Day Off..

Had yesterday and most of today off, so not much happened around here.  Things'll be back towards as normal as they usually are in a bit.

Wisconsin SB-93 (Constitutional Carry) Update

Yesterday the State Senate Judiciary Committee passed the amended version of SB-93, the "Constitutional Carry" bill, by a vote of 3-2.

The big thing in the amendment is the inclusion of a permit system to allow concealed carry within the magic 1000' school zone bubbles and to gain reprocity with states that require a license from the bearer's home state.

The full senate vote is expected when the senate reconvienes in early June.

Ping!!!

Just pulled the metaphorical trigger on the Small Spring Base and Small Practical Plinger from Salute Products Inc.

The range I tend to frequent is generally in rough shape, being free and open to the public with no supervision (yeah, some scary moments over the years, but it beats the snot out of the county run alternative with downright retarded arbitrary rules...) The target stands generally don't make it more than a month on the shorter ranges, and even when they're still there, paper just gets boring after a while.

I like the easily replaceable target face, and from what I can find on the ol' interwebs, if you only use one spring they should respond to .22lr, which should make it more than fantastic for getting new shooters hooked.  The audible and visual indication of a hit always makes it more pleasurable.  (Paper still has it's place for training and technique evaluation though.)

I'm pretty excited though, hopefully it's just the thing to kick my butt back into getting to the range regularly.

June 5th Non-Event

Breda and a few others are planning an OC non-event for Sunday, June 5th.  The idea is to do what some of us do everyday, and that is to go about doing your daily business with an openly carried firearm (local laws apply.)

Jetboil Zip & Coffee Press

So I got pretty tired of the lack of decent coffee when my unit's out in the field.  With the prospect of 2 weeks of wonderful Ft. McCoy coming up next month, I decided to do something about it.

Long ago I saw a Jetboil Java System in a camping catalog.  Really nothing more than their standard Flash cooking system with a French Press style filter that fits in the cup.  After minutes of gruelling online research, I found the Jetboil Zip and separate Coffee Press were cheaper to order separately than to get the full blown Java System.

What makes the Zip cheaper is a combination of a simpler stove, requiring a separate ignition source rather than the built in piezoelectric igniter on the other models; and a slightly smaller cup, 0.8 liters, rather than 1 full liter.

One of Jetboil's selling points is that their cooking systems all fold up and store inside the cooking cup.  Despite the smaller cup size on the Zip, I was still able to get everything I need for good coffee inside the system, and it fit quite nicely inside my new pack.  Jetboil claims the system comes in at 12oz, not counting the fuel can or little plastic stabilizer legs.

Granted I had to put the filter screen portion of the press in the measuring cup, it still fit fine provided it was upside down.  By leaving the regular stove top part (what they call the "pot stabilizer") at home I was able to get the press's rod sections inside the cup.

The stove assembles quickly and simply, the stabilizer (orange triangle bit) unfolds, the fuel can clips onto it, and the stove threads onto the top of the fuel can.  From there you can either place the cup with the "FluxRing" on it to boil water, or the pot stabilizer to use regular pots and pans or Jetboil's larger sized FluxRing frying pan or 1.5 liter pot.

Speaking of fuel, the only downside of the Jetboil system is that it uses Jetboil's proprietary fuel cans (it can run off of other backpacking stove manufacturer's pressurized cans, like MSR's, but they won't fit in the cup for storage.)  The nearest retailer that stocks them is a 40 minute drive for me, and if you're flying somewhere you'll have to find a source at your destination, since you can't fly with pressurized fuel cans.  On the upside, a 100oz can only runs about $5 and Jetboil says it'll boil about 10 liters of water.  I tend to use about a half a liter to make coffee, so 20 uses for $5 isn't too bad.

On the upside, the fuel burns hot and clean, with a nice pretty blue and purple flame.  Here's the stove running with the valve a little less than half open-

In practice, the little stove will bring the little pot of water up to a rolling boil in around 3 minutes.  I scalded my hand pretty good the first time I played around with it, so it's a good idea to watch it and not fill the cup too full.  The 500ml line on the cup is a good spot for coffee making, and fills my Nissan Thermos cup exactly.

The Press Kit is a thing of genius too.  It consists of a plastic and metal mesh filter that fits snuggly inside the Jetboil cup, and the rod unscrews into two sections and fits through the hole in the middle of the lid (which also has drain holes and a sippy spot.)

Not much to say here for those familiar with French Press style coffee, the kit works fantastically, and there were no grounds in the bottom of my cup.  What else could you ask for?

As far as use goes, I assembled the system, filled the cup, and lit the stove up.  The water boiled quickly, I turned off the stove, tossed in the desired amount of quality grounds, stirred, and let steep for about four minutes.

Yummy

After taking the photo, the press and lid were stuck on to keep bugs and other crap from getting on.


Coffee in the shade of a 5-ton Dump

























Once enough time has elapsed, the plunger was slowly plunged, and the liquid deliciousness was poured into my thermos so I could brew up another cup for the Section SGT.


Requisite gun and coffee.  M4 Carbine (I know, no mag. 
Stupid rules,) fresh pressed Guatemalan Dark.



All said and done, easily the most delicious cup of coffee I've ever had while wearing ACUs.

Yawn...

Coffee's taking time to kick in... I'm going to retreat to a paperback and hopefully get some photos edited for some product review-ness in a bit.

Check back later I'd say.

8P'

That's an excited drooly face...

I want one.

Sounds About Right

Breda OC'ed in public... and the usual happened.

Where It All Goes Down

RTB asked a bunch of us about where most of our blogging happens.

at least 75% of it happens on my little Eee PC-

I've added a couple other stickers since I took that photo... a BCM Gunfighter (because they're awesome charging handles, and it fit perfect) and a Wisconsin Carry, Inc. member one (because they're just an awesome group.)

As far as the geographic location of said blogging, a vast amount occurs at Emy J's, my preferred area caffeine slinger.

I'll admit, the coffee place is borderline hippie/hipster at times, but I take a perverse joy in writing a heavily gunny oriented blog on a gun sticker festooned netbook at such a place.  Plus it is the best coffee in town, hands down.  I mean they're roasting fresh beans right now about 30 feet away from me.  It smells fantastic.

Conversion Commencing...

The girlfriend is dangerously approaching gun blogger status on her fledgling blog.  Work schedules and flat out crappy weather have conspired to prevent her inaugural range trip, but she's got The Four Rules down, and really can't wait to get out there.  (Which is good, I can't wait to get her out either, as I've said before, teaching new shooters is my favorite part of the sport.)

Well then.

So the Rapture came and went, and failed to interrupt our engineer task training and general FTXness.  Although it could have been only for my credit/debit cards, those apparently got degaussed over the weekend...

I guess that means I'll have to show up to work in a few hours.

Pony

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FTX Time

Packing for a weekend FTX... be back Monday or so (aside from any posts from the field.)

Will be testing a few new products, the Jetboil ZiP, with Jetboil's coffee press assembly (that's right, taking field coffee to a whole new level!) a cheap-o solar charger for the smartphone, and the Grey Ghost Lightweight Assault Pack (in Multicam.)  Some pretty cool stuff lined up the upcoming weeks.

Be Prepared

Shelly tossed up some words worth reading at Gun Nutz.  Nothing new or groundbreaking, but something we should be reminded of every so often.

In the words of the grizzled old Sheriff, "This little thing?  Ma'm, if I was expectin' trouble, I woulda brought my rifle."

Full Auto 1911A1

Sexy.

Beast of Kandahar

Fox News is reporting that the RQ-170 Sentinel, better known as "The Beast of Kandahar," was used to keep an eye on the Bin Laden compound before the raid.



Image Source

















After the stealthy drone was spotted in country, wild speculation as to what it was doing there popped up all over the place.  After the raid, a lot of people thought it may have been doing just what Fox is reporting.

Gun(s) & Coffee

I was going to post this photo last week, but Blogger was broke.

Anyway, CZ52, 6oz of fresh espresso poured on top of a sugar cube and a teaspoon of caramel flavor syrup... next time I'm going to omit the sugar though, makes it too candy-like for coffee.

Need Gear...

Specifically, a Multicam Molle pouch capable of holding a Jetboil system that doesn't cost almost as much as the stupid stove does.  Ideally by this weekend, but realistically by the second week of June.

Anybody have a lead on such a beast?

Picture of the...

Day, Week, Month.... I don't know anymore....

I really like the clouds rolling over the mountains.

Readers may recognize Guns & Coffee friend/sometimes contributer Cro (of Rubber Band AR fame.  My evil plan is to rope him into more stuff when he's back.) He's currently in Afghanistan, but things are going well.

Magpul Dummies in Colors

Magpul has put up a limited run of their polymer dummy 5.56 rounds in FDE and Orange in cigarette box style 12 packs.

I'll probably snag a pack or two of orange.  That could be a handy color.

NRA's AAR

The NRA-ILA has also posted a summation of the meetings last week.

There's some good points in there-

"The Assembly Criminal Justice Committee met in Madison and heard Assembly Bill 126, the companion to SB 90.  Some of the most compelling testimony of the day came from Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke.  He described how he was an opponent of concealed carry until he began to see the effects of aviolent crime wave on the citizens of his county.  He realized that citizens really are the first line of defense against violent predators because his officers could not be everywhere all of the time.   Sheriff Clarke asked the committee to allow citizens the most efficient and effective means of protecting themselves -- a concealed handgun.  Many law enforcement officials throughout the state could learn from the Sheriff's example." 

NRA Workshop AAR/WI CCW Bills Info

Last Thursday the NRA-ILA, in conjunction with Wisconsin Force, put on a "Grassroots Workshop" at Gander Mountain.  Due to CCW legislation being recently introduced into the state house and senate, and a public hearing regarding these bills taking place across town from the meeting earlier in the day, the "workshop" turned into more of a CCW Bill familiarization class.

First off though, the turnout was great.  There was at least 100 people cramming into a room meant for about 40.

Yay, crappy cell pic!

We were literally overflowing into the store.  The upside was that they mic'd the speakers, so the entire store could hear what was being said.

As far as the bills in circulation, there are three: AB126/SB90 (shall carry/licensed carry) and SB93 (Constitutional Carry.)  The NRA guys claim they support both.  While this seems a bit strange at first, what they mean is that they'd love to see both bills reconciled and combined.  Realistically, this would be a bit rough, but I tend to agree with their thought process.

It's pretty long, so more after the break-

Military Appreciation Game.

The Brewers definitely give good seats to us vets. See you guys tomorrow!

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Ok... One More Quick Thing...

I can only assume the SEALs found it while flipping the mattresses, but given it was "electronic," it was more likely on a thumb drive under a poorly disguised folder name.  Not quite the way of the devout Muslim.

Out of the Office

I'll be a bit scarce over the next few days, running down to catch a couple Brewers games and some other stuff while we're in the neighborhood.

I was going to get some stuff down regarding the NRA "Grassroots Workshop" that took place last night, but Blogger's little hiccup kept me from writing from the event or getting to it last night while it was still fresh.  Overall, despite the "Join the NRA!!" overtones, it was a great summation of the current CCW Legislation going through Madison, and answered a lot of questions I had regarding that.  I did take a lot of notes, so come Monday I'll hopefully sum things up more.

Supposedly the missing posts from the last couple days will be popping back up soon-ish too, maybe even the one I tried to send from the meeting... who knows.

Anywho, back on Monday.

That Sucks...

It looks like Blogger had a massive aneurysm yesterday, and the powers that be killed all posts after a certain time on Wednesday. Don't know if they're going to come back, but I'm less than happy about that.

NRA Workshop

Some quick things before I head to bed for the day (grumble grumble night shifts...)

Tonight is the NRA "Grassroots" Workshop at the Rothschild/Wausau Gander Mountain.  I'll be there with the M&P in hanging out in it's Raven-clad glory assuming I wake up in time to make the drive.

Apparently the things filled up awful quick, what with the actual honest to FSM concealed carry bills being introduced, so they set up some more-

Dear Fred:


For Concealed Carry To Become a Reality, the NRA Needs Your Help! Due to popular demand for NRA-ILA's grassroots workshops, the NRA's state association Wisconsin FORCE has scheduled three more FREE Workshops to help secure the Right-to-Carry Concealed. It’s time for Wisconsin to join free America!

During last November’s elections, NRA members and gun owners throughout the Badger State sent a clear message to elected officials that a strong Right-to-Carry law must be a legislative priority. Residents of Wisconsin sent their legislators to Madison to secure their freedom.

To ensure we are prepared to meet the challenges posed by anti-gun forces and answer questions our members have about this legislation, Wisconsin FORCE, your NRA chartered state association, will be hosting a series of workshops throughout the state.

Please plan on attending to learn more about the bills, as well as what you need to do as gun-owners to assist in our efforts. At this meeting, Wisconsin FORCE will discuss the bills, as well as what each of you need to do to ensure victory. This meeting is absolutely free. The workshop will run about 60-90 minutes.

Please make plans to attend one of our events and encourage your fellow NRA members and Second Amendment supporters to attend as well.

Here are the details for the upcoming workshops:

Monday, May 16, 2011 6:30PM - 7:30PM-8:00PM
Ace's on 29th, 2827 Oakes Avenue, Superior, WI 54880

***Space is limited. Please register by emailing your full name to
Superior@wi-force.org.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011 6:30PM - 7:30PM-8:00PM
Stadium View, 1963 Holmgren Way, Green Bay, WI 54304

***Space is limited. Please register by emailing you full name to
GreenBay@wi-force.org.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011 6:30PM - 7:30PM-8PM
Americas Best Value Inn (Sicily Room), 3900 Milton Avenue, Janesville, WI 53546

***Space is limited. Please register by emailing you full name to
Janesville@wi-force.org.

Also, earlier in the day is the Concealed Carry Hearing at UWMC.  I'm not sure what the start time is, but it's supposed to run till 6pm.  If you're in the area, it would be an ideal time to voice your opinion to those making the decisions.

Yup.

Some days there's more important things to do than blogging... Beating thunderstorms into submission to spend time with important people is one of those.

Yup. Kayaking with the girlfriend is definitely more important.

Constitutional Carry Needs You!

Greetings in Freedom,

I apologize for this hastily drafted email, but its a very busy week.  Word out of Madison yesterday was that neither Fitzgerald brother (One is speaker of the house, one speaker of the assembly) was going to allow the constitutional carry legislation to a vote.

TODAY I've been told the Capitol is abuzz about constitutional carry as a result of calls and emails from gun-owning constituents who want constitutional carry to have a fair shot.

IF YOU ARE GOING TO MADISON TOMORROW, The Madison hearing is ONLY hearing the "shall-issue" permit bill.  WHEN YOU SIGN IN at the hearing you have to sign in "in favor" of the bill or "against".  Wisconsin Carry along with our friends over at the massive Wisconsin Tea Party Coalition are asking our members to all WRITE IN a 3rd option and sign in, "in support of CONSTITUTIONAL CARRY."

This way they cannot tabulate people attending for constitutional carry in support of "shall-issue" nor could they tabulate people attending for constitutional carry as against concealed carry.
Wisconsin Carry, in a joint effort with the United States Concealed Carry Association is also preparing a set of radio ads to pressure the Fitzgerald brothers into standing up for smaller government and lower taxes and allowing constitutional carry a fair debate/vote in their respective legislative bodies.  We have funds set aside to begin this radio ad campaign in Milwaukee.
If you have monies you would like to donate to run these ads statewide (Madison, Fox Valley, Lacrosse, Wausau) you may donate on our website homepage www.wisconsincarry.org
It appears we REALLY need to put pressure on Scott and Jeff Fitzgerald to do the right thing and support the law-abiding citizens of Wisconsin who wish to carry concealed and not have to pay permit taxes, register with the government, nor take the government mandated training class.

We are asking you to make 4 PHONE CALLS today.  One to Senator Scott Fitzgerald, Speaker of the Senate, One to Jeff Fitzgerald, Speaker of the Assembly, and one each to your state senator and assembly person. If your assembly person HAS signed on as a co-sponsor of Senate Bill 93, thank them. if they have not, ask them TO sign on.

Constitutional Carry Senate Bill 93 viewable here:

You can read at the top of the bill which senators are co-introducing it and which representatives are co-sponsoring.
https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/document?cite=proposaltext/2011/REG/SB93.pdf

Scott Fitzgerald contact info:http://legis.wisconsin.gov/w3asp/contact/legislatorpages.aspx?house=senate&district=13

Jeff Fitzgerald contact info:http://legis.wisconsin.gov/w3asp/contact/legislatorpages.aspx?house=assembly&district=39

Find YOUR legislators:http://legis.wisconsin.gov/w3asp/waml/waml.aspx

Carry On,
Nik ClarkChairman/President - Wisconsin Carry, Inc.www.wisconsincarry.orgnik@wisconsincarry.orgwww.youtube.com/wisconsincarrywww.twitter.com/wisconsincarryFacebook: Search "Wisconsin Carry"

Hmm.

Lack of inspiration... plus the weather's nice and I don't work until 11pm.  Check back laters perhaps.