I Have Been Remiss

in not noting the most excellent gift given to me by my wife this past R&R/delayed Christmas. I'd noted this furniture earlier when I'd inadvertently run across while browsing the web. I'm happy to say the gentleman who makes these was able to get a set to her shortly before my arrival home.

I will note that the image doesn't do the wood justice by any means. Made of walnut, all the pieces have a warm, rich appearance that I wouldn't have associated with an AR-type rifle. My only fear now is that I'll scratch them while out at the range. I'll probably be hauling an extra-thick blanket to cover the shooting surface every time this one goes out anymore.

I'm damn fortunate in my spouse's consideration when it comes to gifts.

A Day At The Range

Recently went to another post in the area to check zeros on the rifles. Of all the ranges I've been on, this one probably has the most impressive berm:

Somewher around 1600 feet of vertical rise from the range, I was told. But then it was time to get to business, which meant getting down in the talcum-like dirt that coated everything in short order.
After verifying zeros, we headed back out towards the gate. On the way, we passed by an armor graveyard from the Soviet-Afghan war:


Including this interesting piece, which is a T-34/85 if I remember my Soviet armor correctly.
Oh, to have the chance to haul that back home....

Old Friend, New Clothes

Had a soldier come into our quarters at NTC with something that definitely wasn't an M4 from a distance, and had to go look at it. I was suprised to see this current version of the M14, tricked out like a mall ninja's wet dream. The big difference being that these add-ons will see use somewhere besides the range. A fair number of the 11Bs were given these fine rifles based upon their qualification scores during the last range qual. These troops are now squad designated marksmen, something I both envy and approve of. Envy, because properly set up this rifle will take out a hostile far beyond the effective range of the M4 gopher gun most of us are saddled with. Approve, because at least someone has something with both range and individual accuracy you can't get with an M240B machine gun. This is the man and gun you go to when Akbar the part-time sniper pops of rounds from his Enfield or Mosin while nicely ensconced in his ROE off-limits compound full of women and kids. Lucky dog.

Odd, But Not Ugly

I was watching some of the younger troops playing a video game last night, and noticed the main character running around with something like the image above. It reminds me of the older FN-FALs when they first came out. There's something about walnut that adds elegance to any firearm, no matter how utilitarian it started out. This particular set of furniture runs about $240, which is low enough to start me considering upgrading my rifle at home.

Range Time

A "flex" day off, the homework is done, and it's in the 70s. Time to burn some powder, even if the wind is blowing my full-size pickup across the center lane every time I let up on the wheel.

Today's choice is once again the AR-15, and the Beretta 92F. Never hurts to go with what you know, and might have to use in the future. My AR is a Century C-15 mixmaster. I've read some truly horrible things about the quality of these, but it was literally one of the last ones Century had in stock during the great Obama Scare of '08. As far as I can tell, other than the new Century lower, the rest is lightly used, with the sole flaw I've found being a notch where the dust cover pin latches, making it overly easy for the dust cover to pop open. Making a slightly longer catch pin will take care of that. And what it's fed:

Yes, the nearly universally reviled Brown Bear brand. At the time of purchase, this was literally all that was available. Reading (once again) Internet reviews of the brand, I was expecting jams, extraction failures, and poor accuracy. I have had a failure to feed. Once. Today, after over 300 rounds without cleaning the rifle. Accuracy? All my shooting has been with paper silhouettes simulating the military pop-up targets, so it's been hits that count, rather than MOA; at 200 yards, unsupported prone, I've been able to put 40/40 on target. With sandbags and younger eyes, I think I'd get some reasonable groups. Come warmer weather, I'll try some bullseye shooting to see what I can get. Compared to reloadable brass-cased new production at sixty or more cents per round, I can live with a slightly lower level of accuracy, especially with torso-size targets.

Day Off (sort of)

As one of our physicians who generates a lot of procedures is off for the week, I've been "voluntarily" flexed from work for the day (voluntarily as in, I can say "no problem" with a smile and use some PTO, or be ordered to take it off and get some negative remarks in my job review about playing well with others; might as well keep some brownie points). There's no shortage of tasks to be done around the house, especially as the deployment looms in what seems to be the near future. On the other hand, there will be little time off up to that date, and virtually none afterwards. So, given that it's not raining, snowing, or sub-zero, it seems like it might be time to get some range time in.

I've committed to taking out the AR-15 every time I get out there until leaving; many people seem surprised by this, but the Army, or at least the part I've been exposed to, is only concerned about weapons proficiency during annual qualification. The rest of the time weapons are something to be locked up lest one go missing and ruin someone's efficiency review. For those of us in the support role (not combat arms), I look at weapons as similar to a fire extinguisher. It's unlikely I'll need it, but if I do I better damn well be able to operate it quickly and efficiently. And nothing builds muscle memory and skill like practice.

But it shouldn't be all practice without fun. Which is why I'm considering which .30 caliber to take with. There's an M1 sitting in the corner that was picked up shortly before the last deployment, which still hasn't been fired; next to it sits a new-to-me Soviet M44......decisions, decisions.

"the gun was left by a veteran member of the SWAT team who forgot the weapon in the grass while packing up gear after the standoff ended."

In the Army, one of the worst examples of neglect you can commit is losing a weapon. Essentially, there is no good reason to lose a weapon if you are concious. I have seen entire bases locked down for one missing rifle. When the problem reaches that level of command, at least one person's career is shot.

That's not to say I don't feel sympathy for this guy. I've had a rifle stolen from under my care many years ago by OPFOR during field exercises. I spent a good portion of the duty shift trying not to vomit from nausea after finding it missing, until a grinning Specialist handed it back to me in the morning, having been highly praised for infiltrating the center of camp and bringing back with my rifle. I can say that never happened to me again. I'd guess if this member of the SWAT team was in the same state when he found out, and it probably will have the same effect on him: if it's not in my hands, it's on my back; if it's not on my back, it's locked up.

What needs to be done, besides some degree of punishment to make a point, is a review of how SWAT teams manage accountability for sensitive equipment. This wasn't just an individual failure. Where was the team leader when it was time to leave the scene? Why didn't he do an equipment survey before leaving? How often are sensitive items accounted for? It speaks volumes about security practices and leader responsibility when it's a homeowner calling in to report a missing police weapon. There should be more than one person receiving punishment in this case.

Geezers At The Gun Range

Went out to the range today to provide an initial orientation to a new member. The range I belong to has membership on an annually paid basis, with orientation required at the range for new members. We review our policies in detail during the process, and walk the range so new members become familiar with the layout, and are able to ask questions from an experienced member. Besides safety, this process is also intended to make the new member feel welcomed to the club.

That said, what happened today is a fine example of how to give the impression that the membership consists of pissed off old cranks:

Sit in your van and eyeball people for half an hour;

Walk up to two people reviewing the distinctive club SOP books, one of whom is explaining to the other the intent a paragraph, don't introduce yourself, and demand, not ask, "who are you", immediately followed by, "are you a member?" in a pissed off tone, ignoring the club issued name badge on his chest. Turn to the board of directors member giving orientation, and immediately ask the same questions in the same tone;

Maintain accusatory tone while asking if the two people trying to complete the orientation know the membership status of the people on the firing line thirty yards away that he just spent the last half hour glaring at from his van;

Interrupt the next several attempts by board member to continue orientation by interjecting questions about new member's work history, family members, etc;

Ask what they think about those semi-auto military rifles used to kill all those people recently;

When told that the questionee would buy one in a second flat if he had the money, act surprised and ask why you would want one;

Abruptly get up and leave without saying anything like "nice to meet you, glad you joined, hope you enjoy the range", etc.

To that member, I'd like to say: thank you for being a rude, inconsiderate, boorish, unwelcoming, parochial pain in the ass. I also thank you for giving me the opportunity to have a teaching moment for the new member after you left, in which I explained how important it is for different shooting disciplines to cooperate and tolerate each other, as clubs and ranges die due to ignorant boobs who would love to ban guns that they don't own, attempt to keep membership low so that there aren't "too many people using the range", believe their way is the only way, if it's new it's bad, and can't see how minimizing the total number of gun owners impacts their niche in sport.

Lastly, in your honor, I will be on that same range tomorrow with my bastardized FN-FAL, 20 round military surplus magazines, and a lot of 7.62 FMJ. If I'm lucky, you'll be there, gritting your dentures.

Luddites & Fuddites

Luddites smashing looms in a factory during the riots of 1811–16.

Definition of: Luddite

An individual who is against technological change. Luddite comes from Englishman Ned Lud, who rose up against his employer in the late 1700s. Subsequently, "Luddites" emerged in other companies to protest and even destroy new machinery that would put them out of a job. A neo-Luddite is a Luddite in the Internet age. (www.pcmag.com)



Cruising the web, I ran across a blog referencing Jim Zumbo. He's been a well-known outdoors/hunting writer for decades, and currently has a column online at Outdoor Life. Apparently, he's swallowed the Brady line on "assault rifles", and is decrying their use in hunting. Lines such as

I call them "assault" rifles, which may upset some people. Excuse me, maybe I'm a traditionalist, but I see no place for these weapons among our hunting fraternity. I'll go so far as to call them "terrorist" rifles. They tell me that some companies are producing assault rifles that are "tackdrivers."

serve to further divide the gun owning community, making us easier prey for the freedom-phobes.

Living in Iowa, the great majority of hunting uses shotguns,followed by .22 rimfire, and a smattering of centerfires used in varmint hunting. Of those varmint rifles, .223 chamberings are probably the most common, as it's widely available and easily customized during handloading for optimal accuracy. There's two reasons why I don't use an AR platform for the varmint hunting I do here. First, I never manage to save up enough money for a quality one before I find some 60 to 100 year old relic that I MUST HAVE when I see it. Secondly, I'm a cheap bastard who can't stand the thought of my hunting rifle throwing perfectly good brass somewhere never to be found again. Other than that, I see absolutely no reason to get pissy about a rifle lacking the requisite amount of walnut and blued steel, or the fact that it has a military heritage, as long as the rifle is safe to operate, and the cartridge of sufficient power to humanely take the pursued game. Keep in mind, these are civilian versions of their military forbears, and DO NOT have the capability to fire more than one shot per pull of the trigger. If the citizens of a particular state don't like the idea of someone using a magazine capable of holding 30 rounds, requiring the use of a limited capacity (10,5,3, hell, one round capacity) magazines are either available or capable of being made when demand is present. A rifle is a rifle, which is basically a high-velocity, high-accuracy sling shot. It's appearance and aesthetic value have no effect on it's function, and should be left out of the argument of what is appropriate to carry in the field.

Some of the problem comes from individuals who have aged, and dislike change. I consider people who prefer to do things the old way, but don't need to disparage someone doing it a new way, traditionalists. These people, to me, have great value as keepers of institutional memory. They provide continuity and an appreciation of historical methods and values. There are also those who prefer to do things the old way, hate it when others do it a newer way, and want to make those others do it their way. In the shooting world, many know these people as Fudds.


It's clear to me that Jim Zumbo is proud to proclaim himself a full-fledged Fuddite.