More than I can keep up with.

Soldier Systems has a bunch of A-TACS pictures from Shot.
The more I see it, the more I like it.

Food for thought.

Well, a video anyway. Care of Breda.

The continuing M&P15-22 Saga...

Back in late September, I sent in my order form for a Smith & Wesson M&P15-22 on their military discount program. Just as a general disclaimer, I'm not blaming them, or the shop I'm going through. I'm simply venting some gunny frustrations.

So anyway, just before October I send out the form, and it even says up to 6 months for long guns, so I'm being patient. Well, December rolls around, I get an email from S&W, "your dealer's FFL we have on file is expired, can you have them fax us a new one?" No big deal, call up the shop... "Huh. We just got a pistol from them this morning through the same program. Weird. We'll fax them it again just to make sure."

Cool. I sit back and wait for the charge to come through on my card, and dream of cheap AR fun.

Little did I know, the gremlins have intercepted the fax somewhere between the shop and S&W's Mil/LEO dept. I get a phone call from S&W mid-January, "Hey, we still don't have an up to date FFL for your order. The newest one for them expired in '08. We've got the guns in stock and I want to get it shipped out to you!"

Sweet. Grumbles...

Well, I'm not sleepy, even though I worked 11p-7a for the last week and a half straight, so I get in the car and drive the 45 minutes to the shop. Watch as they fax it in, again, and then talk with the guys there, fondle a SCAR (hadn't seen one in person yet, neat, but not for me) and finally get back in the car 2 hours later. Call up S&W to make sure it's on the right guy's desk.

"Yup got it right in front of me."

"Good, I'm sitting in the lot at the shop, so I wanted to make sure before I drove home."

"Ready to bust some heads huh? Ha."

"Guess I don't have to. Thanks again for helping me get this straightened out."

Go home, card's charged the next day, wait a few days, call up the shop to see if it came in.

"Oh yeah, I remember seeing it come in... not sure where it is though, we're in the middle of moving right now."

"So when are you guys gonna be settled in at the new place?" (I knew about the move, so I can't be mad about that. The ATF was dragging their feet on the change of address, go figure, so it was "any day now" planning. Just shitty timing for me.)

"About a week and a half."

"...Alright, guess I'll see you then...."

So now my new little .22 is sitting in rifle limbo. I'm glad it's a long gun. I don't think I could take a 3 day waiting period on top of all this.

Over 14 million guns sold in 2009

Only through NICS. So not counting f2f or states that allow you to skip the NICS with a CCW permit. Awesome and ridiculous all at the same time. Of course I did my part... one Henry .22, an AR, and the Sig... maybe a couple others I'm forgetting.

Today's blog coming to you from Emy J's

I picked up an Eee PC yesterday since my financial aid came in, and I have an online class this semester, so I claim it's for educational purposes. I'd much rather do the bulk of it from a comfy couch in a coffee house instead of at home where I have 35,897 distractions.
The side effect of course, is that hopefully I'll do this more, and add more coffee content, something I've been meaning to do.
Right now I'm on my second cup of the Latino Blend at Emy J's, a wonderfully smooth, somewhat dark roast with a nice bright finish. At least to my slightly educated tongue. Anyway, it's a very clean flavor, and quite good, especially for a blend.
There's also the side note of siding in one of the hippie havens of town wearing an Army Engineer t-shirt, writing about guns and military stuff, reading First In, and carrying my tiny PC in my fag-bag covered in my various Army patches. Needless to say, the lid of the tiny computer is adorned with a giant Magpul 10th anniversary skull and crossbones sticker. It fit perfect.

Compared to my freakin' 17" widescreen Toshiba, tiny PC is tiny! One of these days I'm going to take a picture of it sitting on the other one just for laughs. The supposed 11 hour battery time is insane-o awesome though.

Well I think he's a fantastic author.

And so does Sarah A. Hoyt. I pretty much cut my science fiction teeth reading Heinlein, and can pretty confidently say I have read almost everything he has written, most of it several times. (I'm on my third copy of Starship Troopers... I keep wearing them out, and I don't know how my copy of The Cat Who Walks Through Walls is still in one piece, it's beautiful testament to whatever publisher put out my particular copy...) To say he is my favorite author of all time would be an understatement.

Apparently there are people out there that don't like him. I think they're the same people who say Glocks are better than a 1911. And Sarah Hoyt seems to be in the same boat as me, only she's a much better writer than I, and put together a nice piece on the very subject.