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Whats Better Than A Bullseye?
February 22nd, 2010 No comments »Shooting out the staples holding up the target!
I made few tweaks to my Ruger 10/22 and took it to the range. Once zeroed it was on fire. I got bored with hitting the X over and over so I removed the paper from the stand by shooting out the staples. That is gratifying!
The guy who went with my was not having as much fun. He was given a 10/22 for Christmas by his dad (Sounds like he is about 12 but he is actually 26). He had a crazy jam. Look at the picture bellow, you see the black pointy part on the upper right. This is a piece that is capable or rotating back if assembled improperly. Its purpose is to kick the brass out of the gun as the extractor pulls it back.
Basically his was rotated back and got jammed between the bolt and hammer, completely locking the gun. Lesson learned: always bring a screw driver to the range.
He also had a poor scope. On the up shot his 10/22 is the old style that actually has a good trigger, its really heavy but has a nice crisp break. I advised him not to change it.
All this 22 business got me to finally finish part 4 of my 10/22 transformation series.
Two final notes: 1) If you have plastic lipped mags, THROW THEM OUT. They are jam magnets I have never seen one work consistently. 2) Slathering you 10/22 in FP-10 works magic.
Benchmade Pocket Knife
February 19th, 2010 No comments »Last weekend I bought a Benchmade Griptilian with a tanto blade. I will write a review but I am currently busy. So why post this? Because I do not want to forget. And if I do this I will feel pressured to come back.
Around the Intertubez
February 18th, 2010 No comments »Just for fun here are a few thinks I have been amused by. Thank you Interwebz.
Politics Accomplished:
I am sure everyone has seen this. You really have to admire the pure geniusness of it.
Via Flowing Data (and everywhere else)
Online Dating by the Numbers:
I have some friends that do online dating. Some are more sane than others ie meet.com vs Craigs List. Anyway, ever wonder what the best profile photo is? This can probably help out:
Leaves me wondering if this can be directly applied to advertising.
Data Visulization:
If a good infographic does not get your palms sweaty and your heart racing you need to get off the interwebz.
Via Flowing Data
Via Flowing Data again.
If you can’t tell I really like looking though the stuff on Flowing Data.
511’s Tactical Office Pants
February 18th, 2010 No comments »
Ok so 511 actually calls them Covert Khakis but I think I could come up with come better ones:
- Cubical Commanders
- CQB (Cubical Quarters Battle) Pants
- Tactical Computer Operator Pants
I have wondered for a long time, why is it that I go out adventuring on the weekends, demanding the highest performance from my gear. Then I show up on Monday and I am rocking cotton pants that have not changed since the stone age. These pants give me hope that some company gets it. All I have to say is: Please make me more!
What I like
First of all these really feel great. These are probably the first of my “work” pants that I would consider wearing on the weekends. They have a flat front that looks great and is magical with you check out the pocket on these. There is SO much room!
The zippered pocket in pocket design in really cool. I can stash my pocket knife in one of the “mag pouches” zip the zipper and no-one knows it there. The inner zipped pocket is about the same size as the main pocket. Got something you need to keep secure with rounded edges that like to work its way out (pens or iPhones maybe), the zippered pockets solve that problem.
These things are sturdy. I have no doubt that I will be wearing these for a while. I tend to churn and burn work pants. Unlike my other these feel solid.
I would love to know what 511 was thinking about this:
What I can tell you (and this is probably it), these pants stay comfy even after loading up the pockets, eating a huge meal and then plopping down in my cube.
What Could Be Improved:
Its a nice day here in the Portland Vancouver area. The sun is shining and the wind is blowing hard out of the Gorge. Its a great temp but I am hot. These pants are hot. The outside layer is a great thickness and feels really durable but the large pocket system stacks up the insulation. If I were 511 I would consider making some of the middle layers a lycra type material that does not get as warm. Basically I would try and trim weight and insulative layers wherever possible, without loosing durability. Additionally, can we get fancy with the outer layer?
The “magazine pockets” on these are curious. They bairly accommodate my pocket knife in diameter but they are deep. If you had a hi-cap .380 they might work great. I would re-engineer them slightly to better fit a knife or small flashlight and some pens.
The cargo pockets are cool but I am not so sure they are useful. That might be a place to remove material for a summer version of the pants.
One final comment, where is my iPhone pocket? How about a little pocket inside the left front pocket?
Remember this section is “things that could be improved” not “things that are wrong”. There is nothing wrong, these are pretty dam cool.
Overall:
These kick ass and the price is right. I bought mine for $17 bucks and pair but in retrospect they would be worth spending the full retail $50.
Skeetshooting on skis.
February 17th, 2010 No comments »Someone on the local news suggested combining skeet shooting and ski jumping and adding it to the olympics. I agree.
What’s In My Pockets
February 16th, 2010 No comments »
- Oakley Sun Glasses
- Keys on handy carabiner
- Small Surefire flashlight
- iPhone
- Benchmade Knife
- Fisher Space Pen
- Chapstick
Note: No gun. This is what I take to the office.
Further note: I am way behind the times doing this. Note the camera that is usually in my pocket is in the picture.
511 Pants: Tactical iPhone Pocket
February 16th, 2010 2 comments »
It seems to me that on items that its small things that take everyday items from good to great. Last weekend I posted about buying a few pairs of 511 tactical pants. And I spent all weekend in them.
Sure I was mostly loafing around the house and the most strenuous things I did in them was build some Ikea shelves and chop down a tree but never the less I got some quality pants time.
This may sound strange bu the thing that impressed me the most was how the iPhone fits exactly in the left upper exterior pocket. Not having it dodging my knife, keys and flashlight in my main pockets gave me a little piece of mind, plus it was always handy.
To put this in perspective I would consider my iPhone to be possibly my most critical piece of daily gear.
I should also note there are other features I like: the rear pockets are off set to the outside to when you sit down you wallet is not in an uncomfortable place. The rear pockets are also huge which is nice because it always seems faster to cram stuff in your back pockets. The strap above the right rear pocket made this ex-rock climber feel at home, nothing like a gear loop for quick access. When you squat, the pants do not cut of circulation to your balls, yet another plus.
I give them two thumbs up.
The Skier Who Can’t Shoot Straight
February 16th, 2010 No comments »Wall Street Journal reports about a German woman who is so fast on her skis that her lack of marksmanship is not a problem.
My Dad has told me stories about his participation in Biathlons before I was born. He moved here from Australia. He came here with a rowing background. He says that the sport is more about control over your heart rate than skiing or shooting. I guess thats unless you are superhuman on skis.
On Big Trucks
February 12th, 2010 4 comments »Seems like some people around the gun blogs have been been getting all uppity about anti truck sentiments.
For the record. I have owned a Ford F150, Ford Explorer and currently own a Ford Escape. All of which were used and abused over their lifetimes.
I have no problems with trucks like this. What I do take issue with is d-bags who live in the suburbs buy these big ass trucks and then NEVER use them. It annoys the hell out of me to see these capable trucks with no scratches or marks in the bed, on the hitch or messed up paint from driving through brush. If you like trucks that has to make you sad. Its like a gun that never gets taken out of its case.
I would be willing to bet that I have hauled a greater volume of stuff and played off road more in my Subaru Outback than 90% of the truck owners in the Portland/Vancouver area.
Come on, if you need to drive you kiddies to soccer practice buy an Fing mini-van. You don’t need an F350 to drive your ass to work. Oh and if you drive an Escalade you are the height of Dumb Ass. My wifes V6 4WD Escape gets 20MPG. I think thats pretty good.
Why you should care: The small junk people who need an ego boost buy buying a truck are driving up gas prices for the rest of us. They are not helping our dependence on foreign oil and they are certainly not helping the environment.
In closing: Please buy trucks. They are one of the few things that Americans still do a good job making. But if you are going to buy one, for god sake use it.
Also remind me later to write a post on why you need to be kicked in the head if you think climate change is some sort of left wing conspiracy. Good science is a-political people. Show me a published peer reviewed paper that refutes climate change.
