Glove

Every single holster that I'd bought for my Glock 21 fits the M&P like it was made for it.

Which is odd because they're all fitted holsters for a G21.

I'm not going to complain, saves a couple bucks on holsters for it.

What A Deal For Gas

This is NOT a photoshop!

Hell of a price though!

Eight Years Of Jeb

I voted for Jeb Bush.  Twice.

I still think he was an outstanding Governor of Florida.

He did an excellent job of balancing the various factions and making a workable state government.

That did mean going against the base on a few issues, of course.

It's odd, but some of the properties that make a good governor I don't think would make a good president.

All of that is secondary to the high pitched whine we can expect from the MSM over a third Bush in office.

I think he was a bit too pragmatic to be allowed the Big Seat.  The unpopular conservative type decisions he made were most often forced, like cutting funding for schools because we have a balanced budget amendment.

I'll give him credit for prioritizing spending, but I don't think he's got the stones to cut funding where he isn't forced to.

And after two Bush presidencies where they didn't really support gun rights at all... I'd rather not risk it.  I want the next person I vote for president to be an enthusiastic gun owner and to wear a III hat to SHOT 2016.

Wait WHAT?

Image Copyright National Organization of Women.

Why is there an iron in the center of a woman's rights organization's logo?

White Power

Have YOU ever attended a White Power rally?

I have.

Did I attend because I was seeking fellow racists to share my feelings of racial superiority with?

No.

I attended because I was a conservative seeking fellow conservatives to share my feelings and ideas with.  They invited me because they'd heard what they wanted to hear about my feelings on the Randy Weaver situation.

And it was presented to me as a "meeting" of fellow conservatives.  In fact the people who invited me hid its true nature all the way up to the private sit down with the guy in charge where I learned it was the Jews using the blacks... something something.

Where I went wrong was trusting someone to be honest with me.  They weren't until the private sit-down.  Almost as if they knew that nearly everyone would not agree to attend unless some subterfuge was applied.  Almost as if they knew they were wrong and that they should be ashamed.

Mere attendance at a single rally is nothing to be condemned over, I've seen how you can be tricked into that initial meeting.  The proof is in continued attendance and support; the support portion is a lot harder to prove than the initial meet.

I remember feeling the same way about "have you ever attended a communist party meeting?" questions from the McCarthy era.  One meeting to see what's going on does not a joiner make.

Not About The Clothes

I read that Mark Zuckerburg only wears a gray t-shirt because that reduces the number of decisions he has to make everyday by one.

Goody for you, Mark.

Except you can get the exact same effect with a huge variety of shirts by simply not caring which one you wear next.

I know, my way doesn't sound edgy or cool; but it's the exact same number of decisions.

10mm ACP

Arfcom never fails to disappoint...

A guy wants an M&P semi-auto in 10mm.

He really wants 10mm, but doesn't like Glocks or 1911's...

The reply I didn't make:

I really like .600 Nitro but I don't like double rifles...

I really like .458 Win Mag, but I don't like bolt actions...

Sometimes your caliber choice dictates what's available and sometimes that's a bummer.

Maths

There are occasionally times when I'm thankful I was awake in a couple of my math classes.

Last night I asked, "is my rear sight centered?"

No.  It was not.  From the side of the frame to the base of the rear sight on the left side of the gun it measured 0.109" and from the right side it measured 0.083".

I could have moved the sight to the left and measured both sides until they matched, but I can haz maths!

The distance to center is one half the difference of the measurements.

(0.109" - 0.083") / 2 = 0.013"

The sight mover uses a 3/8-16 UNC thread pusher.  So every complete rotation of the screw is 1/16" of an inch or 0.0625".

0.0625 / 0.013 is 0.208 which means about 1/5 of a turn to move the sight where I needed it.

And you thought I wasn't listening, didn't you Mr Smalling?

Modern Indeed

The M&P is my very first firearm designed THIS century.

It feels funny.

Especially since the ammunition it fires is a full 100 years older than the gun...

Shootin'

Confirmed that I got the TruGlo sights on the Glock correctly.

Confirmed that the M&P 9 shot.

The little white plastic dealie in the front sight came out, leaving me with a two-dot sight...

TruGlo to the rescue!

Installation in the Glock was easier.  I borrowed Marv's sight tool for the rear and killed my brass punch on the front.  I finished the front with a steel punch, and because I have a deft hand no damage is evident.

Now Marv and I have near identical pistols.  His is newer so it's got the tighter rifling; plus he's got the Apex duty kit in his.

I tested mine with Hornady 135gr Critical Duty and 115gr Critical Defense.  As could be expected from the slow twist rate, the Critical Duty didn't group as well, but it grouped well enough that I wouldn't feel defenseless with a magazine full; it's just the 115gr grouped much better.

Critical Defense 115gr at the 10 and Critical Duty 135gr at the 9.  The lack of a dot on the front was goofing with my elevation aim for some odd reason.  115gr DOES group better, but I'd not call the heavier round inaccurate.  I did no testing with NATO spec 147 grain.

Harvey's pistol will soon have TruGlo sights as well, Marv's Christmas present to her.  SHHHHHH!  Don't tell her.

I don't think she reads the blog...

Related to Harvey's gun, the sear block housing I bought from Midway as insurance against mine being an early small sear spring gun...  It wouldn't fit in my gun since mine is after the change-over.  However, it should work in her gun, allowing us to self-install an Apex kit in her gun, should she want one.

I am on the fence with the Apex kit for me.  I shoot well enough without it; but I like the positive reset Marv has.

30 Day Hold

The counties to the south do everything they can to make buying a gun burdensome.

With a state level pre-emption on gun laws, that's not much.

But the little they do squeeze in borders on the retarded.

This is where the 30-day hold on used guns comes in.  It's using the "pawn hold" and taking it to its maximum allowed limit.  The intent was for any used goods being sold to a pawn shop, but the law reads that you can apply it to any used good sold to a business that will later be resold.

So if you sell a gun to a gun shop in Pinellas or Hillsborough county, the gun shop will have to sit on it for a month before they can sell it, ostensibly to allow for a thorough check to see if the gun was stolen.

Here's where the retarded starts.

An FFL has access to shipping methods that I don't.  Cheaper methods.

Some FFL's won't accept a firearm from a non-licensee either.

If you hand your gun to an FFL to ship for you, they've got to enter it into their bound book and note its disposition when they ship it out.  Legally, the ownership changes.

In Pinellas and Hillsborough, that triggers the wait.  It's the wording of the law that trips things up again a "sale" of $0 is still a sale.

Asthma Follow-Up

Blogger Brew And Burger

Met up with Dan at Tampa Bay Brewing Company for lunch, FuzzyGeff in tow.

Good hefeweizen.  Good burger.  Fun company.  Music piped in from the '80's making me think I needed to get back to home room or something!

Safe

My M&P 9 is the sku 206301.  What that means is it's a 9mm full size with normal sights, no internal lock, no magazine safety with thumb safety.

I got it because the praises sung on them were relentless and the price was rather good.

Marv and Harvey's guns are sku 209301; 9mm full size with normal sights, no internal lock, no magazine safety, no thumb safety.

Immediately after playing with mine Marv is proposing swapping the frames because he likes the peace of mind from having a thumb safety while I, being used to Glock, don't really care one way or another.

Except... I do care.  I didn't know until the moment swapping parts was suggested.  My gun came with a thumb safety, and it shall retain it!  Yes, it's silly.  If the gun I'd found in the pawn shop had no thumb safety, I'd have bought that one.  Heck, I'd have bought it with the internal lock and magazine disconnect (and removed them).

But I find I am passionate about retaining the thumb safety now that I have it.

Turns out Marv wanted a thumb safety enough to order parts as I mentioned here.

I am happy to report that his installation was successful!  And we forgot to take pictures.

The afternoon I got my gun, we immediately tore them apart to compare the guts.  I wanted to make sure I had the large sear return plunger.  We noticed that the sear housing block on both guns appeared to be identical.

Since the safety just blocks the trigger bar from moving and there was a recess for the safety's spring detent; it appeared to be a simple mod.

Remove the plugs from the frame, install the detent and spring in the sear block, install the safety with the block.

Done.

I could convert to a no-safety configuration just as simply.  I'd have to buy the little plugs for the frame, $3.10 each for aesthetics reasons.

Harvey's gun is an older version of 209301 with a plug where the internal lock would go and no slots in the frame for the manual safety (and thus no readily removable plugs).  This is because the manual safety wasn't added to the M&P until 2009 and her gun is a 2008.

Gifts

Marv got me radioactive materials for Christmas!

A set of TruGlo sights for my Gen2 Glock 17!

I've been envious of the sights he'd put on his M&P for a long time, so he figured I needed a set as well.

I think they're very neat sights.  There's a fiber optic section that gathers light from the top and presents the dots when there's light and in the dark the tritium (Genuine SWISS tritium!) shines through the fibers.

Installation was routine stuff.  Tapped out the depleted Meprolight sights with a brass punch and tapped in the new rear the same way.  Since I had an official GLOCK™®© front sight tool, short work was made of that tiny screw too.

Unrelated, Marv is exploring alternative uses for his night vision scope...

What could go wrong?

Merry Christmas!

Though I am not a Christian, I am still an American; and Americans do Christmas!

Subjective

If it's wrong to do something, it's wrong for anyone to do it.

It the wrong is dependent on the actor, then it's bigotry on the part of the observer and not the act itself.

The media is full of such dependent wrong.  The coverage of racism and sexism is their main forte.

White person who hates people of another color: BAD.

Black person who hates people of another color: GOOD.

Man who thinks he deserves a job he didn't get: SEXIST PIG.

Woman who thinks she deserves a job she didn't get: VICTIM.

Group of people who want a manger scene in a public square: VILE OPPRESSORS FORCING THEIR RELIGIOUS BELIEFS ON ALL OF US.

Group of people who oppose a manger scene in the public square:  PEOPLE FIGHTING FOR YOUR FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS!

And on and on and on...

It's Like Crossfit

How do you know someone doesn't like 6.8x43?

They tell you every chance they get.

The Bells! The Bells!

Am I the only person who wants to take a spray-bottle to the Salvation Army person and use to train them like a cat to NOT ring that headache inducing bell?

Arrived

FuzzyGeff is arrived!

Let the ever expanding spiral of destruction begin!

Some gun related adventure occurred at the airport.

Because you can't CCW into the terminal, I had to disarm before going in.  When I went to open my (lockable) glovebox, there was a crunching noise and a small shower of tan plastic parts.  But it opened!  I put my gun inside and closed it up and tried to open it again...

The latch just flopped limply.

Fuuuuuuuuuuuuu!

Now I'm pissed off and having to do one of my least favorite things, deal with throngs of people wandering around aimlessly chewing gum like cattle chews cud.  I loathe the airport.

The.

4.

G.

Signal.

At.

Saint.

Petersburg.

International.

Airport.

Is.

Slow.

So I am having a frustrating time of seeing if the problem with the latch is common (it is), how do you get the thing open with a broken latch (see below) and if there's any way to repair it (more than one option).  Corvette John managed to sooth me via vox while HE used a real computer to look up solutions.  Thanks! John!

The problem seems to be particularly common with cashmere interior (tan) cars.  The latch is genuine plastic (don't settle for imitation), a square stud on the side bears against a metal bar and the bar does the actual unlatching.

This is an intact latch (pic stolen from an Amazon ad selling them) GM p/n 15924033.  On the right side you can see a bit that looks like an 'E', that's the part that broke off.  The silver bar is what actually works the latch.

To get the box open again once that 'E' breaks off is simple, reach up in the latch recess with a pair of needle nose and pull down on the bar.

Once you have the box open there are two screws on the inside and you can remove the entire assembly.

Corvette John noticed, and I did too once I'd gotten home, that 'Vette people don't actually repair things, if they work on their own car at all.  They're remove and replace parts all the live long day.  I hate that solution because it's the second most expensive route and it sets you up for the exact same failure that just happened.  The vast majority of threads about this problem end with "took it to the dealer."

However, one fellow C6 owner is my hero!

TomZarbo's video on Photobucket

I skipped the hot glue because I don't think it's really needed.

Of course, I found this solution after I'd ordered a replacement latch assembly...

About That Blue Line

I'll be the downer.

I've talked about the cops numerous times.

I am in the odd position of not hating the police, but often finding myself hating what the police do.

I'm getting over my hang-up over the military look to my local deputy's uniforms because since the present sheriff took the job they've become leaps and bounds more cop-like in demeanor.  I can accept that compromise.

I've also said more than once that they are "the police" and not Officer Johnson to most people.

That whole uniform thing...  When you all dress alike you all look alike, it's deindividualizing.

The cops are an extension of The State and thus become a portion of a collective rather than an individual.

The shootings in NYF(spit)C  might be a good example of how the "thin blue line" covering up all manner of abuse and corruption for the "few" bad apples is making the "many" good apples targets.

It's a predictable consequence to it.  I've chattered around the edges of it a couple of times.

When A cop is bad ALL cops are bad to the people they're policing.  This is why when a bad cop is discovered ALL of the good cops MUST disown them publicly and loudly, because they serve the public; not the other way around.

To protect the bad officers is, at minimum, a disservice to the community they are sworn to protect and at worst a betrayal of the trust put in them.

Once the community has lost trust in the police, bad things happen.  Sometimes really bad things.

The ability to fix this problem is largely out of my hands.  Yet it can be fixed and my local sheriff has done a fair job of getting his deputies to be part of our community (even if the prick won't sign for some NFA items).

But even if your local police are paragons of virtue...  They will still interact with people from places where corruption is rife.  They will deal with "people" who've learned that the police are just another gang.

The bad apples affect the good far beyond their direct contact.  Time to be rid of them.  Perhaps the best way is to restore liability.

Used

Of the four M&P's that have come into my life, three have been used guns.

Marv's is the only one that was new.

Not that it's made one whit of difference because the three used guns weren't very used at all.

The Lovely Harvey's M&P 357 was a 2013 made gun and had some brass traces on the slide showing that it'd been shot.  May the thief burn in Hell.

The 2008 made M&P 9 we replaced it with doesn't even have the bluing worn off the barrel hood.  If fifty rounds had gone through it before I test fired it that was all that it'd fired.

My recent acquisition of a 2011 made M&P 9 is also nearly unfired.

Doesn't anyone go shooting anymore?

I can't find the exact quote but Tam once said something to the effect that you could make a gun that turns to dust immediately after firing the 100th round and 95% of gun owners would never know.

Someone paid full tare on three of these guns, took them to the range once and decided, "not for me thanks."  Their short ownership didn't keep them from losing parts though.  The now stolen gun was missing the small backstrap.  Mine is missing everything from the box but the spare magazine (yet they still had the box) and the small strap was on the gun.

As an aside, because Harvey prefers the small strap I had to buy one separately and losing that part along with the gun actually hurt us worse than the loss of the gun.  I got it special for HER and now it's gone.

It's got me wondering.  When I was looking to own a Glock 17 again, most of the guns I looked at were rode hard and put away wet.  I accepted a fair amount of wear to have a Gen2 gun that wasn't priced like a new Gen4.

Is the M&P one of those guns you either love or hate instantly?  I know I was pretty ambivalent about them until I took Harvey's for it's function check.

Another aside:  To Ravenclaw Eric, this is the most ambidextrous pistol I've ever had, you can even swap the magazine release for sinister purposes.

Gun Videos

Asthma seems to be a common gunsmith ailment.

"Take your GASP punch and GASP remove the GASP roll pin."

On Kool Aid

This recent post. was my feeble attempt to talk myself out of buying it.

Damn me for doing all the research I did on these guns.

As long as it was an epic pain in the ass to put an Apex kit into the gun, I was safe.  Since it's the later revision of the sear housing block; I was doomed.

DOOOOOOOOMED!

Completely unrelated.

Yesterday I got to use my once a decade, "husband was right!" card.

Vocabulary

When I was learning the engineering-lite that comes with drafting and machine design a phrase that stuck but hard is "counter-intuitive".

I'm willing to bet that neither of my readers needs that explained to them, but just in case...

It's when the common sense or apparently logical conclusion is flat wrong.  In drafting that means that you have to do (spit) math to see the answer.

I found a related term that I think sums up so much liberal policy.

Meretricious.

Apparently attractive but having in reality no value or integrity.  It's also, archaically, "of, relating to, or characteristic of a prostitute."

I think of meretricious every time I hear the term "media whore."

Backstrap

The M&P has a changeable backstrap.

The Lovely Harvey and Marv prefer the small.

I think I like the medium.

Fellow M&P owners, what size do you prefer?

Decades Of Wonder Nine

There's almost 80 years of progress in materials science here; but that old Browning Grand Puissance's method of unlocking the barrel is still used on the M&P9.

I Have Drunk Of The Kool-Aid

It's grape!

SKU 206301, made on 28OCT11 according the the codes on the box.  That means it should have the large spring and plunger and that means that I can self install an Apex trigger should I decide it needs one.

Compared to Marv's Apex equipped M&P 9 the reset is vague.  Compared to my Hi-Power, it's crisp and positive.

The placement and feel of the safety also reminds me of the Browning.

Range report to come.  Once again I have the same gun as The Lovely Harvey.  Once again it's a Smith and Wesson.

Update:

We took it apart and confirmed the larger sear plunger and spring.

Marv took his apart and we've discovered that our sear housing blocks are identical.  This is handy because he's decided that he wants a thumb safety.  Speed Shooter Specialties carries the parts he needs to convert his gun, for a mere $20.  Luckily enough, his gun is a later frame with little plugs where the safety exits the frame.

Something

Something that dramatically reduces the allure of the M&P 9 at the local pawn shop is that manual safety guns with the small diameter sear spring cannot be self-upgraded to use the Apex trigger kits.  You have to send it to them for the work and that's a bit more money and a lot more headache.

The kit I'd want is $110.  The service is $185 plus shipping and handling, which thanks to the ATF regulations is significant, between $110 and $160.  So $300 to $350 on top of a $400 gun...

I can get a newer M&P that already has the larger sear spring and the kit for less.  Or a NEW one that's current production which doesn't seem to need the Apex kits so desperately.  Edit to add: Found the same model (206301) with a 2013 manufacture date on Gunbroker for $489 buy it now.  $489 + $25 s/h + $30 transfer + $110 kit is...  $654 for this with the Apex, compared to $700-$750 on the pawn-shop gun.  Edit to add even more: A local dealer has an M&P 9 Pro Series (which I hear basically comes stock with an Apex trigger) for a mere $529.  Far cheaper than modifying.

The main problem is that Smith and Wesson doesn't sell the sear housing block for the guns with manual safeties.  There is a rumor on a couple of forums that the current revision of p/n 390900000 works with the manual safety.  I do not know, but I've ordered one from Midway to have a look at the right side of the block.  If it uses the small pin ejector and has a rectangular cavity for the safety plunger, it might just work.

The reason for the rumor is that the M&P 45, where the thumb safety is more common, switched over to a common housing for all the non-internal lock variations.

On the gripping hand, the stock trigger is not really that different from my Hi-Power and I shoot that rather well.  The Lovely Harvey's new gun appears to have such a stock trigger.

Sight

Testing The Lovely Harvey's new M&P also marks the first time I've gone to the range with my prescription glasses.

Being able to clearly see the target is actually a plus for accurate shooting.

Who knew?

It took me a long time to admit that my eyesight was subject to the aging process...

Is Gun Is Not Safe

Replacing The Lovely Harvey's M&P and checking all the pawn and gun shops around here for the missing one has me really looking hard at all the variety of safeties you can get with one.

You can get no safety at all.  Which is what Marv and Harvey have.

You can get a manual safety that works like a 1911 or Hi Power.

You can get a magazine disconnect.

You can get an internal lock.

After disabling the internal lock on my 640-3 I think we know where I stand on those things.

I was the proud owner of a Gen1 Glock 17 way back in 1988 and have had a Glock 21 since 1992; so you can see I am OK with no safety at all.  Owning the 640 also shows this since it's got no safety either.

Being a 1911 owner means you can see I am OK with manual safeties.

Being an HP owner means that I can cope with both the manual and magazine disconnect.

Many of the .25's come with magazine disconnects too.

In the HP's case, the disconnect makes the trigger pull kinda gritty.

Willard and I had a discussion about it and we came out ambivalent.

I am not going to seek out a gun that has a magazine disconnect because I must have that feature.  As long as the disconnect doesn't hurt the trigger pull, I tend to not care if its there.  So far the HP is the only gun where the disconnect hurts the pull where I've kept it.

I got the HP to have an HP, which means warts and all.

Which combination of safeties boils down to personal choices that won't be the same for everyone.  Willard does maintain that he's right and disagreeing means you're wrong.  I think he's kidding.  Maybe.

Regardless you've got to get familiar with the gun you have and the safeties it's equipped with.

Out Of Pawn Jail

The Lovely Harvey's new gun to replace that which was stolen.

I put 33 rounds and Marv put 17 rounds of PMC Bronze 115gr JHP through it (his are at the 5 on the neck) at 7 yards.  My first 17 are at the head and the last 16 at the chest.  It's definitely different from a Glock, and I think I like it!

One of the local pawn shops has an M&P 9 with the manual safety for $400 too...  Dammit!  I need another gun like I need a hole in my head.  WANT is another matter entirely, of course.  The recent sale of my 03A3 technically means there are funds that could be used for such a purchase.

The problem really is that I kind of like having the money laying around.

Decisions decisions.

Someday

Some day we're going to look back and exclaim how useful computers used to be.

We'll mourn that things take six to eight weeks and all records are on paper exclusively again.

Because at least someone has to physically break into the building to access paper records and you can hire a dog to bite them while they're in there.

This Is Why Most Characters Have No Parents

"You're doing what? Going to fight a dragon? Oh, no you're not - you could get killed! You're going to sit right here while I make some cookies and run you a nice warm bath!"

David Morgan Marr at his commentary best.

Crunch

I gravitated towards games like Traveller then GURPS because they tended to be crunchier than AD&D.

Traveller was science fiction and reasonably internally consistent; with a huge body of fans poking holes (and patching them as fast as they poked).

GURPS introduced the reality check to the rules.  If the rules and reality disagree, go with reality.

The appeal of the reality check really comes from one player.

We were playing Twilight 2000 and I decided that I'd attempt to railroad one player to contrive a scenario where the other players would rescue him.

It required that he be overwhelmed by the opposition by sheer numbers once his rifle had run out of ammo or jammed.  He rolled a critical failure and his gun jammed.

Thinking things were going well, I get ready to tell him about his capture... and he says he takes out his other gun.

Did I mention that both his jammed gun and the other gun are M16A2s?

I grumble a bit, but we continue the fight.  I have unlimited mooks so I can wait him out on ammo.  He gets another jam and again draws a fresh M16A2!

You can't do that, I attempt to rule.

"Show me the rule that says I can't," he replies.

Putting aside the "The GM is always right" Rule Zero... with the rules as written, he's well within the constraints of the encumbrance system (even with the FIVE M16A2s he's packing).

We stopped playing T2K right after that.

Not Working

I have something to post until I hit the post button.

Once the screen I am typing on appears, it evaporates.

It's like trying to recall a dream.

I have the impression of a post, but not the words.

Get Well Soon!

Dr Jerry Pournelle has had a mild stroke.

He appears to be recovering and the prognosis is positive at present.

Shocked!

I am noticing two basic responses from non-liberals to the outgoing Congress' Republican arm caving in on the cromnibus.

First is shock, SHOCK! that they'd do this after receiving a clear mandate from the voters in November.

Second is a weary, "we tried to tell you that's how they are..."

I think I am going to join the weary and accept that it can't be changed.

New Machine Guns

The Firearms Blog had a bit of a spat over someone using my unerring ability to say what they wanted to say in exactly the wrong way for their meaning to be conveyed.  They apologized for not seeing how it would be taken.

A sore spot among many people who can't afford a pre-86 MG is the feeling that those who can are actively working to prevent anything which would post-86 guns to be "freely" transferred.

As bumbling as NFATCA was over what leads to rulemaking 41P...  Jury's still out.

But what would happen to the value of those pre-86 guns?

On a lot of them, the value is going to plummet.  No way around it.

Guns made from parts kits will probably be affected.  They're not original at all.  No real provenance.

Completely original guns are likely to remain valuable as will guns with famous provenance.

I think the guns most affected will be the AR15.  I've recently seen conversions from semi-auto going for $25,000.  Such a gun is not really any more valuable than an ordinary semi-automatic AR if you can do your own Form 1; perhaps a few hundred more just in the saved effort.

$25,000 to (maybe) $2,000 is a heck of a hit.

The $16,000 for a registered drop in auto-sear will evaporate like a fart in the wind.  There isn't but $100 worth of professional machining in one of those; and you don't even need that level of skill to crank one out.

The Lightning Link will take a hit like that too.

People who bought MGs as investments probably are working against any change to the status quo that increases the supply of transferables.  People who bought MGs because COOL! are, I think, a lot more likely to be willing to take the depreciation because more MGs means more COOL! for them as well as everyone else.

There's something we can do to test the devaluation hypothesis.  Amnesty.  There's bound to be guns made right before an amnesty that are made just for such an event that don't exist now.  It'd be a good gauge of the pent-up demand as well.

Kinda related, I wonder if a case could be made that all pre-86 MG's are Curio and Relic.

Because...

Any other firearms that derive a substantial part of their monetary value from the fact that they are novel, rare, bizarre, or because of their association with some historical figure, period, or event. Proof of qualification of a particular firearm under this category requires evidence of present value and evidence that like firearms are not available except as collector's items, or that the value of like firearms available in ordinary commercial channels is substantially less.

Compare the price of a transferrable M16A2 to what a police force would pay.

Dammit!

Dave Trampier is dead.

Been dead since March.

That sucks.