Month: January 2013

DIY Airsoft trap

/ hsoi

Remember that Airsoft M&P I purchased a few months ago?

If I’m going to have it, I need a place to shoot it. If I’m going to shoot it, I need a way to manage all the plastic BB’s.

It’s CO2-powered, and it has some oomph. I tried shooting it at simple cardboard and that proved to be no match for it. TXGunGeek told of a great solution, getting those big wardrobe boxes, because you can stick one at the end of the hallway and it makes for a great place to catch the plastic BB’s. I think that’s a great solution – if you have the room. Alas, I do not have the room for one of those huge boxes, nor would Wife tolerate it. 🙂

When I was a teenager, I had a pellet gun and had a trap for it. The trap was made mostly out of thick plastic, except for the back and front. The front was a simple cardboard cover, so you could afix a target and of course shoot through it (and easily replace it). The back was made out of a steel plate and angled downward so any lead pellets that hit it would be deflected down. Also, hanging within the box were some curtains, I think made of Kevlar or at least very thick canvas, to help trap the pellets. It worked quite well, and served as my inspiration. (I just found it, it was a Crosman Target Trap).

The rules? To make a BB trap that minimized the bouncing BB’s and cleanup, but also that didn’t cost me a whole lot. Plus if it got all beat up and shot out, wouldn’t be a big deal to replace. So I went digging around the house to scrounge what I could, and was fortunate to find everything I needed. So in the end, this project cost me nothing but a bit of my time.

A box

What was fortunate about this project was receiving a package from UPS, and the box it came in was a nice large cube. That was the perfect way to start this effort. After some work with a knife and duct tape, I had formed the basics of the trap:

 

The basic trap.

Key factors were to put duct tape along every seam and corner, taping down whatever was needed to minimize nooks and crevices where BB’s could become trapped. I also wanted to make the opening as large as possible to accommodate whatever my target was, but still have a lip at the bottom to of course prevent rollout. After having used this trap for a little bit, I could argue having the front being replaceable to be useful. That is, the BB’s still can and do bounce, and having this big wide opening covered up of course helps retain the BB’s. I didn’t want to put a cover in place because it would get shot out and I’m lazy and didn’t want to have to always be replacing it. The paper target works fine covering most of it but well… maybe I might want to just leave a 8.5″x11″ opening, so the paper target hangs just fine, easily replaced anyways, but otherwise there’s maximum retention.

We recently retired some bedsheets from a child’s bed. I also found some carpet tack strips in a corner of the garage. A little measure, a little cut:

Start of the curtain

I cut the strip to fit the width of the box. I cut the curtain to be the width of the box and twice the height. Put the tack strip in the middle, just poking the tacks through the cloth to hold it. Note this cloth is not very thick nor heavy. I actually shot a few things and found that the weight mattered. If it was too heavy, it didn’t absorb the energy of the BB as much as deflect it — the point is to stop ricochet. So this light bed sheet worked fine to catch and cradle the BB as it hit, stopping it.

I applied the tack strip to the inside of the roof:

Hanging the curtain.

Here was a time for experimentation. Where to put it? Should I put the curtain close to the front? closer to the back? I even tried two sets of curtains to see what effect that would have. In the end, I settled on one curtain placed about 3/4 of the way back. First, two curtains ended up acting like a heavier curtain, too much material, too much resistance, and BB’s bounced instead of being absorbed. But also, too close to the front could allow the BB to “shoot through” the curtain and just strike the back and bounce. Positioning the curtain close to the back but with some room ended up working out the best because the cloth would absorb the BB but then all strike the back wall and be enough to make everything stop. It’s just what worked best.

I did play around with a cardboard insert at the back wall, at an angle to angle the BB’s down. That didn’t work out, but I also didn’t experiment with this angle (pun intended) all that much.

Despite all of this, I still had two problems: 1. the tack strip fell down, 2. BB’s could still bounce.

Finished trap

I had used glue and the strip’s tacks to attach it to the roof of the trap — it’s just cardboard. And while that was OK, it wasn’t ideal. So I just cut another section of tack strip, put it on the outside of the box opposite the inner strip, and used the nails within the strip to nail the two strips together. Works like a charm.

I also took the cut cloth from my second curtain experiment and just laid it loose and bunched on the floor. That worked well to provide an absorbing and uneven surface for trapping the BB’s that fell down, and it doesn’t get in the way when you want to empty the trap.

To use the trap? I just print out targets on paper and attach them with a tack from the top of the box. Simple enough.

It works pretty well. A BB here and there still flies out, but overall it works well enough and I’m quite pleased. Didn’t cost me any money, just a bit of my time, and was fun to devise and assemble.

2012-01-14 training log

/ hsoi

Getting back into the groove

  • Squat
    • 2x5x45 (warmup)
    • 2x5x95
    • 2x5x135
    • 2x5x185
  • Deadlift
    • 1x5x135
    • 1x5x185
    • 1x5x225
  • Bench Press
    • 2x5x45 (warmup)
    • 2x5x95
    • 2x5x135
    • 2x5x165
  • Press
    • 3x5x95
  • Pull-ups (band-assist)
    • 6x5xBW
    • 1 set done after each set of bench press

Geez… about 2 weeks down from influenza. I lost 5# due to lack of eating (there’s my new diet plan – flu!). And all I wanted to do was get back in the gym. Today was finally that day.

I didn’t want to heavily work out because 1. with the cycle layout, it’s easier to start on a Monday, 2. I’m still not 100%, but close(r). All I wanted to do today was get back in the gym and have my body remember what the heck lifting weights is. I opted to do it quasi-deload style. I just hit the 4 main lifts, light wights, 60-90 seconds of rest between sets, and nothing major. Only “complicated” thing was between each bench press set I did a set of band-assisted pull-ups. I figure this is good enough to help my body ease back into things. We’ll see how I feel come Sunday.

On Monday, I’ll start cycle 16 over again. I see no reason to do otherwise, at least at this point.

How do you respond to being asked?

/ hsoi / 11 Comments

Many people that carry concealed appreciate the concealed aspect of it. Out of sight, out of mind, no one’s business but my own.

But sooner or later you’re going to encounter someone that will ask you if you are carrying, now.

How to respond?

This thread on the Armed Citizens’ Legal Defense Network Facebook page had some good discussion on the topic.

M.H.’s response was along the lines of saying “That’s not a polite question to ask someone.”  This is the approach I’ve most often heard, but I don’t like it as a blanket response. First, I’m not sure Ms. Manners ever broached the topic of carry, so I can’t really blame someone for not knowing if it was polite or not. In fact, if someone did know it was not polite, chances are they wouldn’t have asked. So in the end, all you’ve done is rebuke the asker and made them feel stupid. Is that really what you want? Likely not, so why use this answer?

Some people give non-committal answers, like “I’ll never tell” (L.W.) or M.P’s “No, but if I did I wouldn’t tell you either” or “When appropriate” (which we should know means “always”).

Others view it as a political statement or a teachable moment, a time to be proud and let people know because carry is nothing to be ashamed of (R.G). I did like R.G.’s deflective but inviting response: “Hey, that’s a great question! How about we grab a latte someplace on me and chat?”. View it as an opportunity to educate someone.

I’ve never had a firm, blanket response to this question, because I’ve never felt there was such a solitary answer. To me, it all depends upon context. Who is asking? Why are they asking? When and where are they asking? Does it matter if they know? These things all come together to help you form the correct answer. And yes due to that, sometimes “that’s not a polite question to ask” may be the appropriate response!

But that said, it’s like all situations in that being prepared for it, thinking ahead, coming up with some default responses, are good things to have filed away. I like R.G.’s comment as a blanket response because it doesn’t expose anything immediately, and opens up the lines of communication for later when you could have better control over the situation (e.g. maybe you’re talking in a place where such an overheard conversation would be inappropriate, so now you can move somewhere more appropriate). Also remember, you don’t have to directly answer – or answer at all – the question asked. Someone might get insistent “yeah, but are you carrying NOW!??” and you can just keep repeating the latte line. You don’t always have to give them the answer they want, give them the answer you want – you be in control.

Give thought to this question and your responses. They will affect how others perceive you and concealed carry as a whole. Leave them with a positive impression (or at least, not a negative one).

Anthophila

/ hsoi / 3 Comments

I gave Wife a unique gift for Christmas – a custom-made kitchen knife.

Anthophila

(click the picture to embiggen)

It has been dubbed Anthophila. Click here to see more pictures and specs on the knife.

Wife had no idea, hadn’t asked for anything like this, but over the years I’ve seen what’s been needed in the kitchen and thought this could be a welcome thing. Fortunately, my buddy Shawn Hatcher is a knife-maker, Hatcher Knives, so I asked if he could make this for me. We sat down together, I gave Shawn some goals, and let him do his thing. We liked the santoku concept, but I wanted a “taller flat” (I’m probably not using the right terms) to give more surface for the fingers to ride against when chopping, plus it allows the knife to be used as a “scoop” for taking chopped food off the board. I still wanted some sort of “tip” to make it useful for getting into tight spots, carving out, and so on.

I think Shawn did a great job.

Wife’s been using the knife for about a week now and is enjoying it. But you can tell there’s some reserve about using it. Exactly what? We don’t know. We’ve had a nice set of J.A. Henckels knives since our wedding, so I reckon part of her reserve is just that it’s different and she needs some time to get used to a different feel in the hand. Plus, I had to design the knife blind, taking her into consideration but never letting her in on the process. Daughter did help out, but that could only go so far (e.g. their hands aren’t quite the same dimensions). Still, we’re chalking this up to acceptable, and if after using it for some time Wife figures out what she likes and doesn’t like, how she might want to refine the design, or even start with a whole new design… well… we can do that, thank you Hatcher Knives. 🙂

Check out Shawn’s work. He’s developing a style and quickly maturing as a knife-maker. I’ve enjoyed reading his shop updates and watching not just the knife-making process but also his evolution as a maker. It’s always cool to watch an artist over time.

10 lessons

/ hsoi / 2 Comments

Everyone likes to look at the changing of the calendar as a time to make some greater changes in their life.

A friend of mine posted this on Facebook, and I thought it was a good list about not just life lessons, but if you really want to make some change in your life, pick just one of these and see how accepting it in your own life could make you better.

While I put a summary of the 10 lessons below (for my own posterity, should the linked-to site ever go away), you really should read the whole thing to understand where it’s coming from.

  1. Your thoughts create your reality.
  2. You will regret the chances you didn’t take.
  3. Change is the only constant thing in life.
  4. What you resist persists.
  5. You judge others for the deficiencies you haven’t yet accepted in yourself.
  6. You have far less control over the behavior of others than you think.
  7. You are what’s on the inside.
  8. You can’t force love in relationships.
  9. Sometimes the only healthy option is to move on.
  10. Life as you know it doesn’t last forever.

For that matter, check out their whole website. It’s got a lot of good food for thought.