Read at your own risk...

If you want to have a good laugh (if you're not a prissy, pansy-pantsed liberal that is). Take a spin on over here and read the prescient tale of a shovel becoming an "assault rifle". Some may choose to hammer their swords into plowshares, but Boris, he hammers his shovels into an AKs.

Dasvidaniya (до свидания)

News Round Up 1/26/2012

Article: Arizona Gov. Brewer gets book critique from Obama

What a pathetic, thin-skinned, petulant child! This man is supposed to be our president and can't comport himself with even the requisite level of decorum when someone disagrees with him. Perhaps that might be why Washington can't compromise! Even the much loathed George W. Bush was capable of graciousness when confronted with the most venomous criticisms ever leveled at a president.

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Article: Ahmadinejad says Iran ready for nuclear talks

"Ahmadinejad says Iran ready for nuclear talks" I believe that... MILLIONS wouldn't but I do. This is just another stall tactic. Of course Obama will be dumb enough to buy into it, "See I knew my sanction approach would works... Say what is that mushroom shaped cloud doing over Saudi Arabia's oil fields?"

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Article: Taxpayers still owed $132.9B from bailout: report

That would be the 132.9 billion dollar donation we taxpayers were "generous" enough to give the unions. Plan on seeing large chunks of it spent to reelect Obama.

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Article: Cops: Man, 65, kills teen who knocks him off bicycle

Score another point for the necessity for concealed carry and the innate human right to self-defense.

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Article: Gingrich vows to establish a colony on the moon

It would be refreshing to have a real space program with real attainable goals again. It might be a good idea to construct an expeditionary vessel in orbit that could be provisioned for long range exploratory trips to say Mars or the asteroids and the re-provisioned, re-tooled and reused for the next trip. There are a set of similar requirements that would mean the we could realize a real amount of savings with this approach... This would use the lessons we learned about the benefits of re-use from the space shuttle program.

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Article: Low IQ & Conservative Beliefs Linked to Prejudice

Let me get this straight, a leftist from a left leaning school has designed a study to prove that we conservatives are stupid and prejudiced. Now there's a big surprise... It would have been a greater surprise if he'd arrived at a different outcome.

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Article: Video: Divers find large, unexplained object at bottom of Baltic Sea

Interesting... Anyone care to speculate what it might be?

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Article: U.S. to Iraq: don't "blow this opportunity"

Whether you agree with the decision to go to Iraq or not, it would be sad to see all the shed blood and spent treasure be for naught just because we were in a breakneck hurry to get out. But then again we've wasted so much lately why would I be daft enough to believe this would be any different?

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Article: Panetta: US ground forces would be cut by 100,000

This is utterly, positively MORONIC!!! Third world nation status... Here we come! The liberals have redistributed all of our wealth around the globe and now Obama's going to squander all of our military supremacy... Why do I see more "leading from behind" in his future. I served in the military right after Jimmy Carter decimated it. We didn't even have parts to fix our vehicles. Half of them were red lined and unable to be moved. Compared to this travesty, that hardship was a walk in the park.

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Article: Report: 36 Obama staffers delinquent on federal taxes

Hey Barack, maybe before you work on getting the rich to pay "their fair share" you ought to work on getting your people to do so first! Seriously, people in glass houses shouldn't toss rocks!

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Article: Vets oppose speech by general who demonized Islamists

I frequently get crucified when I state the truth but here goes. The military is by and large conservative. In every annual Stars and Stripes poll, soldiers self-identify to at least 70%, as being conservative. Are there liberal veterans? Of course, but they are the vastest minority (and are just the ones that haven't yet learned which side their bread is buttered on). Now, to this particular group, VoteVets... The majority of their membership does not claim to be veterans. There has been a large number of their members who do claim to be veterans identified as perpetrators of what we veterans call "stolen valor"; low-life posers who claim to be veterans or actual veterans who inflate the nature of their service. This organization is a George Soros financed liberal venture just like move-on.org or ACORN. The fact that such a group would not wish to be told about the true nature of our enemies... does not surprise me in the least.

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Article: Bill Would Ban Aborted Fetuses in Food

Say what?!?

Vintage Wisdom

I spent some time the other day reading a website that featured a large number of quotes from notable people. I ended up fixating on some quotes from our founding fathers and marveling not only at their wisdom, but also in the prescience of these quotes when protracted in the light of current events.

Wisdom is immutable, so I thought I'd share a few gems that I found.

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Thomas Jefferson

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"The will of the people is the only legitimate foundation of any government, and to protect its free expression should be our first object."

"The force of public opinion cannot be resisted when permitted freely to be expressed. The agitation it produces must be submitted to."

I wonder what Jefferson would have thought about the passage of the health care Obamanation against the will of the people.

"The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions that I wish it to be always kept alive. It will often be exercised when wrong, but better so than not to be exercised at all."

"It was by the sober sense of our citizens that we were safely and steadily conducted from monarchy to republicanism, and it is by the same agency alone we can be kept from falling back."

See Tea-Partiers... TJ approves!

"The government is best which governs least."

...and how!

"Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blind-folded fear."

I like that one...

"It is error alone which needs the support of government. Truth can stand by itself."

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be."

Contrast that with this one from Adolph Hitler:

"How lucky for those in power that people don't think."

Back to Jefferson...

"I would rather be exposed to the inconveniencies attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it."

"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them."

Ah Obamacare...

"I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education. This is the true corrective of abuses of constitutional power."

Our government has forgotten this. We move ever further to the nanny state where all of our decisions are made for us by an all-knowing government. We simply must reverse the trend and return true liberty to the people of this nation. Unfortunately, too many have been "educated" into not appreciating the taste of liberty. They'd rather feast at the trough thinking this is a good as it gets...

"History, in general, only informs us what bad government is."

Boy have we been making history lately, then!

"A little patience, and we shall see the reign of witches pass over, their spells dissolve, and the people, recovering their true sight, restore their government to its true principles. It is true that in the meantime we are suffering deeply in spirit, and incurring the horrors of a war and long oppressions of enormous public debt...If the game runs sometime against us at home, we must have patience till luck turns, and then we shall have an opportunity of winning back the principles we have lost, for this is a game where principles are at stake."

Let's hope that this again shall come true.

"...a wise and frugal government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government."

YEAH!

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Benjamin Franklin

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"The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself."

Amen.

"Freedom is not a gift bestowed upon us by other men, but a right that belongs to us by the laws of God and nature."

...and too many these days have engaged in unwise re-gifting... handing this gift right away to the government in exchange for what?

"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch."

This is an interesting quote, because you see my friends we are NOT a democracy. We are a republic. There was wisdom behind this because our founding fathers wanted to prevent mob rule in favor of a more measured and considerate path forward. Clearly, none of them however ever intended the government to simply ignore the will of the people.

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George Washington

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"The marvel of all history is the patience with which men and women submit to burdens unnecessarily laid upon them by their governments."

..and on we toil.

"It will be found an unjust and unwise jealousy to deprive a man of his natural liberty upon the supposition he may abuse it."

You see this is exactly how the progressive crowd works. The presuppose that they and only they are smart enough to know what is best for you. They wish to outlaw guns for example because the ownership of a gun might tempt one to crime. God knows the simple man is too weak to avoid that temptation.

"Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master."

Seems some in DC have forgotten the servant part.

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Patrick Henry

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"The liberties of a people never were, nor ever will be, secure, when the transactions of their rulers may be concealed from them."

Yeah how's that hopey-changey transparency thing working out for you in Washington? There isn't any.

"The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government -- lest it come to dominate our lives and interests."

At this point why do we even have our elected officials swear to defend the Constitution? I know that I took an oath to defend it and I have never been released from that oath. That is why I feel compelled to speak out. Our elected officials, on the other hand are more interested in propagating their own power than anything else. Propagating their own power is the antithesis of defending the Constitution.

"Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect everyone who approaches that jewel."

Trust me I do, much to the chagrin of our "progressive" friends!

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John Adams

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"The jaws of power are always open to devour, and her arm is always stretched out, if possible, to destroy the freedom of thinking, speaking, and writing."

Wow! how well stated. We are seeing it today. Speak ill of the the establishment and suddenly you are "racist" and a "mob".

"Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself."

...Hence the wise establishment of a republic. We need to work to get back to one. A loose association of sovereign states governed only centrally in those things that truly do effect them as a whole.

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Samuel Adams

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"The natural liberty of man is to be free from any superior power on Earth, and not to be under the will or legislative authority of man, but only to have the law of nature for his rule."

You see most of our founding fathers were really anarchists. They were also realists, but first and foremost they believed in each person ruling and restraining themselves. They were realistic enough to understand that some order would need to be imposed, but they tried to make the establishment of that imposed order very difficult.

"The Constitution shall never be construed...to prevent the people of the United States who are peaceable citizens from keeping their own arms."

Really? I thought it established the right of the states to have a National Guard... How interesting also that the National Guard can now be co-opted by the federal government against their will and against the will of the state governor. Further, former service persons can be impressed in federal service against their will for undetermined periods of time. That little jewel was buried in the thousands of pages of the Obama-care law... When starts the press gangs I wonder.

"It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds."

I like this one as well, that's why it's found a home in the right margin of this blog.

"If ever time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in Government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin."

Vain? Wow! Who might fit that description?

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James Madison

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Knowledge will forever govern ignorance, and a people who mean to be their own Governors, must arm themselves with the power knowledge gives."

Again, think back to that quote I mentioned earlier from Adolph Hitler. Arm yourselves people (and not just with firearms). Go out, read the words of the founding fathers. Understand the design that they created. Appreciate its elegance and strive to protect it!

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Thomas Paine

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"When men yield up the privilege of thinking, the last shadow of liberty quits the horizon."

What does this say for our country? Millions sit home each night blankly staring at World or Warcraft or American Idol. It brings the words of the progressive prophet, Timothy Leary to mind. "Turn on, tune in, drop out".

"What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly."

"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."

I have long thought that we are too distant from the days of toil and need. That our founding fathers bought for us such a sublime freedom that we've not been required endure hardship to preserve it. People have grown complacent about their freedom and do not treat it with the requisite esteem.

"Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one."

See what I was saying about these guys being anarchists?

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Ronald Reagan

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Yeah, yeah Ronald Reagan isn't a founding father. I'm very well aware of that, but notice how some of his quotes fall right into line with their thinking...

"Our natural, inalienable rights are now considered to be a dispensation from government, and freedom has never been so fragile, so close to slipping from our grasp as it is at this moment."

"We've been tempted to believe that society has become too complex to be managed by self-rule, that government by an elite group is superior to government for, by, and of the people. Well, if no one among us is capable of government himself, then who among us has the capacity to govern someone else?"

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Bill Clinton

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Again, not a founding father (god forbid), but notice the contrast...

"The new rage is to say that the government is the cause of all our problems, and if only we had no government, we'd have no problems. I can tell you, that contradicts evidence, history, and common sense."

This is News?

The AP wants you to know that no crime occurred today, but one could have. It's been everywhere on the news lately. It appears that there is a trend of people showing up outside town-hall meetings bearing arms. The usual cast of clowns and their complicit dupes in the mass media are over reacting exactly as these protesters are betting they will. Here's a sampling of some of the quotes from the post title-linked article:

"It actually becomes quite scary for many people. It creates a chilling effect in the ability of our society to carry on honest communication."

"The larger the gun, the more menacing the situation,"

"To me, this is craziness. When you bring a loaded gun, particularly a loaded assault rifle, to any political event, but particularly to one where the president is appearing, you're just making the situation dangerous for everyone."

Here's what the police had to say:

"Phoenix police said the gun-toters at Monday's event, including the man carrying an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle slung over his shoulder, didn't need permits. No crimes were committed, and no one was arrested."

So all this outrage with no broken laws, no threats, no carnage... You see, the problem is that the mere sight of a firearm is scary to the left. The fact of the matter is, our nation was founded acknowledging a person's inalienable right to keep and bear arms. They of course spew the normal things they always spew... if a gun looks scary, it must obviously be more dangerous.

As a public service for any of my ill-informed lib readers, let me cue you in to a little piece of truth... an AR15 is not all that powerful. There is a reason why gun aficionados call them "poodle shooters" and it's not because we are cruel bastards that use them to shoot small dogs, but because the 5.56mm round that it shoots is only adequately powerful enough to engage an animal the size of a poodle. Sure, it is based on the same gun that our troops are issued. But you see issuing our troops a "poodle shooter" is another proof of the hatred you, our liberal friends have for the military that defends you. Intentionally sending someone into combat with an inadequate firearm doesn't exactly show love. Oh and one more thing... an AR15 is NOT an assault weapon/rifle you silly poltroons! Calling an AR15 an assualt weapon is just as indicative of ignorance as calling a mouse pad "software" because they're soft.

Now, let me speak common sense to my fellow conservatives and particularly the ones showing up at these events with firearms. We all know you have a god-given right to do this but you and I both know you are doing this especially because you want to evoke a reaction. You also want to express the serious deep seated nature of your disapproval with these displays. You know it will be controversial, that's the point. But as I think of it, the only thing that comes to mind is my mother's oft repeated wisdom:

"You attract more flies with honey than you do with vinegar."


By all means, go to the town halls in droves. Boisterously raise your voices in well reasoned, polite dissent. But, we need to have realistic situational awareness. We will never convince our liberal population of the folly of their ways. They are not the target of our words and deeds. Recent polls have shown us that only 20% of Americans identify with the left and 40% of Americans identify themselves as conservatives, so that means that the remaining 40% are independents or "moderates". Those are who we need to and can convince. If we hand the left ready-made imagery of a person with a pistol strapped to their hip carrying a sign that states, "It's time to water the tree of liberty". We are handing them ready-made propaganda to broadcast far and wide on their complicit mass-media outlets. We are handing them the raw materials for exaggeration and mis-characterization to use against us. We do not need to engage in hyperbole to win these folks over. We need to make it abundantly clear that it is the left who are the extremists, not us. When they point at peaceful, thoughtful, sensible Americans engaging in civil discourse and evoke imagery like Oklahoma City bomber, Timothy McVeigh, our fellow Americans are smart enough to recognize hypocrisy when they see it. Let the left send in their plants for the propaganda pictures and then let's expose them for the plants they are. For example:

(HT - ALa)

You see, fights are more often won with brains, than with blind fists and overt bravado. Be smart and be safe my friends and we will leave the field victorious.

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BTW, does anyone know if the guy with the "tree of liberty" sign in the picture above is truly one of ours or is he another La Rouche or SEIU plant? Who is he?

Ye Shall Hear of Wars and Rumours of Wars

I have been hearing grumblings for sometime now and I am growing concerned. Am I the only one hearing this and seeing this? To begin with there has been an absolute run on guns and ammunition. I have called every gun store within 100 miles. There is absolutely NO 7.62x39 ammunition to be had. For those who are a little less informed on such things, those are the rounds fired from an AK 47 or an SKS. They are probably the most produced rifle rounds on the face of the planet with the exception of the ubiquitous but anemic .22 Long Rifle. Trips to near by stores that carry ammunition reveal them to be bare of anything but the weird stuff and the weak stuff. Gun sales are booming, one of the few segments of the economy flying in the face of the recession. Friends that work for gun shops report sales volumes ranging from 300% to 1000% over March last year. Most have attributed this rush on guns to Obama's abysmal record on gun control. But I'm wondering if there isn't more afoot.

A Russian professor, Igor Panarin has prognosticated the dissolution of the United States by 2010. He foresees the country ending up divided into 6 separate parts.

Then, for the first time in my life I hear commentators on syndicated news channels seriously entertaining the thought of revolution occurring in the near future. (See here, here and then here).

As if that isn't good enough, politicians are getting into the act. Congresswoman Michele Bachman (R) of Minnesota had this to say:

"I want people in Minnesota armed and dangerous on this issue of the energy tax because we need to fight back. Thomas Jefferson told us ‘having a revolution every now and then is a good thing,’ and the people – we the people – are going to have to fight back hard if we’re not going to lose our country. And I think this has the potential of changing the dynamic of freedom forever in the United States."

- AND -

"I’m a foreign correspondent on enemy lines and I try to let everyone back here in Minnesota know exactly the nefarious activities that are taking place in Washington."

Even the libs are saying it (even though their reasons for it are nuts). Representative Jay Inslee of Washington, speaking about the permanent removal of the moratorium on offshore oil drilling, had this to say:

"We are off the Pacific coast, and there would be a civil war. There would be something like a secessionist movement if there was a serious attempt to remove the moratorium."

So in other words, if any attempt was made to "drill baby drill" the libs would get really upset and hold a little "secessionist movement"... No doubt there would be lots of tofu, patchouli, Birkenstocks, Che pictures and kaffiyehs.

(click either of these pictures to see more fun pictures of stupid lib protesters)

Now that's a truly frightening prospect LOL!

New Gun Forum Established

My friend Mad Ogre and the folks over at FBMG have started a new gun community forum called "We the Armed". It's a great group of folks. Take a moment, go on over there and sign up for a login and add your two cents to the fray.

One Serious Shotgun

Father's Day & Some Product Endorsements

It was a pretty good father's day for me. We wound up heading out to a gun show in Austin. I didn't make any gun purchases, but I did pick up a few accessories though. The main thing I wanted to highlight was a rug (weapon case) that I found for my PLR-16. Yeah I know that Kel-Tec sells a rug specifically for the PLR-16, but I've heard that these cases have a few deficiencies. First off there is only space in the Kel-Tec case for three magazines (One in the weapon the other two in bungees straps). The bungee straps for the extra magazines are located inside the case. That means that if the PLR-16 shifts inside the case, then it could bang up against the magazines. Further because the magazines are held in bungees, the magazines themselves can also shift. While at the gun show I located an Ace Cases rug that fits the PLR-16 like a glove. The extra magazine storage is located in velcro flapped pockets external to case, providing space for four magazines and isolating them from the firearm. The price was also comparable.
I've had a number of other items from Ace Cases. They make a quality, well thought out product for a fair price. Drop by their website and check them out.

I actually considered a possible firearm purchase today. Everywhere you looked, there where Hi-Point handguns for sale for nearly nothing. For example, on dealer was offering the Hi-Point .45 for $149.
Now, don't get me wrong. These guns are butt ugly! -BUT- I've owned them before and I can attest, they are quite accurate, fun to shoot, tougher than nails as a damned good value to boot. They have an excellent trigger and and will eat damned near any ammo you throw at them. If you are looking for a low price beater these guys fit the bill to a tee! I'm not the only one that says that either. Here is an article from the Shooting Times that echoes my sentiments and I'm sure you can find any number of other articles and reviews that sings the praises of these low-priced ugly guns. Who knows, perhaps I may just buy one of these ugly bastards just to make people at the range laugh... Until they see the targets that is.

Amen Brother!

Sheriff Jim Alderden of Larimer County Colorado addresses concealed carry and concealed carry on college campuses saying:

"When you create a so called “gun free” zone and rely solely on voluntary
compliance, the law-abiding citizens are at a disadvantage. The criminal
predators need only worry about intervention by law enforcement personnel, not
their prey. The Lott-Mustard study has shown that when individuals are given the
opportunity to legally carry firearms with a permit, violent crime rates go
down. Go figure! I suspect that if deer were capable of shooting back, fewer
people would go deer hunting."

Clearly if there were anyone informed on issues regarding law enforcement and crime, it would be a County Sheriff.

Here are some more interesting quotes:

"With decades of data on CCW permits, there is no empirical data that
suggests allowing concealed weapons to be carried with a permit decreases public
safety. None. When Colorado passed our current CCW law in 2003 which required
all sheriffs to issue CCW permits within guidelines, the nay-sayers predicted
the streets would run red with blood. It hasn’t happened. Permit holders who have the requisite training and pass a background check have proven themselves to be responsible. Policies enacted at CU and some other institutions of higher learning seem to say that their students, staff and faculty aren’t as responsible or trustworthy as the general public when it comes to firearms. (Considering the Ward Churchill situation and other goings-on at CU, maybe they’re right.) "

"The CU Regents have determined that even carrying a weapon on their campus
with a permit threatens 'the tranquility of the educational environment in an
intimidating way and … (contributes) in an offensive manner to an unacceptable
climate of violence.' (Regent Policies, Section 14.1). Poppycock! If a permittee
keeps the handgun concealed, how can it be intimidating?"

Colorado appears to have been wise enough to elect a common-sense Sheriff. Would that there were more of them!

My Day

I spent a rather nice day today. To start off with, my 6 year old and I saddled up to run around and get some errands taken care of. I snapped this picture of him as we were sitting at a traffic light. He wasn't really in the mood for dad to be poking cameras in his face.It was nice to spend a little time just him and I. We headed out to get some car care items. Then we took a little side trip to the local Class III dealer to pick up some ammo. While we were there. My boy spotted this and demanded that I take a picture of it:What can I say? He is my spawn after all. So for any of you out there that feel like buying me a father's day present... That'll do nicely thank you! I thought it was kind of funny however to see a ordinary red-dot sight mounted on a minigun...

Once the boy and I got back home, we found that his momma was coming down with a migraine. So I spent a little time keeping an eye on the boys while she was recuperating and letting her medicine take effect. Once she was feeling better, I went out to the local range where I got to shoot a real classic, a Walther P-38. These things are classics for a reason. The recoil is light and easily controllable. Agreed, it only fires 9mm Luger so recoil isn't really an issue any ways, but considering to how light the weapon is... I've certainly felt worse. The grip is natural and it practically points itself.

Here's the target. Considering that this was my first go with this gun, I don't think it's too bad for a fifty yard target. This particular P-38 was manufactured in July of 1962 at the Walther factory in Ulm Germany. It is not a WWII era firearm (more's the pity). It is most likely a retired polizei (police) or Bundeswehr (German army) sidearm. The principle difference between the WWII era P-38's and post-War P-38's is the frame. A post-war P-38's frame is an aluminum composite material which makes the gun lighter than it's steel-framed counterpart. Personally, I've always been a little dubious of aluminum and polymer frames. It just seems wrong to have such soft materials in a firearm, but the aluminum frame seems to perform its task well enough. The differing materials do lead to a mismatched finish between the frame (anodized) and the upper parts (parkerized). So there is an aesthetic difference between the WWII and post-war pistols as well.

This particular pistol fired nicely though, although there was one small glitch. Some of the ammo that I had was some el-cheapo Walmart/Winchester stuff. The bullet was shaped just slightly different. It was slightly blunter & less tapered than the more expensive Federal ammo that I also had (you can see one of them in the picture above with the lighter colored bullet). The Winchester rounds chambered and fired nicely, but when the slide recoiled, the slide catch would latch the slide open. This happened because the lever that is supposed to ride on the magazine follower, latching the action open after the last round has been fired, was instead riding on the blunt bullets in the magazine.

Field stripping a P-38 is really a simple matter when compared to a 1911. Here's field stripping directions:

1. Engage the safety.
2. Latch the slide to the rear.
3. Twist the take-down latch.
4. Disengage the slide latch & slide the top end off the frame.
5. Press the action lock release button (small silver button inside the slide) and separate the barrel from the slide.

To reassemble simply reverse the disassembly instructions. There are some notes there though. When mating the slide with the frame, you'll need to push the ejector down to allow the slide to pass. Also, ensure that the hammer is in the up position and not the cocked position.

All in all it was a nice day. I got to spend a little one-on-one time with one of my boys. I got to drool on some sweet if-I-were-only-rich toys and to cap it off I got to send a few rounds downrange out of an absolute classic pistol. The only down-side was my wife's aching noodle.

A Little Plinking

My wife and I decided to head out and check out a local gun store that we've not yet visited since moving to Texas. While there she saw a Ruger Mark III. I've been wanting to pick up one of those and she really liked the way it felt, so look what came home with us.


So then the after coming home I decided to head out to the local range. I've not been to the range in probably two months. So I snagged the Ruger and my CZ-75 and headed to the range. Here's the result of 200 rounds of .22 cycled through the Ruger and 80 rounds of .40 S&W through the CZ-75 at a range of 25 yards. I'm not sure, but I think it's pretty dead.



All in all I have to say that the new Ruger is pretty damned accurate for a .22 pistol. Not a bad buy. I had been having some issues with the sights on the CZ-75, it was consistently hitting high and left ever since I bought it. I think this target pretty well proves that the last sight adjustment got it dead on.

AK Build Update #4

Liberals prepare to recoil in horror! A new scary looking black gun has been born.

The Tapco folding stock furniture fits like a glove. The only thing that I don't like about it is the fact that the hinge sticks out so far from the back of the receiver, and that is a minor issue.


I still have some tuning issues to resolve. The bolt sticks in the rear-most position, so I need to trim the upper rails slightly. I then need to clean all of the filings out of it and lubricate things properly.

This gun was built as a kind of hybrid build method. I screwed the front trunion on and riveted the rear one. I will eventually rivet the rear/lower holes on the front trunion, but the other front holes will still be attached with screws. I did this because I did not want to have to deal with checking/adjusting headspace. If I wanted to rivet all of the holes on the front trunion I would have been forced to press the barrel out of the front trunion, thus necessitating fumbling with headspace. I still haven't applied the Loctite to the threads of the screws. I have been told that Loctite or not, these screws will be a pain in the ass because they7 will require frequent re-tightening. If this turns out being the case, I will simply solder the screws into their holes.

I also used the screws to hold the trigger guard in place. Attempting to peen those rivets with the receiver folded was nothing short of impossible. I had purchased a screw set for this build. It included a number of square 6-32 screws and square nuts. I ran into a problem though. When these square nuts were in place, the hammer could not be installed, so it took a ingenuity to get around that problem. Nowhere in any of the write-ups that I had read online did I see anyone else having this issue. How have others over-come this issue? Here's how I did it. I took a piece of .1" brass sheet stock and cut a small plate that was large enough to cover the four trigger guard holes. I then drilled and tapped four holes to accept the screws. Then I trimmed the plate until the hammer would clear the plate on my mill. We'll see if that holds up.

I haven't yet installed the final muzzle device. So far the leader in the muzzle device poll is the AK74 style muzzlebrake (not that there's been that many votes so y'all dash over to that post and vote dang it!).

Oh, for those who are interested, the BATF requires that no semi-automatic gun be built with more than ten imported parts. Here is the break-down of imported versus domestic parts in this gun:

Imported: Barrel, Trunnions, Muzzle Attatchment (for the moment), Bolt, Bolt Carrier and Gas Piston

Domestic: Receiver, Trigger, Hammer, Disconnector, Buttstock, Pistol Grip and Forearm

So that means we have 6 imported pieces. Since the BATF counts and assembled magazine as three parts (Magazine Body, Follower & Floor Plate), in this configuration I can use any magazine regardless of origin. (6+3 = 9, 9 is less than 10)

Terminal Effects

Below is a video I found over on YouTube that shows the terminal effects of the .50 BMG round when fired at a human target from a Barret sniper rifle. These shots are filmed in Afghanistan and the targets are Taliban.

AK Progress Report #4

Well I'm not quite as far along as I would like but progress is being made none-the-less. In the picture above you see my AK mocked up. There's still quite a bit to be done. The holes have not yet been drilled for the front and rear trunions. The trunions still need to be tapped to accept the assembly screws (I have to pick up the proper tap). The lower rails need to be mounted. Then the receiver needs to be heat treated and blued or parkerized. Then there needs to be a whole lot of fitting and tuning. The receiver did not turn out as pretty as I had hoped. My improvised tooling still needs a lot of work. The corners weren't as tight as I'd have liked so I had to touch them up with a hammer. It was after all the first job I've attempted on my new mill and this is my first AK build. I've already test fitted the fire control group and everything meshes and functions beautifully. It easily passes a standard function check. So despite my receiver being ugly, it does seem to do its intended job.

As you can see, I've received the proper colored folding stock from Cope's Distributing. When I called them, they apologized profusely and explained that they have been unusually busy ever since January. They shipped the replacement stock out immediately with a return shipping label for the mismatched stock. These folks have redeemed themselves in my eyes! So, buy up folks!

AK Build Update #3

Finally some parts for my AK build have arrived! Pictured you see the hand grip, the forearm and the receiver blank. I also received the folding stock, but unfortunately that will have to go back to the vendor because they sent me a green one instead of a black one to match the other parts they sent. All of these parts were ordered from Cope's Distributing. The prices for these items were excellent, but the customer service left quite a bit to be desired. The company was not very responsive to inquiries. They immediately charged my credit card, but shipping did not occur until a week later. Then there's the issue of the mismatched stock. Every review I'd read about Cope's sang their praises. So perhaps my experience is the exception to the rule. I will say that the quality of the items is exactly what I had expected. The receiver flat holes are excellently fitted. The trigger guard and hand grip holes are precisely aligned and the magazine well opening is a beautiful fit. The furniture is standard Tapco furniture just like I'd handled a million times before at gun shops and shows. I intend to contact Cope's by telephone tomorrow and we'll see whether they do right by me or not in regards to the green stock. Future orders on my part from Cope's certainly depends on how they act toward making their error right. So stay tuned here for updates!

We're moving into the weekend here so I'll have a few projects to work on. First off I just found out that there is a metal scrap yard just around the corner from where I work that I was unaware of. I'll be heading that way to secure some metal to fabricate a bending jig. I was just lamenting missing my friendly scrap yard from Montana. So needless to say, I was glad to find one in such a handy location.

So here's my plans for folding the receiver. To begin with, I'll toss the receiver into my bending brake to fold the top edges of the receiver over. Then I'll fabricate a bending jig to fold the bottom corners.

Here's what I'm thinking for the folding jig. There will be two substantial steel slabs both milled to a nominal 1.25 inches width to match the width of the trunnions. These will be longer than the AK blank so that two large, long bolts can be passed through the ends. I will mill out indentations in the side of the top bar to accommodate the magazine well dimples. An additional milled area will be made on the bottom of this slab to provide clearance for the dimple on the receiver in front of the magazine well. Then I will fabricate a hefty box with interior dimensions large enough allow the passage of the upper two slabs and the sides of the receiver. Two plates will be welded to the bottom of the box. These will be drilled to allow the large bolts from the upper portion of the jig pass though. The blank will be aligned and secured between the two upper slabs. the bolts will be passed through the plates welded onto the box portion and then nuts will be twisted on. I will slowly tighten each of these nuts to pull the two upper slabs and the captured blank down into the box section thereby folding the bottom of the blank.

AK Build Update #2

My AK build has been pretty much stymied. I'm in a holding pattern right now waiting for parts. For some reason I've had a hard time finding anyone that has AK receiver flats in stock. Perhaps a lot of people are trying to preempt the democrats gun grabbing plans by building evil AK's before they get their stupid ban passed. I've not been completely stymied however. I managed to pick up a Harbor Freight micro mill... Not specifically for this project, but it certainly will help with this one too... But then again I'm waiting on parts for it too. Harbor Freight sells the tool, but they're not nice enough to include any cutting tools for you to play around with it.

So I figured since I'm in a holding pattern any way I might as well ask for your input on something. I've not decided which muzzlebrake to use with this gun. So I've setup a little poll for you to vote on which muzzlebrake you think I ought to use. First, here are the selections:

Selection #1: A Krinkov styled muzzlebrake


Selection #2: A "Phantom" style compensator


Selection #3: An AK74 Style Brake


Selection #4: The standard stock slanted brake


Selection #5: An M16 style brake


Now here is the poll for you to vote on which of the above muzzlebrakes you think I should use on this build:

Which muzzlebrake should I use in my AK build?
	Krinkov Style
	Phantom Style
	AK74 Style
	Standard Slant
	M16 Style
	None of the Above (Specify which in the comments)
Free polls from Pollhost.com

AK Build Progress Report #1

I started the process of building the my AK-47 today. I managed to strip off all of the ugly laminated wood stock parts and grind the rivets down and pry off the cut receiver stub. The hardest part was getting the rivets out of the damned trigger guard... Which coincidentally I see I have laid backwards in the above picture. There really wasn't a good way to get in to the flattened rivet stubs with all of the melted steel in the way. The hero of the day was my set of diamond grinding wheels for the Dremmel from Harbour Freight Tools! Now I have to wait for the receiver blank to show up before I can proceed.

My Next Project

I've finally gotten around to starting something that I've been wanting to do for quite some time now.

I've purchased one of those AK kits that have been around for years now. I picked this particular one up from J & G Sales for the "kingly" price of $99.95. When the kit arrived I must admit I was very happy with what I got. This rifle shows absolutely no signs of having even been shot. The bore is bright and shiny as is the face of the gas piston and the rifling is sharp. There's no carbon to be found other than that created by the BATF's moronic receiver cutting madness. The outside of the weapon appears to be covered in copious amount of dust. The only rust I could find was on the oiler hatch on the stock. All of the serial numbers are matching and this Romanian AK appears to have been manufactured in 1983. Once I've finished this thing I hope to have it looking something like this:

I'll keep you all up to date on my progress.

A Range Report

I know, I know. I said it would be a while before I got to range test my alterations to the PLR & 1911, but I decided to head out to the range this evening on a lark. So here's a little range report.

1.) The new Levang Linear Muzzlebrake - Functions very well. It projects the majority of the PLR's throaty roar down range. The muzzle flip reduction was moderate. It was less effective in reducing the muzzle rise than the Veriforce Tactical muzzlebrake, but it had none of the annoying side effects of that muzzlebrake. There was one interesting side effect of this muzzlebrake's forward facing ports... I had just finished firing a new pistol (detailed below) for the first time, so I had the target spooled down to only about 8 yards away when I loosed the first tentative shot through the new muzzlebrake just to see how it acted. The forward ported gas was sufficient to blast a fist sized hole through the target that had already been perforated by the other pistol. That was enough to make me giggle. All in all, if you are looking for a muzzlebrake for your PLR-16, I'd heartily suggest this one.



2.) The polish job on the 1911's feed ramp - This functioned much better than I had hoped. I fired 150 rounds through the freshly polished gun without a single mis-feed. While I was polishing the feed ramp, I also polished the slide's mating surfaces. This made the slide's action smooth as silk. This is definitely one fine shooter now. If you have any semi-auto pistol with feeding problems, a polish job on the feed ramp may well solve your problem. Here's how I did it. I took my Dremel tool and mounted a polished wheel (small white felt wheel that fits on a screw spindle). First I load the polishing wheel up black emery bar to remove the worst roughness. This does remove some material so use it very sparingly. Once I'm satisfied that the worst roughness has been removed, I thoroughly clean the area I'm polishing. I then load up a new polishing wheel with white rouge and begin working the area with that. Once satisfied, I change the wheel again, clean the work area again and finish the job off with blue rouge bar. Once I'm finished, the surface has a mirror finish. What in the hell would I do without my Dremel tool?



3.) We hit a gun show the other day. I picked up a batch of ammo, a nice bipod for my FN-FAL and this for the Mrs.:



It's a Polish P-64 in 9mm Makarov. This is the pistol that perforated the center of the target with, that the muzzle blast of the PLR popped out. I have to admit, I had under estimated this little gun! The recoil from those dinky looking rounds is surprisingly vigorous. With a barrel only about 3¼" long, this thing is not going to be making tight groupings at 50 yards, but it is actually more accurate than I gave it credit for. On a close target (8 yards) I was easily putting all the rounds under an area about the size of my fist. At 15 yards I was having no problem keeping it on the target. There's one last thing I have to cover... The Warsaw Pact countries seem to have known a thing or two about making a gun easy to disassemble for cleaning. To tear this one down, all you do is pull the front of the trigger guard downwards, then pull the slide all the way to the rear; tip the back up and then slide it back forward off of the frame. All in all I have to say, due to it's sub-compact size and acceptable accuracy; one of these guns would make a very suitable concealed carry piece.

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I've noticed a lot of interest in my PLR-16 related posts. Here is a list of other PLR-16 posts I've made:

Father's Day & Some Product Endorsements

More on my PLR-16

A Few Reviews

My PLR is Finished

40 Rounds, 50 Yards

My New Kel-Tec PLR-16

More on my PLR-16

After the dismal failure of the Veriforce Tactical muzzle brake on my PLR, I did a little research and happened on the DPMS Levang Linear muzzle brake from Midway USA. I think this thing looks pretty fly!

I've not fired this muzzle brake yet, but I can't imagine that it would not work at the very least somewhat better than the Veriforce Tactical brake. With the forward facing gas ports, it should direct the blast and noise forward. I'm not certain how effective this thing will be, but I wanted something mounted on the muzzle for mere reasons of aesthetics. The PLR just looks better with something beefier than the knurled thread protector. I like the way this muzzle brake fits very close to the knurled ring that secures the front handguard. If this muzzle brake works even marginally it is all a plus. Now let me address the Veriforce Tactical muzzle brake again. I do not doubt in the least that this muzzle brake is effective. In fact it worked wonderfully at reducing muzzle rise and recoil on this gun. -BUT- This gun is too short for that muzzle brake. The guy with the AR15 that I gave it to, loves it. The PLR-16 is however a unique kind of application for these muzzle brakes. I will post a review of this new brake once I've had a chance to fire it. That may however be the weekend after next due to Easter.

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I've noticed a lot of interest in my PLR-16 related posts. Here is a list of other PLR-16 posts I've made:

• Father's Day & Some Product Endorsements
• A Range Report
• A Few Reviews
• My PLR is Finished
• 40 Rounds, 50 Yards
• My New Kel-Tec PLR-16