The Gun Control Freaks Are Beating The War Drums Again...

As I am sure many of you have already seen, gun sales over the holidays skyrocketed all over the US. More people than ever before are exercising their 2nd Amendment rights, and I for one am positively gleeful that such is the case.
But as you can imagine, there are plenty of narrow minded folks who would love nothing more than to slap more restrictions or outright bans on firearms ownership within our Republic.
Tonight during the Super Bowl, New York's anti gun mayor Michael " I'm a Doushebag" Bloomberg and Boston mayor Thomas Menino will take to the airwaves touting more gun control in a public service announcement.
Both of these guys are members of MAIG or "Mayors Against Illegal Guns", a gun control advocacy group that they co-founded in 2006. The MAIG has a roster of mayors and town leaders all over the US, and many people have no idea that their elected officials may be a member of this gun-grabbing group. And it's not just Democrat or liberal mayors, the MAIG boasts several so-called "conservative" and Republican members as well.
Members of the MAIG say they are not trying to take guns away from their legal owners, just to close loopholes that allow criminals to get guns and move them around undetected.
But the problem with this is, that it's not the criminals that they are turning the screws on, it's gun shop dealers, private owners, and people who abide by the law anyway.
A criminal will break the law regardless of what you say or do. No matter how many restrictions or red tape you throw at a problem.
Bloomberg has always had a serious hate-on for gun owners and firearms in general, but as of late he's been rather quiet on the subject, as have many politicians. I guess many of them are starting to realize that there is a real and potent backlash from voters when you try to take away a fundamental right, such as self protection.
But the thing this time is, Bloomberg is in his 3rd and final term. If he pushes for something unpopular among the populace, it won't matter. The man has nothing to lose.
And that is something all gun owners in America need to take into consideration this fall when the Presidental election takes place. Obama has said openly, that gun control was an issue he believes in and is working behind the scenes to accomplish. One of the only things holding him back is fear of not being re-elected. If he manages to pull it out of the fire in November,....well Katie Bar the Door, as my grandfather used to say.
On a side note, both front runners in the Republican nominee race, Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich both support certain measures of gun control as well,so don't think you're safe with one of them in the White House either.
Gun control is coming, and it's just a matter of time before they start shoving it down your throat. And to be honest with you, I don't know there's much that voting against one guy or the other )in the Presidency, or Congress or Governor..whatever election it may be) will change it.
All I will say when they try to push it on me is this:

Leatherwood Hi-Lux CMR Scope Review: A Military Arms Channel Video

I've been hearing some really good things about the Hi-Lux CMR.
As I get older, I can certainly tell that my eyesight is not what it used to be, and while I am a firm believer in iron sights, sometimes optics cannot be beat.
MAC (Military Arms Channel) delivers another excellent review in the following video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l27uTiDjre0

The Saiga Rifle: Quality Kalashnikov Project Gun

Most people who know AKs, know the Saiga. The Saiga ( named for a breed of antelope from the steppes of Eurasia) is a sporting version of the venerable Kalashnikov (AK) rifle which is produced by the Izhmash arms division in Russia. It offers the same piston driven reliability as the military version of the AK in a sporting package. When they first arrive in the US they look like this:

In a Monte Carlo style stock, no pistol grip, no flash hider, and with only a 10 round proprietary magazine. Many people who desire to own a true Russian made AK, will use these sporting rifles as a base model to build upon and have a full fledged Russian AK. Please keep in mind that when you modify a Saiga or any other imported rifle such as this, you must abide by 922r Compliance. I have never heard of anyone ever actually getting charged with non compliance to the 922r stipulation, but it's better to air on the side of caution. Without wasting a bunch of space explaining the ins and outs of 922r, I'll just say look it up for the details.Basically you have to use a number of all US made parts to make the gun "compliant".
A few years ago, I began a project of converting a 7.62x39mm Saiga into a more tactical form.
I had gotten it in a trade and decided that I could always use another Kalashnikov.
This weapon made the perfect project gun for me, and I set about adjusting her to fit my needs.
I added a Dinzag Arms bullet guide to the front trunnion so it will accept and feed from a standard AK magazine, as well as moving US-made Tapco trigger group forward into the correct spot and adding a Tapco SAW style pistol grip for the sake of 922r and a NATO length US made Polymer stock from K-VAR Corp. At the time, I found no replacement handguard that I particularly liked, and since there is no AK style handguard retainer on the barrel I couldn't use a standard wood set, so I kept the Saiga polymer front guard.
Additionally the standard leaf sights have been replaced with a Krebs Customs rear aperture sight.



The bullet guide installation is not something I would suggest to a novice machinist. I enlisted some help on this little task. I'm glad I did as it turned out quite nicely.

The Krebs Custom aperture sight is a great mod for this rifle. I love the sight picture it gives.


My result was this:

I was never happy with it, and wished I had done more modifications, so I decided that it was time to take the project forward after a multi- year hiatus.
After reading an article in the Complete Book of the AK47, I decided that a folding stock on this rifle would add to the versatility of this rifle.
I decided to go with  skeletonized machined stock as well as an ACE side folding mechanism ( which by the way is compatible with all manner of stock designs).

One thing to consider when doing this mod, is that the trunnion block that you add will require that you cut of the rear tang of the rifle, which means you will be stuck with at least an ACE type stock of some sort. You won't being going back to a traditional stock again. So think long and hard before you do this mod.
I sliced off the rear tang very carefully with my cutting disc, minding not to get into the area where the recoil spring stops.

After you make sure you have it flush, time to add the trunnion block.
The block slides into the back of the receiver and the four lock screws go through the sides of the receiver by way of the holes in the Saiga receiver. (the holes are a result of the trigger group being moved forward, back to the traditional position of the trigger in a standard AK)

The top screw goes through the trunnion block and it's then locked in place. I mounted the folder adapter in the right side folding position and then mounted the stock to that.
I decided that the Tapco SAW style grip had to go, so I went back with a Hogue rubberized grip instead.

stock unfolded and locked in the shooting position

 

with stock set up to fold to the right, allowing the use of the optic mounting rail on the left side of the receiver.

 

The project Saiga as she stands now. Another mod to the front may be coming soon.

The stock locks up nicely, with no slop. Recoil is not overly noticeable, and it helps give the rifle a more modular ability. I can store it in a relatively small area, making it a great truck gun, a camp rifle, a SHTF gun, etc.
A quad rail handguard was added along with the Magpul AFG, (which I don't care for on most guns, but it seems to work well on the Saiga). As of writing this, I am considering changing the front rail system to something lighter, possibly the Midwest Industries rail handguard, or modding it to accept standard wood, and utilizing the very nice Timbersmith US made wood handguards.
I am pleased with the work, and I haven't second guessed the permanent modification to the rear trunnion.
I will be looking into having someone thread the barrel and adding the Venom Antidote muzzle brake which is available from the great guys over at Rifle Dynamics.
After all that is finished, time for the CeraKote.
Time and Money, the two things that stand in the way of perfection.

The LUCID HD7 Red Dot Optic

I am always looking for good quality optics that won't necessarily drain the wallet dry. And while I do agree that when it comes to optics, generally you get what you pay for, there are some lower cost optics that will provide the average shooter with a good quality scope or red dot, and will last them a lifetime of shooting, and will not cost them as much as many of more well known brands.
Military Arms Channel takes a look at the LUCID HD7 red dot:

http://youtu.be/NTqJnIGQ7h4?hd=1



And now, an update:

Just So You Know, Girls Can Shoot Too. It's OK.

Hello, my furry little friends. I hope your Christmas was a safe and happy one, without too much stress and hustle and bustle. Mine was actually quite good, and was spent with family and friends.
For Christmas this year, I took some of my own advice (from my post back on Dec 11th) and gave my niece and nephew their very own Daisy Buck carbine air rifles, which are smaller lighter versions of the Red Ryder Carbine, perfect for smaller kids. My nephew, I had no doubt, would take to his own rifle, since he has always enjoyed shooting my .22 rimfire rifles, but I was concerned about how well my niece would take getting an air rifle for Christmas. Much to my pleasant surprise, she was as thrilled, if not more,as my nephew. She could hardly wait for us to finish our Christmas meal so we could go out and test them out. So out we went, and we sat up some soda cans and they began plinking away. I was surprised to find that while my nephew's form was good, he was impatient and tended to pull his shots. My niece, whose form needs some work, concentrated on her shots, took her time, and in the end was making better, far more consistent shots than my nephew. I believe that with practice and help, she will become quite the little marksman, or markswoman.
I want my niece to understand that just because she is a girl, does not mean that she can't shoot, she is just as capable as anyone else. So many parents have sheltered their daughters from things they consider to be dangerous. The world will not care that they have been sheltered as children and it will show them no mercy. So it's up to parents to teach their daughters the skills they need to take on the world. And learning firearms is one of those skills. Girls in many cases develop faster than their male counterparts, and that actually gives them an advantage, and they by all means should take it.
If your daughter shows interest in the shooting sports, instead of telling her "girls don't shoot" and turning her into a prissy froo froo princess, help develop the traits that will make her into a strong independent woman when she grows up.
Besides, if you nurture those skills, she might grow up to be the next Julie Golob, and then she can buy you a new car.





Shooting Champion Julie Golob: Deadlier than most men I know.

Weapons Lights and Training for Night Shooting- A Sootch00 Video

Many people do not take in to consideration that many of your home defense situations will take place at night in the dark, so it's a prudent idea to have a good quality weapons light attached to your home defense weapons, whether it be an AR, a shotgun, or a handgun.
I plan on doing some stuff of my own about weapons lights in the near future, but until then, here is a great video by Sootch00 on weapons lights and their applications in the dark.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fWDLN9Cb-k

The AR vs. the AK: A Military Arms Channel Video

Hello folks, I hope you are having a safe and happy holiday.
I have been extremely busy, and haven't really had a chance to add much to the blog, but hopefully that is going to change soon.
A few weeks ago, I was rambling on about the AR-15 family of rifles, and I mentioned the eternal argument between AR and AK owners over which one is the better rifle.
Well, Sturmgewehre over at Military Arms Channel throws his gauntlet into the fight with this video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n98LszJAlTE