Stowage

Lots of guns have onboard strorage.  A cleaning kit is customarily stored in these places.  But the AR platform has a plethora of extra trunk space possible.

What do you store in yours, apart from cleaning kits and spare batteries for the optics?

Things I've been thinking of...  Alan wrenches, broken shell/case remover, bore snake, a tiny bottle of Break Free, sight tool, a Werther's Toffee candy,


Also... a mag pouch for one mag that attaches to a weaver/picatinny rail...  I need to see if those exist...

Stink Bugs

Tell me about it.

It was like a plague of locusts at the gun range Saturday.

Upcoming Gun Show

Fun Show is comin' this weekend.  And Ima GOIN'!

I got cash I've saved up $40 a week for years that I think I can dip into...  What should I get?

I'm thinking that Upper.  But that's a lot to think on.  I better review the comments.  There and here, from 2 years ago, to see what my thinking was then..

I have the stock and lower parts and sights coming this week, too, so, conceivably, all else I'd need is ammo.  (Had PMAGS for a month, thanks to MBtGE.)

I guess my search for the perfect light weight handy carbine was staring me in the face for five years.  It's the AR.  I should sell the SIG P229 and all the .40 rounds and put 5.56 ammo cans in their place.


So what else.

I'll probably get that single stack XD 45 someday, but not at the gun show.  Transfer back to Maryland is too big a hassle.  Besides, I want to see if they'll need to recall the pistols first.  Not that I think they will, but a nice seasoning period never hurts.  A spare snubbie or spare Commander is also out for the same transfer reason.

I'm always sorta shopping for the Winchester Model 88.  And, being a long gun, I can actually buy it in Virginia without issue.

Lefty guns are always something I look at.  Could be something interesting, there, you never know...

 I don't think I will be so intimidated this time.  My first gun show was sensory overload.  So much to see!  So gobsmacked about it that I couldn't focus or concentrate.  But now it is old hat.  Which is good ifn you don't wanna go overboard.  "Look, a bullet-proof vest for a Dalmation sized dog!  I like Dalmations!  Give me three doggie vests!"

Metrocons in 3D

The National Review has a thing on 3D firearm printing and the shannigans of Indiegogo.

Wounded Warrior Blogshoot

So, the Berryville range in West Virginia is nice.  I've never shot at a place that had a 400 yard range.  And all sorts of fun was had by all and sundry.

Let's get the participant list out of the way.  Lagniappe (the organizer), Tempestuous Sea, THOTPolice (and Missus), Another Day Another, JB Miller, Old NFO, Proud Hillbilly, Shekel, MSgtB (and Missus), and a passel of lurkers, like Bubblehead Les, and Stretch, and The Axe, and Morlock, and AZMrMacs.

Weather was gorgeous.  There was something nearby, dead, you can smell when the wind was right.  Probably not a groundhog because we saw those.  They understood English, must be, because they only scampered across the range was when a cease fire was called.  There was one thing... There were thousands of stink bugs.   Thousands.   It looked like Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom but instead of oodles of varieties it was just stink bugs.  Stink bugs that didn't stink, so... no harm, no foul

This is the second annual Wounded Warrior Blogshoot, and range fees for everyone was $30.  People through a coupla bucks in for the fundraiser on top of that.  And then we had over $1000 to donate to the charity.  (At dinner is was $951, but we couldn't leave it at that...)

There was a pistol area that had a steel target at 25 yards.  I was using the pistols and 10/22 on this.  I was rubbish with the pistols, as you people already know.  I need MORE practice, naturally.  But the trigger on the 10/22 I fixed up must have been good.  I forgot to thing about it. But, standing unsupported I could hit the head sized steel every time, no misses.

I didn't have the opportunity at the busy range to truly test it.  I mean for Appleseed.  With good ammo I want to be able to put all the shots into a quarter sized target at 25 yards.  And I think I can do it now. 

What else.  Well here is the rifle range with dueling 7.62mm rifles.  That's my M1A on the right, JB Millers AR1- on the left.  And the berm is way down thar.

If you look carefully you can see my shoot n see on the left and there are... PUMPKINS ON THE BERM! 

So we took some time eliminating that deadly gourdish threat.

Here is the result when I wasn't killing the oncoming hordes of Orange Menace.  Les obliged with the chest prop for my camera.

So not shabby.  Hitting high at 100 with the red dot.  I'd correct it, but it will be right on at 250.  If I have a zombie or pumpking problem at 100 yards I'll aim for the chin to get the forehead.

I forgot to mention...  7.62 doesn't make pumpkins explode.  It does tear them up a bit.  You need something else for a kaboom.  And the RO obliged with tannerite in one of them...  It was a race between JB and I to hit it. And I only have 6 bullets left.  I aimed for the chin and sploded it on round 3.

Here is the 400 yard range where NFO spent most of his time:

I don't know if I had ever fired FO's M24.  I have fired his SCAR and that is just like having an easy button.  The bolty was more problematic for me.  The eye relief is tricky and FO has it set up for right handers...  I was hitting over the shoulder of the steel reactive target.  About 1 o'Clock.  Took me 3 shots to hear the 'tink'.  Not good.  Others were hitting it earlier with that rifle.

There was some machine gun action.   Dueling Uzi's for instance on full rock and roll, and I like this pic because I got some brass in the air; one near the port, the other at headtop height 2 feet in ahead of it:

"Hey, T-Bolt, come check out the gun I am gonna use in case there is a zombie apocalypse!  Got a whole box of birdshot to go with it!"

Grumble Grumble....  It was a handsome family heirloom, that double.

You never select a shotgun as your primary anti-zombie firearm. It's great for onesy twosey, but zombies travel in hordes. The reload time is onerous, and the ammo, while effective, is heavy and bulky and short ranged

After, we dined at a neat little place called John's, My Pappy's Place, est. 1963.  The fried chicken was delectable.

Retention Holster

So I have a couple Serpa holsters.  But the usual complaints about them has soured me on them as well.  You know the ones... the locking mechanism jams up tight at times, the release button is too close to the trigger and some folks forget their training when in a hurry and end up still USING that trigger finger after the holster has been released.

But since the Pittsburgh NRA convention I've noticed some thumb-button release retention holsters by many major holster manufacturers.  The initial runs were limited to models offered, and NONE of them offered lefties.

But I noticed PDB did some holster reviews.  All looking at retention holster that are alternatives to the Serpa.

I checked em out.  The one that stood out for him was Safariland's offering.  The one that stood out for me was Safariland.  Because they were the only one that offered lefty version for more than just Glock models.   So they got my money.  I was prejudiced for Galco, but they haven't caught up to me and my sinister requirement.

Shootin'

I should be heading out shootin' right about now.

More later.

Hope I'll be able to properly zero the 10/22 there.  Why wouldn't I?  Depends on the range.  Might not have the right 25 yarder there to shoot at.  I have the sight to get the windage dialed in and to test the new upgraded trigger.

DOJ OIG report

Notice I didn't comment on the Fast and Furious DOJ report?  I didn't think it worth commenting on.  When I was a kid and sat on Santa's lap and asked for swag he asked me if I had been a good little boy all year.  I said 'yes.'

But I was the wrong guy to ask on that.  I had a conflict of interest.  So to speak.

----


Strains credulity.

Heads should roll.

Fire Holder?  Asks Mexico.

Wrong Foot

I apologize to all telemarketers that call my house wanting me to give them money in some form or another.  Either out of the goodness of my heard to help the poor starving children in some third world hell hole like La Jolla California, or think I might actually buy the product they are hawking after a chat on the tele.  "Replacement windows?  How can I lose?!!"

You see, you are doing it wrong when you say, "Good evening!  Is New Jovian there?"

No.  Mr. Thunderbolt is here on the phone talking to you.  And I don't know you from Adam's off ox.  I'd terminate this call politely had you remembered the Mister part, Chuckie.  Now you got my back up.  And I might be salty from this point on, to you and yourn.

Am I turning into a crotchety old bastard?  Perhaps.  Get off my lawn.


Wait!  Did I post something like this before?  The dementia is creeping up on ME, too, I think.

Heh

Seen on Instapundit


Save the Planet, Buy an AR.

-

Never even HEARD of this...

Before the week.  And I am sort of flabbergasted that I haven't.  This sort of subject should be right in my wheelhouse, but no.

Snaphance.

What is that?!

Matchlock, Wheel-lock, Flintlock...  All these trip easily to mind and roll off my tongue.  But the snaphance is totally unknown to me.  It's a slightly different operating system for musketry before the flintlock became popular and solved some problems with the advent of a frizzen as a better sparker/pan-cover.

Frizzen.  I knew that one...

Archie's Cologne

Wish this was still around.

Zombie Coloring Book

I was never good at coloring inside the lines.  Maybe that's why I jerk the trigger too much...

The Zombie Coloring Book

Bad Guy Tactics

So, when society got 'civilized' life was easier for the stick up man.  Find a likely target, flash a weapon, demand valuables, then go away.  But thanks to the prevalence of CCW that is becoming more and more risky for the bad guy.

It's not super prevalent, yet, but the victim is more and more likely to air our the bad guy.

Now, bad guys aren't the brightest bulb on the string, but eventually they'll catch on.  And they'll change their tactic to minimize risk to themselves.

What will they do?

They could walk up behind and shoot a victim behind the ear.  It avoids an armed response.  But that's a lot of prison time just to get an iPhone4. 

They could walk up behind and clout a victim with a blunt object.  Still a risk of murder, but less so.

They could get other bad guys with weapons to help with a stickup.  Safety in numbers.  A victim with self defense capabilities might hesitate, more, to take on 4 armed thugs.  But then the bad guys have to split the loots.

I don't know when the prevalence of solo bad guys meeting CCW toters will tip the balance into a tactic change, but I want to think on it ahead of time.  Ideally, I'd prefer they switched careers and became telemarketers or summat instead of stick-up artists.  Maybe politicians.

NRA History

I got this old wooden box.  It's from the 30's.  And it says NRA on it.  See:

20 to 30 what?  20 to 30 score of ammunition, no doubt.  "We Do Out Part"  Sure do!  Looking after our sacred Constitutional rights, I'll wager!

Well, let's see what's on the other side. 

Prunes?   Well, maybe the National Rifle Association was selling fruit back then to raise money.  Kinda like they sell wines now.  That's gotta be it.

I'm just joshing you.  NRA, in this case is the execrable and unconstitutional National Recovery Administration.  One of FDR daft ideas.  Businesses loved it as it set price controls relatively high enough to keep them afloat and squelch competition.  That's not NRA's Eddie the Eagle.  It's the Blue Eagle.  Must be seen to be actually Bolshy, after all.  Read more about it in The Forgotten Man.

As for that funny sounding tea company hawking prunes...  The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company is just the A&P Grocery Store.  That organization was the Wal Mart of the day.  Driving all the Mom & Pop butchers and bakers out of business 90 years ago.  Now look at em! 

One day Wal Mart will be crap, too.

Archie Freaks Out a Little

It's not new.  He does it all the time.  He obsesses over a coming event.  Like say he has a doctor's appointment on 9/19/12 at 11:45...  That totally throws him.  And he'll think about and ask me about it over and over again every day until the day.  "What does 11:45 mean?" the :45 part throws him and he can't decipher digital clocks anymore.  He can't decipher dates, either, and wonders where the 19 went on the years.

His newest thing?  His drivers license is expiring soon.  He's still a decent driver.  He never ventures farther that 2 miles from the house, never goes out before 10 or after 2 to avoid traffic, and certainly knows he can't see to drive at night.  So he's still ok behind the wheel, relatively.  But the thought of renewing his drivers license stymies him.  He'll pass the eye test fine and will probably get the certification from his eye doctor anyway to save time at the MVA.  So all he really has to do is wait in line, fill out a form and give them $30.  I'll probably fill the form out for him in advance, too.  The arthritis makes his handwriting a bit messy.

But that knowledge isn't stopping him from dwelling on it and having fits about it.  He's impatient and needs things done right now.  RIGHT now.  But he can't renew until a month before it expires.  So he will hector me about it until then.  Not because he enjoys hectoring me, though he is a crotchety old bastard, but because he can't quite grasp it and can't let it alone.  He never could leave things alone, being so independent, but the not grasping how it works now is the part that bothers him.

His license expires in March.  So 5 months of this.

At least he knows not to call me when it is dark out unless he's having a medical emergency.  I used to routinely get calls telling me all his clocks are wrong.  They say the same time but they're wrong.  They say 3:00 but it's pitch black outside.  So what time is it really?

It's 3AM, Archie.  I gotta go to work in 3 hours.  Why don't you go back to bed?

Soon, it will be the thermostat.  Switching from Cool to Heat.  I can talk him through it over the phone.  That's easy.  I will probably do it for him dozens of times.  It's frustrating.  Not for me (unless he does it at 3AM) but for him.  He knows he was master of that thermostat for decades.  Installed it himself.  CUSTOMIZED it so I had to grok the customization for 5 minutes instead of the 5 seconds a simple thermostat takes to comprehend for someone with my faculties.  I can't reteach him, but he, ever optimistic in his way, think he can be retaught.

He does relearn for a short while.  A week maybe.  Then it's back.  Or gone, rather.

Same with figuring out email.  Or his file system for his bills.  Or how to write a check.  It tests both our patience at time.

If this were the Navy, back during the war, they'd give him an APC Pill, pronounce him right as rain, and send back on Watch.

Sawed Off

I don't have much knowledge in this area, but I bet a reader does.

I don't own a shotgun with a barrel length less than 18 inches.  Or with a short OAL.  If I did I'd have to go through the whole ATF tax stamp rigamorole.

I know the attraction of a sawed off.  It's easy to conceal and more wieldable in tight spaces.  I also know that a short barrel means more shot spread and less effectiveness. 

Is there some sort of optimal sawed-off length?  Presumably 1 inch past the receiver is too short and just like a firecracker, and may even be dangerous for the user.  I know the effective range drops with short barrels, but what is the recommended range with the ideal sawed-off length?

Kind of a silly notion to think on, and of little practical use, but what they hey.  Knowledge is knowledge.

Because I need something uplifting

To get this horrible taste out of my mouth...

Pro Wrestler Triple H breaks character for a fan.

iowahawk

Egyptian Zombies

No kidding.  The enthusiastic gang-rapers and embassy-stormers in Cairo's Tahrir Square are zombies.

They are hopped up on goofballs.  Specifically, Tramadol.  An opioid analgesic that allows the Islamic Rage-Boys to take a beating and not even feel it. 

"Zombies operating under the control of Islamists and Leftists — working together. Who said they couldn’t get along? "

Drug popping adversaries are the thing that always makes the army get rid of .38s in favor of .45s (see: Mindanao 100 years ago).  So, if Egypt turns nasty, they should remember the old lessons and leave the Berettas on the ship.

And remember, headshots for zombies that feel no pain.