Guns, Cars, and Tech

Author: wizardpc

  • Initial thoughts: VISM Shooting Mat/Rifle Case combo

    In my previous post, I mentioned that I had ordered a combination rifle case and shooting mat to go with my new boltie. Well, it’s here, and it’s awesome.

    Back when I did Appleseed a couple of years ago, I didn’t have a shooting mat so I just used an old comforter. By lunch the first day I new I was going to have a problem. By the end of day two, I had a bruise where my ribs were contacting the concrete.

    I needed a new case to go with my new rifle anyway, and I just happened to find this VISM shooting mat/case combo. Now, I had never heard of VISM before, but apparently they’re a division of NcStar which is not known for it’s quality and they’ve been around for years. I saw one in person at a gun show the day I bought the rifle, and after a couple of days decided to go ahead and get it. I figured the worst case scenario would be that I’d have a $65 soft rifle case.

    Now, I haven’t laid on it for 6 hours straight, but my initial thoughts are that this thing is fantastic. It’s a rifle case! It’s a shooting mat! It’s a backpack! It’s a drag bag!

    There’s so much going on with this that I’ve got a ton of pics. The Amazon and manufacturers descriptions really don’t do it justice.

    (more…)

  • Gun Porn: FINALLY!! Edition

    Over the holidays I sold the FDE Magpul Fanboy AR I built last year. The plan was to take the money from that sale and put it towards an AAC MPW 9″ AR factory SBR. Look at the parts on that puppy and tell me it’s not worth it. It’s a great rifle at a great price.

    But then…

    Talking about my plans with several people, I decided to go in a different direction:

    IMG_3925

    That’s a .308 Remington 700 AAC-SD. I’ve basically been talking about getting a 700 in 308 since Clinton was President, and since I have a .30 caliber suppressor I’ve been eyeing this one for a while.

    Mmmmm.....Factory Threaded Barrel
    Mmmmm…..Factory Threaded Barrel

    When these first came out, they came from the factory with an AAC Blackout flash hider/suppressor adapter. I don’t think they’ve come like that for a while, but I didn’t really notice it until a few weeks ago.

    Astute readers may remember that my friend James has an older version of this rifle and that I was disappointed in the trigger. I’m not sure if his has this, but the newer ones have an adjustable trigger from the factory.

    That hex screw adjusts the trigger weight.
    That hex screw adjusts the trigger weight.

    It’s going to be a little while before I actually get this out to a range. I’ve already ordered the YHM Brake that fits my suppressor, a cheek rest, and this soft case/shooting mat combo, but I still need a scope mount, good rings, and a decent scope. I’ve set about a $600 budget for all of those things and may decide that I need a gunsmith to install the mount because it may require bedding.

    I’m looking forward to getting it all set up. This is a new discipline for me, Appleseed notwithstanding.

  • Like you and me, only better

    So Franklin Police roll up on a Brent Rose, passed out behind the wheel of his car parked in the turn lane of a major thoroughfare with the engine running. When he gets out, he falls into the bushes. He blows twice the legal limit on a breathalyzer, and the officers opt not to give him a field sobriety test because they’re scared he’ll fall down and hurt himself.

    When questioned, Rose tells them that he went and got drunk at one bar then drove to another, where he doesn’t remember much after that. Officers also find a 32 ounce cup full of alcohol in one of his cup holders.

    Instead of arresting him, the officers called a friend and let him go.

    You see, Brent Rose’s day job was up until that point being a DUI Enforcement Officer with the Franklin Police Department. That makes all this just a stupid mistake instead of the serious crime with life-altering consequences if it were one of us.

  • In case you missed it: Officer Roid Rage gets $40,000 from the City of Canton

    I missed this when it happened, but here it is:

    A police officer fired and later reinstated after threatening to shoot a motorist will never patrol the city’s streets again.

    Daniel Harless, a 15-year veteran, will receive $40,000 from the city, a neutral employment recommendation and a retired-officer ID in exchange for his resignation as part of a legal settlement.

    So in addition to the $40,000 he get’s 50 state lifetime concealed carry and the city can’t let future employers know he’s a ticking time bomb.

    And this is rich:

    As part of the settlement reached this week, the city has dropped its appeal of an arbitrator’s ruling that cleared the way for Harless to return to work pending medical clearance. Harless, too, will drop all claims, including a lawsuit that the city retaliated against him for applying for workers’ compensation and a grievance involving vacation and sick leave.

    For those of you who don’t remember, here’s a rough time-line of how things happened:

    • Officer Harless threatens to kill a citizen during a traffic stop
    • Ohioans for Concealed Carry post video of the traffic stop
    • Internal Affairs finds other cases of Harless behaving badly
    • Harless files a workers comp claim that he’s suffering PTSD from an incident in….2003
    • Canton fires Harless

    Clearly those first three points had absolutely nothing to do with Canton wanting him off the force.

    But, hey, at least now they’re rid of him and he can safely apply for a job at a different police department.

    I certainly feel safer.

  • Update to the Basic Gunshot Wound Kit

    A while back I put up a post on what’s needed for a basic gunshot wound kit. That post came about because of my strong belief that folks who shoot regularly need to have one of these in their range bag, as well as the training on how to use them. My kit includes the very basics and was could fit in a quart-sized ziplock bag.

    One of the things in the kit is the Hyfin Chest Seal. The seals I bought expired in August So I ordered new ones.

    They’ve changed, slightly:

    Old on top, new on bottom.
    Old on top, new on bottom.

    The new ones are a little larger than the old ones. The first thought I had was that I ordered a different size, but they have the same National Serial Number:

    NSN:6515-01-532-8019
    NSN:6515-01-532-8019

    Now, I’m sure there is a really good reason for the size change. The guys who make these know a whole lot more about it than I do so I don’t want this to come across as a complaint. But it does present a problem for me:
    IMG_3704

    IMG_3705

    The new seals don’t fit in a quart-sized ziplock bag.

    Again, not a complaint, but I did want to put this FYI out there for anyone who built their kits using my post.

    Update to the update:

    I contacted the manufacturer and asked them if folding/creasing the seals will damage them, and why they made them larger. The response I got was:

    1 – The Chest can be folded and creased without adverse effect in performance or quality.
    2- More surface area coverage was desired by our customers according to feedback that we have received.

    So that settles that. Now go ponder what the implications of #2 are…

  • Snowpocalypse

    image

    Earlier in the week, we had forecasts of a half inch of snow for today. Then one inch.  Then maybe a dusting. Then one and a half to two inches! Then three to four!

    Schools announced closures for Tuesday. Grocery stores were raided. My business trip was canceled.

    And this morning the forecast changed to “a light dusting.”

  • Blood in the streets!

    What happens when you have record gun sales, record new handgun permits, and fewer restrictions on where folks can carry?

    How about the lowest number of murders ever recorded in a single year?

    They have screaming. We have facts.

  • That moment you remember where you left those cutters…

    image

  • Tactical Dog’s thoughts on Christmas

    SRSLY YOU GUYZ?

    Lilwizard gets all this stuff, and I get a ball and a bone?

  • The Grinch has been arrested

    This was posted on the front page of our local NBC affiliate.

    Kudos to them and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, because that’s adorable.