The Inadequacies of the M4, the M16 and 5.56x45mm Ammunition

The inadequacies of the M4 carbine, the M16 rifle and those of 5.56x45mm ammunition are discussed in: 'The U.S. Military's M4 Carbine, M16 Rifle and 5.56mm NATO Cartridge: A National Disgrace?', by author Randy Wakeman.

It is an interesting piece. That his conclusions are true would not surprise me, I have heard many of the same inadequacies expressed by others. I am not a military buff and thus do not know how current are all of the points made (the oldest date in the article was in 2010), or in other words if the U.S. government has found it prudent to replace those arms and that ammo as the main issue to our troops. Last I heard though, the M4 and M16 are still the primary small arms issued to the men and women who serve in our military and 5.56x45mm the ammo they shoot through them. I imagine, that no matter how many times it is proven that the 5.56x45mm round is suited only as a varmint cartridge (or maybe as a poodle shooter) and that it is not best suited as a military cartridge, it will remain the cartridge of choice by the DOD as long as the under table deals continue and as long as enough payola passes hands.

A hat tip and my thanks to Charlie F for sending me that article.

All the best,
Glenn B
 

Mayonaise...

...the snack of champions!

 

 

Yummy.

 

Later,

 GB

 

The Last Laugh...

...was had by Rudolph!

All the best,
Glenn B

Spousal Communications

Man, if that ain't the truth or half of it because it works both ways except with my wife it's wine.

All he best,
GB

The Oscars?

If I read it right, the post I saw on Facebook this morning indicated that the Oscars awards ceremony was held last night. Is that right? Who won? I turned on the news for a brief listen but they were talking about Obama and how he is ruing America and I just turned it off, it's getting boring hearing the same old but true stuff day in and day out.

All the best,
GB

And Yet Another Blog Added To The Blogroll

Just received an email from another blogger, David T, who gave my blog a link and I am happy to do likewise for him especially since his blog has such an alluring name: Musings Over A Pint. Besides that, he is also a firearms enthusiast. This one is listed under GRUMPS, GEEKS, GUN FOLKS AND GENIUSES - ALL NICE ENOUGH TO LINK TO MY BLOG. The site address is: http://www.musingsoverapint.com/.

All the best,
Glenn B

12 Year Old Slams Obama For Not Loving America

Out of the mouths of babes! This is one smart 12 year old.

All the best,
Glenn B

Yet Another Blog Added To The List

Just added I Aim To Misbehave to the blogroll under the header: TAKE A SHOT WITH THESE SHOOTIST BLOGGERS, NOT AT THEM. I was lured to that blog by Peter G from over at Bayou Renaissance Man when reading this post about another blogger calling him an evil man. It seems someone took up Peter's advice about Moonshine Cherries being excellent, the same advice Peter got from me. I guess that I am responsible for turning him toward the evil side, and now for indirectly turning someone else in that same direction, but it's a good kind of evil - really - it is!

The web address for the new blog is:

http://iaimtomisbehave.blogspot.com/.

While looking over the latest blog on my blogroll, please make sure to look at this particular post there. I don't often visit a site and immediately go to a linked raffle site to buy tickets but this time I did just that. I am betting on it being legitimate since the blog linking to it is linked to Peter G's blog, so I figure chances are everything is on the up and up.

All the best,
Glenn B

One Of The Few Steps In The Right Direction...

...that has been taken by Muslims to protest Islamic extremism reportedly was taken in Oslo, Norway recently. One rally though, on that small a scale (1,000 participants but no note was made as to how many were actually Muslims), is but a very a small step going in the right direction. I'd sure like to see a lot more of this around the world but my guess is that we will see many more terrorist acts committed by Muslims before we see even a few more protests by Muslims against terrorism committed in the name of Islam. More here.

All the best,
Glenn B

CDC Discovers Another New Virus - Can A Zombie Apocalypse Virus Be Far Off

Well, it looks as if outdoors types, in tick infested areas, may have something else to worry about - the Bourbon Virus. Nope, it does not have a thing to do with booze, it was named after the county in which it was discovered. They figure it may be deadly but are not sure yet. (More here.) Maybe it's because a new episode of The Walking Dead is on in an hour, or just because we keep getting outbreaks of deadly and new fangled diseases, but I am wondering if the one that causes the Zombie Apocalypse will be far behind.

All the best,
Glenn B

She Forgot Something...

...because she was in a hurry to get to the sale at Walmart.

All the best,
GB

When Vegans Ask - Just Show Them This

Shit, if it came down to it and I was starving, I'd probably eat all four starting with the pig and salad flowed by the dog and if it was the only thing left, then the daisies.

All the best,
Glenn B

Friggin Cats

 

 

Cats, it's a love - hate kind of thing with them.

 

Later,

GB

Glock Knocks The 1911 Down A Notch Or Three

What more can you say but that the Glock 19 must be one hell of a fine pistol when United States Marines prefer it over the once veritable choice of our armed forces - the 1911. Marines assigned to the Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command (aka: MARSOC) have been given the option of choosing the Glock 19 in 9mm over the Colt Defense LLC custom built 1911, the Colt M45 Close Quarter Battle Pistol, in .45 ACP (source). 

Colt M45 Close Quarter Battle Pistol

The custom built Colt M45 1911 pistols were chosen as the issue weapon for MARSOC in 2012 to replace Beretta M9s. The contract called for 12,000 of them plus spare parts and magazines at a whopping $1,875 each (source). Reportedly, most of the Marines currently within that command prefer the Glock over the 1911 although it was not specified as to whether it was a Gen 3 or Gen 4 model 19 that was chosen (source).

 
I have both a Glock 26 and a Remington R1 1911. I also carried a Glock 19 for many years at work. I loved my issued Glock 19, issued Glock 26 and love my personally owned Glock 26 but I also love my Remington R1 1911. I have to say though that for sheer simplicity of operation the hands down winner is the Glock. In addition, I can take the Glock apart and put it back together myself, I do not need a gunsmith to fix whatever might go wrong with it. (Yes, I am a certified Glock armorer but just about anyone who can handle a pistol properly could learn to do the same.) I surely cannot do that with the 1911 and if I could, my guess would be, it would require a set of tools to do so as opposed to the single punch pin style tool required to strip a Glock down. Also, no Glock I have ever fired ever has required a break-in period, tooling or customizing to have it deliver excellent performance; I don't think that the same can be said for many 1911s.

I am not going to debate knockdown potential of the 9mm compared to the .45ACP. I don't know why they opted for the Model 19 in 9mm over a Glock in .45ACP but that is what they have chosen as an option to the 1911. More rounds, less recoil maybe are the reasons but that also equates to less stopping power from each round. Of course, it may also mean better accuracy for a fatigued shooter and you can bet that Marines get fatigued while doing their jobs.

Whatever the reason, Gaston Glock is probably very pleased about it all.

All the best,
Glenn B

An Almost Forgotten Classic

This is one hell of a great song but I am sure that the Dew Drop Inn in this song is not the same as the one where I used to tip a few (although it doesn't sound all that much different).
 

All the best,
Glenn B

Just Ordered A Brick of 22 LR...

..at Palmetto State Armory and still almost can't believe that by the time I receive it I will have paid a total of $54.40 for it. It worked out to $39.90 for ten 50 round boxes, plus $3.50 shipping (additional shipping over the shipping for the other part of my order). I will also have to pay an additional $10 for the transfer to me from an FFL here in NY.

Just the ammo alone going for $40 still befuddles me. Virtually all other ammo has come down considerably in price (with the exception of M855 that just skyrocketed but that is another story) in recent months and availability of virtually all ammo has gone way up (again excepting M855) but for some reason 22LR is still priced sky high by most dealers. The one online exception I have seen is Cabella's but finding it available with them at their lower price is like hitting the lottery.

It's not like the ammo I just ordered is anything special either, it's Magtech 22LR, standard velocity, 40gr lead round nose ammo. I figure a decent price for it would be between .04 to .05 cents per round. I bought it anyway; I really am concerned that within the remaining time he has in office, president Obama and his cronies/henchmen will attempt something that will drive prices of ammunition even higher  (like a new tax) or may even attempt to place an outright ban on all ammo sales.

I probably would not have bought it as a stand alone item but figured, since I was already buying a hundred rounds of .308 WIN ammunition, I might as well add one brick's worth of it to the order. That only added another $3.50 to the shipping charge and the transfer fee in NY remains the same no matter how much ammo is in a single order. Such a deal, maybe I should have bought two or three or...

Now the long wait to receive it - PSA is notorious for taking about 2 weeks to ship an order. I don't mind the wait, I have more than enough 22LR to hold me over until then and well beyond.

By the way, Palmetto State Armory had a fairly decent price on Prvi Partizan .308 WIN, 180 grain, soft point ammo at $13.99 per box. I know I could have gotten a better price, by maybe a penny or two a round, on this particular 308 ammo but customer loyalty played a part in this order. Anyway, had I gotten it elsewhere, they probably would not have had the 22LR ammo in stock and maybe not the reliability that PSA is known for either.

All the best,
Glenn B

Global Warming (aka: Climate Change) Has Me Hopeful...

...that someday soon, I will once again see a sight like this blissful scene:

East Branch of the Delaware River, New York State.

In fact, Global Warming, or Climate Change (if you will) has warmed it up in my neck of the woods to an astounding 30 degrees Fahrenheit today! Can you imagine that, it's 30 friggin degrees - a veritable heat spell compared to what it has been lately.

The next thing you know it will be spring and trees will be budding and the Crosuses will be blooming and I'll be complaining about yard work.

All the best,
Glenn B

Che Guevara - A Brutal Killer & Commie

Che Guevara "...a good roll model for all of us...". I did not make that up, someone reportedly marching in an American Teachers' Union rally actually said that. Watch the look on her face when the reporter asked her to tell him a little bit about Che. That she knew almost nothing historically verifiable about him was obvious immediately, that she was the typical loony leftist who would say anything to support her ideology, whether truthful or not (such as her saying that he fought for labor rights and is a good roll model), became readily apparent within the time it took for only a couple of sentences to come out of her mouth. Imagine, she could be in a classroom educating indoctrinating your children.

Pay attention to the below video, she certainly was not the only one at that march with a similar attitude, look at all the others wearing Che Guevara t-shirts. They are the so called educators of our children. They should be ashamed of themselves. If President Obama ever wanted to apologize for the behavior of any of our citizens, that would be a good place to start but somehow I imagine he has at least one of those shirts in his own closet. He probably wears it as a nightie.

Really, pay attention to the video, learn a little history about the man that so many on the left idolize.
 

Che Guevara was a cold blooded killer who killed in the name of a revolution to instate communism. Communists have been responsible for more summary executions than were the Nazis. Did you catch the quote about not being able to determine if people were guilty before executing them, it is despicable.

If you don't believe that about him, that he was a heinous killer, and an oppressive tyrant, go to the history books and look it up or if you prefer - use the Internet. It's all there for you to see if you look for it as opposed to just seeking out leftist propaganda that glorifies him. Yet, for some reason, the same leftists who support trash like him want to take away my right to keep and bear arms. Screw them, stopping guys like him is one of the reasons we all should be well armed.

All the best,
Glenn B

Irrefutable

 

You may think that just so much fluff but in fact everything in it is supported by the attitude of 43% of the Democrat party. A recent Rasmussen poll has shown that a whopping 43% of demoncrats Democrats believe that President Obama should be allowed to disregard the courts when he decides to do so.

 

Along those same lines, President Obama criticized and faulted his predecessor President George W. Bush for allegedly disregarding the Constitution and Congress. Obama stated that if he were president he would reverse what he claimed GWB was doing. The truth be told, regarding virtually every of Bush's policies that Obama denounced, once he was in office, Obama extended or expanded on those policies (and created new and even more egregiously illegal ones) while exercising an utter, contemptible and illegal disregard of the Constitution, the Courts and the Congress.

 

I had thought that GWB was bad in his disregard for the Constitution on some issues but everything Obama does has intensified exactly the things for which Obama faulted Bush and more. In that regard, Obama has established himself as the Tyrant King of the American Presidency. As I best recall history, we in essence threw the last king and his minion out on their arses.

 

A hat tip and my thanks to Peter Q for the poster.



 

All the best,

Glenn B

  

For The Gun Owning Pussy Lover

Some guys love guns, some guys love pussy, some guys love both. The perfect thing, for the ones who love both (the gun owning pussy lovers), is right here.

All the best,
Glenn B

Bobblehead Bomber

I used to have a Bobblehead Mohammad Bomber. For the life of me, I cannot remember what I did with it or what happened to it. I doubt I gave it away or lost it and while it is possible that the wife threw it out when I was away on a work assignment, I get the 
extremely vague feeling, if not exactly a recollection, that it was stolen lifted from my desk when I worked for the G. Of course, I may have lost it on 9/11 in the Custom House at 6WTC. I really don't remember one way or the other with any certainty.

Now, I don't know exactly why it has come to mind, again and again, but it sure has been coming to mind quite a bit over the past several days. So much so that I sure wish I could find that one or at least a source for another one. I checked on Amazon, at Ebay and by doing a general search of the web but found nothing available. In fact, I could only find a single photograph of one online but it is exactly as I remeber the one I had so long ago.

Anyone know of a source?

All the best,
Glenn B

That Under The Weather Thing Continues

Went to Costco late this afternoon. I hate it there when it is crowded, especially on Friday afternoons and had I thought of what day it was, I would have waited until tomorrow in the middle of our expected snowfall to have gone then. Anyway, I am still feeling so crappy, I don't know why I went at all. Yeah, I was feeling somewhat better yesterday but whatever bug I have hit back with a vengeance today and I have been hacking away most of the day. I guess those little germ bastards don't like whatever antibiotic I am taking and are fighting back; hopefully they will lose and will not start eating the antibiotic with gusto.  

Well, once back home, when I walked in the door, there was my daughter for an unexpected visit. She and my son were gracious enough to help out with all the stuff from Costco which was not all that much but enough to just about knock me out in my current condition. Once I got all the stuff out of the car and to the doorway, they helped me bring it inside. It really had dragged me down to get that done and I started hacking nonstop for a good long time - too long a time. Too bad I forgot to hit the pharmacy for the prescription cough medicine that awaits me there before I came home. Well, as I was hacking away, what does my daughter tell me?????????? She says I am to be her designated driver tonight after she gets sloshed at happy hour somewhere (to be announced later when she calls me to get her). She will be lucky if I am alive, let alone feeling like picking her up, when she calls judging by how I feel right now.

Oh well, probably better me than her behind the wheel if she will have been drinking. Time to take a rest before I have to pick her up. Maybe this time I will remember to also hit the pharmacy.

Lest I forget to mention it, allow me to add, at least my bout of gout seems to have ended and that is a very good thing indeed.

All the best,
Glenn B

Lightweight RazorSword - I Am Sure NY State Will Ban It Soon...

...or maybe it's already banned. I mean, after all, NY State Senator Tony Avella is currently trying to ban machetes so why not also ban this sword! Whatever the case in NY, the embedded video gives a brief demo of an interesting product, the Lightweight Razor Sword by RazorRazor that will probably remain commercially available in free states.



I have to say, it sure looks like a lethal surprise and as if it could be quite effective in a bad situation. Personally though, I would probably never carry one. Anything that apparently requires me to wear my belt, a does good the man in the video, without passing it through all of my belt loops would be problematic. First off - my pants would be falling, secondly - my strong side hip holster would not be secure or maybe not possible to wear with one of these belts as far as I can tell. Then there is the fact that some of the blades are laminate bladed. Laminate makes me think of the word separation but maybe that is just me who thinks like that - so enough said on that. Of course, there is also the fact that I am no swordsman.

The company offers a variety of such swords and also offers daggers to fit a similar style belt containment method. They all look deadly but even in the other videos I watched, videos showing the daggers and other swords, the belt seemingly was never placed through all of the belt loops on the guy's pants. It would seem at least next to impossible, if not actually impossible, to be able to rapidly deploy a sword or dagger so concealed if the belt went through all of the loops, especially through the most forward belt loops. Thus, my guess is that it is next to impossible to use the RazorRazor belt concealment system as a belt to properly hold up pants and securely carry a gun while also using it for effective concealment and rapid deployment for this sword. That is just my guess though and I readily admit, no I did not watch every one of the at least 54 (yes - fifty four) videos this guy has on the company's video page to see if he ever passes the RazorSword belt concealment system through all of his belt loops.

Regardless of how many videos this guy has, and if the belt passes through the loops or not,  I am not interested in these products enough for me to make an inquiry of the company. Not making the inquiry I just mentioned in that last, struck out, sentence would be less than responsible of me. So, what I just did was actually made a inquiry of RazorRazor via their contact page/form about whether or not the system can be utilized effectively while the sword belt concealment system passes through (under) all of the belt loops on a typical pair of trousers. I will probably repost any reply here on my blog as a follow-up post or comment within this post.

I am just stating my opinion here and will not try to encourage or discourage you from purchasing one of these items. Yet, I do recommend that if you are considering getting one of these systems and can't wait for me to receive and post that requested reply here, that you make such an inquiry yourself (if you want an answer in a hurry, their phone number is listed on the linked contact page) to determine if one of these suits your needs. My needs would be that the belt could be worn as a normal belt (under the loops) and still be effective to conceal the sword or a dagger while maintaining the capability of rapidly drawing the blade, act as a normal belt, and secure a firearm in a holster all at the same time; your needs might differ.

As for me, I think it not being under at least some of the loops potentially could be problematic in as much as I would foresee the sword (or dagger) possibly shifting out of concealment as you move this way or that way during the course of a day wearing it. Watch video 5 and you will see that merely turning the belt over and lifting it up a bit causes the dagger handle to pop out. Normally the front belt loops on your pants would prevent a belt from riding up or flipping over near the buckle. What is to prevent the belt from doing that when the belt does not pass under the loops - say as you climb in and out of a vehicle or do other activity that may cause the belt to flip and move up? It appears to me that nothing is preventing that from happening and that is another reason I am a bit leery of such a system but again that is merely my guess.

If anyone has personal experience with this sword containment system, it's utility and quality and how well it stands up after continued use, I encourage you to please leave a comment about your take on it. I am curious to learn more about it. In all, I think it could be a fairly effective way to conceal a sword or dagger and also be an effective surprise method of concealment and delivery for such a weapon within the limitations I see for it. As I said think I have already made clear, you can make up your own mind as whether or not to make a purchase and none of the above jabber is intended to persuade or dissuade you from legally purchasing any of these products.

As a side note, the next time you get into it with some dude wearing his belt without it passing through the loops, and he keeps fidgeting around the buckle - beware.

A Hat tip and my thanks to Kerry F for sending me the video.

All the best,
Glenn B

I Almost Always Recommend A Strong Side Hip Holster...

...for both open and concealed carry of  handgun. While carrying concealed, in an on the outside of the belt, or in an inside the waist band, hip holster does limit how you can dress - I usually explain, to someone asking about holsters, that limitation should be of minimal concern under most circumstances and furthermore that what is of primary concern is safety. Under most conditions, more so than with other holsters, a strong side hip holster assures you can draw on target without jeopardizing yourself or others as you otherwise might do when drawing from cross draw, shoulder, groin, or ankle holster or from something like a belly band or bra holster. It is virtually always better than carrying in pocket carry or carrying stuffed inside your waistband without a holster. With each of those other holsters, or types of carry, it is very likely you will cover yourself or someone else while drawing or that you will necessarily point the weapon in a direction other than at the target. The same goes for other concealment specialty holsters such as belly bands and bra holsters. You are simply less likely to ever point the weapon at yourself when drawing from a strong side hip holster if drawing with the strong side hand which would be the normal way to draw from one. It is almost always easier to holster a pistol, using only one hand (which can be a great tactical advantage) with a strong side hip holster (on the outside of the belt).

A single yet very sad example of why I do not like, use or recommend other types of holsters can be seen at this link in a brief article about a woman who accidentally and fatally shot herself while adjusting her bra holster. Of course, it may have been a good idea to have removed the gun from the holster before trying to adjust the fit of the holster on her body but I readily admit, I hike up my belt while the gun is in a hip holster on the belt; yet, never with a chance that I can think of that I would shoot myself with my pistol while secured in that type of a holster (at least in one that covers the trigger). Reaching inside my clothing to push around, let's say a groin holster, with the pistol still in it, would not be something I would do - it's small enough already. Likewise I would not recommend a woman reach down to adjust a bra holster while the pistol is in it; it's just too risky and as I said, I don't even recommend carry in that type of holster.

All the best,
Glenn B

 

Gout Sucks...

...but luckily for me, I currently have only a minor bout of it. Yet, I still am feeling miserable from my so called bad cold. In fact, I was diagnosed today with an infection in my lungs or with bronchitis - luckily it is supposedly not pneumonia. Whatever it is, the doc was not very clear on it except to assure me I have a pulmonary infection so she started me on antibiotics.

That put the kibosh on an outpatient test (in the hospital while under anesthesia) on Monday, that now has to be rescheduled. I was hoping to get that unpleasantness over with sooner than later so, I did not need the infection let alone another bout of gout. Oh well, I'll have to pick up some Moonshine Cherries since cherries are supposed to do wonders for reducing uric acid in the blood. 



The Gout by James Gillray. Published May 14th 1799

and no one has illustrated it better since then.

Anyhow, Jay G over at MArooned is also suffering from a bout of gout. Why not stop by and leave him a comment wishing him well, I am sure he would appreciate it if you did so.

All the best,
Glenn B