Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.
It’s good to be a competitive shooter, like Dani Bryan-Nickens for Team CZ Forum. It’s even better to also pass on the skills and the mindset to the next generation.
That Volquartsen Scorpion is worth a lot more in competent hands…even if those hands are only eight years old.
Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.
Why is this young lady sad? She just found out that the slim forend shifts on firing and can pinch fingers against the receiver. Where could I find a wide forend for this PTR91?
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Today, I was at the range with three friends. We did a little shooting competition. Wooden boards sized about 6″x9″ were propped up on the bushes by the berm and we shot at them from 150 yards. Each shooter had five rounds and we fired at will. I had a .223 bolt action with what proved a loose scope mount — the predictable end result was no hits at all. Another friend had an Ishapore .308 Enfield, no hits either as he aimed at the middle middle rather than under the target with sights set to 200m. The third man had a Vepr 7.62×54 with a 6x PSOP scope and he had one center hit, but the board didn’t fall off the bush. Robert, pictured above with a happy grin, shot his .223 Savage with a 3-9x Weaver scope and got three hit out of five shots, knocking the board down.
We did a re-match, with the results repeated, only this time he knocked the board down in two shots. And I went down to the 100 yard line, missed some more and finally had the bright idea of checking the scope mount. Ironically, I also tried to hit the target with my old G23, only to have it break in the middle of the magazine (the recoil spring connection to the guide rod is busted). So the lesson is: “Test your weapons and optics. Have spare weapons on hand.”
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So I finally got curious about the accuracy potential of the MAD 33AR and the PTR91. With iron sights, I can do OK but not well enough to make hits on smaller targets. The scope mount I got didn’t quite fit the MAD 33AR, so it went on the 91 even though the BDC is for .223 round. Inside of 500 yards, the differences are sufficiently minor anyway. For 5.56mm, the most obvious solution would be MAD 33kAR with Picatinny rail on the receiver.
The eye relief of the 3×30 ACOG is just right, which is good, as the mount permits little variation in position. You can see the faint image of the protective ring around the front sight at the bottom of the sight picture, but it’s not intrusive. Accuracy definitely improved. Groups got smaller by about 50% (close to 2MOA with ball) but, more importantly, the centering of the groups moved much closer to the point of aim. I only wish that the scope had some reticle other than the extra-bright green chevron. Fortunately, quite a few options are available. My top picks would be red cross-hairs or dot-horseshoe, followed by green. Yellow is much harder to see in my environment.
I strongly suspect that the main appeal of PSG1 style “sniper” stocks is in moving the cheekbone away from the stock hump. With the rifle as it is now, one has to be careful of the face placement to avoid eventual bruising. But even with the base furniture, PTR91 usefulness improves considerably with a good scope.
Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.
…just taking your two champion kids to World Steel Championship 2015 and shooting along with them, it’s also about horsey rides even if the kids are already teenagers.
Talk about setting a high standard for their future mates!
Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.
Sony RX100 IV proved a disappointment. Image quality is well below my expectations with poor colors, and the usability for video is poor with focus problems. My eyeglasses push the pop-up viewfinder out of alignment, so that’s only marginally helpful. Fortunately, B&H issued an RMA.
I think this concludes my effort to go below micro 4/3 in size. I have a Panasonic G2 which, while not small, is more portable than my A7R or 5DSR. Perhaps a Pen-size camera with a pancake lens would work better, but that’s a quest I will leave for some unspecified future. As with pistols, eventually the utility of larger tools outstrips the convenience of the subcompacts.
Now I am looking for a standalone video camera, having got frustrated with the handling limitations of DSLRs for that purpose. Canon XA20 is the current favorite. Does anyone have experience with it, particularly with the effectiveness of autofocus?
Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.
One reason to live in Tennessee: tshirt weather in the middle of December. The secret to this local warming is burning enough gunpowder!
Beck Defense carbine in 7.62×35(300 Blackout). For more effective warming of the environment, .510 Beck — in this instance, a 690 grain monolithic subsonic.
Muffled guns are more fun and easier on the ears. In an AR10, even the .510 monster round is pretty easy on the shoulder, with far less impact than a 30-30 or a 44Mag from a lever action carbine.
Another Beck shortie. Contrary to my expectations based on using most other suppressed ARs, these rifles produced no blowback to the user at all.
Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.
Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.
Several of my friends are doing a sale on their newest novels, novellas and short stories. I recommend.
Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.
When it comes to 5.56mm HK roller-lock rifles and their clones, three choices are prominent in magazine selection. Choice one is a version taking inexpensive and widely available AR15 magazines.
Choice two is the original German steel magazine, currently at $80 ea. They work great and would be my top choice for serious use.
Choice three, a bit unexpected, is the Promag polymer 30-rounder at $14.95. I had a chance to try it and was pleasantly surprised.
It locks into the mag well with no wobbling, feeds reliably and generally behaves like a quality magazine. I have not done destructive testing on it, but it should at least survive being dropped at the range, in part thanks to much lighter weight. At 150 grams vs. 270 grams for the HK original, it gives five loaded Promags for the weight of four HKs.
Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.
I finally had a chance to read Alexandria Kincaid’s book about the US gun laws in all their irrational glory. Over half of the illustrations in it were done by me, but while I’ve been looking at parts of the book for some time, I just now got to read the coherent whole. The book is excellent — clear, funny and informative. It’s also a great gift to fence-sitting friends who might not realize just how bizarre and illogical gun control is.
You can get it for a few days at a $5 discount and with free shipping. The books will ship early next week.
Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.
I am looking for two microphones for use with Canon XA20 video camera. One would be an on-camera mike (something like Audio-Technica AT8022), the other a remote (something like Sennheiser AVX). Knowing entirely too little about audio recording, I need advice on what’s the reasonable price/performance level for field use. Main goals are interviews and sound effects.
Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.
Friends just dragged in this curious collection of parts. I am puzzled by seemingly ratty weapons being used by very competent people.
Light mount is in evidence under the barrel. Somehow, they managed to graft an A2 flash hider onto the barrel with metric threads.
The grip got an upgrade. But what about the thin, cold wire stock!?
At least this underfolder stock has para cord wrapped around it for insulation…the wire stock has none and features some pretty sharp protrusions over by the hinge. Any suggestions on what folding stock could be substituted to provide proper comfortable cheek weld?
I have no doubt that the owner of this AK can outfight most people armed with fancier arms. Just wondering: why labor under this intentional handicap?
Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.
Looking for a 2-3 days seminar, workshop, conference, symposium, camp, class around May 15-26 in or near Louisville.
Topics covered should be one or more of the following:
– software engineering;
– computer education;
– online learning;
– Microsoft .NET and/or SQL Server technology;
– teaching STEM in a community college
– teaching robotics using graphical environment.
Registration cost up to $150. Also willing to offset part of the cost by helping with the seminar or event.
I need the information within 24 hours at most. Thank you.
Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.
My father’s marksmanship skills amaze me every range trip. Tavor at 100 yards, standing, with an unmagnified optic — four hits in a row on a helmet-sized skillet that was barely visible against the background. He hit a paper plate with a Sig P238, causing it to turn sideways on the support — then shot it edge-on!
Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.
Amie’s newest book is now available. It features, among other things, the most evil bunny since Monty Python and the Holy Grail. I am quite pleased with how the cover came out.
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January 25-26, I will be working with Ron Norton on photos of really awesome reproductions of WW2 firearms. Who could be available to work with me in uniform? Also, if not available on those days but can work with me later, that’s of interest as well. I am mainly looking for the American troops, but can make use of other Allies or Axis for that and other projects.
Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.
A serious gentleman with a classic Henry 45-70.
Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.
Looks like I waited too long to get a hotel room and everything within reasonable range from the convention center is already booked. Would anyone have a spare couch available?
Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.
45-70 puts the final period in that sentence.
(Henry lever action again)