If you really want a sense of accomplishment…

…successfully bathe a cat without bleeding.

Bringing One More to Our Side

Sometime this weekend I will have the honor of introducing another soul (a bonafide NASA engineer, no less) to the joys of shooting. All I had to do was offer and he accepted saying that he’s been interested in learning about firearms for a long time but hasn’t had someone to introduce him to the sport.

So, who have you offered to take to the range lately?

[Belated] Memorial Day 2013

[Apparently I fumbled the scheduling for this which should have posted yesterday]

A quote from Abraham Lincoln:

“It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us – that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion – that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain – that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

Freedom is most certainly not Free – eternal vigilance is but one price; the highest price was paid by those we honor today.

h/t Knife Rights

A tad busy at the moment…

Tune in tomorrow.

Musings on a Lightweight AR Build

A friend asked me about my opinions on building a lightweight AR so in blogger fashion I thought I’d blast my ramblings out on the intertoobz.

First off, lightweight AR-15’s are great fun to shoot.  Beyond that, there’s a renaissance going on as folks are embracing the rifle’s founding concept of ‘lighter is better’.  That really was the whole reason for using plastic and aluminum after all.

Having studied Tiger McKee’s excellent book ‘The Book of Two Guns’, I agree with his recommendation of keeping a fighting gun rugged and light.  His Katana rifle concept makes a lot of sense, coming in at 6 pounds with fixed sights and a lightweight A1 fixed stock.

The consumers’ desire for lighter rifles has other manufacturers answering the demand with such current options as the S&W M&P 15 Sport (6.45 lbs), Colt’s LE6900 (6.2 lbs) and DoubleStar’s C3 ‘Constant Carry Carbine’ (5.5 lbs w/o sights)

Some may want to discuss mil-spec pedigrees, but let’s save that for later and look at the features of the guns listed.  About the only common feature of these three guns is a 16” barrel with a carbine length gas system.  Otherwise their approaches to saving weight vary.  Variations are fixed vs. adjustable stocks, a fixed FSB vs. sights on a free-float handguard and lightweight barrel contour vs. M4 contour (Colt 6900).

After some consideration, here are the high points of my theoretical build list of components for the purpose of having a trustworthy ultra-light rifle.

• Lower Receiver: Noveske Gen 2 (‘cause magwell)
• Upper Receiver: Ranier Arms (forged without forward assist)
• Barrel: Daniel Defense 14.5” Midlength LW (w/ pinned muzzle device)
• Gas Block: DD .625” lo-pro; pinned
• BCG: [They still make those?]
• Stock: Ace AR-UL 9” (although it’s hard to beat an A1 fixed)
• Handguard: AP Custom Carbon Fiber Tactical (rifle length, to fit my arms)
• Sights: DD Fixed
• Light: Inforce WML (3 0z)

[Now I just need to place a few backorders…]

There are a few other tricks [adapt an A1 buffer tube to carbine buffer and spring, lightweight bolt carrier, or drill a 9mm upper for a gas tube] to shave an ounce here and there but this is about as light as a standard rifle can be.  Of course, lightweight is good but it still has to work.  I think the above list would satisfy that requirement.

So what do you think?  If you have any suggestions or recommendations for going lighter or increasing reliability, let me know.

Hunkered Down; Range Trip Delayed

Well, my plans to wring out the new M&P trigger have been torpedoed by a Honest to God Texas Gully Washer (HTGTGW) here in the Bayou City.  It’s as dark as pitch out there and when the signal on my AM radio gets through the static of all the lightning strikes just about all I hear is the Emergency Broadcast System messages.

Which reminds me of this:

We’ve got flash flood warnings, tornado watches, etc.  I cleared my morning schedule so I could go shoot but even with the 4×4 standing by, I will heed the warnings and hunker down for a while. Because although I trust myself to navigate to the streets to an indoor range and back, it’s a sure thing my route will be blocked by the nimrods that will gladly try and ford a submerged intersection with a subcompact sporting low profile rims.

Instead, I think I’ll take a glass of fresh ice tea out to the porch and meditate to the constant roll of thunder and occasional transformer explosion.  Is it too early for a Margarita?

Until Monday, let me plant this groove in your head:

If that don’t make the hair on the back of your neck stand up, you need a Margarita yourself.

 

NRA Convention 2013: Friday (bonus)

Per the request of a friend, I asked the reps at the Smith and Wesson booth if they would consider making a special run of their X-frame (.500 S&W/.460 S&W) revolver as a 10 shot .357 magnum.

Their reply was a solid, “No.”