Magpul STR vs CTR

/ hsoi

Here’s what a little training and education does to you: it fixes what’s broken.

My hunting rifle is an AR-patterned rifle: a Wilson Combat 6.8 upper on a Rock River Arms lower with their two-stage match trigger, and some other accessories.

I forget what I originally had as a stock, but probably some sort of “factory whatever” 6-position stock. Hated it. Put on a Magpul STR. Why? I felt that the added width would be good for my cheek weld. And generally it was, given what I knew at the time.

Well, at the CSAT Rifle class last month, there was some side talk with Paul Howe about stocks, and he mentioned he couldn’t use such stocks because they rolled his head over. It just didn’t fit him and his body (YMMV).

It seems that’s my case too.

When I pulled the hunting rifle out a couple weeks ago to prep for deer (rifle) season, of course I was putting my CSAT training to use. And lo, things felt off. I couldn’t get that consistent head and eye position, that natural point of aim. I noticed that yeah, my head was rolling to the side. I also noticed I wasn’t getting naturally behind the scope to see through it properly. Hrm.

I took off the STR and just used the raw buffer tube to experiment. Sure enough, everything felt better.

So I ordered a Magpul CTR. It just came in. Put it on, and lo, everything is better. Consistent head and eye position. Natural point of aim. And the scope falls properly where it should (eye relief). What a difference, eh?

Why didn’t I get something like the UBR or PRS? 1. Cost. 2. I’m not convinced I need it, not at least on this rifle.

Anyways, that’s what a little learning will do for you. 😉

UT Profs: please come out of your ivory tower once in a while

/ hsoi / 7 Comments

So I read this about a rally held a couple of days ago at the University of Texas (right here in Austin):

“America has all-along been about the sheer display of white male power with guns over Indians, over slaves, over females, over Mexicans, over Asians, over African Americans, and over Arabs, now,” said [history professor Jorge Cañizares-Esguerra]. “Classroom carry is aggressive intrusion of the vigilante rights of the largely white minority into our living rooms, our offices, our dorms, my classroom.

Full story (h/t David Hoobler)

Now, as an Asian, I’m not really sure what he’s getting at. But I live here in Austin.

And you know, right here in Austin – you know, the little blue-dot in this red state – I see all sorts of things.

For example, there’s the A Girl and a Gun club and the Austin Sure Shots, which are women’s groups. Right here. In Austin.

There’s Michael Cargill – a gay black man, who is also the owner of Central Texas Gun Works. Right here. In Austin.

A number of years ago as I was leaving Red’s Indoor Range (a gun range, right here, in Austin), this is what I see parked in the parking lot.

I’ve been an instructor at KR Training for about 7 years. I’ve seen thousands of people come through the doors of one of the oldest and most respected self-defense schools in Central Texas – and the primary residence of the students? Austin. And the students are male, female, black, white, yellow, brown, rich, poor, highly educated, barely educated, young, old, you name it. If anything, “white male power” is quite the minority.

And vigilante? Do you really think anyone that has to go through as much red tape, as much background checking, fingerprinting, and legal hassle as to get a concealed carry license is a vigilante? If you don’t know what it takes, click through to read the lengthy legal and regulatory process that’s involved.

So I’m not really sure where Mr. Cañizares-Esguerra is getting his information.

But perhaps if he stepped outside of his ivory tower – and just looked around, right here in Austin – he might see that the only person throwing around ignorant stereotypes is himself.

2015-11-13 training log

/ hsoi

Fairly normal, but I changed up a few things to contend with time.

This session has gotten longer because I wanted more work, but of course with more work comes more time. Well, today I didn’t have that time so I tried a few things to drop it down.

First, instead of the 100-reps I just did a rest-pause set. I’m already warmed up, so I can just dive right in. I wanted the first set to hit somewhere 12-20 reps, so that then with 2 r/p sets I’d get enough volume. Just take all 3 sets to true failure. I did this on the reverse curls. Felt fine. Was it any better or worse? Hard to say, but if it’s basically feeling about the same then who knows… maybe it’s better because it’s more efficient. We’ll see.

Then pushdowns… I’m tired of pushdowns. Sure I change handles but meh. So I went for something different: cable bent-over triceps extensions. It’s a longer range of motion and tension due to the cables, and if nothing else it’s just different.

Then, I did the extensions and preacher curls also rest-pause (same protocol as above), AND kept it as a superset. But because RP and supersetting, there was just no rest. Extensions to failure, then curl to failure, then right back to extensions, etc.. Because triceps got enough rest while curling and vice versa.

All felt fine and good, and I certainly got done in much less time.

So, nothing big to report. Just a nice day.

  • Cheat Curls
    • 40 x 12
    • 50 x 10
    • 60 x 8
    • 70 x 6
    • 80 x 6 (true cheat set)
  • DB Curls
    • 30e x 8
    • 30e x 8
    • 30e x 8
    • 30e x 8
  • Reverse Curls (rest-pause)
    • 40 x 19, 10, 7
  • Close-Grip Bench
    • bar x 5
    • bar x 5
    • 115 x 5
    • 135 x 4
    • 155 x 3
    • 175 x 2
    • 195 x 1
    • 155 x 14 (AMRAP)
    • 155 x 6 (50%)
  • Lying Triceps Extensions
    • 40 x 12
    • 50 x 10
    • 60 x 8
    • 70 x 5
  • Cable Bent-Over Triceps Extensions (rest-pause)
    • 40 x 17, 10, 6
  • Preacher Curls (rest-pause, superset with pushdowns)
    • 40 x 17, 7, 5

Friday Fundamentals – Boundaries

/ hsoi

Claude Werner, dropping some important knowledge about mental preparation and the importance of setting boundaries — and knowing and understanding this PRIOR to needing it.

tacticalprofessor's avatartacticalprofessor

Up until now, Friday Fundamentals has focused on mechanical issues. This issue is going to focus on mental processes. An incident that was in the news recently drives the discussion.

“It scared me absolutely to death,” said Sherry McLain. She was loading groceries into her car this past Saturday in the crowded Walmart parking lot on Old Fort Parkway in Murfreesboro.

That’s when a strange man approached, surprising her, and she pulled her revolver. “I have never been so afraid of anything in my whole life I don’t think,”

Woman Arrested After She Said She Pulled Gun In Self-Defense

There are a number of problems here that led to her arrest.

  • Her level of fear was irrational. Witnesses and surveillance cameras confirmed that the man simply spoke to her from 10 feet away.
  • Being startled and being legitimately rationally afraid are two entirely different things.
  • She doesn’t understand the difference…

View original post 1,082 more words

2015-11-12 training log

/ hsoi

Note to self: must pay attention to the plates on the bar…. for dropping a 10 lb. plate on your foot sucks.

For that last set of shrugs I usually do 135 but today opted to do 155 because I figured I might get more out of a set closer to 20 than something so light I’m just repping forever. But when I was done, my brain was still stuck at 135… so I just started pulling the 45 lb. plate off the bar and totally forgot the 10 lb. one was there. But I quickly remembered as soon as the plate slid off and landed square on the top of my right foot. That sucked, and I have an excellent bruise to show for it, as well as pain when I put pressure on it. I don’t expect anything is broken; it’s just a little pain and swelling righ tnow. Hopefully it’ll be better by Tuesday. 🙂

Otherwise, a decent enough day.

Weighed-in at 204 lbs. today as well. Slow and steady on my decline.

  • Barbell Rows
    • bar x 10
    • 105 x 5
    • 125 x 4
    • 145 x 3
    • 165 x 2
    • 185 x 1
    • 145 x REP (AMRAP)
    • 145 x REP (50%)
  • Cable Row
    • 95 x 12
    • 95 x 12
    • 95 x 12
    • 95 x 12
  • Behind-the-back BB Shrugs (smith machine)
    • 135 x 20
    • 165 x 20
    • 185 x 20
    • 185 x 17
    • 155 x 16
  • Close-grip Pulldowns
    • 110 x 12
    • 110 x 12
    • 110 x 10
    • 110 x 8, 5, 4 (rest-pause)

Updated thoughts on a home defense tool

/ hsoi / 9 Comments

Some years ago I wrote down my thoughts on home defense tools.

My thoughts have progressed over the years.

The other day I read this article: Long guns for home defense – not such a hot idea. My initial reaction was to groan, because there actually is a place for them, but my groan was purely on the article title. So I went and read the article, and I actually agree completely with the author.

(Aside: This is why it’s good to actually READ the article, not just the headline. I loved NPR’s troll/experiment on this very thing.)

But since I know from looking at my own site statistics that people rarely click-through to read the referenced article, here’s the “tl;dr” summary:

  • Handguns are generally better for home-defense because they are compact and one-handed
    • Have you tried quickly navigating your house with a long-gun?
    • How about contending with opening doors, using flashlights, finagling children, etc.?
  • Long-guns are useful when you stay-put.

Now is this the be-all-end-all? Of course not. There are a great many factors to consider. For example, I know a couple (and just the 2 of them; no kids to worry about) that lives in a rural area. They are far back from the road so there’s longer distances to cover. As well, a more common issue for them is to contend with 4-legged predators around their livestock. Considering the totality of their circumstances, a rifle actually works out well for them.

In my house, a handgun is generally more useful, because people, because tight and twisty hallways, and most of all? Because it’s the tool with which I am most proficient.

And I’m sure YOUR situation is different.

Consider the totality of your circumstance and pick the right tool for the job. I know Internet mantra is “long guns for defending the home-front”, but remember what’s right for someone else behind their keyboard may not be appropriate for you, your family, and your home.

2015-11-10 training log

/ hsoi

Man… leg day is killing me.

It’s good tho. I need a lot of work, and I’m getting it. It’s the squats with AMRAP, then the high-bar…. then RDL. All together? Leaves me hurtin’.

No question tho, two parts of the equation are simple: 1. the diet: this needs fuel and I just don’t have any (by design), 2. my work capacity. But that said, I can say my work capacity is improving, which is good.

On the RDL’s, I realized that I’m not quite doing them correctly. My back rounds a bit, and RDL’s apparently need a very flat back. So I ended up trying to work that better, dropped weight some, and trying to focus on improving form. I’ll continue my focus there.

Same with the calf raises. I’m trying a suggestion from Paul Carter where you sink into a stretch for a good 5 seconds, then pretty much explode up and hit a really strong peak contraction; slow on the way down, sink into the stretch, 5 seconds, repeat. I suspected I’d have to lower the weight and sure enough I did. Try it.

Anyways, hell of a work day. Now the next 48 hours or so need to be strict to the diet…. which isn’t easy right now. But I see my goal, so… gotta keep that focus.

  • Squat
    • bar x 5
    • bar x 5
    • 115 x 5
    • 145 x 4
    • 170 x 3
    • 215 x 2
    • 240 x 1
    • 210 x 11 (AMRAP)
    • 210 x 6 (50%)
  • High Bar, close-stance Squat
    • 115 x 12
    • 115 x 10
    • 115 x 10
    • 115 x 9
  • Deficit (1″) RDL
    • 215 x 8
    • 215 x 4
    • 185 x 6
  • Leg Extensions
    • 45 x 15
    • 50 x 13
    • 55 x 11
    • 45 x 15
  • Leg Curls (superset with Extensions)
    • 30 x 15
    • 35 x 10
    • 40 x 8
    • 30 x 8
  • Standing Calf Raises
    • 100 x 10
    • 100 x 6
    • 80 x 8
    • 80 x 8

2015-11-09 training log

/ hsoi

On paper, it looks like a regression, but paper can’t track everything.

All in all a fair day; 80% day, if you will. I wasn’t thrilled on the inclines — just felt wobbly the whole time.

But when I started the DB bench presses, I realized something. I realized I wasn’t going as deep as I could. I would say I was hitting a depth that’d be about the same as with bar. But these are dumbbells! Part of the point is the additional range of motion they afford. So I went deeper, letting myself go as far down as I could, getting as much stretch as I could, THEN pressing. Made sure this happened on flies and the seated DB presses too. It equated to less reps, but it was a bunch more work.

What was cool about it was feeling it, especially on the flat presses. When I started to press out of the hole, there was a more noticable working of the chest muscles — that “mind-muscle connection” was stronger. The working of the muscle, feeling the muscle work, instead of just moving weight through the air. It was good.

So yeah, on paper it looks like I regressed, but I consider this forward improvement.

  • Incline Press
    • bar x 5
    • bar x 5
    • 85 x 5
    • 105 x 4
    • 125 x 3
    • 155 x 2
    • 175 x 1
    • 155 x 10 (AMRAP)
    • 155 x 6 (50%)
  • DB Bench Press (4-0-1-0 tempo)
    • 55e x 10
    • 55e x 10
    • 55e x 10
    • 55e x 10
    • 55e x 7
  • DB Flat Flies
    • 25e x 12
    • 25e x 10
    • 25e x 10
  • Press Behind Neck (seated, smith machine)
    • 95 x 10
    • 95 x 5
  • Seated DB Press
    • 40 x 10
    • 40 x 8
    • 40 x 7
    • 40 x 7
    • 40 x 10
  • Front Plate Raise
    • 25 X 50

Sunday Metal – Exciter

/ hsoi

Been trying Apple Music (so far enjoying it). A playlist “Best of Thrash/Speed Metal” came up, and I thought it’d make for a good Sunday Metal series.

Exciter – Heavy Metal Maniac

 

Signs, signs, everywhere there’s (ineffective) signs

/ hsoi / 2 Comments

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin police are looking for a man who robbed a South Austin jewelry store on Thursday afternoon. Police say the suspect came into Jared’s Jewelry store, located at 4301 W. William Cannon Dr., with a gun, and demanded property from the employees. The suspect was able to get away with an undisclosed amount of property.

Full story (emphasis added)

Jared’s Jewelry is well-established as being anti-gun. Here in Texas, every Jared’s store posts “30.06 signs” outside their entrances. People post “30.06” and other “no-guns” signs expecting those signs will keep guns (and crime/violence) out of their facility. The point of a “30.06 sign” is to prohibit lawful concealed carry inside the store; and that it does. The law-abiding citizens of Texas that are background-checked, fingerprinted, have passed other stringent tests and requirements, and been vetted by both the Texas and Federal government as demonstrably law-abiding, obey that sign.

You know who doesn’t obey that sign?

That guy that just robbed the Jared’s Jewelry store.