Sunday, March 27, 2011

Larue Tactical Stealth Upper Reciever Assembly - Hands on Review

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It took me a while to fine tune my hand loads with this setup, but it paid of in the end. I have the 18" model with one of Larues modified Harris Bipods and topped with a 3.5x ACOG. It's all fitted to a standard lower reciever assembly with a two stage trigger and some other goodies that aren't really relevant to this post. The barrel is a very fast 1 in 7 twist, so heavy bullets (75 grains and higher) are highly recommended.

Good stuff: The fit is awesome in all respects. I use a accu-wedge with other kids of upper receivers, but the stealth upper fits so tight to my Rock River lower that it isn't necessary. The full length rail handguard is a bit heavy, but this is not a product intended for room clearing or fast-paced competition shooting. At its core, it is a precision marksman rifle so its right at home shooting off bags or a bipod, making the weight much less of an issue.

It took me a good amount of experimentation, but once I got my handloads dialed in I was punching .30 to .35 moa groups at 100yds and beyond (Turns out it likes 77gr Sierra Matchkings and Benchmark powder. Dunno what everyone else is using, but this particular load seems to do the trick for me). My local range maxes out at 550 yds, and I can confirm that it will hit a man-sized target center mass at that distance with relative ease.

Bad stuff: A little tough to get dialed in if you don't handload. Utilizing this set up to its full potential requires some  real customization in regards to ammunition, and the only way to do it economically is to roll your own. Other than that, I really can't say anything bad about it. It's heavy for an AR but as stated above, its meant to be a precision marksman rifle,

Overall: If you are the type who hoses down 25yd targets with a hundred rounds of bulk pack Wolf ammo, this upper is probably not for you. On the other hand, if you want to blast a prairie dog between the eyes at 250yds with the first shot this is about as good as it gets. AR handloaders everywhere rejoice!

Howard Leight Electronic Ear Protection - Hands on Review


I've had a a pair of these on my wish list for a while now, and finally got ahold of them at a good sale price ($50 beats $60 any day of the week). Honestly, I wish I had just bit my lip and paid retail price a year ago. These things are awesome.

Good stuff: They fit under standard issue military helmets very comfortably, so its a much more affordable option than a pricey set of Peltors. When I turn the volume up, I can actually hear a bit better than normal, which will make hunting season that much easier. Another benefit is the inclusion of a standard headphone jack, enabling you to hook up your Ipod or whatever else. This is great, because now they can double as noise canceling headphones (I used mine while mowing the lawn, and can see where they would be a godsend on a airline, in the back of a C17 or near a high-activity airfield).

Bad Stuff: The battery cover is a bit too flimsy for my taste. Mine hasn't been knocked loose yet, but I'm still going try to avoid that with a bit of preventative black duct tape. The headband length adjustment is also a bit loose. Using the very same roll of duct tape, I adjusted the size until I liked it and then taped it in place.

Overall, a great little piece of equipment. I know its designed for the shooting range, but I can see myself using it in a wide variety of applications as well. Definitely worth the money, and a better value (in my opinion) than the more expensive peltor models.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Like a Champ (?)

I know its a forced perspective shot and shes just pouring it all into a funnel hiding behind her ridiculous hair do, but I can't help wondering... do all the other singers-dressed-like-gothic-vampires have crazy take-stuff-in-the-throat skills like this pic wants us to think she has?

Libya: Just stay the fxxx out of this one

We still have yet to hear a cohesive vision from any of our elected representatives about what the goal is in Libya, and its reaching a point where its just too shady. I understand that Pres. O's advisors are trying to find him his very own Iraq war in order to appeal to the more right-leaning swing voters out there, but this is the equivalent of a Hail Mary into the 50 yard line grand stands. At least with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, there was a definitive difference between the good guys and bad guys (Afghanistan: Taliban and Al Qaeda bad, Northern Alliance good. Iraq: Saddam bad, coalition good). That is not the case in Libya today.

 On one hand, you have Muammar Qaddafi, who has been a vocal opponent of the United States for the better part of 40 years.The idea of coming to the rescue of one of the few people who has made no secret of his distaste for every single thing the US stands for is distasteful to the utmost extreme. If NATO and/or the United Nations decide to send in peace keepers or whatever else that's their business, but for the United States to contribute military personnel would be like Superman coming to the aide of Lex Luthor. Fuck that shit.
 
On the other side you have the Libyan rebels, who according to latest reports are being supported by none other than AL QAEDA (link). If I really have to explain why that's a disgusting proposition, then you obviously haven't been paying attention to the headlines for the last decade. Did anyone miss the part where these assholes are our sworn enemies, hate everything about us and have been actively trying to kill us ever since they beat the Soviet Union out of Afghanistan?

The short version here is that there is no greener side of the fence here. Both options end up with us allying ourselves to people who have hated us with the utmost intensity for a quarter century or more. If we commit troops to this fight, chances are that both sides will settle their differences for no better reason than to kill Americans. Is that really the kind of peace keeping mission we want to devote our men and material to?

Freaking Kidding Me?! Next person who reports "suprise", "offensive", and "Duke Nukem" in the same sentence is getting caps lock'd!

Can you really tell me that you are surprised that the new Duke Nukem Forever game is offensive in as many ways as possible? Where have you been for the last two decades? This family of video games has been objectifying and degrading women since the very beginning. If you expect me or many others to share you outrage, then you're bitching to the wrong audience. Lets analyze further, shall we?
This is the same kind of crowd that is offended by any of us that don't feel any shame or remorse for visiting the local titty bar. They can't find it in themselves to tell their own kids "no", so now it is societies responsibility to prevent anything offensive from being created in the first place. And to you, I say "Fxxx You!!!". 
 Get off your ass and be a fxxxing parent and/or responsible adult! It's not societies job to keep your little angels safe from the dirty little secrets of the real world. Its your job. This isn't North Korea (thank god) where you can censor anything and pretend like it doesn't exist. This is America, where we have the freedom to express ourselves within the constraints of state and federal law; That's a hell of a lot of freedom! The tough side of it is that the freedom we love and take for granted goes hand in hand with the responsibility to exercise a little self control. The responsibility to avoid overindulging is YOURS!
Duke Nukem games are like the strip clubs of the video game world. We play them because we don't have to listen to some random bitch tell us what to do (Fuck you Cortana!); all we want is to shoot some lead, kill some monsters and get ahold of a little eye candy every level or two. Too hard to understand? Ok, I'll explain further... You notice how every paragraph I have some kind of pic or clipart or some shit? It's because no one has the patience for text any more. You have to trick them into reading on with colors and  random shit. The trick is, that random shit must be something a majority of people will be interested in. In the case of this blog, the answer is chicks, alcohol or guns!

See, look! You moved on to the next paragraph! Good job! Anyway, what i'm really saying here is that if you take issue with something that is being released to the public market, then it is your responsiblity to either a) enjoy it and make sure not to let it get out of hand or take over your life, or b) make sure your kids and you don't buy or play it, and leave the rest of us (who DO want to play it) the hell alone. Kapeesh?

Badass Solar Prominence

Another crazy looking picture from NASA. I don't know how they manage to get pics like this, but this particular one looks like it should be hanging on a wall somewhere. Good job guys.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Chain - Hands on Review

In honor of my idiot dogs digging up my entire yard and forcing me to spend a hundred bucks on new grass seed, I bought each of them a shiny new 6 foot length of steel chain and a stake to attach it to.

First I want to say "Stop whining and be happy. If it where up to me, I would just leave you in the woods next time I  have a day off. The only reason you're not getting shot is that it wasn't your fault for being stuck out there all day with nothing to do. Neither was it mine. But I digress..." (Hmmm, I wonder if there might be a girlfriend/wife.significant other factor that's not being mentioned here? lol).

Anyways, for all you ass pirates with a hard on for animals, if you don't like that I chain my dogs when they go out for 10 minutes to shit and piss then you can come fill in the holes they dig and re-sod my yard. 

Now if I can just find them each a good, powerful anti-bark collar I'll be all set...

Monday, March 14, 2011

Three Cheers for the Brits

This is the first time i've seen this particular story told, but glad they're on our side. Though America may be a country composed predominately of Pistoleros, we can all appreciate the feats of marksmanship these guys have been accomplishing. Keep up the good work!