Sunday, January 31, 2010

Finally

Will be making the 40+ minute trek to the gun shop to pick up the M&P15-22 after my Glacial Geology class tomorrow. Look for initial thoughts in the evening.

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Not the first time I've heard of this...

The U.S. army medic also told members of the research unit that she and her colleagues had to explain to a local man how to get his wife pregnant.

I don't know if the female medic in the article is the same one I deployed with, but I know one of ours had this exact issue down at one of the ANA bases. Apparently he was boinking the wife the only way he learned as a young Pashtun, and that's not very conducive to procreation.

Post Gun-show chat

Me: Guy had an MP5SD there... wouldn't take my left nut for a trade though...
SB: I'd rather have an M16 if I was getting into FA, the upper possibilities are just too cool.
Me: Yeah, but there's just something too cool about the MP5SDs... when your gun goes "clackity-clackity-clack" instead of "bangity-bangity-bang"...

Monday, January 25, 2010

Question of the Night

Why hasn't anybody or when will somebody come out with rechargeable 123A batteries?

Disregard, my Google-fu was weak a little earlier. I guess the bigger question is why don't they market them to us gun people?

Upgrade pron

Got an Eotech to put on the carbine today. Looks pretty sexy.



Tried to take a picture of the reticle, and apparently laser generated holograms really freak out my camera. Any idea why it does this?



I've also added a FDE Magpul AFG, and will be swapping the CTR for an ACS when that shows up. I'll get some new pictures when there's actually a sun out so I can get some good ones.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

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.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Things you should know...

before assembling an AR. Here's a list, and it looks like a pretty good one to me.
Confirmed this one this morning swapping the trigger guard on my buddy's AR.
Three hands are better than two. Four hands are too many, except when playing bridge.

More about the VLTOR Suppressor

Apparently the mount screws onto the barrel, and you can screw on whichever muzzle device you want that will fit inside the can. Pretty cool idea.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Not really something I'd be proud of Dave...

Just saw this on the front of yesterdays local rag, and the post title pretty much sums up my thoughts. He may have a decent "success rate," but the last I heard, his overall approval rating wasn't looking so rosy.
I am proud to say I have never voted for Mr. Obey. He has completely lost touch with his constituents, and know it, yet has no fear of losing his seat anytime soon. I can only hope something akin to Massachusetts is on the horizon.(I know there's a pretty big push against Feingold that got a big morale boost, and I think the Journal may be running an article about that today... wonder how they'll slant it.)

To add: Today's story. Looks like they're putting on a brave face, but are deep down shaken. I do wish somebody could raise enough money to put up a decent fight against Obey though.

VLTOR VS-1

VLTOR unveiled their Volks Suppressor (VS-1) at Shot, an affordable "people's suppressor" that they're hoping to sell somewhere between $300-400. I definitely need to figure out that trust paperwork if this is true.

(more pictures and info from Gear Scout)

Dear Magpul;

Please don't send Chris and Travis to my house in the middle of the night to slap me in the face. I am not a hippie, just lactose intolerant. But the hemp milk the coffee house has does taste really good in hot chocolate, especially after snowshoeing for a couple hours.

That is all.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

A-Tacs

Steve got a look at it at Shot Show. I like it for some reason. He says it's lighter than expected. I'll have to wait till I see some in person.

Update: Soldier Systems has some more pictures here and here. The way the rifle blends in the second one is downright impressive.

Elysian Tauros Venator

Haven't had a 40k post in a while, but Forgeworld put up the little Elysian wheeled vehicle they teased us with at the UK Games Day (It's like Shot Show for Games Workshop) a few months ago. I like the looks, and it's nice to see some wheels for the Imperium. You can pre-order here and enjoy more pictures here.
Two Hunter-killer missles and a Twin-linked Lascannon turret. That's a cute little air-dropable tank hunter if I ever saw one.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

A little ray of hope®

I'll admit, amongst the bland mediocrity and dissapointment that is mid-winter in Wisconsin, the Massachusets election outcome makes me a little happier.

Leatherman MUT

Gear Scout has some pictures and stuff about Leatherman's first gun centric multi-tool. I may think about getting one to toss on the vest, looks like it could be pretty handy in the field. And if I was still a Combat Engineer, I would be lusting after that EOD version.



(pic from Gear Scout)

Update: They are now available for pre-order here. Thanks to Tom for providing the link.

Some Shot pictures

From pro photographer Matt Burkett here.
(h/t Caleb)

Remington Gas Piston

AAC has a teaser of the new Remington Gas Piston (RGP) drop in upper that apparently uses the ACR gas system. May be an option if you're looking for ACR technology but with a lower price. (Assuming it's avaliable at a lower price...)

(photo from AAC)

added: Steve has more pictures up at the Firearm Blog.

FBI Sting at Shot

Wow. Apparently as many as 22 people in the industry have been nailed with charges for bribing a government official after an FBI agent posed as a representitive of some African nation.
The defendants, including a senior Smith & Wesson sales official Amaro Goncalves, were accused of violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or FCPA, and conspiracy to commit money laundering tied to the sale of guns, body armor and other law enforcement equipment.

Tons of crazy.
(h/t to Steve)

The ACR is released...

and the price is not what many were hoping for, myself included. From the Bushmaster press release:

Each configuration of the commercial ACR is offered in a non-reflective, black finish or Coyote Brown (30118). Suggested retail price: Basic $2,685 and Enhanced $3,061.


Between this and the 1:9 non-chromed barrel, there's a lot of disappointment going around the interwebs.
I wasn't too upset with the barrel thing, I rarely shoot anything other than 55gr. anyway, and none of my ARs have chromed barrels, but I am a poor college kid, so it looks like I'll be waiting another year or so until the hype dies down and the price becomes realistic.

Monday, January 18, 2010

Magpul 2010 Catalog

Available for download here after a brief registration. Lots of cool stuff.
The also had a massive facelift for their site, and word from Magpul on the ARFCOM forum is that it'll take about 24 hours for the servers and whatnot to catch up.
I'm looking forward to the new store.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Navy enhances warhead for Marine helicopters

Press release here.

New Flachette rounds for the 2.75 inch rockets for the helicopters.

The 149 Mod 0 Flechette warhead is three times the size of the old variant for each individual dart. The new flechette is comparable to a 5.56 millimeter round with regard to weight and velocity and impacts a larger area of ground compared to high explosive rockets.


Sounds like fun.

Friday, January 15, 2010

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

This made my night.



"So Edward eats the baby out of her uterus, and everyone's ok with that?"

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Two New Magpul DVDs Inbound

Art of the Dynamic Handgun


Aerial Platform Ops


We've began incorporating parts of the carbine sets into our range sessions in our group, and have been pleased with the results. I'm really looking forward to the pistol set, as that's an area I'm trying to improve on. The Aerial one just looks like massive cool.

I can only hope shotgun is next.

Impending Release?

Bushmaster's got a countdown clock going on the ACR site. Hopefully it's a countdown to an MSRP!

Sig P226 & P229 E2

Or Enhanced Ergonomics (shouldn't that be E squared?), featuring a smaller grip radius and short reach triggers. They put a single piece grip, that I'm guessing they carried over from the SigPro line. Should be good for those of you with small hands. (Although I find that even with my big hands I like smaller grips, especially shooting in the winter with thicker gloves on.)



(more at Guns Holsters and Gear)

*Update here for all you searching people*

Monday, January 11, 2010

Time Killer

Pimp My Gun Got a little upgrade a couple days ago. I kinda like the new interface, but I hope more of the guns and parts make their way over from the old version.

Either way, I think I just killed two hours...



Plus some more hopeful dreaming...

How to Brew a Good Cup of Coffee

Over at boingboing.net

I haven't really posted a whole lot of coffee related stuff, but here's some.

How to Brew a Good Cup of Coffee from Ben Helfen on Vimeo.



That's a lot of work... I think I'm just going to look for a good pestle and mortar to compliment my french presses.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Pros & Cons of .22lr Handgun Training

At pistol-training.com.

My primary shooting buddy and myself have been big advocates of .22lr trainers for a while now. Cheap ammo = more trigger time, and more trigger time is always good.

I definitely agree with mention of not using .22lr handguns for multiple shots on the same target though, I can double-tap with my P22 like a mofo, and that has lead to some frustrating range sessions with the 45.

Another key point in the article is the mention of a new S&W M&P pistol in .22lr. I hope this is true and not a missunderstanding with the rifle. The P22 is fun, but I need something full size with more holster options and not the price of a Sig 226 in .22lr.

(H/T SayUncle)

Will be watching with much interest.

Wisconsin Carry, Inc. files federal lawsuit challenging Wisconsin's (GFSZA)

On January 8th 2010 Wisconsin Carry, Inc. filed a lawsuit in Federal Court to challenge the constitutionality of Wisconsin's onerous Gun Free School Zone Act.

Wisconsin's Gun Free School Zone Act (GFSZA), which was modeled on the federal Gun-Free School Zone Act of 1990, prohibits the possession or shooting of a firearm within a school zone. It defines a school zone as in the school building, the school grounds, and the area within 1000 feet of the school grounds. The Federal GFSZA was struck down as unconstitutional in 1995. Wisconsin's GFSZA remains.

In 1998 79% of the voters in the great state of Wisconsin voted Article 1 Section 25 into our state constitution. "The people have the right to keep and bear arms for security, defense, hunting, recreation or any other lawful purpose". The Constitutions of the United States and Wisconsin guarantee the right of individuals to keep and bear arms; and as the United States Supreme Court held in the DC gun ban case, DC v. Heller, "bear" means "carry." Wisconsin’s Gun Free School Zone Act covers such a broad area that it practically forecloses a meaningful right to keep and bear arms in large parts of the state. It is an onerous restriction that has the potential to ensnare thousands of law-abiding citizens exercising their constitutionally guaranteed rights and expose them to felony charges. Wisconsin's GFSZ Act places someone who was innocently walking their dog around their subdivision at night while armed in danger of felony charges if they should happen to cross these invisible school zones which extend nearly a quarter mile out from the edge of school property and many properties that are not identified as schools!

More than 2000 people have signed our online petition calling on the Governor and Legislature to repeal this law.

Wisconsin Carry is a non-profit corporation dedicated to the preservation and reclamation of the basic rights critical to a free society. Our membership believes in the founding principles of our country and our constitution: That all are created equal, that governments exist to protect the rights of individuals, and that governments derive their power from the consent of the governed. Our mission is to preserve, advance and expand these basic rights which law-abiding citizens are entitled to have a practical ability to exercise.

A copy of the Federal Lawsuit can be viewed here
Wisconsin Carry, Inc.'s Website is www.wisconsincarry.org


I've posted the link to the petition here before. Glad to see it's making some progress. Hopefully this is one of the first steps to becoming a 2nd Amendment friendly state.

Anti-gunners and their violence.

The gun blogosphere is slowly being covered with links to this , a blog post in which a lady says some not so gun friendly stuff, gunny types respond, feelings are hurt, and the lady's husband comes in to save the day and threaten to punch gun people in the face. I'm using nicer language, but you get the idea.

I figured I'd throw in my 2 cents, plus throw in another gun friendly place linking to it for good measure. (plus it's slow as hell at work...)
Aside from the crap-tastic ideas thrown around in the original post, the comments just get to be a whole riot of fun. The writer claims to be a lawyer, someone paid to be good at debate, yet her responses to the thought out and backed up comments from a particular pro-gun reader seem to lead down a straight and narrow road of back-peddling and name calling. If I was paying her to represent me in court, and her first rebuttal broke down into screaming and dropping f-bombs, I'd be asking for a refund. Maybe she just chooses to keep work and her blog separate, but with a name like "southern female lawyer" you'd think she'd take some professional pride in her ability to argue.

But the fun really starts when her gallant husband comes charging to the rescue.

You, however, have demonstrated considerable irresponsibility in your arguments and in your personal attacks on this blogger, who also happens to be my wife. Send me your home address and I’ll come to your house and punch your fucking face in. Unless you are a pussy who can’t fight without a gun in his hand.
(comment #22)

Does he come running to defend her in the court room when somebody disagrees with her? From what other people have found on the guy, he probably doesn't have much else to do. (I do like Caleb's poster)I can see a failed musician/politician sitting around with nothing better to do.

But some people can't help but fan the flames. Seems Rob's got himself a blog too. Since one time wasn't enough, he'll punch your face there too.

In several of my comments, I made derogatory remarks directed at the trolls. I said some nasty stuff. Some colorful language was used. I stand by that language. I also stand by my offer to face them one on one and punch these idiots in their faces. That’s how I roll.


When I was in 5th grade, there was a kid on my bus who was in 6th grade, pretty big, and willing to punch people in the face for stupid reasons. You know, the classic bully. After about a week straight of him picking on my little sister every morning, I ambushed the guy as everybody was coming in from recess and gave him a nice bloody nose. I used an ambush tactic because he had me by a good 30 pounds (I was a skinny kid). He sure left my sister alone after that. My dad happened to be substitute teaching at my school that day as well, leading to a very quick meeting with the principal. He told him flat out that I'd enjoy the two day vacation(suspension) I earned. That's how we roll around here.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Dan Wesson's new coating.

Steve at the Firearm Blog found a forum post from one of their employees showing what their new coating can take. It looks pretty good. One of the bobbed commanders is on my want list.

ACR Video

"Leaked" video from Remington for the ACR. I do want.

(found at the Firearm Blog)

10 Sci-Fi Weapons That Actually Exist


Over on Wired's website. Some neat stuff.