Category: Guns

  • *Now* did I jump the shark?

    Since my previous post about this rifle, I’ve added a couple of things:

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    PRI Gas Buster:
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    YHM Phantom Flash Hider:
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    Needed those, because I got this:
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    😀

    6 month wait this time, partially my own fault for not reading the directions (As it turns out, if you print the two-page Form 4 on two pages, ATF will reject it. Lesson learned.). Woulda been 5. Next on the list: .45 Osprey.

    I bought that can from DWH in a transaction that didn’t involve a dealer. It’s been featured on Oleg’s blog as well. He sold it because he wants a titanium model instead of the heavy stainless steel.

    I completely understand. My AR now weighs twelve pounds fully loaded with the can on it. After I get the Osprey, I’ll move to getting something like a Gemtech Halo and move this one to a bolt gun.

  • Don’t Use Quicken [UPDATE: Or TurboTax]

    Intuit, the company that makes Quicken, QuickBooks, and several other pieces of financial software* has decided that guns are icky and they want no part of them.

    Give them what they want. Use something else.

    Update: Linoge reminds me in the comments that they also make TurboTax. Might I suggest some H&R Block Tax Software instead? My taxes are generally more complicated than the average person, so I have an accountant do mine.

    *They also have a mortgage unit and a web hosting company.

  • A note to the pundits

    I’m seeing a lot of right-leaning media folks saying things like “none of these gun control proposals from President Obama would have stopped the Sandy Hook shooting.”

    This is a fundamental misunderstanding of how anti-gun folks work.

    Sandy Hook wasn’t a reason for gun control. It was the excuse they have been looking for for a very long time.

    All these proposals come up every time there is a high profile shooting (usually by someone who wasn’t allowed to own a gun in the first place and in a location where guns aren’t allowed and only stops when a good guy with a gun shows up). None of this stuff is new. None of it will actually do anything to stop mass shootings.

    It’s not about the guns, it’s about the control.

  • They must have some expensive dirt!

    So, I just got an email from Cheaper Than Dirt saying that they now have some high capacity mags in, and I should buy them now!

    Out of curiosity, I followed a couple links.
    Magpul 30 round AR mags? sold out.
    Colt USGI issue 30 round AR mags? $129.97!!!
    Beta mags? The low low price of $699.97!
    AK-47 mags? $79.97

    Makes me glad I’m not in the market for any.

  • Slippery slope? What slippery slope?

    Just because the magic number regarding magazine size is 10 (and anything more than that is an evil assault high ammunition magazine clip) doesn’t mean that they’ll ever decide that 10 is too many.

    Right?

  • Gun Porn: FDE Edition

    IMG_1736

    Surplus Ammo and Arms Lower

    PSA Gen 2 MOE LPK

    8620 Bolt Carrier Group

    PSA M4A1 Premium Madness – 16” CMV CL Stripped Upper

    Magpul STR

    Magpul ASAP Sling Plate

    Magpul MOE Carbine-Length Handguard

    Troy Battlemags

    And some ambi charging handle I bought at the gun show for $25. The rear sight is from my M&P15-22 (which I’m not terribly sure is actually compatible with a standard front sight post), but will be replaced with a Magpul Gen 2 MBUS Rear Flip Sight.

    Unless I sell it first.

  • Gun Bills Filed in Tennessee Legislature

    House members are limited to sponsoring 15 bills this year, because…well no one’s really sure. Anyway, here’s what’s been filed:

    HB 0010 by *Faison: As introduced, prohibits the allocation of state or local public funds to the regulation or enforcement of any federal law, executive order, rule or regulation that becomes effective on or after January 1, 2013, that imposes restrictions on citizens who lawfully possess or carry firearms in this state; allows the allocation of state or local personnel or property to such regulation or enforcement if federal funding is provided.

    SB 0012 by *Kelsey: As introduced, for purposes of criminal code, expands the definition of serious bodily injury to include any bodily injury that involves a wound from a firearm.

    SB 0022 by *Tracy: As introduced, authorizes administrative law judges to carry firearms subject to training and certification requirements.

    So what we have is a big eff you to any new gun control measures coming from DC (which will have exactly as much effect as the Tennessee Firearms Freedom Act), classifying a grazing birdshot wound as “serious bodily harm” even though the harm may not actually be serious, and allowing the judges that determine whether or not you get Social Security Disability payments to be classified as “law enforcement officers,” granting them badge-and-gun status.

    These are just the bills that were filed in the initial session, usually reserved for rule setting and committee assignments. More to come, I’m sure (especially since Hardaway hasn’t filed any sort of “gun owners must wear a gold star on their sleeves” legislation yet).

  • QotD: Scary When You Think About It Edition

    perlhaqr:

    “I don’t think all those people are buying all that stuff just to have one to turn in, pal.”

    The chair isn’t against the wall, but it’s in the right area.

  • Review: Williams FireSights

    My Buckmaster is a super accurate little .22 pistol, and I thought it was great out of the box except for really one thing: the sights.  They’re your standard black on black adjustable pistol sights.  The rear sight is metal and has both windage and elevation adjustment screws, which is nice, but the front is just a chunk of black plastic.  I knew there were fiber optic sights out there, and I figured that they would be the best for a target pistol.  I settled on the Williams FireSights.  The primary reason was because they sell a kit to replace both the front and back sights with fiber sights instead of just the front blade.

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    The sights come with a very small instruction sheet… and that’s it.  Honestly, that’s fine since the installation of the sights are mostly “remove old ones, install new ones.”  There is one extremely aggravating part, though.  The new rear sight does not include the elevation spring or the detent pin, which means you have to remove them from the old one and install them on the new one.  They recommend using a “small punch.”  By small, they mean tiny.  I ended up resorting to a paperclip… which was almost too big.  Then came the job of prying out the tiny spring without it going sproing and disappearing forever, and installing it in the new sight with similar issues.  Because of this, I would say that it completely fails Erin Palette‘s “so easy, her grandmother could install it” test.  It’s not necessarily a job to be relegated to a gunsmith, but if you don’t have good fine motor control, you’re going to have issues.

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    After installation, I could tell that this would improve things right away.  It’s much easier to line up the three dots (red for the front post, green for the two points on the rear.  Of course, this was in my house at night, so it was difficult to tell how it would really work on the range.

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    That was a couple months ago, and I’ve taken it to the range a couple times since then.  I can tell you that the sights are a huge improvement.  What surprised me was that they’re wonderful during our normal late fall/early winter weather (read: cloudy to the point that you start to forget what the sun looks like).  In truly bright light, the dots are easily visible but I don’t think they’re much better than painted dots.  In the dark, there’s not enough light for them to really do their job.  On a cloudy afternoon, they positively glow.

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    Bottom line is I would recommend these sights to anyone that’s wanting to put together a precision target pistol.  They are kind of a pain in the ass to install because of the rear sight, but it’s worth it.  The front post is still plastic, so I’m not sure how it would handle abuse, but for a range gun, it’s worth the $45.

  • Bleg: Nightstand Pistol Safes

    I have this in my car, which works pretty well for it’s intended purpose. I’m starting to look for something for my nightstand because lilwizard is starting to “pull up” and can almost reach it.

    I think I want something large enough for two pistols, with the ability to mount it to my nightstand with bolts or screws. I’d much prefer a combination or key lock to those electronic ones. Maybe this one?

    I dunno. Who’s got some good recommendations?