Pocket Knife Ban / Knife Rights Update 8-29-09

Marshall Holloway at Downrange Blog has the story.

Twelve Dollar Frito Pie

Yep.  You read that right.

Lucky for me it was on special.  Instead of the usual menu price of $11.95, today it was only $8.95.

It’s on Special!

Yes, I was lured to the above establishment (through no fault of the restaurant itself) on the prospect of a business opportunity only to find myself in a sales pitch for a pyramid scheme.  Cr*p.  To compound the insult the attendees had to buy their own lunch.  Double Cr*p.  Furthermore, my bill had a pre-added gratuity.  Triple…

If you ever find yourself in such a situation ask yourself, “If they are making so much money, how come they can’t pick up the tab?!”  You might also ask, “Why, if the product is so great, do they not offer double blind independent studies as to its effectiveness?” and, “Why is the product education portion of the ‘seminar’ only 15 minutes, while the explanation of the compensation structure takes a full hour?”  I expressed my displeasure by semi-whispering snarky comments during the presentation to the lady to my right and stayed a bit late to unabashedly critique the ‘product’ with her as people were leaving.

BTW, I did order the $8.95 Frito Pie.  Mostly because it was about the cheapest entree on the menu, but also so I could say that I’ve tasted Nine (or Twelve) Dollar Frito Pie.

It was better than most Frito pies that I’ve had.  It was served in a heated fajita skillet with about half a pound of Fritos serving as the foundation of this gastronomic delight.  Covering the base of chips was a layer of melted  shredded cheddar cheese and a goodly amount of ‘homemade’ chili with tasty pork and beef.  To complete the dish, a dollop of real sour cream and a garnish of cilantro crowned the peak.  I can’t recall for sure but there might have been a bit of shredded iceberg lettuce somewhere in there as well.

Ultimately, as impressive as the fare was, it was still just a dressed up Frito pie and about half-way through I was wishing I’d ordered the Cuban sandwich.

How To: Install a Mag Cinch (with Pictures)

Previously, I had not experimented with rifle magazines ‘jungle clipped’ together.  As my gunsmith said, “I’ve haven’t yet had to shoot anything more than 30 times”.  A quick search of the interwebs quickly found apocryphal stories of jungle clipped ammo where recoil caused the spare (non-seated) magazine to eject live rounds every time the gun fired, leaving the hapless shooter trying to reload with a mostly empty second mag.  Which I suppose could happen… maybe…

Still, it’s a gun accessory I wanted to investigate (and seemingly a popular one for all the versions available: Mag Cinch, Blackhawk?, Command Arms, Springer Precision, Mako Group, etc.)  Also, with the AR15 being the ‘Mr. Potato Head’ of firearms, isn’t it incumbent upon AR owners to try as many accessories as possible?

The Mag Cinch by Buffer Tech isn’t the original jungle clip (I believe that title belongs to duct tape) but they do have an innovative, simple and yet solid method of securing the mags.  Reading the instructions left me with a fair understanding of how to attach them but there weren’t any pics (not even at Buffer Tech’s website), something my right brain appreciates.  Another search of the world wide tubes did not reveal an instructable-type pictorial, which sounded like a waiting blog entry to me.  Thus I present to you: “How to Install a Mag Cinch”

I purchased the model for 30 round AR15 magazines.  It comes with two cinches that each look like this:

A single Mag Cinch; 2 come per pkg for a 30rd mag

Note #1: The final step of securing the Mag Cinch involves trimming off the excess nylon webbing so getting it right the first time is in your best interests.  Buffer Tech sells replacement straps for $1.25

Note #2: About the first thing thing I realized when trying to take the pictures of the process was that black brackets with black webbing on a black magazine don’t show detail very well.  However, I found a solution…

Nylon Webbing from Fabric Store: $1.29 per yard

Yes, it’s Toxic Green nylon webbing from a local fabric store.  I bought a yard and cut it in half with a hot knife (Box knife heated by propane torch) to prevent fraying.  Using a leather punch, I made a hole in the center of each half and Ta-Dah! –> replacement straps.  The selection at the fabric store allows for a wide range of choices like: tan, purple, florescent pink, black, safety orange, blue camo, rainbow (not that there’s anything wrong with that) or even Ted Nugent-approved zebra stripes.

Re-assembled with photo friendly straps

Let’s Begin.  Here are the instructions from Buffer Tech [mostly verbatim with some added commentary]:

WARNING!  Important: read instructions carefully before attempting to install. Test completed assembly in unloaded firearm to insure proper clearance prior to use.

1) Adjust screw out fully, screw should be [sic] barely engage threads.

2) Place Mag Cinch unit around magazines, making sure that the large part of assembly is on the front of the magazines.  Stagger magazines so that the right one is about 1.5 inches lower than the left.  This cinch will sit at the bottom edge of the left magazine.

Position of first cinch, amount of offset may vary

3) Pull ends of webbing tight.  Use needle nose pliers to twist ends tight.  It is critical that webbing is tightly holding magazines prior to step 4.

Tighten w/ pliers; do 2x each strap, from top & bottom

4) Tighten screw until Mag Cinch is holding magazines snugly.

5) Repeat steps 1 – 4 with second Mag Cinch.  Adjust this unit so that it sets atop the first unit.

6) Insert magazine assembly into unloaded firearm and adjust fit to suit your needs.  Make sure you can operate charging handle, ejection port cover, safeties and other operation features.

[*This is a must; the recommended 1.5 inch offset was too much for my setup and would have impinged on the knurled screw for my Holo Sight]

Last chance: Check clearance on the left

...and on the right

7) Tighten both screws until the magazine is firmly held in place by the webbing.

Tighten firmly

8 ) After you are sure that the unit is adjusted, cut off excess webbing.  Exposed webbing can be sealed with a lighter or match.  [*Or use hot knife to cut and seal the ends at the same time; you might want to put a piece of cardboard over the strapping that you don’t want to cut to protect it during this step.]

Trim and seal with blade

Afterward it should look like this:

Finished installation

Conclusions:

1) The Mag Cinch holds the magazines very securely.  There is no movement at all. If forced, I almost think that the mags would give way before the cinch would.

2) The overall result is fairly large – not something that is conducive to putting in a magazine pouch.  Methods of comfortably slinging the firearm with cinched mags are reduced due to the bulk.

3) While I haven’t had the chance yet to shoot with the cinched mags to see if the ‘spare mag’ ejects live rounds during recoil (unlikely), using the MagPul P-Mag dust cover on the left magazine would certainly prevent that from happening.

4) From a practical standpoint, I’m not completely sold on ‘jungle clipping’ mags unless using them in a war zone or for action matches (3 Gun, etc.). However, if your particular storage requirements dictate having an unloaded rifle the Mag Cinch might offer a solution.  In that case, you could leave the right side magazine empty yet seated in the rifle’s mag well but also have a full magazine less than an inch away, ready to go.  I admit this defies most logic [After all, who wants an empty mag on a fighting gun?] but may allow greater readiness in situations where such policies / laws exist.

5) I need a better camera and light box setup

6) I’m pretty sure that my ‘Cinched magazines won’t be lost for lack of visibility or be confused with anyone else’s.

SkyNet Update: Robotic Vampire Bats

OK, maybe that’s a bit of a stretch but after the story on the corpse-dining EATR bot and then reading the two articles below, it just follows reason.  You’ll see what I mean.

The Flesh Eating Robotic Clock – uses a conveyor belt of fly paper to catch and ‘eat’ flies to power itself.  Researchers hope to also have a bug powered lamp and rat-eating coffee table. WTH?? – My coffee table currently consumes no power, and I have no rats.  It’s like inventing an electric doorstop.

OK, so combine the ‘bio-fueled’ robots (a disturbing trend indeed) with the Robo Bat and it just sort of follows.

Probably not solar powered... they're nocturnal

See? Robot Vampire Bats.  Keep your shotguns handy.

Heaven forbid they join forces with the exploding robot snakes.

Box from Brownells: Happy Day!

I had mentioned that Brownells catalog #62 just came out and that you should get one.  Seriously, get one.

Anyway, you can’t have a new Brownells catalog and not order something, so when I mentioned it to a friend, he replied that he had been wanting a few magazines for his rifle.  Badda-boom:  instant excuse to place an order.

Here’s a pic of his part:

Flat Dark Earth. It's the 'New Black' except that it's Tan...

15 P-Mags and 10 Brownells Tac-Mags (MagPul followers & chrome silicon springs)

When my lovely bride saw it she pointedly asked, “What’s all that?”

I replied with relish, “A Good Start.” 😀

A Week Without A Post? Dang.

Time to get back at it.

“Bank Shot!” or “Two With One Stone”

In another case of ‘Critical Failure of Victim Selection’, a Milwaukee man turns the tables on a robbery and successfully defends himself, with a bonus!

It all happened early Thursday near 1st and Clarke. The 23-year-old Milwaukee man was in the area when two teenagers pulled out a gun and tried to rob him.

That victim also had a gun. He shot and killed one suspect, 17-year-old Kevin Ollie. Ollie’s gun also went off, and he accidentally shot the other teen robber.

Whoops!

Chris Matthews vs. Individual Rights

Chris Matthews asks, “How dare you exercise your legal rights!?  You might wake the sheeple!”

Short version: William Kostric, legally carried a firearm openly at a Town Hall meeting in New Hampshire while holding sign and Nothing Bad Happened.  Chris “Obama Mancrush” Matthews interviews Mr. Kostric as to why he brought a gun to the event.  Mr. Kostric keeps his cool while being repeatedly shouted down and makes Chris “My Leg Is Tingling” Matthews look like a complete hack (which he is.)

Watch Video
Note: Chris “Blaspheming Unprofessional” Matthews’ production crew saw fit to superimpose a label stating “RAGE AT HOME” on the chest of Mr. Kostric.  Simply watching the interview would seem to indicate that the ‘rage’ is coming from Matthews, not Kostric.

Update: (From John Lott, Jr.’s website)  Apparently Wm. Kostric’s group was accosted while he was packing:

… In particular, that William Kostric, the man with a gun, was attacked by union members immediately before the event and behaved extremely responsibly…

Quote of the Day

Just read this from a vacationer’s email:

We head for the Black Hills Monday a.m, to see Mount Rushmore before they add Obama.

I laughed, until I thought it might be true.

New Brownells Catalog (#62) Arrived Today!

Cool!

If you’ve never received a catalog from Brownells, you don’t know what you are missing.  Any of you old enough to remember the Sears Wishbook catalogs around Chirstmas time know the feeling when you find a Brownells catalog in your mailbox.  It’s about as big too – at least a couple of pounds.

Brownells is the world’s largest supplier of gun parts and gunsmithing tools, and every item in their catalog has a picture, in color.  Sure, they recently updated their website to include lots of videos (how to’s, product demos, etc.) and even the super cool AR-15 Builder where you can ‘build’ an AR rifle by dragging and dropping the parts with your mouse, and also the site search engine for parts actually works now, but still the catalog is tangible, portable and cool.  Mine always wind up being marked with notes, highlighting, tabs, etc.  Some of us still wish; but now days the dilemma isn’t whether Santa will bring the items but in choosing which items can be budgeted for first.  They do have gift certificates though…wink. wink.

Tom Gresham’s Gun Talk radio program is sponsored by Brownells and if you are a listener then you already know that by mentioning his program, Brownells will send you one for free.

You should call them or go to their website and order one right now.