Chiappa Rhino 4" - Damn That's Ugly!!

I was interested in reading about the Chiappa Rhinos, with their low bore axis and innovative design, but the initial offerings were all snubbies with fixed sights, and I've already got a couple of those.  What I was waiting for was one with a 4" barrel and adjustable sights.  Well, they are out now in that configuration, but I don't think I could bring myself to buy one.  They're just too ugly.

I've looked at Ruger GP100s in gunshops and at gun shows, but they just don't look quite right with that push button cylinder release.  Not nearly as ugly as the Rhino, but nonetheless aesthetically unacceptable.

Do looks matter with firearms?  Normally, I'd say no, but this would be a BBQ gun and range toy.  I'm not sure that I could settle for anything less than a Smith & Wesson 586 or 686.

Midway Coupon Codes From AR15.com

Some coupon codes from the AR15.com newsletter:

Add regular price, in-stock products to your cart totaling:
$10 off $50 - Promo Code AR15710
$15 off $100 - Promo Code AR15715
$25 off $200 - Promo Code AR15725
$35 off $300 - Promo Code AR15735

Enter the promotion code into the box title, "Promotion Code" on the Shopping Cart page.

See the discount applied in the Order Summary on the right hand side of the Checkout pages.

•Offer expires at 11:59 p.m. CT on July 31, 2012. Hurry!
•Can only be used once.
•Sale, clearance, out-of-stock, Nightforce, Sitka Gear and FNH products do not count towards the total.
•Gift certificates do not count towards the total.
•Can only be used on midwayusa.com.  No phone, fax or mail orders please.
•Cannot be used with any other promotion code, or combined with Dealer, Birthday or Special pricing.

Ammo Shortage. Here We Go Again.

Even with our troops pulling out of Iraq and Afganistan, there seems to be shortages and price hikes on .223 Remington and 5.56mm ammo.  Aim Surplus still has PMC Bronze .223 Remington for $310/1000 (before shipping), but that's the cheapest I can find at the moment for brass-cased ammo.  Widener's upped the prices for IMI ammo, and they're sold out anyway.  PMC seems to be the cheapest that Natchez has, and they're pricing it quite a bit higher than Aim.  No great deals from Ammoman, and I would't buy from them unless you can pickup yourself in New Jersey, becuase their customer service sucks, and they have a pretty strict no returns policy.  No great deals at Luckygunner or Bulkammo.

I'm hearing that black rifles are also getting both hard to find, and expensive.  I see Ranier Arms has LMT M4s for $1273, but that seems like an aweful lot of money for an entry-level rifle from a decent company.  There are some lower-end rifles in the $700, but I don't see much from the top brands for less than the LMT.

Bravo Company is backordered on all complete rifles, although they do have some uppers, starting at $500 for 16" uppers without handguards, $420 for 11.5" uppers if you're allowed to build a short barreled rifle.

Palmetto State Armory has some rifle kits, starting at $580, but the cheapest AR complete rifle they have is $830 for an S&W with no sights, and 1 in 9" twist barrel.
I'm getting tired of this.  Every time there's a presidential election, prices go up, and inventory goes down.

Follow Up On Custom Pocket Holster

The pocket holster I made for my Kahr PM9 is holding up well. . . the pockets it goes into less so.  I had rounded off the corners, but I guess not enough.  After wearing holes in the pockets of some of my jeans, I decided that it was time to modify the holster.  So out came the Dremel and coarse file.