So you think you have some cool action pics of you and your friends shooting the Bryco on the range, do you?
Well feast your eyes on this shooty goodness thread at Militaryphotos.net affectionately titled "Fire!" Your .380 is no match for the 155mm or the T.O.W. Missile!
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
The Izula done got its har' did
She shore's puuuuurrrrdy pawwwww!!!
I'm fresh out of 550 cord at the moment, so I played around with some boot laces that I had and came up with a better grip for the handle. Yes, the cord wrapped handle will pick up funk and water which can be uncomfortable, but the real reason behind wrapping the handle is to have some cordage handy if your plane goes down in the Alps. 550 cord is perfect because it can be used as-is for building a shelter, or you can pull the internal strands out of it and use it to affix hand made broad heads to your arrows for slaying Bambi's baby brother. Mmmmmm. . . .backstraps!
Too bad bootlaces don't have the internal guts to make primitive arrows; I'll have to order some from Saigon Sam's. While I had the time, I took the shitty metal clip off of that abomination of a cell phone case that I bought from Maxpedition - yes, the very one that abetted the death of my Blackberry this past winter - and drilled some careful holes in it to use on the Izula's sheath.
I used two Chicago screws from a Blackhawk Serpa holster to hold it together, and I have the ability to change the angle if I so desire:
Once I get some 550 cord, I'll re-wrap the handle and my fixed EDC knife will be complete! MUGH-HUH-HWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
Here is a way to comfortably carry all day and have the knife instantly available to either hand for the very moment you get that JuJubes stuck in your teeth in a darkened movie theater:
Add in not one, but TWO shiny new Brownells catalogs and things get super cool in a New York instant:
Imma gonna hit the Brownells website like a ton of bricks here in the very near future; there's a couple of AR upper builds I have in mind that will get my undivided attention soon.
But back to the star of our show: I found out on the ESEE website that the steel of choice in their knives is 1095, which happens to be my fav. Some consider 1095 a pain because it rusts fairly easy unless you take proper care, but you can't beat it for its ease of sharpening, the nasty edge it holds, its toughness, or how freakin cool the edge looks when you get it polished!
Try that with your super steel!
I learned to sharpen knives when I was a little boy using bench stones. Many folks prefer to use one of the fixed setups, which I can appreciate, but bench stones give a very rounded edge radius vice the beveled radius that you get from a fixed rig. That has many advantages in my world, one of them being a smoother cut in flesh - like when you're skinning a flock of alpacas or scalping tangos after your berserker rage settles down.
I find that factory edges from all manufacturers pretty much suck, so the first order of business is to remove that sucker and put a worthy one on. That takes some elbow grease to do, especially for big knives like a Ka-Bar:
Fortunately, Ka-Bars have 1095 steel in them so it's not too bad; the one in the picture I sharpened in Iraq in 2006 and haven't touched since. One night I fell in the back of an RG-31 on a road in Hit, and the blade cut through the stitching in the sheath and hit the floor, putting some dings in the blade. Last night I finally got around to addressing them, and I could shave my face with the edge it has now.
And while I have the stones out, why not just knock the edge off them all? My little Benchmade 3550 auto has 154CM steel, which can sometimes be fickle when it comes to sharpening; this one's no different. I find stainless in general to be like that at times, and last night was one of those times because the Cold Steel Spike didn't want to take a sick edge either. It does take a pretty nasty point though.
The smaller stone is a hard Arkansas which is decent for removing material to get the edge radiused like you want, and it does OK for getting a fine edge. My stone of choice for radiusing is a soft Arkansas, but I generally follow up with the hard Arkansas so that the edge will take a good polish; if you only use the soft stone before a polish you can't get rid of the micro cuts that the stone leaves behind. The larger stone in the picture is a translucent Arkansas which is only used for polishing: it does not sharpen. Once you get the blade as sharp as you can get it on the hard Arkansas, or if you get a bur on the edge which you can feel by dragging your thumb perpendicular to the edge, than it's time to put it on the translucent stone. Follow that up by stropping it on the top of the wood case that my father made for me and you can go shave a whole litter of puppies with it. Of note is that I use basically any oil on the hard or soft Arkansas, but use none with the translucent stone as it doesn't have large enough pores to soak in the oil. The outcome is that you have a lot of wasted effort when your blade rides just off the surface of the stone instead of on it.
I'm fresh out of 550 cord at the moment, so I played around with some boot laces that I had and came up with a better grip for the handle. Yes, the cord wrapped handle will pick up funk and water which can be uncomfortable, but the real reason behind wrapping the handle is to have some cordage handy if your plane goes down in the Alps. 550 cord is perfect because it can be used as-is for building a shelter, or you can pull the internal strands out of it and use it to affix hand made broad heads to your arrows for slaying Bambi's baby brother. Mmmmmm. . . .backstraps!
Too bad bootlaces don't have the internal guts to make primitive arrows; I'll have to order some from Saigon Sam's. While I had the time, I took the shitty metal clip off of that abomination of a cell phone case that I bought from Maxpedition - yes, the very one that abetted the death of my Blackberry this past winter - and drilled some careful holes in it to use on the Izula's sheath.
I used two Chicago screws from a Blackhawk Serpa holster to hold it together, and I have the ability to change the angle if I so desire:
Once I get some 550 cord, I'll re-wrap the handle and my fixed EDC knife will be complete! MUGH-HUH-HWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
Here is a way to comfortably carry all day and have the knife instantly available to either hand for the very moment you get that JuJubes stuck in your teeth in a darkened movie theater:
Add in not one, but TWO shiny new Brownells catalogs and things get super cool in a New York instant:
Imma gonna hit the Brownells website like a ton of bricks here in the very near future; there's a couple of AR upper builds I have in mind that will get my undivided attention soon.
But back to the star of our show: I found out on the ESEE website that the steel of choice in their knives is 1095, which happens to be my fav. Some consider 1095 a pain because it rusts fairly easy unless you take proper care, but you can't beat it for its ease of sharpening, the nasty edge it holds, its toughness, or how freakin cool the edge looks when you get it polished!
Try that with your super steel!
I learned to sharpen knives when I was a little boy using bench stones. Many folks prefer to use one of the fixed setups, which I can appreciate, but bench stones give a very rounded edge radius vice the beveled radius that you get from a fixed rig. That has many advantages in my world, one of them being a smoother cut in flesh - like when you're skinning a flock of alpacas or scalping tangos after your berserker rage settles down.
I find that factory edges from all manufacturers pretty much suck, so the first order of business is to remove that sucker and put a worthy one on. That takes some elbow grease to do, especially for big knives like a Ka-Bar:
Fortunately, Ka-Bars have 1095 steel in them so it's not too bad; the one in the picture I sharpened in Iraq in 2006 and haven't touched since. One night I fell in the back of an RG-31 on a road in Hit, and the blade cut through the stitching in the sheath and hit the floor, putting some dings in the blade. Last night I finally got around to addressing them, and I could shave my face with the edge it has now.
And while I have the stones out, why not just knock the edge off them all? My little Benchmade 3550 auto has 154CM steel, which can sometimes be fickle when it comes to sharpening; this one's no different. I find stainless in general to be like that at times, and last night was one of those times because the Cold Steel Spike didn't want to take a sick edge either. It does take a pretty nasty point though.
The smaller stone is a hard Arkansas which is decent for removing material to get the edge radiused like you want, and it does OK for getting a fine edge. My stone of choice for radiusing is a soft Arkansas, but I generally follow up with the hard Arkansas so that the edge will take a good polish; if you only use the soft stone before a polish you can't get rid of the micro cuts that the stone leaves behind. The larger stone in the picture is a translucent Arkansas which is only used for polishing: it does not sharpen. Once you get the blade as sharp as you can get it on the hard Arkansas, or if you get a bur on the edge which you can feel by dragging your thumb perpendicular to the edge, than it's time to put it on the translucent stone. Follow that up by stropping it on the top of the wood case that my father made for me and you can go shave a whole litter of puppies with it. Of note is that I use basically any oil on the hard or soft Arkansas, but use none with the translucent stone as it doesn't have large enough pores to soak in the oil. The outcome is that you have a lot of wasted effort when your blade rides just off the surface of the stone instead of on it.
So, the long and the short of it all is, go forth and purchase thee an ESEE Izula and sharpen it! It's therapeutic! Take the laces out of Paw Paws snow boots and dressy the lass up! Take a couple of days off from work and spend the night in the back yard whittling marshmallow roasting sticks and fending off wild bears. Or, you could be like me and only use your darling shiv for trimming your cuticles while watching Deadliest Warrior. Which, speaking of, the season finale this week pitted US Navy SEALs against Israeli Commandos, and their close range weapons of choice were the Cold Steel Recon 1 (in one of my pics above) and the Ka-Bar, respectively. If you look close, just for an instant, you can see that the SEAL broke the very tip off his Recon 1 when he massacred a ballistic gelatin torso. Coooooool!
Brownosing Shatner
DC shooter-the-younger is telling tall tales in an attempt to increase his notoriety, which is probably all he has left to cling to. Too bad he doesn't get to ride Ol' Sparky to get the fame he really deserves.
Also, it is an insult to continue to call him a sniper which degrades professional snipers world wide. Shooting unarmed people at 75 feet does not make one a sniper, only a murderer.
Also, it is an insult to continue to call him a sniper which degrades professional snipers world wide. Shooting unarmed people at 75 feet does not make one a sniper, only a murderer.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
This is my pillcase; there are many like it but this one is mine
So there's a new gal in my life. Her name is Ana. . . . Anaphylaxis. She randomly visits me every month or so while I'm hammering down a chicken salad sandwich like it's the last one on the planet, and I've been getting concerned at her aggressiveness.
To counter the aggression, I have some sort of magic pill to take that's supposed to make the bad thing stop, and just in case that doesn't work, I have also been given epinephrine injectors to carry around for the rest of my life. Lovin it.
Since I'm having issues remembering to carry all this cool medical goodness, I have been looking at ways of convenient EDC transport; and because I can't seem to buy something unless it will help me in the wake of a post zombie-penguin apocalypse, I usually go for the multi-purpose equipment. I'm also a sucker if the word "tactical" comes up anywhere in the description of the item, because we all know tactical stuff cuts through the BS and gets the mission accomplished.
Enter the ESEE Fire Kit, cos' you never know when you will have to set a zombie-penguin horde ablaze in Vietnamish typhoon after waking up from anaphylactic shock! Also, it has enough ass to hold the humongous pill capsules that I have to carry around to keep Ana at bay, and also a compass so that I can find my way back to the Mi-171 with the rest of the operators:
I had to cut those suckers down just to get them to fit; and seriously, this was the only thing I found large enough to take them, so it was the only option that I'm aware of. Adding a Nite Eyes carabiner to it lets me put it on my keychain with the rest of the stuff that I'll never need. While I was ordering the ESEE Fire Kit, I also picked up one of the highly regarded ESEE Izula knives because. . . .well, who doesn't need another neck knife, right? Every self respecting corporate yahoo like me needs at least two of them, so there it is. BLAM!
I have a Cold Steel Spike necker already, and it's a really affordable knife that is probably impossible to destroy:
It's a bit longer than the Izula, and the blade is super thick, but it isn't as wide. The Izula is built to last lifetimes, and is an ideal blade to use to create your own civilization after the zombies destroy the one we currently have. I envision the Spike as a good blade to silently get in between the vertebrae of the zombie sentry barring access to Piggly Wiggly, but not so much for building the island hamlet of your dreams.
As for the two massive auto injectors that I'm supposed to have close at hand whenever I eat, which is pretty much at all times, I have no idea how to practically EDC it. I'm betting that they would carry smartly in a AR15 magazine pouch, which pretty much every American wears on their belt in public to keep their carbine topped off. So I probably wouldn't stand out, right? Who would notice?
And before you say it, I already have one of Maxpeditions man-purses, and it's good to go. My wife loathes the thing, so it's a no go for public carry. Truthfully, I'd rather keep them in the truck, but the heat will destroy them, and if they froze, well, than I'd just get a nasty needle stick without the good stuff. No joy. I'll figure something out though, and until then, I have magic pills in my fire starter pill case! Yay!
To counter the aggression, I have some sort of magic pill to take that's supposed to make the bad thing stop, and just in case that doesn't work, I have also been given epinephrine injectors to carry around for the rest of my life. Lovin it.
Since I'm having issues remembering to carry all this cool medical goodness, I have been looking at ways of convenient EDC transport; and because I can't seem to buy something unless it will help me in the wake of a post zombie-penguin apocalypse, I usually go for the multi-purpose equipment. I'm also a sucker if the word "tactical" comes up anywhere in the description of the item, because we all know tactical stuff cuts through the BS and gets the mission accomplished.
Enter the ESEE Fire Kit, cos' you never know when you will have to set a zombie-penguin horde ablaze in Vietnamish typhoon after waking up from anaphylactic shock! Also, it has enough ass to hold the humongous pill capsules that I have to carry around to keep Ana at bay, and also a compass so that I can find my way back to the Mi-171 with the rest of the operators:
I had to cut those suckers down just to get them to fit; and seriously, this was the only thing I found large enough to take them, so it was the only option that I'm aware of. Adding a Nite Eyes carabiner to it lets me put it on my keychain with the rest of the stuff that I'll never need. While I was ordering the ESEE Fire Kit, I also picked up one of the highly regarded ESEE Izula knives because. . . .well, who doesn't need another neck knife, right? Every self respecting corporate yahoo like me needs at least two of them, so there it is. BLAM!
I have a Cold Steel Spike necker already, and it's a really affordable knife that is probably impossible to destroy:
It's a bit longer than the Izula, and the blade is super thick, but it isn't as wide. The Izula is built to last lifetimes, and is an ideal blade to use to create your own civilization after the zombies destroy the one we currently have. I envision the Spike as a good blade to silently get in between the vertebrae of the zombie sentry barring access to Piggly Wiggly, but not so much for building the island hamlet of your dreams.
As for the two massive auto injectors that I'm supposed to have close at hand whenever I eat, which is pretty much at all times, I have no idea how to practically EDC it. I'm betting that they would carry smartly in a AR15 magazine pouch, which pretty much every American wears on their belt in public to keep their carbine topped off. So I probably wouldn't stand out, right? Who would notice?
And before you say it, I already have one of Maxpeditions man-purses, and it's good to go. My wife loathes the thing, so it's a no go for public carry. Truthfully, I'd rather keep them in the truck, but the heat will destroy them, and if they froze, well, than I'd just get a nasty needle stick without the good stuff. No joy. I'll figure something out though, and until then, I have magic pills in my fire starter pill case! Yay!
Only you can prevent spear gun violence
The teens told investigators that Connar and a friend were being dragged behind the boat while holding on to separate rope lines when Connar was struck by his friend's spear gun in the upper chest.Yeah, officer, seriously, it totally was an accident that I shot a spear gun off the back of the boat striking my friend center mass. Honestly, and no, I'm not high on freon right now, and haven't had anything to drink but soda. Just soda sir.
I mean, I guess anything could happen these days, but who here really thinks that some joyriding teen bumped an errant spear gun laying on the deck and it just happened to fly aft of the boat and hit a teen on a rope flailing about in the water? Yeah, I didn't think so either.
This appears to be another senseless spear gun violence incident triggered by that devil's elixir, Zima, and could have been completely avoided if we simply registered spear guns or just ban them altogether, license boaters just like we do with sex offenders, and brought back prohibition. If you're against this clever plan, than you are only advocating for unsupervised teens to get wasted while operating a vessel at high speeds on the water with a high caliber spear gun in their hands.
Where's your common sense?
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Whoodunnitt?
In the murders of four, maybe five innocent people, who do you think did the disgusting deed?
Was it Miss Scarlett with a candlestick? Colonel Mustard with the lead pipe? Was it Jason Thomas Scott, with an almost two decades long record of violence and mayhem? I dunno, I dunno. . . .that's a tough one.
Meethinks it was Scott; that's just my simple minded opinion though, based on what limited deductive reasoning my simple little mind is capable of.
ABC News weighs in with The Stupid:
So the real question is what dumb ass signed off on his release the last like six times? Who actually looked at all his violent criminal accomplishments in his record jacket, and then said "hell, he deserves a ninth chance," and then put blue pen to paper and loosed him back into the free world so he could murder these wonderful people? Why isn't their face on the news next to this scumbag? Why isn't their name on the indictment next to Scott's? I want to see it! Do they not deserve to be there? Are they not just as guilty? How many of these sworn public officials were instrumental in this guys last release?
Jointly and severally, they are all responsible.
I just can't understand what in the hell is going on. We give lawmakers an office with a mahogany desk and a computer so that they can conjure up the largest scumbag-charging statutory web that humankind has ever allowed; we buy cops body armor, assault thingies, and police cruisers so that they can catch the scumbags or at least gun them down where they stand; we give prosecutors and judges public immunity so that they can boldly cast as many statutory stones at the scumbags as they can; we pay the finest engineers to build massive disciplinary structures to safely warehouse the scumbags out of range of society's eye, and we staff them with badged folks who are empowered to control every aspect of the scumbags life when they get there. So tell me, why is it that hyper violent scumbags are not hung the fuck up in an eternal mess that we've built just for this purpose? Is there some sort of problem that we're not aware of?
Keep. The. Scumbags. Locked. Up. It's that easy. Just stop letting them out.
Was it Miss Scarlett with a candlestick? Colonel Mustard with the lead pipe? Was it Jason Thomas Scott, with an almost two decades long record of violence and mayhem? I dunno, I dunno. . . .that's a tough one.
Meethinks it was Scott; that's just my simple minded opinion though, based on what limited deductive reasoning my simple little mind is capable of.
ABC News weighs in with The Stupid:
If he is a serial killer, the new question facing investigators is whether they caught him at the start of his reign of terror or whether there many more victims to be found.Uuuummm, it seems to me that he had been caught and released many times "at the start of his reign of terror", as he has an extensive criminal history starting at age TEN! TEN! HE WAS TEN!! Didn't some law enforcement creature at some moment in time actually take his oath into consideration and say out loud "Lookey here! Puff the magic laptop says that this fruitbat has a proclivity for hurting people that don't deserve hurting. Perhaps we should do society a favor and lock this piece of shit up for the rest of his life so we don't see his face on the news or his name on a docket for gunning down families in their homes." It would seem though that there are too many absent minded officials these days who can't combine simple fucking logic with their oath and their blue pen.
So the real question is what dumb ass signed off on his release the last like six times? Who actually looked at all his violent criminal accomplishments in his record jacket, and then said "hell, he deserves a ninth chance," and then put blue pen to paper and loosed him back into the free world so he could murder these wonderful people? Why isn't their face on the news next to this scumbag? Why isn't their name on the indictment next to Scott's? I want to see it! Do they not deserve to be there? Are they not just as guilty? How many of these sworn public officials were instrumental in this guys last release?
Jointly and severally, they are all responsible.
I just can't understand what in the hell is going on. We give lawmakers an office with a mahogany desk and a computer so that they can conjure up the largest scumbag-charging statutory web that humankind has ever allowed; we buy cops body armor, assault thingies, and police cruisers so that they can catch the scumbags or at least gun them down where they stand; we give prosecutors and judges public immunity so that they can boldly cast as many statutory stones at the scumbags as they can; we pay the finest engineers to build massive disciplinary structures to safely warehouse the scumbags out of range of society's eye, and we staff them with badged folks who are empowered to control every aspect of the scumbags life when they get there. So tell me, why is it that hyper violent scumbags are not hung the fuck up in an eternal mess that we've built just for this purpose? Is there some sort of problem that we're not aware of?
Keep. The. Scumbags. Locked. Up. It's that easy. Just stop letting them out.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Oh please
Spare me the pathetic environmental guilt. You know what really causes divorce? Incompatible people.
If your community, or your marriage can't survive an oil spill in the area, for richer, for poorer, than how do you think that it can possibly survive sickness and health? It just doesn't compute.
It sucks that because of an oil company's incompetence the locals can't fish right now, it really does, but the fact that a few people decide to dump their spouse or eat a magnum because of the spill just underlines an existing problem. I hate it that when something happens in the environment, the media and hippies try to cast this vast net of despair over every little thing they can, as if every soul is linked intrinsically to the slow demise of the Arakan Forest Turtle.
People are either going to cling fiercely to the life that the Lord gave them, or they're going to give it up the first time the going gets rough. A disaster is no fun for anyone, but the show goes on. I wonder how pissed my wife would be if I offed myself because I haven't been able to fish in couple of years? Think that would solve anything? Would the media rush to my house and interview her if I wrote a letter correctly blaming real estate developers for destroying every place to hunt and fish in a five county radius before filing for a divorce?
So boo-freakin-hoo. The gulf will return to normal, one day, and the fish will return. Until then, I'm sure that some developer on the East Coast is hurtin' for some roofers. Come one, come all.
If your community, or your marriage can't survive an oil spill in the area, for richer, for poorer, than how do you think that it can possibly survive sickness and health? It just doesn't compute.
It sucks that because of an oil company's incompetence the locals can't fish right now, it really does, but the fact that a few people decide to dump their spouse or eat a magnum because of the spill just underlines an existing problem. I hate it that when something happens in the environment, the media and hippies try to cast this vast net of despair over every little thing they can, as if every soul is linked intrinsically to the slow demise of the Arakan Forest Turtle.
People are either going to cling fiercely to the life that the Lord gave them, or they're going to give it up the first time the going gets rough. A disaster is no fun for anyone, but the show goes on. I wonder how pissed my wife would be if I offed myself because I haven't been able to fish in couple of years? Think that would solve anything? Would the media rush to my house and interview her if I wrote a letter correctly blaming real estate developers for destroying every place to hunt and fish in a five county radius before filing for a divorce?
So boo-freakin-hoo. The gulf will return to normal, one day, and the fish will return. Until then, I'm sure that some developer on the East Coast is hurtin' for some roofers. Come one, come all.
Wouldn't that be an "unsecured" facility?
While the juvenile was being held in a secured intake room in the facility the juvenile gained access to his personal duffel bag that contained a handgun hidden in his clothing. The juvenile removed the handgun from the bag and fired several shots within the intake holding room.You can't say it's secured when a scumbag teenager is able to get ahold of his roscoe and go Capone on the place. I think that security in this country is mostly for show, or at least it seems that way.
You would think that it would be pretty easy to completely disarm a teen and keep him locked away safely, but apparently it's harder than that.
This is not how to honor heros
The Missouri senator whose subcommittee is investigating potential contracting fraud at Arlington National Cemetery said the number of mislabeled graves there could be in the thousands.It looks as if a family hero of mine - my grandfather, who's smiling in a picture to my right, and his wife, my grandmother - are among those missing at Arlington. You wouldn't think it would impact the family too much considering that they're dead and all, so it's not like they're inconvenienced in any way; but we promised to take care of them after they passed, and so did the US government. Ultimately we both failed, as their whereabouts, and their very existence, cannot be verified at this time.
On the other hand, I find it deplorable that the two men responsible for making this mess will get to retire in peace with honor.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Kid wields assault thingie
"I've always talked to [my children] about safety and security in the house," he said, "Especially when I'm not at the house. I tell them that he has to protect his sister and mother."He taught his son well, because the 15 year old used what I presume to be an AR15 to add new orifices to one of the three home intruders. It's hard to argue with a guy protecting the home with a rifle!
I'm of the opinion that you don't leave your kids at home alone until they are responsible enough to defend it, and it looks as though this Deputy believes in the same.
They've done foreclosed on the Death Star!!!
That's the only reasoning for this that I can think of: Darth Vader is so desperate in the wake of the economic downturn that he has resorted to armed robbery just to stay alive. It's kind of odd though that he uses a handgun when he could have just used a Jedi Mind Trick to make the teller hand over the cash.
In other news, it seems that some folks at a Comic convention are in need of a little guidance, as stabbing someone in the eye with a pen because they're sitting too close is something we would have hoped would be left behind after grade school. I guess the pen is pretty mighty, but I'm still not all that impressed with its utility as a weapon; unless of course we are talking about the new tactical pens that cost more than a good folding knife.
And while we're on the subject of the utility of weapons, have y'all been watching the show Deadliest Warrior? Super cool show. I see some things that might not stack up in the really real world, but overall it's a neat show. You've got some smart guys who pit two different warriors from throughout history against each other, and do scientific tests on the weapons. The effects are horrific. Check it out some time.
In other news, it seems that some folks at a Comic convention are in need of a little guidance, as stabbing someone in the eye with a pen because they're sitting too close is something we would have hoped would be left behind after grade school. I guess the pen is pretty mighty, but I'm still not all that impressed with its utility as a weapon; unless of course we are talking about the new tactical pens that cost more than a good folding knife.
And while we're on the subject of the utility of weapons, have y'all been watching the show Deadliest Warrior? Super cool show. I see some things that might not stack up in the really real world, but overall it's a neat show. You've got some smart guys who pit two different warriors from throughout history against each other, and do scientific tests on the weapons. The effects are horrific. Check it out some time.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
More flashlight stuff
At Sniper Central forums I found this post from a flashlight enthusiast who has five pages of side by side comparisons of many of today's kick ass lights.
The post is a big help to those trying to decide between several lights, as he has pictures of them casting light in his backyard.
The post is a big help to those trying to decide between several lights, as he has pictures of them casting light in his backyard.
Sunday evening suppressor p0rn
Quite a nice display of suppressed firearms for your viewing pleasure at Ernie's House of Whoop Ass. **Site NSFW**
The Prison Guard Loophole
Mexican prosecutors say guards at a prison let inmates out and lent them guns to massacre 17 people at a party, then allowed them to return to their cells.I'm betting that the guns the guards lent to the killers were of US origin, so count this as 17 more senseless deaths from US gun show assault thingies.
Friday, July 23, 2010
More tacticool guns than you can shake a stick at
I'm dead serious; if you want to shake a stick at em', you're going to be there for awhile. **56k be gone**
It is actually the second page of the gun p0rn I linked to yesterday from Militaryphotos.net. The second page is mostly ARish weapons, as well as H und K. I had to take a cold shower about half way through from AR overload.
It is actually the second page of the gun p0rn I linked to yesterday from Militaryphotos.net. The second page is mostly ARish weapons, as well as H und K. I had to take a cold shower about half way through from AR overload.
Hey buddy, gotta light?
This post is a comparison of flashlights, and a quasi review of my shiny new Fenix PD20 that was waiting for me on my counter yesterday after work.
This flashlight comes with a pocket clip, a nifty little nylon case, a spare rubber tailcap in case your one year old gnaws through the first one while in line at Target, and a short lanyard. It did not come with a CR123 3volt battery. I won't use the lanyard, but the case is designed very smart: the closure is simple velcro, and it has a plastic loop sewn on the top for attachment to stuff with a carabiner; it will also slide onto a 1 1/2" belt (and perhaps a 1 3/4" belt I think), and it has a flap on the back with velcro to attach it to a tactical vest with MOLLE. All of this in a minimalist package:
The light itself is not much larger than a car key and fob, as you can see here:
The PD20 gives out a maximum of 190 lumens, which beats out pretty much two of any of the other flashlights that I have combined, and this is in a chapstick sized light that costs about $60 with shipping. It has a waterproof aircraft-grade aluminum body with six modes that are very easy to operate: click on the button on the back and you are in "Turbo Mode" with 190 lumens. Tap the button and it pulses with a 190 lumen seizure causing strobe that will strain your eyes in about a second and a half - I would know because I set it to strobe, placed it head height in a blacked out room in my basement and proceeded to try to look at it at a distance of six feet. I won't ever try that again.
To use the other four modes, just twist the bezel an eighth of a turn and click the light on for a 9 lumen beam. Tap the tailcap to increase the beam from 9 lumens to 48 lumens, again to 96 lumens, and lastly an SOS strobe. Tap again to go back to 9 lumens. The whole concept of how it operates took me all of sixty seconds to master, to the point where I can snatch it out of my pocket and have it on in any mode in probably two seconds.
Holy smokes, was that a flying squirrel or a bat?!?! Click the tailcap once to light up the world and find out. Oh snap, it's a gangbanger, a serial killer, or a lawyer?!?! Then tap the tailcap for strobe and he will lose interest in you and whip out his twirling chem lights and start dancing. Lost your nitroglycerin pill under your desk? Twist the bezel an eighth of a turn and clicky the tailcap. Trying to signal the Pavehawk to land and pick up you and your airsoft buddies? Tap three more times on the tailcap and you come home a hero. Easy enough?
Now, how does it stack up to the competition? I have yet to do a full run against my line up of many Surefires, several Streamlights, and one GLOCK light, but I do have a comparison against a Surefire 6P LED, and my trusty Surefire E1e.
I only had time for a quick test, as the sun had already come up and it wasn't pitch black like I would have wanted. First up is the E1e that has been in my pocket every day for four years. I bought this one in a PX in beautiful Iraq, and it has served me well. 15 lumens of light with a click on tailcap that will last for an hour and a half with a fresh battery. I've replaced the bulb in it once, and that is the only maintanance I've had to do:
I love that the clip on the light is positioned so that you can clip it onto the brim of your cover (hat, to the non-military) and have basically a headlight. I have used it like that to find helmets, dropped ammunition, and the like in some of the worst environments imaginable. It's a great idea. The only problem I have with this light is that since it does not have enough ass to blind a formation of hostels long enough to reduce them with my carbine, I have to carry a bigger light on my belt for that purpose. This one is only for finding car keys at night and such. That means two lights instead of one, as well as a holster for it somewhere on my belt, so I have less room to carry a grappling hook or thermal imaging device. But I normally carry a bigger light when I go out for the evening with the family, and for that I carry the Surefire 6P LED:
This one replaced my ancient 6P, and it has I think 90 lumens with a twist on tailcap. It's a good light, and is practically bomb proof, but I'm starting to see that maybe Surefire's Research and Design team has been slacking as of late, because my little Fenix light handily kicks its ass, and with half as many batteries:
The Fenix also has features that $250 Blackhawk lights have, like the strobe, as well as some other useful features like the small wings that not only protect the tailcap, but allow the light to stand on its end on a table; you have to see how useful that can be. I am now going to update my entire fleet of lights with Fenix lights, and it will cost about as much as one high tech Surefire. The fact that I now have one small light that not only fits in my pocket, but will serve in many different roles goes a long way to reducing my day to day loadout, and is nice to have while I am in corporate America where fist sized lights don't mesh so well with slacks. Of note is that the PD20 has a pocket clip like the E1e, but it is facing the wrong way to be clipped onto the brim of a cover (hat). It is designed to clip the light to your pocket face down to protect the lens, but I am happy to report that you can pop the clip off and turn it around when needed, so it has the headlight capability too.
All in all, I am very much impressed by this light. At $60, I'm going to get another one for the hell of it, and I'm looking hard at ordering some of their larger lights as well in the near future. If you are not into the CR123 batteries, they have many lights that are just as bad-ass, but use AA or AAA batteries instead. It really is amazing at how far this technology has come in such a short period of time.
This flashlight comes with a pocket clip, a nifty little nylon case, a spare rubber tailcap in case your one year old gnaws through the first one while in line at Target, and a short lanyard. It did not come with a CR123 3volt battery. I won't use the lanyard, but the case is designed very smart: the closure is simple velcro, and it has a plastic loop sewn on the top for attachment to stuff with a carabiner; it will also slide onto a 1 1/2" belt (and perhaps a 1 3/4" belt I think), and it has a flap on the back with velcro to attach it to a tactical vest with MOLLE. All of this in a minimalist package:
The light itself is not much larger than a car key and fob, as you can see here:
The PD20 gives out a maximum of 190 lumens, which beats out pretty much two of any of the other flashlights that I have combined, and this is in a chapstick sized light that costs about $60 with shipping. It has a waterproof aircraft-grade aluminum body with six modes that are very easy to operate: click on the button on the back and you are in "Turbo Mode" with 190 lumens. Tap the button and it pulses with a 190 lumen seizure causing strobe that will strain your eyes in about a second and a half - I would know because I set it to strobe, placed it head height in a blacked out room in my basement and proceeded to try to look at it at a distance of six feet. I won't ever try that again.
To use the other four modes, just twist the bezel an eighth of a turn and click the light on for a 9 lumen beam. Tap the tailcap to increase the beam from 9 lumens to 48 lumens, again to 96 lumens, and lastly an SOS strobe. Tap again to go back to 9 lumens. The whole concept of how it operates took me all of sixty seconds to master, to the point where I can snatch it out of my pocket and have it on in any mode in probably two seconds.
Holy smokes, was that a flying squirrel or a bat?!?! Click the tailcap once to light up the world and find out. Oh snap, it's a gangbanger, a serial killer, or a lawyer?!?! Then tap the tailcap for strobe and he will lose interest in you and whip out his twirling chem lights and start dancing. Lost your nitroglycerin pill under your desk? Twist the bezel an eighth of a turn and clicky the tailcap. Trying to signal the Pavehawk to land and pick up you and your airsoft buddies? Tap three more times on the tailcap and you come home a hero. Easy enough?
Now, how does it stack up to the competition? I have yet to do a full run against my line up of many Surefires, several Streamlights, and one GLOCK light, but I do have a comparison against a Surefire 6P LED, and my trusty Surefire E1e.
I only had time for a quick test, as the sun had already come up and it wasn't pitch black like I would have wanted. First up is the E1e that has been in my pocket every day for four years. I bought this one in a PX in beautiful Iraq, and it has served me well. 15 lumens of light with a click on tailcap that will last for an hour and a half with a fresh battery. I've replaced the bulb in it once, and that is the only maintanance I've had to do:
I love that the clip on the light is positioned so that you can clip it onto the brim of your cover (hat, to the non-military) and have basically a headlight. I have used it like that to find helmets, dropped ammunition, and the like in some of the worst environments imaginable. It's a great idea. The only problem I have with this light is that since it does not have enough ass to blind a formation of hostels long enough to reduce them with my carbine, I have to carry a bigger light on my belt for that purpose. This one is only for finding car keys at night and such. That means two lights instead of one, as well as a holster for it somewhere on my belt, so I have less room to carry a grappling hook or thermal imaging device. But I normally carry a bigger light when I go out for the evening with the family, and for that I carry the Surefire 6P LED:
This one replaced my ancient 6P, and it has I think 90 lumens with a twist on tailcap. It's a good light, and is practically bomb proof, but I'm starting to see that maybe Surefire's Research and Design team has been slacking as of late, because my little Fenix light handily kicks its ass, and with half as many batteries:
The Fenix also has features that $250 Blackhawk lights have, like the strobe, as well as some other useful features like the small wings that not only protect the tailcap, but allow the light to stand on its end on a table; you have to see how useful that can be. I am now going to update my entire fleet of lights with Fenix lights, and it will cost about as much as one high tech Surefire. The fact that I now have one small light that not only fits in my pocket, but will serve in many different roles goes a long way to reducing my day to day loadout, and is nice to have while I am in corporate America where fist sized lights don't mesh so well with slacks. Of note is that the PD20 has a pocket clip like the E1e, but it is facing the wrong way to be clipped onto the brim of a cover (hat). It is designed to clip the light to your pocket face down to protect the lens, but I am happy to report that you can pop the clip off and turn it around when needed, so it has the headlight capability too.
All in all, I am very much impressed by this light. At $60, I'm going to get another one for the hell of it, and I'm looking hard at ordering some of their larger lights as well in the near future. If you are not into the CR123 batteries, they have many lights that are just as bad-ass, but use AA or AAA batteries instead. It really is amazing at how far this technology has come in such a short period of time.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Senile Disfunction
This most bizarre story about an armed robber is so sugar coated with sweet empathy from the author that it would almost make me laugh if it weren't so fucking disgusting.
"Poor old man with a cane and an oxygen tank is so misunderstood; he's got so many health problems and all that he had no idea what he was doing."
Well, no shit, but a rabid dog has an ailment too - that doesn't mean you stand there like a goon and wait for it to bite someone's kid. You do the responsible thing and take care of the problem quickly, before it gets worse:
Yeah, I see that he had emphysema from all the crack he used to smoke right before he took property away from a human being after threatening their life with a weapon. Asking someone nicely while pointing a gun in their face is not asking nicely; it's a demand.
The only thing that's misunderstood is why that old bastard didn't need to rest because one of his potential victims ventilated his lungs with some well aimed gun fire, instead of being corralled into the bathroom like some docile little fury critter.
Back to the pity party, our preacher/pitiful old man/saint-who-must-endure-dialysis was mingling with the locals in a department store, when suddenly his senility started nonviolently acting up:
OK, enough of the snark. Let's get down to the point that irks me even more than the gratuitous pity.
This fucker was born and raised in New York, lived a life of violence, attacked person after person after person, was thrown in prison time after time, and yet he was free again to go about harming innocent people. That about sum it up? Here's a glimpse of his stats:
Folks, you have to see where I'm taking this. This fish wrap of a news paper uses examples of violent people like this to advocate disarming you, so that in the end there are more unarmed lambs to be shooed into a bathroom and locked down by the same violent people.
More importantly, this is a clear example of a law enforcement fail -- it was against all common sense to let this guy out of prison in the first place. Don't public officers swear an oath to protect the United States? Isn't the United States comprised of United States Citizens? Some of those Citizens live in other states, like Virginia for instance, so it's important that states like New York be diligent in keeping their scumbags locked up so they don't come down here and fire weapons at people I care about. It shouldn't be the responsibility of a Maryland State Trooper to pursue him up to the point of his death because New York couldn't hold on to their trash.
I get that some people should get a crack at rehabilitation. I really do, and I absolutely agree with it, but they should not get a third chance. After their first chance is up and they have served their time, if they then commit some violent act on a citizen, the last signature on the documents that authorized the release of the scumbag should be the one holding the bag as personally responsible to pay the claim of the damaged family, whether it's a prosecutor, judge, cop, or multiple idiots on a parole board - they should be held personally liable. If one of these monsters from another state injures someone in my family, I'm going to find that signature and get my return.
"Poor old man with a cane and an oxygen tank is so misunderstood; he's got so many health problems and all that he had no idea what he was doing."
Sometimes he disguised himself as a friendly doorman — “Good afternoon,” he would say, before drawing a gun — or a messenger or a Vietnam veteran, the authorities said. He once used two knives during a robbery."B-b-b-but but, HE HAD AILMENTS!"
Well, no shit, but a rabid dog has an ailment too - that doesn't mean you stand there like a goon and wait for it to bite someone's kid. You do the responsible thing and take care of the problem quickly, before it gets worse:
“He was kind of running in and carrying a gun, and told my employees that he didn’t want to kill anybody, and for them to get on the floor, and they followed his instructions,” Mr. Chamblee said. “He asked the young lady for the cash, and she gave it to him.”"Ohhhh, but he asked the young lady for the cash, nicely and all, and on top of that he has emphysema you see? He didn't want to kill anybody!"
Yeah, I see that he had emphysema from all the crack he used to smoke right before he took property away from a human being after threatening their life with a weapon. Asking someone nicely while pointing a gun in their face is not asking nicely; it's a demand.
The gunman ordered the three employees into a bathroom and barred the door with a chair. Then he needed to rest."He needed the rest because he was so frail, being an old man and all. Poor guy."
The only thing that's misunderstood is why that old bastard didn't need to rest because one of his potential victims ventilated his lungs with some well aimed gun fire, instead of being corralled into the bathroom like some docile little fury critter.
“He was a good person. He prayed — preached, he did. He really served God. He served him the last 10 or 20 years.”Actually, it sounds to me like the only thing this shitbag served the last 10 to 20 years was hard time at the behest of the very society that he waged war on, as I somehow doubt that God approves of one of his flock savaging innocent people, ass.
Back to the pity party, our preacher/pitiful old man/saint-who-must-endure-dialysis was mingling with the locals in a department store, when suddenly his senility started nonviolently acting up:
The customer bolted for the rear, where there was an exit. The gunman turned to Mr. Tezcan and asked, “You want one?” Mr. Tezcan said. And he fired, leaving a knuckle-deep divot in a metal shelf displaying shirts. Mr. Tezcan ran for the rear, too, and the gunman fired again. That bullet tore through eight suits, back to front on a rack, before stopping in the breast pocket of a ninth. A third shot also missed."See? The fragile choir boy is so fragile and helpless that he can't even fire a hollowpoint bullet through the backs of two fleeing people! He wasn't even trying!!"
OK, enough of the snark. Let's get down to the point that irks me even more than the gratuitous pity.
This fucker was born and raised in New York, lived a life of violence, attacked person after person after person, was thrown in prison time after time, and yet he was free again to go about harming innocent people. That about sum it up? Here's a glimpse of his stats:
In Manhattan’s Midtown North detective squad, Lt. T. J. Moroney called him a “heavy-duty career criminal” with at least 134 convictions, mostly for robbery, on his record.Mostly for robbery, got it? Just so we're clear, this guy was known to be violent for his entire life, and demonstrated this fact at every waking opportunity, and yet a panel of morons on a parole board committed 1st degree jackassery by letting him loose on society to rob thirty eight people in two months. Brilliant!
Folks, you have to see where I'm taking this. This fish wrap of a news paper uses examples of violent people like this to advocate disarming you, so that in the end there are more unarmed lambs to be shooed into a bathroom and locked down by the same violent people.
More importantly, this is a clear example of a law enforcement fail -- it was against all common sense to let this guy out of prison in the first place. Don't public officers swear an oath to protect the United States? Isn't the United States comprised of United States Citizens? Some of those Citizens live in other states, like Virginia for instance, so it's important that states like New York be diligent in keeping their scumbags locked up so they don't come down here and fire weapons at people I care about. It shouldn't be the responsibility of a Maryland State Trooper to pursue him up to the point of his death because New York couldn't hold on to their trash.
I get that some people should get a crack at rehabilitation. I really do, and I absolutely agree with it, but they should not get a third chance. After their first chance is up and they have served their time, if they then commit some violent act on a citizen, the last signature on the documents that authorized the release of the scumbag should be the one holding the bag as personally responsible to pay the claim of the damaged family, whether it's a prosecutor, judge, cop, or multiple idiots on a parole board - they should be held personally liable. If one of these monsters from another state injures someone in my family, I'm going to find that signature and get my return.
Gun P0rn overload
You must check out this thread on gun posters at Militaryphotos.net.
Most of the guns are Chicom type, but there's some other cool stuff in there though. This will be a valuable resource for me when I start doing Movie Guns posts again, right after my kids get married and move out of my house. . . .in about twenty five years.
Most of the guns are Chicom type, but there's some other cool stuff in there though. This will be a valuable resource for me when I start doing Movie Guns posts again, right after my kids get married and move out of my house. . . .in about twenty five years.
That man shot Jesus!!
No, really.
Obviously compensating for a small penis, this man shot a violent gangbanger to death in his home. I'm glad all the non-scumbag people survived the ordeal. I couldn't imagine. Sucks though that his son got shot and locked up.
I hate the "make my day" crap the media perpetuates. If anyone is compensating for anything, it's them.
Seriously though, doesn't that old man look mean as hell? Why type of moron would try to break down his door?
Obviously compensating for a small penis, this man shot a violent gangbanger to death in his home. I'm glad all the non-scumbag people survived the ordeal. I couldn't imagine. Sucks though that his son got shot and locked up.
I hate the "make my day" crap the media perpetuates. If anyone is compensating for anything, it's them.
Seriously though, doesn't that old man look mean as hell? Why type of moron would try to break down his door?
Fake cops raid home
This one in Michigan, the scumbags forced their way into the home. They had badges and radios, and the home owner approached them thinking they were cops. At least he had the common sense to evacuate his family beforehand.
I've talked about these before.
Nothing good will come out of letting a random cop into your house if they ask you, so make sure you challenge each and every one of them by asking for a warrant signed by a judge. If you are the one who called the cops for something, than that's different; I'm talking about when someone alleging to be a cop knocks on your door. Of course, what actions to take if they don't show you a signed warrant and bust down your door is up to you personally. Be careful.
I've talked about these before.
Nothing good will come out of letting a random cop into your house if they ask you, so make sure you challenge each and every one of them by asking for a warrant signed by a judge. If you are the one who called the cops for something, than that's different; I'm talking about when someone alleging to be a cop knocks on your door. Of course, what actions to take if they don't show you a signed warrant and bust down your door is up to you personally. Be careful.
Dazzle me, baby!!
“Out of control” is how the Ocean City Police chief describes laser pointing in the resort town.""Those crazy kids!!!" (shaking fist).
The chief reminds me of Old Man Clemens from the movie Billy Madison - "eck, poop again!!!!" "I'll get you damn kids for this. You're all gonna die!!!"
Maybe Ocean City should pass strict ordinance banning green lazers. You know that would work. The very best part of this article almost made me laugh oatmeal through my nose, which would have been pretty cool:
SIMPLE_PIG_FARMER - When people harass and annoy me with their little laser pointers, I just return the favor with mine and it seems to solve the problem pretty quick. Of course, my laser pointer is a sighting system attached to the trigger guard of my Glock.Good one!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Double trouble, or a triple threat?
Prince George's county police know who murdered four people, and they can't do anything about it because the alleged scumbag is in jail.
They noted that the man's home was raided over gun violations, and that guns were confiscated, but they don't mention the timeline so that we can deduct whether or not he was murdering before or after the raid. I presume before the raid, but I'd like to hear it straight from those who know.
I'd also like to know the rest of the man's criminal history, because you know he has one. It's got to be there. You don't wake up one day and decide to murder two families; you're born a scumbag, and have probably shown everyone just how irresponsible you are over the twenty something years before you commit to horrific violence.
How many chances did this man give the justice system before the murders? Nobody seems to be asking that.
They noted that the man's home was raided over gun violations, and that guns were confiscated, but they don't mention the timeline so that we can deduct whether or not he was murdering before or after the raid. I presume before the raid, but I'd like to hear it straight from those who know.
I'd also like to know the rest of the man's criminal history, because you know he has one. It's got to be there. You don't wake up one day and decide to murder two families; you're born a scumbag, and have probably shown everyone just how irresponsible you are over the twenty something years before you commit to horrific violence.
How many chances did this man give the justice system before the murders? Nobody seems to be asking that.
Party like it's 2999
Star Wars is here to stay, if this is any indication.
Is there anything that contractors can't do? I mean, shooting down flying aircraft with a lazer from a ship? How scary cool is that?
H/T to Ace.
Is there anything that contractors can't do? I mean, shooting down flying aircraft with a lazer from a ship? How scary cool is that?
H/T to Ace.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Brownell's opens Police Store
Clicky the linky to go to Police Store.
Just what every broke guy needs, a place to spend money on really cool stuff! Hell yeah!!
Just what every broke guy needs, a place to spend money on really cool stuff! Hell yeah!!
Friday, July 16, 2010
The bare essentials
How about some Friday evening EDC gun and knife pr0n! I've been meaning to get this one out for a couple of days, but technical difficulties abound.
What is EDC? Extra Delicious Cutlery? Evil Devil's Chili? Nope, EDC is Every Day Carry.
Knives and guns go together like peanut butter and jelly; coffee and cigarettes; brandy and cigars. I thought I would show off my new cutlery next to some bear essential protection gear, and perhaps make a habit of it with some similar posts every now and then. Perusing threads like this one at AR15.com and this one at Bladeforums gives many new ideas that may make your life easier.
My day to day carry gear depends on the situation; if I'm going out for the day with my family I'm gonna be armed to the teeth - I double up on everything. Sometimes though, you aren't going to gear up with your 6" 1911 in 10mm and Springer EMP in an ankle holster just to go out to gas up the car. I know, I know, that's precisely when the tangos will spring on you; I'm here to tell you though that there will be times when grabbing something small will be the way to go. When you have to run out to Food Lion for baby formula at 0300, small things work.
Click to make bigger and more beautiful.
Just the bare essentials. I can drop that stuff in the pockets of my jammies in about two seconds and be on my way. I will not, however, be getting into a running gunfight with suicide vested terrorists to save the day; this set up is anti mugger/banger gear only.
The Benchmade 3550 represents a watershed moment for me - normally I carry at least a 4" knife. Like most people, I consider a knife a useful tool first, and a last ditch weapon second. I've read about incidents where a knife was successfully used to stop an attacker, but I'm rarely without a firearm, so I think of the knife as more utilitarian. Smaller blades are great for opening boxes and such, but a larger blade offers more edge for useful things like cutting up vegetables for my lunch.
Nowadays there is all this super steel out there that is great for everything but sharpening. Since I use a knife every day, I can't afford to be sending the thing back to the manufacturer once a week for a touch up; I use bench stones for that. My Cold Steel Recon 1 has been my EDC knife for over a year now, and the AUS-8 steel is good working steel. It may not hold an edge quite as long as S30V, but it takes only a minute or so to bring the edge back with the help of a translucent Arkansas stone. This new Benchmade has 154CM, which in my experience is also good working steel that takes a fine edge. It cuts carrots well, too!
Click to make bigger and more beautiful.
You will not find me clothed without a knife. There are very few circumstances in life where I am without this simplest of tools; it is something that separates me from the animals. With a good knife in my pocket, I can survive anywhere under basically any circumstances, with much confidence. I could start my very own civilization sans people with one well made knife, if I had the time. Let's hope that doesn't happen!
If you get a chance, dig through some of those threads linked above; you would be amazed at how smart some of this gear has become. I was browsing yesterday and found out that the 15 lumen Surefire E1e that I bought four years ago is ancient technology, and that there are many palm sized lights out there that could kick its ass. One will be in the mail shortly.
So, what's your EDC blade/heater combo? Is your knife for cleaning your nails and skinning bucks, or do you envision it more for reaching the frontal lobe of a determined zombie after you've ran your carbine and sidearm out of rounds? My plan is to put together some sexy glamor shots of old knife and blaster teams that I used to carry in my day for your entertainment and commentary. Stay tuned!
What is EDC? Extra Delicious Cutlery? Evil Devil's Chili? Nope, EDC is Every Day Carry.
Knives and guns go together like peanut butter and jelly; coffee and cigarettes; brandy and cigars. I thought I would show off my new cutlery next to some bear essential protection gear, and perhaps make a habit of it with some similar posts every now and then. Perusing threads like this one at AR15.com and this one at Bladeforums gives many new ideas that may make your life easier.
My day to day carry gear depends on the situation; if I'm going out for the day with my family I'm gonna be armed to the teeth - I double up on everything. Sometimes though, you aren't going to gear up with your 6" 1911 in 10mm and Springer EMP in an ankle holster just to go out to gas up the car. I know, I know, that's precisely when the tangos will spring on you; I'm here to tell you though that there will be times when grabbing something small will be the way to go. When you have to run out to Food Lion for baby formula at 0300, small things work.
Click to make bigger and more beautiful.
Just the bare essentials. I can drop that stuff in the pockets of my jammies in about two seconds and be on my way. I will not, however, be getting into a running gunfight with suicide vested terrorists to save the day; this set up is anti mugger/banger gear only.
The Benchmade 3550 represents a watershed moment for me - normally I carry at least a 4" knife. Like most people, I consider a knife a useful tool first, and a last ditch weapon second. I've read about incidents where a knife was successfully used to stop an attacker, but I'm rarely without a firearm, so I think of the knife as more utilitarian. Smaller blades are great for opening boxes and such, but a larger blade offers more edge for useful things like cutting up vegetables for my lunch.
Nowadays there is all this super steel out there that is great for everything but sharpening. Since I use a knife every day, I can't afford to be sending the thing back to the manufacturer once a week for a touch up; I use bench stones for that. My Cold Steel Recon 1 has been my EDC knife for over a year now, and the AUS-8 steel is good working steel. It may not hold an edge quite as long as S30V, but it takes only a minute or so to bring the edge back with the help of a translucent Arkansas stone. This new Benchmade has 154CM, which in my experience is also good working steel that takes a fine edge. It cuts carrots well, too!
Click to make bigger and more beautiful.
You will not find me clothed without a knife. There are very few circumstances in life where I am without this simplest of tools; it is something that separates me from the animals. With a good knife in my pocket, I can survive anywhere under basically any circumstances, with much confidence. I could start my very own civilization sans people with one well made knife, if I had the time. Let's hope that doesn't happen!
If you get a chance, dig through some of those threads linked above; you would be amazed at how smart some of this gear has become. I was browsing yesterday and found out that the 15 lumen Surefire E1e that I bought four years ago is ancient technology, and that there are many palm sized lights out there that could kick its ass. One will be in the mail shortly.
So, what's your EDC blade/heater combo? Is your knife for cleaning your nails and skinning bucks, or do you envision it more for reaching the frontal lobe of a determined zombie after you've ran your carbine and sidearm out of rounds? My plan is to put together some sexy glamor shots of old knife and blaster teams that I used to carry in my day for your entertainment and commentary. Stay tuned!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Gun show poophole
Yesterday the news was awash in coverage of the meeting in congress from families of the Virginia Tech massacre. These folks were asking congress to pass federal law aimed at making private sales at gunshows go through a background check. This seems to come up several times a year, so I'll address some of the issues with this.
The main argument against is that there are tens of millions of gun owning Americans that will not be told that they cannot sell their personal property to another American unless they get government approval for the transaction. This is entirely missed by advocates of new federal law. If I want to sell my Marlin .22 rifle to my brother, I'll be damned if I'm gonna ask for permission. This goes the same for an AR15 as it does for a Mossberg slug gun.
On top of this is that there is no mechanism in place that I'm aware of that would even allow it to begin with. Can anyone walk me through how Joe Schmucketelly would be able to conduct a background check on John Quincy Public so that he can legally sell him his Colt Peacemaker? Who provides the forms? Who does Joe Schmucketelly call to do the check? Who pays for the call? Who pays the cop who has to conduct the check? Has anyone conducted a study to find out how many Police officers and federal agents will need to be hired for each state to entertain the capacity to do these checks? How will Joe Schmucketelly be required to keep the record, and for how long? Or would somebody else be required to do it? Will ATF agents then be authorized to come to Joe Schmucketelly's house and audit his records? Who is going to provide the training needed to properly and legally assert the forms on the buyer, and who pays for that?
None of this is insurmountable, but how long will it interfere with American's rights until this whole process can be implemented and working smoothly? Do any of these people care?
So really - they might not realize it - they're asking for a fiction, which ultimately means that if congress does pass such a law, and tomorrow an American has to provide for a background check in order to sell a personal firearm to another American, there is no means to do it, so the law becomes a de facto gun ban. Raise your hand if you want to be the person to tell America that their personal property is now frozen in place.
The obvious elephant in the room is that despite what the "panel of experts" (snicker) found in their report in the wake of the Virginia Tech massacre, the scumbag murderer did not buy firearms from a gun show. I saw on the news last night, and can't seem to find it this morning, a reporter talking about how the two murderers at the Columbine massacre bought their firearms at a gun show, which is flat out wrong. Three of their guns were purchased at a gun show by an 18 year old girl who would have passed any such background check, and the fourth was sold to them by a friend, which was already illegal and would not be any more so with the passage of new federal law.
The thing that grinds in the minds of gun owners is that there is no "loop hole" in the law; a gun dealer that wants to sell guns at a gun show has to conduct a background check, and they are licensed by the federal government who provides the infrastructure to conduct that service. Those advocating the passing of new federal law are saying that the government will have to provide for the licensing and service to tens of millions of people. This would ultimately create a massive federal agency. Maybe that is their secret hope.
Turning my mind to the offense, would that mean that every Tom, Dick, and Harry that wanted to sell a firearm would need to be licensed by the federal government in order to have access to the N.I.C.S.? If I have to have a license to sell a gun, than by selling the gun aren't I now acting in a public capacity, and not a private one? Doesn't that make me bona fide gun dealer? Wouldn't that enable me to buy directly from the wholesaler, or possibly even the manufacturer? Do these folks really want tens of millions of bona fide gun dealers able to buy and sell as they please from Smith and Wesson, without regard for quantity? How many federal, state, and local gun laws would that render obsolete with the swipe of a blue pen?
The anti-gun folks may not realize how well they have it right now. Best leave the hornet's nest alone.
The main argument against is that there are tens of millions of gun owning Americans that will not be told that they cannot sell their personal property to another American unless they get government approval for the transaction. This is entirely missed by advocates of new federal law. If I want to sell my Marlin .22 rifle to my brother, I'll be damned if I'm gonna ask for permission. This goes the same for an AR15 as it does for a Mossberg slug gun.
On top of this is that there is no mechanism in place that I'm aware of that would even allow it to begin with. Can anyone walk me through how Joe Schmucketelly would be able to conduct a background check on John Quincy Public so that he can legally sell him his Colt Peacemaker? Who provides the forms? Who does Joe Schmucketelly call to do the check? Who pays for the call? Who pays the cop who has to conduct the check? Has anyone conducted a study to find out how many Police officers and federal agents will need to be hired for each state to entertain the capacity to do these checks? How will Joe Schmucketelly be required to keep the record, and for how long? Or would somebody else be required to do it? Will ATF agents then be authorized to come to Joe Schmucketelly's house and audit his records? Who is going to provide the training needed to properly and legally assert the forms on the buyer, and who pays for that?
None of this is insurmountable, but how long will it interfere with American's rights until this whole process can be implemented and working smoothly? Do any of these people care?
So really - they might not realize it - they're asking for a fiction, which ultimately means that if congress does pass such a law, and tomorrow an American has to provide for a background check in order to sell a personal firearm to another American, there is no means to do it, so the law becomes a de facto gun ban. Raise your hand if you want to be the person to tell America that their personal property is now frozen in place.
The obvious elephant in the room is that despite what the "panel of experts" (snicker) found in their report in the wake of the Virginia Tech massacre, the scumbag murderer did not buy firearms from a gun show. I saw on the news last night, and can't seem to find it this morning, a reporter talking about how the two murderers at the Columbine massacre bought their firearms at a gun show, which is flat out wrong. Three of their guns were purchased at a gun show by an 18 year old girl who would have passed any such background check, and the fourth was sold to them by a friend, which was already illegal and would not be any more so with the passage of new federal law.
The thing that grinds in the minds of gun owners is that there is no "loop hole" in the law; a gun dealer that wants to sell guns at a gun show has to conduct a background check, and they are licensed by the federal government who provides the infrastructure to conduct that service. Those advocating the passing of new federal law are saying that the government will have to provide for the licensing and service to tens of millions of people. This would ultimately create a massive federal agency. Maybe that is their secret hope.
Turning my mind to the offense, would that mean that every Tom, Dick, and Harry that wanted to sell a firearm would need to be licensed by the federal government in order to have access to the N.I.C.S.? If I have to have a license to sell a gun, than by selling the gun aren't I now acting in a public capacity, and not a private one? Doesn't that make me bona fide gun dealer? Wouldn't that enable me to buy directly from the wholesaler, or possibly even the manufacturer? Do these folks really want tens of millions of bona fide gun dealers able to buy and sell as they please from Smith and Wesson, without regard for quantity? How many federal, state, and local gun laws would that render obsolete with the swipe of a blue pen?
The anti-gun folks may not realize how well they have it right now. Best leave the hornet's nest alone.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Convenience store shooting on tape
In Detroit.
The store owner lives, fortunately. Three things I noticed right off the bat: one, the scumbag with the goofy hat didn't have a round chambered in the pistol; two, the same scumbag didn't know how to work the gun in the first place, as he tried to shoot, tried to chamber a round again, and then the gun looks like it went off when he wasn't ready; and three, he shot the store owner while his friend was in the line of fire trying to manhandle him.
Let's hope that scumbags from sea to shining sea are just as incompetent with their weapons.
The store owner lives, fortunately. Three things I noticed right off the bat: one, the scumbag with the goofy hat didn't have a round chambered in the pistol; two, the same scumbag didn't know how to work the gun in the first place, as he tried to shoot, tried to chamber a round again, and then the gun looks like it went off when he wasn't ready; and three, he shot the store owner while his friend was in the line of fire trying to manhandle him.
Let's hope that scumbags from sea to shining sea are just as incompetent with their weapons.
Here we go
"ARMS DEALER BUSTED IN ARIZONA!!"
Weeeeeeeeell, maybe not so much. I may eat crow over this one, but I doubt that it will come to that.
First and foremost, if this guy was such a dangerous human being, than why was he only briefly detained? What is he charged with? So far I only see him "accused" of a "federal firearms violation.
Second, where are all the "assault thingies" that he was allegedly selling? All I see are walnut stocked pump action Winchesters and pearl handled 1911s. Whoopidy doo.
Next, ATF agent Tom Mangan is running this piece, so that should tell ya that this might not be on the up-and-up.
Lastly, if the guy used to be a licensed firearms dealer, than it makes sense that he would have "over a thousand" firearms at home, and that he would be a collector. So he still buys guns, which would be "replenishing" his stock in ATF speak.
As for him not conducting background checks, is there a mechanism in place for private Citizens to conduct them? If not, and I don't believe there is, than that accusation should be retracted. You can't accuse someone of not doing something that they have no way of doing in the first place.
Seems to me that there is the typical lack of substance here, and that maybe the ATF needed a scalp to nail to their wall. It was this guys ticket they punched. Too bad.
Weeeeeeeeell, maybe not so much. I may eat crow over this one, but I doubt that it will come to that.
First and foremost, if this guy was such a dangerous human being, than why was he only briefly detained? What is he charged with? So far I only see him "accused" of a "federal firearms violation.
Second, where are all the "assault thingies" that he was allegedly selling? All I see are walnut stocked pump action Winchesters and pearl handled 1911s. Whoopidy doo.
Next, ATF agent Tom Mangan is running this piece, so that should tell ya that this might not be on the up-and-up.
Lastly, if the guy used to be a licensed firearms dealer, than it makes sense that he would have "over a thousand" firearms at home, and that he would be a collector. So he still buys guns, which would be "replenishing" his stock in ATF speak.
As for him not conducting background checks, is there a mechanism in place for private Citizens to conduct them? If not, and I don't believe there is, than that accusation should be retracted. You can't accuse someone of not doing something that they have no way of doing in the first place.
Seems to me that there is the typical lack of substance here, and that maybe the ATF needed a scalp to nail to their wall. It was this guys ticket they punched. Too bad.
Cop kills swordsman
Crazy sword wielding articles aren't that hard to come by these days. This one is like all the others, kinda blah, but the point remains (feel my pun!) that sharpening a piece of metal is easy to do, and swords are every bit as effective as a weapon as a firearm.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
In through the out door
Yeah, it's the title to a Zeppelin song, but it's also the title to a post about the shitty court system in Central Virginia.
I don't what the hell is going on in my AO, but y'all need to get your shit together and start holding on to these guys. I'm tired of hearing about some vicious yahoo getting the kid glove treatment his whole life from my county court, and then doing something really stupid that gets people hurt.
Back to this particular yahoo, a quick search of his name in the Virginia court database reveals that this scumbag has such accolades as obstructing justice and assault and battery of a police officer, making him already a felon who cannot legally own a firearm. There's lots of other piddly stuff in there too, but the fact remains that this guy has a history, and now he needs to be history.
Just so we're clear here, if I rack up charge after charge in a particular locale, and then sometime later punch a cop, I can go about my business after paying $900 and change and giving up my drivers license for a month and a half. Good to know. I wonder how much I would have to pay out for shooting a handgun up in the air while driving?
Burton Leon Brown III, 28, was charged with discharging a firearm from a vehicle, using a firearm in the commission of a felony and reckless discharge of a firearm. Brown was placed in the Rappahannock Regional Jail under no bond.So what does this happen to do with Zeppelin again? Nothing, but it has everything to do with several municipalities and counties in Virginia previously letting a violent and dangerous guy out of prison over and over again so that he can joyride at 2 a.m. while firing his gat out the window of a car within a mile of my house.
I don't what the hell is going on in my AO, but y'all need to get your shit together and start holding on to these guys. I'm tired of hearing about some vicious yahoo getting the kid glove treatment his whole life from my county court, and then doing something really stupid that gets people hurt.
Back to this particular yahoo, a quick search of his name in the Virginia court database reveals that this scumbag has such accolades as obstructing justice and assault and battery of a police officer, making him already a felon who cannot legally own a firearm. There's lots of other piddly stuff in there too, but the fact remains that this guy has a history, and now he needs to be history.
Just so we're clear here, if I rack up charge after charge in a particular locale, and then sometime later punch a cop, I can go about my business after paying $900 and change and giving up my drivers license for a month and a half. Good to know. I wonder how much I would have to pay out for shooting a handgun up in the air while driving?
The persecution has begun!
"Early on Thursday morning, wildlife biologists and technicians descended on the park and netted the birds. The biologists, who work with the wildlife services division of the United States Department of Agriculture, then packed the geese two or three to a crate and took them to a facility where they were gassed with lethal doses of carbon dioxide, said Carol A. Bannerman, a spokeswoman for the wildlife services division."Holy smokes! Thousands of geese across America are being rounded up and exterminated.
Too bad they didn't pull up with a box truck full of Winchester shotgun shells and let the locals make a day of it. Think about if they charged ten dollars admission per goose - that's a profit that could go towards fixing the roads or installing gunshot detectors or something. And don't tell me it's inhumane; it's much more ethical than netting and gassing.
So what about the carcasses?
The bodies are frozen, chopped up and fed to captive raptors and bears.Coooooooooooool. Now, I'd pay to see them fed to raptors and bears! I'd pay triple to see them fed to raptors and bears while still alive!! I wouldn't pay to watch homeless people eat them though. But it is a good cause!
The lesson that we can all take away from here though is to not poop in the park, or you may be the one netted, gassed, and fed to a homeless guy. Nom nom nom nom!!
Monday, July 12, 2010
Target practice, cartel style!
Militaryphotos.net has a good thread on the guns of the Mexican drug cartels.
Gunshow guns, the whole lot of em'. What, you don't believe me? Have you noticed at how far the prices on gold plated AKs have dropped?
Yeah, me neither.
Ever the optimist, I notice the piss poor gun handling of these guys, as well as their "marksmanship." I mean, who doesn't fire rounds into the air when they go to the range?
Update: Check out the Browning 1919 machine guns! I just turned several of those down a few days ago from a sale offer through Bass Pro Shops. They were giving them away with the purchase of Barska spotting scope, but I already have a pile of 1919s rusting away in the closet. Sometimes I think that getting machine guns is too easy here in the US.
Gunshow guns, the whole lot of em'. What, you don't believe me? Have you noticed at how far the prices on gold plated AKs have dropped?
Yeah, me neither.
Ever the optimist, I notice the piss poor gun handling of these guys, as well as their "marksmanship." I mean, who doesn't fire rounds into the air when they go to the range?
Update: Check out the Browning 1919 machine guns! I just turned several of those down a few days ago from a sale offer through Bass Pro Shops. They were giving them away with the purchase of Barska spotting scope, but I already have a pile of 1919s rusting away in the closet. Sometimes I think that getting machine guns is too easy here in the US.
First aid stuff
Something on my "to do" list that is long overdue is to put together some first aid kits; one for the car and one for the house. My Xterra comes with one that's pretty nice, and I've even added a couple of things.
If you're shopping for things to put in one, or are trying to start from scratch, go on over to Hell in a Handbasket for some ideas. Also, check out the comments section for some reader weigh in. Excellent ideas in there!
If you're shopping for things to put in one, or are trying to start from scratch, go on over to Hell in a Handbasket for some ideas. Also, check out the comments section for some reader weigh in. Excellent ideas in there!
Shootout ends well
Everyone got shot, and everyone lived. Well, so far: the bad guy is still fighting for his life. I don't have much sympathy for an armed robber.
The CCW wave is gone in Virginia
It looks as though most of the Virginian's who wanted to carry a concealed gun have already kissed the royal hand: permits are down the first part of this year.
Never leave a man behind
A good article on how a Soldier from WWI was found in France and returned to the family in the US. Some forensic and gool ol' fashioned investigative work was involved in this; I had no idea that DoD had such assets out and about looking for our fallen every single day. Good to know.
This comes on the heels of my family finding out that my grandfather, who served in WWII and Korea, and my grandmother, may be lost in Arlington National Cemetery due to the rampant stupidity that was discovered there recently.
Hopefully Pvt. Thomas Costello gets better treatment.
This comes on the heels of my family finding out that my grandfather, who served in WWII and Korea, and my grandmother, may be lost in Arlington National Cemetery due to the rampant stupidity that was discovered there recently.
Hopefully Pvt. Thomas Costello gets better treatment.
Traced to the US, no doubt
Adding more and more nails to the Mexican Drug Farce coffin, militant cartel gunman attacked Mexican federal police this weekend with grenades. Who wants to bet that the grenades were either M61 or M67 type made in the USA?
Any takers?
I ask because that would mean that, you know, the grenades could be "traced" to the US. Probably came from a gunshow, or the back of an NRA gun dealers van, or even Gander Mountain - they had a buy-one-get-one-free sale on foreign and domestic grenades this weekend. I hear that next month, they're giving away mortars to the first twelve people to buy a gun safe, so keep your eyes peeled!
Any takers?
I ask because that would mean that, you know, the grenades could be "traced" to the US. Probably came from a gunshow, or the back of an NRA gun dealers van, or even Gander Mountain - they had a buy-one-get-one-free sale on foreign and domestic grenades this weekend. I hear that next month, they're giving away mortars to the first twelve people to buy a gun safe, so keep your eyes peeled!
Thursday, July 8, 2010
What's old is new again: Home Improvement Edition
Regarding yesterday's A/C fiasco, I dialed up a number from the Good Ol' Boy network to ask an electrician buddy of mine about what he knows about central A/C units. Electricians know probably more about the HVAC trade than folks in any of the other trades combined, and even that knowledge is extremely limited.
You HVAC boys have that market shut like a lock.
My buddy didn't have much information for me other than he would come over and help me in any way he could. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, SailorCurt dropped me a comment with a link to a post he did on fixing his A/C unit. I read that post several times.
Could these frickin' things be that simple? I've set dozens of A/C units on the pedestal, leveled them, and then wired them up, but I've never really looked inside of one. The voodoo involved in making them work is the specialty of the HVAC boys; they go down deep within the heart of these units and add magic potions mixed from elven babies blood and unicorn tears. The units themselves are expertly forged by the hands of mighty dwarfs, crafted from the finest aluminum hewn from inside the Stickitooomeee mountains. I just envisioned them being so complicated considering that they cost thousands of dollars, they have to be installed by experts licensed. . . LICENSED!!. . . to add the magic potions, and some of them are even powered by trains that you can't even see! Nothing can stop those ones.
So imagine my surprise when I opened mine up and found out that Yup, it's just a run-of-the-mill compressor with a radiator like thingy surrounding it, and a simple motor with a fan. A consult with Google-The-Wise showed that the HVAC boys affectionately refer to them as "squirrel cages."
I've got it now.
Armed with SailorCurt's post, and my new found confidence that I can swap out a motor and make it work as long as the compressor is still good, buddy and I set about to make my world a better place. Good buddy noted that he had an A/C unit that the Direct TV installer had climbed on and broken, but that the fan motor and capacitor were still good to go. It was about five years old, but had only operated for a few weeks when the incident happened. Basically it was all brand new, but would it fit?
Like a glove!
Now the only problem I had was that the new fan spun the wrong way; the 3-blade fan that came with the new motor was too big, and the 4-blade fan that was on the old motor was pitched the wrong way. New motor with old fan went into the A/C unit, and managed to get my house down from this, taken last night:
To 81 degrees this morning. I went out to check on things this morning and the A/C was kinda milling super hot air around the unit, instead of blowing it out the top. These A/C thingies are really pretty neat; the fan pulls the coolest ambient air around (the air closest to the ground) through the coils (radiator looking doodad) and up out the top, all while also drawing the super hot air around the compressor (at the bottom of the unit) out the top with it. It's like the radiator in your car, only with the fan on top of the motor blowing the hot air out a big vent in your hood. Smart!
Thinking about it last night, I realized my remedy was to cut the thin aluminum blades of the fan that was on the new motor. Measuring carefully and guiding the Sharpie along by edging my fingers along the curved end of the blade, I marked off about an inch and a half of blade which was easily scored by a razor knife. The cut part peeled right off just as pretty as you please. The fan's hub is steel, and I didn't mess with it. One thing to know is that the fan is balanced, so cutting it runs the risk of making the whole unit wobble when it spins. Mine now has a barely perceptible wobble, which I can fix with the counter weights from my old fan. . . .on a cool day; it's good to go right now. When I fired it back up this morning, I could see it draw the ambient air through the sides of the unit like it's supposed to, and hot air was blowing right out the top.
All should be well now!
My kids were up until close to midnight last night, and everyone was in a foul mood from the heat. We had little room fans set up all over the place to make sure there was some circulating air, but it was still miserable. The bad part about it is that all of this could have been prevented with a little preventative maintenance.
The reason the old fan siezed up is because one of the two 125 volt lines that feed the motor had long ago come loose - long enough that the exposed copper was slightly corroded. The fan, running on half power, and with a full load from struggling against the heat wave on the East Coast, over taxed the capacitor, which was visibly bulged when I took off the electrical panel cover on the A/C unit. If I had shut the power off and looked over the daggone thing this spring, I probably could have avoided the whole fiasco entirely. Just the same though, ordering a new motor and capacitor costs less than a hundred bucks, which is way better than calling Home Despot to send out a barely trained installer to replace your A/C unit for $5,000.
Some things can be done yourself.
I'd like to give a big thanks to SailorCurt for his very helpful post! I really appreciate it!
You HVAC boys have that market shut like a lock.
My buddy didn't have much information for me other than he would come over and help me in any way he could. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, SailorCurt dropped me a comment with a link to a post he did on fixing his A/C unit. I read that post several times.
Could these frickin' things be that simple? I've set dozens of A/C units on the pedestal, leveled them, and then wired them up, but I've never really looked inside of one. The voodoo involved in making them work is the specialty of the HVAC boys; they go down deep within the heart of these units and add magic potions mixed from elven babies blood and unicorn tears. The units themselves are expertly forged by the hands of mighty dwarfs, crafted from the finest aluminum hewn from inside the Stickitooomeee mountains. I just envisioned them being so complicated considering that they cost thousands of dollars, they have to be installed by experts licensed. . . LICENSED!!. . . to add the magic potions, and some of them are even powered by trains that you can't even see! Nothing can stop those ones.
So imagine my surprise when I opened mine up and found out that Yup, it's just a run-of-the-mill compressor with a radiator like thingy surrounding it, and a simple motor with a fan. A consult with Google-The-Wise showed that the HVAC boys affectionately refer to them as "squirrel cages."
I've got it now.
Armed with SailorCurt's post, and my new found confidence that I can swap out a motor and make it work as long as the compressor is still good, buddy and I set about to make my world a better place. Good buddy noted that he had an A/C unit that the Direct TV installer had climbed on and broken, but that the fan motor and capacitor were still good to go. It was about five years old, but had only operated for a few weeks when the incident happened. Basically it was all brand new, but would it fit?
Like a glove!
Now the only problem I had was that the new fan spun the wrong way; the 3-blade fan that came with the new motor was too big, and the 4-blade fan that was on the old motor was pitched the wrong way. New motor with old fan went into the A/C unit, and managed to get my house down from this, taken last night:
To 81 degrees this morning. I went out to check on things this morning and the A/C was kinda milling super hot air around the unit, instead of blowing it out the top. These A/C thingies are really pretty neat; the fan pulls the coolest ambient air around (the air closest to the ground) through the coils (radiator looking doodad) and up out the top, all while also drawing the super hot air around the compressor (at the bottom of the unit) out the top with it. It's like the radiator in your car, only with the fan on top of the motor blowing the hot air out a big vent in your hood. Smart!
Thinking about it last night, I realized my remedy was to cut the thin aluminum blades of the fan that was on the new motor. Measuring carefully and guiding the Sharpie along by edging my fingers along the curved end of the blade, I marked off about an inch and a half of blade which was easily scored by a razor knife. The cut part peeled right off just as pretty as you please. The fan's hub is steel, and I didn't mess with it. One thing to know is that the fan is balanced, so cutting it runs the risk of making the whole unit wobble when it spins. Mine now has a barely perceptible wobble, which I can fix with the counter weights from my old fan. . . .on a cool day; it's good to go right now. When I fired it back up this morning, I could see it draw the ambient air through the sides of the unit like it's supposed to, and hot air was blowing right out the top.
All should be well now!
My kids were up until close to midnight last night, and everyone was in a foul mood from the heat. We had little room fans set up all over the place to make sure there was some circulating air, but it was still miserable. The bad part about it is that all of this could have been prevented with a little preventative maintenance.
The reason the old fan siezed up is because one of the two 125 volt lines that feed the motor had long ago come loose - long enough that the exposed copper was slightly corroded. The fan, running on half power, and with a full load from struggling against the heat wave on the East Coast, over taxed the capacitor, which was visibly bulged when I took off the electrical panel cover on the A/C unit. If I had shut the power off and looked over the daggone thing this spring, I probably could have avoided the whole fiasco entirely. Just the same though, ordering a new motor and capacitor costs less than a hundred bucks, which is way better than calling Home Despot to send out a barely trained installer to replace your A/C unit for $5,000.
Some things can be done yourself.
I'd like to give a big thanks to SailorCurt for his very helpful post! I really appreciate it!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
What was old is new again
I got my Suunto watch back yesterday. Truth be told, Suunto had the watch fixed and back out the door in about a days time, which is awesome; the reason I got it back yesterday is because FedEx took their sweet ass time during delivery. Looking back, I dropped the watch into the package on Thursday the 24th, Suunto emailed me about the price to fix it on the following Monday, and had it in the mail on Tuesday. That's fast.
I did have to pay $55 for the service since the watch was well out of warranty, but for my troubles I basically got a brand new watch. They replaced the case, the face, and the bezel; I also got a new set of D-rings - I had ordered these with the crappy velcro strap about a year ago and used them with a Zulu strap which I highly recommend. The crappy rubber strap that came with the watch rotted off, so it needed a high quality replacement.
Let's recap.
Here is what I sent:
And here is what they returned:
I didn't buy this watch to wear to the Prom; I bought it to withstand the harshest environments on the planet, which it has. After four years of abuse, it looked like it was flogged with a sock full of nickels, and now it looks cool again.
I'd say that Suunto makes a great product and stands behind it. Good on em'.
Now I want to buy more of their stuff! See how that works!
I did have to pay $55 for the service since the watch was well out of warranty, but for my troubles I basically got a brand new watch. They replaced the case, the face, and the bezel; I also got a new set of D-rings - I had ordered these with the crappy velcro strap about a year ago and used them with a Zulu strap which I highly recommend. The crappy rubber strap that came with the watch rotted off, so it needed a high quality replacement.
Let's recap.
Here is what I sent:
And here is what they returned:
I didn't buy this watch to wear to the Prom; I bought it to withstand the harshest environments on the planet, which it has. After four years of abuse, it looked like it was flogged with a sock full of nickels, and now it looks cool again.
I'd say that Suunto makes a great product and stands behind it. Good on em'.
Now I want to buy more of their stuff! See how that works!
It's all about the timing
The A/C unit in my house went out yesterday in what is the start of a week long heat wave. The sleeping conditions were rather eventful last night, to say the least.
Good times.
The fan was seized up this morning, but I managed to get it spinning again with the help of a meat fork from my grill. Maybe with some tender care the thing won't die on me yet. If its time really has come, I will be shelling out the equivalent of a new rifle for a new A/C.
Good times.
The fan was seized up this morning, but I managed to get it spinning again with the help of a meat fork from my grill. Maybe with some tender care the thing won't die on me yet. If its time really has come, I will be shelling out the equivalent of a new rifle for a new A/C.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
My 3rd of July
What a great day! Yesterday I spent a few hours casting bullets while everyone around me was shooting fireworks into the air. Sure, the bigger ones wake the kids up every now and then, but this comes around once a year, and I like the scenery.
Anyhow, I learn more and more every time I give this a shot, like not smelting at 900 degrees unless you want fluffy purple bullets. The zinc wheel weights usually float to the top, but when the heat is high they can and do melt. Ooops.
Here is yesterday's booty:
Click to make bigger and more beautiful.
See those eeensy weeensy little ones? Those would be 102 grain boooolits for my Kel-Tec P3AT! No more ammo shortage for this guy. Dies are in the mail. Now to expand on my shell casing collection, and I will be mass producing those as well.
Range report to follow hopefully in the next week or so. In the meantime, I'm going to smoke my single stage press making .45 ACP. The zombies could be braying on my door as early as tomorrow, so I have to be prepared.
Anyhow, I learn more and more every time I give this a shot, like not smelting at 900 degrees unless you want fluffy purple bullets. The zinc wheel weights usually float to the top, but when the heat is high they can and do melt. Ooops.
Here is yesterday's booty:
Click to make bigger and more beautiful.
See those eeensy weeensy little ones? Those would be 102 grain boooolits for my Kel-Tec P3AT! No more ammo shortage for this guy. Dies are in the mail. Now to expand on my shell casing collection, and I will be mass producing those as well.
Range report to follow hopefully in the next week or so. In the meantime, I'm going to smoke my single stage press making .45 ACP. The zombies could be braying on my door as early as tomorrow, so I have to be prepared.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Or you could just wear bubblewrap
"Strong currents, debris such as tree branches and slippery rocks have caused injuries and deaths. It is safer to enjoy the river from somewhere outside the water, rather than in it."Yeah, nothing sucks more than enjoying cool clear water by getting in it. What a moron.
If you can't swim, than wear a life jacket and swim with sober friends; you won't have any problems. It is a deadly river, sure, and you wouldn't know by looking at it. The reason people drown in it all the time is because they're usually drunk, or can't swim (well), don't use the buddy system - it's really just a lack of what is generally refered to as common sense.
I hear that skydiving and lion taming are very safe, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to give it a shot on my own; common sense says that I would find some competent buddies to help me out, and I wouldn't be shitfaced on my first try. Lions look all nice and cuddly and all, but I know that looks can be deceiving. That's why I would be careful.
Every year though, several people drown in the Rappahannock, and usually two drown on the 4th of July. Sometimes a child drowns, and it breaks my heart. The parents are always to blame; youngins should be wearing their life jacket, and both parents should be sober.
The numbers are sobering: 85 people have drowned in the river since 1985. The last ones were in June 2008. The victims were a 51-year-old Stafford man and a teenager from Maryland.Sobering is the key word that people don't get.
So enjoy the water. Get in it if you can; it's a very historic part of this nation, and it's a cool place to be. Sure, if you want to tie one on then stay on the shores, but if you're of a sound mind, don't let this "official" rain on your parade.
An Arsenal of One
During the night, someone broke into the vehicle and made off with a Colt M-4 rifle, two loaded M-4 magazines and two loaded .40 caliber Glock magazines. The thief also took two sets of handcuffs, two Montgomery County Police badges and a baton.One rifle = arsenal. This is, of course, NBC News we're talking about; sensationalism runs rampant in this organization. They are but one half step above grocery store tabloids that run stories about bat-boys and B1 bombers on the moon.
Interesting that a Maryland cop gets issued an automatic weapon, and then leaves it in the car overnight to get stolen by a scumbag. Can Maryland Citizens own full auto weapons legally? I bet if they do, they don't leave them in their car.
No word on why the thief bothered to risk life and limb to steal such a weapon from a cop when he could have just been issued one at a Virginia gun show for a few dollars.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Ooooh Oooooh!! A caption contest!
You must enter!
It seems that Clay Jones, on his blog at Fredericksburg.com, has an opinion, and he wants you to be a part of it!
Go on over and show Clay just how much you treasure his anti-gun opinion, would you?
Here's my entry:
It seems that Clay Jones, on his blog at Fredericksburg.com, has an opinion, and he wants you to be a part of it!
Go on over and show Clay just how much you treasure his anti-gun opinion, would you?
Here's my entry:
More stupidity on the Virginia restaurant carry
You absolutely have to check out this shamelessly biased video on the matter from NBC Washington.
That is no accident. In case you're wondering what the hell I'm talking about, the commercial at the beginning of the video is a cyber-stealing awareness video that has two masked men with rifles walking into a bank while firing on full auto.
Jackie Bensen is the reporter in the video, and whether or not this is her doing, she is still accountable.
She did give Jim Snyder of the VCDL a crack at his take on the law, which he helped push through. Still, there's just no covering up the bias.
That is no accident. In case you're wondering what the hell I'm talking about, the commercial at the beginning of the video is a cyber-stealing awareness video that has two masked men with rifles walking into a bank while firing on full auto.
Jackie Bensen is the reporter in the video, and whether or not this is her doing, she is still accountable.
She did give Jim Snyder of the VCDL a crack at his take on the law, which he helped push through. Still, there's just no covering up the bias.
Virginia laws in effect today
Concealed carry in restaurants that serve alcohol is legal today, as well as being legal to transport a firearm in a vehicle's locked compartment. Also, you can ask Master to renew your concealed carry permit by mail, and court clerks now have to tell you that you can appeal a denied concealed carry permit.
Not too shabby.
Do notice some of the people's confusion in the comments at the article.
Oh yeah, and check out the picture to the article on NBC Washington's front page. Smart anonymous reporter takes you back to the Wild West, despite the Wild West not being very wild. Predictable.
Not too shabby.
Do notice some of the people's confusion in the comments at the article.
Oh yeah, and check out the picture to the article on NBC Washington's front page. Smart anonymous reporter takes you back to the Wild West, despite the Wild West not being very wild. Predictable.
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