The reason for this video was really just to give me an excuse to test out the Beretta 92FS after installing a new D-Spring in it which dramatically effected the trigger pull. In fact, it cut the weight in half, or so it feels. This one shot was the first live round I fired through it after I changed it. To say the least, I am satisfied. The Double Action pull, which I fired later, was also just as impressive. Much lower weight than previous, with an overall better feel. If you have a 92 series pistol, the D-Spring swap is a must. It just is.
The truth about the iPhone – yeah, it’s a real iPhone, and it was mine, and I really shot it. However it died the day I bought it because it got a little damp riding in the same pocket as my Droid phone in a water proof jacket, in a water proof pocket… but what moisture got in evidently killed it. None of the “fixes” actually fixed it. It was just DOA. So I kept it. Always with the intent to shoot it… because Apple.
Monthly Archives: September 2013
Guns, Coffee and Butthurt
We shot ourselves in the foot over the Starbucks issue. There are many articles and blog posts about Starbucks and Open Carry popping up all over the place. Starbucks was never Pro-Gun. They wanted to remain politically neutral on the issue. The whole “We will follow the local law” policy was a smart one. It didn’t take a side. But so many people used their business as a political soapbox and forced them to take a side.
You guys don’t carry an AR-15 into the Gun Store to buy Ammo or a Cleaning Kit – Why the hell do you need to bring your AR-15 Rifle into a Coffee Shop for a cup of Caffeine? Seriously, Why? This is called Grandstanding. Among other less kinder terms. Because of this they had to, as politely as possible, ask you guys to stop. And now some of you are excessively butthurt. “Boycott Starbucks!” you’re yelling. Boycott them for what? For not wanting to be your Photo Op? Do you want people who you don’t know, bringing rifles and shotgun to your house or non-gun industry business?
I don’t see guys taking pictures like this in front of Sporting Goods Stores. I don’t see pictures like this in front of WalMart or Cabella’s. Why do you think it’s appropriate inside a Coffee Shop, who’s Corporate HQ is in the heart of the Liberal Holy Land of Seattle Washington? Honestly, what did you expect would come of this? Where is the Moderation? This morning I noticed driving past the Starbucks in town, the line was just as long today as it was the last couple of days. They will remain in business.
I’m all for the Right to Carry. I even advocate appropriate Open Carry on Armed American Radio when the Host and other guests are against Open Carry… I see their arguments against, and for the most part agree. But there are times and places you can open carry just fine, and other times and places that it’s just unwise. As a whole, we’ve been unwise when it came to Starbucks. It went too far. The whole “too much of a good thing” came into effect like a Triple Espresso with a side of Jolt Cola and a Rip It.
Moderation, people. Keep Calm, and Carry On… appropriately.
These pictures would be awesome in the right setting. Enthusiasm for the cause we all love… but in a Starbucks? GO TO THE RANGE! Where’s the LOCAL GUN DEALER APPRECIATION DAY?
Update: Some people have called my position cowardly. So those of us who say taking an AR-15 into a Coffee Shop, just because it’s technically not illegal to do so yet, is pushing the boundaries of acceptable behavior, are cowards?
Huh.
Gentlemen, there is the problem. To get people to accept guns in polite society as acceptable, by pushing unacceptable behavior with extremism, is not winning anyone to our side. And as this case shows – worked against our cause rather than for it. The fact that so many Patriot Brothers can not see that is the problem.
JUST ACT NORMAL.
Open carry to make a political statement is not Open Carrying. It’s political grandstanding. And it’s counter productive. Instead of showing people “See, no one got killed by my AR here today”… how about showing people that Gun Owners are normal people like everyone else? How about that for a change? Let’s see how that works.
Top Ten James Bond flicks.
1. Skyfall.
2. Quantum of Solace.
3. Casino Royale.
That’s it. Everything else sucks and is a cartoon by comparison. Daniel Craig is the best Bond there ever was.
That is all.
The 427 Cobra
I like the 427 Cobra.
This is the Double Bacon Cheeseburger with Hot Sauce and extra bacon. It’s a small two seat Hot Rod. It’s shear brutality in a compact package. Screw you guys that like the smaller version.
My Top 10 Favorite Cars I’ll never own
10: 1955 Cadillac Series 62. A huge land barge with a 365 V8 and the Hydra-Matic automatic transmission. Sexy curvy styling, wings, total Mad Men and the herald of the glory that was the Golden Age of Man, the 1950’s. These things had huge bus-like steering wheels and wide couch-like bench seats. I just love the looks of these road going battleships. Riding in one eons ago was an eye opener in what “Disconnected” really means. It’s the street legal version of a clinical sociopath.
Still, as cool as they are, and as much as I love these things… I’ll never own one. They are huge and heavy and can’t accelerate or stop and wallow in the turns like a harbor tug 300 miles out in an ocean storm.
9: The Humvee. Not an Hummer H1… a real deal HUMVEE. Military issue. No creature comfort. Huge and unapologetically petroleum guzzling. The version I want is the Fast Back configuration. Of course if it came down to getting one, I’d opt for the more useful 4 door pickup version because that makes more sense, and then from there I’m looking at regular pick up trucks and I’d probably end up with a Silverado or F-150… like I did before with my 2500 Scottsdale Chevy. So I’d never end up with the Humvee.
8: A classic 1960’s Jag E-Type. Two seater, long Spitfire hood, convertible, dead sexy, and completely useless as a motor vehicle. They have more mechanical and electrical problems than a Slum Lord’s apartment building. But it’s also probably the most beautiful car ever made. I can never own one now thanks to Mike Meyers. This was the car used in Austin Powers, the “Shaguar”. Because I can’t get that Austin Power’s theme song out of my head every time I see one now. Yeah baby, YEAH! Screw you, Mike Meyers. Screw you!
7: Land Rover’s Defender 110. England’s most badass off-roader ever imported into the USA. For a short period of time. It was the best shining example of British Imperial Brutality since Salamanca in 1812. Sold for off roading to the public, the British Military takes them and uses them for long range recon patrols rolling through Iraq and Afghanistan not giving a shit about IED’s and RPG’s like they were in North Africa chasing Erwin Rommel. They are were badass when they were being sold.. and are still badass now because examples are all raw hotrods with four wheel drive. But I’ll never own one because they are now collector’s pieces in the US and if you find one for sale it’s either way too over priced, or beaten to hell and is worthless – but still over priced.
6: The Nissan 300ZX. Slipper aerodynamics in a clean and good looking design. Great engine, and for the first time, it proved that a performance car with an automatic transmission can out-perform an manual transmission. As much as I love the way these cars drive and handle… I can never own one because of the nail it put in the coffin for the Stick Shift. Still, they turn my head when they slide by on the road. Dang it, Nissan!
5: Tacoma Tacoma. These are my favorite looking pick up trucks on the road today. I love them! They look cool. They are legendary in reliability and highly capable. However they are small in the cabin, not quite enough room for me, and not nearly enough room for the back seats. And they drink fuel just as much as a full sized truck such as a Ford F-150. In fact, if I was set on buying a Tacoma, I’d end up driving of the lot in an F-150 because with practicality speaks, the Ford just makes sense and the Tacoma doesn’t.
4: Mazda Miata. The best true modern sportscar in the classic sense of “sportscar”. They are fun to drive and with some mods, gives enough performance to make driving it a thrill. Good brakes, good acceleration for what it is, and it rewards spirited driving. Simple little cars. No pretense. They really did the Miata right. But I’ll never own one. Because you can not drive one without looking like a flaming cock-gobbler.
3: Shelby Cobra 427. Sexy curvy fenders and ample wheel arches filled with big well endowed wide tires… drop dead sexy, make your tongue hard vehicular sex appeal. But the originals are really not all that great cars, and the modern Repro Kit Cars are actually better than the originals. And if you are going to drive a fake, what’s the point? It’s like going to Vegas and finding one of those Look A Like Actresses… That’s not Marilyn Monroe. Just looks like her. And that makes me feel seedy inside. So I’ll never own one.
2: Porsche 944 S Turbo. As a teenager it was my ultimate “want” car. I’ve almost got one a couple times… but always at the last minute I chicken out or there was something wrong with it that turned me off it. Like one that had a good price, looked great, but had an slight case of overheating after 45 minutes. I’ve never committed to it because I was afraid of it. Like dating the hottest chick at school that you always wanted to take out… and your worried that she might have horrible breath. The fear that the reality wont live up to the expectation. So to save the fantasy, you leave it as the fantasy. Which is why I’ll never own one. The dream of it is better.
1: Jeep Wrangler Rubicon or Moab Edition. It’s my automotive Unicorn. My Eleanor. The one vehicle that I’ve always wanted but have never acquired, because of one reason or another. When the means come, other vehicles make more sense for what I need… other vehicles have more space or more fuel economy or are faster or are this or that and I always end up not getting one… probably because I don’t find that one configuration and price that I like… And when I don’t have the means, that’s when I find “The Perfect One”. Just the right lift, not too much but more than stock… just the right size of over sized tires… but not too big. The one that’s perfect – was the 10th Anniversary Rubicon Edition. That was “Just Right”. But then they were so far over priced I just had to laugh. Still… I’ll always look longingly at a well configured Rubicon.
HSP / G-Code D3 Carrier
Something wicked this way comes.
Buy it from the most innovative and most copied holster company, G-Code. What is it?It’s a Leg Rig. Chest Rig, Thigh Rig, Molle Rig… Whatever you need it to be it that day. And change it the next. No one has anything like this on the market. But watch how they are all going to scramble to ape it.
Noble Putin
I’m amazed how our Nobel Peace Prize awarded President is made to look the fool while Vladimir Putin now looks like a well reasoned and noble elder statesman.
Favorite Pistol
Have to admit, I keep coming back to my Glock 23 RTF2 as my favorite pistol.
The balance of size, weight, and fire power is perfect.
Reliability has been flawless. Accuracy has been very good. It fits my hand very well thanks to the work I did on the grip. I love it.
What’s your favorite?
A Brief Over-View of Beretta’s 90 Series pistols.
92FS & 96FS. Standard Beretta 92/96 series. 3 dot sights. This is the classic. Used in every movie ever made through the 80’s. Used by Law Enforcement around the world during that time. It’s a great looking handgun. Solid. Accurate. Reliable. Shooting it is like driving a Cadillac. Much like the Cadillac’s of the 80’s, which were overly large, heavy, and under-powered. Yes, we make holsters for this.
M9 Commercial. Same as Military issue. Uses dot-bar sights, but otherwise identical to the 92FS. Used by just about everyone in the US Military who has no choice of what pistols they are issued. Those who have the option tend to roll with the SIG P226 or a 1911 (Looking at you, MARSOC) or really whatever they feel like at the time as long as it’s not the M9. Still, the M9 is a great pistol and will always be a great pistol. Yes, we have holsters for this.
M9A1. railed version of the M9 with checkering. Notice the straight and flat forward edge of the Trigger guard. You can see this was built to not just have the option of a light mount, but to actually run with a light mounted to it. I think they had the X300 specifically in mind when they designed this gun. Yes, we have holsters for this.
92A1/96A1. Railed version of the 92, but with a dovetailed front sight post, internal recoil buffers in the 96 version, no checkering like the M9A1, and note the rounded trigger guard. The rail is Picatinny and not the normal universal rail. This rail is bigger than the normal rail, which requires a completely different mold which we’ve not made yet. Beretta made this gun different from everything else, not because these changes made for a better pistol, but because Beretta doesn’t like you, or concepts like “compatibility”. NO, we do not have holsters for this at this time.
90-Two. Rounded trigger guard, new grips, and note the new slide profile. Sights are dovetailed, there is an internal recoil buffer, and note that the rails come with a removable Rail Cover over them. No, we do not have anything for this one, and we don’t need to as Beretta has killed off this gun. Probably the best of the 90 Series guns Beretta has made. And it’s a great looking and feeling gun too. But it didn’t sell very well, because Beretta doesn’t know how to market their tactical guns. That, and they gave it the worst name they could have possibly given it. How do you say that? “Ninety Two”. Just like their other gun, the “Ninety Two”. Brilliant.
If you are going to fight, Kalash!
Okay, now lets talk AK-47’s for a minute. Fellow I work with has one and it is the best AK build that I’ve ever seen. Simple and Elegant.
Take a look at this. This was built at a Rifle Dynamics Build Class. Battlecomp at the front, Krinkov Front Sight and Gas Block. I believe the Foregrip and Pistol Grip are US PALM. Ultimak Rail. T1 Micro. Krebs Safety. Rifle Dynamics AR Stock Adapter. And I think that’s a Bravo Company stock. Mag-Well Funnel, from – I’m not sure where.
Overall, this build is very light weight and handles like a sports car. The T1 Co-Witnesses with the Rifle Sights.
The Texture of the grip surfaces is very aggressive. Your hands lock into place and there is no slipping. This coupled with the fast handling, make this gun a very surefooted beast when going from target to target.
The Krebs safety lever really make this gun a step above. The lever is smooth and polished, making the operation easier than on most every other AK I’ve ever felt. The finger shelf allow the trigger finger to easily sweep the safety on or off. Thanks to the Mag Well, the reloads are faster than the average bear. These things combine to make this AK the easiest handling and most natural combat rifle I’ve dealt with that is not a custom built AR.
I can’t get over how light, and how precise this Kalash feels. The Trigger is excellent and there is no recoil thanks to the excellent Battlecomp muzzle brake.
All it needs is a Slipstream Treatment and it would be perfect.