Improving the Pump

Crusader is working on an upgrade package for the Remington 870 and the Mossberg 500.  We have been filtering down all the options, getting to those bits that can actually be helpful and ignoring the rest.
We’ve also looked at what internal improvements are the best. 
We will be putting out the package details soon enough… But its looking very similar to what we are doing for a certain Training School.
Along with the package will be some end-user options… such as stocks, color, and such.
I spent a great deal of time with my 870’s, looking at each one, weighing the pris and cons of each.  Going over everything with GunDoc… Talking to a few shotgun gurus… I think our Edge service will be huge. 

Anarchy

At the root, Anarchy means “Without a King”.  When you say the word Anarchy to most people, it conjures up images of mobs throwing rocks and molotov cocktails and raised fists.   That’s not Anarchy.  That’s Chaos.  Two are linked in popular culture, but the reality is that they are two different things.

Anarchy doesn’t mean “Without Rules”.  Far from it.  Look at conditions of Anarchy here in the US.  What do you really know about The Wild West?  Forget Hollywood’s visions of it, and look at what it really was.  A period of time when people lived far from the the effects of regular Government and any legal oversight.  What they had instead was social order based on common law.  The nearest Sheriff was a 3 day ride on a horse… or maybe longer.  Especially out here back in the day.  You wanted to go talk to someone in the government?  That would take almost a week just to get there.

What were those people like?  In a word?  Respectful.  Never in the history of he US… and dare I say, the world, has a people lived in a time with so much peace, prosperity, and growth.  People were responsible for themselves.  Their own welfare, education, sustenance.  You sank or swim on your own labor, not that of others.  People were not comfortable with their poverty, they worked to get out of it.  People believed in God, and they read from the bible.  Many learned to read from the bible.  They were industrious.  They built things.  If they wanted something, they made it or grew it.  Bridges were built.  Roads cut through mountain passes.  People worked together.  People, the individuals, were independent… conservative by nature…. but they were independent… they were Free.

That forced growth.  With that growth came Government.  And everything went down hill from there.  Respect is almost completely lost.  Dignity was lost.  A lot was lost.

Anarchy isn’t a bad thing…  If you think about it, Anarchy is the ultimate ideal of conservative values.  But you have to separate the distinctions from “Conservative” and the GOP.   This doesn’t mean I am against Republicans or I’m staunch Libertarian… George Washington admonished us to avoid political parties, and I agree with him.  Unfortunately the Parties have a lot of power in this country.  They completely dominate this country and it’s government.  People are not loyal to the Country and the Constitution which is our national foundation… they are loyal to their Party.  I find that disgusting.

This next year is all about the politics of finding Party Candidates… not necessarily the best person for the job.  Republicans are fighting for that nomination.  I think the worst Republican that’s fighting for that position is better than Obama.  But all of that mess is a puppet show.  Don’t get caught up in it.  It’s important, yes.  But don’t overlook the local level.   Find the right guy for the job and support him… in all the local offices.  Regardless of Party affiliation.  Even if he or she is Libertarian.  We have to shore up our foundation… our Freedom.  Penn Jillette puts it well.

The reason I am concerned about this now is because I believe that very soon we will see a new period of Anarchy.  We can panic and run and lose it all… Or we can get ready for it and embrace it.  Because it’s not the end, but the beginning. We need to be faithful. We need to be prepared. We need to hold on to freedom.

Can’t leave well enough alone

The 870 Tactical got stripped… then Cerakoted Gun Metal Grey.

The funny thing about this, was that I did it Saturday night… Sunday morning I woke up late.  So I jumped into the shower, threw on some clothes, ran out to the Crusader Coating Laboratory and grabbed the gun.  Inside, I just slapped all the parts together and we ran out to the Gun Show.  Just before the show starts, I pick up the shotgun again and rack it.  JAM.  WTF?  I look into the action and I see Magazine Spring.  What?  AAahahhh… I forgot the Magazine Follower.  Ran back to Crusader HQ, there’s the follower sitting right on the work bench.   I need a new follower though… I don’t like the cheap plastic one that comes stock in the Remingtons.  Brownells offers a Stainless one that looks pretty good.  I might do that one.

Also, that “Tactical Choke” as Remington calls it.  It’s a breaching choke.  Designed not for shooting – but for Breaching.  I’m going to pop in an Improved Cylinder choke.  Maybe a Modified.  Maybe one of those extended ones.  I like those.

Here’s the deal.  HOW THE HELL DO YOU REALLY IMPROVE SOMETHING THAT IS FREAKING AWESOME AS IT IS?  Crusader is doing it… A killer action job that makes the 870 just stupid slick…. but what else does it really need?  What parts can we put on them (or the Mossberg) that is going to actually give you a tangible benefit that makes the weapon more effective and the user more efficient with it?  There isn’t a lot.  Oh, there’s tons of options for you… catalogs full of stuff.  But what really works?  Not much.  But my mission is to find it.

Uprising UK is now out for the Kindle

Uprising: UK.  My second “Winning the Zombie Apocalypse” book (in a series of four) is now available for the Amazon Kindle.

I really like Uprising: UK.  I think it’s an improvement over the USA which felt more rushed.  I’ve already got it on my Kindle Reader on my Smart Phone.   No formatting errors this time!  Booyah!   Get your copy now and I’ll sign your Kindle at the Crossroads of the West Gun Show in SLC this weekend.

Gun Show

Crusader business is going to be the priority… But I’m going to be on the prowl for a couple items:
Glock, in 10mm.
S&W 4″-5″, .44 mag.
My Rock River is going up for sale… So Joe can build me a Crusader.  And maybe something else.  But I want a handgun I can hunt with.  I don’t need a .460, but a 5″ would be slick.
Also, bringing out a few copies of Uprising USA, for sale and autographs.

A failure of oil or logic?

Got this in the email tonight.

From: Joe M.
Date: Mon, Nov 14, 2011 at 10:00 PM
Subject: I was afraid you’d say that

The background is, I bought my XDm 9mm N.I.B. on September 1st of this year. I only used Slipstream on the slide rails. I’ve fired 660 absolutely flawless rounds through it and the factory fired 1 that I assume was also fine.  Then I decided to use Slipstream to lubricate almost everything in the slide. I used less than a drop and I applied it with an artists paint brush that is very small.  It leaves a line the size of a fine point pen, so Slipstream was not over applied.

The next day I loaded up a 19 round magazine and went out to shoot. I fired 7 rounds and before I pulled the trigger again I noticed the slide hadn’t moved to battery.  There was a round jammed in the chamber and the slide was locked up tight.  No clearing procedure worked.  After an hour I was able to free the slide and get the round out.  The attached pictures are of the jammed round.

I scrubbed every atom of Slipstream out of my weapon that was humanly possible to remove.  I applied M-Pro 7 LPX which, with the exception of the slide rails, was the only form of lubrication on the weapon for the flawless 660 rounds.  I have subsequently fired 75 rounds, using only M-Pro 7 LPX, without any further problems at all.

The facts of my experience indicate your product is crap.  I bought your oil and grease combo. I considered using them on a rusty old lawnmower I have, but I decided the best use for your products is to put them in the trash.

Have you got anything to say for yourself?

Joe M.

What do I have to say for myself?  I think you didn’t use enough Slipstream.  Here’s the deal… you used a very tiny amount of Slipstream… one applied in such a way as to almost insure that none of the Slipstream Particles really got into your gun and you only had a tiny bit of the carrier oil, which is of a similar composition to your beloved MPRO7.   To say that Slipstream is what caused this jam is a complete failure of logic.  You didn’t use enough to be either good or bad.  You had a bad round.  Simple as that.  To get what you described we would have to use Super Glue as our carrier oil, and other folks – pretty much everyone that used it – would have the same results.  Not a really good way to promote a lubricant, eh?  Go get your Slipstream, and apply it the way we suggested.  Shake it up, and pour it on generously.   Sorry you had a bad round of Ammunition, but we don’t make Ammunition.  I suggest you take this issue up with whoever did.

Slipstream is being used by US Forces all around the world.  Iraq, Afghanistan, Japan… Army Infantry, Marine Infantry, Airforce EOD, Navy mechanics…   and thousands of shooters around the country.   And you think oil is what caused your NIB XD 9mm to lock up like it was glued.  Uh huh.

Guys, is it at all possible in any way shape or form that a tiny amount of oil, any oil, applied in the manner indicated, could have caused this?  Or do you think it could possibly be a bad round of ammunition?  Which is more likely?