Could a modern day Marine Expeditionary Unit, sent back in time, destroy the Roman Empire? Someone asked the question, and ARFCOM answered. From my unofficial tally, it's about two-to-one odds against the Marines for some of the dumbest arguments imaginable. It really got me thinking though about if ARFCOM ran a giant episode of Deadliest Warrior. There would be a complete list to the cartridge of all the shit an outfitted MEU has at its disposal, from M9s to M1A1 Abrams main gun rounds, against all the cleverness (snicker!) and weapons a 2,000 year old civilization had:
(In an overly enthusiastic, raspy voice) - Marines, the Deadliest Warriors of the modern age attack with bloodthirsty hunger wielding weapons of terrifying awesomeness and DEEEEEEEATH!
(Geek voice) - "Here we have a modern fighting force with modern weaponry. The Marines, while honorable, courageous, and committed to accomplishing their mission, often forget their sole purpose in life of killing everything they see and get sidetracked due to raging hormones and desire for strong drink. Some of the weapons the Marines will be using on the show are:"
(Raspy voice)
The M16 A4 rifle!
The M9 pistol!
The M240Bravo machine gun!
The M249 Squad Automatic Weapon!
The MK19 machine gun firing 40mm grenades of DEATH!!
The LAV-25 Amphibious Assault Vehicle with 25mm automatic gun!!
The M777 Howitzer firing 155mm high explosive rounds!! OF DEATH!!
The Bell AH1Whiskey SuperCobra!!! IT'S AIRBORNE DEATH!!!
(Raspy fake voice again) - "But the Romans strike back with a deadly arsenal of their own!!!!"
(Geek voice) - "The Romans were like smart and shit, and were known to change their tactics to win decisively against other large, primitive and starving forces fighting in massed clusters with weapons made from bronze. Here are some of the things our Romans will be using against the Marines on the show:"
(Raspy voice)
The Gladius! Three feet of low carbon steeeeel!
The Javelin!! Five feet of wooden DEATH!!!
The Shield!! Thick wood and bronze protected a Roman warrior FROM DEATH!
Whores! Slutty assassins who woo warriors!! TO DEATH!!
Chlamydia! Burning penal discharge of DEATH!!
Syphilis! The rashy kiss of crotchety DEATH!
Sour Wine! OF DEATH!!
(Geeky Canadian voice) - "I think the Romans are going to win this one. They were unbelievably clever, definitely enough to defeat the Marines' two millenia of technology, tactics, and complete knowledge of history. Aaaaand, nobody has ever thought of Marines being clever enough to adopt their strategy to defeat a numerically superior force. Also, a Marine Expeditionary Unit has a finite amount of ammunition on board, estimated at about one and a half million small arms rounds and hundreds of thousands of high explosive rounds, as well as a supply of batteries and fuel for only a month of operations. Once those run out, they're fucked."
(Other Geek voice) - "Yeah, you make a good point about the Marines having a limited supply of ammunition. But the Romans though had an infinite number of warriors who were not only super skilled with close range weapons made of primitive steel, but they were also like mad smart, too! They had so many warriors that they would never run out. When four Marine Corps M1A1 tanks annihilate a one hundred thousand strong army with all their leadership in a ten minute engagement, Rome would simply send in a hundred thousand more. The beauty is that Roman warriors don't even need training; they just wander out of the morning fog and stand ready in formation."
(Geeky Naval Special Warfare guy) - "I'm going to go with the Marines on this one. The Roman army, while admittedly super clever with their aquaducts and all, would not operate all that well as a fighting unit once all their generals and leadership were assassinated silently in their beds at night by green faced Marines with night vision goggles and suppressed rifles. And considering the devastation that a 155mm artillery barrage has against a force wearing body armor dispersed amongst rocks and cover, much less a formation of malnourished troops shoulder to shoulder in an open field wearing leather and wood, I'd say that if there even was a head on battle, it would be over in two minutes. One or two battles per region and that whole area would fall, which would destabilize the empire, and then the Marines would own all the harlots and booze they wanted."
(Geeky guy) - "Hmmmmm. Good points all around; it looks like it's going to be a tough call. But once we get all the data loaded into our sim, it will give us the answer."
(Raspy voice) - "Representing the Roman army are two Greek cooks from Manhattan, both direct descendants from warriors who fought in the Roman army."
(Greek cook) - "We're gonna kick their asses! Romans had gleaming muscles and thick chest hair under all their ridiculously effective armor, and had trained from before birth to wield a sword! No contest."
(Raspy voice) -"Representing the Marine Expeditionary Unit are two Marine Corps war veterans who, as Force Recon Snipers, killed thousands and thousands of terrorists across the globe using the devestating power of combined arms!"
(Marine, with a huge dip in his mouth) - "This is a fucking joke, right? I mean, we aren't talking about a MEU occupying a large land area or conquering every last city; all we need to do is slaughter a few hundred thousand Romans and the empire will break up. We'll take Rome on the first night!"
ETA: (Raspy voice) -- "WHO! IS! DEADLIEST!!!"
Yes, I have a wild imagination floating around in all this bitterness.
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query modern marine. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query modern marine. Sort by date Show all posts
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
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.
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.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
No fighting chance
In the hallways of police headquarters, some police officials were struggling to understand the incident, saying it didn’t sound right.There is this idea perpetuated that Marines are always armed and itching for a fight. While this may be true in combat, and sometimes not even then (ask me how I know), the reality of the situation is closer to what the Marine Corps Spokeswoman said, that Marines are encouraged not to get into an altercation over anything other than a fight for your life. To neck that down to something less official to give to a media weeny, Marines are flatly told that getting into a fight out in public will lead to an end in your career, or a severe demotion, oftentimes being the exact same thing.
Even Mayor Francis Slay reacted to the news with skepticism, wondering how three Marines, one of whom was carrying a knife, would lose their knife and a wallet to two un-armed men.
You think that the Marine Corps would trust their Marines, but there is no trust. They are not allowed to resist the criminal element, and are denied the means to do so, even on a base.
This was noted during the Fort Hood shooting, where the media was scratching their head in disbelief that a single man armed with a handgun could kill so many Soldiers armed with M16s, when they didn't know that military bases are very strictly kept Gun Free Zones. Paul Helmke even pointed out how the shooting went down at a "heavily fortified Army base", when it isn't very fortified at all, and is filled to the brim with unarmed Soldiers.
Back to the article, here you have two men who swore an oath to protect this nation and are willing to bet their life to uphold that oath, and they are barred from preventing their own robbery on their own soil by a threat of being kicked out of their Service with dishonor. Those Marines did exactly what they were instructed to do, and now the nation will read this article over a cup of coffee this morning and wonder why two highly trained warriors are such pussies. I guess that's better than a lawsuit. Frickin' blood sucking lawyers.
This is a tangent, but I say it again - behind every problem in this country is a battalion of scumbag lawyers. Every stupid "zero tolerance" policy ever imagined can ultimately be traced to its genesis, which is some team of attorneys who only know how to attorn. I complain about that, but I guess every ecosystem has to have maggots to pick the flesh from the bones.
St Louis is a beautiful city, and it's a blast to be there as a Marine. I highly recommend donning a toga during a weekend bar hopping tour while downtown. Not that I've ever done that. That said, there are some very very dangerous parts there, and combine that with a Marine's penchant for strong drink, and some bad policy making it a shameful crime to prevent some scumbags from taking your stuff, and you have yourself a clown show. It's a disgusting shame that the Marine Corps doesn't trust its own to carry a modern self defense tool, but they should at least give them a fighting chance by not barring them from breaking a few noses if threatened by criminals. Marines do know the difference between right and wrong, or they wouldn't be sent into another country with a terrifying arsenal designed to allow them to kill every bad guy in sight while not killing any innocent civilians. Have a little trust.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Modern Day Marine 2010
I always miss out on the SHOT show, and have never been to one, but pretty much every year I get to go to the Marine Corps premier trade show - the Modern Day Marine Convention. You will not find a stitch of Mossy Oak at this venue; everything here is O.D. Green, Coyote Brown, Dark Earth, and highly dangerous. Whereas SHOT is geared towards hunters, sportsman, self defense, and some military and law enforcement applications, the MDM conv. is all about the latest and greatest stuff for killing people, or keeping a Marine alive long enough so that he or she can accomplish that end. I am not interested in killing people, but being a Marine with the warrior ethos that comes with that title, I am absolutely smitten by these purpose built tools made from machined steel and aluminum. They are all beautiful and I want to hold them. Also, if you think about it, any firearm designed to rapidly smite multiple hajis into a virgin filled afterlife at distance would work awesome at smoking a dog town or family of chucks. It's all Win here, baby!
This is the sort of thing that you find at MDM. I have no idea what it's called, but I love it none the less:
If oiled walnut and leather slings get you hot under the collar, then a good three quarters of the stuff here won't interest you. I get feint just talking to the Raytheon reps while they gleefully point out every inner working of a Javelin missile, if that tells you anything. "You guys are soooo coooool! Quick, sign my boobs!"
Well, maybe not that excited.
All pictures here are clickable, btw. The one item I meant to bring and forgot was a camera, so my Samsung Galaxy S camera sufficed.
When you first walk in, Whammo, there it is, FN SCARS all up in yo' face, love it. Here are the SCAR 16s and 17s in all their Flat Dark Earth beauty:
These rifles are all well worn from countless trade shows. Also, they're extremely light for their size. Of all of the 5.56 and 7.62 rifles on the floor here, the SCARs are by far the lightest.
Here is FNs HAMR/IAR (Infantry Automatic Rifle), a rifle that everybody and their brother is trying to build to meet a Marine Corps requirement:
Nice rifle, but count me in the 'not a big fan of non-belt fed automatic rifles' crowd. An automatic rifleman should have a weapon with linked ammo in rolls of at least 100 rounds, not some magazine fed abomination with a heavy barrel spec'd to requirements written to reach around the overly complicated acquisition process. Bitter, am I.
This beasty is the coolest rifle that I have ever seen. I must own one.
My heart skipped lots of beats when I picked up the FN SSR (Sniper Support Rifle). It weighs 2.4 metric tons, but I forgive it. I lovingly fondled every inch of it's ample, anodized Dark Earth receiver, and breathlessly noted how well it brought out the color in that parkerized suppressor. And what better scope to crown it's rail with than a Schmidt und Bender! I could give a damn how much it costs; I will own one. I'm sure the two feet of suppressor added to the weight, but either way, a .308 semi auto rifle with a match barrel will be heavy. What's cool about this rifle though is that the trigger can be set to be either single or two-stage. Neat-oh!
The venue was very crowded, so I didn't get to talk to everyone that I wanted to. I did want to talk to a FN rep about SOCOM dropping the SCAR 16, so I bypassed the FN gurus who were hawking the 16s and instead went over and asked the rep standing by the latest M240. He gave me a half smile and a "I saw what you did there" look, but still seemed prepared for that question. His response was that for what he has been told, SOCOM favors the SCAR 17, and is not dropping the 16 as much as they are buying less of them, and a corresponding number more of the 17s. Good parry sir!
I arrived at the MDM with good company, and I didn't want to drag my fellow coworker to every booth, so I fixated only on the gun and optic booths. Besides, you could easily spend a full day here and only see half of the vendors, so it's best to narrow your approach.
Smith and Wesson has started coating their M&P15Ts in all the fashionable colors, as this Desert Tan model shows:
Do note the Magpul stock, grip, trigger guard, and rail covers.
Up next, I stopped by the Metal Storm booth and checked out the MAUL (don't know what it stands for), a very lightweight folding stock shotgun:
It fires from 5 shot tubes, and can use different forms of ammo.
Here's a video showing the distinct lack of recoil. This thing is very small and light, and fires five shots basically semi auto and recoil free. It feels substantial and not cheaply made, but is just over a pound and a half in weight. To reload or change ammo types, twist the barrel out and slide in a new tube of rounds, and then replace. The process is way faster than jamming individual hulled shotgun shells into a magazine tube. Slick!
I stopped at the Remington booth when I saw the MSR rifle in all its aluminum glory, and my knees started knocking:
I didn't get to pick it up as the table was swarmed, but the barrels look heavy, and I'm sure that makes the rifle a beast, too. I do like how the stock folds against the receiver, locking the bolt handle down. I bet that's a handy feature when jumping out of a plane with that thing strapped to your pack. I did pick up the ACR, and it's very heavy as well. Nicely made, mind you, but heavier than a SCAR. I guess the Marines don't care for lighter loads these days, but bigger arms. I really dig that little suppressor.
Also, you may recall that Remington is back in the 1911 buisiness with their R1, but I got to handle their all steel tactical version that sports a bolt on 1913 rail, lanyard loop, and no-see-um coating. The 90 degree slide cuts are terribly aggressive in an awesome sort of way, to the point where if you ran the gun dry knocking down commies, you could easily abrade them to death with the slide. Of course they may stop attacking you at the mere sight of the awesomeness, and will probably switch sides so they can be issued one! I don't know what they're calling it, as it's not on their website and I didn't get to ask, but if you look in the ACR picture above you will see a stainless model with a suppressor. Here's the goods:
If you are not active duty, or not in uniform, some of the vendors won't give you the time of day. A lot of the people at this show are loosely affiliated with industry, and are just trying to bilk pens, posters, and beer coosies from the tables. Since I still have short hair, and clean cut, and rock more T.A.D. than Chris Costa, most of the guys at the tables will talk to me, especially since I'm a gear dork and follow industry trends, and also because I lead with a well planned question that shows that I'm not a schmoe.
This tactic worked well for me at Trijicon's booth, as I asked the fellers' there if the big-ass TA648-50 ACOG sitting on top of a Mah-Duece was the same type issued to the Brits with their sweet LMT LM308MWSE. They gave me an astonished look, and without a word we then did the secret handshake that only CIA special warfare operatahs and gun dorks know. I was in! They then showed me the RMR which would be great on an AR. What I like about Trijicon optics is the general lack of batteries, but a nice lit reticle. Trijicon uses tritium, fiber optic, and who knows what other kinds of sorcery to make their reticles glow oh-so-beautifully. Their BDC reticles are to die for.
At the Leupold booth were stacks of rubber rifles fitted with their latest wares, which included the Deltapoint that I wanted to see very badly, but didn't, and the CQBSS which at 1-8 variable power is the holy grail of tactical scopes.
It features a Horus or Horus-like reticle, making me a big fan, and like a $4,000 dollar price tag, which makes me sad. What I thought was great about this scope was that the exposed tactical turrets have a squeeze ring on the top which you have to compress in order to turn the turret. This lets you have exposed turrets without worrying that your gear will twist you off your zero, but lets you quickly make adjustments. It's really very clever. Leupold also sports one of the best warranties in the business, with customer service to match, probably because they have been making scopes for so long, when Alexander the Great went through sniper school, he was issued a VX II. No lie.
At the Colt booth, I got a picture of their version of the IAR, which again the concept is an abomination:
They also have a new AR rifle with a folding - yes, you read that right - folding stock that also has a buffer tube. Nothing clever with springs running through the receiver.
What will they think of next?
Probably the star of my day was the Larue OBR 5.56 (Optimized Battle Rifle). I pestered the Larue rep for some answers, like how to get that free float tube, which he promptly pointed out was bolted to the upper receiver, and not the barrel nut like all the other rifle makers. So I then naturally asked how much a Larue upper was with the FFT, and he told me that I had to buy the whole rifle. That smarted a bit as I already have an upper and lower for a build, and he told me to sell it and buy a Larue OBR! I will have to do just that.
The rail on the Larue OBR is a work of art. It has everything you need and absolutely nothing you don't. Most FFTs for AR rifles are bristling with 1913 rails, and if you don't know what that means, picture the front stock of your Marlin carbine as being two 2X4's covered with rusted staples. Thick, rough, and uncomfortable, AR rail systems get covered with plastic rail covers that make them like stupid huge. The Larue rail is very svelte, and feels awesome in the hand. You can bolt on exactly as much rail as needed wherever your heart desires so that you can still bolt on that IR lazer that you will never use. The guy behind the table says that he designed and machined the rail and upper, and I can tell he is proud of his work. He should be, as that rifle is excellent. I want one.
He also gave me a Dillo, which Larue usually gives out when you order something from them, but know that if you already have one, mine is more awesomer than yours because it has Modern Day Marine 2010 emblazoned on it! Read it and weep!
Magpul was there giving out free magazines, posters, and cool catalogs. Talking about their next generation of BUIS sights, I accidentally ended the rep's conversation with a rather large and irritated Marine who looked like he wanted to stab me in the face with a folding chair. Sorry about that, hoss! The sights will be on the shelf in a month or so, and are a bit lower in profile than the current generation.
Stopping by the Beretta Defence booth, I got to handle the ARX160. Super light weight with flip up sights and a folding, retractable stock. I wish I could shoot it, as I don't know anything about it. She shore is purdy, pawwwwww:
Also, this rifle is what brought me to a screaching halt. It's the Sako TRG 22 folding stock with Integrated Tactical Rail System, with the TRG 44 in .338 LPM behind it wearing a gorgeous Steiner riflescope which I can't find any information on.
I believe the TRG 22's barrel to be 18", with a 20" option offered. It's very heavy. I refrained from dry firing it, as I don't know how the reps would like me dropping the hammer on a $4,500 rifle. While I was holding the 22, a JROTC cadet weighing in at about 75 lbs snatched up the suppressed 42 and tried to shoulder it. "Whoa is this thing heavy!" he said before just about dropping it. Eat your wheaties, laddie.
LWRC International had a table there, and I struck up a conversation with the rep there over the M6A2 Tricon.
That superbly spiral fluted barrel gives some ridgidity (is that a word?) to the barrel that helps keep accuracy when the barrel gets good and hot, like when your blasting away at the hordes of skinnies trying to overtake your LP/OP and you need to take a last second eyeball shot to save your wounded agent friend. Also, they have some unique rail covers that are not like other covers, so your rails don't feel like you glued luan across them. Good stuff.
The last bit I have for you is a couple of picks from the Knight's Armament table. I wanted to handle the SR25EMC with suppressor, but instead got to handle the PDW, which is frickin' amazing.
The full sized skeleton stock folds flat as can be against the little receiver, which looks just like an AR/M16 receiver, but smaller. This thing just might be the next best thing in concealed carry; no banger is gonna out gun you when you draw this! Reach for the sky, scumbag!
I wanted to know though about the SR25EMC barrel, and if its chrome-lined, dimple-fluted sub-MOA deliciousness was gonna be available to the grass eating public for three gun competition, hunting, or Blackhawk Down reanactment, but the rep gave me the "Knight's doesn't sell to non-operators" vibe, and said that they only offer the rifle as built, for about $5,700. Too bad.
I don't have any pictures, but I stopped by both the Mystery Ranch booth to look at their Crew Cab pack which I will be buying in sweet Multi-Cam goodness very soon, and Vortex optics to check out their gear. The Mystery Ranch folks were great, and sold me on their product. I've been looking at packs for awhile now, and had the Crew Cab on my list, but after they let me molest the pack for a few minutes I got hooked. As for Vortex, the vendor that I talked to was excellent, and may have sold me on one of their 1-4 variables, like the PST.
My only gripe with optics these days, from all manufacturers, especially the short variables, is everybody is on this First Focal Plane craze, wherein you're scope sux if it's not FFP. I have a FFP scope, and it's great for ranging stuff at long distance, I just don't see the point if you're not going to be shooting at 1,000+ yards. Who's going to want to range a 600ish yard tango on 1 power? It doesn't make sense. So anyways, everything just HAS to be FFP, so what you end up with is a 1-4x25 scope with this teensy weensy reticle that you can't see until you zoom in, so to compensate for it on 1 power they make a gigantic ring in the reticle for you to be able to CQB with all your airsoft buddies. Just stick with SFP unless you make your living shooting bad guys at 1,500 yards or more. Leave the OMFGCIADELTA!!!!11@ FFP stuff for the snipers.
I had a great time at the convention. If I had my way, I could have easily wandered about for the whole day, or even two. There are lots of force protection vendors, as well as body armor, holsters, knives, explosives, armored vehicles, UAVs, you name it. The UAE even had some of their Special Forces Soldiers there to hang out with and drink tea. At least I think it was tea. Maybe I should have stopped there.
This is the sort of thing that you find at MDM. I have no idea what it's called, but I love it none the less:
If oiled walnut and leather slings get you hot under the collar, then a good three quarters of the stuff here won't interest you. I get feint just talking to the Raytheon reps while they gleefully point out every inner working of a Javelin missile, if that tells you anything. "You guys are soooo coooool! Quick, sign my boobs!"
Well, maybe not that excited.
All pictures here are clickable, btw. The one item I meant to bring and forgot was a camera, so my Samsung Galaxy S camera sufficed.
When you first walk in, Whammo, there it is, FN SCARS all up in yo' face, love it. Here are the SCAR 16s and 17s in all their Flat Dark Earth beauty:
These rifles are all well worn from countless trade shows. Also, they're extremely light for their size. Of all of the 5.56 and 7.62 rifles on the floor here, the SCARs are by far the lightest.
Here is FNs HAMR/IAR (Infantry Automatic Rifle), a rifle that everybody and their brother is trying to build to meet a Marine Corps requirement:
Nice rifle, but count me in the 'not a big fan of non-belt fed automatic rifles' crowd. An automatic rifleman should have a weapon with linked ammo in rolls of at least 100 rounds, not some magazine fed abomination with a heavy barrel spec'd to requirements written to reach around the overly complicated acquisition process. Bitter, am I.
This beasty is the coolest rifle that I have ever seen. I must own one.
My heart skipped lots of beats when I picked up the FN SSR (Sniper Support Rifle). It weighs 2.4 metric tons, but I forgive it. I lovingly fondled every inch of it's ample, anodized Dark Earth receiver, and breathlessly noted how well it brought out the color in that parkerized suppressor. And what better scope to crown it's rail with than a Schmidt und Bender! I could give a damn how much it costs; I will own one. I'm sure the two feet of suppressor added to the weight, but either way, a .308 semi auto rifle with a match barrel will be heavy. What's cool about this rifle though is that the trigger can be set to be either single or two-stage. Neat-oh!
The venue was very crowded, so I didn't get to talk to everyone that I wanted to. I did want to talk to a FN rep about SOCOM dropping the SCAR 16, so I bypassed the FN gurus who were hawking the 16s and instead went over and asked the rep standing by the latest M240. He gave me a half smile and a "I saw what you did there" look, but still seemed prepared for that question. His response was that for what he has been told, SOCOM favors the SCAR 17, and is not dropping the 16 as much as they are buying less of them, and a corresponding number more of the 17s. Good parry sir!
I arrived at the MDM with good company, and I didn't want to drag my fellow coworker to every booth, so I fixated only on the gun and optic booths. Besides, you could easily spend a full day here and only see half of the vendors, so it's best to narrow your approach.
Smith and Wesson has started coating their M&P15Ts in all the fashionable colors, as this Desert Tan model shows:
Do note the Magpul stock, grip, trigger guard, and rail covers.
Up next, I stopped by the Metal Storm booth and checked out the MAUL (don't know what it stands for), a very lightweight folding stock shotgun:
It fires from 5 shot tubes, and can use different forms of ammo.
Here's a video showing the distinct lack of recoil. This thing is very small and light, and fires five shots basically semi auto and recoil free. It feels substantial and not cheaply made, but is just over a pound and a half in weight. To reload or change ammo types, twist the barrel out and slide in a new tube of rounds, and then replace. The process is way faster than jamming individual hulled shotgun shells into a magazine tube. Slick!
I stopped at the Remington booth when I saw the MSR rifle in all its aluminum glory, and my knees started knocking:
I didn't get to pick it up as the table was swarmed, but the barrels look heavy, and I'm sure that makes the rifle a beast, too. I do like how the stock folds against the receiver, locking the bolt handle down. I bet that's a handy feature when jumping out of a plane with that thing strapped to your pack. I did pick up the ACR, and it's very heavy as well. Nicely made, mind you, but heavier than a SCAR. I guess the Marines don't care for lighter loads these days, but bigger arms. I really dig that little suppressor.
Also, you may recall that Remington is back in the 1911 buisiness with their R1, but I got to handle their all steel tactical version that sports a bolt on 1913 rail, lanyard loop, and no-see-um coating. The 90 degree slide cuts are terribly aggressive in an awesome sort of way, to the point where if you ran the gun dry knocking down commies, you could easily abrade them to death with the slide. Of course they may stop attacking you at the mere sight of the awesomeness, and will probably switch sides so they can be issued one! I don't know what they're calling it, as it's not on their website and I didn't get to ask, but if you look in the ACR picture above you will see a stainless model with a suppressor. Here's the goods:
If you are not active duty, or not in uniform, some of the vendors won't give you the time of day. A lot of the people at this show are loosely affiliated with industry, and are just trying to bilk pens, posters, and beer coosies from the tables. Since I still have short hair, and clean cut, and rock more T.A.D. than Chris Costa, most of the guys at the tables will talk to me, especially since I'm a gear dork and follow industry trends, and also because I lead with a well planned question that shows that I'm not a schmoe.
This tactic worked well for me at Trijicon's booth, as I asked the fellers' there if the big-ass TA648-50 ACOG sitting on top of a Mah-Duece was the same type issued to the Brits with their sweet LMT LM308MWSE. They gave me an astonished look, and without a word we then did the secret handshake that only CIA special warfare operatahs and gun dorks know. I was in! They then showed me the RMR which would be great on an AR. What I like about Trijicon optics is the general lack of batteries, but a nice lit reticle. Trijicon uses tritium, fiber optic, and who knows what other kinds of sorcery to make their reticles glow oh-so-beautifully. Their BDC reticles are to die for.
At the Leupold booth were stacks of rubber rifles fitted with their latest wares, which included the Deltapoint that I wanted to see very badly, but didn't, and the CQBSS which at 1-8 variable power is the holy grail of tactical scopes.
It features a Horus or Horus-like reticle, making me a big fan, and like a $4,000 dollar price tag, which makes me sad. What I thought was great about this scope was that the exposed tactical turrets have a squeeze ring on the top which you have to compress in order to turn the turret. This lets you have exposed turrets without worrying that your gear will twist you off your zero, but lets you quickly make adjustments. It's really very clever. Leupold also sports one of the best warranties in the business, with customer service to match, probably because they have been making scopes for so long, when Alexander the Great went through sniper school, he was issued a VX II. No lie.
At the Colt booth, I got a picture of their version of the IAR, which again the concept is an abomination:
They also have a new AR rifle with a folding - yes, you read that right - folding stock that also has a buffer tube. Nothing clever with springs running through the receiver.
What will they think of next?
Probably the star of my day was the Larue OBR 5.56 (Optimized Battle Rifle). I pestered the Larue rep for some answers, like how to get that free float tube, which he promptly pointed out was bolted to the upper receiver, and not the barrel nut like all the other rifle makers. So I then naturally asked how much a Larue upper was with the FFT, and he told me that I had to buy the whole rifle. That smarted a bit as I already have an upper and lower for a build, and he told me to sell it and buy a Larue OBR! I will have to do just that.
The rail on the Larue OBR is a work of art. It has everything you need and absolutely nothing you don't. Most FFTs for AR rifles are bristling with 1913 rails, and if you don't know what that means, picture the front stock of your Marlin carbine as being two 2X4's covered with rusted staples. Thick, rough, and uncomfortable, AR rail systems get covered with plastic rail covers that make them like stupid huge. The Larue rail is very svelte, and feels awesome in the hand. You can bolt on exactly as much rail as needed wherever your heart desires so that you can still bolt on that IR lazer that you will never use. The guy behind the table says that he designed and machined the rail and upper, and I can tell he is proud of his work. He should be, as that rifle is excellent. I want one.
He also gave me a Dillo, which Larue usually gives out when you order something from them, but know that if you already have one, mine is more awesomer than yours because it has Modern Day Marine 2010 emblazoned on it! Read it and weep!
Magpul was there giving out free magazines, posters, and cool catalogs. Talking about their next generation of BUIS sights, I accidentally ended the rep's conversation with a rather large and irritated Marine who looked like he wanted to stab me in the face with a folding chair. Sorry about that, hoss! The sights will be on the shelf in a month or so, and are a bit lower in profile than the current generation.
Stopping by the Beretta Defence booth, I got to handle the ARX160. Super light weight with flip up sights and a folding, retractable stock. I wish I could shoot it, as I don't know anything about it. She shore is purdy, pawwwwww:
Also, this rifle is what brought me to a screaching halt. It's the Sako TRG 22 folding stock with Integrated Tactical Rail System, with the TRG 44 in .338 LPM behind it wearing a gorgeous Steiner riflescope which I can't find any information on.
I believe the TRG 22's barrel to be 18", with a 20" option offered. It's very heavy. I refrained from dry firing it, as I don't know how the reps would like me dropping the hammer on a $4,500 rifle. While I was holding the 22, a JROTC cadet weighing in at about 75 lbs snatched up the suppressed 42 and tried to shoulder it. "Whoa is this thing heavy!" he said before just about dropping it. Eat your wheaties, laddie.
LWRC International had a table there, and I struck up a conversation with the rep there over the M6A2 Tricon.
That superbly spiral fluted barrel gives some ridgidity (is that a word?) to the barrel that helps keep accuracy when the barrel gets good and hot, like when your blasting away at the hordes of skinnies trying to overtake your LP/OP and you need to take a last second eyeball shot to save your wounded agent friend. Also, they have some unique rail covers that are not like other covers, so your rails don't feel like you glued luan across them. Good stuff.
The last bit I have for you is a couple of picks from the Knight's Armament table. I wanted to handle the SR25EMC with suppressor, but instead got to handle the PDW, which is frickin' amazing.
The full sized skeleton stock folds flat as can be against the little receiver, which looks just like an AR/M16 receiver, but smaller. This thing just might be the next best thing in concealed carry; no banger is gonna out gun you when you draw this! Reach for the sky, scumbag!
I wanted to know though about the SR25EMC barrel, and if its chrome-lined, dimple-fluted sub-MOA deliciousness was gonna be available to the grass eating public for three gun competition, hunting, or Blackhawk Down reanactment, but the rep gave me the "Knight's doesn't sell to non-operators" vibe, and said that they only offer the rifle as built, for about $5,700. Too bad.
I don't have any pictures, but I stopped by both the Mystery Ranch booth to look at their Crew Cab pack which I will be buying in sweet Multi-Cam goodness very soon, and Vortex optics to check out their gear. The Mystery Ranch folks were great, and sold me on their product. I've been looking at packs for awhile now, and had the Crew Cab on my list, but after they let me molest the pack for a few minutes I got hooked. As for Vortex, the vendor that I talked to was excellent, and may have sold me on one of their 1-4 variables, like the PST.
My only gripe with optics these days, from all manufacturers, especially the short variables, is everybody is on this First Focal Plane craze, wherein you're scope sux if it's not FFP. I have a FFP scope, and it's great for ranging stuff at long distance, I just don't see the point if you're not going to be shooting at 1,000+ yards. Who's going to want to range a 600ish yard tango on 1 power? It doesn't make sense. So anyways, everything just HAS to be FFP, so what you end up with is a 1-4x25 scope with this teensy weensy reticle that you can't see until you zoom in, so to compensate for it on 1 power they make a gigantic ring in the reticle for you to be able to CQB with all your airsoft buddies. Just stick with SFP unless you make your living shooting bad guys at 1,500 yards or more. Leave the OMFGCIADELTA!!!!11@ FFP stuff for the snipers.
I had a great time at the convention. If I had my way, I could have easily wandered about for the whole day, or even two. There are lots of force protection vendors, as well as body armor, holsters, knives, explosives, armored vehicles, UAVs, you name it. The UAE even had some of their Special Forces Soldiers there to hang out with and drink tea. At least I think it was tea. Maybe I should have stopped there.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
The Marine Corps loves 1911s
Says Uncle links to an article saying that Marines are looking at the likes of Springfield Armory and Colt for a decent fighting piece in .45 ACP, presumably in a 1911 as that's what all the cool cats want these days. Some idiot will no doubt offer it in multicam.
I seem to recall seeing a railed Remington 1911 wearing OD green coating at the Modern Day Marine Convention, so they may intend to cast their lot into the the mix as well. Kimber I'm sure will be there also; they have a history of providing 1911s to the Marine Corps.
I seem to recall seeing a railed Remington 1911 wearing OD green coating at the Modern Day Marine Convention, so they may intend to cast their lot into the the mix as well. Kimber I'm sure will be there also; they have a history of providing 1911s to the Marine Corps.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
News roundup
Much of this is from Drudge.
First up is that Detroit is trying to pass a law against removing the markings from toy guns in an effort to prevent cops from shooting gang bangers who haven't yet robbed enough people to buy a real gun. I guess Detroit has finally settled their criminals-with-real-guns problem and can focus now on other things. I'm with one of the commenters who notes:
Next, a woman pushing her baby in a stroller in El Paso, TX was shot in the leg by a bullet that originated in a gunfight in Juarez, Mexico. No confirmation yet on whether the weapon the bullet came from was illicitly sold to a Mexican criminal by the ATF, but I wouldn't get my hopes up. The El Paso mayor has told the masses to not be alarmed, because getting shot in one country from a gunfight with automatic weapons in another country shouldn't prevent you from going out and getting that new iPhone.
A call to the police for help in Berkely, CA was not entertained because the cops were needed to intimidate smelly people at a protest instead; the end result was a man was beaten to death with a flower pot. It has been noted ad nauseum that you are your 1st line of defense against danger, and that the police have no duty to protect you. Having said that, police shouldn't have a duty to intimidate smelly protesters, either.
Husbands, be good to your Kentucky women because you may get shot in the satchel if you cheat on her. Right or wrong, I've got no dog in that fight. My policy is I don't chance to find out if my wife would shoot me in the crotch for infidelity by not committing infidelity. I can tell you that it has been a winning policy so far!
In New Hampshire, a homeowner gets arrested for firing a warning shot at an intruder. Really, we have to do a better job at getting the word out that warning shots are very bad. Says the homeowner:
The Marine Corps is in the final stages of source selection for a new .45 ACP handgun. It sounds like it's going to be a 1911, but there's only rumors of what manufactures are still in the game. Colt and Springfield Armory are mentioned in the article, but it's noted that they had previously submitted 1911s to the Marines. At the last Modern Day Marine Convention, I saw Colt and Smith & Wesson both were making railed 1911s, and Springfield Armory has had the Operator for quite some time.
Take your lady(s) shooting and post pics. A splendid idea!
First up is that Detroit is trying to pass a law against removing the markings from toy guns in an effort to prevent cops from shooting gang bangers who haven't yet robbed enough people to buy a real gun. I guess Detroit has finally settled their criminals-with-real-guns problem and can focus now on other things. I'm with one of the commenters who notes:
tahlkewl1Sounds about right.
"If you point a gun with or without an orange tip at a cop, expect to be shot. Not sure we need a law, sounds more like natural selection.."
Next, a woman pushing her baby in a stroller in El Paso, TX was shot in the leg by a bullet that originated in a gunfight in Juarez, Mexico. No confirmation yet on whether the weapon the bullet came from was illicitly sold to a Mexican criminal by the ATF, but I wouldn't get my hopes up. The El Paso mayor has told the masses to not be alarmed, because getting shot in one country from a gunfight with automatic weapons in another country shouldn't prevent you from going out and getting that new iPhone.
A call to the police for help in Berkely, CA was not entertained because the cops were needed to intimidate smelly people at a protest instead; the end result was a man was beaten to death with a flower pot. It has been noted ad nauseum that you are your 1st line of defense against danger, and that the police have no duty to protect you. Having said that, police shouldn't have a duty to intimidate smelly protesters, either.
Husbands, be good to your Kentucky women because you may get shot in the satchel if you cheat on her. Right or wrong, I've got no dog in that fight. My policy is I don't chance to find out if my wife would shoot me in the crotch for infidelity by not committing infidelity. I can tell you that it has been a winning policy so far!
In New Hampshire, a homeowner gets arrested for firing a warning shot at an intruder. Really, we have to do a better job at getting the word out that warning shots are very bad. Says the homeowner:
""I didn't know it was illegal [to fire into the ground], but I had to make that guy realize I was serious,"My thought is that if the scumbag doesn't take the pointed firearm as fair warning that you're serious, then if he still comes at you you can raise things up a notch by sending a round through his chest. Last I heard, that's lawful and sends a strong message.
The Marine Corps is in the final stages of source selection for a new .45 ACP handgun. It sounds like it's going to be a 1911, but there's only rumors of what manufactures are still in the game. Colt and Springfield Armory are mentioned in the article, but it's noted that they had previously submitted 1911s to the Marines. At the last Modern Day Marine Convention, I saw Colt and Smith & Wesson both were making railed 1911s, and Springfield Armory has had the Operator for quite some time.
Take your lady(s) shooting and post pics. A splendid idea!
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Hump Day roundup
US Special Operation Forces operating in an operational training exercise. Jumping out of planes with all that gear on in the dark of night is bad ass. And, it's good to once again confirm via pictures that Marine Special Operations types are still being issued 1911s. Way cool.
Cannon fodder: a drunk dude uses a home-made assault thingie to shoot his girlfriend to death through the walls of their trailer. It sounds like the children made it out OK.
The contents of a can of Whoop-Ass poured out for the NorK's viewing pleasure: Countless F-16s sitting ready for war on the flight line in South Korea. That's a whole lotta mean sitting there!
Speaking of warbirds, here's an ARFCOM thread on the F4 Phantom. While I have said before that I believe the Spitfire to be the most gorgeous fighter plane ever, I have to say without a doubt that the F4 is the meanest looking war plane ever devised. Even while sitting perfectly still on the flight line, that sucker looks like it's fed demons to keep it from lashing out at the world.
Do you watch Top Shot? Season 4's Gabby Franco has bravely registered at ARFCOM and has a thread where you can ask her stuff about the show.
Combat AAR by those in-the-know on the M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle. I'm still not a big fan. I understand the principle of ammo efficiency and conservation in a firefight, I'm not convinced that this weapon is going to give fire superiority against a modern, well trained and equipped army with belt fed weapons. From reading the thread though, it does seem like the Marine Corps intent the whole time was to field a full auto battle carbine and not a replacement for a LMG.
Again from ARFCOM, a 50-some page thread on making Kydex holsters and stuff for the end of the world. It's arts and crafts skills for the crazy gun people!
Cannon fodder: a drunk dude uses a home-made assault thingie to shoot his girlfriend to death through the walls of their trailer. It sounds like the children made it out OK.
The contents of a can of Whoop-Ass poured out for the NorK's viewing pleasure: Countless F-16s sitting ready for war on the flight line in South Korea. That's a whole lotta mean sitting there!
Speaking of warbirds, here's an ARFCOM thread on the F4 Phantom. While I have said before that I believe the Spitfire to be the most gorgeous fighter plane ever, I have to say without a doubt that the F4 is the meanest looking war plane ever devised. Even while sitting perfectly still on the flight line, that sucker looks like it's fed demons to keep it from lashing out at the world.
Do you watch Top Shot? Season 4's Gabby Franco has bravely registered at ARFCOM and has a thread where you can ask her stuff about the show.
Combat AAR by those in-the-know on the M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle. I'm still not a big fan. I understand the principle of ammo efficiency and conservation in a firefight, I'm not convinced that this weapon is going to give fire superiority against a modern, well trained and equipped army with belt fed weapons. From reading the thread though, it does seem like the Marine Corps intent the whole time was to field a full auto battle carbine and not a replacement for a LMG.
Again from ARFCOM, a 50-some page thread on making Kydex holsters and stuff for the end of the world. It's arts and crafts skills for the crazy gun people!
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Dropping the case
The Marine Corps and Army are developing new caseless and case-telescoped ammunition that, when partnered with a new light machine gun also in development, could significantly cut the burden on troops in combat. And perhaps more significant than that, in the coming years this revolutionary ammo could drive production of the Corps’ next service rifle.
Back to the story though, the concept of caseless ammo is not new, and the challenges associated with it are well known. First thing to understand is that when a brass cased cartridge (or plastic shotgun hull) is fired inside of a chamber, it seals off the expanding gasses at the chamber end which aids in velocity of the projectile down and out the muzzle. Caseless ammo has to overcome this hurdle. Secondly, when the case is ejected, it takes heat with it -- which it's good to expel the heat and all, but it also is mechanically complicated to have an ejection system in the first place, which is a major cause of malfunctions. So that part is a double edged sword. You may have heat problems (almost certainly), but you should have a huge boost in reliability since there's no expended case to eject, and less moving parts in the system. The remedy for the heat issue may be in the use of a modern propellant, and I have no idea on how they would tackle the gass-sealing issue.
The main reason though for caseless ammo consideration is a reduction in weight. This also is a double edged sword because, as veterans will attest, a reduction in weight in one area translates to an increase in weight in another. Guaranteed. You read it in articles all the time about "reducing combat weight for the poor overburdened Soldier," but that's all just a bunch of bullshit in reality. Somewhere, in a secretive and non-descript room in a huge five-sided building, some heartless yayhoo with an evil laugh has a magic number bayoneted to the wall that shows the total average weight an 18 to 20ish American male in good physical condition can carry for four days without dying from exhaustion, and they approve a certain amount of weight above that number. The upside is that you get to tell the Warrior that the reduction in weight will be filled with a corresponding increase in killing potential -- that will go over well, or at least much better than telling him or her that the weight will be made up for with sandbags or some other equipment -- batteries -- that won't be as useful for slaying enemies.
I'm all about caseless cartridges. In fact, I'd kinda like to try my hand at reloading them, considering my addiction and all. Instead of resizing brass cases until my fingers bleed, I could be molding my own rounds out of putty-like propellant on a miniature pottery wheel. . . . like in Ghost! It would definitely be better for my nails!
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
TAC TV
I finished up the two part series last night where Larry Vickers torture tests two Glock pistols: a 3rd gen Glock 17 and a 4th gen Glock 17. While there are countless stories and posts of people torturing Glocks and AR15s, Larry Vickers' tests are epic and educational. There was no disappointment in both the Glock 17 tests, or the Daniel Defense carbine tests; the rifle from the latter test I personally saw at this year's Modern Day Marine Convention, and it looked like hell. I took a cellphone pic, but it turned out to be blurry.
***Spoiler alert: if you want to watch the video and find out for yourself what the outcome was of the Glock 17 tests, take a hike.
There were some of the usual tests, like freezing the pistols in water, burying them in dirt, tossing them in muddy water, and running them over with a truck. All in all, they never failed to fire. In part 1, Larry had the truck run over both of the loaded magazines on concrete. That was telling; the magazines bulged a bit, with the 4th gen magazine baseplate looking mangled. They still fired great, and I note that each pistol used the same magazine for all the tests. Another interesting part is when Larry shot the pistols with #8 shot from a shotgun at 15 yards. It stippled the polymer grips, but didn't break them. Both guns were thrown (loaded, for every test) from a helicopter at 500 feet, and as can be expected, both guns ran fine when they were recovered, and right before that test they were both thrown from a moving vehicle onto gravel. Besides being scratched up, the guns were fine.
The test that separated the men from the boys, so to speak, is when Larry detonated 30 lbs of tannerite about three feet away from a mannequin with both pistols holstered. The decision was made to have them in kydex holsters because this is how cops and the military transport their sidearms. A coffee cup sized jar of tannerite makes a decent sized explosion, and the Glock employees who were present for this test were obviously not prepared for the size bang that they got; it was enough to turn a car into a john boat, if it had been done that way. It took the crew awhile to find both guns -- the 3rd gen fired just fine; the 4th gen's slide had come partially off, which took a minute to get back on, and the trigger was blown away. Larry cycled the slide a few times, loaded one round, and fired the gun using a multi-tool in lieu of the trigger. Very impressive.
It's possible that other firearms can take this sort of abuse and still function, but it's telling to actually see it, which is good advertisement for Glock. When the conversation of guns turns to "torture test", usually the image of Glock comes up, since Glock owners gleefully beat them up just to find out what it takes to make them stop ticking. I've found this thought process applies to Cold Steel knives as well; there are plenty of hard core knives out there that will take punishment, but Cold Steel does a comprehensive test on all their knives every other year. Say what you want to about it, but Glock and Cold Steel definitely put their money where their mouth is, and I continue to support them.
***Spoiler alert: if you want to watch the video and find out for yourself what the outcome was of the Glock 17 tests, take a hike.
There were some of the usual tests, like freezing the pistols in water, burying them in dirt, tossing them in muddy water, and running them over with a truck. All in all, they never failed to fire. In part 1, Larry had the truck run over both of the loaded magazines on concrete. That was telling; the magazines bulged a bit, with the 4th gen magazine baseplate looking mangled. They still fired great, and I note that each pistol used the same magazine for all the tests. Another interesting part is when Larry shot the pistols with #8 shot from a shotgun at 15 yards. It stippled the polymer grips, but didn't break them. Both guns were thrown (loaded, for every test) from a helicopter at 500 feet, and as can be expected, both guns ran fine when they were recovered, and right before that test they were both thrown from a moving vehicle onto gravel. Besides being scratched up, the guns were fine.
The test that separated the men from the boys, so to speak, is when Larry detonated 30 lbs of tannerite about three feet away from a mannequin with both pistols holstered. The decision was made to have them in kydex holsters because this is how cops and the military transport their sidearms. A coffee cup sized jar of tannerite makes a decent sized explosion, and the Glock employees who were present for this test were obviously not prepared for the size bang that they got; it was enough to turn a car into a john boat, if it had been done that way. It took the crew awhile to find both guns -- the 3rd gen fired just fine; the 4th gen's slide had come partially off, which took a minute to get back on, and the trigger was blown away. Larry cycled the slide a few times, loaded one round, and fired the gun using a multi-tool in lieu of the trigger. Very impressive.
It's possible that other firearms can take this sort of abuse and still function, but it's telling to actually see it, which is good advertisement for Glock. When the conversation of guns turns to "torture test", usually the image of Glock comes up, since Glock owners gleefully beat them up just to find out what it takes to make them stop ticking. I've found this thought process applies to Cold Steel knives as well; there are plenty of hard core knives out there that will take punishment, but Cold Steel does a comprehensive test on all their knives every other year. Say what you want to about it, but Glock and Cold Steel definitely put their money where their mouth is, and I continue to support them.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Taliban using US arms - gun shows to blame
And by arms, they really mean cartridges; and by gun shows, well. . . .I made that part up.
In no particular order:
No wonder the NYT is struggling.
Oh, but there's more folks:
I'll be damned. You mean Mao Zedong and Leonid Brezhnev are behind this? I have been wondering for years how Russian AKs made their way into the country in the first place. This explains everything.
This is what passes for modern US journalism these days. To think major newspapers are just baffled as to why they're folding left and right. "Why isn't anyone reading our paper!?!?"
Good grief. I've already wasted enough of your time on this trash. Enjoy the rest of your day.
In no particular order:
"Of 30 rifle magazines recently taken from insurgents’ corpses, at least 17 contained cartridges, or rounds, identical to ammunition the United States had provided to Afghan government forces, according to an examination of ammunition markings by The New York Times and interviews with American officers and arms dealers."That's the whole thrust of this piece. The Taliban have been able to fight the US for eight years because a NYT reporter found some WOLF headstamped cartridges in 17 magazines. That's crack reporting. That's why reporters go to college. That's what makes them professionals.
The type of ammunition in question, 7.62x39 millimeter, colloquially known as “7.62 short,” [or "armor piercing/incendiary" "cop killer" "child piercing" death rounds, for the regular NYT readers - ed] is one of the world’s most abundant classes of military small-arms cartridges, and can come from dozens of potential suppliers.So you found one of the world's most abundant cartridges in 17 AK magazines in Afghanistan, and that is worthy of this hysterical story? You guys must be desperate. I swear, it's like the guy was given a "Cartridges of the World" book by some Marine, and he read it on the john one day and got this wild-assed idea that he had now unlocked the secret codes on the headstamps of cartridge casings. I mean, what do you think:
The examination of the Taliban’s cartridges found telling signs of diversion: 17 of the magazines contained ammunition bearing either of two stamps: the word “WOLF” in uppercase letters, or the lowercase arrangement “bxn.”Telling, you say? I must read more:
“WOLF” stamps mark ammunition from Wolf Performance Ammunition, a company in California that sells Russian-made cartridges to American gun owners. The company has also provided cartridges for Afghan soldiers and police officers, typically through middlemen. Its munitions can be found in Afghan government bunkers.And US gun shows. Though it's not said, I get the feeling that this underwhelming bit of literature is stretching toward blaming the US for dozens of 7.62 Russian cartridges being found in Afghanistan. It's just gotta be our fault.
No wonder the NYT is struggling.
No similarly thorough accountability system exists for ammunition, which is harder to trace and more liquid than firearms, readily changing hands through corruption, illegal sales, theft, battlefield loss and other forms of diversion.Meaning that the dozens of terrifying rounds could have come from anywhere, and that perhaps we should encourage the Afghan government to implement a comprehensive microstamping law. That will surely stop the clever Taliban from acquiring handfuls of ammunition in the future!
But military officials, arms analysts and dealers say it points to a worrisome possibility: With only spotty American and Afghan controls on the vast inventory of weapons and ammunition sent into Afghanistan during an eight-year conflict, poor discipline and outright corruption among Afghan forces may have helped insurgents stay supplied.Finding a teeny tiny sampling of what is probably the most prolific rifle cartridge ever made is "worrisome," and is keeping highly trained reporters not only gainfully employed, but awake at night as well.
Oh, but there's more folks:
In the American ambush last month, all of the 10 captured rifles had factory stamps from China or Izhevsk, Russia. Those with date stamps had been manufactured in the 1960s and ’70s.
I'll be damned. You mean Mao Zedong and Leonid Brezhnev are behind this? I have been wondering for years how Russian AKs made their way into the country in the first place. This explains everything.
This is what passes for modern US journalism these days. To think major newspapers are just baffled as to why they're folding left and right. "Why isn't anyone reading our paper!?!?"
Good grief. I've already wasted enough of your time on this trash. Enjoy the rest of your day.
Monday, October 10, 2011
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.
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.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Theater safety
So, typically, you feel safer when you know security guards will detect weapons on people entering a building they’re assigned to protect, right?Aaaah, no, jackass. It usually pisses me off to no end because it typically means a trip back to the glove box. One case in point is the Marine Corps museum, but that's another story.
It’s hard to have that kind of peace of mind with District schools and offices.Peace of mind? Isn't that what an ostrich does when it sticks its head in the sand? I do agree with him to a point though; I don't have any peace of mind with any area in the District as long as it continues to prevent the community at large from using modern means of scumbag prevention. The community is mostly responsible for that, which is a shame, and it appears that things are not going to get any better:
Last year, the District fired security contractor Hawk One, which had a four-year record of poor supervision, inadequate training, ineffectiveness, and “fraternizing with students.” To replace Hawk One’s 200 guards, D.C. hired two firms on one-year contracts totaling $22.1 million.So they hired a company to put uniformed human beings with guns in buildings for the sole purpose of disarming everybody, and the end result was that determined people were still able to gain entry with weapons while the guards were aggressively tutoring the youth? Who could have seen that coming, and why do they think hiring armed human beings in different uniforms will have a different outcome? And holy smokes - $22 Mil? Seems like it would be more effective and less costly to have the parents of students holster up and provide security in shifts; if there's a liability question, there are ways around that. Human beings are human beings, and the security folks would be much more inclined to do a good job if their interest in the matter consisted of their flesh-and-blood, and not Federal Reserve Notes.
With security contractors like these, who needs criminals?Thinking that you'll have a better outcome if the human factor is clad in new duds is going to lead to more disappointment. You'll probably have more failed "penetration tests" too, in more ways than one.
Friday, June 3, 2011
More video clips on the FN SCAR PDW
Defense Review has some more footage of the SCAR PDW in action where you can see the reciprocating charging handle in all its jamming-potential glory. I'm not too fond of reciprocating charging handles either, although on longer guns like an SKS and AK they don't bother me; though I wouldn't want it on such a short little death machine like the teensy weensy SCAR.
Ooooh - also check out their review and full-auto video footage of Colt's Sub Compact Weapon (SCW). I blogged about that carbine last year when I was at the Modern Day Marine Convention. The folding stock is definitely interesting, and time will tell if it will hold up under combat conditions.
Still reading down Defense Review's front page, I see they shot H&Ks 416C, which is a PDW type carbine based on the AR platform. Who would have guessed that H&K was so stingy with the ammo? At least they didn't load the rounds into the magazine backwards.
Ooooh - also check out their review and full-auto video footage of Colt's Sub Compact Weapon (SCW). I blogged about that carbine last year when I was at the Modern Day Marine Convention. The folding stock is definitely interesting, and time will tell if it will hold up under combat conditions.
Still reading down Defense Review's front page, I see they shot H&Ks 416C, which is a PDW type carbine based on the AR platform. Who would have guessed that H&K was so stingy with the ammo? At least they didn't load the rounds into the magazine backwards.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
FNH MK20 combat sighting
On the US SOF thread at ARCOM, page 47, is a picture of some SOF dude with a MK20 just like I oogled at the Modern Day Marine Convention two years ago. I hope it's doing well as a combat weapon.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Weekend gun blogging
Didn't have time to blog on Friday, so today I give you some gun stuff for all ages.
I spend a lot of time browsing Militaryphotos.net, and I just saw this thread about the Special Forces variant of the ARX160 from Beretta; the same rifle I got to handle at the Modern Day Marine convention this year, but with water transfer camo. Sweeeeeeeet.
There is also a desert tan version for those who think operators with black rifles are squares.
There is also this thread, which is one of the best threads I've seen from this site. I'll give you the blow-by-blow:
- A DEA agent has been spotted in Afghanistan toting a LWRC REPR with 20" barrel and Leupold MK4 LR scope. To tell the truth, it kinda sucks to see the drug warriors with better individual equipment than US Soldiers, but whatever.
- Next, in the first line of photos, ships from a US carrier group get to light up another ship that has been set up for a little target practice. It seems that every Sailor assigned to a weapon got to send rounds into the sacrificial ship, and you get to see the awesome firepower that our warships have at their disposal. Our Navy has a large footprint on this planet, but you don't often get to see the kind of whoopass our Sailors are capable of dishing out. The flipside of that is that our Sailors risk their asses every day on the water, that they may at any moment be asked to go up against another warship capable of doing damage like that. Yikes!
- This thread has flying dogs and ghost ninjas. Just in time for Halloween.
- From the ghost ninja lineup, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev playing with sniper rifles and Trijicon Accupoint equipped AKs is way cooler than anything President Obama did all of last month combined.
- US and Korean Sailors hang out and practice a little archery.
Lastly, we have a Bruce Willis a-lah Tears of the Sun garb, and Ollie North. Cool, huh!?! There's lots of other gun stuff in there, and tons of US Navy kicking some ass. I'm a big fan.
I spend a lot of time browsing Militaryphotos.net, and I just saw this thread about the Special Forces variant of the ARX160 from Beretta; the same rifle I got to handle at the Modern Day Marine convention this year, but with water transfer camo. Sweeeeeeeet.
There is also a desert tan version for those who think operators with black rifles are squares.
There is also this thread, which is one of the best threads I've seen from this site. I'll give you the blow-by-blow:
- A DEA agent has been spotted in Afghanistan toting a LWRC REPR with 20" barrel and Leupold MK4 LR scope. To tell the truth, it kinda sucks to see the drug warriors with better individual equipment than US Soldiers, but whatever.
- Next, in the first line of photos, ships from a US carrier group get to light up another ship that has been set up for a little target practice. It seems that every Sailor assigned to a weapon got to send rounds into the sacrificial ship, and you get to see the awesome firepower that our warships have at their disposal. Our Navy has a large footprint on this planet, but you don't often get to see the kind of whoopass our Sailors are capable of dishing out. The flipside of that is that our Sailors risk their asses every day on the water, that they may at any moment be asked to go up against another warship capable of doing damage like that. Yikes!
- This thread has flying dogs and ghost ninjas. Just in time for Halloween.
- From the ghost ninja lineup, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev playing with sniper rifles and Trijicon Accupoint equipped AKs is way cooler than anything President Obama did all of last month combined.
- US and Korean Sailors hang out and practice a little archery.
Lastly, we have a Bruce Willis a-lah Tears of the Sun garb, and Ollie North. Cool, huh!?! There's lots of other gun stuff in there, and tons of US Navy kicking some ass. I'm a big fan.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Larue OBR 5.56
Wow! Apparently those suckers can shoot!
I first layed my mitts on one at this year's Modern Day Marine Convension, and noted how nice it felt. It's good to know that some things are built well!
I first layed my mitts on one at this year's Modern Day Marine Convension, and noted how nice it felt. It's good to know that some things are built well!
Thursday, September 22, 2011
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.
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.
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