Category: General Opinion

Not sure what to call it - Gen 2, Version 2, Series 2, Pro...Anyway, this is the prototype for the second Ultralight. After using the Ultralight for a little while, I commented to Shane at Multitasker that the Ultralight could really benefit from a knife blade, and he said, "Way ahead of you." My upcoming review will be of the original Ultralight, but with consideration given to the changes in the new version.

Charlie Rangel apparently thinks it's a Home Depot commercial...stop hammering, Charlie!

I rarely stray from the subject of firearms on this blog. Today will be "one of those days". If you've had Fox News on in the past few days, or cruised right- or left-leaning blogs or websites in the same timeframe, you've probably come across reports that the Department of Justice has dropped portions of a voter intimidation case. Nightstick-wielding New Black Panther Party members stood 5 feet away from a Philadelphia polling place during the November 2008 election, verbally threatening voters and calling a black Republican poll watcher a… Read More

Hot on the heels of my weight calculator comes a balance calculator, which will tell you where the center of gravity of your AR is. Right now it doesn't have nearly as many components as the weight calculator, but I'm continuously adding more. It's meant to give you an approximation of CG, because to be exact would require knowing the CG and exact location of every component on the rifle, but it has proven to be quite accurate, within .15" in almost every case, and within .05" in a large… Read More

I won't make you click on the link, though. Also, if you want to know how much your M4 weighs with an M203 or a cut down Remington 870 attached to it, click here.

The bottom line: In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court incorporated the Second Amendment - in other words, found that it applies to state and local governments as well as the federal government. The full decision can be read here. My favorite quotes from Justice Stevens' dissenting opinion, followed by my translation: "...a rule limiting the federal constitutional right to keep and bear arms to the home would be less intrusive on state prerogatives and easier to administer." Translation: It's too difficult to protect this right. Additionally, the Framers got… Read More

For most people, the following test will be as interesting for the methods used as it is for the conclusions that were reached. Understanding Extractor Lift Alternate link to presentation This presentation was initially shown in May of 2003; the "other comments" page would seem to be especially prescient in light of all the "improvements" that have been made to the AR platform in the years since. Some I fully support, such as midlength gas systems (especially for 16" barrels), while others (such as poorly engineered "piston conversions") I do… Read More

Here's a great PowerPoint presentation on how effective 5.56mm ammunition is from a military standpoint. I say it's great because I agree with a lot of what it has to say, but it really does have some good info, whether you are a proponent of 5.56 or not. I'll let the presentation do the talking. "Is there a problem with the lethality of the 5.56mm NATO caliber?" One of the most interesting parts of the file is page 21, which lists muzzle velocities at various barrel lengths, from 8.3" to… Read More

Feel free, however, to stand a few feet away from the border with them. The enormity of the vital task entrusted to (perhaps foisted upon would be more descriptive) an inadequate number of Border Patrol agents is not truly apparent until you're standing on the border. I thanked all of the agents I encountered today. Without exception, every agent was very polite and professional. The "big fence" becomes a series of welded-together "vehicle barriers", which gives way to a simple barbed wire fence a few miles later. This is what… Read More

As I reported back in January, the USMC is looking to replace the ungainly fixed stock on the M16A4 with a collapsible stock, and one of the options is the Vltor A5 stock assembly. They did some testing, but apparently the results aren't approved for release yet. The A5 "done good", though. I think that's safe to say. (rest of the post removed for above reasons)