OHMYGAWD

It's started!

I've killed like 15 zombies already.  Why are they all carrying candy?

The Rinos are extinct

Sandy ate the metrocons.

Time Travel

Borepatch is thinking of eschewing a Garand in favor of a pistol.  This thinking is along the lines of a compact Smiff.  Or an S&W 625, chambered in God's own caliber, the .45 ACP.

I must admit, I do like his way of thinking.

Don't get me wrong, I love my .357s.  But if I could go back in time and advise myself, AND Smith and Wesson made a small, snubby-type version, I'd tell me to buy nothing but semi autos and revolvers chambered in .45.

Though a snubby version of the 625 WOULD be a bit bulky, even.  There are advantage to pocket carrying a 5 shot .38 over something with .45" beans.  And moon clips, loaded, are bulky too.  Not ideal for a BUG.  And I'd have no need for the Model 1894 lever gun I like shooting.

They don't make it and I am sure they aren't considering it.

But think of the ammo inventory simplicity!  Nothing but .22, .308, 12 gauge, and .45. 

non sequitor

A thought... It's probably not a good idea to take health advice from a commercial. 

Or the government, usually, for that matter.   Heck, doctors are often wrong.

But a commercial is the worst.

-

Profanity, NSFW

But a video from our national treasure documentarian, Michael Moore.

Hunting

I need to get with MBtGE and go scouting the hunting grounds again after this Hurricane is done and settled.

This time, bug repellent!

I like the tentative spot we have picked out.  I have better long underwear, and good insulated coveralls too.  Rubber over shoes to keep the dew from soaking my boots and freezing me feets, as well, worked well last time.

Taking money from Terrists

Apparently Osama Bin Laden is donating to the Obama re-election campaign.  I thought Barry killed that bastuhd? 

Noreastah comin' through...

Won't catch much Yellowfin today, Ayuh.

'urrican

I got posts queued up through the 1st.  If you don't hear from me here by the 2nd of Novemember, send search parties.  And beer.  I'll be out of booze by then.

Ooops

I never expected THIS kind of abuse of the zombie meme by the Authorities.

""Marines, police prep for mock zombie invasion"

Since 'zombies' are often an euphemism for unknown mobs or looters or rioters or protesters, I wonder who their actual targets are?  #OWS or Tea Party types?

Think they will simulate headshots, too? 

NYTimes' Friedman

Arguing over abortion stuffs, the execrable Thomas Friedman (that wants this country under an 'enlightened' Democrat like Obama to be more like Red China.) thinks he has a slam dunk against prolife people.

“Pro-life” can mean only one thing: “respect for the sanctity of life.” And there is no way that respect for the sanctity life can mean we are obligated to protect every fertilized egg in a woman’s ovary, no matter how that egg got fertilized, but we are not obligated to protect every living person from being shot with a concealed automatic weapon.

And the metrocons take him to task for that gun crack.  Pointing out that Tommy Boy is a bit ignernt.

Most times, when a concealed carrier has to fire his or her weapon, the bullet sponge has earned it.  Concealed carriers don't just go around like Yosemite Sam plugging anything that moves.  Duh. 

And concealed carrying and automatic weapon?  Ha!  Again, Friedman is confused, as Wesley Smith points out.  It's nice seeing people at National Review point out and clarify such things, like Friedman confusing semi-automatic with automatic. Not just because of moronic source of the comment, but also the source of the correction.

But... it got me thinking... 

If you HAD to carry a machine gun, concealed, which would you prefer?  Presume 1934 NFA is repealed, but CCW laws also modified, for whatever unctuous reason.  You can no longer put a Glock 18 or 1911 in your IWB holster as that is now a no-no.  But you CAN carry a Glock 18, as long as it permanently set to 'rock and roll'.  What do you carry?

Now Glock has an advantage, already having a full auto version.  Presumably, other gun companies would quickly come out with similar types.  Or you can get any other existing submachine gun or machine-pistole.  Other innovative models would emerge, too.

Now, it would suck in use.  We'd all have to retrain our shooting technique quite a bit.  Concealing a Glock 18 is simple enough.  But some shooters might not want something that small and less controllable on full auto.  I bet lots of CCW types would wear trenchcoats for their MP7 or MP5 or PS90.  A few of us would rock Tommy Guns.  HEAVY, tho.

In this regime I'd foresee new designs with four round bursts of lighter caliber ammunition.  Miniaturized machine pistols spitting out .25 ACP from 32 round magazines.  What an interesting weapon that would be.  I don't know how practical...  

BREAKING NEWS

Obame is blaming the hurricane on a YouTube producer.  The films producer is being frog marched to a federal detention facility to face charges. 

Former president Bush also at fault, as his Operation Katrina was started long before and certainly predates the Obama admin's Operation Sandy and Surly.

Joss

Zombie Shorts

No, not their skivvies.

Short FILMS.  Ten of them.

My Favorite:

Zombie Nails

If Breda isn't going to zombie-nail blog, I guess I have to take up the slack.

Fire em

Fire half the administrators at public school facilities today.   THAT's just to start.  Should probably weed out another half after that.

Then cram a 401k in lieu of a pension down the throat of the teachers unions.  Make that palatable by giving teachers a huge raise with all the money you save by not having all those useless administrators suckling off the local tax money. 

These higher salaries will attract more and better teachers.  You could maybe even hire something like 10% more teachers, thus shrinking class sizes. 

How many vice principals are there in a high school today?  A dozen?  A score?

Anyway, that's what I would do if you people made me emperor of the universe.

Zombie Cop

From the BLNN

Apparently one of New York's finest is a zombie.  Shame.



I hope they partner him up with Axe Cop.  That'll end it in a quickness.

Maybe

Maybe people associated with the Obama regime should resign their position in protest, at this point because of conduct during the Bengazhi attack.  Like Secretary of State Clinton, or Secretary of Defense Panetta or Director of the CIA Patreus.   Before the election.

It would maintain their honor.  And, later, they might escape humiliating prosecution.

Wouldn't want to be a head on a political pike if you had nothing do to do with debacle, right?

"Why would Obama and Biden do such a thing? Because to launch a military operation against an al-Qaeda affiliate on the anniversary of 9/11 would have exposed the hollowness of their boast through convention week and the days thereafter — that Osama was dead and al-Qaeda was finished. And so Ty Woods, Glen Doherty, Sean Smith, and Chris Stevens were left to die, and a decision taken to blame an entirely irrelevant video and, as Secretary Clinton threatened, “have that person arrested.” And, in the weeks that followed, the government of the United States lied to its own citizens as thoroughly and energetically as any totalitarian state, complete with the midnight knock on the door from not-so-secret policemen sent to haul the designated fall-guy into custody."  - Mark Steyn

More about that skank

Free Stuff

I've had people email me a handful of times with "Hey, T-Bolt, we make and sell X, if we sent you a sample of our product/book would you review it."

I used to say, "Sure!  Here's my address, mail it on in!"

I don't anymore.  Why?  Everytime I say yes I never see the book or product.  Another offer came in this week.  I won't be responding.

I've even done the "I'll pay full price AND for shipping!  Send me the thing!  I will blog about it!"

Nuthin.

-

Not even original

That ad, where I am supposed to vote for Obama and become a woman or something? Stolen from the Putin campaign. Pathetic.

You want fries with that?

... Now she is a woman... Living in her parents basement.

In the FUTURE

Fonts

I've shifted my fonts on computer applications, apart from Blogger, from something designed to be screen readable, like sans serif Calibri or Verdana, and now use Palatino Linotype.  More of a print font, but works fine on the screen, too, I think.

It's an older style font and is pretty ubiquitous.  And it is a fine classic font that many of the books you've read in your life were printed in.  Or something similar.  Something like the Bembo, or Garamond.  Remember fonts changed when hot metal typesetting machines had to adopt earlier, more hand made type.  I like Palatino.  For one reason, the r and n don't run together to appear to me a m when you type burn, and it looks more like bum.  Stupid Georgia....

Plus, Linotype, duh.  Put that in the marketing and you get a sale, for me.

If you are self-publishing, here are some rules, quick and dirty:

1. Use 11-point Palatino for text.
2. Use 14-point Helvetica for chapter titles and 12-point Helvetica for section headings.
3. Never use monospaced (a.k.a. “typewriter”) fonts, e.g., Courier, except when mocking up documents, i.e., reports, that actually use such a font.
4. Use unusual fonts only for short items, e.g., the title and author's name on the cover, or for chapter titles.
5. Don't use too many fonts. Three should be enough for almost any book.
6. Check books you like the look of, and see which fonts they use. Half an hour in a bookstore looking at fonts can be very useful and enlightening.

I am a little tired of Helvetica.  It's a nice enough font but it is in too many places and I don't like what it did to world we see since 1960.  James Lileks practically has a whole sight that inadvertently is a rejection of Helvetica, and I share his sentiment.  There is a documentary on how Helvetica conquered the post Eisenhower world.

Think about it.  For a book you need the Body font for the majority of the words, a larger different Chapter font, a fancy big Illumination style font for the first letter of a chapter if your taste go that way.  A larger and maybe tall and thin font for the Cover.  If you have a character like Death in Discworld you may need a font for him.  Thats five total, and plenty.  Don't go nuts.  And do me a favor... avoid Helvetica.  Just cuz.  I won't hold you to it, but it'd be a refreshing gesture.

Zone One

Going down a rabbit hole of links about bookmobiles I ran across this. A book review of Zone One.  Zombocalypse denoument from a Level 4 outbreak.

Gonna have to get that...I'll tell you about it when I've read it.  Should be some gunnie goodness, I think.

Reviews, however, are quite mixed.  Someone with an MFA trying their hands at zombie fiction perhaps.  I rarely trust authors with MFAs. His bio says he is a mere Harvard undergrad, tho. 

There can be no peace...

... between our two peoples.

Reading this NYTimes editorial and most associated comments is entertaining for those with more than 2 brain cells to rub together.  See if you can pick out the factual innacuracies and diffentiate them with more misleading, but technically true, points.

They just don't see the world the same way we do.  Two plus two in their heads just does not come out to four.  Our only hope is render them harmless to themselves and others.  Or at least others.  How to do that without overstapping is beyond me.  Aside from what we are doing.  Trying to educate people, call the other side on their lies and obfuscations, and engaging in the political process.  How long before we can safely say their insanity is mostly marginalized?  Not in my lifetime, I think...

NRA

So when Romney wins, the NRA is going to take credit for the margin of victory because of the second debate AWB misstep of the President's, calling for reinstatement.

I don't think this is a bad thing.

The more momentum, or perceived momentum, the NRA has the better it is for the 2A issue going forward.

----

So what kind of Assault Weapon are you gonna buy before the provisions of the 2013 Permanent Assault Weapon Ban come into effect?  (In case thing DO go all pear shaped.)

I'm thinking a few lowers because: Cheap, and just pray the secondary market isn't ganked.  And I'd get another M1A.

Good luck finding one, what with the run on guns we are seeing even now.

They're Coming

What you gonna do, now, Mr. Nine-Shot-Twelve-Gauge?  Yeah, I thought so.
-

Brain O'Mat

CANCER

Though I care more about the privacy and 4th Amendment.  But some of the Porno-Scanner machines are going away from the busier airports.  SOME.  There are plenty of other machines and ways the TSA will enjoy violating you.

I'd vote for Obama if he did away with TSA.

Typewriter

A new documentary.

NaNoWriMo

Last year...

I started a novel for National Novel Writing Month.  I failed.  Skyrim came out and I only got to about 25,000 words.  You need 40k at least to have a novel. 

The story is about zombies.  And a private detective.  Set in DC during the Depression.  I don't know if there is 40,000 words IN this story, but whatever.  I do want to finish.  I petered out with the final Act anyway.

This year I thought of a way to actually wrap up the story that had eluded me last year.  So a little inspiration strikes.  And I have a good flashback to maybe get it up over 30k words.

Maybe I'll finish it with month to spare and do some editting this November.

If I get it polished up (and you know ME and typos...) I'll let some buddies read it.  If they like it, maybe then I'll think about electronic publishing. 

Based on the Last Debate

Mitt doesn't know what machine guns are, or their status in the law.  While he says the right thing about gun control laws, I have MORE than a sneaking suspicion that if a piece of gun control legislation fell onto President Romney's desk, he'd bend over backward to find gun bans therein quite reasonable, and sign it.

And we know Obama would sprint to the Capitol to avoid having to wait for the Bill to be delivered.

He would have done himself a favor and went to a range and chatted with gunnies and shot some rifles and pistols a couple years ago.

That's what I'd like to see!  A president that hits the rifle range instead of a golf course.  No press on the range.  No need to show off for photo ops.  Too Putin-y.

----

Obama said Mitt Romney was 'for AWBs before he was against them.'  I don't think he flipped on the issue.  He just for permanent AWBs and is against sunsetting ones.  Totally consistent.

Hipsters

You all are a buncha snarky hipsters!  (I'm talking to some selected gunbloggers, who know who they are...)

You wear vintage clothes and BC glasses and ride around on your fixies with a manual typewriter to type on the bus.  And you all whinge about stuff.

'I was into gunblogging, before it was cool.  Dead now.  It got too commercial'

'Zombies were cool.  Jumped the shark, though.' (I still don't like Walking Dead.  So much potential...)

Weapon Light

The idea of the housegun AR is to be able to meet home invaders with something more than a couple revolvers.  I intend to make it easy access, yet concealed.  So, since most of the time I am in my house it is dark out, and the house lights are off, I think I want a weapon light.  I have a cheapy Chinese weapon light with a picattiny mount, but I want something better.   

There are several options.  Either an expensive light with an easy to hit button that also does IR stuff on the chance I actually have nightvision on.  It also takes the same battery as my EOTech, and I have battery storage in the stock.  Then there is more of a pistol light.  And then is just the repurpose the regular flashlight with the red lens with what amounts to a scope ring that fits my flashlight.

The other option is the unconsidered.  Maybe a commenter will pipe in.

Project Housegun

Complete.

All I have to do now is zero it.

I have the AR I want, with the options I also want if I want to revert back.

I mentioned before that I want to lighten it up, so the nice quad rail was replaced by a Magpul.  So what if I don't like the Magpul?  Well I wanted the quad rail in case my preferences change in the future.

I would be remiss not mentioning the original manufacturer of my upper. Yankee Hill Machine Co.


Here is most of what you need to start.

 I needed a few more items.  Like small screw drivers for the rail covers.  A 3/4 wrench for the flash hider.

And here it is in my vise.  That universal patternmakers vise is handy for this application.  I need that yellow handle plier like thing for the circlip.  Or snap ring.  Whatever.  It's a pain to do even with the proper tool.  The original rail has a locking nut that pushes up onto it.  You need a largish spanner (or, as the Brits call it, a 'spanner') to get it off.  I improvised with a screwdriver with the tip wrapped in electrical tape to make it mar less and light taps with a small hammer (or 2 pound dead blow...)  

The traditional  barrel nut and handguard thingamajig is now installed. 

And with the gas block and tube back on.  I thought I'd have to remove the tube from the gasblock and had the pins all ready to go.  Live and learn.

 Here it is, all done save the bolt and charging handle I forgot to put in.  Probably will shift that vertical foregrip back closer to the magwell.

All in all, pretty easy, lemon squeezy.  I had to think hard about the order of nut, thingabajig, and thingamajig spring, but there is really only one way that works.  Lining up the foresight to it's original position was a slight issue.  Be sure to mark it before you take it off.  And air does indeed go out the gas tube in the receiver if you block up the chamber and use a compressor to test it, so I am hoping it is still semi automatic.  I ran a patch through in case any moisture got in the barrel.

I went from cleaning in an anal retentive fashion to seeing how much grime a gun can take to back to cleaning frequently.  Even on gun that can really take to the grime.  But I clean for rust prevention at this point.  No one really wants a dirty gun, but everyone hates a rusty one.


I put this pic in to get RobertX to comment.

Fun

Facts

from Alphecca.

Facts about zombies.  See?  They are real!  Scienceticians are even STUDYING them.

Lucky!

These kids are so lucky!  I'd have LOVED to have a linotype setting job when I was 11.  Beats mowing the lawn or painting the shutters.  Probably pays better.

Though the haircuts are a bit unfortunate, so I guess it all evens out in the end.

WZD

It is World Zombie Day.  Be careful out there.  Keep a rifle handy.

Apex

So the thing I dislike about the S&W M&P is the feel of the trigger.  The shape, the pull, all of it.  It why I rejected it out of hand.

Well I got the chance to fondle Snarkybytes S&W and he has the APEX trigger upgrade and this is my first exposure to it.

Well, color me impressed.  Four pounds of decent crispness.  I would now reconsider the S&W.  I need to test fire one to be sure, but it's in the running. 

Here's a picture of Snarky...  He was looking for squirrels.

Wall Street

A portfolio that lets you profit from the coming Zombacalypse.

Most guns and sports outlets.  Prepper stuff.

Of course you'll only make money if enough people think the Zombacalypse is inevitable.  And if it is soon you have time you profit taking before the hyperinflation and convert your dollars into tangibles.  Which won't be the obvious zombie-prep supplies, as the inflation will already hit that sector.  But things like bulk commodities at that point.  Cured Virginia hams, cinderblocks, steel bar and wire.  Diesel.  That sort.  Also services.  Like a hand pumped well drilled for you.

You SHOULDA bought the portfolia stuff when I warned you about all this back in 2007.

Why Am I Blogging Again?

Do I do this for me, and not for you?  Or do I want attention?

I keep it because I am cultivating self discipline.  A self imposed duty to write on an constrained topic.  It's kinda good.  It builds character.  Besides, I like writing.  And blog posts are nice, short, self contained little missives.  A bit less than a column.

If it was about more and more attention I'd post more and more controversial stuff, more funny, and have ads to bring in more dough.  As it is... I've been at 300 visits a day, average for a long long time.  And that's ok.  It's only a self measure.  I'm competing with myself, not someone else. 

Goals....  Over there on the right hand column, top.  They are still valid.  I am further along, but need to sharpen all 4.

confident with a rifle to be able to hit anything I can see.

able to defend myself with a handgun.

harvest some tasty venison with either a rifle or a shotgun

to Defend the Ramparts of Democracy from a Level 4 Zombie Outbreak

Though I noticed a waning interest.  The novelty of shooting from 5 years ago has faded, and I practice less.  I've run out of obvious and basic fresh topics.

I don't see quitting anytime soon, even if blogging is dead or infested with chowder-heads.

Founders

So, I 'read' this book on a long car ride.  Founders. By James Lesley Rawles.  I liked Patriots, and I like this book too.  But their are quibbles.

A husband and wife team walk from Chicago to Idaho, mostly.  Sure they hole up on farms offering their skills as security, but there are long stretches they go with no real visible means of getting enough food.  Less realistic because of that. They get a flu, slight injuries, and one nasty one, and that's it.  Lucky.  Too lucky.

After the war, the gov't that form is an idyllic minimalist one.  A near ideal libertarian one.  Do you know how luck the country would have to be to get a good government after a collapse and war with occupying UN forces?  We were lucky enough to get what we got in the 1780s.

And about the UN... So the the US collapses economically, but Europe does ok?  I don't go along with that.  If the US get's a cold, the rest of the world with any sort of wealth gets pneumonia.  Even China would be scrood.

New Amendments come to the Constitution to cement this Libertarian gov't, vesting power back to the states and hamstringing federal power.  Well except for a new Amendment that says the States can't trample the 2nd Amendment anymore.  So do the States have power to govern themselves or are they being forced by the Feds?  Oh, and the 14th Amendment is dumped.

Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
Section 2. Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each State, excluding Indians not taxed. But when the right to vote at any election for the choice of electors for President and Vice President of the United States, Representatives in Congress, the Executive and Judicial officers of a State, or the members of the Legislature thereof, is denied to any of the male inhabitants of such State, being twenty-one years of age, and citizens of the United States, or in any way abridged, except for participation in rebellion, or other crime, the basis of representation therein shall be reduced in the proportion which the number of such male citizens shall bear to the whole number of male citizens twenty-one years of age in such State.
Section 3. No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may, by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.
Section 4. The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States nor any State shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave; but all such debts, obligations and claims shall be held illegal and void.
Section 5. The Congress shall have power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.

So ALL that is bad?   You'd need to do something with Section 3 after a civil war, maybe.  No reason to worry about Section 1 naturalizaton stuff if you dump the trapping of the welfare state and wealth transfer.  And the rest of 1 is good, depending on your judges.  Section 4 would probably need to be altered to say 'no more debts, anyhow'.

It seems the only people that would survive the circumstances described would be farmers, and we see lots of examples in the book.  I am wondering how 150 million Americans do.

The book is more churchy than the previous.  Lots of witnessing.  That is what it is, and is ok, I guess.  Not really my cuppa. 

The Patriots book was as much instruction as a novel, and I liked that.  There is some survivalist instruction here, but not as much.

There is that wookie suiter shout out to Tam in there I liked very much...


 

Archie's rodents

Somethingtore up my crotchety neighbor, Archie's, basement.  I figured Rats or maybe a Squirrel.

The pest guy came by and looked down his chimney.

"You can come take care of that can't you, T-Bolt?"

Hell no!  I can't find the link but I remember reading a story about a guy that put 2 .22lr slugs into one and the raccoon chased him around his yard with the intent of shoving the rifle where the sun didn't shine.

Call the pros, Archie.  Raccoons can KILL a person.  Rip your arms clean off.

But that explains some tore up dead rats in the neighborhood.

And, of course, having just got over the itching from the chigger bites... Archie's raccoon has brought fleas to his beer drinking TV room in the basement.  I really hate insects.

Juan of the Dead

You HAVE to see this zombie movie.

It's the finest in post Castro Cuban cinema.  But that doesn't mean much.  It's Cuban cinema and it is actually GOOD.

It's sort of a take off on Sean of the Dead.  But I forgive them that indulgence considering the source.  It's just the broad concept, not plagiarism.  Plus all the Cuban flare, and on shoe string budget it seems.  By our standards.

You think it's hard for an average Joe to get an effective firearm in Britain?  Be a civilian in Cuba.

You got a feeling the filmakers are winking at you all the time.  Like when the news man blames troubles on US disidents.  "sure sure... riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight..." seems to be the subtext throughout. 

But forget the subtext.  The Text is decent furren zaniness in a zombie package.

It follows the usual tropes.  "Like what T-bolt?"  Well, this is Cuba.  They don't have the rich zombie tapestry to draw from.  At least of the diseased shamblor variety.  So, like most movies, the protagonists have to luck out in their discovery of the ins and outs of zombie combat.  There is the usual "Ah-HAH!  A shot to the head does the trick!  Hand me that baseball bat and stop stabbing them in the heart."  In a horror movie, this is done to frighten.  The discovery is milked for laughs, invariably in a comedy.  Like this.

This character's angle?  It's Cuba.  In a crisis, charge neighbors money.  It's a way to bankroll his Angola hand to hand skills.

Drop Free

A picky little detail I had with any AR I would own would be "do Magpul mags drop free from the mag well"?

Handy feature, eh?  One less operation with the hands on a reload.  But some lowers hold onto the Magpuls.  There is no way to know which you got without someone testing that model.

My 'model' was sorta built by me.  So there was no way to know until I had a finished rifle.

They drop free, btw.

I have 7 mags.  And now I also have ammo.

So I can fill the mags up twice... 210 rounds + 210 rounds. 

Fountain Pens

I've never had luck with fountain pens.  I like the idea of them.  Especially the kind you can refill from an ink bottle.  My grandfather had one with one of the those little levers on the side.  The rubber bladder inside was probable all rotted when I saw in that pen in the 1970's.

But they don't make those anymore.  Right?  Or you can get a nice vintage Parker or something for big bucks. [and I blame marko, partly, for the re-interest or spark I am having to older writing techniques...]

They still make nifty pens, but they are a bit spendy.

Well, what about this?  A Lami.  Extra fine tips (my preference in all things writing) available.  But still, you can't get those refillable from the ink bottle doohickeys on a pen. 

Then I learned about these little conversion cartridges.

That and Noodler's... well, this is fun!  The writing is very smooth.  A joy, compared to clunky ball point.  And carbon paper forms get rarer and rarer these days...  good.

When I lose my rights

Not just in Maryland.  In 37 states...  Places where I used to be able to carry a pistol, one day soon I will be forbidden from doing so. 

My CCW is up for renewal in February 2014.  When that happens...  I won't be able to renew my Utah CCW permit because Utah now requires I have a CCW in the state in which I reside.

So my rights are being rescinded.  I don't blame Utah at all.  They got pressured by the likes of MAIG to change their policy.  I am going backwards.  Unless Maryland gets CCW by then. 

But I have options...

The next one I will try is next door neighbor Virginia.  Get their out of state CCW.  I have over a year. 

Classy

These are some screencaps from the classic blaxploitation film, The Guy From Harlem.

I'm sure it's a good film, but I got these pics because of the interior decoration of some of the movie's  sets.

This is how I remember 1977.  We had more of a green motif in the living room, but that painting is very reminiscent.  I believe my parents got the living room set from Marlo Furniture.  Ah, the sweet memories.  CLASSIC style.  I'd do a nice split level in this if I could get the vintage materials.  That wallpaper is probably $400 a sq/yd now.  Hard to find paneling like that, too, these days.  TWO ashtrays on the ciffee table.  That's not a bottle glass window, but is reminiscent of one.  Bottle glass is more for interior screens, anyway.  Amber was my favorite

Hearing Protection

Obviously, in training, .mil folks use hearing protection.  Heck even I did.  We wore ear plugs in the engine spaces and on the fantail when we made it a shooting range.

But what of regular soldiers in the field/combat?

Now I understand wanting to have all your senses alert, and dulling them with ear plugs while on a patrol might be bad.  You aren't firing the whole time, naturally.  But what of sound dampening headphones?  A grunt could get a helmet with one of those built in. And those MAGNIFY the quieter sounds to actually help you locate a hidden bad guy.

I have a feeling the answer is "some few billets have that, and the Army would love to have it more widespread, but it will take time to disseminate them to ALL the troops, as money is better spent on body armor."

You cut him!

OMG!

I have a warm feeling inside watching Tingles do this.

Wow. It's like he's not an objective newsman, and has some part of himself wrapped up in all this. Whoever wins this election? I'll always have this. Deer in the headlights Matthews.

Maybe, Tingles, that guy you've liked up there has been an empty suit the WHOLE time?

gubsmithing .22 v .223

You know, the replacing the trigger upgrade on the 10/22 was harder than doing the whole lower assembly for an AR...

Of course, I had MBtGE telling me his pitfalls when he monkeyed with HIS AR.  I did the 10/22 solo. It makes all the difference.   Didn't even have an instruction book.

My lower has a 3-position safety marked.  In case I ever want to make it a machine gun.  "Safe - Semi - Engage!"  One thing I noticed, there are only 2 detents on the safety switch.  If I had a full-auto sear I'd need to upgrade the safety, too.  One with that detent for a third position.  It's always something.

When you've lost Bill Maher

And have him joking about your need for your teleprompter in the debates...

It might have helped Barry if he toned down the look of disgust when he wasn't speaking in the debates.  You can't win swing voters that way.

I'm still not voting for Mitt, but I live in Maryland and I have that luxury.  Obama could slice up moderator Lehrer with a kabar on live TV and still get 66% in this state...

Still better

He was still better than McGovern.  47%!  Imagine.

-

Oooooooooooohhhh...

.... my tummy....

... pain

I shouldna ate $12 worth of gun show beef jerky all in one sitting...

I should have had something different for lunch.  Or just 2 pounds less jerky.

"Behead those..."

"Behead All Those Who Insult Free Speech"


But that isn't enough.  You need to sterilize their children, and their children's children, so their corrupt seed can no longer taint civilization.

Further Fun Show Report

I'd never bought beef jerky at the guns show, I knocked that off the punch list.  One more of life's goals accomplished.

I didn't see a one of the Winchester 88.  Maybe next time.

There were 4 of those new single stack XDs at the show but they were bought up before the doors even officially opened.  Dealers thought they'd be more plentiful next time, in November.

Met up with Stretch and MSgtB and Broken Andy and Mr and Mrs FALN Fenix and MBtGE and Mike W.  

Bayo...

Well, if...

is a bayonet lug, I can't get rid of it without a grinder.  It's a part of that gas block casting.

That sling loop is pinned into place, too.

RIP?

No, good riddance.

Eric Hobsbawm, historian and commie apologist, is finally dead.  10s of millions of victims of Red atrocities want a word with him in the after life.

"Asked by the Canadian academic and politician Michael Ignatieff on television whether the deaths of 20 million people in the USSR – not to mention the 55 to 65 million victims of Mao’s Great Leap Forward – might have been justified if this Red utopia had been realised, Hobsbawm muttered in the affirmative." - M. Burleigh

Brownells Survivor

Seems realistic. Except for the full auto.

silly Leftists

It's amazing the insulting jokes that Libtards still make about Reagan.  They didn't obsess over Nixon this long.  It's really fascinating that the Gipper still lives rent free in their heads, playing the stereo too loud, making a lot of fish and onion dishes in the kitchen, and rollerskating on hard wood floors in the upstairs apartment.  Lovely. 

I'd link to the example, but it's too obscene.  Belittles Reagans intelligence, the usual.  

What I got

This is what I got at the gun show.  That upper!  A couple other things.

Well, more like this when you add things to it. 

 The thing that really pushed me over on selecting this upper was that front sight.  Note that I can remove that front sight and gas block.  It's got allan wrenches instead of pins.  It had all the other things I wanted except the ambi charging handle and they were able to swap that out right there.

While the railed fore end is very nice, and well assembled  I do want to swap it out for something like this.  Lighter.

But for now I went from a box of mostly loose parts to a rifle in a weekend. Need ammo and a sling.  And mount a light.

So, I got an AR.  I feel kinda dirty.