Rainier Arms sent me a notification that they got in the barrel that I wanted. Surfing through their site, while I was there, I found the XTC compensator in the sale pages. The sale price is $56-something, but when you use coupon code "2014" it becomes $39.99, which I found hard to resist. The shipping isn't bad either, I only paid like $8 for the barrel, handguard, gas tube and compensator.
Friday, January 10, 2014
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Confiscation Letters, The Gun Confiscation Squad, and a Poem
There was a rather disturbing article in the Thanksgiving issue of The Washington Times. New York City is sending out letters to gun owners, demanding that they surrender their rifles or shotguns. The time is coming for the new "ammunition capability law" to go into effect.
One NYC resident sent a copy of their letter to The Blaze, which reads:
If you follow the Military Arms Channel website, The Bang Switch, you'll remember the Illinois Confiscation article that ran a little while ago. State residents may have their guns seized, and be charged with a crime if they allow their Firearm Owner Identification Cards to expire.
The Liberty Digest posted an article about California gun confiscation squads. The state of California has set up an Armed Prohibited Persons System (APPS). According to the article, California is bypassing 5th and 14th amendment protections against the seizure of property without due process of law, by sending the Armed Prohibited Persons System gun confiscation squad after people whom the state welfare system has declared "a danger to himself or others." But wait, there's more! Funding for the APPS comes from firearm purchase fees. So some of the California residents purchasing firearms, may be funding their own disarmament.
The Liberty Digest article also discusses confiscations in Connecticut and Massachusetts.
A comment on The Liberty Digest article lead me to an American Thinker article about more confiscations in New York.
. . . and because it's sort of related, here's a poem.
Do You Want My Gun
By Dr. Gene Howard c. 1992
Do you want my gun, or do you want my life
Do you want my gun, or do you want my wife.
Do you want my gun, or do you want mt store.
Do you want my gun, or much, much more.
What is it you really want, I must ask myself,
For it is one of the few freedoms we have left.
Maybe it’s something more political you seek,
But cannot accomplish unless we become weak.
I think of Hitler, Lenin, Stalin and the rest,
Fooling the people into thinking they knew best
They traded their arms for hoes and wooden staves
And they traded their freedom and wound up slaves.
For when people can no longer defend their rights,
Their days become filled with sleepless nights,
And soon their fears become much, much more
When the secret police knock on their door.
They took them from their family,and their home,
And without a trial locked them up alone.
No visitors, no place that they could go appeal
For they were politically incorrect to party zeal.
Today the majority of us are not politically correct,
And what do the liberals want us to put in check?
That’s right, our guns, they want us to turn them in,
For as long as we have them socialism cannot win.
Each day our liberal government denies our rights,
As they put GOD fearing people in their sights,
So i will keep my gun, and use if if I must
To defend my inherited right to say, “In God We Trust”
For the very foundation of this great land of ours
Is now being threatened, and it it may only be hours,
Till GOD is completely removed from every part,
And this country is stripped of its very heart.
For today freedom of religion is no longer a right,
But a battle ground for which we must fight.
So if you ask me for my gun, the answer is NO!
Try to take it, and if there’s a hell, you’ll know.
Keep your eyes and ears open people!
5th Amendment
[N]or shall any person . . . be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law . . . .
14th Amendment
[N]or shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law . . . .
One NYC resident sent a copy of their letter to The Blaze, which reads:
Immediately surrender your rifle and/or shotgun to your local police precinct, and notify this office of the invoice number. The firearm may be sold or permanently removed from the City of New York thereafter. Permanently remove your rifle and/or shotgun from New York City.The Truth About Guns posted a scan of one of the letters. The New York state SAFE act magazine limit is 7 rounds, but in New York City, the limit is 5 rounds, which I did not know.
If you follow the Military Arms Channel website, The Bang Switch, you'll remember the Illinois Confiscation article that ran a little while ago. State residents may have their guns seized, and be charged with a crime if they allow their Firearm Owner Identification Cards to expire.
The Liberty Digest posted an article about California gun confiscation squads. The state of California has set up an Armed Prohibited Persons System (APPS). According to the article, California is bypassing 5th and 14th amendment protections against the seizure of property without due process of law, by sending the Armed Prohibited Persons System gun confiscation squad after people whom the state welfare system has declared "a danger to himself or others." But wait, there's more! Funding for the APPS comes from firearm purchase fees. So some of the California residents purchasing firearms, may be funding their own disarmament.
The Liberty Digest article also discusses confiscations in Connecticut and Massachusetts.
A comment on The Liberty Digest article lead me to an American Thinker article about more confiscations in New York.
Following the passage of "The SAFE Act" in New York State, Big Brother got busy pretty quickly grabbing up the guns. Of course nobody was reporting on it very much, until they managed to collect them from the wrong guy and a judge made them give them back.
. . . and because it's sort of related, here's a poem.
Do You Want My Gun
By Dr. Gene Howard c. 1992
Do you want my gun, or do you want my life
Do you want my gun, or do you want my wife.
Do you want my gun, or do you want mt store.
Do you want my gun, or much, much more.
What is it you really want, I must ask myself,
For it is one of the few freedoms we have left.
Maybe it’s something more political you seek,
But cannot accomplish unless we become weak.
I think of Hitler, Lenin, Stalin and the rest,
Fooling the people into thinking they knew best
They traded their arms for hoes and wooden staves
And they traded their freedom and wound up slaves.
For when people can no longer defend their rights,
Their days become filled with sleepless nights,
And soon their fears become much, much more
When the secret police knock on their door.
They took them from their family,and their home,
And without a trial locked them up alone.
No visitors, no place that they could go appeal
For they were politically incorrect to party zeal.
Today the majority of us are not politically correct,
And what do the liberals want us to put in check?
That’s right, our guns, they want us to turn them in,
For as long as we have them socialism cannot win.
Each day our liberal government denies our rights,
As they put GOD fearing people in their sights,
So i will keep my gun, and use if if I must
To defend my inherited right to say, “In God We Trust”
For the very foundation of this great land of ours
Is now being threatened, and it it may only be hours,
Till GOD is completely removed from every part,
And this country is stripped of its very heart.
For today freedom of religion is no longer a right,
But a battle ground for which we must fight.
So if you ask me for my gun, the answer is NO!
Try to take it, and if there’s a hell, you’ll know.
Keep your eyes and ears open people!
5th Amendment
[N]or shall any person . . . be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law . . . .
14th Amendment
[N]or shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law . . . .
Friday, November 29, 2013
AR500 Armor Black Friday Discount
AR500 Armor is offering some discounts. Picked up a couple items on my own personal wish list.
EDIT: Cyber Monday
EDIT: Cyber Monday
Sunday, October 6, 2013
The Opposite of No-Glare
Lone Wolf Advertisement, image saved from a gun blog
BLING!!
I've seen a lot of 1911 pistols, where the back of slide, ejector, extractor, rear sight, front sight, and the top of slide are serrated to prevent glare. . . and then there's this. Lone Wolf Distributors is taking the opposite approach, and is Titanium Nitride plating Glock slides. The cost for refinishing a slide is $105. You can get them to do sights for you too, if you want.
Sights too!!
Titanium Nitride coating does actually make sense for some firearm parts, and offers many of same benefits of Nickel Boron coating, as made famous by FailZero. However, and it's a big however, Titanium Nitride coating a pistol slide and/or sights, is probably not a good idea, unless perhaps you are a drug dealer, and you surround yourself with a dozen well-armed thugs at all times.
Sorry, LWD, for beating up on you, but this is kind of goofy, at best.
1911 Barrel Minus 1/3 Rifling - 2.04" Group at 35 Yards
This is too incredible not to share.
Todd at pistol-training.com does these 50,000 round pistol tests. His latest one is a Springfield Custom Shop 9mm 1911. Having gone through 53,000 rounds now, the first 1/3 of the rifling in the barrel has worn away. The pistol was clamped into a Ransom rest for an accuracy test.
A 10-shot group was fired, with Federal match ammo, at 35 yards. The group measured 2.04", which is better than most pistols will shoot new, out of the box, at 25 yards.
I suppose that is a testament to the accuracy you can get out of a 1911 with a hand-fitted barrel.
Todd at pistol-training.com does these 50,000 round pistol tests. His latest one is a Springfield Custom Shop 9mm 1911. Having gone through 53,000 rounds now, the first 1/3 of the rifling in the barrel has worn away. The pistol was clamped into a Ransom rest for an accuracy test.
A 10-shot group was fired, with Federal match ammo, at 35 yards. The group measured 2.04", which is better than most pistols will shoot new, out of the box, at 25 yards.
I suppose that is a testament to the accuracy you can get out of a 1911 with a hand-fitted barrel.
Thursday, September 26, 2013
DSG Arms - Free EoTech with DD Rifles, Free Shipping
Screen Cap from DSG Arms e-mail
They're kind of expensive rifles, but good rifles aren't cheap, and these are good rifles. When you add in the free EoTech sight, it's a pretty darn good deal.
DSG is pretty good for aluminum AR magazines and other gear, if you're like me and don't really need another AR, take advantage of the free shipping offer. Coupon code "NOFREIGHT4YOU"
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Still Confusion Over Zimmerman Trial
I'm going to post these videos, because there are still a lot of people who don't know who Trayvon really was, or what happened the night of the shooting.
The unedited audio from the call to the police by Zimmerman. No opinion presented, just the recording.
Trayvon was out for snacks, right? Maybe not.
Longer video by philosopher Stephan Molyneux. Trayvon was 17, over 5' 9", maybe 6' 2", 170 pounds, a football player, and a street fighter (by Trayvon's own personal account), not a 12-year old boy, as the news portrayed him. Zimmerman racist? - Probably not.
I'm not going to say that Zimmerman didn't make any mistakes that night, but it seems fairly obvious that a lot of information was intentionally suppressed by media and other public figures, in order to make the whole thing into something that it wasn't, a case of murdered for being black in public. Although discrimination may have been an element, it just isn't that simple. I believe that far too many people have based their opinions on the Zimmerman shooting on incomplete information.
Just this weekend, I've been called a bitch and a "dumb ass" (sic) for trying to explain to people that Zimmerman acted in self-defense after being attacked. The irony of the lack of politeness apparently lost on these people.
One individual said that he'd punch someone in the face if he was followed, too, seemingly having learned absolutely nothing from the whole event. If you haven't read Ayoob's In The Gravest Extreme yet, time may be of the essence.
I may take flak for this, but it is my blog, and I'm entitled to post my own opinion. I'm backing it up with information that seems to me to be accurate and trustworthy.
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Couple More From Forgotten Weapons
French Folding Submachinegun
You can read a little more on the Hotchkiss Universal here, from the Modern Firearms website. Somewhat unusual for a French gun, it's chambered for 9mm Luger, rather than something wimpy and obscure like many French service pistols, or the 7.65x20mm MAS-38 submachinegun. Retracting the barrel, for folding it, requires putting fingers perilously close to the muzzle.
The Hotchkiss Universal is fairly complicated and was probably pretty expensive compared to SMGs of it's day, like the British STEN and American M3 Grease Gun, which were mostly made from bits of tubing welded together, and maybe a stamped steel grip frame, with a barrel screwed on the front.
The Hotchkiss Universal is fairly complicated and was probably pretty expensive compared to SMGs of it's day, like the British STEN and American M3 Grease Gun, which were mostly made from bits of tubing welded together, and maybe a stamped steel grip frame, with a barrel screwed on the front.
British Farquhar-Hill rifle - Antique Tacticool
First designed in 1908, but adopted by the British in 1918.
The drum magazine of the WW1-era British Farquhar-Hill rifle doesn't have feedlips. The rounds are held in the magazine by a manual latch. The feedlips are machined into the receiver, sort of the way it was done with the Mosin Nagant. After loading the magazine, and releasing the catch on the magazine, the bolt is released by pulling the trigger, which makes it easy to put back into action, but somewhat dangerous for anyone who happens to be nearby, such as your brothers in arms in the trenches, as you are preparing for a run across no-mans-land.
According to the Wikipedia article, the standard drum held 20-rounds, but there were also 65-round drums. The .303 British cartridge, like most very-old rifle cartridges, is a rimmed round, which doesn't work very well in box magazines. The rim of the top round in the magazine can get "locked" behind the rim of the round under it. Drum magazines are a way to get around this, providing that you can made the drum magazine work properly. As far as I know, the SMLE box magazines worked fine, but at the time the Farquhar-Hill was designed, the SMLE magazines were all 10-round capacity. However, the year that that the Farquhar-Hill was adopted, there was a run of 20-round Lee Enfield box magazines produced.
The Lee Enfield SMLE remained the primary British service rifle, until being replaced by the L1A1 SLR (Self Loading Rifle) in 1957, which is the inch-pattern version of the FN FAL rifle.
The drum magazine of the WW1-era British Farquhar-Hill rifle doesn't have feedlips. The rounds are held in the magazine by a manual latch. The feedlips are machined into the receiver, sort of the way it was done with the Mosin Nagant. After loading the magazine, and releasing the catch on the magazine, the bolt is released by pulling the trigger, which makes it easy to put back into action, but somewhat dangerous for anyone who happens to be nearby, such as your brothers in arms in the trenches, as you are preparing for a run across no-mans-land.
According to the Wikipedia article, the standard drum held 20-rounds, but there were also 65-round drums. The .303 British cartridge, like most very-old rifle cartridges, is a rimmed round, which doesn't work very well in box magazines. The rim of the top round in the magazine can get "locked" behind the rim of the round under it. Drum magazines are a way to get around this, providing that you can made the drum magazine work properly. As far as I know, the SMLE box magazines worked fine, but at the time the Farquhar-Hill was designed, the SMLE magazines were all 10-round capacity. However, the year that that the Farquhar-Hill was adopted, there was a run of 20-round Lee Enfield box magazines produced.
The Lee Enfield SMLE remained the primary British service rifle, until being replaced by the L1A1 SLR (Self Loading Rifle) in 1957, which is the inch-pattern version of the FN FAL rifle.
Monday, August 19, 2013
Quick Bushmaster ACR Update
I'm up to 1110 rounds through the ACR with no lubrication, and without cleaning the action. The manual says that no lubrication is necessary, so I've been running it completely dry. It doesn't seem to be doing any harm. I have cleaned the bore and chamber though, hoping to squeeze a little more accuracy out of it.
I've tried a bunch of "match" loads through it, trying to get a decent group, but the best groups I've gotten have been around 2" at 100 yards. These same loads have been around .9" to 1 1/8" out of my LMT M4. I tried removing and reinstalling the barrel, and really snugging down the barrel nut. I tried supporting the handguard at the middle, and back toward the magazine well. I checked to make sure my rifle rest was solidly locked down and screwed together tight. Getting a really good group out of the ACR is proving to be frustrating. My best load to date through the LMT has been a round with a Midway 55gr varmint bullet, which the ACR puts into sloppy 3 inch groups. Maybe some of the lighter MatchKing or Hornady bullets will do a little better from the ACR, fingers crossed.
I'm not sure if the 1:7" twist barrels are available yet. They have been extremely slow introducing barrels for the civilian market, which kind of makes the "A" for adaptive kind of a joke. Mine is a 1:9" twist. I was told that 1:9" twist barrels will sometimes shoot heavy bullets just fine, so I tried some. The Nosler 77gr Custom Competition bullets just sort of sprayed. I actually couldn't keep them all on a 14x14" target. It was really that bad. 75gr Hornady match bullets did very much better, but still didn't produce anything resembling an impressive group. 69 grain MatchKings were good, but still not impressive.
But at least it runs. It's chewed through the softest shooting ammo that I could find, and obviously has no problem with hot 5.56mm spec ammo. Steel case ammo has not yet posed a problem, at least not with the ACR.
It does have magazine preferances, but then most rifles do, to some extent. A Fusil steel magazine or two have seemed to lock in, and pass the pull test, only to fall back out when a shot is fired (embarrasing). A couple of my old English SA80 steel magazines lock in well, but then you have to really mash the magazine release to get them back out again. But the ACR chugs along happily with G.I. aluminum magazines, PMags of various generations and capacities, TangoDown, C Products stainless steel, Lancer and Troy magazines. I'm not sure if Fusil is even still making magazines, and I suspect that a lot of the old English steel SA80 magazines have been crushed, scrapped, or trashed, as 3 of the 5 that I bought in 2002 have proven to be sub-par.
Oh, and I dumped the trigger that came with the rifle. I bought a Geissele SSA-Enhanced AR-15 trigger on sale from Palmetto State Armory, and installed it with the ACR hammer spring, which doubles as the selector detent spring. Soooo much better. I run an SSA in my main AR-15, and I've got another with a 15-minute trigger job. The ACR trigger really sucked compared to both, and couldn't even compete with a Tapco AK trigger. I usually take 2 rifles with me when I got to shoot, and the ACR always came in 2nd place because the trigger pull was always heavier than whatever else I took. Just unpleasantly heavy if you have anything to compare it to.
Okay, so maybe it wasn't so quick an update.
I've tried a bunch of "match" loads through it, trying to get a decent group, but the best groups I've gotten have been around 2" at 100 yards. These same loads have been around .9" to 1 1/8" out of my LMT M4. I tried removing and reinstalling the barrel, and really snugging down the barrel nut. I tried supporting the handguard at the middle, and back toward the magazine well. I checked to make sure my rifle rest was solidly locked down and screwed together tight. Getting a really good group out of the ACR is proving to be frustrating. My best load to date through the LMT has been a round with a Midway 55gr varmint bullet, which the ACR puts into sloppy 3 inch groups. Maybe some of the lighter MatchKing or Hornady bullets will do a little better from the ACR, fingers crossed.
I'm not sure if the 1:7" twist barrels are available yet. They have been extremely slow introducing barrels for the civilian market, which kind of makes the "A" for adaptive kind of a joke. Mine is a 1:9" twist. I was told that 1:9" twist barrels will sometimes shoot heavy bullets just fine, so I tried some. The Nosler 77gr Custom Competition bullets just sort of sprayed. I actually couldn't keep them all on a 14x14" target. It was really that bad. 75gr Hornady match bullets did very much better, but still didn't produce anything resembling an impressive group. 69 grain MatchKings were good, but still not impressive.
But at least it runs. It's chewed through the softest shooting ammo that I could find, and obviously has no problem with hot 5.56mm spec ammo. Steel case ammo has not yet posed a problem, at least not with the ACR.
It does have magazine preferances, but then most rifles do, to some extent. A Fusil steel magazine or two have seemed to lock in, and pass the pull test, only to fall back out when a shot is fired (embarrasing). A couple of my old English SA80 steel magazines lock in well, but then you have to really mash the magazine release to get them back out again. But the ACR chugs along happily with G.I. aluminum magazines, PMags of various generations and capacities, TangoDown, C Products stainless steel, Lancer and Troy magazines. I'm not sure if Fusil is even still making magazines, and I suspect that a lot of the old English steel SA80 magazines have been crushed, scrapped, or trashed, as 3 of the 5 that I bought in 2002 have proven to be sub-par.
Oh, and I dumped the trigger that came with the rifle. I bought a Geissele SSA-Enhanced AR-15 trigger on sale from Palmetto State Armory, and installed it with the ACR hammer spring, which doubles as the selector detent spring. Soooo much better. I run an SSA in my main AR-15, and I've got another with a 15-minute trigger job. The ACR trigger really sucked compared to both, and couldn't even compete with a Tapco AK trigger. I usually take 2 rifles with me when I got to shoot, and the ACR always came in 2nd place because the trigger pull was always heavier than whatever else I took. Just unpleasantly heavy if you have anything to compare it to.
Okay, so maybe it wasn't so quick an update.
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Forgotten Weapons YouTube Channel
Forgotten Weapons YouTube Channel
Ian McCollum has been posting videos of obscure firearms, and explaining how they work for a couple of years. He's also done video reviews on military and civilian firearm books, if that's more your speed.
Here's an example. Halloway Arms HAC-7 .308 Winchester semi-automatic rifle. There may be about 300 of these rifles. The design is a kind of a strange conglomeration of elements from the FN FAL, Kalashnikov rifle trigger and operating system, AR-15 bolt and gas tube. The rifle didn't work very well, and a piece had fallen off of it, but I think it's still an interesting design. I've been absorbing all that I can about military-style rifles for decades, and I've never seen or even heard of these Halloway Arms rifles.
Starting at the start, it seems that "Ian" is a bit of a gunsmith, engineer, and fabricator. I'm very jealous of the shop. Many many thousands of dollars worth of machinery, tools, and components there.
Hat-tip to Samuel Suggs for posting a link to the HK roller-delayed P9S pistol video.
Ian McCollum has been posting videos of obscure firearms, and explaining how they work for a couple of years. He's also done video reviews on military and civilian firearm books, if that's more your speed.
Here's an example. Halloway Arms HAC-7 .308 Winchester semi-automatic rifle. There may be about 300 of these rifles. The design is a kind of a strange conglomeration of elements from the FN FAL, Kalashnikov rifle trigger and operating system, AR-15 bolt and gas tube. The rifle didn't work very well, and a piece had fallen off of it, but I think it's still an interesting design. I've been absorbing all that I can about military-style rifles for decades, and I've never seen or even heard of these Halloway Arms rifles.
Starting at the start, it seems that "Ian" is a bit of a gunsmith, engineer, and fabricator. I'm very jealous of the shop. Many many thousands of dollars worth of machinery, tools, and components there.
Hat-tip to Samuel Suggs for posting a link to the HK roller-delayed P9S pistol video.
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Palmetto State Armory Pigsticker Compensator
Here is the video I put up on YouTube. It's a little less than two and a half minutes. I spent way too much time on it, struggling with Windows Live Movie Maker, restarting my computer about a dozen times before I got it all together and working properly.
Since I was rebuilding one of my AR-15 uppers anyway, I decided that I should try a compensator. I would have preferred a BattleComp, but was not willing to pay the price for one. There are a few options for similar comps, and the one that I chose was the Pigsticker from Palmetto State Armory. Things did not go exactly to plan. Although muzzle flip is minimal. . .
That upper will get it's A2 flash-suppressor back, and I'll probably put the Pigsticker on a 16" barrel at some point in the future, to see how that goes. When that happens, I'll put up another video.
UPDATE, 2/9/2014
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Kinda Pretty
You may think this is stupid.
I wanted to get a picture before I got them all dirty with soot from burned solid propellant.
Those are fresh, never-fired, Starline .38 Special shell casings.
I've reloaded thousands of shell casings, but they've all been at least once-fired. They never come out of the tumbler that clean, inside and out. I had a Brownells gift card, and not enough .38 Special brass, so a brown truck brought me these little brass gems.
I wanted to get a picture before I got them all dirty with soot from burned solid propellant.
Those are fresh, never-fired, Starline .38 Special shell casings.
I've reloaded thousands of shell casings, but they've all been at least once-fired. They never come out of the tumbler that clean, inside and out. I had a Brownells gift card, and not enough .38 Special brass, so a brown truck brought me these little brass gems.
Sunday, June 23, 2013
MidwayUSA Coupon Code - $10 off $100
Link to offer on MidwayUSA site. They haven't been doing a lot of coupon codes. I guess people have just been throwing handfulls of cash at them since the election and December, so they just don't need to do it.
1. Go Shopping
Add regularly priced, in-stock products to your cart totaling $100 or more - Promo Code JULY413
Excludes Ammo, Reloading Components and Gun Parts
2. Enter Code
Enter the promotion code into the box titled "Promotion Code" on the Shopping Cart page.
3. Receive Discount
See the discount applied in the Order Summary on the right hand side of the Checkout pages.
Special Details
Offer expires at 11:59 p.m. CT on July 4, 2013. Hurry!
Can only be used once per Customer.
Sale, Clearance, out-of-stock, Ammo, Reloading Components, Gun Parts, FNH, Geissele, Nightforce and Sitka Gear products do not count towards the total.
Gift certificates do not count towards the total.
Can only be used on midwayusa.com on regularly priced, in-stock products.
No phone, fax or mail orders please.
Cannot be used with any other promotion code, or combined with Dealer, Birthday or Special pricing.
1. Go Shopping
Add regularly priced, in-stock products to your cart totaling $100 or more - Promo Code JULY413
Excludes Ammo, Reloading Components and Gun Parts
2. Enter Code
Enter the promotion code into the box titled "Promotion Code" on the Shopping Cart page.
3. Receive Discount
See the discount applied in the Order Summary on the right hand side of the Checkout pages.
Special Details
Offer expires at 11:59 p.m. CT on July 4, 2013. Hurry!
Can only be used once per Customer.
Sale, Clearance, out-of-stock, Ammo, Reloading Components, Gun Parts, FNH, Geissele, Nightforce and Sitka Gear products do not count towards the total.
Gift certificates do not count towards the total.
Can only be used on midwayusa.com on regularly priced, in-stock products.
No phone, fax or mail orders please.
Cannot be used with any other promotion code, or combined with Dealer, Birthday or Special pricing.
Friday, June 21, 2013
Major Faux Pas From Mayor Bloomberg and MAIG
Boston Bomber "Speed Bump" Tsarnaev's name was on a list of gun victims compiled by Mayors Against "Illegal" Guns.
It's one thing to pad the statistics of gun victims with criminals killed in self-defense or in the line of duty, but to put a known terrorist on the list was pure and unadulterated stupidity.
It's one thing to pad the statistics of gun victims with criminals killed in self-defense or in the line of duty, but to put a known terrorist on the list was pure and unadulterated stupidity.
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Illinois Will Get Concealed Carry, but. . .
John R. Lott Blog - Illinois finally adopts concealed carry law: All states finally have a concealed handgun law on their books.
Illinois has been the only state that grants NO permits for concealed carry, not counting Washington D.C. as a state. As I posted earlier, The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Illinois could not deny the Right To Bear, and had to come up with a permitting system. The Illinois House passed a new concealed carry bill with an 89-28 vote. The Senate passed it 45-12. These margins are high enough to avoid a veto by governor pat quinn That's the good news.
Bad news:
Illinois has been the only state that grants NO permits for concealed carry, not counting Washington D.C. as a state. As I posted earlier, The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Illinois could not deny the Right To Bear, and had to come up with a permitting system. The Illinois House passed a new concealed carry bill with an 89-28 vote. The Senate passed it 45-12. These margins are high enough to avoid a veto by governor pat quinn That's the good news.
Bad news:
- The law will not allow concealed carry on mass transportation or in government buildings, schools, taverns*, stadiums, casinos^, rahm emanuel's house, or in parks.
- $150 fee for the permit. That's a lot.
- 16 hours of training is required before issuance, the most of any state in the country. (Are shooting ranges still outlawed within chicago city limits?).
- The bill that passed does not include the requirement to abolish local gun ordinances, such as chicago's "assault weapon" ban that was written into earlier bills.
- Law enforcement can object to the issuance of a permit. The applicant can appeal the objection to a seven-member panel of appropriate personnel (retired judges, FBI agents).
So if you live in chicago, where you are most likely to need a firearm to defend yourself, and take the bus or train to work or to visit friends, you're still prohibited most of the time. Maybe time to get a bicycle? If you are one of many on welfare, you probably can't afford the fee and training. Still, I guess something is better than nothing, and the law will undo some of the ridiculous restrictions on transportation of firearms that currently exist, at least for those who can get their hands on a permit.
* - Businesses that serve alcohol, where less than half of the sales are food.
^ - There's casinos in Illinois? Legal ones?
Friday, May 31, 2013
AIM Surplus - Russian AK-47 Magazines - $19.95, 10 for $17.95 each
AIM Surplus Russian AK-47 magazines
7.62x39mm, unissued condition
$19.95 each
$17.95 each if you buy 10 or more
I haven't seen steel Com-bloc magazines this inexpensive since December. For unissued magazines, and Russian ones at that, this is a pretty good deal.
7.62x39mm, unissued condition
$19.95 each
$17.95 each if you buy 10 or more
I haven't seen steel Com-bloc magazines this inexpensive since December. For unissued magazines, and Russian ones at that, this is a pretty good deal.
Sunday, May 26, 2013
New IDPA Rulebook in the Works
Proposed 2013 IDPA Rulebook - Adobe PDF file
(If that doesn't work, go to IDPA.com, click the "Compete" tab, and then the "Rules" tab.)
ShootingUSA Podcast on IDPA rule changes with IDPA Executive Driector Joyce Wilson.
Looks like they are allowing Stainless Steel guide rods for Glocks, but still not allowing grip texturing or grip reduction for Stock Service Pistol division. I understand that it could be considered an "enhancement," but I don't really appreciate disallowing modifications required to fit a grip to a shooter with small hands.
The custom "mid-length" magazine release in my Glock 19 is still not allowed in Stock Service Pistol division, but the extended one used for the 34, 35, 20, and 21 pistols is allowed. I modified a competition part to make it smaller, snag-free, and more appropriate for an actual defense pistol.
I guess they aren't allowing the Gen1/Gen2/Gen3 recoil spring assemblies for Gen4 Glocks, because "Slide inserts to accommodate a different recoil assembly design" are specifically disallowed. If you intend to run minor loads, and a Gen4 Glock you may need something like the Glockmeister Stainless Steel Gen4 Guide Rod assembly with a reduced-power recoil spring. There may be other options, but that was the first thing that I could find.
The proposed 2013 rulebook still does not specify that plastic grip plugs are legal for SSP, if they protrude from the butt, like the Scherer slug plugs that I always use for carry guns. You can get away with them in some matches, but not for others (click that slug plug link, I explain why).
Springfield XD pistols will be allowed in Stock Service Pistol division, not forced into Enhanced Service Pistol division.
There is a change to the rules regarding reloading behind cover:
Until the new rulebook is officially approved, matches will continue to be run under the 2005 Rulebook.
(If that doesn't work, go to IDPA.com, click the "Compete" tab, and then the "Rules" tab.)
ShootingUSA Podcast on IDPA rule changes with IDPA Executive Driector Joyce Wilson.
Looks like they are allowing Stainless Steel guide rods for Glocks, but still not allowing grip texturing or grip reduction for Stock Service Pistol division. I understand that it could be considered an "enhancement," but I don't really appreciate disallowing modifications required to fit a grip to a shooter with small hands.
The custom "mid-length" magazine release in my Glock 19 is still not allowed in Stock Service Pistol division, but the extended one used for the 34, 35, 20, and 21 pistols is allowed. I modified a competition part to make it smaller, snag-free, and more appropriate for an actual defense pistol.
I guess they aren't allowing the Gen1/Gen2/Gen3 recoil spring assemblies for Gen4 Glocks, because "Slide inserts to accommodate a different recoil assembly design" are specifically disallowed. If you intend to run minor loads, and a Gen4 Glock you may need something like the Glockmeister Stainless Steel Gen4 Guide Rod assembly with a reduced-power recoil spring. There may be other options, but that was the first thing that I could find.
The proposed 2013 rulebook still does not specify that plastic grip plugs are legal for SSP, if they protrude from the butt, like the Scherer slug plugs that I always use for carry guns. You can get away with them in some matches, but not for others (click that slug plug link, I explain why).
There is a change to the rules regarding reloading behind cover:
WooHoo! The 2005 Rulebook specified that all reloads must be performed behind cover. I never understood the logic of not reloading, should you find yourself standing in the open with a completely empty pistol. Cover is good, but stages are sometimes set-up so that you must start the course of fire standing (or sitting) out in the open. I didn't expect that 3 second penalty having not completely mentally devoured the rulebook. It seemed like the most prudent thing to do.All reloads must be performed behind cover; however, a shooter, who runs the firearm empty while in the open, may initiate an Emergency Reload while advancing to the next position of cover. The shooter must continue moving while performing the Emergency Reload and may not engage any remaining targets until behind cover, if cover is available.
Until the new rulebook is officially approved, matches will continue to be run under the 2005 Rulebook.
Friday, May 17, 2013
Cerakote After 4 Weeks
My first attempt at refinishing was with Lauer Durabake. You can read the review, if you like, but to make the long story short, is that it's basically very expensive spray paint, with the added inconvenience that you need to bake it.
Next, I tried Lauer Duracoat. It fared better, but still isn't great. I took an old belt buckle, with the nickel plating worn off, and sprayed it with flat black Duracoat, per the instructions. By the end of a week, it was showing wear. At the end of a month, about half of the Duracoat had worn off. What didn't wear off, was no longer matte black, it was more like satin black.
The Duracoat seems to work well on Parkerized steel, but it could be that any old dye would work just as well. The Duracoat applied to raw metal is not what I'd call a miracle finish though, and mixing it for application is no fun.
The Durakote color needs to be mixed in a 12 to 1 ratio with hardener. Thinner is optional. If you were spraying a riflestock or something large, this maybe not such a big deal, but if you are spraying small parts, it really gets to be a pain in the butt. The method that I used for measuring out the color and hardener was to use a disposable dropper, and count the drips. Yes, it was very tedious.
Cerakote is becoming quite popular now. Colt is using it on their 1911 rail guns. GA Precision uses it on their custom rifles. The Canik CZ75-based pistols are offered with Cerakote finishes.
Not satisfied with the handguard that came with a Tapco Flat Dark Earth SKS stock (the rail is kind of useless and annoying), I wanted to use more traditionally-shaped Choate handguard, but it was black, and didn't match. Although the oven-cure Cerakote is supposed to be a little more durable, I could not use it on the plastic handguard. The air-cure Cerakote is also rated to higher temperatures than the oven-cure Cerakote, and the oven-cure Cerakote is a two-part mix like the Duracoat.
Since the Flat Dark Earth is a tan sand color, and I live in Pennsylvania, where there's no desert that I know of, so I decided to respray the whole Tapco stock. Since there's not much green here from about October to April, I decided on Coyote Brown, sometimes called Coyote Tan. Air-dry Cerakote is offered in a color called Coyote Tan.
The plate carrier is a Tactical Assault Gear Shellback Banshee, "Coyote Tan." The little snap-close pouch is U.S. military surplus, Olive Drab. Next to that mil-surp pouch is the SKS handguard that I sprayed with "Coyote Tan" Cerakote, and it pretty much stands out like a sore thumb. The Cerakote is a lighter color than the nylon. The mag pouches are HSGI, "Coyote Brown."
Condor Hydration Carrier, "Coyote Tan," with the "Coyote Tan" Cerakote SKS handguard sitting on top of it. The Coyote Cerakote doesn't really match any of the nylon gear. The Coyote Cerakote is a sort of weird color that seems a little unnatural. It doesn't match tree bark, and I've never seen sand that color. I don't have an actual coyote to compare it to.
Next, I tried Lauer Duracoat. It fared better, but still isn't great. I took an old belt buckle, with the nickel plating worn off, and sprayed it with flat black Duracoat, per the instructions. By the end of a week, it was showing wear. At the end of a month, about half of the Duracoat had worn off. What didn't wear off, was no longer matte black, it was more like satin black.
The Duracoat seems to work well on Parkerized steel, but it could be that any old dye would work just as well. The Duracoat applied to raw metal is not what I'd call a miracle finish though, and mixing it for application is no fun.
The Durakote color needs to be mixed in a 12 to 1 ratio with hardener. Thinner is optional. If you were spraying a riflestock or something large, this maybe not such a big deal, but if you are spraying small parts, it really gets to be a pain in the butt. The method that I used for measuring out the color and hardener was to use a disposable dropper, and count the drips. Yes, it was very tedious.
Cerakote is becoming quite popular now. Colt is using it on their 1911 rail guns. GA Precision uses it on their custom rifles. The Canik CZ75-based pistols are offered with Cerakote finishes.
Not satisfied with the handguard that came with a Tapco Flat Dark Earth SKS stock (the rail is kind of useless and annoying), I wanted to use more traditionally-shaped Choate handguard, but it was black, and didn't match. Although the oven-cure Cerakote is supposed to be a little more durable, I could not use it on the plastic handguard. The air-cure Cerakote is also rated to higher temperatures than the oven-cure Cerakote, and the oven-cure Cerakote is a two-part mix like the Duracoat.
Since the Flat Dark Earth is a tan sand color, and I live in Pennsylvania, where there's no desert that I know of, so I decided to respray the whole Tapco stock. Since there's not much green here from about October to April, I decided on Coyote Brown, sometimes called Coyote Tan. Air-dry Cerakote is offered in a color called Coyote Tan.
The plate carrier is a Tactical Assault Gear Shellback Banshee, "Coyote Tan." The little snap-close pouch is U.S. military surplus, Olive Drab. Next to that mil-surp pouch is the SKS handguard that I sprayed with "Coyote Tan" Cerakote, and it pretty much stands out like a sore thumb. The Cerakote is a lighter color than the nylon. The mag pouches are HSGI, "Coyote Brown."
Condor Hydration Carrier, "Coyote Tan," with the "Coyote Tan" Cerakote SKS handguard sitting on top of it. The Coyote Cerakote doesn't really match any of the nylon gear. The Coyote Cerakote is a sort of weird color that seems a little unnatural. It doesn't match tree bark, and I've never seen sand that color. I don't have an actual coyote to compare it to.
The air-cure Cerakote dries to the touch pretty quickly. You will need an airbrush, Preval sprayer, or air compressor and spray gun to apply it. I used a Testors Aztek airbrush kit. You will also need some kind of degreaser (I used KG-3), and some sandpaper (I used 220 grit) to give metal parts some "tooth" for the finish to grab on to. I didn't sand the plastic handguard, it had a fairly rough finish already, I just cleaned it.
To test out the Cerakote, I resprayed the belt buckle.
Day 0
Day 0, Different Angle
After a 8 days, the resprayed belt buckle is showing very little wear. The only spot showing significant wear is the spot where the tongue bears against the buckle. The leather of the belt is not wearing the Cerakote, which bodes well for holster-carried pistols.
After 2 weeks, there is a new little scratch, but otherwise still holding up very well.
I see now that the wear that I saw at 2 weeks was all from metal-to-metal contact. Not sure why the finish has now worn off the tip of the tongue or the bottom corner of the buckle. It's possible that I didn't get these spots very well coated. I don't see any wear from the leather belt at all. The Cerakote is kicking the Duracoat's ass, and is pretty easy to apply. It's not as good as melonite or hard chrome, but you can't do either of those in your garage at home, and neither can be easily touched up.
Cerakote is expensive compared to garden variety spray paint, but is a lot more durable, and extremely heat resistant. Price some factory auto paint, and there's not really that much difference, price-wise Although you can buy Parkerizing kits, most don't come with the stainless steel tank required for application, and it only works for steel. I think Cerakote is worth it.
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Gun Channels on YouTube
I've been hitting YouTube a lot for information lately. Although I don't know that video is necessarily the best way to disseminate all forms of information, people seem to like getting on camera, and it has become the "new media."
I'm going to try to give you a sampling what I think might be the best of the YouTube gun channels, although I'm still sort of new to it, so I don't want to give the impression that this is "the definitive list."
AK Operators Union - If you like the "Evil Black Rifles," and/or torture tests, these are your guys.
Forgotten Weapons - Mostly covers old and odd firearms, and how they work. Usually revolves mostly around military firearms, but sometimes sporting guns.
TheYankeeMarshall - A lot of Right-To-Bear-Arms videos, laced with midget prostitute jokes. Sometimes he does videos about revolvers and pistols too. (EDIT: Nevermind. TYM is a fool, and not even the good kind)
The Nutnfancy Project - I have mixed feelings on this one. He gets in some of the hottest new stuff - IMI Tavor, Kel-Tec KSG and PMR-30. The UTAS-15 shotgun review was pretty good. However, I get bored with the shooting videos. Watching someone shoot at steel target off in the distance that you can't even see is kind of pointless. TheYankeeMarshal cracked a joke about how he's not going to be doing 40 minute videos, in full battle-rattle, about a $12 knife, and I immediately knew exactly what he was talking about. He did 5 videos, ranging from about 40 minutes to over an hour on building first aid kits. Probably one of the most popular gun channels on YouTube though.
MrColionNoir - Kind of the opposite of Nutnfancy. He seems to accomplish more in two and a half minutes than Nutnfancy does in 45. A lot of Right-To-Bear-Arms videos, which has a lot to do with why he got picked up by NRA News. He's also done videos on the Saiga-12 shotgun, after-action-reports on training classes, and other good gunnie stuff. Calls himself an "urban gun enthusiast."
Regis Giles (a.k.a. Girls Just Wanna Have Guns) - The female MrColionNoir? (EDIT: 6/25/16 - Has been very little activity on this channel)
TFB TV - YouTube channel for The Firearm Blog, which you should be familiar with.
TheFirearmGuy - He makes videos about some odd and unusual guns like the Mossberg 930 and Taurus PT-22. He also does some Right-To-Bear-Arms videos.
Military Arms Channel - Sturmgewehre reviews a lot of the hot new Black Rifle stuff. He's a Kalashnikov rifle guy, but does a lot of AR-15 and pistol videos too.
Mrgunsngear - Prolific reviewer of black rifles and pistols. Another Kalashnikov rifle guy.
Hickock45 - He goes to his spot in the woods to shoot steel targets and bust 2 Liter soda bottles, cinder blocks, and clay pots. Guns range from new stuff, to surplus guns, with an occasional retired police revolver thrown in here and there.
John Lott - Author of More Guns, Less Crime. You may have seen him on TV.
RURdy4it (Are You Ready for It) - Get the news on gun legislation.
Sootch00 - Sometimes reviews guns and gear. Sometimes talks about guns laws, prepping, ammo shortages and magazine prices, and other things relevant to shooters.
The Gun Collective - A news show.
MattV2099 - I've posted on some of his videos on how to make bump-fire stocks. If you like watching videos of soda, Justin Beiber standees, saltines, and hams getting shot up, this is your guy. He's also done a lot of crazy Glock torture test videos.
CarniK Con - I would argue this is the funniest gun channel on YouTube. Um, try to imagine if Uncle Rico from Napoleon Dynamite did Magpul Dynamics type training videos. It's kind of like that. (EDIT: 6/25/16 - Quit YouTube?)
Dynamic Pie Concepts - Hasn't been active, but there are some funny videos on the channel if you're just bored.
fxhummel1 - Songs about other gun channels, gun laws, gun range dummies, fanboys, and tacticool fools. (EDIT: 6/25/16 - Now Jordan Winkler channel. He's now working for James Yeager's Tactical Response training company. Does more gun and shooting videos, and hardly any music anymore.)
My YouTube Favorites playlist
I'm going to try to give you a sampling what I think might be the best of the YouTube gun channels, although I'm still sort of new to it, so I don't want to give the impression that this is "the definitive list."
AK Operators Union - If you like the "Evil Black Rifles," and/or torture tests, these are your guys.
Forgotten Weapons - Mostly covers old and odd firearms, and how they work. Usually revolves mostly around military firearms, but sometimes sporting guns.
TheYankeeMarshall - A lot of Right-To-Bear-Arms videos, laced with midget prostitute jokes. Sometimes he does videos about revolvers and pistols too. (EDIT: Nevermind. TYM is a fool, and not even the good kind)
The Nutnfancy Project - I have mixed feelings on this one. He gets in some of the hottest new stuff - IMI Tavor, Kel-Tec KSG and PMR-30. The UTAS-15 shotgun review was pretty good. However, I get bored with the shooting videos. Watching someone shoot at steel target off in the distance that you can't even see is kind of pointless. TheYankeeMarshal cracked a joke about how he's not going to be doing 40 minute videos, in full battle-rattle, about a $12 knife, and I immediately knew exactly what he was talking about. He did 5 videos, ranging from about 40 minutes to over an hour on building first aid kits. Probably one of the most popular gun channels on YouTube though.
MrColionNoir - Kind of the opposite of Nutnfancy. He seems to accomplish more in two and a half minutes than Nutnfancy does in 45. A lot of Right-To-Bear-Arms videos, which has a lot to do with why he got picked up by NRA News. He's also done videos on the Saiga-12 shotgun, after-action-reports on training classes, and other good gunnie stuff. Calls himself an "urban gun enthusiast."
Regis Giles (a.k.a. Girls Just Wanna Have Guns) - The female MrColionNoir? (EDIT: 6/25/16 - Has been very little activity on this channel)
TFB TV - YouTube channel for The Firearm Blog, which you should be familiar with.
TheFirearmGuy - He makes videos about some odd and unusual guns like the Mossberg 930 and Taurus PT-22. He also does some Right-To-Bear-Arms videos.
Military Arms Channel - Sturmgewehre reviews a lot of the hot new Black Rifle stuff. He's a Kalashnikov rifle guy, but does a lot of AR-15 and pistol videos too.
Mrgunsngear - Prolific reviewer of black rifles and pistols. Another Kalashnikov rifle guy.
Hickock45 - He goes to his spot in the woods to shoot steel targets and bust 2 Liter soda bottles, cinder blocks, and clay pots. Guns range from new stuff, to surplus guns, with an occasional retired police revolver thrown in here and there.
John Lott - Author of More Guns, Less Crime. You may have seen him on TV.
RURdy4it (Are You Ready for It) - Get the news on gun legislation.
Sootch00 - Sometimes reviews guns and gear. Sometimes talks about guns laws, prepping, ammo shortages and magazine prices, and other things relevant to shooters.
The Gun Collective - A news show.
MattV2099 - I've posted on some of his videos on how to make bump-fire stocks. If you like watching videos of soda, Justin Beiber standees, saltines, and hams getting shot up, this is your guy. He's also done a lot of crazy Glock torture test videos.
CarniK Con - I would argue this is the funniest gun channel on YouTube. Um, try to imagine if Uncle Rico from Napoleon Dynamite did Magpul Dynamics type training videos. It's kind of like that. (EDIT: 6/25/16 - Quit YouTube?)
Dynamic Pie Concepts - Hasn't been active, but there are some funny videos on the channel if you're just bored.
fxhummel1 - Songs about other gun channels, gun laws, gun range dummies, fanboys, and tacticool fools. (EDIT: 6/25/16 - Now Jordan Winkler channel. He's now working for James Yeager's Tactical Response training company. Does more gun and shooting videos, and hardly any music anymore.)
My YouTube Favorites playlist
My RKBA playlist
If you think there are any glaring oversights, or if I screwed up any links, go ahead and post a comment.
Saturday, April 13, 2013
DefCAD 3D Printable AK-47 Magazine
Magazine freedom, now in Kalashnikov flavor.
It was teased in the Vice Podcast Interview with Cody Wilson of DefCAD/Defense Distributed. The file is now available for download, from the DefCAD site.
I'm not really sure how durable a 3D printed ABS AK magazine is. I wouldn't expect the locking lugs to last very long, but it's a magazine that you can make in a one-bedroom apartment with computer and a $750 3D printer.
If you haven't visited the DefCAD site yet, you can browse the files here. You won't be able to open the files without some kind of CAD software.
It was teased in the Vice Podcast Interview with Cody Wilson of DefCAD/Defense Distributed. The file is now available for download, from the DefCAD site.
Video Screencap
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