It doesn't mean as much as it used to.
A great post from Old NFO.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Roadside euthanasia
An ARFCOM thread on why police officers don't put down animals that have been crippled by traffic. I commented that often it's department policy that either prohibits this practice, or makes it a big ball of red tape in order to do so, and not because cops are heartless and like to watch bambi struggle for life on roadways.
True story:
Nine years ago I was home from Camp Lejeune for the weekend, driving back from the video store (we still had those then) at about 10:00 at night on a four lane non-divided highway. I was close behind the only other car on the road at the time -- a black Nissan Pathfinder -- when two deer crossed the highway from our left, the trailing one getting hit on the front end of the Nissan. I could tell that he hit that deer really hard, as he caught it with the entire front end, and we were moving along at just over 50 mph. We both stopped, checked the damage, and I gave the driver and his wife my personal information as a witness in case their insurance scumbags tried to screw them on getting the car fixed. The driver and I found the deer on the edge of the road on the right side about fifty yards behind us, still alive, with its spine broken just forward of its hips. It kept trying to stand up, and because its back legs didn't work it would topple over to its left, bringing it closer and closer to the middle of the roadway.
County deputies show up, and take a solid ten minutes to get permission from the Sheriff or Sergeant or whomever was in charge that night to publicly execute this crippled doe. State cops show up stop traffic both ways, which was now significantly built up, and what I presume to have been the most junior county deputy of the six or so who were there racks the slide to chamber a round (I don't know why she didn't have her duty weapon in condition 1, but I saw it with my own eyes that she carried on an empty chamber). Me and the driver were walking back to our cars when I heard the shot. . . . and then another. . . .and then another.
I knew immediately what was going on, so I said goodbye to the driver and headed back down to see what kind of macabre scene this clueless deputy had just subjected her audience of onlookers to. It was. . . . substantial.
She had shot this youthful, two or three year old doe three times in the face at close range, but hadn't hit anything of importance -- and by importance I mean something structurally vital that would mercifully end the poor critter's life as humanely as possible. All the other jolly cops standing around weren't giving her any instruction, as they themselves didn't know how in the world this superhuman deer could take three rounds of .40 S&W in the head and still be completely alert, looking around with blood pouring out from what was left of her nose and jaw. I note that one of the police cruisers was positioned in the turn lane so that its headlights fully illuminated the public display of incompetence, and traffic was stopped not more than 75 yards away.
Whom I believed to be the senior deputy said: "Well, we'll just have to wait for the ol' girl to bleed out." I told them all in not the most tactful voice that we would be there for awhile, as superficial gun shot wounds have that tendency to, you know, heal, and that a deer missing all its teeth would definitely die -- of starvation -- but there would be a little bit too much overtime involved with the supervision of that. Then, like a middle-school science teacher, I pointed out that the deer did in fact have a head, which included the brain housing group, and attached to that was the beak-like extension of the jaw and nose, that didn't. Deputy Sally hadn't hit that brain housing group, but if she could do that, then everybody could go home.
More permission was asked for more rounds to be expended on behalf of this traumatized deer, and when it was given I pointed out just where to shoot.
Me: "Right here." (pointing to a spot right below the ear)
Cop: "Right where?"
Me: (Grabbing the deer by the ear and turning her head towards the cruiser's lights) "Here. Shoot her with one round here."
Cop: "Oh. . .ok" (as she starts to aim from six feet away I stop her)
Me: (pointing to the muzzle of her Sig pistol) "No ma'am. This is a doe. It doesn't have antlers, so it can't hurt you. Put your weapon against her head so that you don't miss."
At the crack of the gun it was finally over. All the cops looked at me like I was some sort of deer whisperer, knowing just what to do. In reality, I've just killed a ton of animals and know where the vitals are; and that doe would have been better served if, at the moment I found her, I had killed her with my pocket knife. For this reason I don't encourage cops to put animals out of their misery because, in my opinion, they are much more likely to put them IN misery.
True story:
Nine years ago I was home from Camp Lejeune for the weekend, driving back from the video store (we still had those then) at about 10:00 at night on a four lane non-divided highway. I was close behind the only other car on the road at the time -- a black Nissan Pathfinder -- when two deer crossed the highway from our left, the trailing one getting hit on the front end of the Nissan. I could tell that he hit that deer really hard, as he caught it with the entire front end, and we were moving along at just over 50 mph. We both stopped, checked the damage, and I gave the driver and his wife my personal information as a witness in case their insurance scumbags tried to screw them on getting the car fixed. The driver and I found the deer on the edge of the road on the right side about fifty yards behind us, still alive, with its spine broken just forward of its hips. It kept trying to stand up, and because its back legs didn't work it would topple over to its left, bringing it closer and closer to the middle of the roadway.
County deputies show up, and take a solid ten minutes to get permission from the Sheriff or Sergeant or whomever was in charge that night to publicly execute this crippled doe. State cops show up stop traffic both ways, which was now significantly built up, and what I presume to have been the most junior county deputy of the six or so who were there racks the slide to chamber a round (I don't know why she didn't have her duty weapon in condition 1, but I saw it with my own eyes that she carried on an empty chamber). Me and the driver were walking back to our cars when I heard the shot. . . . and then another. . . .and then another.
I knew immediately what was going on, so I said goodbye to the driver and headed back down to see what kind of macabre scene this clueless deputy had just subjected her audience of onlookers to. It was. . . . substantial.
She had shot this youthful, two or three year old doe three times in the face at close range, but hadn't hit anything of importance -- and by importance I mean something structurally vital that would mercifully end the poor critter's life as humanely as possible. All the other jolly cops standing around weren't giving her any instruction, as they themselves didn't know how in the world this superhuman deer could take three rounds of .40 S&W in the head and still be completely alert, looking around with blood pouring out from what was left of her nose and jaw. I note that one of the police cruisers was positioned in the turn lane so that its headlights fully illuminated the public display of incompetence, and traffic was stopped not more than 75 yards away.
Whom I believed to be the senior deputy said: "Well, we'll just have to wait for the ol' girl to bleed out." I told them all in not the most tactful voice that we would be there for awhile, as superficial gun shot wounds have that tendency to, you know, heal, and that a deer missing all its teeth would definitely die -- of starvation -- but there would be a little bit too much overtime involved with the supervision of that. Then, like a middle-school science teacher, I pointed out that the deer did in fact have a head, which included the brain housing group, and attached to that was the beak-like extension of the jaw and nose, that didn't. Deputy Sally hadn't hit that brain housing group, but if she could do that, then everybody could go home.
More permission was asked for more rounds to be expended on behalf of this traumatized deer, and when it was given I pointed out just where to shoot.
Me: "Right here." (pointing to a spot right below the ear)
Cop: "Right where?"
Me: (Grabbing the deer by the ear and turning her head towards the cruiser's lights) "Here. Shoot her with one round here."
Cop: "Oh. . .ok" (as she starts to aim from six feet away I stop her)
Me: (pointing to the muzzle of her Sig pistol) "No ma'am. This is a doe. It doesn't have antlers, so it can't hurt you. Put your weapon against her head so that you don't miss."
At the crack of the gun it was finally over. All the cops looked at me like I was some sort of deer whisperer, knowing just what to do. In reality, I've just killed a ton of animals and know where the vitals are; and that doe would have been better served if, at the moment I found her, I had killed her with my pocket knife. For this reason I don't encourage cops to put animals out of their misery because, in my opinion, they are much more likely to put them IN misery.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Combat shotguns
A look at the Mossberg 590, the Benelli 1014, and various other shotguns (I see a pistol gripped Mossberg 835 in there. What do you see?) as used by military forces in pictures. There are some scantily clad women sprinkled in there as well, just letting you know. Funny, I just saw Kate Mara in the movie Shooter this weekend. Weird.
And one of those high resolution pics -- #17 from the film Dead Presidents -- seems. . . .familiar to me. Where have we seen that one before?
And one of those high resolution pics -- #17 from the film Dead Presidents -- seems. . . .familiar to me. Where have we seen that one before?
U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand targets the ATF and U.S. AG Eric Holder
U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand says she will be backing a bill to crack down on corrupt gun runners and dealers.Alriiiiight! Keepin' the streets safe by prosecuting those who sell guns to violent scumbags! Why didn't anyone think of this before?
I know right where she can start -- prosecuting an armed gang who brokered the sale of illegally purchased firearms for violent drug cartels who used those weapons to kill innocent people. ZING!!!
Oh, wait. . . .
Recently, State Attorney General Eric Schneidermann announced that his office plans to crackdown on illegal gun distribution in the state. In fact, a probe conducted by his office revealed that many gun sellers disregard state mandated background checks, according to the Associated Press.Ohhhhhhhhh. You mean she's backing a STATE law that would make the process of buying and selling firearms in New York even more illegal and convoluted. . . . I read you now. For a minute there I thought a member of congress actually gave a shit about preventing violent people from using firearms to commit violent crimes. My bad. I see now that state commerce has captured the interest of Rep. Gillibrand (I thought she was pro-gun? David Codrea was right about her, you know).
Well, you can't blame a snake for biting any more than you can blame a revenuer for revenuin'.
Since I'm knuckle deep in this article now, I guess I should let the mocking begin. I did find this amusing:
An individual gun seller can is legally accountable for the guns they sell, but not a gun show operator.What's a "gun seller can?" Is that like a can of man that sells guns? I'm imagining now a secret factory run by the NRA that packages men who sell firearms into little cans in order to execute an eeeeeevil covert plot to saturate the country with individual gun sellers. The logistics of it is genius -- a pickup truck can only handle perhaps a half dozen individual gun sellers in the bed; I can't even fathom how many cans of men will fit back there. Hundreds maybe? Thousands?
And "gun show operators?" I admit to seeing one or two of those guys at every gun show I've ever been to -- they're the ones wearing old camo, and decked out in cheap nylon holsters and vests with too many pockets, handing out High Points to kids like candy. They're easy to spot, with all those patches and urine stains on their uniforms, and more than a little creepy. I had no idea they were exempt from state laws! That's totally backwards! Rep. Gillibrand is absolutely right: Gun Show Special Warfare Operators should be accountable for the guns they sell, but not canned men who sell guns. They're in a can, so they can't do much harm. Besides, how many guns will fit in a can?
Just when you though it was over, there's more:
The proposed legislation toughens penalties for illegal gun sales. Traffickers could face nearly 20 years in prisons.Holy shit! Not *A* prison; we're talking multiple prisons! From what I'm reading here, if a gun trafficker gets caught, the court could have him torn to pieces and sent to prisons all over the state! Maybe they'll put his head on a pike in one prison, and gibbet his bloody torso in another. That's a bit morbid, but it would surely do more for placing fear in illegal gun traffickers than a bill that targets basically anyone not perfectly rehersed in the law.
New York may very well have something here. . . .
Monday, December 5, 2011
Hornady Critical Duty
Huh huh huh. . . . .'duty'. . . .huh huh huh huh.
Yes, I'm a child.
I saw this stuff this weekend on Guns & Ammo TV where Patrick Sweeney and Dave Emary from Hornady's engineering department ran them through the FBI's test protocol. It's pretty impressive. A major hangup for some folks regarding the Critical Defense lineup is that it's not designed to pass these tests, but the Critical Duty lineup looks good to go. It does remedy the problem of hollow point ammo clogging up with denim or other materials and failing to expand because it has the Flexlock tip in the nose just like Critical Defense ammo. It's also not a bonded bullet; the core is mechanically locked to the jacket using a deep groove, which is the same concept of the non-bonded Remington Golden Saber bullet, but better executed. From what I saw on the show, the expansion is not as dramatic as some of the other defensive ammo on the market, which is probably why it was so uniform with penetration.
It is being tauted as "Law Enforcement Ammo", but at least it's not emblazoned on the box, not that I can tell anyways. For 9mm, there's a standard pressure and +P offering in 135 grains, with both of them being more towards the hot side. The 175 grain 40 S&W load seems to be rather warm as well.
Here's more from Shooting Illustrated.
***ETA -- Hornady has some additional information on their website where they compare Critical Defense and Critical Duty. I note this:
Yes, I'm a child.
I saw this stuff this weekend on Guns & Ammo TV where Patrick Sweeney and Dave Emary from Hornady's engineering department ran them through the FBI's test protocol. It's pretty impressive. A major hangup for some folks regarding the Critical Defense lineup is that it's not designed to pass these tests, but the Critical Duty lineup looks good to go. It does remedy the problem of hollow point ammo clogging up with denim or other materials and failing to expand because it has the Flexlock tip in the nose just like Critical Defense ammo. It's also not a bonded bullet; the core is mechanically locked to the jacket using a deep groove, which is the same concept of the non-bonded Remington Golden Saber bullet, but better executed. From what I saw on the show, the expansion is not as dramatic as some of the other defensive ammo on the market, which is probably why it was so uniform with penetration.
It is being tauted as "Law Enforcement Ammo", but at least it's not emblazoned on the box, not that I can tell anyways. For 9mm, there's a standard pressure and +P offering in 135 grains, with both of them being more towards the hot side. The 175 grain 40 S&W load seems to be rather warm as well.
Here's more from Shooting Illustrated.
***ETA -- Hornady has some additional information on their website where they compare Critical Defense and Critical Duty. I note this:
Critical DUTY™ handgun ammunition is built to meet the needs and requirements of LAW ENFORCEMENT and TACTICAL PROFESSIONALS, as well as those law abiding citizens who prefer a full-size handgun for their personal protection and demand superior barrier penetration and subsequent terminal performance.*
Friday, December 2, 2011
What happend to The Military Channel?
Once upon a time there were a ton of cool shows on all sorts of military disciplines on The Military Channel: Future Weapons, Weaponology, Ultimate Weapons, Weapon Masters -- all of these shows were great to watch (they're still on, but all re-runs), but now The Military Channel has turned into the Nazi Channel. Seriously; when I hit the channel guide, the lineup is all "Hitler's Shock Troops," "Hitler's War Machine," "Cooking with Hitler," "Nazi Tank Battles," "Nazi UFO Conspiracy," "Nazi Ten-Minute Ab Workout." It's a Nazi cornucopia; who wants to watch that shit 24/7?
WWII was over 65 years ago, give it a rest, would ya?
WWII was over 65 years ago, give it a rest, would ya?
What he said
There is a review at Military Morons covering the Vicker's magazine release and slide stop. I've recently put both of these products on my Glock 17 and 26, and find them to be an excellent. Glock should really put both of these on their guns in the factory; they're indispensable. I like my Glocks to have commonality of parts so that they feel the same, so all modifications are done the same for both.
I have large hands, and even I can't reach the stock Glock magazine release without changing my grip. The Vicker's mag release is just long enough that I can dump the mag without changing my grip, but not long enough to inadvertently drop the mag if the gun is placed on its side on a flat surface. Installation is about as easy as changing a memory card in a camera.
On stock Glock pistols, there is what they call a "slide stop", as Glock firmly recommends using the overhand method to charge the gun with a cartridge from a freshly inserted magazine. The slide stop can be used to release the slide, but it's very hard to do, especially under stress. Glock also has an aftermarket extended slide release that you can add to the gun, and it works very well -- too well for folks like myself who are used to a "high thumbs" grip from shooting 1911s. This grip can cause either one of the thumbs to be in contact with the slide release, which often results in the slide not locking back when the magazine runs out; and for me, it also causes the slide release to ride against the slide, inducing malfunctions. The remedy is the Vicker's slide release modeled after the Smith & Wesson M&P slide release.
Installation of this part takes a whopping minute or so with the use of a punch to press out a pin. Piece of cake. It's very unobtrusive, and yet is very easy to get to when you're dropping a locked slide on a fresh round. I'm a big fan. Both of these parts combined cost less then $30 dollars, and I highly recommend them.
I have large hands, and even I can't reach the stock Glock magazine release without changing my grip. The Vicker's mag release is just long enough that I can dump the mag without changing my grip, but not long enough to inadvertently drop the mag if the gun is placed on its side on a flat surface. Installation is about as easy as changing a memory card in a camera.
On stock Glock pistols, there is what they call a "slide stop", as Glock firmly recommends using the overhand method to charge the gun with a cartridge from a freshly inserted magazine. The slide stop can be used to release the slide, but it's very hard to do, especially under stress. Glock also has an aftermarket extended slide release that you can add to the gun, and it works very well -- too well for folks like myself who are used to a "high thumbs" grip from shooting 1911s. This grip can cause either one of the thumbs to be in contact with the slide release, which often results in the slide not locking back when the magazine runs out; and for me, it also causes the slide release to ride against the slide, inducing malfunctions. The remedy is the Vicker's slide release modeled after the Smith & Wesson M&P slide release.
Installation of this part takes a whopping minute or so with the use of a punch to press out a pin. Piece of cake. It's very unobtrusive, and yet is very easy to get to when you're dropping a locked slide on a fresh round. I'm a big fan. Both of these parts combined cost less then $30 dollars, and I highly recommend them.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Excellent Civil War gallery
Over 200 original pictures from the Civil War **NSFW: Graphic pictures of bodies**.
There's some seriously hard looking men in these photos, and half of them look drunk. I would never have blamed them if they were. It's wild to see pictures of my hometown in ruins. This town is bristling with history from the war and, unfortunately, we lose more and more of it every year as the population here increases. The county responds by turning large pieces of land into historical "battlefield" areas and parks to keep developers from raping what's left of the place, but then the parks won't let you do anything on the land but glance at the monuments and such. Who knows how much history is buried in the many parks here, waiting to be found by folks with metal detectors. Still, if you're looking for history on the Civil War, you'd be hard pressed to find more of it in one place than any of the counties along the Rappahannock river.
There's some seriously hard looking men in these photos, and half of them look drunk. I would never have blamed them if they were. It's wild to see pictures of my hometown in ruins. This town is bristling with history from the war and, unfortunately, we lose more and more of it every year as the population here increases. The county responds by turning large pieces of land into historical "battlefield" areas and parks to keep developers from raping what's left of the place, but then the parks won't let you do anything on the land but glance at the monuments and such. Who knows how much history is buried in the many parks here, waiting to be found by folks with metal detectors. Still, if you're looking for history on the Civil War, you'd be hard pressed to find more of it in one place than any of the counties along the Rappahannock river.
Monday, November 28, 2011
What's worse than a weekend with three sick kids?
How about a weekend with FOUR sick kids!?!! Yaaaaaaay!
Fevers and snot and much much worse are my idea of a good time. I forgot I signed up for that.
Thanksgiving was great this year, and I have much to be thankful for. It broke my heart to have to eat thanksgiving lunch/dinner with both my family and my wife's family. Eating twice the food was tough, but I hung in there.
I am no longer the owner of a 1911 (temprarily), but will soon be the owner of an H&K P30. With that, there are two holsters on order for it; one of which will be here sometime in the next six months, the other should be here this week. Ammunition is on order and has been rolling in, and night sights should be here any day now, too. It's all coming together.
When I have time this week (riiiiiiight) I'm going to have to put in some hard labor to make a sufficient backstop for the amount of shooting I plan to do in the next several weeks, just to be extra safe. These days there are houses all over the place, so I want to know precisely where my rounds stop. The old target shed has long since collapsed into heap of ruin, not long after I took these pictures of it:
It's been replaced by the steel Nevco targets, and I plan to add more. I drag those pictures out every once in a while because I get a kick out of them. There's a lot of holes there!
Fevers and snot and much much worse are my idea of a good time. I forgot I signed up for that.
Thanksgiving was great this year, and I have much to be thankful for. It broke my heart to have to eat thanksgiving lunch/dinner with both my family and my wife's family. Eating twice the food was tough, but I hung in there.
I am no longer the owner of a 1911 (temprarily), but will soon be the owner of an H&K P30. With that, there are two holsters on order for it; one of which will be here sometime in the next six months, the other should be here this week. Ammunition is on order and has been rolling in, and night sights should be here any day now, too. It's all coming together.
When I have time this week (riiiiiiight) I'm going to have to put in some hard labor to make a sufficient backstop for the amount of shooting I plan to do in the next several weeks, just to be extra safe. These days there are houses all over the place, so I want to know precisely where my rounds stop. The old target shed has long since collapsed into heap of ruin, not long after I took these pictures of it:
It's been replaced by the steel Nevco targets, and I plan to add more. I drag those pictures out every once in a while because I get a kick out of them. There's a lot of holes there!
Good concept for optics
I've voiced my opinions on 1st focal plane reticles on low power optics before because I think it's a ridiculous concept for the most part, but then I read Kyle Defoor's post on the U.S. Optics SN-4S and how it has a reticle on both planes, and I was impressed. What a great idea. The large outer ring stays the same size between 1 - 4 power, with only the ranging reticle growing in size.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
I'm strapped with my Glock on my block. . . .
. . . . .ready to let loose on any Nevco targets that I spot.
This weekend I picked up two 8" round AR500 steel targets with hangers from GreenTop, and set them up and tested them out. I'm a big fan. After shooting Andy's steel at 200 yards with a rifle, I was sold, so when I got the opportunity to buy them sans shipping cost, I jumped on it.
I was fortunate to find the leftover 9mm rounds that were hidden from that range trip with Andy, and my brother, his girlfriend, and I shot up the 150 or so rounds to ring in the new steel. It was a good time. I'm also shooting with the aide of a shot-timer now, so I have no excuse to not get better at shooting.
I'm not using the Zack holster anymore, but have instead resorted back to the Bladetech IWB after a bit more modifications to make it conceal better. It's now an abomination, which is the title I now refer to it as whenever I speak of it. The Abominable Bladetech hides a full sized Glock 17 like it's not even there, and will do it all day long without any problems, even while driving or sitting for hours. It dawned on me how dangerous having screws inside the trigger guard can be if they ever decided to back out, so I epoxied the rubber plug thingy to the outside of the holster, and it's very secure. I also added some padding and stuff, as well as some duct tape, and it's now a sight to behold. Damn, it's comfortable though, and fast, too. I'm averaging around 1.9ish seconds from a concealed draw, which is not too shabby. I'll have to get some fresh pictures out there for folks to laugh at.
Like they say: if you can't be a good example, then be a horrible warning!
This weekend I picked up two 8" round AR500 steel targets with hangers from GreenTop, and set them up and tested them out. I'm a big fan. After shooting Andy's steel at 200 yards with a rifle, I was sold, so when I got the opportunity to buy them sans shipping cost, I jumped on it.
I was fortunate to find the leftover 9mm rounds that were hidden from that range trip with Andy, and my brother, his girlfriend, and I shot up the 150 or so rounds to ring in the new steel. It was a good time. I'm also shooting with the aide of a shot-timer now, so I have no excuse to not get better at shooting.
I'm not using the Zack holster anymore, but have instead resorted back to the Bladetech IWB after a bit more modifications to make it conceal better. It's now an abomination, which is the title I now refer to it as whenever I speak of it. The Abominable Bladetech hides a full sized Glock 17 like it's not even there, and will do it all day long without any problems, even while driving or sitting for hours. It dawned on me how dangerous having screws inside the trigger guard can be if they ever decided to back out, so I epoxied the rubber plug thingy to the outside of the holster, and it's very secure. I also added some padding and stuff, as well as some duct tape, and it's now a sight to behold. Damn, it's comfortable though, and fast, too. I'm averaging around 1.9ish seconds from a concealed draw, which is not too shabby. I'll have to get some fresh pictures out there for folks to laugh at.
Like they say: if you can't be a good example, then be a horrible warning!
A Zack holster review
The Truth About Guns reviews the Zack holster from Dale Fricke, and it's very informative, including a short video of it in action. There is some hate for the concept in comments, as well as some hate for AIWB in general.
I didn't try carrying with the Zack anywhere else on the waistband other than in the front, and I also didn't try canting the weapon. One thing I noted in comments was that the gun carries better if you adjust the slack out of the cord so that it takes the weight of the gun and keeps the trigger guard area off the belt.
I also added in my thoughts on the best part of using the Zack for AIWB: you don't have to holster a loaded pistol down into your pants -- that being the most dangerous part of AIWB carry. You will notice that he snaps the Zack onto the Glock while it is out of the waistband, and then tucks it in.
I didn't try carrying with the Zack anywhere else on the waistband other than in the front, and I also didn't try canting the weapon. One thing I noted in comments was that the gun carries better if you adjust the slack out of the cord so that it takes the weight of the gun and keeps the trigger guard area off the belt.
I also added in my thoughts on the best part of using the Zack for AIWB: you don't have to holster a loaded pistol down into your pants -- that being the most dangerous part of AIWB carry. You will notice that he snaps the Zack onto the Glock while it is out of the waistband, and then tucks it in.
Monday, November 21, 2011
First remove the beam from your own eye
Andy notes that many "gun control" states that pride themselves on strict gun laws aren't comparing so well to states with a bit more freedom. Maybe New York City Mayor Bloomberg should take a break from bashing Virginia and tend to his own issues.
Prandtl–Glauert singularity
Never heard of it referred to that way; to the layman, it's a sonic boom.
Looking through those pictures, tell me you can't hear Guile from Street Fighter saying "Sonic Booom! Sonic Booom!
Looking through those pictures, tell me you can't hear Guile from Street Fighter saying "Sonic Booom! Sonic Booom!
I dig this multi-use shovel
The pun. . .the puuuuun!
Anyways, The Crovel looks like a solid piece of gear to own for when the zombies attack while the world ends, or if you just got your XTerra stuck in the mud during a thunder storm. My truck is outfitted with a machete, an axe, and a WWII folding shovel that my Opa had on his back when he was in Korea (I don't know if he had it with him on Normandy, but I wish I had known to ask). It would be handy to have all of those tools combined into one.
Anyways, The Crovel looks like a solid piece of gear to own for when the zombies attack while the world ends, or if you just got your XTerra stuck in the mud during a thunder storm. My truck is outfitted with a machete, an axe, and a WWII folding shovel that my Opa had on his back when he was in Korea (I don't know if he had it with him on Normandy, but I wish I had known to ask). It would be handy to have all of those tools combined into one.
You CAN stop a train!
Many years ago I witnessed a 2,500 hp mud-bogger with 44" paddle tires puke a red-hot piston through the hood and into the air under full throttle. I thought it was bad ass. Seeing the aftermath from when a train ejects a piston is still pretty cool, but more than a little scary.
What goes up must come down!
What goes up must come down!
That feeling again
When you're driving down the road to work and you think your cellphone is vibrating on your belt, only when you check you realize it's just your gut rumbling.
"Dammit, woman! I just left the house not fi. . . . . . .oh. Hmff."
Don't lie, fellas! You've been there before!
"Dammit, woman! I just left the house not fi. . . . . . .oh. Hmff."
Don't lie, fellas! You've been there before!
Friday, November 18, 2011
&*%$#@ TOYS!!
Toy making dude #1: (Holding up shitty plastic stegosaurus) "HEHEHAHAHAHAHAH! Dads of the world will cry out in lamentations when they step on this toy!
Toy making dude #2: "Dude, stegosaurus didn't have that many spikes on its tail. They had like four or something. Is that. . . .metal?"
#1: (Petting the toy now) "Yeeesss. Yeeeeeessssss! Tuuuuungsteennnnn! I've put tungsten in the tail spikes, and razor blades in its back plates!"
#2: "You're gonna get us fired. Why don't you just stick with using plastic like we're supposed to? It's just supposed to be a simple toy."
#1: "But tungsten will penetrate even the toughest callous! Perforate the feetses, it will!"
#2: "That's not right, man; that's going to fuck somebody up! You should be locked in prison for the rest of your creepy, screwed up life! You're insane!"
#1: "MHOOHWHOOHWAAHAAHAAHAAHAA!!!"
And there I was, on my ass on the carpet in the dark holding my wounded foot. With my head on the floor, tears were welling up in my eyes, which were shut tight like a lock; stars speckling the blackness. I had fallen prey to the toymaker when I stepped right onto his cruel sadistic trap with bare feet.
"Curse you, plastic moldsman!" -- Dwayne. LaFontant! From the movie Over the Hedge
I haven't stepped on a plastic dinosaur in a few weeks, but I did have one of those PETS toys take me down a few days ago, and yesterday morning I walked right into a large plastic plaything in the dark in the hallway while holding a kid, almost planting my face into a wall. I've fallen more times than I can count due to toys on the floor, and last night I told my wonderful wife that we need a 35% reduction in toys to make room for the ones we will be getting next month. My idea was met with the comment to not bother, that the kids won't be getting many toys this year, which is precisely what I have heard every year. I'm skeptical.
When I was a kid, I recall many times when I left my toys out on the floor or on the stairs. Leaving them on the stairs was a serious offense, and my sister and I would be playing in a bedroom when my dad would come roaring in, spanking assess like it was the end of the frickin' world. I never understood why he got so pissed off from stepping on some green plastic soldiers. The man is huge -- my big-buff-rough-and-tough-and-stuff father who could kill six bears with his hands gets mortally wounded from a small, inanimate object? Whaaaaaat?
Now I know.
I see myself very soon creeping stealthily about the house while everybody's asleep, like an angel of death with a trashbag, sweeping up all the toys that I loath. I will cast them in a fiery furnace and burn them into a brittle, black ball of charred plastic while I laugh maniacally at my work. Soooooooon!
Thursday, November 17, 2011
On self defense ammo
I was wondering yesterday morning about why some ammunition manufacturers put "Law Enforcement Ammunition" on the front of some of their self defense ammo. To me, it could potentially offer some litigation in a shooting, but not in the way that's normally discussed.
One box of ammo in that picture -- Federal Gold Medal Match -- is not branded with a law enforcement logo despite it being a common choice amongst police who use rifles. That specific load is perhaps the most used round by police snipers. Both the Federal HST and Winchester Ranger-T are labeled "Law Enforcement Ammunition," while the Speer Gold Dot is labeled "The Choice for Law Enforcement" - a little less damning. I note that there's no federal law that I'm aware of that prohibits the use of this ammo to non-law enforcement. It's only company policy.
The argument goes that if the common man shoots a home intruder or violent scumbag using such ammo, that a prosecutor has an angle against the shooter because he used ammo that's designed for cops. I think that line of thought doesn't hold water because most police agencies chose ammo -- handgun ammo in particular, which is what I'm talking about in this post -- because it consistently meets a variety of criteria: meets the FBI requirement for handgun ammo; feeds reliably in the department's duty weapons; doesn't induce premature wear in duty weapons, and is accurate enough to be serviceable. Does any of that sound like what you would want in a handgun load for your personal defense weapon? It does to me.
Notice that nothing in there has anything at all with being more effective at killing people. It's agreed by the FBI, who's testing is considered the gold standard, that in order to "protect. . the life. . and the life of others, [and] to prevent serious physical harm [when applying deadly force to a human being]" -- "it is done with the explicit intention of immediately incapacitating that subject in order to stop whatever threat to life or physical safety is posed by the subject. Immediate incapacitation is defined as the sudden physical or mental inability to pose any further risk or injury to others." Emphasis mine.
Nothing in the preface of the FBI's standards for handgun ammunition, or anywhere in it for that matter, have anything to do with killing. The death of a subject of a police shooting is a side effect; one that is unintentional and unplanned: "The concept of immediate incapacitation is the only goal of any law enforcement shooting" -- and this is the only goal I would have if I were involved in a shooting as well, and should be for anyone who defends their life from another person.
In order to satisfy the FBI's minimum 12" penetration requirement in ballistics gelatin, in the many different barriers that are often encountered in shootings, simulated barriers are shot through into the gelatin. This is done for consistency and testing purposes. The barriers are: heavy clothing; auto glass; wallboard; plywood, and steel. Notice that in the linked ballistics information for Winchester Ranger-T, there's nothing there about killing potential. That's because there is none. Can you think of any scenario where you would want your ammo to perform against those barriers if you had to shoot someone to protect yourself, your family, or an innocent life? I can.
A common argument advocating for the common man to carry law enforcement ammo in a personal arm is that the ammo has been tested to perform in a reliable and predictable manner, and those virtues are something that one would want. If you had to gun down an attacker at a gas station, wouldn't you want to be using a load that has been tested to the highest standard? As I pointed out, cops aren't issued ammunition because it has a higher killing potential; their ammo is designed to feed in their weapon, and be accurate and predictable. Those are the same reasonable requirements that I want.
The reason I think that these ammunition manufacturers are walking a dangerous line with their "Law Enforcement Ammo" label is that it can be claimed that the ammo is somehow more dangerous or deadly, and because of this it can't be trusted to the common man - only police. Again, while it's obvious that police don't use this ammo because of killing potential, a police agency may still have to prove in court that their chosen fang-face-patriot-ninja-death ammo wasn't in the best interest of the deceased subject who was gunned down by one of their employees. So then my question is: what reason does a manufacturer have to make such a stark and divisive statement for their ammo? They could advertise that their ammo has met law enforcement standards, which would be far more defensible than branding it LEO only. I think that making that statement can be misconstrued, and that they would do well to ditch it in favor of something less damning.
One box of ammo in that picture -- Federal Gold Medal Match -- is not branded with a law enforcement logo despite it being a common choice amongst police who use rifles. That specific load is perhaps the most used round by police snipers. Both the Federal HST and Winchester Ranger-T are labeled "Law Enforcement Ammunition," while the Speer Gold Dot is labeled "The Choice for Law Enforcement" - a little less damning. I note that there's no federal law that I'm aware of that prohibits the use of this ammo to non-law enforcement. It's only company policy.
The argument goes that if the common man shoots a home intruder or violent scumbag using such ammo, that a prosecutor has an angle against the shooter because he used ammo that's designed for cops. I think that line of thought doesn't hold water because most police agencies chose ammo -- handgun ammo in particular, which is what I'm talking about in this post -- because it consistently meets a variety of criteria: meets the FBI requirement for handgun ammo; feeds reliably in the department's duty weapons; doesn't induce premature wear in duty weapons, and is accurate enough to be serviceable. Does any of that sound like what you would want in a handgun load for your personal defense weapon? It does to me.
Notice that nothing in there has anything at all with being more effective at killing people. It's agreed by the FBI, who's testing is considered the gold standard, that in order to "protect. . the life. . and the life of others, [and] to prevent serious physical harm [when applying deadly force to a human being]" -- "it is done with the explicit intention of immediately incapacitating that subject in order to stop whatever threat to life or physical safety is posed by the subject. Immediate incapacitation is defined as the sudden physical or mental inability to pose any further risk or injury to others." Emphasis mine.
Nothing in the preface of the FBI's standards for handgun ammunition, or anywhere in it for that matter, have anything to do with killing. The death of a subject of a police shooting is a side effect; one that is unintentional and unplanned: "The concept of immediate incapacitation is the only goal of any law enforcement shooting" -- and this is the only goal I would have if I were involved in a shooting as well, and should be for anyone who defends their life from another person.
In order to satisfy the FBI's minimum 12" penetration requirement in ballistics gelatin, in the many different barriers that are often encountered in shootings, simulated barriers are shot through into the gelatin. This is done for consistency and testing purposes. The barriers are: heavy clothing; auto glass; wallboard; plywood, and steel. Notice that in the linked ballistics information for Winchester Ranger-T, there's nothing there about killing potential. That's because there is none. Can you think of any scenario where you would want your ammo to perform against those barriers if you had to shoot someone to protect yourself, your family, or an innocent life? I can.
A common argument advocating for the common man to carry law enforcement ammo in a personal arm is that the ammo has been tested to perform in a reliable and predictable manner, and those virtues are something that one would want. If you had to gun down an attacker at a gas station, wouldn't you want to be using a load that has been tested to the highest standard? As I pointed out, cops aren't issued ammunition because it has a higher killing potential; their ammo is designed to feed in their weapon, and be accurate and predictable. Those are the same reasonable requirements that I want.
The reason I think that these ammunition manufacturers are walking a dangerous line with their "Law Enforcement Ammo" label is that it can be claimed that the ammo is somehow more dangerous or deadly, and because of this it can't be trusted to the common man - only police. Again, while it's obvious that police don't use this ammo because of killing potential, a police agency may still have to prove in court that their chosen fang-face-patriot-ninja-death ammo wasn't in the best interest of the deceased subject who was gunned down by one of their employees. So then my question is: what reason does a manufacturer have to make such a stark and divisive statement for their ammo? They could advertise that their ammo has met law enforcement standards, which would be far more defensible than branding it LEO only. I think that making that statement can be misconstrued, and that they would do well to ditch it in favor of something less damning.
Spotsylvania handgun accident
Yes, the one I blogged about the other day. Some new information has come out, in that the victim was carrying his Glock tucked in his waistband without a holster. With the gun carried this way, there's nothing covering the trigger guard, which creates a dangerous situation in that something can inadvertently come into contact with the trigger and cause it to fire. A friend of the man said it's likely that he was carrying the gun loose in his pocket. I have a friend who carries a full up Glock 17 loose in his back pocket on occasion, and I've warned him about the dangers. I've offered him a holster of his choice from the many that I own, as well as instruction and ammo, but so far life has been too busy for it to happen. I'm going to push harder for a range trip now.
With a gun shoved into the front of the pants, discharging it can put a round through the femoral artery, which is the main strike against appendix carry. If carried in a serviceable, quality holster, and proper care is taken during re-holstering, this sort of accident is avoidable.
It's crushing to hear that this happened to an innocent man, in front of his kids, no doubt. My father-in-law called my wife when he found out because he thought it was me: I shop at that store with my four kids; I have a minivan, and I carry a gun. I'm thankful for the air in my lungs, and my prayers go out to the man's family.
With a gun shoved into the front of the pants, discharging it can put a round through the femoral artery, which is the main strike against appendix carry. If carried in a serviceable, quality holster, and proper care is taken during re-holstering, this sort of accident is avoidable.
It's crushing to hear that this happened to an innocent man, in front of his kids, no doubt. My father-in-law called my wife when he found out because he thought it was me: I shop at that store with my four kids; I have a minivan, and I carry a gun. I'm thankful for the air in my lungs, and my prayers go out to the man's family.
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