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Tuesday, August 1, 2017

August 1, 2017 -- A Quick Run Around the Web

"Red Dot + Magnifier vs Low Power Variable Optic (1-6x)"--Garand Thumb (6 min.)
The author of this video shares his experience with both low power variable sights (e.g., 1-4x or 1-6x) versus a red-dot with a magnifier. As he explains, both have advantages and disadvantages, so the choice really depends on the distance and environment. For under 200 yards, where you may be shooting from odd angles (under cars, through or around trees or poles, etc.), he recommends using a red-dot sight with the magnifier option. For longer distances in open terrain, he recommends the low power variable optic.

Firearms/Self-Defense/Prepping:
  • "Our Basic Sanitation and Hygiene Preps"--Security and Self-Reliance. Guns and gear are cool and fun; purifying water, techniques for wiping your butt, and general hygiene are not. Yet history shows that you are far more likely to die from disease--even if you are in an army fighting a war--than to be killed by a criminal or enemy soldier. In fact, the trend toward living longer and healthier only began with the invention of inexpensive soap, and only flipped in favor of surviving infections with the advent of antibiotics. In a grid-down situation, however, a hospital and antibiotics may not be available. In this article, the author briefly explains his preps for a toilet, re-use of grey water, personal hygiene (including gravity feed showers), and soap. The thing is, stuff like soap, shampoo, shaving supplies, and so forth, are easy and inexpensive to obtain now, and may be good trade goods later. Read the article and stock up.
  • "The S&W Model 69: A Goldilocks Gun"--The Firearms Blog. For those of you unfamiliar with this weapon, the Model 69 is a 5-round .44 Magnum built on the L-frame, which makes it smaller and much lighter than the larger .44 Magnums offered by S&W. It currently is available in two barrel lengths: a 4.25 inch model (which is reviewed in this article) and, more recently, a 2.75 inch "Combat Magnum." The latter weighs in at 34 ounces, while the longer barrel version is only 2 or 3 ounces heavier. In either case, however, you are looking at a firearm that is about 2/3 the weight of its larger 6-round cousins. The author writes:
The natural question is whether this set of compromises results in a gun that is perfect for a task or just a mess of problems. That’s an entirely subjective question, of course, but the core of that question is what the task is that you intend to use it for. In my case, I bought it as a trail gun for camping, hiking, and fishing on the Mogollon Rim. That is, I wanted a gun that carried a little easier than six inch barreled, six shot .44 revolvers and something with a little more power than .357 mag revolvers. I absolutely did not want something as light as the scandium frame revolvers available in .44 mag. For myself and for my own needs, this revolver is the perfect balance of multiple factors. Does it recoil hard? Absolutely. But it isn’t unmanageable. The sight radius is just long enough to be friendly to accurate shooting and the trigger is decent. The double action pull is smooth as silk and the single action pull is light and fairly crisp, but it isn’t quite as good as the SA trigger on my wife’s pre-lock Model 13-2. While many folks don’t like finger grooves, the grip is just the right size and the modest grooves just the right shape to fit my grubby mitts. Is .44 mag the cartridge that I would choose if I knew a bear was going to attack me? Not a chance. If that were the case, I’d probably choose a .30 caliber rifle with a large magazine. But .44 mag is a cartridge that fits in a gun that I’m willing to actually carry. The gun that isn’t left in the glove box or in the safe at home. It doesn’t matter what caliber that gun is chambered in.
  • "Why You Should Care About Ammo Testing"--The Firearms Blog. Because sometimes it shows that what is considered common knowledge might be wrong. For instance, recent tests conducted by TFB showing that the 124 grain 9mm+P Golddot didn't expand very well against heavy clothing when shot out of a short barreled 9 mm (the S&W Shield, which has a 3-inch barrel).
  • "Chiappa Rhino .357 Magnum 2 Inch Barrel"--Average Joe's Handgun Reviews. Like many others, the author finds the recoil reduction to be significant with this design.
  • "How to Cook in an Emergency"--Living Providently Today. The author lists five principles for cooking in an emergency, and briefly discusses each. The five are: (1) Cook Safely; (2) Do what is easy and use what you have; (3) Be efficient – use inexpensive methods and conserve fuel; (4) Make it interesting – add variety and “comfort foods”; and, (5) Practice your skills.
  • "How Small is Too Small?"--The Tactical Wire.  The author took the Ruger LCP through the same targets and drills as the FBI Pistol Qualification Course. Basically, it is more physically demanding to use a "mouse gun" for that shooting regime than a larger handgun. Read the whole thing.
  • "My 33 Life Lessons"--Schafer's Self-Defense Corner. This is a philosophical piece, rather than orientated toward self-defense. Nevertheless, it offers up a lot of life wisdom that I think is worth your time to read.
  • "Breathe Even While Sleeping: Three Preps for Sleep Apnea"--Beans, Bullets, Bandages and You. No electricity means no operable CPAP machine. The author suggests that sometimes certain mouthpieces may help keep your airway open. Also, he suggests propping yourself up when you sleep (that is, sleep at a reclined angle), and, in some cases, nasal strips may help.
  • "32 Uncommon Uses For Baking Soda"--The Survivalist Blog. I just got to use one of the unconventional uses yesterday evening: slathering a bee sting (actually, in my case, a wasp sting or bite) with a baking soda paste to relieve the pain and swelling.
  • "New Details on 173-Man Islamic State Terror Team Headed Towards Europe"--PJ Media. The article notes that "A report released two weeks ago by Interpol publicized identifying information of 173 Islamic State operatives suspected to be headed towards -- or already in -- Europe. The report warns that it's easier for non-European operatives to slip into the continent than for European citizens of the terror group." (Emphasis in original). A few more items of note: (1) "presidential envoy Brett McGurk ... told the New Yorker that U.S. intelligence is circulating to coalition partners a list of 19,000 known ISIS fighters on the loose"; (2) "there have been a dozen terror incidents in Germany since January 2016 involving suspects with refugee/immigration backgrounds"; and (3) "the arrest of a Bay Area ISIS supporter who vowed to 'redefine terror' and kill 10,000 Americans represented the 130th ISIS-related arrest in the U.S. since March 2014."


Other Stuff:
"The time for talk is over" on North Korea, so the United States isn't planning to call a United Nations Security Council meeting for discussion of the country's latest ICBM launch, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley says. In a statement, Haley said there would be no point holding such a session if it produces "nothing of consequence." She said Pyongyang is already subject to plenty of international sanctions that it flouts with impunity, and adding yet another toothless resolution would be "worse than nothing because it sends the message to the North Korean dictator that the international community is unwilling to seriously challenge him," the BBC reports.
       An ejection test examines a missile's "cold-launch system," which uses high pressure steam to propel a missile out of the launch canister into the air before its engines ignite. That helps prevent flames and heat from the engine from damaging either the submarine, submersible barge or any nearby equipment used to launch the missile.
           Carried out on land at Sinpo Naval Shipyard, Sunday's ejection test is the third time this month -- and fourth this year -- that North Korea has conducted a trial of the missile component that is critical to developing submarine launch capabilities, according to the US defense official.


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