Decision Making

06/03/2014 MadOgre 11 Comments

The Obama Administration has a clear pattern for decision making.
If anything is going to fuck up the USA, help the spread of extreme Islam, crush the American people and put them at risk… We do it.
Guy deserts the Army and joins the Terrorists… Let’s trade him for 5 of the worst we have at Gitmo. So what if it breaks the law in doing it – make it happen. The US Marine in Mexico? Ssshhh… We’ll ignore it as long as we can, and then act like our hands are tied. The Economy is struggling – Summer heat is coming – Let’s raise energy costs! But how can we make that as bad as possible? Emissions cut by, oh, I don’t know… 30%! Oh, and while the VA Hospitals are letting Vets die… Let’s add insult to that… and let’s look at cutting Combat Pay.

Obama is the King Midas of Crap. Everything he touches turns to shit.

It’s like Obama is going out of his way to fuck up America.

Gear

Lucid L5 rifle Scope.

06/01/2014 MadOgre 15 Comments

Lucid had sent me one of their new L5 rifle scopes to test out some time ago and I’ve not been able to really get to it. Now is the time. The L5 was never meant to be a Combat Optic. It wasn’t designed for use on an AR-15. You can see, it’s a bit large for this task. The L5 is more suited for a long range hunting or target rifle. It would look natural on a Remington Sendero or the like. I could see this on an AR-10 as well. But it’s a lot of scope for the light weight AR-15 here. But that’s fine. This AR-15 brings a lot of consistency and accuracy that will let me test the Scope, and not the Gun. That’s important here. But you can see, this isn’t making for a real workable configuration for me… It needs something else. You see, this L5 is a 6-24 power optic. Sometimes 6X is too much.

The 45 Degree offset is built into the Daniel Defense tube. All it takes is moving the add-on rail sections, and presto. Right over the bore as you want them. The MBUIS lay flat enough that they do not get in the way, and pop up when needed. Simple enough.
I tell you what though – I’d never have considered putting this sort of set up on my rifle… But I gotta face it… with my eyes now… I really do need a magnified optic. I need something a bit more suited to an AR-15 with magnification… I prefer a 4 power I think. Lucid is said to be working on just that. But this is to test the L5 Scope.

In the mean time, the L5 will be getting a full evaluation. Here’s my initial impression:
Let me start off by saying that I can be an optics snob. I’m not easily impressed and normally any scope under $1200 doesn’t impress me. There are some exceptions to that… and the L5 is one of them.

What you are looking for in Glass is Clarity. Optical Clarity is primary. Second to that Brightness. And Third is Color. Some may argue that, but this is my considered opinion. I sold high dollar optics along with guns for many years and I learned to see the differences. The L5 has the clarity. It has the brightness. While it transfers color very well, it’s not a Swarovski. But you are not paying Swarovski dollars either. It does however, have better “CBC” than other scopes of this type, and ones that cost a whole lot more. Between this L5 and one that costs almost double – I’d take the L5 in a heartbeat. That’s the thing about Lucid… if you want something better, you gotta pay double. Tangibly better – you gotta pay a lot more. I’ll go ahead and say it – I like this scope a lot better than a Nikon Monarch or a Burris or anything from Bushnell. Millett or the like, need not apply.

The side parallax focus goes all the way down to 15 yards. You could put this on a heavy barrel rimfire rifle. Huh… Maybe I should try it out on my .17 HMR Savage. (The most accurate rifle I’ve ever had)

Lets talk about that for a second – Parallax in a rifle scope is where your target and your reticle are in two different focal planes. This comes across as one of the two being out of focus. The result is that the reticle can swim or move around on the target… making for a less precise shot. To get the most precision out of your scope, and put that round right where you want it, the Parallax must be focused. The reticle and target need to be focused sharp together. Parallax comes into play typically in high power scopes, 12 power or above… which is why most 4-12 or 3-9 scopes don’t have a manually adjustable Parallax. They are factory focused at about 150 yards. Rimfire scopes between 35 to 50 yards. We’re used to seeing the Parallax focus out on the Objective bell. The L5 has it on a third turret, which has become the standard place for Parallax adjustment. This makes any adjustment precise and easy to make… without having to come out of your shooting position to do it. Rule of thumb, set the focus to the range you are shooting. If you are shooting at 100 yards, set it to 100 yards, and then fine tune it.

The L5 scope is constructed very well. Very solid, so much so that it reminds me of some very premium optics. A rifle scope is a precision optical instrument… the internals are always delicate no matter who makes them… so they need to be protected. A solid built scope like this goes a long way to help that. The tube body is 30mm, which is ideal and the objective lens is a fat 50mm. If you want a 50mm Obj, you really need to go 30mm in the tube. Too many scopes are out there with a 1″ tube, and that’s just too skinny and you don’t get the light. 30/50 is ideal. I can’t stress that enough. Some companies are putting out larger, which is a fine, but then you are forced to get very expensive specialized rings and your mounting options become limited. Pretty much everyone making Rings these days makes a 30mm option. It’s a common size. Commonality has it’s advantages. Going to a 32mm or something like that… you start to loose advantage over cost and flexibility. The Turrets are tight, but the clicks are distinct and counting 5 up or 4 right – not a problem. I’m not going to name any other brands, but one brand that has a scope similar to this… the clicks were indistinct and made such adjustments vague.

Now here’s what I like about the L5 scope. The L5 Reticle:

I like a fine crosshair. This allows for actual precision shooting. The reticle through the scope is clear and distinct. It’s not an illuminated reticle… but most are not. And for most people, illumination is not needed. I am no Operator anymore and I will not act like one. I am old and busted and enjoy large breakfasts and comforts that go with that… so I don’t want an illuminated reticle in a precision scope. Again, this is a precision scope, not a combat scope. This scope is designed to get me out to long range, and make a good kill-zone shot quickly. Take a look at that reticle. It’s quite simple. To make it even more simple, this reticle is programed into the STRELOK calculator… an App for you Smart Phone. I’ve been a fan of the STRELOK calculator for some time. I used it to zero a .50 BMG and it got me on target with 1 shot. Second shot confirmed it. Done.

I can’t wait to get this out and start putting a whole lotta rounds down range with this.

Again – Anyone wanting a Lucid optic, use the coupon code MyLucidDeal at checkout.

SIDE NOTE: The Lucid HD7 that I had on this rifle is now on my Son’s AR-15. He is quite happy about that. I am afraid that I may not be able to get my HD7 back once this testing is all complete.

Edited: Edited to correct my comment about Color.

Government

The most Dangerous Things in the USA

05/25/2014 MadOgre 9 Comments

The most Dangerous things in the USA, are not guns. They are not extreme sports or motorcycles.

The most Dangerous Things in USA are unchecked Liberal, Progressive, or Democratic Ideals. They Kill or Destroy more people, communities, and whole cities, than anything else.

Thanks to the whole “Progressive” movement, we have Common Core Education – which is going to destroy a whole generation of students and eventually this entire country. We have a City that was once the wealthiest and fastest growing city in the world, taken over by Democrats… and now it’s the Nation’s Ghetto where you could buy HOUSES for a Dollar and 1 in 3 Babies are aborted every year.

We have have states that had higher GDP’s than most Nations – on the verge of Bankruptcy. We’ve got our very NATION that was once the crown jewel of the World… now is being threatened by gangs of drug dealers, with 3rd world nations killing our Ambassadors without answer, and a Democrat Administration that is doing EVERYTHING it can to further weaken us and put us at ever greater risk every day they have power.

Fuel, Energy, Food costs are rising. The cost of being American is rising. Yet at the same time, our borders are being opened to more illegal aliens who are given everything, Food, Shelter, Healthcare and Education – when Americans who are trying work for it can’t afford it.

Our NSA, CIA, and FBI are spying on American Citizens. The Mechanisms of Government… the EPA, IRS, FDA, are used as Attack Dogs. Agents who used to be Honorable have become Thugs, Lackies, and Jackboots… They no longer regulate – they crush Americans… Steal their land… destroy lives… All to feed a Government that has become a Monster.

“Little Shop Of Horrors” has become the Metaphor of the United States of America. Started out small and weak, but it was fed with the blood of patriots that was once freely offered. Now demanded by force or it will devour you completely. No, I no longer trust the Government. I’ve seen what it can do to good people. And I’ve seen what it allows bad people to do. Our nation is upside down. What used to be right is now wrong and what was once wrong is now encouraged and promoted and sponsored.

To say the least – I am worried about our Country and I do not see any easy fix to our situation. Good People need to work together… Community needs to become important. We are going to need each other.

Uncategorized

Guns & Ammo and Sportsman’s Channel

05/24/2014 MadOgre 14 Comments

This report pissed me off. I grew up reading Guns & Ammo. Jeff Cooper and a lot of the prior generation writers were guys I looked up to in the Gun Community. I wanted to live like how those guys lived. So when I read this report I was filled disappointment and anger and a feeling of betrayal.
Okay, maybe not betrayal… G&A has had some pretty crappy reviews the last… Oh I don’t know… 10 years or so? They’ve been taking the pigs to the lipstick for awhile.

Now, last year Dick Metcalf came out in support of gun restrictions. Did so in an article that was published and the readers quickly raised a ruckus about it, and Dick was rather quickly fired. Many people question why or how G & A went and published that. This explains that. This also explains why Dick felt perfectly confident writing that. And then not apologizing for it, and in fact, insultingly, doubled down on his statements. I bet Dick was rather shocked he was let go. This was worse than Recoil Magazine’s SNAFU, because Recoil apologized and made efforts to Un-FUBAR themselves. G & A pretty much just “we’re sorry you were upset” and brushed it off. Sure, they let Dick go… but they were obviously not sorry about this. They were only sorry people got upset.

Well, G & A and Sportsman’s Channel being in bed with the likes of George Soros… SCREW THEM. I will never look at G & A or Sportsman’s again.

Weapons

Hardest Kicker

05/22/2014 MadOgre 37 Comments

I’ve shot a lot of hard kicking rifles and shotguns before. But one stands out in my mind as being the coolest, and the most brutal. But like spicy food, I really loved it.
It was a bubbafied Mosin Nagant, that I bought from a co-worker when I worked at Basin Sports. It was shortened, and the foreend was bobbed… I don’t have a photo of it, but it looked something like this:

10 rounds – you would feel it for 5 days. And I’m a guy that can shoot shotgun slugs all day long… .300 Ultra Mag, no problem. But this little beast made me remember it. It made my shoulder remember it. But it was a great little carbine. Very accurate as far as Mosins go, and light enough to pack it around. Great hiking gun. Great hunting gun. I gave it to my brother in law as a Christmas present because he needed a hunting rifle and that little Mosin would do great in his area of operation.

What’s been your hardest kicking gun?

Military

Military Headgear

05/22/2014 MadOgre 18 Comments

Few things are as stupid as military hats. Uniforms and Camo Patterns are always discussed and argued… but the one thing that everyone has given up on is the hat.

Most Nations have some variation of this thing. It’s a classic military style for Officers… The US has a variation of this, North Korea’s is getting bigger every year. It’s just out of control. The one thing that no one has said though… is that it looks freaking retarded.
The only guy that ever pulled off this hat was this guy:

And he was the Bad Guy. A Nazi. But the Nazi’s had it going on with the officer’s hats. No one else has done that style hat anywhere near as well.

Then we had this thing…

FoodHat

You look like a Food Service Industry Worker with that hat. This was for the Enlisted. Yes, I had this hat too. And it was stupid. It never sat right, and really we only wore it when running through the airport and it would always fall off your head. I don’t know anyone that liked them. They always looked cute on your girlfriends head though. Think about that. I blame the Navy for this.

The Cavalry Officers had a cool hat. It was actually useful. Wide brimmed to keep the sun off. You know, the whole reason to wear a hat. It actually did something. But outside of the Cavalry, no one else has those hats. The only people that have a hat that’s this functional are these guys. And we all know these guys:

That’s the hat that says your world has come to an end. Those Campaign Hats strike fear into the hearts of men. That’s a badass hat. But we can’t give them to anyone else or they will dilute the authority and power of that hat.

The Army tried to do the Beret for everyone… because worn correctly it looks awesome with dress and field uniforms. But the problem was most folks I saw couldn’t wear it correctly to save their lives. So it either looked like a sack on their heads or a pancake, so they just gave up on Hats and just gave this to everyone:

27464

But I’m wondering if we should just do that with the dress uniforms. Have a fancier ball cap. I don’t know… For dress uniforms, I think the hat should be a lot nicer. I’m thinking something more like the Cavalry’s Stetsons. Something distinctly American that no one else can touch.

Any ideas?

Uncategorized

Slumping Gun Sales?

05/21/2014 MadOgre 11 Comments

In an article about slumping gun sales over at TTAGs, Dicks blames the political environment.

Allow me to retort. Gun Sales may have slowed down overall… that is true. The reason is not a lack of desire for new guns. It’s a lack of liquid money in the hands of consumers. Let’s be honest. With Obama care and that economic stranglehold, compounded with cutbacks and rising gas prices… it’s tough to justify spending the extra green. Now let’s add the fact that a lot of the popular guns use ammo that’s hard to find as well… Lots of factors go into an overall slump in gun sales.

But let’s look at Dick’s Sporting Goods specifically. What could cause them to have lower sales compared to other gun stores?

I’ve been in several Dick’s stores between here in Richmond, VA for various reasons. I always wander over to the gun counter to take a look. What I see are the usual suspects of the common hunting guns… A couple Rugers, Remingtons, and a Marlins… A few shotguns. Nothing interesting. No MSR’s to speak of. No handguns, which over the last few years have been the sales leaders. Concealed Carry is the biggest sales segment and Dick’s is having none of that. MSR’s have also been sales leaders and Dick’s doesn’t want to sell those in their stores. So the #1 Rifle in America, they are too good for, so they are getting none of those sales. Ammo selection was almost nonexistent, as was the Counter Help at the Gun Department. And then when you could find someone to show you a gun, the person was an asshole that seemed to be put out that you were bothering him/her. Never before has a Store ever been so well named. Dick’s has slumping gun sales because they are not serious about being in the gun sales business. They are more worried about Crossfit and Sports. And that’s fine… The Gun Industry doesn’t need a store like Dick’s if their attitude is that of negligence and disrespect.

Message to Joe Schmidt, Dick’s COO: Now, Dick’s could get back into the game. And it wouldn’t take a lot of effort… but it would take a few new good people in the right places who can make Gun Department decisions separate from rest of Dick’s Corporate Structure. They need some serious Gun Guys at Dick’s. And they don’t have that. Dick’s is wearing the shoes they laced up by their own choice. Joe, contact me and we can talk about how to fix this.

Uncategorized

Open Carry Activists.

05/20/2014 MadOgre 34 Comments

Congratulations to the Open Carry Activists in Texas. You got the rest of us all shut out of Chipolte like you wanted.

That is what you wanted, right? Because, I mean, you guys did see what happened with Starbucks, right? So getting us shunned at one of our favorite Burrito joints had to have been your goal. Couldn’t you have picked a place we didn’t like to hold your Activism at? Like Panera Bread, Checkers, Dairy Queen…

Seriously, you guys packing the AR-15’s everywhere… You are ruining Open Carry for Everyone. The guys that insist Open Carry means they can walk around with AR-15’s and not cause problems – are causing problems. You guys are turning open carry into a 2nd Amendment Gay Rights Parade. Something no one cares about – but you throw it everyone’s faces and dare people to say something. I don’t care if you are gay… But Chaps and a Thong is not dignified attire to be out in public in. Same with an AR-15 Rifle. This isn’t Israel. This isn’t Baghdad. And you are not a PMC Contractor… What you are is an insensitive jerk throwing your rights in people’s faces at the expense of everyone else’s. That’s not the Libertarian Way.

You guys are not helping.

We want to make Open Carry a normal thing. And within the gun rights community there is enough people who are actually advocating against OC, giving preference to Concealed Carry Only. Me, I advocate “Carry”. Open or Concealed, you are talking about the condition of your Shirt Tails, not the guns… but that’s not the question here. That’s not the problem. The problem is you Clownshoes who think you need to walk into the diner with a rifle. You guys are going to bring down a lot more heat on the 2nd Amendment as a whole rather than get the Middle Ground Folks to come over to our side. “Oh those guys in the Booney Hats and Shorts with the Scary Rifles… Those were Nice Guys! I want to be like them!” No, that’s not going to happen. Instead you are going to turn those people who don’t mind guns – into people voting against guns.

If you gotta have your Rifle with you when you eat out – Go through the Drive Through!

Look, I’ve OC’d long guns many times. I’ve slung Tactical Shotguns, AR’s, PSL’s, a Sterling SMG, and rode through town on motorcycles. But the one thing I never did was was stop and go into a place of business with it, because I knew that even in rural high desert Utah, that was just not acceptable. Even while “Perfectly Legal” it’s just not acceptable behavior. Much like wearing a thong and twerking out on Main Street…. Sure, it’s legal. But it’s also not acceptable behavior.

Gear

Discount Code for LUCID OPTICS

05/20/2014 MadOgre 10 Comments

As you guys know, I’m a fan of LUCID optics. I have used several LUCID HD7 Red Dot sights, and have found them to be fantastic “bang for the buck”. Actually they are more than that. They really do blow everything else out of the water that’s in their price range… and in fact, to get something better than an HD7, you seriously have to spend double the money. And then you have to ask yourself why you bothered to spend the extra cash.

Now, the HD7 is built for use on AR’s or other Flat Top rifles. Say you want to use a Red Dot on an AK or a Shotgun or M1A Scout or something… you need a shorter red dot. LUCID has you covered with the M7 optic that allows you to mount it nice and low where you need it. I’ve shot an AK with the M7 on it and it worked great… But I do not have one. Yet. I’ll get one soon and I plan on using it on one of my 870.

LUCID also has a couple very nice rifle scopes. I have an L5 and I love it. I’ve not done any videos of it… but let’s just say that this scope is wicked good. I really like it. And I’m jaded and picky when it comes to rifle scopes. The Lucid L5 passed my expectations by far for the price point. I do plan on doing some videos on the L5 after we finish our relocation.

Now here’s something very cool. LUCID has given me a Coupon Code for a Discount to give out. I’ll give it to you now. “MyLucidDeal” is the code… use it at Check Out and then let me know you ordered it.

Uncategorized

Hollywood Should…

05/19/2014 MadOgre 32 Comments

The title of this post was going to be What Hollywood should make instead of doing Remakes, but that was long and awkward. Moving on: Here’s my list of Movies that need to be made. If Hollywood isn’t making a Remake, it’s pulling books from the Teen Age Girl section at the book store. And that’s fine… for Teenage Girls. What about us Blokes? Us guys that want something made fresh. What do we get? 214 different reboots of Comic Books, Giant Monsters, and Giant Robots… I want something NEW on the screen… Because there are a lot of fun books out there that would make awesome movies.
Also – this is a list of freaking awesome books that if you have NOT read – You need to because you are missing out. Read the books or get the Audio Book. But take this stuff in and glory in the majesty.

1. Monster Hunter International, by Larry Freaking International Lord of Hate Correia. And all the follow on MHI books. One good solid movie for each book. The director should be Guillermo del Toro. Casting choices can be argued in the comments.

2. The Iron Druid Chronicles, by Kevin Hearne. One of my favorite series of books, written by someone I don’t know. They are wonderfully clever, funny, daring, and truly very interesting books that hold my attention cover to cover. The Director for this… Maybe Wes Anderson, because of the quirkiness factor.

3. Grimnoir Chronicals, by LFILOHC. The three books in the GC series are epic. They have tenderness in parts, and loads of action, iconic characters, and they have a solid universe… world building is important here. I think the Coen Brothers for this… they could really add the gritty texture these movies would need, and give it that edgy feel. Again, each book it’s own movie to be released 2 months apart. None of that year long wait.

4. Dead Six, by Mike Kupari and LFILOHC. Both books. The action and pacing of these books needs a Director that can keep up. Now, I know who you guys would probably go to on this… But I’m thinking it needs some more flair than that to do these Characters justice. I want the physical action to really blow you away. I’m thinking Ridley Scott is the man for that.

5. The Uprising Saga, by George H Hill. Uprising Italia by Zach Hill as well as the other books coming by other authors. I’d like to say Michael Mann or some other ultra realistic director to get that jaw dropping gritty reality, but no. That’s not right. Because Uprising is literary junk food that should not be taken too seriously… Quentin Tarantino. If Dead Six is a perfectly grilled Porterhouse, then Uprising is a Microwaved Hot Pocket and a Mountain Dew Kickstarter to wash it down. It’s what Walking Dead SHOULD HAVE BEEN. And by the way, I think someone at AMC read Uprising… A Governor that takes over things with an eyepatch? Really? (Just kidding, I know the comic book predates Uprising…. but still)

6. Armor by John Steakley. Since we are talking about new films and not remakes… there’s no hope of a reboot of Starship Troopers. This is like the same thing but from a different perspective. James Cameron can do the alien world and military might better than anyone in sci-fi.

7. Old Man’s War by John Scalzi. This book is probably more special to me than it should be…. but it really resonated with me. From a movie making standpoint – this movie would be impossible without the right director. J.J. Abrams made me like Star Trek. If he can do that, he can do this.

8. At the Mountains of Madness, by HP Lovecraft. Directed by Guillermo del Toro. The movie Guillermo has been wanting to make… Let him do it! If anyone does this movie… it should be Guillermo. No one else can do it justice. For God’s sake not Tim Burton…

Other books I want to see on the screen… The Stars my Destination, American Gods, Redshirts, and The Horus Heresy series.

What do you want to see made and who should direct it or be in it? Also, what do you think of my picks and who should be cast?

Mad Ogre

Decision Making

Lucid L5 rifle Scope.

The most Dangerous Things in the USA

Guns & Ammo and Sportsman’s Channel

Hardest Kicker

Military Headgear

Slumping Gun Sales?

Open Carry Activists.

Discount Code for LUCID OPTICS

Hollywood Should…

The Internet's Original Critic