Rifle Competition Area

So, MBtGE got word that a neighbor he is friendly with has some land out in the boonies. He immediately thought "remote hunting property and target shooting location."

So we went to check it out. Last weekend.

Other than being an hour and a half away, south of Luray Virginia (home of Luray Caverns, with the worlds ONLY stalactite organ.) it's pretty nice. Totally unimproved, with NO nearby traffic or traffic noise.

It's in a bowl up a valley, so shooting is not a problem there. The sheer mountain faces make good bullet stops. And the clearing that is the former cow field has a nice lane at least 300 yards long.

We found a fresh deer stand. Someone had to trespass to build it. The owner doesn't mind as long as they don't tear up the place. He hasn't posted the land. MBtGE and me have full written permission to hunt all we want.

More importantly, I have a place I might be able to set up to actually compete in the blogger e-postal shooting match. Which is good, because SOMEONE has to come in last and I will help the second to last place person feel better about themselves.The land is for sale, and is tempting, but I don't know if we can swing the ducats. And we'd perhaps prefer something a bit closer to West Virginia.

But I better hurry for the shooting competition. The first round ends on September 30th. I did get the 100 yard targets for that. Should have gotten the 50 when I got the 100 yard ones…

We did do some shooting. And I was extra bad. The only thing I shot halfway decently was my 1911 (huh!) MBtGE's XD 9mm, and my pump action .22 worked the best. The .22 was extra nice, hitting everything I looked at. The other pistols I missed with were hitting high or low and missing the paper, but I couldn't tell which.

I don't prefer that XD trigger, but I do shoot pretty good with it. Odd. Not liking the trigger, but using it well.

I did try the .40 Beretta DA only. I shot it better than I remember, but not as good as that SIG 229. Also up was a 1911 Commander size (horrible shot with it.)

Rifle Range, August

In case you haven't guessed. I purchased an M1A. I got it on the same day Obama was nominated. It's a Fulton. Service rifle. I popped for the National Match trigger, but that's it. Just your basic semi-automatic M-14. Chrome lined barrel.

And yesterday, I took it shooting. Hap Baker range.

I am very pleased.

First I had to zero it. I eventually chose 12 clicks up for elevation. It shoots a few inches high at 100 yards, but the idea is it will be spot on at 200 or 250 yards. A little low at 300. Good for center-mass shots unless your groups are tight. If they are tight you can compensate at figure out where the shots will fall on zombie heads based on guessing the range. If you are set to shoot a bit high at 100 yards, aim for the throat. Aim at the zombie's head at 200. Aim at his hat at 300. Easy peasy.

Zeroing the rifle for windage was a bit of a sticky wicket. I forgot the principles behind windage. The rifle was shooting right and I was turning the windage adjustment the wrong way. You have to move the rear sight in the direction you want the shots to move. If you are shooting at the bull and hitting the 3 on the clock, you need to move the rear sight to the left. Brain fart on that one, I moved it to the right until I realized my mistake.

For those readers that haven't been to a rifle range, the black dot on the paper target 100 yards away is teeny weeny! The fore-sight blade on a M1A is pretty thin. Thinner than the Garand. Even then, the dot on the target isn't half as wide as the blade. There is no way to know if you are on target, as you can't see the holes. It's even hard with a spotting scope. But once zeroed at 25, where I can see, and at 50, where I can see with a spotting scope, I fired away at 100, trusting in my skill. For those that know my skill, that was a leap of faith.

But here is where I was shooting. The small marks are from a ceasefire inspection when there was only 5 holes. (you can barely see the marks. one is the one in the 8 ring at 4 o'clock.) The rest are when that ceasefire ended:

The pattern is only 4 inches in diameter. That a 2 MOA rifle. Except it's not. Those shots were from me, not set up on a sled or on sandbags. Just me and a military style leather sling. So I am the limiting factor. The rifle has to be better than me.

To stress, I can barely SEE that black circle. And if I had adjusted the elevation 3 or 4 clicks down, nearly all those holes would be IN the black. 9 ring. With a bunch in the 10 ring. Respectable for a n00b. And you all already know, I don't shoot slow and careful. One shot every 5 seconds, maybe. Maybe faster.

If you are a zombie, wandering toward me, I can hit your head at 200 yard. I can hit your head at 50, easily. I can hit inside a 12 inch diameter circle at 300 (but probably need some clicks up to do so, maybe 8-10.) You are a dead undead monstrosity, and you won't be eating my brains. Your shamblor friends won't be eating my brains if I see a group of you 200 yards away. The only way I have trouble is if you are the type of zombie that dodges and doesn't wanna be shot. Gotta work on that.

For me, this is excellent performance from a rifle. Now I just have to work on 'me.' If I want to get most all 20 in the 10 ring. And I do want that.

THIS is a good rifle. Did I say I was pleased?

Oh, and gun show bargain $12 M1A magazines are NOT a bargain. Pop for the good stuff. Luckily, I had some good stuff. The mags I have with no mark are worthless. The spring isn't strong enough. The mags marked 'W' or 'BRW S-1' worked fine with only one failure to feed. The ones marked with nothing should have been marked with a 'C' for 'Chinese' or 'Crap'.

Other lessons learned: Bring water to the range. It was mid-80s and no wind. Humid. I was shaky near the end. Part of that was dehydration. Also, bring a plastic bag for the spent brass. And go earlier. I had to wait an hour and a half for a lane. EVERYBODY was there zeroing their hunting rifles.

120 .7.62x51 rounds shot, today. 60 .22 LR shot out of the Taurus model 62 pump action. Fun, fun, fun.

Oh, and I don't have to wear a hat with this rifle. The brass doesn't shoot at my temple. It goes forward or at least straight right. Good. I hate those little circular burn marks on my temple. It impacts my success with the ladies. Hello, Ladies...

Romero Mission, August 2008

Some of you noticed I was gone in the end of July, beginning of August. That was a ‘vacation.’ Yeah. It was a Romero mission.

I didn’t think I’d be able to post blog entries during the op, but the Sat uplink was stable and I actually had some time to do it.

I’ll tell you what they’ll let me divulge.

Where was the Op? Asia. That narrows it down, doesn’t it?

There were no friendlies or neutrals in the area, according to the FLIR look, from that morning, so no all-black uniforms were needed, and we could go in in full light. No time to change those black uniforms out, but the Kinetics guy did forgo use of the NVG and donned fluorescent orange reflective vests. They looked like they are going to direct traffic like that.

As I mentioned, it was a contained, fully-converted area with a few dozen shamblors. Easy peasy. The worry was the outbreak had gotten out of the geographical area. And ever since the 1975 fiasco the powers that be tend to send in ALL the cavalry at the git go, damn the expense, rather than sending smaller groups in piecemeal.

Normally in this situation, firebombing is recommended, IF you can make it look normal. Forest fires are perfect. We couldn’t in this case. Too close to witness populations down valley. You can’t always have zero witnesses, but you try to minimize it. With a mixed population of Zeds and Normals or Neutrals you definitely get witnesses. And you can’t just eliminate the witnesses. Just not cricket.

But, like I said, no close-by witnesses, so the kinetic guys were sent in, piling out of OV-10 Broncos, 5 at a time. They do their ‘thing,’ using suppressed M4s and any decoys or bait; and after, they setup a perimeter. They were really lucky to have an easy access to the town water-tower. Made for easy pickings. Second wave is almost simultaneously airdropped LAST teams rolling in from a nearby flat area. I was with this group, and by the time we rolled up to the scene there wasn’t even any Twitchers. We got to work with loading the bulk of remains back into a few of the more isolated and flammable houses. These we set alight on our way out.

The fly-in had attracted too much attention the next population center over, so extraction in the C-130s was out. We had 10 Sky Cranes on stand-by, and local, to go with the Bronco and Sea Stallions. They can pick our Strykers up even with extra load of infantry and zombie body parts we had to scrape up. (Luckily, I wasn’t needed for that duty and kept my nose in my computer screen the whole time. It’s my turn next time. What can I say? I have janitorial experience. It helped me get this job. Long story.) And they did. Off we went to a Q-Ship we use that looks like a loaded container ship/freighter. It's hollow in the center. From this we can break the team up and send them back to base piecemeal. Commercial flights, oftentimes. I hate the damn airlines. But I had to get back to my cover-job in a timely fashion.

Tally this trip, 111 zombies retired. Truth effectively suppressed. Injury to Kinetic team from village boar (minor to Kinetic man, or woman in this case, fatal to the pig), and twisted ankle and strained back on LAST clean-up team. Cover story back home: I went on ‘vacation’. You’re welcome.

SIG... Again

The SIG SAS models aren't restricted to just the one I got to play with.

The P229 was the original one I considered. The one Chuckles has. It has the smooth double action DAK trigger, the frame is dehorned so it won't snag on stuff, it has handsome wood grips, but all the other SAS are these things.

This particular SAS model is a bit bulky, and that is its minus, but the minus goes hand in hand with the 'plus' of 12 round magazing capacity. .40 caliber only, and the 229 was supposedly designed from the ground up as a pistol to shoot the .40, rather than a 9mm model redesigned to make-do. At least that is the hype surrounding it. And I like it. Lots.

Another is the P239. Too small for my hand, I bet. TOO tiny is the minus. But man that would be nice and concealable and comfortable. Low capacity at 7 or 8 rounds. Not bad. Wonder if that is single stack mags? It comes in 9mm and .40, and there is one less round crammed into the .40 compared to the 9mm. Darn thing must be teeny. And I bet it's snappy on the recoil, perhaps uncomfortable. I'd DEFINITELY have to test fire one to consider it, both for hand fit and the comfort for my hand, as well as how I can shoot it.

The SIG P220 Carry SAS .45 is about the same size weight as 229… hmmm, I could go this route, with the manly .45ACP.

There are various other calibers in the SIG line besides the considered .40 or .45. Like the 9mm (no) and .357 SIG (maybe… good performing round, that .357 SIG, but expensive and less available than .40 or .45, AND I can't seem to find a de-horned version like the P220 .45 below).

I could buy this one without a test drive. Just being able to fondle it in the store would answer my questions. It's only slightly bigger than the 229 in height and weight. It might be less bulky, even, as it only has 8 rounds in the magazine, so the grip could be slimmer. I'd have to compare in the store. (It would be cool if that magazine was 1911 style! Nope. I checked. Had it been it would have rocketed to the top of the want list.)

Note the big visual difference between the 3 models is the trigger guard. Odd. For the 220, the little hook helps if you grip it in such a way you weak hand can can engage it, thus helping control recoil flip. Or it can be, for some grip types.

I'm torn between either the 220 or the 229, I think. Plenty of time to think about it. Maryland isn't in a hurry to pass Conceal Carry legislation.

Notice

"Notice anything different about me?"

"Yeah... Did you shave your mustache?"

Video Games

There is a new video game coming out in November, called Left 4 Dead. Brought to you by the people that made Half Life 2. You are one of 4 survivor trapped in a zombie infested city, and you have to make your way out.

Oh, and the zombies? They are the sprinting kind.

~shiver~

Nothing gives members of GEOrge RoMERO the heebie jeebies more than the development of a sprinting zombie. That type would escalate to level 4 so quickly we might not be able to contain it. Sure it won't be a TRUE zombie, chances are. Not actual re-animated slow dead people like we get today. They would be people infected with a disease that makes them psychotic, enraged, and cannibalistic.

It looks good, and graphics are top notch, as most of the high end games are these days.

And for you non RoMERO types out there, there IS a long anticipated survivalist type game coming out. Post nuclear holocaust. Fallout 3.

Pelosi is a Zombie!

The speaker of the house, Nancy Pelosi (D, CA) may be a member of the walking dead.

“House Democratic leaders and protesters waving McCain signs had a war of words Tuesday at a press event outside an old train station. The demonstrators interrupted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi with chants of “Drill here! Drill now!” Pelosi paused and asked the group, “Right here?” Seeming to enjoy the back and forth, she followed with another question: “Can we drill your brains?”

DRILL OUR BRAINS?!

Ahhh!!!!

AHHHHHHH!!!!!!

ZOMBIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The Speaker is a ZOMBIE! She wants to drill out and eat our brains!

I’m not ready! The Zed have infiltrated into the highest reaches of Gov’t! I don't have enough ammo!

Brains, indeed. You kinda think she might be a shamblor, really, when you look at those vacant eyes. I suspected back in '04...

Caseless Ammo

There is an NRA publication on caseless ammunition.

(hat tip to Rustmeister.)


I’ve been aware of the effort to make caseless ammunition since I was a kid and read about an attempt to make the F-15 Eagle’s gun a 20mm caseless, type. The ammunition didn’t work out back in the early 70’s so they switched up to the gatling type it we are more familiar with today.

So caseless ammo has been on the mind of military armaments engineers for some time. For those unfamiliar with it, picture a regular cartridge, but with no brass or primer. A blob of propellant and the bullet only.

The obvious advantage is in weight savings. Without a heavy brass case a machine gunner can lift a lot more rounds, or an airplane is saddled with fewer pounds that slow it down.

M1 Abrahms tanks sort of have this caseless system. When the gunner fires a 150mm round, there isn’t a big brass can that falls out of the back of the main gun. The case is made out of cellulose and burns mostly away. Only the end-cap is there as waste for the gunner to drop on the floor. Good thing too. Big brass cases rolling around the back of a tank would get in the way pretty quickly.

There are a lot of technical problems involved getting the thing to work.

Wonderful. Let’s say we ARE on the verge of a breakthrough. Some materials engineer is close to making a propellent stick he can ‘glue’ to the back of a bullet that is tough and solid until ignited, then disappears into gas, leaving little residue and NO case. For rifle and pistol ammo. Cool.

They’ll then design military arms around this new ammo. Machine gunners will get shiny new toys.

And if the ammo is cheaper than conventional ammo, then everybody is going to get new guns. Pistols, rifles, submachine guns, etc. For the military. Not for me an thee. It’s ‘not in common use’ these new guns, so nothing for civilian use.

Uh oh.

But is that really so bad? These new weapons will be new with all the inherent glitches. Even after these glitches are sorted out and the new stuff is as reliable as the stuff we already have, is there really any advantage conferred for us regular folks? Cheaper, yes, but .45 ACP ammo is .30 cents. Will the magical new caseless firing sidearm be, what? Only .10 cents? That’d be nice but it is not prohibitively advantageous. What if the new wonder-pistol is smaller and more compact and confers an advantage that way? So? It hasn’t repealed the Laws of Physics. A lightweight .45 still will kick like a lightweight .45. And there are lightweight .45s out there now.
Caseless ammo will be cool. Civilians should definitely push for its sale to civilians in order to keep our 2nd Amendment rights secure. But it is no quantum leap to a Buck Rogers Ray-Gun yet. Methinks.

Hmmm, I know someone has done type study. Back of the envelope type-study for modern military long arms:

Generation One for truly modern rifles, the breech loader. Trapdoor Springfields and stuff like the British Peabody-Martini-Henry.

Generation Two, after some fits and starts, a truly successful bolt action like the Mauser, for the US Army, even the Krag would count, and certainly the Springfield '03.

Generation Three, the Garand types. Rugged semi-autos, ending with the short service lived M14.

Generation Four, the modern Assault Carbine, starting with the StG 44 and including the AK47, the M-16 and all the offshoots, post war. And there are many.

Who knows what the Gernation Five modern infantry weapon/rifle will be like? Blasters? Gauss Rifles? All we are seeing now, 'new,' is refinements to the fourth generation, in my opinion.

If I'm talking out my butt, someone may note that in the comments section.

10/22 pr0n

Volquartsen 10/22's:

Here's a 10/22 I could really get behind....

Good looking futuristic mod of the Ruger classic:

I bet Volquartsen is as accurate as all get out, and more accurate than me. I bet the plain Jane 10/22 above is more accurate than me, but only a smidge.

I sorta have my heart set on my first 10/22 being a suppressed one, though.

Heh! Is this what they got at Blackwater?

All the lucky Gun Bloggers that got selelcted to go to Blackwater and train with Todd Jarrett might have instruction like this:



Looks like some good info even in that little blurb, but I'll have the participants elaborate.

Like the hand-marking noted in Sharp as a Marble

Listen carefully what he says about putting the pad of the trigger finger on the trigger. He doesn't want 'influence' from the knuckle farther back and "allow that 7 o'clock push at times." (3:25ish in)

Heh. I'm a '5 o'clock push at times.' You'd expect that for a left hander.

Even Breda tells me: "But I think you might be using too much finger on the trigger. (for where the shots go off to the right) Slow down and use only your fingertip on the trigger. This will help you squeeze straight back instead of yanking it."

So Todd knows my trouble, BREDA knows my trouble, even deep down, I know my trouble. And now my pistol range is closed for remodelling, so no application of new concepts. Sheesh. All the luck.

Update: Dammit! How come they change the embed code OVERNIGHT on these video sites. It's no END to annoying. I hope it's fixed.

Michigan Tactical

for the connoisseur mall ninja:



Michigan Tactical Supply.



Some nice stuff, but the item that attracted my attention was this:

.308 Magazine bandoleer (or bandolier). Who needs that wimpy .223 stuff?

I saw a link to this bandoleer on the Maryland Shooter's forum. It's cheap enough to take a chance on, I figure. So I'll order one. Inexpensive portable storage for rifle magazines.

August Range Report 2

The plan was, I shoot Chuckles gun for a box, he shoots mine for a box. He wanted some trigger time to be sure he actually wanted a 1911 on his Wish List for future acquistion. I wanted to see what the SIG 229 SAS did for me.

And this is what I shot with the SIG:

See? Good shooting, for me, but the same problems I have with semi-auto pistols. I also got to try the 2 stage parts of the SIG DAK trigger, You don’t have to release the trigger all the way to pull it again. There is a little click as you return the trigger forward and you can pull at that point and the gun goes bang. I guess you can get follow-up rounds off faster and downrange thata way.
A fun gun, still.

And here is Chuckles shooting my 1911:

That big hole in the center is the first 2 mags gouging out a hole. The four ‘flyers’ near the center are his last mag when he was trying to go for speed. His carefully aimed shots are pretty fast, all by themselves, though. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast. He's pretty good, huh? After shooting a box, Chuckles definitely needs a 1911. And we demonstrably proved that my particular gun shoots just fine, thank you, and the only limitation on it is my shooting ability.

I also shot a neighbors gun. S&W model 10 .38 Special. My very first shot is the one in the bullseye. Why does that happen? Quit a few of my “first shots” are perfect ones, when I take a gun out cold. Sort of a repetitive beginners luck. It takes follow-up shots to demonstrate my ineptitude. The close in stuff is single action, the scattered stuff is DA, mostly. The head shots are all SA:

Then I shot my 1911, just to see. I was warmed up and tired. But it gave me hope. I tried to concentrate most of surprising myself with the trigger break. The really good surprises are the ones in the bulls. The pace still seemed fast. Not bad for tired and rushed though. As good as the SIG maybe? Yes, maybe. Better than in the past? Yes, there might be a hint of improvement:

This one is just free-shoot with the 1911 .45:

Hmm… Late in the shooting session. The flaw is just down. The Trouble Shooter says this is Wrist Breaking. That’s kinda new. Or at least new to me for recognizing. So add Wrist Break to Trigger Jerk and Flinching, but it is the same sort of problem.

More Sig Mulls

With some 1911mull thrown in. It’s all the fashion.


I’m still thinking on why I shoot some pistols better than others, and why I don’t shoot the 1911 as well as others.

I mean, my flaws are the same. I’ll flinch and jerk with a .357 and a .40 and a XD .45 as much as I’d flinch and jerk with a 1911-A1 .45. Same flinch. Same jerk. Same inaccuracies? No. I shoot lousy with the 1911. Lousier.

I’m coming around to the conclusion that the 1911 is an Advanced-level gun. The others are Beginner, or Intermediate level.

I shoot better with the SIG P229 SAS because it is designed (especially that trigger) with a n00b in mind. With a couple more years of range practice I would hope to be as accurate with the 1911 as I am with the SIG. Let’s assume that prediction is true. And let’s assume I have a 1911 I have grown into and I went ahead and got a SIG a couple years before. Is the SIG superfluous? Something I never should have spent the money on? Money better spent getting better with what I have? Perhaps. But the SIG does have a place, in all but a few life-situations. It’s smaller and lighter. It’s a .40. It’s a easier conceal carry piece for these reasons, and its been dehorned. [Thought SIG makes SAS dehorned Double Action Only in other calibers, including .45ACP like the P220 SAS, and also compact versions like the P239 SAS. So I have THAT to think about too. The compact version looks TOO small...]

It would have a place in the gun safe except for the extreme circumstance, “Only select to keep the guns you can carry on foot, we are leaving now to stay ahead of the Zombie Horde.” In that case a rifle and pistol are probably it. And the pistol would be the 1911. Assuming this zombocalypse was 2 years from now, and I did get better with the 1911.

Sadly, if I had a SIG today and the Zombie Horde was a few miles away and approaching, I’d take it and not the 1911. And for this I feel great shame…

And that also means, if the Zombies come tomorrow, I am not ready. I’d be better taking the revolver today. Revolver and Garand. Or soon, revolver and M1A. I better find a better revolver holster, in any case. And get some instruction all around. Gottdem Zombies aren’t gonna shoot themselves.

~sigh~

But it’s good to reflect on and know your own limitations. And right now my 1911 skill is my worst shooting liability.

WWTD?

Do I like my 1911? Yes, very much so! Does it work well? Yes, indeed. The only thing wrong with it is the shooter. Is that something I can correct? I hope so. Do I still want the SIG 229 SAS? YES! I’d want it even if I was better with the 1911, I think. It is budget constraints and life simplification is what keeps me from getting one today. Do I worship the 1911? Outwardly, yes, but mainly to be ironic and entertaining in ridiculous fake-fanboi fashion. At least SIGs are metal. Will I take my own advice and go with a pistol I like and shoot well and get a 229? Probably in the future when the gun budget recovers. Dang. It sounds so logical but just feels so wrong.

Update: since composing the above I went to the range and shot a whole box out of the SIG. Phew, thank JMB, (pbuh… he works in mysterious ways), I shoot good with it, but it is no miracle gun for the T-Bolt. I exhibit the same shooting flaws with it as I do with the 1911, when I have a bigger sample to look at instead of a few rounds. So the gun’s appeal is that it is more compact, de-horned, well made, and simple to operate and has a high capacity magazine. It no longer has the appeal of “It’s MAGIC! And I can shoot all the bad guys in the eye unfailingly with it.” Which is a good thing, really, especially for the gun budget. I need to change me, not my gun. I knew that already, deep in my bones, but it’s still hard to admit.

Range report tomorrow.

Zombie...

LEGO!!!

Sig Mulls

I said I had to mull it over. The idea of acquiring the very excellent-for-me SIG 229 SAS.

Word on the street says SIG is the Mercedes to Glock’s Chevy. A bit heavier, naturally. And the SIG has a reputation of needing to be given more TLC than the Glock.

SIG plusses over the Glock or any other model, including SIG versions, for me: DAMN I shot that SIG better than anything I’ve tried. Fit my hand better. And I like metal.

I asked my gun dealer to name a comparable model. You know. A nice .40 with a trigger as sweet as the SIG. So I can shop around. He said, “How do you get sweeter than a SIG?”

And he’s not a SIG guy.

Yeah.

The plan forward…

Get training. Basic Pistol NRA and then work up from there. Ask the instructor on what to take next to improve my accuracy. Get it so my 1911 shooting is much better. This whole quandry about a SIG is near moot if I shoot the venerable 1911 as well as the 229.

Try more pistols. Seriously try. Not just a magazine shot through them, but at least a box of 50. With Corky and Chuckles, hand them my 1911 and .357, and borrow their 229 and XD45. With MBtGE, get my hands on his Commander sized 1911, and his 2 glocks. Maybe his .40 Berretta, too. My abilities with that .40, years ago, compared to Chuckles’ .40 last week were night and day. I’ve never shot as bad as I did with that Berretta. Maybe I am better now and should try it again. Maybe I’m better at a lot of them now.

Keep my credit card in my pocket. When it comes to superfluous pistols. Rifle is next. I won’t even be ready for BAG day next April, the wallet will take such a hit.

I never really thought too seriously about a .40. At least for a long while. It runs counter to my “limit my calibers for ease of ammunition inventory,” and the .40 doesn’t fit in with that system in place. That doesn’t mean it can’t change. The Sig 229 SAS isn’t perfect. Assuming it’s as reliable as a 1911, it’s still a bit on the big size. The smaller caliber, but big enough, is its strength to me. That and the accuracy I can shoot it, naturally.

Or I can just say “scroo it all” and carry a snubby revolver, when I carry. I shot that DA revolver pretty well last week, too… Saves me the headaches of introducing a new caliber to the mix. THAT’s a solution. The trick is finding a snubby I like as much as the SIG, and that might be the problem.


Oooo, another thought hit me… SIG 229 chamber in .357 sig…

Quiz time!

Quiz time!

You are trapped in a mall during the Zombie Apocalypse.

You can choose 2 weapons, a celebrity companion, and one Muzak song on the overhead speakers stuck, on auto-repeat...

What do you choose?

I'd choose a P90 (semi-auto is fine) and a Pulaski style Fireman's Axe,

Samual "Bad M*****F*****" Jackson,

and "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head."

Nifty Survival Blog

His survival informational theme is geared toward instructing n00b survival enthusiasts. Check it out.

GEOrge RoMERO

If you’ve been paying attention that last few months you’ve seen it. It’s all over the place.

Signs of zombies in the news…

There is a ongoing secret war against them.

A year I was recruited to fight in that war thanks to my background as a 'Recon Green Beret Airborne in Seal Team 6.'

[ed: You know how to tell if some was really in Special Forces? Well not only has he never bragged about it, he probably has never mentioned it. So all those people that haven't claimed to be SpecOps, probably ARE SpecOps. I had no idea Grandma was, but I have to assume so because she never talked about her time during the war…]

Nah. You all know I've always joked about that. I have other skills that got me recruited. None of those Operator Skills.


I'm not kinetic energy. Yet. Just support. I keep their email and chat servers running. I make sure they can share Word files when they type up after action reports. I maintain Config Management for those same files, run system backups. Keep the all important network UP. So I don't get the primo gear, but it's still pretty sweet. Also there is KP duties and ammo-bearing. Everyone has to take a turn in the mess hall peeling potatoes. Not a whole lot of potato peeler types out there with Zombie Security Clearances. Shoot there are some PRESIDENTS that don’t get the Zombie Security Clearance. I’m looking at YOU Jimmah. Clinton didn’t get cleared til 1997.

And I’ve been tasked with sharing some inside information with YOU people. Both loyal readers. So try to keep this under your hats. If word gets too far afield the panic could kill more people than Zed would. Well in a level 3 situation. In Level 4 outbreaks… yeah, Zed will kill more people than panic. A lot more.


The organization is called the Ghoul Elimination Organization. Rapid Multi-Eradication Recon Ops. GEOrge RoMERO, or simply Romero, for short. I’m one of the LAST Men, or Light Armored Security Team. I ride around in modified Strykers, after the point Troops clear an area on foot. Comms gear, computer servers, and support equipment are in the vehicles and since that is my job that is where I sit. The LAST vehicles are there to solve problems that arise. We are also a fall back line in the event there are other-than-undead hostiles. OTU’s. It’s because of them that ROMERO retained a bit of the armor on the Stryker vehicles, along with the heavier arms. Zombies don’t shoot back, but panicking people can. I’ve never been anywhere where the heavy stuff was needed or been under fire. We’re not as well protected as regular Stryker vehicles because they wanted to lighten the vehicle enough to be able to lift them with a helicopter and C-130 and to improve off road mobility. To do that they had to shed almost HALF the weight. [ed: and I say LAST 'Men,' but there are quite a few females on the Teams]

Most of the time, the LAST vehicles are just cleanup.

Am I armed while on a mission? You KNOW it. Have I used my sidearm? HELL no! If I have to use a weapon then something has gone SERIOUSLY wrong.

The unit used to be called Zombie Eradication and Removal Organization ZERO, but no one wanted to be know as ZEROs. That was changed in the Johnson administration. Then they were called Former-Living Anomaly Targeting Unit, Law Enforcement Nexus Team, or FLATULENT, but we don't use that name anymore. Not because of the acronym, but because the force had to be reconstituted when almost the entire FLATULENT force was killed in the line of duty back in '75. Romero is what has been around since 1980 (Carter thought the specialty unit superfluous and refused to reactivate it. History's greatest monster indeed…I guess I shouldn’t blame him too much. He was never fully briefed on the true nature of the threat. But it’s largely because of him that GEOrge RoMERO has to spend so much time these days in Central Asia. Well that, and the distractions of human-on-human conflict.) There are only a few old timers around that remember pre-‘75 days. And they almost never talk about it. The reports are sketchy on what happened. Lots of “lessons learned” in the after-action material. Massive doctrine changes, after. A lot less ‘cowboy’ tactics, now.


You readers (both of you) REALLY have to keep this under your hats. For serious. I'll try to post reports on what missions I can. For security reasons I may have to omit some details.


Wanna know a little secret now? Those people that you derogatively call "Mall Ninjas." Yeah. They are a part of Romero. They are acting that way to maintain cover, accepting the ridicule of one and all in order to watch over one of the most precious of post Level-4 Outbreak Necropalypse resources. The Shopping Mall. The film Dawn of the Dead is a training film disguised as entertainment. A training film for regular citizens like YOU. So when you see one of these guys talking embrassingly silly and ignorant smack about his time as SpecOps Operator, a big part of that is an act. Camoflage to hide the fact that he IS a SpecOps Operator. In Romero. It's a thankless job, but someone has to do it. They are braver men than me. The post is suicide, assigned to a mall, surrounded by undead. And yes they DO have better quality equipment stashed in strategic locations throughout that mall. That $25 Homeland Security Tactical Assault vest is just more cover so you'll let your guard down and allow them to work.

Except SOME of those mall ninjas are just Romero wannabes. Piff! Losers.

Field Trip to Fulton

Went to Fulton Armory. They are open from 1-4 on Fridays for walk-ins. I had some questions...

I wanted to FEEL what that Troy rifle stock felt like. The flip-up sights are sweet, and in person they are even sweeter. Clint said "like a piece of jewelry" and he is right. But, while the stock is better balanced than the front-heavy SOCOM 16 from Springfield, it is still HEAVY. Shouldering that one, then shouldering a regular walnut stocked M14 is really noticeable. You feel like you can carry the wooden stocked rifle all day, but after walking half a mile with the heavy metal stock, you'd want to take a break.

Troy:









Versus SOCOM:

Both are heavy up front.

There is another idea, and Corky sent me a link to another after market stock option. It has a bit of composite involved, so hopefully it is lighter. But it's not bringing anything, feature wise, to the party, for better optics mounting. Which is my whole point. Sure you can put a foregrip on that stock, but with 4 drywall screws, but you can do that with a walnut stock. See?:

It has some other things going for it that are nice, too, I guess, but... meh.

I still not convinced I need an aftermarket stoc, of any kind. The more I investigate the more purposely leavind the gun in original configuration appeals. And not just because of cost. WWTD? Not sure. I know she like milsurp left in original. I know she likes red dot optics. Maybe just a red dot mounted on a mid range rail add-on is the way Tam would guide me. Eventually. I KNOW Tam would recommend I shoot the heck out of it my own self to see how it felt before making changes. It's not like it is broken, out of the box.

WWMBtGED? Or: What would my buddy the gun enthusiast do? He likes cheap after-market stuff. He has 3 Mini-14s tricked out. But he also thought the SOCOM too front heavy. I dunno.

One thing I forgot to ask the Fulton people... Can you use the iron sights with just the various scope rails in place? If your optics break can you just toss the optics and rings in your pack, but leave the rail, and still shoot?

Xavier

Xavierthoughts links on the 1911 are nice.

Yet another good treatese to ponder on the 1911 ifn you are thinking about 1911s.

It's a fun blog.

The only thing wrong with it is the black background on his blog. It gives me eye strain. The only thing worse, to me, is if it was in red letters on a blue background. Truly pain in the eyeballs for red/blue.

Posted Without Comment

posse tipped me to:

Heller Commemortative

Who is gonna get the Heller commemorative revolver, S&W 442? Not me! Dang aluminum guns. It takes more than a pretty signature to get me to compromise on that. You have to be a gorgeous as that Blaser bolt-action…

I might get a steel snubby someday. A real one. Not like that Brazilian one that MBtGE has with no rear sight or rear groove.


Something like the 3" Model

65, or compromise with a 649 or 640 or 60 or 13.

Zombie Safety Tip

All the cool kids are doing this thing called the Zombie Walk.

Sometimes they roll political messages into it, sometimes not, and its just done for fun.

What happens is, they dress up like zombies, make-up and all, and stagger about public places moaning, "Braaaaaaaaaaaaaaaains..."

Here's a safety tip, kids. Don't do that. I already have issues with flashbacks from Quang Tri, 1967, I don't need more. Something regrettable could occur. Walking around looking like that is a tragedy waiting to happen with so many zombie-hunters wound up, tight as springs.

"There was a time when the name in my uniform read 'Greasemanelli' but everyone knew me as... SERGEANT FURY!!!"

August Range Report

Went to the range.

Corky was supposed to come, but duty called and he got stuck. Chuckles came.

I brought the Smith and Wesson 686 revolver with a 6inch barrel, and a 150 .38 Special and .357 Magnum ammo from Magtech. I wanted to give the .45 a break. Here is some single action at 25 feet. Left 2 are .357, right 2 are .38:

Not too shabby. I love how the .38 feels like a .22 after firing the magnum. 2 fliers on that first target, and one off the paper on the lower left 3rd target. I can't see the target. It's blurry. I can see the front sight all nice and sharp. How do you do both?

Anyhoo, on to Double Action.. uh... action:

How you like that, huh? The four in the center chest were 4 in a row. Double action. Just pulling through on the trigger, no staging. (see WWTD?) Look at the front sight, hold breath, and steady squeeze. That set felt good.

Here is the 'scratch' target. I used this for flinching drills, loading less than 6 beans in the barrel and randomizing where the empty cylinder/s was. I flinch less these days. I still flinch. Not too bad:

Oh, that upper left hand corner, over the shoulder? That's Chuckles' silver dollar size holes in paper. He fired my revolver just to see. He was aiming for the barcode on the target. He's good. Much better than me. And he really likes my revolver.

Do you notice something? The flaws. There are just generally right of the bull this time. Not down and right as with the 1911. I'm not doing anything different with stance or grip. Maybe even high. It's just a different gun. That scratch target is mostly in the 7 ring, too. Not enough to win anything, but all on-body-target. Hmmm.

I got to shoot a couple of Chuckles' new guns. He has a S&W 686SSR now, too. He is less happy with it than with mine. The blades of the rear sight jiggle front to back for some reason on new S&Ws. Why is that?

He also has a brand new SIG. Model 229 SAS. Double action only. No safety other than the one you keep between your ears. There is a slide release and a take-down lever on the frame. And you don't NEED the slide release to operate the gun left handed, just the right hand to pull back on the slide. Still, a thumb release that is ambidextrous would be nice. 12 .40 caliber rounds in a double stack magazine. It works like a revolver; in other words, like a fork. You just pick it up and it works, pretty much. If there is a round in teh chamber. I was VERY accurate with this gun. I shot better with this than I did with Corky's SIG 226 9mm DA/SA. Good shots hitting a penny size bull. Then the next shot hitting it again. I am a much better shot with this than I am with the 1911. It just feels comfortable, hitting where I think it/will it. I even liked the sights, to my surprise. 2 vertical dots, foresight is tritium. And if Maryland ever gets shall-issue conceal-carry this is a slightly better carry arm, since it is de-horned and lighter, more compact. And the caliber still starts with a .4.

DAMMIT CHUCKLES! NOW I NEED A NEW GUN!

Recoil management was a breeze, exzpezially after shooting a bunch of .357.

Here's a target I shot. You can tell where I concentrated. I was aiming for the bottom 2 dots on successive partial mags. Where I didn't concentrate as well, the shots weren't bad either:

What a quandry. I feel like a blasphemer in the House of Browning. Why did I buy a 1911 again? I sorta had a feeling about this. Remember here? Double action can be good for the n00b shooter. So what to do? Rush out and buy a SIG? No. My next purchase is a rifle. I'm in no hurry to get a 'Carry Piece' because their is no carry in MD. So I can mull this over for a while.

Thinking on a Carry Piece, though, I always figured if I didn't carry a Government size 1911, I'd carry a lighter smaller Commander size 1911 or, maybe, an Officer size, all chambered in .45ACP. If I listened to my own advice, and I went with a gun I was good with and loved shooting, as of right now I'd sell the Springfield 1911 and run and get that SIG 229. It was that much of an impression on me. And that's why I need the serious mull-over time.

Before I do anything I am going to try to get some REAL training (WWTD? She say, "Get training and practice, stoopid!" in a snarky manner) this fall with the 1911. Fix the shooter before thinking about fixin' the shooting iron. I want some more borrow-time with that SIG. So I'll bring the 1911 and .357 to the range and make Corky and Chuckles play with those, while I put a lot more rounds down range with their XDs and SIGs. Need to research the SIG model. Maybe I'll find it jams like crazy when ever the sun sets or something. Or that it fall apart at the 500th round. Or breaks easy. Speak up you all in the peanut gallery if you have any info/rumors/trash talk for the SIG 229 SAS.

Maybe add that SIG to the tertiary list.....

And where do I turn in my "John Moses Browning Fan Club" badge? I think I violated the club by-laws by saying nice things about another pistol.

WWTD

What to do...

Pay for the significantly more expensive, but higher quality, Fulton Armory M1A up front, or get a regular Springfield and swap out for a better trigger and more USGI parts over time?

I bet there is some lead-time for one made by Fulton. BUT they are local to me. I would never have to ship it back as I can walk to the place. I’ll have to ask about the lead time.

Hmmm.

Will I shoot 25,000 rounds through it and need a barrel change? I could buy 10 rifles for the price of that ammo. But I doubt I will shoot that much. Will I shoot competitively with the M1A? Probably not. If given my druthers, unlimited time and money, would I want to do both? Heck yeah.

Will a Springfield with some compromise parts see me through a 'Zed' Apocalypse ok? Probably. [ed: zed is a synonym for zombie, ghoul, or walking dead]

Is the quality of a Springfield M1A good enough for the likes of me and any grandchildren? Probably. Will is work just fine, without a hitch, and shoot better than I can even if I practice LOTS with it and improve my skills? Most probably.

If I get the base model Springfield I can have fun with it while relatively quickly accumulating upgrade parts and swapping them out. Bolt, National Match trigger group, Gas cylinder assembly, op rod. Not too much else. And THEN I’d have a spare as a backup of each part.

I’m probably better off spending money on magazines and ammo and getting a plane jane M1A from Springfield.

Or… I should ask myself, “what would Tamara do…?” You could do worse than to make your motto: WWTD? [ed: No matter what she'd do, she'd pull it off in a higher quality snark than I am capable of. we all have to reach for the stars, though few of us will touch them...]

I bet she’d pop for the Fulton AND the new Troy stock system right from the git-go. And the scope and other accoutrement. If she had the $5 Grand + on her at the time. Piecemeal, I’m betting Tam would go basic Fulton-Armory model.

Once in hand, and in the long run, I bet I wouldn’t REGRET going Fulton…

Yeah, WWTD.

My OLD motto was WWJJD. “What would Joan Jett do?” Like Joan Jett, Tam responds to emails and inquiries at about the same frequency. Only Jesus is more reticent to personally respond to entreaties. Verbally, or in writing, at least. So imagining what any of the three would prefer, about anything as a course of action, is my recourse. [ed: I wouldn't ask Jesus for rifle purchasing advice. Don't think he is the go-to guy for that sort of thing.]

Should I get that unhyped blurfl that cost a bit more, or the slightly cheaper knock-off? WWTD? Tamara would say, “You get what you pay for. Do you want good or not as good? At least you aren’t paying for hype, in this case.”

Perfect! I might be able to go beyond applying the WWTD philosophy to my nonfirearm related issues.

Should I mow the lawn, or go buy a 12 pack of IPA and drink it? What would Tamara do? Right. Off to the Licka-Sto, go I.

I have money in my budget to buy some reading material. Bronte or Pratchet? Dickens or David Weber? What would Tamara do? Right. High thee hence to yonder Discworld and Harrington section.

Laundry, or range time? KA-pow! Blam-blam-blamo!

This could work.

hooey

Have you noticed I deduce stuff out of whole cloth? Speaking out of the non-oral orifice?

How you ever said to yerself, “This T-bolt guy is full of hooey!” then clicked on over to another subject?

Don’t do that! Call me on it. Comment, “on the Blurfl thingy, you are full of hooey, fact-wise.” Humiliating me in public is the only way I learn, these days. You have my permission. You don’t even have to be nice about it, necessarily.

I try not to do that. I try to say, "I think the Glock is ugly. When I have shot models of Glock I didn't like the way it feels. I prefer the 1911, and would even I shot more accurately with a Glock, and I don't. Whatever you prefer is fine, more power to ya, but it's just not for me." But sometimes I slip, "Glock is the the suxxorz! JMB 1911 is 1337!!!!!11!1!!!!!1!eleven" I don't mean that.

Of course it is true that all plastic gun owners are morally inferior, and probably enjoyed watching Brokeback Mountain, but that's just an objective fact.

Anyway, like I said, CALL me on that stuff.

Noticed Something

I've noticed something about the 1911 and the Chip McCormick mags I feed it.

The won't feed properly everytime. Usually the first round in a mag, when it does fail. FMJ bullets.

Could it be a weak spring? Strong spring? Too many in the magazine (all 8)? Not enough lube on the gun?

A pat on the back of the slide solves the problem, and it usually happens when I release the slide by pulling on the back of it rather than releasing the slide release with the trigger finger. So there. Easy fault fix. And use more lube.

Penny Arcade

crap. can you read that? got it from here.

Polypragmatoi

Jeff Cooper coined a few words. Hoplophobia is one. "The irrational fear of weapons"

I'm pretty sure he also 'invented' polypragmatoi. He certainly helped to popularize it:

Definition of polypragmatoi is:

"Consulting with our associate Greek scholar, Jan Libourel, who is an editor for Petersen Publications. Jan took his advanced degree at Oxford and should know about such things. It turns out that the Greek term for a busybody is polypragmaton. If you tag "ocracy" onto the end you get a big one - polypragmonocracy. It is used to denote a social condition in which people charge madly around tending to other people's business. This is rife in the US today, but it is even worse in England, where the Brits, who have no Bill of Rights, are continuously passing garbage regulations infringing upon the behavior of the private citizen. As I understand it, you even have to have a national permit to acquire a pet. The human race got along for centuries without this concentration on regulation of all phases of life. There are some cases of this in classical Athens, and of course, we have the example of the Puritans in New England, but generally speaking, respectable behavior was a private matter, not reasonably actionable by law. Certainly throughout the world we have far too many people, and "percentage-wise" that means we have too many lawyers. When you have too many people and too many lawyers you have polypragmonocracy. "

I love that term.

Scare Quotes

I need to start putting "liberal" in scare quotes. That predominantly "liberal" party in this country is anything but Liberal or even about liberty. The term "liberal" means "Tyrant!" today, in this country. Occasionally, the tyrants will change their name as people are on to them. Changing Marxist to Progressive to Liberal, etc. to obfuscate what they are. But they haven't been able to shake "liberal."

And who says we are a 2-Party country? There are "Liberals," Democrats (there ARE a couple of them left, Olde Skool) Republicans, Conservatives, there is one Socialist in Congress. That socialist is in coalition with the "Liberals" and often the Democrats. One or two other bitter-enders of various stripes. We're just set up the way we are because of a separate executive branch and the way the electoral college works.

Oh and REPEAL THE 17th AMENDMENT!

Panic In A Drum

Back in my military days, water torture was in vogue with the powers that be. One of their favorite torments to run me through was a little game they called Panic In a Drum.

The set up is, they blindfold me, weigh me down with bulky clothes, boots and headgear, then seal me into a metal cylinder about the size of a septic tank. Oh yeah. They also put a squad of panicky enlisted Marines in there with me.

Why are they panicky? They are out of their element. Marines will charge a machine gun nest with a smile on their face, calm as walking through a park. But take away their rifle and submerge them and they get a bit nervous.

If the powers that be are feeling malicious, they’ll tell the Marines that I have the only air hose. And they don’t take away their Kabars.

The next trick is dropping this cylinder in the water, and spinning it a bit. It’s a bit like those front loading washers at the Laundromat. Less detergent, at least.

So their I am, in the dark, underwater, dizzy, listening to the death throes of brave jarheads kicking and scratching each other trying to escape. I try to keep still and out of the way for this part.

When the drowning, proper, has commenced and the thrashing eventually quiets down, it’s a simple matter of pushing aside the corpses and unlatching the hatch that I noted the location of before the lights went out. Easy Peasy. On to the next evolution.

Good thing I am comfortable in the water. Takes more than THAT to kill me.


Actual Waterboarding of people in the military only happens after you pass the Panic In A Drum bit, for the most part.

War of Northern Aggression (much more northern)

I'm away for a little over a week and you people let Russia invade Georgia?


I am NOT looking forward to the Gone With The Wind type movie to come out of this one. At least they'll complain about furreners and not Yankees as much.

Seriously, though... I go away and the whole place falls to pot. Are any Georgian gun owners doing anything about Ivan waltzing around Savannah, shopping at Riverfront Plaza and Factors' Walk, and touring the historic district? Sheesh.

Soon, my Precious

I'm coming back soon, I swear.

I might have something posted tomorrow if I can think of something.

I KNOW! I'll check the comments. My loyal readers have probably flooded me with good topics to spark the imagination. brb.

You. Lazy. BASTAGES!!!!

I'm going to Waffle House to eat some pancakes and chug some syrup with MBtGE.

Vacation 3

You didn't think I could post this much while on vacation, did you?

Either did I.

In truth, I haven't really left home. But I am hiding in a storm drain down the street from my house. Waiting for burglars to come snooping around.

Then, I'll ATTACK! From the terlet!

blogroll

While you are sitting around waiting for me to write entertaining stuff, post vacation, checkout the blog roll over there on the right: ~

I've been slowly adding to it the last couple months or so. I might have snuck a new one in on you.

Cooper and Triggers

I truly do not understand what Jeff Cooper wrote. When he says "I have been shooting for a very long time, in training, competition, and recreation, and I have come to the conclusion that trigger control is the heart of the matter. It may be that I am too particular about good trigger action, but I do think it is the most important single aspect of hitting what you shoot at."

I nod my head and say, "Yes, sir." But I don't think I KNOW what a good trigger is or what good trigger control is. It's just beyond my experience. It's like knowing what a fast car is because I have driven GTOs or Porsches at near autobahn speeds. And then having a discussion with a Indy car driver like I know what I am talking about, like I can appreciate a fast car. I have an idea, but my vision is cloudy. I don't see crisp and clear and sharp like someone like Cooper did. I only 'sorta know.'

I hope to know that someday. Sooner rather than later, but it is not something you can rush. I need more 'do', less 'think about'.

Serenity Character

From RobertaX

Your results:
You are Derrial Book (Shepherd)

Derrial Book (Shepherd) 70% Jayne Cobb (Mercenary) 65% Zoe Washburne (Second-in-command) 60% Wash (Ship Pilot) 60% Dr. Simon Tam (Ship Medic) 60% A Reaver (Cannibal) 60% Malcolm Reynolds (Captain) 55% Kaylee Frye (Ship Mechanic) 55% Alliance 45% River (Stowaway) 40% Inara Serra (Companion) 20%

Even though you are holy you have a mysterious past.

Click here to take the Serenity Firefly Personality Test

Blackfork Shoots here

Check out this set up.

I am SO jealous. Not of the gear. I can get/have the gear. The gear isn't the best part. But getting the land or range access is a wholly different animal. Wow. In a perfect world there would be a range like this in nearly every county.

Federalist Papers

Wow, MBtGE sent me links to a couple of neato bloggers that really talk some sense on the structure of our Federal Republic, and touch heavily on 2nd Amendment rights. One guy has the same name as a college in Virginia (College Boy!), and the other has the same name as the President on the 10 dollar bill, but just spells is different. I’ll call him "$10" anyway. Also, he could never be president himself cuz he’s a foreigner.

These guys talk some sense. Too bad they weren’t around when the Constitution was written, as you’d know exactly where they were coming from based on their blog entries, making it a lot easier to know what they were getting at in the text of the Constituion itself. If Rosie O’Donnell knew how to read, I’d recommend she check out these guys.

First, $10. He’s from the Caribbean and blogs in New York City.

Oh wait. He DOES spell it the same as the ten dollar bill Prez. Huh.

College Boy is some bubbha from south of the Mason Dixon line, but he’s responding to $10 and sticking his nose into New Yorkers business, but not in the bad way like Mayor Bloomberg likes to do in the reverse direction. Unlike Bloomberg, College Boy doesn’t commit any federal firearms felonies by trying to knowingly make straw purchases of guns out of state. No, he just has something to say.

Vacation 2

The ‘vacation’ is a bit of a working trip. Going to a conflict zone. Supa-seekrit. Don’t tell anyone.

Don’t worry about me. I am in more of a support role. Not the direct kinetic-energy application. I am armed, however. I just don’t expect to have to use my fighting skillz. More about all that later, with any luck.

'Vacation'

I'm will out of town in the coming week or so. But you will be surprised how prolific I can be, using my mind powers to operate a computer many miles away...