Looks like Google locked a bunch of blogs reportedly for being spam blogs. I think if you enjoy blogging, and you’re good at it, it’s very much worth the investment to get your own domain, and get some hosting. It helps with your google-fu too, because Google ranks people higher if they have their own domain, where blogspot.com gets reduced google-fu.
Year: 2008
Match Time
Our monthly IHMSA match is this weekend, which means it’s reloading time for me. Bitter and I are also taking two new shooters, possibly more, to the range this weekend for some fun. That means I’ll be a reloading fool.
Last time I did IHMSA, I used a 44 special load for shooting field pistol. Basically 9 grains of Unique capped off with a 180gr semi-jacketed hollow point. I think that load was a bit too hot for my tastes. It headed out about 1100 feet per second. You just need enough on the bullet to knock the rams over, and I think 900 feet per second would be just fine. I think I will reduce the load to 8 grains of Unique this time around.
For the AR-15, I’ve tried and like using Lake City brass with 21gr of IMR-4198 capped off with a 55gr FMJ boat tail round. Heads down range fired from my 20″ barrel AR at about 3150 feet per second, with a variance between the max and min only about 19 feet per second. Next powder I’m going to try will be Varget, once I use up all the IMR-4198.
Been thinking about a load for reloading the M2 ball I have. Seems to be that 50 grains of IMR-4895 with a .308 150gr FMJ boat tail round is reasonable for firing in an M1 Garand. Decapping and resizing 30-06 is rough on the arm though. Takes a lot more force than .223 or 6.8 SPC brass.
Blue Trail Range Reopening on Hold
Looks like Blue Trail Range was ready to reopen, but the state decided they needed more time. They’ve had some ballistic expert help, it looks like:
“Vargas concludes, based on his study of the elevations and theoretical bullet trajectories over the mountain, that it is beyond improbable — and actually implausible — that bullets that have hit residences on the eastern side of Tri-Mountain originate from Blue Trail Range,†she said.
…
State police ballistics experts have also been involved in the investigation of the origin of bullets found in the park as well as shots that have hit homes in Durham that are almost 1.5 miles from the range. The range is on the western side of Fowler Mountain, while the homes that were struck by bullets are on the eastern side.
Clark Vargas, president of C. Vargas & Associates, said the only way that a bullet fired from Blue Trail could have hit homes in Durham were if someone used a specialized shooting technique known as plunging angle fire.
I did my own analysis here, which concluded that fire from the 200 yard range could hit houses on the other side, but I am not an expert, nor did I visit the site. I’ll take the word of the experts on this one.
UPDATE: Looks like the actual house, that was allegedly hit, is marked now in Google Earth. Rerunning my ballistic calculations, I agree that there’s almost no chance that a bullet fired from that range managed to impact that house. It’s well within the ballistic shadow of the mountain.
UPDATE: They are holding a sporting clays fundraiser this Sunday to help save the range.
Judge is Bitter About Decision
Greg Rotz gives up an update to his story that suggests the judge in his case, who ordered his License to Carry Firearms returned, isn’t happy with the decision. I will say, though, I have great admiration for a judge who, putting his personal feelings about carrying in polling places aside, is still willing to rule based on what the law says. That’s more than I can say about four out of nine justices on the Supreme Court.
Unpossible!
I thought the evil National Rifle Assocation made lawsuits like this illegal?
NRA Statement on New DC Gun Bill
As a follow up to the news that NRA managed to hammer out a deal with Congress to stop the gun registration shenanigans by Mayor Fenty and the DC Council, they have a released this statement:
Today, in a bi-partisan effort, Congressman Travis Childers, Congressmen John Dingell, John Tanner, Mike Ross and Mark Souder, along with 47 of their colleagues, introduced the Second Amendment Enforcement Act. This critical legislation overturns D.C.’s recently enacted emergency laws that continue to defy the recent Supreme Court ruling by continuing to restrict District of Columbia residents’ right to self-defense. This National Rifle Association-backed bill is needed to enforce the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in District of Columbia v. Heller.
On June 26, the U. S. Supreme Court held in District of Columbia v. Heller that “the District’s ban on handgun possession in the home violates the Second Amendment, as does its prohibition against rendering any lawful firearm in the home operable for the purpose of immediate self-defense.” The Supreme Court clearly stated that handguns are constitutionally-protected arms because they are commonly used, are typically possessed by law-abiding citizens for lawful purposes, are considered by the American people to be the quintessential self-defense weapon, are the most popular weapon chosen by Americans for self-defense in the home and are the most preferred firearm in the nation to keep and use for protection of home and family.
The Second Amendment Enforcement Act will:
* Repeal the District’s ban on semi-automatic handguns. Semi-automatic pistols have been the most commonly purchased handguns in the United States over the last 20 years, and therefore a ban on those firearms is unconstitutional as decided by Heller;
* Restore the right of self-defense by repealing the requirement that firearms be disassembled or secured with a trigger lock in the home;
* Repeal the current D.C. registration system that requires multiple visits to police headquarters; ballistics testing; passing a written test on D.C. gun laws; fingerprinting; and limiting registration to one handgun per 90 days. The current system is unduly burdensome and serves as a vehicle for even more onerous restrictions; and
* Create a limited exemption to the federal ban on interstate handgun sales by allowing D.C. residents to purchase handguns in Virginia and Maryland. Currently there are no firearms dealers in the District of Columbia, and the federal ban prohibits residents from purchasing handguns outside of the District; therefore, District residents have no means of purchasing handguns.
Rustmeister’s Appendix
Apparently Rusty‘s appendix started acting up, and it had to go. Squeaky is taking up a collection for a get well gift.
It’s Obamariffic
Breda has an Obama ad up that’s just absolutely craptacular. The very last bit, where the chick represents your brain on hope, was almost enough to make me lose my lunch, which is odd because I haven’t eaten lunch yet. I don’t say this ad is bad just because I don’t agree with it. I think it’s just bad. This kind of dreck people will tire of quickly. This won’t resonate with that much of the American public, who aren’t feeling to hopeful just because “Obama is here!”
In fact, people born before the end of the cold war should just find this absolutely scary. Obama really needs to stop hiring folks who admire Soviet propiganda artists, and who have spent entirely too much time trying to save petting zoos. Honestly, it’s a testament to how bad our choices are that this guy isn’t getting clobbered.
UPDATE: Bruce has a good one too.
NRA Reaches Deal with Dems
Apparently the NRA and Democrats have come to a compromise solution on enforcing the Heller decision by reforming The Districts gun laws. The compromise bill will be introduced today. I’ll let you know as soon as I hear of it.