"Scout" Rifle Pic

Caleb over at Gun Nuts Media has been pondering the possibility of a scout-style rifle made from a mil-surp rifle. Normally, I wouldn't bother with putting up a pic of one of my rifles "just 'cause" but as I have one of the variations he's been considering, I figured I'd go ahead.



This started life as a Yugoslavian Mauser (late '50s vintage if I remember correctly). I had the barrel shortened to 20", replaced the stock with a Butler Creek synthetic stock (was listed as military barrel contour but was actually a sporter barrel contour that required inletting), affixed the XS Sight Systems scout mount, and attached the Burris scout scope.

All told, this ended up costing me around $400. Further work I'd like to do is to replace the trigger with one of the sporter-style trigger replacement packs that includes a modern design safety lever to replace the huge safety lever that currently resides on the back of the bolt.

Too Freaking Hilarious

I can't breathe!

Knew It Was Coming...

Just didn't think it'd be this soon.

I'm not going to comment further. Not here, at any rate.

H/T to Tam.

WANT!

The image at the left is from the Kel-Tec Owner's Group bulletin board. Those who hang out with me know that I've been drooling over this for a while now. However, I've gotten just a teensy bit more rabidly obsessed over the last month or so ever since KT announced that these would be shipping sometime this month. I'm not exactly certain why I want this particular rifle over a tried-and-proven design like the FAL which I could get for around the same price point.

I guess it just turns me on.

HB1237 In Senate Judiciary Committee

HB1237, the bill to remove churches from the list of prohibited places under Arkansas' concealed handgun licensing law, has passed the House and is now sitting in the Senate Judiciary committee. I read somewhere that Governor Beebe has stated that he will sign the bill if it makes it to his desk. Unfortunately, I'm now coming up with a blank as to where I saw that bit of info.

Additionally, Robb as Sharp as a Marble has a nice rebuttal to some of the uninformed hysteria that has arisen concerning this bill. The only thing that I would add to his reply is to the "ministers" who are making the local media with their opposition to this bill. From what I have seen, every one of you represents a denomination that holds as one of its beliefs that the church is the people, not the building. It's the people who gather together that are holy, not the place where they sometimes gather together. Yet all I'm seeing is talk of "preserving the sanctity of the church" and "the church is a place of peace". If it's wrong in God's sight for a Christian to carry a gun into "church", then it's wrong for them to carry at all, seeing as how they are an integral part of the church!

Y'know, it really makes me wonder if you've put any thought or study into this subject at all or are just reacting at a gut level. I'd suggest you take a look at 2 Samuel, particularly the story of Uzzah, as to how God responds to his people reacting at a gut level without thinking things through.

I Just Don't Understand. And Neither Do They, I Think.

"For someone who carries a gun, you sure are awful concerned about not breaking the law."

This (or something reasonably close to it) was said to me today by a co-worker. The only thing that I can think in regards to why he should say this is that he believes that if I were caught breaking a law, I could shoot my way out of the situation. This is not the first time that others have implied that they think I should have a more cavalier attitude toward certain things simply because I carry a pistol. I believe it's not likely it'll be the last time I hear that opinion, either.

What puzzles me is why someone would think that carrying a pistol entitles a person to behave more recklessly. At best, such behavior would be punished by a fine or imprisonment and the loss of the right to own a firearm. At worst, it would result in someone's needless death.

I can only assume that most people who offer these opinions are either joking or simply haven't thought things all the way through. Whichever the case, it's really rather unnerving to hear people talk like that.

* * *

Coworker: "You don't have a rebel bone in your body."

Me: "I've got a pretty good idea under what circumstances I would be willing to break a law."

Coworker: "I'd like to see that!"

Me: "No. You wouldn't."

This is another example of things I don't understand. As stated above, I have a respect for the law that some others find to be a little on the extreme side. As such, I would think it obvious that I am also fervently opposed to anyone attempting to circumvent or corrupt the law. I have absolutely no qualms about ignoring or breaking an illegal law. This does not mean that I will flagrantly flout the law. So long as I find such a law bearable, I will tolerate it. However, once it becomes unbearable, it becomes of no concern to me.

The reason that I told my coworker that he would not want to see me break a law is because I am usually an easy-going fellow. It takes quite a bit before I decide that something is unbearable. And, usually, once I get to that point, things have already gotten rough for everyone involved.

HR1237 Passes!

According to the House Legislative Journal, HR1237 has passed the Judiciary Committee. It stated that there was no roll call but the vote was not unanimous. Of course, it's not law yet, but it's one step further...

ARCCA

I've become a member of the Arkansas Concealed Carry Association. I highly suggest fellow Arkansans do the same.

Nice Of Them To Let Us Know...

It seems that the Arkansas State Police have decided to add extra legal burdens on CHL holders. Under Rule 3.2 of the DEPARTMENT OF ARKANSAS STATE POLICE, ARKANSAS CONCEALED HANDGUN CARRY LICENSE RULES which was put into effect on January 1, 2009, if a concealed handgun license holder interacts with a law enforcement officer in an official manner, the licensee now has the responsibility to present the officer with their CHL if the officer requests identification and the licensee is in possession of a handgun.

Based upon emails with the ASP by one of the posters on THR, this rule does not carry the weight of law and there are no penalties that can be invoked for not following the rule. However, as this document is provided to officers and CHL instructors as being in compliance with AR law, there are two distinctly unsavory possibilities: 1) An officer believes that there is a legal duty to inform and arrests a CHL holder for not informing and 2) CHL instructors will promulgate this information as having the weight of law, further muddying the waters for those licensees/prospective licensees who are less informed.

Also included in the THR thread was the fact that the ASP apparently posted, in both newspapers and on their website, a public hearing regarding these rules. I did not see either of these notices and I am fairly certain that my CHL-holding friends did not see them, either. Therefore, I will, from now on, do my best to check ASP's website on a regular basis in an attempt to catch further rule-making hearings. I will post any activity in that area on this website.

On a more positive note, HB1237 (allowing CHL holders to carry in churches/places of worship) and HB1097 (allowing allowing CHL holders to carry in schools) are scheduled to go before the Judiciary Committee, HB1237 as early as tomorrow morning. Three of the members of this committee are co-sponsors of HB1237.

ETA: HB1097 evidently is only concerned with allowing the CHL holder to keep the firearm in their vehicle. It's still a step in the right direction, just not as big a step as I'd previously thought.

AR Upgrades

Dick and I got in a little trigger time this past Friday. I shot my AR, Saiga .308, and Puma .357. The Saiga and Puma both gave me feeding problems. The Saiga exhibited the same tendency to stovepipe that it always has. The Puma was tending to let the nose of the rounds come up too far and jam against the upper edge of the chamber. It was jamming about every third round.

Afterward, we installed the YHM AR-15 free-float handguard that I've had ever since I bought the AR parts kit from Del-Ton. It was actually significantly easier to install than I imagined. The most difficult part was breaking loose first the flash hider and then the barrel nut. I'm really pleased with the handguard so far.

I went ahead and pre-ordered the Burris AR-332. After doing a little more research, it appears that SWFA are scheduled to get these in around February 11. I'll do a review once I get it in and get a chance to shoot with it (the latter of which may take a while since I can't seem to get rifle time in too often lately)

I've decided to scrap the idea I had for suppressing the Puma since it's obviously not as reliable as I'd like for enjoyable plinking and the work to get it both reliable and set up for the suppressor would be extensive and expensive. Now I'm toying with the idea of suppressing my AR. The AR is already threaded and can be suppressed by either threading directly onto the barrel or by using a quick-detachable flash hider. Right now I'm leaning toward the YHM Stainless Phantom. It's rated for full-auto fire as well as being made from stainless steel which should make it more durable as well as being easier to clean. It looks like it retails for about $460 for direct barrel mounting or $535 for the QD flash hider mount option. And, of course, the $200 government-mandated extortion fee NFA tax stamp.

Anyone have suggestions for which mounting option to use? I doubt I'll be using the rifle for hunting, which is the only reason I can think of for removing the suppressor. But it might be nice to be able to take the suppressor off without resorting to using an upper receiver vise.

Burris AR-332 Prism Sight

Burris has announced a 3x Prism sight intended specifically for the AR-15 series of rifles. It's unclear to me whether this is a red-dot style sight or if the reticle can simply be illuminated (the latter is the direction I'm hoping they go). The reticle is a "donut"-style with .223 bullet drop compensator built in. The base appears to be interchangeable for carry handle or picatinny mounting. There are also picatinny rails built into the scope body itself. I'm not sure what they're supposed to be used for since this is being marketed as a CQ-style optic but I'm sure someone will find something to bolt on there.

SWFA is currently offering these on their website (obviously a pre-order) for $209.95. At that price, I may just have to try one.

ETA: Based on a mini-review I read from a SHOT Show attendee, the reticle is indeed of the illuminated variety rather than a red-dot style. *Happy Dance!*

Federal Takes Judge To New Level

Federal ammunition has introduced a new personal defense shotshell specifically tailored for the .410 handgun, the most popular of which is the Judge by Taurus. Taurus has also announced a new model of the Judge named the Public Defender.

This makes me ponder...

H/T to Caleb and Steve

An Update AND a Rant, All In One!

These last few weeks have been crazy. Between getting Christmas shopping done, visiting relatives, visiting friends, and planning more visits with relatives, I haven't managed to get anything constructive done around the house that I was planning to do. Which really isn't a big price to pay at all for spending time with loved ones at Christmas.

What I have managed to do is to catch up on laundry, get my Para LTC (that was beginning to rust - more on that later) traded out for a Glock 20, get new tires on my truck (Along with a new tie rod end and a front end alignment), and get traps and poison set out for the uninvited guest I mentioned previously.

Now, what's the deal with Para-Ordnance? I've had two Para pistols, both of which have exhibited a disturbing tendency to rust. The first was a P12-45 that rusted underneath the Hogue grips that I installed. After oiling it to make sure that exact problem wouldn't happen. The LTC began rusting at the hammer, the guide rod plug, and the slide rails. The former two are blued parts, so I'm not really all that surprised given my track record with bluing. But come on! The freaking slide rails?

Now, I realize that Para uses some kind of polymer coating for the OD Green finish. But I also own several CZ firearms and I've never had issues with the pieces that receive the polycoat finish rusting. The safety, slide stop, and hammer, yes (blued parts, see above) but not the polycoated parts. So, I don't have anything against "painted-on" finishes, as some have dubbed them. I think I just have something against the particular finish Para uses. Or maybe used. Both of the pistols I had were older firearms. It's possible Para has switched to something different by now.

On to the new Glock. The 20 will be getting the same treatment as my model 21. I've ordered a 3.5# trigger bar to install, two extended slide stops (one for each pistol), and a set of XS 24/7 Big Dot sights. Those sights on my 21 have sold me on the concept of express sights on a pistol. They are accurate enough for social use and fast to boot. Right now, I'm thinking the 21 will be doing nightstand duty and the 20 will be my main carry piece. This is, of course, assuming that the 20 passes function testing with the new parts I've ordered.

Well, that about does it for me. I'm off to get my hair cut and deposit my paycheck that I thought was a direct deposit receipt when I received it last week.

Well, I'll Be...

Seems my current home-town of Conway is also home to a world-known USPSA shooter, one Matt Mink. I'll be honest and say that I'm not familiar with the name. But one of the things that really surprises me is that he's a CZ shooter as well. Check out the video at the link and you might notice that he's using a CZ SP01. It also mentions that he competes locally at a Pulaski county range. I'm wondering if that might be something that the guys and I might want to check out one of these days...? Anyone?

Seems the video embed doesn't want to work for me, either.

H/T to Caleb.

Half Asleep

I'm sitting here half asleep and trying to figure out what I want to post. I know there're things I want to put up here but I'm not so sure I can do so coherently at this point. I apologize in advance if I write something that leaves you scratching your head trying to figure it out.

I've had a pretty Thanksgiving holiday. Got to see mom and dad, my grandparents, aunt and uncle, cousins, and an uncle who I hadn't seen in a couple of years at least. Bro and his better half made it in as well, as did little sis, if only for Thanksgiving day.

Dad's been trying to get sick pretty much all day today. It's made him a little grumpy but he realized it and tried his best to moderate himself. Did a pretty good job, too.

He and I had mom try out several pistols that I brought with me this time. Dad had asked me to bring some so that she could get a feel for which one fit her hand the best. She ended up really liking the Star BM. I offered to give it to them but dad insisted on paying me for it. I showed dad how to field strip it but I'm hoping that mom will take some time with me in the near future to learn how to operate and care for it. It's in need of a re-finish right now as most of it is gone off the front and backstrap but I did have a couple of extra magazines for it. I plan on checking at Gander the next time I'm in LR to see how much they'll charge to either re-blue or parkerize a pistol. If it's close to reasonable, I'll probably take it back with me over Christmas to have that done.

I'm quite impressed by the amount of light that the tritium vials in the XS Sights Big Dot put out. I've noticed the past couple of nights that there's enough that there's a small patch of light washing around the rear sight. I plan on stopping by D, R, and T's tomorrow on the way home. I hope that I'll have the opportunity to try the new sights out while I'm there.

Frustration and Gratification

Well, it seems that I was a bit hasty about announcing my employment. My boss did indeed receive an email stating that I had passed my background check and that I was good to go. However, it seems that the background check that had come back was for another gentleman who had just been hired whose middle name is Barrett. My background check results did not come in until yesterday and therefore today was my first day on the payroll.

The only real problem that resulted from the miscommunication was that, since I thought I was off contract, I didn't send my time sheet in to my employment agency until this morning. Which means that it will be a week from Thursday before I get my next check. Things are going to be a bit tight what with the holiday travel I have planned and it being the end of the month but I'm pretty sure I will be able to squeeze by.

On another note, I made several purchases over the past month and a half that have all come in recently. The first is my Blade-Tech holster and magazine pouch for my Glock. I'm satisfied with the workmanship in their products, as always. My only gripe is that the mag pouch is set up so that the mag can only be inserted in one direction and it just happens to be opposite of the way I prefer to have the mag seated. But that's a rather minor annoyance.

I also received some XS big dot sights for the Glock. I've not had a chance to shoot with them yet. I'll post an update once I have.

Lastly, I've gotten an ACE lightweight stock for my AR. It's very close in length to the setting I had the CTR stock set for and doesn't yank whiskers out of my face every other time I shoulder it. Should have used a lube on the foam padding while installing it. I ended up taking out a couple of chunks. Figure I'll just get some electrical tape or black duct tape and patch it up. In order to match the stock, I also picked up a black Magpul pistol grip (the non-modular one) and put the old black handguards back on the upper. It's a true EBR again.

Veteran's Day Sale

Blade-Tech is having a Veteran's Day sale in which just about everything is 25% off. I have several of their holsters and a mag pouch and I'm very pleased with the quality/price point ratio even when they're not having a sale. In fact, I'll probably order an item or two for my new Glock while I'm at it.

Go check it out.

Tastes Like Chicken

I'm gonna have to eat a little crow here. After my Double Action Friendly I Ain't post, I went and bought a used Glock 21. Well, I say I bought it but actually TM was the one to talk the guy down to $350. TM then set me up with a new 3.5# trigger bar, grip plug, 13 round magazine (the original was only a 10), and a new slide stop as the old one was missing the vast majority of its finish. And I gotta say, I'm quite satisfied with the trigger. It's kinda like a soft two-stage trigger on a rifle with a really long first stage. And I hit with it just as well or better than with my Witness.

Think I'll keep it.

Also, TM let me know that CDNN is running a sale on G21 (non-SF frame) 13 round mags for $14.99 each. (In looking the link up, I noticed that they're now $16.99 and out of stock to boot! Gee, I wonder what brought that on? < /sarcasm >) They're marked "Law Enforcement Use Only" but they're perfectly legal for those of us in states that are still (relatively) free. I picked up two and a holster while I was at it.

Double Action Friendly I Ain't

A recent post by Caleb at Call Me Ahab has managed to put a burr under my saddle. In said post, Unix-Jedi makes a play on the line from Star Wars: A New Hope, saying: "Not as clumsy or random as a automatic. An elegant weapon for a more civilized time." He was, of course, referring to revolvers.

Now, please don't take what I'm about to say the wrong way. I realize that this was (mostly) a bit of fun between friends. I also realize that everyone has their preferences and everyone's preferences are different. The world'd be a really dull place if there was only one style of handgun, rifle, and shotgun in it.

But, please, don't try to sell me that bit about revolvers being the perfect carry gun. Folks can (and have) debated for days on end, back and forth about reliability, capacity, and concealability. But, for me, it boils down to one issue that's the deal-breaker: revolvers are intended to be fired in double action. And I just can't shoot in double action.

Oh, I suppose I could hit the broad side of a barn with a typical DA pistol. The Smiths in particular have a DA that is smooth enough for me to do okay with. But I consistently do better with pistols that have a crisp, single action trigger. It doesn't even have to be that light. If I were to take a box-stock Rock Island Armory plain-jane 1911 and a slicked-up Smith .357 (whatever model), I can state with confidence that (barring poor workmanship) I'd hit consistently better with the 1911. This has been true since I bought my first handgun (a S&W 66). I imagine it's also true of said stock 1911 versus pretty much any DA/SA or DAO autoloader. I don't know as I've never shot many of those types of handguns.

I guess what I'm getting at is that I don't see how one can naturally shoot a double action better than a single action. The only way I can see that it's feasible to compare the two is to have someone who has worked with DAs long and hard enough that it's not a handicap any more (Jerry Miculek anyone?). It just seems to me that for the average joe a SA autoloader is going to be significantly easier to get good hits with quickly. And isn't that the point of a defensive arm?

The High Road Has A New Home

See the following email from Oleg regarding THR's new home:

My name is Oleg Volk, and I am the owner of The High Road(tm). When I started the forum in 2002, my vision was to create a place where people from around the world could engage in cordial discussion of RKBA related matters. Since then, you have helped make The High Road(tm) one of the best places on the web for learning about firearms, for educating new shooters and for supporting effective advocacy of the Right to Keep and Bear Arms.

Due to pending legal issues, I am moving the forum to a new home at TheHighRoad.us. This is the one and only official site at this time, owned by me. The same high standards of civility apply. In the near future, we will provide more than just a forum. The High Road(tm) is becoming an information and activism center for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms.

With the help of GeoVario, our new host, The High Road(tm) is now online in its new home. The new location of The High Road(tm) -- http://www.thehighroad.us -- will serve our members while the conversion of the .org domain name by THR's former sysadmin is being challenged in court (Copy of the complaint available: http://www.geovario.com/legal/Complaint1.pdf ).

Feel free to mirror this announcement on your blog (here is a link to mine with details of this matter and how you can help. http://olegvolk.livejournal.com/474369.html ). If you link to THR, please update the link to point to thehighroad.us Eventually, both .us and .org addresses will point to the same site again.

Thank you all
- Oleg Volk, Owner
The High Road(tm)

Edited to correct the links.