Paul Revere's Legacy

Via someone on the Appleseed forums (Transform), I learned of an interview of the author of Paul Revere's Ride, David Hackett Fischer, where he voices something that occurred to me when I read the book:

I think he had a message for us as well. To me, the interest of the story is partly that. I think we can see a kind of message, first of all, in what he was doing. For me it was mainly the kind of collective effort in that cause of freedom, and we forgot about that. We forgot about both sides of it, sometimes. I think people on the left today, some of my colleagues at academe, tend to forget about American ideas of freedom. People on the right tend to forget about collective action. Paul Revere and his friends brought those two things together, and I think that's a message for us.

Yeah.

Proposed AWB Renewal

Several days ago, a shooting buddy forwarded a link to the latest toilet-paper bill from psychotic bitch Dianne Feinstein coming down the (shit) pipe when Congress convenes in January.  Basically, it bans the sale, importation, manufacturing, and transfer of most semi-automatic rifles and handguns, and requires grandfathered firearms to be registered under NFA.  (I'm assuming there's an exemption for production of such items for LEO/MIL, otherwise where would they get their gear.)  However, it would appear from the summary that since the transfer is prohibited, unlike current Title II firearms, once the registered owner passes, the registered Title I firearm would then be surrendered to the government.

I don't seriously think that this atrocity will pass—if it does, we're talking civil war.  What I think it's set up to do is attempt to distract the public from the watered-down version that will eventually pass.  It's twisted that something like this would even be proposed, though.

Libertarian with a Small 'L'

"I am a libertarian with a small 'l' and a Republican with a capital 'R.'  And I am a Republican with a capital 'R' on grounds of expediency, not on principle." (Milton Friedman)

It's amazing to find that an opinion one has arrived at after considerable deliberation not only is shared by others, but was thought of before one was even aware of the existence of such things.

U.S. Political History Chart

Apparently the xkcd guy put together a chart showing political leanings of Congress and the President along with world events.

It's interesting; in particular this statement:

Farmers and poor people who owed money favored a dual gold-silver standard, because it would lead to inflation, which would make debts easier to pay off. Wealthy bankers—who owned that debt—wanted the opposite.

While the point of using a precious metal standard is that it prevents inflation, which is caused by the growth of the money supply outstripping the growth of the economy, in this case, inflation due to bimetallism was from the exchange rate between gold and silver being tweaked.

Ironically, while silverites wanted inflation because they thought it would lead to economic prosperity, and thus supported bimetallism, later economist Milton Friedman, an anti-Keynesian, supposedly regarded bimetallism as more stable.

Primer Cup Measurements

A page I came across has a table with various manufacturers' primers and their measurements.  In particular, the thickness of the cup is interesting.  Federal small rifle primers have the thinnest cup in the lineup, which goes with the empirical observation from a local authority that Federal has softer primers.

NIJ Firearm Examiner Training

The National Institute of Justice has on their website training modules for "firearm examiners".  The information on small arms ammunition is quite interesting, as it was written by a former CCI/Speer employee.

Post Sandy Hook

Some comments regarding the aftermath of Sandy Hook made on FB:

Now that more details are out.... Unlike the Aurora shooting, this wasn't a case of a looney being able to buy firearms legally--he killed his mother and stole her guns. As such, there's no way additional purchase checks would've helped, because his mother was a legal owner. The shooter was not of legal age to purchase any of those weapons. (One post I saw claimed that the shooter broke 40-some laws in the commission of the massacre. What he did was already illegal.) Well, in my case, if someone were to break into my home and kill me, all my guns are locked up--except for the one I carry. I'm curious as to whether the shooter's mother had her stuff locked, but after her son shot her, he could get access via key (or perhaps he knew the combination if that sort of lock).

I wasn't talking about suppressing discourse. I was talking about 1) not using the terrible incident to push a political agenda before the victims were buried, and 2) we didn't know all the details. What's up with all the inaccuracies in the media? The shooter was the younger brother, not the older one; the mother was killed at home, not at the school; and reports said the kid used handguns as the primary weapon, when it was really an AR-15. How the hell are people supposed to have meaningful discussion if they don't even have the facts right?

Note also that hating on "military-grade assault weapons" is pure spin. First of all, Mexico has a ban on civilian ownership of "military" calibers, and how's that working out for them so far? (Hint: It's not. It doesn't help when they've got so many crooked cops and soldiers, though.) Almost all of my guns are of military calibers: 9mm, .45ACP, 12ga, 5.56 NATO, 7.62 NATO, .30-06, etc. How about the "police caliber", .40S&W? Several non-semi-automatic ("assault weapon" is a bullshit term made up by hoplophobes) firearms I have are of former Eastern bloc military calibers: 7.62x38R, 7.62x54R, etc. The only non-military cartridges I use are .22LR and 20ga. So that's what you'd be comfortable leaving gun owners with?

Note also that .223 (5.56 NATO) is a fairly weak cartridge, despite its use by our military. Most hunting calibers have more power than this: .243, .22-250, etc. Many hunting calibers can pierce soft body armor (up to Level IIIA). So the end game of the hoplophobes is that all guns have to go, no exceptions. And the Second Amendment has nothing to do with hunting or sporting uses: it's about giving the government pause when thinking about subjugating the governed, and in order to do that, citizens must be able to own "military-grade" weapons. Some scoff at that, but consider that the hoplophobes are still reluctant to push through the kind of anti-gun legislation that you're suggesting--they know that it would result in a lot of bloodshed (the CCRKBA popularized the slogan that Charlton Heston later repeated, ending in "from my cold, dead hands"). And even if they do wipe us all out, we'll make them feel it, and the poor sons of bitches who didn't stand up for themselves will finally get the government that they deserve.

That's not to say that I don't think anything should be done in light of the shooting, or that the discussions regarding gun ownership shouldn't be had. I think it's just too easy for some people to take the easy way out intellectually and go for tried and failed policies.

There were two responses, one linking to an article pointing out that the NRA always says in response to a shooting that now is not the time for discussions of gun legislation, and another linking to a comment on an article that makes a proposal regarding dealing with gun ownership. But holy crap, all the AR-15 lower receivers online are sold out, everywhere....

Revolutionary War Books

A list from a thread on the Appleseed forum:

Robert Gross "The Minutemen and their World."
David MccCllough "1776"
David Hackett Fischer "Albion's Seed" and "Liberty and Freedom" and "Washington's Crossing"
Stephen Halbrook "The Founder's Second Amendment"
Peter Oliver "Origin and Progress of the American Rebellion, a Tory View"
Richard Lacrosse "The Frontier Rifleman"
Lyman Draper "King's Mountain and it's Heroes"

Edit [2013.01.03]:
An Appleseed Radio email also noted:
Thomas B. Allen "Tories"
Esther Forbes "Johnny Tremain" (fiction)

Random Comment

GCA68 was partly racially motivated: the Black Panthers were unabashedly armed. The cover for passing that law was the assassinations of JFK and MLK, and people supported it based on emotion alone.

Never mind that anyone with basic handyman skills could build a black-powder zip gun and knock off any politician he can get within 10 yds of. Knocking off one person with a homemade gun is easy; resisting Brownshirts is another matter. And like most laws, the GCA only applies to people who follow the law, unless you enforce it with the threat of deadly force.

Suppressors in Minnesota, Part 2

Previously I noted that suppressors are now legal for firearm dealers, importers, and manufacturers in Minnesota to possess.  The text of the law, from §609.66:

(c) Notwithstanding subdivision 1a, paragraph (a), clause (1), a person who is licensed by the United States Department of Justice, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives under United States Code, title 18, section 923, as a firearms importer, manufacturer, or dealer, who is acting in full compliance with all federal requirements under that license, may possess devices designed to silence or muffle the discharge of a firearm for the purpose of selling or otherwise transferring in any lawful manner the devices or firearms tested with the devices, to:

(1) the chief administrator of any federal, state, or local governmental agency;

(2) the commander or commander's designee of any unit of the United States Armed Forces; or

(3) a person who is licensed by the United States Department of Justice, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under United States Code, title 18, section 923, as a firearms importer, manufacturer, or dealer, who is acting in full compliance with all federal requirements under that license.

The revision is documented as H.F. No. 1816, signed into law on April 18, 2012, and taking effect on August 1, 2012.

The Bootstrap Gentlemen

I came across this site on the Interwebz.  At a quick glance, I was unable to discern whether it's tongue-in-cheek or serious, but one of the tips seemed legit.  The "bootstrap" refers to someone who wasn't born a gentleman, though is striving to be one.  I suppose that would be all gentlemen, as tradition "can be obtained only by great labor".

Case Cleaning

Found on the Appleseed forum:

I just received a new case cleaning machine from Thumlers. I got the Model B High Speed and use Stainless pin media with Lemi shine and Dawn dish soap. I had been using a Thumler vibratory tumbler with corn cob media & case polish for years and yes, it gets the cases clean on the outside, but the inside and the primer pocket never got the crud out. (even after 8 hours of tumbling!) This new “wet” tumbler is simply the best thing I have ever used for cleaning the brass cases before reloading. It cleans the outside (even the really cruddy range brass), the primer pockets and the inside of the case to spotless squeaky clean.

Before I was using a brass brush to remove the carbon from the necks so it wouldn’t damage the expander in the die, and using a primer pocket cleaner to remove most of the heavy primer residue from the primer pocket. Now its just clean directly after tumbling. No additional steps needed. Here is what I do and if anybody else has any experience or suggestions with this type of tumbling I’d love to hear it.

1. Fill the tumbler with 5 lbs. of Stainless Media
2. Fill the tumbler with just under 1 gallon of the hottest water I can get from the faucet
3. Put in 2 tbs. of Dawn dish soap
4. Put in 1 tsp. of Lemi shine
5. Put in about 50 or so cases depending on the size (I use 8mm Mauser, 7.62x54R, 8x56RS)
6. Assemble the gasket, cover panel, and thumb screws
7. Run it on the machine for 4 hrs.
8. Remove the brass from the drum and dump the media out of the case as I remove it (make sure the media comes out, it’s a B*&ch to pick up out of the sink)
9. Rinse the brass with clear water
10. Towel dry and then let air dry to make sure the water is out of the inside of the case

Then I lube the cases, size them, and trim them & run them through again using the same process above for about 2 hrs. to remove any case lube or brass shavings. Then they dry again and its prime, powder, bullet, bang! Then do it all over again.

Honestly the brass looks new when its done in the tumbler and it is well worth the investment. I got mine for about $220 delivered with the media and the machine. Lemi-shine is $3.50 a container and the Dawn I stole from the Wife.. (sorry honey…)

Anyway, I just started with this new thingy and would welcome any advice. I'll try and post some Pic.'s of the cases when i can.

Cheers,
Mauser

Might have to give it a try.

Walter Williams

I recently saw an image on Facebook by the Bastiat Institute with a purported quote by Walter Williams.  I wanted to post it here but couldn't find a source for that specific quote.  The text of the image:

How does something immoral, when done privately, become moral when it is done collectively? Furthermore, does legality establish morality? Slavery was legal; Apartheid is legal; Stalinist, Nazi, and Maoist purges were legal. Clearly, the fact of legality does not justify these crimes. Legality, alone, cannot be the talisman of moral people.

The closest I could find is an article on creators.com from June 6 of this year.

In other words, does an act that's clearly immoral and illegal when done privately become moral when it is done legally and collectively? Put another way, does legality establish morality? Before you answer, keep in mind that slavery was legal; apartheid was legal; the Nazi's Nuremberg Laws were legal; and the Stalinist and Maoist purges were legal. Legality alone cannot be the guide for moral people.

Even better, a search turned up a piece called "When and Under What Circumstances Should Violent Force Be Used?" Williams makes many of the same points as in the prior article, but he also makes the same argument that I've been making against the ultimate threat of force from the government enforcing the law. I feel somewhat vindicated.

On Morons

Perusing the Interwebz, I came across a bit of wit from H.L. Mencken:

"As democracy is perfected, the office of President represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last, and the White House will be occupied by a downright moron."

-- H.L. Mencken, The Baltimore Evening Sun, July 26, 1920

This reminds me of a line from the movie Blazing Saddles:

People of the land. The common clay. You know: morons.

Decrimping Military Primers

I was looking for opinions on primer decrimpers, in particular, to see if the Dillon Super Swage 600 was really the one to get.  One site had an interesting review of several products.  He covers both reaming and swaging tools.

There was another article about bullet pullers, too.  He claims that Lee has a bullet puller in development.  He didn't like the RCBS tool.  Other reviews I read on the Hornady tool said the cam system has problems, but he didn't have anything bad to say about it.

.950 JDJ in Action!

American Specialty Ammo posted a picture of a .950 JDJ rifle on Facebook (in which I had a passing interest), and one commenter linked to a YouTube video of the rifle actually being fired.  Talk about bad-ass!

If I could only afford one larger-than-half-inch-bore rifle, I think I'd have to take the .950 JDJ over 20 mm.  I mean, just think of the incredible amusement in having a .950-caliber (24.1 mm) firearm that's not Title II!

Generators

I've been looking into buying a generator for quite some time as part of preparedness planning.  The practical elements: with a refrigerator and deep freezer full of food, not having electricity for a week could mean major spoilage.  Furthermore, without electricity, the gas furnace won't work, since the ignitor and blower motor both require juice to run.  (I have a propane heater that doesn't require electricity and a small wood stove, but both exhaust into the room and so would be a last resort.)

Three years or so ago I was at an out-of-state Honda dealership and they had literature for other Honda equipment, including tillers and generators.  The EU2000 model struck me as neat due to its low noise levels, fuel economy, and the option to cascade the companion model for greater capacity.  Still, generators are expensive, have to be maintained (and run periodically), and require sufficient fuel be stored.

A friend told me that a good place to buy the EU2000 is Mayberry's, as they have a low price and free shipping.  This was right around the time that "Superstorm Sandy" hit, and Mayberry's, located in New Jersey, was without power and had sold out of most of their generators anyway.  Another place I found to buy the EU2000 is Wise Sales, which in Illinois.

Regarding fuel storage, I had been led to believe that regular gasoline has a fairly short shelf life.  Other reading I've done (such as on Wikipedia) and discussions with prepper types indicates that gasoline without ethanol is fairly stable.  A 30-gal drum full of ethanol-free gas, which is available locally, could run the EU2000 full-bore (2kW at 1.1 gal every 4 hrs) for 9 days, or at quarter duty cycle (500W at 1.1 gal every 9.6 hrs) for three weeks.

This is seeming more and more like a worthwhile expenditure.

Desiderata

I came across this prose in someone's profile on Facebook.  Seems like good advice to me.

Go placidly amidst the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all its shams, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful.

Strive to be happy.

(Max Ehrmann, Desiderata, 1927)

Tradition

"[Tradition] cannot be inherited, and if you want it, you must obtain it by great labour."
--T.S. Eliot, from Tradition and the Individual Talent

EIEI-EO

While I'm dumping links, here's an Executive Order, dated July 6, 2012, issued by President Obama regarding "National Security and Emergency Preparedness (NS/EP)".  What number is this?  Did they stop numbering them so we don't know how many there are?

Full-Spectrum Operations in the Homeland

This is some sick shit.  First I got a link from a friend, then saw it in Sipsey St. a couple months back.  Must be the jerk-off fantasy of a twisted individual who thinks it might be fun to kill his countrymen.  Forgot to tuck the link away in case I need to refer to it again.

Precedent for Birthright Citizenship

For whatever reason, I came across the Wikipedia entry for the 1898 Supreme Court case, United States v. Wong Kim Ark, that set the precedent for birthright citizenship in the U.S.  It's useful to read about the history prior to having debates on the subject, since most people don't bother to get informed prior to opening their mouths!

Reloading Components

Just to make sure I'm really getting the best prices, I'm surveying other online shops that sell reloading components.  Prices checked 2012.10.25.

• Wideners: CCI34 $133/5k [oos forever]; CCI41 $125/5k; IMR4895 $137/8lb; Varget $20/1lb; H4895 $140/8lb; Nosler CC .308 168gr HPBT $226/1k; M193 55gr $435/5k [pp]; SS109 62gr $510/5k [pp]; M80 145gr $300/2k [pp]; 7.62 OFB mixed $290/2k; 5.56 OFB FC $180/3k, LC $204/3k
• Midway USA: CCI34 $185/5k [oos]; CCI41 $190/5k; IMR4895 $162/8lb; Nosler CC .308 168gr HPBT $220/1k [oos]
• Graf & Sons: CCI34 $185/5k; CCI41 $183/5k; Tula Berdan 7.62 $32/1k; IMR4895 $159/8lb; H4895 $162/8lb; Varget $162/8lb; Nosler CC .308 168gr HPBT $72/250
• Natchez Shooter Supply: CCI34/41 $35/1k; IMR4895 $148/8lb; H4895 $152/8lb; Varget $152/8lb; Nosler CC .308 168gr HPBT $67/250 [$268/1k]; Sierra MK .308 168gr HPBT $149/500 [$298/1k]
• Powder Valley: CCI34/41 $33/1k; Tula Berdan 7.62 $28/1k; IMR4895 $142/8lb; H4895 $145/8lb; Varget $145/8lb; Nosler CC .308 168gr HPBT $214/1k [Oct. special: order 32 lb of powder and hazmat is prepaid]
• Midsouth Shooters Supply: CCI34/41 $35/1k; IMR4895 $142/8lb; Varget $144/8lb [oos]; Nosler CC .308 168gr HPBT $210/1k [oos]
• Bruno Shooters Supply: CCI34 $33/1k [oos]; CCI41 $36/1k; IMR4895 $142/8lb; H4895 $145/8lb; Varget $145/8lb [oos]; Nosler CC .308 168gr HPBT $212/1k; Sierra MK .308 168gr HPBT $140/500
• R&R Arms: IMR4895 $178/8lb
• Ballistic Products: Varget $24/1lb [mostly shotgun]
• Everglades Ammo: M193 $170/2k [pp]; 5.56 OFB mixed $80/1k [pp]; 7.62 OFB mixed $85/500 [pp] [won't ship primers/powder]
• 10 Ring: 7.62 p/d 148gr $60/500 [won't ship primers/powder]
• Target Sports USA: [nothing in stock]

That's quite a spread of prices--it pays to shop around.  A couple other places are cheaper when it comes to primers, but unfortunately their powder selection is limited.

Other places to check later:
Arms & Ammo
T&T Reloading
RR Guns
Precision Reloading
Montana Gold Bullet [projectiles]
Track of the Wolf [black powder]

50shooter

Found a site that has some very interesting methods for reloading .50 BMG.

Primer/Powder Storage

There are guidelines for primer/powder storage in publication 495 by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).  The residential limits are 10k primers and 20 lbs (smokeless) powder, although if the latter is in wooden magazines with 1" thick walls, the limit is 50 lbs.  Apparently many municipalities have adopted NFPA 495 as the law.

SAAMI published three PDFs with the relevant excerpts from NFPA 495: primers, powder, and loaded ammunition.  The text is on the last or 2nd to last page of each document.

I also found an interesting paper produced in the UK circa 1998 regarding detonation risks associated with storing powder in buildings.  Strangely enough, the study noted found that smokeless powder is less volatile than black powder (called simply 'gunpowder' in the paper).

Certified Scales

To weigh metals in trade and gunpowder for repackaging and resale, a certified scale is necessary.  That is, one with a pedigree traceable back to standardized weights, which is legal for business use.  Required accuracy and maximum load determine what kind of scale is needed.  For 1-gram accuracy, the CAS ED series looks good.  For 0.1-gram/0.005-ozt accuracy, there's the Citizen CZ1200.

Military Hand Signals

The decoder ring for basic military hand signals (posted by American Specialty Ammo on Facebook):

Edit [2014.04.03]: The image link is busted, so here's another one.

Emergency Primers

No idea if this will work, but it sounds like a fun experiment:

1. Extract the anvil out of the fired primer. Using the multipurpose tool, gently hold the primer cup and carefully pull out any old primer with a metal pick. Place the primer cup on a hard, flat surface. Examine the case carefully to ensure there are no defects. For safety's sake, defective cups must be discarded. Keep the anvil with the cup.
2.  Insert the point of the star-tipped driver into the primer cup and tap very gently with the plastic mallet to remove the slight protrusion inside. Insert the flat-tipped screwdriver into the primer cup to clean out any remains of the previously used primer material. To minimize any undesirable results, get the cup as clean as possible. 
3. Using the box cutter, gently scrape off the white tip portion only of the match onto the folded index card. The white tip is a chlorinated compound that serves as the "ignitor" for the primer. You'll need about 10 to 12 matches for each primer. Avoid scraping off the sulphur portion of the match.
4. Roll the plastic mallet across the scrapings, being careful to "crush" rather than rub the material. Place the primer cup on a flat surface and, using the crease in the index card, pour the match scrapings into the cap until it is full. Use the bottom of a matchstick to gently tap down the primer.
5. Use the large tweezers to carefully set the primer cup into your machine press, being careful not to spill any of the primer material. Place the anvil into the primer, point down, to seat. Raise the ram of the press up and seal the primer into the shell casing. Keep your face a safe distance away while you're doing this step, as the primer material may pop.

Berdan Rifle Primers

On a whim, I googled "Berdan primers" and the top hit was a place actually selling them.  I'd read that RWS Berdan primers used to be available in the U.S., but sources dried up.  These are TulAmmo non-corrosive primers for 7.62 NATO.

One concern I have is that the dimensions (incorrect on the DAG Ammo KV762N page) don't match the information I found previously on Berdan primers.  Still, it might be worth experimenting with, considering the amount of 7.62 NATO ammo with nice brass cases and Berdan primers.  All of a sudden, the 33% cost advantage looks more attractive!

LifeSaver Jerry Can

Someone told me about a new water filtration product a few weeks ago, and apparently I forgot to store the info away for future recall.  It's the LifeSaver Jerry Can, which supposedly has 15nm pores, which would make it a purifier, more or less.  However, some viruses apparently get down to 4nm, so even this isn't 100%.  This filter was discussed in a TED talk.

The Flying Dutchman has another good praxis post, this time regarding a site selling stuff to "combat pack" 5.56 NATO.

Danny Choo

I'd never heard of Danny Choo before, but saw him in a photo on Facebook with Alodia Gosiengfiao.  Turns out that the dude is bad-ass.  He has a post on his site, "How I started to build my career in Japan", that writes about the experience I perhaps could've had in Japan had I not been such a short-sighted introvert.  This bit was particularly salient:

Its always important to understand what your skill set is and how much they are valued at. Keep your options open all the time and speak to folks in the industry who can advise you on job opportunities and your market value. You know whether a carton of milk is expensive or not because you know the market value - do you know your market value? If not you must find out today - not tomorrow.

Yeah.  I have no idea what my market value is.  Certainly less than I'm paid now!

Lotus Notes URLs

Yeah, we're still using Lotus Notes.  I needed to generate URLs pointing to a Notes database, and found the script to do so on da interwebz.  Check the comments for a more complicated script.  Works for me.

Building AK-47s

Might be a useful skill....

Numerous sites are selling Polish AK-47 80% receivers, which apparently don't need an FFL to transfer.  The holes have to be drilled, but the receiver also needs to be heat-treated.  So I found some info on how to do that.  It seems tricky in that the steel has to be hardened and then tempered.  Some people do it with a torch, but that seems error-prone....

There're other sites that sell build parts.  Personally, I'd love to get into building AK-47s and G3 clones.  All that I need is a shop and some equipment, like a welder and 12-ton press!

Lists

While searching for inverters, I ran into an interesting list on Amazon: the "Post apocalyptic disaster preparedness list".  Well, I'm already covered in most of the suggested areas, but it's interesting to see what other people are putting in their kits.

The portable solar panel is another list has a review that claims monocrystalline panels last 25 yrs, and that amorphous silicon only lasts 5.  Since that's one thing I have yet to get, the info is good to know....

Vampy

Linda Le, aka "Vampy", is a goddess.  99.9% of the cosplayers I'd ever seen at the couple of cons I'd been to were just freaky.  Vampy isn't just smokin' hot, she's also detailed and dedicated to the art of reconstructing anime/manga fantasy in real life.  Very cool.  Plus, she likes guns: she shoots a Kimber 1911 Custom.  I am definitely a fan.

I mean, just look at her!

RNC: The Aftermath

Michelle Malkin has to pander to the establishment a little bit to retain her position as a conservative pundit.  I get that.  Despite that, she wrote a nice article about the RNC power grab and what it means to be one of the ones who was disenfranchised by the party bosses.  There are a couple good "after-action reports" quoted as well.  Ms. Malkin is by far the best pundit out there, and this reinforces it.

Political Commentary

My response to a WSJ article on FB:

Anyone voting for Obama is either naive (if voting for the first time) or stupid (if voting for him again): look at the debt numbers, the unemployment numbers, the death toll in Afghanistan, the ongoing "drug war" despite Obama's admitted use in his youth (he was the Joint Interceptor, after all), his two-faced, volatile rhetoric despite his calls for bipartisanship, etc. The smartest thing Obama's done was to keep Biden around as insurance!

Even so, anyone voting for Romney is either naive (if they think this leopard has changed his spots) or deluded (thinking that voting against Obama instead of for someone is the right way to go). Paul Ryan was tapped to try to shore up "gun votes", but he's got other baggage, like his support for bailouts.

And anyone voting for Gary Johnson knows the score and refuses to play the game--but they'll still lose to the banks' influence and crony capitalism. Even so, at least pulling the lever for someone who doesn't suck affords one a clear conscience when things continue to go to hell in a handbasket in 2013.

Proof

After the shooting incident in NYC where there was more collateral damage from the police than there was from the bad guy, the gunblogs were atwitter with ridicule, as is proper.  After all, the media always claims that police are "highly trained" and so are the "only ones" who should be able to carry guns.  Never mind that cops qualify once or twice a year, whereas people who like to shoot hit the range much more often and are more likely to have taken better training.

Anyhow, Say Uncle linked to another gunblog that has a course of fire based on the LAPD qualification course, except he made it harder.  That'd be a fun test for USPSA shooters--to see if they can shoot well enough to be a major metropolitan police officer! *wink*

Unscientific Plastic Magazine Test

In case you were wondering what those plastic AR-15 mags could take, here's one data point from Arfcom.

Saudi girls packing heat

Yeah, that's one way to stick it to the powers that be.

Items you need in a crisis

Parts one and two.

Assignment of National Security and Emergency Preparedness Communications Functions

More nasty shit from our buddy Barack.  Did they stop numbering these executive orders so you don't know how many of them there are?

The Shape of Things That Hide

A guy I know self-published a book of short stories on the Tokyo life.  It's available on Lulu, and soon to be available on Amazon.

Steel Targets

Gongshot, a place to buy AR500 steel targets (link via the good doctor).

RAV4 Towing, Redux

A few months ago I went looking for info on how to get a trailer hooked up to the family RAV4.  It looked like it was going to be a problem because I thought we didn't have the towing prep package, which has some extra hardware for beefing up the radiator and alternator.  From some additional forum reading, I found out that RAV4s made in Canada all have the towing prep package, and it turns out that ours is Canadian.  There's another way to check by looking at the fuses in the engine compartment on the driver's side: if there's a 140A one instead of a 120A one, then it's the towing prep package.  This is mentioned in the owner's manual (for the '09 model, pp.394-395), but it's buried in there.

John Davies' site is very useful for figuring out how to install the towing stuff DIY. I haven't done it yet, but looking at the howto, I figure that I can manage.  He's also got a page for installing a brake controller, which links to a howto on installing the factory wiring harness, and also has a PDF of the wiring harness.

Several sites sell Toyota OEM parts.  One site lists the receiver hitch as about $400, and the wiring harness is another $100.  Plus the trailer.

Apparently, if the trailer plus load is over 600 lbs, trailer brakes are necessary, which means adding on a brake controller.  That might as well be done at the same time as the wiring harness.  (eTrailer.com has a FAQ on the trailer wiring connector types.)

On the forums, there's also mention of a "weight-distributing hitch" that helps stability when the tongue weight is on the high end.

Northern Tool+Equipment has a funky steel trailer that's supposedly made in the USA.  There are a couple downsides, namely that it's only seven feet long and the capacity's only 1500 lbs.  Oh, and it costs $1800!  Still, other than landscaping rock, I'm not sure what I'd haul that's that heavy, and sheet goods (4x8 plywood, drywall, etc.) could probably be left to hang out the back end as long as it's tied down.

The last thing that I need to know about is maximum speed while towing specific trailers.  The RAV4 owner's manual indicates that you shouldn't drive over 45 mph while towing, but obviously people do that all the time: contractors hauling stuff and people hauling boats, etc.  Presumably part of that is whether one has trailer brakes or not, but I assume axle construction and tire ratings are part of that.  I definitely want a trailer that I can take up to highway speeds, so further study is necessary.

Google Online IME

Google Transliteration has a web-based Japanese input method editor so that you can type Japanese even on computers that don't have an IME installed.  Kewl.  I knew that in this day and age, there had to be one....

Cannons for Everyone

From NC Gun Blog, a little reading between the lines in the Constitution shows that private ownership of cannons were intended!  To wit:

What’s going to be really interesting is when he’s presented with the historical information about crew served weapons. He thinks that cannons are not covered. He’s going to be shocked when he learns that at the founding of this country to well past the writing of the Constitution, cannons and warships were privately owned. In fact, we can prove that the writers of the Constitution considered cannon and warship ownership by private citizens to be normal.

[Congress shall have Power...] To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;

We don’t issue Letters of Marque anymore. While we are not a signatory to the treaty forbidding them, we generally follow that treaty. What is a letter of Marque? It’s basically an official commission from the government for a private person to attack enemy shipping without being branded a pirate. What do you think that a person would have to have in order to attack enemy ships with? You guessed it, a ship, armed with weapons appropriate to naval combat.

So there you have it. The very text of the Constitution tells us that it was not considered wrong for private citizens to own a ship nor to fill that ship with cannons.

Makes it pretty tough to argue that the Government has the power to prevent people from having cannons without running afoul of the Second Amendment, doesn’t it.

I'm all for it!

Link Dump, 2012.07.23

Since I found out that Firefox really sux the CPU cycles--although I don't know if that's due to Ajax or not--I need to clear some tabs.  The problem is, I usually forget that I cleared them, and never get back to them.  But I suppose if it didn't come up again, that's ok.

What your defensive gun says about you (When the Balloon Goes Up) - amusing...and startlingly insightful
Basic Gunshot Wound Kit (guns, cars, & tech) - could save your life
CJ GLS [Wikipedia][site] - a Korean shipping company that I was looking into as an alternative to the Greek ones
Hanjin Shipping [site] - another Korean shipping company
What is wrong with the world? (Write Science) - scientists (and engineers) need to learn to communicate better and teach laymen the importance of their work
The M1 Garand for Homeland Defense (some gun forum) - of course I'd rather have an M14, but they're way more expensive...
The Poor Man's Guide to Survival Gear (Alt-Market) - married men are economically poor

High-Yield Energy Stocks

A while ago I was looking for energy stocks paying out big dividends, and came across a couple sites [1] [2] that listed a few.  This was before I found out how to search Google Finance for dividend yield.  Still, every once in a while these sorts of lists are interesting to go through.

M16 PM Comic

1001th post!  Well...not all of them were public.

On one of the usual gunblogs, probably SayUncle, there was a link to a vintage comic on how to do proper preventative maintenance on the M16A1.  Sweet!  They should totally reprint this.  I'd buy a copy just for the novelty!

HK-91 Miscellany

Numrich's website can be difficult to navigate, so here are the HK-91 and HK-93 pages.  I want to get the G3 schematic poster!


Also of interest is the Command Arms AR-15 stock adapter for 91-pattern rifles, available at Apex.  I didn't see it on their webpage, so I presume they discontinued it, like Smith Enterprise discontinued the Vortex for the 91.  TAPCO makes a plastic one, but I want metal.  ACE apparently makes an aluminum adapter, but I've read that it can't be used with the standard buffer, whereas the CAA one uses the standard recoil spring assembly.

Babolat

The wife was asking me if Babolat was a public company, so I looked into it.  The official site doesn't really say, and other search results turned up responses that it's a privately-held company.

Except when I put "Babolat" into Google Finance, a Japanese company called Descente turned up.  The company profile was from Reuters, and states that Descente makes Babolat products.  The Descente website has almost nothing on Babolat in English, except one line in the history, but the Japanese page has mention of the French brand started in 1875.

So the question is whether or not to invest in Descente.  The French company likely retains the brand rights, and could switch manufacturers should they see fit.  Plus, it's hard to analyze financials of overseas companies that don't have the same accounting practices that the U.S. has.  But nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?

Logan Stanton

At work I got ahold of a Logitech C910 webcam, and noticed the cutie on the box.  So I consulted the interwebz and found out that her name is Logan Stanton, a former UFC ring girl.  I dig the half-Asian thing, but is this what she's resorted to, post-UFC...?

Blogger Problems Again

"Your browser is no longer supported by Blogger. Some parts of Blogger will not work and you may experience problems.   If you are having problems, try Google Chrome."

Eat me.

Long-Range Ranges

Most of the shooting ranges in SE MN are 200 yds or less.  BSCC has 300 yds--but that's not far enough.  I've only heard of two longer distance ranges, both just north of the 'Cities: Elk River Sportsman's Club (ERSC), which requires qualification to use their 600-yd range, and Gopher Rifle and Revolver Club (GRRC), which has a 1000-yd range.

Both require membership, and are fairly expensive: $150/yr + $150 initiation fee for ERSC and $150/yr + $75 initiation for GRRC.  There are discounts for volunteering for work on the range for 8 hrs a year: $50 off for ERSC and $90 off for GRRC.

Portable Apps

AE mentioned this to me a long while ago (18 months or so), and I forgot to link it: software called Portable Apps that enables running other software from a USB drive or off the network (I hate saying "the cloud").

He also recommended the Super Talent Pico drive, but that's kind of a ripoff of the Sony ones I've been using for quite some time.

Shine on with Shana

２月の出張で会社のKIさんがスローガンについて聞いてきて、結局化粧品会社のために考えていた。そのスローガンがウェブサイトに載っているが、記念日のことは載っていなかった。あ～ぁ。

Amazon

Made a comment on SayUncle's blog regarding Amazon Prime...(linked so that I remember that I did).

Modified Mel's Mix

I've got the 1st edition of SFG, and the recipe for soil is, shall we say, daunting for beginners.  Apparently in the 2nd edition of SFG, the author Mel recommends a mix of equal parts peat moss, vermiculite, and compost.  I found mention online of a modified version of "Mel's Mix" that recommends half compost, and quarter parts peat moss and vermiculite.  That's nicer since vermiculite is fairly expensive locally ($35 for 4 cu ft).  You can get vermiculite for insulation, but I have yet to assuage my concerns of it being "garden grade".

“We wanted flying cars, instead we got 140 characters"

Since Warren Buffet has demonstrated that he is a senile statist and financial mooch, I need a new hero.  Charles Koch is certainly the wealthy libertarian, but both the lack of ideological drive and the falling out with Cato soured me on him too.  Then I read an article on Peter Thiel, the gay, libertarian venture capitalist.  Although the writer of the New Yorker article injects unnecessary bias and opinions into the text, Thiel sounds like someone who has the right kind of ideas and the initiative to make things happen.

Kriss Vector

Now I think I see the reasoning behind all the adulation from the gunblogosphere (how's that for synthesized jargon!) for the Kriss Vector....  I wouldn't mind having one!

9mm Resurgence

Lately I've been seeing a resurgence on the Interwebz of people professing to carry 9x19mm rather than .45 ACP.  The conventional wisdom had been that 9mm lacked wound potential relative to the larger cavity created by the .45.  In recent years, there's been data claiming that the wound channel and penetration is similar between those calibers.  Furthermore, there've been claims that the .45 can't consistently embed or penetrate in low-grade soft body armor as well as 9mm, including some YouTube videos demonstrating the difference.

For CCW, I'm starting to think that having more rounds is better, because depending on the situation, you may need more.  Contrast that with the case of the AWB, where (new) mags were limited to 10 rounds, so bigger was better.  For CCW, bigger means more weight for less rounds, so if 9mm has acceptable penetration, and since one doesn't know when he might be facing an attacker with soft body armor, it may be a better choice.

Ammo Pricing

Found a website, gun-deals.com, that has a list of cheap ammo with shipping prices to arbitrary zip codes.  To wit: .223/5.56 Nato and .308/7.62 Nato.

Split Tongue

Don't ask me how I found it.  The YouTube channel of the infamous split tongue chick, that is.  No recent posts, though--perhaps due to a mod gone awry...?

Eclipses

How to view solar eclipses, like the one I missed on Sunday (2012.05.20)....

Adding Towing Capability to a RAV4

I'd like to add towing capability to my RAV4, but before I go ping the Toyota dealer, who seems to be way expensive on things like 30k service, I did a little searching.  One guy posted an installation guide on the OEM hitch itself.  However, the factory towing package also has an upgraded radiator, alternator, fan coupling, and wiring harness; one forum post indicated that the first three could be had for $160.  Installation of course would be another matter....  RAV4World, which had a link to the installation guide above, also has a thread on the OEM hitch.

I suppose I should confirm whether my "trucklet" (apparently that's the in-term for SUV...) has the mount points on the frame; I doubt anything extra would be added, though, in these days of cost-cutting.

Paper Metal Investments

So I'm looking for securities tied to gold/silver for two reasons: 1) for convenient trading to play gold vs. silver ratios, and 2) to invest in gold/silver with retirement dollars, since I have more cash there to invest.

There are a number of ETFs, including GLD, SGOL, AGOL, and SIVR.  The downsides include a large ratio of shares to physical holdings and gains taxable at the higher collectible rate rather than long-term capital gains.

In my reading online another option came up: Sprott's trusts PHYS and PSLV, which offer physical holdings in gold and silver with convertibility to metal and potential tax benefits.  I'll have to check out the prospectus.

Addition: Regarding how the IRS views ETFs in IRAs, apparently there are two private-letter rulings that state that gold/silver ETF shares in an IRA aren't collectibles for tax purposes.

Compressed Earth Blocks

While searching for plans for concrete block raised garden beds, I came across mention of compressed earth blocks (CEB).  Several companies make machines to make the blocks, which are constructed out of the local soil on-site.  That saves moving tons of concrete blocks around.  I have questions about the durability of the blocks, but the thermal mass should provide big cost savings.  AECT has fully automated machines, presumably at fairly high cost.  One blog notes that a Thai manufacturer produces a manual machine for under $1k, but getting it might be a nightmare, much less parts and support.

Charitable Conservatives

A long while ago, D.V. at work had mentioned a study he'd read about where conservatives donate much more in terms of percentage of income than liberals.  I had occasion to look that up, and found a couple references (NYT, RCP) to a 2008 study by Arthur Brooks.  No surprises there.

Maybe liberals think that spending tax dollars on entitlements is equivalent.  However, there's nothing charitable about spending someone else's money to assuage one's guilty conscience.

Suppressors in MN

Apparently there's been some movement recently on the legality of suppressors in Minnesota: FFL holders (though not collectors) are allowed to possess suppressors for soliciting sales to law enforcement or military.  Hmm...I may need to get my Type 01....

Blog post from GEMTECH (a suppressor manufacturer)
Discussion on Arfcom

Googlefu turned up a 2011 thread on SilencerTalk as well.  Suppressor freedom in MN now!!

The C&R Discount

In the vein of a prior post on stores who give a C&R discount, I found another list on THR that appears to be even more comprehensive.  Graf & Sons just sent me a catalog...I'll have to see what their discount is.  I just ordered something from TAPCO not too long ago; wish I'd asked about a price break.  Ah well.

Pricing in Gold

This showed up in my FB feed: charts showing the value of various commodities in terms of gold over time.  The one showing the value of the dollar is most telling.  For almost 200 yrs it was nearly constant, except when FDR devalued it in 1934, then from 1970-1980 it tanked, and declined greatly again from 2000-2010.  The 1934 devaluation was 41%—that should put the rest of the chart in perspective.

.308 vs. 7.62x51mm

Apparently the maximum cartridge headspaces are the same, but the chamber headspace is different.  According to one article (apparently by SayUncle, on an early team blog with Eric S. Raymond, Smallest Minority, and others):

Chamber Headspace
	7.62x51mm	.308 Winchester
Go	1.6355"	1.630"
No-Go	-	1.634"
Field	1.6455"	1.638"

Cartridge Headspace
	7.62x51mm	.308 Winchester
Minimum	1.630"	1.627"
Maximum	1.633"	1.633"
Average	1.6315"	1.630"

SAAMI has a .308 Win spec up on their site.  It would seem to indicate that the min/max dimensions for .308 are 1.630"-1.640" chamber and 1.627"-1.634" cartridge, slightly different from the above, although there have been revisions of the standard.  I'm still looking to see if the NATO standards are available.

According to an old rec.guns post by Bartbob: "New cases typically end up with a fired-case headspace dimension of about .001-inch shorter than the chamber's actual headspace."  So if using fired brass to estimate chamber headspace, add 0.001" to the mic'ed dimension.

As an aside, TM 9-1005-223-10 is the M14 operator's manual.

M14 Info (ChiComs & Mags)

Rifle Company's forums have some info that I should troll through.  One thread on M14s:

One very nice thing about the Polys (& Norincos) is that geometry/dimension wise, the receivers are pretty much spec with USGI receivers. Unfortunately, with the Springfield made receivers that may be a hit or miss proposition. If one is planning on scoping their rifle, one might be better off with the Chinese made receivers. There are too many horror stories floating around about SAI receivers not being in spec, and needing a specially machined mount to work. Smith Enterprises supposedly has a special setup for measuring this. Plus, the bolt holes for the mounts are often miss machined/drilled/tapped on the SAI receivers.
The major "problem" areas for the Chinese receivers are:
#1. Sight knobs may be soft. Easy fix. Garand kobs work, and aren't very expensive. Note, all Chinese made knobs are marked WCE.
#2. Trigger/hammer may be soft. Easy fix. Again, Garand parts work, and aren't very expensive. Chinese made hammers and triggers are unmarked, while USGI hammers and triggers are stamped with letters and numbers(triggers may be iffy).
#3. Op rod spring may be a bit small and soft. Very easy fix. Replace with USGI spring.
#4. Stock is soft and ugly. Easy fix. Replace with USGI stock. Though there needs to be a slight mod to the stock to the shorter Chinese connector lock pin to stay in place.
#5. Bolt may need replacing. Most difficult fix. Hopwever, just replacing the bolt with a USGI bolt fixes any headspace issues. Often, it requires very little work other than a bit of lapping.
None of these fixes is expensive, and most can be done by the person with little or no experience.
At a good enough price, and I could easily talk myself into another Chinese rifle...............not that I need one. Unfortunately, the price keeps going up, since more and more people are finding out how good a bargain they are.

Another good one is a post on the differences between Chinese and USGI parts.

There's also a post regarding how to tell USGI mags from fakes.

Spring Link Dump!!

Some of these have been in my reader for a while.

Email from the Koch Institute regarding the Kochs' dispute with Cato: At first I was highly disappointed at the notice of the "takeover bid", but to be honest, I wasn't even aware of the history that Cato was originally the Charles Koch Foundation.  Now I'm not sure what to think.  It seems to be a trend that some of these advocacy organizations turn out to be driven primarily by the egos of their executives, e.g. Wayne LaPierre at the NRA.

So it turns out that extreme liberals don't really understand their opponents positions on the issues.  Surprise, surprise.  I've found empirically that they tend to not spend the time to educate themselves, preferring to wallow in their own poorly-formed, ill-considered ideology.  The study referred to is interesting.

From WSJ:

• Gardening tips for beginners.  I have dirt and seeds.  Now what?
• The end of the sophisticated playboy era.  The nouveau rich don't know how to live.
• How to tell when it's just another fight, and when it's over.  One can always make it work—it just depends on how much one is willing to sacrifice.  If both people are willing to sacrifice, that's a relationship that will survive.

Regarding the Trayvon Martin case:

• Thomas Sowell's Race and Rhetoric and some more commentary on "race hustlers".  Headline from the early '90s: "White-Black Disparity in Income Narrowed in 80’s, Census Shows"—what happened since the Reagan Era?
• John Lott's opinion on the relevance of Stand Your Ground to the case, and follow-up piece on Fox.

An opinion on the use of the term "gun culture": I disagree, because the extreme left has made this a culture war.  Nonetheless, it's an interesting point.

Federer Lindor Commercial

While the wife watching the Sony-Ericsson Open, we saw the Lindt commercial with Federer.  I fly fairly regularly and have grown to despise the TSA, but that's some funny stuff.  The 30-second version is on YouTube, as well as an extended version (which is even better).  There's even a behind the scenes video!

PTR Commentary

My remarks on a link to an article posted by SayUncle:

I like mine: from sandbags I was getting 3" at 200yds (1.5 MOA) with old Australian surplus using a Hensoldt 4x scope (with temps in the 30s, so I was probably getting a cold-bore shot every string...). The recoil is heavier than an AR-15, but you get used to it. Especially if you put the wide handguard and Magpul PRS stock on there, which makes it really heavy!

Downsides to the HK91-style rifle are two: it beats the hell out of brass, and it doesn't have a last round hold open. The former is only an issue if you reload (which is why I only feed mine surplus). The latter is a serious demerit, IMO, as I'm not going to stick tracers in for my last couple rounds. Still, as Boston T. Party opines in his "Gun Bible", it'll pretty much always work, which is what you want in an SHTF rifle.

CDNN has the best price on the gun. RTG has good prices on surplus accessories; buy new at HKParts if you're rich ;-)

I still despise CTD, though....

Stripper Clips

An old post by Mr. Vanderboegh has convinced me that I need to load ammo on stripper clips, keep the clips in bandoleers, and stow the bandoleers in .30-cal ammo cans.  I may need to find myself some .223 stripper clips....

ChiCom M14s

So I'm back to wrestling with whether or not to get a Chinese M14.  Obviously, I'm not enamored with the fact that it's Chinese-made, considering that they're our main political and economic opponent.  However, I'm hesitant to pay $1500+ for a cast receiver.  According to BTP, SA has had some trouble with their cast receivers (it's unclear if that's fixed or not) and while he mentioned the Chinese forged receivers, he said that they were soft and need heat-treating to bring the hardness up.

As a result, I was reading forums and came across this one on Calguns:

Ever wonder where Springfield Armory Inc gets its "investment cast" commercial parts?...Answer: Wayne Machine Inc. Where is Wayne Machine Inc located???...Answer: Taiwan.
http://waynemachine.com.tw/

If you think your buying a full fledged American built, American made, American parts rifle....think again buddy. ;)

Another source notes that small parts come from China, whereas the receivers are Canadian, and yet another forum actually references a business info page that mentions SA.  So...that kind of eliminates the "buy American" argument, since I can't afford an LRBArms M14SA.  Yet.

In the past, I've bought Chinese products where I couldn't get equivalent features in a U.S.-made product.  Of course I could get an LRBArms gun, but we're talking 3x the price.  Now I'm more of the opinion that I buy something cheap first, figure out what I want, and then spend the big bucks to get it.  Practicality before ideology?

There were a couple M14 gunsmiths mentioned on the forums:

• Warbird Custom Guns - bolt conversion with refinish, $200; rebarrel $75 (plus barrel, of course)
• Arrington Accuracy Works - no prices listed, but one forum mentioned them as doing heat-treat/bolt service

And then there's Smith Enterprise, but I have a feeling I can't afford to have them do the work--if I could, I might as well go the LRB route!

In a Christian Science Monitor article about America's "gun culture", reference is made to an essay that suggests that with the 2A, the notion of civic engagement implies that people ought to "participate in . . . law enforcement and defense of liberty":

The pro-gun movement has been expanding ever since, aided in part by favorable legal rulings and writings. In 1989, Mr. Levinson, the Texas law professor, wrote a notable essay in the Yale Law Review in which he suggested that citizen participation in government might extend to the Second Amendment.

Levinson looked specifically at whether "ordinary citizens [should] participate in the process of law enforcement and defense of liberty rather than rely on professionalized peacekeepers, whether we call them standing armies or police." Gun rights activists consider it a hinge moment in the gun debate, since it marked one of the first such dissections of the Second Amendment by a liberal legal scholar.

That's quite a notion, especially for a liberal scholar (as the article notes).  Sounds right to me—there haven't always been so many professional LEOs running around.  The essay, entitled The Embarrassing Second Amendment, is available online.

RDIAS

For some reason, I got the urge to read about registered drop-in auto sears (RDIASes).  I'd love to own a machinegun (although in my crummy state I can only own C&R MGs) and a RDIAS seems like a good option.  Being drop-in, it can be moved to another lower receiver, as being the registered part, it's not limited to one lower.  Plus, an RDIAS works with .22LR conversions, so one could burn through 1k rounds for less than $50.

Well, Google turned up a few interesting hits:

• Quarterbore's DIAS page, with great pictures (the toolbox case for AR-15s is cool too!)
• A discussion of RDIAS vs. RLL vs. RR on Arfcom
• An Ohio gunsmith who works on NFA weapons and can fix damaged RRs

Ah, I wish I were rich and lived in a state that didn't suck from the perspective of gun laws.  Maybe it's time to move, or buy some land in a neighboring state....

rec.guns AAR from 2000

Sharp as a Marble linked to a recap of an old rec.guns post on The Smallest Minority, where a pawn shop owner ended up shooting a guy, who'd stabbed him with a sword, with a .25 ACP.  Pretty crazy stuff.  Better to have a gun than no gun—but I'd still rather be carrying an ACP two-tenths bigger in diameter.

Self-Defense

An old friend (who happens to have become a Democrat) messaged me the following link on Facebook: What Everyone Should Know About Trayvon Martin (1995-2012)

From those details, it doesn't sound like the shooting was justified.  Permit-to-carry holders, in MN anyway, are required to retreat (unless in one's home).  Chasing down a suspect isn't acceptable, also because it doesn't demonstrate a reluctance to participate in a confrontation.  Neither is shooting someone who doesn't exhibit immediate intent to inflict great bodily harm or death.

It's hard to tell from the news who the victim is.  The novel Bonfire of the Vanities comes to mind.  (Where the outraged community and leaders twist the facts to make one of the perps out to be a victim.)

I also came across a forum thread on Minnesota Carry where a permit-holder shot a guy who'd robbed another woman, and according to some accounts was pistol-whipping her, after he was fired upon.  Again, it's hard to tell from the news, but it sounds like the bad guy was really a baddie, as he was a felon who had been freed on a catch-and-release program.  (A felon possessing a firearm is also illegal.)  The guy's mother and sister claimed injustice, but they too have criminal records: the mother for drug possession and the sister for receiving stolen property.

The really fucked up thing is that the judge, Toddrick Barnette, who released the dead perp, is the same asshole who stuck the late MN gun-rights icon Joel Rosenberg with $100k bail after Joel was arrested on a technicality (apparently there was an unused courtroom in the building that allowed them to claim he carried in a prohibited place).  Hmm.  I'm guessing the judge is a Democrat.

Aguila Colibri

Aguila Colibri is a brand of "quiet" .22LR cartridge, a light bullet propelled by only the primer.  I'd considered these for indoor use, but the lead in the primers would be an issue.  Comments on forums seem to indicate that penetration is an issue, especially at practical distances.  Sounds like a Super Colibri out of an 18" barrel is the best of the two for velocity and penetration without excessive noise.

Homebrew Explosives

From a GRE post by Kurt Hofmann, I followed a link to this great archive of homebrew explosives information.  One reason to get a place in the middle of nowhere is so that one can try some of this stuff out without having the po-po knock on your door....

HDDs Gone By

old gold: Some information on HDDs gone by from the Land Down Under.

Wikipedia has a list of defunct HDD manufacturers, as well.

Metal Spigots

Most gravity-pressure water filters have plastic spigots, which sucks.  There are a couple sources for metal spigots that I've found online, but one of them is only in Europe.  The commercial dispenser spigot manufacturer is Tomlinson.  Unfortunately, the type with a watch glass is still a plastic body.  I suppose the other alternative would be to have a machinist make one to spec.

The Purpose of Armed Citizenry

Another post by Vanderboegh worth rereading.

HDD Industry Consolidation

• Rumors from The Register circa 2012.02.08 regarding Toshiba as the buyer of Desktop drive assets from WD/HGST.
• Verification of the rumors via WD's press release dated 2012.02.28, with additional information that WD will have to acquire Toshiba's Thailand plant in exchange.
• Article on China approving the WD acquisition with conditions on 2012.03.02, similar to the EU's objections.  (A translation of the article was made internal to HGST; the linked article has a rougher translation.)
• The FTC issued a proposed order to accept the WD acquisition with divestiture of 3.5" assets on 2012.03.05, apparently in response to China's approval.  However, it appears that there's an open period for comments for 30 days, implying the approval hasn't been given yet.

Drones over the U.S.

The AP has an article about the use of drones over U.S. soil.  Sounds like a good impetus for the technically savvy to start building anti-drone drones for a hobby.

わらしべ長者

話のなかで谷口さんが使って、説明してくれた、わらしべ長者。

Silver

I don't even remember where I found this, but I came across an article claiming that in the afternoon on 2012.02.24, major dumping of silver contracts occurred.  I've not been able to verify this claim from a reputable source, however.  It's not clear where to get charts with that kind of detail.  Perhaps the silver ETFs' volumes would reflect this?

In trying to locate a source, I found a page noting gold-to-silver ratios (GSR).  The strategy noted is quite interesting: look at the average ratio, and when it's less than 1 sigma low convert silver to gold, and when greater than 1 sigma high convert gold to silver, with the idea to play the ratio to increase holdings.  Perhaps I should try this with paper holdings to make conversions easier.

Link Dump

Some links that have been sitting in my tabs since last November....

• An opinion piece regarding the decision to bomb Japan in WWII.
• Detail on presidential candidate spending.
• How to browse securely on public WiFi.
• An opinion piece on why Ron Paul can't win; I don't agree, but the perceptions about his foreign policy seem to be a real issue with people who would otherwise support him.
• Harvey Golub's response to Obama's and Buffet's tax the "rich" stupidity.
• The "Jews in the Attic" Test for public policy.  (This one is actually very important, even though it sounds silly or perhaps even racist.  It's not either of those.)
• Supposed Libertarian Bob Barr is a dickhead, I mean, is anti-gun.
• The Secret Panel that can put Americans on a kill list.
• Democrats introduce a bill to seal up Obama's presidential records?!  No shame at all.
• Are we losing the grassroots vote to anti-gunners?
• "Learned Hand" is a screwed up name for anyone, must less a judge.  He should've had a son and named him "Hired".  He was mentioned in an intro to law book I was reading.  Sounds like he has some innovative ideas, but from his Wikipedia bio, he sounds like a statist.

Blades & Spray

I was looking for information on whether pepper spray is legal in Japan or not.  According to Wikipedia Japan (「日本の法規制」の下に「所持や販売は特に規制されていない。」という）, there isn't really a legal restriction to selling or carrying it.

As far as blades go, a 2009 article from a military-related news site claims that double-edged blades greater than 2.2 inches and single-edged blades greater than 6 inches are prohibited.  The article words this as "possession", as in ownership, not just carrying.  And it's not legal to carry a knife for defense purposes.  In that regard, it makes sense to have pepper spray.

What's not clear is if pepper spray with tear gas, i.e. the "3-in-1" sprays, are legal in Japan.  Obviously that's more effective since some bad guys develop an immunity to pepper spray.

Can't Wait, Eh?

So the President is using his executive powers to get around Congress?  He's supposed to carry out the laws made by Congress, not to act on his own.  I'm curious what the actual mechanism is.  These aren't all Executive Orders. How are these being funded?

I dunno, to me it smacks of treason.

Stacy Schiff

Listening to MPR Mid-Morning on my way in to work, they had an interview with the author of a new book on Cleopatra.  I never had much interest, but the author sounded pretty cool.  She had a funny but not overstated sense of humor and quoted E.B. White regarding how she manages to stay objective: "strong curiosity, weak affiliation".  I also identified with her comment about her poor recollection that serves to further remove her biases, which is an interesting way to think about that attribute in a positive way.

You know, I'd be so much more inclined to donate to MPR if there wasn't such liberal bias in a lot of their content.  Kerri Miller certainly slants that way when talking about the need for government to "help", but randomly tuning in over lunch yesterday there were antagonistic pricks spouting off liberal rhetoric that made me think "screw these bastards, they can get their funding from FedGov if they think that way".

My commentary on Robb Allen's blog post on top 5 guns to own if price were no object:

1. Anzio Ironworks mag-fed 20mm rifle with suppressor: the coolest two-stamp gun around...the only way it could be cooler is if it were semi-auto!
2. Solothurn S-18/1000 20mm rifle: classic
3. Browning M2: well, make it four of 'em in an anti-aircraft mount
4. MP5SD: the 2nd coolest two-stamp gun; well, if you had a Fleming auto sear then you could just get a clone HK91 and a clone MP5SD and swap the sear between the two...
5. McBros 95 chambered in .950 JDJ: just because it's a monster and would break you in half if you tried to shoot it from the shoulder

The AA12 is a close 6th place, but you really need the little mini grenades to push that into the top 5.

By the way, Robb, I'd favor a Ferret-50 or ALS over a Tactilite, because you should have a firing pin safety to prevent OOBD. (Tactilite doesn't have a cam, only a spring. Supposedly ALS fixed their bolt after the reported OOBD.) A Barret M82A1 (NOT the A2--I don't care if the A1's 5 ft long, having a .50 going off on your cheek is not cool) or AR-50 would be even better.

FFLs in Rochester

By chance, I found a list of FFLs in Minnesota, by way of Google linking to the ATF website.  Actually, the search result was for October 2011, but by substituting January 2012 I got the latest list.

See, this is a big part of why I don't have a Type 01 FFL yet.  If my licensed premises were my home address, then it'd be listed for any random miscreant to find.  While ostensibly an FFL would be well-armed, that still means a higher likelihood of being accosted when least expecting it.  Plus, the ATF has free reign to search licensed premises, which, if one's house, frees them from a need for a search warrant.  Not like the government pays attention to those anymore, anyway....

Escape

For some reason, I thought Jimmy Buffet sang this song, but it's a guy I've never heard of, Rupert Holmes.

Don't Carpe Diem

A week or so ago, E.L. posted a link on Facebook to this article by a "mommy blogger" about how people always tell her to enjoy every moment of dealing with her young kids rather than agonizing over every little thing that goes wrong.  Raising kids is a pain in the ass, there's no way around that.  Some people have the right temperament for it, though, to let go and not let it bug them.  Yeah, I'm not one of those people.  But at least I'm not the mom...that'd suck!

Yet another wrinkle

The whole Berkey thing has a long, sordid history with many different associations.  Originally there appears to have been Jones, Watts, and Doulton making pottery in 1815 and eventually granular carbon filters.  Watts bowed out, leaving Doulton & Co. in 1853.  It looks like Doulton predominantly used carbon.  The next step forward appears to be the Chamberland filter (also known as the Pasteur type) in 1884, which used a porcelain tube as the filter medium, but required water under pressure.  In 1891, the Berkefeld filter was developed in Germany, which established the current form of the gravity filter: an upper chamber contains raw water, which passes through a ceramic filter into the lower chamber.  The Berkefeld filter is an extension of the Chamberland filter in that it uses gravity to generate the water pressure.  The unique elements are the use of diatomaceous earth (Kieselguhr in German) as the filter media and the use of an upper and lower chamber structure.  The Berkefeld Filter Co. was separate from Doulton & Co.  In 1972, Doulton was acquired by Pearson & Son Ltd., which purchased Fairey Holdings in 1980.  In 1985 the company became Fairey Industrial Ceramics Ltd. (FICL), and acquired the rights to the Berkefeld and Sterasyl trademarks.  (It's unclear where the name "Sterasyl" came from, since Berkefeld was already using diatomaceous earth.)  FICL separated from Pearson group in 1986 and went public in 1988 as Fairey Group PLC.  Rolls Royce bought FICL from Fairey Group in 2003, spinning off the filtration division and others, which ostensibly retained the FICL name.

That much can be gleaned from Doulton USA's history of Doulton with a smattering of Wikipedia details.  However, there have been a number of companies affiliated with Doulton/Berkey, and their relationship isn't always clear.

• Royal Doulton is what remains of the original parent company after the 1972 buyout by Pearson Group.  Along the way they were bought by Waterford Wedgwood, which went into receivership in 2009.
• Fairey Industrial Ceramics Ltd. owns the trademarks Doulton, used independently of Royal Doulton, and British Berkefeld, though not "Berkey".  They still manufacture the Doulton "candle" filter elements, Sterasyl, etc., and license some trademarks to New Millennium Concepts Ltd. in North America.
• New Millennium Concepts Ltd. owns the trademark to the Berkey name and expanded the lineup of gravity filter systems to several sizes.  (According to one site, the stainless steel systems are manufactured in India.)  They also produce the Black Berkey filter elements, which have an unknown pedigree.  The claims made by NMCL exceed the claims of FICL with regard to capability of the Super Sterasyl filters.  For example, only the Super Sterasyl ATC media is rated for lead removal, but NMCL claims that the Black Berkey elements are comparable.  NMCL has been the British Berkefeld master distributor in North America since 1998.
• Doulton USA sells the Doulton candles, but worth noting is that they aren't related to FICL or Royal Doulton either!  The bottom of their website notes that Doulton USA is a unit of Eco Systems International LLC, which also sells AquaCera filters.
• Ceramic Filters Company Inc. manufactures AquaCera filters, which are often sold as lower-cost substitutes for Doulton filters.  According to their website, they were the agent, importer, and distributor for Doulton and British Berkefeld in 1989.  Apparently NMCL won the master distributor rights, but apparently CFC still sells the Doulton systems.

That's a long, sordid history with lots of players.  It's not surprising that people get confused about what is what in the world of Berkefeld.

For anyone reading this, after my personal experience with NMCL, my suggestion would be to make your own filter unit out of two food-grade buckets and use the Doulton elements.  While I have yet to get any to test, those have the most history behind them.  We know relatively little about the Black Berkey elements, and while they do improve water taste, they have an alarming rate of failure (3 of 4 elements that I have failed), for which NMCL didn't issue a recall, and there are shady business practices with regard to claims of laboratory testing (source).  Should comparable performance be required, get the Super Sterasyl ATC candles, which supposedly handle lead and organics.  St. Paul Mercantile has an excellent FAQ on the Doulton filters, including a link on how to build one's own bucket filter.

I think that for my SHTF water filter, I may have to go with a Sawyer.  And I may get a Katadyn Pocket just for good measure.

Edit [2012.02.03]: Except that I've read that some viruses get down to 0.004 micron, so the Sawyer may not be sufficient....  Also, the "candle" terminology comes from the French "bougie", used in other medical contexts.  Lastly, gravityfilter.com is pretty cheap.