My new toy.

[UncleJoseph]

I have an old 2D maglite that doesn't work at all anymore. I've tried switching out the bulb, with no success. I'm thinking it's something in the switch, since everything else looks intact, and there is very little wear and tear on the light (it has been dropped a few times). Might be the right time to throw that LED upgrade in!

[sinsual]

Check to see if the spring is over sprung. If it allows too much play with the bulb, it seems to make a lousy connection. Also check to see if the light reflector may not be making contact with the body of the flashlight. The body is the grounding system.

There is a kit out there that converts a 4-6 cell flashlight into a 2 cell with a lead weight

[UncleJoseph]

Ray, I'm intrigued by your 6.5mm Grendel project. I am also intrigued by the .300 AAC Blackout. I have my M4 almost complete (waiting on the optic). Aside from a Smith & Wesson M&P 9mm and a 12 gauge tactical, my next planned firearm is an accurized AR-15/10 platform for precision shooting (not sniper duty). I want something that can do well as a benchrest concept, but also take medium to large game. I know you are a proponent of the Grendel. I'm interested in your opinion as it compares to the Blackout.

P.S. I also took your advice and ordered a Streamlight Polytac. Should be here next week. It's going in my active shooter bag.

[UncleJoseph]

Also, have any of you gun guys tried FrogLube CLP? I have been messing around with it, and I don't think I'll ever use anything else again. It is awesome. A buddy of mine and I have been comparing it to things like Gunzilla and it is far superior. Worth the your time to try. A great primer on how to use it is on Sootch's YouTube Channel.

[Raygun]

Ray, I'm intrigued by your 6.5mm Grendel project. I am also intrigued by the .300 AAC Blackout. I have my M4 almost complete (waiting on the optic). Aside from a Smith & Wesson M&P 9mm and a 12 gauge tactical, my next planned firearm is an accurized AR-15/10 platform for precision shooting (not sniper duty). I want something that can do well as a benchrest concept, but also take medium to large game. I know you are a proponent of the Grendel. I'm interested in your opinion as it compares to the Blackout.

Well, my barrel's still not here, so I haven't had any proper time with the Grendel yet, aside from the short time I got at the range with the local dealer's rifle that pretty much convinced me to buy one myself. I have the rifle built, all I have to do is swap the 5.56mm barrel and bolt for the Grendel barrel and bolt whenever it gets here.

I ordered their 20" Lite Barrel on 05/22 straight from Alexander, along with a bolt and some mags. I was aware it was going to be a while. I'd read a lot of things online about how they're slow to fill orders. But as long as I get some time with it before fall really shows up, I'll be fine with that. To Alexander's credit, they did call me at the beginning of the month and ask if I wanted a standard bolt instead of the 'hard use' bolt I ordered. They could have shipped it then, but I opted to wait for the hard use bolt (which is SAE 9310 and ionbond plated instead of 8620 and blued; due to how much of the bolt face needs to be relieved for the Grendel case head, a standard material bolt seems to me a lot more prone to breakage and I've seen 5.56mm bolts snap lugs before). They said the bolts would be ready by the end of the month, so it should be shipping any day now.

As far as a comparison between the Grendel and the .300 AAC, with supersonic loads, they're about on the same level as far as energy is concerned (using very similar weight bullets at similar velocities, both the equivalent of 7.62x39mm on those terms), but the Grendel has a HUGE advantage when it comes to ballistic coefficient. The smaller diameter bullet is far more aerodynamically efficient, so it loses energy much slower than the .30 cal bullet, thus it is far superior for long range use. The 6.5 Grendel has been used for benchrest and other long range rifle competitions. If I can get myself into decent physical shape, I plan to use it for practical rifle myself, possibly 3-gun.

The .300 AAC has the advantage that it can use much heavier bullets (up to 250 grains) at subsonic velocities, so it can be suppressed very easily. In addition, the very heavy .30 cal bullets, while limited to subsonic velocities, are also extremely ballistically efficient. So while .300 AAC subsonic loads generate energy on about the the same level or a little better than .45 ACP, the bullet flies a lot better, thus is effective at significantly longer ranges than traditional subsonic SMG (handgun) cartridges.

Basically, think of the .300 AAC as a ~400 meter carbine cartridge that can be used in a suppressed SMG role easily, while the 6.5 Grendel is a ~1,200 meter cartridge capable of excellent accuracy. Both would work very well for taking deer-sized game, but the Grendel will be more effective at longer range.

I plan to built a piston-operated .300 AAC upper next year.

P.S. I also took your advice and ordered a Streamlight Polytac. Should be here next week. It's going in my active shooter bag.

I think you'll like it. It's a good light for ~$35. I was impressed.

Also, have any of you gun guys tried FrogLube CLP? I have been messing around with it, and I don't think I'll ever use anything else again. It is awesome. A buddy of mine and I have been comparing it to things like Gunzilla and it is far superior. Worth the your time to try. A great primer on how to use it is on Sootch's YouTube Channel.

No, but I'll check it out. Always like to try new cleaning supplies.

[UncleJoseph]

...I opted to wait for the hard use bolt (which is SAE 9310 and ionbond plated instead of 8620 and blued; due to how much of the bolt face needs to be relieved for the Grendel case head, a standard material bolt seems to me a lot more prone to breakage and I've seen 5.56mm bolts snap lugs before).

I have a couple of friends that lack any patience whatsoever when it comes to their gun stuff, and it has bitten them in the ass a few times. Glad to hear you opted for the stronger bolt, even if you have to wait a bit. I hope I get to see this masterpiece in person someday!

As far as a comparison between the Grendel and the .300 AAC, with supersonic loads, they're about on the same level as far as energy is concerned (using very similar weight bullets at similar velocities, both the equivalent of 7.62x39mm on those terms), but the Grendel has a HUGE advantage when it comes to ballistic coefficient. The smaller diameter bullet is far more aerodynamically efficient, so it loses energy much slower than the .30 cal bullet, thus it is far superior for long range use. The 6.5 Grendel has been used for benchrest and other long range rifle competitions. If I can get myself into decent physical shape, I plan to use it for practical rifle myself, possibly 3-gun.

It sounds a lot like the old arguments for 7mm vs. .30 cal back in the late 80's/early 90's. I cannot keep up with all the new calibers! The Grendel sounds like the better choice for precision shooting, especially at long distances. I've always been a huge fan on .308, finding that it was the proper balance between smaller diameter cartridges and the magnum cartridges. And a huge part of me likes keeping my choice of calibers to a select few, but time tested and proven, common rounds (.22 LR, 9mm, .45 ACP, .223/5.56 and .308/7.62). However, those calibers are for a different purpose than precision shooting, so I'm much more open to a so-called "wildcat" or newer cartridge in this case.

The .300 AAC has the advantage that it can use much heavier bullets (up to 250 grains) at subsonic velocities, so it can be suppressed very easily. In addition, the very heavy .30 cal bullets, while limited to subsonic velocities, are also extremely ballistically efficient. So while .300 AAC subsonic loads generate energy on about the the same level or a little better than .45 ACP, the bullet flies a lot better, thus is effective at significantly longer ranges than traditional subsonic SMG (handgun) cartridges.

The .300 AAC sounds to me like a possibility when I have my other priorities out of the way. Right now, I have no desire to suppress anything, but I could certainly decide to do that in the future. Changing the powder loads on these cartridges would necessitate re-timing (not sure if that's the proper term) of the upper, correct?

Basically, think of the .300 AAC as a ~400 meter carbine cartridge that can be used in a suppressed SMG role easily, while the 6.5 Grendel is a ~1,200 meter cartridge capable of excellent accuracy. Both would work very well for taking deer-sized game, but the Grendel will be more effective at longer range.

That kind of seals it, then. Grendel all the way until I'm ready for another experiment.

No, but I'll check it out. Always like to try new cleaning supplies.

You can get the kit from Amazon for around $28 with free shipping. Whether you get the kit or not, I highly recommend getting both the paste and the liquid. While ultimately they serve the same function, the application is easier with one or the other depending on which stage of cleaning/lubricating you're at. The initial clean/lube/protect process (i.e. the first time you use FrogLube on a firearm) makes subsequent cleanings much easier. The first use takes some time, but is well worth it. This stuff breaks up carbon very well...the key is to use a heat gun/hair dryer on the metal to warm it up, and then apply the FrogLube and let it sit for a while. I love how slick this stuff is. I've used everything from Hoppe's to Shooter's Choice, Sweet's 7.62, Break-Free, Gunslick, etc. I have so much Hoppe's laying about that I almost didn't order the FrogLube. I'll still use the other stuff until it's gone for a few applications, but I've almost exclusively switched to FrogLube. As with other products, the online reviews vary, but almost everyone raves about it...me included.

[Raygun]

I have a couple of friends that lack any patience whatsoever when it comes to their gun stuff, and it has bitten them in the ass a few times. Glad to hear you opted for the stronger bolt, even if you have to wait a bit. I hope I get to see this masterpiece in person someday!

It's going to be pretty cool, I think. I'll post pictures when I get it together and if you're ever out this way, we'll definitely go shoot it. Eventually, I want to put a side-charging upper on it (like an AK), with a gas system that can be shut off so that it can be operated manually, like a bolt action. Theoretically better for long range accuracy, definitely better for brass life.

It sounds a lot like the old arguments for 7mm vs. .30 cal back in the late 80's/early 90's. I cannot keep up with all the new calibers! The Grendel sounds like the better choice for precision shooting, especially at long distances.

Yes, it definitely is.

I've always been a huge fan on .308, finding that it was the proper balance between smaller diameter cartridges and the magnum cartridges. And a huge part of me likes keeping my choice of calibers to a select few, but time tested and proven, common rounds (.22 LR, 9mm, .45 ACP, .223/5.56 and .308/7.62). However, those calibers are for a different purpose than precision shooting, so I'm much more open to a so-called "wildcat" or newer cartridge in this case.

There is definitely an advantage to keeping guns chambered in readily available cartridges. I wouldn't be building these things if I didn't already have an AR (or two!) in 5.56mm. But the 6.5 Grendel and the .300 AAC are really just what happens when you try to get the most out of the AR platform (or any platform that uses STANAG magazines, really).

The .300 AAC sounds to me like a possibility when I have my other priorities out of the way. Right now, I have no desire to suppress anything, but I could certainly decide to do that in the future.

True. Suppression is its big draw, I think. Otherwise, the . 300 AAC would make a good woods hunting rifle, where your ranges are typically pretty short. It has that extra umph over the .223. It's basically the ballistic equivalent of the 7.62x39mm, uses .308 bullets (the most popular caliber in the world), fits a 5.56x45mm bolt face, and fits in STANAG mags. A good, multifunctional idea, but it's not a long range cartridge.

Changing the powder loads on these cartridges would necessitate re-timing (not sure if that's the proper term) of the upper, correct?/

Well, it depends. .300 AAC rifles are usually designed to fire supersonic loads without a suppressor attached. If they're full auto rifles, attaching a suppressor and firing supersonic loads will increase the rate of fire by a couple hundred RPM due to the increased back pressure a suppressor introduces (if your rifle is semi-auto, accelerated wear is the bigger concern). Firing subsonic loads through the suppressor will result in a close-to-normal rate of fire, and firing subsonic loads without a suppressor will probably end up causing a lot of short strokes (failure to eject). So yeah, it's handy to have an adjustable gas system on a .300 AAC, though you can get by without one as long as you stick to the rule supersonic = unsuppressed, subsonic = suppressed. That's how AAC builds them.

That kind of seals it, then. Grendel all the way until I'm ready for another experiment.

Yeah. If you want more performance out of an AR, especially for hunting, I think that's the way to go.

You can get the kit from Amazon for around $28 with free shipping. Whether you get the kit or not, I highly recommend getting both the paste and the liquid. While ultimately they serve the same function, the application is easier with one or the other depending on which stage of cleaning/lubricating you're at. The initial clean/lube/protect process (i.e. the first time you use FrogLube on a firearm) makes subsequent cleanings much easier. The first use takes some time, but is well worth it. This stuff breaks up carbon very well...the key is to use a heat gun/hair dryer on the metal to warm it up, and then apply the FrogLube and let it sit for a while. I love how slick this stuff is. I've used everything from Hoppe's to Shooter's Choice, Sweet's 7.62, Break-Free, Gunslick, etc. I have so much Hoppe's laying about that I almost didn't order the FrogLube. I'll still use the other stuff until it's gone for a few applications, but I've almost exclusively switched to FrogLube. As with other products, the online reviews vary, but almost everyone raves about it...me included.

Cool! I'll check it out.

[UncleJoseph]

Got the IWC Mount-n-Slot with a QD swivel in the mail today...well made stuff. I opted for the front mount only for now, since my Specter Gear sling can mount to the MOE buttstock without one. However, I imagine I'll get the rear mount for it too at some point. I have everything for my M4 now except the pressure switch for the TLR1s, and the Trijicon Reflex 1x42. I'll post a few pics once I get it set up. I'm waiting for all the contract stuff at work to be finalized (hopefully tomorrow) before I assemble it. The pressure switch should be here in a week or two. The Reflex? Who knows...dealer said 8-10 weeks, but hopefully sooner.

[paladin2019]

FWIW, Botach Tactical is having a sale on optics. I'll get to use the ACOG I ordered in about six months.

[UncleJoseph]

FWIW, Botach Tactical is having a sale on optics. I'll get to use the ACOG I ordered in about six months.

I keep meaning to check their site every time I place an order for something, but it keeps slipping my mind. Thanks for the reminder!

I've been looking at the Meprolight Mepro21 as a possible competitor for the Trijicon Reflex 1x24. The Meprolight has a choice of 4 reticles (the Trijicon only has a choice of 2 different size dots), and it is a 30mm lens...right between the Reflex 1x24 and 1x42. I have a friend who can get Mepro stuff for slightly over dealer cost. for regular night sights and the reflex style sights, that makes Mepro a strong choice for me. I'm still getting the Trij Reflex 1x42 for my M4, but my other firearms might start getting Mepro stuff.

[sinsual]

Any updates on the 6.5 Grendal yet Ray?

[Raygun]

Yeah. Alexander Arms is dicking around on my order. I'm not very happy with them.

I ordered the barrel, bolt, 4 magazines and thread protector from them on 5/22. On 7/10, they call me and tell me they have everything in stock but the bolt I ordered and asked what I want to do. I asked how long until the bolts would be in stock, he said "by the end of the month." I told him that's fine, I could wait another three weeks. So the middle of August rolls around without a word from them. I call during the middle of the day and get an answering machine. I leave them a message asking about a status on my order. A few days pass and still nothing. So I fire off an email asking what's going on. I get an email back from the same guy I talked to on the phone in July saying (paraphrased) "We don't know who would have called you and told you all that in July, but we still don't have the bolts or the barrels in stock yet."

WTF.

So I send an email back going "I talked to YOU, dude, and you had all of my parts in early July except the bolts. What happened to my barrel?" To which he replies, "We built an upper out of it and sold it to someone else." THANKS. So when are you getting more barrels in? "Don't know/can't tell you. OH but the bolts just came in. Do you want a fluted barrel? We have those, they're only $200 more than the barrel you ordered." So I say, "No. I want the barrel I ordered. Send me all the rest of the parts I ordered ASAP since I have no guarantee you're going to hang onto them while you wait for a barrel to show up." That was the middle of last week and I haven't heard from them since.

[3278]

That's shitty. Make sure you detail the experience and spread it around: like my lousy service from Quadratec, they can't get away with it if enough people know their service sucks.

[UncleJoseph]

Yeah. Alexander Arms is dicking around on my order. I'm not very happy with them.

I had a similar experience while waiting for many of my custom corvair parts for my airplane engine. The only source of said parts knew that my airframe was not completed, so he prioritized other people's orders ahead of mine if they were closer to having their airplane done. In all cases with his parts, you have to pre-pay everything. I waited 3 years for my modified valve covers. The guy makes great stuff, and truly is the only source of parts for a corvair flight engine I would trust, but parts orders should be filled first-come (and paid), first-serve...not, "Well you don't have an airplane to mount the engine to yet, so I'm just going to hang onto all that money you paid and fill other people's orders first."

I find the guy to have a huge ego about his work with corvairs (although a lot of it is justified). He has good business ethics when it comes to selling tested and proven products, and is not your typical polo-shirted salesman. He really is the engineer behind the product. But he gets a little carried away with the "my way is best and if you don't like it too bad for you" attitude.

[Raygun]

I had planned on ordering more stuff from them later on, but they've definitely killed any desire I have to do any further business with them. I'll gladly pay more somewhere else if this is the attitude and level of service they're going to project.

I sent him another email this afternoon asking him to confirm my request to ship the parts other than the barrel I had on order, per my last email. Nothing back yet.

[sinsual]

Ouch...

Wonder who is supplying their barrel blanks...maybe I can just order one from them

[Raygun]

I don't know who is supplying the blanks or who is machining them into finished barrels, unfortunately. It's a relatively inexpensive, button-rifled barrel (which are relatively easy to manufacture, so probably Wilson or Shaw). I could definitely have one custom made and get it quicker than it has taken Alexander, but it would probably cost at least twice as much. Mainly why I chose to buy it from them is that I figured the guy who came up with the 6.5 Grendel concept deserved my business and I know if it comes from them, it's going to be chambered to spec.

There are other places to get relatively inexpensive 6.5 Grendel/.264 LBC-AR barrels, but none of them were made exactly how I wanted, at the same length with the same profile, and no one else I know of makes bolts to the same spec as Alexander. So if I ordered one of those, I'd have to send it off to a machinist to get turned down to the profile and/or cut to the length, threaded, and finished the way I want. Still, I'm considering it. It's starting to seem pretty unlikely that I'm going to get any time on the rifle before winter gets here, which seems fairly ridiculous for an order I placed in May.

Good news, though: I bitched enough and they shipped everything but the barrel yesterday. So there's some progress.

[UncleJoseph]

Glad to hear you're getting most of your parts, anyway...sucks you still have to wait for the barrel.

[Raygun]

Well, Alexander Arms called today to tell me they had the barrel I ordered (20" lite) in stock, except that it was painted (black), which I did not ask for, but that they would waive the upcharge for paint. I told them to ship it. Who knows how long it'd be to get what I actually ordered from them. Certainly longer that 5 months. And if I want to paint it a custom color, I know someone with a blasting cabinet.

So... I finally ought to have the Grendel put together by the end of next week, shooting to be done as weather permits.

[UncleJoseph]

So... I finally ought to have the Grendel put together by the end of next week, shooting to be done as weather permits.

Good to hear. Seems very strange that it has taken so damn long for the parts you wanted, and that they seemed so casual about fulfilling your order.

I finally received my Trijicon Reflex yesterday, so my M4 is just about complete. I have a temporary sling on it, and I think I want to do a bayonet lug picatinny mount to relocate the light directly under the barrel. But other than that, it's pretty much exactly the way I want it. Taking it out Saturday morning to really dial it in, then it'll be ready for work.

[UncleJoseph]

Well I broke down on Friday and picked up a Remington 700 .308 heavy barrel. I've been looking at getting a hunting rifle for a while and was looking at the Thompson Center Dimension. After driving an hour and a half to be able to see one in person, I was less than impressed. On my way back home, I discovered that there was a new Remington to be had for $430. A short detour to the store with the Remington and boom, I'm now the owner of it. I had intended to take my dad's rifle hunting this year, but couldn't pass up the Remington for that price.

The following morning, I took both rifles out to the range to zero my new one and make sure my dad's was zeroed. Got mine dialed in, but my dad's was way off. After chasing the bullet holes all over the paper, I discovered that his scope was bad. He later told me it would only hold zero for 2-3 shots (that's a defective scope!). Wasted almost a whole box of ammo trying to get it sighted in. Oh well...dad's getting a new scope for his birthday/Christmas now.

I'll post a couple pics of my new Remington and my M4 shortly.

[paladin2019]

Check this out. http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2012 ... -receiver/

[Raygun]

So... I finally ought to have the Grendel put together by the end of next week, shooting to be done as weather permits.

Good to hear. Seems very strange that it has taken so damn long for the parts you wanted, and that they seemed so casual about fulfilling your order.

It's apparently not an uncommon complaint with them. But whatever. I'm done with them! That part I'm happy about.

I was also gonna buy a new upper and handguard set for this build so that I could swap out the 20" 5.56mm HBAR on the lower easily, but now Rainier is out of the uppers, of course! Trying to decide if I want to wait until they fire out another batch of those or just build it on the upper I have. Guess I'll figure it out Friday.

I finally received my Trijicon Reflex yesterday, so my M4 is just about complete. I have a temporary sling on it, and I think I want to do a bayonet lug picatinny mount to relocate the light directly under the barrel. But other than that, it's pretty much exactly the way I want it. Taking it out Saturday morning to really dial it in, then it'll be ready for work.

Sweet.

Well I broke down on Friday and picked up a Remington 700 .308 heavy barrel. I've been looking at getting a hunting rifle for a while and was looking at the Thompson Center Dimension. After driving an hour and a half to be able to see one in person, I was less than impressed. On my way back home, I discovered that there was a new Remington to be had for $430. A short detour to the store with the Remington and boom, I'm now the owner of it. I had intended to take my dad's rifle hunting this year, but couldn't pass up the Remington for that price.

Yeah. I was hanging out with some friends in Idaho last weekend, one of which is a pretty serious hunter and we were talking about how cheap the 700s are getting now. Which model did you get? They have those ones with the triangular ported barrels now. Not sure how to feel about that.

I'll post a couple pics of my new Remington and my M4 shortly.

Cool. I want to see them.

Check this out. http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2012 ... -receiver/

Yeah. That's bad ass. I had, as I'm sure many people have, the same idea. And this seems to be executed almost exactly as I would have done it. If they get off the ground, I will very seriously be considering buying one of their left hand .300 AAC uppers.

[paladin2019]

I think Faxon, like Magpul and probably Robinson, may have addressed my one concern with 8 lug bolts in the AR15 platform; they make the chamber a bitch to clean. With the barrel fairly easy to remove, that should improve access to make the job easier. And I think difficulty in cleaning the chamber is the far more serious design flaw than being pistonless.

[UncleJoseph]

Yeah. I was hanging out with some friends in Idaho last weekend, one of which is a pretty serious hunter and we were talking about how cheap the 700s are getting now. Which model did you get? They have those ones with the triangular ported barrels now. Not sure how to feel about that.

Remington 700 ADL Varmint, Dicks Sporting Goods exclusive.

I really only bought this gun for the action and the standard, round heavy barrel. The stock is the "dick's exclusive" part with a very cheap scope (going in the trash or something I /might/ us on a rimfire). I put my Nikon Monarch 2-8 on it for now. The barrel is 26", so I'm considering docking and re-crowning it to 20 or 22". Although I'm not certain at this point, I believe the swivel studs are made of the same material as the stock, and are really just part of the mold process. So the stock is kind of a throw-away too. But the gun will get me through hunting season. Next year I can put a more desirable optic and stock on it. I just couldn't pass it up at $430. I bought one of the standard Remington 700 VS .308s back in 1996, and even with my employee discount at the time I paid over $550. The stock was nicer and the bolt was jeweled, but those were the only differences. Wish I'd never sold that rifle, but was in a bind at the time. This new gun will eventually be built up to a standard I set for the old gun but never reached.

The new one shoots really nicely with some 150 gr. Hornady hunting rounds I purchased, but I want to experiment some more with factory loads. I don't know if I'm going to start reloading again...we'll see. I sold all my equipment for reloading b/c I was shooting so much standard stuff that it was simply cheaper to buy factory ammo in bulk than it was to reload. However, if I end up doing some competitive shooting, I might start tinkering with hand loads again.

I've seen those trapezoidal ported barrels, but they just don't look right. They are probably awesome, but I'm not sold on them yet. They are also pretty heavy...

I'll try to post pics of the new guns in a week or so. We're moving this weekend, so I've been tied up with that for a few weeks now.

[Raygun]

I think Faxon, like Magpul and probably Robinson, may have addressed my one concern with 8 lug bolts in the AR15 platform; they make the chamber a bitch to clean. With the barrel fairly easy to remove, that should improve access to make the job easier. And I think difficulty in cleaning the chamber is the far more serious design flaw than being pistonless.

The thing about that multi-lug bolt design is that it A) it limits the distance the bolt has to rotate, and B) it contributes greatly to the modularity of a platform. That bolt design makes it much easier to replace a barrel, so dealing with the difficult access for cleaning is a trade-off for that. The piston system will keep it from getting so dirty though, compared to a DI system.

One thing about Faxon's design that I'm not sure about is the barrel being retained at the trunnion by the lower handguard. While that is certainly simple, it appears that the steel trunnion just butts up against the aluminum receiver at the rear and on the lower handguard at the front. If that's the case, I'd expect there to be some battering from recoil after a while, which is obviously not a good thing. Though most of that force is going into the lower via the front receiver pin since the trunnion connects directly to the lower there, so I don't know how that will all work out over time.

Anyway, it seems like a good idea. Just kind of wondering what one with a round count in the high thousands is going to look like.

Remington 700 ADL Varmint, Dicks Sporting Goods exclusive.

I really only bought this gun for the action and the standard, round heavy barrel. The stock is the "dick's exclusive" part with a very cheap scope (going in the trash or something I /might/ us on a rimfire). I put my Nikon Monarch 2-8 on it for now. The barrel is 26", so I'm considering docking and re-crowning it to 20 or 22". Although I'm not certain at this point, I believe the swivel studs are made of the same material as the stock, and are really just part of the mold process. So the stock is kind of a throw-away too. But the gun will get me through hunting season. Next year I can put a more desirable optic and stock on it. I just couldn't pass it up at $430. I bought one of the standard Remington 700 VS .308s back in 1996, and even with my employee discount at the time I paid over $550. The stock was nicer and the bolt was jeweled, but those were the only differences. Wish I'd never sold that rifle, but was in a bind at the time. This new gun will eventually be built up to a standard I set for the old gun but never reached.

That's a lot of rifle for $430, man. If they made it left handed in .260, I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

I've seen those trapezoidal ported barrels, but they just don't look right. They are probably awesome, but I'm not sold on them yet. They are also pretty heavy...

Yeah. They give me some pause. I guess they look cool and all, which is what sells them, but I don't know. I remember seeing the first one and going "HOLY SHIT that's cheap for a 700!" and then going "Oh. There's why." There's probably nothing wrong with them, but it's just... Weird. I don't know WHY that would make a barrel cheaper.

I'll try to post pics of the new guns in a week or so. We're moving this weekend, so I've been tied up with that for a few weeks now.

Wait. You're moving?

[Raygun]

Well, the Grendel is built. The feed ramps on the old upper matched up pretty well on the new barrel extension, so I just put the barrel in the old upper for now. Took about 30 minutes to turn a ~500 meter rifle into a ~1,200 meter rifle. It's probably about two pounds lighter also. Now to go shoot it!

Oh! Also, the barrel I received was exactly the barrel I ordered. When they called last week they told me they were going to ship a black painted one, but they sent the bead-blasted one I ordered. So that was a nice surprise.

[paladin2019]

I think Faxon, like Magpul and probably Robinson, may have addressed my one concern with 8 lug bolts in the AR15 platform; they make the chamber a bitch to clean. With the barrel fairly easy to remove, that should improve access to make the job easier. And I think difficulty in cleaning the chamber is the far more serious design flaw than being pistonless.

The thing about that multi-lug bolt design is that it A) it limits the distance the bolt has to rotate, and B) it contributes greatly to the modularity of a platform. That bolt design makes it much easier to replace a barrel, so dealing with the difficult access for cleaning is a trade-off for that. The piston system will keep it from getting so dirty though, compared to a DI system.

I don't buy the modularity tradeoff as this is a 60 year old design. It's just poor design to make a machine that needs greater than normal cleaning (due to other, legitimate design decisions) more difficult to clean. And an AR-15 bolt rotates ~45 degrees anyway, as does an M60 and M249 with their 2 lug bolts.

One thing about Faxon's design that I'm not sure about is the barrel being retained at the trunnion by the lower handguard. While that is certainly simple, it appears that the steel trunnion just butts up against the aluminum receiver at the rear and on the lower handguard at the front. If that's the case, I'd expect there to be some battering from recoil after a while, which is obviously not a good thing. Though most of that force is going into the lower via the front receiver pin since the trunnion connects directly to the lower there, so I don't know how that will all work out over time.

Anyway, it seems like a good idea. Just kind of wondering what one with a round count in the high thousands is going to look like.

Good point. The lower rail bolts to the upper and holds the barrel in place on the upper, but yeah, you've still got a steel on steel (the takedown pin) on aluminum connection.

[Raygun]

I don't buy the modularity tradeoff as this is a 60 year old design.

Yes. A 60 year-old design that contributes to ease of modularity, manufacturing, and strength of the action. Overall, the design advantages outweigh the disadvantage of difficult cleaning, which is why the vast majority of military automatic rifles developed in the last 40 years use the multi-lug bolt design. DI operation does exacerbate the cleaning issue, though. I mean, you put 500 rounds through an AR and it looks like someone took a dump in the action. Piston-operated rifles aren't anywhere near as bad.

It's just poor design to make a machine that needs greater than normal cleaning (due to other, legitimate design decisions) more difficult to clean. And an AR-15 bolt rotates ~45 degrees anyway, as does an M60 and M249 with their 2 lug bolts.

No, the AR bolt rotates 22.5 degrees. It's one of the two advantages that a multi-lug bolt offers. The other is that the recoil force is dispersed more evenly against the locking surfaces, which are stronger because they fully surround the breech.

You're right though, a two- or three-lug bolt does offer easier access to the breach for cleaning, but that essentially means that a quarter of the trunnion/barrel extension (whatever they want to call the bit that the bolt's locking lugs interface with) has to be cut away or designed out to allow that access (and access to the ejection port). That's a difficult thing to address in a modular system where ease of barrel replacement is a consideration. If the barrel and the trunnion/extension aren't one permanent assembly, then you have to worry about headspace every time you change a barrel. That's no good.

[paladin2019]

It's just poor design to make a machine that needs greater than normal cleaning (due to other, legitimate design decisions) more difficult to clean. And an AR-15 bolt rotates ~45 degrees anyway, as does an M60 and M249 with their 2 lug bolts.

No, the AR bolt rotates 22.5 degrees. It's one of the two advantages that a multi-lug bolt offers. The other is that the recoil force is dispersed more evenly against the locking surfaces, which are stronger because they fully surround the breech.

Ummmm, my bolt right here goes from between 10 and 11 o'clock and 12 o'clock.That's the movement the cam makes as it engages teh track cut into the upper receiver. An eight of a rotation is, I think, ~45 degrees. Of course, I could be stupid and I'm misjudging the travel. Regardless, it's no more than an M60's two lug bolt does.

You're right though, a two- or three-lug bolt does offer easier access to the breach for cleaning, but that essentially means that a quarter of the trunnion/barrel extension (whatever they want to call the bit that the bolt's locking lugs interface with) has to be cut away or designed out to allow that access (and access to the ejection port). That's a difficult thing to address in a modular system where ease of barrel replacement is a consideration. If the barrel and the trunnion/extension aren't one permanent assembly, then you have to worry about headspace every time you change a barrel. That's no good.

I'm not sure I follow. Except for M2s, no machinegun used by the US in the last 50 years hasn't had individually headspaced barrels. You just swap out for the spare and keep shooting. And that's essentially what all these modular weapons do; the barrel is easy to remove to get at it when cleaning. The AR15, with essentially the same barrel, mounts it in such a way that it's difficult to get at and you can't remove it without a lot of work and re-zeroing.

[Raygun]

Ummmm, my bolt right here goes from between 10 and 11 o'clock and 12 o'clock.That's the movement the cam makes as it engages teh track cut into the upper receiver. An eight of a rotation is, I think, ~45 degrees. Of course, I could be stupid and I'm misjudging the travel.

I don't think you're stupid but you are forgetting that the bolt isn't rotating from one open slot to another. There are 8 lugs (well, technically 7 on the AR; the one on the back of the extractor doesn't actually lock) spaced evenly around the circumference of the bolt. 360 / 8 = 45 degrees apart. The bolt has to rotate half that distance into locked position. 1/16th of a full rotation. 22.5 degrees.

Regardless, it's no more than an M60's two lug bolt does.

Yeah, it's much less. An opposed two-lug bolt with full contact on the locking lugs rotates 90 degrees (most bolt-action rifles). A three-lug bolt rotates 60 degrees (AK, SG550; though only two lugs on those bolts actually perform locking).

I'm not sure I follow. Except for M2s, no machinegun used by the US in the last 50 years hasn't had individually headspaced barrels. You just swap out for the spare and keep shooting.

Right, because the barrel assembly has an extension built onto that the bolt locks into, similar to the AR. You have to have that kind of a setup specifically to keep from having to worry about headspace so you can whip barrels in and out of the receiver. Modularity. But because the M249 is a machine gun and as such an area affect weapon, not so much emphasis has to be placed on accuracy, which is the problem implementing a similar system on a rifle.

But let's say you're implementing a quick-change barrel on a platform like the AK or the SG550 where the barrel is not an assembly with a trunnion or extension attached to it; the trunnion is part of the receiver and the bolt locks between the trunnion and the barrel's breech. This setup is exactly what makes those rifles so accessible for cleaning. And if you separate the two, headspace becomes a problem to be dealt with every time you replace the barrel. I don't think it's a problem that can't be gotten around (particularly in the way that the SCAR is assembled; though the barrel assembly is not exactly quick-change on it), I'm just not sure it's really worth it.

And that's essentially what all these modular weapons do; the barrel is easy to remove to get at it when cleaning.

That's not the design purpose, though. You're not supposed to jack the barrels in and out of these rifles like a machine gun. You COULD, but eventually it's going to present accuracy problems with all that steel-on-aluminum contact. It's done that way so that a person can easily swap out one barrel length for another to suit mission requirements (i.e. CQB vs. long range patrol or something like that) without having to send it all back to an armorer or swap out a whole upper receiver (which is a more expensive part in a monolithic rail platform like the SCAR, ACR, XCR, or ARAK), not for ease of cleaning. In other words, it's not necessarily a good idea on a rifle platform, though I think the ACR probably has the best setup for what you're talking about.

The AR15, with essentially the same barrel, mounts it in such a way that it's difficult to get at and you can't remove it without a lot of work and re-zeroing.

Any time you remove the barrel from the bit of the rifle the optics are attached to, you're going to have to re-zero. I doubt any of these systems are perfectly repeatable that way.

The upper receiver on an AR isn't really an expensive part anyway. The way the AR is designed, once the upper and barrel are put together, they really shouldn't be separated. I did just do that and that's handy (in case one of them is damaged and needs replacement), but that's not really the way it was intended, and if I'd been able to order the receiver I wanted, I'd have avoided doing it entirely.

[paladin2019]

Ummmm, my bolt right here goes from between 10 and 11 o'clock and 12 o'clock.That's the movement the cam makes as it engages teh track cut into the upper receiver. An eight of a rotation is, I think, ~45 degrees. Of course, I could be stupid and I'm misjudging the travel.

I don't think you're stupid but you are forgetting that the bolt isn't rotating from one open slot to another. There are 8 lugs (well, technically 7 on the AR; the one on the back of the extractor doesn't actually lock) spaced evenly around the circumference of the bolt. 360 / 8 = 45 degrees apart. The bolt has to rotate half that distance into locked position. 1/16th of a full rotation. 22.5 degrees.

Sure. But the cam, which is attached to the bolt, moves through ~45 degrees when locking, from between the 10 and 11 o'clock positions on the bolt carrier, to the 12 o'clock. I've always thought the bolt traveled farther than it needed to.

Regardless, it's no more than an M60's two lug bolt does.

Yeah, it's much less. An opposed two-lug bolt with full contact on the locking lugs rotates 90 degrees (most bolt-action rifles). A three-lug bolt rotates 60 degrees (AK, SG550; though only two lugs on those bolts actually perform locking).

That's the point. An M60 DOESN'T rotate that much. Of course, its lugs are maybe 50 degrees wide (narrower than 11-1 and 5-7 o'clock).

[Raygun]

Ummmm, my bolt right here goes from between 10 and 11 o'clock and 12 o'clock.That's the movement the cam makes as it engages teh track cut into the upper receiver. An eight of a rotation is, I think, ~45 degrees. Of course, I could be stupid and I'm misjudging the travel.

I don't think you're stupid but you are forgetting that the bolt isn't rotating from one open slot to another. There are 8 lugs (well, technically 7 on the AR; the one on the back of the extractor doesn't actually lock) spaced evenly around the circumference of the bolt. 360 / 8 = 45 degrees apart. The bolt has to rotate half that distance into locked position. 1/16th of a full rotation. 22.5 degrees.

Sure. But the cam, which is attached to the bolt, moves through ~45 degrees when locking, from between the 10 and 11 o'clock positions on the bolt carrier, to the 12 o'clock. I've always thought the bolt traveled farther than it needed to.

No, it doesn't. The cam (the slot in the carrier that the cam pin, attached to the bolt, fits in) is what controls the 22.5 degree rotation. The fact that the cam pin is pretty large in diameter, that its head is on a larger radius than the bolt itself, and the fact that it moves a good distance on the bore axis may be giving you the impression that it's rotating twice as much as it actually is.

Regardless, it's no more than an M60's two lug bolt does.

Yeah, it's much less. An opposed two-lug bolt with full contact on the locking lugs rotates 90 degrees (most bolt-action rifles). A three-lug bolt rotates 60 degrees (AK, SG550; though only two lugs on those bolts actually perform locking).

That's the point. An M60 DOESN'T rotate that much. Of course, its lugs are maybe 50 degrees wide (narrower than 11-1 and 5-7 o'clock).

Well, you got me there. I don't really have an M60 to look at. I'm just saying generally in that case the idea is to maximize support of the bolt under recoil so you'd want an opposed two-lug bolt to rotate the full 90 degrees, but it doesn't have to depending on the lug design.

[UncleJoseph]

Wait. You're moving?

Yeah, my wife and I found a program that allowed us to rent out our current home in da 'hood and build a new home in a nice neighborhood. We just moved in on Sunday. It was a long, expensive process to get the old home up to code for the city and, and I'm still fighting with the plumbing inspector. But it should be all sorted on Tuesday. The particular company we used for our property managers get a commission from our builder (much in the same way a realtor gets a sales commission), so there's no 10%/month management fee to us. Further, they guarantee rental income to us for up to six years (whether there are tenants or not) while simultaneously trying to sell our home. Using this program was the only way for us to be able to move, and it is only applicable to building a new home or buying one that was just built.

We're very happy that we've been able to move out of our rough neighborhood. The last 10 years have seen some serious ups and downs in terms of crime rates. Right now, the crime rate is sky high, and I get tired of watching the drug deals on my corner several times a day. Most of the neighborhood knows what I do for a living, and nobody messes with me. But there's high turn-over with all the rental units, and sometimes new neighbors try to test the waters. We're very happy to be out. Time will tell whether the property management company will keep this a relatively stress-free journey for us.

The really funny thing is, our new house is cheaper to live in overall than our old house. When you combine the tax savings, the fact that we won't be paying city income taxes and that our new home is Energy Star certified (utilities are way cheaper), we actually pay less per month to live in the new place.

Anyway, as promised, a coupe quick and dirty shots of the new toys:

Remington 700 Varmint:



Colt M4:

[Raygun]

Wait. You're moving?

Yeah, my wife and I found a program that allowed us to rent out our current home in da 'hood and build a new home in a nice neighborhood. We just moved in on Sunday. It was a long, expensive process to get the old home up to code for the city and, and I'm still fighting with the plumbing inspector. But it should be all sorted on Tuesday. The particular company we used for our property managers get a commission from our builder (much in the same way a realtor gets a sales commission), so there's no 10%/month management fee to us. Further, they guarantee rental income to us for up to six years (whether there are tenants or not) while simultaneously trying to sell our home. Using this program was the only way for us to be able to move, and it is only applicable to building a new home or buying one that was just built.

We're very happy that we've been able to move out of our rough neighborhood. The last 10 years have seen some serious ups and downs in terms of crime rates. Right now, the crime rate is sky high, and I get tired of watching the drug deals on my corner several times a day. Most of the neighborhood knows what I do for a living, and nobody messes with me. But there's high turn-over with all the rental units, and sometimes new neighbors try to test the waters. We're very happy to be out. Time will tell whether the property management company will keep this a relatively stress-free journey for us.

The really funny thing is, our new house is cheaper to live in overall than our old house. When you combine the tax savings, the fact that we won't be paying city income taxes and that our new home is Energy Star certified (utilities are way cheaper), we actually pay less per month to live in the new place.

Good, man! That's awesome. Glad you finally got out of that neighborhood and I hope the rest works as planned.

Anyway, as promised, a coupe quick and dirty shots of the new toys:

Remington 700 Varmint:



Colt M4:

Nice! How do you have the light and pressure switch mounted on the carbine? With the Magpul kit? And how do you like the Trijicon so far?

Here's the Grendel:



YHM low profile block and thread protector on it for now. Will be replacing the gas system with a Noveske Switchblock and having an AAC mount/brake cut for 9/16-24 threads eventually. The light ought to look familiar.



To show how the optics are setup. Long range scope on the top (I think I might take the Burris 4-14x42 AO off of my 700 and put it in this mount if I decide to hunt with this gun, then get a better long range scope setup for target/competition), and a mini dot on a DD offset mount on the left for close range. No irons. I had the DD mount mounted on the side rail, but I found that in the 11 o'clock position interference from the scope made it really difficult to turn the red dot on and off due to the position of its selector dial, so I mounted it on the top rail instead, which puts it in a better position. Thinking about replacing this dot with the equivalent Bushnell model because its dial is canted between the adjustment nobs which would make it even easier to operate. Then I'll put the mini dot I have on it now on the carbine and put the Burris AR-332 I have on the carbine on the 5.56mm rifle upper.



The whole bench is a new toy, actually! I built it this summer.

OH dude! I don't remember if I mentioned this or not, but I bought a JP buffer spring for the carbine. They're centerless ground to the same ID as the buffer tube. No more TWAAANG!! right under your face when you shoot!! Works great.

[paladin2019]

How do you like the offset optics? Any issues with zeroing or bringing the gun to proper alignment to use the sight?

I'm particularly interested in how the offset scops align with the barrel. From what I understand, the M1 was never satisfactory in the sniper role because the loading procedure required a scope not only above but to the left of the barrel. Does this mount plus the modified stance sliminate having a second axis of parallax to correct?

Unrelated, does anyone have any recommendations for a nightvision viewer to place inline with an ACOG? I'm planning a pig hunt after I get home and I'd like my FAL to earn its pay.

[Raygun]

How do you like the offset optics? Any issues with zeroing or bringing the gun to proper alignment to use the sight?

It was kind of a bitch to get zeroed at first (I'll have to do it again after putting the Grendel barrel on), but once you wrap your head around how to make your adjustments, it goes pretty easily. I just set it up on sandbags so that the adjustments were in their normal vertical/horizontal positions and shot from there. No issue with alignment on shouldering, really. You bring the rifle up as normal and then turn it to about 10 o'clock and the dot is right where it needs to be. The Daniel Defense mount is well-designed. I would rather have it mounted on the side rail so I wouldn't have to cant the rifle quite so far (to 11 o'clock instead of 10), but the dot I have prevents that. Overall it's not a big deal.

I'm particularly interested in how the offset scops align with the barrel. From what I understand, the M1 was never satisfactory in the sniper role because the loading procedure required a scope not only above but to the left of the barrel. Does this mount plus the modified stance sliminate having a second axis of parallax to correct?

I actually haven't gotten a whole lot of time with the dual optic setup yet, and none with it and the Grendel barrel so far. It's not a magnified optic, just a 1x red dot. There's not much parallax to correct for, at least not that I've noticed, but keeping the dot in the middle of the glass will keep that from being a problem anyway. So far, it seems pretty good to go inside of 200m (regularly hitting 10" plates offhand), but I haven't really tried aiming on the edges of the glass to see what effect parallax will have, if any (though I guess that's actually spherical aberration, not parallax).

Unrelated, does anyone have any recommendations for a nightvision viewer to place inline with an ACOG? I'm planning a pig hunt after I get home and I'd like my FAL to earn its pay.

Sorry, no. I haven't messed with night vision at all.

[UncleJoseph]

Good, man! That's awesome. Glad you finally got out of that neighborhood and I hope the rest works as planned.

We hope so too!

Nice! How do you have the light and pressure switch mounted on the carbine? With the Magpul kit? And how do you like the Trijicon so far?

I have the rail clips that the Streamlight TLR-1 switch kit came with clipped right to a Magpul L5 for the pressure switch. The light itself is mounted to the Magpul cantilever mount from the light kit. I absolutely love the Reflex...it's a great match to the gun. So far, the only time I've noticed dot brightness issues, is when I'm sweeping a doorway that's backlit brighter than the room I'm in, or right about dusk/dawn when the ambient light is next to nothing, but just bright enough that the tritium dot isn't quite bright enough to compensate. But so far, nothing has completely washed out the dot.

Here's the Grendel:

Very nice build!

The whole bench is a new toy, actually! I built it this summer.

Now that I have a proper basement work area, I'll be building a new bench myself.

OH dude! I don't remember if I mentioned this or not, but I bought a JP buffer spring for the carbine. They're centerless ground to the same ID as the buffer tube. No more TWAAANG!! right under your face when you shoot!! Works great.

I will check them out. I am very familiar with the TWAAANG! you speak of.

I came across a new M&P9 w/factory night sights two days ago and bought it for $455. That was NIB with 3 mags. Couldn't pass it up. But that's my last toy for a good long while.

In my mind, I have a selection of guns that I consider the ones I "need" and a separate selection of the guns I "want." With the M&P purchase, I don't have any other "need" guns except perhaps a tactical 12 gauge. All the other guns I want are strictly collector or sporting pieces. I've built up my arsenal to the point that I have the practical selection I need for hunting, defense and tactical/work purposes. Although, one could argue I don't really "need" any of them. But that's how I look at it. I have my necessary firearms...not much else to really draw me into temptation unless I really find a superb deal or historical collector piece (e.g. M1 Carbine, Garand, AK, etc.).

[Raygun]

I came across a new M&P9 w/factory night sights two days ago and bought it for $455. That was NIB with 3 mags. Couldn't pass it up. But that's my last toy for a good long while.

In my mind, I have a selection of guns that I consider the ones I "need" and a separate selection of the guns I "want." With the M&P purchase, I don't have any other "need" guns except perhaps a tactical 12 gauge. All the other guns I want are strictly collector or sporting pieces. I've built up my arsenal to the point that I have the practical selection I need for hunting, defense and tactical/work purposes. Although, one could argue I don't really "need" any of them. But that's how I look at it. I have my necessary firearms...not much else to really draw me into temptation unless I really find a superb deal or historical collector piece (e.g. M1 Carbine, Garand, AK, etc.).

Yeah. The way I see it, everyone should have a rifle, a shotgun, and a handgun. What ever kind is up to them, but they should be proficient with all of them.

You could split rifle into long range (not necessarily automatic) and medium range (automatic), like with the setup you have there. Ideally the Grendel is going to cover both bases for me, but I'll probably end up getting a heavy barreled .260 bolt action here eventually (likely Savage). The shotgun can be a convertible type, like a Rem 870 or Mossberg 500 with a hunting barrel and a short barrel, or you can have one for hunting and one for close range/indoor use. Handgun should pretty much be an auto because of the advantage in capacity and mag change speed, firing a reasonably powerful cartridge like 9mm Para, .40 S&W, .45 ACP, or 10mm Auto. And that's pretty much it. Three guns.

[Raygun]

So I had a small role in the development of a firearm product. I ran into a guy who is an engineer as well as a competitive AK shooter. He makes a few handy parts for other AK users, such as a finger-operated magazine catch and an extended traditional AK mag catch. I liked the idea of both of them and sent him an email suggesting that he combine the two into one product so that the old method of changing an AK mag (take the new mag, hit the catch with the front of it while also knocking the old mag out, then put the new mag in) would not be compromised by the more AR-style method with the finger-operable catch. He sent me some CADs and asked what I thought. I thought they looked good.

Skip ahead about a year and now he's making them. Mine will be here at the end of the week. Anyone with an AK and the interest in modifying it should take a look at the RAM Enhanced Speed Catch. I think it ought to make the AK a little more modern and easier to use.

[paladin2019]

So, I found out my FLGS friendly local gun shop) went ahead and ordered my 226 Combat. They said don't worry about it, we'll settle up when it and you get here.

[sinsual]

Sold my $500 DPMS for $1000 cash...

Picked up another lower with trigger for $50...

[paladin2019]

Sold my $500 DPMS for $1000 cash...

Picked up another lower with trigger for $50...

See, dear? It's an investment.

[sinsual]

Sold my $500 DPMS for $1000 cash...

Picked up another lower with trigger for $50...

See, dear? It's an investment.

That's what I said to her, she was just happy it was another Grand towards Ireland for next month...

[Bonefish]

So I had a small role in the development of a firearm product. I ran into a guy who is an engineer as well as a competitive AK shooter. He makes a few handy parts for other AK users, such as a finger-operated magazine catch and an extended traditional AK mag catch. I liked the idea of both of them and sent him an email suggesting that he combine the two into one product so that the old method of changing an AK mag (take the new mag, hit the catch with the front of it while also knocking the old mag out, then put the new mag in) would not be compromised by the more AR-style method with the finger-operable catch. He sent me some CADs and asked what I thought. I thought they looked good.

Skip ahead about a year and now he's making them. Mine will be here at the end of the week. Anyone with an AK and the interest in modifying it should take a look at the RAM Enhanced Speed Catch. I think it ought to make the AK a little more modern and easier to use.

Oh, fuck yeah! I get teased by my two buddies wh oare teaching me some carbine handling(man, it's fucking AWESOME having a US Ranger as a friend. Learn all sorts of new stuff) that if the Zombie apocalypse comes, everyone in our group's going to be running around with M4s, except some girl, and me.

But this looks quite interesting.

[sinsual]

New to me. No range shots, as when I got to the range, I found out the PO had replaced the extractor with one from another caliber (not noticeable at the shop). A little time with an arkansas stone and now she is ready to head back to the range.

My FIRST TC Contender, something I had wanted since the 80's but never could find one I could afford.The major surprise? The wife bought it for me...

[sinsual]

Wife surprised me yet again...Long story short, she began asking me for my "Wishlist" as I had to sell off my Carry Gun due to an emergency. (I borrowed my friend's Glock with the intent to buy in the meantime) While showing her what each gun on the wish list was, and then explaining why I wanted each one, I was surprised to see that the LGS had the Rock Island Armory(Armscor) 10mm 2011 (1911 with rail) . What surprised me even more was that my wife caught on to how fast they were going out the door. Her only concern was ammo, as the counterman asked several times if I was sure I wanted the 10mm. She put half down, and I will have the other half Friday.

In other news, I also picked up a .357 Herret barrel for the TC. The .357 is a necked up, shortened 30-30 case that propels a 200gr bullet at just about 2000fps.

I have also picked up a couple of molds and a casting pot to start Pouring my own. Working on getting some lead in at the moment. Now with the 10mm, casting will become even more important as 200gr factory components in .401 are scarce around here.

[Bonefish]

I picked up a Mossberg 500 "home defense" shotgun. Home defense, I guess, means I got a free heat shield? Sure, there's a cruiser grip in the box, but the stock stock and forend were just like the wood grain models, but in lack plastic! TACTICOOL!

So why does it matter? Well, one of the first "tactical" modifications I wanted to do is put a side saddle 6-shell holder on the shotgun. The reasoning is solid: with the small magazine capacity of a shotgun, you need to have additional rounds readily accessible, as digging in a pocket isn't the way to go and I don't want to have to put on an assault before I go. So I want something that's grab-n-go: grab the shotgun and I've got a 12 rounds of buckshot at my disposal.

Well, of course, the fore-end is the problem: it over-laps enough over the reciever, and won't fully stroke with a shell holder, unless I downgrade to a 4 shot. So, what's the plan? Do I downgrade to a 4 shell side-saddle for about 20 bucks, or do I spend another 60 on a maverick 88 tactical forend with triple rails? I kind of lean towards the forend, actually: sure, it's more expensive, but it gives me the option to mount a light, laser, foregrip, cup holder, barometer and the tactical twinkie. Also, it will work with the 6-shot side saddle.

The shotgun came with the default plastic hunting stock with a big squishy recoil pad and a cruiser grip. I've since swapped that out for an AR15 style collapsible stock from ATI. I figured it was a decent idea: it gives me the pistol grip, which I like from a handiness perspective, while also allowing me to fire from the hip effectively. I can shorten the length of pull(I actually shot a lot today from the shortest setting, which I think is somewhere between 12 and 14"), and the recoil pad on it feels pretty good: I think I did 58 rounds of clay at a playwood square at ranges of 26yds, 18yds and 10yds, and I'm not too sore. I think I've put about 89 rounds total through the shotgun since I've gotten it.

I also picked up a 2 point sling with 15 loops for shells. It adds a substantial amount of weight when it's full of 3" buckshot, but it also gives me some of that grab-n-go I was talking about. I tried the sling with the shells to the front, and then with the shells to the rear. I think to the wear and shoot, the weight isn't as bad, but that could just be me getting comfortable the second go around.

Bird shot is a different deal than buck, obviously. But I think the most important thing for me right now is to get used to the noise and thunder of the shotgun. I kinda flinch a little bit now, but I think I'm getting better each time. I guess that's what practice is for. And bird is so much cheaper than buck and slug. And way safer than slug.

I also picked up a cool little apron with 8 loops at the waist, and two big pockets that can hold 25 shells each. I've been shooting from three positions, like I said: the furthest elevated, with the second and third at the same level as the target but closest. so there's a short walk from each station.

It's been fun though. I think down the line I want to get a red dot and learn to shoot at 100 yds with slugs, but before that I want to get the trigger group replaced with an aluminum one. I feel a little more secure with that. But that's all down the line. I think I'm happy where I'm at with it for now.

[Bonefish]

Ok. So yesterday I shot some 3" magnum 10z slugs. Nailed a paint can at 15-20ish yds with the bead sight, nailed(and split) an section of a cedar tree about 4-5" thick at about the same range. I held the beadsight down under the target, and it seemed to work alright. I was shooting from a somewhat elevated position(probably 2-3yds above the target). So I think that's a pretty good start to using slugs, now I need to go to a longer-range and see what I can do with that.

I bought a $20 RD30 red dot sight, but one of the nuts is stripped, so, well, that's a paper weight for now, I guess.

But anyway, that's not the point. So, I popped my targets, handed it to a buddy, and it wouldn't shoot. Looked at it, and the elevator was jammed about halfway in the middle of the highest and lowest positions in the reciever. I couldn't budge it, and racking wasn't doing anything. So, there's nothing in the chamber, I safe it, go andsit down and start field stripping it. Everything comes out like it's supposed to, everything goes back in like it's supposed to, the elevator works again, she shoots two more magnum slugs, then about 50 birdshot, and nary a problem from her.

So, what the fuck happened? I loaded the first two slugs directly into the chamber, so I guess I could have missed the elevator not working. So yeah, what happened? Maybe the actionbars and bolt assembly weren't all linked up right?