Ending the year with a bang.

Oops, It worked again.

D.C. homicides lowest since 1964.

(H/T to Say Uncle)

Dump pouches...

What are your thoughs on them?

Magpul kool-aid taste good.

AFG

Review to come.

Violent Crime Rates Down

and the "experts" aren't sure why.

This story has been making it's way around the gun blogosphere (the professional geographer in me loves that term), and I felt like I should throw it up too. I guess none of the "experts" saw any stories about gun sales and carry permit numbers for the same time. Either that or guns are too icky for them and they ignore said stories.

Hopefully it isn't full of suck...

A new show on History Channel about snipers. Should be interesting to hear Mr. Furlong talk about his 1.5 mile shot in Afghanistan if nothing else.

added: 10 minutes in, looks good so far.

Overheard in at a coffee place...

"Do you guys have any decaf espressos?"

Seriously?

New rim-less ammo from Speer?

Not quite. Make sure to check your stuff.

Magpul 7.62 mags

Dr. Drake just posted the release pdf on Arfcom. Now I just need an SR-25...

Sweet 1911 animation.

Not to hot on the music, but the visuals are pretty sweet.

B.A.D.a$$

Got one for the carbine. I'll put up a more in depth review when I get out to the range, a long with my thoughts on the MS2.

OC'd tonight.

I was feeling ambitious, and I needed to fill the windshield fluid on the car, so I headed out to Walmart. Parked the car, popped the trunk, pulled out the case, holstered my 1911, slid in a mag, and headed into the lion's den.

Walked all the way to the auto department, clear in the back of the store, got a friendly hello from the greater, passed a couple manager types throughout the store, and costumers all over the place. I sometimes forget how crowded that place is when you're not there at 3am.
Grabbed a jug of fluid, went back to the check-out, paid, went back to the car, filled up the fluid, and secured my pistol back in the trunk.

No mass panic, no children crying, no over-zealous Plover PD. Woot!

Freshly emboldened, I drove over to Best Buy, and wandered around the DVD section for a while. Picked up a couple movies, and headed home.

Carried my Kimber Cutom II in a Fobus paddle. Finally got around to ordering a tan Serpa for it tonight (I like the tan color, and a little more retention doesn't hurt either).

Safe

Sigtyr

So the bulk of the little carbine is pretty much finished. Here's a list of features and whatnot.

-DPMS lower receiver

-Del-ton top end with a DTI 16" 1:9 barrel (5.56 chamber), mid-length gas system

-YHM Diamond series free float 4 rail handguard

-YHM flip up gas block

-YHM Phantom 5C2 flash hider

-Magpul MBUS rear sight

-Magpul XTR rail covers (FDE and OD)

-Magpul MOE grip and trigger guard

-Magpul CTR stock

-Magpul ASAP sling plate

-KNS anti-rotation pins

-Tangodown stubby vert. grip

There's a sling on the way, as well as plans to pick up an Eotech XPS sometime in the next few months.

Should have more in depth pictures and a review up sometime in the future.

'Nother one.

Teaser pick

more to come later

EMag Pron II

EMag Pron

Tempting...

Looks like a pretty cheap machined AR lower's out now. I'm not even close to done with Sigtyr, but I'm tempted to start something else up now. DMR mayhaps?

Wisconsin Open Carry

Related petition about vehicle and school zones. The only reason I don't carry more is because of how much of a pain in the ass the laws are in regards to being in a car.

More on the recent M4 controversy.

Steve over at thefirearmblog.com posted a pretty good breakdown of how stuff works with the system the other day. Just thought I'd post a link here. It's a good read.

Daily Pic

Well, seeing as they're not getting made anymore, might not go to the range as much anymore... thankfully I've got a Smith & Wesson M&P15-22 on order.

Nore more GSG-5's.

Looks like H&K got their way, and GSG is no longer allowed to make any MP5 styled guns.

October 12, 2009


Re: Heckler and Koch, Inc. vs. German Sport Guns GmbH, American Tactical Imports, Inc. Civil Action No. 1 : 09-cv-00039-WTL-JMS (S.D. Indiana)


For immediate release,

We are very pleased to report that the litigation filed by Heckler & Koch, Inc. against German Sport Guns GmbH and its U.S. distributor, American Tactical Imports, Inc., together with all counterclaims, has been settled.

The terms of the settlement are confidential to the parties and cannot be disclosed. A dismissal of the above-referenced litigation, and all of the party’s claims against each other, is expected to be filed in the near future.

Attorneys for H&K will be issuing a statement. The attorneys for ATI have already issued a statement announcing the settlement.

Production and importation of the original design GSG-5 ceased as of Oct, 8, 2009 with the signing of the agreement. The remaining inventory now in the USA can be sold by ATI, all distributors and dealers. ATI currently has GSG-5’s in stock.

All sales of the GSG-5 by ATI must conclude by January 31, 2010. ATI will continue to service every firearm that it imports into the USA.

Thank you for your support.
Anthony DiChario
President C.E.O.
American Tactical Imports, Inc.

Daily Pic

Daily Gun Pron

Hopefully I'll be motivated to put up at least a picture every day or so...

(and as always, if you click it, it gets bigger... teehee)

Tavor coming to America!

This just made my day. And probably just ruined my checking accounts blood pressure. They are one of the sexiest rifles out there in my opinion.

Apparently they're planning to assemble them here in the US, and are debating on a pinned flash hider on a 14.5" barrel or a 16" threaded barrel. Personally, I'd be happy with the pinned one for the true look. Of course that just means I'd end up with a can down the road and no ability to put it on. So I guess I could go either way.

Remington buys AAC

Didn't see that coming! Hopefully Remington just lets them do their thing and doesn't try to change stuff. I like the feel of the company, and some day I wouldn't mind hanging a few of their cans off some of my guns.

Gandhi

Steve mentioned one of my all time favorite quotes.

"Police can't stop you for simply carrying"

I wonder how these would apply to us in Wisconsin...

Sig 2022 Pron

Click to see them giant sized I think.

Range Porn

Some pics from the range a couple days ago just to fill space.

Just got called out for surfing ARFCOM in class. Oops.

And people always wondered why I had one on my vest...

I've always had a healthy respect for the bayonet, and always had mine on my vest in Afghanistan. Maybe it's that touch of Scot in my ancestery.

"Military Cross for Bayonet Charge"

Apparently it's not the first time in recent years that members of this unit have done this either. Back in 2004 they charged in Iraq. Netted 35 dead baddies, 3 wounded coalition soldiers.

I always just said "'Cause it'll never jam or run out of ammo." I'm just glad to see that it's still an effective tactic.

Testing testing 1 2 3... Testing mobile blogging.

Sigtyr update

Grip showed up. Also got an ASAP from Magpul, but can't really put it on without the buffer tube. Stupid high demand...

Yay Media...

Tea party movement has anger, no dominant leaders

Tea Party Express Takes Washington By Storm

Same story, different mainstream media outlets (can you guess which headline's from who?). Sometimes the blatant bias just makes me laugh.

Project Sigtyr

The ball has begun rolling on Sigtyr (Norse for victorious in battle and another name for Odin).

Eventually will be a 16" barreled, mid-length gas system, Magpul bedecked carbine of awesome. Just a matter of time before all parts will be gathered and put together.

So far:

DPMS stripped lower (St. Cloud, MN is where the unit I deployed with is stationed, so bonus cool points)

Magpul MOE FDE trigger guard

KNS Gen2 Mod2 anti rotation pins

Ambi sling plate

Magpul MOE grip in transit (should be here tomorrow according to FedEx)

GSG-5: The continuing saga.

Well, after a few range sessions, turns out the cute little Eotech knock-off (as seen here) has issues with the recoil of the GSG. Mainly in the way the battery terminals are arranged. The recoil actually pushed the batteries back on the springs and breaks contact, causing the sight to turn off. Makes for difficult double taps. Oh well. NStar fake-point inbound.

Meh.

So way back when I started this thing, I kinda mentioned I wanted to shy away from politics. Well, upon further reflection, it seems that that's what's going through my mind a lot lately. So if that's what's gonna get me to write more on here, that's what I'ma do.

Unless you've been living in a dark cave in the middle of Afghanistan, you know that the economy is messed up, but gun and ammunition sales are still at all time highs (and I'm a little jealous of the view from said cave's mouth). Yesterday I had to make the trek to Green Bay for scout related things, and figured I'd swing by Sportsman's Warehouse in De Peire and see what there is to see. Turns out they're closing that particular location, so up to 30% off on everything!!! (Excluding firearms and ammunition.) Jerks. Well I head in anyway, I need some 9x18 Mak.

I end up leaving with a new messenger bag and a sip guard for my Nalgene bottles. No ammo. No guns. No gun related stuff. There simply weren't any long guns I had any interest in and what little ammo remained on the shelf was for weird calibers I had no need of. Wait, 9x18mak is borderline weird... maybe.... $24.99 a box. No thanks. I'll go home and order some from AIM for $10. Other than that, the shelves were pretty bare in the gun department.

So where does this tie in with politics in my weird little head? Could it be that all the current outcry by numerous Dems against new gun legislation is largely due to that being one of the few industries that are doing well? I'm sure a lot of it is still memories of what went down during the mid-term elections in '94, and that there's a strong chance of it becoming more of an issue after the next mid-term election, but I like to hope. Besides, it's either that or Diane Feinsein has been replaced by a pod person from the mirror universe...

Good Ol' Tazers...

This was recently posted on Military Firearm.  Pretty funny.

Pocket Taser Stun Gun, a great gift for the wife. A guy who
purchased his lovely wife a pocket Taser for their anniversary submitted this: 

Last weekend I saw something at Larry's Pistol & Pawn Shop that
sparked my interest. The occasion was our 15th anniversary and I was
looking for a little something extra for my wife Julie. What I came
across was a 100,000-volt, pocket/purse-sized taser. The effects of
the taser were supposed to be short lived, with no long-term adverse
affect on your assailant, allowing her adequate time to retreat to
safety....?? 


WAY TOO COOL! Long story short, I bought the device and
Brought it home. 


I loaded two AAA batteries in the darn thing and pushed the button. 

Nothing! 


I was disappointed. I learned, however, that if I pushed the
button AND pressed it against a metal surface at the same time; I'd get
the blue arc of electricity darting back and forth between the prongs.
AWESOME!!! 

Unfortunately, I have yet to explain to Julie what that burn
spot is on the face of her microwave. 

Okay, so I was home alone with this new toy, thinking to myself
that it couldn't be all that bad with only two triple-A batteries,
right? There I sat in my recliner, my cat Gracie looking on intently
(trusting little soul) while I was reading the directions and thinking
that I really needed to try this thing out on a flesh & blood moving
target. I must admit I thought about zapping Gracie (for a fraction
of a second) but thought better of it. She is such a sweet cat. But, if I was going to give this thing to my wife to protect herself against a
mugger, I did wan t some assurance that it would work as advertised.
Am I wrong? 

So, there I sat in a pair of shorts and a tank top with my
reading glasses perched delicately on the bridge of my nose, directions
in one hand, and taser in another. The directions said that a one-second burst would shock and disorient your assailant; a two-second burst was supposed to cause muscle spasms and a major loss of bodily control; a three-second burst would purportedly make your assailant flop on the ground like a fish out of water. Any burst longer than three seconds would be wasting the batteries. 


All the while I'm looking at this little device measuring about
5' long, less than 3/4 inch in circumference; pretty cute really and
(loaded with two itsy, bitsy triple-A batteries) thinking to myself,'no
possible way!' 

What happened next is almost beyond description, but I'll do my
best...? 

I'm sitting there alone, Gracie lo oking on with her head
Cocked to one side as to say, 'don't do it stupid,' reasoning that a one second burst from such a tiny little ole thing couldn't hurt all that bad. I decided to give myself a one second burst just for heck of it. I touched the prongs to my naked thigh, pushed the button, and . . 




HOLY MOTHER OF GOD . . WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION . . . WHAT
THE CRAP!!! 


I'm pretty sure Jessie Ventura ran in through the side door,
picked me up in the recliner, then body slammed us both on the carpet,
over and over and over again. I vaguely recall waking up on my side in
the fetal position, with tears in my eyes, body soaking wet, both
nipples on fire, testicles nowhere to be found, with my left arm tucked
under my body in the oddest position, and tingling in my legs? The cat
was making meowing sounds I had never heard before, clinging to a picture frame hanging above the fireplace, obviously in an attempt to
avoid getting slammed by my body flopping all over the living room. 

Note: If you ever feel compelled to 'mug' yourself with a
taser, one note of caution: there is no such thing as a one second burst when you zap yourself! You will not let go of that thing until it is dislodged from your hand by a violent thrashing about on the floor.. A three second burst would be considered conservative? 

IT HURT LIKE HELL!!! 


A minute or so later (I can't be sure, as time was a relative
thing at that point), I collected my wits (what little I had left),
sat up and surveyed the landscape. My bent reading glasses were on the
mantel of the fireplace. The recliner was upside down and about 8
feet or so from where it originally was. My triceps, right thigh and both nipples were still twitching. My face felt like it had been shot up with Novocain, and my bottom lip weighed 88 lbs. I had no control over the drooling. 

Apparently I pooped on myself, but was too numb to know for
Sure and my sense of smell was gone. I saw a faint smoke cloud above my
Head which I believe came from my hair. I'm still looking for my gonads and I'm offering a significant reward for their safe return!! 

P.S. My wife loved the gift, and now regularly threatens me
With it! 'If you think education is difficult, try being stupid.

Proof the John Wayne was right!

Life is tough. It's tougher when you are stupid.

I think my cat's given me that look a few times...

Grumble grumble change...

Well, ordered a CZ-82, will ship second day air, when they finally get to processing it over at Aim, in about 2 weeks.  Last time I got a pistol from them I had it in my hands within 48 hours.  Not Aim's fault really, it's an industry-wide problem.

Rhino goodness

40K modellers talk of "true scale" models, usually Space Marines, mainly in reference to making Space Marine figures bigger and beefier and more in scale to the Imperial Guardsmen.

However THQ went all out.  They made a true "true scale" Space Marine Rhino APC.  I'm jealous.

New GSG-5 fun

I added a fake Eotech to the little carbine the other day, along with a sling made out of parts from http://www.strapworks.com/ for less than $10 after shipping. Turned out pretty good.
Haven't gotten it out to the range with this setup yet, but it looked to sexy not to get some pictures up.

"Tactical" Rifles

While I was wondering around Barnes & Noble the other day, I noticed a few books in the sports section regarding "Tactical Rifles" and "Tactical Accessories" from Guns and Ammo publishing. It got me thinking about how more and more these days the stuff that was refered to as "Assault Weapons" a few years ago are more and more being called the more PC "Tactical."
At least I think it sounds more PC.
"Assault weapon" just sounds badder than "tactical weapon," or better yet, "tactical rifle." Problem is, the more I think about it, the more I realize you only ever really see those terms used with an AR type carbine, usually with rails and optics and all sorts of, you guessed it, "tactical accessories." I've probably only seen the term "tactical" used in reference to an AK system once or twice.
This just makes me wonder if it's really a good thing, something that should be pushed more, or if it'll just get turned around and used against us. "Why do you need a 'tactical' rifle? You're not on a SWAT team!"
Just something to think about I guess.

Some pictures of the new Valkyrie model have come out, which is freakin' sweet if you're an Imperial Guard player anyway. I'm excited for it, I've already got "Ride of the Valkyries" on my phone to play during deployment.

More Hot .22lr Action

Sig's coming out with a .22lr version of their popular 556 rifle and I have to admit, it looks pretty sexy.  It's sporting the European furniture, complete with a folding stock and a micro red dot sight.

I've got a GSG-5, and it sees a lot of range time, but it can be finicky.  It's cool, and everybody who's shot it likes it, but it does still seem more of a novelty, albeit an accurate shooting one.

The Sig's got the advantage of a larger capacity mag right of the bat, 30, compared to the GSG's 22 rounds.(can squeeze 24 in there though)  Plus the mags look to be Stanag sized, so they'd fit in most pouches, assuming they don't have some weird protrusion that sticks out farther than a normal mag.  Not to mention it's priced competitively with the GSG-5 at $515(msrp).

Sig 522 (linky)

Downside, it has the little red dot, but no BUIS rear, although one is available separately, and it looks like any 1913 standard one should work (like Magpul's new one)

I'll be keeping an eye on this one.

Has it been that long?

My (well, the GSG-5 and P22's) preferred .22lr ammo is back down to pre-election prices at Fleet Farm now, $14.99/brick, as apposed to the $16.99/brick price a couple weeks ago.  They also have Wolf 5.56 back in stock for the tasty price of $4.99 a box (they've been out for at least three weeks)

I don't know if it's a sign of things settling down a little, or just a fluke in my local store, but it makes me feel a little better.  I'm getting pretty stocked up to give the AR a good workout as soon as the range tables thaw out.

Think warm thoughts...

Been busy...

Between starting classes and picking up more hours at work, I've been a little busy.  On the upside, I got a new computer, so hopefully that means more motivation.

Now to remember where I put my copy of Photoshop...

Gun Mug

Saw these over on Toxel.  Just the kind of thing that fits on here pretty well. Might have to order one.

You can get yours here.

Slow day...

So I've been tossing around starting this thing for a while, and the insanely slow day at work has gotten me off my butt to do it.(ok, I'm actually sitting, but it's metaphorical) I figure I like guns and coffee... a lot... and I've got the Internet, so what the hell, why not?

Here's some stuff about me, just in case you're wondering, I'm a pretty regular recreational shooter, I try to shoot at least every other week, and more if I can. I'm in college, and got my schedule worked out for the semester so I'll be able to get out once a week if things go well. I lean towards the practical and target side of things, I'm an Afghanistan veteran (Engineers HOOAH!), so I've had some real world experience with it too.(not tons of it, but more than some) I also blame the Army for my massive addiction to coffee, and the never ending search for the good stuff.(i.e. not Starbucks)

I work in the summer running the climbing program at a Boy Scout camp, and I have a natural rock face, not plastic and wood like most, and get to spend a good amount of time at that job working down at the rifle range as well teaching scouts how to shoot. All that coupled with living in a National Forrest for a couple months equals a pretty sweet job. Plus we run the NRA 4 Position Sport Shooting qualification series, so I got the chance to blow everyone away and get through all nine bars of Sharpshooter and earn my Expert rating in under 7 weeks.

I think something that will help me keep up on this thing is if I lay out some goals and missions and whatnot for this blog... let's see...

-Show off my toys; by this I mean share with people what I'm shooting, how I've got it set up, how it works, and if I think it's any good.

-Ramble about my feelings of the local coffee scene; I spend a lot of my free time and study time at local coffee shops. Might be interesting to say what I'm drinking on any given day.

-Stay away from politics (mostly); there's already plenty of that around, and I honestly don't care for really going in depth about it, especially on the Internet. The only exception is CCW in Wisconsin. I think we should have it, and I'm personally offended by Doyle's response to it.

-Talk about gun stuff I'm exited about; like the PK380 post below.

There's a start I guess. I'm sure I'll think of more stuff, and I know more random crap will pop up in the future.

I guess that's it for now... if you've got any questions for me just toss 'em in the comments.

Me and my GSG-5 before the ice age started.

Walther's new PK380

I love the time around Shot Show, so many new toys to drool over.

Walther has proven to be spying on my dreams, and announced their new pistol built on the P22 platform, the PK380. I love my little P22, and put a few hundred, if not thousands, of rounds through it every month. Mine's still running just fine as long as I clean it.

The PK380 is basically a scaled up version, with a few updates to the grip shape, chambered in .380acp. It's dimensions are almost identical to the P22 (it's .2 inches longer and a hair taller and wider) and the controls are identical.




There's a few other .380's out there that are smaller in size, but I like the fact that it shares so much with my little plinker, and at an MSRP of $363, I guess I'll be picking one up when they hit the shelves in hopes of Mr. Doyle pulling his head out of his... well you know.