Except For It Actually Happening Your Theory Disproving It Is Spot On

Since I've made my niche being the asshole, here we go...

Mr Chomps, at the battle of the BTR-152, shot dead the three crewmen in the vehicle.

He used a pistol chambered in .45 ACP, made three head shots and the ball ammunition punched the Soviet made steel helmets to do it.

"But what were your split times?" I asked.

"Didn't the RO asking, 'shooter ready?' and the 'MEEP' of the timer alert the crew of the vehicle?"

Mr Chomps facial expression to my questions is hilarious.

His training on a pistol, to that point, had been the standard US Army course in the M1911A1 for officers and his personal interest in going shooting because it's fun.

No 2,000 round endurance test of his Colt Commander either.

So I ask the instructorati: Have you ever, real life, applied the skills you're teaching?

Because we keep looking up gun writers and trainers and keep finding that the answer is a resounding NO most of the time.

They might be taking notes from actual engagements by others, but they've no real life experience in the subject and deign to lecture someone who's actually been there and done that.

By the way, it wasn't the training that got Mr Chomps through that day.  It's the fact that he's a remorseless killer who can make the decision to kill that guy over there.  That's not easy to train for and would in all likelihood get your ass in court over what you're trying to teach.

Because if you're actually serious about this self defense shit, you have to be in the mindset that you're going to have to kill some person to successfully defend yourself or your home.

How many rounds of 9mm is that?  Will I learn it faster using expensive hollow-points or cheap ball?  What split time before it becomes second nature?  Is there an NRA certification?

Speaking Of The Heat

A friend of mine once got convinced to come out from Arizona to Orlando to pay homage to The Mouse.

Don't have kids, they lead to stupid decisions.

Like DisneyWorld in July.

I warned him about the heat.

He assured me that he knew from heat, living in Phoenix and all.

I said the trite old adage, "you don't know shit about humidity."

Well, he nearly had heatstroke from not being familiar with the difference between a dry heat and a wet one.  The signals his body was sending him didn't communicate the message because he didn't have a frame of reference to recognize it for what it was.

Happily, all's well that ends well and once he got cooled off and re-hydrated he was all better.

Battle Rattle

Having been informed that I am not serious about self defense, by the people selling seriousness...

THEY are not serious about self defense either.

Where's your soft body armor?

You never mentioned a means of communicating farther than you can shout?

No buddy to cover your back?

Remember, we're being serious here.

Not casual.

Dedicating our entire being to being prepared to fight to the death to save our very lives to the exclusion of all other considerations.

Come to think on it, why are you outside your bunker?

Why do you even own a car that's less protected than an MRAP?

This planet, by the way, is perilously close to an asteroid field.

Considering that you already know your most likely assailant's name, maybe you should think of getting different acquaintances that you think you need the stuff you keep insisting that everyone lug around.

While we on this topic.  Two of the items on the list can only be used legally in Florida when it's legal to kill someone to stop them.  I looked it up.

I am constantly amused at the advice given from the upper midwest about what to carry and how to carry it when such means are a short trip to heat stroke here in the summer.

I think, perhaps, that some people need to get out more.

The Grips

Willard, summoned, he comes with his model 29 as ordered.

"Model 29?  Do you think you can summon me and have me show up with a specified gun?  You will settle for a model 27 and LIKE it!" 

-W. Fleetwood.

They fit beautifully on this 27-2.

They also are not the same as a K-Frame.

In fact, they fit Willard's 27 so well he tossed cash at me on the spot.

Sorry, JRG and Slow Joe.

Conversations

All across America, a conversation is taking place.

It's taking place quietly and in near secrecy.

The topic does not bode well for a certain segment of society unless they can manage to chill the fuck out in a very rapid order really goddamn soon.

That the conversations are taking place is very significant.

Such conversations start seeking justice after being treated unfairly, but have led to genocide.

It's important to remember that pre-Victoria, genocide was Western Civ's go-to for dealing with peoples who would not be assimilated.

Consider this my Cassandra moment for the year.

That's A Lot Of Dairy

In honor of 4-20 many places are talking about The Big Lebowski.

From this I have learned of The Lebowski Challenge.

Every time The Dude imbibes a white Russian, you do too!  Same for toking a joint.

Someone has done the "hard" work of counting the number of drinks you're slamming in less than two hours.

12 white Russians and 3 joints.

That's Rick Sanchez levels of liver abuse.

Who Was It Who Wanted These?

K-frame, square-butt, no-diamond, magna style.

And Slow Jow Crow in the comments said, "Are no diamond grips period correct for a Model 10-7? My grips are trashed so I might be able to help. Also considering the finish on my reimported police trade in Altamont grips would be chrome rims on a hoopti."

This style grip is still being used to this very day and would be just fine on a 10-7! 

UPDATE: I suspect that these aren't for a K frame.  I put them on the Model 15 and they sit proud of the metal all around the grip frame.

There's an 'N' embossed in the right side grip too.

These might be for an N-frame.  Need to get Willard's 29 back over here to see if they fit that.

Wrenching Is Often No Fun At All

It was easier when I was younger and in better shape.  Ain't that the story of getting old?  Getting old ain't for sissies.

It's good to know that I still CAN wrench when I need to.

With all the troubles we had with this, a shop would have been doing the, "well it took us longer than we thought..." and the $110 repair with my own (plus Marv and JT) sweat would have been a lot more.

Like $700 more if the typical shop took as long as we did.

PS: if you have a newer car rocking the OBD2 get a BlueDriver dongle.  It was instrumental in determining which wheel sensor had died.

That Was Harder Than It Needed To Be

Did one of the rear bearing hubs on Moxie today.

It'd been making noise since Halloween, so it was due, but on Friday something inside began affecting the wheel speed sensor and THAT forced me to cut short an enjoyable day goofing off with Willard.

Traction control and ABS codes galore!

Once again with a wheel hub I have to take umbrage with GM for putting the bolts where you cannot readily get at them and slathering them with enough red loctite to hold a battleship suspended in mid-air.

Oh, and you can really only get at two of them from the bottom and snake in extensions.  Like 18" of extensions.

Once you get all the slack taken out of all the extensions and the universal joint... you've used 1/4 turn.  Then I only get another 1/4 turn because I can't get the back end high enough with a floor jack to clear the ground with my breaker bar.

Happily, Marv has an indestructible 1/2" ratchet that he got when he left the Army.  8" of pipe on that thing and we could take the slack out, back up a 1/4 turn and still get a full 180° turn before hitting the gas tank.

So half a turn at a time doing chin-ups on the ratchet because rust and loctite had bonded the bolts but good.  Never mind the galvanic reaction going on down there from the steel parts against the aluminum knuckle.

It took from around 1pm to near 6pm to get it all apart.  Then from 7:30 to 8 to get it back together.

It didn't fight being put back.

Rig For Red

The Lovely Harvey finally completed a project that I'd started years ago...

She'd bought me these on incandescent strings a long while ago, but the bulbs started dying and they weren't readily replaceable.

So I bought LED strings.  They were not the same size and the standards for the bulb holders between incandescent and LED are not even remotely the same.

She discovered that there was a cap you could unscrew and that let her use hot-melt glue to attach the little Corvette logos to the lights!

HUZZAH!!!

No Legal Application?

Reading this article on the proposed ban on suppressors...

A quote from Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ 12) stands out, "hey have no legal application, which is why law enforcement officials around the country have been calling for their elimination.

No legal application?

Well, they're not illegal to own if you've bothered with the tedious, but simple, process of getting a tax-stamp in most states.

So simply owning one and admiring it is a legal application in 42 states.

Mounting one to a firearm and shooting at the range is a legal application in those same 42 states.

Mounting one to a firearm and going hunting is a legal application in 34 states.

Maybe the perspective from one of the 8 states which bans the ownership of suppressors has warped them.

Perhaps the problem is really with illegally owned suppressors?  I guarantee you that if legally owned suppressors were a problem we'd be hearing from the usual anti-gun suspects about how the process of obtaining one is entirely too easy and should be made harder.  Well... they do that anyway, but generally get laughed at for it.

For the fucking record, I don't give a rat's ass what law enforcement officials want.  They get what I decide they get.  They are our employees and they get told by their employers what their job is.

And when they decide I shouldn't own something that I've a right to own, then I fire them.  The local sheriff pivoted hard on this very issue just before 41P went down.  There were a couple of serious primary contenders running on being a bit more NFA friendly than he was.

Fixed

My TIE Interceptor is officially a MOC (my own creation).

The center section of the wings was entirely too long from the tutorial that used only parts from 75211.

I have MANY more Lego than that and shortened them to where they belonged and put the roundels where they belonged too, instead of too far forward.

Also shown are Lego's only two official TIE Interceptor releases to date; kits 6206 and 75031.

Godspeed Twiki

Felix Silla, noted character actor, has passed on from pancreatic cancer.

He was in just about everything a kid like me of my age watched.

Also of note:  Married to the same woman for 55 years.  We have no idea about his politics.

Those two points put him head and shoulders above most other dancing monkeys burning oxygen to no good end.

Today I Learned

That "heavy, gets hot and kicks hard" means cannot be fired accurately from the shoulder.

I guess I need the Gun Writer's edition of Roget's.

Free TIE Fighter With Every Mimban Stormtrooper

See this guy?

This is one of four minifigs that came with set 75211.  The Star Wars movie "Solo" has a brief segment where these stormtroopers are seen.  In addition to the camo, they've got a stirnpanzer style extra plate on the brow of their helmet.

I paid, new in store, $70 for my first 75211.  The one I turned into an interceptor was $140 shipped from Hungary.

They both came with that stormtrooper.  75211 is the only appearance for this figure.

That minifig is averaging $85 on ebay.

Minifigs collecting is a thing and the collectors are serious.

OG TIE Collection

Lego set 75211 appears to be the pinnacle of the TIE fighter for form relative to the minifig and play size.

It was rather expensive when it was in stores.

I'd long hoped that Lego would make a TIE Interceptor in this size and style, they had before when TIE's were blue and black.

Sadly, they've gone to a "chibi" proportioned style lately, so even if they do make a new interceptor, it won't match the one from 75211.

Happily, you can make an interceptor with virtually no extra parts.

The only part missing from the original kit was the four guns at the tips of the "wings".

Also shown is Darth's TIE Advanced from the original movie, this is from Lego kit 75150.

No More Light

Went down to PowerTech Performance in St Pete and had them flash the BCM with the SDM ID.

It took less than five minutes, but the job is finally finished.

I've only been staring at it for three years...

Not being able to find the official procedure for repairing the shitty connector will do that.

Originally I was trying to find the pigtails for the original connector.  Because airbag, they don't seem to be available.

But I kept reading about the repair TSB, which eluded me for a long time.

I mentioned finding it and applying it the other day.

Are These Really Myths?

 Five Gun Law Myths That Can Land You In Jail

Reading the transcript it should be titled, "Five Gun Law Myths That Can Land You In Jail In New Jersey."

Or, "Five Specific Examples That Can Land You In Jail In New Jersey."

Or, "A short list of reasons to never enter the Gods Foresaken Hellscape of The Garden State."

I Agree

Don't make tasers look like guns.

It's Murphy.

If a gun can be mistaken for a taser, a gun will be mistaken for a taser.

And they have been.

But I cannot help but think:

We didn't have all these problems with dead suspects when cops were burly men with nightsticks.

I know we pivoted away from nightsticks after Rodney King and the LA Riots BUT:

Rodney didn't die.

We still have riots from the Rodney's of the world interacting with the police.

What have we gained?

A Spanish Phrase Sums Up A Most American Concept

¡Sin trabajo, sin dinero!

Hillsborough County Florida schools are looking to clip 1,000 positions.

I notice that they imply that those positions are all teaching jobs.

I also remember how hard the Hillsborough Classroom Teachers Association fought to prevent students from returning to classes, yet also retain full pay for their teachers.

¡Sin trabajo, sin dinero!

Well, you succeeded in keeping things shut down as long as you could and it's splashed back on you.  Congratulations!

I've long since lost all sympathy for the plight of public school teachers.

Pay and benefits for teachers are excellent, even if the pay alone seems lower than you'd expect for a college educated person.  No contribution, no out of pocket healthcare?  No contribution, 100% salary pension after 20?  Take a 20% pay cut compared to your classmates from college?

Yeah, sign me up.

Preferences in loans and interest rates?  Everyone forgets this.

Lots of teacher discounts at eateries and bars.

Yet... the budgets are going up faster than inflation, more staff is being hired, classrooms sizes are going down.

Scores are stagnant.

Even all that I could forgive.

But since the public school teacher is the nexus point where children get their very first dose of woke...

Fuck each and every one of them with something sharp and dirty.

You Know

Bernie, I know the very idea of how Mr Musk got rich is alien to the way YOU got rich.

I've got a suggestion for EVERY multi-millionaire socialist out there who want to tax unto oblivion millionaires who've actually earned their fortunes:

Why don't you spend your own damn money on these social programs you're advocating?

I know that you aren't because you not only own more property than I do, but my entire net worth couldn't rent your garage for a month.

I tell you, nothing disgusts me more than a rich socialist.  Not even a child molester is so low.

Real SEAL Response

I shared my pic of my XM177E2 clone and the S&W 15 to Arfcom and got an interesting reply,

Each guy was still issued a stainless model 686 in the early 90's when I first got to the Teams.  Thank God they got rid of them!  The intention was that they were stainless and more resistant to corrosion.  

Down side was the geniuses in charge of acquisitions had no idea the level of asspain cleaning them was after being submerged in salt water (think side-plate removal for 16 Frogs just to get back in the water on a dive the next night) was compared to just rinsing and cleaning a P226. 

-AZ5326X2

Thinking about it, ayup.  There's so much more that's inaccessible in a revolver than a semi-auto.

Got The Codes Cleared

JT found 32 (!) stored codes on The Precious!

He cleared them and the light, briefly, went out.

Then came back on when I restarted the car.

Down to one code.

B1001.

This code sets when:

• The last 4 digits of the SDM (sensing and diagnostic module) part number does not match the last 4 digits stored in the BCM (body control module).
• The VIN stored in the BCM does not match that of the vehicle.

Yes, but what does that mean?

The diagnostics aid says, "This DTC is an indication that an incorrect SDM is installed in the vehicle, or that the SDM and/or the BCM were replaced without reprogramming the BCM with the new information."

DING!

This connector has been faulty for a good long time.  It's very likely that the SDM wasn't communicating when I had the BCM replaced and, thus, didn't get its number recorded during the BCM set up.

I feel better now!

Now I just need to find someone with a full Tech-2 and subscription to flash the SDM's information and all will be well.

Disappointed

Replaced the connector for the driver's seat airbag and seat-belt pretensioner on The Precious.

The light is still on and the service manual says it probably shouldn't be; but we've seen situations where you have to use the Tech-2 to clear the code before it clears despite the assurances of the book.

What Gun For Ants

 

I am not sure what gun is appropriate here, but I'm pretty sure that a snubby .38 isn't enough for Them.

I do know; I'd have my whatever gun I had out and shooting...  What have I to gain by saving ammo here?

Early Reports

I am coming to the idea that if the defense in a trial can use the evidence as presented by the prosecutor as their defense...

The defendant should never have been charged.

Sold Out

The Mosin-Crate apparently got in a shipment of FEG Hi-Powers.

They sold out in four days with a $399 price point.

He had about 60, as indicated in the vid.

I wonder if Tisas is up to speed with their clone yet.

It's How Things Work

Mr Willard is the generous benefactor who got me the center diamond style magna stocks for my Model 15.

After, of course, I'd put in a bid on some correct-for-the-gun-but-not-for-the-period no diamond stocks on ebay.

If he had not given me the diamond grips, I would have been outbid and had to keep dealing with the too-narrow, too-square "Smith & Wesson Factory Grips S&W K, L-Frame Square Butt Checkered Dymondwood" I got from Midway.

Since he did, I won the auction and will have a set of no-diamond stocks for a K frame without a K frame to put them on.

THIS IS DANGEROUS!  A Model 19 is a K frame...  I don't have a service size .357...

WHY GODS WHY!?!

Little Details

Finally got a genuine Peanut Butter Pietro Beretta magazine for my 1951.

Got an issue lanyard for it too!  Man, that's a shitty quality lanyard.

The pistol itself was an Israeli police gun once upon a time and I've seen pics of them using that self-same shitty lanyard.  Go figure.

The PB marked mag is a definite step up from the, by all appearances, Triple-K brand ones that came with the gun.

A Well Regulated Uterus

You can do something with your "more regulated than firearms" uterus that you can't do with a gun...

Keep it with you when you go to jail.

The Curse Of The SEALs In Vietnam Playtest

The XM177E2 clone is a genuine, registered short-barrel rifle.

The Model 15-3 has diamond magna grips to make it a clone of a period correct Model 15-2.

I have both of these guns because I'm a tactile type and became fascinated with them during my tenure a s a playtester for GURPS: SEALs in Vietnam.

Update: Bonus Pic!

Old Guns Modern Cartridge

 

EMF Hartford clone of a Winchester Model 1892 and a Taylor's Outlaw Legacy in .357 Magnum as befits a brace for The Lovely Harvey.

The lever wrap is a work in progress...

1873 Brace

 

An impossible combination historically.  The Winchester 1873 didn't get chambered for .45 Colt for a variety of reasons until very recently.

While both are models of 1873, the revolver is more appropriately from 1898 after being refurbished at Springfield National Armory.