aught to do an OCW test to find some rounds appropriate for closer to a grand in my 308, just in case I ever get to shoot that far. My test didn't go as well as planned; or so I thought.
I settled on some of Alliant's sweet Reloader 15 powder as it's manufactured by beautiful angels in a temple made of goodness. It's also been around for like forever -- Adam and Eve used to use it when they shot F-class -- so the accuracy nodes are very well known. That saves me a lot of time. 43.1 grains of it seem to be a popular load; my only concern is that I'm not using Lake City brass, which is what that charge is used in.
I loaded three rounds each in 42.5; 42.8; 43.1; and 43.4 grains using brand new Winchester brass, CCI BR2 primers, and 175 grain Nolser Custom Competition bullets, seated at 2.227" to the ogive. I also loaded a bunch of other stuff to try out that I never got to shoot. I finally got to set up to shoot this test the evening before range day, which is not ideal.
I got all set up with my table at 104 yards, chrono up, Practical Riflery Forums official test target up, and settled in on shooting from lowest charged rounds to highest in round robin style. The first three rounds went well enough, and then the chronograph failed to catch the velocity from the first 43.4 charge, which prompted me to raise the tripod a bit so that the rounds fly a little closer to the timing lights. It was getting dark, which makes chronos give errors. Back around from the 42.5 charge and all is looking good, and then at the 2nd 43.1 and 43.4 charge the chrono didn't get the velocity. Up goes the tripod again, and then nothing. I raised it a little more and finished my shoot, firing the last charges one right after another, and noticed the very last round, the last 43.4 charge, hit about six inches low and almost sideways. This would be why:
Cutting it a bit close. It seems these things need sunlight or some shit to function properly.
I absolutely lost it.
My brother was walking up and asked me what was wrong, and unfortunately got to hear a ten minute, profanity laced, hundred-and-ten decible diatribe about how I would pay a billion dollars for one hour of perfection, absent people or distractions, so that I may actually get to participate in my silly hobby.
So now I have a target where my groups are tightening up nicely at 43.1, and at the next charge my round is keyholed because of a stupid chain of events, so it's a big assed guess as to what my decided charge should be.
Top left is 42.5; top middle 42.8; top right 43.1; and bottom left is 43.4. The shots from the test are circled with blue pen (43.4 charge only has two shots); the rest of the shots were the contents of a 20 round magazine that was promptly fired at that target in an un-scientific manner (There was a lot more target than you can see here, for those of you counting shot holes!).
Velocities were:
42.5 - 2,398, 2,402, error
42.8 - 2,455, 2,433, error
43.1 - 2,478, error, error
43.4 - error, error, OWWW!! WTF!!!
After some careful thought I gambled on 43.3 grains. The 43.1 and 43.4 were hitting tight from what I could see, and more importantly to the exact same point-of-aim, point-of-impact. Theoretically if all three 43.4 charges hit tight in the same manner as the 43.1, than my accuracy node may fall in between the there. I loaded fifty of them, as well as five each of 43.1 and 43.2, just to see what they would do, and headed off to shoot.
We got the targets set up at 100, 200, 250, 450, and 514 yards in this bean field:
I started at 100 yards over the chrono, and we had bluebird skies, so there was no excuse for the chrono this time. Temp was 79, wind was 5-10 for awhile, then still as can be in the afternoon. Couldn't ask for a better day for shooting! You people in the South West have to deal with all that wind, while us East Coasters only have to worry about the humidity.
Final velocitie were:
43.1 - 2,515, 2,501, 2,482, 2,501, 2,510
43.2 - 2,520, 2,534, 2,515, 2,496, 2,525
43.3 - 2,554, 2,534, 2,544, 2,539, 2,534
My sand bag setup left my hundred yard groups all over the place, so I fixed my rest and got down into the gun and fired a decent five shot group at 250 yards:
I was pretty happy with that. I can work with it. The target on the right is the 450 yard target, and I used a 2.8 Mil hold at last light with a scalding hot barrel to put a best four into 4.2". I almost didn't shoot it as my hands were shaking from not eating all day, and as I was pressing the trigger the reticle would wobble back and forth. I would guess it explains the horizontal stringing. The fifth round hit about five inches low, which I can't explain. It happens. I'm sure if I took my time I could tighten that up, but the vertical measure makes me hopeful.
On the 500 yard target, my first five shots with 3 Mils of hold over and .6 Mils right hit the top right target at the bottom. This was my first ever attempt at 500 yards with this rifle. Losing the wind call, and using 3.2 Mils hold later on got me four rounds centered on that middle target, but that was after ten rounds fired quick at balloons I had stapled onto the sides of the ply wood, as well as five rounds at the 450 yard target. The bottom shot was with the 3 Mil hold:
(Click to make bigger)
Not the tightest group, but I'll take it under the circumstances. Now I get to fine tune this round so that it shoots like I want it to. I'm also going to start a 69 grain SMK work up with Varget for my AR15 when I save up that billion dollars to buy some time.
I don't shoot so well when I'm rushed, which is pretty much all the time. This day at the range was very relaxed, which was great. Every day needs to be like this. I'm lucky I didn't destroy my chrono, as I've shot one accidentally before, and I seriously considered seeing what a 175 grain round would do to the LCD of this chrono after the test incident. Really though, you just have to have daylight and you're good. Hopefully I'll get to go back soon, and maybe I'll have my loads dialed in tight like they're supposed to be.
I got an invite to go out to a field in the middle of Virginia and shoot rifles, so I thought I aught to do an OCW test to find some rounds appropriate for closer to a grand in my 308, just in case I ever get to shoot that far. My test didn't go as well as planned; or so I thought.
I settled on some of Alliant's sweet Reloader 15 powder as it's manufactured by beautiful angels in a temple made of goodness. It's also been around for like forever -- Adam and Eve used to use it when they shot F-class -- so the accuracy nodes are very well known. That saves me a lot of time. 43.1 grains of it seem to be a popular load; my only concern is that I'm not using Lake City brass, which is what that charge is used in.
I loaded three rounds each in 42.5; 42.8; 43.1; and 43.4 grains using brand new Winchester brass, CCI BR2 primers, and 175 grain Nolser Custom Competition bullets, seated at 2.227" to the ogive. I also loaded a bunch of other stuff to try out that I never got to shoot. I finally got to set up to shoot this test the evening before range day, which is not ideal.
I got all set up with my table at 104 yards, chrono up, Practical Riflery Forums official test target up, and settled in on shooting from lowest charged rounds to highest in round robin style. The first three rounds went well enough, and then the chronograph failed to catch the velocity from the first 43.4 charge, which prompted me to raise the tripod a bit so that the rounds fly a little closer to the timing lights. It was getting dark, which makes chronos give errors. Back around from the 42.5 charge and all is looking good, and then at the 2nd 43.1 and 43.4 charge the chrono didn't get the velocity. Up goes the tripod again, and then nothing. I raised it a little more and finished my shoot, firing the last charges one right after another, and noticed the very last round, the last 43.4 charge, hit about six inches low and almost sideways. This would be why:
Cutting it a bit close. It seems these things need sunlight or some shit to function properly.
I absolutely lost it.
My brother was walking up and asked me what was wrong, and unfortunately got to hear a ten minute, profanity laced, hundred-and-ten decible diatribe about how I would pay a billion dollars for one hour of perfection, absent people or distractions, so that I may actually get to participate in my silly hobby.
So now I have a target where my groups are tightening up nicely at 43.1, and at the next charge my round is keyholed because of a stupid chain of events, so it's a big assed guess as to what my decided charge should be.
Top left is 42.5; top middle 42.8; top right 43.1; and bottom left is 43.4. The shots from the test are circled with blue pen (43.4 charge only has two shots); the rest of the shots were the contents of a 20 round magazine that was promptly fired at that target in an un-scientific manner (There was a lot more target than you can see here, for those of you counting shot holes!).
Velocities were:
42.5 - 2,398, 2,402, error
42.8 - 2,455, 2,433, error
43.1 - 2,478, error, error
43.4 - error, error, OWWW!! WTF!!!
After some careful thought I gambled on 43.3 grains. The 43.1 and 43.4 were hitting tight from what I could see, and more importantly to the exact same point-of-aim, point-of-impact. Theoretically if all three 43.4 charges hit tight in the same manner as the 43.1, than my accuracy node may fall in between the there. I loaded fifty of them, as well as five each of 43.1 and 43.2, just to see what they would do, and headed off to shoot.
We got the targets set up at 100, 200, 250, 450, and 514 yards in this bean field:
I started at 100 yards over the chrono, and we had bluebird skies, so there was no excuse for the chrono this time. Temp was 79, wind was 5-10 for awhile, then still as can be in the afternoon. Couldn't ask for a better day for shooting! You people in the South West have to deal with all that wind, while us East Coasters only have to worry about the humidity.
Final velocitie were:
43.1 - 2,515, 2,501, 2,482, 2,501, 2,510
43.2 - 2,520, 2,534, 2,515, 2,496, 2,525
43.3 - 2,554, 2,534, 2,544, 2,539, 2,534
My sand bag setup left my hundred yard groups all over the place, so I fixed my rest and got down into the gun and fired a decent five shot group at 250 yards:
I was pretty happy with that. I can work with it. The target on the right is the 450 yard target, and I used a 2.8 Mil hold at last light with a scalding hot barrel to put a best four into 4.2". I almost didn't shoot it as my hands were shaking from not eating all day, and as I was pressing the trigger the reticle would wobble back and forth. I would guess it explains the horizontal stringing. The fifth round hit about five inches low, which I can't explain. It happens. I'm sure if I took my time I could tighten that up, but the vertical measure makes me hopeful.
On the 500 yard target, my first five shots with 3 Mils of hold over and .6 Mils right hit the top right target at the bottom. This was my first ever attempt at 500 yards with this rifle. Losing the wind call, and using 3.2 Mils hold later on got me four rounds centered on that middle target, but that was after ten rounds fired quick at balloons I had stapled onto the sides of the ply wood, as well as five rounds at the 450 yard target. The bottom shot was with the 3 Mil hold:
(Click to make bigger)
Not the tightest group, but I'll take it under the circumstances. Now I get to fine tune this round so that it shoots like I want it to. I'm also going to start a 69 grain SMK work up with Varget for my AR15 when I save up that billion dollars to buy some time.
I don't shoot so well when I'm rushed, which is pretty much all the time. This day at the range was very relaxed, which was great. Every day needs to be like this. I'm lucky I didn't destroy my chrono, as I've shot one accidentally before, and I seriously considered seeing what a 175 grain round would do to the LCD of this chrono after the test incident. Really though, you just have to have daylight and you're good. Hopefully I'll get to go back soon, and maybe I'll have my loads dialed in tight like they're supposed to be.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Someone didn't read their Sun Tzu
This is a great lesson of what happens when you blow your element of surprise.
I wonder what kind of legal fallout is going to come out of this. Sure, the scumbags were invading the home, but the question of the day is whether or not the homeowner's leafy hobby negates his US Citizenship rights to protect his property. I guess you could always argue that anyone growing pot deserves to not get shot to death by a band of unprepared morons, and by shooting back, you are in fact attempting to maintain your gift of life.
Also, the article mentions the use of handguns and shotguns. Why would the owner of a 'substantial' amount of pot not be armed with the latest and greatest AR15 or AK clone? You would think that he would be better prepared. Must be that all the good stuff in Washington state is flowing like a river to Mexico.
H/T Ace.
LAKEBAY, Wash. – An attempted invasion robbery at a home on Key Peninsula that housed a large marijuana grow operation turned into a gun battle between the owner and the robbers Thursday night. One robber is dead, at least two other people are wounded and as many as four people may be on the run in the neighborhood.The video says that the home owner was expecting the company, so I would imagine that he probably fired first. Shear numbers of gunman don't always add up when the potential target is armed and ready for you.
I wonder what kind of legal fallout is going to come out of this. Sure, the scumbags were invading the home, but the question of the day is whether or not the homeowner's leafy hobby negates his US Citizenship rights to protect his property. I guess you could always argue that anyone growing pot deserves to not get shot to death by a band of unprepared morons, and by shooting back, you are in fact attempting to maintain your gift of life.
Also, the article mentions the use of handguns and shotguns. Why would the owner of a 'substantial' amount of pot not be armed with the latest and greatest AR15 or AK clone? You would think that he would be better prepared. Must be that all the good stuff in Washington state is flowing like a river to Mexico.
H/T Ace.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Full predatorial release
It takes a true bleeding heart to suggest paroling violent kiddie humpers back into the wild before their time is up, but hey, the laws the law, right? It's mandatory!
What could possibly go wrong?
Why is it that rule makers decide to blanket everything with their dumb laws? Seriously, of all the people suffering in the world, these dipshits decide that violent scumbags are suffering more, and need the attention of the government to help them pass the time faster. Go save the homeless or something. Their is a reason that prisons are known as places of suffering.
(H/T to my brother)
What could possibly go wrong?
So do I. Of course, states say that they will monitor the lunatics as close as possible, but that's usually only until the cameras are off. Something tells me that guys like Woodburn aren't going to run out and land a job at Pep Boys, find an apartment in a beautiful community, and start an account at eHarmony to help find a meaningful, committed relationship.CONCORD – Saying they had no other choice under new mandatory parole laws, state Adult Parole Board members yesterday agreed to set free eight inmates nearing their maximum term in jail. Among the paroled were child sex predators who have not completed prison programs aimed at rehabilitating them, according to Department of Corrections records. "
You are a danger. You are a predator," board member Mark Furlone said to Robin Woodburn Jr., 34, of Manchester. "I think it is disgusting we have to parole you out."
Why is it that rule makers decide to blanket everything with their dumb laws? Seriously, of all the people suffering in the world, these dipshits decide that violent scumbags are suffering more, and need the attention of the government to help them pass the time faster. Go save the homeless or something. Their is a reason that prisons are known as places of suffering.
Advocates for Senate Bill 500 have said the bill would reallocate savings from the early release into programs within the community and provide treatment such as counseling for inmates.And hopefully rape counseling and child victim rehabilitation, too. Let's not forget about the non-felon members of the community.
They argue that in the past, inmates who "max" out their time go into the community without any plan or support, and that this change ultimately would be safer and give victims more knowledge and control.Apparently not, as felons are paroled regardless if they have a fat 401k, trust fund, and Bentley driven by loving family members waiting for them at the prison gates. And how does releasing them early give them control? What kind of control?
Sex offenders Woodburn, Michael Navarro, Anthony Blakney and Theodore Roosevelt are among the first inmates to be released under Senate Bill 500.Awesome. Go on and read about what upstanding members of the community these guys were, and now envision them using the enlightening experiences that they earned in state prison for the good of all. What, why are you laughing? You don't think Navarro can make it as a grounds keeper at the local elementary school? Maine won't let him have any porn, which we all know will definitely keep his urges suppressed in the safest fashion. Wouldn't want him looking at nude pictures of consensual adults; we need his mind focused on flowers and stuff. And Blakney? With a little sprinkle of hope, and a dash of state sponsored caring, I am sure that he will do just fine as a little league coach. Your little Tommy is gonna have a smashing good swing with some of Blakney's gentle touch. Just watch!
(H/T to my brother)
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Heroism
I try to read up on the heroic acts of Service men and women who earn various medals and such.
Staff Sergeant Robert J. Miller postumously received the Medal of Honor today, and while I'm astonished as always about how his citation reads, seeing the re-creation of the battle is something that has to be seen to be believed.
It's simply amazing that such people exist, and I'm thankful for that.
Staff Sergeant Robert J. Miller postumously received the Medal of Honor today, and while I'm astonished as always about how his citation reads, seeing the re-creation of the battle is something that has to be seen to be believed.
It's simply amazing that such people exist, and I'm thankful for that.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Monday, October 4, 2010
SCAR surgery
Are you sad because you hate the stock on your FN SCAR? Fear no more, Vltor has made an adapter that lets you put whatever AR type stock on your assault thingie. Read the review at Military Morons.
Good stuff!
Good stuff!
Coolest picture I've seen in awhile
This picture, from this thread at Militaryphotos.net
Air Force PJs have some nice gear. That M14 EBR is one sexy rifle!
Air Force PJs have some nice gear. That M14 EBR is one sexy rifle!
Another alarming loophole
Mentally distressed people have too easy access to heights and natural landmarks. Why settle for concrete barriers and steel nets though; let's just dismantle the Brooklyn Bridge altogether. It's a machine of death that launches helpless souls into a violent, grisly death, and if it saves just one life, right?
Perhaps diverting "elusive" public funding away from what the bridges and buildings were initially designed to do -- facilitate public commerce for millions of people -- and re-direct it towards saving handfuls of people who have decided for whatever reason to fore go public commerce and use such things in a manner that they were not intended. . . . .yeah, I can see how that might not go over so well.
It sucks that people kill themselves. Even more so if it could be prevented. I just don't see the logic in padding the entire world to stop random people from being random. The entire argument can go full idiot, like making Tylenol bottles harder to open when you're sad, or making guns sense distress and lock up, or carbon dioxide sensors on your Flowmasters that shut off the engine so you can't poison yourself to death in your garage. There's also the unintended consequences of it all; I can guarantee you that the first time some diseased seagull gets stuck in one of those safety nets, thousands of animal activists will picket city hall to have them removed.
I still say that people will find a way to kill themselves once they commit to it. Spending millions to make the world safer for a small amount of people will not stop it.
Draper, of the suicide hot line network, said that popular opinion aside, research shows that barriers making the jumps from high places impossible will prevent the public suicides.Seriously? Well then, what's stopping cities from emplacing safety devices on bridges and tall buildings to stop crazy people from jumping to their deaths?
"Many people are under the impression that if you just put up a barrier they will find another way to kill themselves. It's an argument that people will make against putting up a barrier," Draper says. "And it's myth."
Transportation authorities voted two years ago to hang stainless steel nets from the bridge to deter suicides, although funding for the $50 million project remains elusive.Oh. Funding, that's usually a biggie. Seems people that run cities and all like to spend the public's hard earned bucks on keeping those bridges maintained so that they can be used for good things, like spanning rivers and such. And those large buildings, they hold offices and work space for thousands of workers that keep the country running.
Perhaps diverting "elusive" public funding away from what the bridges and buildings were initially designed to do -- facilitate public commerce for millions of people -- and re-direct it towards saving handfuls of people who have decided for whatever reason to fore go public commerce and use such things in a manner that they were not intended. . . . .yeah, I can see how that might not go over so well.
It sucks that people kill themselves. Even more so if it could be prevented. I just don't see the logic in padding the entire world to stop random people from being random. The entire argument can go full idiot, like making Tylenol bottles harder to open when you're sad, or making guns sense distress and lock up, or carbon dioxide sensors on your Flowmasters that shut off the engine so you can't poison yourself to death in your garage. There's also the unintended consequences of it all; I can guarantee you that the first time some diseased seagull gets stuck in one of those safety nets, thousands of animal activists will picket city hall to have them removed.
I still say that people will find a way to kill themselves once they commit to it. Spending millions to make the world safer for a small amount of people will not stop it.
It's obviously the fault of the NRA
Three men were fatally shot in three incidents in the District over the weekend, D.C. police said.I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that the shooters and probably the victims were not responsible enough to just walk into a gun store and buy a pistol. Maybe DC should have some sort of law making it illegal for criminals to carry guns and shoot one another. Common sense and all.
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