If you're not familiar with the man, he's got quite a history. Retired Marine, service in WWII, masters degree in philosophy if I remember right, has had a HUGE influence on the development of modern defensive handgun theory. He started a school years ago that has trained everyone from ordinary people to SWAT and military special ops types in advanced use of handgun, rifle, shotgun and sub-gun. Also the official creator of the 'scout rifle' concept. The man has a lot of experience and is worth reading and paying attention to.
That does NOT mean that everything he says should be accepted flatly as the Truth. I'll state myself that he has far more experience in many areas than I do. However, there are some things on which I disagree, strongly in some cases. Here's three.
Aiming.
He has said that unless you're in contact range(muzzle almost touching the target) you should never point-shoot; you should always bring the piece up to eye level and use the sights. Strongly disagree here, for several reasons. First, with practice point-shooting or hip-shooting, call it what you will, can be both fast and quite accurate. Second, at close range it keeps the weapon closer to you and further from the target. And third, it teaches that you can shoot accurately without using the sights, and in dim light or other bad conditions that can be a very good thing. A man named Bill Jordan once wrote a book called 'No Second-Place Winner' on the subject of gunfighting. He was himself a veteran of WWII in the Pacific and many years in the Border Patrol. Check it out, it's worth reading for many reasons, and it lays out his reasons for hip-shooting at close ranges. I'm prejudiced on this point because this is the way my father was trained to shoot, and the way he taught me when I began learning handguns. And it works. Note: on pages 94-95 he illustrates his shooting positions; except at the closest range, I always used two hands, and tend to hold it out further than he illustrates. It's something you have to experiment with a bit.
Shooting sticks. This can be either a single stick or a pair that can be used as a walking stick, and is used as a rifle rest when shooting at game. Cooper basically says that if you properly train to shoot offhand, they're a Bad Thing and unnecessary. Other side of that is a: I've read of many comments from experience hunters and fine shots as to how handy they can be, and b: I was always told that if there is any way to do it, you ALWAYS use a rest when shooting at game. You may not like sticks yourself, but apparently they work very well for a lot of people.
Scout rifle. This is basically a very simple concept: a rifle of minimum weight and length, chambered for a serious cartridge- he prefers .308- with a three-point sling and a forward-mounted scope. It's a nice idea, and can work quite well. My problem here is that anything other than the Steyr Scout Rifle with the built-in bipod and spare magazine holder and fold-down backup sights just doesn't cut it according to Cooper. Now, the Steyr is without questions a finely-made firearm, but the damn thing costs about $2500. Savage used to make a Scout that came with a forward-mount for a scope, a ghost-ring rear sight and a synthetic stock, and I think it came with three sling studs, for about $600 new- I've seen them for $350-450 used- and it's a fine rifle. Ruger is making one that they call a Scout, has the sights and scope mount and sling studs, and if you have to pay actual MSR price, it's about $800 I believe. Both of these are quality firearms capable of fine accuracy, at a hell of a lot less money. I think I can put up with no integral bipod and spare magazine in the stcck for, oh, $1500-2000 difference.
Cooper is a very interesting man, and his writings, either in his books or his columns(found here) are definately worth reading. I do not mean to take anything away from him, I simply point out that there is room for disagreement on some things.
What started me on this was I read his current column in Guns and Ammo magazine, and he went off on shooting sticks. Again. So I thought I'd speak my piece on this.
Personal note. I had an old Mauser rifle I'd fixed up that shot wonderfully, and after reading about the scout rifle idea, I thought that would be nice to try. So I went to an Evil Loophole Gun Show and found an old Turkish Mauser that with some argument I bought for $65. Kind of beat-up on the outside, but mechanically sound and the bore looked good. So I did the following:
Cut the barrel to 20".
Cut the stock down to match and refinished, and put on a recoil pad.
Put on a post front sight and a Williams receiver sight(the less-expensive model without click adjustments).
There's a hole in the front of the trigger guard for I know not what reason, so I ground that area thin enough for a quick-release sling swivel to hook on there, and put standard swivel studs front & rear.
Made sure all the trigger bearing surfaces were polished and gave a nice, clean break.
Into the original rear sight base I stuck a B-Square scope mount for a long eye-relief scope.
When all this was done, I had a pretty good rifle. It was a little heavier and longer than the Ideal, but quite handy none the less. It had the three-point sling. The rear sight didn't fold down out of the way, but it worked nicely. So for less than $200 in cash and some careful work I had a short, light rifle in 8mm Mauser that would take care of any game I could conceivably run into. And after careful cleaning, the barrel justified my trust; at 100 yards it'll shoot 1 to 1.25" groups if I do my part. A scope did run the price up over $200 but still less than $300. I can't guarantee someone else would get equally good results from the project(no guarantee, mileage may vary as Kim puts it), but if you like to work on things it might be worth a try.
Monday, March 07, 2005
Carport maintenance & Italian journalists
No, they're not connected. Other than both being a pain.
When I got this house one of the things I liked was the carport. I still do, but I've been trying for a while to clean out the drain channels. One pair I could stick a gutter-blaster hose attachment into in places and blow some of the stuff out, but the other two channels are covered in such a way that there's no damn way to wash them out. Leaf litter would be bad enough, but the big problem is all the gravel from the old roof. After a year of trying various things, I finally gave up and did the drastic thing; since the corners couldn't be opened up, I got out the hole saw and cut holes in two corners. With the holes there, I was able to blast most of the crap out them, and when leaves blocked it could use a wire to pull the plug out and continue. It looks like I've got the worst of it out, and when I'm fairly sure I'll cut two plugs out of sheet aluminum and stick them in with silicone sealant. Should make drainage a lot better.
The Italian journalist in question is the idiot who got shot approaching a road checkpoint at high speed and is now claiming the troops were intentionally trying to kill her. Hey, stupid, if they'd wanted you dead, you'd be in a box instead of flapping your gums. Instapundit has lots of links on this. I like the comment at Wizbang:
"On her way out, our forces shoot 300 to 400 rounds at their car. And the result of all that firepower? One killed, three injured -- none apparently very seriously. Then they treat them and send them home.
When I got this house one of the things I liked was the carport. I still do, but I've been trying for a while to clean out the drain channels. One pair I could stick a gutter-blaster hose attachment into in places and blow some of the stuff out, but the other two channels are covered in such a way that there's no damn way to wash them out. Leaf litter would be bad enough, but the big problem is all the gravel from the old roof. After a year of trying various things, I finally gave up and did the drastic thing; since the corners couldn't be opened up, I got out the hole saw and cut holes in two corners. With the holes there, I was able to blast most of the crap out them, and when leaves blocked it could use a wire to pull the plug out and continue. It looks like I've got the worst of it out, and when I'm fairly sure I'll cut two plugs out of sheet aluminum and stick them in with silicone sealant. Should make drainage a lot better.
The Italian journalist in question is the idiot who got shot approaching a road checkpoint at high speed and is now claiming the troops were intentionally trying to kill her. Hey, stupid, if they'd wanted you dead, you'd be in a box instead of flapping your gums. Instapundit has lots of links on this. I like the comment at Wizbang:
"On her way out, our forces shoot 300 to 400 rounds at their car. And the result of all that firepower? One killed, three injured -- none apparently very seriously. Then they treat them and send them home.
Obviously all that money we've spent on training and equipment has gone to waste if our forces are performing that poorly."
'Nuff said.
Sunday, March 06, 2005
Bill Clinton sucks(as well as inhaling)
With the problems with Iran, including but not limited to the governments support of terrorism and working to build nukes, at Davos Bill Clinton made comments about how wonderful it is in Iran. Including:
" [It is] the only one with elections, including the United States, including Israel, including you name it, where the liberals, or the progressives, have won two-thirds to 70 percent of the vote in six elections: two for President; two for the parliament, the Majlis; two for the mayoralities.
In every single election, the guys I identify with got two-thirds to 70% of the vote. There is no other country in the world I can say that about, certainly not my own."
Found at Little Green Footballs.
" [It is] the only one with elections, including the United States, including Israel, including you name it, where the liberals, or the progressives, have won two-thirds to 70 percent of the vote in six elections: two for President; two for the parliament, the Majlis; two for the mayoralities.
In every single election, the guys I identify with got two-thirds to 70% of the vote. There is no other country in the world I can say that about, certainly not my own."
Found at Little Green Footballs.
Saturday, March 05, 2005
What to do, what to do about accuracy...
If you've ever been around someone who's really serious about .22 rimfire accuracy, you know about picky. One thing a lot of people don't realize about firearms is that some can be really picky about what they like; what shoots amazingly well in one rifle or pistol may give lousy accuracy in another. Some shoot almost everything well, some only one or two types.
I've got a BSA Martini model 12/15 rifle I picked up a while back that fits in the 'good with everything' category. I've sat down at a nice, solid bench with it and a dozen different brands/types of ammo over time, and it shoots as well at 50 yards with Federal Lightning ammo($.69/box) as it does with Wolf Match or Aguila match ammo($3 to $4/box). I haven't tried the Lapua($7 to 10/box) or some of the other serious match-grade stuff; being chea- uh, fiscally conservative, laying out $7 to $10/box for .22's just doesn't register. Not when I get 1/2" groups with the 'economy' ammo at 50 yards.
But for the serious accuracy hound? Oh, he'll buy a box or two of each, carefully clean the bore between each brand/type. He'll check out the different sites for anything that might tweak the ammo just that final little bit to get the dream groups; like putting a different lube on the bullets(here and here).
The one advantage .22's have for those who go all out is that a $10 box of ammo still holds 50 rounds; a 20 round box of centerfire match will probably start about $15 or so, depending on cartridge/brand.
I'll never make a serious match shooter. If I can find a .22 round that, off a solid rest, groups 1/2" or a little less at 50 yards, I'm real happy since that's the best I'd ever be able to shoot in the field. Likewise, when I work up a centerfire rifle load that'll group an inch at 100 yards, I know it'll take care of anything I'm going to try in the woods. The people who are SERIOUS about accuracy will keep trying different case/primer/powder/bullet/lube combinations forever, or with .22's different brands/lubes/bullet mods, looking for the golden combination for that firearm.
Notes: I'll admit to plans to buy a box or two of CCI or Eley match stuff to try in this and another .22, someday when I'm feeling rich, but unless the stuff all goes through the same hole in the target, it'll just be to try the stuff out.
On centerfires, it can be amazing the difference one component can make. I once worked up loads on an 8mm Mauser. With Federal or Remington brass holding the same primer/powder/bullet combination, group size was identical with the Remingtons hitting right at 1" higher; with Winchester brass, the group was about 6" and about 5" higher and to the right.
On tweaking ammo, there's an interesting gadget here that swages the bullet of a .22 to either a more accurate(possibly, depending on firearm) bullet diameter or a more efficient hollowpoint shape, depending on which rod you use. Hmm, tax refund should be in soon...
Update: Welcome Carnival of Cordite readers!
I've got a BSA Martini model 12/15 rifle I picked up a while back that fits in the 'good with everything' category. I've sat down at a nice, solid bench with it and a dozen different brands/types of ammo over time, and it shoots as well at 50 yards with Federal Lightning ammo($.69/box) as it does with Wolf Match or Aguila match ammo($3 to $4/box). I haven't tried the Lapua($7 to 10/box) or some of the other serious match-grade stuff; being chea- uh, fiscally conservative, laying out $7 to $10/box for .22's just doesn't register. Not when I get 1/2" groups with the 'economy' ammo at 50 yards.
But for the serious accuracy hound? Oh, he'll buy a box or two of each, carefully clean the bore between each brand/type. He'll check out the different sites for anything that might tweak the ammo just that final little bit to get the dream groups; like putting a different lube on the bullets(here and here).
The one advantage .22's have for those who go all out is that a $10 box of ammo still holds 50 rounds; a 20 round box of centerfire match will probably start about $15 or so, depending on cartridge/brand.
I'll never make a serious match shooter. If I can find a .22 round that, off a solid rest, groups 1/2" or a little less at 50 yards, I'm real happy since that's the best I'd ever be able to shoot in the field. Likewise, when I work up a centerfire rifle load that'll group an inch at 100 yards, I know it'll take care of anything I'm going to try in the woods. The people who are SERIOUS about accuracy will keep trying different case/primer/powder/bullet/lube combinations forever, or with .22's different brands/lubes/bullet mods, looking for the golden combination for that firearm.
Notes: I'll admit to plans to buy a box or two of CCI or Eley match stuff to try in this and another .22, someday when I'm feeling rich, but unless the stuff all goes through the same hole in the target, it'll just be to try the stuff out.
On centerfires, it can be amazing the difference one component can make. I once worked up loads on an 8mm Mauser. With Federal or Remington brass holding the same primer/powder/bullet combination, group size was identical with the Remingtons hitting right at 1" higher; with Winchester brass, the group was about 6" and about 5" higher and to the right.
On tweaking ammo, there's an interesting gadget here that swages the bullet of a .22 to either a more accurate(possibly, depending on firearm) bullet diameter or a more efficient hollowpoint shape, depending on which rod you use. Hmm, tax refund should be in soon...
Update: Welcome Carnival of Cordite readers!
Watch lost
Og tells about almost losing a watch that means a lot to him. I did lose mine.
When I was about 19, my parents bought me a Seiko divers watch; self-winding, extra-tough crystal, waterproof. That thing went everywhere with me, from school to the woods to 95 feet down in Lake Elmer Thomas(what's at 95 feet there? Muck and darkness). Years and lots of wear and knocks later it stopped working, and since I didn't have the money to get it fixed(new kids, house payment, etc.) it was put in a drawer for 'someday'.
About ten years later a friend of mine in Texas turned out to know a Seiko repair guy who had/could get parts for older watches. So I packed it off to Fort Worth, and it came back in beautiful shape. And once again it sat on my wrist for several years. And then it vanished.
I took the house apart, moved everything in the garage, did everything but find a psychic to look for the damn thing with no luck. It was just gone.
I still miss it.
When I was about 19, my parents bought me a Seiko divers watch; self-winding, extra-tough crystal, waterproof. That thing went everywhere with me, from school to the woods to 95 feet down in Lake Elmer Thomas(what's at 95 feet there? Muck and darkness). Years and lots of wear and knocks later it stopped working, and since I didn't have the money to get it fixed(new kids, house payment, etc.) it was put in a drawer for 'someday'.
About ten years later a friend of mine in Texas turned out to know a Seiko repair guy who had/could get parts for older watches. So I packed it off to Fort Worth, and it came back in beautiful shape. And once again it sat on my wrist for several years. And then it vanished.
I took the house apart, moved everything in the garage, did everything but find a psychic to look for the damn thing with no luck. It was just gone.
I still miss it.
Thursday, March 03, 2005
While I'm on the subject of 'other uses'
This is the first large knife I ever made. I decided to go for a clip-point blade because it's a good generally-useful shape. I had a piece of leaf spring from God knows what kind of car, put it in the fire and started hammering. When done, I used a piece of thick brass for the guard, and for once I had a good piece of antler that would work nicely for the grip. (By the way, have you ever tried to drill/file a shaped hole in a piece of old Sambar stag? That stuff is hard)
First time to harden and temper something this size(the blade is 12" from guard to point), and I damn near sweated blood trying to keep the heat even over the length. But it came out nicely. And I did some nice filework on the guard, and made a sheath out of good heavy leather. And it was good.
At the time, then-wife and I were still active in the SCA, and I took it to an arts & sciences meeting, where it met with acclaim. And one guy was interested in buying it. Now, we could really have used the money, no question. But I didn't want to let it go. I was wrestling with my conscience(left shoulder:"You should sell it, you know you need the money" right shoulder:"Shut up over there! Keep it!") when wife said "Keep it. You really like this one, and we're not that desperate". So I kept it.
I have had this blade for about 22 or 23 years now. I have carried it as my dirk with my kilt, I have carried it camping. I've used it to cut bread, and cheese, and meat, and wood. I've used it to trim brush and tree limbs in the yard, and to cut up limbs for the trash pickup. The antler is worn a bit smooth in places, and the finish is kind of blotchy now. But it will to through limbs better than some hatchets I've used, and when the edge starts to dull/which takes a lot of cutting/ a few strokes on a stone or steel brings it back. And it hangs on a belt, far more out of the way than an axe would be.
In case you haven't figured it out, I'm very glad I kept it.
Other uses for stuff
I'm too lazy to get up right now to shoot the stuff I mentioned in the last post, so in the spirit of the matter, here's something else.
This is my personal sgian dbu, Gaelic for 'black knife', supposedly because the traditional grip was ivy root stained black. It was a Scot's general-purpose cutting tool, good for everything. I once found a book titled- I think- "Knives in Colonial America" that contained a picture of the dirk and sgian dbu of a major in a Highland regiment that had been stationed in North America in the 1770's. The dirk showed signs of wear, but the sgian dbu was only about half as wide as when new; it had been used and sharpened so many times it had been worn back that far. Tells you which one got the most use.
This one has a walnut grip and nickel silver fittings on the knife and sheath. 'Other uses' comes from the blade, which started out as a 5/8" ball bearing. Do you have any idea what it's like trying to hold onto a red-hot ball while you hammer it into a bar? It ain't fun. I just know that someone will see this and say "Why didn't he just weld a handle on?" I didn't have access to a welder, so shut up.
Besides, it's good for your footwork when it jumps out of the tongs...
Thoughts on a tired evening
This has been a fun 24 hours. Yesterday about this time a friend called and asked if I could go by his house when I got off work. He'd been at his fiance's house when he was notified that his house was on fire. A couple of hours later he told me not to bother coming by, fire was out and the house was secured for the night. Get off work at 1a.m., home & in bed about 2. Get up a little after 9 and go to friend's house; happily the damage was mostly confined to the utility room- except for the whole house smelling of smoke and the water damage- but the power & water are off until repairs/upgrades are done(upgrades because they apparently think it was of electrical origin). Then outside to work on a couple of knives, and while out back notice that part of the yard needs mowing. Again.
Then met a friend for dinner. About halfway through, two waiters started to clean up under a table nearby, the baby in the family had been a bit messy. They had one of those small push sweepers, and on the first push a mouse jumped out of it and ran under our table, from where it vanished. Not quite the entertainment I'd have selected for dinner, but it did.
I've been reading the transcript of a show featuring an idiot named Nancy Soderberg, who was talking about her book on how the U.S. has messed/is messing up the world(found the transcript at Opinion Journal). It's very revealing, in that Soderberg makes it quite plain that since Republicans are in charge right now, she'd rather see the entire world go down the toilet than see good things happen that the R's might get credit for. To me, the high points are:
Got that? Some very good things are happening in the world, but "there's always hope that this might not work". These clowns are like some brat who can't eat another bite, but he'll spit on the last roll or piece of pie so nobody else can eat it. 'If WE don't get credit for it, we don't want it to work!' I am so freakin' sick of these people.
My earlier post on why carry?, I left out a point. Rights need to be exercised; if they're not used regularly, a lot of bureaucrats and politicians take this to mean that you won't miss them if they take them away from you. Carrying a sidearm is, besides a means of defense, a way of telling the pukes that they will not take this away from you without a fight.
I miss Calvin and Hobbes. One of the finest comic strips ever.
I made a tall hook yesterday to put in the ground by the pecan tree in front and hold a bird feeder. The feeder's up and filled, and so far not a single bird has noticed it. I know some of the featherheads are the same ones who dine at the feeder in the back yard, it's the same type feeder so you'd think they'd notice, but no..... I'm going to see how long it takes them to 'discover' it.
I'm very damn ready for a day warm enough to put on shorts and lay out in the sun. Even if it does scare the birds.
So now it's late, and I'm tired. If I can find the camera and the energy I'll take a picture of the knives I worked on today and post it.
Then met a friend for dinner. About halfway through, two waiters started to clean up under a table nearby, the baby in the family had been a bit messy. They had one of those small push sweepers, and on the first push a mouse jumped out of it and ran under our table, from where it vanished. Not quite the entertainment I'd have selected for dinner, but it did.
I've been reading the transcript of a show featuring an idiot named Nancy Soderberg, who was talking about her book on how the U.S. has messed/is messing up the world(found the transcript at Opinion Journal). It's very revealing, in that Soderberg makes it quite plain that since Republicans are in charge right now, she'd rather see the entire world go down the toilet than see good things happen that the R's might get credit for. To me, the high points are:
Stewart: He's gonna be a great--pretty soon, Republicans are gonna be like, "Reagan was nothing compared to this guy." Like, my kid's gonna go to a high school named after him, I just know it.
Soderberg: Well, there's still Iran and North Korea, don't forget. There's hope for the rest of us.
and:
Stewart: [crossing fingers] Iran and North Korea, that's true, that is true [audience laughter]. No, it's--it is--I absolutely agree with you, this is--this is the most difficult thing for me to--because, I think, I don't care for the tactics, I don't care for this, the weird arrogance, the setting up. But I gotta say, I haven't seen results like this ever in that region.
Soderberg: Well wait. It hasn't actually gotten very far. I mean, we've had--
Stewart: Oh, I'm shallow! I'm very shallow!
Soderberg: There's always hope that this might not work.Got that? Some very good things are happening in the world, but "there's always hope that this might not work". These clowns are like some brat who can't eat another bite, but he'll spit on the last roll or piece of pie so nobody else can eat it. 'If WE don't get credit for it, we don't want it to work!' I am so freakin' sick of these people.
My earlier post on why carry?, I left out a point. Rights need to be exercised; if they're not used regularly, a lot of bureaucrats and politicians take this to mean that you won't miss them if they take them away from you. Carrying a sidearm is, besides a means of defense, a way of telling the pukes that they will not take this away from you without a fight.
I miss Calvin and Hobbes. One of the finest comic strips ever.
I made a tall hook yesterday to put in the ground by the pecan tree in front and hold a bird feeder. The feeder's up and filled, and so far not a single bird has noticed it. I know some of the featherheads are the same ones who dine at the feeder in the back yard, it's the same type feeder so you'd think they'd notice, but no..... I'm going to see how long it takes them to 'discover' it.
I'm very damn ready for a day warm enough to put on shorts and lay out in the sun. Even if it does scare the birds.
So now it's late, and I'm tired. If I can find the camera and the energy I'll take a picture of the knives I worked on today and post it.
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
That didn't take long
For once, I found a picture when I needed it. Here's Axe, with his brother Little. Little was made the same way, though his haft is ash wrapped with braided leather for the grip. I need to set up a target and see how Little throws, he works quite well at trimming limbs and brush.
Done, in plenty of time for the Fair
This is the second large axe I've made. The body is mild steel wrapped around a mandrel(fancy name for pipe) to shape the eye and welded together. Then a piece of high-carbon steel is inserted between the sides at the end and welded. Once that's done you grind the profile and bevels, harden and temper the edge, then either polish to a sheen, or grind clean and brown, which is what I did here.
The haft is a three-foot piece of oak, which when I have time I'll probably soak in kerosene; that works very well with hickory to make it more flexible and tougher, I hope it'll work as well with oak.
So far it cuts wood quite well. No, I haven't tried it on a mugger/burglar/generic orc; do you have any idea how much paperwork that involves?
I'll see if I can find a shot of him with his little brother.
Yeah, them A-rab types can't do a republic...
But they're trying damn hard.
Found this at Insty. Along with notes on the new Lebanese government being formed. And the Syrians being told to get out. And Egypt making some moves. And for a a change, the Palistinians not dancing in the street over the last suicide bombing.
I think I sense a pattern developing...
Yes, there are other pictures from Lebanon, and they're all inspiring. I just like this one.
Followup on Star BM
Star test target
Took it to the range last night with a box of Speer Gold Dot 147 grain hollow points and half a box of Blazer ball. Accuracy was quite good with the GDs, and recoil quite manageable; the weight of the Star balances it out nicely. The GDs are a fairly long cartridge, the bullet being long to get that weight with the big hollow, and they're about the maximum length this pistol can handle(and I suspect the same for other pistols). They all chambered and fired with no problem, and no jams. There was one nose-down fail to feed, cleared by pulling the slide back and releasing. I can't decide if it was due to the length of the cartridge or shape of the nose, or simply one of those things. When I get a chance I'll pick up some other brands of hollow points to try in it. God knows a lot of semi-autos are picky about what they like, this may be a case of that, although I doubt it, it wouldn't have ripped through the rest of the box as nicely if that were it.
That picture is the 50 rounds, ranging from 7 to 15 yards, slow-fire and three-shot drills from low-ready. Overall I'm impressed with the accuracy of this piece, the limit so far being what I'm capable of. As I mentioned I'll try some different ammo in it, see if there's anything it likes better. And I might get out the Dremel and polish the feed ramp...
Shut up. Yes, I know I have a problem leaving things alone.
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