State of the CTone Address: Whatcha been up to?

Ohhh, about 320 lbs., from the looks of it:




As you can tell from my blog content lately, I've been otherwise engaged with things. Cute, needy, and extremely high strung things; they're lots of fun. I've been sick as a dog for over a week now, along with my youngest -- this was a gift that all in my family have shared -- today makes me think that the end of the sickness may be further off than I had thought. It sucks when little kids get sick because they don't understand why they feel terrible.

I didn't get any shooty in this weekend due to sickness, pumpkin patches, the need to have essentials like groceries and diapers (lots and lots of diapers), church, and good friends, but maybe next weekend will be different. In the spring I have high hopes to get into IDPA, and I strongly intend to drag both of my brothers into the mix with me as well. I don't get to spend nearly as much time with my siblings as I want, so that's something I'm going to make time for from now on.

I noticed this weekend the Pocket Carry Competition Association, which seems like an excellent idea, but sadly they don't actually allow drawing from the pocket. Something to do with lawyers or some shit. Because of that I'll have to decline PCCA; but browsing the IDPA rule book hasn't shown any AIWB disqualifiers, so all this time drawing and dry firing with magazine changes at the Huron poster that Mike W. and Nancy gave me will be well spent (no offense to Hurons. I mean well).

I have another Bladetech holster on the way that is better suited for AIWB carry, and also two of each of the Vicker's slide release and Vicker's magazine release so that the Glock 17 and 26 will be the same. My practice sessions have shown that my stupid-high death grip of doom causes me to ride the Glock brand extended slide release with both my strong hand thumb and the palm of my support hand, which makes me have feeding problems and the slide often fails to lock back on an empty mag. The Vicker's parts should remedy that. As far as AIWB carry, it's by far the most concealable way to carry a handgun; and if you have a hankerin' to carry a full sized pistol, you can do that with ease. Try it!

The Mk12 is rarin' to go with some fire formed brass loads that I did up last week; I'll have to do a write up on that sometime as trying to get accuracy from new brass is usually problematic. The 10/22 is ready for action as well, and I'm already on the hook for a range report with pictures when I get that going. With the cost of centerfire ammo being what it is these days, rimfire guns are becoming more and more popular. The potential for lots of affordable shooting in field positions that the 10/22 provides will certainly make me a better shot; with that I often wonder about what would happen if I had the chance to go shot-for-shot with the 12 year old version of myself, and who would win.

I managed to clean out my weight room this weekend, so hopefully the beer gut that I've earned over the last year and a half since I stopped weight training will start to disappear. I'm also looking forward to all the Whey protein shakes with peanut butter that come with lifting! Saaahweeet! With less love-handle hanging over the belt, I'll have more room to hang all sorts of do-good gadgetry and tactical lights for my wife to roll her eyes at me over, and that translates into equipment reviews.

Lastly, I owe some emails and action items to some folks out there. I'm getting to it; please be patient with me!

Free M1 Garands!

They may need a little TLC, but with a great deal of work one of these could be yours!

Now you tell me

Back in June I posted a range report where the 230 grain Winchester Ranger-T +Ps were way too hot for my 1911, and I had an unpleasant shooting session over 70 rounds where I ended up with a sore hand and lots of jams. Well, it turns out that my bitching was warranted, as I came across this thread today from 2009 detailing stoppages and premature wear from the RA45TP in duty weapons; mostly 1911s. To be fair, the commentors with 1911s report that the 230 grain HST +P ammo is too hot as well, which just reinforces my belief that +P ammo in .45 ACP in a 1911 is not needed. Hmmmff!

Ruger 10/22 build

My camera didn't load all the pictures I had, so you won't get to see the barrel bedding part. I'll have to post that another day, but in the meantime I thought I'd show the progress that I have.

The only major component I've added thus far is a barrel made by the hands of Tony Kidd. They come highly recommended on every gun board that I've visited, so I ordered an 18" bead blasted barrel and set about installing it. Here's a picture of the gun with the stock skinny barrel, with the Kidd barrel next to it:



The barrel came in a plastic tube with two rubber grommets on it to keep it centered. One of the first obstacles to overcome is that the stock's barrel channel is cut to fit tight against the skinny barrel, and will have to be relieved to accept the Kidd barrel's .920" girth. I don't have pictures of that, but I used a half-round file and a 1/2" drive socket + extention wrapped in 60 grit sandpaper to open that channel up, and it took considerable effort and several hours to do. It looks good though.

The next thing to do is to add some sort of metal bedding block for the receiver to rest on. From the factory, there is a brass escutcheon with a bolt that rides through it that connects the barreled action to the stock, but the problem with that is that the action rests on wood, and over time the wood gets compressed in that area. Adding a metal block that ties into the escutcheon and floats the receiver above the stock will help in accuracy. I went to the hardware section of Lowes and picked up this furnature T-nut:



It literally matched my measurements within a few thousandths of an inch, so there was little work for me to do to make it fit. You can see in the photo (click to make bigger) the brass escutcheon and takedown screw.

Before installing the T-nut, I trued up the surface of it on a belt grinder before carefully taking off the .030" from the bottom for a perfect fit:



I then had to drill out the takedown hole in the stock a bit so that the T-nut would fit:



I don't recall the bit size, but I used a piece of 120 grit sandpaper wrapped around a brass punch to slowly and carefully open the hole bigger than the T-nut to make room for the JB Weld that I used to permanently glue it in. I counter sank the T-nut about .020" using a 5/8" forster bit, and noticed that despite my leveling the stock in the drill press, the stock wasn't completely true. To counter that, I skimmed the JB Weld under the head of the T-nut to make it true, but it still didn't matter; once I placed the receiver down into the stock, it was only resting on a small portion of the T-nut, and would rock back and forth on it even when I tightened the takedown screw. I took a small piece of 120 grit sandpaper and started taking down the high sections on the top of the T-nut to make the action sit flat, and would occasionally use shoe polish to witness where the contact points were:



I found out that part of the problem was the glob of dried black factory paint on the underside of the receiver, so I sanded that off and made it flat. It was a pain in the ass to keep mounting the receiver in the stock to check for a fit, but I only wanted to do it once, so I was careful.

Once that was done, I bedded the barrel using JB Weld. There are better products to do bedding with, but I had the JB Weld sitting around already. I found the balance point on the barrel and made the bedding 2 1/2" long, using Kiwi shoe polish as a release agent. It worked great, and when I place the barreled action in the stock, it rests solid on the steel T-nut and the bedding.

A glamour pic:



The scope on the beasty is the Burris 2-7x35 Fulfield II Tactical that I took off the AR-from-DPMS, and the rings are Brownell's low aluminum rings. That's the second pair of Brownell's rings that I've ordered -- the first pair were steel -- and I have to say that they are of excellent quality. I can't remember off the top of my head who makes the aluminum 1913 rail. The next step is to buy a trigger for it. As far as stock 10/22 triggers go, this one is among the best that I've tried, but nowhere near where I want it to be. I'll have to post the barrel bedding pictures when I do a range report; hopefully sooner than later.

Reality check

So you and your wife are walking back from charity work at the local homeless shelter one night and a thuggish looking scumbag with "FELON" tattooed on his forehead in Arial Bold font jumps out from an alley way 15 yards away, full stop, holding a knife in one hand and a box of condoms in the other. He yells "This is a stickup and a rape and a murder! Give me your wife, your money, and your car keys or I'll kill you both dead with this here bowie knife!!". . . .allowing you ample time to think and draw your sidearm and get into that Isosceles stance you learned about on the range. Scumbag takes a single step offering you the chance to blow him away with your fang-face patriot-ninja-warrior ammo and save the day.

Sadly, lethal force encounters don't usually look like that as far as I can tell. Here is a real example of a lethal force encounter that fortunately resulted in not only no fatalities, but justice served as the scumbag in question went back to prison for the rest of his life ***Warning: Graphic pictures near the end of the thread*** -- My CCW Shooting AAR.

The victim was maimed forever from the encounter, and the scumbag was dumb enough to leave a prominent blood trail from the crime scene to his bed, complete with bloody weapon containing empty shell casings. All in all, though, it could have been a lot worse. The victim was never charged with any crime, got his weapon and personal belongings back (after two years! Yikes!), and mostly recovered. Some of the things that stand out from this story to me are that this is a specific example of a grip safety causing a defensive weapon not to fire at the precise moment it needs to, and also that appendix carry would have not only allowed a more covert draw by the victim, but also may have prevented the scumbag from discovering the empty holster, thus arousing suspicion. Also, even though it wasn't needed in this fight, a spare loaded magazine is definitely something that you should carry.

I post this story because there are armed folks out there -- good people, mind you -- that it seems can't wait to get into a situation where they take out the bad guy and save the day, going home victorious knowing they did the world a service. There are those also who are cluelessly armed and under prepared. This story is a stark reminder of why I try my best to live a life of avoidance, de-escalation, and deterrence in order to not end up in a situation like this one, but if trouble does find me, that I'm prepared and focused.

. . .and that's just a little bit more than the law would allow

Good grief. There's so much fail in this short tragic story that I'm just shaking my head.

As Bittinger approached the front porch of the home, the suspect fired an arrow into his chest. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The shootee had a "weapon;" the type is not made clear in the article. I'm under the assumption that if the shootee had a weapon and made threats, and/or became a deadly threat, then perhaps deadly force via bow and arrow was appropriate. Just because the shooter didn't use Paw Paw's shotgun hanging over the mantle doesn't mean that deadly force wasn't justified. The Dukes were quite fond of primitive tackle, and as we know they were just some good ol' boys, never meanin' no harm.

This part of the story was interesting:

The coroner says Bittinger died when the arrow punctured his lung and blood filled his heart.

Blood filled his heart?!?! You can die from that? Oh, shit, I have blood in my heart right now! I'mma fixin to call me the rescue squad, right fast! Maaaama! Maaama heeeeelp!! Bloods done filled my heart!!!!

My take on this is that the coroner meant blood filled his lung, or maybe the coroner imbibed a little too much moonshine, or even his sweat stained Realtree hat is on just a little too tight. We'll never know for sure. The hits just keep on coming, though:

A compound bow has a system of pulleys that provide more force with less pull. It’s normally used for hunting.

Or killing babies. You know, because anything that provides more force should be brought into the light for some much needed obfuscation, and then hopefully some legislating. Because this wasn't a killing with a "bow," but a "compound bow," meaning that we should ponder the shit out of what this actually means. It means the deadliness of the instrument is compounded, and commands less effort to wield, so logically we should point this out to the masses considering that a good 99.99% of professional journalists don't have a clue as to what to make of this. Being that the weapon is obviously compounded, it should only be allowed in the hands of law enforcement and professional hunters who have met the compounded training needed to handle all that compounded power that comes from a system of pulleys. Idiot.

Lastly, we have this comment that makes me weep for the people of this country:

Lynne Le

I don’t believe Tony threatened the suspect,
the suspect murder him and blame him, he’s death he can’t defense him self.

Lynne Le needs an intervention to get him/her off whatever substance he/she has been abusing. That person needs help, right quick now! Get Betty Sue and Jimmy John in a room with em' to talk some sayance in to em'!

Range Report

Unfortunately, the last place in my AO that I have to shoot is infested by outsiders. I passed on a chance to shoot Friday due to shenanigans; on Saturday I got some quality time to shoot, and today a friend and I arrived to fire off some rounds for two hours and found a guy on a combine cutting and bailing hay on the adjacent property in the line of fire -- nobody has done that for over a decade, so I was pissed. Go the fuck back to New Jersey or wherever the hell you came from; this frontier is the last place on the planet that I can conveniently shoot, like I've done since I was a boy. Where do you people keep coming from? There's not enough room! Go away!!

Anyhow, yesterday I couldn't help myself so I had to shoot the 10/22 -- I just finished putting a steel bedding block in it and mounted an 18" Kidd barrel, but hadn't bedded the barrel yet. I did that today and it's curing right now; pictures and range report of the whole process are in the works when it's done. It still shot awesome, and that was with Mini-Mags, not match ammo; shooting off of a yoga mat because I forgot my sandbags; and I didn't even tighten the takedown screw.

Yesterday and today, though, I put about 150 rounds of 147 grain Winchester Ranger-T through the Glock 17 and it performed flawlessly. Shooting exactly to point of aim at 10 yards and 3" high at 31, I got an average speed of 1,023 fps with an extreme spread of 26 fps over ten rounds. I'm now going to buy a case of it to ensure reliability, as well as shoot it in the baby Glock and the Kahr so we have a common load amongst the Europellet guns.



The 95 grain Winchester Ranger-T in .380 ACP did not fare as well. I picked up a box at a funshow a bit ago and decided to see how they did in a Kel-Tec P3AT. Seven rounds averaged 870 fps with an extreme spread of 33 fps, grouping in at 2" for the best five rounds at 13 yards. Add in the other two out of the seven and the group was about 4" -- I didn't measure with a tape. I fired one round through a gallon jug of water and into a two liter bottle set on its side, and it stopped 2" into the two liter. The bullet didn't expand very much:



Water jugs usually make a bullet expand as much as it possibly can; if it won't expand in water, it won't expand in flesh. It also gives up five grains of weight and 161 fps over my standard carry load, the Buffalo Bore 100 grain Hard Cast. I'll stick with Buffalo Bore for now. There were no feeding problems from the Ranger-Ts within the 40 rounds that I fired, but if I'm going to carry a load that I know won't expand, it better have a flat meplat and be going as fast as possible.

I've been doing draws from the Dale Fricke Zack holster for Glock for some time now, and it's still my daily carry holster. When the gun heats up from a few magazines of fire, it can sting a bit when you stuff that hot pistol down the front of your britches, but damn it's fast to draw from. My drawing accuracy with a Glock pistol is also tightening up; enough so already that I dare say rivals my 1911 accuracy. I now have 100% confidence in my Glock 17 at appendix carry, and I also trust the RA9T load enough that that's what is in it right now. AIWB is the way to go for now and forever more, but I really want one of the CCC Shaggy holsters to try out. The Zack is super comfortable and forgiving, and I highly recommend it.

Modern Day Marine 2011

I skipped over the stuff that I've already covered from the last several years, as I'm not able to post 50+ pictures anymore due to time constraints, and that I'm still using my phone's camera instead of something more suitable.

Walking in the door, I encountered the FN USA booth in all its SCAR glory. I snapped a picture of this prototype bolt action rifle that looks like it's made to compete with the Remington XM2010 ESR:





With the lighting in the buildings the way they are, it's tricky to get a good picture. I didn't get any information on the gun, just the pictures; although I do note that this rifle is impossibly heavy. Many of the firearms at the convention are waaaaay too heavy, as if the manufacturers could care less about weight at all while they mill out receivers from massive steel and aluminum billets. Marines are accustomed to carrying too much stuff, so I guess it's all good.

The next thing I saw was this weapon sight for the M2 BMG "Ma Duece:"



It's a 6x48 Trijicon ACOG Machine Gun Optic with a Reflex on top for when there are so many bearded bad men coming at you, you can't take them all out at 1,500 yards and have to resort to close range work. I like it! It's about time somebody took advantage of the M2's 2,000+ yard range and skipped over the irons for something more video game-like.

I got a pic of an XM25 model, with a 25x40mm round for scale on how big of a round it fires:



I've heard that the XM25 is a fight stopper, and most of the Soldiers carrying it opt out of carrying an M4 also, with just an M9 on their hip. As the rep at the booth told me, operators of this weapon note that insurgents don't mind the snap of 5.56 rounds overhead at distance that much, but when stuff starts blowing up behind the rocks they're hiding behind, and eardrums start bursting, they decide that they've had enough. He also said that there have been clear reports of enemy killed with it.

Advanced Armament Corp had a booth at the event, and I got a picture of this 5.56 suppressor that they purposely ran about 40 rounds of 7.62 through to see what it does. That's 28 bullets lodged in the baffles and it was still working:


Wouldn't want to be the test guy shooting that one!

AAC is making them smaller and smaller, too:



For those interested, Steiner has a 1-4x24mm riflescope that looks awesome and feels solid:




The scope has an illuminated reticule, with a stop in between each level of brightness so you don't have to click all the way through to be at the brightness that you want. Also on display was one of their 4-16x50mm scopes mounted on a new varient of the Sako TRG:



Again, the rifle is sweet looking and I'm sure it's a shooter, but it weighs a ton!

Colt is now showing off their 7.62 rifles in MARPAT desert, just for the Marines:



Sorry about all the blury pictures, but I have to include Colt's monolithic rifle:



A cadet was groping it at the time, and I got the picture that I got. Many cadets ruined many pictures while I was there, and they roamed about in massive, isle clogging droves, asking questions and such at every booth.

At H&Ks booth I fondled a MP7A1 while nervously waiting on the two reps there to berate me for daring to touch their wares while not being a uniformed operator:



I closed my eyes and pictured riding around the mountains of Afghanistan on quads shooting terrorists, just Dusty and I with our trusty MP7A1s, before dragging out the suppressed Barret and helping out some SEALs in close contact on another mountain. . . . and then I snapped back to reality and walked over to CRKTs booth. They have a new lineup that takes assisted opening knives to another level.

The thumstud on the knife is kind of like a safety of sorts, and when you press it in towards the blade and give it a nudge it snaps open like an auto. Assisted openers normally require you to manually open the blade like 30% or so before the spring takes over and finishes opening it up, but the new system from CRKT takes a bump once you click that thumb stud:


They had several different models to look at, but I only got to handle the one.

Again with the blurry pics because of a cadet wanting to handle what I was taking a picture of, I give you a US made, multicam clad, fully functional RPG-7:




Notice the 1913 rail with folding sights.

There are some other crappy cell phone pictures in this folder if you're so inclined, such as the Daniel Defense rifle that Larry Vickers torture tested on video a month or two ago. Click on any of them to make them bigger and search my Photobucket folder.

Better keep your receipt

A serious discussion and decision of a guy to mail order a second wife -- no, not a replacement for his current wife; he will have two living and breathing wives living with him very soon. Something tells me that there's going to be mayhem in his world in the near future. I find the thread to be entertaining, but I don't agree with his decision.

Of course, that's easy for me to say considering I have an awesome wife with no equal!

Reloaders are so creative

Check out the video on hydro-forming cases at 6.5 Grendel Forums. Traditionally, handloaders will fire form the cases in their gun, but hydro-forming is a lot quieter and doesn't cost you primers, powder, or Cream of Wheat.

The fact that you can take 7.62x39mm Russian cases and turn them into 6.5 Grendel/.264 LBC-AR was a driving reason I went with the cartridge. If the supply of Grendel cases dried up tomorrow, there would still be usable brass for me for decades.

In life you must have choices

Which weapon would you chose? -- I'm a big fan of this theme at theBrigade. Numbers 9 and 25 look too dangerous for battlefield use, but I'm all about number 6.

With bated breath

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) is turning up the heat on Eric Holder, demanding the attorney general “come forward and at least admit” he knew about Operation Fast and Furious long before he told Congress he learned about the gun program.

The truth is coming. . . .aaaaaaaaany day now.

Alexander Arms releases Grendel Trademark

From the 6.5 Grendel Forum on the Big 3 meeting:

New Announcements from the Big 3 meetings in Kansas!
David Fortier reports:

Well, today Alexander Arms announced a few things at the Big 3 writers event.

1. The Grendel has been accepted by SAAMI
2. They have released their trademark on the Grendel
3. They showed off steel cased Grendel produced by Wolf
4. They hired a very well respected gentleman named Wayne Holt to handle PR.

So, now ANYONE can make a Grendel. The steel cased ammo is being produced by Barnaul for Wolf Performance ARMS and Ammunition. Note Wolf now has a firearms division and is working with Izhmash and Molot. They are looking into Vepr and Saiga rifles in Grendel. Currently testing is being done on the Wolf steel cases to verify they are good to go. Wolf is claiming production ammo for 1st quarter of this coming year. They said now that they switched this from Tula to Barnaul things are progressing nicely. I think its very positive as Barnaul's quality is well known for being a notch above Tulas. The steel cases look sexy....

Wayne Holt was the #2 man at Hornady for many years and was with Glock prior to this. This is big move on Alexander Arms part. Should be very interesting to see how things go.

Wolf was at the event and they are very firmly behind the Grendel, and have some very interesting things regarding AK rifles.

I would ask "Now was that so hard?", but after almost a decade I already know the answer. The shenanigans that have been going on behind the scenes in the Grendel world may never be discovered, but oh well, time to move on.

To me, plentiful and affordable steel cased ammo is the signal that an AR or AK cartridge is completely accepted into the shooting world. I bet the 6.8 SPC boys are pretty pissed right now, but they shouldn't be. Hopefully that cartridge goes steel cased as well; the shooting community can always use another tool in the toolbox.

Kids say the darndest things: Bedtime Edition

I'm about as smart-assed as they come. I mean, I have to hold my breath and struggle to remain serious about everything, and not crack stupid redundant jokes in every single conversation.

--Wife: "I'm gonna jump in the shower."
--Me: "You shouldn't jump in the shower; it's dangerous."
--Wife: "That wasn't even funny five years ago. Does that ever get old?"

Not really.

So it's bedtime for my kids, and I suggest to my firstborn son (almost 3 years old) that he set up his bag of Cracker Barrel pirate figures in his bedroom and make the black pirates fight the red ones.

--Son: "But I caaaan't. It's dark in there and I'm scared of monsters."
--Me: "Your scared of what? Lobsters?"
--Son: "No. Monsters."
--Me: "Mobsters?!?" You're scared of Mobsters?"
--Son: "No. Monsters. And I'm scared of gween bwobs."
--Me: "I'm totally putting that on the internet!"

A couple of months ago he ran up to me enthusiastically and told me he saw a "wizard," which I knew through my Divine, daddy translation skills meant "lizard," but I just couldn't resist:

--Me: "You saw a Wizard! Cooool! Did he have a long beard?"
--Son: "No daddy. I said wizard!"
--Me: "Was the Wizard's name Gandalf?"
--Son: "No, daddy!! I said Wizard!! Not Wizard!!"

Kids can be endless entertainment! And yes, I can be a dick.

Foreign badassery

Canadian snipers doing Canadian snipery things.

The smaller rifle is a PGW Defense Timberwolf Tactical in .338 Lapua (fun word to say over and over again - Lah-PuuAAAAHHH!!) and the bigger bigger bigger one is a McMillan TAC-50, which if you read down on that link it will tell you that the world record for killing a human was set using this rifle by one of Canada's finest at a range of 2,657 yards.

I think their digital woodland camo is good to go, from the looks of it. I've seen their desert cammies up close in its natural habitat, and it's equally as effective. The Canucks don't fart around with their gear, and are a top shelf military.

You can't handle the truth!

The battle rages on about what in the hell is going on at Alexander Arms, and why the strangeness surrounding the 6.5 Grendel cartridge continues to go on with no questions answered. The non responses are coming straight from the top, so I don't understand why the clouding of the issue. Just answer the questions.

It's well known that there are licensing issues surrounding the Grendel name; barrel makers and tooling shops that make reamers have dropped, discontinued, and refused to chamber products in that cartridge, and only a handful of people seem to know why. Absent any real facts -- and not because the questions haven't been asked -- folks have muddied the water even further by speculation.

When I was shopping for a barrel for the MK12 Mod 0, I intended to chamber it in 6.5 Grendel, but couldn't get anyone to do it. I talked to Shilen, who won't chamber in that round; and from my research there aren't many gunsmiths who will touch it either. The only cut rifling barrel maker that held a license to make a barrel in that caliber ceased communications with me suddenly, and then announced days later that they were dropping their Grendel barrel lineup. There wasn't a concise answer as to why, and I wasn't happy to have wasted over a month for nothing. In the end, I picked a very similar cartridge that is made by Les Baer, and it took one phone call.

So what happened? Why is there such negativity from the firearms making community over a cartridge as special as the 6.5 Grendel? Why are there so many clones of the Grendel round that differ by only a fraction, or just enough to avoid a lawsuit? Why are there barrel makers who refuse to chamber in that round? It can't be coincidence, and dodging the questions folks have been sincerely asking or calling them "trolls" or deflecting to "ooooh, lookee, we're going to announce something special" adds up to a whole bunch of nothing. I mean, if my wife walked in the door and said "Honey, did you hit something with the car last night?" the answer that she would be expecting to get would certainly not be "Uuuuuhh, I've got something awesome to show you next week! It's going to be SUPER!!"

Women like guns? Who knew?

An article on the book "Chicks with Guns," with a few illustrations. The mom holding her baby son on her left hip with an heirloom double barrel shotgun in her right hand is particularly striking.

"Help! Help! I need you!"

Troops in contact in Afghanistan calling for gun runs from an A-10 pilot. You can hear the seriousness in their voices, the chatter of machine guns in the background, and the pilot's ground proximity warning system telling him "Altitude, altitude". . . "Pull up! Pull up" as he's walking 30mm rounds from the GAU-8 Avenger gun in the nose onto the target while calmly plummeting straight towards the ground. Simply awesome.




The video doesn't include the aftermath, or whether the fires effectively stopped the fight or not, but it does give you an idea of how much caution goes into using such a weapon system on the ground. Nobody wants HE rounds hitting the wrong target.

M14 in service photos

Check out this picture thread from theBrigade showing off the M14 Service Rifle throughout its history. My fav is the two suppressed rifles with early nightvision scopes held by two Vietnam war era Soldiers wearing indigenous sandals. That's just sick!

Zombie Ammo from Hornady

Hornady ZMAX is the official ammo for the Apocalypse.

Hospital blogging

***Update: Thanks to all for your comments. Wife is home and well; during all of this three of my kids were sick with fevers. When it rains it pours. I'll be at the Modern Day Marine Convention this morning, and hopefully will have some pics of the latest and greatest military grade hardware. Stay tuned.


Sorry about the lack of posting. I've been out of town on travel only to rush home to the hospital to be with my wife. Everything is going to be fine, but I'm growing a bit tired of this place. My family has a permanent timeshare at the hospital.

Gun show scores

I met up with Andy on Saturday for some gun show goodness, and we did well. Andy picked up a piece of history that will no doubt be very useful; 7.62x54R will take down anything on this continent, and head shots on zombies should be easy at ranges out to 300 yards or so with irons. Good stuff.

My score included a box of 95 grain Winchester Ranger-T for the Kel-Tec; I'm going to run them through the paces to see if they're worthy of being a carry load. Until then I'll stick with the 100 grain Buffalo Bore Hard Cast. At one of the tables I picked up a used Lee single stage press in good condition for $20. Can't have too many of those. I've already cleaned it up, greased it, and found a place for it to work on my reloading bench.

Both Andy and I brought sons along for the show. When I was a kid, the gun show was held at the local National Guard armory, and I still remember my dad and grandad carrying me around to look at all the guns. I don't think my son will remember this particular trip; he was as unbehaved as he could possibly be, at one point screaming at me red-faced "I'M MAD AT YOU" for no reason that I'm aware of, and at another time tipping over a fifty round MTM box full of 8mm tracer rounds at a dollar a piece, spilling them all over the concrete floor. I didn't find out until I got home that he had a fever, so he has an alibi for his recalcitrance.

I like big knives, and I can not lie

Waiting for me when I got home yesterday was a package from KnifeCenter.com that contained two of Cold Steel's new extra-large Voyagers; one for me, and one for my homie (snicker!). I ordered them back in like April, but Cold Steel hadn't released them for sale yet for some reason or another. I'm glad they're here now.



For scale:



That's a 1st generation Cold Steel Recon-1 with a 4" blade, and a 2 liter of Coke at the top.

This is a massive knife, which most people are not accustomed to or don't see the need for that much blade. Most folks stick with 3" - 3 1/2" blades for EDC, but I've always preferred a 4" folder. I don't consider folding knives to be weapons; they are convenient utility tools that I put to use every single day for mundane tasks like cutting up boxes or getting rid of irish pennants (Google is your friend). The more blade you have, the more you can get accomplished.

To be honest, the Voyager won't be my EDC unless I'm going to be doing work outside. It's niche is probably in a backpack or clipped to a belt when you go down into the woods. For the moment though, it's in my pocket so that I can get a feel for how it carries. With Grivory grips with aluminum liners, it's not all that heavy for its size. The handles have iron cross-like texturing that provide excellent grip, and the contour is such that you can grab up close to the blade for more control, or down towards the hook at the bottom of the handle for chopping. The Voyager would be great for camping.

Here's another picture for scale:



The 5 1/2" blade is still not in Ka-Bar territory, but it dwarfs the Benchmade Rukus' 4 1/4" blade. The Voyager weighs in at 7.2 oz., which is lighter than the Rukus at 7.7 oz. The S30V steel in the Rukus is also a bitch to sharpen, but the Voyager's AUS-8A should be easy to take care of. Overall I'm impressed with the quality: the lockup is very tight and everything feels very well made. It came shaving sharp, but as always I can do better. It's a good knife to have around, and I'm sure I can find a proper career for it somewhere.

Semper Fidelis

On Thursday, President Obama will award the Medal of Honor to retired Marine Sgt. Dakota Meyer.

Yuuuuuuut!!!

Marines are still putting the smack down on our enemies.

With ten plus years of war for our country, I expected more of our warriors to receive the nation's highest medals. They earned it; pay up.

Coming or going?

MCALLEN, Texas (Reuters) - U.S. Border Patrol agents found a rocket launcher, assault rifles and explosives near the Rio Grande river in Texas, the agency said on Wednesday, a discovery that suggests a link to Mexico's drug wars.

[snip]

Officials theorized that the guns were waiting to be smuggled across the border into Mexico, but said that was just speculation.

It's good to put blind speculation in a news article and present it to the world as fact. No big deal.

So a cache of weapons including grenade launchers, rocket launchers, and C-4 explosives were "intended to go South" based on aforementioned speculation and past cases? Whatever. No doubt these items were bought at the local gunshow for next to nothing with no background check.

If these weapons weren't being transported North by cartel members who got them from the Mexican government, then they had to have been provided by a US government entity that has the ability to acquire them. Wonder who that could be.

How did he do it?!?!?

How in the world was a heavily armored gunman able to gain access to a secure facility that clearly had signs preventing said gunman from the premises?

The apparent ease with which James Ray Palmer entered the building -- straight through the front door -- has raised questions about safety even in small county courthouses and prompted a reexamination of security measures there.

Oh. I'm thinking that the Gun Free Zone signs should now be made large enough to completely block access to the front door of courthouses, and should be made out of 1/2" steel plate so that armed madmen cannot wander in and shoot up people in the hallway unchallenged for eight full minutes. That would work in the interim.

A full time solution to prevent armed attacks like this in the future it would probably be to pass laws making it illegal to shoot up courthouses, or to even carry guns in there, and to have armed cops screen and disarm all those who enter the building. . . . . .hmmmmm. Maybe that's not such a good idea after all.

I did note to that he had a CCW and no prior history of violence. It happens.

So harlots may live

I find this story to be very odd, not because I begrudge the porn industry of preparedness from their stated fear of radioactive zombies, but because of all ideas to build a haven from worldly disaster they decided on building a bunker underground near one of the most active fault lines in the world. I think I would build a single-story hardened structure right on the surface, but then again I'm not an earthquake expert. I would also put the Sliding Gun Rack Compartments next to the Security Insertion Checkpoint. That's just me though.

To be fair to the porn industry, at least they are finally planning for the inevitable fact that they will miss the rapture. That's being prepared!

What cartridge?

If you're looking for a rifle for something in particular, one of the age-old problems is choosing a cartridge that will perform for your intended purpose. We live in a shooter's heyday right now in that the selection of bullets and rifles is getting close to the peak of what man can possibly do, so there is literally a cartridge and rifle platform that will fit perfectly for what you want to do.

If you want to know the particulars of specific cartridges, this thread on the topic at Sniper's Hide is the place to start. I also highly suggest using JBM Ballistics as a means of calculating the range and power of different cartridges that you may be interested in.

In my youth, the unchallenged answer to getting more range for hunting was to go bigger bigger bigger bigger with a side of as-fast-as-possible. In those days, hunters didn't use rifle scopes with turrets or rangefinding reticles to compensate for distance; duplex reticles were the most popular by far, so in order to get a gain in Point Blank Range, you had to have lots and lots of velocity. This is why there are cartridges like the .220 Swift and .300 Weatherby Magnum. What cracks me up is that even today I know plenty of people who still subscribe to this mindset, and have seriously overbored cartridges for shooting little Virginia deer at ranges that seldom go beyond 80 yards.

To each their own, I guess.

If you're not into being way overgunned, than a little bit of research combined with JBM Ballistics will lead you to the proper hunting/target/tactical cartridge that won't break your shoulder or your wallet. Why feed a barrel burning .338 Thorhammerlighningdragonslayer when you could accomplish the same job with a .270 Winchester?

The Beast that will not sleep

In the dark of night, the Beast is angry and restless; he writhes about in red faced fury. The Beast has a need, a deep want, a desire that burns bright within his belly, that he does not himself know and will not reveal to you, yet you must find it and provide remedy or you shall surely be punished. Like Nebakanezer's dreams, without any clues you must know what will please the Beast and give it swiftly; your timing must be perfect, or it shall not work. Fail at this task and you will find yourself cast into the Sea of Exhaustion of which there will be suffering beyond anything you can imagine.

And so it was at three ay-ehm, in the year of our Lord, two thousand eleven, I, CTone, was sitting in the Recliner of Squeakiness trying to please the Beast with gifts of the finest plastic binkys and soft blankets woven from the manes of unicorn foals. Finally, when the sun crested on yonder hill, the Beast found satisfaction from a magic potion made of Formula from the distant land of Enfamil; but only after the Beast's portion of the elixir was tripled did he slumber in sweet Formula induced coma. The Beast was then strapped gently into the Swing of Peace, so as to not awaken him, and then once he was temporarily bound in the Swing was there silence in the land.

I cry out now from the Sea of Exhaustion where I must perform my duties with diligence under much gnashing of teeth. Tonight I shall not fail to please the Beast.

The news isn't fun to read anymore

It's too depressing. This morning I open Yahoo! News to find that Andy Whitfield has died. I enjoyed Spartacus: Blood and Sand, and somehow hoped that Whitfield would return to the part because he played the character so well. His character was re-cast, and the new season starts early next year.

The first news article that caught my eye this morning though was the headline/quote from president Obama stating that "America does not give in to fear," which made me snort just a little bit. The news has been awash with stories fear for eleven days, pondering the next terrorist strike that is bound to happen at any moment. Any minute now. . . .

We have uniformed government workers sexually assaulting random Americans at airports and bus stops, F16 fighters escorting air planes to the ground, bomb scares in Boston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, and D.C. ; and in New York:

New York police amassed a display of force on Friday including checkpoints that snarled traffic in response to intelligence about a car or truck bomb plot linked to the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

Officers armed with automatic weapons were stationed at city landmarks including Wall Street, Times Square and the September 11 memorial site where the Twin Towers once stood.

[snip]

New Yorkers who have grown accustomed to bag searches at subway stations and random displays of police presence encountered increased vigilance after the threat, which prompted President Barack Obama to order a redoubling of U.S. counterterrorism efforts.

Yeah, we sure don't give in to fear not one little bit. Nothing tells me that the republic is at ease like amassed police with automatic weapons in major cities. My favorite, sweet little truffle from yesterday morning's news:

Mejia now is close to marking her fourth year as a TSA security officer. She has worked every September 11, she said. "It's somewhat an honor to be here today, to watch, to say that people are not afraid to fly, and we are here to help," Mejia said.

This is from an article titled "Travelers feel fear, resolve about flying on September 11." Someone should probably tell her that thousands, if not millions of Americans fear flying the other 364 days out of the year because of the fear of having their intimate body parts rigorously fondled by blue-glove wearing tyrants who work for the TSA.

"Nearing the end of this violation, I sobbed even louder as the woman, FOUR
TIMES, stuck the side of her gloved hand INTO my vagina, through my pants. Between my labia. She really got up there. Four times. Back right and left, and
front right and left. In my vagina. Between my labia. I was shocked -- utterly
unprepared for how she got the side of her hand up there. It was government-sanctioned sexual assault."

I know I always feel safer about travel knowing that when I get to the airport, there is a high likelyhood that some disgusting stranger in a dirty blue shirt will painfully grab ahold of my satchel; but it's awesome though and totally worth it because some spineless wimp of a man behind me will feel like these good hearted goverment agents are dilligently keeping everyone safe. Even though they're not.

Fear not, muslim friends, we're here to find terrorists. I'm clearing your minds of all anxiety." - Sarah; Team America: World Police

Have a safe day!!

I sense a disturbance in the internets

No bloggy today. It seems that the internet wherever I happen to be is spotty, and I have no reasonable excuse to offer except that it must be the super-magnet in my head jacking with the computer. At work, home, or on my phone in a restaurant, I can't keep a connection long enough to do anything worthwhile.

Range day

I got to spend a day (half of one; thanks a lot Mother Nature) at an undisclosed location shooting steel with Andy this weekend. I've never shot steel targets before, not steel that didn't have tracks anyways, but I'm now a firm believer in AR500 targets. You get instant feedback on your hits, which is handy if you don't have a spotting scope. I'm going to have to make an investment in some of those in the near future.

Like Andy, I learned some valuable lessons from the trip: 1) rifles don't shoot all that great when you forget to bring the ammunition that goes with them; 2) iron sights will get you hits when your scope will not; 3) I need to shoot more with Andy.

We had a blast. At the last minute I packed the shorty Mosin Nagant with some corrosive commie ammo, and it turned out to be a hit. Shooting the blasty little rifle at a hanging bucket at 100 yards offhand is fun, and should be done more often. Andy got his AR sighted in at 100 yards and was making hits at 200 on 4 power, while I couldn't hit jack with my AR on 7 power at any range. My shiny new MK12 sat on the bench like a goon because all the ammo I spent loading was left at home on my bench. I got to shoot a Ruger 10/22, which I hadn't got to do in years, and was so impressed that I got it in my head to acquire one as quickly as possible; that turned out to be last night when I got an almost brand new one on a trade.

Our fun came to an end when my nemesis reared her ugly head from out of nowhere and started slaying trees all around us. We still had a lot of fun.

Marine Corps Snipers

A photo gallery of USMC Snipers. Super cool, but a head's up: do know that intermingled within the gallery are safe for work pictures of scantily clad women (nothing you can't see in an old Sears catalog, though in better resolution).


***ETA: Link fixed. Sleep deprivation and all that!

Future weapon violence

I clicked over to this backyard brawl video from Ace of Spades, and being honest I was flim-flammed. Well played, fellas; you got me. ***NSFW - language***

Don't knock it before you watched the whole thing through.

Tell the Air Force to kill it with a tactical nuke

A video about a family's home that was taken over by bees. I'm going to have nightmares tonight. . .

Drive-by crossbowing and other violent and bizarre stories

It sounds to me like this country has come completely unglued. There are so many violent attacks and thievery in the news these days that it makes my head spin; we have this morning a story out of San Diego about a kid shot with a crossbow in a drive-by. We also have widespread and rampant thievery of things like HVAC units, copper pipes and wire, toilet paper, hair extensions; and it's all become a family affair as well.

I've passed on many crazy stories just like that one this week already, but there are so many that are too close to home that I'm getting irritated.

There's this one out of the Fredericksburg, Virginia Wal-Mart where a teenager was beaten into a coma by other teens, and also an armed robbery and carjacking at a gas station right across the street. I shopped at that Wal-Mart with my family this weekend, and I get gas at that station all the time with my kids in the car early in the morning; the idea of a group of thuggish little shits attacking my family or driving off in my car with them makes my blood boil. There was also an armed home invasion where the homeowner was attacked with a baton over some prescription meds.

If anyone wonders why I'm so damned paranoid, this is why. With all the mob-of-disenfranchised-teens beating up folks and robbing stores all over the country, I'm sure I'm not the only one who's on edge.

Where did all the music stores go?

I swear, it couldn't have been a year or two ago the local mall had several stores that sell music CDs, and now they're all gone. Sure, there's still Wal-Mart, Target, or Best Buy if you have the hankerin for an entire case of Lady Gaga or Rihanna, but where do you go when you scratch your Sonic Brew or NOLA CD? Certainly not Target.

Deerly beloved

What's this!?!? Can't feed the deer? Does this mean the Commonwealth can fine you if Bambi is caught gnawing on your azaleas? Can I still feed them 123 grain A-MAXes?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Really this asinine law adds up to nothing considering whitetailed deer are amazingly prolific and can eat pretty much any plant in the state. So what, putting handfuls of corn or apples in your yard is going to bring about famine and pestilence to the whitetail population?

Feeding them can unnaturally increase population numbers that damage natural habitats and can increase unwanted human-deer conflicts.

Human-deer conflicts? Like this kind? If you really wanted to reduce said conflicts, then how about rescinding that other asinine law that says folks can't hunt on Sundays. I bet in two seasons the number of vehicle/deer collisions would plummet. And how exactly does feeding them increase their population? Deer are some of the most fruitful creatures on the planet; I highly doubt saltlicks and C'Mere Deer are going to make them hornier than they already are.

Now lets talk about the "damage [to] natural habitats." Do you really think that DC has at times had 200 deer per square mile because residents feed them? I think the vehicular slaughter and mangled gardens and flower pots should be considered as damaged natural habitat, as it includes both human and deer living space. Maybe something should be done about the explosion of the deer population in highly developed areas before the state resorts to fining grandma for tossing peaches into her yard.

***ETA: I didn't catch this little gem the first time around:

The practice can also be misconstrued as deer baiting, which is illegal.

I side with Ted Nugent in that everything a hunter does to make a kill is "baiting."

Sitting in a stand watching a corn field?

Baiting!

Propped up against a tree on a ridgeline watching the creek?

Baiting!

Waiting for a buck to come back to a scrape?

Baiting!

It's all an illusion made to keep you in a particular mindset. I raise the bullshit flag on this one; if the state cares so much about a healthy deer population, they would shelf stupid laws like this one and let hunters shoot deer on Sundays.

Mankind's drive towards flight

Straight up, I want to do this. I love all things fast, and this has got to be the coolest thing I've ever seen.

It's bad ass that there are people who push the limits of technology to do stuff like that! Tell me that you don't see special operations guys using this technology to get the drop on scumbags!! Neat!

Another HST believer

My brother told me about Federal's HST rounds quite awhile ago, and he's having excellent results with the 147 grain +Ps from his Smith and Wesson M&P Pro:



I'm hearing now that they've been pulled off the shelf for some reason or another. I looked at ordering some more this weekend, but can't find them anywhere. Shame on you, Federal.

Hopefully one day Federal will offer the HST bullet as a component for reloading. I know for a fact now that I can get a 147 grain bullet started at over 1,000 fps, and I'm hoping I can get it over 1,110 fps with the right powder.

Come hell or high water. . . .

. . . .the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier will be guarded by the most dedicated Soldiers.

That's true dedication.

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'.