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31 March 2019
Third Time's The Charm
Things you have to remember and check when replacing the radiator on a 1996 Corvette.
When you've pulled the lower radiator hose to flush it after the first run to temp... tighten the hose clamp. The hose will not stay on by friction alone. At 190˚ it will pop off.
When you tighten that clamp... Make sure it's actually tightening on the nipple of the radiator... or it will pop at 190˚...
Mistakes like this will cost you a gallon of pre-mixed DexCool® coolant per pop.
I guess the good thing is we got two extra flushes to make sure all the tap-water was out and replaced with the 50/50 mix.
All's well that ends well...
When you've pulled the lower radiator hose to flush it after the first run to temp... tighten the hose clamp. The hose will not stay on by friction alone. At 190˚ it will pop off.
When you tighten that clamp... Make sure it's actually tightening on the nipple of the radiator... or it will pop at 190˚...
Mistakes like this will cost you a gallon of pre-mixed DexCool® coolant per pop.
I guess the good thing is we got two extra flushes to make sure all the tap-water was out and replaced with the 50/50 mix.
All's well that ends well...
30 March 2019
Because We Said So
Over and over in the Duncan v Becerra decision Judge Benitez mentions, then dismisses, California's argument.
What argument?
California essentially asserts, repeatedly, "because we said so" as the reason for the magazine ban.
Judge Benitez spends pages explaining why this just isn't so from every angle.
It's exhilarating!
It's also laying the groundwork to survive first California's appeal to the 9th Circuit and then the inevitable en banc hearing of the 9th.
Knowing the bone-heads at the 9th when all combined en banc, we'll be awaiting The Supreme Court to deny certiorari and continue to ignore the 2nd.
Or...
Well, California is shitting all over both Heller rulings and MacDonald. The USSC doesn't like it when lower courts shit on their rulings. Never have.
One of the surest ways to get a case cert is where their rulings are being blatantly ignored.
Judge Benitez is doing a great job of showing that.
California is in a rough place. If they appeal to 9th Circuit there's a good chance that it will go to SCOTUS and then see all magazine restrictions killed nationally... or let it stand in the Southern District of California.
Letting it stand would pretty much kill magazine bans for the rest of the state because nothing spreads in US jurisprudence like precedent.
What argument?
California essentially asserts, repeatedly, "because we said so" as the reason for the magazine ban.
Judge Benitez spends pages explaining why this just isn't so from every angle.
It's exhilarating!
It's also laying the groundwork to survive first California's appeal to the 9th Circuit and then the inevitable en banc hearing of the 9th.
Knowing the bone-heads at the 9th when all combined en banc, we'll be awaiting The Supreme Court to deny certiorari and continue to ignore the 2nd.
Or...
Well, California is shitting all over both Heller rulings and MacDonald. The USSC doesn't like it when lower courts shit on their rulings. Never have.
One of the surest ways to get a case cert is where their rulings are being blatantly ignored.
Judge Benitez is doing a great job of showing that.
California is in a rough place. If they appeal to 9th Circuit there's a good chance that it will go to SCOTUS and then see all magazine restrictions killed nationally... or let it stand in the Southern District of California.
Letting it stand would pretty much kill magazine bans for the rest of the state because nothing spreads in US jurisprudence like precedent.
29 March 2019
Well Dammit
Hoser has gone.
I didn't actually meet him, but saw him in person once.
My "uncle" Ben pointed him out and said, "That's the guy from that book you were reading."
I didn't actually meet him, but saw him in person once.
My "uncle" Ben pointed him out and said, "That's the guy from that book you were reading."
28 March 2019
A Reminder
If you're a veteran, S&W is giving you a rebate if you bought new between Jan 1, 2019 and April 30, 2019 on select models.
Click here to see the details.
The already discounted M&P-9 Shield was worth $40 back on a pre-paid card.
Click here to see the details.
The already discounted M&P-9 Shield was worth $40 back on a pre-paid card.
The Constant Pecking Might Have Done Some Good
Florida HB 7093 was advanced on 3-21 by the Education Committee and my representative voted for it.
She might just be learning.
She might just be learning.
Old Flame
Unrequited love of an old flame.
ATI mentioned they were getting into the Galil game at SHOT.
Brownell's is stocking them.
I've a long running lust for a Galil.
It runs back to 7th grade and getting my first copy of TSR's Top Secret where it's listed as ".22 Galil semi-automatic (Israel)" and only holds 10 shots.
That led me to grab the correct volume of my Weapons and Warfare books and look up this mystery gun. Damn it looked cool!
When I got out of the Army I started looking to buy one.
Prices were always just out of reach, and kept climbing ahead of my income where the price of a Mini-14 stayed steady. I learned that you cannot make a Galil from a Mini-14.
And this was just with the effects of Bush Sr's "assault weapon" import ban.
The Clinton AWB changed the price inflation to either logarithmic or exponential progression on the fixed supply and dramatically increased demand.
There prices have remained, so it's amazing to see a Galil for a "just" over a grand!
That's Century Golani Sporter territory!
With Mosin 91/30s running $300, maybe it's time to start selling some of the old guns?
ATI mentioned they were getting into the Galil game at SHOT.
Brownell's is stocking them.
I've a long running lust for a Galil.
It runs back to 7th grade and getting my first copy of TSR's Top Secret where it's listed as ".22 Galil semi-automatic (Israel)" and only holds 10 shots.
That led me to grab the correct volume of my Weapons and Warfare books and look up this mystery gun. Damn it looked cool!
When I got out of the Army I started looking to buy one.
Prices were always just out of reach, and kept climbing ahead of my income where the price of a Mini-14 stayed steady. I learned that you cannot make a Galil from a Mini-14.
And this was just with the effects of Bush Sr's "assault weapon" import ban.
The Clinton AWB changed the price inflation to either logarithmic or exponential progression on the fixed supply and dramatically increased demand.
There prices have remained, so it's amazing to see a Galil for a "just" over a grand!
That's Century Golani Sporter territory!
With Mosin 91/30s running $300, maybe it's time to start selling some of the old guns?
Busy And Unproductive
Been harping at the staffers of my state congress creatures.
My state senator's staff is definitely saying the right things.
My rep... Her staff seems to be confused about some things and clear on others.
They're really baffled that I am against changes to the gun laws that don't actually affect me.
"Why do you care if you're over 21 and have a carry permit?" they ask.
"You represent people under 21 who don't have permits, why don't you care?" I reply.
The dance continues...
I need to check to see how they're voting in committee.
My state senator's staff is definitely saying the right things.
My rep... Her staff seems to be confused about some things and clear on others.
They're really baffled that I am against changes to the gun laws that don't actually affect me.
"Why do you care if you're over 21 and have a carry permit?" they ask.
"You represent people under 21 who don't have permits, why don't you care?" I reply.
The dance continues...
I need to check to see how they're voting in committee.
If I'd But Known
This being in constant pain from the lingering effects of my military service...
Well it sucks.
It's exhausting, in fact.
I zoned out and crashed very early only to be wakened by my screaming hips.
I busted my shins, but apparently the effect on my gait has killed my hips too.
I have a wonderful topical pain med that works fast, but doesn't last very long.
Hopefully I will stay down now.
I am hating how slow the appeal to the VA for an increase in my disability runs. While it won't make me physically any better, more money would make it easier to bear.
A high enough percentage might even save money in other areas if I cross certain thresholds for care that's not service connected.
Well it sucks.
It's exhausting, in fact.
I zoned out and crashed very early only to be wakened by my screaming hips.
I busted my shins, but apparently the effect on my gait has killed my hips too.
I have a wonderful topical pain med that works fast, but doesn't last very long.
Hopefully I will stay down now.
I am hating how slow the appeal to the VA for an increase in my disability runs. While it won't make me physically any better, more money would make it easier to bear.
A high enough percentage might even save money in other areas if I cross certain thresholds for care that's not service connected.
27 March 2019
Still Going
Palmetto has extended their sale on the 9mm Shield again, and have been doing so literally daily since I notice the sale.
If you want a damn good pocket 9mm, for a great price; I'd hit it while you still can.
If you want a damn good pocket 9mm, for a great price; I'd hit it while you still can.
26 March 2019
Service Life
Another consideration for the fun factor of an F-8 would be when it was available.
The F-8A entered service in 1957 and by 1966 it was deemed that there weren't enough to be remanufactured into F-8M.
The F-8B entered service in 1958. Beginning in 1965, 63 were rebuilt to F-8L standard and remained in service until 1976.
The F-8C entered service in 1959. Beginning in 1965, 87 were rebuilt to F-8K standard and remained in service until 1976.
The F-8D entered service in 1961. Beginning in 1967, 89 were rebuilt to F-8H standard and remained in US service until 1973. 35 F-8H were transferred to the Philippines as F-8P in 1977 and served until 1991.
The F-8E entered service in 1962. Beginning in 1968, 136 were rebuilt to F-8J standard and remained in service until 1976.
The French F-8E(FN) entered service in 1964. Starting in 1982 the remaining 17 planes were upgraded to a different F-8P standard than the Philippines, with the 'P' meaning Prolonge. These planes held on to 1999, but had not been used operationally since 1991.
I'm thinking since the F-8E, F-8J and French Crusaders are all closely related that a 4 variant pack might work best if one were to make an F8U module.
The F-8A entered service in 1957 and by 1966 it was deemed that there weren't enough to be remanufactured into F-8M.
The F-8B entered service in 1958. Beginning in 1965, 63 were rebuilt to F-8L standard and remained in service until 1976.
The F-8C entered service in 1959. Beginning in 1965, 87 were rebuilt to F-8K standard and remained in service until 1976.
The F-8D entered service in 1961. Beginning in 1967, 89 were rebuilt to F-8H standard and remained in US service until 1973. 35 F-8H were transferred to the Philippines as F-8P in 1977 and served until 1991.
The F-8E entered service in 1962. Beginning in 1968, 136 were rebuilt to F-8J standard and remained in service until 1976.
The French F-8E(FN) entered service in 1964. Starting in 1982 the remaining 17 planes were upgraded to a different F-8P standard than the Philippines, with the 'P' meaning Prolonge. These planes held on to 1999, but had not been used operationally since 1991.
I'm thinking since the F-8E, F-8J and French Crusaders are all closely related that a 4 variant pack might work best if one were to make an F8U module.
NATOPS
It turns out I have the NATOPS manual for the F-8D and F-8E.
A tidbit that turned out to be amazingly hard to find was if the F-8E's post-SHOEHORN chaff dispenser was actually an AN/ALE-29.
It is.
In the cockpit you get a narrow little panel on the right, just under the hook control and a friendly red anodized button on the left wall at the canopy rail, just outboard of the landing checklist placard.
These are what you use to fire off chaff. Theoretically, you could fire flares too, but...
The friendly red button pops a single cartridge from one of the two 30-shot dispensers, using the FWD/AFT/OFF switch on the other panel to choose which dispenser. If you run one dry, it will start using the other automatically.
The narrow panel, in addition to having the FWD/AFT/OFF switch has the counters for how many cartridges are left and an AUTOFIRE button.
This is where it gets fun and complicated.
In the starboard wheel well is a panel where you can select how many bursts will be fired per stab of the AUTOFIRE button, how long between bursts and if each burst is a single or double shot. Notice that you really cannot change these settings in flight, what with the landing gear being retracted and all that wind and all.
You can select 6 to 36 bursts with a delay of 1 to 10 seconds between them.
It starts with the forward dispenser and when that one runs out, uses the aft.
Since you only have 60 total shots, you can run out very fast with autofire.
My manual says you can load them with Mk. 46 or MJU-8/B flares or RR-129 or RR-144 chaff.
Mk. 46 flares are magnesium-teflon and burn real good! Safety hazard good because they use a lanyard to light.
MJU-8/B flares are identical to the Mk. 46 but have a different burn time.
RR-129 covers 2-18 GHz.
RR-144 is a training chaff round that doesn't fuck with the FAA.
Now about using flares... In 1966 when this was added to the plane, IR missiles weren't really a threat. They were much more concerned with radar guided missiles over charming vacations spots like Hanoi.
The thing is, flares were developed for the AN/ALE-29.
The simple way to have both is to fill one with flares and the other with chaff and select the dispenser loaded with the one you want to use.
Again, in theory, you could load the dispenser bucket in any order you want, including alternating the types.
A tidbit that turned out to be amazingly hard to find was if the F-8E's post-SHOEHORN chaff dispenser was actually an AN/ALE-29.
It is.
In the cockpit you get a narrow little panel on the right, just under the hook control and a friendly red anodized button on the left wall at the canopy rail, just outboard of the landing checklist placard.
These are what you use to fire off chaff. Theoretically, you could fire flares too, but...
The friendly red button pops a single cartridge from one of the two 30-shot dispensers, using the FWD/AFT/OFF switch on the other panel to choose which dispenser. If you run one dry, it will start using the other automatically.
The narrow panel, in addition to having the FWD/AFT/OFF switch has the counters for how many cartridges are left and an AUTOFIRE button.
This is where it gets fun and complicated.
In the starboard wheel well is a panel where you can select how many bursts will be fired per stab of the AUTOFIRE button, how long between bursts and if each burst is a single or double shot. Notice that you really cannot change these settings in flight, what with the landing gear being retracted and all that wind and all.
You can select 6 to 36 bursts with a delay of 1 to 10 seconds between them.
It starts with the forward dispenser and when that one runs out, uses the aft.
Since you only have 60 total shots, you can run out very fast with autofire.
My manual says you can load them with Mk. 46 or MJU-8/B flares or RR-129 or RR-144 chaff.
Mk. 46 flares are magnesium-teflon and burn real good! Safety hazard good because they use a lanyard to light.
MJU-8/B flares are identical to the Mk. 46 but have a different burn time.
RR-129 covers 2-18 GHz.
RR-144 is a training chaff round that doesn't fuck with the FAA.
Now about using flares... In 1966 when this was added to the plane, IR missiles weren't really a threat. They were much more concerned with radar guided missiles over charming vacations spots like Hanoi.
The thing is, flares were developed for the AN/ALE-29.
The simple way to have both is to fill one with flares and the other with chaff and select the dispenser loaded with the one you want to use.
Again, in theory, you could load the dispenser bucket in any order you want, including alternating the types.
Thag Want Lurn
Been reading about DCS World.
That sure is neat. I do love a good flight sim.
I also love me the F-8 Crusader.
Since the game is modular, in theory one could make their own plane module and offer it up for sale.
I don't know how, but I might have enough friends to bootstrap it.
But which version to get stupid detailed about? The most numerous version?
218 F8U-1 were made, redesignated to F-8A in 1962.
130 F8U-1E were made, redesignated to F-8B in 1962. 63 were rebuilt into F-8L
187 F8U-2 were made, redesignated to F-8C in 1962. 87 were rebuilt into F-8K.
152 F8U-2N were made, redesignated to F-8D in 1962. 89 were rebuilt into F-8H.
286 F8U-2NE were made, redesignated to F-8E in 1962. 136 were rebuilt into F-8J.
I think the F-8E is the winner here. Bigger radar than earlier version, more air-to-ground capability thanks to the wing pylons, approach power compensator to make landing easier...
The "big" question is whether to make it the post-66 Project SHOEHORN model with the AN/ALQ-51 ECM and AN/ALE-29 chaff dispensers. Lose some cannon ammo though.
That sure is neat. I do love a good flight sim.
I also love me the F-8 Crusader.
Since the game is modular, in theory one could make their own plane module and offer it up for sale.
I don't know how, but I might have enough friends to bootstrap it.
But which version to get stupid detailed about? The most numerous version?
218 F8U-1 were made, redesignated to F-8A in 1962.
130 F8U-1E were made, redesignated to F-8B in 1962. 63 were rebuilt into F-8L
187 F8U-2 were made, redesignated to F-8C in 1962. 87 were rebuilt into F-8K.
152 F8U-2N were made, redesignated to F-8D in 1962. 89 were rebuilt into F-8H.
286 F8U-2NE were made, redesignated to F-8E in 1962. 136 were rebuilt into F-8J.
I think the F-8E is the winner here. Bigger radar than earlier version, more air-to-ground capability thanks to the wing pylons, approach power compensator to make landing easier...
The "big" question is whether to make it the post-66 Project SHOEHORN model with the AN/ALQ-51 ECM and AN/ALE-29 chaff dispensers. Lose some cannon ammo though.
Daylight Gun
The M1909 Benét-Mercié was known as a "daylight gun" because the feed strip needs to be "just-so" to be successfully inserted into the feedway.
GURPS gives this a reload time of (5), or five seconds to insert a new feed strip of 30 rounds into the gun.
Gun stats in GURPS are an odd mix of best case and worst case assumptions.
Accuracy and skill assume the worst conditions.
Reloading appears to assume optimal conditions.
Gate loaded revolvers is someplace this shows clearly. The Single Action Army has a reload time of 5i, or five seconds per shot. This is putting it at half-cock, opening the gate, dumping the empties, putting in fresh cartridges and closing the gate. Try it! Now try it with your ammo in a gun-belt.
How to simulate the reality?
The rules have footnotes in them that have more detailed loading times that account for obtaining each round individually and how many actions it takes.
But not for strip or belt feed nor does it account for difficult actions, like the Hotchkiss.
Again, we have a rule in the main skill section. Gunner/TL is a DX based skill normally. The rules mention rolling against a different stat as circumstances might require. So, rolling against your Gunner/TL skill against IQ might be what we want here. My potential house rule would be: A failure adds 1d-1 seconds to your reload time. A crit fail adds 5d seconds to the reload.
The detail and realism oriented GM will have to learn about individual guns and make notes available to the players about this.
Most of us just use the numbers in the table.
GURPS gives this a reload time of (5), or five seconds to insert a new feed strip of 30 rounds into the gun.
Gun stats in GURPS are an odd mix of best case and worst case assumptions.
Accuracy and skill assume the worst conditions.
Reloading appears to assume optimal conditions.
Gate loaded revolvers is someplace this shows clearly. The Single Action Army has a reload time of 5i, or five seconds per shot. This is putting it at half-cock, opening the gate, dumping the empties, putting in fresh cartridges and closing the gate. Try it! Now try it with your ammo in a gun-belt.
How to simulate the reality?
The rules have footnotes in them that have more detailed loading times that account for obtaining each round individually and how many actions it takes.
But not for strip or belt feed nor does it account for difficult actions, like the Hotchkiss.
Again, we have a rule in the main skill section. Gunner/TL is a DX based skill normally. The rules mention rolling against a different stat as circumstances might require. So, rolling against your Gunner/TL skill against IQ might be what we want here. My potential house rule would be: A failure adds 1d-1 seconds to your reload time. A crit fail adds 5d seconds to the reload.
The detail and realism oriented GM will have to learn about individual guns and make notes available to the players about this.
Most of us just use the numbers in the table.
24 March 2019
Geometry
I noticed, but forgot to mention, that the M&P-9 and the M&P-9 Shield have identical geometry between the trigger and grip.
Same reach, same angles, same trigger guard. The Shield is, obviously, narrower, but it feels very similar to my hand.
It made transitioning to the smaller gun a lot easier.
Same reach, same angles, same trigger guard. The Shield is, obviously, narrower, but it feels very similar to my hand.
It made transitioning to the smaller gun a lot easier.
I Am Not A Lawyer
Reading this post at The Firearm Blog:
It occurs to me that the plaintiff's case is invalid because the murderer didn't purchase the gun in question.
His mother, who killed no one and was murdered for the weapon used, is the person whom the marketing affected.
The perpetrator used his mother's guns because those were the guns available to him, not because Bushmaster was marketing them as the perfect kid killer.
It occurs to me that the plaintiff's case is invalid because the murderer didn't purchase the gun in question.
His mother, who killed no one and was murdered for the weapon used, is the person whom the marketing affected.
The perpetrator used his mother's guns because those were the guns available to him, not because Bushmaster was marketing them as the perfect kid killer.
Teachers Get Wrong Take-Away
To demonstrate what "cowering and hoping" would get them in an active shooter situation, the deputies sprayed the teachers down with airsoft guns.
The teachers learned nothing.
They're currently complaining about how it hurt and traumatized them.
To the point that the sheriff is going to stop the shooting part of the active shooter drills.
Hey, teacher, did you feel powerless? Did it hurt?
Good. That was supposed to teach you to do something other than cower in fear and the pain is supposed to reinforce the lesson.
Much like the gas chamber in basic. Better to learn to use and trust your gear with CS than VX.
Better to get shot with an airsoft pellet and get a welt than to end up dead.
I want to see one of these exercises where a teacher is given an airsoft pistol the cops don't know about and see how the exercise changes. It might change some minds.
The teachers learned nothing.
They're currently complaining about how it hurt and traumatized them.
To the point that the sheriff is going to stop the shooting part of the active shooter drills.
Hey, teacher, did you feel powerless? Did it hurt?
Good. That was supposed to teach you to do something other than cower in fear and the pain is supposed to reinforce the lesson.
Much like the gas chamber in basic. Better to learn to use and trust your gear with CS than VX.
Better to get shot with an airsoft pellet and get a welt than to end up dead.
I want to see one of these exercises where a teacher is given an airsoft pistol the cops don't know about and see how the exercise changes. It might change some minds.
23 March 2019
In The Red Corner
Marv brought up his SIG P365 to compare with the S&W M&P9 Shield.
As you can see, they're of a size. The Shield barely peeks past if you line up the triggers.
We have no problems to report with either gun with any ammunition we've tried so far.
With aluminum casedRemington Federal Champion 115gr FMJ I shot like this:
Marv shot like this.
Brass cased Remington 115gr FMJ from me:
From Marv:
With a 10+1 capacity, the average raw damage from the SIG is 88. With 12+1 it jumps to 104.
We have no problems to report with either gun with any ammunition we've tried so far.
With aluminum cased
 |
| P365 on left. Shield on right. |
Brass cased Remington 115gr FMJ from me:
With a 10+1 capacity, the average raw damage from the SIG is 88. With 12+1 it jumps to 104.
Rage Quit
There was a YouTuber called CarniKcon.
He made shooting videos which were frenetic and humorous, but devoid of any meat in the content.
His videos were also one-note things. Once you figured out the shtick on one, you had the fullness of it.
I was happy when he went away and people stopped linking to the silliness.
InRange, on the other hand, appears to have found him endlessly amusing and has partnered with him more than once.
Because I was paying them a small amount on Patreon, I thought that I'd offer my thoughts about not-liking that kind of content and it not being what I was paying for. On Facebook.
The rabid fanbois told me I had no right to complain and since my contribution was insignificant, I wasn't really paying for anything.
Since I am not really paying for anything, why waste the money?
When I cancelled my Patreon support, I said why. Karl, from InRange, commented in the Facebook thread, cited that thread was why I'd cancelled my support, thanked me for the support and LITERALLY shrugged. He doesn't care. The fanbois were correct, I didn't matter.
Ian from Forgotten Weapons is also Ian from InRange. I cannot in good conscience support him at Forgotten Weapons for fear that the all-too-fungible money I donate finds its way into InRange's coffers.
But I don't matter, so this will have no effect. On them. Not unless a lot of people read this and say, "let the CarniKcon fanbois support them, I'm out!" But since my total readership is not "a lot of people" I doubt they're even going to notice. Not any more than McDonalds has noticed that I don't eat there any more.
McDonalds is an apt comparison, though. Individually, we don't matter. Collectively, we do. If we vote with our feet and wallets, we can effect change.
I've voted. And just like in every election I've participated in, I've had no effect on the outcome.
It makes me sad.
But there's a happy kernel. Look at all the time I'm getting back to myself!
While I was hitting unsubscribe on the respective YouTube channels, I realized that I hadn't actually watched the videos I'd been paying for for a while. Sure, I played them, but I had stopped actively watching them a long time ago.
Inertia had kept me clicking on them long after they'd stopped holding much interest for me.
That's led me to notice that I'm doing the same thing with C&Rsenal's vids. The video is playing, but I'm not really paying attention to it. This one bothers me because the content they put out is excellent and informative.
He made shooting videos which were frenetic and humorous, but devoid of any meat in the content.
His videos were also one-note things. Once you figured out the shtick on one, you had the fullness of it.
I was happy when he went away and people stopped linking to the silliness.
InRange, on the other hand, appears to have found him endlessly amusing and has partnered with him more than once.
Because I was paying them a small amount on Patreon, I thought that I'd offer my thoughts about not-liking that kind of content and it not being what I was paying for. On Facebook.
The rabid fanbois told me I had no right to complain and since my contribution was insignificant, I wasn't really paying for anything.
Since I am not really paying for anything, why waste the money?
When I cancelled my Patreon support, I said why. Karl, from InRange, commented in the Facebook thread, cited that thread was why I'd cancelled my support, thanked me for the support and LITERALLY shrugged. He doesn't care. The fanbois were correct, I didn't matter.
Ian from Forgotten Weapons is also Ian from InRange. I cannot in good conscience support him at Forgotten Weapons for fear that the all-too-fungible money I donate finds its way into InRange's coffers.
But I don't matter, so this will have no effect. On them. Not unless a lot of people read this and say, "let the CarniKcon fanbois support them, I'm out!" But since my total readership is not "a lot of people" I doubt they're even going to notice. Not any more than McDonalds has noticed that I don't eat there any more.
McDonalds is an apt comparison, though. Individually, we don't matter. Collectively, we do. If we vote with our feet and wallets, we can effect change.
I've voted. And just like in every election I've participated in, I've had no effect on the outcome.
It makes me sad.
But there's a happy kernel. Look at all the time I'm getting back to myself!
While I was hitting unsubscribe on the respective YouTube channels, I realized that I hadn't actually watched the videos I'd been paying for for a while. Sure, I played them, but I had stopped actively watching them a long time ago.
Inertia had kept me clicking on them long after they'd stopped holding much interest for me.
That's led me to notice that I'm doing the same thing with C&Rsenal's vids. The video is playing, but I'm not really paying attention to it. This one bothers me because the content they put out is excellent and informative.
Before Anyone Comments On It
I know that my small contributions won't be missed and this petulant rage quit just makes me a laughing stock.
It's us folks who matter least who complain loudest about the littlest things, after all.
It's us folks who matter least who complain loudest about the littlest things, after all.
22 March 2019
A New Standard
It occurs to me that we can skip a whole lot of shooting if we simply use the same techniques to measure reliability as The Mainstream Media uses for polls.
Two shots must be just as good as 2,000 because cherry picked respondents measured in the hundreds somehow are representative of hundreds of millions of citizens.
See? No need to actually measure anything.
We can skip actually getting the gun dirty for a mud-test since simply firing the gun in the presence of mud is sufficient.
Two shots must be just as good as 2,000 because cherry picked respondents measured in the hundreds somehow are representative of hundreds of millions of citizens.
See? No need to actually measure anything.
We can skip actually getting the gun dirty for a mud-test since simply firing the gun in the presence of mud is sufficient.
The Market Might Be Ripe
If half the ingenuity and effort that's gone into making carry options for women was applied to making comfortable carry options for fat old fucks (like me)...
Not that I resent that women are getting options, it's just that it seems like it'd be easier to figure out totin' for tubbies.
Not that I resent that women are getting options, it's just that it seems like it'd be easier to figure out totin' for tubbies.
What About Democracy?
Democrat secretary of state denies voter referendum on gun law.
Democrat democracy: Make the voters vote until they get the "right" answer then NEVER VOTE AGAIN.
Democrat democracy: Make the voters vote until they get the "right" answer then NEVER VOTE AGAIN.
21 March 2019
Dear Smith And Wesson
I am writing today to complain about having nothing to complain about with regards to your M&P9 Shield pistol.
Without a hiccup, it fired ball and hollow points; brass case and steel case.
I am sure it's more my shooting than the gun that gave the groups I got at 7-yards.
I had no difficulty with the 7-round magazines, but prefer the 8-rounders. Willard also preferred the 8-rounder and said that his shooting was much easier with the extra length to hang onto.
The trigger proved to be just fine, unlike its larger stable-mate the M&P 9. Sorry, Apex, I think I'll stay with the OEM trigger.
It was not hard to control at all.
So far the only down side is that it's not for lefties at all. Being a proper dextrous person and not at all sinister, this is not an issue for me. Your mileage may vary.
I'm quite happy with it and glad to have it!
I think the Shield compares favorably with the SIG P365. The Shield groups are a little looser and you give up four rounds of ammo with the extended magazines; but for $250 less... Well! The sale continues at Palmetto State Armory... Get one! Midway still has the 8-round and 7-round magazines on sale for near half off! This is nearly a no-brainer.
Today I've been carrying it cross-draw and that's simply more comfortable and practical for me. I noticed, while taking The Boy to school this morning, that when I'm all strapped into the car, there's no getting to the pistol with strong-side IWB carry. It's under my shirt and then under the seatbelt buckle.
Without a hiccup, it fired ball and hollow points; brass case and steel case.
I am sure it's more my shooting than the gun that gave the groups I got at 7-yards.
I had no difficulty with the 7-round magazines, but prefer the 8-rounders. Willard also preferred the 8-rounder and said that his shooting was much easier with the extra length to hang onto.
The trigger proved to be just fine, unlike its larger stable-mate the M&P 9. Sorry, Apex, I think I'll stay with the OEM trigger.
It was not hard to control at all.
So far the only down side is that it's not for lefties at all. Being a proper dextrous person and not at all sinister, this is not an issue for me. Your mileage may vary.
I'm quite happy with it and glad to have it!
I think the Shield compares favorably with the SIG P365. The Shield groups are a little looser and you give up four rounds of ammo with the extended magazines; but for $250 less... Well! The sale continues at Palmetto State Armory... Get one! Midway still has the 8-round and 7-round magazines on sale for near half off! This is nearly a no-brainer.
Today I've been carrying it cross-draw and that's simply more comfortable and practical for me. I noticed, while taking The Boy to school this morning, that when I'm all strapped into the car, there's no getting to the pistol with strong-side IWB carry. It's under my shirt and then under the seatbelt buckle.
Weer'd GURPS
It's surprising that .45 doesn't give up a lot of velocity in short barrels as compared to the 5" barreled 1911. It does give up some Acc and Range though.
There's no official GURPS stats for the PM45, but since they use real units, it's easy to create stats for unlisted guns.
Update:
The average raw damage contained in 5+1 shots is 63.
20 March 2019
19 March 2019
Armed With Hip Waders And A Giant Orange Iguana
Wander over to Miguel's where he's waded into the muck and compiled a listing of emails by committee membership so we can demand the ratfuck bastards we elected actually do our bidding.
For a change.
Thank him while you're over there because he's doing this without being paid $300,000 a year like Marion or going on armed fishing expeditions.
Honestly, the people and organizations that claim to be doing this professionally sure as heck don't seem to be keeping ahead of an unpaid one-man-show.
For a change.
Thank him while you're over there because he's doing this without being paid $300,000 a year like Marion or going on armed fishing expeditions.
Honestly, the people and organizations that claim to be doing this professionally sure as heck don't seem to be keeping ahead of an unpaid one-man-show.
Speaking Of The Future
My garage/shop space has been lacking a decent source of music for a while.
Marv and The Lovely Harvey conspired to get me a set of Ryobi 18v One+ battery powered tools.
They sure are handy!
One of the local pawn shops had a radio that uses those batteries and I bought it on a whim.
It's Bluetooth enabled, so I paired it with my phone.
Tunes from my phone via the big speaker!
It's also got a USB port for charging things like the phone from that big-ass lithium battery.
Marv and The Lovely Harvey conspired to get me a set of Ryobi 18v One+ battery powered tools.
They sure are handy!
One of the local pawn shops had a radio that uses those batteries and I bought it on a whim.
It's Bluetooth enabled, so I paired it with my phone.
Tunes from my phone via the big speaker!
It's also got a USB port for charging things like the phone from that big-ass lithium battery.
Taste Of Hate
Chick-Fil-A continues to impress me.
The food is tasty.
The service is amazingly fast for how busy they are.
That service has always been friendly and smiling; like they are genuinely happy.
Their app is easy to navigate and simple to use.
Tonight I used the app to order my meal from my table. Select the location, punch in what you want, pay online, tell the app what number is on your table and they bring it right to you.
You can also use this for the drive-thru and carry-out.
Living in the future is kinda neat.
The food is tasty.
The service is amazingly fast for how busy they are.
That service has always been friendly and smiling; like they are genuinely happy.
Their app is easy to navigate and simple to use.
Tonight I used the app to order my meal from my table. Select the location, punch in what you want, pay online, tell the app what number is on your table and they bring it right to you.
You can also use this for the drive-thru and carry-out.
Living in the future is kinda neat.
That Appeared To Work
Got the insurance company to accept our demand to cancel the policy.
All it took was a new, notarized, signature and including a lawyer's business card in the envelope.
All it took was a new, notarized, signature and including a lawyer's business card in the envelope.
Like A Semi-Auto J-Frame
The Shield is very similar in size to my oft-carried J-Frame.
The Shield is MUCH thinner, especially when you include the holster.
The holsters also place the guns in different locations, but that could be because of difference in brand rather than in the guns themselves.
There's not a lot of difference, in GURPS terms, between my various attempts to find a great summer gun either.
In terms of average raw damage per load:
M&P 9 Shield - 64. 72 with optional magazine.
Model 640-3 - 45. 30 with .38 Special.
P232 - 48.
P238 - 42. 48 with optional magazine.
It's a no-brainer for GURPS!
The Shield is MUCH thinner, especially when you include the holster.
The holsters also place the guns in different locations, but that could be because of difference in brand rather than in the guns themselves.
There's not a lot of difference, in GURPS terms, between my various attempts to find a great summer gun either.
In terms of average raw damage per load:
M&P 9 Shield - 64. 72 with optional magazine.
Model 640-3 - 45. 30 with .38 Special.
P232 - 48.
P238 - 42. 48 with optional magazine.
It's a no-brainer for GURPS!
Shields Up
The M&P 9 Shield arrived today.
Ain't it cute?
The trigger is a relatively crisp 6-1/2 pounds. Much nicer than the stock trigger on my M&P 9.
It's much smaller and narrower than the M&P too.
It's bigger than the SIG P238.
Surprisingly, it can be worn tolerably strong-side IWB in The Precious!
Ain't it cute?
The trigger is a relatively crisp 6-1/2 pounds. Much nicer than the stock trigger on my M&P 9.
It's much smaller and narrower than the M&P too.
It's bigger than the SIG P238.
Surprisingly, it can be worn tolerably strong-side IWB in The Precious!
18 March 2019
Observation
Muslims blow things up and murder people: Nobody says boo to them, they get massive concessions.
Occupy ???, riot and break shit: don't really get confronted.
Antifa, riot, break shit and assault folks: Nobody says boo, they tend to get their way.
Ratfuck in New Zealand shoots up a mosque and says we need gun control: Governments do his bidding.
I think I see the lesson here.
You want to get your political agenda to advance, you gotta kill people.
Is this really the lesson that they want to teach over 100 million gun owners?
That our only chance is to start shooting?
That's not where I want to take this, but is that the only thing that will work?
Occupy ???, riot and break shit: don't really get confronted.
Antifa, riot, break shit and assault folks: Nobody says boo, they tend to get their way.
Ratfuck in New Zealand shoots up a mosque and says we need gun control: Governments do his bidding.
I think I see the lesson here.
You want to get your political agenda to advance, you gotta kill people.
Is this really the lesson that they want to teach over 100 million gun owners?
That our only chance is to start shooting?
That's not where I want to take this, but is that the only thing that will work?
17 March 2019
The Decision Isn't Hurting Us
In addition to the 35 stores which aren't selling anything at all due to being closed forever; Dick's Sporting Goods says they're going to stop selling firearms at 125 more locations.
So what?
They make it sound like it hurts us for them to stop selling guns, but I think there's another explanation.
We stopped buying things from them.
It makes sense to stop carrying stock which doesn't sell because the customers refuse to buy it from you.
The first sensible decision I've even heard rumored about them.
So what?
They make it sound like it hurts us for them to stop selling guns, but I think there's another explanation.
We stopped buying things from them.
It makes sense to stop carrying stock which doesn't sell because the customers refuse to buy it from you.
The first sensible decision I've even heard rumored about them.
Not Really Single Stack
Because Midway is faster than Palmetto State Armory, the magazines for the Shield got here first.
They're definitely shorter and narrower than the full-size 17-rounders for the M&P 9.
But they're much wider than a normal single-stack magazine, like this Beretta M1951 for example.
Interestingly, the increased width doesn't seem to have bought them much advantage in length.
These are both 8-round magazines.
The 7-rounder isn't even any shorter than a 7-round SIG P238 magazine.
They're definitely shorter and narrower than the full-size 17-rounders for the M&P 9.
But they're much wider than a normal single-stack magazine, like this Beretta M1951 for example.
Interestingly, the increased width doesn't seem to have bought them much advantage in length.
The 7-rounder isn't even any shorter than a 7-round SIG P238 magazine.
It's Crap!
St Patrick's Day, being Irish is by its very definition NOT Scottish, therefore it's crap.
Seeing as how I am neither Irish or Catholic, I don't wear the green today.
A nice shade of orange suffices.
Fair Warning: Don't pinch me, I have a pair of vice grips in my pocket for your nipples.
Seeing as how I am neither Irish or Catholic, I don't wear the green today.
A nice shade of orange suffices.
Fair Warning: Don't pinch me, I have a pair of vice grips in my pocket for your nipples.
Mild Security Upgrade
My bedroom closet now locks. This will add approximately three seconds to the time it takes a thief to break into it.
One Thing After Another
The closet doors free swinging ways finally got the best of me.
The guide on the floor had long since disappeared.
These guides all seem to be designed with the idea that they're going on carpet, which I no longer have.
So it needed to be above the terrazzo floor. By about 5/8".
The block needed to look decent too, so it got stained.
Everything was made of wait with this. The stain needed to dry, the epoxy we set the block to the floor with needed to set...
Now I can do what I'd intended to do. Put in a lock for the closet.
Since we were waiting around for things to dry: Let's eat! Put the brats on the grill and... only a brief flame. Like I was out of propane. Except this was a brand new bottle.
To Lowe's!
New regulator fixed the grill issue and sausages were cooked in celebration.
The guide on the floor had long since disappeared.
These guides all seem to be designed with the idea that they're going on carpet, which I no longer have.
So it needed to be above the terrazzo floor. By about 5/8".
The block needed to look decent too, so it got stained.
Everything was made of wait with this. The stain needed to dry, the epoxy we set the block to the floor with needed to set...
Now I can do what I'd intended to do. Put in a lock for the closet.
Since we were waiting around for things to dry: Let's eat! Put the brats on the grill and... only a brief flame. Like I was out of propane. Except this was a brand new bottle.
To Lowe's!
New regulator fixed the grill issue and sausages were cooked in celebration.
16 March 2019
Happy Birthday!
Happy (early) Birthday to Willard!
He'd never buy one for himself because they are a tad spendy.
He'd never buy one for himself because they are a tad spendy.
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