31 May 2015

HOTAS


3" PVC, some fittings and a board makes flying so much more comfortable.

Also an empty desk is a sign of someone who can clean up after themselves and finish a task before "Hey look a squirrel!"

Update:  This arrangement is an update to this one.  The old arrangement was flanges on straight pipe, here the throttle is on two 45° bends to move it back in relation to the pedals without remaking the base.  The stick is the same deal except with two 22.5° bends.  In both cases I also lowered them for more comfort.

The Long And The Short Of It


Mosin-Nagant 1891 vs Mosin-Nagant M44.

Search Term

Searching Ebay for "Finnish Bayonet" brings back mostly hits for Nikon cameras.

Bwah?

Because It Was Easier

Once upon a time I wrote a bit on how to be a Hiver.

I am wondering if it's time to make the Happy Zhodani equivalent.

A lot of whether the Consulate is evil or not depends on how genuinely sincere the Tavrchedl' are or how cynical the ruling class is in manipulating what the "thought police" are up to.

Gotta dust off some synapses for this.

It's surprising that I don't know them better because we spent a fair amount of time spinward of The Spinward Marches outside The Imperium and along the Zho border.

30 May 2015

Movie Time

When you have Mosin on the brain, you have to watch "Enemy At The Gates" at least once a month.

Even if the cover of the DVD case shows a "left handed" Mosin Sniper...


Why you DON'T Have to CUT UP your Mosin Nagant! - Rex Reviews



That's all well and good, the rifle can shoot like that.

I most assuredly cannot.

I should get to the range with one more often.

Still Truckin'

I bought the very first red-dot sight I ever encountered.

An Aimpoint 1000.

I put it on my Mini-14 in a B-Square mount.

It lived on the never fired Bushmaster M-17S FuzzyGeff owned for a while.

It resided on Marv's first AR for a brief period as well.

It's still in service on The Lovely Harvey's 10/22.





I did not have the five hands needed to get a good picture of the dot...

Every once and a while I get asked why I say you should buy once, cry once: this is it.  It's been around for about 23 years and it still works.  The only other electronic item I still have from around this age is my boom-box that sits in the garage.  I am not certain that it still works...  Update: It's still a radio, the CD player is kaput.  Dunno about the cassette players, they still spin but I don't have any tapes left to put in them.

Behavior

On this trip to the Indy area...

I hope to be meeting up with Tam for a beer.

Are there rules for meeting big-dog bloggers like there are for meeting royalty?

When leaving their presence, do I back up two steps before turning around?  Four?

Do I make sure that my head is never higher than theirs?

How low should I bow, and how long should I hold it?

If I wear a kilt, should I curtsey instead?

What's the proper form of address?

A Matter Of Policy

A couple of people have been baffled at my refusal to pay for seeing the new Mad Max movie over Eve Ensler's involvement.

It is not the outcome of her involvement that bothers me, from all accounts it's a spectacular Mad Max movie.

The reason she was brought on set to consult isn't the problem.  I am pretty sure she knows the subject matter they hired her to relate to the actors.

It's that she was personally rude to me, in person.

I don't shop where the employees are or have been pricks.  I don't shop where I recognize an employee who's been a prick to me at another store.

That's it.

Same reason I don't bother with Buffalo Wild Wings.  Worst service I've ever had and record setting bad resolution effort by the manager followed by a "sorry you didn't like the assholes we hired but we're not going to do anything but send you this email saying we're sorry you're upset rather than actually try to be contrite about it" email.

Same reason I stopped shopping at "Mr Paranoia's" gun shop in Huxley, Iowa (now defunct).

Same reason that certain bloggers will likely not be buying a Taurus any time soon...

Rifle Length

The eerie similarity in infantry rifle length is not an accident, or even prevailing fashion.

The length was set so that the rifle and bayonet were long enough to stab a mounted cavalryman and to stay just outside the reach of his saber.  At least that's how they sold it.  The reach of the saber and the reach of the mounted bayonet are nearly identical in this era, but at least the grunt can stab back once he's in saber range.

The wise private of infantry stabs the horse, not the rider, and uses the horse's head and neck for cover from that saber.  Once the horse is hors de combat, the rider is less mobile and has a shorter reach than the bayonet.

This is why US Cavalry trained as dragoons from near the end of the civil war until we traded the horseshoes for tracks.

When short rifles began to emerge, the age of cavalry using sabers in combat was demonstrably over.

Renew!

The Lovely Harvey's conceal carry license expires soon, so we're mailing off the renewal.


Has it been seven years already?

29 May 2015

Vacation Anxiety

I can easily see myself as a shut-in.

At the end of June The Lovely Harvey's mom is coming down so I will be released from my stay-at-home-dad duties.

I've been given a reserve of cash and travel orders.

Now I sit here as the day nears getting ever more anxious about going on the trip.

Will the old friends I've not seen for years still like me?

Will the people I've arranged to met like me in person?

Should I just stay home?

I really hate this.

I used to be the "fuck it, let's ROLL" person.

28 May 2015

Suspension Of Disbelief

You can accept that there's still plenty of smokeless ammunition, abundant enough fuel to waste on a flamethrower, TIRES!, and there's still enough of everything else an internal combustion engine needs to keep running in a desert...

But it's the women doing anything a man has ever done is where your suspension of disbelief flies off the rails?

Really?

What next, Star Wars is a feminist manifesto because Leia choked Jabba to death?  You must really hate Star Wars, Leia was helping to fly the Falcon (and doing a good job too) in all three movies!

Rand Says Republicans 'Created' ISIS



First, just to get it out of the way...  The apple ne'er falls far from the tree.

Second, just because the "Republican Hawks" were wrong about how to intervene, it doesn't make non-intervention the right thing to do.

Sadly, and especially if Paul is correct, we're involved and doing nothing is not an option.  Sorry.

The decision to become involved happened while "the greatest generation" was still in charge.  It was compounded by whom we supported based more on their opposition to the Soviet Union than their agreement with or similarity to us.

This IS our festering sore and we really are morally obligated to fix what our grandparents started breaking and our parents ground into dust.

We cannot put it back the way it was.

We could probably make it better than it is, and likely better than it was.  But we'd have to go imperial and colonial to do it and be willing to tell the world that we don't give a shit about native majority rule until the native majorities can think like Americans rather than as diverse and disparate tribes.

It will take blood sweat and tears.  It will take a multi-generational commitment.

It will take not only saying that our culture, western civilization, is superior to the theocratic tribal culture we intend to not only supplant, but destroy; but to go out and supplant and destroy it.  Utterly and without remorse.

If we created this monster, Mr Paul, we ARE obligated to destroy it.  Utterly and fully.

State Department

HQ: Pentagon.

The Iraqi's won't fight.

There's prolly a myriad of reasons.

I've mentioned, a time or two, that our policy on war should be if we bring the Army, we own it when we're done.

Don't call for help unless you're willing to see what we invade be a US Territory.

I know that WE would fight back against ISIS.

The issue of troops in Iraq is much smaller when it's sovereign US territory too.  There's precedent, we've fought to defend territories before.  Alaska, Hawaii and the Philippines.

Of course I am the sort that would be Hell on the new territory's aboriginal population.  "Welcome to America, here's how you're going to behave.  If you don't, well your great grandchildren will be making casinos or something on the reservation we're going to ship your ass off to."

And I don't give a shit about their culture and heritage because THEIR SHIT GOT SO BAD WE HAD TO SEND THE FUCKING ARMY TO STRAIGHTEN IT OUT!!

Once we send the Army you're going to be Americans or die trying, assholes.

Update:  Do not whine to me about "second class citizenship".  Candidates for the reservations aren't even that far up the ladder.  In the first place, to be a second class citizen, you need to be a citizen.  In the second, by the time I'd send the Army to deal with you I'm OK with eradication as a solution set.  Thank your fuzzy lords you're alive to complain about the conditions at the rez.

27 May 2015

Illustration


Top to bottom:

"Trapdoor" Springfield M1884 rifle.
Valtion Kivääritehdas (VKT) Kiv/91.
Springfield "Krag" M1898 rifle.
Carl Gustav Mauser m/96.
Royal Small Arms Factory Enfield SMLE Mk III*.

Making the point from here visually.

Tied Hands

Ever get the impression that the 8th Air Force in WW2 would have been grounded by the present administration because the National Socialists had "blended in with the civilian population"?

Wait What (Again)

We shouldn't use .40 S&W because it's higher pressure and wears the gun out faster.

The only acceptable 9mm rounds for self defense are +P and we should use them...  despite being higher pressure and wearing the gun faster?

Or did I miss a key phrase again that changes the meaning?

Going Out On A Shaky Branch

A term, gun smith, is far more apt than most people realize.

They're really the last smithies.

Not a bad thing.

But what a gunsmith isn't is a manufacturing engineer.

Lots and lots of people who learn some smithing start to thinking they know how to manufacture.  But they don't.  I'll admit there's some smiths out there who've got their smithing down and crank out some decent volume.

But...

I'll stop hinting around the edges.

I'm talking about 1911's.

I've lost count of the number of posts on various blogs about how 1911's are built all wrong, here's how to fix them.  Then a detailed thesis on tightening the shit out of it.

OK, Smith, how long did that take you?

Remington-Rand went from making typewriters in March 1942 and by three years later had cranked out more than 875,000 of the things.  That's about 800 a day.  Assuming two shifts, that's about 50 an HOUR.

It's actually higher than that because they used up most of 1942 and a good part of 1943 getting tooled up and fixing manufacturing problems.

I can't find how many people worked there.  In 1937 there were 500 employees manning a picket line who got into a row with 100 replacements.  In 1955 there were 2,500 people when Sperry bought the company, but they weren't making guns by then.  So let's split the difference and say 1,500 people working two eight hour shifts.  12,000 man-hours per day, or 15 man-hours per gun.  Edit: It was probably a lot fewer hours per gun since the 1,500 employees includes managers and administrative personnel.

That's from raw steel to shooting gun.

That's with 100% parts interchange.  This was why much of 1943 was lost production, Remington-Rand's guns worked, but they didn't interchange fully.

That's with scheduled and random checks where guns were pulled and had to digest 6,000 rounds without a stoppage or breakage or the whole lot was discarded and destroyed.

Did I mention that this was done without drawings?  Prospective manufacturers were given a pattern set of parts to make their own fixtures and jigs and to figure out their own processes.

But the point is 15 hours from blanks to gun and all the guns worked and all the parts swapped.

I don't think we can say that about Springfield Armory and Colt for parts swapping.  I know I've read stories where a gun had lots of feed problems and the shooter was told by the manufacturer that it was in its break-in period, and not to call back until at least 600 rounds had been fired.

I think I will concur with the smiths, 1911's are being built wrong.  They don't work out of the box and they don't parts interchange.

Part of the disconnect here is the makers of the M1911A1 were cranking out jeeps and people today are expecting Corvettes.


State Of The Art

I think the general ubiquity of the Mosin Nagant 91/30 and how clunky it seems today compared to guns like the 1903 Springfield or Mauser K.98k.

Truth be told, it was state of the art in 1891 and compares favorably with its contemporaries.

The PV-1891 (Mosin-Nagant) was 51.5" long, 9.2 lb. loaded.  5 shots of 7.62x54mmR.

The Austrian-Hungarian Empire issued the Steyr-Mannlicher M.88-90.  50" long, 9.2 lb. loaded.  5 shots of 8x50mmR Mannlicher.

The French issued the Lebel Model 1886.  51.2" long, 10 lb. loaded.  8+2 shots of 8x50mmR Lebel.  The +2 comes from one in the chamber and one on the cartridge elevator.

The Germans issued the Gew.88 (the commission rifle).  49" long, 8.7 lb. loaded.  5+1 shots of 7.92x57mm.

The Italians issued the Mannlicher-Carcano Mod 91.  50.5" long, 8.9 lb. loaded.  6 shots of 6.5x52mm.

The UK issued the Lee-Metford Mk I.  49.5" long, 9.9 lb. loaded.  8 shots of .303 British.

When the Mosin was introduced, the US was still searching for a new service rifle.  The Mosin compares very favorably agains the Springfield M1873 (the trap-door).  51 7/8" long, 9.2 lb. loaded.  One shot of .45-70-405.

The US had not issued the Krag-Jørgenson M1892 when the Mosin was introduced.  49" long, 9.6 lb. loaded.  5+1 shots of .30-40.

How many of these guns were still front-line issue come World War One?

26 May 2015

Accurizing Shim

Take the gun apart, put the gun back together.

Find the shim on the floor hours later...

Take the gun apart...

Got to remember those things when taking apart a Finn.

Mosin Nagant Trigger Return Spring

Today I bought this.

Short review, don't waste your money.

Longer review...

My Kiv/28-30 has a very floppy trigger.  It's clear that it left SAKO with the Finnish trigger return spring, but that spring had been removed sometime in the intervening 80 years since it was made.

I saw the part on their web page and read the description and decided to drop the money on it.

I've fired a Finn mosin with the spring, it does what that ad copy claims.  It's a serious piece of coil.

The part I bought today is weak.  While the trigger no longer flops freely, there's no real difference in take-up compared to going without it.

Lanyard Ring

Just in case you were curious, here's a picture of the lanyard ring take-down took from a S&W M&P 9 compared to the no ring version that comes with the gun.


The ring is metal and encapsulated by the plastic portion.

I still cannot explain why I want a lanyard ring on my full size pistols, but I do.

I further cannot explain why I don't want it on my .38 Super Gov't Model despite changing out the mainspring housing.

I Noticed Something

Texas and Florida both have organizations attempting to get carry on campus legalized and to get open carry allowed.

The methods of the Texas folks were roundly condemned as working against the rights of the rest of the gun owning world with their antics.

I cannot help but notice which state has campus carry and which state's senate just passed an open carry bill that just needs reconciled with their house bill and a willing governor's signature.

The other state had campus carry killed by back-room wheeling and dealing where it wasn't given time at a committee by the same people who decided that it had to pass through that committee.

Explain to me again how those Open Carry Texas "fools" make getting these laws passed more difficult, because from where I am sitting it appears that being idiotic dicks about their rights is far more effective in securing those rights.

25 May 2015

Memorial Day

Today is Memorial Day in the USA.

Today I remember Robert Smith, my uncle, served at the same time Korea was winding up.

Today I remember William "Standing Bear" Dawkins. He served during WW2 in the Pacific and during the Korean War.

Today I remember Frederick Gabow. We served together.

Today I remember Carroll "Neptunis Lex" LeFon. He served during Desert Storm and beyond and his writing inspired me to improve mine.

Today I remember Davy McGuire. He served through Vietnam in submarines.


Gentlemen, I miss you all.



Order, Arms.

However, enjoy the extra day off, baseball, hockey (??!!??) and the Indy 500. It is for those simple pleasures we served that you could.

Stone Age Projectiles

Never underestimate primitive man.

He could lob a 92,162,042,000,000,000,000,000,000 grain; 380,160.00" caliber projectile at a mammoth with moderate effort with near 100% accuracy.

Doing It Right


Article here.

24 May 2015

Need More Lyrics

For Disney's Chosin...

Sung to the tune of "do you wanna build a snow man?

Do you wanna dig a foxhole?
A two man fighting spot...
A place to check your feet
For nasty trench rot...

Style Guide

Memorial day is not about veterans.  That's Veteran's Day.

Memorial day is not about those who are actively serving.  That's Armed Forces Day.

Memorial day is about those whom are no longer with us.  Especially those who paid the ultimate price while actively serving.

I really appreciate how people are more aware of the troops and veterans since 9/11; but please don't dilute this most solemn day by honoring ME.

I gave three years and full use of my legs.  I gave NOTHING!

Close Enough


The rear sight of the Kiv/91 was originally marked in hundreds of arshini as you can see above.

Finland engraved new markings in hundreds meters and added a new notch for 200m.



You can tell that precision range estimation in the early 20th century isn't exactly precise...

400 arshini is 284.48m.
600 arshini is 426.72m.
800 arshini is 568.96m.
1,000 arshini is 711.20m.
1,200 arshini is 853.44m.

I've found nothing to indicate they recut the groves to make them come out correctly for meters.

I've also found nothing to indicate that being off by as much as the sights are matters in actual combat.  It's worth noting that they didn't re-mark the 1,300-3,200 arshini markings on the underside of the flip-up sight.  Someone probably noticed that hardly anyone took shots at those ranges.

Even renowned WW2 snipers racked up their kills at what seems today like incredibly short distances.


Flame On

A black guy as The Human Torch in a new Fantastic Four movie?

Fine.

As long as Susan is black as well.

Because Susan Richards nee Storm is Johnny Storm's sister.

It would will be strange for her brother to be black and her white.  Kat Mara doesn't look like his sister.

It would also prove a large portion of the objectors correct that they changed the race of the character just for PC points and not a creative reason if they didn't change his sister's race as well.

The actor cast as Johhny Storm is out there saying that he's playing the part just to mess with the racists.  He's being a racist about it himself.  Shut up dancing monkey, shut up.

Messing with some parts of comic canon work.  Making Wolverine 6' 2" worked.  Moving Iron Man's origin story from Vietnam to Afghanistan worked.  Changing Galactus and The Silver Surfer didn't work.  Changing Dr Doom's origin didn't work.  Changing the background of Sandman didn't work.  Changing The Rhino didn't work.

Making Susan and Johnny storm different races when they're brother and sister in the comics... won't work.

Besides, PC people, if Reed Richards is still white you could have had an interracial marriage!  First one in a comic movie!

22 May 2015

Length


Left to right:  Kiv/39, Kiv/91, M91/30.

Background, my messy bed!

BAG Day Rifle (Finally)


I present a 1941 made VKT Kivääri/91.

Rebekka sounds like a good Soumi name for her.

Just a wee bit longer than Tatyana, who was made in 1941 too!
Hang tag, faded to illegibility.


Aiming machine alignment shooting distance of 30m
Aiming track alignment 150m so far the focus, the shooting distance 150m chip focal point of retraction under the table.

Did you get all that?  Google Translate has limits.


Arshini delete.
Metric upgrade including 200m battlesight notch added.
Arshini and cosmoline for long rage shooting!
1,900 Arshini, 1,477 yards, 1,351 meters.
Mystery mark!  This could be a New England Westinghouse receiver.  They liked letters with arrows.  There's no markings under the tang.
Accurizing shims.

20 May 2015

Seattle Math

In Seattle where $15.00 an hour will soon be the minimum wage math must work differently than I was taught.

This same math is on display in Los Angeles and will soon be used in Chicago and New York Fucking City.

In Seattle $15 times 0 hours is thought to be more than the present Washington state minimum wage of $9.47 times 37.5 hours (maximum hours and still be part time by Fed law).

Let's do the math!

$9.47 * 37.5 = $355.12 which doubles to $710.25 per check before taxes, FICA and deductions.

$15 * 0 = $0 which doubles to $0 per check, but remains $0 after taxes, FICA and deductions!

Why is it zero hours?  Because places are saying "fuck it" and closing rather than attempting to find a way to compensate for a more than 58% increase in the price of labor.

LA is another great example because they've been seeing a rash of closures from just the increase in labor prices from Obamacare and its attendant costs in documentation and compliance.  It will be a great comfort to know that you'd be making $6 an hour more if only the place you worked was still open.

Chicago will be going from $8.25 to $10 this year and $13 by 2019.

NYFC will go from $8.75 to $9 at the end of this year, but they're talking about going higher.

I keep repeating, jobs are the side effect of a successful business.  If the costs are such that it can't be successful, then there won't be a business and thus there won't be any jobs.

Looking up the current minimum wages showed an interesting trend, nearly all of them were $4.25 in the late '80's.  Trusting this calculator, $4.25 in 1988 is $8.43 today.

In 1990-1992 I lived on $4.25 an hour, 30 hours a week ($7.63 to $7.11 an hour in today's money) while also going to college (paid for by joining the Army in 1987-90).

In 1992 I got a job making $7 an hour, 40 hours a week ($11.71 today), because I got some education!

In 1994 I moved to a $10 an hour position, 40 a week ($15.84 today) plus benefits!  Because now I had some experience to go with my diploma.

Basically, what Seattle et al want to do is make every no-skill/experience required job pay like an associates degree in mechanical drafting with two years of experience.

Eating out is a luxury you fucking morons!  When it passes a certain price threshold, people stop buying the luxury item and eat what they cook at home.

Analogy

Sometimes it's easier to get a point across if you can find a good analogy for the situation.

Would you tolerate a butler who complained that it was harder to answer the door after you installed a new lock?  Would you keep them on if they continually spoke to your spouse about the lock and how it made their job harder?

Why are we OK with organizations who represent the cops going to the capitol and lobbying against anything we've demanded from our congress?

What I want from the police is to arrest law-breakers without messing with my life.  I don't care if their job is made difficult by working around me.  Especially since, last time I checked we weren't shanghaiing people and forcing them to be cops.

I want to carry (legally) on campus.  I want to (legally) carry openly.  My reasons for wanting to are not nefarious; if they were then the legality wouldn't really matter, would it?

I want the police to butt the hell out of the process of getting my congress critters to do their job and represent my wishes.  If an individual cop wants to oppose these things, then he can oppose them just like I would, as an individual and on their time off.  In all fairness, this is where cops who are supporting open and campus carry are left out in the cold to do because their professional representation doesn't actually represent them well.

Style

I am not yet to the completist stage of Finn Mosin collecting.

Martta is a '42 SAKO gun instead of a VKT because I preferred the engraving work on the older SAKO's.



They change the font of the serial and date on later SAKO guns and the VKT and Tikka guns are given a light tap of a roll-mark.  Hmmmm, no D-Ball marking.  I wonder if that's unusual, I was given to believe that all Kiv/39's were made for D166.


The B-Barrel guns are similar to how VKT did their marking.

19 May 2015

Active!

The tracking number has finally gone active!

That only took four days.

Now the interminable wait while it makes its way across the country.

Computators

The standard Traveller shipboard computer is positively ancient in design.  Like a couple of hundred years old by Imperial 1110.

Where computers ship-board are actually state of the art are in places that don't deal with space traffic control and routine operations; like gunnery.  Targeting will be state of the art because there's an edge there.

A huge plus to the age of the hardware is that every line of code has been tested in every combination.  You don't get a blue screen of death from a software glitch, if something is wrong it's physical.  A failed component.

As an aside... while the components are very solid and reliable, space is such that you need to carry spares (Paging Malcolm Reynolds... pick up the white courtesy phone) or be able to make your own replacement parts.

An item I include in every ship design I've made with GURPS: Traveller's modular ship design system is a complete shop.  At GURPS TL10 it's an amazing piece of kit, and it only sucks up a whopping dTon of space.  Small enough to fit even a Type-S.  If something breaks in hyperspace, where are you going to go for parts?  Wouldn't it have been nice to have been able to make a replacement catalyzer rather than get gut-shot?

A additive manufacturing process will definitely include the means to make replacement, standard computer components.

18 May 2015

Communication

Sellers, when you generate the tracking number and send it to the buyer, you're not finished communicating.

Getting that tracking number establishes an expectation that the parcel will begin moving in the system.

If the shipper you've selected fails to pick up the package two days running, you should really send out a message to the buyers that it will be delayed somewhat and to adjust their expectations.

Can Someone Explain

Why the marital status of the fiance of the daughter of a former vice-presidential candidate is news?

Lancers Dragoons and Cavalry

Or in America, Cavalry... because any soldier on a horse is cavalry.

But out west the cavalry is more accurately described as dragoons.

Dragoons are mounted infantry, that is they ride up to where the battle will take place, dismount and fight.

Cavalry stays mounted for the battle.

Lancers are cavalry who use a spear or lance instead of a saber.

In the US it's muddied because we issued a saber to our dragoons and called them cavalry.  I am sure there were some Civil War vets who grumbled that things were different in the old Cav.

In Europe the lines were more sharply drawn.  Dragoons got carbines or short rifles and a bayonet.  Lancers got a spear they called a lance and may or may not have gotten a carbine.  Cavalry got a carbine and a saber.

At one point there was a different long arm for each of them (although lancers and cavalry tended to share rifle designs), and another for the cannon cockers.

It was all of these fine distinctions that drove England to the idea of a short rifle, or one rifle for all troops, infantry, artillery, cavalry, dragoons...  That became the Short Magazine Lee Enfield derived from the much longer Lee-Metford.

The short rifle idea really caught on and by WW2 everyone was doing it.

Another funny bit is modern mechanized infantry are also something of dragoons.  They ride up to where the fight is, dismount and fight.

17 May 2015

Oh That's It

It suddenly occurs to me that many of the people I've given up talking politics with don't know or understand the theory that our government is supposed to operate under.

Without that theoretical understanding, of course, they cannot see why I say it's broken or why their cherished laws and programs would be unconstitutional.

I'm willing to bet they're uninterested in learning the theory too.  Not least of which because it might include an admission that I knew what I was talking about.

Tracking Numbers

When you're expecting something you're excited about...

Click - No change in status.

Wait, at most, an hour...

Click - No change in status.

Wait, at most, an hour...

Click - No change in status.

Wait, at most, an hour...

Click - No change in status.

Wait, at most, an hour...

Click - No change in status.

Wait, at most, an hour...

Click - No change in status.

Wait, at most, an hour...

Click - No change in status.

Wait, at most, an hour...

Click - No change in status.

Wait, at most, an hour...

Click - No change in status.

Wait, at most, an hour...

Click - Package has been scanned in the same place it was before.

Scream.

Wait, at most, an hour...

Click - No change in status.

I Said What Now?

I think I've mastered a new form of non-communication.

I'll say something that seems thoughtful or clever at the moment of creation; that upon review is a non-sequitur.

Instead of babbling incoherently, I am clearly enunciating incoherently.

A Vote In The UN You Say

I've always wanted to be a warlord...

Wrong ID Sir

Katerina is not a cut-down Mosin-Nagant Model 1891 Infantry Rifle.



She's an upgraded Mosin Nagant Model 1891 Dragoon Rifle; also known as an ex-Dragoon.  The upgrade most likely took place in the late 1960's to early 1970's!  Wow.

This also explains the Chatellerault receiver since by 1922 many older 1891 guns were being broken down and parts recycled back into the production line.

Collecting is fun because you keep learning about the things you collect.

Dear Google

Dear Google...

When searching for a shift knob, and I specify a thread like "9/16-18" that means I want to see results with those threads.

3/8-16 is not the same at all.

I know, I know it's more common; but that's why put the 9/16-18 modifier in the search.

Modern Example

Link to FoxNews.

If the Air Force does have such a rule then they've issued an order demanding prior restraint on speech.

That particular legal road is very well paved.

You give up a lot of your everyday rights when you serve, but you don't give up the right to worship or the right to believe in your faith.

Him saying that he believes his talent and success come from God isn't proselytizing any more than a football player yelling, "thanks Mom!" after making a goal is a demand that we begin to worship a wide receiver's female parent.

Proselytizing is an active attempt to recruit someone to your religion.

I think the Air Force has issued an unlawful order here.

Also, the people who demand to never even hear about the faith of others are fucking morons.

Cue the What About Islam Dancers and I'll note that those fucking morons are getting their panties in a wad over a Christian's passive attribution of success to his faith while actively ignoring far more egregious active work by Muslims here and abroad.

When I see Freedom From Religion (and like organizations) surrounding a mosque protesting honor killings I will, perhaps, believe that they're not just pure anti-Christian whackos.

PS:  MRFF's STATED target is exactly and explicitly anti-Christian...

16 May 2015

Language

That might be the most times I've heard a friend say "fucking" since I met him, and all in one paragraph.

Points for proper military usage!

I have to say that his wife earned whatever retaliation he deems appropriate for this one.

For fuck's sake.

15 May 2015

You Can WHAT?

Apparently you can order custom M&M's with a photo on them.

FuzzyGeff suggested traditional USMC artwork.

If they fill the order, you can literally have someone eat a bag of dicks.

Mind.

Blown.

Apathy

"Have you eaten anything today?"

Why would I?

Remember

If you're paying to see a film, you're paying for more than the film.

Not one cent of my money is going to be spent watching anything Eve Ensler is attached to, especially if it's great.

Better to not see it than to give her any reward at all.

Which Will Get More Coverage

Charles Manson gets paroled to Hell the same day BB King heads up.

I'm guessing BB because the source for Chuckie is specious.  Still, too good to fact check!

Resolved

The silence from the seller was broken by an email containing a tracking number.

Hurray!  Their printer works and UPS has accepted their money!

It's now in the purgatory of labeled and ready to ship, but not yet subject to the tender mercies of the UPS driver.

14 May 2015

Wait What?

Ignorance of the law is no excuse and not a valid defense.

Qualified immunity is checking to see if it's reasonable for a cop to be ignorant of the laws he's breaking?  And if so, then it's OK for him to violate the law and or my rights?

That can't be right, can it?

Florida National Guard Mosin

The $1,900 Mosin could very well be one of the guns shipped to the Florida guard during the run-up for World War One.

There's one on display at the Florida Capital Building.




He Hit The Brakes And I Flew Right By

Yesterday while I was hanging with the boys I missed that it was Top Gun Day.

I must have been pinned against the canopy.

I can't believe that it got past me this year, my breath has been taken away, my nerves are shaken, my brain rattled.

There's nothing left but to haul rubber dog shit from Hong Kong, that is if I ever get out of hack.

13 May 2015

On That $1,900 Mosin

I am amused at how many people on arfcom feel that it's not worth the money.

I'm watching a Remington in better shape creep up on $1,500 on Gunbroker...

A couple of people claim to have nicer ones.  But aren't posting pics, so...

At least one guy has sent a pic where the arsenal rework square is clearly visible along with Tula markings on the bolt.

Another is equating the unaltered NEW gun with his minty Finnish gun.  Not the same thing considering the Finn is definitely reworked and probably doesn't have many parts that were original to that barrel (it might not even be the same receiver that barrel left East Springfield attached to); not to mention all the extra proofs and stamps the SA would add.

Semi-Precious Green Stone Head Protection*

Just for paranoia's sake...

There's very little training our troops undertake that cannot be used against the citizenry should evil orders be issued and obeyed.

*Jade Helm.

Inflation

My first Mosin-Nagant was an Izhevsk M91/30 I bought at a gun show for $70 that was around 2004.

Less than a year ago the going price on a 91/30 was $150.

Now I am seeing them for $225.

Finns are doing the same thing.

The $400 kiv/91 I was just drooling on was a $250 gun five years ago.

The 28/30 I stole from Willard was a $500 gun then and they are running $800 now.

Even the ubiquitous kiv/39 went from $300 in 2012 to $450 today.

Ominous

Nothing quite like winning a gunbroker auction, performing all of the required steps on my end and getting silence from the seller.

12 May 2015

Dissonance

Efate:  One of my favorite destinations in The Spinward Marches.

LBB Supplement 3 gives in year 1105.

Regina 0105 A646930 D N Non-industrial.  Imperial Way Station.

Starport A, 6,000 mi dia, Thin-tainted atmo, 60% surface water, billions of people, self-perpetuating oligarchy, no laws affecting weapons possession or ownership, above imperial average TL, Navy Base.  With a population code of 9, it's not supposed to be non-industrial...

LBB The Spinward Marches Campaign gives in 1111.

1705 A646930-D B Hi In 800lm K4 V

Starport A, 9,600km dia, thin-tainted atmo, 60% surface water, billions of people, self-perpetuating oligarchy, no laws affecting weapons possession or ownership, above imperial average TL, Navy Base and Way-Station.  High population.  Industrial.

GURPS: Traveller give in 1120.

Starport: Class V.  Way station and naval base.
Diameter: 6,339 miles.  Atmosphere: Thin oxygen-nitrogen, tainted by a low oxygen content.  Surface Water: 60%.  Climate: Cold.  Population: 8,373,000,000.  Government: Military (naval governor).  Control Rating: 4.  TL: 10.

Even considering the differences in game systems...  The government, law and tech levels have changed.

GURPS TL10 is Imperial average, a B or C in LBB terms.

Control rating of 4 which allows "hunting weapons like single-shot laser rifles, knives and other low-tech weapons.  That's more like Traveller law level of 5!

Efate being controlled by the military kinda-sorta fits self-perpetuating oligarchy...

Since the differences aren't in the same year, one could come up with why there was a crack-down on personal armaments.  It's just the place was so handy for the players to stock up on high-tech military small arms and get better warheads for the missile racks.

Ancient Wisdom

If you lose something, buy a replacement.

As soon as the original is replaced, it will be found.

I found my Mosin oil bottle.


Three Mosin-Nagant cleaning kits.

The least complete kit came with Katerina.

The one in the middle I bought from a gun shop's bargain bin because I couldn't find my oil bottle.

The kit on the right came with Svetlana, and I didn't include it when I gave her to Anglave.

The Finnish Army Was Mexican?

All of the guns are marked esé...


Cash Flow

As I ease into mooring and dock fees I keep having to expand on the givens.

Money.

Imperial currency is elaborately designed to prevent counterfeiting; but cash has many disadvantages.  Not least of which is a requirement for physical transfer of the funds.  You might notice that we don't do much of that even today at TL8...

Imperial currency, like the US dollar, is a fiat currency.  Its value is really based on a mind game:

A credit is worth something because the seller will accept it in exchange for the goods I want to buy.  Their acceptance is predicated on the belief that they too will be able to exchange it for goods they want later.

The credit transactor makes this electronic, and must be "loaded" with cash at a bank or imperial credit kiosk (think ATM machine) or with secure funds from a direct transfer.

Direct transfers occur by linking transactors through any number of communications systems.  The encryption is robust and trusted.  Trusted is the important part here.

While the computers would be amazing by our GURPS TL8 standard, they're kind of clunky compared to what the state of the art could build if unfettered by backwards compatibility and parts interchange.

The GURPS TL10 (LBB TL: C) computer is the Imperium wide standard.  The reason for this ossification of computer technology is there's a real need to be able get parts for your Type A Free Trader at any place in the Imperium from The Rim to Behind the Claw.  Some of these ships are hundreds of years old!  And people today think a B-52H is a dated design!

These "clunky" centuries old designs are far beyond anything we have today.  The distance technologically is the same as between what you're reading this on and a difference engine.  The state of Traveller art at GURPS TL12 (LBB TL: F) is as advanced again that far from the average.

The handshake for financial transactions is standardized with this in mind.  It's as secure as secure can be, and the only people who really have the hardware to readily crack it are the same people who've a vested interest in seeing it remain secure.

It turns out it's relatively simple to keep ahead of SOTA brute force decryption with an older machine, just keep adding bits to your key until the solution time falls below the level where you're comfortable.  If the people cracking your encryption have resorted to brute force, you've 80% won the match already.

Yes, there is counterfeiting.  Some.  It never gets very big and it never gets very far.  In addition to the black, The Imperium owns the currency.  Because there's a high degree of personal freedom and egalitarianism present in The Third Imperium we tend to forget that it's not a representative democratic republic.  It is a feudal monarchy.  There are several places in Imperial law where the process is very abbreviated; counterfeiting is one such place.  It has zero tolerance for counterfeiters and less sense of humor about it.  Imperial Warrants are issued with, "find them and kill them, do whatever it takes," orders.  Open ended warrants like that are taken very seriously indeed.  In addition, the real organized criminals have come to recognize that devaluing the currency with fake money is too short a con to bother with, and it only hurts their long game.

11 May 2015

Nice NEW Mosin

New England Westinghouse M1915 marked Model 1891 Mosin-Nagant.



Intact Imperial Crest
English Agent mark.

The buttplate is really the only place showing damage instead of honest wear.


US Acceptance Mark


Arshins.

We don't need no stinking metric system!

Still a lot of shine left in that bore.



Just $1,899 from Deer Hunter Guns in Clearwater, FL.  If you have the means, and are collecting Mosins, this is one of the rare examples you hear about but never actually see.