I stand by what I said in 2008.
I still cannot fathom the good will he still engenders.
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14 February 2017
The Lesson Of Lobachevsky
Mostly Cajun reminds us, "1876 – Alexander Graham Bell applies for a patent for the telephone, as does Elisha Gray. Court battle follows. Bell wins." of the Lesson of Lobachevsky.
Publish first!
Publish first!
Self Reliance
For someone who espoused the idea of self-reliance and responsibility, why is it I only hear about you when you've got your hand out begging?
Gimme money so I can do a once in a lifetime...
Gimme money because I didn't plan...
Gimme money because something tragic happened...
But it's alway Gimme.
But enough about me...
Gimme money so I can do a once in a lifetime...
Gimme money because I didn't plan...
Gimme money because something tragic happened...
But it's alway Gimme.
But enough about me...
13 February 2017
Chillin'
200k miles is about all a Honda Civic radiator is good for.
With the help of Corvette JT, there's a whole new one in there now.
We departed from the manual a bit by removing just the grill from the front rather than the entire front bumper skin.
Getting the stems for the transmission cooler and lower hose past the fan shrouds is fiddly and only goes with everything held just so.
If you ever have to do this, don't forget to grab the little rubber feet off the old radiator. You need those! When you do forget them, you have to blindly flail around inside the core support to find the stud they attach to with your helper holding the radiator up.
With the help of Corvette JT, there's a whole new one in there now.
We departed from the manual a bit by removing just the grill from the front rather than the entire front bumper skin.
Getting the stems for the transmission cooler and lower hose past the fan shrouds is fiddly and only goes with everything held just so.
If you ever have to do this, don't forget to grab the little rubber feet off the old radiator. You need those! When you do forget them, you have to blindly flail around inside the core support to find the stud they attach to with your helper holding the radiator up.
Wrong Analogy
Banning Moslem refugees from Moslem nations is not like barring Anne Frank from coming to America during WW2.
Banning Moslem refugees from Moslem nations is like barring Reinhard Heydrich from coming to America during WW2.
Banning Moslem refugees from Moslem nations is like barring Reinhard Heydrich from coming to America during WW2.
12 February 2017
No One Should
"No one should go broke because they get sick."
I will grant that.
Likewise, no one should be unable to afford healthcare because they're paying for someone else's.
It's tax time and I see how much of our meager earnings remain with the Feral Gubmint.
I see how much is deducted for our healthcare with a an annual deductible equal to two pay periods of take-home pay. I see that we also have a $160 per visit copay that doesn't count against that deductible. I see that we also have to pay 20% of the costs after we've paid 100% up to that deductible. I see that we have to shop around to see which pharmacy has the best rate on which prescriptions, often taking the generic brand.
I see people getting back more in their tax "returns" than they've had deducted from their checks (if any was deducted at all). I see them getting healthcare with zero out-of-pocket expense. No deductible, no copay, no percentage. I see them getting the name brand prescriptions for free regardless of which pharmacy they choose.
I see, because we pay for it, that we are reluctant to go to a doctor for anything less than a catastrophe. I see you going to the emergency room for a cold because it doesn't cost you anything to use the most expensive care available.
I'm going broke because YOU got sick.
Because all that money we're spending on deductibles, copays and cost sharing is overpaying to cover the additional risk of having you in the pool over-consuming scarce resources.
I will grant that.
Likewise, no one should be unable to afford healthcare because they're paying for someone else's.
It's tax time and I see how much of our meager earnings remain with the Feral Gubmint.
I see how much is deducted for our healthcare with a an annual deductible equal to two pay periods of take-home pay. I see that we also have a $160 per visit copay that doesn't count against that deductible. I see that we also have to pay 20% of the costs after we've paid 100% up to that deductible. I see that we have to shop around to see which pharmacy has the best rate on which prescriptions, often taking the generic brand.
I see people getting back more in their tax "returns" than they've had deducted from their checks (if any was deducted at all). I see them getting healthcare with zero out-of-pocket expense. No deductible, no copay, no percentage. I see them getting the name brand prescriptions for free regardless of which pharmacy they choose.
I see, because we pay for it, that we are reluctant to go to a doctor for anything less than a catastrophe. I see you going to the emergency room for a cold because it doesn't cost you anything to use the most expensive care available.
I'm going broke because YOU got sick.
Because all that money we're spending on deductibles, copays and cost sharing is overpaying to cover the additional risk of having you in the pool over-consuming scarce resources.
Mx
The US Army replaced the M1911A1 with the M9.
The M9 was the first pistol adopted since the Army changed the designation system from Myear to Msequential.
The change from year to sequential was in the 1920's or '30's (I can't remember exactly).
The new pistol that replaces the M9 is the M17.
If you had small hands, there was a SIG P228 designated M11.
What were pistols M1 through M8, M10 and M12 through M16?
This is not the only time there's been massive gaps in the system.
For machine guns we drop off with an M3 (Browning .50 cal variant) and don't pick up again until M60! Then we hop to M73 then M85 then M219 then M240 then M249.
Carbines is mostly complete.
M1, M2 and M3 are all variations of the M1 carbine in .30 Carbine. M4 is the stubified M16. M5 through M7 disappear before the XM8 surfaces.
Rifles?
M1 then M14-M16 then M21, then M25 then...
It can give one agita.
It seems like there should be a list someplace where these guns have been type classified, but not adopted. But I routinely fail to find it. XM8 is probably a clue, classified, tested, not adopted.
I wonder if the late '80's ACR program contenders all have XM numbers assigned, but not widely publicized.
The M9 was the first pistol adopted since the Army changed the designation system from Myear to Msequential.
The change from year to sequential was in the 1920's or '30's (I can't remember exactly).
The new pistol that replaces the M9 is the M17.
If you had small hands, there was a SIG P228 designated M11.
What were pistols M1 through M8, M10 and M12 through M16?
This is not the only time there's been massive gaps in the system.
For machine guns we drop off with an M3 (Browning .50 cal variant) and don't pick up again until M60! Then we hop to M73 then M85 then M219 then M240 then M249.
Carbines is mostly complete.
M1, M2 and M3 are all variations of the M1 carbine in .30 Carbine. M4 is the stubified M16. M5 through M7 disappear before the XM8 surfaces.
Rifles?
M1 then M14-M16 then M21, then M25 then...
It can give one agita.
It seems like there should be a list someplace where these guns have been type classified, but not adopted. But I routinely fail to find it. XM8 is probably a clue, classified, tested, not adopted.
I wonder if the late '80's ACR program contenders all have XM numbers assigned, but not widely publicized.
Dear White People
I don't have a Netflix account to boycott with, so I'm not boycotting them over their making the movie "Dear White People" into a series.
I will, however, say that if I did have a Netflix account I would not be watching the series.
Is it because I am a racist? Homophobe?
Nope.
It's because I've seen the movie.
It's not a complete loss, it's got some very funny moments.
The problem is that it's about 45 minutes of material crammed into 108 minutes. And that's with three main plots running in it!
It's poorly paced and jumps between characters jarringly.
This not something that I think would benefit from having more time to develop story and character arcs because the arcs are so shallow a laser's ballistic trajectory seems more like a .45-70 by comparison. The characters are very single dimensional and exist to make their plot point and either disappear having made it or hang around to beat you over the head with it.
I will, however, say that if I did have a Netflix account I would not be watching the series.
Is it because I am a racist? Homophobe?
Nope.
It's because I've seen the movie.
It's not a complete loss, it's got some very funny moments.
The problem is that it's about 45 minutes of material crammed into 108 minutes. And that's with three main plots running in it!
It's poorly paced and jumps between characters jarringly.
This not something that I think would benefit from having more time to develop story and character arcs because the arcs are so shallow a laser's ballistic trajectory seems more like a .45-70 by comparison. The characters are very single dimensional and exist to make their plot point and either disappear having made it or hang around to beat you over the head with it.
10 February 2017
Correction
A Marine Mammal Mk 5 is neither a SEAL nor a Marine; despite SEALs and Marines both being mammals. I stand corrected.
Improvement
The LMT SOPMOD stock's cargo tubes can only be accessed if you remove the stock. This is because the point of the tear-drop shape hits the receiver extension tube, as shown with the right hand cap here.
Damage Ind. improved the design by adding a small tab opposite the point and a slot for it in the body of the stock. That lets you remove the cap with the stock installed.
Notice that you can still chose to place the caps in their original orientation if you're concerned about them coming out during use.
Win-Win I says.
I am finding that I am liking how this stock feels more and more.
Oooops, except for one little thing. With them in the original position, there's nothing retaining them front to back except tension from the o-ring. C'est la vie.
09 February 2017
Next Stop! BCM Gunfighter Stock
Going to have to make a review of all the carbine stocks I've accumulated in my never ending quest for collapsible stock comfort.
If anyone out there has some pull with other stock makers, like Mission First, I'd happily add them to the review list.
I prefer foliage green if given a choice and it'd be interesting to add as many types as I can.
Update:
Or maybe not, "In Stock" at Optics Planet doesn't mean what I thought it meant.
If anyone out there has some pull with other stock makers, like Mission First, I'd happily add them to the review list.
I prefer foliage green if given a choice and it'd be interesting to add as many types as I can.
Update:
Or maybe not, "In Stock" at Optics Planet doesn't mean what I thought it meant.
08 February 2017
Boo Freaking Hoo
Lefty panties are in a bunch because the Republicans used an obscure, but valid, rule to silence the irritating drone of someone.
Here's the thing.
I've been saying, for a long time, that sooner or later the Republicans were going to have to be just as rude as the Democrats often are to effectively fight back.
The peaceful Tea Party rallies where the location was left cleaner afterwards than before was how we wanted to cause change.
Look where that got us?
If being raging assholes is how it must be done, then it is how it will be done.
That's how manners works.
You don't get to be an asshole to someone and expect them to be nice back to you for very long.
Here's the thing.
I've been saying, for a long time, that sooner or later the Republicans were going to have to be just as rude as the Democrats often are to effectively fight back.
The peaceful Tea Party rallies where the location was left cleaner afterwards than before was how we wanted to cause change.
Look where that got us?
If being raging assholes is how it must be done, then it is how it will be done.
That's how manners works.
You don't get to be an asshole to someone and expect them to be nice back to you for very long.
Doo Daddy
AR Carbine Stocks are another area of study that falls well into doo-dad and gee-gaw territory.
There's a plethora enough of them to satisfy at least three El Guapos.
There's a plethora enough of them to satisfy at least three El Guapos.
Because On Clearance
I got a Damage Industries Enhanced Combat System mil-spec diameter buttstock, because it was marked down substantially. From $89.95 to $22.95 substantially. I got mine in foliage green, but the deal extends to all of their colors but black.
I'm going to keep using that word, substantial, to describe this thing.
It's substantial. It adds about an inch of pull at a given detent. It's heavy, 11.9 ounces. The Enhanced M4 stock shown with it is a mere 6.7 oz. (7 oz. with the optional sling loop). By way of comparison a Magpul CTR stock tares at 9.2 oz. and the SOPMOD stock it's clearly intended to compete with is 11 oz.
It's substantially wider because of the storage tubes.
The tube caps are o-ring sealed and well retained by a tab and a bit of a detent. The "pointer" actually ramps along the front edge of the stock, aiding in the removal of the cap!
I am not sure what substances I can stuff in them. Batteries come to mind. They're way too narrow a diameter to fit any of the oil bottles I have around here, and a boresnake just won't fit.
I'm a little concerned about that gaping maw there accumulating dirt and crud.
The paddle to change the length is also much wider than normal M4 stocks.
Shouldering is... different. Not bad. But not "WOW!" either. It just sort of is. Because it's so different from other stocks I've played with, I'm not getting a consistent cheek weld, but it's clearly unfamiliarity.
It's got almost no wobble. Unlike Magpul's CTR, which has a latch that presses against the spline of the receiver extension, the ECS stock has leaf springs that press against the tube at all times.
Plus! So far it's not grabbed my beard. That puts it at least half a step above most of the competition.
I'm going to keep using that word, substantial, to describe this thing.
It's substantial. It adds about an inch of pull at a given detent. It's heavy, 11.9 ounces. The Enhanced M4 stock shown with it is a mere 6.7 oz. (7 oz. with the optional sling loop). By way of comparison a Magpul CTR stock tares at 9.2 oz. and the SOPMOD stock it's clearly intended to compete with is 11 oz.
It's substantially wider because of the storage tubes.
The tube caps are o-ring sealed and well retained by a tab and a bit of a detent. The "pointer" actually ramps along the front edge of the stock, aiding in the removal of the cap!
I am not sure what substances I can stuff in them. Batteries come to mind. They're way too narrow a diameter to fit any of the oil bottles I have around here, and a boresnake just won't fit.
I'm a little concerned about that gaping maw there accumulating dirt and crud.
The paddle to change the length is also much wider than normal M4 stocks.
Shouldering is... different. Not bad. But not "WOW!" either. It just sort of is. Because it's so different from other stocks I've played with, I'm not getting a consistent cheek weld, but it's clearly unfamiliarity.
It's got almost no wobble. Unlike Magpul's CTR, which has a latch that presses against the spline of the receiver extension, the ECS stock has leaf springs that press against the tube at all times.
Plus! So far it's not grabbed my beard. That puts it at least half a step above most of the competition.
07 February 2017
Massacre
You know you're a car guy when you heard "Bowling Green Massacre" and your first thought was to hope that everyone at the Corvette Assembly Plant was OK.
Review
The Civic needed a new windshield.
Our insurance covers that.
The service tech did a great job and asked us to make sure we submitted a review.
While I'm very happy with Safelite's technician and service, I am less thrilled at the company they've contracted to do reviews.
You have to pick a unique "nickname" that's associated with your email address. It cannot be the same nickname that someone else has used, even if they're using a different email address.
The terms and conditions have you agreeing to receive emails from them, and those will include an opt-out option.
"GoFuckYourself" was taken as a nickname, I had to check.
So I did my name with a number attached as a nick and they got my email with .net changed to .com.
Just so I could express my gratitude about honest service delivered in a timely manner.
Our insurance covers that.
The service tech did a great job and asked us to make sure we submitted a review.
While I'm very happy with Safelite's technician and service, I am less thrilled at the company they've contracted to do reviews.
You have to pick a unique "nickname" that's associated with your email address. It cannot be the same nickname that someone else has used, even if they're using a different email address.
The terms and conditions have you agreeing to receive emails from them, and those will include an opt-out option.
"GoFuckYourself" was taken as a nickname, I had to check.
So I did my name with a number attached as a nick and they got my email with .net changed to .com.
Just so I could express my gratitude about honest service delivered in a timely manner.
06 February 2017
Hey Hey Ho Ho
I am always last to know.
Fascinating read.
All in all it's a pretty positive tone for ATF to be taking.
I'd like more. A lot more. But bloated Federal agencies don't turn on a dime, and this is really a great bit of news.
Them getting themselves out of the way of the HPA is pretty spiffy, you have to admit.
Better than a kick in the eye.
I also enjoyed the admission thatevil baby killing assault rifles weapons bog standard AR's have sporting purpose and a tacit admission that there's more to sporting than hunting in the way they phrased it.
It's not perfect and it's not binding on anything or anyone; but I love the change of tone from "always be confiscating" from prior administrations.
Fascinating read.
All in all it's a pretty positive tone for ATF to be taking.
I'd like more. A lot more. But bloated Federal agencies don't turn on a dime, and this is really a great bit of news.
Them getting themselves out of the way of the HPA is pretty spiffy, you have to admit.
Better than a kick in the eye.
I also enjoyed the admission that
It's not perfect and it's not binding on anything or anyone; but I love the change of tone from "always be confiscating" from prior administrations.
Who Won?
I don't care.
Here's a clue, sports fan, I could have watched the game if I cared.
But I don't, so I didn't.
Because I don't care, and didn't watch the game because of that apathy, I don't really want you to recount the event to me.
Knowing that I don't care about the outcome of the game, why do you think I care about how that outcome was achieved?
Here's a clue, sports fan, I could have watched the game if I cared.
But I don't, so I didn't.
Because I don't care, and didn't watch the game because of that apathy, I don't really want you to recount the event to me.
Knowing that I don't care about the outcome of the game, why do you think I care about how that outcome was achieved?
So Much For The Moral High Ground
When you're reenacting Kristallknacht, you've kind of lost the right to call other people Nazis.
Especially when what triggered your inner brown-shirt was a gay guy of Jewish ancestry.
I guess they have to burn The Capitol Building now to complete the fascist starter kit.
Well, except their chosen Chancellor didn't get elected...
Well Poop
It was fun while it lasted.
The 2017 Magpul catalog does not list any magazines or furniture in the eminently dyeable sand color.
Now you can get any color magazine you want, as long as it's black. Or "medium coyote tan" in the 30-round Gen M3 PMAG (because USMC).
The 2017 Magpul catalog does not list any magazines or furniture in the eminently dyeable sand color.
Now you can get any color magazine you want, as long as it's black. Or "medium coyote tan" in the 30-round Gen M3 PMAG (because USMC).
05 February 2017
04 February 2017
Broken Record
I will keep coming back to the same things over and over until I figure them out.
Don't worry, it's part of the process.
If you recognize something, just skip it while I pick at the empty tooth socket.
Don't worry, it's part of the process.
If you recognize something, just skip it while I pick at the empty tooth socket.
Ich Keine Nazi
I'm not the one breaking windows and complaining about what a Jew is doing.
But, pray, continue to call me a Fascist while you demand others be forbidden to speak.
But, pray, continue to call me a Fascist while you demand others be forbidden to speak.
Recurring Fear
I have a piece of paper that says I learned business administration from a particular college.
The thing is, I did not learn much there.
That is not to say that I don't know what was being taught, it's just that I'd learned it before I walked in the door and registered for classes.
Autodidactic is the term.
I incurred a rather substantial debt to get that piece of paper.
I am now very reluctant to pay anyone for something I already know.
A recurring theme in attempting to find someone to teach me something I want to know is a refusal on the part of the teachers to assess where I presently sit in the scheme of things and allow a prospective student to "test out" of the novice stages of the school.
Carrepair tuning has figured out that most students know how to spin a wrench by the time they're asking about fuel map tables, so they break the classes out and don't require Screwdriver 101 before you take the classes on using the Tech 2.
Too many skills teaching places require you take (and pay for) all of the 100 level classes to get to the 200 level classes then 300 then so on. Regardless of if you know all the 100 and 200 material cold before you talk to them.
Graduates who only learned by starting with the 100 classes of course advocate learning it that way. Forgetting that they were once an egg, they no longer grok that not everyone starts in the same place.
There's another kind of graduate that adds to the fear. These are the people who explain to you, like you were a child, that you must take the 100 level classes to learn the material properly and once you do that, everything will suddenly be clear. They can never relate why relearning something you already know in a different way makes the knowledge superior.
It's like a cult. Cults are scary.
I've been bumping into it for a really long time. It happens a lot in karate. Earn that green belt, move, find a new dojo and discover that you're a white belt again. But the new school teaches you better than the old one, they count out the kata in proper Korean... Then move again, start over again, and now it's superior because you're learning to count in Japanese.
When you realize the only new material you've been exposed to is how to count in a new language you get very cynical about the hiring of teachers.
Hiring of teachers is an important part here. That person you're shoveling money at? Yeah, you're paying them to teach you. They're not paying you. But you'd never see that in their attitude towards their students. This is another aspect that makes some schools seem more like cults.
Pay your tithe, Disciple, come be exposed to the light of the master. Do not disparage the teachings of the Enlightened One, or verily flying monkeys will be dispatched to disparage you.
Do not question the Divine Wisdom by having the temerity of trying to interview your prospective employee before you hire them.
The Master - Student model is inherently cult-like in a manner that Teacher - Student often isn't. Because a teacher is, in their hearts, an employee.
Where do I hire an employee? Because if I'm paying you to do a job, I'M the boss; not you.
PS: Classes cost a lot of time and money, and making sure that what I want to buy is worth the time and money is just due diligence, not intransigence.
PPS: If it seems like I don't want to learn, that's incorrect. I am trying to avoid paying for remedial classes for redundant knowledge. I notice that nobody wants to help with that.
The thing is, I did not learn much there.
That is not to say that I don't know what was being taught, it's just that I'd learned it before I walked in the door and registered for classes.
Autodidactic is the term.
I incurred a rather substantial debt to get that piece of paper.
I am now very reluctant to pay anyone for something I already know.
A recurring theme in attempting to find someone to teach me something I want to know is a refusal on the part of the teachers to assess where I presently sit in the scheme of things and allow a prospective student to "test out" of the novice stages of the school.
Car
Too many skills teaching places require you take (and pay for) all of the 100 level classes to get to the 200 level classes then 300 then so on. Regardless of if you know all the 100 and 200 material cold before you talk to them.
Graduates who only learned by starting with the 100 classes of course advocate learning it that way. Forgetting that they were once an egg, they no longer grok that not everyone starts in the same place.
There's another kind of graduate that adds to the fear. These are the people who explain to you, like you were a child, that you must take the 100 level classes to learn the material properly and once you do that, everything will suddenly be clear. They can never relate why relearning something you already know in a different way makes the knowledge superior.
It's like a cult. Cults are scary.
I've been bumping into it for a really long time. It happens a lot in karate. Earn that green belt, move, find a new dojo and discover that you're a white belt again. But the new school teaches you better than the old one, they count out the kata in proper Korean... Then move again, start over again, and now it's superior because you're learning to count in Japanese.
When you realize the only new material you've been exposed to is how to count in a new language you get very cynical about the hiring of teachers.
Hiring of teachers is an important part here. That person you're shoveling money at? Yeah, you're paying them to teach you. They're not paying you. But you'd never see that in their attitude towards their students. This is another aspect that makes some schools seem more like cults.
Pay your tithe, Disciple, come be exposed to the light of the master. Do not disparage the teachings of the Enlightened One, or verily flying monkeys will be dispatched to disparage you.
Do not question the Divine Wisdom by having the temerity of trying to interview your prospective employee before you hire them.
The Master - Student model is inherently cult-like in a manner that Teacher - Student often isn't. Because a teacher is, in their hearts, an employee.
Where do I hire an employee? Because if I'm paying you to do a job, I'M the boss; not you.
PS: Classes cost a lot of time and money, and making sure that what I want to buy is worth the time and money is just due diligence, not intransigence.
PPS: If it seems like I don't want to learn, that's incorrect. I am trying to avoid paying for remedial classes for redundant knowledge. I notice that nobody wants to help with that.
03 February 2017
.38 Super vs .38 ACP GURPS
There are no complete official stats for .38 Super or .38 ACP in GURPS.
There are incomplete stats for both.
There's a single entry for .38 ACP under the Webley-Fossbery Auto-Revolver.
.38 Super gets mentioned with just about every 1911 description.
In both cases it's just a change to the damage stats, and not to the range stats.
.38 ACP is given 2d+1 pi with the same range stats as .455 Webley.
.38 Super is given 3d-1 pi with the same range stats as .45 ACP.
Is this right?
A 1920 edition of Automatic Pistols on .38 ACP says gives 130gr bullet at 1,175 fps for Winchester ammunition; 128gr at 1,100 fps for Ely ammunition and 130 at 1,000 fps for Kynoch.
Cartridges of the World says 130gr should zipping along at 1,040 fps.
What's that give us?
Using my hybrid calculations of Douglas Cole's terminal ballistics spreadsheet and input from GURPS: Vehicles 2e...
Winchester ammo does 2d+2 pi with a range of 150/1,600.
Ely, Kynoch and Cartridges of the World do 2d+1 pi; same range.
.38 Super shows the same ranges (because the Vehicles calculation is essentially a barrel to caliber ratio modified by a "power" constant).
Cartridges of the World says 130gr at 1,215 fps. That's 3d-1 pi.
Wikipedia references Accurate powder for a 130gr bullet at 1,305 fps. That's 3d pi!
There's a built in ±10% "fudge" factor built into all this. So the weakest .38 ACP load from Kynoch can actually run from 2d pi to 2d+1 pi and the strongest .38 Super from Accurate Powder can vary from 2d+2 pi to 3d pi.
Where this gets a little strange is when we look up the +P rules in High Tech. +P is just a 10% increase in damage, range and ST.
Since .38 Super is often regarded as a +P version of .38 ACP... where does that take us?
Range will change from 150/1,600 to 160/1,800 (because rounding to nearest tens on 1/2D and hundreds on Max).
+10% damage on 2d+1 pi = (((2*3.5)+1)*1.1)/3.5 = 2.514 which translates to 2d+2 pi.
+10% damage on 2d+2 pi = (((2*3.5)+2)*1.1)/3.5 = 2.829 translates to 3d-1 pi.
There you have it, I guess.
My world's "official" stats are going to be:
.38 ACP 2d+1 pi 150/1,600 with ST 9.
.38 Super 3d-1 pi 160/1,800 with ST 10.
Since these rounds physically interchange, what happens if you put them in the wrong gun? That depends.
The old Colt 1900, 1902 and 1903 guns reputably break locking links or the barrel wedge if fed hot ammo for very long at all.
A .38 Super gun might not cycle if its springs are too strong, but it'd be perfectly safe.
There are incomplete stats for both.
There's a single entry for .38 ACP under the Webley-Fossbery Auto-Revolver.
.38 Super gets mentioned with just about every 1911 description.
In both cases it's just a change to the damage stats, and not to the range stats.
.38 ACP is given 2d+1 pi with the same range stats as .455 Webley.
.38 Super is given 3d-1 pi with the same range stats as .45 ACP.
Is this right?
A 1920 edition of Automatic Pistols on .38 ACP says gives 130gr bullet at 1,175 fps for Winchester ammunition; 128gr at 1,100 fps for Ely ammunition and 130 at 1,000 fps for Kynoch.
Cartridges of the World says 130gr should zipping along at 1,040 fps.
What's that give us?
Using my hybrid calculations of Douglas Cole's terminal ballistics spreadsheet and input from GURPS: Vehicles 2e...
Winchester ammo does 2d+2 pi with a range of 150/1,600.
Ely, Kynoch and Cartridges of the World do 2d+1 pi; same range.
.38 Super shows the same ranges (because the Vehicles calculation is essentially a barrel to caliber ratio modified by a "power" constant).
Cartridges of the World says 130gr at 1,215 fps. That's 3d-1 pi.
Wikipedia references Accurate powder for a 130gr bullet at 1,305 fps. That's 3d pi!
There's a built in ±10% "fudge" factor built into all this. So the weakest .38 ACP load from Kynoch can actually run from 2d pi to 2d+1 pi and the strongest .38 Super from Accurate Powder can vary from 2d+2 pi to 3d pi.
Where this gets a little strange is when we look up the +P rules in High Tech. +P is just a 10% increase in damage, range and ST.
Since .38 Super is often regarded as a +P version of .38 ACP... where does that take us?
Range will change from 150/1,600 to 160/1,800 (because rounding to nearest tens on 1/2D and hundreds on Max).
+10% damage on 2d+1 pi = (((2*3.5)+1)*1.1)/3.5 = 2.514 which translates to 2d+2 pi.
+10% damage on 2d+2 pi = (((2*3.5)+2)*1.1)/3.5 = 2.829 translates to 3d-1 pi.
There you have it, I guess.
My world's "official" stats are going to be:
.38 ACP 2d+1 pi 150/1,600 with ST 9.
.38 Super 3d-1 pi 160/1,800 with ST 10.
Since these rounds physically interchange, what happens if you put them in the wrong gun? That depends.
The old Colt 1900, 1902 and 1903 guns reputably break locking links or the barrel wedge if fed hot ammo for very long at all.
A .38 Super gun might not cycle if its springs are too strong, but it'd be perfectly safe.
Secession
It just occurs that if California manages to secede, there's never going to be a lefty liberal president in the United states again.
California would take 55 electoral votes with them if they left.
There's several ways they could break things up in Congress and thus the electoral college.
They could simply dump 53 representatives and 2 senators from Congress and leave the electoral counts alone.
They could redistribute those 53 house seats to keep the 435 count the same, but there'd still be 98 senators.
Of course, if California gets to leave, expect other states to demand out too. Texas comes to mind.
Hmmmm, perhaps the south WILL rise again. Who knew?
California would take 55 electoral votes with them if they left.
There's several ways they could break things up in Congress and thus the electoral college.
They could simply dump 53 representatives and 2 senators from Congress and leave the electoral counts alone.
They could redistribute those 53 house seats to keep the 435 count the same, but there'd still be 98 senators.
Of course, if California gets to leave, expect other states to demand out too. Texas comes to mind.
Hmmmm, perhaps the south WILL rise again. Who knew?
SCUBA
Part of diving is a dive buddy.
It's an idea of mutual support in case something goes wrong there's someone there who can help.
I never learned to dive because if something goes wrong there won't be anybody there who will help.
I am that charming.
When you realize that someone would let you drown rather than have to sit with you on the boat trip back, you stop being interested in diving.
When you realize you can get a complete stranger to the "let Thag drown" point on the trip OUT, you start actively avoiding boats as well as diving.
My eulogy will probably contain words to the effect of, "we're not surprised this happened, we're just shocked it took so long."
It's an idea of mutual support in case something goes wrong there's someone there who can help.
I never learned to dive because if something goes wrong there won't be anybody there who will help.
I am that charming.
When you realize that someone would let you drown rather than have to sit with you on the boat trip back, you stop being interested in diving.
When you realize you can get a complete stranger to the "let Thag drown" point on the trip OUT, you start actively avoiding boats as well as diving.
My eulogy will probably contain words to the effect of, "we're not surprised this happened, we're just shocked it took so long."
Just For A Larf
In this GURPSified table, you can see that there's scant difference betwixt the wondernines, and a couple others just for fun.
I was unable to find out if the M17 has a lanyard ring.
02 February 2017
Florida Legislation
Thanks to MiamiJBT on Arfcom for this list. Contact your state congress critters as appropriate.
* THREATENING VIOLENCE (SB 88, from Sen. Greg Steube, R-Sarasota): Would criminalize the act of threatening to use a firearm in a violent manner, under penalty of committing a second-degree felony.
* STAND YOUR GROUND (SB 128 / HB 245, from Sen. Rob Bradley, R-Fleming Island, and Reps. Bobby Payne, R-Palatka and Jason Fischer, R-Jacksonville): Would shift the burden of proof in a criminal case where a defendant claims immunity under Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law by requiring the prosecutor, not the defendant, to prove at a pre-trial hearing why the defendant shouldn’t be granted immunity from prosecution. In the amended Senate version, if the self-defense claim is unsuccessful, evidence presented at the pre-trial hearing would be inadmissible at trial.
* DECRIMINALIZES "TEMPORARY AND OPEN DISPLAY" (SB 646, from Steube): Providing that a person licensed to carry a concealed weapon or firearm who is lawfully carrying a firearm does not violate certain provisions if the firearm is temporarily and openly displayed; authorizing each member of the Florida Cabinet to carry a concealed weapon or firearm if he or she is licensed to carry a concealed weapon or firearm and does not have full-time security provided by the Department of Law Enforcement, etc.
* OPEN CARRY (SB 644, from Steube): Would allow for the open carrying of handguns by the state’s 1.7 million concealed weapons permit-holders and would allow those permit-holders to carry guns in elementary and secondary schools, public college and university campuses, airport passenger terminals, legislative meetings, meetings of municipal, county, school or special district boards, and career centers.
* GUN BAN LIABILITY (SB 610, from Steube): Would make a private “business, organization, or entity” that bans concealed weapons liable for any injury or damage caused by a person or animal, if the incident “could reasonably have been prevented” had the permit-holder not been required to be disarmed.
* GUNS IN COURTHOUSES (SB 616, from Steube): Would allow concealed weapons permit-holders to carry guns in to courthouses and temporarily surrender and store the gun at a security checkpoint.
* GUNS IN AIRPORTS (SB 618 / HB 6001, from Steube and Rep. Jake Raburn, R-Lithia): Would lift a current ban and allow concealed weapons permit-holders to carry guns in passenger terminals and non-“sterile” areas of airports, which are locations outside of security checkpoints.
* GUNS IN LEGISLATIVE MEETINGS (SB 620, from Steube): Would lift a current ban and allow concealed weapons permit-holders to carry guns in meetings of the Legislature, which include formal sessions and committee hearings.
* GUNS ON CAMPUS (SB 622 / HB 6005, from Steube and Rep. Scott Plakon, R-Longwood): Would lift a current ban and allow concealed weapons permit-holders to carry guns on public college and university campuses. [Steube’s version is different in that it also clarifies guns would still be banned from any K-12, college or university athletic event “not related to firearms.”]
* GUNS IN GOVERNMENT MEETINGS (SB 626, from Steube): Would lift a current ban and allow concealed weapons permit-holders to carry guns in meetings of any municipality, county, school district or special district.
* GUNS IN CAREER CENTERS (SB 640, from Steube): Would lift a current ban and allow concealed weapons permit-holders to carry guns in career centers.
NIETHER PRO OR ANTI GUN
* POLICE WAITING PERIOD EXEMPTION (HJR 291, from Reps. Don Hahnfeldt, R-The Villages, and Robert Asencio, D-Miami): Proposes a constitutional amendment to exempt law enforcement officers from the mandatory three-day waiting period for purchasing handguns. [Constitutional amendments must be approved by three-fifths of both the House and Senate — 72 members in the House and 24 in the Senate — in order to be placed on a ballot, and then 60-percent approval from voters is required for the measure to become law.]
ANTI GUN
* GUN STORAGE (SB 142, from Sen. Gary Farmer, D-Parkland): Would tighten language in an existing law that requires guns to be locked in a gun safe or have a trigger lock when around children age 16 or younger.
* GUNS IN THEATERS BAN (SB 170, from Sen. Oscar Braynon, D-Miami Gardens): Would prohibit concealed-weapons permit holders from carrying in performing arts centers or theaters.
* ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN (SB 254 / HB 167, from Sen. Linda Stewart and Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, both Orlando Democrats): Would ban in Florida many specific assault-style firearms and “parts that convert a firearm into an assault weapon,” such as large-capacity magazines. Would make it a third-degree felony, with some exceptions, to sell or possess an assault weapon or large-capacity magazine, among other restrictions.
Hearing Protection Act
The House version is H.R. 367.
The Senate version is S.59.
Call your congresscritter and let them hear you.
The Senate version is S.59.
Call your congresscritter and let them hear you.
When The Monkey's Dance
From time to time, I think it's just to post a reminder (and a link) to the person who coined the wonderful term-of-art "dancing monkey" to describe politically active celebrities.
She doesn't seem to blog much any more, but I use the term freely and she deserves credit for the term.
Regulatory
I've been studying the law lately.
The National Firearm Act is pretty clear.
The revisions to the NFA from GCA '68 are also clear.
The revisions to the NFA by FOPA are less clear, but only apply to machine guns.
These define what an NFA item is and who can own them.
All of the murk is from regulation.
The regulation has defined a process that's unnecessarily slow and cumbersome.
There's nothing in the law that says that an NFA acquisition cannot be done in a few minutes using a NICS-like system and having the seller collect and submit the transfer tax.
There's nothing in the law that says someone submitting a Form 1 can't do a NICS-like check and mail in a "proof of purchase" with their $200 check.
There was no law that required telling the local top-cop about your NFA items.
All the law requires is $200 be paid before you make an NFA item for yourself, or $200 or $5 to obtain one from someone else. All the law requires is you not be a prohibited person.
Everything else is regulation.
Something that an executive officer, such a the president, could order changed with the stroke of pen and the delay of a comment period.
The National Firearm Act is pretty clear.
The revisions to the NFA from GCA '68 are also clear.
The revisions to the NFA by FOPA are less clear, but only apply to machine guns.
These define what an NFA item is and who can own them.
All of the murk is from regulation.
The regulation has defined a process that's unnecessarily slow and cumbersome.
There's nothing in the law that says that an NFA acquisition cannot be done in a few minutes using a NICS-like system and having the seller collect and submit the transfer tax.
There's nothing in the law that says someone submitting a Form 1 can't do a NICS-like check and mail in a "proof of purchase" with their $200 check.
There was no law that required telling the local top-cop about your NFA items.
All the law requires is $200 be paid before you make an NFA item for yourself, or $200 or $5 to obtain one from someone else. All the law requires is you not be a prohibited person.
Everything else is regulation.
Something that an executive officer, such a the president, could order changed with the stroke of pen and the delay of a comment period.
01 February 2017
De-Finns
I am considering dumping my Finn Mosin collection.
It's a recurring thing with me and my interests.
They wax and they wane.
I'm a tactile person in some ways.
I've fingered the wares and did enough research to learn what I wanted to know.
Now that I have, my interest is fading and I still have the guns.
This also happened with my M1903A3 and Garand.
Plus, having the money might be nice for a change.
It's a recurring thing with me and my interests.
They wax and they wane.
I'm a tactile person in some ways.
I've fingered the wares and did enough research to learn what I wanted to know.
Now that I have, my interest is fading and I still have the guns.
This also happened with my M1903A3 and Garand.
Plus, having the money might be nice for a change.
Reaction
I have a plant in my back yard called an "elephant ear".
They're everywhere in central Florida.
What's fascinating about it is how it's been reacting to the weather.
Now that it's cold outside, the leaves are much smaller than in the summer.
Watching my plant react to the weather made me realize something about vegetarians and vegans.
They're not opposed to killing things to eat. They're just opposed to killing things that react to being killed fast enough to see the reaction.
They're opposed to raising chickens shoulder to shoulder, but somehow think that wheat is a naturally occurring grain and that it grows in neat rows?
Even without taking direct gene manipulation into account, wheat is the least natural food on the planet.
It used to be a grass that had slightly larger seeds than other grasses. We've been selectively breeding wheat for our purposes literally since we invented agriculture. We're just deliberate and organized about it lately.
So the next time a vegan gets in your face about eating meat, just tell them they're hypocrites and let a dribble of bloody juice trickle out of the corner of your mouth (for dramatic effect).
They're everywhere in central Florida.
What's fascinating about it is how it's been reacting to the weather.
Now that it's cold outside, the leaves are much smaller than in the summer.
Watching my plant react to the weather made me realize something about vegetarians and vegans.
They're not opposed to killing things to eat. They're just opposed to killing things that react to being killed fast enough to see the reaction.
They're opposed to raising chickens shoulder to shoulder, but somehow think that wheat is a naturally occurring grain and that it grows in neat rows?
Even without taking direct gene manipulation into account, wheat is the least natural food on the planet.
It used to be a grass that had slightly larger seeds than other grasses. We've been selectively breeding wheat for our purposes literally since we invented agriculture. We're just deliberate and organized about it lately.
So the next time a vegan gets in your face about eating meat, just tell them they're hypocrites and let a dribble of bloody juice trickle out of the corner of your mouth (for dramatic effect).
Screaming At The TV
I've been binge watching Sons of Anarchy.
The core membership are all convicted felons.
One of the plot points of one episode hinges around one of them having a 1911 registered to them.
In California.
I strongly suspect that Hollywood doesn't know that felons cannot register firearms in California and that felons cannot legally possess one.
In RealWorld® the cops would have had the membership back in prison on any one of several counts. You can't even say that they're being too clever to be caught because they are constantly interacting with clean cops and openly violating the law.
The core membership are all convicted felons.
One of the plot points of one episode hinges around one of them having a 1911 registered to them.
In California.
I strongly suspect that Hollywood doesn't know that felons cannot register firearms in California and that felons cannot legally possess one.
In RealWorld® the cops would have had the membership back in prison on any one of several counts. You can't even say that they're being too clever to be caught because they are constantly interacting with clean cops and openly violating the law.
Just Like Them
I remember when the Tea Party went to the airport to beat the fuck out of Obama supporters.
Oh wait...
Oh wait...
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