Happy Halloween!!

Stay Classy Madison!

Well, the occupiers anyway...

A neighboring hotel’s staff alleged voiced concerns about having to recently escort hotel employees to and from bus stops late at night due to inappropriate behavior, such as public masturbation, from street protesters.

Apparently that has prompted the city to not renew their permit... Knowing Madison politics, I almost find that surprising.

(h/t Boots & Sabers)

AIM Surplus

Just wanted to say that AIM Surplus is a fantastic company.  Quality products, great shipping, and superb customer service.  I've done business with them numerous times, from a little $5 part, to complete $500+ firearms, and have never been disappointed.  Once I received the wrong part, but I had the correct part in my hand in a couple days, and they even sent out a replacement part for one that was damaged in shipping (front sight got knocked off a Mosin Nagant in shipping, buggering up the dovetail in the process.  They sent me a replacement sight free of charge.)

Dear FTC or whoever, I'm not getting paid for this, and it is purely out of the good of my heart.  Because unlike you, I have one and I like to see companies that I like succeed in their business.  So you can suck it.

Mmm... Coffee Delivery

If this service is included, I will buy one.

100,000

The counter rolled over while I was cruising into work a little while ago.  Nice to see it's actually a person from Little Rock, and not a Google crawler or something.

Thanks for reading guys and gals!

Amazon

Is apparently doing good stuff.  Which is good, I like Amazon.  I got a Prime account a couple years ago, so I tend to get stuff from there pretty regularly, and get it fast (2 days) and shipping is free.

I also link there a bit from here, which they like.  They like it enough that they kick some of that revenue back to me to say thanks, and in turn I get more stuff from them (Like cool little flashlights and a Strider PREbike Balance Running Bike for my oldest nephew) so don't be afraid to click.

99,899

"Unique visits" as of 30 seconds ago... should click over to 100,000 visits within the next 24 hours.  Coolness.

Free PMags with Spike's Tactical Uppers

5 free PMags when you get any complete Spike's Tactical upper From AIM Surplus.

Offer good till 11/1/11 though... I just happen to need a lightweight middy, and a 14.5" with an perm. comp would be nice, but I don't get paid until Thursday.  Oh well.

Relevant to My Interests

Best Facial Hair of the Civil War

(h/t James Rummel)

Punkin' Carv-nival!

Had a couple friends over to gut and cut up some gourds last night.  There was also a six-pack of Lakefront Pumpkin Lager involved...

Subscribe or the Pupmkin gets it!*

We cheated and used some of the carving kits available at the local large-box store.  I went with a "3 out of 4 Pumpkin" difficulty pattern.  I even managed to overcome temptation and decided not to buy the powered pumpkin saw (although I still am plagued by lingering regret.  There's something about using power tools for somethings you normally wouldn't...)

I managed to keep all the fingers attached to my hands, and removed the correct pumpkin bits.  



Carving between the lines...



We also had a couple Halloween-ish (well, Tim Burton anyway) movies running while we did it.  (I wanted to go with Rocky Horror, but the choice was vetoed with a reference to "you'll be singing loudly and obnoxiously the whole time..."  For the record, I don't think it's that obnoxious.)



Lakefront Pumpkin Lager is also a pretty decent brew.  There's a definite note of pumpkin and pumpkin pie style spices.  It takes a couple sips to warm up to it, but once you come to terms with the pumpkin flavor it's an obvious choice for a Jack-o-lantern makin' party.



Lila helped.





Finished product.



 

*G&C does not condone the combined use of alcohol and firearms.  No ammunition was present, and no pumpkins were harmed in the making of this post.

KSG Review & Muzzle Device

Over at Jerking the Trigger.

What I've Said for Years

"Get a 9mm. Civilians are not limited by the Geneva Conventions and can carry hollowpoints.  A 9mm hollowpoint is devastating.  Plus 9mm is cheaper and you can practice more."

I generally don't get too deep into the caliber wars, but that's pretty much how I've explained my feelings for the better part of a decade now.

WI DOJ CCW Update

The DOJ updated their CCW site with some better definitions for the training requirements and a list of what other states we'll honor.

The downside is they're still sticking to not releasing the application until Nov. 1st, which means Wisconsin residents most likely will not be able to carry until mid December when they finally get around to processing and sending out the permits.  Out of state residents of those states we will honor will be able to carry Nov. 1st however... because that makes sense.

Grip Therapy - M&P Edition

A few weeks ago I was at the range doing some handgun work, and it started raining.  A lot.  Next thing I knew, I was starting to have problems with my grip on my M&P, especially during recoil.  This was something that I figured would happen eventually with this particular gun, and this was the last nudge I needed to finally get around to doing something about it.

Badguys don't always attack in nice weather or when your hands are nice and clean.  There's always that off chance that you need to use your gun with blood (or other slick fluid) covered hands, especially those in the law enforcement community.  Thankfully there's some options out there for the M&P series.

I did toy around with the thought of stippling (much like Caleb last week,) but I just don't have the desire (or balls) to take a soldering iron to my gun.  Plus I've seen many many stippling jobs gone overboard.  I just needed a little bit more bite to help manage recoil when my hands are wet or the like.  Thankfully the M&P has a removable backstrap, and there's a few companies out there selling aftermarket grip inserts that are already stippled for you.

Cane & Derby, in addition to having a classy name, sells GatorSkin Textured M&P Grips.  I decided to spice up the M&P9 and go with the tan colored Large size grip.

I have big hands, and really like the way the large grip not only fills out the back of the grip, but swells out the sides a bit as well.  The GatorSkin texture does a great job of increasing the grip without being overly aggressive and tearing up your hand or side when carrying.  I still prefer an undershirt between me and the gun if I'm carrying the gun IWB though, but it's not as rough as the VZ Operator IIs I have on my 1911.

It also looks fairly low-key, assuming you stick with the same color as your frame, something to think about if you're issued an M&P and want to augment the grip.  It puts some extra traction right where you need it to help manage recoil, and overall the insert is well worth the whole $25 I shelled out for it, and I'm still able to return my gun to the factory look and feel if I ever feel the need.  I'd give it at least 4 out of 5 cups-o-joe.

Dragons!!

Are meaner than lions.

"Occupy"... Something.

The "Occupy _______(?)" people had a local gathering here on campus, providing me with some entertainment.

They talked for a bit, then headed downtown, where they talked some more and dispersed at a predetermined time (making me wonder why they bothered with the "occupy" title.)  As the photo shows, there was all of 30 people there, most of who looked to be leftovers from the "Recall Walker" dust-up earlier this year.

10/22

You know... October 22nd.  And a repeat of a photo... cause I can.

Wear EyePro!!

Destin shoots some cow eyeballs to show why eye pro is important.



Granted,most eyepro won't stop a direct hit from a .22lr like that, it does help drive the message home.

Also, if you aren't familiar with SmarterEveryDay's Youtube Channel, you should be.

.45acp Subgun Rapid Prototype

Despite the decline in SMG use and tactics, the Strike Industries design looks pretty neat, and the bullpup layout could make for a nice compact .45acp carbine if your tastes go in that direction (I think they're fun range toys at most... but make it compact enough and it could be a decent home defense setup.)

That Time of Year

Had the morning shift the last couple days at work, and had to sit in the driveway and wait for the frost to melt off the windshield before I could get going.  Currently it's 29 whole degrees on the Fahrenheit scale out there.

Looking to shape up to be a long cold one this year.

Super-Cool Floaty Awesomeness

h/t Alan

Took Long Enough...

Reports are coming that Gadhafi is either dead or captured in Libya.

Tactical Distributors

Are pretty cool... along with the stuff I ordered was a sticker with their logo on it, and a couple plastic army men.  That's all sorts of awesome.

Those are the little things that make a company memorable.  Check them out if you haven't before.

Tactical Distributors

New Phone

Switched to the new Motorola Electrify... so far a massive improvement over the old Samsung I've wanted to shoot for the last few months.

Anyway, test post.

Dead Six

Collaborations can be hard to organize and get the proper flow down, but Mike and Larry got it down well in this one.  I finished it late last week, and was pretty sad to find it was done.  Well worth the read, and I'll probably reread it down the road a couple times at least.

Act of Valor

You've probably already seen the preview, and know the hook (SEALs played by real live SEALs!!) but it does look pretty cool, with lots of cool gear to drool over.  May have to get some people together and go see it.

Well...

At least the seats were decent.

Go Rangers...

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Go... Rangers?

Yup.  If they clinch tonight, the tomorrow's Brewer's game is pushed back to prime-time.

Why is this good?  We have tickets for that game, and I'm at drill this weekend.  Final formation is scheduled for 1200, and the current scheduled first pitch is 1505.  Onalaska to Milwaukee is approximately a three hour drive, not counting traffic or the time it takes to find a parking spot and walk to the gates.

So... don't lose momentum boys, as much fun as it would be to beat up on some trolls, I'd like to get to the game  on time.

Ick.

Lingering head-cold and a crappy hotel bed... thankfully it's a short drill this month.

"Ballad" is Successful!

Nerf is Learning

They've recently released a new line of blasters, and the magazines are actually called magazines (the N-Strike magazine system refers to them as "clips.")

I'm pretty tempted to snag one of the new guns just to see how they stack up to the old dart systems.

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"Improved" Remington ACR

Remington revealed their new version of the ACR at AUSA.

They've made it able to accept AR grips, tweaked the handguard and barrel swap system, but (I say "but" because I don't agree with this change) deleted the folding aspect of the stock.

Claimed weight reduction of 1.8 lbs, and they're planning on submitting the new version for the Army's new carbine competition.

More at SSD.

Tactical...

...Boyfriend.  Apparently I am one*.  For those interested, the flashlight in question is the Streamlight 66318 MicroStream C4 LED Pen Flashlight, which is the size of my finger and runs off a single AAA battery for several months of real life use, and seems just as bright as the Stinger I was issued for work (just not as good of range.) LEDs are amazing little things.

*It's not a bad thing though.

M&P Americano

Took this one back in July... then forgot about it.  So here it is.

Saturday

Hitting up a smaller local-ish fun show and then hiking in a nearby state park to look at the pretty leaves.  Should be a good day.

Update: Prices indicated that nobody there was actually trying to "sell" much.  Ah well.  Did find a sweet biking jersey at the Goodwill there for $6, and a British Combat Shirt in their desert colors at Fleet Farm for $15, brand new.  Sure, the colors don't match my plate carrier, but it's for $15 I'm not complaining.

Ice Cream Machine is Low

Especially when the guy running it is lactose intolerant.

Still catching up from the trip, and worked nights the last two.  I'm going to sleep in a little bit, hopefully get some stuff up here later today when I wake up...

Speaking of the trip, the Jeep Compass sucks.  If the rental had cost us more than $5 I would have been pissed.

Blog Roll Addition

Being a fan of brewed drinks and firearms, it's only natural to share a link to Musings Over a Pint with you guys.

.44 Cal Ring

Last week I mentioned a Coffee Ring I found on Etsy.  Yesterday MandaFern showed me a ".44 Cal" ring she found.

Pretty sweet.

Home

Had classes and then Tuesday gaming today, so not much bloggage.  Standard feeling of "I need a vacation from to recover from my vacation..."  Back at things tomorrow.

Sigh...

Driving back to the bay and flying out pretty soon... always a little sad when the vacation comes to an end.

Beer in Wine Country

After several days in Napa, we found a brewery not far from Jack London's estate.

I never thought vanilla and banana would be good flavors in a beer, but Sonoma Springs and my buzz say otherwise. The Norma Wiess wheat beer is incredibly smooth and drinks quite easily (three pints in an hour and a half easy.)

They even let us buy an empty Growler to take home as a souvenir and get filled at our local micro-brewery.

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