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Hailey on Horseback at Horse Quarters.
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A forward-leaning observer
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Camera equipment for sale
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I am streamlining my camera and lens line-up and upgrading lenses. Old gear has to go. Prices do not include shipping.
Canon 10D body $225 (comes with charger, spare battery, 4GB memory card) – good starter camera for a kid or a student.
Canon 35-70/3.5-4.5 lens $65
Canon 50/1.8 II $85
Canon 100/2.8 macro (the original with better manual focus) $385
Canon 300/4 IS lens $845
Canon 200/2.8 lens $575
Panasonic LX3 camera (with 3 spare batteries, 8GB card) $275
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Canon T90 with 17mm lens. (nsfw)
Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. Please leave any comments there.
(Photo by Mark Probst)
My first “serious” SLR camera after coming to the US was the awful T-60, an unreliable and vibration-prone entry level camera. I opted for it over used AE1 and similar bodies because I liked its interface a little better: being only a badge-engineered Canon, T-60 had aperture-priority more which AE1 lacked. Eventually, I got rid of the FD system in general and ended up with Elan and 620 bodies. In the period before the EOS system, I considered getting a better FD body and T90 was an option. Unfortunately, is was much too expensive for me and I didn’t need most of its features. It was, along with the Nikon F4, a very appealing camera to the touch. F4 had a much superior interface though, with single turns controlling most functions vs. T90s press-and-turn sub-menu approach.
Imagine my surprise at finding a T90 in use on a recent visit with friends. On second thought, the choice of camera makes sense. T90′s laser-etched finder screen with focusing aids is excellent for low light, and the body has gasket against airborne moisture.
The most interesting aspect is that the lens mounted is the 17/3.5 Tokina with which I am familiar from the undergrad school days. One available for checkout and I used it occasionally with my Nikon F2 body. The super-wide lens makes sense in such close quarters. Compared to most cameras of the day, T90 has very low mirror vibration. I love visiting my friends — you find all sort of neat tech and artifacts in daily use.
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Anti-gun ranges aren’t much fun.
Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. Please leave any comments there.
Tamara and Sayuncle has long noted that being a gunnie is much more fun than being an anti-gunnie.
JRC 9mm can be configured for left-hand ejection but that requires partial disassembly and we didn’t have the time. Next range trip will have it set up for left-side ejection.
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Range time in the Spring
Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. Please leave any comments there.
Leader 50 semi-auto bullpup
Another great day at the range. Went to see the next update of Leader 50 and to socialize with friends. Finally tried my Mossberg 144 at 100 yards and was able to hit a pop can every time. Rimfire match ammo is a relatively affordable way to get much better accuracy out of the same gun.
Charles St.George, a prominent firearms designer
Charles shooting my .22 rifle
Firing slugs through a KSG
This Savage .22 is a prettied-up $100 Walmart special. It works very well but I prefer the models with Accu-Trigger.
Smooth-shooting Remington ACR with a Vortex red dot
After the range trip, I got to see my friend’s new baby for the first time. I think she’ll be a great model in the near future.
Cute kid
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Pleasant surprises at the range.
Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. Please leave any comments there.
When I go to a range, I usually fire off the magazine in my carry pistol to replace the old ammunition with fresh. With the 1911, I am always surprised when my target gets illuminated with a red dot. I never remember about the laser until it comes on by itself. Should be handy if I ever have to use this gun for real.
Yesterday, I carried a lighter Kahr P9 out of sheer laziness. No light or laser, just a very accurate compact pistol. I tried shooting it against a large sheet of cardboard at 50 yards and was surprised to find a centered 6″ group. I was even more surprised that I concentrated on my aiming and lost count of the shots fired. Imagine my surprise when one of the shots streaked red towards the target. Tracer! The slide was still forward, so this was the time to reload. I fired one more time and the slide locked open. I completely forgot that I got into the habit of loading tracers for the last two rounds of carry magazines just to let me know when it’s time to reload.
If my mind got so single-tracked from just concentrating on aiming, I am pretty sure that round count won’t enter my mind in case of a real emergency. Having a visual reminder helps, and also provides verification of my aim.
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Tracers in the night
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A wisp of a girl…with a 12 gauge shotgun
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This girl and her sister are left-handed. Her parents and brother are right-handed. Bottom ejection (as with Browning BPS, Ithaca 37 and Keltec KSG) gets around this difference.
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YHM rifle from the previous post
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XD9 compact with Viridian C5L
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Home and on the range
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Plinking with a .22 for the first time in her life.
After-range clean-up.
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Trijicon Reflex 1×42
Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. Please leave any comments there.
I finally found a good sight for the KSG: fiber optic Reflex. It holds the recoil of slugs fine, has a wide field of view and a bright reticle. Fiber optic/tritium illumimation means I do not have to remember to turn it on and off. Blue tint and amber dot work well against blue sky.
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New toy: GSG522
Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. Please leave any comments there.
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Riots vs. pogroms
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Modern homes are not built as fortresses. They are only as strong as the people defending them.
I hear quite a few worried comments about the possibility of civil unrest in the US. Looking at the precedents, I see three directions it could take: riots, pogroms and freelance criminal activity. The latter, individually perpetrated crime, is what we have now and outside the scope of the post. I suspect that we’ll see much the same level, plus or minus a few percent. For the sake of clarity, I would define riots as mass looting, attacks and other criminal impositions conducted without government sanction. Pogroms would be the same but conducted with either tacit or overt official support. Police might either stay out of the fray or actively suppress minority resistance.
A typical pogrom against European Jews seldom met with much resistance as people were afraid of “provoking them further”. A typical African pogrom tended to have such an overwhelming disparity of numbers and arms that the victimized communities simply disappeared into mass graves. Historically, American riots have been smaller in scope and duration, with the exception of 1967-68.
One reason why the New Orleans situation concerned so many was the questionable behavior of the civil authorities. Some cops were later convicted of murder, more than a few got away with raiding the lawful people and disarming them. For the near future, the position of police and similar agencies may become the greatest factor in the development of riots.
A typical American city (that excludes certain un-American aberrations like New York and Chicago) has enough hunters and recreational shooters to be impregnable to a typical rioting mob. Not counting various purely defensive arms like handguns and shotguns, every good neighborhood has several people with scoped rifles capable of reaching out to the limit of available line of sight. A modern deer or varmint rifle is no less accurate than most WW2 sniper rifles and has far better optics. A 200 yards shot on a deer is not a stretch for a typical hunter, and kill zone on a deer isn’t any larger than that on a hoodlum with a Molotov cocktail in hand.
Proximity to windows gives a wider field of fire. If rioters have long guns of their own, a position set back from the windows offers better concealment. A room acts as a flash hider and muffler, making it very difficult to spot the defender.
From the 1992 LA riots, we know that at least some criminals kept up attacks despite being fired upon with pistols. Being able to observe their victims and overwhelm them with numbers apparently made up for the risk of getting shot. We also know that rifle fire from extended ranges, especially with the shooter being invisible, cause instant retreat. In 1992, people were willing to fire at extended ranges due to the absence of authorities — 50 yards is not a typical self-defense range and most people are conditioned not to fire until backed into a corner and almost at contact distance. Lawful people are also conditioned to perceive individuals rather than groups or mobs as threats, so most would not fire into a hostile group. Putting buckshot with “to whom this may be addressed” dispersion into a group can be very effective but goes counter to the peacetime conditioning. The number of conversations with 911 dispatchers where people in dire and immediate danger keep asking for permission to fire suggests that the main factor preventing massive casualties to rioters is the lack of the will, not the lack of firepower. That will is notably bolstered whenever a riot affects residential areas rather than business districts. A store may be abandoned, but a home with a family within is likely to be defended to the last.
Even an antique shotgun with a handful of shells is often sufficient to back up a mob. Birdshot lacks range, but buckshot is effective out to 25-30 yards and slugs work against vehicles and other cover.
In terms of equipment, night vision would be at the top of the list. Since rioters favor nighttime and wear no uniforms, the defenders would have to be able to observe them and be very sure about the hostile actions before firing. Due to possible electrical power failures, it would be prudent to locate emergency store lights in advance. The same goes for weapon lights and floodlights. In terms of disadvantages, defenders are greatly restricted in maneuver. If they wait until point blank range before opening fire, they can be enveloped from the sides and burned out. That eventuality makes long-range response more attractive.
Even a lightweight hunting carbine like Mini14 is sufficient for urban defense. It's entirely adequate out to 200m, and that's longer than direct line of sight from ground level in most cities.
From observing the past events and looking around my own city, I suspect that mass civil disturbances would be unlikely to spread far from the point of origination — if they even happened. The victims would be the “low-hanging fruit”, probably the neighbors of the perpetrators. Violence would be expressive rather than instrumental, with looting being secondary to mayhem and arson. The greatest danger for residents of other, more remote neighborhoods would be from having to travel past choke points — observing traffic rules and evading attacks is often mutually exclusive tasks. Normal people still have to go to work every day, their kids have to go to school. Any place other than the flashpoints of riots, a person bent on mischief would have to ask himself for whom the scope objective bell tolls. Sniping as a method can be used for both good and evil. Fortunately, the mindset required for rioting is not the same as required for sniping, so the likelihood of a mob being supported by deliberate rifle fire is not very high.
In sum, I don’t view rioting as a likely danger for most of the US. I also think that the peaceable, lawful population has the ability to thin the ranks of rioters drastically should that ever become necessary. To that end, it’s good to know your weapons and have them accessible if necessary. It’s also worth having more than a partial box of ammunition on hand.
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New on CTD: Belt and Suspenders
Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. Please leave any comments there.
Belt and Suspenders: five sighting options for a modern rifle.
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Backyard plinking with Scott
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YHM Black Diamond again
Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. Please leave any comments there.
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Combination guns
Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. Please leave any comments there.
How practical are over and under rifle/shotgun combinations for hunting in the US? I am looking at the older 410/22 and newer 308/12ga or 223/20ga combos. Do game laws ever conflict with the ability to have shot and bullets available int he same firearm?
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New on CTD: Shorter!
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Another impressive kid.
Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. Please leave any comments there.
My friends excel at raising smart, personable children.
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