Link Dump, 2013.01.09

These have been sitting in my reader for a bit....

Roberts's Real Long Game?
The Permanent Militarization of America
The Power of Negative Thinking

And more recently:
Ten gun bills on Congress's first day

Society of the Cincinnati

Apparently Cincinnati has roots leading back to the Revolutionary War via the Society of the Cincinnati.  How come all the neat parts of history are kept hidden from general public knowledge?  (I suppose it's because the general public doesn't care about history.)

Aeon Fawkes

Someone posted a link to this store on a PTR-91 forum.  They have some interesting stuff, like NBC gear.  The name sounds like a cross between Aeon Flux and Guy Fawkes....

Secession

For historical study.

Online Tools

GinzaMetrics' "lessons learned" for 2012 has a list of online tools that they use that's quite intriguing.  To wit:

• git / Github (repository & wikis, nothing else)
• WordPress (migrated from Jekyll in order to allow guest blogging / contributors)
• Dropbox
• Skype
• Google Apps
• DynDNS
• Stripe (payments)
• Tumblr (system status)
• HelloBar (system status)
• Wufoo (landing page management system)
• Trello (issue management)
• Google Doc
• Intercom (analytics)
• Mixpanel and KISSmetrics (analytics)
• Exceptional (bug reporting)

It's hard to keep up with all the stuff that's out there.

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).