Even Here........

The .22 rimfire has run out in the big box stores. No backorders allowed. Damn, people have to be really freaked out to overtake rimfire production capacity.

I don't think many people are going to be willing to turn it in if Pelosi & Pals got their wish either.

Ugly Gun Sunday

The Ashbury ASW338LM Sniper Rifle:

"Engineered around the versatile .338 Lapua Magnum cartridge, Ashbury’s ASW338LM is based on the combination of a Surgeon XL bolt action receiver and the SABER-FORSST modular stock chassis system. This sniper system enables shots on enemy targets and lightly armored threats out to 1,500 yards. The ASW stock can be folded and extended, while incorporating an adjustable cheek piece and folding monopod. The composite forend includes a monolithic top rail, a thermal heat management system and side rails that are co-bore aligned. Bullets are sent out of a Rock Creek 416 5R Pinnacle barrel with an optional muzzle brake or suppressor system. The manufacturers report sub-MOA accuracy with RUAG target ammunition beyond 1,500 yards. For more information, visit www.ashburyintlgroup.com."

As our contributing reader noted:

"This thing looks like a blind man dragged a Remington 700 through the parts bins at Rock River."

Personally, I think it looks like a left-over prop from the Transformers movie.

A big thanks to Ed for the heads up on this!

Dur

6.5 pages of a ten page ethics paper done today; the rest tomorrow, in addition to probably several more hours spent on other final class requirements that are due Tuesday. But.......with unpredictable ending times for work during the week, it means I need to get it done in five days rather than seven, meaning I actually need to have it done and turned in by tomorrow night. Thus leading to to today's marathon typing session. Only a year left of this. Yay.

Ugly Gun Sunday

The uber-tactical Mini-14. With folding stock, for those times you absolutely positively need to jump out of an aircraft or clear a building. Also with shiny, look at me mega-magnification iron-sight blocking optics, for the ultimate in counter-sniper/counter-woodchuck ability (as long as you can figure out a way to get a consistent cheek/stock weld on a narrow plastic strut several inches below line of sight on the scope). Just remember, if you ever have to use a minimum of 3X magnification under low light conditions without good alignment, at least you'll have your mall ninja cool street cred on display.

New Life for an Old Bike

While I was deployed, we received a recall letter for the transmission in my motorcycle. Which was filed and forgotten, until taking The Wife's bike in for a new rear tire (high torque, no center tread and lots of sand left over from winter get interesting for the person behind you at stoplights). The mechanic has been waiting almost a year for me to bring the bike in, as apparently there were some isolated instances of the transmission locking up in fourth gear a number of years ago. Fourth gear is about 40 to 60 mph without pushing the engine; not a good speed to have the things lock up. On the up side, the factory pays for parts and labor, so I should have a fair bit of life left in the bike when the install is done. In the meantime, I've got a borrowed ride. Thank God The Wife didn't want a pink paint job or rose stencils all over her bike....

Admirable Democrats

"Senators Tester and Baucus of Montana faxed a cosigned letter to the Department of Defense asking DOD to reverse their new policy requiring "mutilation" of fired military cartridge brass."

These two Democratic Senators from Montana will be getting a letter of appreciation from me. It's apparently their joint effort that has tipped the Department of Defense into rescinding its brass mutilation policy. I shoot a lot, and I can't afford to buy factory ammo. So it's reloading for me. And one of the best sources for 7.62 and 5.56 brass is bulk suppliers who buy from the government. I've seen a few comments lately that this is simply the ending of government subsidy of shooters, and that we have no right to complain about it. But that's wrong, and here's why:

The government must use ammunition made with virgin brass for quality control; it will not use fired brass because of the impossible task of tracking how many times brass has been reloaded, and thus liable to fail at a critical moment in combat, fail causing injury to service members, or fail during manufacture causing production delays.

Virgin brass has relatively high costs, as it must go through the complete manufacturing process. Manufacturing is what adds value, and cost. Shredding a fired case obliterates all the manufacturing steps past creating a pure alloy. And the steps to shred the brass cost additional money in equipment and staff pay.

Shredded brass can only be sold for its value for the metal; once-fired brass has utility for at least five more firings, without the manufacturing costs. This enhanced value creates higher demand for the case, allowing a higher price. This higher price paid reduces the government's overall cost per cartridge.

The government recovers more of its initial cost through purely voluntary purchases of a surplus material. The consumer gets a known quality product at a lower price. That isn't a subsidy, it's good business, with both parties gaining a benefit they couldn't get on their own. The only person not coming out ahead on this are people who want the shooting sports strangled.

H/T Cogito Ergo Geek

New Auditory Association Formed

Unnoticed piston-powered airplanes flying directly over one's head from behind the motorcycle sound hellishly like an 18-wheeler hitting the jake brake right behind you.

Ugly Gun Sunday

The Pribor-3B, a gun of the soviet era that apparently 'fired like a minigun' by allowing a high rate of fire, but intended to be suitable for a single soldier to handle. Developed in the 60's, it was a bullpup rifle using the 7.62x39 round. Ammo supply was limited as the weapon is magazine fed.

It apparently worked but was also hard to control due to the recoil force. Cartridge ejection is downwards behind the magazine as the weapon uses a gas/recoil operaton similar to the AN94 Abakan assault rifle. Another variant of the Pribor-3B was made from AKM smilar parts to ease production.

Pictures above are from Tula Weapons Museum in Tula, Russia.

Behold, And Tremble: For I Am The Destroyer Of Porcelain

Thursday, I replaced the flapper valve in a toilet because it wouldn't stay open more than a second or two. Turning the shut-off valve disrupted the old, rotted seals, so that water was running out around the vavle stem. This led to a small pond in the bathroom and basement, so I had to shut off the entire house's water supply. Squeezing myself into the six inches of space between the toilet and wall, I unscrewed the old valve, managing to slice off a nice piece of skin via the large burr on the back of the valve I hadn't seen. Now there was blood and water all over the floor. Off to the store, where I bought a new valve, and adaptors for the different size threads. Install the new valve, and test the toilet. The new water line valve, perfect. The new flapper valve, sucks as much as the old one. Yesterday, attempt another new flapper valve. Works pretty good, but it's getting pulled out of alignment by the chain. Attempt to adjust alignment by bending the bar linking toilet handle to the flapper chain; break bar in half. Stop for the day before smashing toilet in frustration. Today, go buy new handle and bar. Attempt to remove nut holding handle on, and strip the nut with closest fitting socket wrench. Move to locking pliers,which starts to move nut....and rest of fixture, fracturing toilet tank. Quit before stroking out. Tomorrow, shop for entire new toilet due to crappy $1.99 part. Hope that floor doesn't collapse or new toilet spontaneously explodes during installation.

All Things Sharp & Rusty

Ninety minutes spent scrubbing down and greasing bayonets and scabbards tonight. While the floods of last summer didn't damage our house, they certainly increased the humidity in areas that are normally dry. One bayonet wouldn't have any rust on it, and the one next to it looked like it had been left outside for a year. Agh.

Bulk axle grease in the can; it's your friend!

Ugly Gun Sunday

"But officer, it's just a paperweight!"

Mythical Objects

Can you find the three objects that had no presence whatsoever at the gun show today?

Nailed By Johnny Law

Ice mostly gone, caught up on the homework, haven't ridden in over a year.....

What a fine time to see if I can start the bikes up! Took well over half an hour; they've been sitting up on the blocks I put them on in October of 2007. But run they did, with a little persuasion. So it was off to the gas station with bike #1, which happened to be The Wife's ride. Then a little random riding to the neighboring town, and back. Until the siren went off. Nothing like enjoying yourself so much that you don't notice that State Trooper ten yards behind you. Who, after you stop, informs you he had to hit the siren because he's been following you the last half mile with the lights on. Oops. But, one of the good things about the Iowa State Patrol is that they are professional; and if you give them common courtesy, they're willing to listen to you. Even if you're wearing ratty old leather and havent shaved in five weeks. That willingness came in really handy when he told me me tag expired in September 08, and would I like to explain why I hadn't updated it, or why I was riding a bike registered to a female? Or why the proof of insurance was out of date?

It could have been worse. I'd been considering stopping it at the VFW for a beer before riding home, but thought that since I was on The Wife's bike, discretion was the better part of not tempting fate.

I lucked out. The trooper that stopped me actually listened to my explanation. Which amounted to "I was really excited to get out on a bike after being gone a year, and I wasn't smart enough to think about checking the plates". Fortunately, The Wife had renewed the registration, and we do have year-round insurance that was paid up, although I didn't have the proof on the bike. I received a warning, and was given a nice overview of the latest in patrol vehicle electronics after noting that when I was reservist in a one stoplight town years ago, all I ever had was a ticket book, radar gun, and a radio. Things have changed a lot in the last 15 years. But there's still good cops and troopers out there that will cut a break for someone who makes a mistake.

And the ride was still damn good.

Stimulating The Economy

Gun show tomorrow at the local fairgrounds. I shall be doing my part to keep America out of the soup kitchens by by stimulating the primer and powder industry.

If I look hard enough and long enough, I will find primers, I will find powder, and I will find enough 7.62 NATO for my stocks to make hippies and socialists pee themselves.

Because as President O says, "If you're walking down the right path and you're willing to keep walking, eventually you'll make progress."

Thanks for the advice, BO!

Hijab Hijinks

There's a dispute going on in Minnesota currently on a proposed change to the driver's license process; it's been proposed that headgear not be allowed in the photos. The police were the driving force behind this, primarily due to gang members using it make it more difficult to identify them. Granted, unless the gang member looks like this:




or this:

a simple hat probably won't make a huge difference. But, the previously shown headgear (what one would call the item in image two, I have no idea.........) does hide unique features that are useful in identification: ears. If you don't think ears provide significant identifications properties, then you've never seen Mr. Spock, H. Ross Perot, or B.H. Obama.

Can anyone really say these ears aren't unique? :

I think not.

But, some of the local Somali-Americans (Somalicans?) feel it's an infringement upon their religious practices to remove the hijab for the purposes of identification. And I agree with them, it is an infringement. Much like it's an infringement of my religious beliefs when I have to swear that I will faithfully something something something, so help me God. But guess what. You Don't Have A Right To A Driver's License. Nor are you required to have a drivers license or drive. So I suggest that if you wish to have your dolshe and eat it too, you're out of luck.

Like it or lump it.

Does This Mean I'm Getting Shorted On My Hotdog Contents?

Dear God, what would one put this in as an ingredient? And what possesses a (non-reanimated) person to say "I would like to eat the thinky parts of the critter!"?

H/T SurvivalBlog.com.

Ugly Gun Sunday

Just to prove damn near anybody can make a shotgun if they're determined enough. A close look at the bolt face suggests this design may actually be a single shot that fires from an open bolt. Or the fixed striker on the bolt face simply rests against the primer until the striker provides enough force to set it off. Or dropping it. This is the gun you build when there's absolutely no other options.