Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.
From a recent photo shoot in Florida. The actual model is Kim, with suntan lotion in hand. Kara was her adviser for the day.
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Hard work in the blazing sun.
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A better photo of the same owl.
Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.
The photo was taken around 1130am, yet required ISO1250 due to the low light area where the owl was located.
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Bigger is Better: new on AllOutdoor
Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.
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Her various attitudes
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A Sword in the Stump
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Help my friend Marisa
Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.
My friend is running into serious health issues requiring surgery. The recovery period will require 8 week unpaid leave from work. She’s unhappy about asking for help, but it seems like the one remaining option to avoid destitution.
If you’d like to help her, here’s the fundraiser.
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“Get weapons of war off the streets!”
Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.
This Springfield 30-06 bolt action traces its origins to the 1890s. Today’s deer rifles are not much different from what was the premier US sniper rifle in WW1 and WW2. Will your hunting rifle become a prohibited “weapon of war” because of the mechanical similarity?
The title is a typical rallying cry of anti-freedom politicians. We know they are lying. But let’s pretend, just for a moment, that they aren’t. If they really mean to restrict only weapons of war, then we are looking at one of two possible outcomes:
- They mean to eliminate almost every firearm, pole arm, ranged and edged weapon out there, since all of them had at one time been used in warfare. For example, a typical hunting bolt action is derived from the 1898 Mauser rifle, and a typical handgun is very similar to what World War One troops carried. Are you OK with being denied ownership or access to every rifle, shotgun, musket, arquebus, crossbow, bow, sling and atl-atl ever fielded by an army?
- They wish to restrict only current weapons or war. So obsolete designs, like the 1895 Colt machine gun should fine by them. Yeah, right! They would be no more OK with the 1918 Bergmann submachine gun than with 1915 grenades or 1896 Mauser pistol with a shoulder stock. The variety of obsolete arms is tremendous, and none of them look sufficiently dated to the anti-individual politicians. The current efforts of Australian prohibitionists to ban lever action smoothbores is a testament to that.
M1 and M3 submachine guns, two long-obsolete weapons from the early 1940s. Would gun control pushers allow you to keep them?
There’s also that little issue of enforcement. In the end, gun control is accomplished by using weapons of war in the streets to murder anyone who tries to resist. That’s how British troops enforced gun control Palestine, by imposing death penalty for unauthorized arms or ammo possession from 1937, with the predictable escalation from all sides. That’s how Nazi and Communist troops enforced it on conquered territories everywhere. The foes of individual freedom aren’t creative. To achieve their ends, they will use the same tools they claim to disdain against any opposition. And, ever the believers in collective responsibility, they will use deadly force on anyone associating with their enemies through kinship or friendship. In other words, it would be enough to be a relative of the enemy of the state or a casual social connection to get imprisoned or murdered. That’s how Pol Pot’s regime wiped out a quarter of Cambodia’s population over mere four years. In other cases, they might pretend to believe in gun control but actually use their political influence to facilitate smuggling of weapons for profit while cracking down on legal competitors. Others use draconian restriction to extort bribes for permits. Both arbitrary enforcement and increasing the vulnerability of the population to predation by government agents as well as by other types of criminals serve to cultivate learned helplessness, a mark of co-dependent or at least politically passive people. A typical example of that are the residents of Detroit and Memphis, who continue to re-elect leftist city administrators despite extreme mismanagement.
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How perishable are skills?
Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.
Guns aren’t very complicated, yet somehow every rifle class starts with people trying to remember their zero settings, fumbling with slings and generally acting incompetently. That’s understandable, as we seldom get to carry or use rifles. With pistol, most people who actually get training are good enough to hit unmoving targets while the shooter is also stationary. Something as simple as wind flapping the paper becomes a challenge. Shooting on the move or at a partially obscured “foe” is harder yet. We aren’t as good as we think we are. That minimal skill level may be enough to win a defensive fight, provided the weapon is actually carried and is available when needed.
I do notice that quite a few people bring a full size pistol to class but carry a subcompact or even a completely different type, such as a revolver. I also asked friends if they would feel comfortable betting $50 on a first shot hit against a stationary, harmless sheet of paper from a rapid draw, and very few would risk their money. Yet they are ok with risking their lives on carrying the gun with which they do not feel confident of winning a firefight.
Hmmmm…
In Nashville, I can recommend two training schools: Agape Tactical and Condition-1. Many excellent schools exist elsewhere. Steve Fisher and Tatiana Whitlock are superb. I’ve learned useful skills from I.C.E. Training. Some even travel, like Tom and Lynn Givens. Greg Sullivan and friends at The Defensive Edge were good. I am probably leaving out many excellent schools and individual trainers — feel free to add your favorites.
Training accomplishes two goals: it verifies that your equipment works, and it provides you with knowledge. Actual skills are the result of you training regularly to apply the knowledge you receive in class.
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Keystone Arms 722: new on AllOutdoor
Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.
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Hard at work, as usual.
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Keystone 722 article updated.
Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.
Today, I was able to re-test it at longer range with the proper 6x rimfire scope.
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Vintage portrait
Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.
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Don’t hide behind your pets
Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.
- Dogs are less likely to use deadly force appropriately than responsible people. Depending on their training, they may hurt a person who shouldn’t be bitten or fail to go after a genuine intruder.
- Dogs are more likely to get hurt by intruders than are residents using firearms for self-defense. Dogs just aren’t as well armed as humans and have to get close to fight.
- The dog shown above are working breeds. Most companion dogs are ornamental and at even more disadvantage before intruders. A fight between a 180lb criminal with weapon, and a 30lb or smaller animal doesn’t favor the dog.
- Dogs do excel at providing early warning to their owners.
Next time somebody says: “You don’t need a gun for home defense. Just get a dog.”, ask them why they insist on sending their pets into harm’s way instead of being the responsible adult in the relationship and taking care of problems with appropriate tools in hand.
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You’d be making noise either way
Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.
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In Defense of Open-Bolt Firearms for Civilian Use: new on AllOutdoor
Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.
Why submachine guns should have a legitimate place in the arsenal of free people.
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Chiappa Triple Crown 20ga: new on AllOutdoor
Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.
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vz58: new at American Shooting Journal
Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.
Petite vz. 58 Bridges The Gap Between Submachine Gun And Rifle
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Daily leather
Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.
Recently, I noticed that my most frequently carried pistol is an old Glock 23 in a pancake holster, a type that I don’t normally favor. I am not a great fan of mid-size .40 pistols, so this practice puzzled me. On some thought, I realized that the pistol fits my hand just too well to be left at home. It’s my only truly custom handgun, fitted to my hand by my friend Brandon. And the holster was made by my friend Dennis of Dragon Leatherworks. It’s just too comfortable not to wear.
Last weekend, I saw several new designs from Dennis, took photos and will be posting them as I get them ready for web. Below is a very comfy PPK holster. The whole point of going to a custom designer is the ability to specify exactly what you want. He made a Star SI .32 holster for me once — where could I have found a production holster for that? Or something for a Webley Mk.2, or a rig for a mainstream XDM but in ostrich skin for the unique look and feel? Take a look at his site. The holsters stand up to heavy daily use and yet make the weight of the gun pretty much disappear.
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Olympus E500 or similar camera
Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.
Does anyone have an E500 they could lend me for a few days? I’d like to figure out if friend’s problem with one are from the technical limitations of the body or some other cause.
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Alexis misses Tryce
Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.
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