Went to the local gun show today. Lots of interesting stuff. Saw the new SIG556 and wasnt that impressed. I did see something, however, that holds a wierd interest for me: ‘high capacity’ magazines for the Ruger 10/22 Magnum. The Mag gives about 2.5x the energy of the LR which means that, and this is where the flamewar begins, you might be able to make a case for the 10/22 Magnum with 20-rd mags being a not-absurd choice for a defensive gun in some situations.

Heres the fun part:
the PMC .22 Mag ammo can give a muzzle energy of 324 foot/lbs.
the V-Max 5.7×28 ammo can give a muzzle energy of 340 foot/lbs.

So, you might, might, might make an arguement that a 10/22 Magnum might be just as effective as a P90…at about 1/4 the cost.
So, just for giggles, imagine a 10/22 Mag registered short-barreled rifle, with side folding stock. Poor mans PDW? You decide.
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Did pick up a few things at the show. Bought a few boxes of S&B Rubber Ball shotgun shells to go with my rubber buckshot. Also a nice West German rain poncho. Much better quality than the US stuff. Dound a pair of white Mickey Mouse boots in 10W. Gonna go back tomorrow wearing my heavy socks and see how the boots fit. If they fit, then I’ll give ’em the $75.

Went to the range today, as I do every Patriots Day, to do some shooting. Brought a buddy with me. I had switched out the stock on my PTR-91 with an OEM surplus G3 stock that I got from CTD (Cheaper Than Dirt). Put five rounds in the mag, gave it to my buddy and told him to shoot. After he finished firing the five roudns he hands me back the rifle and I notice the wrist of the stock has completely sparated from the back of the stock – succintly the stock broke in half. Bizarre. Now came the big question: why? My worst fear was that there was some non-spec property of the PTR that made it incompatible with OEM HK stuff…perhaps PTR re-engineered their buffer system or something in a manner that was not compatible with the HK stock and as a result the HK stock broke? Or, perhaps a forty year old surplus G# stock made of plastic might have been a little tired and nothing more? Only one way to find out! Back to the bunker, grab another G3 stock (of course I have more than one!), throw it on and head back to the range to shoot. Twenty rounds outta the gun as fast as I can pull the trigger and no problem with the stock. Hmmm…must just been a stock that was on its last legs. BUT..to be safe, I’ve two more on the way from CTD as well as the A3 telestock.

For those keep track

205 rounds with no malfs.
Surplus stock (non-PTR) broke at 185 rounds.
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CMC 1911 mags are still on hand. Quantity left: 76. Group buy runs for another 10 days or until all gone.
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New arrivals on the Commanders bookshelf:
Poor Mans James Bond I
Poor Mans James Bond II
Merck Manual
Ditch Medicine
Survivalists Medicine Chest
Self-Sufficiency Gardening: Finacnial, Physical and Emotional security from your own backyard
The US Armed Forces First Aid Manual
Medicine For The Outdoors
Be Expert With Map and Compass
Backwoods Home Companion Anthology

Lotsa new readin’!
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Gleaned from arfcom today…DIY wind turbines:
http://www.mdpub.com/Wind_Turbine/index.html
http://www.angelfire.com/ak5/energy21/microsavonius.htm
http://www.instructables.com/id/EVM8ECZA4VEYKVV734

Well, better brace yourselves for more gun control hysteria. This is me patting myself on the back for getting the two PTR’s, 180 magazines, and ther ecent bundle o’ Glock mags.
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Speaking of mags. 80 left on the group buy.
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From todays email, as if the diversion of corn from food supply to fuel supply wasnt something to consider=
Billions at risk from wheat super-blight

Briefly, a type of rust is spreading from Africa to other regions where it has the potential to cause huge crop failures. A resistant form of wheat is on the way but is not expected for several years, time enough to cause problems.

Just gets better and better, don’t it?
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I simply do not have the words for this:

But apparently you can buy it on eBay.
Try not to think what a vehicle made out of 3/16″ sheet steel weighs and what it’ll do to your engine and suspension. Expecially your suspension of disbelief since this thing wouldnt stop a .223. Points for style though.

I seriously cannot believe that no one saw this coming.

1) prices for fuels from oil rise sharply
2) a possible substitute can be made utilizing corn
3) corn is already used for human and animal consumption
4) possible profits from use in fuel manufacture may be greater than profits from food manufacture

Now, based on that, answer these questions:
a) Whats going to happen to the price of corn
b) Whats going to happen to the availabilty of corn

Article:
The ethanol craze is putting the squeeze on corn supplies and causing food prices to rise.

Now Im sure someone somewhere in about a year is going to come up with some fast growing, seldomly-consumed grain that can be used instead of corn. But until then…as the article states, corn is used in almost all foods and thus prices may go up.

How does this fit into this blog? Well, unexpected increases in food prices mean buying your food preps becomes more expensive, the poor get less food for their $, more food-growing resources will be directed towards corn manufacture at the expense of other crops which will possibly increase as their availability drops, etc, etc.
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1911 mags are moving out. Deal ends either at the end of the month or when supplies are exhausted. Remaining inventory: 90 mags.

So I walk into the GunPimp’s this morning and he seems unusually pleased to see me.
“I’ve got something for you”, he smiled. “No one else in the country has them. I have two. I’ll sell you one.”

In my mind I’m thinking “Oh man, how much money can I afford to spend on another gun?”

Now, let me show you something

Someone asked in email ‘Hey, can I get in on this group buy of 1911 mags?’ Guys, you dont have to ask..if you can read this (or better yet, read this) then, yes, you can.

In case you missed it, the current group buy is for the ChipMcCormick Shooting Star 8-rd. blued mags w/ basepads. $11.50

This group buy runs until the end of this month. I’ve 150 of these things in the pipeline. 55 are spoken for. That leaves 95. If you want ’em theyre first come first served.
I’ll be mentioning it from time to time.
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Prices on ammo have gotten spectacularly out of control. While reloading is the best way to kep ammo costs down, even the costs of components like brass and bullets has gone up significantly. So…if you don’t reload, you might really wanna think about it. You can get your feet wet for less than a hundred bucks in gear. If you decide to stick with it you’ll want to upgrade to better reloading equipment but start off with a simple Lee setup to see if you like it.

And, when youre feeling really nuts, you can get yourself a Dillon Super RL1050 and crank out over 1000 rounds of ammo per hour.

The good surplus ammo is starting to get scarce and the stuff that is available is stuff that normally you’d view with a healthy bit of wariness (Pakistani ammo????).
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In case you dont know of it, Military Morons is a cool site for reviews of latest ‘tactical’ gear. Sure, its trendy and expensive hi-speed-low-drag stuff but, dammit, some of it is pretty cool.

Page is up for Group Buy #4: ChipMcCormick mags.

One of my vendors sent me a closeout list.

Chip McCormick Shooting Star magazines for the 1911.
Eight-round magazines, blued, with removable basepad.

Midway has them currently for, I believe, $13.99. I’ll be moving ’em for $11.50 ea. and a flat $6 to ship regardless of quantity. My vendor only has a couple hundred of these left so when theyre gone, theyre..well..you know.

Personally, these are the mags I use in my 1911-pattern guns. Never had a bit of trouble with ’em. They combine the best elements of good gear: excellent reliability and function, and theyre cheap. I’ve been extremely pleased with them and recommend them.

Stag lowers are here..and gone! Just got back from dropping them at the post office.