The nifty little thumbnail of the Day By Day comic started malfunctioning when I accessed my blog.
Dang it.
Did anyone else have this issue?
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17 June 2014
Not Me
I am not that person.
I did not put in the effort to be that person.
I did not even want to put forth that effort.
I will never be that person.
I am this person.
I am not sure if this is who I wanted to be because I never really set a goal.
What I do know is that I'm actually rather content. My wants are just that, they are not needs.
I did not put in the effort to be that person.
I did not even want to put forth that effort.
I will never be that person.
I am this person.
I am not sure if this is who I wanted to be because I never really set a goal.
What I do know is that I'm actually rather content. My wants are just that, they are not needs.
Motive
In lots of fantasy campaigns there's just no reason for the dungeon crawl; or for continuing to adventure once a certain level of wealth is attained.
When you're richer than the king, do you care if you're just fifth level?
In Magic Returns, I'm working on motive.
First. Why are there dungeons? First, they're not dungeons. They are vaults. The cyclical nature of the mana level created a need to store valuable magic items while the mana dropped to zero to prevent them from being damaged or lost because they were confused for something mundane.
The exceptionally long zero period the previous cycle had caused the collapse of society and the loss of many of these vaults.
Second, other than greed, why adventure in the first place? It's an open secret of the mage's guild they seek very high mana zones to occupy. Cash and knowledge rewards are given to mages who find and secure such zones. Animals with magical metabolisms also seek such areas as they tend to not give up all of their magic during the zero times.
The Gods mandate the spread of civilization. It is the duty of the priests and acolytes to bring the proper methods of worship to the barbarian wilderness.
This Holy Mandate has an effect on the mundane as well. If you can carve a place out of the wilderness, secure it and hold it for five years the Princes will ennoble you and create your fief out of your holdings.
Of course, there's always good old fashioned greed; unfortunately this is a society without a middle class. Social statuses of 0 or 1 are still commoners and cannot own land except under very limited circumstances. A commoner's rights to own property and wealth are somewhat truncated compared to most nobles (taxation is very high). But don't despair; there are several paths to nobility and one of them is flat buying a title.
The campaign TL is 1, bronze age. One of the principality city states has achieved TL2 and there are a fair amount of TL3 items surviving from before the last zero time.
TL2 iron armor is made (x2 cost) but bronze armor is far more popular despite its 4x cost. The reason (motive) is status. Iron armor is more suited to mass issue to soldiers and city guards; bronze is a status symbol. Recall that dressing and acting below your present social status can easily result in you becoming a member of that lower rank.
Iron weapons, on the other hand, are prized. As are steel. The TL3 steel weapons that have survived are nearly all highly decorated so will be far more expensive than the mere x4 TL differential. This is because the weapons that are issued en masse aren't status symbols like swords but rather things like spears.
When you're richer than the king, do you care if you're just fifth level?
In Magic Returns, I'm working on motive.
First. Why are there dungeons? First, they're not dungeons. They are vaults. The cyclical nature of the mana level created a need to store valuable magic items while the mana dropped to zero to prevent them from being damaged or lost because they were confused for something mundane.
The exceptionally long zero period the previous cycle had caused the collapse of society and the loss of many of these vaults.
Second, other than greed, why adventure in the first place? It's an open secret of the mage's guild they seek very high mana zones to occupy. Cash and knowledge rewards are given to mages who find and secure such zones. Animals with magical metabolisms also seek such areas as they tend to not give up all of their magic during the zero times.
The Gods mandate the spread of civilization. It is the duty of the priests and acolytes to bring the proper methods of worship to the barbarian wilderness.
This Holy Mandate has an effect on the mundane as well. If you can carve a place out of the wilderness, secure it and hold it for five years the Princes will ennoble you and create your fief out of your holdings.
Of course, there's always good old fashioned greed; unfortunately this is a society without a middle class. Social statuses of 0 or 1 are still commoners and cannot own land except under very limited circumstances. A commoner's rights to own property and wealth are somewhat truncated compared to most nobles (taxation is very high). But don't despair; there are several paths to nobility and one of them is flat buying a title.
The campaign TL is 1, bronze age. One of the principality city states has achieved TL2 and there are a fair amount of TL3 items surviving from before the last zero time.
TL2 iron armor is made (x2 cost) but bronze armor is far more popular despite its 4x cost. The reason (motive) is status. Iron armor is more suited to mass issue to soldiers and city guards; bronze is a status symbol. Recall that dressing and acting below your present social status can easily result in you becoming a member of that lower rank.
Iron weapons, on the other hand, are prized. As are steel. The TL3 steel weapons that have survived are nearly all highly decorated so will be far more expensive than the mere x4 TL differential. This is because the weapons that are issued en masse aren't status symbols like swords but rather things like spears.
They All Hate Us
MS has an "interesting" code of conduct.
As I have said over and over, they hate us. They only put up with us because we're a shit-ton of people with a shit-ton of money. Given ANY excuse they will do anything they can to mess with our lives.
I don't recall any open carry demonstrations at the MicroSoft campus...
As I have said over and over, they hate us. They only put up with us because we're a shit-ton of people with a shit-ton of money. Given ANY excuse they will do anything they can to mess with our lives.
I don't recall any open carry demonstrations at the MicroSoft campus...
16 June 2014
Good News On The Puppy Front!
The antibiotics worked better than expected and it's possible we won't have to have his tooth yanked!
Fingers crossed while we give it a couple weeks to see if the abscess returns.
Fingers crossed while we give it a couple weeks to see if the abscess returns.
Look Ma No Wires
Got a Logitech M570 wireless trackball.
The ratfuck bastards discontinued the wired version of this form factor and the only wired trackball they offer now is the Trackman Marble, which is a very comfortable pointing device, but it lacks a scroll wheel. Excellent for CAD, shitty for everyday surfing.
Today is day one of the supposed 18 month battery life.
If the experiment goes well, The Lovely Harvey will be getting one too.
The ratfuck bastards discontinued the wired version of this form factor and the only wired trackball they offer now is the Trackman Marble, which is a very comfortable pointing device, but it lacks a scroll wheel. Excellent for CAD, shitty for everyday surfing.
Today is day one of the supposed 18 month battery life.
If the experiment goes well, The Lovely Harvey will be getting one too.
Happy Father's Day
...to me!
The Boy has been listening to The Lovely Harvey plotting to buy gifts for our 14th Anniversary.
That's Ivory for those scoring at home.
He knows I like guns, he sees Mom looking at stuff.
"Get Daddy those!"
Boone Trading Company bonded ivory grips for a 1911.
They do look fine on a blue .38 Super, don't they?
The Boy has been listening to The Lovely Harvey plotting to buy gifts for our 14th Anniversary.
That's Ivory for those scoring at home.
He knows I like guns, he sees Mom looking at stuff.
"Get Daddy those!"
Boone Trading Company bonded ivory grips for a 1911.
They do look fine on a blue .38 Super, don't they?
Abramski
"Writing for the majority, Justice Elena Kagan said the federal government's elaborate system of background checks and record-keeping requirements help law enforcement investigate crimes by tracing guns to their buyers. Those provisions would mean little, she said, if a would-be gun buyer could evade them by simply getting another person to buy the gun and fill out the paperwork."
ABC News
Take note folks. If the process wasn't including some sort of hidden registration then this paragraph would be meaningless noise.
Even if it is meaningless noise then we've got to get on our congress critters to deregulate the gun laws and get things to where ATF is only enforcing the law.
We need to get the NRA to get it's ponderous ass in gear and start grading a B for politicians who merely keep the status quo and only award the A's for those who actively, I say again ACTIVELY, advance gun rights and reverse the 80 years of bullshit we call the federal gun laws.
15 June 2014
High Standard Of Training
From time to time the gun grabbers mention making training mandatory for owning a gun.
This bugs me because the only people who'll get the training are those who are planning on buying a gun. In some places the training is only available to people who are in the process of buying that gun.
So a list could be made of the people with training and that should lead to gun owners.
I don't like that idea.
I do like the idea of people learning better how to use something with the inherent risks carried by firearms. It's prudent to learn more about how they work and how to use them!
How to separate getting schooling from being a gun owner and that being a de facto registration?
It's in the first sentence.
Mandatory.
Everyone learns it.
Every year from K-12.
Your high-school diploma would be proof of training. Give a tax break equal to your GPA too!
It'll never happen, but it's amusing to consider.
This bugs me because the only people who'll get the training are those who are planning on buying a gun. In some places the training is only available to people who are in the process of buying that gun.
So a list could be made of the people with training and that should lead to gun owners.
I don't like that idea.
I do like the idea of people learning better how to use something with the inherent risks carried by firearms. It's prudent to learn more about how they work and how to use them!
How to separate getting schooling from being a gun owner and that being a de facto registration?
It's in the first sentence.
Mandatory.
Everyone learns it.
Every year from K-12.
Your high-school diploma would be proof of training. Give a tax break equal to your GPA too!
It'll never happen, but it's amusing to consider.
A Component
The following is not a response to Weer'd's response to my Angry post. I'm venting steam out the safety valve here, stream of consciousness style. There may be more chaff that wheat.
I think part of the problem we've made for ourselves is the differentiation of different types of guns legally.
Handguns are often treated differently than long guns. This is especially true of carrying them.
Rifles with a barrel shorter than a legally defined length are treated differently from pistols, regardless of the pistol's barrel length or even overall dimensions.
I know I don't care what kind of gun someone has as long as they're not being threatening with it.
The mere presence of a gun doesn't make me feel threatened. If that were so I'd never be able to go to a gun show!
Open carry cannot be the actual problem with many people because the vapors are completely absent when it's a policeman carrying the gun.
I'm of the opinion that arm means any arm and bear means in any manner.
It's a delicate task. People who are unused to seeing arms in the hands of everyday citizens will not become accustomed to seeing them until they ARE seeing them. It's like not getting into the pool until you've mastered swimming. There are people who will never get used to seeing them.
At some point a foot must be put down and it needs to be said that rights trump comfort.
As I indicated earlier. I've been at this a rather long time. It's been a great deal of work for nearly no gain; with the threat of loss ever present.
It can lead to a sense of desperation.
Desperate people do foolish things. Even if what they do is legal, within their rights and caused no real harm.
Something I mock about the gun-grabber side is their ever pointing out the potential of things to cause harm. Especially in places where there has been no harm done. Or of the potential to do great harm where little harm has occurred.
Sadly I am seeing that emerging on our side.
Some more history is required.
When The Wall came down in Berlin and the Soviet Union collapsed in on itself, one of the main factors was the people finally comparing notes and realizing that they were not alone in their conclusions and dissatisfaction. They certainly did not learn they were the majority by waiting for Pravda to publish an article about the phenomenon.
As I keep saying: The people who hate us will never be convinced to not hate us.
They are a tiny group, but they run the media. They've no control over what you say to your co-workers and friends. They don't control the blogs. They don't even do a good job of manipulating Wikipedia.
We can win because we really are the majority. We are merely frightened and convinced we're alone out there. We must find the courage to stand up and connect with each other.
We must take some risks because like the swimmer cannot learn until there's a risk of drowning; we cannot move forward if we delay until it's the right day, the planets are in line and the entrails are favorable. That day will never come.
But we will never move an inch while we worry about the comfort of people who hate our mere existence. They are uncomfortable that we exist at all. No accommodation will ease their discomfort and their game is the elimination of us. Worrying about how they feel about the issue is playing their game.
I think part of the problem we've made for ourselves is the differentiation of different types of guns legally.
Handguns are often treated differently than long guns. This is especially true of carrying them.
Rifles with a barrel shorter than a legally defined length are treated differently from pistols, regardless of the pistol's barrel length or even overall dimensions.
I know I don't care what kind of gun someone has as long as they're not being threatening with it.
The mere presence of a gun doesn't make me feel threatened. If that were so I'd never be able to go to a gun show!
Open carry cannot be the actual problem with many people because the vapors are completely absent when it's a policeman carrying the gun.
I'm of the opinion that arm means any arm and bear means in any manner.
It's a delicate task. People who are unused to seeing arms in the hands of everyday citizens will not become accustomed to seeing them until they ARE seeing them. It's like not getting into the pool until you've mastered swimming. There are people who will never get used to seeing them.
At some point a foot must be put down and it needs to be said that rights trump comfort.
As I indicated earlier. I've been at this a rather long time. It's been a great deal of work for nearly no gain; with the threat of loss ever present.
It can lead to a sense of desperation.
Desperate people do foolish things. Even if what they do is legal, within their rights and caused no real harm.
Something I mock about the gun-grabber side is their ever pointing out the potential of things to cause harm. Especially in places where there has been no harm done. Or of the potential to do great harm where little harm has occurred.
Sadly I am seeing that emerging on our side.
Some more history is required.
When The Wall came down in Berlin and the Soviet Union collapsed in on itself, one of the main factors was the people finally comparing notes and realizing that they were not alone in their conclusions and dissatisfaction. They certainly did not learn they were the majority by waiting for Pravda to publish an article about the phenomenon.
As I keep saying: The people who hate us will never be convinced to not hate us.
They are a tiny group, but they run the media. They've no control over what you say to your co-workers and friends. They don't control the blogs. They don't even do a good job of manipulating Wikipedia.
We can win because we really are the majority. We are merely frightened and convinced we're alone out there. We must find the courage to stand up and connect with each other.
We must take some risks because like the swimmer cannot learn until there's a risk of drowning; we cannot move forward if we delay until it's the right day, the planets are in line and the entrails are favorable. That day will never come.
But we will never move an inch while we worry about the comfort of people who hate our mere existence. They are uncomfortable that we exist at all. No accommodation will ease their discomfort and their game is the elimination of us. Worrying about how they feel about the issue is playing their game.
14 June 2014
The Math
Today is the Army's 239th birthday.
If one does the math, one notices that comes to 1775.
Predating the Navy by four months.
Predating the Marine Corps by almost five months.
Predating the declaration of independence by more than a year.
Predating the United States under the present, oft ignored, Constitution by almost 14 years.
If one does the math, one notices that comes to 1775.
Predating the Navy by four months.
Predating the Marine Corps by almost five months.
Predating the declaration of independence by more than a year.
Predating the United States under the present, oft ignored, Constitution by almost 14 years.
A'yup
But whenever I hear the word "hero" loosely used, as it so often is a professional athletes and media celebrities and many people of done no more than wear uniform for a while, I think of Stanley going back into the dark.
George MacDonald Frasier.
Material Components
Mage's spells require the consumption of material components.
Magical energy is liberated from the special materials brought together.
Exactly what these materials are is deliberately vague because they range from esoteric to mundane.
The cost is $1 x the square of the prerequisite count.
If the prerequisite count is 0, then there is not material component.
If the spellcaster lacks the proper components add the prerequisite count to the energy cost of the spell.
Fireball, for example, has a prerequisite count of 4 it would cost $16 for the materials or add 4 fatigue to the cost of casting the spell (making it 5 per die of burning damage). Note, that in the case of missile spells the material cost is per casting and the fatigue cost is per increment of damage. It's a lot easier to just have the materials!
No additional materials are required to maintain a spell, but note that the fatigue costs are based on what you used to cast it; so the penalty continues for as long as you keep the spell going. For spells with a fixed cost to maintain, add the penalty each time. For spells listing the same or half casting cost; do the math normally from the penalized casting cost.
For ceremonial castings, like enchantments, the lack of components multiplies the time required to perform the rituals by the prerequisite count.
The material components are specific to each spell, but each spell in the prerequisite count includes the materials for the prior spells; so you could raid your ingredients for fireball from the materials for explosive fireball.
Clerical magic, being literally miraculous, doesn't require material components but this is offset by the limited number of spells available and the requirements to adhere to a particular lifestyle. The Gods are fickle and what they give they may also take away.
Magical energy is liberated from the special materials brought together.
Exactly what these materials are is deliberately vague because they range from esoteric to mundane.
The cost is $1 x the square of the prerequisite count.
If the prerequisite count is 0, then there is not material component.
If the spellcaster lacks the proper components add the prerequisite count to the energy cost of the spell.
Fireball, for example, has a prerequisite count of 4 it would cost $16 for the materials or add 4 fatigue to the cost of casting the spell (making it 5 per die of burning damage). Note, that in the case of missile spells the material cost is per casting and the fatigue cost is per increment of damage. It's a lot easier to just have the materials!
No additional materials are required to maintain a spell, but note that the fatigue costs are based on what you used to cast it; so the penalty continues for as long as you keep the spell going. For spells with a fixed cost to maintain, add the penalty each time. For spells listing the same or half casting cost; do the math normally from the penalized casting cost.
For ceremonial castings, like enchantments, the lack of components multiplies the time required to perform the rituals by the prerequisite count.
The material components are specific to each spell, but each spell in the prerequisite count includes the materials for the prior spells; so you could raid your ingredients for fireball from the materials for explosive fireball.
Clerical magic, being literally miraculous, doesn't require material components but this is offset by the limited number of spells available and the requirements to adhere to a particular lifestyle. The Gods are fickle and what they give they may also take away.
13 June 2014
Angry
I get ticked from time to time about the pace of getting our rights back.
Since I started paying attention in late 1992 the AWB was enacted, expired and wasn't renewed. Net no change.
Importation of evol guns has been banned by executive order, no movement to change that by law. Some of those bans predate 1992...
Importation of ammo has been banned by executive order.
We got the protection of commerce act in the plus category.
NFA wait times went from over a year to a month or so to nearly a year again.
FOPA, which was a huge plus in 1986 (except for one thing) has been circumvented in the places where it's needed most (but that's at the state level really).
More than twenty years I've been active at this and I'm tired and bored.
I'm sick of the best we can get being not anti-gun from the Republicans.
I'm sick of the best we can get from the Democrats is not actively promoting gun control; because they will vote as they're told when the rubber meets the road.
I'm sick of the progress being reset because a whacko shoots someone.
I'm sick of the lopsided media.
I'm sick of our side panicking about something happening that's really machts nichts but lets the people who hate us feel better about hating us briefly. It doesn't change that they hate us.
I am mostly happy at the state level, but I am getting sick of the predictable opposition of law enforcement organizations and an attitude of, "you've got x why do you need y".
I am sick of "BECAUSE LIBERTY" not being an acceptable reason; because at the heart it's the ONLY reason.
I am sick of the military being used as police overseas and the local police acting like soldiers.
I feel like we're not getting anywhere lately and it's really bothersome.
Edit: Am I just focusing too much on the negative that I'm not seeing the positive? I hope so.
Since I started paying attention in late 1992 the AWB was enacted, expired and wasn't renewed. Net no change.
Importation of evol guns has been banned by executive order, no movement to change that by law. Some of those bans predate 1992...
Importation of ammo has been banned by executive order.
We got the protection of commerce act in the plus category.
NFA wait times went from over a year to a month or so to nearly a year again.
FOPA, which was a huge plus in 1986 (except for one thing) has been circumvented in the places where it's needed most (but that's at the state level really).
More than twenty years I've been active at this and I'm tired and bored.
I'm sick of the best we can get being not anti-gun from the Republicans.
I'm sick of the best we can get from the Democrats is not actively promoting gun control; because they will vote as they're told when the rubber meets the road.
I'm sick of the progress being reset because a whacko shoots someone.
I'm sick of the lopsided media.
I'm sick of our side panicking about something happening that's really machts nichts but lets the people who hate us feel better about hating us briefly. It doesn't change that they hate us.
I am mostly happy at the state level, but I am getting sick of the predictable opposition of law enforcement organizations and an attitude of, "you've got x why do you need y".
I am sick of "BECAUSE LIBERTY" not being an acceptable reason; because at the heart it's the ONLY reason.
I am sick of the military being used as police overseas and the local police acting like soldiers.
I feel like we're not getting anywhere lately and it's really bothersome.
Edit: Am I just focusing too much on the negative that I'm not seeing the positive? I hope so.
Theoretical Load
Either Dottie or Kaylee will be grabbed when SHTF.
The Tactical Purse carries six magazines. For Kaylee that's 210 rounds total, for Dottie that's 175.
Kaylee, including the Knight's 600m folding sight (not the micro) is 7.3 lb. loaded.
Plus 6 for the spare magazines.
Plus 0.8 for the Aimpoint CompM4s.
Plus 0.2 for the Surefire X300.
Plus 0.3 for the MS3 sling.
14.6 lb.
Dottie has the micro 600m sight and a base for the SUIT installed. 8.6 lb. loaded.
Plus 7.8 for the spare magazines.
Plus 1 for the SUIT.
Plus 0.2 for the X300
Plus 0.3 for the sling.
17.9 lb. I feel like a Jarhead now.
Also in my SHTF there is no body armor. I own a PASGT vest and helmet but I don't plan on wearing them. My tubby, gimpy ass can't really take the weight. And truth be told this planning has a lot more to do with scenarios where the GM makes me play a simulacrum of myself than an actual war plan. The purse supplies are really to have ammo ready in a hurricane Andrew scenario defending the house and property than a "take that hill from the evol gubmint minions" threeper deal.
It's fun to compare though.
Edited to add...
If I were rich again... I'd swap out the SUIT for a Trijicon TA31H-68G. That'd take 0.5 lb. off the gun because the mount is integral to the scope. The scope itself tares in at 13.9 oz with it's mount (0.9 lb.).
So I'd get down to 17.3 overall. For just $1,500 extra...
The Tactical Purse carries six magazines. For Kaylee that's 210 rounds total, for Dottie that's 175.
Kaylee, including the Knight's 600m folding sight (not the micro) is 7.3 lb. loaded.
Plus 6 for the spare magazines.
Plus 0.8 for the Aimpoint CompM4s.
Plus 0.2 for the Surefire X300.
Plus 0.3 for the MS3 sling.
14.6 lb.
Dottie has the micro 600m sight and a base for the SUIT installed. 8.6 lb. loaded.
Plus 7.8 for the spare magazines.
Plus 1 for the SUIT.
Plus 0.2 for the X300
Plus 0.3 for the sling.
17.9 lb. I feel like a Jarhead now.
Also in my SHTF there is no body armor. I own a PASGT vest and helmet but I don't plan on wearing them. My tubby, gimpy ass can't really take the weight. And truth be told this planning has a lot more to do with scenarios where the GM makes me play a simulacrum of myself than an actual war plan. The purse supplies are really to have ammo ready in a hurricane Andrew scenario defending the house and property than a "take that hill from the evol gubmint minions" threeper deal.
It's fun to compare though.
Edited to add...
If I were rich again... I'd swap out the SUIT for a Trijicon TA31H-68G. That'd take 0.5 lb. off the gun because the mount is integral to the scope. The scope itself tares in at 13.9 oz with it's mount (0.9 lb.).
So I'd get down to 17.3 overall. For just $1,500 extra...
BLEG
Does anyone have or know where to get an extractor and firing pin for a Beretta model 1915/1919?
Numrich ain't got 'em; and the ones they shipped out years ago are the wrong parts because they don't fit once we get almost all of the bag empty putting it back together.
Numrich ain't got 'em; and the ones they shipped out years ago are the wrong parts because they don't fit once we get almost all of the bag empty putting it back together.
Less Basic
The basic load I mentioned earlier did not mention accessories or optics.
The "standard" M4 will be getting what used to be called the SOCOM barrel and getting full-auto instead of three round burst; so they'll all be M4A1 SOCOM now.
13.8 lb. with 210 rounds. Bare. No sights, no optics.
An Aimpoint CompM4 (aka M68 CCO, not to be confused with the M68 CCO) adds 0.75 lb.
A Matech folding rear sight adds 0.18 lb.
Changing the handguard to a Knight's RAS adds 0.15 lb.
An AN/PEQ-16 adds 0.62 lb.
A couple of Knight's rail covers for the sides; 0.12 lb.
A Gri-Pod vertical grip; 0.44 lb.
Silent sling; 0.3 lb.
So we've added 2.56 lb. to the mess.
16.06 pounds for the weapon and ammo.
The Marines have it a little worse with their M16A4; 15.4 lb. with ammo and detachable carry handle (0.6 lb.) before we start accessorizing.
Their RAS is 0.3 heavier than the stock handguards because it's longer.
They use the Knights 600m micro rear sight for a BUIS when they issue one. 0.09 lb (replaces the handle for a net -0.51 lb.).
They issue the Trijicon ACOG TA31RCO (AN/PVQ-31) 0.62 lb. instead of the Aimpoint.
They also throw more rail covers at the problem. 0.27 lb.
An AN/PEQ-16 adds 0.62 lb.
A Gri-Pod vertical grip; 0.44 lb.
Silent sling; 0.3 lb.
2.04 lbs added to the gun overall.
17.44 lb.! And if they decide to pocket the detachable carry handle instead of mounting the BUIS it's back to 17.95 lb. all up. That's right back to where the M14 was in Vietnam (including 0.4 lb. M1 sling).
Update: I forgot, to be able to USE that AN/PEQ-16 you're going to be needing a pound of AN/PVS-14 to see the IR laser.
The "standard" M4 will be getting what used to be called the SOCOM barrel and getting full-auto instead of three round burst; so they'll all be M4A1 SOCOM now.
13.8 lb. with 210 rounds. Bare. No sights, no optics.
An Aimpoint CompM4 (aka M68 CCO, not to be confused with the M68 CCO) adds 0.75 lb.
A Matech folding rear sight adds 0.18 lb.
Changing the handguard to a Knight's RAS adds 0.15 lb.
An AN/PEQ-16 adds 0.62 lb.
A couple of Knight's rail covers for the sides; 0.12 lb.
A Gri-Pod vertical grip; 0.44 lb.
Silent sling; 0.3 lb.
So we've added 2.56 lb. to the mess.
16.06 pounds for the weapon and ammo.
The Marines have it a little worse with their M16A4; 15.4 lb. with ammo and detachable carry handle (0.6 lb.) before we start accessorizing.
Their RAS is 0.3 heavier than the stock handguards because it's longer.
They use the Knights 600m micro rear sight for a BUIS when they issue one. 0.09 lb (replaces the handle for a net -0.51 lb.).
They issue the Trijicon ACOG TA31RCO (AN/PVQ-31) 0.62 lb. instead of the Aimpoint.
They also throw more rail covers at the problem. 0.27 lb.
An AN/PEQ-16 adds 0.62 lb.
A Gri-Pod vertical grip; 0.44 lb.
Silent sling; 0.3 lb.
17.44 lb.! And if they decide to pocket the detachable carry handle instead of mounting the BUIS it's back to 17.95 lb. all up. That's right back to where the M14 was in Vietnam (including 0.4 lb. M1 sling).
Update: I forgot, to be able to USE that AN/PEQ-16 you're going to be needing a pound of AN/PVS-14 to see the IR laser.
12 June 2014
One Or The Other
If you have the capability to make cold rolled steel, you don't need to use a blacksmith to hammer out swords.
Stupid Game of Thrones.
Stupid Game of Thrones.
11 June 2014
Appearance
Without official guidance for decades, I made shit up about how hyperspace looked in Traveller.
I'd decided that you had to point the ship at the target world then hit "go".
The stars blueshift into black.
Then there's black.
Nothing.
Hyperspace is held inches off the hull and it's black.
A catamaran shaped ship with windows facing towards each other on the inside cannot see to the other hull.
Emergence is similar.
The stars reappear redshifting to normal and you're back in normal space.
Looking at the black is disturbing to most intelligent species. The mind tries to put something in the black. Rarely does the mind go to a happy place to fill the black. People can and have gone insane staring into it.
Everyone but the Hiver. When asked they reply, "There is nothing there. Why should someone worry about nothing?"
I'd decided that you had to point the ship at the target world then hit "go".
The stars blueshift into black.
Then there's black.
Nothing.
Hyperspace is held inches off the hull and it's black.
A catamaran shaped ship with windows facing towards each other on the inside cannot see to the other hull.
Emergence is similar.
The stars reappear redshifting to normal and you're back in normal space.
Looking at the black is disturbing to most intelligent species. The mind tries to put something in the black. Rarely does the mind go to a happy place to fill the black. People can and have gone insane staring into it.
Everyone but the Hiver. When asked they reply, "There is nothing there. Why should someone worry about nothing?"
Not Always A Disaster
As you know, I am not one of Gunsmith Bubba's fans.
Bubba has destroyed a lot of history over the years.
I have to concede that Bubba didn't ruin much of value when he did it. The guns that Bubba attacked are nearly always the guns that Armies have dumped, all at once onto the commercial market.
A famous example is the .50-70 M1866 Trapdoor. They were $12 new and dumped on the market for $2 each. This during a time where a Colt SAA was $10 and a new Winchester '73 was $20. Hella bargain.
Try finding one in original condition today. What did it cost? Just to give some perspective, $2 in 1873 is just a bit more than $38 now.
Perhaps more common in the US is a sporterized version of a Krag. They were dumped by the Army for pennies on the dollar once sufficient supplies of the M1903 were available. .30-40 is very close to the .30-30 in performance, so the Krag was considered a good gun for hunting once you lightened it up a bit and improved the sights.
And the improvements are real! The quality of the work is superb in many cases. Literally professional quality work. Real money was spent upgrading these guns and that means that they are worth about 25% of what they'd be worth if they'd been left alone. At the time they were converted, though, their value was enhanced greatly because they were more useful to the ends of the owner.
There's another category of the milsurp market that deserves at least a grudging respect. A good sized hunk of the guns that are surplus are also wrecks. You can use terms like patina, but in your honest heart you know the gun is effectively worthless even if it shoots and will never have any value because there's an abundance of pristine or very nice examples.
These are the "fuck it, I'm going to see if I can fix it" guns.
Sometimes it comes out very well indeed.
Bubba has destroyed a lot of history over the years.
I have to concede that Bubba didn't ruin much of value when he did it. The guns that Bubba attacked are nearly always the guns that Armies have dumped, all at once onto the commercial market.
A famous example is the .50-70 M1866 Trapdoor. They were $12 new and dumped on the market for $2 each. This during a time where a Colt SAA was $10 and a new Winchester '73 was $20. Hella bargain.
Try finding one in original condition today. What did it cost? Just to give some perspective, $2 in 1873 is just a bit more than $38 now.
Perhaps more common in the US is a sporterized version of a Krag. They were dumped by the Army for pennies on the dollar once sufficient supplies of the M1903 were available. .30-40 is very close to the .30-30 in performance, so the Krag was considered a good gun for hunting once you lightened it up a bit and improved the sights.
And the improvements are real! The quality of the work is superb in many cases. Literally professional quality work. Real money was spent upgrading these guns and that means that they are worth about 25% of what they'd be worth if they'd been left alone. At the time they were converted, though, their value was enhanced greatly because they were more useful to the ends of the owner.
There's another category of the milsurp market that deserves at least a grudging respect. A good sized hunk of the guns that are surplus are also wrecks. You can use terms like patina, but in your honest heart you know the gun is effectively worthless even if it shoots and will never have any value because there's an abundance of pristine or very nice examples.
These are the "fuck it, I'm going to see if I can fix it" guns.
Sometimes it comes out very well indeed.
K'Zintosh
I've found plans for making digitgrade feet.
Now I need to learn sewing.
A K'zinti costume for a con would be just the thing for a fat-ugly mid-40's Sci-Fi fan to do cosplay in.
Hmmmmm
Would that make me a furry?
Now I need to learn sewing.
A K'zinti costume for a con would be just the thing for a fat-ugly mid-40's Sci-Fi fan to do cosplay in.
Hmmmmm
Would that make me a furry?
10 June 2014
Basic Load
Today, and ever since we started issuing 30 round magazines for the M16, the basic load has been 210 rounds or seven magazines.
How's that weigh?
M4 with the SOCOM barrel and 210 rounds. 13.8 lb.
M4 and 210 rounds. 13.3 lb.
M16A2 and 210 rounds. 14.9 lb.
M16A1 and 210 rounds. 13.5 lb.
Prior to 1969 the issue magazine held 20 rounds so the basic load was 9 magazines for the M16.
M16A1 and 180 rounds. 12.8 lb.
5x 20 round 7.62x51mm magazines.
M14 and 100 rounds. 17.3 lb.
13x 8 round .30-06 clips.
M1 and 104 rounds. 16.1 lb.
21x 5 round .30-06 clips.
M1903 and 105 rounds. 14.8 lb.
Rounds were carried in cartridge belts prior to the M1903
M1896 and 105 rounds .30-40. 15.1 lb.
M1873 and 21 rounds .45-70-405. 10.9 lb.
M1873 and 41 rounds .45-70-405. 12.6 lb.
And that's it for the infantry and cartridges. I've omitted the similar Krag and Trapdoor variants. This also doesn't cover cavalry guns.
This is also just the guns and their ammo, assuming a loaded gun. No other field gear or accessories.
This is also not an accounting of what the grunts actually lugged about! I've seen plenty of photos of them carrying a full issue load on their web gear plus two bandoliers.
How's that weigh?
M4 with the SOCOM barrel and 210 rounds. 13.8 lb.
M4 and 210 rounds. 13.3 lb.
M16A2 and 210 rounds. 14.9 lb.
M16A1 and 210 rounds. 13.5 lb.
Prior to 1969 the issue magazine held 20 rounds so the basic load was 9 magazines for the M16.
M16A1 and 180 rounds. 12.8 lb.
5x 20 round 7.62x51mm magazines.
M14 and 100 rounds. 17.3 lb.
13x 8 round .30-06 clips.
M1 and 104 rounds. 16.1 lb.
21x 5 round .30-06 clips.
M1903 and 105 rounds. 14.8 lb.
Rounds were carried in cartridge belts prior to the M1903
M1896 and 105 rounds .30-40. 15.1 lb.
M1873 and 21 rounds .45-70-405. 10.9 lb.
M1873 and 41 rounds .45-70-405. 12.6 lb.
And that's it for the infantry and cartridges. I've omitted the similar Krag and Trapdoor variants. This also doesn't cover cavalry guns.
This is also just the guns and their ammo, assuming a loaded gun. No other field gear or accessories.
This is also not an accounting of what the grunts actually lugged about! I've seen plenty of photos of them carrying a full issue load on their web gear plus two bandoliers.
Not The Same
Up top is an actual Browning Baby. Down below is an FN-Browning Vest Pocket. These are commonly confused for each other, they're both tiny .25's.
The Vest pocket is much older, dating from a 1905 John Browning patent. Colt made a near copy of this gun as the Model 1908 Vest Pocket. From what I read online, I guess that this example was made in 1922; if someone out there has firm dates by serial number for the Vest Pocket, lemme know. The mild unpleasantness of the 1940's played hell with the records, I hear.
The Baby is, in a lot of ways, a look at the Vest Pocket with an eye to make it smaller and easier to manufacture. Like the Hi-Power this is a joint venture of John Browning and Dieudonné Saive; production began in 1927 and continues to this very day. This one was made in 1968. It's got a magazine safety, with an extra irritation that I've never bumped into before; you cannot cock it without the magazine inserted.
Production overlapped with both guns being offered from 1927 through 1959.
All in all, I prefer the earlier design; but a Browning gun collection requires one, as does a .25 ACP collection.
Here's the Baby taken apart.
Small Things
There was once fierce competition to use the Eyore coffee mug.
I AM Eyore! Why did she always try to take the mug that best personified me?
Then I realized.
She LOVES Eyore.
And I am Eyore.
I AM Eyore! Why did she always try to take the mug that best personified me?
Then I realized.
She LOVES Eyore.
And I am Eyore.
Dear Target Guest Services
Just to note, the magical "no guns" field that is emanated by whatever little sign you plan on using when you ban firearms from your stores also affects my wallet and prevents any of my money from entering as well.
With a Wal Mart across the street from the nearest Target, it's a simple matter to spend my money there instead.
Or to drive to one of the several struggling Malls or K-Marts who would welcome my business and rejoice at your company's hardships.
It will not just be me who will shop elsewhere, but my entire family. You might even notice the loss in revenue.
I understand that "doing the right thing" must take precedence over mere profits of course. Oh wait, it cannot. I see that Target is a publicly traded corporation and dropped from 56.91 to 56.86 today.
Personally I don't think I'd care to explain that those losses could be directly attributed to gun owners choosing to shop elsewhere.
Note: at 0930 09JUN14 TGT traded at $58.13. Then the news broke. They are trading at $56.86 at close today. That's the lever you use. The announcement from Mother Demand Something didn't increase the stock price even a little and until June 9th the trend was UPWARD not down.
With a Wal Mart across the street from the nearest Target, it's a simple matter to spend my money there instead.
Or to drive to one of the several struggling Malls or K-Marts who would welcome my business and rejoice at your company's hardships.
It will not just be me who will shop elsewhere, but my entire family. You might even notice the loss in revenue.
I understand that "doing the right thing" must take precedence over mere profits of course. Oh wait, it cannot. I see that Target is a publicly traded corporation and dropped from 56.91 to 56.86 today.
Personally I don't think I'd care to explain that those losses could be directly attributed to gun owners choosing to shop elsewhere.
Note: at 0930 09JUN14 TGT traded at $58.13. Then the news broke. They are trading at $56.86 at close today. That's the lever you use. The announcement from Mother Demand Something didn't increase the stock price even a little and until June 9th the trend was UPWARD not down.
Channeling Tam
As she says, condition is everything.
On top we have a Model 12 Airweight.
On bottom we have a Model 12 Airweight.
One's a cherished collectable, the other is a shooter.
Damn Willard! Who is threatening to sue for the frequent use of his name and photos of his guns.
WAVES
The loss of the Defective Special was bearable... until I see that a Model 12 or snubby Model 10 is just about the same size. They're definitely wider with the six round cylinder, but very close in most every other dimension as the J-Frame.
On top we have a Model 12 Airweight.
On bottom we have a Model 12 Airweight.
One's a cherished collectable, the other is a shooter.
Damn Willard! Who is threatening to sue for the frequent use of his name and photos of his guns.
WAVES
The loss of the Defective Special was bearable... until I see that a Model 12 or snubby Model 10 is just about the same size. They're definitely wider with the six round cylinder, but very close in most every other dimension as the J-Frame.
Cleaning Guns
It started as an article noting that carbon can build up on a NiB plated bolt carrier group on The Firearm Blog.
The comments have degraded into DI vs Piston gun design trolling.
I even commented...
The comments have degraded into DI vs Piston gun design trolling.
I even commented...
Do you realize that the AR isn't actually direct impingement?
Have a look that the bolt carrier on an AG42 or MAS49 and you will see that the gas strikes or impinges on (hence the term) a pocket on the carrier's face and that sends it to the rear.
The AR has an expansion chamber inside the bolt carrier, and the bolt is a piston. The gas is not striking the bolt carrier, but passing through the gas key and into the chamber inside the bolt.
Time to stop using the term incorrectly in the gun world.
As far as popularity goes? I think that the only guns that use the Stoner gas system are AR's either AR15 or AR10 and their derivatives. And that's presently most of the 5.56 guns in existence for 50-25% the cost. Which is the real reason they've the taint of popularity against piston guns.
$800 AR or $2,400 SCAR? Quantify three times better than an AR and do it in terms of ammunition I might likely carry before any substantial difference in reliability will surface. Document it, show your work, PROVE the claim.
Or a claim is all it is. An anecdote.
Further down the comment chain someone is claiming that their piston gun saves them an hour of cleaning time.
ORLY?
What are you using for cleaning solvents?
This is something that's come up in my anecdotal experience too. With a piston gun, no less.
There's an FN MAG machine gun coaxial to the main gun on an M1 Abrams. It's called an M240 in the US system. Using the issue Break-Free® CLP it takes hours to get that thing clean after a day on the tank tables. This is because CLP's tend to be OK at each of the Cleaning, Lubricating and Protecting; but not actually good or great at any and normally much better at one than the other two. Break-Free® CLP has an emphasis on the L. It's an abysmal C. LSA is a better C and it was developed when the Army issued three different products for doing CLP (Rifle Bore Cleaner, LSA and Cosmoline).
I don't have a MAG to clean with modern cleaning products. But I do have ARs. Break-Free® CLP took considerable time and effort to get an M16A2 clean; and we were tankers, we didn't shoot the M16 often or much. Hoppes No 9? Nearly no effort; but you have to lubricate the gun with a different product once it's clean. And there isn't an hour's worth of cleaning to do.
Thus far the only CLP I've tried that seems to be pretty darned good at all three things is Frog Lube. I didn't want it to be so either. It ruins my, "C, L or P; pick one,"pithy line.
Still, if you want the carbon gone, a carbon solvent designed purely as such, will work faster and easier than any CLP out there. Hoppe No 9 and Shooter's Choice are my favorites. They're even copper solvents too.
Shooter's Choice and LSA cleaned a 1957 Ruger Standard that apparently had not been cleaned since it left the factory in about an hour. You just don't get dirtier than a blow-back .22. The main difficulty is getting to all the nooks and crannies to lift the dissolved carbon and not getting it to dissolve when you're using good solvents.
This comment thread raised the reliability thing again.
And again I am struck with, "how much ammo do you think you're going to be carrying?"
210 is the basic US infantry load. That's a VERY low bar to pass. How many rounds without cleaning is reliable enough? Twice the basic load? Five times the basic load? Ten times the basic load? 210 rounds is 7 pounds of magazines and ammunition. How much are you bringing?
And how subjective will our reliability tests be? The obsolete and unreliable (if you read modern accounts) M1911 could barely choke down 6,000 rounds of ball ammo in acceptance testing and a randomly selected gun from each lot had to do 5,000 or the lot was rejected. Issue load for anyone who got handed a 1911 in the US Army was a whopping three magazines. 22 rounds tops.
The main reliability problem with the 1911 in actual use was it rusting solid from being kept in a leather holster very rarely drawn let alone fired.
The more I learn about guns first hand the less I believe the internet. The more I talk to people who were actually in combat with a particular weapon, the less I believe the internet.
Incentive
I just read how there are fewer and fewer Hollywood productions coming to Florida because we don't offer enough incentives.
That means tax breaks.
Isn't this the same Hollywood that exhorts us to pay a larger portion ourselves? With millionaire actors who criticize the "super rich".
Physician (on TV) heal thyself.
That means tax breaks.
Isn't this the same Hollywood that exhorts us to pay a larger portion ourselves? With millionaire actors who criticize the "super rich".
Physician (on TV) heal thyself.
09 June 2014
Is It A Right
... or not?
Target says they're considering banning guns from their stores.
If it's OK because they have a right to control their own property and run their business as they desire...
Then it's OK to not make cakes for homosexuals.
Then it's OK to designate a seating area just for black people.
Private business decisions. They've the right to run their business the way they want on their own property.
Right?
Or not?
This is one of the ugly warts of freedom. It IS OK for you to refuse to do business with anyone for any damned reason you like, even racism, sexism, anti-Semitism, hoplophobia or homophobia...
(Technically though homophobia is the fear of sameness.)
Since the crying liberals have decided that no, we don't have a right to discriminate at whim we probably should beat them over the head about a right that specifically called out in an amendment to the constitution whereas the right to buy a cake or sit in the front of the bus isn't.
Make them live up to their standards like they beat us over our heads with ours!
Target says they're considering banning guns from their stores.
If it's OK because they have a right to control their own property and run their business as they desire...
Then it's OK to not make cakes for homosexuals.
Then it's OK to designate a seating area just for black people.
Private business decisions. They've the right to run their business the way they want on their own property.
Right?
Or not?
This is one of the ugly warts of freedom. It IS OK for you to refuse to do business with anyone for any damned reason you like, even racism, sexism, anti-Semitism, hoplophobia or homophobia...
(Technically though homophobia is the fear of sameness.)
Since the crying liberals have decided that no, we don't have a right to discriminate at whim we probably should beat them over the head about a right that specifically called out in an amendment to the constitution whereas the right to buy a cake or sit in the front of the bus isn't.
Make them live up to their standards like they beat us over our heads with ours!
Sanctity
In GURPS...
Sanctity is the clerical magic's equivalence to mana level.
Power Investiture is clerical magic's equivalent to magery.
Every God will have Its own list of spells that are appropriate to them. This is a tedious GM chore.
On the plus side, there's no prerequisite tree to follow and some of the spells can be very powerful.
On the down side, there are far fewer spells to choose from.
The ability to use these spells is subject to the capricious whim of mercurial Gods.
The major Gods: Aphrodite, Apollo, Ares, Artemis, Athena, Demeter, Dionysus, Hades, Hephaestus, Hera, Hermes, Hestia, Poseidon and Zeus can grant up to Power Investiture 5.
The primordial Gods: Aether, Ananke, Chaos, Chronos, Erebos, Eros, Gaia, Hemera, Hypnos, The Nesoi, Myx, Uranus, The Ourea, Phanes, Pontus, Tartarus, Thallassa, and Thanatos can grant up to Power Investiture 3.
The Titans: Asteria, Astraeus, Atlas, Aura, Clymene, Coeus, Crius, Cronus, Dione, Eos, Epimetheus, Eurybia, Eurynome, Helios, Hyperion, Iapetus, Lelantos, Leto, Menoetius, Metis, Mnemosyne, Oceanus, Ophion, Pallas, Persus, Prometheus, Phoebe, Rhea, Selene, Styx, Tethys, Theia, and Themis can grant up to Power Investiture 2.
Any and all other Greek deities (but not Gigantes or any Mortal, Hero or Deified Mortal) can grant up to Power Investiture 1.
The Fates: Atropos, Clotho and Lachesis, although very powerful, grant no powers or spells.
Did I mention that Magic Returns is a Greek Myth Parallel?
It's emphatically not Greece.
I'll be revisiting this with spell lists afore too long, but not anon.
Sanctity is the clerical magic's equivalence to mana level.
Power Investiture is clerical magic's equivalent to magery.
Every God will have Its own list of spells that are appropriate to them. This is a tedious GM chore.
On the plus side, there's no prerequisite tree to follow and some of the spells can be very powerful.
On the down side, there are far fewer spells to choose from.
The ability to use these spells is subject to the capricious whim of mercurial Gods.
The major Gods: Aphrodite, Apollo, Ares, Artemis, Athena, Demeter, Dionysus, Hades, Hephaestus, Hera, Hermes, Hestia, Poseidon and Zeus can grant up to Power Investiture 5.
The primordial Gods: Aether, Ananke, Chaos, Chronos, Erebos, Eros, Gaia, Hemera, Hypnos, The Nesoi, Myx, Uranus, The Ourea, Phanes, Pontus, Tartarus, Thallassa, and Thanatos can grant up to Power Investiture 3.
The Titans: Asteria, Astraeus, Atlas, Aura, Clymene, Coeus, Crius, Cronus, Dione, Eos, Epimetheus, Eurybia, Eurynome, Helios, Hyperion, Iapetus, Lelantos, Leto, Menoetius, Metis, Mnemosyne, Oceanus, Ophion, Pallas, Persus, Prometheus, Phoebe, Rhea, Selene, Styx, Tethys, Theia, and Themis can grant up to Power Investiture 2.
Any and all other Greek deities (but not Gigantes or any Mortal, Hero or Deified Mortal) can grant up to Power Investiture 1.
The Fates: Atropos, Clotho and Lachesis, although very powerful, grant no powers or spells.
Did I mention that Magic Returns is a Greek Myth Parallel?
It's emphatically not Greece.
I'll be revisiting this with spell lists afore too long, but not anon.
06 June 2014
The Picture On The Can Tells You What's Inside
Our sore toothed puppy
He likes it!
He ate about half and the cat did get some, in case you were worried about her starving because of the selfish puppy.
He's actually not having any problem eating his dry food and isn't losing any weight despite the abscessed tooth.
The antibiotics have really made the spot on his face get smaller.
Still time to toss some change in the donation bin if you wanna help him out.
Clinical
The NTSB Report for Lex's last flight.
It mentions things that he'd been concerned with and mentioned on his blog.
I am reminded, again, that if mil is going to use civilian contractors for dissimilar training, they should allow mil ILS on the contractor's planes or install a commercial ILS at the base that hosts them.
Either or would likely have allowed him to land instead of depending on the ground people to a precision approach when he'd mentioned they didn't seem able to absorb that the Kfir operated a lot faster than the Navy planes they were used to.
It mentions things that he'd been concerned with and mentioned on his blog.
I am reminded, again, that if mil is going to use civilian contractors for dissimilar training, they should allow mil ILS on the contractor's planes or install a commercial ILS at the base that hosts them.
Either or would likely have allowed him to land instead of depending on the ground people to a precision approach when he'd mentioned they didn't seem able to absorb that the Kfir operated a lot faster than the Navy planes they were used to.
Dear Wilson Combat
I did not complete the order because I wanted to know how much shipping would be.
You're the ones who made it so I had to select the item and nearly complete the purchase before you'd admit to your rates.
The helpful "you did not complete your order" emails aren't really helpful.
You're the ones who made it so I had to select the item and nearly complete the purchase before you'd admit to your rates.
The helpful "you did not complete your order" emails aren't really helpful.
Grab A Mirror
It's getting to be Open Carry Derangement Syndrome around here.
You know who's still talking about it?
The "pro-gun" side.
Making more noise condemning it than the anti's in fact.
I don't think you're making it better by obsessing on it.
You know who's still talking about it?
The "pro-gun" side.
Making more noise condemning it than the anti's in fact.
I don't think you're making it better by obsessing on it.
Subjective
Also known as it takes different strokes to rule the world.
Go to any vendor who sells AR accessories and just look at the variety that's available in pistol grips.
That alone should tell you that gun owners are not a monolithic one size fits all group.
Another area where personal preference hits hard is in re-dot mounting.
How far forward or back you place a red dot is entirely up to how you like things rather than there being a correct way to do it. Really as long as you can see that damn dot you're golden. The rest is a matter of how much scope body you want in your view and the ratio of through the tube and not you prefer. I prefer mine so that the back of the scope is above the trigger, but I have marked my rail for when I am using the Po-Boy and have to place it at the forward limit.
The next thing that surfaces about red-dot mounting is that the scopes and the mounts are very definitely focused on flat-top AR-15s.
Lots of other guns have been adapted to rails; mostly a forearm.
You might notice that the rails begin far forward of where they do on an AR.
What if you prefer a more aft presentation for your red-dot?
[Cue fanfare]
How about mounting that scope in a "backwards" cantilever?
The cantilever mounts for an AR were originally for placing the red-dot farther forward so you had room between the red-dot and the BUIS for a magnifier or night vision scope. The reason they are cantilevered is because there really weren't railed forearms back then and it needed to be on the upper.
However, it's not strictly a directional item. It's for mounting the optic past where the rails end.
Even if the rails end to the rear.
Go to any vendor who sells AR accessories and just look at the variety that's available in pistol grips.
That alone should tell you that gun owners are not a monolithic one size fits all group.
Another area where personal preference hits hard is in re-dot mounting.
How far forward or back you place a red dot is entirely up to how you like things rather than there being a correct way to do it. Really as long as you can see that damn dot you're golden. The rest is a matter of how much scope body you want in your view and the ratio of through the tube and not you prefer. I prefer mine so that the back of the scope is above the trigger, but I have marked my rail for when I am using the Po-Boy and have to place it at the forward limit.
The next thing that surfaces about red-dot mounting is that the scopes and the mounts are very definitely focused on flat-top AR-15s.
Lots of other guns have been adapted to rails; mostly a forearm.
You might notice that the rails begin far forward of where they do on an AR.
What if you prefer a more aft presentation for your red-dot?
[Cue fanfare]
How about mounting that scope in a "backwards" cantilever?
The cantilever mounts for an AR were originally for placing the red-dot farther forward so you had room between the red-dot and the BUIS for a magnifier or night vision scope. The reason they are cantilevered is because there really weren't railed forearms back then and it needed to be on the upper.
However, it's not strictly a directional item. It's for mounting the optic past where the rails end.
Even if the rails end to the rear.
D+ 25567
Even someone who was born that day is old.
One of the biggest frontal assaults against a prepared position ever mounted.
My hat has been off to these gentlemen since I've been able to understand what they'd done.
One of the biggest frontal assaults against a prepared position ever mounted.
My hat has been off to these gentlemen since I've been able to understand what they'd done.
05 June 2014
Well Maybe Not Then
Every once and a while I think about going to GenCon.
I've been before. When it was in Wisconsin... Geneva even...
It was kinda neat.
I looked at the rules for the one that's nowhere near Gen...
I don't think I wanna pay to be in a prominent gun free victim zone.
C'est la vie.
I've been before. When it was in Wisconsin... Geneva even...
It was kinda neat.
I looked at the rules for the one that's nowhere near Gen...
Costumes & Weapons
Weapons and items that appear to be weapons are not allowed at Gen Con. Self defense, recreational and utility items such as knifes, tazers, pepper spray, BB guns, cap guns, air-soft weapons, paintball guns, water guns, martial arts weaponry, including wooden practice weapons, etc, are not welcome, even if it is lawful to own and carry them in other public places. Off duty security, law-enforcement and military personnel are not allowed to bring their weapons to Gen Con. Items resembling futuristic weapons, fantasy weapons and non-projectile boffer weapons may be allowed provided they are not handled in a careless, threatening or destructive manner against persons or property.
Questionable items can be brought to the Information Desk in the convention center during operating hours to be checked for compliance with this policy. Some events may provide exceptions to this policy under strict circumstances defined by that event. Items purchased in the Exhibit Hall that violate this policy must be wrapped and immediately removed from the convention premises.
20th & 21st century uniforms may not be worn as costumes. These include any uniform that can be construed as a military uniform from any country or a uniform worn in an official capacity, such as security guard, police officer, deputy, fire marshal, paramedic, etc. Active duty military personnel are permitted to wear their government-issued uniforms.
I don't think I wanna pay to be in a prominent gun free victim zone.
C'est la vie.
Ortgies
I'd always thought this was a Spanish gun from the name...
Nein!
It's striker fired and has the most interesting grip safety I've ever seen. When it's back, the gun is on safe. When you squeeze it, it clicks forward and stays there and the gun is on fire.
If you want to put it back on safe, there's a cute little button that releases the grip safety where I'd have thought a slide stop would go. There is no slide stop.
It's in .32 ACP. The magazine is very neat, it's hard chromed.
Special thanks to Willard for bringing it by for me to play with.
Nein!
It's striker fired and has the most interesting grip safety I've ever seen. When it's back, the gun is on safe. When you squeeze it, it clicks forward and stays there and the gun is on fire.
If you want to put it back on safe, there's a cute little button that releases the grip safety where I'd have thought a slide stop would go. There is no slide stop.
It's in .32 ACP. The magazine is very neat, it's hard chromed.
Special thanks to Willard for bringing it by for me to play with.
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