The Firearm Blog

The Wounded Artist Project is a nonprofit that is sending art kits to war wounded recovering in military hospitals. They have produced a range of videos to help teach art including this video which shows how to draw an M4.

You can donate to the project over at their website.

ZOR MASHUR, KANDAHAR PROVINCE - JUNE 09: A soldier with the 1-71 Cavalry sits in a field of cannabis plants while on patrol June 9, 2010 in the village of Zor Mashur, south of Kandahar, Afghanistan. Cannabis produces the hashish drug that is popular in Afghanistan, where alchohol is banned. Soldiers of the 1st Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment of the 10th Mountain Division have fanned out in the vast hinterlands south of Kandahar, part of a counterinsurgency strategy aimed at protecting Afghan civilians and legitimizing the government of Afghanistan in the minds of the rural local populace. (Photo by Chris Hondros/Getty Images)

These men were veterinarians who are armed with a tranquilizer gun.

[ Many thanks to Paulo for emailing me the images. ]

Photos of the L129A1 deployed in Afghanistan.

Defense Review has more photos of the rifle at SHOT Show.

[ Many thanks to Brent for emailing me the photos. ]

Hiya there. Y-man again. Sorry I have been away for so long. I have been very busy and have been away from access to the internet for some time now. Sadly, I have been away from my beloved shotgun too!

Well, I’ve been back for a few weeks now and have done some further modifications to my Mossberg 500A.

All these modifications have been done mainly during this period because my country is going to have elections next year. The politicians have started stock-piling arms and ammo: these they will use to arm private “armies”(more like gangs!) which will be used to intimidate the public and the electoral bodies, and who will be used to fight other groups of thugs, as well as assassinations of rivals. All this is not very open, but it happens. It is not as if there will be running battles in the streets, but the period is normally one of heightened tension. There will be some robberies, shoot-outs, some attacks, assassinations (Some as gruesome as pouring acid down the throat of a political rival...)

So, because of this tension, even 12ga ammo (Even birdshot) has become so scarce and hard to find. Prices have gone up for the few packs one can get around: as much as $60 for a pack of 25 12ga Birdshot shells now! And even this is difficult to come by nowadays. So, I haven’t been doing a whole lot of shooting, but just sitting at home almost each day after work: cleaning that shotgun (That shotgun is spotless now!), thinking up new improvements to the firearm, and to my ammunition. (Of course: I do NOT load my firearm when doing these activities: safety FIRST!)

First, I decided to stop bothering with all those exotic sight “systems” I have been toying with. So I used a Truglo sight, like this one:

and basically JB-Welded it to my front muzzle area as a good front sight. I have had a bead before, which did not work for me, and had tried several options which also had not worked.

This one looks good.

I realized that a lot of the issues I was having with lack of accuracy with my shotgun had to do with either not having a rear sight at all, or having one that was not just good enough.

Check out my BAD day at the range here...

So I worked on the idea of fixing a rear sight on the heatshield. I welded a nut on it, gauging the elevation and direction all by hand and one eye closed

Then I glued unto this nut two bits of green light-gathering plastic from a Turkey sight I had discarded a while ago. See new aligned sight picture here:

Well, now: I have my rear and front sights ready: notice how in the sight picture the front red dot can be seen between the rear green dots?

I went to the range today and my sights work! Still needing some “polishing”, but at least, I’m putting “lead on the head”(This is a 1-foot “target” at 25 yards, free-hand shooting. Using 11 of my home-made slugs.)

For the sake of nostalgia, I gathered and collated videos of my progress in shooting over the last three years, which you can see here...

I have also radically improved my home-fabricated slugs, with a lot of progress with my home-made slug designs and casting. Check out my latest work here...The inspiration is the “LYMAN” type slugs. Note how I had to fabricate my mold?

More photos of the slugs and mold here

I know these are not new things: and most people in America and some parts of Europe take them for granted, but consider that I am working with crude basic tools, and having to fabricate many things from scratch.

“Life should be a hoot! Blow your horn!”

Many thanks, y’all!

Double Tapper reviewed the FAB Defense KPOS Glock carbine kit.

I have used a similar Glock carbine kit. They increase the utility of a pistol tremendously.

[ Many thanks to Chris, Fred and Luke for emailing me the link. ]

This interesting article was written by Dr. Jim and Mary Clary. I reproduced it below in full. The original article can be downloaded from their Manzano Valley Outdoors website [PDF link].

Blackhorn 209 is Smokeless Powder

Dr. Jim and Mary Clary

Manzano Valley Outdoors

2010

When it was introduced in 2007-2008, Blackhorn 209 was hailed as the ultimate black powder substitute. Just what everyone had been waiting for: Easy loading, shot after shot, with no swabbing and rapid cleanup, with very little fouling of the barrel. It was almost too good to be true.

Everyone who shot this powder raved about its accuracy. There is no denying that if you shoot loose powder and want the option of firing multiple times without swabbing, Blackhorn 209 is the ultimate.

However, one thing has puzzled a lot of folks. The folks at Western recommend a nitro- solvent for cleaning, rather than soap and water. If this was a conventional black powder sub, why was a nitro-solvent recommended for cleaning? The answer was there all along, but ignored by everyone: Blackhorn 209 is a nitrocellulose smokeless powder! As such, it is prohibited in ASSRA sanctioned matches.

Western Powders has succeeded in producing a smokeless powder in a configuration and formulation that allows for volumetric measurement of loads without running the risk of high pressure. For that, they deserve credit and accolades from muzzleloader shooters.

I can only assume that Western s reasons for not labeling Blackhorn 209 as a smokeless powder is the fact that most muzzleloader rifles, with the notable exception of the Savage 10ML, are not strong enough for regular smokeless powder. And, if folks know that Blackhorn was smokeless, many muzzleloader shooters would not buy it. As such, I understand Western s desire not to label Blackhorn 209 is a nitrocellulose smokeless powder.

Western also claims that Blackhorn 209 has absolutely none of the corrosive effects of black powder and most black powder subs. However, an independent spectrographic and gas chromatograph analysis of Blackhorn 209 by C. Rodney James in 2009 revealed that it is a nitrocellulose base powder with potassium nitrate and sulfur added. The latter two compounds can combine during ignition to form potassium sulfate and possibly potassium trioxide which readily combine with water in air to form sulfuric acid.

Therefore, unless they have changed their formulation in the past twelve months and removed the sulfur, Blackhorn 209 has some of the same corrosive components of conventional black powder.

With all of the above having been said: Blackhorn 209 is an excellent propellant. It allows the hunter to develop precise loads for unsurpassed accuracy and concurrent knockdown power. Just be sure to clean your rifle after every use, as you would with any corrosive powder.

I have no idea what hoofing means, but it is apparently what the British Army's new AR-10 style L129A1 is, as described by Commando Sergeant Baz Evans in a UK Ministry of Defense Press Release (via. Kit Up blog ) ...

"I have fired over 1,000 rounds on the rifle in training; accurately hitting targets over 800 metres away. The new Sharpshooter rifle provides quick and accurate fire, with the flexibility of using it in the assault rifle role as well. It’s hoofing."

Lewis Machine and Tool who manufacture the rifle had it prominently displayed at SHOT Show.

This lady was kind enough to pose with the rifle!

Armatac has developed a new version of their 150 round AR-15 compatible drum magazine and named it the SAW-MAG.

More information and a video can he had over at Defense Review.