Tag Archives: guns

Cue the music………

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Well, first thing you gotta do is set the mood. So….theme music.

And now, the backstory.

You youngun’s might not remember, but back in the day when you wanted a .223 ‘assault rifle’ you pretty much had two choices – a genuine Colt AR-15 or, if you were on a budget, a Ruger Mini-14. Now, back then you could get your Mini-14 in a couple special flavors. Most notably, the ‘GB’ model. The GB, it is said, stood for ‘government bayonet’ in that it was the ‘government’ (military/police) model and featured a bayonet mount.

Mini-14 GB model.

There was also a model of GB that featured a rather interesting folding stock. You can see it in pretty much any episode of the A-Team.

The movie was actually pretty good.

Unlike the TV show, where they dumped a couple mags every episode and never hit anybody.

The folding stock was…interesting. Like all folding stocks it was , at best, merely adequate as a stock but the cool factor was off the charts.

When the ‘Assault Weapons’ ban of 1994 rolled around, Bill Ruger, the guy in charge at Ruger, famously opined that no honest man needs more than ten rounds in his gun.

In addition to not being willing to sell mags holding more than 10 rounds to anyone except Only Ones, Billy Ruger also pulled the folding stock Mini-14 from ‘civilian’ sales. Fortunately, Bill Ruger died before the Assault Weapons ban sunsetted in 2004 and at that point the company was now making smart decisions that didn’t alienate its core customer base. Thus, not only were magazines flowing freely again, Ruger even introduced guns that would have probably never come out if Bill Ruger was still breathing.

But…the folding stock fo the Mini-14 was absent.

To the best of my knowledge, Ruger never reintroduced the folding stock for the Mini-14. I suppose they might have done some for contract sales to an agency somewhere but these days the odds of some agency saying “No, no…lets skip the AR-pattern guns and instead buy a more expensive gun with 1940’s ergonomics, a proprietary magazine, and a history of questionable accuracy” seem mighty slim.

But nature, and the free market, abhor a vacuum. And so some enterprising outfit not only is bringing back the folder, but Ruger, according to the article, even gave them their moulds to do it. Read about it here.

I picked up a couple Mini-14’s last year, including a GB model. And while the Mini-14 is, basically, a range toy for me I still desperately want one of these stocks to slap on it for no real practical reason except…dammit…it’s cool.

So, the folks who are supposed to be developing it still don’t have it on their website but SHOT show is this month and I expect it to be introduced there and then available for pre-order. But…I will get one, yes.

And, of course, everyone who thinks that they are being clever will post some sort of comment about ‘a plan comes together’ or ‘pity the fool’. Yeah..not actually clever.

 

Article – Design of AR-15 could derail charges tied to popular rifle

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DALLAS (AP) — A subtle design feature of the AR-15 rifle has raised a technical legal question that is derailing cases against people who are charged with illegally buying and selling the gun’s parts or building the weapon.

At issue is whether a key piece of one of America’s most popular firearms meets the definition of a gun that prosecutors have long relied on.

TL;DR version: ATF’s definnition of a ‘receiver’ includes parts that are not present in just an AR lower, thus an AR lower is not a receiver. QED.

Historically, ATF has never let little things like legal definitions stand in the way of them doing what they want. I suppose the only way for this to get resolved is to redefine what a receiver is, which seems likely. The AR is certainly an inconvenient rifle for the anti-gun crowd…it’s ubiquitous, easily modified to skirt ‘assault weapon’ bans, modular AF, and, it seems, defies legal definitions that never anticipated such guns. Everyone should own at least three or five.

 

It goes up to eleven…I mean, eight.

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The intellectual part of me recognizes that it is a 16% increase in ammo capacity, but I refuse to accept the notion of a 7-shot .357. The idea that, when picking up a revolver, I have to remind myself “no, no…you have one MORE” as I shoot seems to fly in the face of the last 85 years of .357.

And yet, I am wildly excited about the notion of 8-shot .357’s.

I am a conflicted beast.

(As an aside, I think that for someone who fancies the revolver [which does have much to recommend to it] for personal defense the .357 is pretty much perfect. Fur and claws deserve a .44, but a six-shot k- or L-frame size gun in .357 seems ideal in weight and size for maintaining civil discourse. Although I like S&W, my .357 of choice these days is the GP100. However, I do trot out my Speed-Six and Highway Patrolman from time to time.)

The demonic monkeys at ATFE have been busy

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In case you don’t follow the industry blogs, ATFE has been on a bit of tear lately ‘reclassifying’ certain guns. They seem to have a particular mean-on for a bunch of the ‘rulebeater’ guns that have been coming out. Most notable as of late, a ‘firearm’ shotgun with wrist brace and the bizarre-but-give-em-points-for-trying Reformation AR.

ATFE has finally, it appears, started to get it’s battle plan together on how to deal with the  not-a-shotguns and the whole ‘wrist brace’ issue. I’ve been predicting for a while that at some point ATFE would work up the cajones to address those things. They’ve waited long enough that there are so many of those things out there right now that if everyone decides to keep them and do a $200 transfer there’s going to be a bit of a surplus in ATFE’s budget. Maybe that was the plan all along.

Or maybe those two guns were just outliers and ATFE will stick with their current classification of the other guns. You know, kind of how they stuck with their classification of bump stocks and the like.

Or maybe ATFE is feeling cocky because they figure the net election will get some anti-freedom Democrat in the White House. (And while you might argue that being anti-gun is not the same as being anti-freedom, I would counter that being anti-gun is pretty much the textbook definition of anti-freedom.)

Either way, if ATFE is feeling their oats perhaps they’ll dust off some of their old wish-list items as well…remember that proposed ban on steel core .223?

Because of these sorst of maybe-I-do-maybe-I-dont inconsistencies from the fedgoons, the smart survivalist never stops stockpiling ammo and gun stuff things that can be regulated out of availability on a whim.

The Glock 44 announced today…a .22 G19

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Looks like Glock just put a big dent in the .22 conversion kit market by dropping the Glock 44 today….a .22LR Glock 19. This thing is going to be in so many firearms training programs it’s insane. I’ll take two…one with threaded barrel.

Im curious if it will have to be made in America due to import laws concerning .22 pistols. (If you didn’t know, ‘Saturday Night Special’ laws from the ’60s put some restrictions and requirements on imported .22 pistols.)

 

Gaming the system, or how I got a new Ruger PC Carbine for $369

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There’s nothing wrong with card counting, per se…. after all, what you do in the privacy of your own skull is strictly your business. But, if the casino catches on that you’re counting cards and getting a bit of an advantage they will ban you from the casino (assuming they first don’t take you in the back room for a little ‘talk’.) I think Cabela’s is about two steps away from posting my face on a sign at the register saying “Do not admit”. Why? Well…here’s the story…

The local Cabela’s had a deal where they would price match any store within 100 miles that a) had a physical presence (“Brick-n-mortar”) and b) had the item in stock. A reasonable policy, I think. And then it changed. Now they will price match any place that meets the criteria but they removed the proximity qualifier. This means if a legitimate gun shop in Arkansas has the price cheaper, they’ll match it. And that’s when my brain went into ”game the system’ mode. (I swear, my Indian name should be “Dances With Weasels”.)

Cabela’s had a Ruger PC9 carbine for $549. My dealer cost is about $430. This outfit had it for $408.99. So, I print out their advertisement off their website, print a picture from Google Street View of their physical store, and trot down to Cabela’s. Turns out, Cabela’s still had their 10% off deal going on with the gift cards. So, I bought a $410 gift card for…$369. ($410 x .9 = $369) Headed to the gun counter, had some back-n-forth with the manager (Who grumbled that he would be selling the gun at $10 below his cost..I didn’t bother to tell him that with the gift card it was actually around $40 below his cost.) And I walked out the door with my shiny new Ruger carbine at $60 below my dealer price and didn’t have to pay $30 to ship it.

You gotta remember: pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered. So, I only plan on abusing this sort of policy fairly infrequently (like when theres a 10% sale on gift cards). Because even though technically it is company policy to price match in the way that they are doing it, and therefore I should be able to do it as much as I want, it would be a bad idea to piss off the people there too much.

As an aside, the history of me wanting a takedown centerfire carbine goes back quite a ways. I wanted something that could fit in a ‘three-day pack’. The AR was out because with a 16″ barrel you still had about 8″ of receiver on the end making it way too long for the bag. Choices, at the time, were pretty limited and thats one of the reasons I got the Uzi. (Note this was before the ‘arm brace’ craze.) However, this Ruger will probably replace the Uzi in that regard since it will share mags with my Glocks. Thus, a tidy  little bag sitting in a corner will fit my needs with a little carbine and pistol that share ammo and mags, allowing me to streamline logistics considerably. I am pleased. Only took about ten years.

Minor mods

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I am not one of those guys who believe , as far as guns are concerned, that just because you can add an accessory to it, you should. Youre a sovereign individual and can do whatever you want, but for me all an AR needs is a sling, light, and good sights/scope. (Maybe a stock-mounted spare mag, but thats iffy.)

However, since I’m putting a sling on the gun I want to give myself a couple options. As of late I’ve been pleased with Magpuls two-point-to-one-point sling. Since it uses a QD attachment method, I needed a to replace the plate that goes between the castle nut and the receiver. Fortunately, Magpul makes pretty much everything I need and I put in one of their sling attachment points. Seems to work well.

I had a couple cheap castle nut wrenches for the AR laying around, but a few years back I bought a Hammerhead Rifle-Tool which is sort of an AR ‘multitool’. It was perfect for removing the castle nut and replacing it. Highly, highly recommend. Not cheap, and I’m sure someone will say “My $5.99 gun show Made In China wrench works just fine!”. May be. But I had he money, it’s made in Oregon, has lotsa useful features, and seemed pretty stout.

The point of this post, though, is that if you’re going to keep guns around, and you plan on holding onto them for a long time, it isn’t enough that you keep some spare parts around…you need the tools. And if you need tools to last you the rest of your life you don’t cheap out. I actually have a 40mm ammo can in storage full of AR parts, tools, technical manuals, cleaning gear, etc. I call it ‘support gear’. There are some ‘armorers’ packages available for the AR but too many of them are made in China or have a lot of unnecessary or useless tools in them at the expense of more useful/better tools. Much like no pre-packaged survival kit is a good one, you’re better off parting your own kit together. And, if you decide to do so (which you really should), I recommend that Hammerhead tool.

Ruger AR556 MPR impressions

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TL;DR: I have a new favorite AR.

Alright, the first thing to address is that the ‘MPR’ is kind of a ‘package’ for Ruger’s AR556 carbine. You can do a little comparison between the AR556 and the MPR by looking at the spec sheets, but, basically, the AR556 are M4-clones whereas the MPR seem to be a bit more refined with slightly longer barrels, freefloat handguards (which some AR556 models have), the very nice 452 Elite trigger, a non-birdcage brake/flash suppressor and Magpul furniture.

I liked the idea of something longer than 16″ but shorter than 20″, wanted the freefloat handguards, no front sight tower, and Magpul furniture. The trigger was icing on the cake and I really, really like it. Not so heavy as to preclude making good shots at distance, but not so light that you’d be unsafe running around Katrinaville.

My impressions from shooting about a hundred rounds downrange is very favorable. I don’t know if its the brake, the rifle-length gas system, or both, but the felt recoil and muzzle rise was the easiest of any AR I’ve ever shot. If you’re into fast followups this seems to be the rifle for you.

Other than that, its an AR. Ergonomics, control layout, etc, are all the same as every other one of the millions of AR’s floating around the planet. The nontypical barrel length, rifle-length gas system, and snazzy trigger are Ruger’s personal touches and they really are what separates this rifle from the others.

I dropped a set of Magpul Pro BUIS on there to keep handy in case the Leupold VX-R Patrol optic (1.25×4 30mm tube) craps out. The cheaper plastic Magpul BUIS would probably have worked just fine but they are a tad bulky and I couldn’t be sure they’d fit under the eyepiece end of the scope. The Magpul Pro, while spendy, fit perfectly with a little room to spare.

Added a sling because. Only other thing to add would be a tactical light and then that’s it. Done. What sorta crap you hang off your AR is your business, but I like to keep it neat and minimal. No VFG, no offset sights, no short range red dot, no monopod, etc.

The Leupold scope was my compromise to avoid spending $1300 on an ACOG. (Although I see nothing wrong with dropping an ACOG on this thing if you have the money.) I’d spent a lot of time fondling the two different Leupold AR scopes, one a 1″ tube and the other a 30mm, and decided to spend the extra money for the illuminated dot and the 30mm tube. Worth it. Dialed down to 1.25x and with the dot lit up this thing makes fast target acquisition possible and for longer shots I can dial it out to 4x. The dot, by the way, shuts itself off after five minutes of inactivity and then turns itself back on when it detects motion. Thats just freakin’ handy.

How does it shoot? Between the rifle-length gas system and the brake/comp on the end, this is the softest shooting AR I’ve ever handled. There’s negligible muzzle rise and barely any recoil. If you see yourself in a world where fast followup shots are called for, this is the gun for you. Ruger’s trigger is really nice and it fits the bill in terms of practicality…not too light, not too heavy. It’s got some take up and then -bang-… like a very very nice two-stage trigger.

Overall, I’m very pleased. The MPR version of the AR556 usually comes in around $150-200 more than the regular version but, in my opinion, it’s worth it. Just the trigger alone would be an upgrade of almost that value.

If you get a chance, go play with one. Especially try the trigger.

MSRP on the MPR is $899, but I’ve seen them on sale in the mid $500’s, and dealer prices usually run in the $650-700 range, which, to me, is a very reasonable price for such a neat gun. Zero recommends.

Learning

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I was swapping stocks on a pair of Ruger 10/22 rifles today. I replaced both stocks and was doing a function test.I tried the safety….and rather than the usual ‘click’, the safety just kinda slid over to the side…almost out of the receiver. Hmm. Okay, let me move it to the off position and see if it works…nope. So the safety was moving weirdly and the hammer wouldn’t drop. Hmmm.

Alright, curiosity gets the better of me. I pop the pins and look in the receiver. Here’s where problem one comes in – to see down to where the safety button is you pretty much have to remove everything in between. Which, as you can imagine, is a tremendous pain in the ass.

Turns out, this is not a unique problem. It seems that if you put the push-button safety in a halfway position, in order to facilitate a stock change, you may rotate the safety to the point where the notches for the detents and notch for the sear become swapped around. I had no idea.

On the bright side, I learned how to strip a 10/22 receiver down to the very last part.

As an aside, Sportsmans Warehouse has Ruger 10/22 rifles on sale for $180. And Cabelas will price match.