I’ve ended all my consultation agreements, and I’m closing all those accounts within the firearms industry. I’m done with everything having to do with guns, professionally. I’m “Out”. However, I will continue with my interests in firearms as a hobby. I’m venturing into a new career in the Motorcycle industry with Triumph, BMW, and Ducati. So you will continue see some gun related content, but a lot more about motorcycles.
Killer Deal on the SIG ROMEO 4c
I just got another Romeo 4c, and this one is now topping Project Kahlan. The Burris Fastfire, which I also like, has been moved over to Elizebeta… my late Brother Zach’s AK-47. The Fastfire is better suited to the AK, thanks to it’s more compact nature and lower mounting capability with the current rail situation. (Photos will come late)
What I like about the 4c version of the Romeo, is the Solar Powered backup to for the battery, which has a 50,000 hour run time. It has two reticle options, a 2 moa Dot or an Eotech style circle dot. Quick Detach. Insane lifetime warranty that is basically saying if anything happens, they’ll replace it, no questions asked. Which is awesome.
The optic is super clear and bright for a Red Dot, and even with my bad eyes, I can see the dot nice and crisp. I like these little optics better than the vogue T1 or T2 Micros. SIG’s Electro Optics are very good… and with that lifetime warranty? Getting one is a No Brainer. For Project Kahlan, and any future firearm that I want a Red Dot for – I’m getting the Romeo 4c’s for them from now on.
I got this Romeo 4c from my good friend Steve, who has several more for sale at his store, PrecisionRifleShooters.com. Now, if you want one too… Go there, and at Checkout enter Coupon Code “MADOGRE” for a nice discount.
Carolina Arms Group 1911’s
I stopped by Carolina Arms Group today to sign a copy of UPRISING USA for Jim, and while I was there, I got the chance to examine the completion of a very special 4 gun set.
These two were complete and the other two were getting final touches done.
Absolutely flawless. Now, CAG has a lot of very cool new things coming… things that I’m sworn to secrecy on, so I wont tell. Even if the NDA is a Handshake, it’s still an NDA, so I’m not saying anything other than this… Give CAG a Like, follow them on FB. Because you are going to want to keep your eye on them.
There is one new thing about to drop that I CAN talk about.
CAG is going to be releasing Fire Control Parts that you can order to be put into your gun. I’ve examined these… FANTASTIC. You are going to want to put these on your gun. Machined from forged billet stainless and absolutely the top quality you would expect from CAG. Also slides and pretty much everything you need to build your 1911 save for the Frames. And since not all of us are Gunsmiths – you will be able to send in your 1911 and CAG’s own Gunsmiths will give you their FEEL THE DIFFERENCE treatment. All of the services will of course be on a menu for pricing and such. So bookmark this page too:
http://carolinaarmsgroup.com/
Star Trek Beyond
The first two Star Trek movies that Rebooted the Franchise really nailed it. This one, though… Well… it had potential. Right up to the point where the Enterprise sailed (sailed?) into it’s first – and last – battle. And then it just when full pants on the head retarded. It introduced a potentially cool new character and then seemed only to make her a bleached Xena Warrior Princess… No, wait… that gives it too much credit. A tall blond and hot Ewok.
Then to defeat the crazy powerful enemy that shredded the Enterprise, their old outdated ship that barely made it off the ground – blasts BEASTY BOYS which causes all the badguys save the Boss to Self Destruct because of the savage beats of the song “Sabotage”. All while the All Powerful Enemy is forming a perfect surfing wave formation for the old ship to Hang 10 through… because we all know that that is by far the best attack formation in space.
Then when get to the final Kirk v Boss Fight, we find that the enemy is Idris Elba who goes all Black Lives Matter protesting in the shiny new space city…. And ends up killing himself with his super evil weapon of evil before he can even loot one big screen.
*sigh*
Idris Elba could have brought so much more to the film and the whole franchise… but no… they went and… did this.
*sigh*
Here’s the thing. I’ve been loving the new Trek films… But this took the new Crew all the way back to Voyage Home levels of stupid and really just kinda gave the new fans like me, the middle finger and reminded us why we never liked Trek in the first place.
2016 Triumph Thruxton R 1200
Yesterday I had the opportunity to ride a brand new Triumph Thruxton R 1200.
This bike was absolutely amazing in it’s composure and balance. It didn’t care what gear I was in… you could lug it… you could wind it out. Six speed transmission and the engine couldn’t care less…. Riding position is a bit leaned forward, but not enough that your holding yourself up by the wrists… It’s almost a Standard. Very comfortable.
It’s so much better than the old Bonny engine, which was an 865… and fine for… the 80’s… I guess. It was fine before… but somehow just a little lacking. Now, the new 1200 engine – which looks and feels weight wise like the same engine as before… is just so much BETTER at everything. Better top end. Better torque. Better power delivery from idle to redline… it’s just all completely better.
Having not ridden in some time, I was kinda nervous. But once I threw a leg over and grabbed those Clip Ons… it just felt RIGHT.
The bike didn’t feel like it was in a hurry to go fast – but it was. It cornered easily like you had already done that a thousand times. The handling was very neutral, with no drama. It turned in well, with no feeling of sluggishness or twitchiness. It stayed remarkably stable through the curve and powering out passed the apex.
The suspension was a very nice balance between comfort and road feel… You felt everything, but nothing hurt your spine or your gentleman’s nuggets. The seat feels both firm and comfortable as well, and you could easily spend enough time in the saddle to run from a full tank to vapor.
The bike was just a very pleasant, willing, and spirited companion.
EDIT: About a Month Later:
It’s been awhile since I rode it about a month ago now… And I’ve ridden pretty much everything else in between then and now. So I wanted to revisit the “Thruster”.
I am pleased to say that the Thruxton R has remained my favorite Sport Bike. The Bike is just hands down a pleasurable experience. The big bore engine makes effortless power, which translates into effortless motion. For a Twin, the Thruster is exceptionally smooth. And it’s extremely well behaved. In Rain Mode and Road Mode, the Thruster is the perfect gentleman. In Sport Mode, it gets straight up Dashing. It can keep up with most every other sport bike on the market save for the 200 horse power Ground Rockets. But it’s not trying to be a Race Replica… It’s only trying to be just what it is… a well built classic sport bike that can have fun carving canyons, and while doing so, it will be more relaxed, comfortable, and composed… It’s the Nicest of Sporting Motorbikes you will ever throw a leg over.
I just love this thing. Honestly, I can’t think of a single thing to do to it to make it better.
Ruger’s American Compact
Ruger just officially announce the American Compact. Here is the Press Release:
New Compact Addition to the Ruger American Pistol Line
Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE: RGR) is proud to announce the addition of the Ruger American Pistol® Compact model. This new model is chambered in 9mm Luger and is available in both Manual Safety and Pro model configurations. Originally introduced in December 2015, the feature-rich Ruger American Pistol was designed with the latest U.S. Military standards in mind and was tested in the harshest environments to ensure the rugged reliability consumers have come to expect from Ruger.
Ruger polled law enforcement and military trainers throughout the country to select the form, function and features of the Ruger American Pistol. The resultant pistol combines a recoil-reducing barrel cam (which better spreads recoil over time) with a low-mass slide, low center of gravity and a low-bore axis to provide better balance, less felt recoil and less muzzle flip than comparable pistols. The Ruger American Pistol also features a pre-tensioned striker system, which allows for a short takeup trigger with positive reset, and a modular wrap-around grip system that adjusts palm swell and trigger reach to fit a wide range of hand sizes.
With a 3.55” barrel, overall dimensions of 6.65” long, 4.48” high and a weight of 28.75 ounces with an empty magazine, the Ruger American Pistol Compact model shares all of the features and rugged reliability of the duty-size gun in a smaller, lighter, more concealable package. It ships in a hard case with small, medium and large replaceable grip modules and two nickel-Teflon® plated steel magazines (one 17-round extended magazine and one 12-round compact magazine).
The American-made Ruger American Pistol is built on a rigid, one-piece, precision-machined, black nitrided, stainless steel chassis with integral frame rails and fire control housing. Additional features include genuine Novak® LoMount Carry three-dot sights, a stainless steel slide with non-reflective, black nitride finish, a one-piece, high-performance, glass-filled nylon grip frame and a mil-standard 1913 accessory rail.
For more information on the Ruger American Pistol Compact model, or to learn more about the extensive line of award-winning Ruger® firearms, visit Ruger.com or Facebook.com/Ruger. A full line of duty and concealment holsters, replacement sights and rail-mount accessories for the Ruger American Pistol are available through ShopRuger.com or your local independent retailer of Ruger firearms.
Here are the released pics:
It looks good! Looks like Ruger’s taken a Home Run, and just cleared the bases with it. *Golf Claps* Well done, Ruger. Well done.
KRISS VECTOR 10MM
Yes, Kriss brought out the Vector in 10mm. And I don’t care.
I LOVE the 10mm cartridge. The fact that there’s a new 10mm Carbine on the market, makes me happy. But I don’t want it.
Yes, it looks like it shoots well. However I find the Vector to be distasteful. The overall weapon system is far too bulky, and I find the weapon to be awkward on top of that.
During the heady days of Crusader Weaponry, one came into the shop and Joe was working on refinishing it. The weapon is excessively complicated, and everything pins through and into a sub-chassis that I feel is too delicate.
During my time as Retail Manager for Blackstone Shooting Sports, a customer wanted to look at the fixed stock version of one of the Vectors we had. He tried to fold the stock… and of course, broke it. Vector gave me hell trying to replace the part, insisting that I pay for a new one. I was finally able to get the part replaced under warranty, but it left a bad taste in my mouth for the company. It’s worth noting that the customer looked like a pasty white Urkel and did not have a lot of power to apply to the stock to get it to break so easily, and he didn’t even try. It broke far too easily. So if you want a Vector Carbine, get the folder version, not the fixed stock version.
Honestly, I don’t care if the Vector fired phased plasma in the 40 watt range. I wont have one. Being overly complicated, delicate and fragile, being awkward and bulky and is as attractive as George Soros and Diane Feinstein’s Love Child… I have a whole SHOT Industry worth of better options to spend my money on.
If you have one, and you like it – that’s the great thing about the Industry now – There are a great many choices. But for me, Kriss Vector isn’t one of them.
Ruger Mark IV .22 Rimfire pistol
Ruger Perfects Rimfire – Again: Introducing the One-Button Takedown Mark IV
Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE: RGR) is excited to announce the latest development in the Mark Series line of pistols – the Ruger® Mark IV™. Ruger has long set the standard for reliable, affordable and accurate .22 LR handguns, beginning with the introduction of the Standard Pistol in 1949. Since then, the Standard Pistol has undergone a series of enhancements with the development of the Mark I, Mark II™ and then the Mark III™ in 2005.
While the heavily redesigned Mark IV maintains the same classic outward appearance as the Mark III, it incorporates a significant improvement customers will love – a simple, one-button takedown for quick and easy field-stripping. A recessed button in the back of the frame allows the upper receiver to tilt up and off of the grip frame without the use of tools. The bolt simply slides out of the receiver and the barrel can be properly cleaned from chamber to muzzle.
“We are thrilled to be introducing what we consider to be a monumental improvement to this iconic pistol that has been with Ruger from the start,” said Ruger President and COO Chris Killoy. “This one-button takedown alleviates the headache that our Mark III owners are all too familiar with and we anticipate the Mark IV pistols being some of the cleanest rimfires at the range,” Killoy concluded.
Other significant improvements include a one-piece grip frame that is precision CNC-machined from a solid piece of stainless steel or aluminum; an ambidextrous manual safety and a redesigned bolt stop for more ergonomic operation. The magazine drops free on release for faster reloads and a redesigned magazine disconnect safety prevents discharge when the magazine has been removed. Internal improvements include changes to the hammer, sear, bolt and firing pin for smoother, more reliable feeding.
Specific features vary by model, but the legendary, one-piece barreled receiver and internal cylindrical bolt construction remain the same. The robust design ensures permanent sight-to-barrel alignment and higher accuracy potential than conventional moving-slide designs. The Mark IV is compatible with a variety of Mark III aftermarket accessories including sights, scope bases and magazines.
The American-made Mark IV pistol ships with two 10-round magazines.
For more information on the Ruger Mark IV or to learn more about the extensive line of award-winning Ruger firearms, visit Ruger.com or Facebook.com/Ruger. To find accessories for the Mark IV and other Ruger firearms, visit ShopRuger.com or your local independent retailer of Ruger firearms.
This looks like it solves Ruger’s #1 problem since the Mk I pistol… the stupid take down. I also like that the thumb safety is a lever instead of a sliding button. Ruger is really starting to make sense in what they are putting out. Now if they could just fix the stupid bolt release on the 10/22.
Also – that Hunter is DEAD SEXY.
LUCID HD7: Buy Again?
Lucid has given me a couple HD7 Red Dot units. An original first generation unit, and then later a third generation unit. I’ve also purchased three other Gen3’s… One as a gift and the two others for my own use. None of these units have had any problems. And I still have one of the Gen3’s. It’s the one Jason gave me. It will continue to be used on one of my family’s AR’s until it goes belly up. Which I don’t see happening any time soon.
I’ve sold a lot of Lucid optics to other guys, and have friends that have bought a lot of them as well. Unfortunately Lucid has fall out of favor with them due to one issue or anther. Which is odd to me, because none of mine had ever given me a bit of trouble. My last HD7 still works great, every time, and battery life has been outstanding. 3 weeks ago, I changed the battery in my HD7 Gen3, and realized that that was the first time I had ever had to change the battery in it. After 4 YEARS of service. That’s AimPoint level stuff right there. That’s impressive.
The question though… Would I buy another HD7?
Burris Fastfire 3 tops the Kahlan project now.
Louis Quarleno sent me a nice little present for my precious. A Burris Fastfire 3. Tough little Red Dot, very light weight. This one has the shroud to help protect it… Which got painted, of course.
Man, I really want to go shoot this now. Can’t wait till I’m back on my feet to take Kahlan out for a Range Session!
Thank you, Q! You rock to a shockingly high degree!