More on the 300 AAC Blackout cartridge

Looks like there's a full website up for the new round.

Lots of pdf's and some pictures of the cartridge.  It's beastly.

From 300BLK Site

WCI vs MPD

The suit has been filed, full email can be read after the jump (it's long)  A copy of the full suit can be read here.

Rifle Grenades

Somebody asked me a couple weeks ago if anybody still uses them.  This month's Afghanistan pictures from the Big Picture had this one in there:

So apparently, yes, the French do at least.

Remington's new AR Platform

And more importantly, whole new caliber, 300 AAC Blackout.

Stickman teased us for a bit today on WEVO with talks of a new item sitting in front of him, but he couldn't talk about it quite yet.  Well, he was talking about the new 300 AAC Blackout Cartridge, and linked to the story he wrote up for Gear Scout.

Image from Gear Scout

Here's the kicker:

As interesting as a new caliber is to some of us, it gets better.  Start thinking about a M4 with a 9″ barrel that has  37% more energy than 5.56mm M855 from a 16″ barrel (the standard M4 is a 14.5″).

The new cartridge is 7.62x35mm.  From the Gear Scout article:

Current ammunition types are the 123 gr. MC 300BLK, 155 gr. OTM 300BLK, and 220 gr. SUBSONIC OTM 300BLK.

The plan was to build something with similar ballistics to the ol' 7.62x39, and that could use current magazines without a loss of capacity.  AAC already has a can in the works as well (looks like buying them up was a smart move by Cerberus more and more every day.)

Usually I'm pretty skeptical about new calibers, but they put a lot of thought into this one.  On top of using standard 30 round mags, it also uses standard AR bolts, so all that is truly needed is a barrel swap for the budget conscious armorer.

Anywho, lots of info and great pics over at Military Times Gear Scout.

Wisconsin Eye

WCI President Nik Clark and MPD Chief Noble Wray do some talking.

I can see why the Chief has his job, he seems like the touchy-feely kind of guy.  I guess if somebody calls you in for OCing in a shirt they think is ugly, you'll get nailed with a DC charge.

I'm also glad I'm not a member of M&I bank.  Not for the gun thing, but no hats? Really?

How did I miss this?!

Apparently it's National Coffee Day.  Well poop.  I did have quite a bit of it today though, at two separate coffee shops.

Dan's First AR

Not his first blaster, but we assembled his very first AR yesterday afternoon.  Eventually he hopes to drop a UBR stock on it, which should balance out that 20" barrel pretty nicely.  Overall it's a pretty decent looking gun though.

Obvious Counterfeit...

...is Obvious.

Seems Dan got taken on the Gun Broker (counterfeit UBR and set of MBUS, same seller.)  He's filed a claim with them and let the boys at Magpul know.  Just beware though, there are fake UBRs out there.

Withee Appleseed Shoot

The Withee, WI Appleseed shoot has been rescheduled for October 30, 2010.  Hopefully I'll be able to make it.

We're safe...

...but for how long?

Internet's back up again.  If it's like a couple days ago, it'll be gone in about 20 hours.  Hooray?

AT&T + Water

Apparently don't mix. No internet at home again.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.0

"You apes wanna live forever?!"

Take this:



and add this:



The day is coming my friends...

(h/t ENDO)

Wonder how long it'll last...

Internets are back up at the house... for now...

Madison 5 Update

From WCI:

We plan to file the federal lawsuit against Madison tomorrow.


In addition to WCI as an organization, our attorneys have suggested that our case has better standing if we add some individual WCI members as plaintiff's.

Because of the memo that the Madison Police Department issued, our attorneys maintain that there has been a chilling effect on the ability of WCI members to exercise their right to carry in Madison for fear of police harassment/unlawful detainment.

If you live or work in Madison and are concerned about getting detained/unlawfully searched/firearm seized during a non-consensual stop, please contact me asap.

Being added as a plaintiff means that you would be listed on the official complaint. You would not need to speak to media at all (in fact we would prefer you do not) but you may at some point be deposed during the lawsuit so that we can prove that Madison's unconstitutional policy of detaining people merely because they are OC'ing is infringing on people's right to carry.

Please send me an email asap if you live or work in Madison and are reluctant to carry their for fear of unlawful police contact.


Nik Clark
Chairman/President - Wisconsin Carry, Inc.
nik@wisconincarry.org

Ow... my pride...

At least that's how the Brady Bunch feels.

Apparently Jon Stewart hurt Paul Helmke's fragile feelings. I guess Stewart was on Oprah (I didn't watch it... and I can't bring myself to sit her and watch it...) and said something along the lines of-

that if all the guns were gone that there would be "a 100,000 percent increase in school bludgeonings"

Some people just can't wrap their heads around the fact that tools are just tools and that some people are just prone to violence, regardless of the tools on hand.

(h/t Uncle)

I so called it.

Magpul Dynamics is coming out with a new DVD set, and it's the one I've been asking for since the first Carbine set.



That news just made my day much better.  (Telephone and internet's been out at the house for three days or so due to the flooding. Of course I've been working all weekend, so I haven't really noticed.)

Monster Hunter Vendetta

Is available now. Go buys it and enjoy. Get the first one if you haven't yet too.Is now on shelves.

Larry made the announcement earlier today.

Some Coolness

I love Science Fiction, especially military Sci Fi, so this link from Soldier Systems is just packed full of coolness:

10 Upcoming Devices That Will Protect Future Soldiers

Meat on the Gun

As I was perusing some pictures on the facebook, I came across this-

Notice the GIANT space between the butt of his carbine and his shoulder.  At this point the shooter has as much stability as you would shooting an over-sized pistol, probably even less due to the length and weight of the rifle, especially with how close his vertical grip is to the receiver.

One of the most common pieces of advice I give shooters is to "get as much meat on the gun as you can."  I don't remember where I first heard it, but it is one of the most solid pieces of advice I've ever been given.  A good solid cheek weld, buttstock firmly in place against your shoulder.  And it's an AR/M16 type of weapon, don't be afraid to get your face close to it, it's not going to kick you in the nose.

Example:

Damn I look good!













Good solid hold, what recoil there is on this gun is going straight into my shoulder.  Solid cheek weld, which enables you to maintain a consistent sight picture.

Another picky point about the first shooter.  Notice how high up the rifle is in relation to his shoulder.  Here's a classic MS paint visual aid-

The red line is going straight through the boreline of the rifle.  Notice how Mr. Stoner conveniently placed the stock on that same line.  Pretty smart guy.

Unfortunately, the soldier in the picture has the rifle high up in his shoulder.  Notice the arrow sailing straight over and past it.  If the carbine was in contact with his shoulder, it would just be the toe end, and combined with the high force vector, this causes the toe of the stock to act as a pivot point, causing an increased amount of muzzle climb.

Scroll back up to the pic of me, and notice the empty case hanging just past my shoulder, and note the photo is at the moment of firing.  Quick controlled pairs on that rifle are lots of fun.  Full contact of the butt transfers the force evenly against the shoulder, and preventing that pesky rotation, which is the reason that the stock is in line with the action in the first place.  Having full contact with the buttstock on an AR/M16 type weapon reduces the muzzle flip to nearly zero.

Just had to get that out of the system.

Flooding

Lots of rain the last couple days.  Roads closed, chunks of roads missing the next county over.

Took some pictures, these came out well, so I'll toss them up.  There's a few more I need to process, so maybe by the end of the weekend.

The levee on the north end of town-

Yeah, that's not a spillway, that's usually the shoreline...

One of the houses down the road a ways is pretty far back in the woods, and their driveway kind of dips down pretty low.  Thankfully they have a boat, and a friend with a boat, so they're not stuck.  Hopefully you know how to row if you want to visit though.

More pictures later.

Grumbles.

Went for a walk to take pictures of the flooding, and apparently my spare battery was not charged.  Hopefully it won't get too dark and rainy again by the time it's finished.

Madison 5 911 call

WCI has gotten the audio from the 911 call in regards to the event through a Freedom of Information request.

Click Here For Audio

So really it doesn't seem like the dispatcher is at too much fault. (The AG didn't pass anything, he just expressed his opinion on the meaning of the state's constitution.)

The responding officers on the other hand...

Wisconsin Appleseed

ETA: It's been cancelled, will post the rescheduled date as soon as I know.

A reader let me know there's an Appleseed shoot Saturday in Withee, WI. I'd love to be there, but I've got prior engagements. (Seriously, I need to hit one of these up sometime...)

Information is available here.

If I ever had a reason to own a Barrett...

Apparently they'll get you the chicks.

New Press Release from WCI

About the Madison 5.  It's long, so I'm putting it after the jump.

Bad influences...

...I haz them.

Went to the gun shop with Dan to advise him on AR receivers. Somehow one followed me out the door too. Looks like I'll need a tax stamp and some paperwork soon...

Published with Blogger-droid v1.5.9

Madison 5 Update

This was posted earlier today on the OC Forum:

Wisconsin Carry, Inc. is filing a federal lawsuit against the Madison Police Department.

We are fast-tracking this lawsuit.

Before the incident at Culvers we were already preparing to file another lawsuit in the next week or two for a previous incident with a different municipality from this past summer. As such, in consideration of those legal costs, we could use some contributions specifically for the "Madison 5" lawsuit.

If you would like to contribute to fund specifically the lawsuit for the "Madison 5" Culvers incident there is a you may contribute via our website.

www.wisconsincarry.org

Contributions from the donate button on the homepage will go specifically towards the federal lawsuit and also the attorney that will be retained if need be on behalf of the "Madison 5" to fight their unlawful DC charges.

Donations may be mailed to:

Wisconsin Carry, Inc.

P.O. Box 270403

Milwaukee, WI 53227

Please indicate "Madison 5 lawsuit" on the memo field of the check

Carry On,

Nik Clark

Chairman/President - Wisconsin Carry, Inc.

Unions

*Warning! Ensure your mouth is clear of all fluids before viewing the video in this link.

Wow.

If you live in District 3 in Madison, you may want to elect a new Alder-person.

One of the members on the Wisconsin OC Forum sent a message to the city Alders in regards to the Madison 5, and this is what they got in response:

Have a good time staying at home. While legal, it's inappropriate and aggressive to pack your little pistols in public places. We won't miss you or the childish displays of constitutional freedoms.

Lauren Cnare 

 District 3 Alder

Just Wow.

Her contact information can be found here.

AFG 2

Magpul officially released the Gen. 2 AFG today, it's lower profile to work better with certain rail layouts. It's available at DSG Arms for those interested (no word on when the colored versions will be out, but I'd say a month or so.)

The hole deepens...

From the OC Forum a couple hours ago:

For Immediate Release:  Sep 22, 2010
For More Information Contact: Joel DeSpain (608)266-4897

OPEN CARRY & THE MPD


New Charges To Be Issued Regarding Culver's Incident


The Madison Police Department (MPD) has conducted a review of an incident that took place this past Saturday night at Culver's Frozen Custard restaurant, 4301 East Towne Blvd. Based upon the further investigation, Chief Noble Wray has concluded the appropriate charge for all 5 armed individuals is Disorderly Conduct (DC). Accordingly, DC citations will be issued, and Obstructing a Peace Officer tickets given to two will be rescinded.

Officers were dispatched to the restaurant around 6:50 p.m. after a 62-year old Madison woman called 911. She had just observed several men with handguns in holsters enter the crowded Culver's restaurant. In her initial statement to officers, she stated" I didn't know what the law was, and I thought I should at least call so the police can come and check it out cause I didn't want to be that one person that saw guns and didn't call, and then have something terrible happen". In a follow-up interview with detectives, she further stated that she thought it was very odd that these individuals with guns would be at a family place. She noted she felt somewhat "rattled" and also "felt uneasy" about the subjects having the handguns at the family restaurant. She went on to say that they all appeared calm, but noted "people who shoot up restaurants also look calm before it happens." She did state that she was very concerned that if she didn't make the call and something did happen, she would feel horrible.

The MPD made contact Saturday night with the five men who were openly carrying handguns. Upon officers' requests, three of five produced identification so that officers could determine they were not convicted criminals. Two of five refused to produce identification and were issued Obstructing a Peace Officer citations. It was determined they were not felons and handguns were returned.

The officers were faced with an ambiguous situation. When responding to investigate suspicious - or potentially dangerous - circumstances, police must:


• Preserve or Restore Order and Public Safety.


• Investigate whether a crime had been committed, was being committed, or was about to be committed.


• Protect the Constitutional Rights of those involved.

The complainant's statement clearly reveals that she recognized the potential for violence from these armed men, and it was this fear that motivated her call to police. On the basis of this fact, the MPD will be rescinding the 2 obstructing citations. They were issued in error. Instead, citations for City Ordinance DC will be given to those who engaged in the behavior that led to the need for police to be called.

The DC statute does not require an actual disturbance take place, only that conduct in question is of a type that tends to cause or provoke a disturbance

Chief Wray wants to make clear: It is the department's wish that concerned citizens call 911 when they see armed subjects.


Following Saturday's incident, he sent an internal memo to all officers:

MPD officers regularly are dispatched to reports of individuals who are armed with firearms. When responding to these incidents, officers should:

• Approach the suspect using the proper tactical response. The individual should be contacted, controlled, and frisked for weapons if appropriate. Officers should separate the suspect from any weapons in his/her possession during the encounter.

• Officers should conduct a thorough investigation to determine whether any violations of state statute or city ordinance have occurred. Some of the relevant offenses to consider include:

• Carrying a Concealed Weapon (§941.23)
• Disorderly Conduct (§947.01)
• Carrying a Firearm in Public Building (§941.235)
• Carrying Handgun Where Alcohol Beverages May be Sold and Consumed (§941.237)
• Being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm (§941.29)
• Safe Use and Transportation of Firearms (§167.31)
• Possession of Short-Barreled Shotgun or Short-Barreled Rifle (§941.28)
• Gun-free School Zones (§948.605)
• Possession of a Dangerous Weapon by a Person Under 18 (§948.60)
• Endangering Safety by Use of Dangerous Weapon (§941.20)

• Officers should verify that the firearm is not stolen, and attempt to verify that the person possessing the firearm is not legally barred from doing so (as a felon, due to an injunction, etc.). However, someone who has been detained is not legally obligated to provide identification to officers if no criminal ordinance violations have occurred. A person who refuses to provide identification should not be arrested for obstructing; however, if probable cause for another offense exists the suspect should be arrested for that offense and can then be identified during the citation or booking process.

• When responding to incidents involving subjects openly carrying firearms in public places, officers should investigate to determine whether the suspect's actions caused or were likely to cause a disturbance. The primary factors to be considered include the location, time of day and witness/bystander perceptions. Remember that the disorderly conduct statute does not require that an actual disturbance take place, only that the conduct in question be of a type that tends to cause or provoke a disturbance.

• It is my expectation that MPD officers encountering individuals who are armed with firearms in public places will take a pro-enforcement approach. If the investigation shows probable cause for a violation, the suspect should be arrested or cited.

(Official Release from the City of Madison)

This of course flies directly in the face of Van Hollen's memo last year.  Best of luck to the MPD?

Another Article

From the Wisconsin State Journal about Saturday's event.  Actually decently written and rather unbiased.

Lawn Gnomes...

Somewhere there's a poor kid sitting in a newsroom lamenting the four years of liberal comm classes so they could write this.

MP Testing

And what does it all mean?

A member at the Weapons Evolution forum gives us a simplified insider's look into what all the jibber-jabber's about.

It's worth a look if you've ever wondered.

Delicious

I picked up a half pound of coffee before going to play games, and forgot it was in my car all afternoon.  Lets just say that Emy J's Sumatra is the most mouth watering scent I've ever known for freshly ground coffee, and now my whole car smells like it.  I thought I was going to drown on my drive home.

A couple questions...

...that have apparently lead Google to the blog.

First off, "Is the M&P15-22 a good home defense gun?" has popped up again a few times this last week.  I've talked on that point before, and my thoughts have not changed.  Go buy a used Remington 870 or Mossberg 590 and a few boxes of 00 buck. They should be about half the price and more than enough to do the job. Make sure you buy a few boxes to practice with too, and actually practice.

Another interesting one: "Do snipers use slings?"  I'm pretty sure this found my review of the Savvy Sniper Tac 1-2 sling, but it's still a good question.  As far as I know, US snipers don't really use them on their sniping weapons anymore.  They tend to use bipods, tripods (modified camera ones), and other various rests, and sling techniques aren't really needed with those.  The other reason for a sling is to carry the gun around, but a good sniper will use a discrete case to hide the fact that he is a sniper.  I couldn't tell you about other countries though.

Those are the two big ones that stuck in my mind, but if you've got any other questions, go ahead and click that "email me" link on the left, I can always use the blog fodder.

OC Update/roundup

A little more about Saturday's confrontation with Madison PD.

Journal Sentinel and Wisconsin State Journal articles, as well as a story from WISN. (Looks to be primarily about the return trip the next day, the computer at work is missing it's flash player for some reason...)


A more in depth play by play from WCI on the OC Forum.


Madison PD internal newsletter from 2004 showing the officers should have known they were in the wrong (right side, first page, 3/4s down about...)-

However, Wisconsin law currently does not allow officers to arrest citizens simply for failing to identify themselves.

Also a press release from ICarry.org:

ICarry.org - Sept 20, 2010 Breaking News Release: Lessons from Wisconsin's Last Incident of Police Harassment of Citizens Lawfully Carrying Firearms in the Open




On Saturday, September 19th, a group of five responsible firearms owners gathered to share company and conversation at Culvers on Town Blvd in Madison, Wisconsin. Approximately eight Madison police officers approached the firearms owners who were enjoying food and discussion with one another.


Demanding identification of the gun owners, officers used intimidation and coercion in attempts to force the citizens to provide ID. State law does not allow officers to demand ID in circumstances like this, and Madison PD’s very own “legal updates” explains exactly why refusing to provide ID is not “obstructing.”


http://www.cityofmadison.com/police/...Summer2004.pdf


Despite this well-known aspect of law, at least two of the law-abiding firearms owners were arrested and cited with “obstructing” charges for not providing ID. All of the citizens were harassed in public, intimidated and coerced, and inconvenienced and humiliated by the disrespectful, diminishing, and suppressive behavior of Madison police officers.


ICarry.org would first like to thank Wisconsin Carry, Inc. for its steadfast resolve to protect citizens’ rights in Wisconsin. ICarry.org is committed to supporting Wisconsin Carry, Inc. and all responsible firearms owners in the state.


The vast majority of officers are well-trained to respect the rights of citizens openly carrying firearms. Over the past few years in Wisconsin, a great deal of education has been provided for police, and police throughout the state have been exhibiting exemplary performance. There have been only a select few isolated incidents of failure of training or behavioral problems with police.


ICarry.org would like to see this incident be the last. It’s time to accept and embrace the lawful practice of open carry. There is no need to discriminate or profile against open carriers – they should be afforded the same level of dignity and respect as all other peaceful citizens. Like police officers, they too carry a sidearm only for self-protection.

 (note: date should be Saturday, September 18th)



Photo from the incident (from the OC Forum)



Audio from the event here or here.



Rumor is that a 60+ year old woman, possibly a customer, called them in saying something to the extent of "I don't know if it's legal or not, but there's a bunch of guys with guns, and I would just hate to have not called if something bad were to happen."

Not a big deal really, however, as has happened several times in the past, the dispatcher has not simply told the caller that it is legal, and maybe had a squad drive past, but instead dispatched officers, who then unlawfully detained and charged individuals.  Poor practice by MPD.

From how it all sounds, WCI's got a cut and dry case, with plenty to back it up.  I'm glad I'm a member.

Yeah... that sounds like a great idea...

UK Proposes All Paychecks Go to the State First.

Avast! Madison Police Overstepping Their Bounds

The following press release was sent out a couple hours ago by Wisconsin Carry Inc.:

Saturday night at approximately 7:30 pm 5 Wisconsin Carry members were peaceably dining at a Culvers in Madison.


8 Madison Police officers arrived and demanded ID from our members. As Wisconsin is not a police-state, Wisconsin law does not require you to provide identification to an officer unless you are operating a motor vehicle.

2 Wisconsin Carry members, in consideration of their legal rights politely declined to provide ID and were handcuffed, detained, and issued citations for obstruction.

Wisconsin Case-Law clearly states that refusing to give your name is not grounds for obstruction.

"No law allows officers to arrest for obstruction on a person s refusal to give his orher name. Mere silence is insufficient to constitute obstruction." Henes v. Morrissey,194 Wis. 2d 339, 533 N.W.2d 802 (1995).

Wisconsin Carry filed suit against the Racine Police Department on January 8th 2010 for unlawfully arresting one of our members, Frank Hannon-Rock, on obstruction charges for refusing to provide ID. Wisconsin Carry obtained a $10,000 judgement against Racine in that case where the Racine City Attorney explains to the Racine City council that the officers did not have the authority to arrest Mr. Hannon-Rock.

audio of that encounter is available here:

http://www.youtube.com/wisconsincarry#p/a/u/1/PuiO8tixuKY

Wisconsin Carry will be taking action against the Madison Police Department and the officers who illegally detained, handcuffed, searched, and cited our members.

Wisconsin Carry, Inc. is a non-profit Wisconsin corporation dedicated to the protection and expansion of the right of law-abiding Wisconsinites to carry in the manner of their choosing. www.wisconsincarry.org

Nik Clark
Chairman/President - Wisconsin Carry, Inc.

I'll try to keep track of this one.

Yar!

Avast! It be International Talk Like a Pirate Day!

Couple pics...

Hit up the range... yesterday... afternoon (I miss sleep...)

Got some fairly decent pics.  More after the jump.

Full-auto Remington ACR

Video over at TFB.  Looks quite controllable.

I still wouldn't mind one.  Maybe in a couple years when the price comes down.

Plotting...

Anybody have any experience with this upper?  I gather they're pretty new, but BCM is a pretty good manufacturer, and being a Wisconsin company is a definite plus.

Note to self: get that paperwork rolling...

Marty & Remy

Deep Fried Beer

We interrupt this irregularly scheduled blogging break for some important news.

A Texas Chef has deep fried beer.

I am a little ashamed to learn that it was not a Wisconsin Chef...

Time....

...I haz none.  Classes and work today, barely had time to put some food in my tummy.

Hopefully back on the blog-horse tomorrow.

Possibly Awesome...

...or disastrously disgusting.

Well that's about as irritating...

...as a pair of 60 grit chamois...

Apparently you can't vote for multiple parties in the WI primary even if you don't just get lazy and simply check one.  The computer rejected my mix of Republicans and Libertarians, despite only voting one person per office.

Party line voting is retarded.

Coffee...

Delicious delicious coffee... I don't think I would be able to make it through this month without it.  The Basement Brewhouse on campus serves up various flavors of Stone Creek Coffee, right now I'm sipping the excellent Hazelnut blend.

There's some darn fine roasters in this state.

MOH Vid'ya Game

If'n you hadn't heard, apparently the powers that be are rather butt-hurt that you can play as a Taliban in the newest MOH title and pulled it from AAFES's shelves (er, won't be putting it on them... it's not actually out yet.) For you non-.mil folks AAFES is the Army/Air Force Exchange System, better known as the PX.  There's also talk around the intertubes about boycotting the game over it too, which is just silly.

Apparently there's thought that our service members can't handle the option of playing as the bad guy and killing a digital representation of the good guys.  Nevermind that anytime you do force on force training somebody needs to be OpFor... Nevermind that in MW2's multi-player settings half the time you're playing the bad guys... The people in charge simply don't think that the unwashed enlisted masses aren't grown up enough to realize it's just a video game.


In reality, guys are still going to buy it.  All AAFES has accomplished is driving sales for Amazon.  I know I'm still planning to buy it eventually.  I just hope the single player narrative is longer than MW2's.  I suck at the online stuff.

Old Story...

...but always a nice one.  Uncle mentions the FBI stats show crime is down, despite the huge upswing in gun sales in 2009.  Some more numbers over at ENDO.

Of course the anti's will cry out it's unrelated, despite the mentioned upswing in sales, the death of the DC ban, and the increase in the OC movement, all of which should have caused us to be swimming in a blood ocean (heh).  It should be real interesting to see what happens to Chicago's numbers when the 2010 numbers come out...

Absolutely Gorgeous.

I completely agree with Steve, this rifle is simply stunning.  I just wish there was a better sense of scale in those pictures...

Heh.

Usually "Pundit Kitchen" seems to be pretty one sided, but every now and then they sneak one through.

Vote

Wisconsin Primaries are tomorrow.

Sure is purdy...

$4k 1911 from Kimber.   Could use better grips though.

September

I didn't get much of anything posted this weekend, I was pretty busy with Army stuff and just didn't have time.  Yesterday kind of snuck up on me, otherwise I would have had something written up in advance.  I'll have to make a note to remind myself next year.

Anyways, as I was catching up with the blogosphere's weekend developments, I read one of the posts over at The Warrior Class from yesterday and thought it was too good not to link to, so go on over there and read it (don't be afraid to wander either, they've got some good stuff.)

It's a start...

...but I can think of some better methods.  I do not know the bank's feelings towards OC, but I'm sure it would have made the bad guy think twice.

It's about time.

That's really all I have to say about this at the moment.  To my knowledge this is the first time since Vietnam that the MOH will be awarded to a living recipient.

More on yesterday's Pirate Raid

Kit Up! has the inside info on how things went down.  Sounds as close to perfect as you could hope fore.

Complacency Kills

I was going to mention this last night, but I'm lacking in motivation as of late, so Tam beat me to it.


In the handful of places I've seen mention of this story, it never fails that one of the first comments is in regards to how dumb of an idea it is.

I completely agree.

I don't care how much you publicize the "virtual speed-bumps," there's still a percentage of people who won't have heard about it, and could conceivably swerve into oncoming traffic to avoid hitting little Suzie.

There's another percentage that will no doubt be driving that same route every day, and that's where the post's title comes from.  It's a long standing saying in the military.  Don't get used to things, or you'll wind up dead; don't let your guard down; etc...  In this case there's a chance that one of those regular commuters will become so accustom to "running over a little girl" on the way to work that if a kid did chase a ball onto the road in the area that driver's not going to think twice until the telltale "thump."

The forced perspective aspect is kind of cool, but the anthropomorphizing of the image is equal parts morbid, tasteless, and dangerous.  Why not just a giant 3-D "SLOW DOWN"?

I'm all for it.

US Marines free German ship from Pirates.  Good to see them getting back to their roots.

Meals Rejected by Everyone

In case you haven't seen it, the New York Times has a slightly interactive article about various field rations from the various forces in Afghanistan.  It's always interesting to see what's out there.

Nastolgic

Ruger's going old school.  Make it black, throw a flash hider on it, call it "tactical," and jack up the price! (Although there is a modern touch, it's got an optics rail...) The Mini-30 has gotten the same treatment.

Hand Sheaths

I've been running a pair of Mechanix Fastfit gloves through their paces the last couple months, and I've got to say, I'm more than pleased with these puppies.

We've seen pictures of guys in the big Sandbox and Rock Garden (Iraq/Afghanistan) wearing various Mechanix gloves for a while now(and despite earlier discussions, that's not why I got them), but this was the first pair I've used.  I've stuck to Hatch and other "Mil/LEO" brand gloves for most of my time, but I've heard good things about the Mechanix, and recently they've started offering more "subdued" colors, so I was more welcoming to the change.  Plus the $15ish (usually less) price doesn't hurt (looks like Amazon's got the black ones on sale too, might pick up a pair or two to stash away.)

The reason we wear gloves is to keep your hands from getting beat to snot doing stuff.  In the shooting world the most prevalent issue is heat.  Guns get hot.  Bullets create tons of friction zipping down those rifled barrels, gunpowder burns at pretty high temperatures, and black guns are fantastic at converting that solar energy into good old thermal.  Needless to say, gloves are up there with eye and ear pro if you're doing serious shooting.

Target shooters have used gloves for years, but they tend to be pretty thick, especially on the support hand.  Ideally the thickness and padding keeps your pulse from bouncing the rifle around.  However they are thick and pretty rigid.  High Power and Bullseye shooters aren't worried about fast magazine changes or switching from right to left to get around obstacles and whatnot.  Dynamic shooters need to have gloves that are flexible enough not to imped dexterity, yet still enough protection that you don't hear bacon frying whenever you handle your weapon.

The Mechanix Fastfit Gloves fill this need pretty well, and don't look half bad.  Yes, they're what the "cool guys" tend to use, but there's a reason for that.

As I said, the colors are pretty well subdued, the yellow isn't a bright yellow and those patches can  be easily removed if it bothers you.  Otherwise they're black and dark grey.

A really nice feature, at least to me, is that there's no velcro strap on the wrist, just a strip of elastic.  I find velcro closures on gloves tend to snag on pretty much everything and add unnecessary bulk to the wrist, and suck massively if you wear a watch.

The palms are Clarino (a synthetic leather) that's pretty common in gloves these days (all my biking gloves use it.)  It's pretty tough, and much more flexible than most leathers I've used.  They're also super-thin, so you can feel your weapon's controls and conduct low-light chamber checks to your heart's content.

There's also a re-enforced hole in the pull tab on the wrist, I keep meaning to tie a couple loops of 550 chord through there so I can clip them to my vest in the field.  This is an often overlooked feature on gloves, and it's much easier to just clip them to your vest than cram them in one of your pockets.

I tend to buy gloves on the smaller side, especially for shooting or rappelling.  I would rather get little red lines on my hand from the seams than get the fingertips stuck in a knot 40' off the ground or be able to reload a gun without chambering said fingertip.  That being said, the Fastfit's seams are very well made and very comfortable.  The gloves are also incredibly flexible-

And as far as the thinness, I can even use the touchscreen on my phone while wearing them-

Slidey!

The trade-off is, of course, that you wouldn't want to grab a hold barrel and hold on.  But they offer enough protection to keep you from sizzling before you realize said barrel is hot, and that's really all you need.  Plus if you take a digger on some wet gravel at your next carbine class, some scuffed up gloves beat the hell out of pulling granite chunks out of your hand for the next week.

Long story short, the Mechanix Fastfits are well worth it.  Go pick up a pair if you're looking for some decent range gloves.

I'm still around...

Just been busy as previously noted.  I'm hoping to write up a quick review of some gloves I've been using as soon as I get time and the weather cooperates for picture taking.  Plus I want to dive into my cheap vest and how to look good on a budget.

Speaking of which, there's some talks bouncing around the ol' sphere about what exactly looking cool might entail.  I still like the Coyote/FDE family for solids, and I'm warming to Multicam for the ultimate in coolness, although with that finally being adopted by the Army I may start leaning away. (I don't like wearing "Army" stuff when I'm not doing "Army Stuff".)  However the amount of stuff out there in MC and the limited scope of issue by the Big Army makes it a bit more bearable for the time being. (I'm still hoping they'll just ditch UCP and go Mulitcam across the board soonish though.)

Gun works

Ran about 300 rounds of Federal Bulk through the M&P15-22.  Only a handful of feed failures, but they were all due to me not loading the mags right.  (I tend to do it on purpose... failure drills!)  Looks like it's all good to go again.

Busy busy busy...

Between work and my last semester of college starting, things may be a bit spotty around here for a little bit.

That's all for now...

Makes too much sense!

For what it's worth, my tactical pants in the class were by Wrangler, and they come with two single 30-rd mag pouches, one right over each butt cheek. I can about guarantee that, should the balloon ever go up for real, those will be the pants in which I'll be fighting, so I reckoned I might as well practice fighting in them... 

More Zombies...

Osprey's doing a book.  Sweet.

It's available for pre-order at Amazon too:

Waiting for the food

Place mat doodle.
Blaming the earlier post for my scribblings... and the blogger app doesn't listen to the rotating command.

ETA: fixed orientation.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.5.8

Walking Dead

Bah. Almost forgot this one (thanks to Uncle for reminding me.)

Looks like AMC's doing a TV version of my very favorite zombie-based comic book series "Walking Dead."



The books are fantastic, and if you haven't read them yet, go buy them. (I need to catch up myself, I forget if I got through vol. 5 or 6...)(yes, I linked the crap out of it, I'm really saying you should buy it.)

The books follow a group of survivors doing the survival thing, and revolves around the group dynamics for the meat of the story.  Love affairs, offing bad group members, dealing with really young kids in the apocalypse, other not-so-friendly groups of survivors, etc...  And since it's not limited to a 90 minute run-time (well, the books anyway...) the writer really digs into the characters.  It's possibly the most realistic zombie book out there from a psychological standpoint.

If you like the zombie genre (and I'm sure 90+% off my reader demographic does...) you will love this series, even if you're not a huge comic nerd.

As for the show, like all things based on books I like, I hope it doesn't suck, but I'm not gonna hold my breath.  (The teaser looks pretty promising though.)

M&P15-22 MkII

They rebuilt him, they had the technology...

As mentioned, I got my gun back the other day (in case you missed, it blew up.)  I've been pretty busy (work and school started again today, so full credit load plus 20+ hours of work a week!)  Today I got the chance to pull it apart and see what they did to it.

After putting all my accessories back on-

Externally; not really much to see, but if you look close you can see a little nub that keeps the Extractor Spring Retainer from rotating.  Supposedly (at least from what a couple hours of scrounging the interwebs has found me,) this helps reduce the chances of an OOB det with sensitive ammo.  There's also an Extractor again.

As soon as you field strip it, you notice that the main recoil spring is the new style aptly named "blue" spring:

I can't feel any noticeable difference in the strength of the spring, but I guess they're supposedly a pound or two heavier to make sure the bolt gets home to prevent an OOB det.

There's also a new "blue" hammer spring:

Same thing, supposedly lighter to ease in cocking and reduce the likely hood of the rifle doubling.  It also reduces the trigger pull weight and smooths it out a little, which is nothing to complain about!

The sneaky one was the mag though.  I thought it was the same one I sent in with the gun, since my markings were still on the baseplate.  However I realized the one I had put on the body was gone and there was the telltale "25 ROUND" under the "22 LR" mark.

Seems they swapped out at least the body, and possibly the spring (follower and baseplate are from my old one though.)  I gather the newer style may have some improvements to smooth feeding, but they may just have the markings to denote they're not 10 rounders.

If anybody has more concrete evidence of why the changes are what they are, that would be fantastic.

Hopefully I'll get out to the range tomorrow or Saturday and see if it doesn't blow up or go full auto or something on me.

RIPR

Defense Review posted an article about the Reset RIPR (Rifle Integrated Power Rail), and SSD and The Firearm Blog both briefly touched on the subject.  So I though I'd toss up my first thoughts on the concept.

Right off the bat I'll just say it.  I'm not a fan.  At least not the current configuration. (Although I'm not really a huge fan of the concept in general either...)

The first problem in my mind, and the issue with the concept, is that you're putting all of your electronic eggs in one basket.  You loose your battery power, and you don't just loose your red-dot.  You loose your red-dot, flashlights, IR laser, iPod, and whatever else you have hooked on there.  I feel you're much better off simply keeping a common battery type for all your devices (that's one of the reasons I run an EoTech XPS on my carbine, 123A batteries just like my white light.)  It's nice to see DR agrees with that sentiment.

My other big issue is simply one with the current iteration of the system.  It's adding bulk to the weapon as a trade off for one single battery, and it's a pretty big battery.  The XPS is still the same size, just with an adapter plug jammed in the battery compartment (for all I know, can't see the other side to tell.)  Add to that the proprietary rail that clamps on to your rail... I doubt you're saving any weight by cutting the standard batteries from your electronics.

The way I have Sigtyr set up right now I have 6 spare 123A batteries on board (in the Magpul ACS,) enough to swap out all the batteries in my electronics twice.  I'm going to be out of ammo well before I'm out of power, and I don't have something the size and weight of a loaded 20 round mag leaching onto the side of my upper. I just have little sadle compartments on my stock that make for a kick-ass cheek weld.