Month: September 2009

Building up my home defense gun – or not

/ hsoi / 10 Comments

It’s clear that I prefer a rifle like an AR-15 for home defense. I’ve still got my shotguns, I’ve still got my handguns, but if there’s an ability to have a preference, AR-15 is it.

I feel my main AR is fairly well set up as a “fightin'” gun for home needs, including things like having a light on the fore-rail. The one thing I feel I is missing is a good scope/sights. I do have iron sights on it and they work well enough, but I really want to get a red-dot scope such as an Aimpoint. The reason is simple: target acquisition is faster.

So what model to get? Well, I don’t need night vision. I like the optic to be rugged. I want it to be simple (thus the Aimpoint over the EOTech) I do like the battery life as the point is to be a gun always at the ready, so turn it on, leave it on, and when/if I need the gun it’s ready to go no need to have to waste time turning on the optic; just change the batteries once a year. I was originally leaning towards the ML3 because I could get it in a 2 MOA dot. The M4 or M4S would be awesome: best design, uses a common AA battery and has amazing life, but wicked expensive. Tom Givens said all the top 3-gun competition guys were using the ML2; I don’t know why, but my guess is it’s least expensive and the 4 MOA dot is good enough in terms of precision but also a bigger dot means your eye picks it up a lot faster and thus you can get to shooting sooner. That’s some food for thought. The more I pondered that, the more I felt that yes, a 4 MOA dot would be better for my particular purpose of a home-defense/fighting rifle. I doubt I’d be taking shots beyond 100 yards. This is not a sniper/accuracy rifle, and 4″ at 100 yards is still minute-of-dead-bad-guy. If I was taking a shot inside the home, 25 yards is probably my longest shot, with more common distances maybe 10 yards give or take 5 yards.

So as of this writing, my feeling is to get the ML2. Or if for some reason I want the ML3, at least getting it in the 4 MOA configuration. I should say for the longest time I wanted the 2 MOA because I’ve got this thing about precision. People say you can buy the 2 MOA version and crank the brightness up until the dot “blooms” and then it’s bigger: you can make a 2 MOA dot a 4 MOA dot, but you can’t make a 4 MOA dot 2 MOA. There’s something to that, but when I look at a bloomed dot it’s “fuzzy” and distracting. Might be fine for some, but not for me. I can’t make the gun into an “everything” gun. It has a purpose, I need to build for that purpose and have a good rifle for that purpose, instead of a tool that’s half-assed for any/every purpose.

But…

I’m reconsidering getting any sort of sight/scope/optics.

The main reason is money, but also priority.

After taking the Combined Skills class, one thing Tom Givens made clear was that home invasions (where there’s a victim in the house) aren’t as frequent as we might think. Rather I should say, in his years of research, most violent crimes — especially where a gun is used to defend the victim — tend to happen at not-home: on the street, parking lots, etc.. Why are most of the stories of “person defends themselves with a gun” home invasion stories? Because at home is where most people in the USA have access to a gun. Something like half of the households in the USA have a gun in them. How many private citizens are legally allowed to carry a handgun on the street? About 3% of the population. Thus, when you hear the stories, you have to think of it in that context.

It’s not that I don’t want to have a good home-defense gun. But rather, I already have a sighting mechanism on my AR and it’s a good sighting mechanism. I get hits just fine with irons. But perhaps my money (the $500 it will cost for the Aimpoint plus a LaRue Tactical mount) might be better spent on a couple cases of ammo and more time at the range with my handgun. So, where to prioritize? Getting more gear for one thing, or spending the time/money on continuing to hone another thing.

I don’t know. This thought only just occurred to me this morning in the aftermath of the Combined Skills class. It’s something to think about. Not like I’ve got the money right now anyway… gotta think about braces for Oldest. 😯

Combined Skills – Done

/ hsoi

Back from from the Combined Skills weekend.

I’m too tired to blog right now. 🙂

Full review and things learned forthcoming.

Was a damn good weekend.

To tide you over, my buddy foo.c was in the class too and has some brief write-ups on day 1 and day 2.

Sunday Metal – Aerosmith

/ hsoi / 1 Comment

I wouldn’t say Aerosmith is a true metal band, but I would say that you cannot deny the foundational influence that Aerosmith had upon the bands that followed them. From the hard rockin’ blues style, to the legendary escapades of the Toxic Twins and crew backstage, they certainly helped to shape what was to become metal.

Updated: Ugh. Seems the video I had queued up was removed from YouTube.

But, here’s footage from The Midnight Special in 1974, performing “Train Kept a Rollin'”.

Combined Skills – halfway there

/ hsoi

It’s late… I need to get to bed. Tomorrow is going to be a full day in the Combined Skills class. I shall have a full review of the class afterwards.

A few quick things.

  • Tom Givens is a no bullshit guy. He’s funny, but he runs a no bullshit and serious class. He’s trying to put you in the mindset of fighting for your life, and there’s no room for bullshit in that. I can appreciate that.
  • You will fight like you train. This is training for fighting.
  • SouthNarc has some wicked strong forearms.
  • Rain is wonderful. Kinda screws with plans a bit, but on the whole I’m thankful we’re getting it because we need it so badly.
  • I can draw from concealment and get 2 hits in the proper target zone (between collarbone and diaphragm, between the nipples) at 5-ish yards (forgot exactly how far we were from the targets) in about 2.3 seconds… draw in 2. That’s pretty good, but I need to do better. I know I can do better.
  • Even when he’s not 100%, Karl Rehn is still a damn fast shot.
  • Dry fire is essential, but you still gotta get to the range and throw some lead downrange now and again. Curse this ammo shortage.
  • SouthNarc’s tactical stuff is solid work. Managing Unknown Contacts (MUC) is something everyone needs to know.
  • Simplicity. It’s where it’s at.
  • To borrow an old Kuk Sool thing, “I need more practice, sir.”

More later….

Yikes and away

/ hsoi

It’s been raining pretty heavily over Central Texas the past 24-48 hours. One area about 90 minutes drive north got 13″ of rain in less than 12 hours and had some pretty bad flooding. Some predictions today are 6-12″ of rain to the west of where I live (into the Texas Hill Country). There’s been bits of flooding here and there… small stream beds that were bone dry are now full. Storm drains are backed up with debris and can’t carry the water away fast enough. The ground is so parched that it just can’t soak up the water as fast as it normally could…. but at least with the sporadic rain events, it gets some time to soften up and that should help moderate the flooding.

At least we had a break in the action last night and were able to go to the Parish Fair for a few hours. I got to have a funnel cake. Life is good. 🙂

Right now it’s coming down at a very strong rate. At least the lawn is happy.

And… I’ve got Combined Skills class.

It’s still going on. Just not sure how things are going to change based upon this rain. I suspect if it’s coming down there as hard as it is here, we just can’t be doing range drills…. cardboard targets will not work.

Tomorrow is supposed to have rain but far less chances.

Well, it’s going to be an interesting day. 🙂

The waiting is the hardest part.

/ hsoi

With apologies to Tom Petty.

That’s all I’m doing right now. Waiting.

Waiting to see how much it’s going to rain this weekend.

Waiting for Apple Developer Technical Support to get back to me with answers to the problems I’m encountering in the product I’m working on.

Waiting for the updated documentation to be delivered so I can integrate it into the product.

Waiting for the work day to end so we can attend my church’s parish fair. Which also means about the only time with the Wife and Kids this weekend. So, waiting on being able to spend my time with my family.

Waiting for the main event of my weekend to start.

Just waiting….

As long as I’m thinking about the Combined Skills class….

What do I want to get out of it? Education. Tom Givens and SouthNarc are among the best in their field. I just want to learn. I just want to further my skillset. I want to open my mouth as little as possible and open my ears and mind as much as possible.

And if it’s raining a lot, that I don’t flub up my draws too much. 🙂

Seems it’s not a new idea after all

/ hsoi

Much has been said about the Ka-Bar Pistol Bayonet.

The most popular statements tend to be things like: this is stupid, I don’t get it, WTF?, and so on.

But apparently Ka-Bar is selling a lot of them and laughing all the way to the bank.

I admit, I don’t get the appeal either.

Checking the mailbox this morning, my TSRA 2010 calendar arrived. Flipping through it, the theme this year is very old and odd guns (May 2010 is amusingly odd). Quite cool.

What do we get for Miss July?

My apologies for the poor quality. I no longer have a scanner so I had to take a picture with my iPhone. Still, you should be able to make out the important bit.

The spring-loaded bayonettes.

On a gun made circa 1820’s.

There are no new ideas. We just keep reinventing and rehashing old ones. 🙂

Regina Brett’s life lessons

/ hsoi

My Dad emailed me this list of “Regina Brett’s 45 life lessons.” It was a bit cheesy, sappy, and schmaltzy, but it did have some legitmate bits of good advice in there. Of course, I wanted to see if it was a legit listing/attribution because if it’s on the Int3rw3bz you know it’s true.

Seems to be legit. Plus, Ms. Brett expanded the list a bit to 50 life lessons, or maybe 45 life lessons and 5 to grow on. Maybe just consider this another list of “things everyone ought to know” or perhaps “lessons everyone should learn in life.”

1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.

8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.

12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don’t compare your life to others’. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don’t worry; God never blinks.

16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.

17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.

18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.

19. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Overprepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: “In five years, will this matter?”

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.

35. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.

36. Growing old beats the alternative – dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.

38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.

41. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

42. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.

43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

45. The best is yet to come.

46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

48. If you don’t ask, you don’t get.

49. Yield.

50. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.

Mac OS X x86 debugging

/ hsoi

It’s been ages since I’ve had to do anything dealing with assembly language. And while I may not have to do much programming in it, it’s still a useful thing to know when it comes to debugging.

Today I’ve been trapped in debugging hell. We’ve got some code that works fine on Mac OS X versions prior to Snow Leopard (10.6) but seems to hang under 10.6. The code flat out executes differently. I watch how our code is invoked and things just don’t happen in the same order across the OS versions. Apple must have done some major under-the-hood changes to NSBrowser and NSTreeController. And since we’re using Cocoa Bindings, it’s a bitch to debug. Everything that’s happening is happening because of Key-Value Observing (KVO). I get somewhere into the bowels of NSBrowserBinder and it appears to be looping… looping… and never exiting the loop for some reason.

Now that we’re in the new x86-based world order of Macs, I went looking for some tips to help me work with debugging the x86 assembly so I could see what the OS was doing. I found a few useful resources.

Greg Parker at the Hamster Emporium has a great article about crashing in objc_msgSend and how to decipher the crash. I wasn’t crashing, but still there are some nice gdb commands and interpretation of the registers.

Then over at the Google Mac Blog, a 2 part article on spelunking. Part 1 and Part 2. These aren’t debugging articles (more like trying to hack around and discover how undocumented functions work), but they still explain a bit about how the x86 ABI works, AT&T syntax, and how Mac all mesh together. Note that Avi Drissman previously published the same article in his own personal blog, but edited it a bit for republishing in the Google blog.

Clark Cox provides a handy table on how to inspect Objective-C parameters in gdb.

And you thought the only thing I knew how to blog about was guns. 😉