Makarov Ammo

Guns Holsters and Gear has a nice write up on self defense ammo for the 9x18 Mak.  Go take a read, if you have any of those godless heathen commie guns

Gun Porn- Truck Gun Edition (for exurbankevin)

A couple of days ago, Kevin over at Misfires and Light Strikes asked about a "Car Gun"- something that is more than a pistol, but less than a rifle.  This is something I have been chasing for years-  in these parts, we spend lots of time in vehicles.  It is nice to have a compact gun that has a bit more reach and "oompf" than a CHL handgun, just in case.

The compact size is more about portability and being discrete than moving about and firing from a vehicle as some people expect.  I am a firm believer in Clint Smith's doctrine- Drive OR Shoot.  Not both.  However, you don't want to leave a weapon in a vehicle unsecured.  You want it compact so you can be discrete transporting it back and forth from the vehicle.  Another consideration is that some of these are technically pistols, and open carry of pistols is illegal (in TX).  So they do need to fit into a case or container of some sort.

Here are the different iterations of car guns that I have used:

From Top to bottom:
AR Pistol
THUD- a custom .44Mag NEF Single Shot
Rossi Ranch Hand .357Mag
UZI Carbine 9mm
Kel-Tec Sub2000 in .40S&W
Home Built AK Pistol

I'll start chronologically:

THUD-

My only 'named' gun

Description: NEF .44Mag single shot carbine, barrel cut down to 16.25", custom rattle-can paint job, home made kydex buttstock ammo carrier, Williams peep sight, Williams fiber-optic front sight.
Pros: Accurate, Powerful (I've used this to harvest a few whitetail deer), very handy. Versatile- works will all sorts of ammo. Does not look scary and tactical to the uninformed.
Cons: Single shot.  Larger than other options.

Kel Tec Sub2000-

Description: Bone stock .40 cal Sub2000
Pros: VERY compact when folded.  Can match ammo and magazines with a carry gun.  Very light. Technically a rifle, so it open carry (here) is legal, but it can be hidden very easily to not scare the neighbors.
Cons: Cannot fire when folded. Lower power than other options.  Difficult to add optics without getting Rube Goldberg on it. Odd charging handle location.

Uzi Carbine-

Description: Uzi Carbine in 9mm.  Dummy suppressor barrel shroud, LaserMax laser on a custom railed handguard
Pros: Can share ammo with carry gun.  Inexpensive 30 round mags.  Super fun to shoot.  Can fire with stock folded. Reliable.  Technically a rifle, concealment is not mandatory
Cons: HEAVY.  Lower power.  Does not share mags with carry gun.  Hard to mount optics

Rossi Ranch Hand-

Description: Bone Stock Ranch Hand in .357 Mag
Pros: Can share ammo with carry gun.  Mid level  power. Very handy, very light.  Versatile with ammo  selection.  Does not look tactical and scary to the uninformed. technically a pistol and very easy to conceal in a bag or pack
Cons: Slow reloads.  Lower capacity.  Hard to mount optics.

AK Pistol-

Description: Home built AK Pistol in 7.62x39
Pros: Handy.  Good power level.  Cheap ammo and magazines. Reasonably accurate. Technically a pistol and conceals easily in a tennis racquet bag with a 20 round mag. Fun to shoot.
Cons: LOUD.  Optics mounts are more difficult than other options

AR Pistol-

Description: Home Built AR Pistol.  Del-Ton Lower, 7.5" bbl, Palmetto State LPK and buffer tube, Burris Fast Fire red-dot
Pros: Light, handy, Accurate, easy to mount optics and accessories. Good power.  Cheap mags and ammo. Technically a pistol, and with a 20 Round mag, fits in the same tennis bag.
Cons: LOUD.  To make it compact, you go with a short barrel which robs some of the power of the 5.56

Are any of these the perfect choice?  No.  Are all of them fun and worth owning?  Yep!

Smith Enterprise, Inc. (SEI) M14 Barstock Receiver

It seems that Smith Ent. likes to sue people for posting bad reviews of their products online.

So, I just wanted to add my little part to the Google search fiasco and say:

DON'T BUY FROM SMITH ENTERPRISE.  THEY SUE PEOPLE FOR POSTING BAD REVIEWS ONLINE

Good Beer and Good 'classic style' metal

On a whim, I picked up a sixpack of a new Brew from the local favorite Real Ale Brewing out of Blanco, TX.  It is a tribute beer to a metal band named The Sword, and is appropriately named "The Sword Iron Swan Ale "

Ugly can, good beer

I did not do a full review, since I was drinking straight from the can in a parking lot after dark (took me back 20 years... just not with some of the shitty beer I swilled back then), but it was a good, flavorful ale.  Fruity hops, but not overpowering, 5.88% ABV, so it is 'sessionable'.  I'll post better pics and a review later tonight when I have time to pay more attention to the remainder of that sixer.

But it also introduced me to the band "The Sword".  Listening to some of their stuff on YouTube this morning, and it - once again- takes me back 20-25 years to some classic metal.  Good sound, cheesy and over the top videos, guitar driven with barely understandable lyrics.

get the horns up!  \m/

What a bunch of jerks

Obama can't get Gun Control past congress, so he screws with gun owners and collectors by banning reimportation of M1 Carbines and M1 Garands from Korea, and now by making those of us with Class 3 stuff jump through MORE hoops before we can get more stuff.

What an asshole.  This is PURELY punitive.  There is no reason to do this for crime.  I dare ANYONE on to come up with any sort of stat that shows any significant crime caused by CMP garands and Carbines or legally owned 'Class 3' weapons.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/08/29/obama-announces-new-gun-control-measures-targets-military-surplus-imports/

This is a total WANT!

A walk-in beer cooler with external tap. 

This isn’t your typical beverage cooler; it’s more like a piece of heaven, if heaven were climate controlled and located in your basement. Seriously though, the BrewCave is the walk in cooler that has everything!
The modular, panel design of each unit is fully tested and each piece is shipped to you separately, so you can assemble it right where you want it to be. Every panel (and the optional floor) has four inches of insulation sandwiched between inner and outer metal skins, so you know the inside of the cooler will remain igloo-cold. Good thing too, because with shelving space for over 30 cases of beer and room for four kegs on top of that, frostiness is your friend.
Speaking of those kegs, this unit has the added bonus of doubling as quite possibly the world’s largest kegerator. Everything you need to make this the ultimate draft beer dispensing system is included with your shipment, so you can enjoy the fruits of your labor from day one.
Easy assembly, exceptional utility, and extreme good looks…the BrewCave is pretty much a cross between a miracle and another miracle!

LINK

OMG!

Another temple to smoke, meat and time

Worth Watching

I swear I'll have some real content soon.  Just been so busy lately.

Anyway, this is worth the watch:

H/T to Every Day, No Days off

When Worlds Collide-

Adam Savage (geek world 1) builds a replica Star Wars (geek world 2) from real and replica gun (geek world 3) parts.