Automotive

Monday’s Motorcycle

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The Hellcat

This is the X132 Hellcat from Confederate.  It radiates Badass like it’s the Chernobyl of Badassery.  Even the name is badass.  Let’s talk about the name for a sec…  It’s very fitting.  In WWII at the start of the Pacific Theatre Conflict, the US Navy had a lot of fighters called the Wildcat.  The Jap Zeroes had little problem knocking them out of the sky as the Zeeks were faster, more agile, and just gave us hell.  So the US Navy decided to give them hell.  They came out with the Hellcat and it was all about brutality.  More powerful engines and weapons and all the sudden the table was turned.  It was an overpowered, overgunned fighter that claimed 5271 enemy fighters – more than any other allied aircraft.

Now take a look at this motorcycle and tell me it’s not worthy of that name!

2163 CC’s of Muscle giving the Hellcat 132 Horsepower and an asskicking 150 pounds of torque. That’s a ridiculous amount of power in such a little bike.  It’s heavy, 500 pounds, but that weight is all engine.  This bike is a wicked cross between a Bobber and a Cafe Racer.

The Hellcat is no chopped and beefed up Harley.  Don’t let the V-Twin engine fool you.  This bike is engineered from the ground up to be exactly what it is… a brutal force of nature that has no mercy for it’s enemies… Everything on the bike is designed specifically for it’s purpose.  This is Engineering from the school of the Ends Justify The Means.

The Cafe Racer style is my favorite kind of motorcycle.  It’s stripped down, purpose driven, lean, and angry.  And then there is Confederate Motorcycle’s take on the Cafe Racer concept… I think the early planning stages had a discussion over what bike this would end up being.

“Gentilemen, this is a Cafe Racer.”  Thuggish looking brutes with folded arms and stoney faces looked at the little Cafe bike with disapproval.   One of them unfolded an arm like a side of beef and raised it…
“It needs more.”
“More of what?”
And then to illustrate what the bike needed more off, the large brute smashed the board room table into splinters with his fists, and then ate it.
“Build it.”
And that’s how the Hellcat was born… through malice and furious rage.  This is bike isn’t in a Biker’s Dream… This bike is in a Biker’s Nightmares – this is coming after them – and they can’t get away from it no matter what they do.  The hellcat is coming for them.  This is the bike that Death himself rides, this is Mortis.  And Hell follows it.

Crusader, Training

Desert Training After Action Review

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Saturday’s Defensive Pistol Class was the hardest class we’ve ever put on.  In the morning, an hour before the class started, we arrived and started setting up the targets.  It was a beautiful morning and we were looking forward to having a great day of training.

Looking towards Vernalstan

As the students started to arrive, so did the wind.  The wind was brutal.  We had Veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan that said it was just like over there.  The wind was picking up sand and dust and blasting us all day long.  Sand would get in the guns, in your eyes, ears and teeth, and in your sinuses.  And that wasn’t the worst of it.  We’d watch helplessly as the target boards were snapped off the stands and carried up over the berms, over the mountains.  Paper targets that were taped to the boards were shredded, and then ripped off the boards, and then the boards were ripped off the stands.   This was the worst training environment I have ever trained in.  I wanted to Postpone the class… But the students wanted to train, so we trained.

Started out with 12, ended up with 5.

The students all did a great job. They worked hard and trained hard in these horrible conditions.  One guy was having problems with sand getting into his contacts, but he stayed and trained through the end.

What you don't see here, is the Sand Blasting Effect going on.

It really felt like being Sand Blasted, it would sting, the skin and eyes.  This was unpleasant.  With the sand getting into everything, we did have some problems with some weapons.  One of the Walthers started jamming very badly and was failing to go into battery with more consistency than not.  Sand in the magazines started getting troublesome for an XD shooter.  The worst of it though was the sand contamination that brought a S&W Revolver to it’s knees.

Dave shooting around simulated cover

If there is any lesson to be learned from training in these conditions… it’s that these are the same conditions experienced by our troops over in Iraq and Afghanistan.  We expect them to perform in it.  Such conditions make doing everything more difficult and unpleasant to say the least.  But with following the basic core fundamentals of shooting technique and malfunction clearing… you can overcome the environmental difficulties.  These students can no handle shooting in situations like these… they can handle anything.  Great job to everyone that attended.

But right here is what made this class, as brutal as it was, very special to me.  Our good friend brought out his daughter to train.  She’s 13.  She had never done anything like this before and really took to it.

Dad's what else is better than taking your girl training?

She did a great job in some of the worst conditions, with a gun that was jamming like a jazz band.  Dad was proud of her, fit to bust.  I was proud of her too… I’ve known her since she was just a little tiny thing and it’s good to see her being raised right.

After the class, some of our Crusader 870 Shotguns came out to play, one had been transferred to a customer the day before and the other was Joe’s personal training gun.

Nothing makes me grin like a good Shotgun

The actions were so smooth it felt like I was shooting Semi Autos.  Cycling was effortless and fast.  There were no failures of any kind and the patterns were good with the loads used.  With the Rifle Sights, I was able to pick up targets and engage them fast and accurately, just as fast as with a Ghost Ring set up, but with much more precision.  It doesn’t have the Cool Guy winged rear sights that are popular because they look cool… These sights just work better.  When you start launching slugs, Ghost Rings are no help.  Rifle sights are what you need.

I want to personally thank my assistant instructors who were dealing these these conditions and the environmental issues we were having.  Joe and Zack, hopefully we never have to teach a Sand Storm again… but if we do – we know we can get it done.

"Really? Another target stand blown off the range?"

This was not a Fun Day at all.  It was hard.  It was unpleasant.  It was draining.  And that’s what Training is all about.

Training

Training on a very limited budget.

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First off, we need to lay down that Training is not just going out with your friends or alone and shooting things.  Training has a purpose, so before you do anything, set down a few goals for your training.  What you want to accomplish specifically.

Practice Makes Perfect they say. That's a Start, I say.

At this point, I’m talking about Pistol Training.  Reading through a number of Paperback and Hardbound sources of firearms wisdom, I’ve found one consistent trend.  Going back to a Shooter’s Bible that was printed back in 1958 PIE – Pre Internet Era – I found an article written by a champion competitive shooter.   (He must had had a holster lashed to his Loin Cloth) The article specified that the key to good shooting with a handgun is Trigger Control.  Such a simple thing as how you pull the trigger, effects everything.

Continue reading Training on a very limited budget. →

Training

Defensive Pistol Class Update

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WEATHER REPORT for SAT MAY 26th Training Has the Potential for Rain Showers.
SLC will be Raining. Uintah Basin, might not be. Regardless… We Will Be Training. Class will Only Be Cancelled if we are having a SEVERE Thunder Storm or active sky to ground lightening.
Bring Warmer Clothes, Layers, and Wet Weather Gear. From Experience – You never know what sort of weather we could have.
I suspect we will have most of the day for good training with little problem.  We might get a little damp late afternoon, but I bet we’ll have great day.

Crusader, Weapons

Crusader Weaponry’s Tactical 870 Shotgun

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Crusader Weaponry has been in the Shotgun business for awhile now.  This is what we are doing for our customers who demand the absolute best.  We worked on this configuration with leading members of the US military elite.  This gun is now being offered to the American Gun Owner. I am very pleased with these guns, and they are one of my favorite weapons that Crusader offers.  They are not just affordable, but also shockingly effective.  If you can only buy one gun, buy one of these 870’s.  The Shotgun offers a flexible weapon system that is simple to use, rugged, and reliable… and you can engage targets as small as Humming Birds, and as large as a Brontosaurus at ranges out to 200 Yards.

Features include a tuned action with our Slipstream treatment.  Rifle sights for greater precision with slugs over the popular ghost ring option.  Improved spring and follower.  Tac Star Side Saddle for flexibility.

Crusader Wrath 870
Permanent Slipstream Lubrication Treatment

This gun is of course already spoken for.  He’s going to be well pleased with it!  We are offering these shotgun for only 795 USD. If you want one of your own, or have any questions about it, contact Joe at Crusader Weaponry.

Weapons

SIG smashed out another home run pistol

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You guys know I’ve drank the Glock Cool-aide.  I freely admit it.  But I also remain an unabashed fan of the handguns from SIG SAUER.  I just like them.  Especially when SIG is coming out with very good ideas like the new P938.

Not much bigger than the P238, the little .380 automatic… the new P938 is essentially the same thing just scaled up slightly to fire the 9mm cartridge.

One of the guns that I’ve always wanted was a Colt Pocket 9.  Colt gave the American Public the middle finger and my desire to pursue the Pocket 9 was squelched, but not totally killed in action.  This kind of reminds me of that little Colt.

Really the only guns in the SIG’s class are the Kimber Solo, the Springfield EMP and SIG’s own P290.  I’m not talking about the Kahr’s or the Walther or even the Shield… I’m talking about the Higher Class options here.  The 938 just feels like it’s a step above to me.  I think it’s a lot nicer than an EMP… again, that’s just me and I am not going to cut down on the EMP.  I know it’s a great little pistol.  I just like the 938 a lot more for reasons I can’t quantify for you.  Same reason I like “Pralines and Cream” better than “Butter Pecan”.  I can’t explain why… I love me some Butter Pecan.  It’s one of my very favorites, but given the option between the two, I’ll take the Pralines and Cream every time.  I don’t even know what the hell a Praline is.

Back to the SIG, the new 938 trumps the 290 hard.  Lower bore axis, slimmer profile… just nicer.  I know I tend to favor Single Action triggers or triggers that feel and work like Single Actions, so admittedly I am biased to the 938 over the 290.  But taking the trigger out of the equation, the 938 is dimensionally smaller, which gives it an edge in concealment without sacrificing any ability for the gun to be a good shooter.  So really the choice is between the 938 and the Solo.

The P290 just seems too chunky by comparison to the slender newcomer.

At the gun shop I work at, we are a house divided on the new SIG… Some of us prefer the SIG P938.  And by Some I mean just me.  Everyone else like the Solo better. Oh well.  The SOLO is very smooth and sleek.  But it’s too much of a good thing and I don’t feel like I can get a solid hold on it.  It doesn’t point for me either.  The 938 points very well for being so small, and I can get a good grip on it, even with my hamfists.

To me it comes down to that trigger pull.  The SIG’s trigger is a Single Action that kept getting better the more we played with it, with the SOLO is a Double Action Only affair… While the SOLO’s trigger is nice, I find the SIG’s to be superior.  Some will argue that accuracy with a Defensive Weapon such as these is a secondary concern… and they are right.  But this doesn’t mean we have to disregard accuracy altogether.  I am quite sure that in a defensive pistol accuracy remains quite important.  Making that First Round Hit through a Vital is important.  But, that’s just my opinion.

I’d love a SIG P938 and I just might have to get one, one of these days… and by one of these days I mean “as soon as possible.”

UPDATE:  Thanks for the Hat Tip, SIG.  *High Five*

Weapons

FNH SCAR 17

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I finally got my hands on a FNH SCAR 17, or SCAR Heavy as it’s also called.  Retailing for 2899.99, it’s not a cheap rifle… it’s not the most expensive one out there, but is it worth the asking price?

It’s a “Nice” rifle. But it’s not almost 3 Grand worth of nice. It’s freaking Injection Molded Plastic with some Stamped parts and a Mediocre Barrel… with Proprietary Expensive Magazines. If it has anything about it that is an actual tangible advantage to other 7.62mm Weapons – is that the SCAR is a very lightweight gun for it’s size…. because it’s plastic.  Since when did plastic become worth as much as Titanium?  Is it the notoriety of SOCOM affiliation?  No, really, is it?  Because there is another FNH .308 semi auto rifles that are also used by SOCOM in even more limited secret squirrel numbers… The FNH FNAR.  More accurate.  Less money.  And in my opinion a better rifle… but that’s another topic.

I like the SCAR 17 though.  It’s cool and different, and would make for a great mountain assault rifle.  If I was asked to patrol the mountains on foot with a small team, the SCAR 17 might be a great option for that.  But this gun isn’t worth almost 3 Large… Not even close. This is an 800 Dollar gun with 2000 Dollars worth of Gee Wizz. The trigger sucks, the sights suck, the action is about as smooth as an out of the box WASR-10, and the reported accuracy is average for a DPMS Carbine.  Not something I’d personally spend my money on…. not that much money.  I’d rather have Joe at Crusader Weaponry build me a custom SR-25 rifle, light weight, 16″ barrel, with accuracy like a laser pointer.  But that’s just me.  Now, if FNH was more reasonable on the price… say 1499.99, that would be a much better price level and I could get behind the SCAR.

There is one more thing about the SCAR 17 though.  It’s rare and exclusive, giving it an air of superiority based on that fact alone.  Like early iPod or iPhone adopters, they could be snobbish about it… but now everyone has iPods and iPhones and it’s cooler now to own a Droid phone.  (argue that in another thread I’ll start in a moment)   That isn’t going to happen anytime soon with the SCAR 17.  It’s going to always remain a rare find and highly sought after.

You know what… screw it… if I had a spare wad of cash and already had a Crusader Broadsword – I’d freaking have a SCAR 17 in a heartbeat.  Wouldn’t even have to think about it.  I’d have Joe trick it out, sure, but I’d still get one in an instant.  Who am I kidding?  Why?  Because it really is freaking cool.  It’s sexy looking and it’s full of potential violence… and that is just what I want to send my money on – Sex and Violence.  Ultimately, all true red-blooded American Males do to.

Automotive

Monday’s Motorcycle

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Honda CBR1000RR

I think I’m going to post a Motorcycle every Monday… Just for my own amusement.  A bike that I would love to have or have had or maybe do have?  I don’t know yet, but to kick it off… My bike choice of the moment is this.

Honda’s CBR1000RR.  The Liter Class Leader.

Model CBR1000RR / CBR1000RR C-ABS
Engine Type 999cc Liquid-Cooled Inline Four-Cylinder
Bore And Stroke: 76mm X 55.1mm
Compression Ratio 12.3:1
Valve Train DOHC; Four Valves Per Cylinder
Induction Dual Stage Fuel Injection (DSFI)
Ignition Computer-Controlled Digital Transistorized With 3-D Mapping
Transmission Close-Ratio Six-Speed
Final Drive #530 O-Ring-Sealed Chain
Suspension Front: 43mm Inverted Big Piston Fork With Spring Preload, Rebound And Compression Damping Adjustability Rear: Unit Pro-Link Balance-Free Rear Shock With Spring Preload, Rebound And Compression Damping Adjustability
Brakes Front: Dual Radial-Mounted Four-Piston Calipers With Full-Floating 320mm Discs Rear: Single 220mm Disc; Optional Honda Electronic Combined ABS (CBR1000RR C-ABS)
Tires Front: 120/70ZR-17 Radial Rear: 190/50ZR-17 Radial
Wheelbase 55.5 Inches
Rake (Caster Angle) 23° 3’
Trail 96.0mm (3.8 Inches)
Seat Height 32.3 Inches
Fuel Capacity 4.7 Gallons, Including 1.06-Gallon Reserve
Estimated Fuel Economy TBD
Colors CBR1000RR: Red, Black, Pearl White/Blue/Red CBR1000RR C-ABS: Red
Curb Weight* 441 Pounds (CBR1000RR) / 467 Pounds (CBR1000RR C-ABS)
Crusader

Three custom Crusader Glocks Available

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These Glocks came to us as a well taken care of pistols. They were in great shape but we wanted to give them new lives. The barrels were in great condition so we left them alone. We added Ghost 5 lb fitted trigger connectors. You’ll never get a better trigger break than with this connector in the gun, but then we tweaked that so it’s even better yet, because that’s what we do at Crusader. Make great stuff better. We added tungsten guide rod assemblies. This takes out the flexibility of the polymer rod and give some extra weight to help control muzzle flip.  Complete action jobs were done to ensure a smooth trigger pulls and enhance the reliability under dirty conditions. All our weapons come standard with our Slipstream permanent lubrication treatment so you stay well lubricated even after all rust prevention oils have been cooked off from heavy firing. We topped it all off with a Cerakote finishes and Grip Force adapters to remove any slide bite. These may be used pistols but after all the care we put into it, they are better than than they ever were brand new.
For more information, or If you want one of these customized Glocks, or if you want Joe to work on your own Glock, M&P, XD, or other Weapon of Choice… Contact Joe at Crusader Weaponry directly.

Let me throw in a little Sweetener here.  Buy one of these Glocks – you get 50% off Crusader’s Defensive Pistol Course.  Same goes for Crusader Shotguns and our Tactical Shotgun Course.

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