Quantcast
Channel: The Abode of McThag
Viewing all 13088 articles
Browse latest View live
↧

Documentation

September 24, 2015, 4:18 pm
$
0
0
If I'd known that I'd need to prove I was doing what I did 25 years ago I'd have demanded some sort of documents.

Alas.

Until recently the only thing affected was my pride.  My pride is OK with people not believing me, but when I come to find out that if I had a shred of paperwork associated with those six months the floodgates of money and aid would open for me...

Just damn.
↧
Search

Bad Thought

September 24, 2015, 7:03 pm
$
0
0
I would be inordinately amused if little Ahmed's "invention" turns into a real bomb before meeting President Obama.

Is it illegal for me to say that?  I lost track.
↧
↧

Again Where Did The Time Go

September 24, 2015, 8:54 pm
$
0
0
The 23rd of this month marks my 18th year of living in Florida.

Holy Hanna.

I really aren't from Iowa any more.  I am from Florida now.
↧

Boehner Stuns Congress

September 25, 2015, 11:46 am
$
0
0
Thrills voters!

He's stepping down!

I need some champagne!

Of course he'll be replaced by someone equally milquetoast.  But I get to be happy for a couple hours.
↧

Tough Shit

September 25, 2015, 11:53 am
$
0
0
"SGT" Bowe Bergdahl too fragile for jail time?

How many cliches are there for this bullshit?

I guess, "if you can't do the time, don't do the crime," is most apt.

OK, Bowe, you can't handle prison, I've a solution.

Step forward and the rope will catch you.

See how compassionate I am?  No jail time!

Everybody wins!
↧
↧

My Comment On Banning Domestic Trade In Ivory

September 25, 2015, 5:55 pm
$
0
0
Banning the sale of existing ivory in the US is not going to have one iota of an effect on living elephants in Africa.
To be blunt, the horse is not only already out of the barn, it's past being put out to stud and now resides in a bottle of glue.
Never mind that bans on drugs have done nothing to eliminate them from being commonly available; all a ban will do is make what illicit ivory there is more valuable making it even more lucrative to poach what elephants remain.
A steady, legal, supply of ivory from trophy hunting and safaris ensures the conservation of the animals in the wild and drops the price of ivory well below the level required to make poaching worth the efforts and risks. Additionally, as can be observed where Cecil the lion was killed, now that legal hunting of lions by tourist hunters has been banned, the locals are actively wiping them out. There's nothing in it for them to keep a living apex predator around without the money coming in from hunters.
The same applies to elephants. Elephants are a monstrous burden on the residents of African nations, a burden that is mitigated and eliminated by the profligate spending of hunters willing to wade through the morass of licenses, transport and graft to go on a legal hunt.
Once again the government decides that it must do something and since an outright ban is something it decides it must do that; rather than rationally examining the problem at hand and doing something that would actually be positive for everyone involved except those already profiting from illegal ventures.
A better model to apply to the problem would be that of domestic hunting, there are more deer, ducks and other game in the US now than before Columbus landed. Despite thousands of hunters shooting thousands of deer every year, they are not in any danger of extinction, and in fact my be nearing overpopulation.
Additionally all of this ignores that the primary market for illicit ivory is not the United States at all, but Asia, where this ban will have exactly zero effect.

More here, including links to the rule's text and comment form.
↧

Reality Testing

September 26, 2015, 5:22 pm
$
0
0
One of the things that drew me to GURPS was that it used real units for most everything.

That meant that you didn't need to convert those real-world units into the game's units.

Where I start to lose my hair is when I have sources that disagree about things like weight.

Take the XM177E2, for example.

The stats from GURPS: SEALs in Vietnam are:


The weights as given in POMM 9-1005-294-14/1 (July 1967) are:


And my XM177E2 clone on the scale:


Sabrina should be a little heavy because she's semi-auto and has a solid rather than baffled moderator.  But 6 lb. 14.0 oz. is 6.875 lb. rounding to 6.9 lb.

So we go with the weight I've measured when I run SEALs in Vietnam.

I was a playtester for GURPS: SEALs in Vietnam, and I frequently bumped heads with the author about things like weight.  Considering how he'd dismiss several authors out of hand for making stuff up, I'd press him on his sources...  It was often obscure, expensive and rare.

His source for the weight of the XM177E2 seems to be Kevin Dockery's Special Warfare Special Weapons.  There the XM177E2 is 6.77 lb. with a 30-rounder and sling.  A 30 rounder is 1.02 lb. loaded and the sling is 0.40 lb.  Dropping the empty weight to 5.35 lb.  Add a loaded 20 rounder back on (+ 0.71 lb.) and you're at 6.06 lb. which will round down to 6.

I occasionally wonder if Mr Dockery was weighing an XM177E2 that had its moderator replaced with a normal flash-hider and aluminum stock replaced with a fiberlite® one.  That's half a pound right there (0.33 for the stock and 0.2 for the muzzle device)!  Hmmmmm, still short some.
↧

Before The War On Terror

September 27, 2015, 11:27 am
$
0
0
Did you know that there were veterans before the war on terror?

And before the Gulf War?

A local photographer doing a rather neat art project didn't.

Someday the Cold War is going to be called "The Forgotten World War".
↧
Search

Because It Took Me This Long To Calm Down

September 27, 2015, 12:55 pm
$
0
0
I really, REALLY, hate guilt by association.

I've ranted about NFATCA before.  Several times.

On Facebook, on Tam's feed, I had a chance to confront the president of NFATCA about their role in getting 41P rolling.

He just doesn't see it.  That makes me sad.

One thing he did say in his reply was that he'd personally seen a forbidden person attempt to buy NFA stuff through a trust.

WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH ME AND MY TRUST??

That's exactly the same logic the gun banners use when they say "if just one life is saved".  Because to them since there's criminals breaking the laws with guns, we have to ban guns.

So since one person (and the only case I've ever heard of and only from the president of NFATCA) allegedly broke the law using an NFA trust, then everyone with an NFA trust is now suspect?  Every NFA trust was established with the idea of thwarting law enforcement?

Since the petition that got this ball rolling included the elimination of the CLEO sign off for individual manufacture and transfer someone there must understand the guilty until proven innocent nature of CLEO sign off.  One cannot help to think that they believe those of us with those trusts must be guilty and deserving of such scrutiny from our local chief law enforcement officer. 

With "friends" like this, we surly do not need enemies.
↧
↧

Another Example

September 28, 2015, 9:23 am
$
0
0
Considered by many as the best of the period military Mausers, the Brazilian model 1908 was made by DWM (actually this specimen is part of a subcontract let to Mauser by DWM - hence the Oberndorf address instead of Berlin on the side rail) and features a 29-1/4” barrel, tangent leaf rear sight graduated to 2000 meters, five round magazine, H style bayonet lug and quick detach adjustable sling. It is in original condition with all matching serial numbers including all bolt parts, bottom metal and stock. It retains a strong 95% original blue with the bright action being a fairly uniform silver-gray. The bore is smooth and shiny with strong, sharp rifling and the bolt face is clean and smooth. The stock is completely sound with a moderate amount of scattered light to moderate handling marks. The original sling is supple with no cracking or crazing. An especially nice example of one of the best Mausers of the period and a scarce version at that! If you have questions please email us by clicking on “Ask seller a question” under the flag above.Within 24 hours the buyer will be sent an invoice detailing all information necessary to complete the transaction. This was previewed on www.tangoyankee.com
A signed FFL or C&R (FFL for NJ - no C&R) is required and shipping will be $35 (that includes insurance) to the license address in the lower 48 (we DO SHIP to CA [if item is allowed there] - for AK & HI; please email for shipping).
15-37-12 14/775.13;14/775.14;14/750.11;14/750.11;14/725.119p7oLB177.193
Who We Are: The folks here at TANGO YANKEE have been dealing in good faith, with a flawless reputation for honesty and integrity, for over 50 years in the field of antique and modern firearms and firearms related items. Our experience was gained through retail sales since the early 1960’s, design and manufacture dating back to the early 1970’s, and association with the most prestigious firearms specialty merchants and auction houses in the U.S. from the early ought’s to the present. We are incorporated in the state of NH, hold a Federal Firearms License (FFL), NH Auctioneers License (6041, B. Pagano) & MA Auctioneers License (3170, B. Pagano), are fully insured, bonded to $350,000 and can provide references on request. 
Our Descriptions: While we may list multiples of the same item and duplicate much of the description copy, each description is tailored to the specific item in that listing. We bend every effort to describe items honestly, fully and correctly. Please check our feed back to see what our past customers have to say about our descriptions.
Our Photos: Our close up, high contrast photographs frequently reveal much more than you can see with the naked eye. Dust, lint, dried grease and minute flaws are magnified greatly making things look worse than they do “in person”. Please see our feedback where you will frequently find “better than pictured” and “better than described”. Also: The photos you see in a listing are of the actual item in that particular listing - we don’t use stock photos. 
Firearms: Check with your local FFL to see if the item is allowed in your area. No firearms have been tested and are strictly sold “as is” for collector purposes. All firearms should be checked by a competent gunsmith. Antique firearms can be shipped directly to the buyer once an Antique Firearm Buyer Certificate is signed and returned (we will send a copy with the invoice) except for NJ & MA where shipments must be made to an FFL. The successful bidder will be the recipient through an FFL local to him. We will not honor purchases for a third party.
Foreign Bids: We regret that we can’t receive bids from, or ship to points outside the U.S.
Our Terms: The successful bidder will be contacted within 2 business days with an invoice. Please pay by bank check or money order and provide any necessary paperwork within 10 days or the item may be re-listed. We will accept personal checks as well but there will be a 10 business day delay added to our normal shipping time. Tango Yankee will ship within 3 business days of cleared payment. 
Shipping: We will ship items that don’t require FFL processing TO YOUR ADDRESS OF RECORD WITH GUN BROKER within 3 business days of cleared payment. We will email the buyer a tracking number when the item ships (except for items shipped USPS 1st Class). We will combine items for you to minimize your shipping costs but you must let us know that you have won multiple items or are bidding on items not yet closed. Shipping insurance is usually included in the shipping fee but sometimes is optional or additional; please check the particulars noted just after the description. Generally: long guns will ship FedEx and pistols will go USPS Priority. Those items that require an FFL will be sent to the address shown on the FFL. When appropriate we will ship lighter items USPS 1st class in which case we will note a set shipping amount in the listing. A fee may be charged for special handling requests.Please see Ammunition section below for details concerning shipment of same.Please see Hi-Capacity Magazines section below for details concerning shipment of same.Firearm Shipping Insurance: In most cases we will insure the shipment of your firearm as part of our shipping fee. You must inform your FFL to have the driver delivering the firearm log that there is damage to the package if it is obvious upon receipt. In any case: all packaging must be saved. If packaging is not saved there is no possibility of a successful claim and Tango Yankee, LLC shall not be responsible for damages. It is the responsibility of the buyer to assure the receiving FFL is informed of these conditions.
Laws; Certification of Compliance : By making an offer on this item the buyer is certifying the following: he or she is legally allowed to purchase and possess this item; the buyer is certifying that there are no applicable Federal, State or local laws prohibiting the purchase or possession of this item; and the venue shall be in Merrimack County, New Hampshire for any legal action brought by the buyer or his or her representative. 
By participating in this transaction you are certifying that you are a U.S. citizen or resident alien and that it is legal for you to receive and possess this item at your shipping address. Tango Yankee, LLC may require a copy of photo I.D. for certain items.
Warranty: All items offered by Tango Yankee are strictly “as is”, sold solely as collector's items, and are not warranted in any fashion, expressed or implied, as safe or functional. While recently manufactured items may be covered by a manufacturer’s warranty they are in no way warranted by Tango Yankee. Further: by making or accepting an offer for Tango Yankee merchandise the buyer certifies that he or she assumes all responsibility and liability for same. Buyer agrees to hold harmless Tango Yankee for any and all liability arising from the purchase, possession, use or application of all items purchased from Tango Yankee. 
Terms of Use Agreement: Tango Yankee, LLC does not warrant that a person may legally purchase, possess or carry the item or items offered above according to federal, state, or local laws. The buyer warrants and certifies that he or she is of legal age to purchase the item or items offered above and is under no legal disability. A person buying the item or items above warrants and certifies that he or she is an adult and is under no legal restrictions which would prohibit such person from ordering, owning, possessing, or transferring the item or items above under law. Further, a person buying this item or these items warrants and certifies that he or she is not a minor, convicted felon, convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic abuse, subject to a domestic violence restraining order, adjudicated mentally defective, or chemically dependent. 
Return Policy: Here at TANGO YANKEE we want our customers to be happy and have an almost un-conditional return policy. If you change your mind during the 5 day inspection period and wish to ship the item back to us – we will return your money, no questions asked (provided the item is still in the condition that we shipped it to you). We would appreciate knowing what the issue is but it isn’t necessary that you tell us. We won’t reimburse return shipping without giving approval first. For firearms: we can’t reimburse FFL processing fees.

Description of item in red.

I often wonder what circumstances lead to the seller adding all of this boilerplate to their auction.  Is every line the result of a bad experience?

This one is an example of one of the non-hostile and professional disclaimers and the size of it is outweighed by the 13 excellent pictures.  I've seen disclaimers that essentially proclaim how lucky the buyer is to be able to pay for the item presented with a single sentence naming the item and a blurred, tiny photo.
↧

Cars And Guns Grammar

September 28, 2015, 9:47 am
↧

Lyrics

September 28, 2015, 12:48 pm
$
0
0
Hey, I hear the voice of a preacher from the back room
Calling my name and I follow just to find you
I trace the faith to a broken down television and put on the weather
And I've trained myself to give up on the past 'cause
I frozen time between hearses and caskets
Lost control when I panicked at the acid test

I wanna get better

While my friends were getting high and chasing girls down parkway lines
I was losing my mind 'cause the love, the love, the love, the love, the love
That I gave wasted on a nice face
In a blaze of fear I put a helmet on a helmet
Counting seconds through the night and got carried away
So now I'm standing on the overpass screaming at the cars,

Hey, I wanna get better!

I didn't know I was lonely 'til I saw your face
I wanna get better, better, better, better,
I wanna get better
I didn't know I was broken 'til I wanted to change
I wanna get better, better, better, better,
I wanna get better

I go up to my room and there's girls on the ceiling
Cut out their pictures and I chase that feeling
Of an eighteen year old who didn't know what loss was
Now I'm a stranger
And I miss the days of a life still permanent
Mourn the years before I got carried away
So now I'm staring at the interstate screaming at myself,

Hey, I wanna get better!

I didn't know I was lonely 'til I saw your face
I wanna get better, better, better, better,
I wanna get better
I didn't know I was broken 'til I wanted to change
I wanna get better, better, better, better,
I wanna get better

Better, 'cause I'm sleeping in the back of a taxi
I'm screaming from my bedroom window
Even if its gonna kill me
Woke up this morning early before my family
From this dream where she was trying to show me
How a life can move from the darkness
She said to get better
So I put a bullet where I shoulda put a helmet
And I crash my car 'cause I wanna get carried away
That's why I'm standing on the overpass screaming at myself

Hey, I wanna get better!

I didn't know I was lonely 'til I saw your face
I wanna get better, better, better, better,
I wanna get better
I didn't know I was broken 'til I wanted to change
I wanna get better, better, better, better,
I wanna get better


↧

Well Hello There!

September 28, 2015, 1:29 pm
$
0
0
[WAVES]

I got an email from a Brandon at Ammunition To Go!

It's kind of cool to be noticed by someone with a gun business here on the shallow end of the gun-blog pool.  Even nicer that he appears to have actually read a couple of posts.
↧
↧

Why Not Soldier

September 28, 2015, 1:58 pm
$
0
0
I am starting to really detest the term "warfighter".

It just tastes wrong.

It feels like something that a marketing firm came up with to assuage the feelings of someone whose panties binded up for being generically called "troops" and then launched into a three hour power point pedantically lecturing that "troop" is only properly used for horse-cavalry...

I am sure the guys in supply are all motivated now they're "warfighters" too.

How's about "Soldier", "Sailor", "Marine" or "Airman"?

I know they're archaic and lack the stylish flow of advertising buzzwords, but they're more accurate.

It's also always, "The warfighter." Just one?  Why don't we call him by their name then?

The affectation of the imperial third person is probably what it really bothering me.
↧

Unfair Comparison

September 28, 2015, 7:08 pm
$
0
0
And it's one I've fallen prey to from time to time as well.

This article on the new KC-46A.

They say that a KC-135A in 1957 cost $57.9 million in 2015 dollars.

This compares to the $188.2 million price tag of a KC-46A.  Oh, and that's also the same price as a cargo 767-300F.  Not like Boeing is ripping the DoD off here compared to commercial carriers.

Pretty damning huh?

Fine.

If Stratotankers are so affordable...

Build a brand new KC-135A.  Today.  Now.

Bet you it will cost more than $57.9 million per plane.

Why?

Because Boeing wasn't subject to even 10% of the regulations back then it's saddled with today.  Compliance with all manner of laws, rulings and regulation eats at the bottom line and adds to the final cost of everything.  There was no OSHA.  There was no EPA.  There was no EEOC.  Hell, there wasn't even an FAA yet!

Energy costs are never part of the official inflation calculations (or are severely discounted).  It takes energy to make anything.

So, Mr Bourdius, build it and they will come.  The USAF is actually quite happy with the KC-135R, it's got to the point where they can't be kept flying forever.  But with your production line open and cranking out 3 new KC-135 for every KC-46, why would they need to fix them?
↧
Search

The Ammos

September 29, 2015, 2:27 pm
$
0
0
For what twist does to a given bullet weight in 5.56.

It really wouldn't be an issue except, like he says, small changes in mass make large changes in length on a 0.224" diameter bullet.

Pic taken from the above linked article.


Of note is two columns for 62 grain projectiles.

This is because M855 ball weighs 62 grains, but because of the steel penetrator it's as long as a 69 grain bullet with an all-lead core.

That underscores that bullet construction matters.

Some of the up and down from this table also relates quality.  M855 and M193 aren't match ammo.  They are bulk made ammunition for the military, where 3 MOA is just fine.  You can see it on the chart where 62gr lead and 69gr are more accurate.

I've made a couple of other posts on this...

Here.

The effect that changing weights can have on point of impact.
↧

Who Was It?

September 29, 2015, 5:02 pm
$
0
0
I posted the disclaimer on that Brazilian Mauser and suddenly someone bought it!

I've been watching that gun get relisted for about a year now...

So it must have been one of my readers.

<shakes fist>
↧
↧

Uneducated

September 30, 2015, 8:04 am
$
0
0
I would say ignorant, but that carries some baggage.

I learned a long time ago that I didn't know everything.

I'm coming to grips, in some cases, that what I do know is either incorrect or obsolete.

Never stop learning!

The good news is, for the most part, the education I already possess allows me to understand what I am reading and lets me learn what I have read.

Many times understanding trails learning by a good margin.

The epiphany I had when I first noticed the difference between knowledge and understanding tossed my gyros.

Just as interesting is the odd fact that you can understand something without any actual knowledge of it.  Don't you just hate those people?
↧

Ads And Comments Policy

September 30, 2015, 8:12 am
$
0
0
You want to advertise here you have two choices.

Email me and ask.  This has worked for everyone who's tried it so far!

Be Google and incorporate it into the Blogger interface.

Slipping links into the comments just gets you put into the spam trap.

Perhaps if the link to your commercial site had been topical to the post you were commenting on, I'd have let it slide.  Perhaps if your COMMENT had been topical to the post you commented on, it'd still be there.
↧

Not So Obsolete

October 1, 2015, 4:12 am
$
0
0
My insistence on possessing at copy of my media isn't as obsolete as some people made it out to be.

I was told that I didn't need to own a copy of something because I could always stream it from Netflix...

There's much rending of garments over the present round of expirations.

Since I got my music and movies on a mirrored RAID I've not lost a single song or film.

Of course, I can see the day coming where streaming will be your only legal option.  I'm still old fashioned enough to want to control the file.
↧
Viewing all 13088 articles
Browse latest View live
Search