2A Blog Bash

Unfortunately, my luck is never good

Robb Allen — Sat, 31 May 2008 18:39:41 GMT

Bloggers who registered for & attended the Second Amendment Blog Bash are eligible to win a weekend in August training at the Blackwater USA facility with practical shooting champion Todd Jarrett.

I mean, shooting at Blackwater? How friggin' cool would that be?

Plus, I would have a t-shirt made up to wear to work that said something like I went to Blackwater and all I got was this lousy T-Shirt and the skills to kill people. With my MIND.

'Cuz where I work, that'd be priceless.

The next big trend in firearms

Robb Allen — Tue, 27 May 2008 12:17:52 GMT

At the NRA Apex of Death Gathering, pink was the new black. No matter what they were selling, they had it in pink too. No matter how much Bloomberg bloviates, colors are a new trend and it appears that people want something more than black and silver these days. The pink trend was quite evident at the show. While I was at the Taurus booth, one lady walked by asking which stock I preferred

Everyone around me liked the top one (myself included), but I knew if my daughter saw them, the bottom one would be her choice.

However, that's not the new trend. By next year, pink will be passe. What'll be the hot item will be clear acrylic. Like this shotgun!

I couldn't help but like it.

Want, but cannot have

Robb Allen — Thu, 22 May 2008 14:07:39 GMT

I won't lie. I have an addiction. I want more guns. No matter what new purchase I make, I'll still want more. In fact, I'd pretty much like at least one firearm in every caliber known to man with the possibilities of backups for the more popular ones.

Fiscal reality dictates, however, that the closest I'm going to come to a new gun is if I win, inherit, or find one. Actually, fiscally I could purchase another firearm, but I've grown attached to my wife and kids and I'm pretty sure if I came home with another gun I'd find said home devoid of family and a Post-It™ Note indicating the reason for their now permanent absence.

At the NRA Merchant Of Death Bazaar, there were plenty of "Wants". I'd like to focus one of my million wants on something that would be high on my list, and that's a 1911 of some sort.

First off, the one I'd sell one of my kidneys for, the Dan Wesson Bobtail Commander in 10mm (click to massify)

This is the 1911 to beat all 1911's, mostly because 10mm is something I already shoot and ammo would be interchangeable. I ended up liking the bobtail at least insofar as just holding it. It's possible that shooting with the bobtail is less than desirable, but in my hands it felt wonderful. I doubt I'd turn this down in .45ACP though.

Next down the line is the Kimber. I've fired two Kimbers in my life and I loved both of them. I especially love the Pro Carry and the Ultra Carry II models. Compact, sturdy, elegant, even if a little overpriced. Of course, in my financial state, $5.22 is overpriced. Let a blogger dream, though.

Last on the "1911's I want and took pictures of" is the new line by Taurus. While I've not fired any of these, they appeared to be well made and were comfortable in my hand. They're also a bit more reasonably priced, I think in the sub-$700 range for most models, but don't quote me on that. Taurus seems to have a decent reputation for mid-priced firearms, and I'd be more than happy to try one out and give my opinion to my readers (hint hint. Call me Taurus guys!)

Now, honestly, if price weren't an issue, I'd pony up and buy an STI. Any company that tells California to stuff it where the sun don't shine deserves my money. Joe Huffman swears by his and I put a lot of trust into Joe's opinions.

All in all, there are a bajillion firearms I'd love to have. A Desert Eagle in .357 Magnum or .50 AE, a Smith & Wesson 500, a mouse gun, A Barrett .50BMG, and the list goes on farther than my bandwidth would allow. But on top of that list is a nice 1911, either in .45ACP or 10mm. One day, I shall hit the lottery and my dreams will come true, but until then, I get to at least enjoy the dreaming part.

Am I related to yet another corner of the triangle of death?

Robb Allen — Wed, 21 May 2008 16:59:22 GMT

Breda may have her own shotguns, but I have my own tools!

Thank you Sgt. 1st Class Sokolowski

Robb Allen — Wed, 21 May 2008 01:34:33 GMT

But this old Devil Dog ain't quite in the hunt any more. Although you really got me thinking about it. I mean really.

I was glad to see such a full scale recruiting effort at the show. I'm surprised I didn't see the Marines, but for all the intra-military name calling and 'fighting', I can't complain about any of my brothers and sisters at arms. We all fight for the same team.

Sgt. Sokolowski, upon noticing my camera, informed me there were plenty of jobs for photographers in the Army. My reply was that if I was to see someone through a lens, there damn well better be cross hairs in the image.

Sigh. The funny thing is that when I was at Parris Island I could handle the physical, but the mental part was hell. Now, I could take the drill instructors' yelling and screaming, but was cry like a baby if I were to run 1/4 mile, much less 3.

Get a grip

Robb Allen — Wed, 21 May 2008 00:51:56 GMT

Yankee Hill Machine has a pretty good reputation when it comes to forends for the AR platform. I simply love this design I saw on the floor.

Now, before you all rush out and buy me one, remember I have a 16" barrel and require a midlength forend.

Legends

Robb Allen — Wed, 21 May 2008 00:47:09 GMT

Two people I met at the NRA Annual Shindig were David Hardy of Arms and the Law with his documentary In Search of the Second Amendment and David E. Young, author of The Founders' View of the Right to Bear Arms, cited several times in the Heller case.

Not-So-Happy hour

Robb Allen — Tue, 20 May 2008 16:30:45 GMT

Since us gun-clingers can't be happy, we had a Bitter Hour presented to us by The Outdoor Channel's own Michael Bane at the Bass Pro Shop in Clarksville, IN. I've never in my life seen a single store of that size. The fact that I had drinks and dinner in a sporting goods store should tell you how ginormous this place was.

Here's some pictures of the event (click to embigginate the pictures)

Don't let the 5'4" fool you, Ahab there packs 200 pounds of sausage, from what I hear. His wife (on the left)was absolutely lovely.

Squeaky smiles while TD looks off into the distance. Kevin desperately tries to avoid the camera to no avail. In the back, Michael Bane talks with Joe Huffman. Say Uncle hides at the edge, enjoying beer number... ummm.. hard to tell.

This is only half the party. Everyone mingled and talked about everything from guns to... well, guns. Hidden behind xrlq (pronounced "Jeff") is Para Ordnance's Todd Jarrett. Uncle met him and said "Hey, you're the Glock guy, right?" He didn't think Todd got the joke.

Michael Bane listens in as Uncle explains the finer points of fine fabric crocheting.

Joe takes more pictures than I do. A lot more.

Xrlq, Uncle, and Joe wait patiently as Kevin attempts his well known "Pull my finger" joke. Luckily, nobody fell for it.

My meal arrives. Not only was I on vacation, I said screw it to the cholesterol watching and ate fried shrimp like it was going out of style. In the end, the shrimp won.

Finally, the Bass Pro Shop had a NASCAR simulator on the second level. I raced against Squeaky and Rustmeister. Not to brag, but I won. By a mile.

In the end though, even the beer and booze couldn't remove the bitterness we had in our hearts. It was little comfort as we made our way back to our hotel rooms to cling to our guns and yell racially charged epithets at the foreigners who dared to venture outside our windows. If we only had hope and change in our souls, we could be free. Instead, I'll have to settle for friendship that will last a lifetime.

20mm DIH

Robb Allen — Mon, 19 May 2008 21:25:53 GMT

(That's Drool Inducing Happiness)

This is the 20mm rifle from Anzio Ironworks, a local company in St. Petersburg, Florida. I've blogged about them before, but I got the chance to see this behemoth up close and personal

(click for enlargening)

That's over 7 feet of rifle there, folks.

The bolt alone is the size of my forearm, I swear - Those white things are standard sized business cards.

Luckily they had napkins to dry off with.

Kriss Super V

Robb Allen — Mon, 19 May 2008 21:02:41 GMT

One comment made by our group during the convention was that there really isn't much you can do that's new an innovative in the firearm industry outside of cosmetics. TDI's Kriss Super V is definitely not in that category.

The Kriss is relatively well known in the gunny circles, but for those who might not be as familiar, here's some info from TDI's website

The KRISS system overcomes the shock-creating effects of the recoil gas by re-directing the gas’s energy down and away from the traditional “straightline” design that creates so much felt-recoil and muzzle climb.

The KRISS System, in addition to “re-vectoring” the forces of the recoil, also reduces muzzle climb by activating a counter-balancing mass that further absorbs shock and re-directs forces that would otherwise create muzzle climb, thus compounding the operator’s ability to consistently put rounds on-target whether through single-fire, multi-round burst or full automatic firing. Due to the fewer and lighter weight components, the KRISS is able to fire at extremely high rates of fire (1100-1500 should the application so warrant), however, the ROF can be easily adjusted to more common rates (650-700) through minor adjustments to the mechanism.

Because of its unique design, the KRISS technology significantly reduces both the number and weight of the moving parts of the mechanism. By reducing the mass of the slider and bolt and re-directing their movement, KRISS provides a lighter-weight operating system (as well as overall weapon) that in addition to the reduction of recoil and muzzle climb, can be handled for longer periods of time—and more accurately—by the operator.

Using 45ACP, it packs quite a wallop! Not only that, it actually does the near impossible and makes me look even more sexy.

Field stripping was deadly simple. 4 retaining bolts pretty much hold everything in place. The internal bolt system was really fascinating in how it redirects the energy downwards rather than rearwards. A flashlight can actually be inserted into the front directly above the barrel while the pressure switch can be mounted into recessed areas near the front. At a retail price of $1,600, I really wouldn't mind getting one myself. The Mrs. on the other hand, probably does. So this will be about as close to one as I get.