Category: Guns

Those Sparked My Interest

January 29, 2024 / / 0 Comments

SHOT Show was last week – which meant a slew of new product introductions. While there wasn’t anything that made me go “I want to use my gun budget on that” there were a few items of interest.

If there were any that made me want to earmark gun budget money, it would be either the new Mossberg 940 Thunder Ranch Edition or Beretta’s upgraded 1301. I want to upgrade from my Mossberg 590 to an autoloader and those two brands have been doing some interesting things with their autoloader lines.

It definitely seemed like lever guns were in vogue this year. Smith’s new entry into this category is interesting, but I wish they’d introduced a .357 Magnum version as well. I don’t have a .44 revolver, but I have one in .357.

The Rhineland Arms R3000 is one of those guns that would be really interesting if I had unlimited gun resources, but when I go for my .308 / 7.62mm NATO autoloader, I will probably go with something in a more conventional pattern.

There was one item that I might pick up when it becomes available. Magpul announced a line of translucent P-Mags.

Finally Shooting My Newest Gun

January 4, 2024 / / 0 Comments

Back in late March / early April, I picked up a Smith and Wesson FPC. Because I’ve wanted a PCC that will take my M&P mags. I wasn’t too fond of the form factor as compared to an AR-pattern PCC. But it was a PCC that took my mags and priced at less than a grand. I couldn’t pass that up.

Life happened, and I wasn’t able to take the new gun out to the range until last weekend. Finding a range around Ward Manor is… difficult. We have some, but let’s just say many are very old-school. BIL and I went to one nearby called Bullseye. One of my former bosses raved about it, so we decided to go. It’s pistol only. More to the point, it’s pistol caliber only. They didn’t blink at my FPC.

Now, on to the shooting review. The gun handled well. The trigger was just like my sidearm with a pretty distinct reset. The damn thing ate all the ammo I fed it, including my IMI “problem child” 9mm. Based on what David from ACP said, I was a little concerned about the FPC feeding from my first gen mags. No issues. The only quibble I had with the gun was what would be the slide release on a pistol. It’s extremely stiff to the point it was easier to just run the charging handle instead. To be fair, I have the same issue on my sidearm and end up sling-shotting the slide.

My other issue was the Sig Romeo sight. The dot kept going all over the damn place. I don’t know if it was me or the sight, but I’ve been hearing about issues with Sig red dots. I’m going to re-zero the thing and try again. If not, I’ll swap it out for something else.

Clearing Out the Tabs

January 3, 2024 / / 0 Comments

I had a bunch of links collected that I haven’t had a chance to put into Monday Links. Since this week’s Monday post was the 2023 wrap-up, I decided to just clear out all my tabs.

Per tradition, we clear out all of the Reason links.

First is an examination of Colorado removing Trump from the primary ballot. For the record, I think this was a bad move – mostly because there’s been no conviction of incitement or related charge. And that’s not even touching my issues with how we do primaries.

Let’s continue with populist leaders, and a rebuttal of Tucker Carlson’s attack on Dollar Stores.

Florida’s leaders are becoming more and more hostiles to immigrants.

Tens of thousands of students haven’t returned to public school since the shutdowns. And no one knows where they all went.

Magazine bans hurt those who want to defend themselves. This is a talking point that needs to be rebutted, as it seems like a reasonable issue to most non-gun folks.

The St. Louis attorney who used an old-school AR to fend off protestors in his gated community can’t get his guns returned. The dude’s an asshole, but he did nothing wrong – at least legally speaking. This is one of those fears that if the police get our guns for any reason – evidence, malicious red-flagging, etc – we will never get them back.

A case for letting foreign-flagged airlines service domestic air routes.

This is a personal issue. Who created the Cuban sandwich? How can anyone take Miami’s claim seriously. They don’t even use yellow rice for their arroz con pollo.

Now for some Ground News compilations.

There was a record drop in homicides for 2023. The article cites success of gun control. Um, no. This is regression to the mean after the insanity of 2020 and the aftershocks.

It looks like Steamboat Willy will enter public domain.

NASA demonstrates how to use a laser for extremely long distance streaming. By sending a cat video nineteen million miles.

Now on to the rest of the links in no particular order.

Gunsamerica has a checklist on what to look for in trainers to avoid bullshido. I’m pretty sure this is a h/t to Tam.

Bloomberg reports that the FTC has banned Rite Aid from using AI-powered facial recognition on customers. Apparently, there were a lot of folks falsely flagged as potential shoplifters.

Techcrunch has an article on music creation coming to Microsoft’s Co-Pilot.

The Intercept has a profile on FBI and NYPD entrapping someone they called a terrorist. This kind of shit is how you get degradation of trust.

War is Boring takes a look at how the crash of a V-22 Osprey could endanger the Army’s new tiltrotor.

Finally, The Firearms Blog discusses the passing of Gaston Glock.

Monday Links

December 18, 2023 / / 0 Comments

This one is going to be a bit tech heavy. Just how the stories came across my feeds.

First, of course, are a couple of Reason links.

With all the brouhaha over Florida punishing Disney by taking away their special district, this infographic is a good reminder that Disney wasn’t the only one receiving special treatment.

Over the Volokh Conspiracy, an article on the large gap on how the generations view the Israel-Hamas War.

In that same vein, we have an opinion piece from the Times of Israel called Dear World: I Don’t Care.

Here’s a couple of Ground News aggregations.

Homelessness rose to its highest levels. The housing shortage is certainly a factor, in addition to the normal causes.

There’s a growing schism in the United Methodist Church. I have some interest in this as I grew up in a UMC.

Let’s do some gun stuff.

Tam has an article on the state of red dots. At some point, I’ll have probably have to jump on the bandwagon and add one to my carry pieces.

If you have a Taurus GX4. there’s a recall notice.

Now on to tech news. I have a couple articles from a new source – 404 Media.

Polish white-hats are being sued for bypassing a train manufacturer’s attempt to force repairs to their authorized sources. I am fine with manufacturer’s saying that if you repair your stuff or take it to an independent place, that it will void the warranty. I do not support manufacturers actively stopping repairs.

A marketing company is saying it can use what your smart devices “hear” to do targeted advertising. I’m not sure if this is hype or actual, but the fact that someone is claiming they can, means that they will try to do so.

Wired has a look at Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit.

WaPo discusses recent widespread cyber intrusions linked to Chinese PLA hackers.

And finally from Ars Technica, an article about how some cats like to play fetch. The Brother sent this last one over for consideration.

Monday Links

December 11, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Reason links time!

Who came to Florida during COVID? Here’s an infographic.

Ohio town is charging $100 to challenge traffic tickets.

Ground News has a collection of articles on how scientists used CRISPR to develop a promising new therapy for sickle-cell anemia.

Now switching to some gun news.

The Reload has an article on the newest gun control bill introduced in Congress. Okay, it’s poorly written and would ban just about every gun sold right now, but it’s an interesting change of tactics by our opponents.

TFB is reporting that there might be a shortage of gunpowder in the next year. May be time to stock up.

Firearms News is reporting that the Broomhandle Mauser turned into Han Solo’s blaster sold for a cool mill, and made it into Guinness.

Hasbro has discontinued their Selfie Series. I’m glad I got mine, but I was hoping to get another.

Monday Links

December 4, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Starting with Reason – of course.

Flagstaff decides to take its ball and go home instead of running gun ads in public transit.

An analysis of Backpage’s hopeless battle against the DOJ.

Irish government about to crack down on memes.

Biden displays normal disdain of economics while threatening companies for “price gouging.”

A case before the Supreme Court will decide if people have to go through administrative judges.

State laws requiring permission to obtain guns look shaky under post-NYSRPA.

Detroit’s civil asset forfeiture program is gone.

I have a couple from Ground News.

US agrees to shutter remaining coal plants.

Nannites from human tissue used to repair damage in human bodies.

Other stuff time!

From Bloomberg, the story of a new anti-drone drone.

An item of local interest – Dakin Dairy is up for sale.

From the Verge, Ikea is introducing more inexpensive smart home devices.

From CBR, the anime streaming service HIDIVE is stopping service in most of countries. Considering how the app is becoming less and less useful, I’m not surprised.

From TFB, CZ is releasing a DMR version of the Bren 2.

No, I Won’t Hide You In My Attic

November 29, 2023 / / 3 Comments

I’ve been seeing people claiming their virtue by saying they would hide their Jewish friends in their attic if the antisemites come for them.

Fuck that. I won’t hide my Jewish friends in the attic. If they feel threatened by antisemites, here’s what I will do.

I will go to their house with every gun in my safe and every round of ammunition I own. I might even bring all my sharp, pointy things.

I will teach them how to load, aim, and fire each of those guns.

I will teach them the laws surrounding self-defense so that they can win the legal battle after the fight.

I will help harden their home.

I will stand there ready to defend their home if the bad guys come.

I will do what is necessary to defend their families with as much force as is necessary. using every nasty trick I’ve picked up over the years of hanging out with military vets, gun bloggers, and writers. Those are some creative folks when it comes to home defense.

If their home is not defensible, I will invite them to mine.

I will do whatever I can to make the antisemites too fucking scared to try and assault someone.

Let them spew their vitriol, but I want them terrified about what might come at them if they raise their hand in violence.

Monday Links – Super Sized!

November 20, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Just as a heads up, I have a bit of a backlog that I’m clearing out today. So, buckle up buttercup.

Of course we’re starting with a mess of Reason links.

Do right-wingers believe conspiracy theories more than left-wingers? Short answer, no. Long answer, it’s complicated.

Some are estimating the US has about 20 years to get it’s financial house in order before a debt default becomes inevitable.

The FTC’s case against Amazon is based on a faulty interpretation of one statistic. You mean Kahn’s disregarding logic in her crusade against Amazon?

Re-examination of the teen vaping panic.

Retrospective of the effectiveness of the Endangered Species Act at 50.

NLRB looks to change rules aimed at how franchises work – particularly fast food franchises.

Supreme Court issues a code of ethics for the justices. One item of note is that they address recusal and the duty for the justices to stay on cases to avoid strategic recusals.

The Fifth Circuit slaps down the ATF’s recent receiver rule.

On to other stuff.

The Reload has an article on the Supreme Court granting cert on the bump stock ban. I see this less of a gun case and more of a restricting administrative agencies from making people felons with a rule change.

From Ground News, we have Sam Altman departing OpenAI. Not clear if he left on his own accord or was forced out.

From 9to5Mac, Apple surprised everyone by announcing they were integrating RCS alongside iMessage.

From NYT comes an article on a company pulling carbon and trapping it in concrete. I always thought engineering would help the planet better than trying to just cut emissions.

War Is Boring reports the Ukranian Army is trying to transition to a more professional and gender-equitable force. Um, okay. I guess improving its professionalism in the middle of a war is a good thing.

Angry Staff Officer has an article discussing the positive leadership traits of Grand Admiral Thrawn. Honestly, this kind of article was why I started reading ASO.

From The Allspark, Peter Cullen to receive lifetime achievement award.

Our last link is from Ars Technica. The old television series “Connections” is being revived! And James Burke is returning as host!

Monday Links

November 6, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Let’s start out with our normal Reason round up.

A bunch of federal offices sit empty while the taxpayers are still paying for them. One of the dirty little secrets is that no one wants to give up their little space empire – even if they’re not using it and others are paying through the nose other space. I would be all in favor of some kind of BRAC-type examination of all federal buildings/leases/land to see what could be sold off or condensed.

Speaking of government-owned stuff, here’s an article about a grocery store being run by Erie, Kansas with predictable results. What’s wrong with Kansas?

Here’s a think-piece on allowing in Gaza refugees. My sympathies lie with allowing refugees in. However, considering the current state of the immigration issue, I can’t see how they wouldn’t be turned into playthings of the demagogue politicians.

Moving on to other news articles.

A Bloomberg article on how Huwai managed to develop an advanced chip by reworking machines not part of the current tech embargo.

IntelNews has an article on how Ukraine is using assassinations as a part of their war with Russia.

From GroundNews, Orlando buys the Pulse site to build a memorial. I understand the need for a memorial. I just have a feeling that it will be used to push the narrative that the asshole was targeting gays instead of just wanting to kill people.

Also from GroundNews, the administration halts export of civilian firearms for 90 days. Because reasons.

I have a couple of articles on the administration’s executive orders on AI. One from Wired and one from aisnakeoil. Considering the stance of the administration, I can hear the words “regulatory capture” just behind their talking points.

Tampa International Airport is testing out air-taxis. I find them kind of interesting as their essentially EV helos.

Speaking of EV’s, The Drive reports that Ford is having to recall Mustang Mach-E’s because the batteries don’t respond well to the owners flooring it. What the hell did Ford think people would do with an EV sporting a Mustang badge? I keep saying that the Mach-E would have been a great EV, but it’s a sucky Mustang.

The Firearms Blog has an article about a new PCC with swapable magwells for different magazines. Well, color me interested.

For our light item:

I’ve Got a Bad Feeling About This

November 2, 2023 / / 0 Comments

The Wife and I had a situation that raised our “this is odd” instincts. Essentially, a car was following us in our neighborhood. When we parked at our community center, it ran through the parking lot and drove around the surrounding area. Could there be an innocent reason? Maybe, but it was odd enough that The Wife and I returned home instead. After making sure that said car was not following us.

The Wife also agreed that maybe it was a good idea for me to bring along my little Beretta for our jaunts up to the community center.

Listen to your instincts folks. If something feels odd, then leave the area.