Friday, September 30, 2016

Why you need a gun

2016


That first ammo run

A few years back.

I bought it for a sawbuck.  The gunstore owner looks like he got it at K-Mart for $6.97.  K-Mart still sold ammo and used price-guns.


Oops

Forgot to do a post today.  I think I am getting a migraine.  Maybe something later.

Thursday, September 29, 2016

Garand Gunsmithing

I mentioned I restored my Navy Garand to the condition it was in when I bought it.

It had been a while previous to that since I had touched that rifle.  In the meantime I have taken too many gunsmith classes and things I leaned there are now things I look for on all firearms, not just 1911s.

No there is no commonality between the pistol and the rifle.  But there both have parts that rub together, no?  And both have a certain way they function and there are things you know you should see and not see.  I am now more sensitive to that, for better or for worse.

Like... binding during the cycle of operation.  That can't be good.   The Garand binds a little as the bolt and op rod travel to the rear, about halfway through, said operation.

Op rods are famous for being an issue on the Garand, so, there are things to do to test it.  Like the 60 degree test.  Take the operating rod spring out and re-assemble.  If you hold the rifle up 60 degrees gravity should work the action and the bolt should slide to it's rear position of its own accord.  Then tilt it 60 degrees forward and the bolt should fall into battery.

The rifle passes this test, but there is still binding.  Binding that ISN'T present if the trigger group isn't in place and hold the lock to the stock under tension.   It's not much binding of I'd have noticed it before.  And it might not even be the operating rod being bent that is causing the trouble.  I can't quite locate the trouble area.

Also, the front handguard wiggles and rattle a bit.  That might be in spec, but I can't imagine it helps accuracy.

Also, the operating rod will sometime jump out of the track in the receiver it rides in, opposite the charging handle.  Great.

Also, the muzzle has a visible ding in the crown.  I've seen dings before and been told that while a dings crown can be very bad, some dings are an issue and others are not.  Either way, someone more experienced than me would have to make that call.

Maybe I should take it to Fulton.  It's practically a neighbor.  Great.  More money.  But I do like the guns I have to be in good working order.  Or check with Hatfield.  I know both, but have more contact with Hatfield.  Garands are cool, but not his specialty.

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Training Tam

Tam is a gunnie-world treasure, and you all know I hold her in high regard.  A true highlight of the gun blogging world.

And she holds that high ground even though 'blogs are dead' and she has downshifted a bit from her blog to put her writing chops to use on higher paying gigs.  But Tam phoning it in is better than me on my best day.

Tam has also been to lots of training courses for shooting.  Especially recently.  You can tell she finds that experience the bees knees.  In a way, she is living the dream.  And her target posts from range sessions shows that all that training is rubbing off on her.  Dang!  I wish I shot half as well.  Half as good?  Half as well?  What's the grammar for that.

Anyway, the only thing she doesn't share is what she learned.  "Learned lots of stuff and now I am much better at shooting after just that one weekend.  That trainer has it wired down."

What stuff?  Share!  I wish she'd share more.  But that's on my selfishness, not on her.

Ah, she might not, I imagine, because she isn't a trainer.  So anything she divulges might not come over as well as someone that trains others for a living and also know what they are about.  And if she was a trainer she'd want to see you in person.  So as to see if she is leading you down the wrong path, if some training tip might make you worse instead of better.  You want training?  Find a trainer?  Maybe go to that trainer she just talked about, and liked.  She, personally, isn't responsible to make you a better shooter.  That's on you.

Or me.

But things leak through.  Tips.

Grip harder.  Harder still.  That is one that has come down from her.  Her and lots of folks.  One contrary to my current training regime.  Which grips lighter.  But that lighter grip is to fix me.  Make me a better shot before making me a better shooter.  My training promises to tighten up that grip, but only after me, personally, have mastered a trigger pull.  One without flinching or heeling or jerking or pushing or thumbing.

I caught another one she shared.  And it applies to ME, and what I am doing now.  Pinning the trigger to the rear, before reset.  More importantly, avoid: shoot, pin, reacquire target in sights, reset, prep, shoot.  It's shoot, pin, reset, prep, reacquiring, shoot.  Or just slap that trigger.  Looking for a reset is a fine motor skill and it might actually slow you down.

Fortunately for me, I don't do this bad habit,  That I know of.     But what I am sure of and what Hatfield sees when I shoot are often two different things... I do have some live fire training with him this weekend...

Well, I HAVE been clicking for pin and reset, but that's in tuning up my accuracy, where I am purposely going slow.   In timed evolutions I am lucky to press decent and all else goes out the window. The goal there is to always press decent.

Anyway, find this guy and maybe take a course with him, too:



Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Range Trip



Yeah.  In a rut.  Another contributor is I am burning through some cheapy Remington bulk pack .22.

I have enough bulk .22lr.  This was an open container.  The other will stay sealed, and I will shoot CCI mini-max.  I like that better.

But let's not rely on the crutch of bad ammo and say this is on me.  Live fire training on Saturday, maybe I will tune it up.

Monday, September 26, 2016

Airbag Might not Deploy

In your Dodge.  

So?

I wear the seatbelt.

Better than the Japanese types that does deploy and sprays you with deadly shrapnel.

I didn't want them things in my car anyway.  If anything the Feds should pay ME for all the airbags I was forced to buy because they forces the auto companies to include them.  Hate them.

A Hi-Point, again?

Dude!

Protester Arrested At Panther’s Game In Charlotte With Loaded, Concealed Gun

Use some of that Soros money to get a better piece/

Unless you WANTED to be caught with and arrested with a gun... Then I guess a throw away pistol is prolly best.  Why lose your good gatt.

I did not know that

I knew that deer population took a huge hit, but I didn't know the estimate was down to half a million animals.

I also didn't know it was all the way up past 30 million now.  And this AFTER the invention and production of a bajillion cars.

That's mind boggling.

Why?  Well, yes, the excise tax on guns and ammo and the efforts of outdoorsmen to pay for, preserve, and manage large areas for deer.  The retirement of sub-nominal farmland far enough from urban areas to not be suburbified.  Plus restrictions on market hunting.  You want to make a species extinct?  Give a population a disease they have no immunity to and make the animals not belong to anyone but still have a monetary value when harvested.  Around Maryland we did what we could to kill off many species of waterfowl, for example.  Out west, buffalo.  Pennsylvania and upstate New York did its part for whitetail.  And you know about the horn poachers of Africa, today.  



Sunday, September 25, 2016

This looks made up

A CCW hero shoots a rampage shooter with her "Kimber Ultra Raptor" in Bradford's in Virginia.

Lisa Harris, hero
Matthew Collingsworth, Chief of Police
Randall Pierce, bad guy

The store is 'threatening legal action' against Ms. Harris, because they have no guns sign on their stores.  (Virginia is one of those states that says you are trespassing if carrying and they don't want you to.  I imagine she is no longer on the premises.)

Seems so... made up.   Common names. The Boston Tribune?  Never heard of it.  The ads are all clickbait and pretty pervy.  Reporters don't put down the weapon model like an advertisement for Kimber either.  No town is mentioned.  And is there still a Bradford's?  A legal complaint that will never hold water.  All too good to be true.

If only I had some powerful research tool to verify the veracity.  Wait!  I DO!  To the Internetz!

Yup.  Sketchy fake news.  To start, try searching for the Boston Tribune.


Amish Books

On Kindle.

Let that sink in.


Yup.


Saturday, September 24, 2016

But...

You shoulda had your self-defense firearm before the riots.

Charlotte Riots

"Spark self defense gun buying spree"

Well, of course they do.  Near Charlotte and also elsewhere.  Might be a slightly higher rate the closer to the action.

1968 got my dad, a man not too excited about guns and people having guns, to buy a gun.  There was a run in 1993.  Even late unpleasantness in France and Germany has people doing as much as they can to arm up, there.

It happens.

But what will it do apart from put money in FFL registers?  Will it impact the election?  Will it hurt Hillary's chances in that swing state of North Carolina, since she is pretty feckless on the topic?  Will the new gun owner vote for the person that wants to abolish the Second Amendment and take their guns?  (Hillary keeps saying she doesn't want to do that, when clearly she said she does.)

We can only hope.  If Trump wins and the Left starts reflecting and going "ya know being against guns killed us AGAIN, for the third time in 25 years, maybe we wait 40 years before bringing this up again.  Bloomberg is gonna run out of money someday soon, so...  " then there will be hope for us on this issue.

Their post game won't be that, I am thinking.  It will be ''we need to moderate, we went too far crazy-eye Left.  Gun control is fine, but we should tamp that down and concentrate on middle of the road stuff like Bill did.''


Where did this come from?


I've heard it many times for a long time, from many sources.  It feels older than gun fora.  As common as "stopping power" and "combat accuracy" and calling a magazine a clip.

How long have folks been losing their gun collection is boating accidents?

Yes yes, I get it, something to defy the ATF with when they want to register all your guns and you tell them you ain't got none.  Is it older than the ATF?  1968?

Friday, September 23, 2016

Guns of Nam

Summer of 66.  Guns Magazine,

The war is just starting and the magazine has taken notice before this but it is getting more prominent exposure now.  It made the cover.  The guns of Viet Nam.

The AR-15 was considered controversial, already.  But it was used at the Ia Drang valley 8 months prior to this publication. three four weapons the US forces use are the M60 machine gun, M14, M1/2 Carbine, and that AR-15 thing.


---

Also in this edition, there is worry that new federal regs will eliminate gun shows.   The more things change...

Thursday, September 22, 2016

Oh, my!

I don't like Hillary at all, but jeez, this hurts.  What is wrong with her?  Something serious is a matter.  So much so I am actually worried about her health and have empathy for her.  She's not shrill, she's sick.


One other thing

I shouldered the Garand after fixing it.

You know how n00bies lean back because of the heavy rifle?  The end wavers a bit.  Shooting offhand is hard.  And this posture looks bad.

Well, I am no stronger now that I was when I bought the rifle, but for some reason I do not lean back anymore.   The tip of the barrels doesn't wobble around nearly as much as it used to.

I have no idea why.  I am not practicing or training that stance to improvement.

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Ecological Disaster


Feral cats are an ecological disaster and all cats should be locked up indoors?

Or... maybe... cats fill an important role since we eliminated normal, wild, predators from civilization centuries ago.  If only housecats could take down whitetail deer, too, but without preying on any smaller humans.

I think worrying about it one way or another is standard buttinsky control-everything-impulse, histrionics.   Lighten up, Francis.

"Kill all stray cats and keep the rest indoors" 

Maybe we should kill all stray busybodies and keep the rest indoors?

Scout Garand

It's been a while since I showed the Garand any love.

Now, about me, for you new people.  When I started this blog, Jeff Cooper was only recently dead.  And before I started writing this I was reading stuff.  So I was an Art of the Rifle sold-on-the-concept true believer about Scout Rifles.  Made sense to me, instantly.  Some folks still don't get it, and that's fine.

It's also one of few firearm concepts I haven't discarded as I got more experienced.  I still like the long eye relief help for my old eyes.  And you can put a red dot on that forward rail, too, if you want.  The only rifle I had to convert to a scout-style was the Garand, so I did.  It's really the best way to put glass on a Garand design.  M1 or M14 or M1A.  Scope mounts on the reciever have never satisfied me,  It's just an aluminum rail sold by Fulton Armory.  Plus a Leupold scope.

When I did this I felt a little funny.  It's one thing to swap out stuff on 1990s era M1A made in Illinoise for schlubs like me, it's another thing to change a piece of history by bolting on ticky tacky.  Well, I got that M1A and set it up ticky tacky with a scout rail.  And this week I cleaned and oiled the Garand, built in 1944 and converted to 7.62x51 by the Navy, later in it's life.  I also took off the Ching Sling and restored the rear hand guard to it's original format.   Seems more right.

Voila.



Tuesday, September 20, 2016

But you were all for the cops having guns...

Why is gun banning Everytown publicizing a bad cop shoot?  Do they want to disarm cops, too?  Who will come and disarm us if you make the cops put down their weapons, Bloomberg?


U2 Spyplane

Crashes in California.

Great.  Why are we spying on California, now?  Did those Californians shoot it down?

Ugh, indeed

Jeff Bridges and Tom Brady are selling UGG Boots for a living, now?

I thought Hillary vs Trump was the sign of the End Times...  I was wrong.

Sadly

Sadly, one of my favorite blogs has gimped itself.  The Firearm Blog.

You are reading one of their posts, and there is a link in the text.  Great!  Say you were reading about the Glock 19.  You expect the link to go to Glock 19, or maybe Glock 19.

Instead it goes to an ad.  Like this.  Or this.  Not very informative when I wanted and expected information.  Now I trust them less. Not cool.

Gotta do whatever to pay the bills.  I have never known them to steal content or fail to credit folks, at least.

(Note, those were examples.  I have no idea if those places are linked to by TFB or buy ad space from TFB.  I don't even know if they have specifically done a piece on the Glock 19.  Probably.)

Monday, September 19, 2016

Life Hack

"Oh my God there is a guy shooting a gun, shots fired shots fired"

Here's a little tip if you find youself in a similar situation, being just some guy and not responding officers or a cornered by a bad guy:

Make like a tree and leave.

Don't start up video on your cellphone.

None of those bullets may be aimed at you, none may have your name on it. But one of them might come right through that office window with a "To Whom It May Concern" and plug you right in the eyeball.

"Shots fired, I seen it!"

Dude?



Don't walk down the MIDDLE of the street toward the shooting, either.

"Oh my God you hear that bang?"

~sigh~

Grandpa


On this day in 1944.  My grandpa was killed by Japanese forces.

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity.  The Silver Star.  Semper Fi.

Peleliu.  HQ company for his battalion.  1/7.  Hanneken commanding the regiment.

I get my height from him.  No one else in my family is as tall as us.

Enlisted 2 June 1942.  Mom was born 30 May 1942.


Sunday, September 18, 2016

Zombocalypse

Naked man breaks in home, bites resident, then dies

Duh.  I don't need to tell you what this means.

I have a man on the inside of the CDC.  You know how they make up a new infectious disease every year?  SARS, then Bird Flu, then Ebola, then Super Gonorrhea, then Bath Salts, then Zika?  Yeah, that's also just cover stories.  They change it because folks catch on.

One week later...

So... pin all the way back.

I go to the range a week later with that new bit of reminded info.  Send up the target, load mags, watch the guy on the lane next to me hit the target carrier twice...

Then shoot and pin back.  Wait... that's no different that what I was doing before.  I... I was already doing that...  The only difference is I am thinking it, consciously this time.  Oh well.  Let me shoot a few strings and then bring it back...



WTF KIND OF ARMY MARKSMANSHIP VOODOO HAVE YOU DONE TO ME, SKIP?  WHY?!!  HOW DOES THAT EVEN WORK?!

Well, some improvement.  By thinking of something I was already doing.

Not bad.  A little right bias but that improved after the beginning two.  And number 5, except fot that one 'flier.'  One and three are pretty solid, too.  If the even number targets were as good as the odd I'd be ecstatic.

One bad habit I am noticing, tho, and it slows me down.  I can't see the holes all the way down the range.  But I find myself looking for them after some shots.  Like my focus is down at the target instead of in the plane the front sight lives in up near me.

Saturday, September 17, 2016

VIOLENCE

Donald Trump Again Alludes to Violence Against Hillary Clinton

Really?  I don't think he alludes to specific violence.  Or even generic violence towards anyone.  Bit of a stretch, media trying to change the subject away from Hillary's Obama-Birtherism.  Sad.

It's true that Hillary wants to ban an confiscate your firearms.  That's a fact.  It's also true that Hillary will enjoy 24/7 expert firearm-wielding bodyguard protection until she dies.  Fact.  She wouldn't like it if that protection went away just like I wouldn't like it if I didn't have the best chance to defend myself all by my lonesome.

Liberal contacts on Facebook are up in arms but they can't even grok the concept from anyplace but their narrow worldview.  I can see their point, but my point may as well be invisible.  It's like we are two very different peoples.

"We should get rid of all guns!"

"Maybe you should get rid of yours first?"

"Are you THREATENING to assassinate me?"


A different kind of rut

A training rut.



Look at those fliers?  What is going on?

Seem to have plateaued a bit.  The groups get wider, the right bias is still there or worse, those fliers.  I think I need to get another live-fire session with the So-To-Speak-Sensei.    October 1.

I talked to him about this.  Just described what you see above, no pictures or anything.  He said, "Are you pinning the trigger all the way back before releasing to reset."

I admitted that I wasn't even considering the pin all the way back part.  Just the reset bit.

"Hmmm.  Try pinning it back."

Friday, September 16, 2016

Missouri

I've met a few people from Missouri.  And, hands down, those disparate individuals were the most racist people I have ever come across.  And I've lived in the deep south.  Any racism I encountered there was not a patch to the attitudes I came across from those people I met from Missouri.

Now that is anecdote, not data.  Maybe I am way off base.  Maybe you, dear reader, are from Missouri and don't have a racist bone in your body.  Good.  Good for you.

But anyone must admit that there is racism in Missouri just like everywhere else.  And there might even be a little extra vitriol because of how Missouri jibes with the history of slavery/abolition struggle prior to the civil war.  (Kansas also had some bloodiness, pre-war as both side butted head.  So much so it was called Bloody Kansas.)

I could be wrong.  I could actually be one of the least racists states in reality.  But there is racism there, of course.

So it is quite amazing that the will of Missouri people would override the governors veto and make the state Constitution Carry.  The 12th such state. 

A state with such existing racial animosity would, overnight, grant/recognize a quarter million black people their natural right (that they already had) of self defense and the means to do it with a concealed firearm?  That is a huge step forward in positive civil rights outcomes, all around, and great news. 

Maybe I should give the Show Me State another chance.

[PS. I just remembered two more acquaintences from Missouri who displayed no racism, so that helps the lifetime average with the state in run-ins with T-Bolt.  Mea culpa]

Thursday, September 15, 2016

Hi!

This sort of thing has happened to me on a few occasions.

"I bought a Hi-Point for less that $200."

"Score!" I say.

"I shoot my Hi-Point very accurately."

"Well, it's a very good pistol!  If I wanted a classic 9mm it'd be high on my list!" I say.

"I love my Hi-Point."

"You know who designed that?  John Moses Browning! (pbuh)"  I say.

Then I realize I heard 'Hi-Power' in my head, when they said Hi-Point.  I hate it when that happens.  I really do. 

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

And what if you win?

Senator Murphy?

And you tell America to turn in all their guns?

And American says no?

Then what?

You Progs can never think beyond that first stage.

Tuesday, September 13, 2016

Clinton Reluctant to Drink Water

Have you ever seen Hillary drink a glass of water?


Garage Gunsmithing

This series caught my eye, and I am looking forward to each installment.

Why?  He is going into the project without the training I had, but he may well have much deeper background skill from his 'engineering' day job.  Rick Dembroski is approaching the project as an enthusiastic amateur, like I did, but is taking a more daring path than I.

He starts out getting a vary basic tool set, from Midway and Harbor Freight, a what looks like the GI style modelk1911 from Springfield.   He has a list of upgrades to customize this pistol more as he'd like it.  None of the upgrades are TOO ambitious.

And step one is a new, very snazzy mainspring housing.

Now before I continue, I have often joked noticing that is you change one thing on a 1911 you may have to make modification one you are sure is a totally unrelated part of the gun on the opposite side of the pistol.  So if you swapped the mainspring housing you may need to change the barrel bushing.  That sort of thing.

But then again, you might not.  The part may just fit and be fine.  And in this case, that seems true.  Trouble comes when the slots or tabs where the part meets the frame are too tight or way too loose, or the piece doesn't go all the way into the frame before binding.  And the grip safety has to meet the top of the housing.  I had to file away bits of the my grip safety to get the safety to release.

Rick is also test firing after each change, hoping to catch hidden problems, scientifically, after each change.  Perhaps overkill, to me, but nonetheless a valid strategy.  We shall see.

I did notice in the 'before' picture, the mainspring housing pin before he does anything is in backwards.  Someone has already been inside this gun.

Next up, he does a new oversize slide stop.   Another good idea.  He does attack the tip with needle files.  Probably didn't need to, and I'd worry about bringing the taper too far 'down' the shank.  I'd have just used the sandpaper to bring the whole diameter down, being careful not to take too much.  I might be a little more aggressive than 800 grit though.  Micing the diameter often, after cleaning the grit off, is a good practice.  Just to know, at a minimum.  Watch out you don't mic on a mold seam with MIM parts.  Looks like he got a non-MIM replacement from Ed Brown.  Good.

Second installment... a new Grip Safety!

Ugh.  He has a jig, and I don't have any experience with them.  Even my Guru hates doing work fitting a new grip safety.  It can be aggravating.  With my gun the area rubbing was the 'bottom' of the recessess that goes onto the frame.  But it took me too long to notice with lamp blacking, so I am dissatisfied with my fitting job,  Hope you had better luck than me, Rick.   It's hard.

After it's fitted to the frame, then there is it's function as a safety to consider.  You don't want the bottom to wedge on the trigger bow, and you do want the tab to tough the trigger bow when in the ungripped position, obviously.  And the half moon relief on top is for the convenience of assembly/disassembly.

Hey Rick!  To get those file marks off maybe get a cratex extra fine on your dremel?

I noticed in the second installment that like most modern day Springfield 1911 the ejector is not pinned in place.  Just glue.

Next up for Rick is the REALLY hard part to get right.  Hammer/Sear.  Don't tell him it's the hard part til after he does it.  He is cruising on some decent confidence and it will help carry him through if he is successful.  If not successful, he just needs another hammer and sear to play with.




Monday, September 12, 2016

Things I think are true

  • Trump is awful.
  • Hillary is an order of magnitude worse.
  • If Trump doesn't win, Hillary will.
  • Johnson will never win.
  • Johnson doesn't come into it except to maybe help Hillary win.  And turns out he is pretty awful in his own right.  (Aleppo?  Never heard of her.  Pass the bong, man.)
  • I think that Trump likes his country.
  • I don't think Hillary does.  Or Obama.
  • I think Trump might do better on the 2nd Amendment.
  • I know Hillary won't do anything good on 2A stuff.

Sunday, September 11, 2016

I loved the Harlem Shake

When it was a thing.

Glad someone is bringing it back.


How DARE you

Question Hillary's health!




Maybe it isn't crippling health issues that would make her disqualified for the highest office.

Maybe she had one too many bloody mary's or mimosa's at brunch? She IS a bit of a day drinker.

Maybe she just feels beside herself awful for calling a quarter of ordinary Americans deplorable and irredeemable. Wracked with guilt and broken up over it.

This is my firestation


You know what that rusty beam is.

This day, again

Every year I post pretty much the same thing.  Mostly kvetching how I am not satisfied with how the aftermath turned out.  It's been 15 years.  Maybe this is the last year I post about it on the blog.  Maybe next year I'll try to find something positive to do instead.

Otherwise, I get melancholy.


“and if I get melancholy, which can happen, I expect you to be my companion and solace me.”

– Ben Rumson





Friday, September 9, 2016

Dream

So, in this dream, I was back working at the brewery.  And happy.  Things were going well.  And this guy worked for me.



John Berthal.  And as his character in Fury.  Not Walking Dead.  Not Daredevil.  Grady.

Since he was Grady, he wasn't well educated and was trying to get his GED.  He asked me if I could help him solve a math problem, and show him how.  And the math problem was this:

     2          =  7
 4 + 13t

Obviously, I remembered the math problem when I woke up.  I struggled with it in the dream, but felt I was close.  And then I really struggled with it when I was awake.  Algebra is no longer a strong suit.  It took me hours, and really bugged me that it did.

First I was 2/4 + 2/13t = 7, but that isn't right.  Eventually I moved the whole denominator over.

2 = 7(4 + 13t)
2 = 28 + 91t
-26 = 91t
-26/91 = t

And that works out:

     2                    =  7
 4 - 13(26/91)

Maybe I need to take some refresher courses.  I don't like losing old skills.  I mean, Calculus is long gone, but I'd like to hold onto some algebra.

Thursday, September 8, 2016

Malarkey

"If it doesn't have a classified header, I have no idea if it is a classified email!  Beside, I never got the training!  It's not my fault!"  Said Hillary, Parkinsonsly.

First of all, that's baloney.

Second of all, you don't even go to the terlet without Huma, and multiple other staff peons, whose jobs it is to be sure you don't dip any articles of clothing in the bowl or do something stupid like send Sid Blumenthal national secrets on both your Yahoo mail accounts.  Which, innocently and coincidentally, both have the same password:  "123456".  They didn't help you with that because you wanted to send those secrets in the clear, Cc: Putin, PLA, etc.

You're lying about this.  You know it, and I know it, but you are hoping you can fool enough people that they'll still vote for you and get you over the top.  Relying on the nod from the willingly self-delusional.

Hell of a way to run a railroad.  

Blog Fodder


"I need blog fodder"


"Why doncha do 'What Rifle Would Aragorn Use' as a meme?  People like LOTR crossover stuff.  Maybe he'd be more of a shotty type, and Legolas would have the sniper rifle.  Gandalf would be all about Molotov cocktails..."


Stop!  Just stop!  I can't use that.  I'd be laughed out of the Loyal Order of Gunbloggers Guild if I did that. 


We call our group LOGG for short.  It's not a blogging group with a drinking problem, it's more of a drinking group with a blogging problem.  We end up leaving the pub after a few and go, "Well, I better get home and LOGG-blog for tomorrow" or "I need to squeeze out another LOGG for my fans to consume."  And then the other entice you to stay with just one more.  And the next day you get this for a blog post.


But Aragorn's rifle?  Just awful.  

Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Ginning up Racial Histrionics

Oh please. "Campus carry present unique threat to black student" Audacious assertions require a bit more justification than being something you pulled out of the back of your panties.

 Besides, I don't think anyone, black or white, has anything to fear from this guy's 'AK'.


Range Trip last Friday

Meh,


Will you look at that?  Still casting to the right.  Even when consciously trying to... not do that.  Hmmm.  I may be plateauing again.  Maybe I need another live fire training exercise.

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Sear for B

I promised commenter "B" I'd try to show him a munged up sear caused by too much jarring inside the lockwork of my 1911 wearing a Ciener conversion kit.

Though you can ruin a sear engagement by dropping the .45 slide on an empty gun the same way.

The 'bad' news is, my sear isn't as bad as I thought.  It does only engage on the one side, circled.  You can tell because that side is shiny.  There are some point of shininess on the other side, but that might not even be getting there in the normal cycle of operations.  It could be the aforementioned clanky.



When the trigger is pulled with this sear, it's only touching the hammer hooks on the one side.  The gun functions, but this is suboptimal for a good trigger.  There is creep after the takeup, for starters.

This sear is the factory sear.  It is a MIM part.  I'd replace it with an aftermarket sear if the gunsmith ever does a sear-only class.  I have another gun I'd do that with too.

There is some rounding over on that knife edge that is hard to see.  Also not optimal.  Sloppy trigger at the most optimistic.  More, an unsafe gun.

"Whadaya mean unsafe, T-Bolt?  What's the worst that can happen?"

Well, the WORST is your 1911 goes full auto as your gun goes into battery that vibration is enough to let the sear go and then the hammer falls.  Repeat x7.  If you still shoot it, and the sear gets worse the hammer will just follow the slide in and never let you cock it.  This is after it's been brrrrrrrrrrapping all over.

But before it does that catastrophe.  You'll pull the trigger a little bit, then decide not to shoot, but the trigger doesn't reset.  The sear doesn't go back to it's former state securely holding up the hammer hooks.  Then someone calls a cold range and your sear is baaaaaaaaaaaaaaarely holding on and any vibration will fire it.  Picking it up off the bench.  Pounding on the bench.  A good sneeze.  Bang.  You get a bang when you aren't expecting one.

Monday, September 5, 2016

Custom Guns

I've taken a $700 Springfield, put $1000 worth or parts into it and an ungodly amount of sweat-equity labot, too.  To say nothing of the cost of learning how to do said sweat equity in an environment that maximzes my chances of not screwing up.   Made a pretty well-functioning gat if I do say so myself.

So when I sell if I should ask for $2000 for it, right?  At least.  It's a well made custom gun!

Well, no.  Who am I?  Some well known custom gunsmith?  No.  Can't sell on that.

All the work I put into that gun, I could have just paid the gunsmith to do it for me!   He charges a grand.  Is it a $1700 gun when I try to sell it?

No.

I am lucky I didn't turn a $700 gun into a $400 gun.  Like Tam says, it's customized for me.  Well, tuned up for me.   Most folks if given the choice between my used gun or the same model brand new from gun store, would go for the new.  It would take some doing in the salesmanship department, demoing all the improvements, to get that realized price higher than the MSRP.   I won't come within rifle range of getting back what I put into it.

And that's fine with me.

And whoever does get this gun after me, they are just lucky.  That sear hammer engagement is sweet and the slide and barrel lockup is pretty good too.

Sunday, September 4, 2016

A shooting flaw I have

When confronted with a lot of targets I have to knock down.  Plates, say.  I get ahead of myself.  Mentally moving to the next target instead of putting down the plate I am aiming at.  This often ends in a miss.  It gets worse if I have down a few plates in a row and I want to go faster.  It's a sure fire way to jump the gun, so to speak. 

Apparently, this is common with folks. 

Who knew?

Anyway, There are ways to correct this.  One way, taught me, is to say "THIS one" when aiming at a target.  Out loud.  It's an attempt to focus yourself on the task at hand.  So a shooting session goes "This one, this one, this one, this one, this one."  You can flaw your way through this trick, of course, and I quickly figured out how to do that.  Hey, why is that?  Why am I a natural at finding way to short circuit my performance?  I wish I was a natural at finding way to improve...  But it did help me a bit.   When I let it help me.  Not perfect, but helps some. 

Saturday, September 3, 2016

Sheriff Jim

You, too, can screw up a 1911.

Oh yes,   It's easy!

And he didn't even go into what a fella can do with a dremel or a file or a stone.

That one thing I am thankful for.  That I have advanced far enough along in my gunsmithing journey I can make an adjustment, assemble the gun, and usually can tell right then and there I have ruined it beyond repair.  Most beginners have trouble clearing that hurdle, and just call it a day and go shoot the gun.

Now I am still a little fuzzy, but if I am not sure and something just doesn't seem right with that function check... then it'd been done broke.

Back in MY Day

One day Ima gonna be able to say, "I remember there was a time you could leave comments on Tam's blog.  Dirt was young and rocks were soft way back then...."


Friday, September 2, 2016

Smiff 'n Wesson

I admit, I don't know the difference between and M&P and an M&P Shield.  Every time I see a reference to the Shield, I think, "what is that when it's at home?" but can't be arsed enough to find out and no one smarter is around to ask.  If I was gun shopping for an M&P and purchase was imminent I'd have arsed.  I wasn't. 

Well, now I am working up the gumption.  About time.  Out of curiosity and need for blog fodder.

TO THE INTERNET!

Now I would go to SMith and Wesson itself, but while good for what it is, they censor stuff that goes to my state, and it is really just a slick ad copy and not super informative.  Wiki will have to do.

Ah.  I half suspected that.  It's like the XD-slim.  A single stack offering in a smaller and slimmer gun.  Aiming at the CCW market.  Good, good, I like that concept.  There was a time I'd have the wants for a single stack polymer.  Greater wants.  But for single stack I'll just stick to the 1911s I have poured so much blood and sweat into learning all that great fun stuff about gunsmithing.

The regular M&P still appeals.  If I ever get around to getting a polymer gun.  Plus the .45 version won't have gimped magazines in my state. 


Ugh.  I need to move.









Thursday, September 1, 2016

Monday Bupkis

On a Thursday?  Odd.

To help out the tourist industry at Ocean City, give AC-less schools in Bawlmer a break, and trying to make the whole state consistent, our beloved by everybody Republican governor has mandate that school start the day after Labor Day, like it should, and end no later than June 15th.

Governor Hogan.  Hogan is our Hero.

"But how will they cram 180 school days in that way, T-Bolt?"

By cutting all the Margarita Mondays the teachers have during the school year, mainly.   You get the whole summer off!  Work on your alcoholism then.  You unions have done enough damage, time to reverse that.

But some traditions need to be revived and are precious.  We need to kill Daylight Savings next.  Madness. 

I remember all my elementary school teachers' names.  And some of the backup teachers.   I find many people don't remember.