Fury and the Sherman

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First off, I just want to say that this is a fantastic WWII film that shows the dark side of American Armored Warfare at the time.  We learned of the Sherman’s handicap not from school… but from a different movie.   In school we were taught of the American Supremacy thanks to the Sherman’s great design and heroic manufacturing output from Detroit.


The reality of the Sherman was far from what we were told in school.  too little armor, too little gun, and running on gasoline instead of diesel.  It was probably one of the very worst tanks we could have fielded.   I can’t say it was one of the worst in the war – because the Brits and the Russians take those honors.  The Germans had the best tanks on the planet.  They were not as fast, but they were fast.  And they had big accurate scary good guns.  Their armor was incredible.  Basically everything the Sherman was not.

This movie, Fury, brings this all to light in one scene that had me at the edge of my seat and gritting my teeth.
Go…
Go to the theater, and watch FURY.

Remington’s R1 Carry Commander.

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I have handled the R1 Carry Commander again… This time taking a good hard critical look at it.  Dang if I can’t find a fault in it.  The action is super smooth, not too tight, not too loose – it’s totally Goldilocks.  This is just about the most flawless Commander I’ve seen for production 1911’s.   The finish inside was excellent.  I’m impressed, Remington.  Very impressed.  This gun is a contender for the next 1911 I get.   It really is.  If you get a chance to look at one at your local gun seller – take a good look at it and tell me what you think.

Crusader Weaponry: Custom Kydex Tactical Holsters

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Joe at Crusader Weaponry has found some interesting tactical holsters that he wanted me to take a look at.  Having worked for G-Code Holsters last year, I have learned a few things about Tactical Kydex… not just from them but from everyone making it.  This stuff Crusader has partnered up with is different.

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Pretty much all a Kydex holster is, is a thermo-plastic made of PVC Acrylic, extruded in sheets, cut and formed under heat and pressure to form a holster.  Simple stuff, really.  What makes it all complicated is how to get the holster onto your Tactical Gear or Belt.  Clips, loops, buttons, snaps, straps, and hooks… and then you add the quick disconnect stuff, which adds cost, complexity, weight, and bulk.

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The company making this stuff for Crusader is Kinetic Concepts Tactical, or KCT for short.  KCT has take a rather clever approach that is both simple and easy to use – and it minimizes the bulk.  PALS slots. I like that.  Simple, no bulk, light weight.  It holds to the gear secure enough for Government work, but really doesn’t take too much effort to take on and off.  I like that.  A lot.

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On a Chest Rig, anything on it adds bulk and that means you can’t get as low as you may need… Or on a battle belt and things start snagging seatbelts and such.  You want it to be as flat as you can get it… And this is pretty much as flat a solution as I’ve ever seen.

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The quality is right up there with the rest of the Upper Tier stuff that’s out there.  The holster is strong and very ridged.  Tough.  All the edges are blended out and I can feel no sharp edges anywhere.   The rivets are set proper and the lamination is about as flawless as you can get with Kydex.   What I like the most about it… It’s cost.   It’s only $45 bucks for most of the color options, and there are a lot of color options.  For 5 bucks more you can get some camo patterned options.  Multicam, Digital, Kryptek… Oh, and Carbon Fiber.  Nice.  Here’s the thing… You don’t need to buy anything else to go with it.  It’s just a holster and not a system you need to get to know.  It’s just a holster.  Simple.

Available for all your popular tactical type handguns.  If your gun is not listed, well, I did say popular… Just kidding, give KCT a shout and see if they can hook you up.   Good folks there at KCT, and they want you to be satisfied with your gear.   They have Mag Carriers too.   Check them out here.   Use the Discount Codes.   Get geared up.

This is good kit.  This is going on my battle belt…

Chevy Equinox Update

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May 2013 I took delivery of a brand new Chevy Equinox.  Front wheel drive, V-6, 2LT trim level, tow package installed.   At this point it has passed 32,000 miles.
Let me give you the run down… About every 2800 miles its been getting oil changes and tire rotations done by Dealerships.  And by that I mean Marine Chevy in Jacksonville.  At 8,000 miles it needed a new battery which was replaced under warranty.  That’s been the only issue.  And really not all that big a deal.
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The little SUV has performed admirably.  Turning in great fuel economy… Far better than I would have expected. Better even than the 4 Cylinder versions are reporting.  Thanks to GM’s fantastic engine. Direct injection, a smarter transmission, gobs of power at the low end… The engine never really has to work hard.  Unless you ask it to.  And when you do, it delivers.  It has a lot of torque steer that you have to physically wrestle with, so hold on with both hands before you hammer it. And when you do, the car springs to life with a quickness and agility that’s unexpected. This makes my little SUV feel more like a Hot Hatch.   A very heavy, but powerful, big hot hatch.
As soon as you let off the gas again, the EQ is back to it’s normal sedate nature.  It cruises well, quietly and composed even at high interstate velocity.  Feeling solid and connected, it’s easy to gobble up miles with comfortable adjustable and heated seats.  Pretty luxurious stuff to this guy.
The touch screen is large and more responsive than most others I’ve played with.  Easy to navigate.  Syncing phones is easy as well… And the hands free calling works very well.  As does running music from the phone.  The only thing it doesn’t do is Navigation.  Which is crazy… Chevy not putting navigation in a car at this price level is just retarded. There’s also no update feature with this system.  You can update it with a USB, but there isn’t any updates for it.
Climate control is excellent with a very cold AC and a heater that you can bake a cake with.  It comes up to temp fast and cools down fast… Really once you set it to the temp you want, you can just ignore it… The system will handle the rest.
Remote Starter.  Remote hatch/rear door opening and close. Backup Camera. Alarm.  It doesn’t lack features… Save for Navigation.
The EQ is a handsome car too. I think they look good… But it could get a little more bravado in the wheels and tires department, maybe a little lift.
I think it just may be the best vehicle GM makes.  Its also the only vehicle GM hasn’t had a recall on that I’m aware of.  GM just did everything right on it… Save for the lack of Navigation.  The only problem really is the lack of personality.  Its a very Vanilla car. Its one that is easily forgotten.  It’s like the proverbial Nice Guy.  What it needs… Is a dark side.  A tattoo, a Honey Badger snear, and a pair of boots.  But even then it would probably still be too clean cut and polite about everything.

Four interesting guns, as discussed on AAR.

Fast gun segment on Armed American Radio.   I picked 4 of the more interesting Concealed Carry Gun Options.
Ruger LC9S, a Striker fired version of the LC9 we are all familiar with.  Much better trigger pull – to the point it means this slim ccw gun becomes a very serious option.   Even for me.
Ruger has another really good CCW option, the LCRx.  This is like the now familiar LCR revolver, but this one has a standard style exposed hammer, which means you can thumb-cock the action for a more accurate shot. I like that.  At only 13.5 ounces, you might think they are snappy – but with that nice rubber grip, it’s a pussycat to shoot.
Springfield XDS 4.0   This is the same gun as the XDS we all know and love, but with a longer 4 inch barrel.  A little better velocity because of that longer barrel, but the big advantage is the longer sight radius which makes it easier to shoot more accurately with.
Browning 1911 .380.  This gun was just recently announced.  It’s the 1911 .22 that’s been out for awhile, but rechambered for .380 auto.  What they did was they took a 1911 and scaled it down to only 85% size.  So it looks and functions just like the classic JMB design, but small.  Taking a gun that’s just too cool, and making it a viable defensive options.  Especially if you have tiny hands. Or you just want something different.  Probably wont be available until March of 2015, but that’s just a guess.  I’ll be looking for this at SHOT SHOW right off the bat.

Dear Beretta, I want you to build me a gun.

Beretta, who loves  ya, Baby….
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You know I do… Your curves, your lines, you’re a full figured Italian Goddess…. You’re Beautiful…
Can you do something special for me?  I’m wanting something a little different… some custom work.   Let me explain – please listen to me…
I want this gun, right here.   A 92FS Compact:
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But with a Black finished Slide.  Two toned finish.  That’s the easy part.  Here’s where it gets tricky.
The most accurate semi auto pistol I’ve ever fired was the CZ 97B, which has a threaded barrel bushing to center the barrel in the slide perfectly.  That gun was telepathic.  The 92 is very accurate, but there is more accuracy in there that can still be found.
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The 92 series has a bit of play there in the barrel, that a screw in bushing would remedy.   Not like how the AMU did it, with threading the barrel and putting a shaped nut on the barrel.  I want the slide threaded and a bushing that threads into the slide like the CZ97B.  I want this on my Beretta 92 Compact.  Okay, now just for pure looks… I want a recessed target crown like on a Nighthawk Custom T3.  Like this:
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I want that on my Beretta 92 FS Compact INOX with a black slide.
Can you make this for me?
I’ll give you all my best lollipops…

Something “New” from Marlin

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I have to admit – I like the looks.  But there are two things that disappoint.  1.  They are adding some really cheap sights and acting like it’s an upgrade.  That’s just sad right there.   This is really no biggie though, as I’d replace it the same day I got the rifle.  With this.  It begs for the Lever Rail.  2.  The stock – which is fine on the outside… It’s laminate wood on the inside.  I’d rather have seen a sturdy synthetic stock used here to take a pound of weight out of the gun and narrow it up a bit.

It’s interesting that they are having FNC do the Finish on it.  I’d have thought Remington would have kept that work in house and use the same finished that they used on the 700 XCR Tactical Rifles.  I don’t know what advantage FNC’s finish is going to have.  Or maybe… FNC did the finish on the XCR rifles?

Really though – it’s just an 1895 GBL with a Green Stock.  I like it, but I’m not excited about it.

What would really excite me though, is if I could get that in an 1894 .44 Mag.   Now THAT would be sweet.

Pick The Brand

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DA/SA Service Grade Automatics.   Who’s your favorite?  Okay, we’re talking the Brand on the whole, considering all the related models and variations they make.  Who’s your Top Brand and why?

SIG?
Beretta?
CZ?
Other?

The Traditional DA/SA auto seems to be in the gold years with more and more trainers and advocating striker fired guns with uniform trigger pulls from first to second shots.  Glocks, M&P’s, an XDM’s being the Striker Triad.   But I think that the DA/SA platform still has its place, and I still love them.  Especially for Open Carry, Duty Service… They are big, menacing, sexy, and very stable and accurate.   Outside of 1911’s I shoot them them best.  A lot better than Safe actions or DAO guns.

I’m thinking the Holy Trinity for DA/SA’s is SIG, Beretta, and CZ.  Across the board, I think the Beretta Brand takes the lead for consistent quality.   From what I’ve seen and dealt with with 8+ years behind a Gun Counter and… ahem… a few more years of shooting… I’ve seen problems with all of them.  I’ve seen far fewer though with Beretta.  But that’s not just the thing. It’s also how good they’ve been.  How smooth the triggers and slides were.  How tight they locked up.  I don’t think any brand for any type of auto is nearly as smooth as Berettas.  SIG’s are second and CZ is 3rd overall for smoothness.

However, for an out of the box trigger – the very best DA/SA trigger I have ever felt was on a CZ 97B.   Just incredible!  But other CZ triggers left me disappointed.  Same with SIG, overall very good, but not quiet as good overall as SIG’s I’ve fired.  One SIG though, a 229 SAS…. Oh man.   That was truly a great trigger.   Flip side, the SIG’s have shown some triggers that were less than stellar.
Beretta though wins in the same way a Race Team wins the Championship overall without having actually taken first place.

My 92FS had a very good trigger to start out with.  I swapped the main spring for the “D Spring” and it got a lot better.  It’s not a GREAT trigger.  This makes me wonder, why doesn’t Beretta just use the D Springs as standard?  Because the difference was dramatic!

I love the 92.  I love the SIG 220/226/228/229.  I love the CZ P-01/SP-01.  Overall though, I think that Beretta takes it.

What are your thoughts?

At the Meat Mountains of Madness

Rumors have it that Arby’s has a sandwich called The Meat Mountain.  It is all their meats piled into one sandwich.

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The rumors are true.  I have been to this Mountain of Meat Madness and I have climbed it.

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The fact that I ordered two of them, caused the employee at Arby’s to get very nervous.  “No one has ever ordered two of them before.”  He said.  Then he saw my eldest son, and breathed a visible sigh of relief.   It’s a daunting sandwich to be sure.  But that wasn’t the bad part.  See… Eating the sandwich was one thing.
My son said it like this, “I kinda feel sick… but in a good way.  Like I have a food baby inside me now.”
That was pretty much it.  But you see, I made the mistake of getting a couple Milkshakes to go with the sandwiches.  That crossed the line from “Kinda feeling sick”, to the “I’m uncomfortable with this, and I forgot my safety word.”

It was good, in a novelty sort of way.  Having had it, experienced it and returned from the experience, changed, but surviving… I don’t think I’d order it again.

Stop It

Stop showing me videos of your Mag Dumps, and show me a video of how fast you can reload!

Stop showing me an AR-15 with a Cosmetic Change and telling me that you designed and engineered something different.