Samurai artifacts

I can't say I know much of anything about these relics. They were on display near where I live, but I couldn't read the sparse placards that were written in Japanese. I know one is a katana and the other a wakazashi, but beyond that I don't know. They were probably more ornamental than anything else. Perhaps a gift from one lord to another. I doubt they've seen any combat since the blades don't show the "wear" others which I know were use in medieval conflicts. I say "wear" since even those claimed from battlefields are able to present a mirror-like finish once they've been restored.

Akins Accelerator(TM)

This is an interesting accessory. 650+rpm without a class 3 license? I had to take a good look at the website to figure out what exactly do they mean by this proposition. It sure looks like they've pulled it off. The Ruger 10/22 becomes a rapid fire semiautomatic weapon.

I wonder if stuff like this, if it becomes popular across other weapon platforms, will help facilitate banning semiautomatics in the future? If nothing else they might redefine the term "machine gun". For example, "... more than one round discharged through a single 'motion' of the hand." Where a "motion" might be a flexing of a muscle or some other stupid legal definition.

Would you buy one? What do you think?

WileyX Light Adjusting Lenses

I bought a beautiful pair of XL-1's from, of all places, the Harley Davidson distributor in Maui. I guess they are popular with riders who need good eye protection from road debris. Makes sense. I got a pair with dark, smoke-colored lenses and went online to order a pair of Light Adjusting lenses for more "tactical" uses. DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY. They don't adjust to light. My Dad's everyday corrective light adjusting lenses work a hundred times better than the ones from WileyX. They are too expensive for another set of clear lenses.

How to suture up wounds if SHTF

An interesting thread from Glock Talk

Try to get the wound cleaned and closed as soon as possible after the bleeding has stopped. Apply direct pressure until the bleeding has stopped. This may take some time depending on how bad an injury it was.

Flush the wounds with sterile (boiled if possible) water until all visible dirt is out of the wound.

After the wound appears clean, disinfect it with either povidine iodine (betadine) or chlorhexadine gluconate (4%). You can get this from a veterinarian supply for pretty cheap. I prefer the chlorhexadine because it has less caustic effect on the tissues. To disinfect it, first put on sterile gloves if they are available. If not, scrub your hands (especially under the nails) with the betadine or chlorhexadine. If you don't have either of these available you can use hydrogen peroxide or rubbing alcohol as a last resort. Remember, after you have your gloves on, anything you touch must be sterile or you will contaminate yourself. That means you have to make a sterile field and lay out all of your equipment on it. If you do contaminate yourself, change gloves.

If you have some lidocaine 1% or 2% now would be a great time to use it otherwise this will HURT. If you have it available, Fill a 10 cc syringe with a ~21 to 23 gauge needle and inject it about 1 cc at a time into the wound margins and the deep tissue. Wait about 3-4 minutes and check to see if you have achieved local anesthesia by poking the area with the needle. If you don't have any lidocaine, you can use a benzocaine spray but this will BURN for a few minutes after you put it on before the tissue gets numb. The lidocaine syringe will most likely NOT be sterile, so be sure and change gloves after you administer it.

Then, pour a generous amount of your chosen disinfectant into the wound. Scrub the wound with the disinfectant and some sterile 4x4's. If it is deep, make sure that the disinfectant gets deep into the wound cavity. Now make a sterile field around the wound using sterile OR towels if you have them or you can use sterile 4x4 gauze. If you don't have anything available you can boil some towels (but let them cool off before you put them on the skin!) Let the disinfectant sit for about 3-4 minutes for betadine or at least a minute for chlorhexadine. Mop up any extra solution with some sterile 4x4 gauze until the tissue is reasonably dry (e.g. not sopping wet).

Now your wound is sterile and ready to be closed. (continued)

A change of title

This used to be "The Liberal Gunner" blog.

I'm sick of that label. I'm tired of the greed-based politics. And I'm tired of people thinking that IF I were a liberal then I'd abolish gun ownership. I'm tired of people thinking that IF I were a conservative then I'd outlaw every abortion and ban contraceptives.

I was raised with certain traditions that define me and separate me from others. But, I live in a country that has taught me how to live comfortably and amicably with others. Yet, I hone my awareness and preparedness for the probable outcome of misfortune.

Somethings are worth drawing lines in the sand for. Individual rights, gun ownership, a woman's choice, rule of law, progressive taxation, and the right to education are some of those things.

So I may not fit in the "box". And I might dull the "cookie cutter". And some people may not like what I say. But you know what... I don't like people anyhow. Most folks just piss me off anyhow, on the inside. (That doesn't mean I won't listen to them though.)

Collecting Calibers?

I now have firearms in a few different calibers:

• .22 LR
• 9mm
• .40 SW
• .45 ACP
• 5.56 x 45 mm
• 7.62 x 51mm

And I'm feeling like the list is rapidly growing, especially since I'll probably soon be adding:

• 12 ga.
• .22 mag

In addition, I'd love to add a .357 mag revolver at some point. I don't think I can go wrong with any of the above mentioned, except with the .40 SW and .22 mag when times get tough.

I'm having difficulting choosing a weapon that my wife can handle, and yet will be something I can confidently carry. I'm well aware that the both of us will need more training and that's something I'm personally looking foward to. I have a feeling that the .22 LR, 9mm, and 5.56mm will be the greatest investments since I'm confident that my wife can handle weapons in those calibers. Who knows, maybe we'll get lucky and find that she loves the 7.62mm and .45 ACP!

Ammo to Grab
1st Connect: Survial Rifles and Calibers
Survival Bill: Survival Guns
Outdoor Life: Survival Guns

New toys

Well, I came back from the summer with:

1. Kahr PM9
2. Springfield Armory M1A Loaded
3. Rock River Arms AR-15 Complete Lower w/6-position Stock (unknown trigger)
   
4. Springfield Armory XD45ACP

My first impressions about the PM9 were:

• god this thing is small
• it is very controllable
• love the trigger
• a little rough on the finishing, especially on the polymer frame
• a pain in the ass to take-down (it did get much easier)
• gonna have to spend some time to learn how to shoot this thing accurately
• and did I mention that it was small? gonna be a great carry gun

Ultimately I had some real problems with the PM9 and I'm going to have to speak with Kahr about taking a look at the barrel and the slide. I can't even describe what happened, but I'll try. The top edge of the barrel that is between the square, chamber-end and the cylindrical barrel section has gotten "mashed" for lack of a better term. The slide now catches on the top of the deformed "detent" and the weapon fails to automatically cycle between EVERY shot. This happened soon after the 200 round break-in period. I'm really anxious about this problem. I hope Kahr will help me out here.

The M1A is a hoot to shoot. I went through about 40 round of Spanish surplus with great results. I sorta forgot that I was supposed to break-in the barrel and clean it more often, but I hope that shouldn't effect the accuracy down the road. Let me stress that I'm a new shooter and new to rifles... my third string of three-rounds was 1MOA at a 100 yards! This rifle kicks butt.

I didn't get to spend a lot of time with my XD45, but here were my first impressions with this lovely piece:

• as polymer-frames go, this thing is beautiful
• it fit my hand very well, though the grip seemed a bit long
• it points well
• great features
• accurate
• controllable
• and a hell of a lot of fun to shoot

So, I'm just dreaming about my next summer of fun, when I'll be able to get back and shoot some more. Lots to learn!