Yesterday I posted video of Julie Golob’s 2010 Wyoming Steel Challenge performance.
Here’s Julie’s performance at the 2010 Steel Challenge (world championship)
Great footage. Just watch her shoot. Form, technique. That’s solid shooting.
Month: September 2010
On AR lubricating and cleaning
There’s always some new cleaner and/or lubricant on the market, and everyone has their pet.
John Holschen, of InSights Training Center, has a pragmatic take on it:
Years ago I quit trying any of the “magic” lubes and just used CLP. None of the others seemed to offer any real increased performance and CLP worked fine, was relatively inexpensive, and readily available. I still like it.
For some forgotten reason I tried Mili-Tec a couple of years ago (applied it to small parts and heated in a 175 degree oven for 15 minutes or so.) I immediately noticed that cleaning the Mili-Tec treated guns was easier. Carbon buildup was diminished and what carbon there was came off much easier. The treatment lasted well over a year (cleaned with CLP, lubed with Mili-Tec) and I got to where I kind of forgot how hard it used to be to clean the carbon from around the feed ramps of my handguns and the bolt carrier on AR’s. Then I used a solvent tank to clean my handgun. Next time I went to clean it, it was heavily carboned and difficult to clean again. I cleaned it really well, retreated it with Mili-Tec and all is smiley/happy once again (no more solvent tanks though.)
There may be other new-generation lubes that work as well but I haven’t tried them. The Mili-Tec/CLP combo works fine so I don’t need to look for something else.
I’ve heard a lot of competition shooters respond to the question of “what lube do you use?” with something like “whatever I won at the last match”… implying it didn’t matter, it all works good enough — just be sure you use it.
And really, being lubricated is more important than being clean. Witness, just shy of 3000 rounds (no cleaning, no lube) and finally the AR malfunctions, but a single drop of oil on the bolt at the cam pin hole and she was back in action.
Furthermore, Vuurwapen says that cleaning your AR-15 is a waste of time.
I love this quote from Karl Rehn:
It’s a battle implement, your not supposed to go home and spend an entire afternoon cleaning it. Just put a little lube on the critical parts and be done with it.
For me, well… sure there was a time in my life when I painstakingly disassembled each gun and worked to swab every corner until it was crystal clean. That got old pretty quick.
These days, it’s pretty simple. I keep CLP in my range bag because there’s limited room in the bag so to be efficient it’s nice to have something that will “do it all”. I also keep various bore snakes around. Furthermore, I keep ESCA Tech’s D-Wipes around and in the bag: good for cleaning off your hands, and they do a bang up job at gun cleaning too. A typical situation at the end of a gun range session might be field stripping the gun, drop of CLP on the bore snake and run it through the barrel, D-Wipe the parts down, CLP on moving parts to lube it up, and the gun’s back together. The only time I might get a little more painstaking about it might be for a gun that’s going to spend more time in storage than on the range (e.g. hunting rifle might get pulled out once a year, so clean well and prep for a year of storage). And sure, every so often when the gun is disassembled I might notice it needs a deeper cleaning (e.g. crud building up in the extractor) so I’ll get a pick in there or some such thing.
FWIW, a few months ago I picked up some MILITEC-1 because I had heard a lot about it and was curious, and my experiences have been similar to Holschen’s. I see no reason to stop using it.
But the bottom line is: I don’t worry much about cleaning my guns. I worry more about keeping them lubricated. Guns get cleaned on an as-needed basis, and I don’t sweat it a whole lot. What lubricant to use? Whatever… pick one. Just be sure to use it… that means you, Ron. 😉
Legal Shotgun (for bird hunting)
In order for me to legally dove hunt in Texas, I need to follow some rules regarding the means by which I take the dove.
Game animals and game birds may be hunted with any legal firearm, EXCEPT:
…
- a shotgun is the only legal firearm for hunting migratory game birds (see Definitions – Legal Shotgun).
Magazine Capacity (number of shells/cartridges allowed): There are no restrictions on the number of shells or cartridges a legal firearm may hold when hunting game animals or game birds (except migratory game birds, see Legal Shotgun).
And when you look up Legal Shotgun:
Legal Shotgun: Shotguns not larger than 10 gauge, fired from the shoulder, and incapable of holding more than three shells (shotguns capable of holding more than three shells must be plugged with a one-piece filler which is incapable of removal without disassembling the gun, so the gun’s total capacity does not exceed three shells).
So since I’m going to be hunting with a Mossberg 500 12 gauge (pump action), I need to plug my magazine to only hold 2 shells (2 in the mag, 1 in the chamber). No problem there, the shotgun came with a special dowel, which actually was so long it prevented anything from going into the magazine, so I just cut it down to size and there we go.
However, this particular shotgun happens to double as a home-defense tool, so it has a TacStar SideSaddle bolted onto the side of it. Hrm…. how does TPWD define “incapable of holding more than 3 shells”? Because that saddle sure lets the gun hold 6 shells. I’d hate to have a visit from the Game Warden and get nailed on a technicality. So I called TPWD and spoke to whomever answered the phone. He told me that yes, this is perfectly legal. What matters is the ability to keep rattling off shots… you really only get 3 shots per “run”, and that’s the intent. But a way to just carry more ammo? Not a problem.
So based upon TPWD’s guidance, I’m going ahead and I’ll leave the saddle on there. Meantime, I will also drop them a line to ask if they could clarify the wording.
Updated: So when you have a question, it won’t get answered if you don’t ask it to the right people.
Tho I had called, it’s nice to get things in writing. I sent TPWD an email to 1. ask 2. request they clarify the documents. I’m not sure they groked my request to actually update the documentation, but they did write back saying:
The firearm itself chamber or magazine included may not hold more than 3 shotshells at any time while hunting any migratory birds.
So there you go.
Of acorns, sweet acorns
I walk to the mailbox.
I pass a neighbor’s oak tree. I see acorns growing on it, getting pretty plump.
The thought that goes through my head?
“Gosh, that’s going to make good food for the deer.”
Yes… hunting bug is biting me again. Tis the season.
Julie Golob – Wyoming State Steel Challenge 2010
This is a great video of Julie Golob from the 2010 Wyoming State Steel Challenge
I like how it shows a diagram of the stage, then shows her shooting it. You can see how one of the best shooters in the world preps, plans, and shoots the stages.
Is she fast? Yes. But notice, she’s not too fast. She’s not shooting faster than she can get good hits. In fact, some of the shooting seems downright slow, but you have to remember she’s shooting at small targets a long ways away (refer to the stage diagrams in the video). The take-home is shooting fast doesn’t necessarily mean emptying your magazine in 2 seconds, but going only as fast as you can that allows you to still get the hit. Speed is important, but accuracy is king. I still have to remind myself of this… probably why I posted this. 🙂
To be the good guys…
To be the good guys… you have to be the good guys. Seems so simple.
– Dock
Daemon schism
Daemon schism.
I posted a Facebook status message yesterday:
Well, I’m feeling more optimistic about the “daemon schism”.
which would make no sense to anyone but me and my teammate at work. Someone commented on the status update saying they had a Google fail on the phrase. So… I figured I would post it to the blog to it and claim the coining of the phrase “daemon schism”.
And for those curious, I’m splitting a daemon in two.
Dove hunting
It’s dove hunting season here in Central Texas.
I know some people dedicated to it. Me? It’s just not my thing.
First, I’m not really a shotgunner. I just don’t shoot them much, thus I don’t get much practice shooting flying things (be it clays or birds). The times I’ve shot skeet I really enjoyed it, but I just don’t seek it out (handguns are my focus). Second, shooting doves seems like a lot of work for little gain. All the feather plucking, cleaning, prep, and so on… just for a little nugget of meat? I guess that’s why if I’m going hunting I tend to prefer bigger animals (e.g. I am dreaming of elk hunting one of these days). The cost-benefit ratio just seems slightly better there. So the dove thing just hasn’t appealed to me.
However….
A guy I know from Scouts and church is an avid dove hunter. Last year we were talking about it and he made comments to me that I should go out with him; I passed. This year he started on me again and I said “why not?”. So I pulled the 18.5″ barrel off my Mossberg 500 (it’s a field version, wood furniture) and put the field barrel back on with a modified choke. I went out and bought some 7.5 shot shells. Got my hunting license with the migratory bird stamp. And… I’m ready. 🙂
Haven’t gone out yet. I’ll be talking with my friend tonight to figure things out, but it looks like maybe this weekend.
I figure why not? Try it. If I get something, great. If I don’t, it should just be fun to get out and try. Lord knows doves are not in short supply around here…. I’ve seen 2 dozen in my yard at times, and I must admit when I see that I have thought about how tasty that could be, if only I didn’t live in the city. 😉
We’ll see how it goes. If any of you are dove (or bird) hunters and have tips for me, please share in the comments.
The Austin LEGO Store
This past weekend we finally got to visit the Austin LEGO Store.
Oh, what geeky nirvana. 🙂
Of course, all the store sells is LEGO, and even at 10 AM (opening time) the place was jumpin’. Kits everywhere. You can see the back wall is just bins of bricks (grab a cup, fill it with random bricks). You can build your own mini-figs (3 for $10). It’s pretty cool, and all things LEGO. What I found extra amusing were the people who worked there. Very friendly, very geeky… you could tell they love LEGO themselves and enjoyed working at the store. If they didn’t have to engage a customer (e.g. they greet everyone as they walk in), they’d just strike up conversations about LEGO… one of the workers and Oldest spent some time just talking shop. The workers got to set up the various showcase models themselves and had fun when doing so. For instance, see this model of a Star Wars AT-AT?
Look for C-3Po. 🙂
Here’s some other models that I liked:
LEGO Biker - I love the trike, and the chain. Nice touch.
LEGO Horses, roaming the wild.
Martial arts, LEGO style!
LEGO Sumo!
I’m sure Oldest would be happy to rent a room in back and live there, or eventually get a job there. Boy… wouldn’t that be his dream job. 🙂
Oldest bought a few things, and I even picked up a couple of things. I bought the Kingdoms Advent Calendar and the Toy Story “Army Men on Patrol” set because hey… it’s Army Men in LEGO form, how cool is that? 🙂
No Screaming Children
A restaurant in North Carolina puts up a sign saying “Screaming children will not be tolerated”.
Naturally, some people have a problem with this.
“I’ve never seen a restaurant say, don’t bring your screaming kids in here,” said Ashley Heflin, who is a mom of two. “You can’t help it if your kids scream.”
Yes you can.
I’ve got 3 children. Now I grant, the younger the children are, the less control there is. A 6 month old baby will start crying and telling them to stop isn’t going to work. But a 6 month old child typically cries because they are hungry or tired or are in pain… things you can remedy, but still yes, a 6 month old screaming is a bit more understandable. Nevertheless, just letting the kid cry and scream doesn’t do anyone any good, most of all the child. Take the kiddo outside and remedy it.
But as the children get older? Oh you certainly can help it if your children scream.
How?
By not tolerating such behavior out of your own children.
If Junior screams in the restaurant, it needs to be met with a swift reprimand. If you’re going to give the child a warning or threat, you best follow through with it immediately because the kid will scream again (they will test you, and you must pass the test). This is not a time to beg or plead with the child nor continue making empty threats, not a time to keep talking to them about it and discussing how they feel or to let them have the freedom to choose. They’re too young to understand social constraints; you’re the parent, you’re supposed to teach them. It’s time to “man up” and be the parent that you’re supposed to be, the one in control, the one in charge. The rules are set, they are iron-clad, and if you violate them you will meet with punishment. Punishment could be a spanking, being grounded for a length of time, deprivation of privileges. Or it could be that instead of “do bad, get punished” you take a “do good, get reward” approach. Just be careful there, because behavior that is expected shouldn’t only happen because a treat will come of it.
Sure, the kid has to learn. So that will probably mean some embarrassing and awkward experiences for you. But hey, that’s just part of parenting, get used it to and get over it. Be a parent. Be tough. Be the one in control. If kiddo keeps it up, then you leave. Yes it sucks for you, no it’s not what you want right now, but what do you want? dinner now? or a well-behaved child that grows up into a well-behaved adult? Leave, and make sure Junior knows that this is unacceptable and the behavior will not be tolerated.
It really boils down to a few things: 1. be the parent (be the one in control), 2. don’t tolerate bullshit, especially out of your own children.
And then, just then, we might raise well-behaved children, and restaurants won’t have to put such signs in their windows.
Stuff From Hsoi 