Category: Guns

Monday Links Time

October 3, 2022 / / 0 Comments

As many of you have heard, the Nord Stream pipeline in the Baltic “suffered a mischief”, as the Brits say. The linked CNN article – and just about every major news outlet – is saying sabotage on the Russians part. Why? Jonah Goldberg had the most plausible explanation behind sabotage – to get out of paying contract costs by simply not delivering the agreed upon gas. Oops sorry, broken pipe, can’t hold us accountable for non-delivery fees if we can’t deliver.

However, Lawdog, who grew up on oil fields has another take. Which is pretty much greed, corruption, and lack of preventive maintenance resulting in bad things happening. More explanation here. When it comes to Russia, I’m more apt to blame incompetence and bureaucratic ineptitude than outright malfeasance.

Another couple of stories came across that I think point to the future in entertainment. First, James Earl Jones has signed off on allowing AI to use his voice for Darth Vader. Using specialized software, Disney will be able to clone Jones’s voice so that it can continue to be used for one of the Star Wars franchise’s most notable characters. Next came news that Bruce Willis, who recently retired from acting due to health issues, licensed his likeness to be used for deepfakes. From the Ars Technica story: “Bruce Willis has sold the “digital twin” rights to his likeness for commercial video production use, according to a report by The Telegraph. This move allows the Hollywood actor to digitally appear in future commercials and possibly even films, and he has already appeared in a Russian commercial using the technology.” I can see this having some very interesting ramifications for actors in the future.

Finally, a news story about a couple who found a bit more than they were expecting when they bought a bunch of surplus storage containers. From the Guns.com article: “The unidentified winners of an auction for over 100 green plastic Hardigg rifle shipping and storage cases from a Georgia-based online surplus company cracked open one to find at least a dozen M16s inside, reports KTRK in Houston. In what was probably the right move from a legal standpoint but what will be an epic letdown for many, they called the ATF who “quickly” arrived to pick up the guns.” For the record, if this was me, my first call would be to my attorney. Who would then contact the authorities and arrange for their return. Because I wouldn’t want to get caught in the blame game of how these ended up in my possession without having arranged legal representation beforehand.

Fun Show Time!

September 15, 2022 / / 0 Comments

Over the weekend, the BIL and me went to the local gun show. It was mostly a chance for him and me to price out a couple of items (each) and just gawk.

For my two items, I was looking for a semi-auto 12-gauge and a .22 double-action revolver. I was really hoping someone had Mossberg’s new 940, but to no avail. I did see their 930 Tactical and a couple of Beretta’s 1301’s. As for the revolver? I’ve decided that even though they are cheaper, I can’t go with an LCR for my 22 revolver. I just can’t get a good grip on that gun. I’d really like an SP-101 in 22, but we’ll see what’s available when I finally have the cash.

The BIL was looking at some uppers for his AR pistol and some pump shotguns. The local gun store chain was running a special on a Maverick 88 for $300. Which honestly, wasn’t a bad deal for a budget shotgun. He was also looking for a .22 plinker, and was looking at a couple of GSG’s MP5 clones. Which, honestly, are also tempting for when/if the niece and nephew come to get their 22’s out of my gun safe. Or, I could just fix up the other ones in my safe like I’ve been saying I was going to.

As for other neat toys, I played with some CZs and a nifty B&T TP9. What was interesting was that I saw a couple of HK unicorns in the wild. One of the stands had the semi-auto version of the UMP sub gun. It was interesting, but what really caught my eye was someone selling an SLR-8. I’d never seen one in real life. I’ll admit to being intrigued. Unfortunately (or fortunately) I do not have the $2k they were asking.

I really wish one of the booths had a Just Right Carbine. Just so I can check the ergonomics of them. I’m tempted because they’re one of the few PCCs you can get that will take M&P mags.

I almost came home with a really pretty knife, but I have a hard time paying good money for something that’s just going to be displayed. If I buy a knife, I want to know that it will be used. Or at least, have the probability of being used. Or at least have the probability in my mind of being used.

All the fun at the gun show.

Monday Links

September 12, 2022 / / 0 Comments

First, from US News & World Reports an article on how detrimental the school closures were for the kids. New federal data – the first comparing academic achievement from before the coronavirus pandemic to now – shows unprecedented drops in math and reading scores and the largest setbacks for students in more than half a century. Way back in March/April of 2020, there might have been a case for closing the schools. We didn’t know enough about how COVID was spread, how dangerous it was, and who it impacted the most. However, as we learned more, it was clear that the biggest obstacle to opening the schools were the unions who wanted their members paid for not having to go into the schools. I think we will be feeling the ramifications of this for a very long time.

It’s not Derek’s links without Reason articles. So here’s one on what happened when Sri Lanka banned synthetic fertilizers. The short version? Famine, inflation, government destabilization. Everything a country needs. <Sarcasm>

And here’s another on embracing the prepper mindset. Seriously, hasn’t the last two years kind of proven it’s probably a good idea to have some extra supplies on hand? As reader David says in his articles at Blue Collar Prepping, “Some is better than none.”

From The Reload, comes an article on a recent survey of gun owners. According to the article, this was the largest survey done with more in-depth questions. So, what did it find? Gun owners are more diverse, they are carrying more, and they often own the same weapons and magazines that many want banned. Oh, and they are possibly more than 1.5 million defensive gun uses annually.

Monday Links

September 5, 2022 / / 0 Comments

First, a couple of links regarding the housing issue.

From CBS comes an article that a school district near San Francisco is trying to keep teachers by offering low-cost housing on school district property. This has been an issue facing the area I live in. The editor of one of the local papers calls it a shortage of "workforce housing." How do you house all the people between the lower class and the upper middle class who do all of the work needed to run our cities and our businesses? Some good solutions (like what this school district is trying) are needed before the failing ones (like rent control) are brought back out.

One of the downstream impacts of the housing market has been an increased demand in storage units. A recent report from Yardimatrix expects demand to continue to be high and sustained Considering how many self-storage places are going up near us, this doesn’t surprise me.

A couple of new gun offerings that interest me.

First, TFB has an article on B&T’s folding sub machine gun. I have been fascinated by folding subguns since Robocop 2 and B&T has just been putting out neat stuff. I’m really looking at their APC308 for my heavy AR slot.

From GH Hill, comes Big Horn’s new 500 S&W tactical lever action. One of my Zombie Strike characters carried one of their levers, and there was some temptation to give Nick one in Badmoon.

Finally, an article from Nature on why we get tired when we think really hard. From the article: "The study, published on 11 August in Current Biology1, found that participants who spent more than six hours working on a tedious and mentally taxing assignment had higher levels of glutamate — an important signalling molecule in the brain. Too much glutamate can disrupt brain function, and a rest period could allow the brain to restore proper regulation of the molecule, the authors note. At the end of their work day, these study participants were also more likely than those who had performed easier tasks to opt for short-term, easily won financial rewards of lesser value than larger rewards that come after a longer wait or involve more effort.”

Monday Links – Again

August 29, 2022 / / 0 Comments

At least until I get some new Monday Fiction to put here, I’m probably going to use the Monday slot for links I’ve picked up that I find amusing.

First, from Reason comes an article on Japan reopening nuke plants. Per Ronald Bailey: “Japan is over its anti-nuclear Fukushima freak out. The rest of the world should get over it and build more nuclear too.”

From The Firearms Blog comes an article on Hillsborough County is arming its SRO’s with B&T APC9 subguns. Not that I’m against SRO’s having subguns, but I have to wonder if the choice was influenced by the fact that B&T’s import arm is based in Tampa.

Three items in the history files:

First, it looks like Genghis Khan’s tomb may have been found.

Second, last week was the thirtieth anniversary of Hurricane Andrew wreaking havoc across South Florida. Probably the lasting legacy of the storm: “In 1992, Hudgison says there were over 400 different building codes in the state but because of Hurricane Andrew, there’s now one uniformed code for Florida.”

Finally, from the Mises Institute comes an article on Malcolm McLean, the man credited with the innovation of the cargo container. I’ll admit that I have a fondness for those unsung inventors and entrepreneurs who develop the things we take for granted, but are the backbone of our modern world. Like cargo containers.

Finally, a couple of military tech items:

First, Lock-Mart says it’s delivered a laser weapon to the Navy for mounting on warships. The Navy has stated for a while it’s trying to get away from explosive propellant cannon and guns. Considering the danger to the ships, I can’t say I blame them. This may be the first step for that.

Second, part of the weapons the American government are sending to Ukraine include a vehicle-mounted weapons system. It includes a four-barrel rocket launcher and sensor turret. Instant technical, just add Toyota Hilux.

Monday Link Time

August 22, 2022 / / 0 Comments

First, just in time to celebrate the feds for passing their crony corporatism for the semiconductor sector, comes this article from Bloomberg about a coming bust in that sector. The semiconductor market enjoyed a massive run-up in orders during the pandemic, sending sales and stock prices to new highs and triggering a global scramble to find enough supplies. There was hope in some circles that the boom could be sustained for several more years without a painful pullback, but chipmakers are now facing a familiar problem: growing inventory and shrinking demand. [Snip] But fortunes have turned swiftly for the biggest chipmakers. Companies like Nvidia Corp. are reporting more that 40% annual declines in their core businesses, while Micron Technology Inc. warns that demand is evaporating fast in many areas. Well, this feels familiar. Particularly those of us who have watched the boom and bust cycles in the firearms industry.

The joke was that the lamentations of enlisted soldiers who couldn’t poorly spend their enlistment bonuses or sign up for bad loans on Dodge Chargers and Challengers, because the automaker is discontinuing them. Dodge will be putting an end to its iconic Charger and Challenger lineup real soon as the company teases a new era of mystery cars to come. The electrified future is slowly creeping into Dodge’s ICE-ladened inventory. It sounds like the lamentations will be short-lived as the young men will have electric versions to make bad decisions about.

At least, it will be cheaper in the future to hear better as the FDA approves OTC hearing aids. Come October, instead of being forced to visit an audiologist and shelling out thousands of dollars for the added expense, hearing aid users will be able to purchase FDA-certified hearing aids from any major retailer like Amazon, Walmart or Best Buy without needing a prescription. IMO, we will see some good, generic hearing aids, but the best will still require special testing and fitting. Kind of like electronic ear pro we have now.

In the life-saving category, we have an article from Active Response Training on the best tourniquets. You really need to RTWT. And take a Stop The Bleed course. And don’t cheap out on your tourniquets.

Finally, our light item (courtesy of The Brother) is on the proper method of peeling off Post-It Notes. The article is amusing, but the TLDR is peel side to side, not down to up.

Very Interesting Concept

August 18, 2022 / / 0 Comments

When I saw this pop up on my YouTube feed, my first thought was “hey, that looks like my Bren.” Then, as Ian explained the concept behind the rifle, I was very intrigued. I’m not going to be in the market for a new rifle for a long while, but I do like when people try out new ideas. Even if it’s how to use existing stuff in new ways.

Links Time!

August 15, 2022 / / 0 Comments

First, the serious ones.

Salman Rushdie was brutally stabbed before he was about to give a talk on free speech. From the USA Today article: Rushdie’s agent, Andrew Wylie of The Wylie Agency, said the writer was on a ventilator Friday evening, with a damaged liver, severed nerves in an arm and an eye he was likely to lose. The article says a suspect was taken into but authorities did not have any indication of a motive. Hmm…. I mean, it couldn’t have anything to do with the death decree the Iranians put him under decades ago, could it?

Speaking of New York, there are indications of a breakout of polio. There was a chance, a good chance, that polio could have been eliminated – much like smallpox. Instead, the US government co-opted polio workers. Which, of course, became known. Which, of course, meant certain local populaces wouldn’t take the vaccine. Which, of course, is expanded by the anti-vax movement.

Next a some Reason articles that came to my attention:

First, DC Circuit upholds the bump stock ban. From the article: It concluded that the new reading of the law—which contradicts the position that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) consistently took before then-President Donald Trump demanded that the agency ban bump stocks by administrative fiat—is “the best interpretation of the statute.” Even with the NYSRPA ruling, we have years of court cases to see how that decision will filter out among the courts.

In the vein of government knowing better comes an article about how politicians are trying to zone out mobile homes. From the article: From Texas to West Virginia and almost everywhere in between, you’ll find zoning laws that aren’t so subtle in banning mobile homes and mobile home parks altogether. From urban to suburban to rural areas, legislation is being considered and often passed into law that tacks on costs, makes it harder to own a mobile home, and in many cases makes it untenable to ever build a new mobile home park. In my particular opinion, mobile homes are the payday loans of the housing market. They’re flimsy and overpriced and have many hidden costs that hurt the people they’re supposedly aimed at. None of which means I think they should be illegal. I’d much rather have a bunch of mobile home parks than the disaster of people not being able to find any shelter.

FIRE is still doing good work. In this case, taking on a community college whose leadership conspired to censor anti-communist flyers. This is my shocked face.

Now let’s do some lighter items:

There’s a cat café up in Tampa. And if you really like the kitty you’re playing with, you can adopt it. I may have to take The Wife up for this.

Via The Brother comes an ArsTechnica article about a recent Excel esports competition on ESPN. Okay, first, I find it highly amusing that ESPN turns one of its channels into ESPN8: The Ocho once a year with a focus on “seldom seen sports”. Second, I find it amusing that it does feature a dodgeball competition. Third, I fucking adore an Excel competition – and it is just as amazing as I hoped.

Finally, a video that amused me more than it probably should: