SHOT '14

Just a couple things that really caught my eye looking through the coverage this year.

I was right about the R-51 and AAC-

Sexy and it knows it.

And Crye (of all new people) are taking a swing at breaking the shotgun mold.

Double-action revolver style from what I understand, with a 6 round magazine.  Coolness.

Turtle Skin Tactical Gloves: Withstand 28ga Needle

I can easily see how this could be a good thing for LEOs and Corrections personnel.

Over the Mantle

Finally hung up my first "rifle" in a place of honor.

My Grandfather made it out of an old broomstick and some scrap lumber, with the finish carving on the stock done by hand (yup, spoiled from the start with a custom stock!)  All three of us brothers had one, with our first initial carved into the butt. Mom found it a couple weeks ago doing some cleaning, and thought (quite rightly) that I'd like to take it home.

Light (but possibly interesting) Blogging Warning

Today I started the Wisconsin Basic Law Enforcement Academy, which is a 40 hour a week/13 week long course at the local tech school.  Long, tiring days, but lots of info and hopefully shifting jobs at work (for much higher pay and more sponsored training opportunities.)

So yeah, light talk here, and I'm gonna be a cop in a few months if everything goes right.

MagPod Entering Production

Happy New Year everyone. Sorry for the long absence, but we are happy to confirm that MagPod is in production as we speak (ETA around March), and we have been issued our first US Patent. Additional patent(s) pending.

It's taken a while, but it's OneUp's style to ensure a product won't hit the market until it's good and ready.  It has certainly come a long way from the prototype I got to beat up a couple years ago.

Seems Humid...

For this time of year.

Not quite the -75° windchill predicted, but it's still early.

G42

In my opinion, too little, too late.

The two things you always hear from the GLOCK fanboys are "carbine" and "single-stack 9mm."  So GLOCK jumped on the now overcrowded micro .380 bandwagon.  And unless the guy in the video has tiny hands, it's in the same size category as an M&P Shield or an LC9.

I'm sure it'll sell (it says GLOCK on the side afterall,) but I don't they'll have problems keeping up with demand.

Mmm...

You want cold?

We've got cold!

* Wind Chill Values... 20 To 35 Below Zero Saturday Night AndSunday. 40 To 55 Below Zero Sunday Night Through TuesdayMorning.
* Other Impacts... Exposed Skin Could Freeze Within 5 To 10 Minutes.

And the Packers can't figure out why they're having trouble selling tickets to this weekend's playoff game... (which means a potential television 'black-out' in most of Wisconsin.  That'll make for some angry drunks Sunday.)

Currently the temp is at a balmy -1°F, although it's breezy out there and feels like -16°.  Conversely, less than a week ago we topped out at a positive 40°F.  Go home Wisconsin, you're drunk (not that it's a surprise to anybody.)

I guess when you skip a winter, it decides to make it up to you!

ETA: We've got the lowest number... what do we win?

Remington R-51

Fixed barrel with a locked breach, and eventually will have a threaded barrel model. MSRP under $400.

Aside from the backwards looking rear sight (which makes sense from a CCW standpoint, just looks goofy) it's got a nice retro-futuristic look to it.  The fixed barrel and locked breach combo would be great for suppressor use too.

Awesome Weather

Is awesome.  A couple days ago it almost hit 45, today's high was -4 (windchill is currently cutting an extra 10 off that...)

Tonight's Entertainment

Hooray home ownership!

ETA: Heh, I didn't realize I took a picture of the Spanish side of the box.  It's a fancy humidifier that mounts to the heating ducts and taps into the water line, so you don't have to fill it.  Supposedly it'll handle our house plus another 500 or so square feet, and if all goes according to plan I won't have horrible sinus issues for the rest of the winter.

Gross

Supposedly it's going to warm up 30 more degrees through the day. I don't believe it.

Two Inches of Slush

That's all that stands between the USPS and my mailbox... and is apparently what it takes to get a pre-written note asking to "please keep your mailbox clear."  I guess snow is a magical substance that completely causes a postal worker to loose all depth perception.  (I wouldn't have really cared, except that I'm not exaggerating with the 'two inch' statement.)

The offending slush has been removed (pending the next pass by the county plow truck), so hopefully they are able to remember "oh yeah, I do have to reach that far all year."

An Engineer's Guide to Cats

2.0



More the calculator engineering, and not so much the blow-stuff-up engineering (well, less so...) but still pretty dang good.

Easy Day

Costa and company making gun porn.  Good times.

Finals are Hard

And simply pulling the fire alarm is so 1995.  On the up (and not so up) side of things, I have more hours this week at work... and I don't have off tomorrow.  Finals week here too, fingers crossed nobody pulls a copy-cat act.

What I find interesting is that those are both well regarded schools, supposedly full of smart kids.  I guess the strain is too much for some?

Bed was Warm...

...Why didn't I stay in bed?

Geography is Fun!

Or should I say 'orthographic imagery'? I found a picture of my truck from space!

This tells me that the most recent imagery on Google was taken on a Wednesday (miniature gaming day.)

Brr...

At 11am.  In my black truck. That was sitting in the sun all morning.  Windchill is hovering around -20.  Usually we don't deal with this until the middle of January...

Round 2

Of Operation Root Canal is finished... time to relax and enjoy the greatest Christmas movie ever.

Not Cool

Sucky when a big company doesn't play nice.  I'm pretty certain (because I know it's how I roll) that if you just ask nice and give proper attribution, almost any novice/semi-pro photographer would let you use their work.

House Stuff

I set the living room on fire.

New chimney liner, cap/damper combo, and finally one of the reasons we bought this house is usable again.  Good day for it too, being the first "serious" snow of the year.

Welcome to the Blogoshpere!

Long time friend of G&C, DocB, has started a blog!  Check it outs- Socks, Water, and Motrin

Doc is a combat veteran, Paramedic, and possesses a "special" sort of humor one can only gain from babysitting a platoon of Marines.

Coma time.

We are 'officially' out of the old house, and all of our stuff is in the new one. Followed that up with my parents and Grandma over for turkey stuff, and dropped off the keys with our renters (welcome to the world of landlordship!)

Now is time for CW Mudpuppy!

New Home Fun...

New stove and fridge are due tonight, so that's a plus.  Had the chimney guy in last week to look at things (figured it'd be a good call to make before actually lighting a fire in the living room...)

Turns out it was a good call.  I guess nobody told the former owner what a "rain cap" is, and why it is insanely important to a chimney.  If you don't know, it'll let all the rain and snow come down, getting the inside nice and wet, and when it freezes up here in the north, the ice cracks apart all the mortar holding the firebricks in place.  Loose a brick, and it's like having a blowtorch going against the structural bricks.  Good times.

Thankfully the structure is still fine, so all we need is a stainless alloy liner dropped in.  Price is per linier foot, so for the first time (of what I'm sure will be more than a few) I'm glad it's a short ranch style house.  Still $1200 that could have gone to the bathrooms or kitchen rebuilds, had somebody simply stuck a little piece of metal up on the roof.  On a positive note, we will be required to burn "a 2-log fire" every day until the mortar and insulation cures.

Jumping the Badged Shark

Tru-Spec launched their line of uniforms in the new "MultiCam Black" today, a pattern that Crye says "The MultiCam Black™ pattern was developed to meet the unique requirements of law enforcement officers operating in high-risk environments. It projects a distinctly authoritative presence appropriate for domestic operations. MultiCam Black™ is designed to complement an officer’s existing equipment and present a sharp, professional image for top-tier law enforcement units."

This may come as a surprise to some, since I know there's a certain amount of stereotypes in the gun blog circles about LEOs, and as some long-time readers may know, that's kind of my civilian job.  So here's the rub: While the pattern does look pretty cool, I don't really see the legitimacy of it, especially in an LE environment.  It really is a pure "I want to look cool" product, as it has no concealment abilities, making it pretty useless for SWAT Snipers or Drug Enforcement guys busting grows out in the woods, and camo makes no difference for dynamic entry teams.  (And in my opinion, if you're going for some sort of "psychological edge," I'd think Kryptek Typhon would be the better option.)

All in all, if you want and need camo, get an effective camo.  Otherwise solid black with big white lettering is going to look plenty professional, and clearly identify who you are, and that's more important than looking cool.

Costa on SA

"In law enforcement, we call that a clue."

 Well worth the time.

Impromptu Fun Show!

Headed up to Wausau to look for house stuff (filled under "success") and noticed signs for a gun show.  Granted it was a Bob & Rocco one... but eh, time to kill, pretty stuff to look at (hopefully.)  Saw some rare beasts (Kel-tech KSG and a PMR-30) and there was a multi-table slew of Class III fun to drool over.

We'll file our shopping here success as well.  Crossed another off the "would really like to have list," and snagged a 1928 manufactured Winchester 1897.  Long barrel, take-down, and all sorts of slam-fire fun.

Very seriously considering knocking a few inches off, and need to replace the stock (not trusting that crack tons,) but should be very much fun for SASS.

Beer!

Jeebus I need to post more often. We close on the new house Monday, so hopefully things will pick up after that madness.

In the meantime, sometimes you need to go to the source for the good stuff, in this case Slainte Scotch Ale (left) and Peruvian Morning (right) straight from the taps on the brewery floor.