Found it!

The search for a long range load for the Mod 0 is complete.

I was able to slip away and test out the last bit of load development yesterday, gusty winds be damned, and I walked away impressed. I was shooting 5 round groups of the 123 grain Lapua Scenar loads using three different primers: CCI BR4, CCI 450, and Federal Match; all of them went in well under an inch, with the first three shots of the BR4s going into one teeny bughole. The fourth shot was pulled out by a big ass gust of wind -- a remnant of Irene -- and the last round was a flyer. See bottom left group (the 450 and Federal Match primer groups are not pictured):



The top three groups were an OCW type test with 123 grain A-MAX and IMR 8208 XBR powder. The tightest group in the middle is the recommended load for the 6.5 Grendel by pretty much everybody, and I suspect that it's at the far end of the accuracy node. I like it because it's got a little more speed than the 123 grain Scenar load - 2,495 fps on average over the Scenar's 2,476 fps. At less than half the price of the Scenars, I'm staking my claim in the A-MAX.

A pro tip for reloaders: virgin brass will never be as consistent as brass that has been fired in your chamber. This has always been my experience with every gun I've ever owned. I don't consider brass to be "mature" and give the best results and tightest groups until it's been fired two to three times. The Alexander Arms brass that I'm using is made by Lapua, and is the most consistent brass I've ever bought. With that said, it's still slightly undersized so that it can load into any chamber, and that means that there will be flyers here and there in your groups. So far I've used new pieces of brass in every load I've tested, and I'm pretty excited to see how much better this gun is going to shoot with resized brass, as in the past there is a marked difference.

I still want to play around with 107 grain Sierra Match Kings and 130 grain Swift Sciroccos, but not for a little while. First thing is to get this rifle locked in with the A-MAX loads on both the scope and irons.

Also of note, I dragged out the SKS to find out what the zero is for it at 100 yards, and I was rewarded with a 6" five shot group, four of the shots going into about 3". Not bad. My brother's girlfriend was holding fantastic groups with it off-hand at 15 yards, and was a real world indicator why rifles are the ticket for getting hits.

End of the World Dinner Pic blogging

With all the earthquakes and hurricanes poured on us, this is supposed to be the last day we all have on the earth; I thought I would show off my dinner tonight in celebration:



ARFCOM is mandatory. Have a good night!

The Sum of Its Parts, part XXXVII

Minus the OPS Inc 12th model suppressor and Pelican case, this MK12 Mod 0 is done, baby. I was waiting on the ARMS bipod adapter to finish her off. I haven't had a chance to try out the 123 grain Hornady A-Max rounds yet, as mother nature is showing her ass right now, but I intend to as soon as possible.




As promised, here is the build sheet for all the parts I had to order:
Upper Receiver - Les Baer
Lower Receiver - DPMS
Bolt - Les Baer
Bolt Carrier - Les Baer
Firing Pin, cam pin, retainer - DPMS
Gas Tube - Brownell's
Muzzle Brake - OPS Inc 12th model .30 caliber
Selector, Ambi - DPMS
Buttstock, A1 - Fulton Armory
Trigger - Geissele SSA
Lower Parts Kit - DPMS
Scope Rings, ARMS #22 Medium - ARMS
Scope Ring Cap - ARMS
Scope Tactical Ring Rail - ARMS
Scope, 3-9x42 Mil/Mil - SWFA Super Sniper
Charging Handle, PRI Gas Buster - PRI
Pistol Grip - ERGO
Gas Block, flip up front sight - PRI
BUIS, ARMS #40L - ARMS
Handguard, free float - PRI Gen III
Upper Rail, ARMS Peq-2-3 - ARMS
Barrel, .264 LBC-AR - Les Baer
SPR 18" Barrel contour with sight flats cut, 5/8x24" threading - ADCO
Sling mount, H&K loop - GG&G
Sling mount, buttstock H&K loop - GG&G
Harris 6-9" Bipod - Harris
ARMS #32 Bipod Mount - ARMS

Once I got the upper from Les Baer, a quick fit check showed that it didn't fit right on the DPMS receiver, so I called them. I told the nice woman on the line what was going on, and she just told me to hold on one minute, at which point Les Baer actual got on the phone and told me I had to do some fitting to make it work. He mentioned that I could buy some other brand of receiver that would fit without any work, but that it wouldn't shoot as well because it wouldn't be as tight a fit.

Taking his advice, I used a piece of 300 grit sandpaper on a flat of wood to very carefully fit the receivers, and it worked excellent. Here's a couple of phone pics:



Working the bottom of the upper receiver, I would very often fit check on the lower, until I had about 1/8th of an inch before it closed:



I did have to do some fitting on the rear takedown pin hole as well, which Les keyed me in on. No problem whatsoever. Now the receivers are tight as a drum, and I don't have to use an accuwedge.

Counting the lower receiver, this project took me over 3 years. I didn't really get serious about it until the beginning of this year. Since the .264 LBC cartridge is a mild cartridge, I hope the barrel lasts for 10k rounds or more. I'll post a range report again once I get a chance to shoot it at range.

Ebony and Ivory

Raise your hand if this sounds familiar:

The tangled intersection of international laws is enforced through a thicket of paperwork. Recent revisions to 1900's Lacey Act require that anyone crossing the U.S. border declare every bit of flora or fauna being brought into the country. One is under "strict liability" to fill out the paperwork—and without any mistakes.

Where do ya think you're goin with that thar woodwind, boy!?! You got any papers with that?

This article is very telling. On one hand, you have over zealous government officials conducting raids in the name of draconian environmental regulations, and on the other hand you have musicians - who do more than there share of concocting said draconian regulations - whining and reviling over the injustice of the same regulations. Hmmm.

The Postman cometh

I've been on a steady spending spree here recently at both Brownell's and MidwayUSA. I tend to hit up Brownell's on strictly gun related parts, and MidwayUSA when I have a variety of random needs.

Yesterday evening I heard the unmistakable sound of a 22"x 15" x 10" cardboard box softly hitting my porch, and when I opened it I saw the beauty of the MidwayUSA Competition Range Bag. Holy boni fide bargains, batman!! That's $40 very well spent.



There's the bag itself, which has a ton of room and a bunch of pockets, and then theres a smaller tote for your ammo, two zippered and lined pistol carriers, and a little bag for brass. The whole thing is foam lined, which makes the bag stand up all on its own. I love it. I've been rough on range bags, and haven't had one last but for a year at a time; if this one is anything like the MidwayUSA Drag Bag that's pictured in the top, than I know I'll be happy. The drag bag gets high praise from me as well, and it's stood up to two years of decent abuse.

Also included in that order were 100 Hornady A-Max bullets in the 123 grain flavor. I usually don't get carried away when ordering bullets, as I like to shoot a box before I commit to buying them in bulk. They're shorter than the 123 grain Scenars, and I've loaded some of them for testing (hopefully today).



I have the Scenar load just about wrapped up, and am now testing different batches of primers. From what I've read, the CCI BR4 primers are not as hot as other brands of primers, and going to a magnum primer will probably give me more velocity. Time will tell, and I'll have a shiny new range report to follow very soon. I mark all my handloads in various ways with a Sharpie; the F is for Federal Match primers, and you can take a guess at what 28.7 means. Once I settle on a particular load, I color code the bullet and case to tell me what bullet weight, and how many times the case has been loaded. While the finished rounds are sitting in the loading tray like little ICBMs, I'll run the Sharpie along the bullets and then the case walls. It only takes a few seconds and will make sure that when you find your kid sitting in the floor in a pile of cartridges, you will know what they are.

Bersa making stun guns now?

I find this funny as hell, even though I have more respect for the .380 ACP cartridge than that.

Creeeeeeeepy!! And where the hell is Ruckersville?

I'm reading this thread at ARFCOM about some mall ninja pervert who stalks dirtbike trails, and they link to this YouTube video where some 13 year olds in a race run his sick ass over in the middle of the woods because he's buried himself in leaves.

I honestly have no advice to give on this one. Unless you have your Little Johnny competing in races with a cut down Winchester 1887 strapped to the side of his bike, there's nothing you can really do to totally prepare your youngster to defend against all the sick shit that mankind can come up with. You can only cover so many scenarios.

***ETA: From the discussion at this forum, the guy has been seen all over the place during dirt bike races and such. He carries the ninja outfit with him into the woods in a backpack, and dons it before burrying himself in leaves or dirt. Whenever anyone confronts him, he doesn't speak and quickly walks off. Weird.

Here's the video:

Nostradamus is my middle name, baby

Hey Vincent, what's shakin'?!?! I know, I'm hilarious.

I had to point out this headline fail; when something exciting happens, the media goes full retard.

Bringing sexy back

I always loved the Woodland camo BDUs in my Marine Corps days; it was only at the very end of my active service that the new digital MARPAT uniforms were coming about, and they were extremely hard to get a hold of.

I think the Marine Corps did it right with the new uniforms. Wearing them is like wearing pajamas in comparison to the BDU, and I've been told that the IR signature of the MARPAT wearer is reduced. Technology rocks.

Over at KitUp!, there's an article about Marine Special Operations (MARSOC) adopting the Crye Precision uniform (the folks that made Multicam), and the pattern depicted is Woodland. In comments, many people have elevated blood pressure over it considering that their tax dollars went to buying MARPAT for the Marines, which works excellent, and now there are Marines wearing $200 pants in Woodland. I think the thing to consider here is that these guys are MARSOC, and are probably trying to blend in with the Afghanistan military on top of blending in with the terrain. That, and Woodland works very well as a camouflage even today, and I wouldn't think twice about wearing it in greenish environments.

Woodland is good stuff.

Looking at the Marine on the right in the picture, I notice that he has the new Leupold Mark 8 riflescope, which I got to fondle at the Modern Day Marine Convention last year (advertising helps!). Here's a picture of my buddy holding the Mark 8, if you want a closer look, and go here for sticker-shock if you want to buy one. Looking closely, the Mark 8 is mounted in a reversed one piece scope mount and base, probably a quick detach type such as Bobro, GG&G, or Larue tactical, with it attached to the forearm vice the receiver. That will no doubt make some people cringe, as a forearm is not as robust of a mounting platform as the receiver, but that Marine looks like he's doing fine with it.

A G-thang you would understand

The G-3 rifle in the hands of world armies, at MP.net.

So many millimeters

I'm watching Dealiest Warrior right now, the episode that versus Saddam Hussein against Pol Pot, and I notice that Saddam's Republican Guard carried some serious firepower:



The RPK must have ferocious recoil from firing a round like that! They also state that the Tokarev T-33 pistol that Pol Pot's warriors used is chambered in 9mm which is incorrect; it's chambered in 7.62x25mm. Fortunately, the Browning High Power won out over the Tokarev.

Overall, the show is pretty cool. In this episode, they have a former Iraqi General who defected from the army after he had reservations about murdering unarmed people to death with chemical warfare agents. It was a good call on his part, and America swooped him up gladly. I'm still watching it right now, so I'm going to get back to it.

Livin' in a Reloadah's Paradise

I learned to reload when I was about ten years old. Granted, I mostly pulled the press handle and watched my father reload, but it didn't take me long to make my own rounds. I've had a hiatus here and there, but I've been reloading with seriousness for close to a decade after my last one. In that time period I have made lots of mistakes and learned a ton. As a matter of fact, it surprises me how much I am still learning every time I pull the press handle. It's a constant learning curve.

When I decided to get back into reloading I was fresh off active duty in the Marine Corps. I bought the Lee Anniversary kit - probably the wisest purchase to start cranking out rounds. It contains a great deal of the equipment needed to make ammunition, and I still use basically all of that equipment today. Some of the more pricey kits from RCBS or Hornady are good to go as well, but the Anniversary kit comes in right at $100.

If you are thinking about how to get into reloading, I'll give you a place to start. If you pick up a reloading kit like the one I bought from Lee, not counting ammunition components like powder, primers, brass and bullets, you will need to order dies for the caliber(s) you intend to load for, some shell holders if they do not come with the dies, and with that you can start making ammo. There are other items that are very important to have though, with the first one that comes to mind being a good set of calipers. For making the most accurate ammo, I use a comparator guage set with the calipers in order to measure seating depth more accurately, but they are not needed to start out. You will find that you can pick special items up here and there as you buy bullets and stuff.

For the most part, any of the kits that you buy will come with a reloading manual, which are indispensible for making safe ammo. If you have about $150 lying around, the best single tool that I have ever bought for reloading is Quickload. If you don't want to buy it, you can still make ammunition that is as accurate, but it will most likely take you more time. Be advised that Quickload is responsible for most of the divorce rate amongst handloaders, as husbands have been known to sit on their ass for countless hours gaming different load recipes on the computer until the wee hours of the night.

It can be overwhelming to find a place to start, so my advice is to start with the bullet for the particular cartridge you want to load for. I'll give the .308 Winchester as an example. Say you want a bullet for target shooting out to 600 yards or so, as that is the maximum distance you ever plan to shoot, but you also want to be able to shoot Bambi's baby brother if the oportunity arises. Most hunting bullets these days are not far from match grade, so pick one that will work for deer sized game -- I recommend the 165 grain Sierra Game King.

Next you need to pick your case. Usually this is limited to what you find on the shelves, but for the .308 Winchester specifically I recommend Winchester cases. As a general rule, and one I note for safety, once you develop a load for a particular cartridge, stick with the exact components and don't deviate from them; this is especially true for the case. All cases are not equal, and the capacity varies greatly by brand. If you develop a handload that is close to maximum pressure, and you switch say from a Winchester case to some Lake City cases that your bestest buddy gave you, the loads you make can damage or destroy your gun and injure you. Buy a notebook (I use the green monster books like the Marines use) and log the components of your chosen round in there with the date, seating depth, and how many you made. This will save your ass in the future. I promise that.

Now you have a bullet and case. Next you need to pick your powder. Look in your handloading manual(s) (it's best to have more than one) for the powder that gives you the velocity that you want for your chosen weight of bullet. Handloaders are living in the Promised Land of reloading nowadays; there are so many powders and components to chose from that it will blow your mind. For this post's theoretical round, I am going to recommend Hodgdon's Benchmark, as it will give you consistent velocities across the different temperatures that you will encounter in the deer stand and on the rifle range, and is known for extreme accuracy. The manual will tell you what the recommended maximum load is; start out about 10% less than the maximum charge, or whatever the manual recommends.

I find that reloading manuals from bullet manufacturers will give you the best place to start for their particular brand of bullet, and the reloading manuals from powder manufacturers to give you the best place to start for a given bullet weight. It's good to have both. You can also find reloading data online, and even order free loading manuals, like from Alliant Powder, which I highly recommend. My go-to manual is Lyman; they publish good loads that aren't too conservative and are sane.

For primers, you really can't go wrong with any of the brands out there, but I shoot CCI mostly. Magnum primers are best for magnum cartridges, but they are also useful for ball type powders and for loads that will be fired in the cold. Magnum primers often increase pressure, so know that before you start loading and work your powder charges up from there.

Here's some pro tips about buying powder and primers: ordering either one online will incur a $25 hazmat fee on top of the shipping charge. That pretty much spoils buying one pound of powder or a case of 1k primers. If you have to order, by a bunch of both to make up for the extra cost. Consolidate your order with other shooters for even more savings; online gun forums like Sniper's Hide, AR15.com, and Virginia Gun Forum have even been known to do mass buys at times, which can net even more savings from such a large order. What works for me though is to get in good with a reloading merchant who has a table at the local gunshow, and give them a call in advance with the powder you want so that they can order and bring it for you.

Yes, I have a powder dealer.

Once you find the powder that works best for your gun, buy a keg or two of it so that you have a stash that's from the same lot. You have no idea what kind of bender Ol' Valtteri Hämäläinen had last night before starting his shift at VihtaVuori plant, or how bad his multiple sclerosis has effected how much diphenylamine he can pour, so powder can change significantly from lot to lot. I had a hell of a time with Varget for awhile, and I wasn't alone.

Now that you've picked your components, head back to the manual and find out what your starting load should be. How to go about testing the right charge and seating depth for your gun is an article for another day, and is best explained by others. From my experience, it's best to find a powder/load recipe that works across the environment where you will be shooting, and the Optimal Charge Weight method has been successful for me multiple times. For those who use Quickload, take a look at the Optimal Barrel Time theory -- I've taken this information and used it to predict a handload before I even started to assemble the cartridge. It works, and will save you a bunch of time and components.

Benchmark powder is one of Hodgdon's Extreme line of powders, so it will work well throughout a broad temperature range. As you shoot loads with more and more charge, pay close attention to pressure signs (read your reloading manual for details), and your gun will tell you what it likes.

There is an abundance of reasons why you should start reloading: accuracy, economy, zombies, hoarding, for fun; these are only a handful of examples. Last weekend I seated my first batch of 9mm handloads for the purpose of hot-rodding 147 grain bullets in my Glock 17. It's hard to load economically for the 9mm, but turning it into a .357 magnum light should be fun. My kids now fight over who gets to pull the press handle, so I'm breeding a new generation of handloaders that will hopefully advance the art further than I can.

Notice me

Virginia drivers have deplorable driving skills, and one of the things that pisses me off are drivers who do not use their turn signal.

Understanding that Notice is part of the basic principles of Contract, as well as giving Value to get Value, using a turn signal gives other drivers Notice of your intent; the other drivers get Value from knowing what you plan to do so that they can act accordingly, and the signalor (industry term) gets Value by not having the other drivers smashing into the ass end of their vehicle. Don't bother to argue with that as Contract has been well settled over thousands and thousands of years, and is way more proven than opinion.

And yes, brake lights are Notice of sorts, but they do not indicate intent. Like this morning for instance; I had no way of knowing if Incompetent Driver's BMW brake lights were an indication that there was a squirrel or other fuzzy faced creature poised precariously on the side of the road; that there was an emergency vehicle entering traffic; that the driver hit the brake pedal accidentally while scratching her overstuffed leg and will continue on or about at the same speed; or that the driver, having determined all at once that she wanted to stuff her filthy face with McDonald's latest wares, was coming to a full on stop, and had to wait to cross oncoming traffic. Without knowing that a driver is going to come to a sudden stop, it can be very easy to hit someone. That's why you're supposed to show intent.

Incompetent Driver did not give me Value, so by all means I should have blared the horn at her stupid ass, and by that I would have been giving her Value as she may have learned to use that stem thingy hanging off the steering column and avoid preventable collisions in the future. I would probably have received Value indirectly, as my children in the back seat would not have to hear me swearing nasty things, thereby parroting them in company of my wife.

I don't make it a habit to stomp on my brakes and come to a full stop every time I see brake lights. I'm not asking for y'all to come over to my house and mow my lawn; just give me some fucking Notice.

Even the ladies are doing it

Video footage of a group of teenage girls savagely attacking a woman in Philly. It seems that city has seen the most use of the teen mob attack.

My takeaways from the half of the video that I was able to watch are: 1) the victim noted that she heard the attackers coming up behind her, and said that she is vigilant about being aware of her surroundings; 2) By the time she turned around, the attack was already initiated; 3) She was on the ground immediately.

To address the first takeaway - being aware of your surroundings is paramount to your safety. The consensus is that picking up on an attack and avoiding it is the best option, and will have a better outcome than a fight and/or shooting your attacker(s). With that said, you cannot count on vigilance to always win the day, so be prepared.

On the second takeaway, even if you spot an attack before it happens, you may not be able to prevent it regardless, so be prepared.

Third takeaway - learn to fight on the ground. Most physical fights end up on the ground anyways, and I am as guilty as any about doing my practice shooting while standing. Most of that has to do with where I shoot; I can shoot safely with a handgun or rifle from a bench, but not up at a target while I'm on the ground. Shooting school is where you would learn the techniques. I would imagine that it's difficult to get a gun into play while a group of people kick you in the head while you're on the ground, but it's a probability that could happen, so be prepared.

Also, just because attackers are female does not mean that they aren't capable of inflicting severe or fatal injuries. A girl can end your life just as easy as boy or man, especially when you're on your ass in a parking lot and there's six of em'.

A history of sword violence

"We've arrested him on two different occasions. Once in June where he had another sword, which is in evidence. This is not the same sword. He cut his grandmother on the foot with it that time," Miller said, according to CBS Atlanta.

Sounds like the county failed to properly intervene here and put this teenager where he belongs by using the full extent of the law. Is it that hard to keep little scumbags behind bars/glass?

I post this story like I do all the other sword attack stories to point out that despite our advanced society we are not that far separated from history. A sharpened piece of steel is easy to come by, and can inflict fatal wounds without the need to reload.

Be careful answering your door

It's disgusting that there are people in this world who do not posses an operational conscience, but considering the state of the economy and how desperate citizens are right now, it's a good idea to harbor some paranoia and take a looksee outside before throwing the door open to whomever knocks.

Jon Stewart on Ron Paul

I avoid politics like the plague these days, and to be honest I don't really care what's going on on the presidential battlefield at the moment, but yeah, it hasn't been lost on me about how Ron Paul is completely ignored. Ron Stewart does a great job stabbing at the media on the Ron Paul blackout. Funny.

***ETA: Jon Stewart; not Ron Stewart. Long night.

Smells like teen angst

There's a whole lot of good quotes in this article, despite the content being as unsettling as it is. An example:

“We can’t expect that imposing a curfew is going to stop some 15-, 16-, 17-year-old from bringing a gun to anywhere,” he said at an afternoon City Hall news conference. “On the other hand, we should be able to expect parents not to have their 13-year-old children on the Plaza getting shot.”

That's the Kansas City mayor talking. I don't know anything about who he is or what he stands for, but I think he's right on the mark as far as where the root of the problem lies: parents, get ahold of your kids.

The shootings occurred shortly before 11 p.m. Saturday near 47th and Wyandotte streets. When shots rang out — witnesses reported hearing five or six — James was about 50 yards away. His two bodyguards pushed him to the ground and drew their guns.

“They basically forced me into the flowerbeds by the Cheesecake Factory,” James said.

He was uninjured. But two boys and a girl — 13, 15 and 16 years old — were wounded. A bullet grazed the girl’s face, and the two boys were shot in their legs, police said. None of the injuries was life-threatening. James said all three youths were in stable condition on Sunday.

The mayor got an up close view of what I am now considering to be modern teen violence. As a parent, I would not allow my teenage kids to be wandering about at night in the middle of a plaza crowded with unruly kids and known for violence.

The first notable occurrence was on April 10, 2010, when as many as 900 youths, some as young as 11, converged on the shopping and entertainment district that Saturday night. Police responded to reports of vandalism and assaults. One group of teens robbed and beat a couple from Grandview. A girl in a prom dress was shoved into a fountain. Fights broke out.

In my experience, large groups of teenagers wandering about on their own program will find trouble to get into. When I was a teen, my friends and I would hang out in the woods by a bonfire or at a lake, and it was not uncommon for a police officer to stop by and make sure we weren't causing trouble. I can't recall a time when they were not fair to us, it being a minor inconvenience, and looking back I would expect the cops to make ensure nothing bad was being done.

Circo, the mayor pro-tem, was at James’ side on Sunday as the mayor acknowledged that while more youth activities would give kids more things to do, it was not the city’s responsibility alone. Churches, schools and businesses, also, need to get involved, he said. But most of all he blamed parents for allowing their children to roam unattended late into the night at the Plaza and other gathering places in the city.

“We have a youth problem on the Plaza, but first and foremost we have a parent problem,” he said.

Yes. I agree one hundred percent. If parents really are dropping their kids off into this situation and aren't heeding the blatant notice that city officials are giving to take control of the situation, than they deserve whatever outcome the city decides. If you do not control yourself, you will be controlled - a maxim of law.

There may be more underlying problems that didn't make it into this article, but to me it sounds like the city government is placing the proper folks on notice to get their act together or the city will do it for them. When little Johnny comes home with tales of being violated by the cops while mobbing at the plaza late at night, you can bet the parents will be outraged. Another consideration is that while teens around the country are robbing and assaulting en-mass, armed folks are taking notice and it's only a matter of time before a large group of kids tries to lay hands on the wrong victim.

Checking out that video, the cops are putting people on notice that if their kids are part of the trouble makers, they could be shot by an average joe. Now I think it's deplorable Captain Rhodes calls being armed against violence being a "vigilante", as that is petty statement. As for his cellphone vs handgun comment, and "which one are you going to chose", how about stuffing a cellphone in your holster, sport, and then go about trying to stop a violent scumbag. Not going to work out so well, is it?

He is letting the populace know though that average people are carrying guns and are scared of these mobs of teens. Teenagers are generally not smart enough to see the danger they are putting themselves in, so it's up to their parents to have a sit down with them and tell it like it is. Your kid may be good and all, but things may change when he or she gets into the company of other teens.

***Update: Another Gun Blog has a link to a video/news article about a home owner in Kansas City who was threatened by an angry group of teenagers, and they fled when he came out of his house with a Mosin Nagant in hand. No actual force necessary.

Range Reporting in

Whoa there, I've been busy as I can be, but twice now I've been able to make a strategic naptime range session to test the waters of the Mod 0.

Since the .264 LBC is still a new cartridge, and on top of that I'm using very new powder types, QuickLoad is only marginally helpful. Also, this gun leaves little ejector marks on the cases on every load, which is usually a sign of overpressure, leaving me to doubt and pull the first few bullets as I thought they were too hot.

To start, I shot a small OCW test using three loads in IMR 8208 XBR. The only bullet I'm using for the time being is the 123 grain Lapua Scenar. My starting charge was 27.9 grains and I intended to work up to 29.1 grains but chickened out; I only went to 28.5 grains.



Click on these to make them bigger if you want the details, and also heed my disclaimer that I am an advanced reloader and you should start your loads 10% what your reloading manual states and work from there. Do not try to duplicate my handloads: if you blow yourself or your gun up, do not point the finger at me.

Next up was Hodgdon's LeveRevolution powder. I've heard that it is well suited for the Grendel/.264 LBC cartridge, so I gave it a whirl. I went from 28 to 32 grains, and you can see the breakdown with velocities here if you're so inclined:



The LeveRevolution didn't put out the velocity that I was looking for, and on top of that it's a temperature sensative powder and it was 95 degrees today. The XBR got me right close to 2,500 fps, which should keep me out of transonic out to 1,000 yards. It also dialed in a .332" three shot group which gives me some hope.

Today also gave me the chance to dial in the iron sights on my AR15-from-DPMS. Since I now have a 6.5mm coyote blaster that can lob bullets out to long range, I took the scope off the AR15-from-DPMS and let it be a lightweight carbine equiped only with a flashlight. I had to dial in those Yankee Hill Machine flip up sights with my chosen handloads - 69 grain Sierra Match Kings in Winchester cases over 24.5 grains of Varget - and here is the result:



The top 3 round group circled was the first, at 100 yards, and I dropped it down on the front sight post to the bottom left group. After 7 clicks right, I got the bottom right group which was too far. 3 clicks left put me dead on. Next was a group at 25 yards to see where it would hit at close range:



That's three rounds there at 6 o'clock on the orange dot. Who says you can't shoot groups with irons? That would be a bone-stock pencil barrel from DPMS. I'm impressed.

Also, I shot some of the Federal 147 grain +P HST through my Glock 17, and turned in an average velocity of 1,025 fps and an extreme spread of 26 fps. That's top of the line. I will be switching fully to it once I run a few more boxes of it through each of my Glocks.

My next move is to go back to IMR 8208 XBR and see how tight I can get the Mod 0 to shoot.

F35 Joint Strike Fighter photo thread

This plane is supposed to become the replacement of many aircraft in our arsenal, as well as for many NATO countries. It sure is beautiful.

Flash mob attacks gaining popularity

And not in a good way:

Similar attacks are also being investigated in cities likes Los Angeles, Chicago, Cleveland, Washington, D.C., and Milwaukee, where 30 people were arrested after alleged mob attacks erupted at the Wisconsin State Fair on Aug. 4. At least 18 people were injured in or around the grounds, including seven police officers, authorities said.

Attacking cops; fractured skulls; this goes beyond simple robbery. Many are asking when the US will have riots like Britain, but I think we've had them for some time now. The natives are pissed off, and they're acting out against whomever they encounter on the streets. I don't care if it's racially motivated or not; a group of thuggish kids cracking skulls for any reason is a deadly threat.

Guns, Cakes, and things

Sorry I dropped off the face of the planet. Life has kept me very busy lately with family visits, doctor's appointments, and multiple birthdays including my own. My awesome sister even gave me a Glock 23 for my birthday:



It's a cake made of chocolate that she made from a mold of my Brother in Law's Glock. Really cool. It was a little melted when I took the picture. We had a small birthday party for my daughter complete with a ton of kids running around, and that cake was sitting on the kitchen counter. Every time I would glance down I would immediately reach for it, as if to place it high up somewhere to keep it out of the kid's hands. It looks that real at first.

I am 98% done with my MK12 Mod 0 build; the OPS Inc. muzzle brake came in the mail yesterday, and I had to fabricate a washer from a brass disk to make sure it was properly timed. The Harris bipod and sling mounts are in the mail, and I still need to get an A.R.M.S. #52 quick throw mount for the bipod.



The caliber of my Mod 0 is .264 LBC AR, which is Les Baer's take on the 6.5 Grendel. They are basically the same thing, and my Lapua brass is stamped 6.5 Grendel on the case head; dies are also Grendel. I did some handloading for it, so hopefully I'll get an hour or two to burn at the range this week.

Building this was slow and painful. Very few barrel makers are licensed to chamber in 6.5 Grendel, as Alexander Arms keeps an iron grip on that Grendel name. Because of that, several cartridges have been spawned that differ in name only. I originally tried to go through Satern Machining for a barrel, but they didn't know the specifications for a MK12 barrel. I tried for two months to work with them, but they are very busy cranking out barrels and I wasn't getting any where, so I called Les Baer. He helped in the development of the Grendel, and in the wake of the licensing he made his own cartridge called the .264 LBC AR.

I ordered Les' 20" heavy barrel, and when I got it I sent it to ADCO Firearms to have it cut to 18" and turned down to a SPR profile that matches the MK12. It's got cut rifling, which I insisted on, and it's all stainless, so I coated it in Brownell's Alumahyde II in Dark Parkerizing Grey. It looks awesome. Here's the barrel hanging from my ceiling after I coated it:




Assembly was relatively easy. This gun is very close to spec for the Mod 0, with only minor infractions keeping it from being perfect. I still want to get a Storm or Pelican case with cut foam for it, and also the suppressor. I have to get the .30 caliber version though because the OPS Inc 12th model in 5.56mm obviously will not work.



Also for my birthday I got a box of Federal's 147 grain HST +P. I had 15 minutes to spare the other day, so I shot 20 of them or so out of my Glock 26 to see how they would do. In the scorching heat under the ticking clock in my head I managed a 3 1/8" five shot group at 25 yards, which is nothing to sneeze at from the subcompact blaster. I did a few draws to make sure it was controllable, and got velocity of 975 fps on average. This ammo rocks, and will be what I am going to chamber my Glock 17 in soon. The 25 yard group is the middle dot:




That's about all I have for today. When I get the bipod and A.R.M.S. mount I'll do some glamor shots of the Mod 0, and also a range report. I should also do up a build sheet to capture all the parts and effort I put into this thing.

Give us this day our yearly CTone

My fourth and final child - a son - was born last night. At 9 lbs 10 ounces, he was the grand finale for sure. Our other kids were born nice a simple and quick, while this one gave us quite a scare; mother and baby are doing great though.

I have now had four kids within four years. For a few more days anyways, I'll have a three year old, a two year old, a one year old, and a newborn. I am truly blessed.

Blogging will be light for a few days.


***Update: Just made it back home last night after five days in the hospital. Still have a big few days ahead with doctor's appointments, sleepless nights, and family visiting their new member. I would have blogged while in the hospital but the internal internet wouldn't allow me to visit blogger.com. Weird. I thank y'all for the comments, and I'll get back to normal blogging here hopefully this weekend.

Barrels, bullets, and other things

I got word that the Les Baer barrel for my MK12 Mod 0 build has been completed by ADCO and is in the mail. I had to correspond with Steve, who works there, to give him the details of what I was looking for. They had my barrel for just over a week before completing the work and sending back out, which is impressive.

I need a few more parts to finish the build, but have run out of funding for the time being. I do have pictures of the upper being fitted to the lower, as well as some Alumahyde coating pics. When I get the barrel I will take some more and put up a post.

Now that I'm back to carrying the Glock, I'm going to upgrade my carry ammo from Black Hills 124 grain +P to probably Federal's 147 grain +P HST. They are more affordable than the Black Hills, and use better bullet technology than the XTP which is made by Hornady. I think that I'm going to holster shop for the 1911 for AIWB; for the moment, the Glock is set up for it and the Zack holster is working well; but while I shoot the Glock fine and all, I don't shoot it nearly as well as I do a 1911. It takes more effort to put rounds exactly where I want them to go in a hurry. I am way more practiced with the 1911, and can manufacture my own ammo for almost nothing, which is another bonus. I'm on Custom Carry Concepts' email list for a Shaggy holster when they start making them again in the fall, but I might look for something for my Kimber and give that a whirl, too.

Also, I may drop off the radar for a few days -- just giving you a little heads up. My annual allotment of responsibility is about to go up by 25% any day now, and I'll give a report on that when it goes down. I can't wait. Hopefully by then I will have all the rest of my Mod 0 parts and can sneak out of the house for some well deserved time at the range.

Crazy people roundup

Sometimes I check out the news and there are so many stories that defy belief that I feel compelled to clump them together and share them with the world. Kind of like Drudge (where I find some of these stories), but only for bizarre stories of desperate debtors armed with strange weapons.

First up, a school principle and staff in West Virginia were smoking Meth in the principle's office. Why not; it's well known that West Virginia folks don't have teeth anyways, so it's not like they're going to get meth mouth from it. I kid, I kid.

Hailing from Maryland, a celebrated cop is charged with 12 felonies for allegedly trying to seduce a kid with alcohol and, failing that, pistol whipped him and shot him twice in the back. The cop's story is obviously not in concert with the above, but the whole thing is under investigation and there's apparently enough merit to the kid's side of the story that even Prince George's County police are cringing. I couldn't imagine the hell of being a former cop incarcerated for trying to rape a kid.

In Colorado, some homeless dude robbed a cupcake store armed with a blood filled syringe. The man claimed it was tainted with AIDS, but that's irrelevant; if someone comes at you with a syringe -- whether empty or not -- that person is a deadly threat and should be treated as such. I wouldn't risk hobo guy jamming a needle of any sort in me or my family. He would probably get shot. I do award him one brownie point though for being resourceful.

In New York, a former boxer is pissed because he didn't qualify as a TSA screener because he only has one hand. That's a stupid reaction on his part - he should know that premeditated sexual assault is done way more efficiently by scumbags with both their hands. I was surprised the most though by the discovery that Americans voluntarily apply for the TSA screener job; this whole time I thought DHS operatives kidnapped them in the middle of the night from Serbia or some shit. Why would anyone willingly try out for that?

There were two mass shootings in Washington, the second one being a husband who walked into a nightclub in a casino and gunned down his wife, who was grinding it up with her new man while supported by her wild, fun-loving sisters. They all got shot too, but somehow survived. The husband will hopefully be imprisoned for the rest of his life, and I'm sure the wife will probably never ho-down with a lover while her husband is at large again.

There are many more stories, but these will do for now.

Season 3 of Deadliest Warrior

I watched it last night (somehow amidst the roar of the kids) -- a matchup between George Washington and Napoleon Bonaparte. I thought they did a good job. Whether I agree with the show's logic or results is not that important to me; it's excellent entertainment. Watching crews fire a cannon at anatomically correct targets is friggin' cool, and getting a glimpse of cavalry tactics via sumdude shish-kabobbing a bleeding man made torso with a replica of Washington's sword is too awesome to miss.

Overall I can agree with their assessment between the two generals. I gave my hat tip as far as strategy and tactics to Napoleon, and I favored Washington for his strong leadership. The show also assesses other points that make a big difference, like logistics and training. This stuff can make or break an army, so it's important to give it some consideration.

The weapons were almost a tossup because they were both along the same timeline. After watching the show, I want a cannon of my very own to shoot in the backyard for fun. I see them from time to time on trailers towed by my fellow Virginians; maybe I'll follow the next one I see into a gas station and chat up the owner!

Only in Fairfax

One man may be responsible for stabbing at least five women in the butt, according to Fairfax County police.

The headline "Serial Butt Stabber Sought in Virginia" kinda drew my attention first thing this morning. This type of criminal behaviour doesn't surprise me at all considering that it's happening in Fairfax, which is like the San Francisco of Virginia.

Then again, in once-quiet Fredericksburg, Virginia, some creepo is flashing the ladies at McDonald's, so anything can happen. Strange times bring out strange behaviour.

Full auto Glock 17 with tracers

Alright, this is very cool. I do hope that he can account for where the ricochetting bullets go though. When he fires off the tracer rounds, you can see them skip off the steel plate and go up into the air.


I wouldn't mind a full auto conversion for my Glock!

Range Report: Dale Fricke Zacchaeus holster review

Yesterday I did some shooting from the Dale Fricke Zacchaeus holster that I reviewed last week, and I must say I am a fan. Draws were smooth and snag free, and the holster performed perfectly. It is now my EDC holster.

I actually finished a long write up of this post just now, but Blogger.com ate it. So this is what you get this morning until I can finish it later.

You suck, Blogger.com

Ninja, WHAT!!!

That's twice this week I've used the word Ninja in a post title.

This story complete with graphic video is not for the squeamish, but I'll drop a spoiler and say that the boy was ok. I don't really think there's much of a lesson to draw from this; freak accidents happen, and boys will be boys. Still, seeing my kid with a spear through his neck would raise my blood pressure a bit.

Consumer backlash

This one has nothing to do with the normal host of things posted here, but hit close to home since I've been screwed over by car salesman more times than I can count:

PORTSMOUTH — Unhappy that a Lafayette Road car dealer wouldn't take back the van he bought on Monday, David Cross drove "the lemon" back after the dealer closed on Tuesday and crashed it into six cars parked on the lot for sale.

"I hit the first $25,000 car I could see," Cross told the Herald. "I didn't hit a car under $20,000. Then I moved a van that they wouldn't come down on the price for. I moved it with the lemon they sold me. I just held it to the floor until I couldn't move it anymore. I took out seven vehicles, including my own."

I'm not condoning behaviour like that, as the only thing it solves is the need for short term gratification of one person, but I can feel the guy's pain; car salesman have the potential to be genuine scumbags, and have left people completely hosed over an expensive item.

I've never lost it like that and destroyed property, but one time many years ago my brother and I were bored and broke, and he was wondering out loud about how to finance a car. I had been there and done that before with the scars to prove it, so we swung into a local car dealership and I went through the entire process -- test drive, bartering; right up until the yellow sales sheet was cut. We had been there for about four hours before we walked out. It wasn't the righteous thing to do, but it sure did feel good, and years later my wife and I were screwed over pretty good by the same dealership. . . .twice, so I guess I had it coming.

Very recently my lady and I bought a mini van to better shuttle our growing tribe, and the salesman that we dealt with was brand new on the job, was a Vietnam veteran, and was as honest as the day was long. I told him as much, and that I was thankful to deal with someone who had not acquired the sleazy aura that car salesman often do. Being real has a value all on its own.

This is why I don't fly anymore

His ordeal began last Friday when airport security in Freeport, Bahamas found a .32-caliber bullet inside his fanny pack. He was charged with possessing ammunition and sent to a jail in Nassau. Lapp says he thinks he left the bullet in his pack after a hunting trip.

How would you take it if this happened to you while traveling with family on vacation? I'm certainly capable of overlooking a shell casing or bullet in a travel bag. How about you?

All of these so called security measures that have been enacted around the world rely on policy and not thought. One security yahoo with the capability to produce conscious thought would have kept an innocent man out of jail if he or she were only able to act on what they know, and not on what a zero-tolerance policy tells them to.

Ninja leopard attack

A group of Indian men armed with rifles try to take on an angry leopard, which promptly wrecks their shit, leaving six of the men bleeding. The beasty was finally stopped with a tranquilizer gun, but only after it was shot with a rifle.

There's a whole lot of fuck that in this picture of the leopard jumping up at a box truck, trying to kill the guy aiming a rifle at his face. From the looks of the other men, they've had enough. I take it picking on a pissed off leopard is a bad idea?

Fictitious guns save lives

I am in contact with the LGBT unit of the police department to file a report. But I’ve thought a lot about the turning point of the situation — the fact that one of them thought that I might have a gun. None of them said, “There’s a law against antigay hate crimes!” That wasn’t the deterrent. It was the possibility that I might have had a gun that saved my life Friday night.

I admit that I chuckled a bit at that line. Good for him that he didn't get his head kicked in; he was fortunate. Scumbags know that laws can be broken without too much of a problem; but that part about getting a hole punched through their head by their victim -- that is a deterent, now isn't it!

H/T to The Agitator

AIWB Carry: The Dale Fricke Zacchaeus Holster

. . .and a wee little man was he.

I just got received two Dale Fricke Zacchaeus "Zack" holsters in the mail today; one of them for a Kel-Tec P3AT and one for Glock. I've only worn the one for the Glock, and have been impressed enough that I thought I would do a review of the Zack for your entertainment.





The Zack is as minimalist as a holster can get -- kind of like a speedo for your handgun. I see it as a modernized version of using a looped shoestring to keep your pistol from falling down into your pants. The first thing you notice about the holster is that it significantly cuts down on the bulk of plastic that you will have inside your pants. Comparing it to the modified BladeTech IWB holster in the 2nd picture you will notice the disparity in bulk; there simply is none with the Zack, and you only have to contend with concealing the pistol and not the holster and straps. It's very well made, and is profiled so that it doesn't interfere with the relief under the Glock's trigger guard where the knuckle of your middle finger sits.

I modified that BladeTech holster in the above pictures with a rubber plug that helps torque the grip in towards the body, aiding in concealing the grip:



It does add some chunk inside your waistband, but it does the trick well. The Zack holster does not have any sort of material or device to torque the grip in towards the body, but I don't think that it needs to, and may in fact violate the whole concept of this holster. To give you an idea of what I'm talking about, here's a downward shot of the Zack with a Glock 17 tucked in my waistband:



And here just for instructional purposes I stuck a Fenix flashlight in between my belt and the Zack to show you how it can turn the grip in towards my guts:



The flashlight/lump of material obviously aids in concealment, but adds a great deal of mass to what is supposed to be a simple minimalist holster. One of the greatest benefits of the Zack is that it makes the firearm all but disappear when you are sitting down, like when you're driving. It feels like the gun is not even there. The main reason for this is the narrow profile of steel and plastic that is down your pants towards your crotch - the BladeTech has all that kydex that surrounds the muzzle, and it pushes up against your body.

With appendix carry (AIWB) the muzzle and holster fall into the crease where your thigh connects to your hip. There's a natural pocket there, and that's what you're looking for. With the BladeTech, I can comfortably AIWB but it took several days of trial and error to find the sweet spot, as I had to do a bit of adjusting to learn where it was just right. The Zack will work its way into that sweet spot in a few minutes walking around the house, and will stay there all day. It is not going to be as firmly fixed and stationary to your belt as a holster with a hard point belt loop, as it has a tendency to move a little here or there while it maintains its place in the sweet spot on your belt, but this aids in comfort. This brings me in to how the Zack attaches to your belt.

The Zack is affixed to the belt by a simple looped string. I didn't take pictures of this, but you push the loop down in between your pants and belt (right around the 1st belt loop) and then run the loop up over the holster. That's it. The Zack snaps onto the trigger guard firmly, and you then tuck the gun down into your waistband and you're done. The Zack holds the gun with enough grip that a full up loaded Glock 17 will dangle there if you let it hang, and I doubt will come off on its own even if you got into a foot chase. Drawing is literally a snap, as when you pull your piece the Zack reaches the end of the string and is pulled off the trigger guard with an audible snap. I found that I could adjust the depth of how the gun sits in the waistband by where I put the knot in the cord on the Zack, so that the gun sits about a half inch from the belt:



The shorter you make the looped cord, the higher the gun sits and the faster the Zack pops off the trigger guard when you draw. The muzzle gets about an inch outside of the waistband when the holster lets go, which is perfect. It's very fast to put on, and only takes a moment. Just loop the Zack onto your belt, click it onto your trigger guard and tuck the whole thing into your belt line. You can do this while seated in your car at a stop light. The Zack completely encapsulates the trigger, so nothing can make its way down into it and touch the trigger.

As far as concealment goes, I was surprised at how the Zack can make a full sized handgun disappear. Though it doesn't tuck the grip in like my modified BladeTech, there's not as much stuff jammed between your belt and your guts like rubber or plastic loops and such, so it's easy to conceal, and you can also tuck your shirt in over the gun. The looped cord is not noticeable at all, and would be hard to spot against a black belt, and even harder to spot when the tail of a 5.11 rigger's belt is velcro'd over it:




I didn't try to fluff that button down shirt out to help with concealment; I actually tucked it in pretty tight. You will notice also that my cargo pants are pulled up a little high there above the fly in that last picture; I was trying to hurry as it was late, and I quickly tucked in the shirt and took the picture.

I wouldn't hesitate to wear the Zack with a full sized gun with a button down shirt and tie. Even twisting and turning doesn't reveal much, if anything. I do still recommend a tucked in undershirt for all things AIWB though; it keeps the grip of your firearm from grabbing at your skin when you sit and stand. For a couple of days now I've worn the Zack with the Glock 17 in public after work, concealed with a T-Shirt, and it's good to go. Nobody can spot it, and I'm confident that it will stay in place and I can make a quick draw if I ever need to. If you're looking for a svelt, comfortable holster at a minimal price, this might be for you.

What happens when you divide by zero?

A law enforcement officer that is a commenter on ARFCOM was the victim of a felony traffic stop and arrest in front of his wife and kids at a revenueing speed trap over an out of state warrant for weapons charges and being an unregistered sex offender. The warrants turned out to be for someone else; someone of different color and birthday. The only thing that expedited his ass out of the police station was a fortuitous notice by another cop of that the victim's race was not the same as on the warrant. Since the victim is a LEO, he was treated far different at the station than someone not of that status.

It's a shame that this man will forever have this arrest and charges associated with his name, even if the record is expunged. It's permanent, and so is the sight of his kids and wife watching him be arrested and treated like a scumbag for a crime he didn't commit.

This is exactly why I now fear law enforcement. I think many good hearted Americans fear being the innocent victim of some computer glitch or human error and being yanked out of their car or having their door kicked in and dog shot over some victimless crime; the former having happened to me when I was a teenager. It's not fun. There is very permanent damage done over these sort of things, and often the whole thing is initiated over a crime that was not hurting anyone.

Up until fairly recently I strongly wanted to become law enforcement, but changed my mind as I didn't like where the trade was heading. I hope the cop in the linked story gets everything worked out, and hopefully becomes a better officer because of it.

Concealed holster thread

Currently at 47 pages over at Defensive Carry forums. I've already seen a bunch of holsters from makers that I had never heard of. There's CCW stuff for the ladies as well.

**HA! I've never seen IWB carry like this! Kinda wins the SD caliber wars pretty handily, too.

Legion's Fate Special Products Division

I'm thinking about starting a product line of a special super epoxy that I've learned to make. I have found that if you combine equal parts of Kellogg's Special K Corn Flakes and milk, then let it sit for a day in the sink, you form a bond on the molecular level that cannot be broken. I find it works on all sorts of surfaces, but I get the best results on ceramics; handy if you need to permanently glue them into a large stack for some reason.

Special Forces stick to walls

Nothing in this world gets me worked up like military themed video games, with a close second going to driving games. Naturally, I'm drawn to 1st person shooters and strategy games considering my background, but the ridiculous things that they put into them gets my blood boiling like nothing else. I am not pleasant when I play video games.

So these days the trend is to make military 1st person shooters as realistic as possible, but it never fails that some idiot makes it into the design team, and that person is the problem why modern 1st person shooters suck. If the design team would just send the creepy guy with the red stapler to the basement, I wouldn't loose my shit when I'm meticulously slaying mercenaries at distance from cover, about to win it, only to be eaten by a virtually invincible man-eating german shepherd.

Starting out with a positive, the most realistic 1st person shooter I've ever encountered, and a fine example of how to do it right is Medal of Honor Limited Edition. It somewhat follows a realistic story line, is exciting, and is noticeably void of the stupid man-eating dogs that can only be killed with the precise timing of a single button, and not with a knife. The design team for that game sent stapler boy and his wild-assed ideas to the basement with the accountants and lawyers. Well done.

The worst examples of 1st person shooters, and a stern warning of how to not make them is the Ghost Recon series of games. Full disclosure: I can't stand Tom Clancy. I've actually written him non-fan mail, begging him to stop making books, games, and movies that have anything at all to do with the military. Just. Stop. Tom Clancy has made me do more facepalms than any other writer, and I can't imagine how anyone takes him seriously. It would be as if I went out and became a foremost known authority in interior design because I read Wikipedia articles on the subject all day and knew a few gay guys. It doesn't make any sense.

The first time I wrote him a letter was over the first Ghost Recon game, where you are a supposed Special Forces team that has to decide whether you want to carry grenades, explosives, extra ammo, or a pistol, because your special ass can't seem to carry all of the above like in real life. Also, just once it would be cool to have a team that could actually kill bad guys and possibly spare you from not losing the game from gunfire from your six. Pathetic. The only thing I found good about the game is that your character gains experience with every mission. The succeeding Ghost Recon games were absolutely awful, and I tossed those games in the trash after the first mission of two.

The most recent target of my rage is the game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. The fanciful characters and story line in the game are unrealistic but entertaining none the less, and are not the reason for my angst. No, the worst part about this game are the Juggernauts. Stapler guy should be dragged out behind the woodshed and flogged on his face with a handfull of rabid foxes for getting those things in there. He must have seen an EOD suit on teevee one day and, the squirrels running full speed in that fantastic mind of his, decided that they absolutely must be in the game. Genius. The design team no doubt rolled their eyes at that suggestion, but for some reason decided to appease stapler guy and allow it in. I mean, the EOD suit protects from explosions, right? So it stands to reason that it would also resist the .50 BMG, M18s, 40mm grenades, and pretty much anything else!

The Juggernauts flat out ruin what would be an otherwise decent game. Too bad that stapler boy also got the man-eating dogs in there as well. Why in the world would you put so much effort into making a game as realistic as possible, only to ruin it with invincibly huge soldiers in bomb suits that can't see and dogs that can take several rounds in the vitals and still eat you? What were they thinking? Your supposed to be an elite SAS Soldier who kills bad guys all day, swimming out of a submarine and popping up out of the ice cold sea and head-shooting baddies, but one falls move has a mutt precisely tearing your throat out after you shot him nine times? Blaaaaauuuuggggghhhhh!!! Keep that shit.

All 1st person shooters though have the phenomenon that I call "Special Forces Stick to Walls." Any rock, fence, bush, tuft of grass, wall, vehicle, or artifact in the game will stop you cold, allowing the enemy to smoke your ass because you can't get off the X. Your such a special operator that you can't step over a clump of weeds, instead getting hung up there until you get killed.

Smooooooooth Operrrrataaahhhh. Why do I suddenly have Sade in my head?

Anyways, I know games are not really real life and all, but I would appreciate if designers would look at 1st person shooter games that don't suck, like Medal of Honor, and strive to be like them. Stop letting the pimply faced kid that lives with his mother and plays airsoft in multicam make characters and storyline for military games. Maybe hire someone who was in the military or perhaps a real life Special Operator and let him vett out all the crap. Sound like a good idea?

Lots of 1st person perspective on Philly mob attack

There's a bunch of details here from a dozen victims of the Philly attack a couple of weeks ago. The girl that was injured the worst had to have surgery to repair her shattered tibia; I still call that serious bodily harm. The victims who were physically attacked all reported being punched in the neck and the back of the head, with some of them getting stomped on the head while they were in the fetal position. Also, several of them noted that there was nothing taken from them; in other words, this wasn't a bunch of kids trying to steal their wallet; their intent was to beat people up.

All of the victims tried to run away, but were quickly caught by the teenaged attackers and punched to the ground. The victims were not exchanging words or taunting the attackers; the first blow came from an attacker who ran up from out of nowhere. Interestingly enough, one of the victims had this to say:

Unless you are literally Charles Bronson, you just don’t win fights where you’re outnumbered 20 to 1, even if you have a gun.

I believe that if you had to shoot one of the attackers, the rest of them would most likely run off. That's my guess, anyways. I wouldn't expect a victim would have to shoot every attacker like they were a horde of zombies, especially considering that they're teenagers most of the time.

Two things though are of immediate concern to me as I consider what would happen if I couldn't avoid a flash mob and was attacked. First is that I'm likely to have my kids with me, and we've already seen that attackers have no problems attacking little kids. With all the accounts from these attacks recently, I have every belief that my kids, my family, and I would be seriously hurt or killed in such an attack. My second concern is ending up on the ground in the fetal position while dozens of kids stomp me, and having my gun taken away and getting shot with it. Staying upright and trying to gain some control is paramount, again, if you cannot avoid an attack in the first place.

I don't live in a major city where I would expect a mob attack, but that's not to say that it couldn't happen.

Guns of Tokyo Drifter

Head on over to Hell in a Handbasket to see a Movie Guns post on the film Tokyo Drifter. I'm glad James has picked up the torch with Movie Guns posts since I haven't done one in quite awhile. I had high hopes when I got my laptop rebuilt a couple of months ago, but it only lasted a few weeks before completely crashing.

Saving the world from warriors and knife collectors

TSA spokesman Kawika Riley says an officer operating an X-ray machine at Thurgood Marshall Baltimore-Washington International Airport last week noticed something suspicious in the man’s luggage, and a fellow officer’s search turned up the knives. Riley says they included switchblade knives and a butterfly knife.

This wouldn't be the first time some dude lost all of his knives to the meat-gazing, kiddie -fondling, TSA pecker-checkers at the security checkpoint at BWI; I have had almost the exact same thing happen to me once while on my way to the beautiful beach-like resort of Ramadi in the exciting province of Al-Anbar, and I guess it would be alright if I told another whopper of a story this week about that experience:

About five years ago I had a task to go to Iraq as a contractor on a program for a year, and I had a lot of training to get done in a short amount of time which meant that I had little time to pack. I was offered the services of a company that ordered a large portion of the equipment that I needed, and my time to pack it came the night before I was to leave from BWI to El-Paso for processing into South West Asia.

I packed all through the night waiving all of my time to sleep, and the finished product was two very packed seabags, a lock box to transport my M9, ammo, and magazines, and my ruck that was almost ripping at the seams from my gear. My wife took me to the airport that morning to see me off and, having very recently married to compensate for the timing of this trip, and the fact that she was saying good bye to her husband for a year while he went to a dangerous place to do dangerous things, she was not in high spirits. Neither was I.

I checked the two seabags and my M9, at which point the ticket lady said that I could not check any more baggage, but my ruck was small enough that it would pass as a carry on item. Tears were already flowing at this point and my mind was elsewhere, so I shrugged my shoulders and grabbed the ruck and headed over to the security station. I was the only one being checked at that moment, as there was nobody in line, so I kissed my wife goodbye and watched her walk around the corner before picking my ruck up and putting it onto the conveyor for an x-ray.

By that time a few other travelers had shown up for the violation of their rights, body and property, and I was cursing under my breath at whichever one of those morons was holding up the x-ray machine; I needed to get going to catch my flight. There was a dogpile of TSA goons at the x-ray machine, all in one great big confused ball, and then two police officers showed up and postured themselves like something was wrong.

Then it hit me. . . .

"Oh. OH! Yeah, about that bag. . . .hey guys, uhhhmmm. . . . I know what y'all are looking at, and I can explain" I said to the TSA people, because I had just realized the mistake that I had made at the ticket counter. All of my knives were in my ruck, along with an MSR stove and empty aluminum fuel bottle, several large sharpening stones (a TSA goon asked me if they were "rune stones." Amazing), and also my desert boots and cammies and stuff. I had intended to check that bag, but in the moment of everything I had forgot that I had packed my 8" tanto Ka-Bar, CRKT M21-04 folder, Cold Steel Arc-Angel balisong, Klein folding electrician's knife, and Gerber and Leatherman multi-tools, and had just carried them right into a security checkpoint.

This was all a misunderstanding because I wasn't trying to sneak them through security, and I had no intentions of harming anyone in this country with those knives, so I hoped that cooler heads would prevail and I would be escorted back to the ticket counter. That turned out to be a stupid idea.

I was promptly arrested and charged with the same charges the man in the above article was charged with. The arresting officer and his Sergeant were realists about it, telling me that this happens all the time and that Soldiers, Marines and such go to jail left and right for forgetting that they have a knife in their pocket or a multitool in their bag. The Sergeant even told me that he had to arrest a Marine Brigadier General the week before who forgot his loaded M9 was in his briefcase when he flew back from Iraq.

One older officer there though --officer Diddlydooright -- was a complete and total fucking moron, and was a constant douchebag about every little thing even though I was as calm and cooperative as I could be and had shown everyone my government orders, ID, cammies, and the ticket stub from my M9 that I checked at the ticket counter. Why would I try to smuggle a bunch of knives on a plane to do harm when I had a pistol and ammo? That didn't matter to Diddlydooright.

He flipped out that I even had a gun; flipped out when he found holsters in my ruck, yelling at me about "why do you need a holster!?!?" I told him I was on my way to Iraq; you know, that hot place where Americans are being shot at? I held up my government orders that stated where I was going, and that I was to be armed while I was there, signed by a Major General, so that Diddlydooright could see it, and his eyes glazed over like I had just told him I was heading to Ohio. "You don't need a gun! You don't need a holster! This is a SWAT TACTICAL KNIFE! What are you doing with a SWAT knife?!?"

IIIIIRRRRRAAAAAQQQQQ. He didn't get it.

That fucktard cop tormented me for hours and hours while I was booked. When he measured and photographed my knives, he recorded the blade size as being the entire length of the knife. About every fifteen minutes he would come by, pick up my CRKT, and then shout at me for having a SWAT TACTICAL KNIFE! "What err yeeew dooooooin' with a SWAT TACTICAL KNIFE?!?" Then he would stick me in a cell. Ten minutes later when the arresting officer or the Sergeant would come by and see me in there, they would shake their head and pull me out of there and uncuff me, letting me sit quietly in a chair next to them. Whenever officer Fuckface would walk by or try to talk to the other officers, they would roll their eyes or respond to him with a snarky comment. Whenever they would leave, officer Fuckface Von-diddlydooright would come by, sigh out loud, put cuffs on me and stick me back in the cell. I had the impression that everyone was waiting for his ass to retire.

The arresting officer eventually took me before the Magistrate, who let me go on my own recognizance. She also said flatly that this happens all the time, and that the officers are not allowed any discretion to solve the matter without arrest. There's the door - good luck.

By the time that I got to El-Paso about eighteen hours had passed. I still hadn't slept and was a very bitter person to say the least, and my anger was about to go full into the red. When I got to the unclaimed luggage office, the lights were off and no one was there. A stack of luggage four foot high completely filled the office and spilled ten feet out into the lobby; and there at the very end of the stack was the shitty plastic lockbox that held my M9, six magazines, and two fifty round boxes of 124 grain NATO ball ammo - a shitty plastic lockbox that could be opened with a paper clip.

Way to make the world a safer place with that zero tolerance policy. You guys really saved the day.

I ended up having to spend $2,000 on a lawyer to settle the charges. I tried to handle it on my own by calling the Clerk of the Court from an Iridium sat phone while sitting in the sand next to a dumpster, explaining to her my situation, but was told that if I missed my court date they would issue a warrant for my arrest and I would come home a fugitive. Tough shit.

I never did get the $600 in knives back. I picked up another Ka-Bar in Texas, and also a Benchmade Rukus to put in my pocket, and they served and still serve me well. I wonder about how many Servicemen and Servicewomen get jammed up in the gears of "justice" while trying their best to do their duty under adverse conditions. I have no doubts that the poor guy in the article above really is a knife collector, and just made a mistake. At least he doesn't have to go to war after being processed through jail.

Is firefighting not dangerous enough?

I have to hand it to them, DC politicritters have a super active imagination! Their latest bright idea is to post firefighters in high crime areas and have them just stand there, unarmed, with the belief that thugs will stop robbing and assaulting people because of the flashing red lights.

What happens when the thugs decide that taking lunch money isn't exciting enough, and that the chance to drive a firetruck is as easy as taking out unarmed firemen? Funny how it's "everyone's job to make sure that our city is safe," as long as "everyone" is on the government payroll.

The police officer interviewed in the video is spot on, and I can appreciate his angst. I'd be pissed, too!

***Here's a short article on it, naming DC Police Union spokesman Kris Baumann as the vocal person grilling the idea.

Bitch set me up!

The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree, apparently. Time will tell if this is a once-off screw up, or if he's going to follow in the footsteps of his daddy and become as vile as a man can be.

Hiveway to the danger zone

The semi was hauling the insects from California to North Dakota on Sunday when it went off the road near Island Park. Some 400 hive boxes spilled out, according to The Associated Press. Responders sprayed fire foam on the bees, but a noisy swarm described by witnesses as a giant black cloud rose up from the site.

That's terrifying to me. I hate bees, and do everything and anything to avoid them. I've seen a black cloud of bees like that beefore, and I figure it would make for an interesting but true story:

I was fresh out of my MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) school and I was stationed at Camp Pendleton, California. My first week in the fleet, I was considered a "boot" (right out of bootcamp) "FNG" (Fucking New Guy), and as such was assigned to do menial work that nobody wants to do. My task was to join a huge working party of a hundred or so other boot Marines, as well as some NCOs who had done something to get themselves unwanted attention, in the cleanup of an impact area -- a range out in the middle of nowhere used for dropping and firing explosive ordnance.

This vast wasteland of desert was littered with fragmentation from the stuff that blew up like it was supposed to, as well as unexploded ordnance as far as the eye could see. We got a safety brief detailing that we were only to handle and dispose of "blue" (training) ordnance, and to otherwise leave the various bombs, missiles, rockets, and grenades lying around alone. . . . .and to watch our step. The big splodey items were to be directed to the attention of EOD (explosive ordnance disposal) for a C4 shampoo.

We wandered around miles of open desert that had long been the playground for pilots, mortarmen, artilleryman, and assaulters who had blown up tanks, jeeps, and such since the base was established in 1942. There were piles of chewed up dumpsters that Cobra pilots had ventilated with 20mm rounds from there frickin' awesome cannon; six-foot tall stacks of unused mortar rounds; unexploded rockets stuck in the dirt around old cars; we even found a missile sticking up in the middle of a stack of jeeps the size of a small house.

Inside many of these vehicles and hulls were large hives of Africanized honey bees, and there was a two man crew of bee-fighting folks in a Toyota Tacoma who were tasked with calming those suckers down when they got stirred up. I was more scared of the bees than I was from anything else, and Marines were getting stung left and right.

The first couple of days of cleanup were terrifying, as there was so much unexploded ordnance around that we were all trying not to trip over it. It was literally everywhere you took a step. EOD was busy blowing up stacks of mortars and missiles and such, which made for cool entertainment, and by the third day we were all in good spirits, and had become very cavalier about all the dangerous stuff around us. Nobody had been blown up, so it couldn't be all that dangerous -- that was the logic. Pictures were taken of Marines holding some reeeeeeeallly cool stuff that they had no business handling, and I even witnessed two Marines setting off 5.56mm rounds using a rock and the tip of another round. Stupidity abounded.

On the fourth day I came across a huge missile lying on its side; a large one, rusted all to shit, about 25 feet long or more and bigger around than a 55 gallon drum -- if I had wrapped my arms around it, I would have only gotten about half way. To this day I don't know what I was thinking, but I hauled back and kicked it hard, right in the middle. When I did, the outer casing ripped all the way through, and the back half of the missile rolled away from the front half exposing the largest honeycomb I had ever seen, with untold gallons of honey pouring over my black and green jungle boots. In the milliseconds that followed, I saw angry bees coming out of every rivet hole in the casing, and then it hit me. . . . .

Oh FUCK!!. . . . . . . BEEEEEEES!!!!

I took off running as fast as my legs would carry me, screaming and flailing the whole way; every Marine in the working party took off running in my direction whether they knew what was going on or not. It got everyone really worked up because they thought something big was about to explode. They had no idea! When we were about 500 yards away from my really big mistake, I breathlessly explained to Gunny what I saw, and we all watched as a cloud of pissed off bees the size of a Wal-Mart ascend into the air. I never got stung, and neither did any of the Marines; the bee-fighting crew didn't fare as well, as the task of making the bees happy again with smoke proved more than their capabilities.

The shear awe that we were all in watching those bees spared me from the well deserved ass-kicking that I should have received, as my actions could have gotten Marines hurt or killed. The swarm made some local paper from what I heard, and thankfully I was never interviewed for my stupidity. The cleanup was ended that day - it was originally scheduled for a week - because some commander somewhere realised what a bad idea it was, so in the end everyone was pretty happy.

I sometimes think back to that day as the pinnacle brain fart of my life. I'm glad nobody was hurt, and I get to laugh at myself with only a bit of shame for my troubles. I now share it with the world forever, as it's posted on the internets. Enjoy!

DCs defacto gun ban

Since the only licensed gun dealer in DC has moved on, there's no way for a DC resident to buy a firearm because of federal law. A Bill written to have the DC government stand in as a gun dealer until the day someone can open up a shop has been withdrawn.

It does sound like the DC Mayor is trying to get one store open in the area, and hopefully this will be followed by several more. Choices are good.

Letting my imagination run wild, can you imagine the gun store commandos that would be in a government run gun shop? Or how about the speed and efficiency that you could expect in doing the paperwork? A government gun dealer probably wouldn't have stock on hand though; they would just do transfers. Oh, but how awesome would it be if DC was forced to sell handguns to its citizens!!! Talk about a watershed moment!

American Handgunner online

How nifty! Reading a magazine on the PC is the future, I guess.

Tops in the issue are FNH's Competition model FNP-45, and the first hand account of the shooting of Rep. Kathie Lee Giffords.

That's good news

Alcohol doesn't kill brain cells. I'm relieved. Really.