Author: hsoi

Time is almost up!

/ hsoi

Folks…

The comment period on the muscovy duck regulation is almost up (ends Dec. 30, 2010).

If you’re not sure what to say, here’s some brief points:

Tell the FWS: NO control order! DO NOT limit Muscovy duck ownership in the US to only exhibition birds and birds raised for meat and eggs! NO banding or marking! NO outlawing of Muscovies as pets! No outlawing of backyard flocks for pesticide-free insect control!

Here’s the document. That should allow you to read, and then click to make a comment.

I know you haven’t commented because the comments are public and I don’t see your name listed.

Please please please. Take a few minutes RIGHT NOW and comment. You can’t do it later, you can’t come back to it some other time… because there is no more time.

Thank you.

So tell me….

/ hsoi / 11 Comments

… has putting decongestants (that work) behind the pharmacy counter actually achieved the end of halting meth production?

I didn’t think so. *sniffle sniffle wipe blow*

So why do we keep doing it? Why do we force every American to suffer under a failed policy? Where is the logic in doing so?

IMR 8208 XBR – wow

/ hsoi / 5 Comments

Any reloaders out there worked with IMR 8208 XBR powder?

It’s a relatively new powder, but all the stuff I’m reading online seems very promising and positive. Excellent velocity, high accuracy, extruded yet short-cut so it should meter very well, temperature insensitive, and made for all sorts of cartridges. Loading it for .223 Rem, .308 Win or even 6.8 SPC seems like it could do very well. Seems like a dream powder.

I’m curious if any readers have used it and what your experiences are. If I can find some locally, I’m thinking about picking some up.

I am a waffle

/ hsoi / 5 Comments

I’m almost done with reloading .38 Special. The last of the Titegroup is in the powder drop, just a few hundred rounds to go. I’ll get to it eventually… no big rush right now as vacationing is more important. 🙂

As you know, I’ve been trying to figure out what to do next. I was thinking to work on .308 Win loads because I was dreaming of an elk hunt with my Dad — I’d want to have the skills to nail a target at 500 yards on demand if I was going elk hunting. But after some talking with Dad, I don’t think that will happen (schedules, cost, physical demands and Dad’s getting up there in age; I also think he’d rather go fishing than hunting). So if an elk hunt isn’t in the near future, that lessens motivation to work in that area.

Then there’s my recent work with the Aimpoint CompM4s and just loving how well it works. I can’t help but think about the recent hog hunt, as I think the reason I missed was due to placement of cheek on gun and not getting the right sight angle, thus my point of aim was not the intended point of impact. But gosh, that parallax-free Aimpoint would render that moot. Furthermore, I see how Aimpoint markets towards hunters and I always was skeptical of how well that would work, especially lacking magnification and using a 4 MOA dot. But you know, the more I think about it, the more I think it could work. Sure I wouldn’t take a mountain goat at 500 yards, but a deer or hog up to 200 yards? Maybe… but I need to take the AR out to the range and try it and see how well I and my eyes can do it. Point is, the thought has recently perked my interest. The kicker is the Aimpoint is mounted on a .223 AR so… I’d need a substantial load, which means something like 62 grain Barnes TSX (or maybe the forthcoming .224″ TTSX!).

And when I think about that? it brings me all the way back to my first rifle handloading attempts… which had a lot of problems and failure to get a good load. I spent some time the other day re-reading all my blog posts on the topic. There’s a part of me that’s motivated to go back and solve that problem. I don’t want to leave that unfinished and unknown… but is that reason enough to bother? I have kinda moved on from exploring .223 as a hunting load since I bought the 6.8 SPC.

So I’m back to waffling.

But while I’ve been thinking about all of this stuff I’ve been reading and researching, trying to figure out what components I want to use. The biggest of which is what powder to use, because I want something that will not cause me headaches on the Lock-n-Load progressive press. What just hit me was reading about IMR 8208 XBR. That powder has perked my interest. It apparently meters well. It’s supposed to be resistant to temperature changes. It’s purpose-built for rounds like .223/5.56 and .308/7.62NATO, with an eye towards high velocity and high accuracy. I mean, that sounds like the perfect powder! What things I can find by Googling on the powder sound very positive and promising — everyone trying out the powder is impressed by the performance. There even seems to be a few people dabbling with it in 6.8 SPC loads, but there’s certainly not much information here (tho what there is is promising). So gosh… could that be the powder to try?  I got a Cabela’s gift card for Christmas. I’m thinking if the local store has a 1# jug that I’ll pick it up.

I hate that I’m waffling so much about what to do next. I think it’s because I need a tangible goal to work towards, instead of just reloading for the sake of reloading. When the elk hunt seemed possible, .308 was appealing. I think about the Aimpoint and hogs, so the .223 returns to being appealing, but not enough. Finishing what I started before? That has an appeal too. And I can always use more trigger time with the AR. Geez. Am I leaning that way now?

The Art of the Dynamic Nerf Blaster

/ hsoi / 3 Comments

(title props to Magpul)

Oldest got a Nerf N-Strike Stampede Blaster ECS-50 from Santa.

It’s fully-automatic, battery operated. Runs on 18-round “clips” (I hate that they call them “clips”… they’re magazines). I LOVE that it has a vertical fore-grip with integrated bi-pod; the design is a 100% nod to the Grip Pod. It fires at a fairly good rate, functions well (no malfs yet, and I love the nod to the AR with the selector switch), and is pretty accurate for what it is… tho with that “blast shield” you can’t really get down to do precision aiming. Still, for what it is, it’s good.

And of course… you burn a “clip” of darts and as TXGunGeek would say, it just tips your giggle box. 🙂

Even better? I have a couple of the 35-round drum “dart clips”. We slapped those bad-boys in and it’s nearly-endless full-auto fun!!

On top of that, oldest also got one of the N-Strike Tactical Vests, which holds loads of spare ammo. As well, it has a sheath on the back of the vest to hold a Nerf Sword. Yup, we’ve got a couple of those. We like Nerf around here. 🙂

Where did I really geek out? There’s a spot on the back of hte ECS-50 that looks like it could allow attachment of a single-point clip sling. Oldest also has some “handgun” Nerf blasters. I start talking to him about how he just needs a sling, he can run the full-auto, reload, reload, reload, then when he’s out of ammo just let go of the ECS-50 and transition to his hand-blaster. Of course while I’m describing this I’m showing the kids the movements… and they’re all just looking at me like I’m taking it way too seriously. But hey, tactics is tactics. 🙂

So look out neighborhood kids. Oldest is armed to the teeth! You shall not survive the Nerf onslaught!

What have we come to?

/ hsoi / 1 Comment

A women gets arrested at the Austin airport because she refused the government-mandated sexual assault enhanced patdown.

Claire Hirschkind, 56, who says she is a rape victim and who has a pacemaker-type device implanted in her chest, says her constitutional rights were violated.

[…]

Hirschkind said because of the device in her body, she was led to a female TSA employee and three Austin police officers.  She says she was told she was going to be patted down.

“I turned to the police officer and said, ‘I have given no due cause to give up my constitutional rights.  You can wand me,'” and they said, ‘No, you have to do this,'” she said.

Hirschkind agreed to the pat down, but on one condition.

“I told them, ‘No, I’m not going to have my breasts felt,’ and she said, ‘Yes, you are,'” said Hirschkind.

When Hirschkind refused, she says that “the police actually pushed me to the floor, (and) handcuffed me.  I was crying by then.  They drug me 25 yards across the floor in front of the whole security.”

Wow. The humanity of all of this.

This is what keeps us safe?

The thing is, we haven’t had a single terrorist attack since implementing “security through pornography.” But yet we have reports almost daily of indignity, suffering, pain, and torment being caused to the citizenry. Why is this acceptable? Is guaranteed inhumane treatment of all citizens on a constant and daily basis a rational justification? Is it a legitimate cost?

The TSA did release a statement Wednesday that said in part, “Our officers are trained to treat all passengers with dignity and respect. Security is not optional.”

But apparently dignity and respect are optional.

Real security may not be optional, but this sort of “farcical security” behavior is intolerable, unacceptable, and inexcusable.

Why are you putting up with it?

GM Remy Presas Sr. – 6 count drill

/ hsoi / 2 Comments

GM Remy Presas, of Modern Arnis. 6-count drill.

This is one reason Filipino Martial Arts appeal to me: weapon, empty hand, it’s all the same, principles apply regardless. You train your body to move, and it moves regardless.

I also dig the footwork visible in this drill. Gotta keep moving!

Question from Daughter

/ hsoi / 2 Comments

“Dad, why do dogs and cats get black eye boogers and we get tan ones?”

This is what Daughter asked me this morning as I wiped the black eye boogers out of the eyes of one of the cats.

So of course, I Googled it. Apparently dog and cat tears contain a pigment called porphyrin, which makes them dark.