tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52685998359440940092024-03-08T16:18:37.855-05:00A Fine BladeWhere the blogger is dull, but the edges are sharpBrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11301078056782961841noreply@blogger.comBlogger79125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268599835944094009.post-79376912534250223222022-03-29T08:06:00.000-04:002022-03-29T08:06:57.006-04:00For The Love Of...<p>It takes a lot to wake up Rip van Winkle, but here I am.</p><p>Who the hell let this moron out of the Alzheimer's ward? I don't know whether to laugh, cry, or start digging a bomb shelter in the backyard. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx0ZW2Y63_AfBpXixoyvs6UBZcPQrD7Ir2ZF7OviZrcGaUSBp2G2DyYfDAMoxW8aNY0GKTq0nqqGH2a7GaHPpzJx77CIChiyoQCRIBoGna7ZkHn1VtO9twdtE9Hcuhrmix_zytJ9DOleNzwgas0-1hJEmGSezG5maYHRE0AQPKSWWVtDEcc32QOhBP/s1200/1231536631.0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx0ZW2Y63_AfBpXixoyvs6UBZcPQrD7Ir2ZF7OviZrcGaUSBp2G2DyYfDAMoxW8aNY0GKTq0nqqGH2a7GaHPpzJx77CIChiyoQCRIBoGna7ZkHn1VtO9twdtE9Hcuhrmix_zytJ9DOleNzwgas0-1hJEmGSezG5maYHRE0AQPKSWWVtDEcc32QOhBP/w400-h266/1231536631.0.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>Last year I thought his gaffes were just comical. Today, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-stumbles-ukraine-invasion-afghanistan-withdrawal" target="_blank">he's an international embarrassment</a>, and a danger to the United States and her allies. Democrats were so desperate to remove Trump, and so thin on real electable leadership, that this was the best they could come up with? </p><p>Spare me the comparisons to Trump. Trump isn't in office, and won't ever be again. Democrats own this mess. Lock, stock and barrel. </p><p>If I was King For A Day I'd declare the entire Democrat party a national security threat. </p><p>Stay sharp, cuz' I fear you'll need it.</p>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11301078056782961841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268599835944094009.post-74969759380007287292020-09-27T07:54:00.006-04:002020-09-28T08:58:35.455-04:00Not Dead (Yet)<p> My goodness, it's been a bit over 3 years since I posted anything here!</p><p>Well, I just wanted to reassure my loyal readers (all four of you) that I'm still firmly ensconced on this mortal coil. I've just been busy elsewhere.</p><p>Back in 2017 I took one of life's segways and turned to other things, or was turned to other things. I have a new son-in-law and a new grandchild. I lost a few dear relatives and friends, and a few loyal dogs. My day job got a lot more intensive. I found myself re-focusing on ham radio and emergency communications (you can follow those adventures over at <b><a href="https://www.prc-77.com/">PRC-77.com</a></b>). In short, a myriad of other life events just got in the way. </p><p>Somewhere on this new path I sort of lost interest in knives. Not completely, but mostly. Sounds strange, eh? The guy who was all knives all the time losing interest in knives? Well, for me that's not at all unusual. I think I'm a bit ADHD and I often have difficulty focusing on multiple interests. It could be knives, guns, fly fishing, ham radio, whatever, but I often find it tough to focus on more than one interest at at time, and when I'm focused on something I'm REALLY focused on it, to the exclusion of all else. </p><p>But a few good changes in my life got me thinking about knives again. First, my wife and I bought our first camper, something we'd been discussing for years. Suddenly I'm finding myself back out at campsites and needing to put knives to serious use for routine chores. Next, a recent string of email conversations with an old friend regarding knives - what's best to buy for this use or that, what are my opinions on this steel or that, that sort of thing - got me thinking seriously about blades again.</p><p>So dear reader, I'm back. Maybe not as often as I used to be, but I'm back. I think the flavor and focus of this blog will change just a bit and will encompass some camping adventures and lessons learned. </p><p>But for now, fall is finally here and it's time for another cup of coffee...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCXM_7DIe1g0Az_Mc2gJJZkJS9j-b17Vj-oRn8uVBUdWbRx2M6uwukXl189ncnyIwrviw06-TR8MeHRffC53oAAWzW7ul9V0a40JiThtugHakq0e8L-GCuNl6y1oBO66X0W_Ij87rACdI/s2048/KIMG0006+%25281%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1469" data-original-width="2048" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCXM_7DIe1g0Az_Mc2gJJZkJS9j-b17Vj-oRn8uVBUdWbRx2M6uwukXl189ncnyIwrviw06-TR8MeHRffC53oAAWzW7ul9V0a40JiThtugHakq0e8L-GCuNl6y1oBO66X0W_Ij87rACdI/w400-h288/KIMG0006+%25281%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>Stay sharp!</p><p><br /></p>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11301078056782961841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268599835944094009.post-81509973472119475322017-09-24T09:14:00.004-04:002017-09-24T09:39:17.595-04:00Slyšíš mě, soudruhu?That's Czech for, <i>'can you hear me, comrade?' </i><br />
<br />
As an Amateur Radio operator I've always had an interest in military radios and communications. In particular I've had a long interest in fully self-contained backpack transceivers that can operate on the Amateur Radio HF (high frequency) spectrum. If you are a radio guy and you spent any time in the military you just see things that catch your eye. For most of my Army career (1979 - 2002) the ubiquitous small unit radio was the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AN/PRC-77_Portable_Transceiver" target="_blank">AN/PRC-77</a>. We used this iconic Vietnam-era backpack radio for everything; if you had to go run a rifle range, control a convoy, set up a drop zone, chase Iraqis around the desert or run a guard mount you grabbed a couple of 'prick-77's', some spare batteries, and moved out. While these radios had limited performance (their transmission range was just a few miles over ground) they were rugged as hell. The radio case was a thick extruded aluminum box that was sealed at the top and bottom, making the unit completely watertight. The radio was heavy as hell, but it was damned near indestructible.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">AN/PRC-77 manpack radio (from Wikipedia)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
What attracts me to military radios is, I think, the same thing that attracts me to knives, firearms, stoves, backpacks, compasses, etc. Deep down I'm something of a survivalist/prepper. I like things that are rugged, foolproof and will help me and my family get through the worst of times - either a hurricane (don't laugh - Hurricane Irma just paid us a visit) or a nuclear attack (don't laugh - Kim Jong Un claims he's got a hydrogen bomb that he can strap to a missile). For that time when an EMP pulse turns your iPhone into a smoking lump of plastic and glass I want a radio that will keep chugging along.<br />
<br />
From an electronic performance standpoint Amateur Radio systems are good - very good. What they are not, with very few exceptions, is rugged, waterproof, self-contained and easy to use while on the move. Many of the small handheld units are pretty tough little devices, but they operate only on the VHF & UHF frequencies (with an occasional unit dropping down into the 'semi-HF' 6-meter band territory). Radios that operate on the HF bands, say 50 mHz and down, tend to be desktop queens. There are niche manufacturers like <a href="https://www.codanradio.com/product/2110m/" target="_blank">Codan</a> that make MILSPEC rugged units that can operate in the Amateur Radio HF bands, but those radios are eye-bleedingly expensive.<br />
<br />
So this leads us to military surplus radios. Just as armies around the world dump their excess or obsolete vehicles, clothing, tools, weapons, ships and aircraft onto the surplus market, they also occasionally dump obsolete, excess or damaged radio gear. This feeds a small but dedicated group of radio enthusiasts who grab these radios, get them back into operating condition and use them on the Amateur Radio frequencies. But these surplus radios can be hard to find, for a number of reasons. First, military radios tend to be 'low density' items. This means that compared to things like boots, mess kits and pup tents, radios were not issued in great numbers. Next, because of the high development, manufacturing and sustainment costs for communications gear most armies tend to hang on to their radios longer than other systems, and use them right up until the point where they are obsolete and the supply is exhausted. And last, many of these radios get refurbished and sold to other countries under military assistance programs. As a result there are relatively few good condition surplus radios on the market.<br />
<br />
This means that good examples of the AN/PRC-77 can be hard to find. As the US pulled them from service starting in the 1980s they were re-furbished and sold in huge numbers to countries like Israel, Australia and Pakistan.<br />
<br />
Still, the itch must be scratched. While I've been looking for a good working 'prick-77' for some time I've also kept my eye open for other suitable manpack military radios. A few months ago I got wind that a surplus dealer in Pennsylvania, <a href="https://colemans.com/" target="_blank">Coleman's Surplus</a>, was selling complete surplus Czech military radio kits for an amazingly low price. How low? Well I'll just say this - the radios were being sold untested, but the price was so low that it was worth taking the risk and buying sight unseen.<br />
<br />
The radio is the RF-10, a fully transistorized manpack radio designed by Tesla Electronics in Czechoslovakia in the 1970's and produced through the 1990's. It was designed to fill the same role as the AN/PRC-77 was filling in US Army units - a short range squad or platoon radio operating in the FM mode near the 50 mHz frequency segment.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2cp1clGtEIwfdgUJCl-hjGjjAQX6dHunL_Lp4yjuQd72p-yAr2RU4Wn_tBTiKRI0rqaZJvY6omzxkDxDBUalJ97os8Ph7pJL5NnerT7atBwjnHbiIc_0oVplirhDADH5tMEE1fkUZQ9k/s1600/IMG_20170812_155632.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2cp1clGtEIwfdgUJCl-hjGjjAQX6dHunL_Lp4yjuQd72p-yAr2RU4Wn_tBTiKRI0rqaZJvY6omzxkDxDBUalJ97os8Ph7pJL5NnerT7atBwjnHbiIc_0oVplirhDADH5tMEE1fkUZQ9k/s400/IMG_20170812_155632.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">RF-10 on the right. On the left is my Yaesu FT-817 that was<br />
used as a reference transceiver</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span id="docs-internal-guid-11ba57fb-b14f-8a2b-66be-8b7281a29573"><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></span>Here's the rundown on the radio's capabilities, straight from the RF-10 operations manual:<span id="docs-internal-guid-11ba57fb-b14f-8a2b-66be-8b7281a29573"><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Frequency Band:</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">44.000 to 53.975 MHz</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Channel Spacing:</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">25 kHz. All 400 channels are directly selectable using the 3 rotary switches</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mode:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Single channel simplex using frequency modulation (FM)</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Transmitter Power</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Nominal Power: 1 W</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Low-transmit Power</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">0.1 to 30 mW</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Range:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">1.5 meter whip antenna - 5 km</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">0.5 meter whip antenna - 1 km</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Dipole antenna (3.3 meters) - 10 km</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Directional dipole antenna (30 meters) - 20 km</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(these are average ranges over moderately wooded terrain)</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Operating Temperature:</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">-35℃ to +60℃</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The radio set can be operated at reduced efficiency in the temperature range from -50℃ to +70℃</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Power:</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The radio set is powered by a 6 volt DC battery</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Operating time:</span></span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">At full charge the battery pack will permit operating for up to 10 hours at a 5:1 listening/transmitting operating ratio</span></span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<br />
As you can see, at 6 volts and only 1 watt transmit power it is very low power radio, suitable only for local communications. But that's in line with other military radios of its type. The PRC-77 only puts out between 1 - 2 watts on battery power, and it uses a 15 volt battery. It looks like the RF-10 is a very power-efficient design.<br />
<br />
There's some information about the RF-10 on the web in both Czech and English. The Czech site '<a href="http://rf-10.nazory.cz/" target="_blank">Military Radio Station RF-10</a>' does a good job of laying out the radio's operational characteristics and covers some troubleshooting options. The site also provides some interesting shots of the radio circuitry. I was surprised to see some early integrated circuits (labeled 'Tesla') on the boards (Google Chrome does a pretty good job at translating the content). The site <a href="http://prc68.com/I/RF10.shtml">PRC68.com</a> has a good page on the RF-10, and it's in English.<br />
<br />
The RF-10 is simple to operate. The user sets the frequency using the mHz/kHz/Hz mechanical dials on the front of the radio, attaches the handset and any one of several whip or long wire antennas, switches the radio on and talks. Not much to go wrong or mess up.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHsiexn6Ejl_55kwmw4TKMoELHE3A3W3j9E7UXoTIStHPCnhJO3HXD4AxaLOu_sypABdegjb6jpuWBi3kzO2c-qYzQhXEC9NiP5z7jW0_frPSzTZFr84BY1iatnGU1Ou0hRQNiUdHjEVM/s1600/IMG_20170812_155650.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHsiexn6Ejl_55kwmw4TKMoELHE3A3W3j9E7UXoTIStHPCnhJO3HXD4AxaLOu_sypABdegjb6jpuWBi3kzO2c-qYzQhXEC9NiP5z7jW0_frPSzTZFr84BY1iatnGU1Ou0hRQNiUdHjEVM/s400/IMG_20170812_155650.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front of the RF-10 showing the antenna connection, volume control,<br />
frequency dials and handset connector</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The RF-10 was issued as a complete radio set consisting of the transceiver, handset, whip and long wire antennas, battery power supply, carrying bags and straps, and a small spares kit. All of these issue items fit into a large Styrofoam container that slips into a rubberized carrying satchel.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3fBLVagQri1KPrl5tL_uHDy5bVHJmGNC1j1nooopdgq5hF1YfcV5E8pZgPHMcKQpmfDpW9fx8hyphenhyphenukeAjhI_U1ZSw7cVpHvllqpJ_YcU0qHBEV4YYfGcP-VXhBtyYWnJd7hLrnfgEUxSA/s1600/IMG_20170923_122652.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3fBLVagQri1KPrl5tL_uHDy5bVHJmGNC1j1nooopdgq5hF1YfcV5E8pZgPHMcKQpmfDpW9fx8hyphenhyphenukeAjhI_U1ZSw7cVpHvllqpJ_YcU0qHBEV4YYfGcP-VXhBtyYWnJd7hLrnfgEUxSA/s400/IMG_20170923_122652.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The RF-10 radio 'set' is stored, transported and deployed in this <br />
large Styrofoam container</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Take note that this Styrofoam box isn't just the shipping container - it's what the Czechoslovakian soldiers took the radio set to the field in. I'm not sure how much confidence I'd have in a big piece of Styrofoam protecting my radio, but I guess it worked. And it was cheap.<br />
<br />
Opening up the container you find a complete radio set:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZNTcWFYQZ82YfD7SVa-wJqmCMwalwezxzcF2sJEc_IkGOF8L3KwBFjiFd1IDLKb3pi4uCw1QWjGRUaQoC-gB8fQpxVav3fad8PCQ7By4LYUaNI2QhKgPKtkzMon-xbloCwv2EfoO4QNY/s1600/IMG_20170923_123409.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZNTcWFYQZ82YfD7SVa-wJqmCMwalwezxzcF2sJEc_IkGOF8L3KwBFjiFd1IDLKb3pi4uCw1QWjGRUaQoC-gB8fQpxVav3fad8PCQ7By4LYUaNI2QhKgPKtkzMon-xbloCwv2EfoO4QNY/s640/IMG_20170923_123409.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
The set consists of:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>RF-10 transceiver</li>
<li>One handset</li>
<li>One battery pack</li>
<li>Carrying pouches for the radio and battery pack</li>
<li>Carrying straps</li>
<li>Two whip antennas, very cleverly wound up in the lid of the Styrofoam box for storage/transport</li>
<li>One long wire antenna</li>
<li>One dipole antenna</li>
<li>One documentation packet that includes an instruction manual (for you old Army types, think of it as the -10 manual), a component list and a host of assorted and official looking certifications with lots of stamps and signatures</li>
</ul>
<br />
Virtually all of the components can fit into the radio's carrying bag, and using the supplied straps the bag can be worn over the shoulder or on the back. This makes for a very portable and versatile radio system. With a proper antenna setup, and by choosing your ground carefully, you should be able to communicate 20 miles or so. Remember, this is an FM radio, so you won't get much of the radio wave atmospheric 'skip' that is common with AM or single sideband signals.<br />
<br />
The biggest issue with the RF-10 as I received it is the battery pack. The Czechs developed an interesting battery design that utilized five rechargeable D-cell sized NiCad batteries soldered together. The batteries were rated to provide 6 volts at 5 amp hours. The battery pack sits in an aluminum battery case that connects with the main radio via a waterproof electrical connection.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFRshtZrHgRJtg2av1kz8A7YHmoUwW1XXi5y6TGg5ZPn2rDi9ItSGNDboNVmRzJtbytf74ARMSZZ3HEGMmQHX3_DHIXfAv-FrNWIEG0Oee8NuvsIMJOxrpsujNSZQY4Ff4udQn9ijiZpo/s1600/IMG_20170812_155759.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFRshtZrHgRJtg2av1kz8A7YHmoUwW1XXi5y6TGg5ZPn2rDi9ItSGNDboNVmRzJtbytf74ARMSZZ3HEGMmQHX3_DHIXfAv-FrNWIEG0Oee8NuvsIMJOxrpsujNSZQY4Ff4udQn9ijiZpo/s400/IMG_20170812_155759.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The battery case seen connected to the bottom of the RF-10 radio.<br />
Note the operating instructions printed on the side of the radio. Not<br />
very tactical, but not a bad idea either!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The problem is, the 1980's era batteries were shot, and leaking, and because of the odd nature of the battery contacts (remember, I said they were all soldered together) the fix isn't as simple as just dropping in some new D-cells.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC0whPi1tLjPizd_2V0Q01x-oSOZDSYFN5FcX70VJepg1mMBWmXoARwz4uJGHymjuLpah6NXDOWX4e0XWa8_nmvHtRNe9tFfNnoxbU6BYegOz-V3HmJJoDLyBBtkvx9yxIGfEj9b2kQMs/s1600/IMG_20170812_102140.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC0whPi1tLjPizd_2V0Q01x-oSOZDSYFN5FcX70VJepg1mMBWmXoARwz4uJGHymjuLpah6NXDOWX4e0XWa8_nmvHtRNe9tFfNnoxbU6BYegOz-V3HmJJoDLyBBtkvx9yxIGfEj9b2kQMs/s400/IMG_20170812_102140.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The battery case with the top off showing the battery cell arrangement. Note the<br />
leaking batteries. Yuk</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Uq0fxfrw6_wWoVhPrSFgnoAkoLFQAtpUVtxusweGCPqvABBW2Bh3EDJHRjW6u3ZSrZyvNvSYop-dmMcTpeHCGhlx3Zxvub_cDHtfuKiZ29eRFbp6gQECwXmAlFEcHIuhX6MCgmlHhzA/s1600/IMG_20170812_102404.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Uq0fxfrw6_wWoVhPrSFgnoAkoLFQAtpUVtxusweGCPqvABBW2Bh3EDJHRjW6u3ZSrZyvNvSYop-dmMcTpeHCGhlx3Zxvub_cDHtfuKiZ29eRFbp6gQECwXmAlFEcHIuhX6MCgmlHhzA/s400/IMG_20170812_102404.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The batteries have a 1984 date stamp</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
After some thought, and checking some on-line resources, I decided to modify the battery case to accept a modern 6 volt, 3.3 amp hour AGM battery. These small batteries fit just fine in the battery case and are relatively inexpensive (about $15 on Amazon). The modification ended up looking like this:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR18EDe5x86wN6kk9zypGu6EobPZKr9sOA0tLIvntZRG8KvyO213aqC9j6OtR4kNjumISCFkw-QwWi2tTUwZmYfVn08JHKveranC1Gl2ojts7lWWAh0I8bCTKlLsn2NyS0UxVPcnp9tVQ/s1600/IMG_20170917_163642.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR18EDe5x86wN6kk9zypGu6EobPZKr9sOA0tLIvntZRG8KvyO213aqC9j6OtR4kNjumISCFkw-QwWi2tTUwZmYfVn08JHKveranC1Gl2ojts7lWWAh0I8bCTKlLsn2NyS0UxVPcnp9tVQ/s400/IMG_20170917_163642.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I reused the battery connection sockets and leads from the original NiCad battery pack.<br />
It's these sockets that carry voltage to the radio via matching plugs on the inside of the case lid.<br />
When closed up the battery case slides on and locks to the bottom of the RF-10 radio (seen here)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCPtPEJEsujzg4YJVMInQk3ieWzzR8NX-lRUbfPeBShLkN4VE9AOV5zHygcd8I41yjW7pqM_byTkFXTklG4Mxh2Z2bkUAPM3e0XvT4HOG322Y_93_bfH6yIO2tdQVTKDROkjBWdPXAWfA/s1600/IMG_20170917_164130.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCPtPEJEsujzg4YJVMInQk3ieWzzR8NX-lRUbfPeBShLkN4VE9AOV5zHygcd8I41yjW7pqM_byTkFXTklG4Mxh2Z2bkUAPM3e0XvT4HOG322Y_93_bfH6yIO2tdQVTKDROkjBWdPXAWfA/s400/IMG_20170917_164130.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 6 volt AGM battery snuggled down in the battery case just fine. I used some Styrofam<br />
pieces to keep the battery from sliding around</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
This modification seems to work just fine. I have not 'stress tested' the setup to see just how much operating time I'll get out of the battery, but based on 5:1 listening/transmitting ratio I'm estimating a couple of hours of operation before I have to recharge the battery.<br />
<br />
How does the RF-10 perform? To test the radio my friend Bill and I used it on the portion of the 6 meter band (50 - 54 mHz) that US Amateur Radio General and Extra class license holders have access to. Using a modern Yaesu FT-817 transceiver for the other half of the conversation, and testing just short distances across parking lots and city parks, Bill and I discovered that the RF-10 performs very well. The audio quality coming out of the RF-10 is quite good. Not broadcast quality, but certainly what you would expect out of a 1970's - era military radio. There are no other indications of issues and radio seems to be spot on frequency.<br />
<br />
So following the prepper mantra of<i> two is one and one is none </i>I decided to order a second RF-10 set from Coleman's. Like the first set, this second could be described as 'new in the box'. The transceiver looked unused and most of the components were still sealed in plastic. Only the battery case looked used - very, very used. But this new radio had some issues. First, the handset was inoperative. I could hear through it, but when transmitting there was no audio coming through to the other radio. The other operator could hear my radio breaking squelch, but no audio. After acquiring a junked handset from a third party I was able to determine the issue was a defective microphone element. A quick swap out of mic elements and the problem was solved. Next, this new transceiver (which has a later production date than my first one) has a very sensitive squelch setting, and the squelch will open up when the radio is around even the slightest RF interference sources. Third, there's a low hum generated by the radio during transmit. Not enough to interfere with communications, but it is annoying. Still, the radio seems to be perfectly serviceable. The battery case got the same modification as the first one, and RF-10 #2 is on the air!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAze2G6SrFJRLx1OJc67uyKTU1qBqtRYPHnaI_S84xiYc5qd1Y6o-I_lA0ulfwGeFwUkbs_p34KL7AEg_2dpf4YITJAQ-_-6ocPD1WFJWalUM_lU8jG62vBpxZS0H9w8KcJL1v8MB3cJM/s1600/IMG_20170917_163337.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAze2G6SrFJRLx1OJc67uyKTU1qBqtRYPHnaI_S84xiYc5qd1Y6o-I_lA0ulfwGeFwUkbs_p34KL7AEg_2dpf4YITJAQ-_-6ocPD1WFJWalUM_lU8jG62vBpxZS0H9w8KcJL1v8MB3cJM/s640/IMG_20170917_163337.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to communicate, Comrade!<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Do these radios represent the be-all and end-all in SHTF communications preparedness? No, not by a long shot. These are just interesting examples of Cold War-era tactical communications systems. They are obsolete and I consider them nothing more than a last-ditch communications option. So what are they? They're fun! They are the kinds of radios you take to an Amateur Radio Field Day, a reenactment setup, a Boy Scout event or a local ham radio club meeting and just have fun with. And besides, playing with stuff like this keeps me off the streets at night. 😀<br />
<br />
So I guess these toys will keep me busy while I continue my search for nice 'prick-77'.<br />
<br />
Stay sharp!<br />
<br />
BrianBrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11301078056782961841noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268599835944094009.post-4711041637200446912017-06-05T08:11:00.000-04:002017-06-05T08:11:24.402-04:00Through The Rabbit HoleI read this morning a piece in the ultra leftist <a href="https://www.villagevoice.com/" target="_blank"><b>Village Voice</b></a> about how liberal politicians in New York are scrambling to loosen New York's 60 year old laws prohibiting 'gravity knives'. These were laws put in place as far back as the 1950's to ban switchblades, implements of death that scared the hell out of lawmakers that watched 'The Blackboard Jungle' and 'West Side Story' one too many times.<br />
<br />
The Village Voice piece, titled <a href="https://www.villagevoice.com/2017/05/26/cuomo-de-blasio-still-noncommittal-as-advocates-push-for-reform-to-gravity-knife-law/" style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Trump's Immigration Crackdown Sharpens Need To Cut Bogus 'Gravity Knife' Law</a> makes for some pretty humorous reading as the story unfolds. It goes something like this:<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Knives are bad</li>
<li>'Gravity' knives are particularly bad</li>
<li>We need to lock up folks who carry gravity knives</li>
<li>But wait - a lot of immigrants carry gravity knives</li>
<li>Getting caught with a gravity knife is a bad enough offense to get immigrants deported</li>
<li>Donald Trump supports deporting immigrants</li>
<li>Getting caught with a gravity knife gives Donald Trump all the excuse he needs to deport otherwise 'innocent' illegal immigrants</li>
<li>Ergo Donald Trump is worse than gravity knives</li>
<li>We must deny Donald Trump this opportunity</li>
<li>Therefore we must make the previously illegal gravity knives legal</li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="http://fineblade.blogspot.com/2013/06/switchblade.html" target="_blank">As I've written about in the past</a>, the laws against switchblades (which morphed into the current laws against 'gravity' knives) are ridiculous. I'm all for easing restrictions on all types of knives, and I think using a blade that is perfectly legal in 99% of the rest of the country as an excuse to lock people up is a classic example of the liberal nanny state gone mad.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So I'm all for 'liberalizing' New York's knife laws and I hope this change goes through. Not for the illegal aliens but for the thousands and thousands of otherwise law abiding Americans who find themselves the target of silly, capricious laws put in place by knee-jerk politicians.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And watching the New York politicians twisting their logic and arguments to fit their political agenda is really delicious!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Stay sharp!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
- Brian</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
</div>
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11301078056782961841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268599835944094009.post-50220268210738002782016-11-25T10:35:00.002-05:002016-11-25T11:25:55.984-05:00Ham Radio - A Decade OnAbout a month or so ago I started getting back in to Amateur (Ham) Radio. This renewed interest in the hobby was triggered by an innocent question from a long time friend and fellow Ham, who asked if I'd been on the air lately. After I told him that no, it's been a long while since I've been on the air I asked myself <i>"just why haven't you been on the air?"</i><br />
<br />
I've been a licensed Amateur Radio operator since 1995. I got my Technician-class ticket (KC5YNP) while stationed at Fort Hood, Texas. There were a few repeaters in the Killeen/Copperas Cove area that I enjoyed chatting on. One was a closed repeater run by a used car salesman. For $10/year you'd get use of the repeater and phone patch capability. At a time when cell phones were just coming on the market the ability to make a free phone call from a handheld radio was actually a neat and useful function. I bought a Radio Shack HTX-202 handheld transceiver and would take it to the field and let my Soldiers make phone patch calls back home during long field exercises. At our house on base I stuck a cheap 2 meter ground plane antenna up in the air on a piece of PVC pipe lashed to a fence and using a signal amplifier I was reliably hitting repeaters in Austin, over 60 miles away.<br />
<br />
One ominous afternoon in 1997 my wife and I stood in our back yard and watched a nasty looking cloud formation move south past our house. To this day that is the ugliest storm system I've ever seen. We gathered up the kids and dogs and got them inside and I fired up my radio and just listened. The storm system passed us by, but 30 miles to the south it put an F5 tornado on the ground that wiped the town of Jarrell off the map. It was literally gone - if you were not underground when the storm hit you were dead. As I listened, the Amateur Radio repeaters within earshot were lighting up with reports from weather observers and storm chasers describing the ugliness and intensity of the storm and the fact that there was a huge tornado on the ground that was sweeping away everything in its path. It was fascinating - morbidly fascinating - to listen in as the realization of what had happened unfolded live over the radio. I was hooked.<br />
<br />
About a year later the Army moved me and my family to Germany and all the radio gear went into storage. In 2000 we found ourselves back in the US, living just south of Atlanta. On one lazy spring afternoon I pulled out my trusty old HTX-202, found the settings for a local repeater in an old copy of the ARRL Repeater Directory and threw out my callsign. I was amazed when the acknowledgements came flooding back over the radio. In Texas it was common to sit on a repeater frequency for an hour or more and not hear any activity. Here in Georgia there were what seemed to be a half dozen or more folks on the local repeaters at all hours of the day and night. I didn't realize it at the time, but I had plopped myself and my family right smack in the middle of one of the most active Amateur Radio scenes in the southeastern US!<br />
<br />
In short order I went out and earned my General-class ticket, giving me access to the high frequency radio bands that provide the real fun in Amateur Radio, built up an impressive 'shack' full of HF/VHF/UHF gear that allowed me to talk (literally) around the world and got deeply involved in the local Amateur Radio scene, ending up as the president of the local radio club. I even petitioned the FCC to reassign me my late father-in-law's callsign (W8BYH).<br />
<br />
Then life got in the way. I changed jobs, put kids in college, found myself taking on other responsibilities in other areas and I found myself burned out on Amateur Radio. Slowly, bit-by-bit, I dismantled my gear and put it in storage. The antennas came down during home renovations but never went back up. The final blow came when I sold my old Ford Ranger pickup and had to pull all the radio gear out of it. The gear never made the transition into my new F-150. I had gone silent.<br />
<br />
Now almost a full decade later my interest is coming back. I've spent the last month or so just poking around the Amateur Radio scene to gauge what's changed. I think what's surprised me most is what <i>hasn't</i> changed. The old repeaters are still working on the same old frequencies with the same tones and offsets. Most of the same equipment manufacturers are still making the same old radios with the same old features. The <a href="http://www.arrl.org/" target="_blank">American Radio Relay League</a> (ARRL) is still the single most influential voice in Amateur Radio, <a href="http://eham.net/">eHam.net</a> still seems the place to go to follow all the Amateur Radio discussions, you still go to <a href="http://qrz.com/">QRZ.com</a> to look up callsigns and <a href="http://www.mfjenterprises.com/" target="_blank">MFJ</a> still means 'mighty fine junk' (just kidding!). In many ways it's like all I did was take a 20 minute nap.<br />
<br />
But in reality things <i>have</i> changed, some for the better, some for the worse:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Amateur Radio as a hobby/service still seems to be on the decline. In the age of the cheap smartphone, where any kid with a data plan can instantaneously call or text their friends around the world, this isn't a bit surprising. After all, you actually have to <i>work</i> and <i>study</i> to get an Amateur Radio license, and who wants to do that when you can't even get the latest updates on the Kardashians over that noisy, hard to use radio. (Does this mean Amateur Radio is irrelevant? NO - it just means we are dealing with changes in culture and expectations and perhaps need to do a better job of 'selling' Amateur Radio and what it offers.)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://swling.com/blog/2015/12/ten-tec-has-a-new-owner-with-long-term-vision/" target="_blank">Ten-Tec is gone</a>. I was (and still am) a huge Ten-Tec radio fan, even taking the time one weekend to attend their annual open house/hamfest in Sevierville, Tennessee. Their Jupiter radio was the centerpiece of my high-frequency station or 'shack'. The word on the internet is that the owners wanted to retire and had trouble finding a buyer, and the buyer they did find has been dragging his feet in getting the Amateur Radio side of the Ten-Tec line back into production. So much for a well thought out succession plan. My quandary now is, do I trade in my orphaned (but still capable) Ten-Tec gear for something more modern or do I hang on to it in the hopes it increases in value enough to contribute significantly to my 401K?</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Just as surprising, while Ten-Tec has faded away there still seems to be a fairly strong Amateur Radio manufacturing base in the US. Amateur Radio is a very niche market and there's not a lot of market room for manufacturers, but companies like Elecraft seem to be doing quite well.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>It's quiet and lonely out there. As I said earlier in this post, when I moved to the Atlanta area the local repeater scene was very active, with lots of local Amateurs hanging out and chatting virtually 24 hours/day. Today those same repeaters are all but dead quiet. I've had my multi-band VHF/UHF radio monitoring almost constantly for the past two days and all I hear are the automated repeater IDs. It appears that, like me, so many others have left the hobby or, sadly, have passed away.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>True digital modes on VHF/UHF. When I left the hobby there was a lot of discussion starting up about the introduction of true digital communication modes in the VHF/UHF bands (as opposed to digital data carried on analog signals, like APRS or Packet). The portions of the VHF/UHF spectrum allocated to Amateur Radio were becoming increasingly crowded and in many regions it was becoming difficult to find repeater frequencies and tones that didn't interfere with other repeaters. Everyone knew digital was coming - it's just more efficient. The question 10 years ago was, <i>which digital standard?</i> It seems that the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D-STAR" target="_blank">D-STAR</a> standard developed by the Japanese Amateur Radio League has won the day. It's an open standard (meaning anyone can adopt it) and seems robust and well supported. There's a D-STAR repeater just down the road from me and it looks like I'll have to give it a try.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Speaking of the Japanese, the big four Amateur Radio manufacturers - Icom, Kenwood, Yaesu and Alinco - seem to be going strong. In my opinion these four manufacturers are singularly responsible for keeping Amateur Radio alive around the world. They offer extremely well designed, world-class equipment that is very affordable. I suspect these manufacturers don't make a lot of money in Amateur Radio manufacturing (all of them are big-time commercial telecommunications systems manufacturers), and may actually lose money on this side of the business. But since many of them got their start making radio gear for American and European ham radio operators in the 1950's & 60's and I think they stay in the market as a way to honor their roots.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Like just about everywhere else in the manufacturing world, the Chinese have stuck their noses under the Amateur Radio tent and are now making what seem to be very capable transceivers at rock bottom prices. This has to really be hurting the Japanese manufacturers. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Shortwave. In addition to Amateur Radio, I was a fairly active shortwave listener. Shortwave monitoring and Amateur Radio have always been very tightly intertwined. I'd spend hours tuning in broadcasts from Radio Havana, BBC World Service, Deutsche Welle, Radio Netherlands, the Voice of America, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and more (my Ten-Tec Jupiter was also an outstanding general coverage shortwave receiver). I'm saddend to find that the Internet has all but wiped out many of these excellent shortwave services. I understand that shortwave broadcasting costs money and that delivering programming via the internet is much cheaper. But compared to shortwave broadcasting, the digital architecture that delivers that programming to the end user via the Internet is much more expensive and fragile. And regardless of what Google likes to claim, Internet service is NOT ubiquitous and won't be for a long, long time (if it ever does happen). On top of that, when a major disaster like an earthquake or hurricane strikes a 'developed region' the Internet is one of the first things to go dark. That's why aid organizations still hand out thousands of inexpensive self-powered radios every year. Radio - particularly AM and shortwave - just works, and keeps working in the worst of situations.</li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvMVy8nXPtoaoFNUGFrazNWsOUlqSVND7ZCpXEmF9nKQh4U5AX5hQ_WCwt8-qj0iNAUO8TgXGj9P5-0HbCJ_oeN3qlyP0IdeerZglzlsVRPHRBudOdAMoSx-LIxhNpKsE-xk10EgA_kNc/s1600/IMG_20161125_101928.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvMVy8nXPtoaoFNUGFrazNWsOUlqSVND7ZCpXEmF9nKQh4U5AX5hQ_WCwt8-qj0iNAUO8TgXGj9P5-0HbCJ_oeN3qlyP0IdeerZglzlsVRPHRBudOdAMoSx-LIxhNpKsE-xk10EgA_kNc/s400/IMG_20161125_101928.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My new 'shack' in its very luxurious surroundings</td></tr>
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So now that I'm re-entering the hobby where do I go from here? I'm still trying to figure that out, but for now I've got a bunch of gear to sort through, radios to test, wire antennas to untangle and battery packs to recharge. Hopefully I'll see you on the radio sometime soon!.</div>
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Stay sharp & 73!</div>
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Brian</div>
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W8BYH</div>
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<br />Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11301078056782961841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268599835944094009.post-13473966972369395962016-08-26T21:28:00.000-04:002016-08-27T07:03:20.737-04:00A.G. Russell On SharpeningI was notified today that A.G. Russell has made a short series of videos on proper sharpening technques. It's good to see A.G. up and about. I saw him several years ago during one of my first visits to the Blade Show here in Atlanta, but to my knowledge he hasn't been at the show in several years.<br />
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A.G. is one of the last of what I refer to as the 'knife renaissance men'. Men of his generation - Bill Moran, Bob Loveless, Jimmy Lyle, Gil Hibben, Harvey Draper and others - ignited the modern knife revolution beginning in the mid-1960s, and it's a revolution that continues today.<br />
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A.G. isn't really a knife maker. He's a knife designer, promoter and retailer who started <a href="https://agrussell.com/">A.G. Russell Knives</a> in the 1970s. Many up and coming knife makers got their first national exposure when A.G. promoted their knives in his catalogs. But A.G. really got his start in the mid-1960s by selling Arkansas whetstones. Arkansas whetstones are made of natural novaculite, a metamorphic form of chert. The Ouachita range in Arkansas is famous for it's novaculite formations, and the region is the largest US source of natural sharpening stones. A.G. quickly became the largest retailer of natural sharpening stones in the US. In the last 20 years or so the demand for traditional Arkansas whetstones has fallen off as high quality man made sharpening products like diamond sharpening stones or ceramic 'V' sharpeners have taken their place. The lack of demand eventually caused A.G. to drop Arkansas stones from his catalog all together.<br />
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But at the last Blade Show here in Atlanta I spent some time talking to the folks from <a href="http://www.danswhetstone.com/">Dan's Whetsone Company</a> of Pearcy, Arkansas. They told me that A.G. is again interested in carrying Arkansas whetstones in his catalog and is talking to Dan's about supplying the various sizes and grades he's is interested in. That's great news for someone like me who likes to sharpen knives the traditional way. EVERYONE who owns a knife should have a good Arkansas whetstone!<br />
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Here's one of a series of several videos A.G. recently made. The entire series is available on YouTube or is linked from the A.G. Russell Knives website.<br />
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- Brian</div>
<br />Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11301078056782961841noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268599835944094009.post-70420719747986611392016-08-14T09:41:00.002-04:002016-08-14T10:57:28.703-04:00Is Being Different A Good Thing?For almost two years I've been mildly interested in the sad tale of the Remington Arms Company's attempts to introduce an updated version of their early 20th century Model 51 pistol built around the Pedersen delayed blowback system ('hesitation-locked' as it's officially known). I won't go into details about how the recoil system operates other than to say it ain't your daddy's Browning-designed locking breech system. If you want more information you can check out the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remington_Model_51">Remington Model 51's Wikipedia page</a>. The Pedersen system to me appears to be an answer in search of a problem. But to be fair, Pedersen was a smart guy (and he actually worked for a time with John Browning), made a lot of contributions to firearms technology in the first half of the 20th century and his delayed blowback system worked quite well in the original Model 51, and it was a fairly popular pistol in its time.<br />
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Fast forward almost 100 years and Remington is struggling. It still makes great shotguns and bolt action rifles, but has largely missed out on the concealed carry pistol craze of the first decade and a half of the 21st century. In fact, Remington had zero pistol offerings of any type, and didn't really seem interested in playing in the market. It sat by and watched competitors like Ruger, Smith & Wesson, Glock, FN, Springfield Armory, Kimber, Kahr, Beretta, and even second tier manufacturers like Taurus and Kel-Tec and (gawd help us) High Point raked in truck loads of cash as consumers rushed to buy something - anything - with a hole in the barrel. Most of these makers were selling out their entire annual production within a few weeks of opening their order books at the start of each fiscal year. I'm just speculating here, but one of the things that likely caught the Remington execs' attention was the fact that an old line gun maker like Smith & Wesson was able to achieve dominance in the concealed carry market in large part by simply ramping up production of a 60 year old revolver design - the iconic J-Frame Airweight series. For several years running the S&W Model 642, a simple hammerless aluminum frame revolver in 38 Special, was the company's #1 seller. They couldn't make them fast enough. The little revolver was a cash cow for the once ailing company.<br />
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Maybe the Remington guys thought the way to break into the market was to introduce an updated version of a popular pistol the company used to make. After all, if it worked for S&W it should work for Remington, right? I'm guessing they took a look around their gun room and quickly lighted on the Model 51. The original models were well liked (and somewhat collectible), the design was unique - there wasn't another pistol being made that used the Pedersen delayed blowback system - and the gun could be scaled up to handle the more powerful 9mm cartridge.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV6-NUdGroMUoP4ldXtMrnu01m3EnhHkJaJtvZ10E7Od-qVVhJjvQiURufjLhzk_fLR5LeRhzFuRV6WGix-ec0QpHsAnHRWJC_AleZTwX_wKOEEXo6DuEa-tgpm6frJq9zCwZtnVHpk3Y/s1600/Remington-Model-51-courtesy-wikipedia.org_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV6-NUdGroMUoP4ldXtMrnu01m3EnhHkJaJtvZ10E7Od-qVVhJjvQiURufjLhzk_fLR5LeRhzFuRV6WGix-ec0QpHsAnHRWJC_AleZTwX_wKOEEXo6DuEa-tgpm6frJq9zCwZtnVHpk3Y/s320/Remington-Model-51-courtesy-wikipedia.org_.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Original Remington Model 51 in 380 ACP caliber</td></tr>
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<br />
There was only one problem. Remington hadn't made a pistol in over 85 years. Sure, a company called Remington (actually Remington-Rand) made the bulk of the 1911A1 45 caliber pistols the US used from World War II through the 1990's, but that was a typewriter manufacturing company, spun off years earlier from the Remington Arms Company to maintain the 'purity' of the firearms side of the business. The <i>gun maker</i> Remington made its last conventional pistol, the Model 51, way back in 1927. I say 'conventional pistol' because for decades Remington made the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remington_XP-100">XP-100 pistol</a>, but that was little more than a shortened rifle action fitted to a plastic grip. It was a very successful design, but it was not a pistol in the conventional sense.<br />
<br />
So we have a rifle and shotgun manufacturer with no institutional pistol design or manufacturing expertise deciding to produce a pistol based on a complex design dating back to World War I, a design that no other arms manufacturer has deemed reliable enough to put into production. What can go wrong? Well as Remington found out, plenty. Here's where the sad tale starts, and I'll just supply the Cliff Notes version:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Remington announces the new R51 pistol at the 2014 SHOT Show in Las Vegas. The press is invited to shoot the available examples. Everybody's excited. The pistols seem to shoot well. The Pedersen design is unique in today's market and it represents a historic tie back to when Remington last manufactured handguns. The gun industry press begins its usual fawning. Soon the pistol is gracing the covers of virtually all the popular gun magazines and YouTube videos are popping up all over the internet praising the pistol</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Remington ships a limited number of pre-production R51s out to gun writers and internet celebrities for more extensive shooting sessions. Remington assures everyone that although these pistols are pre-production, they represent the final approved production design and the pistols soon to come off the line at their North Carolina plant will perform exactly the same as these T&E models. The fawning continues. Everyone is excited that America's oldest gun maker is getting back into the pistol business, and with a historically significant design that is not John Browning's</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Production pistols begin to make it out into the hands of the gun buying public and immediately problems crop up. Complaints of poor manufacturing quality, loose fitting parts (like sights that shift around in their dovetails!), inconsistent triggers, slides that are all but impossible to rack, poor accuracy and, worst of all, frequent reports of the pistols firing out of battery. The gun press stops its fawning and goes silent on the R51. The problems with the pistol are simply too obvious for even the most in-the-tank industry shill to ignore</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>To Remington's great credit they stop production after the first few thousand pistols ship, acknowledge the problems and claim they are going to fix the QC issues and do a re-design to address some of the performance issues. The also make a very generous offer to those who had already purchased the R51 - Remington would either buy back their pistol for a full refund, let them trade their pistol for one of the new models when it ships, or let them trade the pistol for a new Remington R1911 pistol. This is in 2014 and Remington estimates it'll take about a year to get the problems ironed out and the re-designed pistols into production</li>
</ul>
<div>
<ul>
<li>It actually takes Remington over two years to get things squared away. Part of the delay was due to moving production from North Carolina to Alabama. Finally a few weeks ago Remington announced the new pistols were shipping, first to those original buyers who had waited patiently for their replacement R51s and then to retailers. They were scheduled to be in dealers hands around August 12th. </li>
</ul>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjitVLqUzXWZ3MXisB0VikcpmJ-JqAXS0C0K-6DnN_fHyJ9Mn0aeT_62VC1sQGtK75hnRikStJEs3_tQ3ZI4IgAP_chxNNUBtbev34p6pV4LvH9KcJw-KgCPFUIStCtZD_S3jvH7x7cON0/s1600/r51-rightview-1-660x495.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjitVLqUzXWZ3MXisB0VikcpmJ-JqAXS0C0K-6DnN_fHyJ9Mn0aeT_62VC1sQGtK75hnRikStJEs3_tQ3ZI4IgAP_chxNNUBtbev34p6pV4LvH9KcJw-KgCPFUIStCtZD_S3jvH7x7cON0/s320/r51-rightview-1-660x495.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Remington R51</td></tr>
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Just earlier this week I was catching some of the internet chatter regarding the newly released pistol (now known as the 2nd Generation R51). A few folks who had received their replacement pistols were already posting YouTube videos. Reviews still seemed a bit mixed, but nobody was reporting the kinds of dangerous issues the first generation pistols exhibited. I told myself that if one ever appeared in my local gun range rental case I'd give it a try.</div>
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Well yesterday I went to the range and sitting there in the rental case was, surprise of surprises, a shiny new R51! The gal behind the counter said they got it just yesterday and it was unfired. I told her I'd be more than happy to put the first few rounds through it.</div>
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First impressions? The quality looked good. The fit and finish was well done. This is a sub-$500 pistol so we can't expect too much embellishment, but overall it looked nicely done. Visually it's an interesting pistol, sort of like a cross between a Walther PPK and Flash Gordon's ray gun. I think it works. I even like the 'reverse sloped' rear sight, which I think is actually a pretty good idea.The sights are the conventional 3-dot style and target acquisition is fast and easy. If you like Novaks you'll like these. The grip angle is good and the pistol points naturally. One of the features of the Pedersen design is that the recoil spring surrounds the barrel, allowing for a very low bore axis. The rear of the slide sits right at the web of your hand, and I'll talk more about that in just a moment.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtnptlNtb7sI1zohaRqjk_B8zdGbFDZDm9FpBMbLlWtiOjPPmg88tanRADWZhPXB5_08OqWOfhpGgchRukZua-X_SR2mt0o7KLWUxiFwZ62JQ1Gh3v6YDWQNKv-HxHbwIZH6Ysxeq7QsE/s1600/IMG_20160813_145510.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtnptlNtb7sI1zohaRqjk_B8zdGbFDZDm9FpBMbLlWtiOjPPmg88tanRADWZhPXB5_08OqWOfhpGgchRukZua-X_SR2mt0o7KLWUxiFwZ62JQ1Gh3v6YDWQNKv-HxHbwIZH6Ysxeq7QsE/s400/IMG_20160813_145510.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2nd Generation R51. A nice looking pistol</td></tr>
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Actually firing the pistol is a somewhat different experience compared to other hammer fired semi-autos. The R51 sports a very aggressive grip safety. I say aggressive because unlike the grip safety on a 1911-style pistol, where the simple act of gripping the pistol deactivates the grip safety, on the R51 you have to consciously squeeze the grip safety until you feel it click, and then you'll be able to pull the trigger. You can't just '<i>grip and pull</i>' (the trigger), you have to '<i>grip, squeeze until click, then pull</i>'. It is a very deliberate process to get on the grip safety and squeeze until it clicks.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Next is the trigger itself. It doesn't 'click' when the sear releases, instead it 'pops'. Other reviewers have noticed this too. It's hard to describe, but once you pull the trigger a few times you'll understand. It's as though the tripping of the sear is wrapped up in a series of other simultaneous mechanical events going on inside the pistol when the trigger is pulled, so you don't get the crisp 'click' of the release, instead you get a more ambiguous 'pop'. I'm not sure if this is directly related to the Pedersen design or just the way Remington designed the trigger mechanism and its relation to the grip safety. I'll just say that it's different.</div>
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<div>
Accuracy. In this department it's OK. Not bad, not great. But an accuracy evaluation at this point is unfair. I only put 30 rounds through the pistol, it was brand new and I was unfamiliar with it. I'll just say that it does show potential and I'm confident that if I shot it more and got used to the trigger I'd get much better groups. Here's how it does at 12 feet:</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjViIKyXmDYhNCxtauK6CP1Vjf6YqOP1OwsnFgT35La7YyiOuV7DCDzz5TqtEz25BDTUXFH-muxOCilcO0k28PciGeKr32T69ogQJ4i7N43z1wPlEz-Pur2NLTtYH1JJSbeKqgZK1TqBBE/s1600/IMG_20160813_145551.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjViIKyXmDYhNCxtauK6CP1Vjf6YqOP1OwsnFgT35La7YyiOuV7DCDzz5TqtEz25BDTUXFH-muxOCilcO0k28PciGeKr32T69ogQJ4i7N43z1wPlEz-Pur2NLTtYH1JJSbeKqgZK1TqBBE/s320/IMG_20160813_145551.jpg" width="255" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">About a 4 inch center group at 12 feet</td></tr>
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I should also add that while I only put 30 rounds through the R51, these were the first rounds fired through it since it left the factory and it was 100% reliable.</div>
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<div>
So does the somewhat unusual grip safety and trigger make R51 so odd that it is not a viable product in today's market? Well they <i>shouldn't</i>. The handgun market today is full of 'odd' examples that don't just work, but have succeeded spectacularly. Glock is the best example. It is also valid to point out that the R51's trigger and safety are much less different from a traditional Browning design semi-auto pistol than a 1911 is from a double action revolver. I think what I'm trying to say is that there's enough elbow room in today's handgun market for the R51 to gain some traction and succeed.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Yet, sadly, the pistol doesn't work for me. Let's get back to the low bore axis issue. While it is great for controlling recoil it puts the rear of the slide uncomfortably close to the web of the shooting hand. If you are like me and you have somewhat 'beefy' hands you are going to get slide bite, and it hurts.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No blood, but plenty of scraped skin. And yes, I'm a southpaw</td></tr>
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Is the R51 worth taking a look at for concealed carry? I think so - but shoot one first to make sure you don't have the problem I encountered.</div>
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Would I ever own one? I think if Remington ever did a re-design of the frame to add a slight beavertail to protect the shooter's hand I'd go for it. It's a unique design that seems to work. As a firearms enthusiast and amateur historian I applaud Remington's efforts to bring the Pederson design back into production. I could see plunking down cash for one if they ever fix the damned slide bite issue.</div>
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Stay sharp!</div>
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- Brian</div>
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Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11301078056782961841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268599835944094009.post-77921750267553466942016-02-14T06:00:00.000-05:002016-02-15T08:24:28.302-05:00Franklin Roosevelt, SharpshooterAs I was doing research for yesterday's posting on <a href="http://fineblade.blogspot.com/2016/02/camp-perry.html">Camp Perry</a> I pulled out my old copy of Jeffrey Rodengen's excellent coffee table book, 'NRA - An American Legend'. For anybody interested in the history of the National Rifle Association and the shooting sports here in the US this is a great book with lots of information and excellent illustrations.<br />
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While thumbing through the book I happened upon an image that caused me to pause and reflect. It appears today that America is ramping up for yet another battle over gun control. After a decade of progress on gun rights issues, mainly at the state level, and one landmark Supreme Court decision (District of Columbia vs. Heller) the Democrats were in retreat, wisely choosing to do battle on other fronts. It also didn't help that their president had inadvertently turned out to be the biggest firearms salesman in the history of the United States. (I really think he deserves of some sort of industry award.) But with election season in full swing and a two term president unfettered by having to appear reasonable in order to get re-elected the Democrats are back at it. This time they have wind in their sails as their leader stumps around the country decrying violence and blaming the inanimate object rather than a rotten, poisonous culture that has laid waste to our cities and communities.<br />
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But like Yogi Berra once said, it's deja-vu all over again.<br />
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The image in the book that caught my eye is one of Franklin Delano Roosevelt taken just before WWI. Roosevelt served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy from 1913 - 1920 and during that period also served as chairman of the National Board for the Promotion of Rifle Practice.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQdOj3rTSH5NokzvCs2dBdYTK0wERWiG4ygtai-qTS_UxtMeQ8rLAE7OC5jqGtcCZIFLKtZ81mvkFihmEw9wI4tZNxap3cwn8P2XjKmRvB0_AKFFL7MgByeehHRWGIUcwISuHg0cCz3dM/s1600/Scan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQdOj3rTSH5NokzvCs2dBdYTK0wERWiG4ygtai-qTS_UxtMeQ8rLAE7OC5jqGtcCZIFLKtZ81mvkFihmEw9wI4tZNxap3cwn8P2XjKmRvB0_AKFFL7MgByeehHRWGIUcwISuHg0cCz3dM/s640/Scan.jpg" width="456" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looks like a real competitive shooter, doesn't he? But note the dress shirt cuff and cufflink<br />
peeking out from under the shooting jacket. I'm guessing this was little more than<br />
a staged photo op and the upturned shooting jacket collar hides a starched collar and tie</td></tr>
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You read that right. The father of national-level gun control in the US (see the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Firearms_Act">National Firearms Act of 1934</a>) once served as the chairman of the National Board for the Promotion of Rifle Practice.<br />
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The original National Firearms Act (NFA) proposal that FDR's administration put forward called for punitive taxation not just on machine guns and silencers but on <u>all</u> handguns, along with a national gun registry. The Democrat argument in 1934 was pretty much the same as it is today - in order to get a handle on gun violence we need to restrict and punish the law abiding. In the mid-1930's the nation was in the midst of a rising wave of organized crime violence brought on, in large part, by Prohibition. Just as today nobody in the Democrat party stopped to ask, <i>"Hey, if criminals by their nature ignore laws why do we think they'll follow any gun control legislation we put in place?"</i> Why ask when you know the answer and it doesn't really matter anyway. It's not about crime control, it's about gun control.<br />
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The provisions of the NFA were scaled back when Congress got it in their hands. In the end all it affected was fully automatic weapons, silencers and short barreled rifles and shotguns. But the key point is this - the Democrats under Roosevelt had no problem with gun control provisions that at the time were more restrictive than England's.<br />
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Roosevelt was a master political chameleon, appearing as everything to everybody. To voters during the Depression he could come across as your best friend, your wise uncle, a comforting neighbor or an understanding yet powerful leader who was going to make it all better. But at his core Roosevelt was just a scheming liberal hack who's only concern was moving the Democrat party political platforms forward.. I have no doubt that during the discussions over the NFA he trotted out his bonafides as the past chairman of the National Board for the Promotion of Rifle Practice and said, <i>"Gentlemen, I'm not against legal gun ownership, or hunting, or target shooting. Just look at my background. But we have to do something to get all this crime under control, and what we propose is reasonable and doesn't conflict with the Second Amendment."</i><br />
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Of course as part of the political elite the rules he wanted to force on the average citizen wouldn't apply to him or his fellow patricians. Evidence?<br />
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At a time when the average schmo couldn't dream of getting concealed carry permit in the State of New York the ultra-liberal leftist Eleanor Roosevelt was handed one just for asking. In fact, she had been schlepping a revolver around in her purse since the 1930s when the Secret Service gave her one for personal protection.<br />
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For me but not for thee. Think about it.<br />
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Stay sharp!<br />
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- Brian<br />
<br />Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11301078056782961841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268599835944094009.post-26930012567945632822016-02-13T09:14:00.001-05:002016-02-13T15:11:54.927-05:00Camp Perry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I grew up near the shores of Port Clinton, Ohio and spent much of each summer girl watching at the Cedar Point amusement park. I was vaguely aware that just west of the roller coasters, log flume and giant piles of french fries (a Cedar Point specialty) was a place called <a href="http://www.cplcc.com/">Camp Perry</a> where each year hundreds of shooters from the military and civilian world convened to compete for some of the most exclusive titles in the shooting sports.<br />
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A few years later I was enrolled in the ROTC program at Bowling Green State University. Camp Perry was the closest military installation and we would spend time there working on our military skills, using the Leader Reaction Course and other military related activities we couldn't do while on the school campus. One of my strongest memories was staying in what were refereed to as the 'huts' or 'hutments'; small 4-man cabins built during WWII to house German and Italian POWs. While not luxurious by any means, the huts were a damned site better than what our American POWs were housed in while guests of the Third Reich or the Empire of Japan.<br />
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Camp Perry was opened in 1906 as an Ohio National Guard training facility. The Ohio State Adjutant General at the time, Ammon Critchfield, had the camp laid out with extensive rifle and pistol range facilities, including one of the longest military rifle ranges at the time - 600 yards. The goal was to build ranges that could support marksmanship training with the newly adopted <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M1903_Springfield">M1903 Springfield rifle</a> and it's powerful <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.30-03">.30-03 cartridge</a> (soon updated to the even more accurate <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.30-06_Springfield">.30-06</a>). In 1907 Critchfield convinced the newly formed <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilian_Marksmanship_Program">National Board for the Promotion of Rifle Practice</a> (now known as the Civilian Marksmanship Program, or CMP) to move the National Matches from Sea Girt, New Jersey to Camp Perry. For almost 110 years, interrupted only by two world wars and the Korean conflict, Camp Perry has been the home of the National Matches. In the minds of many shooters Camp Perry and the National Matches are inseparable.<br />
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I've had the opportunity to go to Camp Perry twice in the 1990s while the National Matches were being held. I didn't go to compete, just to drop by and see what was going on. Unless you are a participating shooter it can be pretty boring walking up and down behind the ready line, listening to the tower commands and the sound of gunfire. Perhaps more than any other sport, precision rifle and pistol shooting is a lonely individual endeavor - man against paper target. No cheering crowds, no waving foam fingers, no fans painted up in their favorite team colors. From that perspective the matches can be pretty dull. But behind the ready line things can be interesting. All the service marksmanship units have their trailers set up and they are more than happy to talk shop and give tours. Commercial Row, where the vendors set up, is always a fun place to wander through. You can buy just about anything shooting related except, of course, a gun. The installation itself is quite picturesque and it can be relaxing just sitting by the lake and watching the boats go by.<br />
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But for me it is the history of the place that beckons. Since 1907 all of America's greatest marksmen (and women) and gun writers have passed through Camp Perry. As you walk around the huts and tent areas you can almost hear old timers like Elmer Keith, Charles Askins, Townsend Whelen and others of their generation sitting under the trees swapping lies, griping about their scores and discussing the newest developments in firearms and cartridges,<br />
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That's why Camp Perry is considered hallowed ground by thousands of American shooters.<br />
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This Camp Perry post card collection is an offshoot of my collection of cards highlighting life in the pre-WWII Army. As I searched for cards I inevitably stumbled on a few specific to Camp Perry and the National Matches. They paint an interesting picture of activities at the camp before WWII. Let's have a look!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Main entrance to Camp Perry. This is likely a 1950s vintage photo that shows the iconic 'lighhouse' towers that guard the entrance</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A very early elevated view of the pistol and rifle ranges. The large building in the background is the camp's mess hall, built in 1909 .The photo was taken from atop the camp's water tower</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXZNMgnbze7XQ2bD-r-jkJj25B9rZQ-t5AHBMevux2fiw1ShMmp9XmlOTIjPkptMfX30a2UYQmrCf_45YYam32XPqdhS5DbQyw_bwnMH_-9jqoDGp4zZj2RkofHFb6Kt3SrJ0D8z5usdk/s1600/Scan-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXZNMgnbze7XQ2bD-r-jkJj25B9rZQ-t5AHBMevux2fiw1ShMmp9XmlOTIjPkptMfX30a2UYQmrCf_45YYam32XPqdhS5DbQyw_bwnMH_-9jqoDGp4zZj2RkofHFb6Kt3SrJ0D8z5usdk/s640/Scan-001.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The same perspective as the picture above. This is an example of a 'linen' postcard produced from a colorized photograph. Based on what we see in the photo - the cars, larger trees, more permanent structures and the target pits. I'm guessing this is a 1930's vintage shot.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7SNYJSFv76gERGI9FTx8uay1SWt4LvoH7Ymo57OXp-LGekgM0H3Xwz4rJSUmvM14ejWHkS6XXl7iSAG6jfZef0HGZRw1YBLljqyraYY8JFhdJWRdHPrWZVmoF4rTp5_HL26iVytq1Md4/s1600/Scan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7SNYJSFv76gERGI9FTx8uay1SWt4LvoH7Ymo57OXp-LGekgM0H3Xwz4rJSUmvM14ejWHkS6XXl7iSAG6jfZef0HGZRw1YBLljqyraYY8JFhdJWRdHPrWZVmoF4rTp5_HL26iVytq1Md4/s640/Scan.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the earliest buildings at Camp Perry, and it's most iconic structure, was the Club House. It sat right on the water's edge and served as a recreational facility, restaurant and meeting center for the camp. Sadly it was badly damaged by a tornado in the early 1990's and destroyed in a controlled fire soon after. A new conference center sits on the site</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghb0M-leCmxSEzhSd-JpsMNPwmonRytYjfnbCENqauOJ1VG45c56EC-mBIjeCSPOLBFu3kXPSdT7sLs3uH_jubn6eiCVgqHyA_XhmR3_4v2-dAuTe9iLI7KZxr2jhfHQ_mmjO3KfKvOpo/s1600/Scan-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghb0M-leCmxSEzhSd-JpsMNPwmonRytYjfnbCENqauOJ1VG45c56EC-mBIjeCSPOLBFu3kXPSdT7sLs3uH_jubn6eiCVgqHyA_XhmR3_4v2-dAuTe9iLI7KZxr2jhfHQ_mmjO3KfKvOpo/s640/Scan-001.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Club House was fronted by a bathing beach that was apparently quite popular with the family members of competitors at the National Matches</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXyfUximV4zke3WoP6xIrp1_DVhQAqD1rGefGaZtgGN8lZijIaUeqwicT1mpMpoG2dCsOo20jCXiox6MbmLflCSvXjD0qm8Ycz7p7sqZg8270lBwOVd0VJ9_xGvboTJi_Ip1kwSwg8cjU/s1600/Scan-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXyfUximV4zke3WoP6xIrp1_DVhQAqD1rGefGaZtgGN8lZijIaUeqwicT1mpMpoG2dCsOo20jCXiox6MbmLflCSvXjD0qm8Ycz7p7sqZg8270lBwOVd0VJ9_xGvboTJi_Ip1kwSwg8cjU/s640/Scan-001.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another view of the Mess Hall. It was built in 1909 using the revolutionary (for the time) process of pre-cast concrete construction.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F1SxwTiB5zc/VrCehXlCyRI/AAAAAAAAng8/avFba4I-eEU/s1600/Waiting_for_Mess_Call%252C_Camp_Perry%252C_Ohio._%252814087679991%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="396" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F1SxwTiB5zc/VrCehXlCyRI/AAAAAAAAng8/avFba4I-eEU/s640/Waiting_for_Mess_Call%252C_Camp_Perry%252C_Ohio._%252814087679991%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Mess Hall (again) with a company of soldiers lined up waiting for the facility to open. Whoever colorized this photo did a particularly good job capturing the features of the individual soldiers</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0h9ezOPm2oIpKEcpE0DiUpmjsJVQjTf7MpW4nhMv0MYNjCbN1WH35Xf20N0bxd8j7KawbkB0WXiF3ewHkuZscTq23NiuYbs8QtBrJ4rVvaTUUqagYheEVq5SrnAfxw-3UQXnVGSpLMxo/s1600/Scan-004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0h9ezOPm2oIpKEcpE0DiUpmjsJVQjTf7MpW4nhMv0MYNjCbN1WH35Xf20N0bxd8j7KawbkB0WXiF3ewHkuZscTq23NiuYbs8QtBrJ4rVvaTUUqagYheEVq5SrnAfxw-3UQXnVGSpLMxo/s640/Scan-004.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the earliest detailed photos (1908) I've been able to find of Camp Perry match participants. I first spotted this image on the <a href="http://www.shorpy.com/node/20598">Shorpy.com</a> website where it was captioned as showing members of the California National Guard rifle team. The soldiers in the photo are wearing a eclectic mix of Spanish-American War uniform items - dark blue shirts, crushed felt campaign hats, leather puttees and wide cartridge belts originally designed for the Krag-Jorgensen rifle. The soldiers are all holding the new M1903 Springfield rifle and based on the age of the photo it is likely they were all chambered for the early 30-03 cartridge </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">While this postcard doesn't provide a date or unit identifier we can still glean some useful information from what we see. The uniforms indicate this photo was taken prior to WWI. The headgear and uniform color is the give away. And of course they are shooting the newly adopted M1903 Springfield</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDcsz7MXmz0mNhs4X9jSNGfyBxB5CeG5IQy4GnaNPdhYUzHDFfg6e0Ql2eshUAUETLHqJw6KWFV1LQA5rNpE-sEgGP1LWg7G7iz7b-dF5NKZE6qnrZJUwhg0_d1TL8G_BFJTmEaQbw42s/s1600/Texas+ANG+Rifle+Team+1939.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDcsz7MXmz0mNhs4X9jSNGfyBxB5CeG5IQy4GnaNPdhYUzHDFfg6e0Ql2eshUAUETLHqJw6KWFV1LQA5rNpE-sEgGP1LWg7G7iz7b-dF5NKZE6qnrZJUwhg0_d1TL8G_BFJTmEaQbw42s/s640/Texas+ANG+Rifle+Team+1939.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fast forward a few decades and we have the Texas National Guard rifle team, considerably better equipped than their California brothers (above) but still shooting the venerable M1903 Springfield!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the early days, back before anti-gun political correctness and scare mongering set in you could actually shop for and buy firearms at the National Matches. Yes sir, guns and 'military equipments', whatever those were</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even Winchester got in on the act. And everybody was welcome!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">By the 1930's commercial activity at the National Matches had gotten so big that they decided to put up a building to house all the retailers that showed up. Called Commercial Row, it became another iconic building at Camp Perry. By the 1990's most of the space in this building had been turned over to the Ohio National Guard for use as offices and a drill hall and Commercial Row was moved yet again to a permanent space on another part of Camp Perry</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk6RHalfDAYkrQQwdBgJM7nozkNbCnpVOBnbdLGQZM1_Aegnhv5eL0PzPxuwLbEyVwjRUKUSH7VaYlRjK9DFrIvlNAWaDp7TWhskGFtqTTYmSSgAa1r7y9izsEOFvG_Dv1h8IYrLw5Zxs/s1600/Scan-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk6RHalfDAYkrQQwdBgJM7nozkNbCnpVOBnbdLGQZM1_Aegnhv5eL0PzPxuwLbEyVwjRUKUSH7VaYlRjK9DFrIvlNAWaDp7TWhskGFtqTTYmSSgAa1r7y9izsEOFvG_Dv1h8IYrLw5Zxs/s640/Scan-001.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Let's take a look at some shootin! This post-WWI post card shows some interesting items. First, note the civilians on the firing line. The National Matches were always intended to be a mix of military and civilian participants. Some of the finest shooters ever to compete at Camp Perry never wore a uniform. And get a load of that monster spotting scope!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here we see what is likely unit marksmanship training or qualification taking place on the 300 yard range. This is a WWI - era photo so it's not connected with the National Matches. During both world wars Camp Perry was dedicated fully to military training</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Based on the uniforms and equipment I'm guessing this is a post-WWI shot of a military only match. Perhaps the Ohio National Guard match, which was (and still is) a qualifier for the National Matches</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pistol competition is a big part of the National Matches. Here it looks like a small-bore competition - the gal in the foreground looks like she's shooting a Colt Woodsman , I'm not sure about the guy standing next to her holding an M1911 style pistol. He may have the 22 caliber conversion kit installed. Or he's lost and shooting on the wrong range</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This postcard is fun for several reasons. First, the colorization is very well done and it shows little of the cartoonish overpainting found on most other cards. The stances of the shooters reflects a good bit of their personalities (particularly the bandy-legged little civilian on the left). But the real fun character is the fellow sitting in the left foreground. He's holding his M1911 pistol with the slide back, either having just finished shooting his round or waiting to go up to the firing line. He wears his holster in an interesting fashion - through the belt loops so it rides high vs. using the traditional brass wire hanger to suspend it from his pistol belt. And last, he's smoking (a pipe)! No way in hell would you be allowed near a firing line today with a cigarette or pipe in your mouth. It's a clear fire hazard and, more importantly, it's just so damned politically incorrect to be seen using tobacco</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CBaD0nQ2jdE/VqDJr23vvyI/AAAAAAAAnRE/mrqyy5Zt3VE/s1600/Scan-002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="408" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CBaD0nQ2jdE/VqDJr23vvyI/AAAAAAAAnRE/mrqyy5Zt3VE/s640/Scan-002.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We can't forget that Camp Perry is a military installation. From it's opening in 1907 it was used primarily for training Ohio National Guard units. Here we see an example of a 'company street' with the orderly room tent in the foreground. The flag is the unit guidon (likely an infantry unit based on the color) and we can see the unit bulletin board and mail drop box (both in white). If I had to guess I'd say this picture was taken while the unit was at Camp Perry for it's two week Annual Training perioud</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGMu8-Qk9Xf_WrYxaV35kRx1RPImpEplfUhK-xsELDfEhrjWRiqJP3MDtziNLJcVet0wegjUY03R3NuP1QjDpvWjmMkUHice5oeAoCvp2U20IrK9X6NHqIH9J5jE7B0487ZMV-rCaQqNA/s1600/Scan-005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGMu8-Qk9Xf_WrYxaV35kRx1RPImpEplfUhK-xsELDfEhrjWRiqJP3MDtziNLJcVet0wegjUY03R3NuP1QjDpvWjmMkUHice5oeAoCvp2U20IrK9X6NHqIH9J5jE7B0487ZMV-rCaQqNA/s640/Scan-005.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Let's wrap this up with an aerial view of Camp Perry taken prior to the 1930s (the Commercial Row building have not yet been constructed). We can see the beach side Club House, the Mess Hall in the distance, the red and white checkered water tower and the range areas just beyond the water tower. The tents to the left of the Club House were traditionally used for family camping during the National Matches. This was before Disney World and cheap Caribbean cruises, when many competitors brought their families along for the week. Mother and the kids would enjoy the beach while Dad was shooting. That area was nicknamed the 'squaw camp'</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's another view of the Club House and the 'squaw camp' area. I'm sure, except for the sound of gunfire, it was a nice place to spend a week with the family</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All's well that ends well</td></tr>
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And so fair reader we bid you good night. Remember to keep the home fires burning, make sure the guard is set and maybe a tune or two from the Camp Songbook would be appropriate before the bugler blows taps.</div>
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Stay sharp!</div>
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- Brian</div>
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11301078056782961841noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268599835944094009.post-82991917291988576822016-01-03T13:35:00.001-05:002016-01-04T07:03:52.110-05:002015 Knife Of The YearCar Of The Year, Movie Of The Year, Supermodel Of The Year. The whole "[Fill In The Blank] Of The Year" thing is so pretentious it often makes me nauseous. But heck, that doesn't stop me from having my own awards category! What the hell, if Glamour Magazine can name Caitlin Jenner their <i>Woman</i> of the Year can I do any worse? I think not.<br />
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But I do have a few shreds of integrity left, and I do take my knives seriously, so before I selected my 2015 Knife Of The Year I made sure it actually lives up to the title.<br />
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And why come on a year late? It's 2016, isn't it? Well, the knife proved itself in 2015, not 2016. How can I call it the '2016 Knife Of The Year' when it might just fail some how during this new year. No sir, this is the <i><u>2015</u></i> Knife Of The Year. I expect it to continue to do well in 2016, but it proved itself in 2015.<br />
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So what are the criteria that a Knife Of The Year must meet? Simple - it has to work. It has to be a good design, be well made of good materials that fit the design and intended purpose of the knife, and actually prove itself over the a long period of use. That's it. It doesn't need to be made of fancy steel and exotic handle materials. It doesn't have to be endorsed by a celebrity survivalist or a Seal Team 6 sniper. And it certainly doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg.<br />
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It just has to work, and work well. In other words, it has to be an honest knife.<br />
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So without further ado, I present my personal pick for the 2015 Knife Of The Year:<br />
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<a href="http://www.buckknives.com/images/products/hero/0345BKS-B.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://www.buckknives.com/images/products/hero/0345BKS-B.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is the <a href="http://www.buckknives.com/product/vantage-large-knife/0345FAM01/" target="_blank">Buck Vantage</a> folder - the large version (model no. 035FAM01). It is a liner lock design that can be easily opened with one hand.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyyVb9S0CFWhk9PAWfRaqL4a631ZwLdCI944Hr_2NZtc8XkNgaSWcqrdWJIpsO2n9cTnFAUify_lBLE2EreoTI4nHc88PSG5Her5qfpxitbxiqKBp7oKlohB2QuHHL3YBM1mxpp1r-cnM/s1600/Buck+Vantage+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyyVb9S0CFWhk9PAWfRaqL4a631ZwLdCI944Hr_2NZtc8XkNgaSWcqrdWJIpsO2n9cTnFAUify_lBLE2EreoTI4nHc88PSG5Her5qfpxitbxiqKBp7oKlohB2QuHHL3YBM1mxpp1r-cnM/s400/Buck+Vantage+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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How good is this knife? Well, in my estimation it is better than the venerable <a href="http://fineblade.blogspot.com/2011/08/buck-folding-hunter.html" target="_blank">Buck Folding Hunter</a>. It is that good.<br />
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Buck makes this design in two sizes and in a wide variety of steel choices, edge options and handle material. But the particular knife model I'm talking about is the plain-jane model made with 420HC steel, glass reinforced nylon scales and a stainless steel liner. You can buy this knife all day long for less than $30 from multiple vendors on the internet. I own a number of the fancier versions of the Vantage, with S30V steel, serrated edges, carbon fiber or G10 handle scales, stealthy black finishes, etc. They are all good knives, but the base model I show here is actually the best of the bunch. Unpretentious, hardworking, honest.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdJJ8m5INV8vd0t9_MM4Y2RLePxmtchp_T8xsI5HRPgFx7ayvP5nxRh8ojcchpf5yXTAuXkTZLIsngIuxTBwO9yeGLIq10YhLJJC7Z4QCu_3XLzwpROct101pzaaw3FaFj9DRLJu563nA/s1600/Buck+Vantage+Comparison.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdJJ8m5INV8vd0t9_MM4Y2RLePxmtchp_T8xsI5HRPgFx7ayvP5nxRh8ojcchpf5yXTAuXkTZLIsngIuxTBwO9yeGLIq10YhLJJC7Z4QCu_3XLzwpROct101pzaaw3FaFj9DRLJu563nA/s400/Buck+Vantage+Comparison.jpg" width="272" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Standard Buck Vantage (left), 'upgraded' Vantage (right) with S30V steel,<br />
G10 handle slabs, serrated edge and black finish. The knife<br />
on the right costs twice the one on the left does, but doesn't do anything<br />
better than its cheaper sibling!</td></tr>
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Buck's 420HC steel is well proven. Buck figured out long ago (with the assistance of Paul Boss) how to properly temper this steel to get the most out of it. It is also easy to re-sharpen. The handle scales are slim, smooth and well contoured. This makes the knife easy to handle and allows it to slide easily into a pocket and carry comfortably. The pocket clip is reversible and is mounted to the knife frame in such a way that it allows for a deep and discreet carry. The 4.25" blade is an extremely useful drop point design and the blade sports Buck's usual hollow grind.<br />
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The knife is light, easy to open and easy to control. The handle scales, while slim, fill the hand nicely and offer a good purchase. The knife is held together by Torx head screws and can be completely disassembled for cleaning and the blade tension can be easily adjusted by tightening or loosening the screw on the pivot pin.<br />
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In short, the Vantage is very well designed to fit a wide variety of real-world chores. It's a knife that is there when you need it, ready to get to work, but stays out of your way when you don't need it. It's an honest, hardworking knife.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL_CVhS7nvNKUV7sur0IjoCzAVuFokZsrBq9qEIqR1jijASdaL1DzQIOnDXjLcdtqLivjHfv62-2mvyZY__RhAkbOMiLXkG78b228nHYAnSzL0WNrB7rl2RxNCGm50S7btZf76xmrly4U/s1600/Buck+Vantage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL_CVhS7nvNKUV7sur0IjoCzAVuFokZsrBq9qEIqR1jijASdaL1DzQIOnDXjLcdtqLivjHfv62-2mvyZY__RhAkbOMiLXkG78b228nHYAnSzL0WNrB7rl2RxNCGm50S7btZf76xmrly4U/s400/Buck+Vantage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Need to carve up some ribs? The Vantage gets it done nicely!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I've carried this knife - actually multiple examples of this knife because I keep losing them or giving them away - for years. It is my daily carry locking folder. When I get ready in the morning it is clipped inside my trouser pocket. It's always with me, whether I'm at work, fishing, shooting, hiking walking the dogs, doing chores around the house or, most recently, at a daughter's wedding.<br />
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There are not a lot of knives I unhesitatingly recommend based on price, design, materials, quality of construction and value. That list is very short, and the Buck Vantage sits at the top.<br />
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What makes it even better is that the Vantage line is made right here in the USA.<br />
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Happy New Year, and stay sharp!<br />
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- Brian<br />
<a href="https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipPXs4ZvTs3bm-hgDH1141qfMs3ohxlWCaRnMXky"></a></div>
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Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11301078056782961841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268599835944094009.post-24776211910206975082015-11-27T06:22:00.000-05:002015-11-27T06:22:25.809-05:00What Knife Does One Bring To Thanksgiving?Let's continue our theme of 'appropriate knives for social occasions' and discuss what should be carried at an informal Thanksgiving celebration. It needs to be big enough to handle minor carving tasks yet not so big that it scares the hostess, small children or liberals.<br />
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This year's choice - the <a href="https://www.southerngroundstore.com/southern-grind-store/bad-monkey/bad-monkey-folding-drop-point-tumbled-satin.html" target="_blank">Southern Grind Bad Monkey</a>!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0TO-N50rfcDkDds-FGPIfg6gNCBPVVFrjAtHoXofRVzZX4BpWUThMZNcnXyUHyZLkAAE0t-oh6JDIJKy-09FJP_BVctU8NmgSghyphenhyphenGCBKubd65WakHk_TfkxY-ueQMtUd2sjmHW6brFpU/w1615-h908-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0TO-N50rfcDkDds-FGPIfg6gNCBPVVFrjAtHoXofRVzZX4BpWUThMZNcnXyUHyZLkAAE0t-oh6JDIJKy-09FJP_BVctU8NmgSghyphenhyphenGCBKubd65WakHk_TfkxY-ueQMtUd2sjmHW6brFpU/w1615-h908-no/" width="640" /></a></div>
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The choice was easy. <a href="http://southerngrind.com/" target="_blank">Southern Grind</a> knives are manufactured locally in Peachtree City, Georgia and are extremely high quality. The knife sports a large 4" blade that is perfectly suited to smaller slicing jobs. Plus, every knife purchased helps support Zac Brown's <a href="http://www.campsouthernground.org/" target="_blank">Camp Southern Ground </a>charity located here in Fayette County, Georgia.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhodqS3CjsoYaDO8IbTNEUUE2QDAEsdHsCazejpVw4FqCEpyqs2XLRyQSTeowCLJCN8EVl4XX1_N-wVkbAvdQlZHEqL3oDlxUmNkTlEk8Ruou3Mra2CRzYlj1_6TSxXq-3PHF36ucfxJmU/w984-h908-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhodqS3CjsoYaDO8IbTNEUUE2QDAEsdHsCazejpVw4FqCEpyqs2XLRyQSTeowCLJCN8EVl4XX1_N-wVkbAvdQlZHEqL3oDlxUmNkTlEk8Ruou3Mra2CRzYlj1_6TSxXq-3PHF36ucfxJmU/w984-h908-no/" width="320" /></a></div>
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A great knife, a great charity, a great meal. What more can you ask for?<br />
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Stay sharp!<br />
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- BrianBrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11301078056782961841noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268599835944094009.post-55066678561634659322015-11-23T08:18:00.000-05:002015-11-23T08:21:13.214-05:00What Knife Does One Bring To A Wedding?Fashion dilemma. What knife does one bring to one's daughter's wedding? Something classy and befitting the occasion, certainly.<br />
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After much research (be forewarned, Emily Post is silent on this matter) and deliberation it was decided - a nice stag handled Case medium stockman in stainless steel.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrN62xfeZYPKI-yfQgJ7XBthF_0JmNE3erJCRMs1vdWkBb3VGZrgVj4DOlzeDPl7spmYktKm1vKCJCveqUZbC5tgdBIew4HA_ugu9U_LZmxfsAyDzysFkvL-WxMwAoDFLlxQxvKUmVmbE/w1615-h908-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrN62xfeZYPKI-yfQgJ7XBthF_0JmNE3erJCRMs1vdWkBb3VGZrgVj4DOlzeDPl7spmYktKm1vKCJCveqUZbC5tgdBIew4HA_ugu9U_LZmxfsAyDzysFkvL-WxMwAoDFLlxQxvKUmVmbE/w1615-h908-no/" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One must select fashion accessories with an eye to the occasion</td></tr>
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Simple, elegant, classy. It was a great wedding!Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11301078056782961841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268599835944094009.post-90313657197225370982015-09-08T19:46:00.000-04:002015-09-08T19:46:13.232-04:00One Adam-12, One Adam-12, End Of WatchRest in Peace Officer Malloy.<br />
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Word went out yesterday that Martin Milner passed away at the age of 83. Milner was the star of one of my all-time favorite shows, <i>Adam-12</i>. As a kid in the mid-1960's I caught every episode (in glorious black & white). At the time <i>Adam-12</i> was as close to reality TV as we could get, and the producer Jack Webb's claim that the stories were lifted right out of the LAPD case files made things even more believable to this impressionable teenager.<br />
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<a href="http://highlighthollywood.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Martin_Milner_21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://highlighthollywood.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Martin_Milner_21.jpg" height="319" width="320" /></a></div>
<span id="goog_866841974"></span><span id="goog_866841975"></span><br />
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Milner was already a seasoned acting professional before taking on the role of Officer Pete Malloy. His career started in 1947 in the movie <i>Life With Father</i>, playing the teenage son of William Powell and Irene Dunne. He went on to star in a number of highly regarded movies such as <i>Sands of Iwo Jima</i>, O<i>peration Pacific</i>, <i>Gunfight At The OK Corral</i>, <i>Dial M for Murder</i>, <i>Mister Roberts</i> and <i>Sweet Smell of Success</i>. Milner's first TV role was in a 1950 episode of <i>The Lone Ranger</i>. Looking at his filmography it's clear he had one heck of a work ethic and was never idle for very long.<br />
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Milner's breakout role was as co-star of the iconic TV series <i>Route 66</i>, running from 1960 - 1964. Three years later producer/director Jack Webb of <i>Dragnet</i> fame picked Milner for the starring role in his reality-based TV show about the LAPD.<br />
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By all reports Milner was a hard working, stand-up guy who who defied Hollywood convention, enjoyed family life and remained married to his wife for 58 years. That alone is one hell of an achievement!<br />
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Here's a montage from the first episode of Adam-12, where Pete Malloy is straightening out his new rookie partner, Officer Jim Reed. Nothing like starting off on the right foot.<br />
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Rest in Peace Martin, you've earned it.<br />
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Stay sharp!<br />
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- BrianBrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11301078056782961841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268599835944094009.post-57349217010923472362015-08-16T10:53:00.002-04:002023-10-11T05:36:47.001-04:00The Beretta M9 Is A Great Service Pistol, So Get Over ItI recently traded into a Beretta 92FS pistol. This is the commercial version of the pistol that 30 years ago became the US military's M9 service pistol. It has been almost 15 years since I handled or shot a Beretta 92/M9 and I figured I needed to reacquaint myself with the platform.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_8J4JYiCrgm1hcVptebFG7b8nJgWJGl6fUDcquw2cVyo=w872-h980-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/_8J4JYiCrgm1hcVptebFG7b8nJgWJGl6fUDcquw2cVyo=w872-h980-no" width="356" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beretta 92FS, the precursor to the M9 service pistol</td></tr>
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I had the good fortune to be on active duty in the mid-80's when we traded in our M1911A1 pistols for the M9. In fact, by the time our units at Fort Lewis, WA received the first issue of M9 pistols around 1987 I'd had almost a decade of experience shooting the military issue M1911A1. I feel I'm in a perfect position to compare and contrast the two pistols</div>
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Let's start with the <b>M1911A1</b>, or the 'yankee fist' as many refered to it. I won't drag the readers down the well worn path that is the history of the M1911. We'll just cover the basics: </div>
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<ul>
<li>Invented by John M. Browning and considered by many to be his best handgun design</li>
<li>Adopted by the US military in 1911 (hence the military desigination 'M1911') to replace the venerable (but badly out-dated) Colt SAA revolver </li>
<li>First saw wide battlefield service with US forces in WWI</li>
<li>The design was modified in the 1920's based on input from Soldiers who used it during the Great War. The resultant pistol was dubbed the M1911A1 and it remained the standard US service pistol right up into the 1980's</li>
<li>During WWII over 1 million M1911A1's were produced by Colt, Remington Rand, Ithica, Union Signal and Switch and Singer</li>
<li>At the close of WWII the War Department decided it had more than enough M1911A1s to meet service demand and closed down the military production lines. The pistols produced during the war years continued to serve as the US standard service pistol through the Korean and Vietnam wars</li>
<li>The M1911A1 was officially replaced as the US military's standard service pistol in 1985 when the Beretta M9 was adopted</li>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.milsurps.com/images/imported/2010/11/DSC00622JPG-1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="286" src="http://www.milsurps.com/images/imported/2010/11/DSC00622JPG-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">M1911A1 in WWII factory packaging</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I believe the M1911A1 was the best semi-auto service pistol in use anywhere in the world right up through the 1960's and the Vietnam War. No other service pistol could match it for reliability and knock-down power. But by the early 1970's it's design had been surpassed by a host of improvements in handgun technology. In addition the US Military's stock of general issue M1911's were simply worn out. After almost 30 years of service and three wars (WWII, Korea and Vietnam) the pistols were old, rattly and unreliable. <i>Nobody</i> shot them well. The sights were awful and the triggers even worse. By 1980 the venerable old warhorse was serving way past its retirement date and it was time for something new and improved.<br />
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Next let's look at the <b>Beretta M9 pistol</b>:</div>
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<ul>
<li>Based on the Beretta 92, designed in 1975</li>
<li>Saw initial but limited use with the US military in the hands of Navy SEALS starting in the late 1970's</li>
<li>The Beretta 92 won the 1979 Joint Services Small Arms Program (JSSAP) competition, beating out a number of competitors from Colt, S&W, SIG, H&K, Browning and a few others. The USAF ran the JSSAP competition and the Army griped about the outcome (they really didn't want to buy an Italian pistol) so the results were shelved</li>
<li>In 1983 Congress put the Army in charge of a new selection program and told them to try again. Both the Beretta 92 and the SIG 226 beat all other competitors (including the M1911A1) and tied for the lead. Beretta submitted a much lower contract bid and won, fair and square</li>
<li>Both S&W and Ruger bitched about the outcome of the 1983 trials so in 1989 Congress ordered a new trial. Once again the Beretta 92 (now designated the M9) came out the clear winner</li>
<li>The M9 platform has seen almost continuous combat from 2003 to today, racking up an impressive combat record in the hands of all branches of the US Military</li>
</ul>
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<ul>
</ul>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.beretta.com/assets/0/15/DimGalleryLarge/m9_zoom005.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="275" src="http://www.beretta.com/assets/0/15/DimGalleryLarge/m9_zoom005.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Beretta M9 as adopted by the US Military in 1985 and still serving today</td></tr>
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So in three separate trials the Beretta 92/M9 beat all comers, including the beloved M1911A1. The DoD specified a minimum 8,000 round service life in the 1984 trials, yet in tests the M9 has shown to have a service life in excess of 30,000 rounds. The M1911A1 'control' pistols used by the DoD during the trials failed long before that point, most not even making it to the minimum 8,000 rounds. Yet folks in the shooting community and legions of Gunstore Commandos - and a good number of our Soldiers, Marines, Airmen and Sailors - bitch constantly about how the Beretta is in some way substandard.<br />
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<div>
Let's look at the gripes:</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
<ol>
<li><b><i>The Beretta family and/or the Italian government bribed Congress to adopt the pistol</i></b>. This silly rumor has been kicking around since the mid-1980s and <a href="http://archive.gao.gov/d4t4/130439.pdf" target="_blank">it's been investigated to death</a>. While I don't discount the willingness of an occasional Congresscritter to take cash under the table to do a deal (Dan Rostenkowski, anyone?) this specific claim has been proven baseless. The pistol won the competition on its merits (and low bid price), not because Italians were delivering bags full of lira to the Congressional office buildings</li>
<li><b><i>The SIG P226 really won the competition but got undercut at the last minute when their best and final bid price was leaked to Beretta</i></b>. Again, no basis in fact. SIG's US representative, SACO, blew the bid process by refusing to lower contract prices on things like magazines and spare parts, making their bid significantly higher than Beretta's</li>
<li><b><i>It's a 9mm</i></b>. Yes it is, but don't blame Beretta. The DoD specified before the competition started that any pistol selected would be in the 9mm caliber. Beretta would have been happy to build pistols in 50 Action Express if that's what the competition requirements called for</li>
<li><b><i>It's got a weird trigger</i></b>. Really? What's weird about it? From the late 1970s through the 1990's the DA/SA trigger design was all the rage, and was considered a far better and far safer design than the M1911A1's single action design. S&W, Colt, Ruger, SIG, H&K, Walther, and a host of other manufacturers made millions of pistols using the DA/SA design, and EVERYBODY wanted one. The Beretta trigger happens to be one of the best DA/SA designs ever brought to market. It was only after Glock came along with the trigger with the little thingey in the middle that folks began to change</li>
<li><b><i>It's got a weird safety</i></b>. The biggest gripe the 1911 partisans and Internet Commandos have about the M9 safety is that it's nothing like the M1911A1. Well OK, I agree - the M9 safety is nothing like the 1911's. That's because the M9's safety is better. There, I said it. As early as the late 1950's (when the Army started making noises about looking for a new pistol) it was recognized that the M1911A1 safety design was outdated and dangerous. That's why the Army mandated carrying the pistol hammer down but without a round in the chamber. Plus the safety lever was set up for right handed shooters only. The Beretta's ambidextrous decocker system provides an absolutely safe method of lowering the hammer on a loaded chamber and permitting perfectly safe carry with a round in the chamber. Far better than the M1911A1</li>
<li><b><i>It's got an open slide</i></b>. The Beretta's open slide design was touted as an advantage over the competitor's fully enclosed slides. I remember sitting in on meetings where we were briefed on the benefits of the new pistol and the open slide design was praised for it's improved barrel cooling and resistance to crud build-up inside the slide. The resistance to getting clogged with sand was particularly emphasized. OK, in retrospect there may not be any real benefit other than reduced weight, but reports from the sandbox are that as long as you do routine maintenance on the pistol, to include removing any sand or grit that may have slipped through the slide and down into the dust cover, the pistols are as reliable and run just fine</li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">It's got a fat grip. </i>Yes it does, but it's not <i>that</i> fat. In fact, compared to something like the Glock 17 the grip is actually quite comfortable and manageable. I have medium-large hands and I find the grip quite comfortable. The real issue with the grip is the long reach to the DA trigger for those with medium or small hands. This can be alleviated by carrying the pistol with the safety off and the hammer cocked to the first notch, which brings the trigger back further in the trigger guard. Of course the Army frowns on this practice but if you are a civilian it's a perfectly safe way to carry the pistol. </li>
<li><b style="font-style: italic;">The slides break, killing people</b>. Early in the service life of the pistol the Navy SEALS experienced precisely three (3) broken slides. On two occasions the slides broke completely into two pieces, with the rear section smacking the shooters in the face. One high speed-low drag operator suffered a broken tooth. That's the full extent of the human devastation caused by broken slides. Investigation revealed these were high round count pistols that were shooting waaaaaay out of spec high pressure ammo. When the Army heard about the incident they took three civilian spec 92SB pistols they had been testing and shot them until the slides failed. One pistol's slide let go at just over 20,000 rounds and the other two let go at over 30,000 rounds. Analysis of the broken slides revealed all had heat treatment problems. Beretta beefed up the slides around the locking block area and improved QC on the heat treating. This was back in 1988. Since then there have been zero instances of slides cracking or breaking on any M9 pistol. It simply hasn't been an issue for over 25 years of production and service. Time to drive a stake through the heart of this idiotic rumor</li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">It wears out too fast</i>. A pistol is a mechanical device that wears out with use, and it wears out faster if not maintained properly and <i>even faster</i> when used in environments where dust and sand is prevalent - like the Middle East. General issue weapons in the DoD inventory get minimal care and maintenance. Yes they get cleaned but they don't get maintained as well as they should. This means many of the M9 pistols that have seen <i>up to 30 years of service, including 15 years of continuous wartime service</i> in the hands of hundreds of service members, have been shot a lot but received minimal maintenance. As you would and should expect, they are worn out. Again, don't blame Beretta or the pistol's design. Blame a military that has seen an extraordinarily high OPTEMPO for the past 15 years in an environment that's known to accelerate wear on <i>all</i> mechanical devices, coupled with a reluctance to pull marginally serviceable weapons from the inventory</li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">It's unreliable</i>. Another Gunstore Commando rumor that refuses to die. Remember, in three separate reliability tests the Beretta tied for first place in one and beat all comers in the other two. Well, there <i>was</i> a point during the GWOT where the Beretta pistols the Army owned were exhibiting a surprisingly high number of malfunctions, But again it wasn't Beretta's fault or the fault of the pistol. It was magazines. Specifically, non-manufacturer spec magazines that were built to a badly flawed Army contract specification. After years of active combat the Army was running out of M9 magazines. The Beretta-produced magazines were of excellent quality, but they were wearing out at an alarming rate with years of service in a very sandy/dusty environment. The Army needed a lot of replacement magazines, and needed them fast. To save a few bucks they awarded a contract to a third party (but very reputable) US-based magazine manufacturer named Check-Mate. In an effort to try to extend the service life of the magazines the Army contract stipulated that both the outside <i>and the inside</i> of the magazine bodies were to receive a phosphate coating. When Beretta and Check-Mate read the contract requirement they both notified the Army that the coating on the interior of the magazine body would cause ammunition feeding problems. The Army refused to budge and told Check-Mate that either they comply with the contract as written or it would be taken from them and given to one of their competitors. Check-Mate complied, delivered the magazines and things started to go south from there. Army Soldiers in combat started to report multiple malfunctions, mainly failure to feed issues. Of course they blamed the M9 in general as being unreliable, but the issue was very quickly traced to the phosphate coating on the inside of the magazines. In fact, both Beretta and Check-Mate had told the Army to <i>expect</i> this to happen. The rough textured coating on the inside of the magazine body was trapping sand and grit, which interfered with the smooth operation of the magazine follower causing malfunctions. This problem triggered a nationwide shortage of Beretta factory magazines for the 92-series pistols as friends and family members of Soldiers snapped up every available magazine to send to their loved ones fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Army quickly realized its mistake and revised the contract spec to require a dry lube coating on the inside of the magazine. Once all of the phosphate coated Check-Mate magazines were pulled from service the reliability problems went away. It should be noted that the USMC, fighting in many of the same regions and often right alongside Army units, continued to use Beretta-manufactured magazines and continued to enjoy excellent reliability out of the M9</li>
<li><b><i>It's not a 1911</i></b>. This is the zinger of last resort that any Gunstore Commando will throw down when losing an argument about service pistols. It's usually delivered with a dismissive wave of the hand as they walk away from the argument, firm in the belief that their logic is unassailable. Sort of like a liberal shouting "you're raaaaacist!" when you bring up the black-on-black murder rate in Chicago. No Virginia, the M9 is not the M1911A1. It's actually better. Now remember, we can't compare the M9 to your <a href="http://www.edbrown.com/classic.htm" target="_blank">Ed Brown Classic Series 1911</a>. We have to compare service pistol to service pistol, and the M9 proved in three separate DoD tests that it handily beats the WWII-era M1911A1 in every evaluation category. A lot of 1911 partisans argue that if - <i>just</i> <i>if</i> - an updated 1911 design had been included in the trials it would have wiped the floor with all the pretenders to the throne. Maybe, Maybe not. We'll never know. You can't run an Indy race against a car that doesn't show up at the starting line</li>
</ol>
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For more information on the procurement controversy go read the Government Accounting Office's 1986 report <i><a href="http://archive.gao.gov/d4t4/130439.pdf" target="_blank">'Allegations on Army Selection of Beretta 9-mm as DoD Standard Sidearm'</a></i></div>
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Does the M9 have some flaws? Of course it does, but the 'flaws' are not shortcomings in the pistol's basic design but shortcomings that have cropped up as firearms and accessory technology has progressed over the past 30 years.</div>
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In my eyes the current M9 design has two major shortcomings. First is the lack of an adjustable/replacable front sight. The second is the lack of an accessory rail (also referred to as a 'Picatinny' rail). Remember, the standard M9 reflects a design that was locked in-place in 1985, before the advent of Tritium night sights and small, powerful weapons lights.</div>
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While the rear sight on the M9 is 'drift adjustable' (that's gunsmith speak for the need to smack the thing with a hammer and drift punch to adjust the point of aim), the front sight is actually an integral part of the slide and is neither replaceable or adjustable. That was OK in 1985 when we were just thankful to be moving away from the awful sights found on the M1911A1, but today that design simply isn't good enough. In my opinion every pistol issued to an American Soldier should have replaceable Tritium night sights. You simply can't provide that with the current design of the M9.</div>
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Next, the accessory rail. In 1985 nobody had even heard of a thing called a weapon light. If you needed to light up a target at night you usually used a hand held flashlight. Then in the 1990s companies like SureFire and Streamlight started developing small, lightweight high intensity lights that could be mounted below the barrel on the dust cover. This first resulted in a bunch of goofy clip-on rail systems but then swiftly led to manufacturers incorporating a standard accessory rail into their pistol designs. Today it's almost impossible to buy a newly manufactured pistol that does not have an accessory rail built in, but the M9 design is still stuck in 1985.</div>
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Enter the Marine Corps. While the US Army developed only a grudging respect for the M9, the USMC seems to have fallen in love with it. The average Marine spends far more time than the average Soldier on the range and is therefore more familiar with, and in tune with, his or her duty weapon. I'm told the USMC also pays much more attention to weapons maintenance than the Army does, and is more aggressive in replacing worn parts like recoil springs. As a result the USMC has gotten better service out of their M9s. But they too recognized the ageing design of the pistol. In 2010 the USMC contracted directly with Beretta for a redesigned M9 that incorporated an accessory rail, a re-configured trigger guard, three-dot sights, some polymer parts to save weight and improved 'sand resistant' magazines. Designated the M9A1, it is scheduled to replace all standard M9 pistols in the Marine Corps inventory. Surprisingly, the M9A1 still retains the integral front sight, so good luck trying to fit Tritium sights.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Beretta-M9A1-2-920x613.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Beretta-M9A1-2-920x613.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">USMC M9A1</td></tr>
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The M9A1 is a logical upgrade to the 1985-era M9 but no other branch of service has shown interest in it. The reason for this lack of interest is called the <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modular_Handgun_System" target="_blank">Modular Handgun System</a></b> (MHS) competition.<br />
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Around 2008 the Army and Air Force decided that the M9 design had reached the end of its service life and it was time to look for a new service pistol. Since 1985 handgun technology has undergone a number of key improvements. The most visible change has been the emergence of the polymer framed, striker fired designs like the Glock. Pistols like the Glock 17 and the Smith & Wesson M&P line absolutely dominate the American law enforcement market, from local police agencies all the way up to the FBI and have even found strong acceptance in limited roles within the US military.<br />
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So the two services are keenly interested in adopting a standard service pistol that is striker fired, has a polymer frame, improved safeties and offers easier maintenance. After several fits and starts, in 2014 the DoD announced the kick-off of the selection program for what they call a Modular Handgun System (MHS). Beretta quickly figured out that <i>any</i> re-configuration of the M9 design would not meet 100% of the MHS minimum criteria. So Beretta tried an end-around move to bypass the MHS competition and offered the Army a radically re-designed model of the M9 called the M9A3.<br />
<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhnXyV7Ix0BjuSltmsSM3856X36fUSbSoMUhFfUALqpm2pOe2J_yUaU2mg9Yvpt37dOBFeKeZ7tNRWKwRdWA64vhT5C-evLyj7Fr5OOlshP6_5bL6c6AsQZQ6wQhWOLEk3RMRmNaXdfa7XSJVi9Gvs3s8X98yoYQlznshHaLG_JvfbZUUabNLE8CAK7JyY" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="455" data-original-width="1000" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhnXyV7Ix0BjuSltmsSM3856X36fUSbSoMUhFfUALqpm2pOe2J_yUaU2mg9Yvpt37dOBFeKeZ7tNRWKwRdWA64vhT5C-evLyj7Fr5OOlshP6_5bL6c6AsQZQ6wQhWOLEk3RMRmNaXdfa7XSJVi9Gvs3s8X98yoYQlznshHaLG_JvfbZUUabNLE8CAK7JyY=w640-h292" width="640" /></a></div><br />Beretta got smart with this redesign and takes the original 92-based platform as far as it can go. The M9A3 incorporates a true M1913 'Picatinny' accessory rail, Tritium front and rear sights, a supressor-ready barrel, minor changes to the decocker safety and a recontoured grip. The frame of the pistol is still aluminum alloy, but Beretta re-engineered it to accept different sized grips and backstraps. At first Beretta tried to sell the M9A3 to the Army under the existing M9 contract, claiming the changes were allowed under the 'minor engineering changes' clause. The Army said no, deciding that the changes were too radical to be considered 'minor'. <br />
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But Beretta's not giving up, and apparently has a plan that just might work. As the MHS tests move forward Beretta is putting the M9A3 into limited production for civilian sales. Even limited production proves that the company can ramp up to volume production if the orders pour in. Next, Beretta is willing to play a watch and wait game. Even though the MHS program will eventually pick a winner Beretta knows the US military is in the draw down mode and money may not be available to field the selected pistol. This puts Beretta in a good position to step forward and tell Congress that it has a ready replacement for the M9 that meets 85% of the MHS requirements <i>and</i> offers near 100% compatibility with existing DoD service pistol support systems (training materials, spare parts, holsters, maintenance tools, etc.). Who knows, Beretta may just pull it off!<br />
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So 30 years on two things are clear. First, the M9 has received limited respect from those who carry it. To be honest I think the pistol was somewhat doomed from the beginning simply because it was replacing the venerable and beloved M1911A1. NO pistol other than an updated 1911 could have overcome that hurdle. The rumored failures I outlined above gained so much traction that they are impossible to control or squelch. When a Soldier going in to combat is handed a perfectly serviceable M9 all he/she has heard are the barracks rumors fueled by all the drivel out on the internet. What he/she doesn't hear is the truth.<br />
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The second thing that's clear to me is that the M9 was the best pistol selected in the 1985 trials and has proven to be an outstanding service pistol. It's real failures are few and dozens - perhaps hundreds - of service men and women are alive today thanks to the M9's ruggedness and reliability in some of the worst combat conditions imaginable. It's a pistol I'd unhesitatingly carry in to combat if I had to go today.<br />
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Stay sharp!<br />
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- Brian</div>
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Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11301078056782961841noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268599835944094009.post-58251527570263274272015-06-26T11:35:00.001-04:002015-06-26T11:35:08.396-04:002015 Blade ShowWell I'm a few weeks late in reporting, but it's been busy both at work and on the home front.<br />
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Earlier in the month the annual Blade Show came to town. This year I was accompanied by my friend Doug who had very little background in knives, but a lot of curiosity. This is my fifth Blade Show visit and its become something of an annual ritual. I reserve the show date on my calendar and warn friends and relatives not to burden me with any responsibilities on show day. To me the show is like a second Christmas, and my family knows enough to not spoil it for me.<br />
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This year I didn't have an agenda - I wasn't on the hunt for the newest interpretation of the Bowie knife, or the best bushcraft blade, or the latest offering from Buck/Cold Steel/A.G. Russell/etc. This year was more about wandering around with Doug, introducing him to the finer points of knife design and execution and admiring the work of many of the individual makers. Doug is smart and showed a lively interest not just in knife design and manufacturing, but he also got interested in what I'll call the psychology of knife collecting.<br />
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So let's hit some of the highlights.<br />
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The show was packed. This was easily the largest crowd I've seen at a Blade Show. Our first clue as to the size of the crowd came when we were looking for a parking spot. The show venue, the Cobb Galleria, has plenty of parking, so when it took us 20 minutes to find a spot I knew it was going to be packed. The second clue came when we entered the arena. The place was jammed! Just a few years back vendors were complaining about low show attendance. The poor economy and a general malaise seemed to have kept folks home. This year things seemed much improved and it was great (though sometimes annoying) to see the displays and tables packed two and three deep<br />
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Buck's presence at the show was much subdued. They had a smaller than normal booth, weren't doing any sales and didn't seem to be drawing the crowds. I don't know if this was a reaction to the recent passing of Chuck Buck or just a general business decision to reduce their presence at the show. It was sort of sad to see. I did check out their new Selkirk fixed blade. This is a Chinese produced (something the Buck rep seemed a little defensive about) fixed blade made out of 420 steel. Overall I was impressed. It's an excellent design with a one piece blade and integral hilt and pommel and a very comfortable grip made of what seems to be Micarta. The street price is also well below $100.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEwCsLFfsSlpQn4G_d8hK8zU4oM70zxq9A4zSTEoKyEfKgfCec491w0uR_OUmZRHGET_a7OWaTbza72UkCWBMVZqNhse9tXyQlLcRzJ9-CkyF3HEy86dAIO65K8bIWU2cIioKCFpkqKgQ/s1600/buck+selkirk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEwCsLFfsSlpQn4G_d8hK8zU4oM70zxq9A4zSTEoKyEfKgfCec491w0uR_OUmZRHGET_a7OWaTbza72UkCWBMVZqNhse9tXyQlLcRzJ9-CkyF3HEy86dAIO65K8bIWU2cIioKCFpkqKgQ/s1600/buck+selkirk.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buck Selkirk</td></tr>
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Folks gripe about Chinese made knives, but producers like A.G. Russell proved long ago that if proper quality control is applied the Chinese can turn out excellent blades at astonishingly low prices.<br />
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As always, the Ka-Bar booth was hopping and Uncle Ethan Becker was in attendance, dispensing wisdom and friendly jabs in equal measure. This year nothing at the booth grabbed my attention but Doug showed a lot of interest in the USMC Combat Knife. Ka-Bar does an outstanding job with these blades, easily the best examples available from any knife manufacturer. Ontario, Case and a few others make their own versions of the USMC Combat Knife, but Ka-Bar's is by far the best interpretation available on the market today. The stacked leather handle models are extremely well done and gorgeous.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiW8k6pTsiqlenqm5A9Cq2SCNXIL8B4QPy2ybV8IDydHsl75rYWXecLx5CZ0XXrmmLbNcGzF2a77kTIsRYFHmID7B75fDdZzmSAJI4TK4NUARr5QgbD0vw0w6QAtsmU7K6LygThQKO4hw/s1600/20150606_103248.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiW8k6pTsiqlenqm5A9Cq2SCNXIL8B4QPy2ybV8IDydHsl75rYWXecLx5CZ0XXrmmLbNcGzF2a77kTIsRYFHmID7B75fDdZzmSAJI4TK4NUARr5QgbD0vw0w6QAtsmU7K6LygThQKO4hw/s400/20150606_103248.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ethan Becker (right) holding court at the Ka-Bar booth</td></tr>
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While at the Ka-Bar booth I mentioned to Doug that besides being a knife designer, Ethan is also a professional chef. Doug walked right over to Ethan and asked, <i>"In your opinion, who makes the best kitchen knives?"</i> Without hesitating Ethan shot right back, <i>"Al Mar, but don't tell them I said that!" </i> Classic Ethan.<br />
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The Italians are coming! The Italians are coming! I don't think I've ever seen this many Italian manufacturers at the show. Perhaps it was because their wares never really caught my eye, but this time I found something to like. The folks at the <a href="http://www.maserinusa.com/" target="_blank">Maserin</a> booth were showing off their wares and one of their locking folders caught my eye<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEHHoLTfP6abx0yziHI5ZcqL-5sG0-L1O7GHIBLG5mYb4STUtXOYz_VAxmkI6aJVu_9LdzKL4h930UdWUdRJle39eP655A3UcpBEnCK01gvPDCuI4cer6mFa3I2nBBodOv5YOu9DZmyeg/s1600/20150606_105654.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEHHoLTfP6abx0yziHI5ZcqL-5sG0-L1O7GHIBLG5mYb4STUtXOYz_VAxmkI6aJVu_9LdzKL4h930UdWUdRJle39eP655A3UcpBEnCK01gvPDCuI4cer6mFa3I2nBBodOv5YOu9DZmyeg/s400/20150606_105654.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maserin Knives</td></tr>
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Maserin's little 'Birdland' folder seemed extremely well done. I'll admit that it was the orange handle scales that caught my attention, but once I got to handle the knife I realized what a great little package it is. Slim, a very nice blade profile, it locks up tight, has a good 'walk and talk' and the blade is well centered in the blade well. This is the first Italian-produced knife I ever considered worth putting money down for.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maserin Birdland</td></tr>
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About this time I lost track of Doug and eventually found him bugging the Browning Knife guys...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doug, on the left, peppering the Browning guys with questions</td></tr>
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A new (to me) maker that caught my eye was <a href="http://www.whiteriverknives.com/" target="_blank">White River Knife & Tool</a> from Coopersville, Michigan up near Grand Rapids. What got my attention were the examples they had on-hand from their Classic Series. These blades are extremely well done using profiles that hearken back to the classic upper midwest hunting blade designs from Rudy Ruana and Bill Scagel. But two things really set White River's designs apart. First, their generous handle sizes. There's a prevailing line of thought in knife design that says little blades need little handles. This often translates into small fixed blade knives with handles too small for the average adult male to get a good purchase on. White River makes sure even their smallest fixed blades sport generous handles. The handles are slim but well proportioned and provide enough real-estate for a good purchase. Next is blade thickness. Another prevailing trend in outdoor knives is thicker is better - the sharpened pry-bar approach to knife making. This trend has resulted in a generation of blades that are simply far too thick for their intended (or likely) use. White River uses blade stock of the proper thickness for its intended use. This results in larger fixed blades that are light, handy and easy to maneuver.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PSbkPBfHBfY/VYVMvP2VXbI/AAAAAAAAi6c/-ZiImSa167o/s1600/20150606_111451.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PSbkPBfHBfY/VYVMvP2VXbI/AAAAAAAAi6c/-ZiImSa167o/s400/20150606_111451.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">White River Classic Series - very nicely done</td></tr>
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Here's a gratuitous shot of one of the Case knife displays. I've freely admitted to my Case knife addiction in the past, and Case's show displays don't help with the problem. It's like a drunk walking into a liquor store that's offering free samples. All I'll say is that it's a damned good thing that Case doesn't do sales at the Blade Show.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HCiOTof6a2c/VYVMvHNsylI/AAAAAAAAi6Y/GPcnVZbEV0w/s1600/20150606_105958.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HCiOTof6a2c/VYVMvHNsylI/AAAAAAAAi6Y/GPcnVZbEV0w/s400/20150606_105958.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Case knives. Crack cocaine. What's the difference?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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As Doug and I were making our way around the show floor we ended up in the collector's corner where the Buck Collector's Club, the Randall collectors and other similar groups were set up. Doug became fascinated by the George Herron knife collection owned by R. Duncan out of South Carolina. This is where Doug got into the psychology of knife collecting. He peppered Mr. Duncan for over 20 minutes with questions about knife value, perceptions, motivations and what keeps a collector going. I think Duncan only put up with Doug's line of questioning because Doug told him he was a Citadel grad. Doug came away with a far better understanding of what drives knife collecting, and I think something clicked (more on that in a bit).</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilsB4iE5Xyb-1BtoLvlm40lc9dMTxH2PupBcT-rcAlM45A3FiDMmAa_Q6XhxLyDqDkQefLHSjch47GU1Ipe4JTb-pkHxssttKOtimYJPXyqWpuXV4rV4k05rI-sQfJRHNcRWgGlDh2J54/s1600/20150606_122842.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilsB4iE5Xyb-1BtoLvlm40lc9dMTxH2PupBcT-rcAlM45A3FiDMmAa_Q6XhxLyDqDkQefLHSjch47GU1Ipe4JTb-pkHxssttKOtimYJPXyqWpuXV4rV4k05rI-sQfJRHNcRWgGlDh2J54/s400/20150606_122842.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doug peppering George Herron knife collector R. Duncan with endless questions</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQo5j7Qam00QOTtOny4XTUVa8-_9PzXeSnk1BZWzGJVxKo8O91UzIcplePvFzbtxAGg27qlPrp-yZiOhUqjZDnJVA0T3thgk0L8u3OjBfdoAvdczuqwO-hKGObg4FvAvXRUQnjvitt6d8/s1600/20150606_122848.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQo5j7Qam00QOTtOny4XTUVa8-_9PzXeSnk1BZWzGJVxKo8O91UzIcplePvFzbtxAGg27qlPrp-yZiOhUqjZDnJVA0T3thgk0L8u3OjBfdoAvdczuqwO-hKGObg4FvAvXRUQnjvitt6d8/s400/20150606_122848.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the exquisite Herron-made blades in Duncan's collection. This whole<br />
collecting thing absolutely fascinated Doug</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So after learning all about knife collecting, and having admired some of the custom work on display on the tables of individual makers Doug wandered over to the Buck Collectors Club display area. The Buck Collectors Club displays are always the 'mac-daddy' of knife collection displays at the Blade Show. It's row upon row of collections of all the various blades and styles made by the Buck family since the mid-20th century. Buck collectors are extraordinarily devoted to the brand and the club gets a lot of support from the company and the Buck family. Doug was clearly impressed by the vast array of Buck products. Before this all he knew about Buck came from the few products he'd seen for sale in the PX. Then we made the mistake of wandering by the Collector's Club information table in the display area. Doug intermediately spotted a Model 110 for sale as a fund raiser that had been re-worked by <a href="http://www.yellowhorseltd.com/" target="_blank">David Yellowhorse</a> - resplendent in sliver and turquoise handle inlays and delicate file work on the blade. Doug went back to the table two or three times, each time getting closer to pulling out his wallet. Finally he asked me to lead him away and to never let him go back by the table while we were still at the show.<br />
<br />
He's hooked.<br />
<br />
- Brian<br />
<br />
</div>
<br />Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11301078056782961841noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268599835944094009.post-36162097468603126442015-05-18T07:41:00.001-04:002015-05-18T07:43:42.147-04:00Vietnam Birddog Memoir: My First MissionHey, look who's got a blog!<br />
<br />
My good friend Bill, the guy who got me addicted to fly fishing, has decided to fire up his own blog to highlight his time as a Birddog pilot in Vietnam. Hop over to Bill's blog, have a read and leave him some feedback.<br />
<br />
_______________________________________________________________________________<br />
<br />
<a href="http://birddogmemoir.blogspot.com/2015/05/my-first-mission.html?spref=bl">Vietnam Birddog Memoir: My First Mission</a>: "Headhunter One-Four, cleared for takeoff.". The radio call from the control tower at Camp Holloway airfield was the authorization...Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11301078056782961841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268599835944094009.post-19458015659395107642015-05-11T10:49:00.002-04:002015-05-11T10:50:18.040-04:00The Airweight Chronicles IIBeware weepy eyed nostalgia.<br />
<br />
In the <a href="http://fineblade.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-airweight-chronicles.html" target="_blank">first installment of this saga</a> I hinted that earlier incarnations of the S&W Airweights are better simply because they are older. Everybody knows older is better when it comes to revolvers (and knives, cars, airplanes, cameras, cowboy westerns and women, especially women).<br />
<br />
A couple of days ago Bill and I went to the range to compare his venerable old Model 37 Airweight against my current production 642. I stepped up to the firing line absolutely convinced that Bill's Airweight would prove to be the much better shooter. After all, it was made back in the 70's when S&W still lavished lots of attention on these fine little revolvers.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNQCIu_oPlBctHKXp5oBydI-v8Xn3bKlUYyRRqY1PgMF4dxzjJMDEiP2OS4jtcHB9DOfbt2uAV7gNi4tYDmdPfgKDuUnwp_VZ4cRiPLIK-yHpnmUiMnspOm-oyo9i5zsNcDo1aAfIqRP0/w1580-h889-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNQCIu_oPlBctHKXp5oBydI-v8Xn3bKlUYyRRqY1PgMF4dxzjJMDEiP2OS4jtcHB9DOfbt2uAV7gNi4tYDmdPfgKDuUnwp_VZ4cRiPLIK-yHpnmUiMnspOm-oyo9i5zsNcDo1aAfIqRP0/w1580-h889-no/" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A pair of Airweights: S&W Model 37 on the left, S&W Model 642 on the right</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Boy was I wrong.<br />
<br />
The 642 Airweight was a much better shooter. There really was no comparison. While both revolvers exhibited the same accuracy the 642 was much easier to manage and much more pleasant to shoot. This is only partly due to the trigger job I did on the 642. What surprised me was that the trigger on the much older Model 37 was just as heavy and stiff as the original trigger on my 642. But two other factors combine to make the Model 37 unpleasant to shoot. First is the trigger itself. The Model 37 sports a wide, serrated trigger. Combined with the stiff, heavy trigger pull this serrated trigger digs painfully into the trigger finger. By comparison the 642 trigger is narrower and has a smooth, rounded face that is much easier on the finger.<br />
<br />
The next issue are the grips. I admit, the classic old checkered wooden grips on the Model 37 just look better. They look the way revolver grips <i>should</i> look. But while this style works well on larger (and heavier) revolvers, under the sharp recoil of this light little snubbie the checkering digs painfully into the palm of the hand. Combine the grips and the wide, serrated trigger and the overall shooting experience is one of pain. The Model 37 is simply too uncomfortable to shoot beyond one or two cylinders full of weak range loads. By comparison the 642's fat rubber grips provide a better purchase on the revolver, making it much more comfortable to hold on to under recoil. Weak range ammo is fun to shoot and stout self defense loads, while not exactly pleasurable, are manageable and don't tear up your shooting hand.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/A64k62n67gLrWke2hiWdEo8as683ktuYJbm30F5Aoz1-=w1010-h889-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="561" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/A64k62n67gLrWke2hiWdEo8as683ktuYJbm30F5Aoz1-=w1010-h889-no" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">S&W's Airweights have only gotten better with age. My favorite snubbie with my favorite coffee mug!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
But the news is not all bad. Many of the Model 37's issues are easily addressed. Bill already has some Uncle Mike's boot grips on the way to replace the factory wooden stocks. The obscenely heavy trigger pull can be easily overcome with a simple trigger job. The trigger itself can be switched out, but the additional cost may not be worth it; with the new grips and trigger job Bill's little revolver should be much better behaved.<br />
<br />
There's a lot of pontificating on the internet about how the earlier Airweights were much better pistols than the ones currently being manufactured. In particular, a lot of folks sing the praises of the 'pre-lock' models (the revolvers made before S&W incorporated the silly safety lock into the side of the frame) over the current series. Well, based on my limited sample set I have to say that the pontificators are full of bull. In my opinion the current production Airweights are better pistols. They have stronger +P-rated frames, they come with a better trigger and grips and the fit and finish is outstanding. Yes the trigger pull on the current Airweights is unacceptably heavy, but so are the trigger pulls on the vintage Airweights.<br />
<br />
You gain no real advantage buying an older Airweight; the current production models are simply better.<br />
<br />
Stay sharp!<br />
<br />
- BrianBrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11301078056782961841noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268599835944094009.post-3810244840766611772015-05-01T11:22:00.000-04:002015-05-01T11:22:12.054-04:00Keeping TimeLet's wander off the reservation a bit and talk about watches.<br />
<br />
I'm a traditionalist. I like my guns to have cylinders that rotate. I like my knives to be made of steel and leather. And I like my time pieces to be all mechanical.<br />
<br />
Now, I'm no Luddite. The folding knife in my pocket has synthetic handle scales, I own a lot of Glocks (the original 'Tactical Tupperware'), and the watch I wear most often has a quartz movement.<br />
<br />
But show me a traditional Colt Single Action Army, or a Randall Model 1 with a stacked leather handle or an Omega Speedmaster and my heart will skip a beat or two. But alas, I can't afford a Colt Single Action, the wait time for a Randall likely exceeds the time I have left on this earth and my wife would kill me if she spotted a Speedmaster on my wrist. So I make do the best I can. Ruger Blackhawks, some nice Ka-Bars, and for wrist watches a Seiko diver or two.<br />
<br />
Today we'll talk about Seiko Divers, and in particular the rugged, almost bomb-proof Model SKX009.<br />
<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRlIBBhvkJ6P1JQtIS-Kf6_hyphenhyphenbxhO6vo2J3vKpEnm1qsnTl0m_-KBGLLE3MlOtxtL24hYkKG5M6hOxbp8iu383IFpzCS4m6aM1Le0v5DjecCy1gWXs98rJ5D0GUF4hKU4Yf1sFO7AYv8w/s1600/Seiko+Diver2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRlIBBhvkJ6P1JQtIS-Kf6_hyphenhyphenbxhO6vo2J3vKpEnm1qsnTl0m_-KBGLLE3MlOtxtL24hYkKG5M6hOxbp8iu383IFpzCS4m6aM1Le0v5DjecCy1gWXs98rJ5D0GUF4hKU4Yf1sFO7AYv8w/s1600/Seiko+Diver2.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seiko SKX009</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
I've owned several Seiko dive watches down through the years. The first one, a gift from my wife back around 1985, was Seiko's earlier <a href="http://wornandwound.com/2014/07/07/affordable-vintage-seiko-6309/" target="_blank">6309 model</a>. She bought it for me from the Post Exchange in Frankfurt, Germany when I was assigned to the US V Corps HQ. I was thrilled. I had my 'high end' diver. At a time when you could pick up a plain-jane Rolex Oyster through the PX system for about $700 this Seiko was a bit pricey at something like $200. Two hundred bucks was a lot of money to us in those days (particularly with a new baby) and I really appreciated her gift.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJpsFtkqCEYu3bHA7wysTHe9V1qjWn3w3BVF1iwUB4C311cIluSn4Y3z6vBRSKuw9oBKFmkwtUDFZ5Q-rFRGJMCs1cZ-6Nr5Tao_JmWFcE30O_mkn5y1atKAzKL24h3riOK5_eChPNtYQ/s1600/Seiko+6903.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJpsFtkqCEYu3bHA7wysTHe9V1qjWn3w3BVF1iwUB4C311cIluSn4Y3z6vBRSKuw9oBKFmkwtUDFZ5Q-rFRGJMCs1cZ-6Nr5Tao_JmWFcE30O_mkn5y1atKAzKL24h3riOK5_eChPNtYQ/s1600/Seiko+6903.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seiko 6309 circa 1980</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
The 6309 became my daily wear piece. I doubt I took it off even to shower. It got banged up in the normal course of my military duties, the original band ended up being replaced several times over and then one day about five years after Roberta gave it to me it just stopped running. I had a local watch repair shop take a look at it and they reported the bad news - one of the seals had failed, water had leaked into the movement and rusted everything up. The cost of repair exceeded the value of the watch so I just tossed it and moved on.<br />
<br />
For a few years I got pulled over to the dark side, aka, Casio G-Shocks. The G-Shock line came out at about the same time my Seiko died. The military fell in love with the G-Shocks. They were inexpensive, rugged and as accurate as a Swiss chronometer. In fact, I've been told that the Air Force began issuing them to their flight crews and para-rescue personnel. The best part was (from a budget perspective) that they were so cheap they were considered expendable. When they stopped working (usually because the battery died) you just threw them away and issued a replacement.<br />
<br />
I own a number of Casio G-Shocks. They are all wonderfully accurate (particularly the ones that sync with the atomic time signal from Fort Collins, Colorado). But they are machines without a soul - overly complex, often difficult to read, gimmicky and difficult to use. When the manufacturer has to provide a 20 page instruction manual that's your clue that the gimmicks have overwhelmed the basic functionality.<br />
<br />
I need a watch to do two things - display accurate time in a format that is intuitive and easy to read under all conditions and provide a tool for simple timing tasks, like tracking how long the steaks have been on the grill. With its rotating timing bezel the Seiko diver watch accomplishes these tasks with a healthy dose of manly panache.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCX-AC5oQlXtowwn3n7YlEPDqGiPJ2X621xclIb6bsyjtFJZWTNY4ryM7laMG-Rmw2ouPKAzAjbR_8djyKV2M2U6vPtBc_cgcHsosOvk0VP4dm-fC_EJPqEd6MqdL9bKgNqu5hPF4sMok/w1547-h861-no/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCX-AC5oQlXtowwn3n7YlEPDqGiPJ2X621xclIb6bsyjtFJZWTNY4ryM7laMG-Rmw2ouPKAzAjbR_8djyKV2M2U6vPtBc_cgcHsosOvk0VP4dm-fC_EJPqEd6MqdL9bKgNqu5hPF4sMok/w1547-h861-no/" height="356" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Let's keep it simple. I like guns with cylinders that rotate, knives with wooden handles and watches<br />with mechanical guts</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
But I'm under no allusions; the Seiko SKX009 is no Swiss chronometer, or even close to it. While the quality of materials and construction is very high the movement that Seiko puts into these watches offers only middling accuracy and limited features. The <a href="http://www.thepurists.com/watch/features/8ohms/7s26/" target="_blank">Seiko 7s26 movement</a> is a watch movement born of compromise, designed for ease of automated production, ease of service and ruggedness. These movements <i>can</i> be accurate, and I've got watches that use this movement that can hold to less than 20 seconds/day, but I've got other watches using the same movement that struggle to hold to a minute a day. By comparison I have a watch that sells in the same price range as the Seiko SBX009 that uses an analogue quartz movement and it holds to 15 seconds <i>per month</i>.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTWc5kecfmjPBCNQlvKlFUKkuikQqsG0YfuSQSkeytaTNSm0ajqCLOfmnvzNPsYRiR6X11VYft7RvtO7LA79-wnLp53TbtpTS1G5iUKFnJxSCr2gIhwh0wbicU8t5uUjy3tnR2MMagm2U/s1600/underrotor6435s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTWc5kecfmjPBCNQlvKlFUKkuikQqsG0YfuSQSkeytaTNSm0ajqCLOfmnvzNPsYRiR6X11VYft7RvtO7LA79-wnLp53TbtpTS1G5iUKFnJxSCr2gIhwh0wbicU8t5uUjy3tnR2MMagm2U/s1600/underrotor6435s.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 7s26 movement with the winding rotor removed.<br />
Seiko manufactures these by the tens of thousands each year,<br />
Keep in mind that the movement is less than 1 1/2 inches in diameter<br />
and most of the production is done by robots!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The 7s26 is a 21-jewel automatic movement, meaning it is self winding, but it lacks the ability to hand wind the mainspring and it lacks a hacking feature. Hacking is when you pull out the main (winding) stem and the second hand stops. This feature is extremely useful when you want to synchronize your watch with another time piece to gauge its accuracy.<br />
<br />
So, it's a 'good enough' movement. How about the rest of the watch? Well this is really where Seiko shines. Seiko is rightfully proud of its SKX-series of watches and that shows in the overall quality of construction of these time pieces. Polished stainless steel cases, screw-down case backs and crowns with waterproof seals, extremely bright luminescent paint on the watch dial, high quality stainless steel or rubber watch bands and ISO certified water resistance down to 200 feet. These watches are rugged and slick looking little beasts.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/FplMAXOE8JIM5Kat31WEPN62ps8vZ2c-XeaFpFYuyHy1=w1531-h861-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/FplMAXOE8JIM5Kat31WEPN62ps8vZ2c-XeaFpFYuyHy1=w1531-h861-no" height="359" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's been beaten up, beaten on and neglected. And it's still ready to go!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Seiko knows it has a winner on its hands and dresses its Diver line up in a wide variety of dial, hand, bezel and strap combinations. This drives collectors mad, but that's the whole idea. There is an incredibly strong collector market for modern and vintage Seiko diver models that spans the globe, fueled by folks who are captivated by the concept of a relatively inexpensive, rugged and good looking diving watch that offers outstanding service and value.<br />
<br />
I think that describes me...<br />
<br />
Stay sharp!<br />
<br />
- BrianBrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11301078056782961841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268599835944094009.post-52160945036670647342015-04-19T10:43:00.000-04:002015-04-19T10:44:34.799-04:00Aw Snap - An UpdateI've been remiss in posting this, but it's been a busy two months.<br />
<br />
I put up a <a href="http://fineblade.blogspot.com/2015/02/aw-snap.html" target="_blank">blog post back on 28 February</a> lamenting how I broke my Leatherman Blast and had to send it back to Leatherman for repair or replacement.<br />
<br />
I put the tool in the mail the next day and two weeks later almost to the day the UPS man dropped a small box off in my car port.<br />
<br />
Inside was a letter of apology from Leatherman letting me know the Blast was no longer in production but they substituted a newer model as a replacement (I guess it wasn't worth it to them to try to replace the broken screwdriver blade).<br />
<br />
What I got was a Leatherman Rebar. Now, I don't collect Leatherman tools - I just accumulate them and abuse them - so I didn't know anything about this particular model. It turns out the Rebar doesn't match the Blast tool-for-tool; there's a few things missing from the Rebar like scissors (which I actually used fairly often). However, the Rebar offers a few things the Blast didn't, like a dedicated serrated rope cutting blade. an awl (for those of you still into leather crafts) and replaceable wire cutter blades.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilsSxI0kOSVtmBYIfE6mJJ3egtAVdsfZoImkwqo9svWpmh1qgiJ_Fco1Su-8dCE3VDnOyRz9bQKY8qeOTB-pcz8OJDmW16cr1qUOfRsmKUKi_njGyUsh-brxW8sam2naB9OVlPdbv09z0/s1600/20150419_093711.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilsSxI0kOSVtmBYIfE6mJJ3egtAVdsfZoImkwqo9svWpmh1qgiJ_Fco1Su-8dCE3VDnOyRz9bQKY8qeOTB-pcz8OJDmW16cr1qUOfRsmKUKi_njGyUsh-brxW8sam2naB9OVlPdbv09z0/s1600/20150419_093711.jpg" height="400" width="297" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leatherman Rebar</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The Rebar is also a smaller overall package that incorporates a very nice feature - Leatherman 'rolls' the exposed edges of the handle sections, making it very comfortable to grip without having to use the plastic liners found on the Blast.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSnD5QaXBPF0jX3A1Zs7AlGrQ8yxPMQYxGXFuxy7zP1orUAMS47fPIAoo0rQGcecNb-rRQwMPr4p_MaLrqeX4tx9DqF0Kep550afduzeQqmDEQUBNP45Rp9Thc8C9rVQYHafzoadAzi4E/s1600/20150419_093741.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSnD5QaXBPF0jX3A1Zs7AlGrQ8yxPMQYxGXFuxy7zP1orUAMS47fPIAoo0rQGcecNb-rRQwMPr4p_MaLrqeX4tx9DqF0Kep550afduzeQqmDEQUBNP45Rp9Thc8C9rVQYHafzoadAzi4E/s1600/20150419_093741.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Notice the rolled grip edges - makes for a very comfortable grip without adding to the overall width of the tool</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Overall I'm very pleased with the replacement tool. The Rebar is well thought out and well executed and seems to be an overall improvement over the Blast.<br />
<br />
Thanks Leatherman - both for standing behind your warranty and producing excellent products!<br />
<br />
Stay sharp.<br />
<br />
- Brian<br />
<br />Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11301078056782961841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268599835944094009.post-49959823962606157222015-03-17T20:48:00.002-04:002015-03-17T20:48:35.122-04:00Feel That?The earth just shifted on its axis.<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It looks like Glock is set to announce a single-stack sub-compact 9mm pistol at the NRA Convention in Nashville in April. Here's an early picture (not sure which magazine it is from):</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.imgur.com/bsZU8Sk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i.imgur.com/bsZU8Sk.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The soon-to-be released Glock 43 in 9mm</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Of course this <i>could</i> just be a cruel head fake by Glock or other internet pranksters, but there's enough buzz out on the internet right now that leads me to believe it's coming.</div>
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Glock fans (me included) have been griping about Glock's introduction of the small .380 caliber Glock 42 since it was introduced two years ago. It was the right size, just the wrong caliber. </div>
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Of course it will take about a year for supply to catch up with demand and prices to settle out (and I'm really interested in seeing what the Blue Label pricing will be), but this could be the little pistol that pulls me away from my beloved Beretta Nano.</div>
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Or it could all be a cruel hoax. Either way we'll know by tax time.</div>
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Stay sharp!</div>
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- Brian</div>
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Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11301078056782961841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268599835944094009.post-46214620865457862362015-03-15T14:58:00.000-04:002015-03-15T15:08:45.958-04:00The Airweight ChroniclesOne of my particular interests is small pistols designed for discreet, or concealed, carry. The State of Georgia has some of the least restrictive concealed carry firearms laws in the nation. (Yet there's no rivers of blood running in the streets from western-style 'shoot 'em ups' as the anti-gun liberals would have you believe. Georgia's concealed carry permit holders are a remarkably law abiding bunch, with criminal activity rates well below even that of sworn police officers.) This means trying out different small pistols for their 'carry-ability' can become an interesting pastime. Over the past 10 years I've tested a wide variety of pistols under concealed carry conditions, from miniature little .380 pocket guns to compact 9mm's to full size 45 ACP pistols that made a mockery of the very concept of 'concealable'. But the one style of pistol I haven't tried to carry concealed is the revolver. <br />
<br />
Why?<br />
<br />
Well, in the past 15 years or so the firearms manufacturers have flooded the market with new small handgun designs, virtually all of them semi-auto pistols. Smith & Wesson, Ruger, Springfield, Beretta, Kel-Tec, Kimber, Kahr, Sig, Taurus, Glock and several others have each put out at least one, some several, new designs in compact semi-auto pistols in calibers ranging from .32 ACP to 40 S&W. There was a lot to choose from and I spent virtually all of my small pistol time and money investigating a number of these little 'krunchentickers' (as the venerable Jeff Cooper used to call them). Did I have any interest in revolvers? Well yes, but it tended towards the large frame single action models from Ruger. Whenever I looked at a double action revolver my thought was, <i>"that's nice, but it really really doesn't fit any of my needs and besides, it's too 'fat' to adopt as a concealed carry weapon."</i> I have always appreciated the aesthetics of a fine revolver but never thought of one as suitable for concealed carry.<br />
<br />
A few months ago my friend Bill showed up for a range session with an early model Smith & Wesson Airweight. This little revolver had belonged to his late father-in-law and Bill wanted to see how well it shot. Although I have a lot of experience with handguns I could honestly say that I had never pulled the trigger on a loaded Airweight revolver, so I didn't know what to expect. I was intrigued by the light weight of the little gun but expected a harsh recoil experience even with the low power range loads we were shooting. I was pleasantly surprised to find the recoil was not bad at all but the stiff trigger had me printing all over the paper (I wasn't so much as 'grouping' my shots as I was 'clustering' them). I was only mildly intrigued. I had other small handguns with better triggers that I knew I could shoot better so I moved on.<br />
<br />
The pistol we were shooting was a <a href="http://www.snubnose.info/docs/m642.htm" target="_blank">Centennial model</a>. This is S&W's aluminum framed snubnosed revolver first introduced in 1952. It is based on S&W's small J-frame design and sports a five-shot cylinder, a stubby little 1.75" barrel, shortened grip and simplified sights consisting of a fixed front sight blade and a sight channel cut into the frame's top strap. S&W identifies all of their aluminum framed revolvers as part of the 'Airweight' line, and that's how they have come to be referred to in American gun culture. When you say <i>"I'm toting an Airweight"</i> to another gun aficionado he knows immediately what you are talking about. <br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.imfdb.org/images/thumb/6/69/S%26W642Airweight.jpg/400px-S%26W642Airweight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.imfdb.org/images/thumb/6/69/S%26W642Airweight.jpg/400px-S%26W642Airweight.jpg" height="272" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">S&W Centennial Airweight in .38 Special (Model 642).<br />
This is a 'hammerless' design that can only be fired double action.<br />
The current production pistols are rated for +P ammunition</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Bill was interested in using this revolver as a home defense and concealed carry piece, so it came up often in our discussions. My opinion was that its a perfectly suitable little gun but it would need some trigger work. That started a bit of an odyssey into the inner workings of the J-frame trigger via the internet and discussions with a well known local gunsmith.<br />
<br />
It quickly became evident that nobody likes the stock Airweight trigger, and I mean <b style="font-style: italic;">nobody</b>. Even the shills that write for the gun rags and are paid to like S&W products will reluctantly admit that the Airweight triggers suck. While the stock double action trigger is relatively short and smooth, it is extremely heavy. I found this surprising since these little pistols are specifically marketed to women who generally have smaller hands and a weaker grip. Yet S&W must be doing something right because they sell these little guns by the truckload, and as recently as 2006 the Airweight Centennial was S&W's #1 selling firearm.<br />
<br />
The internet also reveals the storied history of the Airweight series and it's obvious that there was a time when the triggers on these little snubbies <b><i>didn't</i></b> suck. For the first 20 years or so of production S&W put a lot of effort into making sure it's J-frame pistols, including the Airweights, left the factory with good triggers. Most of these little revolvers were going straight into the holsters of police officers around the country as back-up weapons. S&W made sure the triggers were good enough to satisfy that very demanding customer base.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-2O5IrRn3hIJJgp3fVuOL9k1DzoxL7CZWtZoukSklFpXZuzX1vrPLhqf0fJro6wsJh5L8c1kDc00dMs-dyAjOwlG8-zG4j9GL8xPRV1gceqNpGEhfZY4VAiS5J89BmgzJdDgWoo0boJs/s1600/IMG_0879.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-2O5IrRn3hIJJgp3fVuOL9k1DzoxL7CZWtZoukSklFpXZuzX1vrPLhqf0fJro6wsJh5L8c1kDc00dMs-dyAjOwlG8-zG4j9GL8xPRV1gceqNpGEhfZY4VAiS5J89BmgzJdDgWoo0boJs/s1600/IMG_0879.jpg" height="337" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The little snub nosed revolver carried nicely in ankle holsters worn by many police officers</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
But times change and in the 1980's police forces started a mass migration away from the revolver as a duty weapon. This had an impact on the market for back-up guns. A young officer issued a shiny new Glock or Sig doesn't want to be seen carrying a back-up gun based on 19th Century technology. He wants something that operates in the same manner as his duty weapon. The market for small frame revolvers slowly dried up and at one point S&W considered stopping production of the little guns. Then something remarkable happened. In the late 1980's, beginning with Florida, states began to liberalize their concealed carry laws that applied to the common citizen. Thousands of law abiding citizens lined up to get the permits that previously were available only to the rich, the famous, the privileged and the connected. Shoppers clutching their new concealed carry permits flooded the gun stores looking for something small, light and easy to carry. Gun shop sales weasels and gun writers began touting the small five-shot revolver as <i>the perfect</i> concealed carry gun. It was easy to check to see if it was loaded or unloaded and had a very simple manual of arms - just point and shoot. No safeties or little switches or levers to manipulate. No slides to rack, no hammers to cock, no magazines to insert. The simple, reliable little snub nosed revolver found a new home in the purses, pockets and pants waists of hundreds of thousands of newly minted concealed carry permit holders.<br />
<br />
S&W couldn't produce their aluminum framed Airweights fast enough. Literally. Demand outstripped supply for a few years, and <i>any</i> J-frame snubbie was a rare sight in a dealer's gun case. The little aluminum framed revolvers hit a sweet spot. The were well made, light weight, fired a 'real' cartridge (.38 Special), relatively small and were offered at a very good price point. But to meet the price point <i>something</i> had to give. What S&W dropped was the labor intensive hand fitting that used to be applied to the guts of these little guns to give them a smooth and reasonably light trigger pull. In the 1990's S&W began to introduce <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metal_injection_molding" target="_blank">MIM</a>-produced parts on its firearms as a way to save production costs and improve parts consistency. Since MIM parts can be manufactured to tighter dimensional tolerances than forged or cast parts the need for final hand fitting on the internals of a revolver was virtually eliminated. But those same human hands, trained in the fitting and mating of intricate fire control components in the guts of a revolver, would also take the time to make sure all the mating surfaces were smoothed and that the trigger pull was at least reasonable. Labor is any company's #1 expense, so to meet the expected price point I'm sure S&W decided that the Airweights didn't need any hand fitting beyond what was necessary to ensure the little things were assembled correctly and would go bang when the hammer falls on a live round.<br />
<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i547.photobucket.com/albums/hh464/SebagoSon/IMG_3470.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i547.photobucket.com/albums/hh464/SebagoSon/IMG_3470.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Virtually all of the interior parts of the S&W J-Frame revolvers are manufactured<br />
using metal injection molding (MIM) processes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Sign of the times I guess.<br />
<br />
As Bill and I continued our conversation about his particular Airweight my other friend and fellow gun nut Jim chimed in with his opinion about snub nosed revolvers. In his mind it was borderline criminal that I didn't have at least one example of this classic design in my collection. Like Jim, I'm a big believer in history and tradition. Heck, my gun safe is full of history and tradition in the form of classic old lever action rifles and single action revolvers. Jim knew just where to poke. I started to think that my collection <i>did</i> need at least one classic snub nosed revolver. But which snubbie should it be?<br />
<br />
Now, I may be a spendthrift, but I'm a cheap one. I do have a budget and these days it's a zero sum gain - sell a gun to buy a gun. I'm also not afraid to get into the guts of a gun and tinker. My light gunsmithing skills are pretty good and I have most of the tools to do the job right. I very quickly concluded that a S&W Airweight Centennial in stainless steel was the right starting point. The Centennial (Model 642) is a 'hammerless' design. That's not entirely true - the revolver does have a hammer but it's completely enclosed in the frame of the gun, which means it can only be fired double action. I also knew the trigger would need work, but the necessary parts and instructions were readily available on the internet.<br />
<br />
I visited a few local gun stores and quickly found a Centennial at the price point I was willing to pay. I hurried off the the range to test fire it and my fears were confirmed. While the trigger pull may seem stiff but manageable at the gun counter, on the range it was all but unmanageable if your goal is any semblance of accuracy at 7 yards. And the lousy sights don't help, especially if you are a 58 year old astigmatic who wears bifocals. But all of this was known and expected, and viewed as challenges to be addressed and overcome.<br />
<br />
The trigger was first. The damned thing was so heavy I couldn't measure it on my trigger pull gauge (which tops out at 10 lbs). I'm guessing it's 13 or more pounds as it came from the factory. I ordered a <a href="http://shopwilsoncombat.com/Custom-Tune-Spring-Kit-SW-J-Frame/productinfo/321/" target="_blank">J-frame spring kit from Wilson Combat</a>. The kit includes an 8 lb. hammer spring and trigger rebound springs in 13, 14 and 15 lb. weights. It's generally accepted that the trigger rebound spring is the #1 culprit in the heavy trigger pull issue so I decided to start with the lightest spring - the 13 lb.<br />
<br />
Next, I studied the work being done by Terry Gardner, the gunsmith in this video. There's several videos on YouTube showing how to work on a S&W J-frame, but Terry offers solid, adult-level advice on what you can, and can't, do with a S&W trigger (you just have to get past the usual 'Nutnfancy' nonsense and shaky camera work, but I do commend him for getting permission to film Terry at work and putting the video together).<br />
<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://ytimg.googleusercontent.com/vi/I4GtXq2XXOI/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/I4GtXq2XXOI?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
It was time to get to work! Last Friday I had some free time so I assembled all the parts and tools and went at it.<br />
<br />
The first thing that struck me is how complex the internals of a revolver are. and all the things that are going on when the trigger is pulled. With a semi-auto pistol like a Glock all the trigger does is release the striker to ignite the primer in the cartridge. The recoil impulse petty much takes care of everything else - it extracts and ejects the spent casing, strips and loads a new round from the magazine and resets the striker and trigger for the next shot. A double action revolver is fundamentally different. Everything happens while the trigger is being pulled, and it all happens simultaneously - the hammer is pulled back against the hammer spring, the trigger rebound spring is compressed, the cylinder stop is dropped and the cylinder is rotated so a new round is brought into alignment with the barrel. This is all dependent on the mechanical force applied against the trigger. S&W has been building revolvers for over 150 years and they got their trigger designs figured out long ago. Where the modern J-frame trigger stumbles is the fact that the internal parts are not as smooth as they could be and the springs are too stiff.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAf4jGMAXlVjo6j37VfXexJ2yfhXCVdho0QY1tRT4Uob6T8FLj-dxvUH7kntbi1uF2j0ypv4YGALT0c7AHJMGZnamp2qbaVRnCjxn6UiNVUTpGgqYqTAFttFFhJA2h2U_jN4xC-Nbm220/s1600/IMG_4856.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAf4jGMAXlVjo6j37VfXexJ2yfhXCVdho0QY1tRT4Uob6T8FLj-dxvUH7kntbi1uF2j0ypv4YGALT0c7AHJMGZnamp2qbaVRnCjxn6UiNVUTpGgqYqTAFttFFhJA2h2U_jN4xC-Nbm220/s1600/IMG_4856.JPG" height="396" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The guts of my Centennial. The factory springs are sitting below the revolver, having been replaced with<br />
lighter versions from Wilson Combat</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The inside of the Centennial is very clean and crisp. The machining is all well executed and there's no metal chips, flakes or other residue left over from the milling process. The parts are well molded, the edges are sharp and well formed. Everything is as clean as a whistle and lightly lubed. The fit of the major components is also excellent. Because it is so precisely fitted the side plate can be tough to get off and when back on the seam between the plate and the frame is almost indistinguishable. Overall I'm impressed.<br />
<br />
Out came the major components - the hammer, trigger rebound slide and trigger assembly - and most of the engagement surfaces got a light stoning using ceramic polishing stones. I'm here to tell you, the MIM parts are as tough as woodpecker lips and I'm certain I didn't stone them as thoroughly as I could have. Everything was cleaned up and reassembled along with the new Wilson Combat springs and given a light lube with Break Free. Next it was off to the range!<br />
<br />
So here's the interesting part. Solving one issue just served to highlight another. The trigger is a good bit smoother and about 2 lbs lighter with the new springs, hovering just a bit over 10 lbs. on my trigger gauge. It is much easier to manage and is no longer the huge distraction it used to be. The big issue now is the sights, or rather the lack of them. At 7 yards I was consistently shooting high, way high. In danger of hitting the target frame high. After about 15 rounds I finally figured out that the point of aim with this little revolver is with the very top of the front sight blade <i>precisely</i> aligned horizontally with the top of the trough engraved in the top strap (aka, the 'rear sight'). Misjudge just a smidge and you'll be shooting over your intended target's head. The problem is, both the front and rear sight are all but indistinguishable from each other. Because they are the same color - silver - they meld into an almost indistinguishable blob at arm's length. I tried to improve things with a quick swipe of White-Out from a bottle I carry in my range bag, but that didn't make much difference. Next I tried running alternating white and red stripes down the back of the sight blade. That may help, but I won't know until my next range visit. I may have to finally admit I've found a pistol where Crimson Trace laser grips are absolutely necessary.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaNnPAy8epYn_sSDQhT68GTiTi189TwPOzUWuf0JQmUMYp0fJIBJTe21IKJGt9KdfupCB8adpiEIaZavF8hy6ppWCdCxnmGMf0GeD-a3SNDqoGQgEIbLUB9n-KHlEKG_Qtgi9M-T2nL_Q/s1600/IMG_4871.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaNnPAy8epYn_sSDQhT68GTiTi189TwPOzUWuf0JQmUMYp0fJIBJTe21IKJGt9KdfupCB8adpiEIaZavF8hy6ppWCdCxnmGMf0GeD-a3SNDqoGQgEIbLUB9n-KHlEKG_Qtgi9M-T2nL_Q/s1600/IMG_4871.JPG" height="400" width="283" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alternating red and white stripes may help.<br />
Or I'll just take the nuclear option and get some laser grips.<br />
(For all you safety nazis out there hyperventilating over what looks<br />
like live rounds in the cylinder, relax. They are inert snap caps)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
So, a lousy stock trigger, lousy sights, only five rounds. Just what does the Airweight offer that makes it so compelling for concealed carry? Here's your answer:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqYMRpZDc0CfQpEu3EPjCYZA9N971xwI8EuNlmW2AXuDJ4JHcxI-xNgVTmR-inri0A8UxZ9tB715QBJ0tvWvU0c5LPKHmCKCT3WFJiQ5BdSXCtT2FMxl5vejOels5N3XUwRn9kNchSLkw/s1600/IMG_4884.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqYMRpZDc0CfQpEu3EPjCYZA9N971xwI8EuNlmW2AXuDJ4JHcxI-xNgVTmR-inri0A8UxZ9tB715QBJ0tvWvU0c5LPKHmCKCT3WFJiQ5BdSXCtT2FMxl5vejOels5N3XUwRn9kNchSLkw/s1600/IMG_4884.JPG" height="400" width="308" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just over a pound, loaded.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
And how does the competition compare? How's about a perennial concealed carry favorite, the Glock 26 with a 10 round magazine at 26.2 ounces:<br />
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Or even my current 9mm carry favorite, the Beretta Nano sporting a 6 round magazine at 23 ounces:<br />
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<br />
It's clear the 'Airweight' term isn't just marketing hype. I carry the pistol in a DeSantis Nemesis pocket holster and it's so light it all but disappears into my pocket.<br />
<br />
But still, the lousy sights. The lousy stock trigger. The limited capacity. Aren't those strong enough reasons to pass the Centennial by in favor of more user friendly handguns? Well yes, I actually agree with that argument. Based on my limited experience with this little revolver I feel it is absolutely the wrong gun to put into the hands of a new shooter who is looking for their first concealed carry pistol. You would be doing them a potentially grave disservice by recommending this particular gun.<br />
<br />
But I'm not a new shooter and I find this little wheelgun compelling in an odd way. It is quirky and full of compromises, but I've seen enough of it to know that it has a lot of potential. Remember my comments (above) about finding the correct sight alignment? Well once I got that figured out I was able to produce 3-shot strings averaging about 4" at 7 yards. That proves that if I do my job this little snubbie has a lot of accuracy potential.<br />
<br />
I guess that's where I'm going with this post. I haven't had to put this much work into a firearm to uncover its potential since I bought a Dan Wesson Model 15 revolver back in the early 80's. I knew there was a lot of accuracy in that quirky revolver, I just had to find ways to squeeze it out. I eventually did, and that Dan Wesson remains the most accurate 38/357 revolver I've ever shot. I feel much the same way about this little Airweight. It is worth the effort to work with it to see just how well it can shoot, and perhaps learn some lessons along the way.<br />
<br />
So welcome to the Airweight Chronicles. And stay tuned.<br />
<br />
- Brian<br />
<br />
<br />Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11301078056782961841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268599835944094009.post-89312321317887187692015-02-28T10:25:00.000-05:002015-02-28T10:30:44.755-05:00Aw SnapI was using my venerable Leatherman Blast the other day to loosen up some screws on a scope mount and things went south. I ended up snapping off a section of the tip of one of the flat screwdriver blades.<br />
<br />
In over 20 years of using Leatherman tools in some pretty ugly ways this is the first time I've had any of their tools fail.<br />
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Looks like I'll be testing out their 25 year guarantee. Stay tuned, and stay sharp!<br />
<br />
- BrianBrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11301078056782961841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268599835944094009.post-19397590467911435732015-02-25T07:20:00.000-05:002015-02-25T07:20:26.528-05:00Chuck Buck<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.buckknives.com/images/general/Chuck_JDeer1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.buckknives.com/images/general/Chuck_JDeer1.jpg" height="238" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I got word today that Chuck Buck, the Chairman of Buck Knives and grandson of the founder, <a href="http://www.buckknives.com/press/charles%20theodore%20buck%20/?trk_msg=EOQOOMFQS6A45081GLPN768PM0&trk_contact=12K1CE28GF2LOG46DFA62GHN84&utm_source=Listrak&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=http%3a%2f%2fwww.buckknives.com%2fpress%2fcharles%2520theodore%2520buck%2520%2f&utm_campaign=In+Memory" target="_blank">passed away in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho on February 6th</a>.<br />
<br />
I had the very good fortune to meet and briefly talk to Chuck twice at trade and outdoor shows, and he was an extremely personable fellow and a fine gentleman.<br />
<br />
Perhaps Chuck's greatest contribution to the American knife culture was his introduction of the <a href="http://fineblade.blogspot.com/2011/08/buck-folding-hunter.html" target="_blank">Buck Folding Hunter</a> (Model 110) in the 1965. It was a design the company's board members didn't think would sell, and at the time even Chuck thought it would have a limited market, selling just to hunters and outdoorsmen. Both were wrong, but in a very good way. The folding hunter went on to be perhaps the best selling folding knife design ever brought to market and is one of the most copied knife designs in the history of cutlery manufacturing.<br />
<br />
Vaya con Dios, Chuck. You will be missed but you left us with a great legacy.<br />
<br />
Stay sharp!<br />
<br />
- BrianBrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11301078056782961841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268599835944094009.post-53322232242127891052015-01-17T22:27:00.001-05:002015-01-18T07:06:00.789-05:00The M-16, Part IILast week in <a href="http://fineblade.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-m-16-part-i.html" target="_blank">Part I of this series</a> I outlined the whys and hows of the M-16's tortured acceptance by the US military. All of what I wrote is public knowledge, well documented and easy to find.<br />
<br />
This second part, however, will outline my personal experience with the M-16 platform that constitutes more of a personal journey of realization and acceptance.<br />
<br />
When I joined ROTC in 1974 I didn't like the M-16. I was a child of the 1950s and 60s. All of the adult males in my life - my father, my uncles, our neighbors, my Boy Scout leaders - all served in the US military during WWII or Korea and for them the M-1 Garand was <i>the</i> weapon of choice. Their experience deeply influenced me and I viewed the Garand (and the newer M-14) as the only acceptable choice for a Soldier. At the same time we were seeing the M-16 almost nightly on the evening news and in magazines like <i>Time</i> and <i>Life</i>. While the M-16 was cool looking I had the vague sense that it didn't offer enough 'punch' and that the Army and Marines were going to go back to the good old hard hitting M-14 once all this Vietnam silliness was over. I also remember hearing the reports about the unreliability of the M-16 and I'm sure that colored my perceptions.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTeyY_77BkU3UChpU-VYSQY02-s8PjptOB8jo7wQFSXqw1Tu8M-" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="259" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTeyY_77BkU3UChpU-VYSQY02-s8PjptOB8jo7wQFSXqw1Tu8M-" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Real men carried big heavy rifles... or so I was told</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
In ROTC all we used were M-14s. We learned to field strip them, clean them, maintain them and march with them. Our armory only had one or two M-16s for familiarization, and those got pulled out only for the cadets who were headed off to ROTC Summer Camp.<br />
<br />
My first real introduction to the M-16 came in 1977 at ROTC Summer Camp at Fort Lewis. There wasn't an M-14 in sight. We were issued M-16's on day one and we lived with those rifles for the next six weeks. Our platoon sergeant, SFC Louis B. Pincock, hammered rifle cleaning and maintenance into us with a 5 lb sledge hammer. He was hell on any cadet with a dirty rifle. In part because that's just the way NCOs are, but also because, as a Vietnam vet with three combat tours, he understood firsthand the necessity of keeping your weapon clean.<br />
<br />
Truth be told, we over-cleaned the damned things. It's what Soldiers do. Attention to detail, cleanliness, good order and discipline, all that stuff, A sparkling clean rifle goes right along with a sparkling clean latrine and a mirror polish on Corcoran jump boots. It makes a good NCO happy. But it's unnecessary (the sparkling clean rifle part - I'm all for sparkling clean latrines and a mirror polish on the toe caps of a pair of Corcoran jump boots is a thing to behold).<br />
<br />
SFC Pincock also let us know that he thought the M-16 was a fine rifle for killing Viet Cong and North Vietnamese regulars. The Special Forces combat patch on his right shoulder clearly indicated that he'd spent a lot of time looking down the sights of an M-16 so his opinion carried a lot of weight with a bunch of no-nothing cadets.<br />
<br />
In late 1979 I went on active duty. The very first M-16 I was issued, at Fort Bragg, was so old it was stamped 'Colt AR-15/XM-16E1'. It rattled like hell but shot just fine. On my first trip to the range with the rifle I shot Sharpshooter, and that's more a testament to the rifle's shooting ability than mine.<br />
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEh7jeKFTWyA3241Fr6jnYOfC4YhC8ksgAiFQz6gxq1UHeYqvtfSPtbdUr6VZwmzfeC6zs11eIhYBbUUEuO3t_cAM-h_gfzZHXEdOa8yREuCJ5Hs355FeSvlYyUn0j9YCQl954DwO31ilVh0-F4lL8kaiQ1m8nAjEVeVItXIwmWBMuF1pNCWK-moUXgs=" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEh7jeKFTWyA3241Fr6jnYOfC4YhC8ksgAiFQz6gxq1UHeYqvtfSPtbdUr6VZwmzfeC6zs11eIhYBbUUEuO3t_cAM-h_gfzZHXEdOa8yREuCJ5Hs355FeSvlYyUn0j9YCQl954DwO31ilVh0-F4lL8kaiQ1m8nAjEVeVItXIwmWBMuF1pNCWK-moUXgs=" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No, not my rifle, but the one I was issued at Fort Bragg in<br />
1980 was marked the same way. And it was a fine shooter</td></tr>
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Twenty three years later when I put in my retirement papers my assigned weapon was an M-16A2 manufactured by FN out of South Carolina. It too shot just fine. In the intervening years I carried dozens of M-16s (A1 and A2 models) in combat zones or places where the natives were pissed enough at us to start popping off rounds. I've also shot dozens more under range conditions and as a platoon leader and small unit commander in Germany, Fort Bragg, Panama and Fort Hood I've been responsible for the maintenance of over 100 more rifles in places like the jungles of Panama and the deserts of Kuwait.<br />
<div>
<br />
I can count the number of malfunctions that were the fault of the rifle on the fingers of one hand, and have digits left over. In fact, I can only recall three issues that could be traced directly back to a mechanical problem with the rifle - one was a damaged gas tube, another was a bent barrel (yes, a bent barrel) and the last one was with a very early issue M-16 (by serial number) that, in the words of our armorer, was "just worn out and too tired to run".<br />
<br />
All of the remaining reliability issues I experienced or observed were the fault of the magazines. Well into the mid-1980's the Army continued to issue 20 round magazines, many of which dated to the Vietnam era. Finding magazines with weak springs or damaged feed lips was common. If we had an issue on the range the standard practice was to just swap out magazines and the problem would go away. Later, when new production 30 round magazines were introduced the reliability issues all but disappeared.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.copesdistributing.net/images/HPIM1558.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.copesdistributing.net/images/HPIM1558.JPG" height="285" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New production mil-spec 30 round magazines tend to cure most M-16<br />
reliability problems. But when they don't work any more don't try to fix them.<br />
Toss them and get replacements!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I quickly developed a deep respect for the M-16 platform and that respect continues right up to this day.<br />
<br />
Perhaps the real test is the question, <i>"If you had to choose a rifle to carry into battle today would you unhesitatingly select the M-16?" </i>My answer is an unflinching <i>"Yes!"</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Now let's consider another question: <i>"Can the M-16 platform be improved?"</i> Anyone who says <i>"No"</i> is a fool. The M-16 is a tool, a mechanical device, and like any mechanical device can be improved upon. As experience with any tool increases the user finds ways to make it more reliable. effective and easy to use. So it is with the M-16. Since the 1960s the M-16 has undergone a number of product improvements to increase reliability, shootability and service life; chrome lined barrel, better sights, different rifling twists, improved flash hider, improved stock and hand guards, reinforced lower receiver, and more. Perhaps the biggest improvement has been the successful shortening of the M-16 by Colt to produce the M-4 Carbine. Shortened versions of the M-16 had been tried since the rifle was first fielded in Vietnam, but reliability was always an issue. In the late 1980's Colt did extensive development and testing to produce the reliable and accurate <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M4_carbine" target="_blank">M-4 Carbine</a>. It was so successful that it became the rifle that has taken the US military through the Global War on Terror on battlefields across the globe. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/U.S._Army_Capt._Kristopher_Melton,_with_the_2nd_Brigade_Special_Troops_Battalion,_2nd_Brigade_Combat_Team,_10th_Mountain_Division,_aims_his_M4_carbine_downrange_at_Khair_Kot_Garrison,_Paktika_province_130606-A-NQ567-015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/U.S._Army_Capt._Kristopher_Melton,_with_the_2nd_Brigade_Special_Troops_Battalion,_2nd_Brigade_Combat_Team,_10th_Mountain_Division,_aims_his_M4_carbine_downrange_at_Khair_Kot_Garrison,_Paktika_province_130606-A-NQ567-015.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The M-4 Carbine kitted out with an Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight - a deadly combination</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
While my personal experience is all with the full-sized M-16 I've had the chance to talk with perhaps a dozen Soldiers about their opinions of the M-4. One was an senior Engineer NCO with multiple deployments to Iraq, one was an SF Medic with multiple deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan the the Horn of Africa and the rest were Soldiers in Kuwait, fresh out of the fight in Iraq. To a man they either praised the M-4 or expressed grudging respect for it. The Engineer NCO in particular felt the M-4 was the best battle rifle he ever carried. He praised it as being, <i>"very handy, easy to maneuver inside of vehicles, reliable and deadly accurate inside of 100 meters."</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
I tend to believe my own experience and that of people who have actually used the rifle in combat vs. those that glean all their expertise from the internet or other second hand sources. The M-16 and M-4 are two of the best battle rifles available today.<br />
<br />
But is the M-16 <b><i>the</i></b> best? Are there better designs and better calibers that would make for a better battle rifle? Aaaah, that's a topic for another time!<br />
<br />
- Brian</div>
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</div>
This is a blog post series I've been meaning to write for a long, long time. <br />
<br />
<div>
For the past 14 years or so the AR-15, the civilian version of the M-16 rifle, has been all the rage among shooters. There are more manufacturers turning out their own versions of the AR-15 and variants than Carter's got little liver pills.<br />
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<a href="http://www.colt.com/portals/0/productimages/2014/AR15A4_700w.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.colt.com/portals/0/productimages/2014/AR15A4_700w.png" height="115" width="400" /></a></div>
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What drove the popularity of a once maligned rifle platform? Simple - the news images of America's sons and daughters carrying the M-16 and it's carbine variant the M-4 into battle across the Middle East. The M-4 in particular captured America's eye. While based on a 55 year old design, the M-4 got a cosmetic make-over that turned it downright sexy. Colt sawed off the carrying handle to mount a wide range of optical sights, installed a collapsible stock, slapped on a fore grip that could take all manner of lights and lasers and suddenly the M-4 was the star of the show - literally. Thousands and thousands of photos and videos hit the internet showing America's Soldiers with the Colt M-4 hanging across their chest. America's fighting men and women never went anywhere without their M-4s. On battlefields in Iraq, Afghanistan and the other piss-holes we found ourselves killing terrorists in, the M-4 was the ubiquitous symbol of American military might. In perhaps its greatest starring role it was a Colt M-4, in the hands of a US Navy SEAL, that fired the double-tap that put out Osama bin Laden's lights.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://static.progressivemediagroup.com/uploads/imagelibrary/Colt_M4_Carbine_Army.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://static.progressivemediagroup.com/uploads/imagelibrary/Colt_M4_Carbine_Army.jpg" height="241" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Colt M4 cabine in the hands of an American Soldier somewhere in Afghanistan.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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What also spurred the popularity of the AR-15 platform was the 2008 presidential election and the ushering in of a blatantly anti-gun chief executive, who brought on-board an equally anti-gun administration and emboldened anti-gun forces in Congress and those working out of K Street in Washington DC. The American public realized long before the November 2008 election that Barack Obama would likely win the next election and that triggered a nation-wide firearm and ammo buying frenzy the likes of which had never been seen. </div>
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The AR-15 had long been at the top of the 'hit list' maintained by numerous anti-gun groups simply because it looks scary. In fact, the AR-15 had been singled out by the Clinton administration back in 1995 when he got a law (with a 10 year sunset provision) through Congress that banned the sale of AR-15s that sported such deadly accouterments such as flash hiders and bayonet lugs. Clinton's ban was the triumph of political showmanship over substance. Even today the Clintonistas claim that the ban of cosmetic features made the world a safer place, while the FBI provides crime statistics for the 1995 - 2005 period that proves the banning of AR - style rifles had zero impact on crime anywhere in the US.</div>
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Yet the AR-15 is still a 55 year old design that has received relatively few updates since <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_Stoner" target="_blank">Eugene Stoner</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ArmaLite" target="_blank">ArmaLite</a> introduced it to the world back in the mid-1950s. That alone is a testament to the soundness of the design. In the hands of the US military the rifle has gone through a few product improvement cycles starting with a critical upgrade right after it was first widely fielded in Vietnam in 1965. From that time most of the upgrades have focused on usability issues - better sights, improved stocks, different flash hider designs, heavier barrels designed to fire varying ammunition loads. However, the basic operating design - the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_impingement" target="_blank">direct gas impingement</a> design developed by Eugene Stoner - remains essentially unchanged. It is this direct gas impingement system that generates the most discussion when talk starts up about the M-16's reliability.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA_wrDm8egdHrytXpkhGpFIa_-Sq0682HVSnNyAjQlVacz3_HMrJ6kmKXjwpPKa_iSVNcSJ5a_g5cWIzZ2S6bNf8WBATi0pe-BQCR5A7_xJlmcs_uIS8XacHne67DCzhvON2p2MXVIKeI/s1600/Eugene+Stoner.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA_wrDm8egdHrytXpkhGpFIa_-Sq0682HVSnNyAjQlVacz3_HMrJ6kmKXjwpPKa_iSVNcSJ5a_g5cWIzZ2S6bNf8WBATi0pe-BQCR5A7_xJlmcs_uIS8XacHne67DCzhvON2p2MXVIKeI/s1600/Eugene+Stoner.JPG" width="363" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eugene Stoner, firearms engineer extraordinaire, standing next to a display of some of his designs</td></tr>
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Stoner specifically selected the gas impingement system with the goal of keeping the rifle as light as possible while still maintaining a high level of reliability. In more traditional full auto and semi-auto rifle designs a small amount of gas pressure is bled off behind the bullet as it travels down the barrel. This gas is routed through a small hole in the barrel into a chamber where the rapidly expanding gas pushes against a piston. This piston pushes against an operating rod that is attached to the rifle's bolt. The gas pressure against the piston/operating rod assembly is enough to force the rifle's bolt to move rearward, unlocking it from the receiver and extracting and ejecting the spent casing. A large recoil spring captures and reverses the bolt's rearward movement, forcing it forward to strip a fresh round of ammunition from a magazine or clip, pushing the round into the rifle's chamber and locking the bolt closed. The rifle is ready to fire again. If you close your eyes and try to visualize the mechanics of what I just described you understand two things - the piston/operating rod combination adds weight to the rifle, and when the operating rod is moving under recoil there's a lot of moving mass right beside or below the barrel, negatively impacting accuracy.<br />
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The genius of Eugene Stoner's design is that he eliminated the gas piston/operating rod assembly and brought the gas pressure directly back to the bolt assembly. The M-16 design has a small gas tube that runs along the top of the barrel from the bleed hole near the muzzle and directly to the bolt carrier assembly. The gas comes straight back through the gas tube and pushes against the gas key which is part of the bolt carrier. This rearward movement unlocks the bolt and extracts and ejects the spent casing. Another example of Stoner's genius is that he put all critical recoil components - the barrel and chamber, bolt and bolt carrier and recoil spring and buffer - in a straight line. This means all recoil forces are aligned, greatly reducing the impact any moving parts may have on overall accuracy. The M-16 design has a lot of inherent accuracy.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/M16_rifle_Firing_FM_23-9_Fig_2-7.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/M16_rifle_Firing_FM_23-9_Fig_2-7.png" height="261" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The AR-15/M-16 direct gas impingement system</td></tr>
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So if the design is so good why all the criticism? For a couple of reasons.<br />
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First, there's no wood or heavy steel in the rifle's design. You have to keep in mind that when this rifle was introduced to the US Army back in the early 1960's the venerable M-1 Garand and its replacement the M-14 were the Infantryman's weapon of choice. The M-1 had, quite literally, won the war. During WWII the M-1 put an unprecedented amount of firepower into the hands of American servicemen on battlefields around the globe. It was a much loved and respected rifle, A lot of American GIs made it home from the war because the firepower the M-1 provided gave them a decided advantage over their German or Japanese adversaries using 19th Century designed bolt action rifles. In the minds of America's military leaders and millions of veterans a real battle rifle was made of American wood and ordnance steel.<br />
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Next, the M-1 fired a 'manly' cartridge, the .30-06 round. Now, the .30-06 is a very good rifle round. It has a flat trajectory and a lot of knock-down and killing power well out beyond 500 yards. But studies during WWII showed that the average Infantryman didn't try to engage targets much beyond 300 yards - that job was left to the heavy machine guns and artillery. The .30-06 is also a large and heavy round and has one heck of a kick. In the late 1950's and early 1960's there was a lot of discussion about the lethality of large rifle bullets like the .30-06 as compared to smaller fast moving bullets if used within the 300 yard engagement limit. Research showed that out to 300 yards smaller diameter, fast moving and slightly unstable bullets were just as effective at killing lightly clothed enemy soldiers as the larger and heavier .30-06 bullet. But the US Army Ordnance Corps and the Springfield Armory were not swayed by these test results. In a nod to modern ballistics developments and NATO pressure they downsized the .30-06 to develop the 7.62 mm round (.308 caliber) for use in the new M-14 rifle. Still it was a minor give as the new round essentially duplicated the ballistics of the venerable .30-06. In their collective minds only a powerful 30 caliber bullet could meet the individual Infantryman's needs.<br />
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By comparison the AR-15 fired a 5.56 mm (22 caliber) round that started life as the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.222_Remington" target="_blank">222 Remington</a> - a fast moving, flat shooting commercial cartridge designed for hunting small game. Eugene Stoner redesigned the round and gave it a 55 grain bullet. He gave the AR-15's barrel a 1:12 rifling twist, just barely enough stabilize the bullet out to 300 yards. Because the bullet was flying on the very edge of stability this meant that when it hit a soft target like a human body the bullet tumbled around inside the body. This is what made the 5.65 round so lethal - more lethal in fact than the heavier hitting 30 caliber rounds that tended to just pass right through the body while doing minimal tissue damage.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYLwCgFSVxR7_KC0IEzjR4fwJEgSmdA7FpaNjG83FMRXyMrbQs1MJvjHdEh3aNghUCk8I6QEx5WecSWGrHnjdld_C7gNwN-QUDXbRkddZzrqWJNVoAnLKmTUHI9ZtGM-T1xYgx6RFmz-w/s1600/cartride+comparison.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYLwCgFSVxR7_KC0IEzjR4fwJEgSmdA7FpaNjG83FMRXyMrbQs1MJvjHdEh3aNghUCk8I6QEx5WecSWGrHnjdld_C7gNwN-QUDXbRkddZzrqWJNVoAnLKmTUHI9ZtGM-T1xYgx6RFmz-w/s1600/cartride+comparison.JPG" width="257" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 5.56 mm round (right) compared to the 7.62 mm round.<br />
The 5.56 round actually produces more tissue damage within<br />
normal engagement ranges</td></tr>
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So along comes this futuristic rifle made of aluminum and plastic, with just a bit of steel. Even worse, it fires a puny little cartridge that started life as something designed for shooting varmints. The small arms policy makers in the Army Ordnance Corps were having none of it. However, the Ordnance boys didn't count on four factors: General Curtis LeMay, Vietnam, The US Army Special Forces and Robert McNamara.<br />
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General LeMay was Chief of Staff of the Air Force in the early 1960's. He was also a gun nut, One of the problems he faced was a lack of small arms for his base defense forces. His Airmen didn't need big, heavy M-1s or M-14s, they needed lighter, smaller rifles. The stock of M-1 Carbines the Air Force was currently using was rapidly wearing out and LeMay needed something new. He was introduced to the AR-15 by Colt Firearms (which had purchased the manufacturing rights to the AR-15 from Armalite) and immediately fell in love with the rifle. LeMay was not the least bit put off by the materials used in the AR-15. Hell, he had fleets supersonic nuclear bombers made of the same stuff, and they performed just fine. In his mind there was no reason a perfectly good rifle couldn't be made of aluminum and plastic. LeMay put in an order for several thousand AR-15's. Congress quickly squashed the order, but LeMay and the Air Force remained convinced that this newfangled rifle was just what they needed and kept up pressure to have it adopted.<br />
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At the same time Vietnam was heating up. President Eisenhower got us involved and JFK expanded that involvement. Reports coming back from advisers clearly indicated that the big, heavy M-1 Garand was too much rifle for the small, wiry South Vietnamese soldiers. The M-1 Carbine was extremely popular but it was increasingly hard to get reliable stocks of the rifles and the cartridge it fired, the .30 Carbine, was underpowered. Small lots of the M-16 made their way to Vietnam for testing and the rifle got rave reviews from both the advisers and the South Vietnamese army. It was the right rifle firing the right cartridge for the type of war that was being fought.<br />
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The US Army Special Forces got involved in early testing and evaluation of the AR-15, including the advisory role discussed above. From the beginning they loved the rifle. It provided just the right combination of light weight and firepower they badly needed in places like Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. Before long the green beret and the M-16 rifle became the universal symbols of the US Army Special Forces Soldier. As JFK's administration expanded the Special Forces role in Vietnam the AR-15 became more ubiquitous in press photos and news footage. The AR-15 became the rifle the 'cool guys' in tiger stripe camouflage and boonie hats were using to kill the godless commies all over Southeast Asia.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.bragg.army.mil/PublishingImages/bronzebruce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.bragg.army.mil/PublishingImages/bronzebruce.jpg" height="400" width="271" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Bronze Bruce" (or as we used to call him, the 'gay beret').<br />
This statue stood for decades outside the US Army Special Forces Museum on Ardennes Road on Fort Bragg.<br />
Originally dedicated in 1968 as a memorial to all US Special Forces Soldiers, <br />
the statue reinforces the image of the M-16 as the indispensable tool of the freedom fighter</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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But until Robert McNamara got involved the AR-15 program was moving forward in fits and starts. McNamara was Secretary of Defense in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. He was one of the 'wiz kids' Kennedy brought on board to help modernize government operations. McNamara had served in the Army Air Corps during WWII as a program analyst, helping develop the statistical models that gauged the effectiveness of various bombing and air logistics operations. After the war he was hired to turn the Ford Motor Company around and soon found himself in charge of the whole enterprise. Kennedy hired him away from Ford and made him Secretary of Defense with orders to modernize the DoD's development and procurement processes. The AR-15 program quickly caught his eye as an example of all that was wrong with weapons development in the Army. Field commanders in Vietnam were begging for the new AR-15 rifle, but Army Ordnance was pushing back claiming the AR-15 wasn't ready and wasn't what they really needed. McNamara stepped in and directly ordered the Chief of Staff of the Army to get the standardized version of the AR-15, designated the M-16, out to the field without further delay.<br />
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The Army Ordnance managers still got their digs in by altering the ballistic requirements for the rifle's 5.56 round so that it shot 'dirtier' (left more fouling powder residue in the rifle) and then failing to issue cleaning kits with the rifles. Eugene Stoner had once claimed that the rifle was 'almost self-cleaning', but that claim was based on a very specific rifle powder type and charge combination developed by Stoner himself. In an example of institutional petulance with a strong hint of criminal intent, Army Ordnance leadership decided to take Stoner at his word and shipped thousands of M-16's and the wrong type of ammunition to Vietnam. What happened were incidents that mar the rifle's reputation to this day - in combat the M-16's fouled and stopped working. Without cleaning kits the Soldiers had no options and many died surrounded by jammed rifles.<br />
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News of the rifle's failure was splashed across America's newpapers and TV news reports. Congress ordered an immediate investigation and the ammunition and lack of cleaning equipment were quickly identified as the main culprits. The report also recommended applying a chrome plating to the chamber and bore of the rifle barrels to reduce the likelihood of casings getting stuck in the chamber and to reduce rusting. Once these changes were put in place the rifle went from being a jam-prone piece of junk to a highly reliable, accurate and extremely effective battle rifle.<br />
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McNamara would later get his revenge by shutting down the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springfield_Armory" target="_blank">Springfield Armory</a>, home of many of the top Ordnance personnel that had stonewalled the M-16's development and fielding.<br />
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The M-16 became the Army's standard service rifle in 1967. Fourty seven years later it is still America's standard service rifle, and has seen reliable and effective service in at least eight wars or armed conflicts (Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, Desert Storm, Mogadishu, the Balkans, Iraq, Afghanistan and perhaps half a dozen other piss holes we found ourselves killing bad guys in). The rifle is well respected by most of those who have actually carried it and used it in sustained ground combat.<br />
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But it still can't get an even break!<br />
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The internet is rife with stories of failures of the M-16 and M-4. You'd swear from reading these 'reports' that we lost about a battalion's worth of Soldiers every day in Iraq and Afghanistan because of the alleged failures of the M-16 or M-4 design.<br />
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Bullshit.<br />
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Even General Robert Scales wrote an <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/01/gun-trouble/383508/?single_page=true" target="_blank">article for The Atlantic</a> back in January 2014 that seemed to crucify the rifle (even though Scales admits that his initial exposure to the M-16's 'failures' was more related to his own leadership failure to make sure his Soldiers cleaned their weapons). Kyle Mizokami at the <a href="https://medium.com/war-is-boring/the-m-4-carbine-is-here-to-stay-fe9012f293f4" target="_blank">War Is Boring</a> blog did a pretty good take down of Scales' criticisms.<br />
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Other 'experts' keep comparing the M-16 to the Russian AK-47 and other AK-series rifles. Because (they claim) you can fill an AK-47 with thick mud and it'll still operate that makes it sooooo much better than the M-16. While I'll admit that the AK can be more reliable, it's also inherently inaccurate and ergonomics are lousy. Here's a hint - the Russians (and before them the Soviets) don't teach rifle marksmanship. Why bother when you can't hit a damned thing with an AK out beyond 100 yards. The Russians teach 'suppressive fire' - using the AK as a bullet hose to force the enemy to keep his head down and, if fortune smiles, perhaps get a hit or two. Yes there are countries that have adopted the AK design and modified it for their own purposes. The Finnish Valmet and Israeli Galil rifles copied the AK gas piston system and both are very good rifles, but the re-design and improved production processes didn't really yield a rifle that was more reliable AND more accurate than the M-16. Plus they weigh a lot more than an equivalent sized M-16 or M-4.<br />
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The other reason the AK-47 is so reliable is because it was designed with sloppy tolerances. Why? Because the Russians (and those they sell the rifle to) never clean them. Ever seen a Russian issue cleaning kit for an AK? Naaa, me either. Maintenance on an AK normally consists of dipping it in a tank of diesel fuel to loosen the crud, then pouring half a quart of motor oil into the receiver to lube it. The point here is that the AK is designed for a peasant society that will receive a minimal amount of firearms training and who's vocabulary has no equivalent for the terms 'accuracy' and 'precision'.<br />
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For the American Soldier steeped in the lore of the skilled rifleman and highly trained in the concepts of marksmanship, fire discipline and weapons maintenance an accurate and deadly rifle like the M-16 is a much more effective tool.<br />
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Before closing this segment of the discussion of the M-16 let me recommend a great video on the history of the M-16, part of the History Channel's 'Tales Of The Gun' series.<br />
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- Brian<br />
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(PS - stay tuned for Part II)</div>
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11301078056782961841noreply@blogger.com1