Guns and Ammo Thread

[Beetlegeuse]

You might have caught on that I have a man-crush on Matt at YouTube's Demolition Ranch. This video has the most outrageous segment in it I have ever seen on his channel, and all it costs you to watch is 15 seconds.



The last 15 minutes is pretty entertaining, too.

[Beetlegeuse]

... There are so many factors, but Above 2100 F ( I am referring to time based exposure) you start to see structure changes in the metal matrix which results in an “over temp” condition and deems the part non usuable. ..

In a previous life I ran tech control and QC on a carburizing and carbo-nitriding operation in a manufacturing plant so I grok Spock ...



... and metal matrices.


Which is why I have arguments without end with reloaders who insist that what they're doing to their brass is "annealing" it.

[spywizard]

yep, this year "the police will protect you" has gone out the window, with 4 million new guns in July alone being sold in the USA... the police will even tell you directly in writing "We are not here to protect the citizen public" cali, colorado, florida (these are the ones i know 1st hand), Minnesota

[almostgone]

In a previous life I ran tech control and QC on a carburizing and carbo-nitriding operation in a manufacturing plant so I grok Spock ...



... and metal matrices.


Which is why I have arguments without end with reloaders who insist that what they're doing to their brass is "annealing" it.

...more like work hardening it they way some of them overcrimp.

[Beetlegeuse]

With the shit that's coming our way, anybody whose of the "sheepdog" mindset might want to be thinking about this. Because there might come the time in the very near future when you're forced to do your best "Minuteman" impression, and if that comes this is one threat you need to be prepared for.

Tactics For Engaging Green Light Laser Threats

FYI there is such a thing as a "laser hobbyist." Just like there are guys who are flashlight hobbyists, wristwatch hobbyists, smartphone hobbyists, ... anything of a technical nature is sure to have a following with an online forum. I mention this because I have seen some of their videos. And many of the lasers sold "over the counter," which are supposed to have their power regulated by government decree, are easily 'hackable' so you can make them powerful enough to set shit on fire or burn through a soda can. Even some that are "OTC" have been found to be "overpowered," well more powerful than the law allows. Yet they're sold in department and big box stores as garden-variety pointers but they still could potentially burn out your fovea centralis.

In this environment, I'm taking it for granted that there are NO eye-safe lasers. Any laser pointed at me is being done with intent and ability to maim, and I will respond accordingly.

[Beetlegeuse]

Holy sheep shit!

Trump & Bush 43-appointed judges on the 9th Circus Court of Appeals team up to strike down Mexifornia's limit on magazine capacity as UNCONSTITUTIONAL!!


Judge Kenneth K. Lee (Trump appointee) wrote a rousing defense of self-defense rights as minority rights, as he laid the foundation for future rulings.

“Our country’s history has shown that communities of color have a particularly compelling interest in exercising their Second Amendment rights. The Second Amendment provides one last line of defense for people of color when the state cannot — or will not — step in to protect them. This remains true today across all communities of color.”...

...California’s Section 32310’s failure to include that type of exception to this ban may be straw that broke the camel’s back. Judge Lee’s opinion for the 9th Circuit discussed the lack of such a clause at length, and why it made the case subject to judging under the constitution’s most demanding test for laws implicating fundamental rights: strict scrutiny. Judge Lee said:

“Without such a clause, law-abiding citizens who legally possessed LCMs[Large Capacity Magazines] before enactment are deprived of the right to use those arms for lawful ends. These law-abiding citizens could have owned LCM for decades, and perhaps even used them for self-defense in the past. But none of that matters under California law. They must turn them over – or face a year in jail. Based on the record before us, there is no apparent justification or support for the lack of a grandfather exception.”

Regarding the case as one where strict scrutiny applies is a keystone of the analysis, because very few regulations can survive such review. To pass muster, under this standard, the government must show there is a compelling state interest behind the challenged policy, and that the law or regulation is narrowly tailored to achieve its result. The court granted that reducing gun-violence was compelling, but found that this law was the opposite of narrowly-tailored.

Judge Lee wrote the majority opinion for a three-judge panel. He was joined by (Bush 43 appointee) Judge Consuelo Callahan, and both agreed that strict scrutiny applied and that the law failed the test. They also found that if the lower standard of intermediate scrutiny applied, the ban would fail under that analysis as well. That standard requires the government to show that laws examined under its standard serve an important government objective, and be substantially related to achieving the objective. The panel’s dissenter, Judge Barbara M. Lynn, wrote that the law should stand because it did survive intermediate scrutiny....


... This looks like another home run for Trump in an area in which he has been remarkably effective: appointing strongly pro-liberty judges. Lee writes:

“[T]he Second Amendment is not a second-class right. Nor is self-defense a dispensation granted at the state’s mercy. Rather, the Second Amendment is a fundamental constitutional right guaranteed to the people — especially those who may not be equally protected by the state. Moreover, the Second Amendment is not a relic relevant only during the era of Publius and parchments. It is a right that is exercised hundreds of times on any given day.”...

While demoncrats have squandered voters' trust and taxpayers' dollars spending all their resources on pointlessly hurling sticks and stones at Trump instead of tending to The People's business, Trump is steadily draining THE SWAMP. He has appointed more than 50 conservative judges to federal benches, to include 10 to Mexifornia's 9th Circus Court of Appeals alone.

And this is Meiffornia's payout from Trump ignoring the demoncrat's endless name-calling and pursuing The People's business.

[Beetlegeuse]

RE: the 9th Circus's overturning of Mexifornia's UNCONSTITUTIONAL magazine capacity limitation, part of (Trump appointee) Judge Lee's reasoning included statements made by Comrade Kommiemala Harris in a speech on the floor of the US senate on Feb. 16, 2017:

"[President Trump’s executive actions] have hit our immigrant and religious communities like a cold front, striking a chilling fear in the hearts of millions of good hardworking people. For this reason, studies have shown Latinos are more than 40 percent less likely to call 911 when they have been a victim of a crime.”

Judge Lee used this exact same logic -- even quoting Comrade Kommiemala -- when he opined that minorities and the poor are hardest hit by artificial limits on magazine capacity.

[Beetlegeuse]

The plaintiffs (Sandy Hook victims) in the suit that forced Remington into bankruptcy now are whining that they won't get paid. But you can bet their attorneys will.

[Honkey_Kong]

Anybody having luck finding small pistol primers at reasonable prices?

[almostgone]

Anybody having luck finding small pistol primers at reasonable prices?

Yes sir, but it's come and go. Local stores are limiting people to anywhere from 500 to 1,000 when they're in stock.

Edit: If I have to make a trip into town, I just step in the places I usually frequent for random reloading stuff. Other than that I sign up @MidwayUSA and places like that for an email notification.

[Honkey_Kong]

Yes sir, but it's come and go. Local stores are limiting people to anywhere from 500 to 1,000 when they're in stock.

Edit: If I have to make a trip into town, I just step in the places I usually frequent for random reloading stuff. Other than that I sign up @MidwayUSA and places like that for an email notification.

Up to this point, I hadn't really been bothered by the ammo shortages. But then I burned through my reserves. If I only knew it'd have come to this, I would've bought up the reloading supplies before the plandemic began. Now I go on gunbroker and I'm seeing a box of 1000 going for $350


I just went on midwayusa and put in notifications for small and large pistol and rifle primers. I've still quite a bit of the other primers, but who knows when they're going to be in stock?

[Beetlegeuse]

Anybody having luck finding small pistol primers at reasonable prices?

Last I bought CCI 500s from the Hooterville reloading shop was $38/1000. There were only a few boxes on the shelf where they more typically would have a shelf-full, so I might just have hit them at the right time.

[Beetlegeuse]

How A Study Accidentally Proves Gun Control Isn’t Needed


... A new study published in the American Journal of Medicine conducted by a physician at MetroHealth Medical Center is calculating the future risk of death from firearms and drug overdoses in the U.S.

According to Dr. Ashwini Sehgal, who is also a Professor of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University, one out of every 100 American children will die from firearms and one out of every 70 will die from drug overdoses if current trends continue....


... In other words, children are more likely to die from a drug overdose than from a firearm. This is despite the numerous laws on the books banning many drugs and tightly controlling virtually everything else with a handful of exceptions. Meanwhile, guns are supposedly all but completely uncontrolled in this country.

That’s not true, of course, but let me have a little fun with this one.

Now, let’s look at the real problem with those killed in both of these statistics. Almost all of these dead children are dead due to illegal activity. With drug overdoses, the very act is typically criminal. While some overdose on lawfully-prescribed medication, most use more illicit drugs.

With firearms, though, it’s a bit more complicated. A small handful is the result of an accident, of course, but most are the result of things like gang crossfire or are the victim of a crime in some other way. Some of these are actual gang members themselves–even if they’re not legal adults, gangs recruit early–and many of them are armed themselves.

Armed criminals, however, tend to arm themselves through illegal means. They buy guns on the black market or get a straw buyer to obtain their firearms.

In other words, the vast majority of all of these deaths are the result of criminal acts. Yet despite guns being arguably less controlled than drugs, they result in fewer deaths. Funny how that shakes out, now doesn’t it? It’s almost like gun control isn’t the problem in the first place.

[Beetlegeuse]

Remington claims they went bust because of slumping gun sales.


If you can't sell guns in this climate, then you couldn't sell waterwings on the Titanic.

Come to think of it, that's almost a quote of what I said when they last went bankrupt TWO YEARS AGO.

[Beetlegeuse]

First Look – KE Arms KP15 Polymer AR Lower Receiver

...We were prepared to be underwhelmed and expecting something flimsy and delicate. And we were wrong. This is a seriously chunky and robust lower – it feels like you could run it over with a garbage truck and the truck would come off worst for the experience. Because it's a pre production unit, the surfaces are shiny and show some of the internal structure, which hints at reinforcing webs throughout the buttstock area. “We're still refining the mold at this time, and most of the surfaces of the production guns will have a rougher, sandblasted texture,” said KE Arms' Russell Phagan, who is leading the project....



It weighed in 10 ounces less than a conventional lower with collapsible buttstock. $90 at Brownell's.




I'm waiting for the carbonfiber version that weighs six ounces less and costs $400 more.

[Beetlegeuse]

Hoplophobes who wouldn't know a falling block breach from a falling cinder block love to parrot how AR-pattern rifles serve no sporting function. Then how come so many semi-automatic rifles that survived decades in the pre-Stoner market have been discontinued in the years since? And how come the EBR is becoming such a common site in deer stands and hunting lodges?

Author notes a number of semi-auto sporting rifles no longer in production

Category of guns that the AR Pattern has destroyed

...It is interesting how the hunting rifle market after WWII went more and more towards the semiautomatic and then as the new millennial approached. The market shifted towards bolt actions. Of course, the rise in popularity of the AR pattern rifle immensely helped kill other designs....

[Beetlegeuse]

Massad Ayoob (@backwoodshome.com):

WHY “LARGE CAPACITY MAGAZINES” ARE IMPORTANT

Because three is two and two is one and one is none. And it's better to have a thermonuclear device and not need it than need one and not have it.

[Beetlegeuse]

[Beetlegeuse]

Leftists Silent as Americans Choose Guns over Gun Control

As millions of Americans have poured into gun stores and set background check records for seven straight months, the normally vocal gun grabbers on the left have gone silent...

...Perhaps it is the videos of riots in Democrat-run cities attacking innocents or the seemingly endless violence in Democrat-run Chicago and New York City or relentless war on cops or a combination of all three and more, but the gun control push is not what it was, on that we can all agree.

Also, one cannot underestimate the impact seven consecutive months of recording-breaking background checks, January 2020 through July 2020, have had as well. Nor can one pretend that nearly five million first-time gun buyers during those seven months fail to indicate a rebirth of the importance of self-defense in the American psyche....



Linked article contains 2:08 minute video from AWR Hawkins citing a Congressional Research Service Study that found that from 1994 to 2009, guns in private hands went from 192 to 310 million, a 62% increase. In the same period, negligent murder and firearm-related homicide went from 6.6/100,000 to 3.2/100,000.

62% more guns but 206% fewer murders.

[Beetlegeuse]

Joe Bite-Me has said that in his America, the only firearms you will be able to buy will be Smart Guns.

Samsung says that's a STUPID idea.

Samsung: Anyone's thumbprint can unlock Galaxy S10 phone

[Beetlegeuse]

Jerry Miculek: Never do this with these classic firearms:

[Beetlegeuse]

Jerry Miculek: Never do this with a revolver:

[Cuz]

In search of a good 338 lapua or 50 bmg. Thinking about getting into long range shooting.

A less than stellar setup is around 2500. Elite would run up to 15 grand, right now i cant even find a 50 bmg in stock i can afford. Build times are around 5 months out on a more affordable option from Serbu

[Honkey_Kong]

I just bought a Kentucky Rifle kit today. Traditions makes the kits, it's going to be a fun muzzleloader project.

[SampsonandDelilah]

I just bought a Kentucky Rifle kit today. Traditions makes the kits, it's going to be a fun muzzleloader project.

I’ve built a few of those, they’re fun!

[SampsonandDelilah]

In search of a good 338 lapua or 50 bmg. Thinking about getting into long range shooting.

A less than stellar setup is around 2500. Elite would run up to 15 grand, right now i cant even find a 50 bmg in stock i can afford. Build times are around 5 months out on a more affordable option from Serbu

Would love one of either. Honestly probably the .50 just for the sheer insanity of that round. You’re right though, the prices are crazy for a nice build, plus optics...not much left to buy ammo with and I’m probably missing a kidney when it’s all said and done

[Honkey_Kong]

I’ve built a few of those, they’re fun!

I saw it and had to give it a try. They were only like $300. I saw some videos of other people saying they had to file some of the brass and dremel out parts on the stock. It looks pretty basic, so I'll be looking for ways to "bling it out." Maybe engrave some designs or checkering grips.

[SampsonandDelilah]

“Clip Draw holster”

Anyone use one of these? Or it’s competitor?

I’ve been using them on my Ruger LCP .380 and my G43 and have to say I love them. Way less bulk than any IWB I own (I own a ton) and feels quite secure. The knock is an exposed trigger guard but i personally still feel quite comfortable and safe from accidental discharge.

Not sure how I’d feel on a full frame auto but on the LCP and single stack 9mm, it feels like a no brainer for the weight of the pistol. So damn easy to carry and so much less profile and bulge. Pics attached. For 30$ it’s tough to beat and much less expensive than the high end IWB holsters

[Honkey_Kong]

“Clip Draw holster”

Anyone use one of these? Or it’s competitor?

I’ve been using them on my Ruger LCP .380 and my G43 and have to say I love them. Way less bulk than any IWB I own (I own a ton) and feels quite secure. The knock is an exposed trigger guard but i personally still feel quite comfortable and safe from accidental discharge.

Not sure how I’d feel on a full frame auto but on the LCP and single stack 9mm, it feels like a no brainer for the weight of the pistol. So damn easy to carry and so much less profile and bulge. Pics attached. For 30$ it’s tough to beat and much less expensive than the high end IWB holsters

With those, do you carry with one in the chamber? Or do you have to rack the slide if you were in a situation?

[SampsonandDelilah]

With those, do you carry with one in the chamber? Or do you have to rack the slide if you were in a situation?

Designed to carry locked and loaded. They make a trigger guard insert you can buy that pushes away but I find it unnecessary. I don’t always keep one piped but feel confident I won’t shoot myself in the leg when I do

[Beetlegeuse]

As a basic principle you want only want to have to jump through as few hoops as possible to bring your firearm into action.

(1) Aim (2) Squeeze ... is as simple as it gets. Anything beyond that is an adulteration.

Something to keep in mind is that the only time you're ever justified in using deadly force is when you are in danger of being killed or seriously injured. Remember that phrase, killed or seriously injured, because that's what's at risk with every self-defense decision your take. You're not playing Cowboys and Indians, you're playing for keeps.

Some people still don't cotton to any handgun that lacks a manual safety. That's fine, that's on them, and provided they train so that that action is well-entrenched in their muscle memory, that's a workable solution.

But carrying an empty chamber isn't the same because it's a procedure that ordinarily requires the use of both hands. What happens if you're caught unawares and the bad guy has his hands on you before you can produce your firearm? What if he has a knife and your weak-side hand is occupied with preventing him cutting your throat? Or what if your weak-side hand or arm was injured before all this even started? Now how do you charge your weapon?

The short answer is you press the rear sight against your hip or the top of your beltline (or opening of a pocket) and give a shove. And just like the manual safety, you can train to that, too, but disengaging the manual safety is integral to the act of producing the firearm. Using your hip to charge the weapon requires adding an entirely new procedure to your training, a procedure that your local range is going to frown on because they won't like it when you point your gun's muzzle at the ground beneath you to try to charge it.

But even though that can be a workable solution, it's still just more adulteration to the simplest (2-step) process. You already took the decision to gamble your life on remembering to rack the slide. Now you're doubling down on remembering to rack it against your hip if your opposite hand is busy with other matters.

And when the fear factor has your asshole drawn up so tight that you couldn't drive a 10d nail into it with a 32-oz framing hammer, it's not a foregone conclusion that you'll remember how the trigger works, much less the rest.


I always argue that your tactics should never be based on an assumption that the bad guy is going to let you dictate the terms of the fight. Plan for the worst and hope for the best. From day one in army basic training we were taught the KISS principle. Keep It Simple, Stupid. Only ever bet your life on what you can control. Anything else is foolhardy and diminishes your chances of surviving the encounter.

[SampsonandDelilah]

While I agree with what you’ve said here, one can argue that carrying a firearm that isn’t locked and loaded or missing a manual safety is still better than no firearm at all. Given the survival situation...(knife attack vs employee place shooting)...the needs of the situation can dictate the tactics.

I get what you’re saying and agree with the logic (point and shoot and beauty in simplicity). There is a comfort that comes with just having a firearm at all, regardless of whether it’s chambered and not in need of a safety (wheel gun).

[Test Monsterone]

99% of the time people shoot themselves with their own gun when there is no safety. I'm pretty sure a "bad guy" is not going to go after a big jacked up dude, but rather someone weak and easily intimidated.

[Beetlegeuse]

99% of the time people shoot themselves with their own gun when there is no safety. I'm pretty sure a "bad guy" is not going to go after a big jacked up dude, but rather someone weak and easily intimidated.

73.5% of all statistics are made up. You probably also think 99% of all crims are weak and easily intimidated rather than big and jacked up.

Assuming the bad guy is going to let you dictate the terms of the fight is the leading cause of death in criminal encounters. This sort of blind optimism is known colloquially as "whistling past the graveyard."

[Beetlegeuse]

[SampsonandDelilah]

73.5% of all statistics are made up. You probably also think 99% of all crims are weak and easily intimidated rather than big and jacked up.

Assuming the bad guy is going to let you dictate the terms of the fight is the leading cause of death in criminal encounters. This sort of blind optimism is known colloquially as "whistling past the graveyard."

Correction, it’s 68%

[Test Monsterone]

73.5% of all statistics are made up. You probably also think 99% of all crims are weak and easily intimidated rather than big and jacked up.

Assuming the bad guy is going to let you dictate the terms of the fight is the leading cause of death in criminal encounters. This sort of blind optimism is known colloquially as "whistling past the graveyard."

Do whatever feels safe to you, I'm not judging. I have a gun and it has a safety. I keep the safety on because I don't want to accidentally shoot myself or anyone around me. Having no safety or the safety off is also blind optimism that no accident is going to happen. Also, I realize most gun owners are responsible, but I also know that half of the people fall below the 50% bell curve on the intelligence scale. That's too many idiots owning guns for my comfort. I'd rather be in a room with no guns than a room with everyone carrying.

[Beetlegeuse]

ARMED CITIZENS MUST DEFEND THEIR COMMUNITIES FROM RIOTING MOBS IF THE POLITICIZED POLICE WILL NOT

... Thomas Sowell [who is black] put it this way: “If you are not prepared to use force to defend civilization, then be prepared to accept barbarism.” Note that he did not say “the government” or “the police department.” He said YOU...

... So let me be very clear: if Democrat Party governors, mayors and DAs have hamstrung their police for political reasons, and won’t allow them to protect the lives and property of their local citizens using all required force, abandoning their primary mission in order to bow to the ABR mob, then it is time for their undefended citizens to apply the clear intent of the Second Amendment. There should be deep regret about the abandonment of the Rule of Law by the Democrat Party political ruling class, but there should be no moral quibbles or hesitation by American citizens concerning the legitimacy of armed community self defense, in the absence of expected law enforcement protection.

Therefore, it is my carefully considered opinion that black-clad and masked ABR [Antifa/BLM/Revolutionary Communist Party] mobs, rampaging and terrorizing innocent citizens under the cover of darkness in the style of the KKK of old, may morally and ethically be taken under preemptive fire by armed citizens at any level necessary to drive them out of their peaceful neighborhoods and away from their businesses, before the terrorists can reach their targets and throw their Molotov cocktails and other explosive and incendiary devices...

[almostgone]

ARMED CITIZENS MUST DEFEND THEIR COMMUNITIES FROM RIOTING MOBS IF THE POLITICIZED POLICE WILL NOT

... Thomas Sowell [who is black] put it this way: “If you are not prepared to use force to defend civilization, then be prepared to accept barbarism.” Note that he did not say “the government” or “the police department.” He said YOU...

... So let me be very clear: if Democrat Party governors, mayors and DAs have hamstrung their police for political reasons, and won’t allow them to protect the lives and property of their local citizens using all required force, abandoning their primary mission in order to bow to the ABR mob, then it is time for their undefended citizens to apply the clear intent of the Second Amendment. There should be deep regret about the abandonment of the Rule of Law by the Democrat Party political ruling class, but there should be no moral quibbles or hesitation by American citizens concerning the legitimacy of armed community self defense, in the absence of expected law enforcement protection.

Therefore, it is my carefully considered opinion that black-clad and masked ABR [Antifa/BLM/Revolutionary Communist Party] mobs, rampaging and terrorizing innocent citizens under the cover of darkness in the style of the KKK of old, may morally and ethically be taken under preemptive fire by armed citizens at any level necessary to drive them out of their peaceful neighborhoods and away from their businesses, before the terrorists can reach their targets and throw their Molotov cocktails and other explosive and incendiary devices...

At that point the roe is to engage. Hopefully they're in a position and geographical location that the stand your ground law protects them.

[Madcox]

Hahahaha! Love this shirt!!!