The Firearm Blog

I did not know parkerizing could be done at home.

Hat Tip: SayUncle

[ I am pleased to present this guest post was written by Adam. ]

Few people would claim to find the sound of automatic weapon fire comforting. To me, it signals the beginning of the bi-annual Knob Creek Machinegun Shoot in West Point, KY. This festival of gun enthusiasts brings out some of the most varied and exotic hardware you will ever see, and, if you’re lucky, get to handle. For the newcomer, it can be a bit overwhelming, so I’ve compiled a short list of tips to get you through the weekend.

Taken by Oleg Volk at a Knob shoot earlier this year.

Tip #1: Bring your walking shoes (or boots if it’s been raining)

In addition to the shoot there is also a large vendor section. After three trips through at an hour plus a piece, I could still stumble across something new. When an MP5 starts to look mundane, turn a corner and you’ll find an FN SCAR, or a Kriss sub-machinegun. Of course, don’t forget to make a trip down to the lower range for the jungle walk and machine gun rentals, which leads me to my second tip.

Tip #2: Bring a bag full of money

The phrase “ammo shortage” seemed like a distant memory when you took a look around the vendor area. Reloading supplies, cases of ammo, and all the black rifles, which were oh-so-scarce a few months ago, littered the tables. If it weren’t for some semblance of self control on my part I could have emptied my checking account in minutes walking away with enough rifles and ammo to last me for months.

Assuming you don’t spend all of your money with the vendors, there is no quicker way to turn Benjamins into fire and noise than the machine gun rentals on the low range. Where else would yours truly get his hands on an H&K UMP to let off some steam with? The smart money is on the jungle walk though. Thirty-five dollars buys you an Uzi, two 20 round magazines, and a forest full of evil communist steel plates that need dispatching. I did it in 3:23 and 15/18 targets, not bad for a newbie.

Tip #3: Bring earplugs . . . and ear muffs

Guns are loud, so it stands to reason nearly one hundred people in a line discharging automatic weapons, at barrels full of TNT and diesel is extremely loud. Some might criticize you for your choice in ear protection; but trust me, you can enjoy the shoot just by the concussion you feel in your chest and the fireballs that accompany the aforementioned explosions. Plus you’ll want to watch it again, and it’s not as fun with a headache.

The idea of a Mecca for your hobby can be overused, but this is unequivocally a necessary lifetime experience for the gun-nut in all of us. Whether it’s your first time, or your tenth time, pack up your bags, and head on down for some good ole Kentucky hospitality. At the end of the day when your walking back to your car and you hear the echo of machinegun’s off in the valley, you’ll understand that comforting feeling, that at least for one weekend and in one place, people are still exercising their God given right to blow the hell out of stuff.

[ I am pleased to present this guest post written by Matt Groom.]

For many of us, our window to the world of guns is books, magazines, and the internet. Unfortunately, when you see a word or a name that you aren’t familiar with, you tend to do what you learned to do in school, sound it out in your head. This has lead to a plethora of often mispronounced words and names in the firearms community, and it makes us all look like rubes. I would like to point out some often heard examples along with the proper enunciation of each. Please note that I am neither German nor Scandinavian and I speak no languages other than American English, but I have asked and been corrected by people who do speak these languages.

Heckler & Koch

Probably one of the most well-know arms companies in the world is known by its initials because nobody seems to know how to pronounce the last names of its founders. And everybody says their marketing department is SO great...

How most people say it: Heck-ler and C-au-k like “Cock”, or Coach, or KA-t-ch (?)

How it’s actually pronounced: “Heck-ler and Coke” Example: “Well, I’ll have a coke, then.”

Why is it mispronounced? “Cock” would be a very appropriate name for a gun company “Cock your hammer!” or “Those guys at H&K are a bunch of… Germans.”

Krag-Jorgensen

America’s first military repeater is also the most mispronounced of all service rifle names. No less and authority than the late great Col. Jeff Cooper corrected me on the proper way to say this name, and ultimately, he was incorrect.

How most people say it: Ker-Ag ,or Ker-egg Jor-gen-son

How it’s actually pronounced: Kr-Ah-g (like “Frog”) Yor-gen-sen.

Why is it mispronounced? A popular ballad during the Spanish-American War and the Pilipino Insurrection had a refrain that went “Underneath our starry flag, civilize ‘em with a Krag!” which certainly had a better ring to it than “If you want to eat a frog, do not shoot him with a Krag”. The proper enunciation may have been intentionally bastardized for pop-culture.

Makers of everything from Weed whackers to Motorcycles to full-auto military rifles, this name seems to dumbfound even the people who sell them. A Swede who was a former employee of the firm in the 1960’s told me how to say it.

How most people say it: Husk-a-varn-a, Husk-Q-var-na

How you’re supposed to say it: Who-sk-Var-na

Why is it mispronounced? It’s Swedish.

These Serbian makers of high quality ammunition available at bargain basement prices have rapidly earned popularity in the US. After being sold for a number of years under different names by different distributors, they are now selling ammo under their own name and confusing many people with their Balkan-esque spelling.

How most people say it: Pervy Party-san

How you’re supposed to say it: PR-iv-A Part-iZ-on

Why is it mispronounced? Triple Consonants don’t make a whole hell of a lot of sense to most English speakers.

I have it on good authority that these are correct, but nobody’s perfect. There are lots more of these, but we’ll save those for another post. Let’s hear some suggestions for gun related names and words that are often mispronounced or which are confusing in the comments!

UPDATE:

Roy recorded himself pronouncing Heckler & Koch, Walther, Sauer, Luger, Mauser, Blaser, Weihrauch and Schmeisser.

Stefan recorded himself saying Anschütz, Heckler & Koch, Mauser, Sauer, Steyr Mannlicher, Walther and Weihrauch.

Suburban has put together a list of links to popular DIY Ruger 10/22 mods.

The JB Weld mod looks interesting.

Introduction by Steve: This is a guest post is written entirely by Y-Man. He has shown incredible ingenuity in a country that severely restricts the firearms and ammunition civilians can purchase. I have previously blogged about Y-Man’s exploits.

Imagine that all you could ever get in terms of ammunition is this:

Ordinary 12 gauge, BB Birdshot.

Well, I got some of that, but was I satisfied? NO! I needed something I could really use to “Reach out and touch…” Something that would penetrate at range with some accuracy.
Continue Reading »

Vote for David has written a detailed tutorial on producing great looking photos of a gun bores like the photo below. I highly recommend reading it.

Beautiful!

dfwgun @ ARFCOM posted a short tutorial on how to modify a Magpul MOE AR-15 pistol grip so that it will fit on an AK.

As you can see in the photo some dremel work is required but it is a pretty straight forward procedure.

I had no idea you can sort of reuse primers. This video, by ammosmith.com, explains how to “reload” your primers with the ignition compound found on matches. It is a slow process, not 100% reliable and the priming compound is corrosive.

Part 1

Part 2

Fascinating! Start hoarding your spent primers, you may be needing them.

Hat Tip: Tech, Guns, and Food

Like with anything else BATFE, registering a Short Barreled Rifle takes a lot of time, patience and paperwork. Bob Boyd has been going through the process himself and has blogged about the process, along with links to all the requisite forms

Before beginning, I urge everyone to check their state and local laws to make sure you’re in compliance with all regulations.

The process is more time-consuming and aggravating than difficult. Regardless, you must have a BATFE-approved Form 1 in your possession prior to attaching the stock. To accomplish this, you’ll need the following:

…

Read it here.

Wyn Boniface who blogs at Boniface’s Treatise (previously called Kaiservontexas’ Musings) has been blogging his progress his first AR-15 build.

Parts:
Spike’s Tactical Stripped Lower
MagPul CTR Stock *dark earth*
MagPul Enhanced Trigger Guard *black*
MagPul MIAD Grip *dark earth*
LMT 6 Position Buffer Tube
LMT Castle Nut
Wolf Spring for buffer assembly
H Buffer
Brownells End Plate aka Backing Plate (I should have gotten one with a sling point, next time)
Stag LPK (Lower Parts Kit)
LaRue Tactical DMR-16 complete upper receiver assembly *I was not sure about time constraints and decided to skip building my own upper.*

Tools
Brass Punch Set (something China made but in the MidWay Catalog I see DPMS sells it)
Bushmaster Armorer’s Wrench for Carbine Stocks
ProMag Vise Block
Rubber Mallet/Brass Hammer
Pivot Pin Installation Tool
Carpet Cutter, razor blade to hold small things down to slide objects past
A Long Screwdriver for the screwing in the grip

Well worth checking out if you are considering building an AR from a stripped lower:

Projekt AR part 1
Projekt AR part 2
Projekt AR part 3
Projekt AR part 4
Projekt AR part 5

Albert at The Rash Outdoor Chronicles has written a detailed tutorial, with lots of photos, explaining how to disassemble, clean and reassemble the Ruger 10/22 rotary magazine.

Read it here.

The problem with blogs is that shortly after something interesting is posted it is moved to the dusty archives in the recesses of the blog and only ever uncovered by the occasional google visitor. I came across, courtesy of google, a series of articles at SaysUncle on building an AK all the way from a flat receiver which was written before I started reading gun blogs.

The start of the project. From Part 1.

If you missed this series back in 2005 I highly recommend having a read of it.

Jennersen has just started down the homemade AK path and is blogging his progress. Expect some interesting posts from him in the future.

An interesting article on converting an Uzi into a Mini Uzi.

Hat Tip: Sear and Hammer

This is very cool. Fits in a pocket. Max range is 16 feet, more than enough for self defense.

And … can be carried through airport scanners. Build one before they are banned!

DIY Peg Mini-Gun – Click here for this week’s top video clips

Hat Tip: Foot Pounds