Sunday, August 1, 2010
Inception guns
Kit-up has a screen capture showing that the gun in question is in fact a SCAR-L. I could have sworn it was a black one though.
Quick Range Trip
So how do I relax after a weekend of weapons qualification for the Army? Go to the range of course!
Pics were taken with the new camera, it's not too bad, nowhere near the quality of a good SLR, but hey, for a little tough as nails point-and-shoot, not too bad.
I may or may not have had to remove some of the envy-green from my face in that pic. First time shooting with an ACOG, and I have to say, I want one. Bad.
What you can't see in the pictures is the fact that Cro busted his extractor spring a couple hours earlier and came up with an ingenious field repair. Let's just say it involves a rubber band and the mind of an Army Engineer. More on it tomorrow.
Also, got a Wilson Combat ETM, ran it through the gun a couple times, seems to have cleared things up. Looks like I'll be ordering a couple more.
Pics were taken with the new camera, it's not too bad, nowhere near the quality of a good SLR, but hey, for a little tough as nails point-and-shoot, not too bad.
I may or may not have had to remove some of the envy-green from my face in that pic. First time shooting with an ACOG, and I have to say, I want one. Bad.
What you can't see in the pictures is the fact that Cro busted his extractor spring a couple hours earlier and came up with an ingenious field repair. Let's just say it involves a rubber band and the mind of an Army Engineer. More on it tomorrow.
Also, got a Wilson Combat ETM, ran it through the gun a couple times, seems to have cleared things up. Looks like I'll be ordering a couple more.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Bleg
There's a pretty good handful of things I'd like to blog about, but it's a "hurry up and wait" point in time... Check back Sunday night probably, Monday by the very least.
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Thursday, July 29, 2010
DA Fox does more than just talk
Jackson County (WI) District Attorney Gerald Fox has dropped the charges against a man who admitted to carrying a switch-blade.
You may remember Mr. Fox is the DA who wrote a memo in the wake of the McDonald decision stating he would no longer enforce certain state weapons laws. Thankfully it looks like he's willing to follow through with it.
You may remember Mr. Fox is the DA who wrote a memo in the wake of the McDonald decision stating he would no longer enforce certain state weapons laws. Thankfully it looks like he's willing to follow through with it.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
New Camera - slight update after jump
I wanted to pick up something small and handy, yet durable enough that it's going to withstand some harassment in the field. I was looking at the Olympus Tough 8010
, but the number of complaints about the shutter lag and excess noise despite the 14mp rating, I looked around a bit more, and ended up going with the Casio Exilim EX-G1
. Still nice and shockproof (an unfortunate pothole/rifle butt claimed my first digital camera in Afghanistan) and the waterproof rating is a nice bonus. Plus it's a good chunk cheaper. I got the camera and a 16gig micro-SD card for a little under $200. (my only complaint so far is that it uses micro-SD cards... I'll have to pick up a cheap one with an adapter so I can use them in the reader slots on my computers.)
The body is stainless steel with strategic polycarbonate sections, so it's a bit heavy for it's size (5.4oz according to Casio) but it's surprisingly small, only slightly larger than my phone, super thin too. It came with two "bumpers" that screw into the side nearest the display and lens, which definitely seem like a good idea in my experience.
(.45 shown for scale, not included with camera)
The battery's charging, so I haven't been able to mess with it much yet, but I'll be at Ft. McCoy all weekend doing army stuff, so we'll so how it goes.
, but the number of complaints about the shutter lag and excess noise despite the 14mp rating, I looked around a bit more, and ended up going with the Casio Exilim EX-G1. Still nice and shockproof (an unfortunate pothole/rifle butt claimed my first digital camera in Afghanistan) and the waterproof rating is a nice bonus. Plus it's a good chunk cheaper. I got the camera and a 16gig micro-SD card for a little under $200. (my only complaint so far is that it uses micro-SD cards... I'll have to pick up a cheap one with an adapter so I can use them in the reader slots on my computers.)The body is stainless steel with strategic polycarbonate sections, so it's a bit heavy for it's size (5.4oz according to Casio) but it's surprisingly small, only slightly larger than my phone, super thin too. It came with two "bumpers" that screw into the side nearest the display and lens, which definitely seem like a good idea in my experience.
(.45 shown for scale, not included with camera)
The battery's charging, so I haven't been able to mess with it much yet, but I'll be at Ft. McCoy all weekend doing army stuff, so we'll so how it goes.
"Fat" not "Obese"
NHS Should use term fat instead of obese, says minister (BBC)
Anne Milton told the BBC the term fat was more likely to motivate them into losing weight.Makes sense. I hate political correctness for the most part. Stupid concept really.
Hooray for Wednesdays
That's the day when the new comic books come out, and having my comic shop and coffee house well within biking distance are things of pure beauty.
Hopefully do some worthwhile blogging in a bit.
Hopefully do some worthwhile blogging in a bit.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Bikes...
Went for a quick night ride, was kind of hoping I'd get caught in the edge of the approaching storm (hey, my single speed needs a wash and I'm lazy.) Two things learned: I need at least one bright headlight, my little single led Knog Frog
is nice for quick trips down well lite streets, but venturing out into the boonies gets a little sketchy. Secondly, around flat ol' Central Wisconsin, single speeds rock. My road set-up has a retarded gear ratio (54 tooth ring and a 16 tooth cog on back...) and it's great here. I can pretty easily just cruise at 20mph down any smooth flat road. Plus it's super quiet and super low maintenance. Air up the tires and lube the chain occasionally, that's pretty much it.
Thing is, I'm a XC mountain biker at heart, and I saw this one on Trek's website the other day... As a 6'4+ biker, the concept of 29" wheels has a certain allure, and the lower approach angle with those big hoops lends itself well to my preference for slightly more technical trails (not like trials riding or anything, but I do enjoy a good log stack every now and then.)
Multiple hobbies suck... my wallet hates me.
is nice for quick trips down well lite streets, but venturing out into the boonies gets a little sketchy. Secondly, around flat ol' Central Wisconsin, single speeds rock. My road set-up has a retarded gear ratio (54 tooth ring and a 16 tooth cog on back...) and it's great here. I can pretty easily just cruise at 20mph down any smooth flat road. Plus it's super quiet and super low maintenance. Air up the tires and lube the chain occasionally, that's pretty much it.Thing is, I'm a XC mountain biker at heart, and I saw this one on Trek's website the other day... As a 6'4+ biker, the concept of 29" wheels has a certain allure, and the lower approach angle with those big hoops lends itself well to my preference for slightly more technical trails (not like trials riding or anything, but I do enjoy a good log stack every now and then.)
Multiple hobbies suck... my wallet hates me.
Huh... would have guessed more...
You are 8% hippie.
Ok, you conservative soul. Do you even believe in global warming? Loosen that necktie a little, and try some organic food. It actually does taste better. And go to a farmer's market--they're fun.
Are you a hippie?
Take More Quizzes
Are you a hippie?
Take More Quizzes
I do think it's a little biased. I mean, yeah, I drink soy milk, but that's for medical reasons, not for moral reasons.
Although I'm not even half the hippy Breda is!
Still can't polish a turd...
I mean the photography is fantastic... but it's still a Hi-point.
A cousin-in-law asked me where he could get "clips" for his Hi-point last weekend. I had to work extra hard to simply shrug and say "the internets..." and not blurt out something about just getting a real gun.
I do need to dig out the 9mm carbine project from a few years back. Here's the only severely crappy pic I could find (still from a video actually...)
I think I at least put a semi-gloss sheen on it, at least if you catch it in the right light....
(h/t Caleb)
A cousin-in-law asked me where he could get "clips" for his Hi-point last weekend. I had to work extra hard to simply shrug and say "the internets..." and not blurt out something about just getting a real gun.
I do need to dig out the 9mm carbine project from a few years back. Here's the only severely crappy pic I could find (still from a video actually...)
I think I at least put a semi-gloss sheen on it, at least if you catch it in the right light....
(h/t Caleb)
I always did like the Gurkhas...
Just picture the scene as a soldier returns from hunting an arch-enemy. Commanding officer: 'Did you get him?' Soldier: 'Yes, sir.' Commanding officer: 'Are you sure?' Soldier: 'Yes, sir.' Soldier reaches into rucksack and places severed head on table.Apparently the powers-that-be were less than pleased with his actions. No doubt a digital camera could have provided ample evidence of the target's demise, but where's the fun in that?
Monday, July 26, 2010
Mag Grumbles
So the Kimber was being a pain today. Wouldn't get through a single mag without a fail to feed of some sort, until I downloaded the mags by 1 (two 8 round and a 7 round Kimber mags.) Guess Wilson Combat may be seeing some of my hard-earned moneys in the near future.
On the other hand, the M&P 15-22 is running strong, other than a handful of mag/mediocre ammo feeding issues (maybe every-other mag;) I've put about 700 rounds through it in the last couple days without even as much as a squirt of CLP through it. My 10/22 rarely goes 50 rounds without needing some attention. Although when switching between the irons and the red-dot, it's important to put the optic back on the correct rail, otherwise you get slightly frustrated when it suddenly start putting the rounds six inches high and right.......
On the other hand, the M&P 15-22 is running strong, other than a handful of mag/mediocre ammo feeding issues (maybe every-other mag;) I've put about 700 rounds through it in the last couple days without even as much as a squirt of CLP through it. My 10/22 rarely goes 50 rounds without needing some attention. Although when switching between the irons and the red-dot, it's important to put the optic back on the correct rail, otherwise you get slightly frustrated when it suddenly start putting the rounds six inches high and right.......
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Gun Safety
The Brady Campaign will be glad to know the Nerf Maverick
's trigger pull is too heavy for my 2 year old nephew to actually fire. With a little bit of his uncle's help he did manage to get one shot to stick to the TV, so it wasn't a total loss.
's trigger pull is too heavy for my 2 year old nephew to actually fire. With a little bit of his uncle's help he did manage to get one shot to stick to the TV, so it wasn't a total loss.
Nice Pair
Although I do intend on picking up a GSG-1911 in the near future... but for now the P22 makes a decent match for the M&P15-22.
Huh... that was fast...
The one downside of having an M&P15-22 and a decent amount of mags is that a 333 round box of Winchester .22lr disappears awful fast. I don't think I was at the range more than 45 minutes before my box was empty.
But, weapons qual coming up for Uncle Sam, so we'll turn around and do it all over again at the next chance. And again... and again...
But, weapons qual coming up for Uncle Sam, so we'll turn around and do it all over again at the next chance. And again... and again...
Super-light SAW
Kit-up has three new posts talking about a new concept SAW style weapon that fires a telescopic lightweight 5.56 round (essentially a polymer case with the propellant surrounding the projectile.) Removing the brass from the equation creates a pretty decent reduction in the overall weight of the ammo.
They're also talking about a traditional carbine setup using the system (possibly a modified M4.) The shape and size of the round allow it to use a 40 round straight magazine (not curved like the standard AR/M16 mag) that is not much bigger than the current M16 mag. The operating system also lets them squeeze a few more inches of barrel into the same overall length package, which is never a bad thing.
From what I understand, the tech has been around since the '70s, but it sounds like the Army is hoping to actually start seriously looking into it, with field tests slatted for next summer.
They're also talking about a traditional carbine setup using the system (possibly a modified M4.) The shape and size of the round allow it to use a 40 round straight magazine (not curved like the standard AR/M16 mag) that is not much bigger than the current M16 mag. The operating system also lets them squeeze a few more inches of barrel into the same overall length package, which is never a bad thing.
From what I understand, the tech has been around since the '70s, but it sounds like the Army is hoping to actually start seriously looking into it, with field tests slatted for next summer.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
For the Realz?
Again, the SCAR program is apparently cancelled. How long till FN tries to deny it again?
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Mossberg 930
So with the bolt handle now installed, I think I've got the gun to a good place. Not much else I can think of that would easily improve it, maybe ghost rings down the road, but it's still pretty quick shooting as is.
I started off with a barely used standard Mossberg 930 with the factory 24" ported barrel. I stuck with that barrel since I plan to use it more for competition than home defense or anything. The porting helps keep it under control, and the ability to use choke tubes is a good idea to me. The factory barrel also came with a red fiber-optic bead.
The 24" barrel also let me tuck a beastly +5 mag extension from Nordic Components. The factory tube holds 4, and you can float a round on the lifter, bringing the total full up load to 11 rounds, counting one in the chamber. Added the tube clamp from them as well to keep everything together and keep the tube straight.
Also the charging handle from them, which I just blogged about.
I also slipped a GG&G Remington 870 sling plate under the extension and added a Gear Sector GS 2P sling and fixed stock adapter, since no long gun should be without a sling (and tan is the new black.)
I also picked up ported Modified and Light Mod choke tubes, since the gun only came with two XXFull turkey chokes, which you absolutely do not want to run slugs through that.
It's a fast shooting and pretty decently handling gun, and the recoil is really not bad at all, between all the porting and the gas system, it feels less than a 20 gauge pump in my opinion.
And most importantly, it just looks cool.
I started off with a barely used standard Mossberg 930 with the factory 24" ported barrel. I stuck with that barrel since I plan to use it more for competition than home defense or anything. The porting helps keep it under control, and the ability to use choke tubes is a good idea to me. The factory barrel also came with a red fiber-optic bead.
The 24" barrel also let me tuck a beastly +5 mag extension from Nordic Components. The factory tube holds 4, and you can float a round on the lifter, bringing the total full up load to 11 rounds, counting one in the chamber. Added the tube clamp from them as well to keep everything together and keep the tube straight.
Also the charging handle from them, which I just blogged about.
I also slipped a GG&G Remington 870 sling plate under the extension and added a Gear Sector GS 2P sling and fixed stock adapter, since no long gun should be without a sling (and tan is the new black.)
I also picked up ported Modified and Light Mod choke tubes, since the gun only came with two XXFull turkey chokes, which you absolutely do not want to run slugs through that.
It's a fast shooting and pretty decently handling gun, and the recoil is really not bad at all, between all the porting and the gas system, it feels less than a 20 gauge pump in my opinion.
And most importantly, it just looks cool.
Another Nordic Components Shotty Goody
Not too long after I picked up the Mossberg 930, I added a +5 extension from Nordic Components, followed not to far by a barrel/mag clamp from them as well. I blogged a little about the extension before.
Today their new over-sized charging handle showed up. One of the problems with the 930 series, including the tacti-cool SPX version, is that the OEM charging handle is small and kinda pointy. This can be a bit of a problem for tactical and competition shooters, since it's pretty easy to miss the handle when clearing a malfunction. Due to early QC issues with Mossberg, the 930 series is still playing catch-up with the after-market community. There have been a couple other handles offered, but they've been pretty hard to come by. Thankfully NC has gotten tooled up to produce one.
Today their new over-sized charging handle showed up. One of the problems with the 930 series, including the tacti-cool SPX version, is that the OEM charging handle is small and kinda pointy. This can be a bit of a problem for tactical and competition shooters, since it's pretty easy to miss the handle when clearing a malfunction. Due to early QC issues with Mossberg, the 930 series is still playing catch-up with the after-market community. There have been a couple other handles offered, but they've been pretty hard to come by. Thankfully NC has gotten tooled up to produce one.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
AR Lowers and Legalness
So the big laugh going around yesterday was a picture, via ARFCOM, from a dealer down in Texas with posted notice that stripped lowers are NOT to be sold for building rifles. This of course got more than a couple people poking fun at the incorrectness of the notice.
Well apparently the shop's owner spoke up, and says the ATF said so. Er, at least an ATF agent told somebody who worked there you can't. In my experience, ATF agents have an uncanny ability to make up things on the spot, and quote "legalities" they really don't know anything about. Last time I checked, if you buy a stripped AR lower receiver, you still have to fill out all the paperwork and get a background check just like you're buying a whole new rifle. In fact, last time I picked one up, they had to ask if I intended to build a pistol, because if I did I would have to deal with the state required waiting period. Not to mention the lower receiver is the firearm according to the ATF, so I don't think it would really be possibly to actually use it to replace the lower on an existing AR.
Well apparently the shop's owner spoke up, and says the ATF said so. Er, at least an ATF agent told somebody who worked there you can't. In my experience, ATF agents have an uncanny ability to make up things on the spot, and quote "legalities" they really don't know anything about. Last time I checked, if you buy a stripped AR lower receiver, you still have to fill out all the paperwork and get a background check just like you're buying a whole new rifle. In fact, last time I picked one up, they had to ask if I intended to build a pistol, because if I did I would have to deal with the state required waiting period. Not to mention the lower receiver is the firearm according to the ATF, so I don't think it would really be possibly to actually use it to replace the lower on an existing AR.
Slow day...
Whole lot of not much going on today, work, work, and whatnot. I did however pick up a JoeMo XL today from my usual caffeine pushers, along with a bag of coffee's bastard limey cousin (loose tea) to play around with the included tea basket. Of course I immediately slapped some BCM stickers on it. It's pretty sweet.
Also ordered a Nordic Comp Speed Bolt Operating Handle for the 930 (we'll just call it my birthday present to me.) Forgot they were in Minnesota, so UPS says it'll be here tomorrow. Depending on how early, I may just duck over to the range since I have the next couple days off.
Also ordered a Nordic Comp Speed Bolt Operating Handle for the 930 (we'll just call it my birthday present to me.) Forgot they were in Minnesota, so UPS says it'll be here tomorrow. Depending on how early, I may just duck over to the range since I have the next couple days off.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Birthday Range Trip
Went to the range for some zen shooting before work. The above pic is a five shot group at 25 yards with the Anshutz. I guess my breathing was a little wiggy, but it wasn't too bad.
All in all, a decent way to start off my 27th year upon this rock.
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