The Kel-Tec RFB has been an object of my desire for some time. A bullpup in .308? Mmmmm.
GunBlast just did a review of it, with lots of pictures. I want one even more now.
Month: January 2010
Ruger SR9c
While the Ruger home page still says there’s 2 hours and 20 minutes (as of this writing) until they unveil their latest offering, it seems their press release got out a wee early.
The Firearm Blog has pics, and I’m sure more information will be forthcoming.
Preliminary reaction? It seems a logical thing for Ruger to have come out with, in terms of fleshing out their product line. I don’t like crud like magazine disconnects, but it’s par for the Ruger course there.
Updated: It’s now public and on Ruger’s website.
Cue the jokes about how soon after it starts shipping that the recalls will commence. 😉
In all seriousness, while on the surface it doesn’t look like a gun I’d care for (tho I’d have to fondle and fire one before passing any sort of true judgment here), it is welcome to see Ruger developing and evolving themselves and their product line.
Updated 2: GunBlast has a hands-on review.
Quote for the day
“Freedom was given to humanity by God. But, governments, if they can help it, never give freedom. They just hand out slavery with slogans.” — Taylor Caldwell
Bud’s Top 20
I received an email from Buds Gun Shop which listed their top-selling 20 guns for 2009. I thought it was an interesting list.
- Smith & Wesson SW9VE 9mm Stainless ($249 after $50 mail-in rebate)
- Sig Sauer 2022 9mm w/night sights ($493)
- Smith & Wesson SW40VE .40 S&W Stainless ($249 after $50 mail-in rebate)
- Glock 37 (.45 GAP) 4.5″ 10 round black frame ($379)
- Hi-Point .380 ACP two-tone 8 round ($139)
- Springfield XDm 9mm black ($566)
- Remington 870 Express, 12 gauge, 18″ blued, black-synthetic ($328)
- Double Star 15 CAR 16″ HBAR .223 ($649)
- Springfield XD .40 S&W 4″ w/ XD Gear ($462)
- Smith & Wesson M&P 9mm 17 round no mag safety ($535)
- Springfield XD 9mm 4″ XD Gear ($462)
- Beretta 92FS 9mm 15 round ($568)
- Springfield .40 S&W 3″ XD Gear ($462)
- Hi-Point .45 ACP 9 round ($159)
- Smith & Wesson 9mm M&P9 Pro Series 5″ barrel black stainless ($568)
- Walther P22 .22 LR 3.4″ black ($308)
- Springfield XD 9mm 3″ black XD Gear ($462)
- Interstate Arms Black Synthetic 12 gauge Defender with 18.5″ barrel ($185)
- Beretta PX4 Storm 9mm 13 round compact ($535)
- Hi-Point 9mm 3.5″ 8 round poly ($169)
That’s what was listed in the email, taken more or less verbatim.
Some things that stood out to me:
- People are buying handguns, not long guns.
- Black is the new black. Or maybe a hint of stainless.
- Inexpensive is popular.
- Looking at the general make-up of what’s selling, it’s about self-defense. These firearms are not necessarily competition guns or hunting or other such things. People are evidently buying for self-defense. The two shotguns on the list certainly bear that out.
- As well, many of the handguns are small, which leads me to believe they’re being purchased for concealed carry.
- Plastic-framed guns are popular. I’m surprised only one Glock made the list, and then an obscure one at that.
Take from this what you will.
If Star Wars was the A-Team
Heh heh.
Ignore the X-ring
I read about Bob S. ringing in the new year with some range time. Seeing his targets reminded me of something I’ve wanted to post about for some time.
Ignore the X-ring.
Here’s a B-27 target:
(target images courtesy of pistoleer.com)
Note that it attempts to be vaguely human shaped, then a traditional bullseye set of rings is placed over it. So what do people tend to do? Aim for and shoot out that X-ring. It makes sense. It’s very traditionally target-like; we like to “hit the bullseye”; and when you consider this is the target used on shooting tests like the Texas CHL shooting test, you want to ensure you pass and score well so you aim for the X.
What’s the trouble with this?
On an actual human, there’s nothing vital behind the X.
If you are shooting at targets like this because you’re working on your bullseye shooting skills, that’s one thing. If you are shooting at targets like this because you are training for self-defense shooting skills, then shooting at the X is the wrong place to shoot. When SHTF you will descend to your lowest point of training, and if you’ve trained/conditioned yourself to shoot at the solar plexus well, it’s still going to suck to get shot there but it won’t be as effective as hitting your attacker in the vitals.
Let’s look at the TXPT target:
This was the original target used in the TX CHL shooting test and is much more accurate in terms of vitals placement. I don’t know why Texas changed the target.
Where do you want to aim?
(image found via Google Search, but you can see it’s owned by Plasticboy Anatomy Models)
Vertically between the tracheal notch and the solar plexus. Horizontally between the nipples. Some say to make a triangle connecting the tracheal notch and the nipples and aim within the triangle. Some say when you put your front sight on the target, the top edge of your sights should be in line with the armpits. However you choose to index, the bottom line is to know anatomy, where the heart and lungs are as that’s where you’re going for. That’s why I chose the above image, because it shows the exterior structure (armpits, nipples, etc.) as well as internal structure, so you can see how everything on the inside lines up with everything on the outside. Thus when you are using any sort of “realistic” target, your point of aim should be over the vitals, even if it means you’re not aiming at the printed target’s designated bullseye.
Thus if you’re using a B-27 target, aim at the target where the upper “8” and “9” are printed.
Sunday Metal – Mama Weer All Crazee Now
Breaking a bit from having Sunday Metal being about a band, here it’s about a song.
The original, by Slade:
The Runaways:
The first version I was exposed to, Quiet Riot’s:
Trigger swap
So I’m pondering AR-15 triggers.
The main goal? A better trigger for the “hunting” AR, something that’s easier for the kiddos to manage.
I actually think the Rock River Arms NM 2-stage would be good for this, and doesn’t cost a fortune. And it just so happens I have one in another AR. So what did I do? I went the no-cost route and swapped the triggers. Now the RRA NM 2-stage is in the “hunting” Bushmaster, and the Bushmaster factory trigger is in my RRA “fighting” AR.
I had Daughter try things out again, and at least in doing some dry-fire here at home she’s much happier with the RRA trigger in the Bushy. Works for me!
Funny thing. With the Bushy trigger in the RRA, the trigger feels better. It’s still heavy, but the grittyness is gone. Maybe the disassembly of the triggers dislodged something? Maybe a little shaving of steel was caught in there? I don’t know, but I didn’t do anything except remove and install the triggers (no buffing/polishing or even a simple cleaning). Frankly it feels not too terrible to me now!
I’m really trying to reign in my spending, especially on guns and gun-related stuff. While this setup still leaves me wanting a bit better “fighting” trigger, I’m pretty sure I can live with this setup for now. Problems are solved, I’m satisfied with results, and it didn’t cost me anything other than a small amount of time. Sure down the line I’ll probably look further into triggers, especially because it’s an eventual dream to build my own AR from the ground-up. But for now, I think I can put this problem to bed.
Oh, and I cannot recommend The AR-15 Complete Assembly Guide by Walt Kuleck with Clint McKee enough. The step-by-step instructions and copious pictures (all taken from the right angles) really helped with the disassembly and reassembly. Made it a snap!
AR-15 Triggers
I don’t consider Bushmaster to be a “top tier” AR maker (that’d be folks like LMT, Noveske, Colt), but hey… it works, it fits the bill, and it was all that was available at the time. Certainly the Bushmaster Super Light Carbine that I have will suffice as a hunting rifle, due in large part to that super-light profile. So in the end, I’m thankful for what I have. However, I’m not completely satisfied with what I have. The main sticking point? The trigger.
It’s long, it’s heavy, and it has a “gritty” feeling. I don’t like it. Sure I’ve done a lot of dry fire with it and that helped, but it’s still fundamentally the same trigger. Of course, I’m a bit spoiled because my other AR has a Rock River Arms National Match 2-stage trigger which is so very sweet. While the Bushy’s trigger would be fine for a “fighting rifle”, it’s not an ideal trigger for a hunting rifle. In fact, the main user of this rifle will be my kids and it’s most evident the trigger on this rifle is the toughest part for them.
Aside: Daughter got to handle and dry fire a Wilson Combat 6.8 on New Years Eve. She knows how that Bushy trigger is, so the moment she pressed the trigger on the Wilson all she could say was “Sweeeeeeeet!” 🙂 Yes, it has a very very nice single-stage trigger.
While buying an aftermarket trigger isn’t the most expensive thing in the world, I am trying to sink as little money into this rifle as possible. I don’t want to risk making the rifle unsafe, but if I can improve the trigger in some way I’d like to do that.
There’s the famous “15 minute trigger job“. I’ve heard mixed reports on doing this and any sort of “stoning/grinding” of the trigger parts because you are removing metal and that could cause dangerous failure down the line. Here’s a video of the trigger job, plus a bit more. I cannot comment on if this is a good thing to do or not… again lots of people come down on doing this.
his part 2:
Now, let’s look at some videos from Brownells.
An introduction to AR-15 triggers:
Installing a drop-in trigger (a Chip McCormick single stage):
Installing a Rock River Arms NM 2 Stage trigger:
M4Carbine.net has a write-up on various AR triggers.
So as I look around for trigger solutions, the same names come up over and over. One name that keeps coming up is Bill Springfield. Apparently he can do a trigger job on the factory trigger and make it quite good for little money and a fairly fast turnaround time. There’s much talk about his work, all positive reviews, and I’ve not read of any problems with what he does.
At this time, I’m thinking about trying one of Springfield’s triggers. I’m not sure if I’ll send my trigger for him to work on or buy one of his triggers… still to be determined. But triggers are on my mind and this posting is just me thinking aloud. 🙂
On muscovy duck behavior
The pond near our house is home to a lot of ducks. When we first moved to the area it was mostly mallard and black duck varieties, but the past few years have seen a dramatic shift to a muscovy duck population. They wander the neighborhood looking for food and places to nest. We have one particular male muscovy that I believe has claimed our house as his house. We call him our “guard duck”, so beware. 🙂
Actually the crazy thing with him is we joked about him being a guard duck, but he’s rather a large male and has become a bit too conditioned to us feeding him. He will fly directly at people in hopes they have food, and when you see big him with his large wingspan coming straight at you, it is intimidating the first time you see it. Certainly makes delivery guys and others visiting the house step back a bit. But no, I don’t consider him any sort of serious part of a home security plan; it’s just funny.
Within the past some weeks, we noticed a sudden upsurge in the number of muscovy’s that visit our house. We might have a dozen, given or take a couple, at one time. Of course, this makes for some interesting bird watching because they have rather interesting mannerisms, behaviors, and interactions with each other. I find myself just watching them for large stretches of time because well… I’d like to figure our what they’re doing, and I can do all of this watching from the comfort of my home.
For example, all of this head bobbing and tail wagging:
Exactly what makes one bob better than another bob? Whoa! Jim there was really bobbing his head something fierce today! better stay away from him! 🙂
Or we’ve recently observed female muscovy’s fighting. Much flapping and jumping about, then “tangling” up their necks in an attempt to get on the other one’s back. When the one female wins she essentially stands on and over the other (dominant position), much head bobbing ensues by her and others around her, but what’s really interesting is how the loser flattens herself on the ground and just lies there even tho there’s nothing truly holding her town.
Granted on the base level you can figure out what they’re doing, but I can’t help but wonder about the nuances in their behavior and what it’s actually communicating. It’s fascinating to watch.
Thing is, it’s hard to find anything online about behaviors. You find a lot about cooking them (supposedly very tasty), about raising them for food, maybe some basic information, and even found a whole website dedicated to them which was one of the better resources.
Stuff From Hsoi 