Monday, June 30, 2008
Wanted: another of the patented quick reviews
Went to see "Wanted" this evening with Top and JAG, since JAG is PCS-ing to Virginia and I'm unlikely to see him anytime soon. The word is: don't. Despite a couple funny lines and a nice butt shot of Angelina Jolie, the gun stuff was stupid and the movie sucks overall. If you're into guns at all, don't bother. It'll piss you off on so many levels, I can't even count 'em all.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Latest pics of Schwaggie: new stuff installed again!
I have generous friends; I am truly a blessed individual. As I posted about in regards to the last range session a couple posts down from this one, I've found that I shoot better without my vertical grip. That created a need not to get burned by my rail, which is known to get hot. Enter my bro M4Guru, who schwagged me the Knight's rail panels you see in the new pics. Now I have good rail coverage to keep from getting burned, and I can still use the rail against barricades and such without undue damage. Yeah, it makes me happy.
In terms of tekneek, what worked, and worked noticeably better for me, was to grasp the fore end just behind where the front sight tower is. My thumb wraps around the top of the rail running pretty much parallel to where the cut for the FSP is on my rail. My index and middle fingers are reaching forward a little bit; I've messed with using my index finger to point towards the target, but I need to experiment with that some more to see if there's any merit or improved performance from it. The one thing I'm trying to do, though, is to grab as much rail as I can, so the gun can be pulled into my shoulder. What I'm talking about is really getting behind and on top of the gun as I can; I find that when I aggressively pull that thing into my shoulder and lean into it, the muzzle hardly moves at all, and I'm getting nice, tight groups with adequate speed. I say adequate because I've never been, in my mind, a fast shooter. Matt E. has a timer that I think I gotta do some work with.
I also added a Magpul MIAD, set up in the fattiest fat fat configuration available. I love the Tango Down Battle Grip; its one of the best designs available. However, I have giant bear paw hands, and that grip is just a little too skinny front to back for me. I set up the MIAD as much like a fat ass Battlegrip as I could. I got the full kit, and would have used the trigger guard option if it didn't have that damnable finger rest on it. At first glance, the nublet on that part is hollow, so if I shaved it or filed it off, it'd probably leave a hole. I'm considering filling it with epoxy or something and shaving it, but it seems more likely that I'll pick up the Magpul aluminum trigger guard, which will solve the problem of the gap at the trigger guard, too. Getting a Gapper would be a less expensive solution, but this is a carbine we're talkin' about. If you don't have a boat, and I don't, the rule is that you spend all that disposable income on the gun. Its just the law.
Another new part is the Viking Tactics padded VTAC sling. I just put that on there, and don't have enough experience with it yet to make a real determination on it yet. It appears that the padding is set back further than it should have been, but I think I still need to mess with the adjustments a little before I decide if that's the case. I like the extra travel due to the longer straps; that seems to be solving my problem rather handily. It adjusts a little faster than my VCAS, but I'm not sure that's as much of an advantage as it appears to be at first blush.
Incidentally, that mark that looks like blue paint on my LaRue M68 mount, is in fact blue paint on my LaRue M68 mount, and the upper receiver. I marked the Troy Battlesight the same way, although the mounting screw is on the other side of the gun, so the mark on the receiver for it is, too. The purpose is twofold: first, it is a quick visual reference to see that everything is still tight, and secondly, if either of the sights get removed for whatever reason, they can be put back in the same place easily. Yet another jewel gleaned from Black Eyes and Green Rifles.
Unfortunately, The Big Johnson is on leave and Top's wife's B-day was today, so we didn't go to the range like we normally would have. I thought about just going and shooting for a bit, but I end up using up more ammo than I intend to when I do that, and I don't have the added benefit of being pushed out of my comfort zone by shooting with guys who are better than me. Instead, I did some more work on building my Intardweb Celebrity. It is a never ending task. Such is the lot of the Online Famous.
In terms of tekneek, what worked, and worked noticeably better for me, was to grasp the fore end just behind where the front sight tower is. My thumb wraps around the top of the rail running pretty much parallel to where the cut for the FSP is on my rail. My index and middle fingers are reaching forward a little bit; I've messed with using my index finger to point towards the target, but I need to experiment with that some more to see if there's any merit or improved performance from it. The one thing I'm trying to do, though, is to grab as much rail as I can, so the gun can be pulled into my shoulder. What I'm talking about is really getting behind and on top of the gun as I can; I find that when I aggressively pull that thing into my shoulder and lean into it, the muzzle hardly moves at all, and I'm getting nice, tight groups with adequate speed. I say adequate because I've never been, in my mind, a fast shooter. Matt E. has a timer that I think I gotta do some work with.
I also added a Magpul MIAD, set up in the fattiest fat fat configuration available. I love the Tango Down Battle Grip; its one of the best designs available. However, I have giant bear paw hands, and that grip is just a little too skinny front to back for me. I set up the MIAD as much like a fat ass Battlegrip as I could. I got the full kit, and would have used the trigger guard option if it didn't have that damnable finger rest on it. At first glance, the nublet on that part is hollow, so if I shaved it or filed it off, it'd probably leave a hole. I'm considering filling it with epoxy or something and shaving it, but it seems more likely that I'll pick up the Magpul aluminum trigger guard, which will solve the problem of the gap at the trigger guard, too. Getting a Gapper would be a less expensive solution, but this is a carbine we're talkin' about. If you don't have a boat, and I don't, the rule is that you spend all that disposable income on the gun. Its just the law.
Another new part is the Viking Tactics padded VTAC sling. I just put that on there, and don't have enough experience with it yet to make a real determination on it yet. It appears that the padding is set back further than it should have been, but I think I still need to mess with the adjustments a little before I decide if that's the case. I like the extra travel due to the longer straps; that seems to be solving my problem rather handily. It adjusts a little faster than my VCAS, but I'm not sure that's as much of an advantage as it appears to be at first blush.
Incidentally, that mark that looks like blue paint on my LaRue M68 mount, is in fact blue paint on my LaRue M68 mount, and the upper receiver. I marked the Troy Battlesight the same way, although the mounting screw is on the other side of the gun, so the mark on the receiver for it is, too. The purpose is twofold: first, it is a quick visual reference to see that everything is still tight, and secondly, if either of the sights get removed for whatever reason, they can be put back in the same place easily. Yet another jewel gleaned from Black Eyes and Green Rifles.
Unfortunately, The Big Johnson is on leave and Top's wife's B-day was today, so we didn't go to the range like we normally would have. I thought about just going and shooting for a bit, but I end up using up more ammo than I intend to when I do that, and I don't have the added benefit of being pushed out of my comfort zone by shooting with guys who are better than me. Instead, I did some more work on building my Intardweb Celebrity. It is a never ending task. Such is the lot of the Online Famous.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
The Happening: The Quick Review
Just got back home after watching The Happening with Top and JAG. I could have saved eight bucks. I hear about Global Warming all day long, on the radio, in the news, and everywhere else I turn. I didn't need M. Night Shamalyan to make a movie about it.
The thing that's not scary about this flick is that nobody gets murdered. Suicide is not all that scary, and it should have started in Europe, rather than ended there. They're figuring out that Global Warming is hogwash (HA! When was the last time you saw that word on a blog?), since they've been taxed to death over it already, and its getting worse, according to those who make money on it. Recent polls show they've had enough of it. The movie shoulda killed them all off first, before America finally understands that its all hooey and people like Algore (who's mansion in TN is using 10% more power with all his eco-friendly upgrades and replacements than it was originally) are making BIG MONEY off of it.
Save your money; skip the latest Global Warming Movie.
The thing that's not scary about this flick is that nobody gets murdered. Suicide is not all that scary, and it should have started in Europe, rather than ended there. They're figuring out that Global Warming is hogwash (HA! When was the last time you saw that word on a blog?), since they've been taxed to death over it already, and its getting worse, according to those who make money on it. Recent polls show they've had enough of it. The movie shoulda killed them all off first, before America finally understands that its all hooey and people like Algore (who's mansion in TN is using 10% more power with all his eco-friendly upgrades and replacements than it was originally) are making BIG MONEY off of it.
Save your money; skip the latest Global Warming Movie.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Another myth: the lining up of the gas rings.
The gas leak from "the aligning of the gas rings" on an AR bolt thing is an old wive's tale that's been going around and around, and repeated by gun writers to the point that it's become fact without proof. Seems to be more proof that most gun writers don't know as much about guns as you do.
The gas rings act a bit like an "o" ring would if one could be used in that location. When the bolt is in the retracted position, or is out of the bolt carrier, the rings are relaxed, and as such, have gaps in them. The reason for that is that the rings need to compress as the firing cycle takes place. They couldn't do that very well if they couldn't be collapsed, could they? Think about it. When the rings are working, THERE'S NO DAMN GAP!!! Alignment of the gas ring's gaps, in that case, don't mean anything, because they're not there when the rings are working.
What you need to know about gas rings is that if one of them is working properly, the gun will work. If all three are worn to the point that they don't work, the gun will choke, even with a proper amount of oil on it. The test is to push the bolt into the "closed" position in the carrier, and hold the bolt inverted. If the bolt moves to the "open" position under the weight of the bolt, your gas rings are worn and need to be replaced. Install some new ones and test. If the bolt doesn't move to the open position, your rings are good and you need to get on with wearing another set out.
Do yourself a favor and take what gun writers say with a grain, on up to a brick, on up to a shipping container, of salt.
The gas rings act a bit like an "o" ring would if one could be used in that location. When the bolt is in the retracted position, or is out of the bolt carrier, the rings are relaxed, and as such, have gaps in them. The reason for that is that the rings need to compress as the firing cycle takes place. They couldn't do that very well if they couldn't be collapsed, could they? Think about it. When the rings are working, THERE'S NO DAMN GAP!!! Alignment of the gas ring's gaps, in that case, don't mean anything, because they're not there when the rings are working.
What you need to know about gas rings is that if one of them is working properly, the gun will work. If all three are worn to the point that they don't work, the gun will choke, even with a proper amount of oil on it. The test is to push the bolt into the "closed" position in the carrier, and hold the bolt inverted. If the bolt moves to the "open" position under the weight of the bolt, your gas rings are worn and need to be replaced. Install some new ones and test. If the bolt doesn't move to the open position, your rings are good and you need to get on with wearing another set out.
Do yourself a favor and take what gun writers say with a grain, on up to a brick, on up to a shipping container, of salt.
Hey! More parts to test at the range today!
Since I can't afford 5.56 ammo anymore, I apparently just buy parts for the gun instead of shooting the heck out of it. ;) I just can't shoot that carbine as much as I'd like, given the price of ammo, but I'd rather shoot 20 or 40 rounds at the range than none at all. I shot through almost all the ammo I had on hand, though. Luckily I still have about 400 rounds of the case of 9mm I picked up a while back. I can get a hook up on PMC, which seems to work pretty good...but it still ain't free.
I had a few new parts to verify: a Magpul MIAD, Buffer Tech extractor upgrade kit, sand paper grip tape for my G-Lock 19, and a VTAC sling. Short answer: they all worked, and a couple were exemplary.
The decision for the MIAD was because the Battle Grip I was running was just too thin for my big hands. Problem solved. I just wish the "trigger guard" front strap piece didn't have the finger rest. I would have used it if it didn't have it. I'm not sure I can shave it off, but I might try that later. If there's one thing I'd change about the MIAD, its that I would have the front strap modified to cover "the gap" between the grip and the trigger guard, which the Battle Grip does by design. If that proves to be a big deal, I'll pick up a Gapper for it, but I kinda doubt it'll be an issue.
The extractor upgrade kit seems to work as advertised; all the cases extracted and appeared to be going about 400% further than they had been. I dunno if that's the truth or not, but that's what the description at Brownell's said. At any rate, they were going a bit further, although the extractor was never a problem before. I just didn't like having the stock buffer insert being blue when it should have been black. I don't think it really mattered, but I have piece of mind, and new parts. Its the journey, not the destination, I guess. :)
The sand paper grips made a huge, huge difference. As both the readers of my blog probably already know, my hands are large. Glock 19's aren't large. I needed something to be able to hang onto that thing without constantly readjusting my grip, and that was the ticket. The kit comes with a couple pieces for the slide; one for the front of the slide, and one for behind the grasping grooves. I took the smaller one and put it on the frame as a leverage point for my support thumb, now that I have adopted (or am adopting; I'm still not 100% there) the "even more modern than modern technique" of thumbs forward isoceles. I'm sold; its faster and steadier.
The VTAC really needs no introduction; not having heard of it at least in passing means that black rifles aren't your thing. Besides, this sling will probably be getting swapped off tomorrow. My bro Jon told me he's got a padded one to give me. I need to weasel some rail panels out of him, too, because I found out one more thing today: I shoot better without the vertical grip. This was not a revelation that I wanted to come to; I like the vert grip. I had to give a solid shot (so to speak) to working without it, and found that I can control the carbine better, meaning its more steady and my groups are smaller. We were doing some non standard response drills (any number of rounds between, say, 3 and 7, or some other numbers) and I was just ragging a hole in the target. I can get a grip on more gun and really get behind it. Like I said, I didn't want to come to that conclusion, but the proof is in the...something other than pudding. The proof is in the peanut butter and chocolate ice cream, which I'm going to get right after I finish this.
Overall, I'm very pleased with my progress. I think I'll go into some particulars of the drills we did at a later date; they were excellent for a couple of reasons. First, we weren't just shooting bullseye targets, which I find a good way to "break the tunnel vision" of just shooting ten rings. It changes your mindset, and gets you to thinking about shooting something other than paper...i.e., critters, humans, and zombies. Second, any time you can move around and shoot, that's a huge plus. There's limited value in standing in front of your target from a known distance and doing the same thing over and over. I heard an interesting comment at the range, too-what can I say? Comtacs rule! The range is split into a pistol range and a rifle range. The rifle shooter was talking about distance combat shooting, saying something along the lines of "when are you going to have a long range shot (I think he was talking about a hundred yards) in a tactical situation?" I looked over after he said that to see him shooting his AR off the bench. I just chuckled and continued on my way.
So, to finish up this post-I didn't mean for it to get so long, but it did-I'm gonna show some more current pics of Schwaggie. I'm gonna have to shoot some more in a day or two, since the Ace sling mount will likely be further out, probably at the end of the rail, and it should have some new KAC rail panels and a padded VTAC sling. In the end, its all about supplying more fodder to post about. Here's some more pics! I hadda add the one of Top because its such a great shot of the "more modern than modern technique".lol
I had a few new parts to verify: a Magpul MIAD, Buffer Tech extractor upgrade kit, sand paper grip tape for my G-Lock 19, and a VTAC sling. Short answer: they all worked, and a couple were exemplary.
The decision for the MIAD was because the Battle Grip I was running was just too thin for my big hands. Problem solved. I just wish the "trigger guard" front strap piece didn't have the finger rest. I would have used it if it didn't have it. I'm not sure I can shave it off, but I might try that later. If there's one thing I'd change about the MIAD, its that I would have the front strap modified to cover "the gap" between the grip and the trigger guard, which the Battle Grip does by design. If that proves to be a big deal, I'll pick up a Gapper for it, but I kinda doubt it'll be an issue.
The extractor upgrade kit seems to work as advertised; all the cases extracted and appeared to be going about 400% further than they had been. I dunno if that's the truth or not, but that's what the description at Brownell's said. At any rate, they were going a bit further, although the extractor was never a problem before. I just didn't like having the stock buffer insert being blue when it should have been black. I don't think it really mattered, but I have piece of mind, and new parts. Its the journey, not the destination, I guess. :)
The sand paper grips made a huge, huge difference. As both the readers of my blog probably already know, my hands are large. Glock 19's aren't large. I needed something to be able to hang onto that thing without constantly readjusting my grip, and that was the ticket. The kit comes with a couple pieces for the slide; one for the front of the slide, and one for behind the grasping grooves. I took the smaller one and put it on the frame as a leverage point for my support thumb, now that I have adopted (or am adopting; I'm still not 100% there) the "even more modern than modern technique" of thumbs forward isoceles. I'm sold; its faster and steadier.
The VTAC really needs no introduction; not having heard of it at least in passing means that black rifles aren't your thing. Besides, this sling will probably be getting swapped off tomorrow. My bro Jon told me he's got a padded one to give me. I need to weasel some rail panels out of him, too, because I found out one more thing today: I shoot better without the vertical grip. This was not a revelation that I wanted to come to; I like the vert grip. I had to give a solid shot (so to speak) to working without it, and found that I can control the carbine better, meaning its more steady and my groups are smaller. We were doing some non standard response drills (any number of rounds between, say, 3 and 7, or some other numbers) and I was just ragging a hole in the target. I can get a grip on more gun and really get behind it. Like I said, I didn't want to come to that conclusion, but the proof is in the...something other than pudding. The proof is in the peanut butter and chocolate ice cream, which I'm going to get right after I finish this.
Overall, I'm very pleased with my progress. I think I'll go into some particulars of the drills we did at a later date; they were excellent for a couple of reasons. First, we weren't just shooting bullseye targets, which I find a good way to "break the tunnel vision" of just shooting ten rings. It changes your mindset, and gets you to thinking about shooting something other than paper...i.e., critters, humans, and zombies. Second, any time you can move around and shoot, that's a huge plus. There's limited value in standing in front of your target from a known distance and doing the same thing over and over. I heard an interesting comment at the range, too-what can I say? Comtacs rule! The range is split into a pistol range and a rifle range. The rifle shooter was talking about distance combat shooting, saying something along the lines of "when are you going to have a long range shot (I think he was talking about a hundred yards) in a tactical situation?" I looked over after he said that to see him shooting his AR off the bench. I just chuckled and continued on my way.
So, to finish up this post-I didn't mean for it to get so long, but it did-I'm gonna show some more current pics of Schwaggie. I'm gonna have to shoot some more in a day or two, since the Ace sling mount will likely be further out, probably at the end of the rail, and it should have some new KAC rail panels and a padded VTAC sling. In the end, its all about supplying more fodder to post about. Here's some more pics! I hadda add the one of Top because its such a great shot of the "more modern than modern technique".lol
Another twist on the Nigerian 419 Scam
Got yet another variation in my e-mail. They're definitely branching out with their attempts to find suckers. When I thought about it a bit, I came to the conclusion that it seems as though the scammers have been a little slow on the uptake to hit up the religious folks, since most, if not all, of the world's major religions call for giving and taking care of the less fortunate. At any rate, here's the latest:
"
Remain blessed in the Lord.
Yours in Christ,
Mrs susan morgan"
"
From Mrs Susan Morgan
N�[38 Rue Des Martyrs Cocody
Abidjan,Cote d'Ivoire
Abidjan,Cote d'Ivoire
ATTN
DEAREST ONE OF GOD
I am the above named person from Kuwait. I am married to Mr.Abram Morgan, who worked with Kuwait embassy in Ivory Coast for nine years before he died in the year 2004. We were married for eleven years without a child. He died after a brief illness that lasted for only four days.
Before his death we were both born again Christian. Since his death I decided not to remarry or get a child outside my matrimonial home which the Bible is against. When my late husband was alive he deposited the sum of $2. 5 Million (Two Million Five Hundred U.S. Dollars) in the bank here in Abidjan in suspense account.
Presently, the fund is still with the bank. Recently, my Doctor told me that i have serious sickness which is cancer problem. The one that disturbs me most is my stroke sickness. Having known my condition I decided to donate this fund to a church or individual that will utilize this money the way I am going to instruct herein. I want a church that will use this fund for orphanages, widows, propagating the word of God and to endeavour that the house of God is maintained.
The Bible made us to understand that blessed is the hand that giveth. I took this decision because I don’t have any child that will inherit this money and my husband relatives are not Christians and I don’t want my husband’s efforts to be used by unbelievers. I don’t want a situation where this money will be used in an ungodly way. This is why I am taking this decision. I am not afraid of death hence i know where I am going. I know that I am going to be in the bosom of the Lord. Exodus 14 VS 14 says that the Lord will fight my case and I shall hold my peace.
I don’t need any telephone communication in this regard because of my health hence the presence of my husband’s relatives is around me always I don't want them to know about this development. With God all things are possible. As soon as I receive your reply I shall give you the contact of the bank here in Abidjan. I want you and the church to always pray for me because the Lord is my shepherd. My happiness is that I lived a life of a worthy Christian. Whoever that wants to serve the Lord must serve him in spirit and Truth. Please always be prayerful all through your life.
Contact me on the above e-mail address for more information’s, any delay in your reply will give me room in sourcing another church or individual for this same purpose. Please assure me that you will act accordingly as I Stated herein. Hoping to receive your
reply.
DEAREST ONE OF GOD
I am the above named person from Kuwait. I am married to Mr.Abram Morgan, who worked with Kuwait embassy in Ivory Coast for nine years before he died in the year 2004. We were married for eleven years without a child. He died after a brief illness that lasted for only four days.
Before his death we were both born again Christian. Since his death I decided not to remarry or get a child outside my matrimonial home which the Bible is against. When my late husband was alive he deposited the sum of $2. 5 Million (Two Million Five Hundred U.S. Dollars) in the bank here in Abidjan in suspense account.
Presently, the fund is still with the bank. Recently, my Doctor told me that i have serious sickness which is cancer problem. The one that disturbs me most is my stroke sickness. Having known my condition I decided to donate this fund to a church or individual that will utilize this money the way I am going to instruct herein. I want a church that will use this fund for orphanages, widows, propagating the word of God and to endeavour that the house of God is maintained.
The Bible made us to understand that blessed is the hand that giveth. I took this decision because I don’t have any child that will inherit this money and my husband relatives are not Christians and I don’t want my husband’s efforts to be used by unbelievers. I don’t want a situation where this money will be used in an ungodly way. This is why I am taking this decision. I am not afraid of death hence i know where I am going. I know that I am going to be in the bosom of the Lord. Exodus 14 VS 14 says that the Lord will fight my case and I shall hold my peace.
I don’t need any telephone communication in this regard because of my health hence the presence of my husband’s relatives is around me always I don't want them to know about this development. With God all things are possible. As soon as I receive your reply I shall give you the contact of the bank here in Abidjan. I want you and the church to always pray for me because the Lord is my shepherd. My happiness is that I lived a life of a worthy Christian. Whoever that wants to serve the Lord must serve him in spirit and Truth. Please always be prayerful all through your life.
Contact me on the above e-mail address for more information’s, any delay in your reply will give me room in sourcing another church or individual for this same purpose. Please assure me that you will act accordingly as I Stated herein. Hoping to receive your
reply.
Yours in Christ,
Mrs susan morgan"
Monday, June 16, 2008
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull..uh...what?
Just got back from seeing Innyanna Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Well....it was corny, but at least it didn't make a lot of sense.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
A Need For The Perfect Target
Paul J. and I went to the range again yesterday. He was zeroing his new custom built Remington 700 sniper rifle. I wish I had my camera with me; that gun is really impressive. He has, by far, the largest diameter barrel on that rig that I've seen. Its gotta be at least .900, and might be thicker than that. I'll find out and get some photos. Paul really can shoot, and was getting sub-MOA groups out at around 250 or 300 yards. Without an electronic range finder, I couldn't tell, but it was further by quite a bit than I typically shoot.
One thing Paul and I are on the Quest for is the perfect target. This perfect target needs to have some specific characteristics, though:
We've been using the headshot target from Zombie Hunters and it's worked quite well. However, we agree that we'd like it even better if it were more realistic looking, and would be a better training aid if we had some forward-facing and full body shots as well. The advantage of the full body shot is that it acts as a long range, unknown distance target. Since headshots are all that count, shooting at the rest of the body is little more than a waste of ammunition. You might be able to knock one off its pins, but that doesn't stop it. I'm sure you all remember the aftermath of the hyperbaric bombing run at Yonkers in World War Z. What would completely destroy the living does just about nothing to the ambulatory un-living.
But I digress. I think what I'd like to see, and what I don't have the computer art skills to do, is a series of targets. We need headshots of a few different angles, some full body images, and one or two of what I'd call the bum's rush target: a representation of a group (or gaggle, herd, or stick) of Zombies that you can yell "They're comin' right for us!!" before you start surgically picking them off. That may be the best training aid of all: proof to the shooter that carbines are individual projectile weapons, not room brooms or spray and pray ammo-wasting units.
At any rate, the search continues.
One thing Paul and I are on the Quest for is the perfect target. This perfect target needs to have some specific characteristics, though:
- needs to be a free download
- black and white is better
- Must be realistic
We've been using the headshot target from Zombie Hunters and it's worked quite well. However, we agree that we'd like it even better if it were more realistic looking, and would be a better training aid if we had some forward-facing and full body shots as well. The advantage of the full body shot is that it acts as a long range, unknown distance target. Since headshots are all that count, shooting at the rest of the body is little more than a waste of ammunition. You might be able to knock one off its pins, but that doesn't stop it. I'm sure you all remember the aftermath of the hyperbaric bombing run at Yonkers in World War Z. What would completely destroy the living does just about nothing to the ambulatory un-living.
But I digress. I think what I'd like to see, and what I don't have the computer art skills to do, is a series of targets. We need headshots of a few different angles, some full body images, and one or two of what I'd call the bum's rush target: a representation of a group (or gaggle, herd, or stick) of Zombies that you can yell "They're comin' right for us!!" before you start surgically picking them off. That may be the best training aid of all: proof to the shooter that carbines are individual projectile weapons, not room brooms or spray and pray ammo-wasting units.
At any rate, the search continues.
Saturday, June 07, 2008
The Sling War may have been won!
I've posted before, both here and all over the Intardweb, that there are only two slings: the VCAS from Blue Force Gear and the VTAC from Viking Tactics. I think I narrowed down which one is the sling for me. When Matt and I were working on doing reloads today, I found that the VCAS is just not quite long enough for use on my carbine where I want to have the sling mounting points. I couldn't get it adjusted quite long enough.
The biggest part of that issue is that I'm a big, big dude. I'm 6'6" tall, and I weigh a lot. Turns out that the VTAC can adjust a whole lot longer. Naturally, the one I got handed to me is the skinny one rather than the cool padded wide one. LOL! I don't mind that much; its not like I have to haul that rifle and a ton of gear around the world. I've already started to think about designing a pad that would be simple to make and integrate with the sling. I have a couple ideas that I need to explore some more.
I think the next range session will be the proof of concept. At least it'll give me something else to blog about; I've been posting rather sparsely of late!
The biggest part of that issue is that I'm a big, big dude. I'm 6'6" tall, and I weigh a lot. Turns out that the VTAC can adjust a whole lot longer. Naturally, the one I got handed to me is the skinny one rather than the cool padded wide one. LOL! I don't mind that much; its not like I have to haul that rifle and a ton of gear around the world. I've already started to think about designing a pad that would be simple to make and integrate with the sling. I have a couple ideas that I need to explore some more.
I think the next range session will be the proof of concept. At least it'll give me something else to blog about; I've been posting rather sparsely of late!
Range time: learning some things
Went to the range again today with Matt E. and his trained chimp, Sar'nt Johnson, or as we sometimes call him, The Big Johnson. Don't let the name calling fool you, though. TBJ is a gunfighter. He's who you want on your side in a fight to be sure.
I didn't shoot a whole lot of rounds, but I got some good training out of the ones I did fire.
Matt taught me some of the things he's been taught via several different classes. He's studied under the Magpul Dynamics guys, Larry Vickers, Pat Rogers, and has been to Midsouth as well. He's pretty dang good with his standard techniques. We went over clearing a couple of the most common malfunctions, speed and tactical reloads, and reinforced sight offset. Most of my rounds were low because I kept sighting into the middle and upper middle of the target, instead of holding on Osama Bin Laden's turban to drill 'em into his face.
I think I'm still in the Kyle Lamb school on the topic of tactical reloads. He uses the tactical reload when there's time to take out a partially used magazine, put it away, and reload with a fresh magazine, and rearrange the gear as necessary. Matt showed me a simple, quick way to do it that involves handling both mags at once. Basically, you have a magazine in the gun. You then make an "L" with a fresh mag against the bottom of the one in the gun, and grab both. Then you release the one in the gun and turn the hand 90 degrees to replace with the new one. Then you put the old one away, or in a pocket, or whatever ya gotta do. Its somewhat more simple than it sounds, and its fast. As I said, I'm not sure I want to use that method, but its another tool in the toolbox.
There's a vid of Matt at the Magpul Dynamics class at Camp Ares (we really need a separate website for the training facility, but I have no control over that) doing a speed reload. He's smoother than the vid makes him appear due to low resolution.
I did some more work on my Glock 19, too. I've been transitioning to more of an isosceles stance and away from the Weaver I've been using for a hundred years or so, and to a thumbs-forward grip. That's been difficult for me, since my hands are pretty dang big for a small-ish gun like the 19. I'm not as fast and accurate as I'd like to be yet, but I'm getting much better. If you wanna get good at shooting, actually bustin' primers is the best way to do it...and the most expensive. LOL!
I didn't shoot a whole lot of rounds, but I got some good training out of the ones I did fire.
Matt taught me some of the things he's been taught via several different classes. He's studied under the Magpul Dynamics guys, Larry Vickers, Pat Rogers, and has been to Midsouth as well. He's pretty dang good with his standard techniques. We went over clearing a couple of the most common malfunctions, speed and tactical reloads, and reinforced sight offset. Most of my rounds were low because I kept sighting into the middle and upper middle of the target, instead of holding on Osama Bin Laden's turban to drill 'em into his face.
I think I'm still in the Kyle Lamb school on the topic of tactical reloads. He uses the tactical reload when there's time to take out a partially used magazine, put it away, and reload with a fresh magazine, and rearrange the gear as necessary. Matt showed me a simple, quick way to do it that involves handling both mags at once. Basically, you have a magazine in the gun. You then make an "L" with a fresh mag against the bottom of the one in the gun, and grab both. Then you release the one in the gun and turn the hand 90 degrees to replace with the new one. Then you put the old one away, or in a pocket, or whatever ya gotta do. Its somewhat more simple than it sounds, and its fast. As I said, I'm not sure I want to use that method, but its another tool in the toolbox.
There's a vid of Matt at the Magpul Dynamics class at Camp Ares (we really need a separate website for the training facility, but I have no control over that) doing a speed reload. He's smoother than the vid makes him appear due to low resolution.
I did some more work on my Glock 19, too. I've been transitioning to more of an isosceles stance and away from the Weaver I've been using for a hundred years or so, and to a thumbs-forward grip. That's been difficult for me, since my hands are pretty dang big for a small-ish gun like the 19. I'm not as fast and accurate as I'd like to be yet, but I'm getting much better. If you wanna get good at shooting, actually bustin' primers is the best way to do it...and the most expensive. LOL!
Monday, May 26, 2008
Choosing taxes. Could be an eye opener!
Over the past couple of months or so, I've been getting increasingly more aggravated by what I'm hearing coming out of Washington DC. I'm not one of those that's screaming "The sky is falling! We're in a RECESSION!!", because by definition that's not where we are. I am, however, seeing rising prices as the dollar loses value, which is not happy, happy fun times. What's really driving me crazy about all this is that the people that We the People elected to represent their interests seem to be so out of touch that I can't quantify how wacky they are. They seem to think that there's no end to the money they can spend and that earmarks are Constitutionally protected. They don't seem to understand that what they're spending is OUR MONEY. Its not theirs, first last or ever, and yet their actions lead me to believe that they don't have any idea that its not theirs to spend with impunity. I don't understand how they account for that in their own heads. When I spend more than I have, it causes real trouble and has real retributions attached to it. How its any different for a government defies explanation.
It's gotten me to thinking, though. Part of the problem that Americans seem to have with taxation, besides that there's so doggone much of it and that its my money taken against my will, is that money is just being pissed away on some ridiculous projects-you've heard of them; I thought about listing some here, but all it was doing was raising my blood pressure-that could be going to pay off our massive debt. Make no mistake: debt is not a good thing. We cannot continue to refinance our debt with more debt indefinitely. Sooner or later, that bill comes due.
Since earmarks seem to be the fun thing for the Legislature to do, I got to thinkin'. What if we had that power? What if Americans got to choose where their money went? It wouldn't be that tough to do. Add a page to the tax forms we already file. What, like another page would make any difference? It would be a basic survey, with categories to choose from. Perhaps one thinks, mistakenly, that welfare is where money needs to be spent. That person could choose that box, and his tax money would be applied to that budget. If one was interested in funding defense, one would check that box, and probably a few others. Of course, there would be a write in slot, or slots, in case somebody felt passionately that their tax money needed to go somewhere else.
Of course, this system has some holes. The progressive system we have now, where there are a ton of people not paying tax, and the highest earning 1% of Americans pay something like 65% of the total tax bill, would concentrate the funding wherever they want it. That might lead to disenfranchisement. Perhaps going to a simple flat tax system would solve that. Oddly enough, new Republics that have gone to flat taxes, and found their economies booming. The only loser seems to be IRS employees, but if more companies can keep more of what they earn, chances are there would be no problem in finding jobs for those displaced people. I don't advocate somebody keeping a job over what's best for the rest of the country, even if its my job. I'll find another.
What we'd find out real quick is what's important to Americans. If a certain program doesn't gain any funding, then it goes bye-bye. At least citizens would have a chance to say where their tax money goes. As it is, we just get to be baffled by what Congress spends money on, and how much. If they want to keep doing that, they'll have to do a much, much better job of communicating with their constituencies as to why their money should go to that stuff.
I know its not gonna happen anytime soon, if at all, but it is an interesting mental exercise. But, since it's Memorial Day, I'm gonna go make myself a mojito and toast my friends and acquaintances that are still deployed, or who gave all. There have been entirely too many of those. A big chunk of my money would go to getting that job finished right.
It's gotten me to thinking, though. Part of the problem that Americans seem to have with taxation, besides that there's so doggone much of it and that its my money taken against my will, is that money is just being pissed away on some ridiculous projects-you've heard of them; I thought about listing some here, but all it was doing was raising my blood pressure-that could be going to pay off our massive debt. Make no mistake: debt is not a good thing. We cannot continue to refinance our debt with more debt indefinitely. Sooner or later, that bill comes due.
Since earmarks seem to be the fun thing for the Legislature to do, I got to thinkin'. What if we had that power? What if Americans got to choose where their money went? It wouldn't be that tough to do. Add a page to the tax forms we already file. What, like another page would make any difference? It would be a basic survey, with categories to choose from. Perhaps one thinks, mistakenly, that welfare is where money needs to be spent. That person could choose that box, and his tax money would be applied to that budget. If one was interested in funding defense, one would check that box, and probably a few others. Of course, there would be a write in slot, or slots, in case somebody felt passionately that their tax money needed to go somewhere else.
Of course, this system has some holes. The progressive system we have now, where there are a ton of people not paying tax, and the highest earning 1% of Americans pay something like 65% of the total tax bill, would concentrate the funding wherever they want it. That might lead to disenfranchisement. Perhaps going to a simple flat tax system would solve that. Oddly enough, new Republics that have gone to flat taxes, and found their economies booming. The only loser seems to be IRS employees, but if more companies can keep more of what they earn, chances are there would be no problem in finding jobs for those displaced people. I don't advocate somebody keeping a job over what's best for the rest of the country, even if its my job. I'll find another.
What we'd find out real quick is what's important to Americans. If a certain program doesn't gain any funding, then it goes bye-bye. At least citizens would have a chance to say where their tax money goes. As it is, we just get to be baffled by what Congress spends money on, and how much. If they want to keep doing that, they'll have to do a much, much better job of communicating with their constituencies as to why their money should go to that stuff.
I know its not gonna happen anytime soon, if at all, but it is an interesting mental exercise. But, since it's Memorial Day, I'm gonna go make myself a mojito and toast my friends and acquaintances that are still deployed, or who gave all. There have been entirely too many of those. A big chunk of my money would go to getting that job finished right.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
New Gun Parts! Ace rail sling mount
I know, I know. Another gun parts post. What can I say? I really haven't done much of anything these days that didn't have something to do with guns. Blog what ya know, I guess. The big action item on the to-do list is to watch the Laker game tomorrow and catch Iron Man when Top gets back from Flo'da in a week. The pace of life is a little slower here in KY than it is in Cali. lol!
I'm still diggin' my Blue Force Gear Vickers Combat Action Sling, but I've got a couple of VTAC's now, too, and I'm thinking about swapping them. I think the only really good course of action would be to get another rifle or two, but I'm not sure how I'm gonna pull that off with my current cash flow. I have some a'rns in th' f'ar right now, but it'll take a little while to shake out. At any rate, I'm still running the VCAS at this time, and I still dig it a lot. Highly recommended.
The problem I had with the sling really doesn't have anything to do with the sling, but rather my old-style Daniel Defense QD sling mount. As both the readers of my blog know, I'm a big fan of the DD stuff. The latest version of this mount has a limited range of rotation that my older model doesn't have.
The reason that's significant is that if the QD swivel is free to rotate, your sling will become tangled, rolling up on itself. The newer, slimmer design doesn't spin all the way around, so that can't happen. However, the shop was sold out of 'em when I went lookin' for a mount. Several of my more gun savvy friends have been raving about a new fixed rail mounted sling design by Ace, which I decided to give a shot.
There are two versions, a 1 1/4" and a 1 1/2". I went with the smaller one. Its a nicely made part: the edges have all been broken, and the inside edge of the sling path has been radiused.
Its very slim and once its tightened down, its rock solid. I think I oughta Locktite that bad boy, but I haven't done it yet.
I think I saw one in flat dark earth, too, at one point. I could go check...but...nah. I don't care enough to do that right now. Mine's black, and it goes well with the rest of the black. Obviously I need to hook up some black ladder covers, but I haven't managed to do that yet.
The best part of this mount is the price: its only about $20. So far, I'm totally stoked with it, and its solving my problem nicely. I still have that Daniel Defense mount, so I guess that means I have to get another carbine goin'. Somewhere there's gotta be $1200 I can spend on a Colt 6920.
I'm still diggin' my Blue Force Gear Vickers Combat Action Sling, but I've got a couple of VTAC's now, too, and I'm thinking about swapping them. I think the only really good course of action would be to get another rifle or two, but I'm not sure how I'm gonna pull that off with my current cash flow. I have some a'rns in th' f'ar right now, but it'll take a little while to shake out. At any rate, I'm still running the VCAS at this time, and I still dig it a lot. Highly recommended.
The problem I had with the sling really doesn't have anything to do with the sling, but rather my old-style Daniel Defense QD sling mount. As both the readers of my blog know, I'm a big fan of the DD stuff. The latest version of this mount has a limited range of rotation that my older model doesn't have.
The reason that's significant is that if the QD swivel is free to rotate, your sling will become tangled, rolling up on itself. The newer, slimmer design doesn't spin all the way around, so that can't happen. However, the shop was sold out of 'em when I went lookin' for a mount. Several of my more gun savvy friends have been raving about a new fixed rail mounted sling design by Ace, which I decided to give a shot.
There are two versions, a 1 1/4" and a 1 1/2". I went with the smaller one. Its a nicely made part: the edges have all been broken, and the inside edge of the sling path has been radiused.
Its very slim and once its tightened down, its rock solid. I think I oughta Locktite that bad boy, but I haven't done it yet.
I think I saw one in flat dark earth, too, at one point. I could go check...but...nah. I don't care enough to do that right now. Mine's black, and it goes well with the rest of the black. Obviously I need to hook up some black ladder covers, but I haven't managed to do that yet.
The best part of this mount is the price: its only about $20. So far, I'm totally stoked with it, and its solving my problem nicely. I still have that Daniel Defense mount, so I guess that means I have to get another carbine goin'. Somewhere there's gotta be $1200 I can spend on a Colt 6920.
Sunday, May 04, 2008
What the...
What's up with Blogger's wacky formatting these days? I've noticed for the past couple weeks that it'll randomly start a new line, or run off to the right of the page for about 25 meters unless I edit it myself. That's just weird. What's up with that?
I got paid for this! The SOF 3 Gun Match
I spent yesterday both having a blast and learning quite a bit. I was working a table for ATS at the 2nd Annual Special Operations Three Gun Match at Fort Campbell, which was made up of members of 5th Group and 160th SOAR. Even the guys who weren't in jobs that required shooting as part of the description-some of whom were very new to the shooting sports-did very, very well. The guys that do shoot as part of their jobs...damn. I saw some guys just absolutely RUN stages of this match. A couple of our friends from Group just blew my mind with what they could do.
Even though a lot of these guys are in a combat arms MOS, it appeared that the shotgun was the great equalizer. I think most of that had to do with ammunition. Since I don't think any of these guys use shotguns for anything other than hunting (I saw some guys running upland bird guns that they borrowed for the match) or breaching, trying to run stages well with somebody else's gear proved to be difficult for almost everyone. Additionally, at least one stage was meant to make the shooter work for it, rather than being practical in terms of tactical use of the shotgun. That said, when somebody stepped up who had time with a gun, it showed. If this proves anything, its simply that a shotgun is a niche weapon for special situations. Characteristics such as the difficult-to-manage tube magazine showed why an M4 has become preferred for so many applications.
Speaking of the M4, the Viking Tactics barricade was used in this match. I tried
finding a decent pic of it, but came up dry. Its about a 7' sheet of plywood, with a "stair step" pattern cut from the top to about the middle of the sheet, decending right to left. There are various shaped cutouts in the sheet, from long, narrow rectangles at angles, to squares and triangles. The match had these different cuts numbered, and had to be used in numerical order. This meant that the shooter had to go from standing or crouching a little, to prone, to kneeling, to rice paddy prone variations. It became apparent that most of the shooters hadn't encountered this particular barricade before, and had interesting approaches to solving the various positions required. There were three targets downrange at about 25 yards that had to be engaged with double taps. One of those cut outs required rotating the rifle about 90 degrees to get sights on target, so we saw a lot of shooters essentially rolling their rifles through a 180 to get their sights unblocked. One thing that was universal: those guys just kept working the problem until they solved it. I've seen shooters get rattled and mad at these kinds of issues, but these professionals just kept working until they were done. That was great to see.
It was a good day for the company, but it was mostly fun and instructive for me.
I got to hang out with some guys I usually only see in the store, met some new friends, and saw some really inspired shooting. I'm tellin' ya, I'm glad these dudes are on our side. I wouldn't want to have to fight 'em.
Even though a lot of these guys are in a combat arms MOS, it appeared that the shotgun was the great equalizer. I think most of that had to do with ammunition. Since I don't think any of these guys use shotguns for anything other than hunting (I saw some guys running upland bird guns that they borrowed for the match) or breaching, trying to run stages well with somebody else's gear proved to be difficult for almost everyone. Additionally, at least one stage was meant to make the shooter work for it, rather than being practical in terms of tactical use of the shotgun. That said, when somebody stepped up who had time with a gun, it showed. If this proves anything, its simply that a shotgun is a niche weapon for special situations. Characteristics such as the difficult-to-manage tube magazine showed why an M4 has become preferred for so many applications.
Speaking of the M4, the Viking Tactics barricade was used in this match. I tried
finding a decent pic of it, but came up dry. Its about a 7' sheet of plywood, with a "stair step" pattern cut from the top to about the middle of the sheet, decending right to left. There are various shaped cutouts in the sheet, from long, narrow rectangles at angles, to squares and triangles. The match had these different cuts numbered, and had to be used in numerical order. This meant that the shooter had to go from standing or crouching a little, to prone, to kneeling, to rice paddy prone variations. It became apparent that most of the shooters hadn't encountered this particular barricade before, and had interesting approaches to solving the various positions required. There were three targets downrange at about 25 yards that had to be engaged with double taps. One of those cut outs required rotating the rifle about 90 degrees to get sights on target, so we saw a lot of shooters essentially rolling their rifles through a 180 to get their sights unblocked. One thing that was universal: those guys just kept working the problem until they solved it. I've seen shooters get rattled and mad at these kinds of issues, but these professionals just kept working until they were done. That was great to see.
It was a good day for the company, but it was mostly fun and instructive for me.
I got to hang out with some guys I usually only see in the store, met some new friends, and saw some really inspired shooting. I'm tellin' ya, I'm glad these dudes are on our side. I wouldn't want to have to fight 'em.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Po Boy Range Report...ish
Went to the range with Top and JAG today, mostly doing pistol drills. Man, my gun handling skills with the G-Lock 19 are not very good. There's entirely too much time passing before going back to the range again.
I got about 80 rounds into my 100 round Value Pack before I got dialed in a little bit. In the end, I ended up thinking "Man, maybe I really do need the M&P..." It was worthwhile, but I really need to shoot more often.
I shot a mag through Schwaggie to check out the Po Boy Special, and found out a couple of things. First, the Po Boy is definitely worth it if you want to magnify an optical sight, but ya gotta get the tip off mount. Second, an M68/Comp M2 has a very large dot at fiddy yard. I dialed the intensity down as much as I could, but the dot still subtended the entirety of the "X" and "10" rings of the bullseye type target I was using. My windage was not squared away, but since we were getting ready to leave, I gave holding off a try. Basically, since the dot of my sight and the center of my target were about the same diameter, I just held 'em side by side, and dropped four of the six into the "X". Since there were a couple of other guys shooting, I just shot about half a mag and left them to their more- serious-than-mine blasting.
Bottom line: its impossible to beat the Po Boy if you wanna run a magnifier. I like the Aimpoint somewhat better because of its larger objective lens, but its a lot more money. If you can afford the Aimpoint, by all means, grab one. If its a little out of the price range right now, the Po Boy is the way to go.
I got about 80 rounds into my 100 round Value Pack before I got dialed in a little bit. In the end, I ended up thinking "Man, maybe I really do need the M&P..." It was worthwhile, but I really need to shoot more often.
I shot a mag through Schwaggie to check out the Po Boy Special, and found out a couple of things. First, the Po Boy is definitely worth it if you want to magnify an optical sight, but ya gotta get the tip off mount. Second, an M68/Comp M2 has a very large dot at fiddy yard. I dialed the intensity down as much as I could, but the dot still subtended the entirety of the "X" and "10" rings of the bullseye type target I was using. My windage was not squared away, but since we were getting ready to leave, I gave holding off a try. Basically, since the dot of my sight and the center of my target were about the same diameter, I just held 'em side by side, and dropped four of the six into the "X". Since there were a couple of other guys shooting, I just shot about half a mag and left them to their more- serious-than-mine blasting.
Bottom line: its impossible to beat the Po Boy if you wanna run a magnifier. I like the Aimpoint somewhat better because of its larger objective lens, but its a lot more money. If you can afford the Aimpoint, by all means, grab one. If its a little out of the price range right now, the Po Boy is the way to go.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
La Rue Tactical Po Boy Special first impressions
My bro M4 Guru recently picked up an Aimpoint magnifier with the LT-602 QD mount. Since he's a high speed type guy, he hadda get the LT 649-30 tip off mount. When he saw that the difference in price between the tip off mount and
the tip off mount with the Hensoldt optic (The Po Boy Special) was $45, he hadda get the PBS. Since he didn't have a rifle to use it on just yet, he loaned it to me for a little while. I decided to write up my first impressions, since I haven't been able to get to the range with it yet.
The glass is very, very clear, to my eye at least as good as the Aimpoint magnifier. Its a 2.5 power optic instead of the Aimpoint's 3 power, so the the magnification isn't quite as much (duh). Its a little difficult to tell apart without a fixed target to put them side by side with.
The plus side: decent magnification, very reasonable cost, and very good optical purity. The minus side is that its a very small objective lens, so the field of view
is not very wide. Its also not as sexy as the Aimpoint magnifier, but for the price
I think I can live with it. The best part, I think, is that if you decide to upgrade to
a different magnifier at a later time, you already have the awesome LaRue mount. If you want to run a magnifier and don't have deep pockets, this is probably one of the best ways to get there.
One interesting thing I found in researching magnifiers is that moving your magnifier around doesn't change your zero on your dot sight at all. Additionally, if you have optical imperfections like I do-I have astigmatism in both eyes-the magnifier "cleans up" the dot, especially at higher intensities. It appears that it
can also be run at really low intensities compared to running the sight without a magnifier. That has yet to be proven on the range, though. I haven't used it outside very much yet, so that supposition still has to be proven. I'm really
looking forward to wringing this thing out at Binkley's.
the tip off mount with the Hensoldt optic (The Po Boy Special) was $45, he hadda get the PBS. Since he didn't have a rifle to use it on just yet, he loaned it to me for a little while. I decided to write up my first impressions, since I haven't been able to get to the range with it yet.
The glass is very, very clear, to my eye at least as good as the Aimpoint magnifier. Its a 2.5 power optic instead of the Aimpoint's 3 power, so the the magnification isn't quite as much (duh). Its a little difficult to tell apart without a fixed target to put them side by side with.
The plus side: decent magnification, very reasonable cost, and very good optical purity. The minus side is that its a very small objective lens, so the field of view
is not very wide. Its also not as sexy as the Aimpoint magnifier, but for the price
I think I can live with it. The best part, I think, is that if you decide to upgrade to
a different magnifier at a later time, you already have the awesome LaRue mount. If you want to run a magnifier and don't have deep pockets, this is probably one of the best ways to get there.
One interesting thing I found in researching magnifiers is that moving your magnifier around doesn't change your zero on your dot sight at all. Additionally, if you have optical imperfections like I do-I have astigmatism in both eyes-the magnifier "cleans up" the dot, especially at higher intensities. It appears that it
can also be run at really low intensities compared to running the sight without a magnifier. That has yet to be proven on the range, though. I haven't used it outside very much yet, so that supposition still has to be proven. I'm really
looking forward to wringing this thing out at Binkley's.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Paul Howe/XS Sights rear sight aperture: COOL!!
I happened across my bro M4 Guru installing one of XS Sights new Paul Howe designed CQB apertures today. Luckily, I came in as he was finishing up, rather than starting the job, which meant I got to do all of the playing with none of the waiting. That makes for a good day.
What Howe came up with is a "pistol" sight notch above a more typical round hole aperture. Since the two are on the same...uh...blade, I guess...of the rear sight, transitioning between the two is crazy super fast, with just a slight movement. I tried to find a good pic of it, but couldn't. Figgers, M4G has brand new stuff before everybody else again. :)
This is the only pic I could find. I comes from the patent that Howe applied for, which is where the link in the title leads to. By all means, check it out, because it goes much more in depth than I intend to...or can, really. lol
Where the sight that XS makes differs from the illustration is that the "upper" notch is horizontally serrated, which cuts glare. The upper notch is for CQB distance shooting, while the more traditional peep aperture is for
shooting at distances out to about 25 meters.
According to M4G (who knows, believe me), Howe is very much anti-optic. The guys I've met who've seen him shoot or trained with him say that he's an amazing shooter and prefers open sights. After messing around with M4G's new sight for a short while, I'm very much intrigued, and I think I'm gonna have to seek one of these out and see if I can't slap it in my Troy Battlesight. This thing is slick! Well done, Paul Howe and XS Sights.
What Howe came up with is a "pistol" sight notch above a more typical round hole aperture. Since the two are on the same...uh...blade, I guess...of the rear sight, transitioning between the two is crazy super fast, with just a slight movement. I tried to find a good pic of it, but couldn't. Figgers, M4G has brand new stuff before everybody else again. :)
This is the only pic I could find. I comes from the patent that Howe applied for, which is where the link in the title leads to. By all means, check it out, because it goes much more in depth than I intend to...or can, really. lol
Where the sight that XS makes differs from the illustration is that the "upper" notch is horizontally serrated, which cuts glare. The upper notch is for CQB distance shooting, while the more traditional peep aperture is for
shooting at distances out to about 25 meters.
According to M4G (who knows, believe me), Howe is very much anti-optic. The guys I've met who've seen him shoot or trained with him say that he's an amazing shooter and prefers open sights. After messing around with M4G's new sight for a short while, I'm very much intrigued, and I think I'm gonna have to seek one of these out and see if I can't slap it in my Troy Battlesight. This thing is slick! Well done, Paul Howe and XS Sights.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
$15,000 worth of paper
Finally got my diploma. I wasn't all that surprised that it took a few months to get. After all, it took me 19 years to get it. My timing may or may not be unfortunate. The job market is tightening, and I don't think that's going to help Kentucky and Tennessee that much. Relocation may be in order; I haven't looked into it that much yet because I still love what I'm doing now. I'm undecided. At any rate, here's what fifteen grand worth of paper, and an eighteen dollar frame with a crappy mat looks like.
I have yet to make a decision on pursuit of an MBA. I think I need to do a serious hard look at my prospects and go from there. I think an MBA program may actually teach me something I don't know. Most of my bachelor's degree was made up of skills I already had and things I already knew. It was by no means a waste of time, but having about a dozen years of management experience, I can say with certainty that it didn't prepare me to manage a business. I guess that's proof that education without experience isn't that useful. Besides, you don't get free stuff from vendors at school.
I have yet to make a decision on pursuit of an MBA. I think I need to do a serious hard look at my prospects and go from there. I think an MBA program may actually teach me something I don't know. Most of my bachelor's degree was made up of skills I already had and things I already knew. It was by no means a waste of time, but having about a dozen years of management experience, I can say with certainty that it didn't prepare me to manage a business. I guess that's proof that education without experience isn't that useful. Besides, you don't get free stuff from vendors at school.
Saturday, April 05, 2008
Another change in Schwaggie: placing the tactical light
One of the things I found with the placement of my tac light that I didn't like was that I had to move my sling mount towards the receiver. One of the advantages of running the sling as far out as you can is that the rifle swings less when you are carrying it. Additionally, the sling can be used as a shooting aid.
I have to admit that this knowledge isn't directly mine. I've been asking questions from friends who've been there, and taking tips from Kyle Lamb's book Green Eyes and Black Rifles. There's so much info in there I can't process it all. I have to admit to being a stickler for grammar, punctuation, and spelling, and there are more than a few in this book. However, the minor irritation that causes versus what I'm gaining from reading the ideas of a true master of the combat carbine can't be compared. This book is well worth buying, even at its relatively high price. It really is great stuff.
At any rate, I thought I would try moving the light to the opposite side to see if I could make it work there. KL has his light placed in this position, but where I am using the Vltor Scout Mount, he's using the Viking Tactics mount, which allows the light to sit below the rail, rather than inline with it. Photo is from the Viking Tactics site
As you'll see with the photos of my light and mount, the placement of the light is higher. What I found was that I needed to move the light rearward in the mount a little bit; less than a quarter of an inch or so. When I first mounted it up, I found I was straining my support hand whenever I reached for it. Moving it back just a bit made a huge, huge difference. That also allowed me to move my sling mount forward again where it was before...and where I found I really liked having it. The balance of the rifle is better, and the sling can be tensioned against my fore arm (by reaching through the sling before getting to the vertical grip or grabbing the fore end and putting tension on it), which really stabilizes the rifle in an offhand shooting position. I think I found a much better way to run this system. Now all I gotta do is pick up the newer, rotation-limiting QD mount from Daniel Defense, which will keep my sling from twisting.
This photo shows the placement of light and sling mount from the top. The rail is still the Daniel Defense 9.5 FSP, in case anybody forgot. Yes, that top rail ladder is OD green. I didn't have another black one to use in the position.
This photo is of the underside, showing the relative placement of the light, sling mount, and vertical grip. To be honest, I'm not completely sold that the vert grip is the way to go, but I need to do a lot more shooting to see which really works better for me. Since The Big Boys don't use them and are the best combat shooters in the world, I'm thinking that I may have to find a way without it.
Now my big project is to shoot the heck out of it, which is not easy with the cost and availability of 5.56 ammo these days.
I have to admit that this knowledge isn't directly mine. I've been asking questions from friends who've been there, and taking tips from Kyle Lamb's book Green Eyes and Black Rifles. There's so much info in there I can't process it all. I have to admit to being a stickler for grammar, punctuation, and spelling, and there are more than a few in this book. However, the minor irritation that causes versus what I'm gaining from reading the ideas of a true master of the combat carbine can't be compared. This book is well worth buying, even at its relatively high price. It really is great stuff.
At any rate, I thought I would try moving the light to the opposite side to see if I could make it work there. KL has his light placed in this position, but where I am using the Vltor Scout Mount, he's using the Viking Tactics mount, which allows the light to sit below the rail, rather than inline with it. Photo is from the Viking Tactics site
As you'll see with the photos of my light and mount, the placement of the light is higher. What I found was that I needed to move the light rearward in the mount a little bit; less than a quarter of an inch or so. When I first mounted it up, I found I was straining my support hand whenever I reached for it. Moving it back just a bit made a huge, huge difference. That also allowed me to move my sling mount forward again where it was before...and where I found I really liked having it. The balance of the rifle is better, and the sling can be tensioned against my fore arm (by reaching through the sling before getting to the vertical grip or grabbing the fore end and putting tension on it), which really stabilizes the rifle in an offhand shooting position. I think I found a much better way to run this system. Now all I gotta do is pick up the newer, rotation-limiting QD mount from Daniel Defense, which will keep my sling from twisting.
This photo shows the placement of light and sling mount from the top. The rail is still the Daniel Defense 9.5 FSP, in case anybody forgot. Yes, that top rail ladder is OD green. I didn't have another black one to use in the position.
This photo is of the underside, showing the relative placement of the light, sling mount, and vertical grip. To be honest, I'm not completely sold that the vert grip is the way to go, but I need to do a lot more shooting to see which really works better for me. Since The Big Boys don't use them and are the best combat shooters in the world, I'm thinking that I may have to find a way without it.
Now my big project is to shoot the heck out of it, which is not easy with the cost and availability of 5.56 ammo these days.
Thursday, April 03, 2008
Ted Says I'll Be a Cannibal in 10 years...or 30...or 40...
Since this is a couple days old now, I'm sure you've heard Ted Turner's comments on the Charlie Rose Show. I dunno who Charlie Rose is, but I can say this with some certainty: Ted is what they call in the psychological arena (this is a technical term) "totally nutty". Now, after enjoying Teddy's absolutely foundless mental noodlings, be sure to check out the comments left there. I couldn't read them all; I had tears streaming down my face from laughing so hard. The ones that I did read were from a group with another highly technical name: Moonbatty, Tree Huggin', Patchouli Stinkin', Granola Munchin' Lefty Nutjobs.
The best part is Teddy's prediction of a "failed state like...Somalia". Well...here's the thing, then. I'm ready for that. Teddy and his ilk, being anti-self defense and anti-gun, will not be. So, while I bring up my own militia, it will be The Moonbats that will be left out in the cold...so to speak. Of course, I'll make room for 'em, but unlike the State they envision, they'll be workin' fo da Man...Me and my similarly-armed bros. Lookin' forward to it!
Its interesting to me to see how a Lefty views America. They instantly go to the "failed State" card, equating us with the crazies in tribal warfare-ridden Africa. They totally miss what makes America so great: Americans. People will find a way. Americans are ingenious folk; we'll band together, help eachother, and stand the hell up. Those that don't...will be dealt with accordingly. Remember, when the founders got here there was no central government. As a matter of fact, those brilliant pioneers were against having one. Looking at where we are now, I'm convinced they were spot on right. Man, I wish we had stuck with that.
The thing is, those who are prepared will survive, and those that aren't will not. The left has been depending on the gummint for everything for so long now I'm sure they're gonna suffer greatly before figuring out a Brave New World. Sucks to be you, dudes.
The best part is Teddy's prediction of a "failed state like...Somalia". Well...here's the thing, then. I'm ready for that. Teddy and his ilk, being anti-self defense and anti-gun, will not be. So, while I bring up my own militia, it will be The Moonbats that will be left out in the cold...so to speak. Of course, I'll make room for 'em, but unlike the State they envision, they'll be workin' fo da Man...Me and my similarly-armed bros. Lookin' forward to it!
Its interesting to me to see how a Lefty views America. They instantly go to the "failed State" card, equating us with the crazies in tribal warfare-ridden Africa. They totally miss what makes America so great: Americans. People will find a way. Americans are ingenious folk; we'll band together, help eachother, and stand the hell up. Those that don't...will be dealt with accordingly. Remember, when the founders got here there was no central government. As a matter of fact, those brilliant pioneers were against having one. Looking at where we are now, I'm convinced they were spot on right. Man, I wish we had stuck with that.
The thing is, those who are prepared will survive, and those that aren't will not. The left has been depending on the gummint for everything for so long now I'm sure they're gonna suffer greatly before figuring out a Brave New World. Sucks to be you, dudes.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
New Tactical Light for Schwaggie...and bad timing
After months and months of agonizing over how I was gonna add a light to Schwaggie without breaking the bank (the Scout Light will pretty much do that), I finally came to my senses a little bit and realized that I have a 6P laying around not currently tasked to other assignments. Since ya just can't have a Surefire without a job, I decided to slap that bad boy on my baby.
However, I lacked a decent interface. I had a Weaver ring on it, but that was too ugly for one as tacticool as me, so I went to work (literally) and picked up a Vltor Scout Mount for it, and while I was at it, I grabbed a shock isolated bezel for it, too. My bro Jimmy Baggadonuts gave me a brand new spare P60 lamp, so I have a spare for this one. Yeah, I have awesome friends.
The thing I found out the next day, though, is that we got the new LED conversion lamps from Surefire in. Dang it. Not what I needed to have happen. Not sure If I'm gonna take the shock iso bezel back or just run this system until the lamps burn out, but I'm kinda leaning towards just running the lamps I have. I could go to the P61L for more output, which is always sexy...until you're clearing a room and find a mirror. Don't ask. I couldn't see very well before. Its worse after.
Oh, well, new parts is new parts. I'm stoked with the simplicity of the engineering of the Vltor mount, and how tight it holds. I'm curious to see how its going to hold up to sustained fire, since I didn't Lock-Tite the screw. The directions didn't say to do that, so I din't. I'll test it as is. At any rate, here are some pics for your viewing enjoyment.
What's all that crap on my front sight post? lol
The reasoning behind the light placement is that its an easy reach for the thumb from the vertical grip. Additionally, if I decide not to run the broom handle, I can still get a forward grip on the fore end...although if I decide to go that way, I may pick up a Viking Tactics mount and run it horizontally off the top of the rail, which would allow a very far forward grip, which I like. As it is now, I still have some rail to lean on a baricade or structure under the FSB. The Daniel Defense 9.5 FSB may just be the perfect rail for guns running fixed front sight blocks.
However, I lacked a decent interface. I had a Weaver ring on it, but that was too ugly for one as tacticool as me, so I went to work (literally) and picked up a Vltor Scout Mount for it, and while I was at it, I grabbed a shock isolated bezel for it, too. My bro Jimmy Baggadonuts gave me a brand new spare P60 lamp, so I have a spare for this one. Yeah, I have awesome friends.
The thing I found out the next day, though, is that we got the new LED conversion lamps from Surefire in. Dang it. Not what I needed to have happen. Not sure If I'm gonna take the shock iso bezel back or just run this system until the lamps burn out, but I'm kinda leaning towards just running the lamps I have. I could go to the P61L for more output, which is always sexy...until you're clearing a room and find a mirror. Don't ask. I couldn't see very well before. Its worse after.
Oh, well, new parts is new parts. I'm stoked with the simplicity of the engineering of the Vltor mount, and how tight it holds. I'm curious to see how its going to hold up to sustained fire, since I didn't Lock-Tite the screw. The directions didn't say to do that, so I din't. I'll test it as is. At any rate, here are some pics for your viewing enjoyment.
What's all that crap on my front sight post? lol
The reasoning behind the light placement is that its an easy reach for the thumb from the vertical grip. Additionally, if I decide not to run the broom handle, I can still get a forward grip on the fore end...although if I decide to go that way, I may pick up a Viking Tactics mount and run it horizontally off the top of the rail, which would allow a very far forward grip, which I like. As it is now, I still have some rail to lean on a baricade or structure under the FSB. The Daniel Defense 9.5 FSB may just be the perfect rail for guns running fixed front sight blocks.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
mil spec and commercial spec receiver extensions (buffer tubes)
Since I looked for the answer to this question for a very long time, I suspect that I'm not alone. This information was given to me by Pat Rogers. I don't know if these are his words or if he got them from somewhere else, but I owe him a debt of gratitude for providing me with this. I have shared it with a couple of other people, and they had the same "wow, thanks!" reaction that I did. That being the case, I decided to post it up here so that the other two people that read my blog can have that info, too. Thanks, Pat!
"Buffer Tube Basics
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I know, the correct name is receiver extension tube... so now that we got one of most common mistakes out of the way, let's look at some common questions about receiver extension tubes. I do not pretend to know everything about these rifles, so if you see anything that is wrong, let me know.
This info is for carbine/short/collapsable tubes - all rifle/long/standard tubes are the same (as far as dimensions go)
What is a Mil-Spec Tube? This has to be the most common question. A milspec tube is just as the name implies, made to the specifications of the technical data package (tdp). The biggest concern is the diameter of the tube, the milspec part has a diameter of 1.150, the thread diameter is 1.1875
So the threads are bigger, are they rolled in? The thread are cut in with a regular old lathe. The narrower body section of the tube is reduced by cutting with a concave shaped cutter that "shaves" the metal down, sort of like a plane.
So what are tubes that are not Mil-Spec? During the original cloning of the military AR, the first commercial receiver extension tubes were made from an extrusion, the threads lathe cut and the body was not reduced. The common size for this is 1.170 and that has became the de facto standard for after market tubes.
So commercial tubes are bigger, are they stronger? No, the problem with them is that the threaded section is also 1.170, so the threads are not cut to full "height" and do not fully engage the threads in the receiver. Nearly all of the tubes that I have seen fail in the field broke at the threads or pulled the threads out.
Are there any other concerns with after market tubes? Well, there is really no set standard for size, so they can vary by manufacturer and even from lot to lot -- you can get combinations of after market parts that are tight or loose. Some of them are made with extrusions with an end plug welded in, the quality of the welding can run from pretty solid to pretty poor.
Are those the only two sizes? No, some manufacturers have come out with systems that do not use either the milspec or the aftermarket tube size... The early Choate stock is one example of a proprietory tube.
So what fits what? Milspec tubes work with stocks from Colt, Vltor, CMT, LMT/Crane, etc.
After market tubes work with RRA, BM, DPMS, etc.
A larger, after market stock will fit on a milspec tube, but will be loose and rattle -- a milsec stock will usually not fit on an after market tube... without a hammer.
Hey! My new Mil-Spec tube is too long? Some newer tubes made for the "enhanced" M4 stock are a little longer and have a small taper to the back to match the profile of the stock butt. It should not effect the use of a Mil-Spec stock however."
"Buffer Tube Basics
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I know, the correct name is receiver extension tube... so now that we got one of most common mistakes out of the way, let's look at some common questions about receiver extension tubes. I do not pretend to know everything about these rifles, so if you see anything that is wrong, let me know.
This info is for carbine/short/collapsable tubes - all rifle/long/standard tubes are the same (as far as dimensions go)
What is a Mil-Spec Tube? This has to be the most common question. A milspec tube is just as the name implies, made to the specifications of the technical data package (tdp). The biggest concern is the diameter of the tube, the milspec part has a diameter of 1.150, the thread diameter is 1.1875
So the threads are bigger, are they rolled in? The thread are cut in with a regular old lathe. The narrower body section of the tube is reduced by cutting with a concave shaped cutter that "shaves" the metal down, sort of like a plane.
So what are tubes that are not Mil-Spec? During the original cloning of the military AR, the first commercial receiver extension tubes were made from an extrusion, the threads lathe cut and the body was not reduced. The common size for this is 1.170 and that has became the de facto standard for after market tubes.
So commercial tubes are bigger, are they stronger? No, the problem with them is that the threaded section is also 1.170, so the threads are not cut to full "height" and do not fully engage the threads in the receiver. Nearly all of the tubes that I have seen fail in the field broke at the threads or pulled the threads out.
Are there any other concerns with after market tubes? Well, there is really no set standard for size, so they can vary by manufacturer and even from lot to lot -- you can get combinations of after market parts that are tight or loose. Some of them are made with extrusions with an end plug welded in, the quality of the welding can run from pretty solid to pretty poor.
Are those the only two sizes? No, some manufacturers have come out with systems that do not use either the milspec or the aftermarket tube size... The early Choate stock is one example of a proprietory tube.
So what fits what? Milspec tubes work with stocks from Colt, Vltor, CMT, LMT/Crane, etc.
After market tubes work with RRA, BM, DPMS, etc.
A larger, after market stock will fit on a milspec tube, but will be loose and rattle -- a milsec stock will usually not fit on an after market tube... without a hammer.
Hey! My new Mil-Spec tube is too long? Some newer tubes made for the "enhanced" M4 stock are a little longer and have a small taper to the back to match the profile of the stock butt. It should not effect the use of a Mil-Spec stock however."
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
What does that "test" prove?
I've been studying and researching carbines for a while now, reading what various trainers and trainees have experienced with carbines that have been pushed some. What I noticed about reviews and articles is that, for the most part, the round counts are rather low-I won't blame them for not shooting a case for every rifle they test, because that's a butt load of money-and the courses of fire don't generally show what the gun will do when the carbine is pushed. What I found from other sources contrasts quite a lot with what reviews say.
When the test consists of 300 rounds of leisurely shooting, every carbine on the planet is going to look pretty much the same. With that sort of light use, differences in parts quality won't show up, and a parts gun made with OK parts is going to perform similarly to a Colt, LMT, or LWRC. To see the differences in guns, they have to be pushed.
The reason that Colts and the other brands listed previously at the top have such a stellar reputations is that they hold up under hard use. Second and third tier guns, the commerical brands, have track records of failure that are well documented, as well as being traceable to particular things that differ from the top of the heap. Bolts break because they're not all MP tested and shot peened. Receiver extensions come loose because castle nuts aren't staked. The list goes on.
The thing that's bugging me, because I realize I've touched on this before, is that gun writers are expected to be experts. At least they were when I was growing up. Jordan was a BP agent that had used guns when life counted on it. O'Connor was out slayin' critters all over the world. I'm just not sure that gun writers now live it like they did in the day. There are a few, but they're few and far between. Most of the articles read the same way: here's the history of the rifle...again. Here's the features and stuff the rifle comes with...BTW, a carry strap isn't a tactical sling. Here's the stuff the writer bolted on to take the gun to the range. Here's the list of ammo, and we'll throw the velocity in there for...who knows why. And, 300 rounds later, here's the verdict: "this rifle worked like a champ and all the bullets that fired hit stuff. This rifle worked great, so if you're in the market for a carbine, buy one".
Here's the real bottom line: there's a very good chart that's probably the best resource to determine what's what with commercially available AR carbines. Rob-S, who's been on a lot of forums and who's chart has been declared "good to go" by several big name trainers and carbine authorities. Its the most accurate resource going. The beauty of it is that you can kinda "dial a price" and have a good idea of what features you're getting compared to other brands. Additionally, it shows the difference between the bottom of the line and the top, and if you're savvy, it explains why top tier brands cost what they do. If you happen across Rob-S and his characteristic orange visor, give him a hearty "thank you" for the effort he put into the chart.
When the test consists of 300 rounds of leisurely shooting, every carbine on the planet is going to look pretty much the same. With that sort of light use, differences in parts quality won't show up, and a parts gun made with OK parts is going to perform similarly to a Colt, LMT, or LWRC. To see the differences in guns, they have to be pushed.
The reason that Colts and the other brands listed previously at the top have such a stellar reputations is that they hold up under hard use. Second and third tier guns, the commerical brands, have track records of failure that are well documented, as well as being traceable to particular things that differ from the top of the heap. Bolts break because they're not all MP tested and shot peened. Receiver extensions come loose because castle nuts aren't staked. The list goes on.
The thing that's bugging me, because I realize I've touched on this before, is that gun writers are expected to be experts. At least they were when I was growing up. Jordan was a BP agent that had used guns when life counted on it. O'Connor was out slayin' critters all over the world. I'm just not sure that gun writers now live it like they did in the day. There are a few, but they're few and far between. Most of the articles read the same way: here's the history of the rifle...again. Here's the features and stuff the rifle comes with...BTW, a carry strap isn't a tactical sling. Here's the stuff the writer bolted on to take the gun to the range. Here's the list of ammo, and we'll throw the velocity in there for...who knows why. And, 300 rounds later, here's the verdict: "this rifle worked like a champ and all the bullets that fired hit stuff. This rifle worked great, so if you're in the market for a carbine, buy one".
Here's the real bottom line: there's a very good chart that's probably the best resource to determine what's what with commercially available AR carbines. Rob-S, who's been on a lot of forums and who's chart has been declared "good to go" by several big name trainers and carbine authorities. Its the most accurate resource going. The beauty of it is that you can kinda "dial a price" and have a good idea of what features you're getting compared to other brands. Additionally, it shows the difference between the bottom of the line and the top, and if you're savvy, it explains why top tier brands cost what they do. If you happen across Rob-S and his characteristic orange visor, give him a hearty "thank you" for the effort he put into the chart.
All that tacticool crap? What tacticool crap?
I was reading an article on the Sabre Defence Ayoob rifle this afternoon during lunch, and came to a bit of a conclusion: most people don't really know what they're talking about. In this instance, there was a reference to "tacticool gadjets hung on the rail", which is a common complaint in articles, blogs and on some forums where people are known for not knowing what they're talking about. The question that's never answered is "what crap"?
The comment that irked me was along the lines of "I laugh when I see a rail covered in all this tacticool crap". Nobody ever mentions specifically what they're talking about, and I suspect they're talking about stuff shown in pics from the Sandbox. Well, here's a revelation for ya: just because you don't need a couple tac lights and a PEQ-2, doesn't mean that the user doesn't. Here's another revelation: lights fail. If you're gonna have to go clear some mud hut with no windows and your light fails, what are ya gonna do? There's no time out; you still have to go. Does it make sense yet? Two is one, one is none. That may not apply on a square range with timed breaks to change targets, but it sure as hell does in a war zone.
The only thing I can maybe call "crap" are bipods on carbines, but while I don't see their usefullness, there are apparently missions for them besides looking cool...which is good, because they don't look cool. Beyond that, what "crap" are you talking about? The rail mounted sling swivel? The previously mentioned tactical lights? A PEQ box? Optics of several varieties with specific jobs? BUIS? A vert grip because rail space is covered by the tac light and its backup? None of that is lacking a useful purpose. So what is it you're talking about? Or is it just that you don't know what its for, so you're calling it stupid? Yeah, that's what I thought.
The comment that irked me was along the lines of "I laugh when I see a rail covered in all this tacticool crap". Nobody ever mentions specifically what they're talking about, and I suspect they're talking about stuff shown in pics from the Sandbox. Well, here's a revelation for ya: just because you don't need a couple tac lights and a PEQ-2, doesn't mean that the user doesn't. Here's another revelation: lights fail. If you're gonna have to go clear some mud hut with no windows and your light fails, what are ya gonna do? There's no time out; you still have to go. Does it make sense yet? Two is one, one is none. That may not apply on a square range with timed breaks to change targets, but it sure as hell does in a war zone.
The only thing I can maybe call "crap" are bipods on carbines, but while I don't see their usefullness, there are apparently missions for them besides looking cool...which is good, because they don't look cool. Beyond that, what "crap" are you talking about? The rail mounted sling swivel? The previously mentioned tactical lights? A PEQ box? Optics of several varieties with specific jobs? BUIS? A vert grip because rail space is covered by the tac light and its backup? None of that is lacking a useful purpose. So what is it you're talking about? Or is it just that you don't know what its for, so you're calling it stupid? Yeah, that's what I thought.
Sunday, March 09, 2008
For executives, they don't seem to get it very well
I went looking for information regarding The Sarah Connor Chronicles, to see if there was any hope of a season two. Results were inconclusive at best. There's no new info regarding Jericho yet, either. There's, what, four more episodes in the "seasonette"? It would appear that Jericho is in a bad place, seeing as the Writer's Guild decided to give up a bunch of income and not do their damn jobs. That put Jericho in a relatively good place since there were no other shows coming on, but without the writers, there could be no new episodes to follow the current seven, at least not right away. So, due to the writer's strike and the lack of understanding by the executives, we're going to be forced into more "reality" shows, because they're cheap to produce. Additionally, it seems there's no shortage of people who'll make fools of themselves for money.
Before the Intardweb, Nielson boxes were probably a good enough indicator of how a show was doing. Now, in the Information Age, the Nielsons just aren't cutting it anymore. Jericho is a perfect example: the ratings boxes showed that it wasn't doing well and got it cancelled. Fans brought it back (as they did with Star Trek back in the day, and we know how that worked out) with the epic "Nuts" campaign. Many Sci Fi afficionados are huge fans of "Firefly". They managed to get a movie made, even though the show was cancelled.
All that is to say that the networks have to figure out a new way of tracking audience numbers. People are Tivo-ing, watching online, and catching the show in other ways. Timelsots are no longer the hardpoint anchor that they used to be. However, tracking still appears to be done with the Nielson raters. I don't think I know anybody who's ever seen a Nielson box, much less had one. That puts an outsized amount of power in the hands of a relatively small number of people, who may not be in touch with most of the country's wishes.
I just don't wanna see another Big Brother, Survivor, Flava of Love, or some other piece of crap that's cheap to make and is of intolerable badness. Next time the writers go on strike, let 'em go and hire new writers. Unions will be the death of TV just as they are other fields of endeavor. Its not worth it to risk having another "Cavemen."
Before the Intardweb, Nielson boxes were probably a good enough indicator of how a show was doing. Now, in the Information Age, the Nielsons just aren't cutting it anymore. Jericho is a perfect example: the ratings boxes showed that it wasn't doing well and got it cancelled. Fans brought it back (as they did with Star Trek back in the day, and we know how that worked out) with the epic "Nuts" campaign. Many Sci Fi afficionados are huge fans of "Firefly". They managed to get a movie made, even though the show was cancelled.
All that is to say that the networks have to figure out a new way of tracking audience numbers. People are Tivo-ing, watching online, and catching the show in other ways. Timelsots are no longer the hardpoint anchor that they used to be. However, tracking still appears to be done with the Nielson raters. I don't think I know anybody who's ever seen a Nielson box, much less had one. That puts an outsized amount of power in the hands of a relatively small number of people, who may not be in touch with most of the country's wishes.
I just don't wanna see another Big Brother, Survivor, Flava of Love, or some other piece of crap that's cheap to make and is of intolerable badness. Next time the writers go on strike, let 'em go and hire new writers. Unions will be the death of TV just as they are other fields of endeavor. Its not worth it to risk having another "Cavemen."
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