Went out to the range yesterday for a bit of trigger time. One of the LMI wanted to do some work with his .308 at 500 meters so I figured I'd tag along. Iwanted to make sure the FAL was functioning properly after I detail stripped the lower and degreased it (and then reset the gas system) and I was curious to see how my CZ did at that distance.

I only fired a couple rounds downrange from the CZ. I had to hold about 5' high to hit at 500 meters but the resultant group was about 7″ or 1.4 MOA. My goal is 

Being a pretty frugal individual, I usually dont buy all the gun magazines that are on the newsstand. In fact, I usually wait a few weeks until my friends are done with theirs and then they give them to me. I cant recall the last time I actually paid for a copy of Guns & Ammo. Anyway, since I dont read those magazines as often as I probably should I am sometimes left in the dark about new products that might otherwise interest me. The Woolrich not-a-tactical-vest in the previous post is a good example. Buddy of mine dropped off an assortment of gun rags yesterday and here's some of the new products advertised that I found interesting.

Bushmaster Carbon 15 9MM Pistol – So Bushmaster dropped their AR-10 because they needed to focus on their AR-15 market but they have the manufacturing capacity to waste on their very own Tec-9???

Leupold Zero Point Magnetic Illuminated Boresighter – Yeah, better add one of these to the shopping list.

Taurus PT1911 .45 ACP Pistol – Still waiting to get to handle one of these. Taurus, these days, makes good guns at a good price.
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Gave one of the LMI his Christmas gift today. Since Tactical Tailor was having a big sale, the thought that the 3-day pack might make a good gift. I think its safe to say that the Tactical Tailor bag is the official bag of the LMI.
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CostCo has some made-in-China handcrank LED flashlights for sale. $20 for two. I try not to buy Chinese made stuff if I can, but if you want a good light to keep in a vehicle and not have to worry about batteries, these things might be for you. I've a half dozen of the Baygen flashlights so I took a pass on them but am thinking now that maybe I should pick up a pair to stash away.
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From a comment a few posts back, check out this very well done example of one persons stash o' goodies:

http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=1&f=123&t=419182

Hmmm…Woolrich, a company that youd hardly think of as 'tactical', has this little goody:

For $70 sugg. ret.

Appatently Woolrich is bringing out a line thats sort of 5.11-ish.

Read about it here:

http://www.woolrichelite.com/Index.htm

And thus another Chrismahanukwanzakah has come to pass.

I have no interest in what you got for Christmas (or Hanukah, or Voodoo Day or whatever) unless its preparedness related…in that case, I wanna hear about it in comments. Start showing off!
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Interesting fiction story for those of you who might like 'survivalist fiction'. http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=1&f=123&t=420606 I'll leave the obvious morals to the story for you to figure out.
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Do I have any goals for 2006? Sure. Some are more reasonable than others….I'd love to have Commander Zero's Post nuclear Bunker Of Love And Lingerie Proving Ground up and running but thats fairly unlikely at this point….no, the more realistic goals….

Fuel – Katrina really underscored the importance of this stuff. I need four more steel 5-gallon cans and related gear (racks, nozzles, etc)
Food – Im fairly pleased with what I have. I'd like more freeeze drieds for the really long term and some more space for the regular canned stuff
Communications – Need to set up, and leave set up, a decent radio rig.
Power – Backup power suppy. Buncha batteries, an inverter or two, some charging devices, controllers and the like. My goal is to run radios and LED lighting for at least a week.
Guns – Almost nothing is needed at this point. However, I'd like some extra pistols, alot more magazines and some more ammo.
Theres a few more things that escape me at the moment but those are the biggies that immediately come to mind.

Oh, and rededicating myself to being the best darn Commander Zero that I can be.
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Interestingly, I didnt hear anything about Fatherland Security upping the threat level for the holidays. Funny, since youd figure that crowded shopping malls and the like would be fine targets. Nonetheless, keep your eyes open on those 'target rich environment' days.
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If anyone knows of an LJ that I should be reading or that Im ightbe interested in, feel free to recommend. Its always interestingt o read other peoples take on the preparedness issues.

Christmas gifts for little 'ol me? Why, you shouldn't have.

Ok, yeah, you should have.

Christmas looks alot like Tactical Tailor this year.

The goodies that found their way into my Gore-Tex MARPAT stocking this year:
Three-mag pistol poiuch:

Double .308 mag pouch:

Single M16 pouch (in OD, not the pattern shown)

Joy. Peace on earth and good will yadda yadda yadda…
but just in case……..

Taurus 627 Triad.

That, my friends, is the name of what is going to be my next revolver. Check it out, its shoots .38, .357 or 9mm (using moon clips)…and if it'll shoot 9mm then it should also shoot .38 S&W as well and also .380 ACP with moon clips. Thats FIVE calibers out of one gun.

I must have one.

EDIT: And .38 Super….

And maybe 9×23, 9×21, 9mm Largo, 9mm Bayard also.

Maybe.

But definitely .38 Super.

http://www.backpackgeartest.org/

Excellent reviews and tests of hydration systems, packs, stoves, filters, etc, etc.  Worth a bookamrk, IMHO
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How someone who hands out fare cards from behind a piece of bulletproof glass is worth $55k  a year is beyond me. Nonetheless, NYC mass transit is at a standstill until they get their labor problems taken care of. How do you suppose folks are commuting? I was there for the last strike and remember seeing trucks full of people paying money just for a ride across the Brooklyn Bridge. Moral: if youre dependent on someone else for your transport, you are at their mercy.
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Im telling ya, a couple zip ties, some paracord, and a small roll of duct tape in you rbag turns you into McGyver…zipties (aka 'cable ties') are cheap, tough and damn handy. Stick a few in the bag and a few in the glovebox. You wont regret it.

I'm back from travelling, which always seems to spur me to make apost about how I need to have dedicated travelling guns. Why? Because it is not unrealistic to suppose that it is possible you could wind up getting caught in a Katrina-type situation and be on your own for a few days…and while its true you can live without water for three days there are some times where you wont live more than three hours without a gun.

The criteria? Pretty simple:
Common caliber, if possible, to streamline supply and resupply
Arms must be compact enough to fit in small case
Must be affordable to the point that their loss isnt a disaster

In a perfect world, it would be an AK and a Glock. But, cheap Glocks are still $400 and a decent AK is about $350~…more for a folder. Add the logistics headache of two different calibers, two types of magazines, and the possibility of getting caught in the wrong place with an 'assault rifle' and we move on to another choice…

Glock and KelTec carbine or Ruger pistol and Ruger carbine. Better choices. Requires only one type of ammo, one type of magazine. Drawbacks are the calibers….40 & 9mm. Plus the Ruger autos are cheap but the Ruger carbine isnt. And we still have the 'expensive' Glock. The KelTecs ability to fold in half has alot of appeal though.

So after much thought, I figured the way to go is a Marlin .357 and a Smith .357 (or Ruger…them Ruger guns are built like tanks). Cheap enough to assemble the package for less than $500. Caliber gives me two different chances at scrounging ammo (.357 & .38 spl.), the .357 has good stoping power, the removal of the stock makes transport of the Marlin easy. Add a ghost ring sight, sling, a pile of speedloaders for the Smith and youre good to go. The major drawback, obviously, is the limited speed of a lever action. Tradeoffs. Why not .44 carine and pistol? Certainly better terminal performance but ammo is harder to scrounge and weighs more. Yes, I could get an autoloader .44 in the Ruger but the magazines only hold 4 rounds and there are no 'hi-caps' for them.

If someone made 25-rd mags for the Ruger 10/22 Magnum (or .17 HMR) it might actually make decent choice.
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Lessons learned on this trip:

• Have some plastic zip ties/cable ties in your bag. They were very handy for an impromptu repair to my duffel bag in the airport.
• FRS radios are mighty handy – I waited at the luggage carousle while the brought the truck around. Coordination. It was like Princess Gate, it went so smooth.
• An Altoids tin, lined with bubble wrap will hold 6 AA-batts. good way to keep spares for the FRS and other items. Interstingly, TSA didnt have a cow about how it appeared on their x-ray machine. Oh, and line the tin with pbubble wrap because otherwise you'll discover that those tins will conduct electricity and short out your batts. 
• Double- and then triple-check your carry on for 'things you shouldnt take through security'. Seriously.
• Always carry a bottle of water, some kleenex, and a book.

,Rawles' SurvivalBlog made a brief mention of the girlfiend today. Amazing the fanbase she has. It was in reference to the seismic intrusion systems we have…. we have both, the AN/PSR-1A and the wireless TRC3A. Good lovin' offa eBay.

http://www.livejournal.com/users/commander_zero/86226.html?thread=613842#t613842

My post about the USA today article on Bird Flu preppers generated a comment with a link to the website of the person mentioned in the story. Its worth reading – http://www.fluwikie.com/index.php?n=Consequences.FluPandemicPreparednessGuide