The Mass Media Telephone Game.

I get a call today, and it’s Channel 6, doing a followup on a story in Chattanooga, that says handgun carry permits are on the rise. Ok, sure, I’ll talk to you about in on camera, why not. Free advertising, gets people informed, et cetera. So Channel 8 calls next, and shows up first, does the same interview, basically. Tell us about the process, why do you think the increase occured, who’s your demographic, and so on and then take pictures of the showcases and the range. I was hoping that it would segue into a DC v. Heller discussion, which would have been a much cooler interview, but no dice. That’s not news yet, apparently.

Then they get a call. Apparently whoever did the math on the numbers in Chattanooga at the Times Free Press got the figures wrong, and before the could correct it (and they still haven’t) the Associated Press picked it up for nationwide distribution. The key phrase that should have probably tipped off anyone in the know? “Applications for Tennessee carry permits statewide have skyrocketed over the last five years, increasing from 237 in 2003 to 195,251 in 2007. Applications more than tripled between 2006 and 2007, records show.” That’s right, a near thousandfold increase in applications. Hm. I doubt it. The Channel 8 guy did too, and didn’t run the story at all, in fear it might be wrong.

I clued Channel 6 onto this information, before they did the interview. Newschick didn’t particularly care, figured she’d still do the interview. Same questions, same deal. Only, when they got back to the studio, all of the “find out why carry permit holder numbers in Tennessee are SKYROCKETING!” audio they did was fairly useless, since the real numbers actually show a decrease in permit applications, regardless of whether or not we’re seeing an increase in them here in our store. Exactly the opposite of what they originally wanted to talk about. Suspect that trucated their useable video a bit, too.

Ah well, not like anyone watches Channel 6, anyway. Just goes to show that the talking heads are all copying each other’s notes, and if the cheat sheet is wrong, the whole class just copies and pastes accordingly. As always, do your own research.

-ColtCCO

Forget this Vista bullshit.

I won’t get into all of the why, but I’m finally completely disenchanted with this buggy crap, and running a fresh install of Microsoft Windows XP SP2, again. Comfortable, like a freshly washed pair of broken-in jeans. Vista is the Windows ME of this generation and that’s coming from a fairly staunch Microsoft fan/adherent, too. Call me when Windows 7 is stable.

Also, Firefox 3 is a huge pile of memory-leak, even without other people’s crappy extensions dragging it into the dirt. Still using Opera 9.5, still happy with it.

That is all.

In a World of Compromise…

Some Candies Don’t.

Ladies and Gentleman, I have now seen it all. These are the Heckler & Koch official, factory licensed gummi bears. They are not for civilian use. These contraband, gray-market candies belong to “conndcj” on the Lightfighter boards, and since you can’t see what going on over there unless you register and log in, I’ll save you the trouble, and bring the gummies directly to your screens here. And yes, they were probably designed by Larry Vickers, but then some German guy put them into the package backwards.

“conndcj” explains:

“But this is not just any gummi, this is HK gummi. Contained within this bag are about 12 pieces of little, red, “HK” gummis. I estimate these to be worth about $6500. Why so much? It’s all about the quality. Each 2 gram gummi is milled from a 4000 kilo block of gummi billet on a $7.5 million euro CNC machine made specifically for this purpose. Each is hand inspected, placed in its individual serving packet and stored in carbon fiber cases made for HK by the McLaren F1 team. A little known fact is that these packets were designed to fit in the buttstocks of HK416 and 417 rifles.

Right now, those screams you hear are coming from the members of HKPRO.com whose members are I bet already lining up for a group buy. Unfortunately for them, due to ATF import restrictions, only a few post-dealer samples were allowed in the US. Since these are not 922r compliant (you would have to have at least 6 pieces of American Jujyfruits mixed in and who wants to go through that expense), you will all have to wait and see if they will be made by Wilcox in HK’s U.S. factory. I bet they will not be the same.”

Pat Rogers brings along the funny with this excerpt,

“It will cost eleventy seven times more than the most expensive candy ever.

It will be more addictive than crack.

Once purchased, you will be ineligible to purchase it again. Ever.

A special run of empty packages will be placed on the market, sub rosa.

They will parcel these empty packages out at the cost of one lung (or male child) per package.
They will sell out within minutes.

When you call inquiring as to availability, they will be arrogant and humiliate you.

Spare gummies will be advertised. They will not be available.

Ever.”

Honestly, every other joke i was going to make, including borebrush’ comment that if they acted as MP5 buffers, they could get a lot of LE guns up and running again, has already been made, so I offer no further comment. Discuss amongst yourselves.

EDIT: Wait wait wait, got it. Like Larry said, “HK. Because you suck on candy. And we hate you”

-ColtCCO

HULK SMASH!

Hulk get new movie. Hulk hit bad things until bad things go away. Hulk is the strongest there is. Last movie, Hulk get all emo. This movie better - more smashing, better CGI. Hulk movie have clever callbacks to Hulk TV show. Puny Banner not bad in Hulk movie, either. Blonsky good in Hulk movie too, but Hulk smash bad Blonsky. Betty show up, look pretty. Hulk movie have cameo with Stark man in suit, foreshadowing of Avengers movie, Captain America movie. Hulk not know what that mean, Hulk just know it happen.

Hulk Movie almost as good as Iron Man movie. Hulk try smash box office.

Unofficial Knoxville Blog Meet: Gratis Action Movie Night, 6-18-08

I’ve got several two-person passes to go see an advanced screening of Wanted (download the red band trailer) Wednesday June 18. I gave away all I could to my fellow employees, and now I’m willing to take any of my fellow Knoxville bloggers to go see it with me. That’s right, in a pitiful effort to make you love me, I’m giving away free stuff. But, they’ll just go to waste if I don’t, and it’s a nifty opportunity to see this a movie almost 2 weeks early. Now yes, I know what they’re doing, they want us all to tell our circle of associates about it, and build up some advance buzz. For free tickets, I’ll take the risk that I might become a cog in their massive viral-marketing scheme.

Now, I have the graphic novel the movie’s based on, and considering that Mark Millar’s original vision included the violent-but-offscreen murder of Superman, I think that this movie’s probably gonna tone down the mass-murdering of superheroes plot, and keep the “world’s deadliest, best-dressed, physics-defying assassins” part. I’m willing to give the “with great power, comes the ability to kick great amounts of ass” take on the superpower theme a chance. There’s some really egregious, impossible bullet physics, some cheesy one-liners, and some really improbable-but-cool-looking car stunts. It might be surprisingly good, it might be laughably bad, it might simply be a huge waste of 2 hours, but regardless, I’m going. I liked James McAvoy in The Last King of Scotland, and Angelina Jolie can usually be depended upon to show up and look hot, so since the tickets are free, I invite you to email me a brief note with the word “Wanted” in the title, expressing your wish to attend, with guest. Include a link to your blog, so I know you’re actually a local blogger, and consider yourself invited. You do have to email to RSVP by the 15th, and it’s first come, first seated, so I’ll recommend getting there early, say around 6:45 PM. Anyone who wants to do some eats and drinks somewhere with us afterwards, is welcome to do so.

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Location is the Regal Cinemas Riviera Stadium 8, on Gay St. downtown. I’ll send the RSVP details in my response email.

-ColtCCO

I.C.E. Training Class w/ Rob Pincus, August 1-3

What follows is an unabashed attempt to get you to give my employer money to take a class with me, so if that offends you, please just skip on down the page to the guns. If not, then hear me out. Coal Creek Armory, my employer, is hosting a 3 day Combat Focus Shooting & Advanced Pistol Handling course. We’d been impressed by the first-hand reports of the quality of training provided by Rob Pincus, both when at Valhalla, back when they still accepted common folk, and also as the head of I.C.E. Training. So, we set it up for a time when then entire indoor pistol range can be dedicated to an 8-hour daily shooting schedule, for 3 full days. I’m excited about taking it, myself. It’s a high round count class, you’ll need 2000 rounds of ammo, and your game face. We’re doing a bulk ammo discount for those taking the course - 2000rd of 9mm forexample, is $400, if you hurry. If this interests you, get a hold of us at Coal Creek Armory to sign up, or send any questions directly to me. Particulars are as follows.

ICE TRAINING & Coal Creek Armory Present

3 Day Combat Focus Shooting & Advanced Pistol Handling Class

August 1-3, Friday – Sunday

* Course size is strictly limited to 12 to ensure maximum 1-on-1 time, and this course will fill up quickly. Ask a Coal Creek Armory associate for a course registration form.

* Cost is $600 + Tax per student for 3 days - 25% non-refundable deposit required to register. The entire pistol range will be dedicated for the course for the duration of the instruction time – Friday 8:30-5pm, Saturday-Sunday, 9-5:30.

* Course Requirements: *2000 rounds of centerfire pistol ammunition, secure holster & belt and at least 3 pistol magazines. Ask for special course pricing to ensure your ammunition is in stock, and on time!

About This Course

This 3 day program combines the curriculum of the Combat Focus Shooting Course with much of the Two Day Advanced Pistol Handling Program into one 2000 round course. In addition to exploring the principles and fundamentals of the Combat Focus Program and numerous drills to help students develop a better understanding of the Balance between Speed & Precision, this course will cover the techniques of:

* 360 degree presentation from the holster,

* one handed (strong & weak) weapons handling,

* unorthodox shooting positions and much more.

————

- This course is features a significant amount time discussing what happens during dynamic encounters and dissecting each shooters performance, and will focus on the student’s ability to use their pistol as efficiently and consistently as possible under realistic conditions.

- A variety of drills and scenarios will be used to force the student to confront problems that come from administrative weapons handling and to reinforce good habits. This course can be taught at any square range and will also expose students to making the most out of any range session to keep tactical pistol training in context!

————

For decades, combat shooters have known (and progressive trainers have acknowledged) that the human body and mind have predictable, instinctive responses to surprise and lethal threats. While the basics of weapons handling and marksmanship are important skills for all shooters, they are not the basis for success during most lethal encounters involving the defensive use of a handgun. You are much more likely to be caught off-guard by an aggressive attacker in close quarters and low-light than you are to be confronted by a truly lethal threat in broad daylight standing 30 yards away in front of a dirt berm.

Combat Focus is an intuitive shooting program that is based on the study of empirical evidence from real violent encounters and builds on the body’s natural reaction to an attack. At the ranges that gun fights typically occur, Combat Focus is the most effective way to engage your threat with a handgun. This three day course empowers students by encouraging them to embrace their bodies natural reaction to a lethal threat and work with it to neutralize that threat as efficiently and effectively as possible. The Combat Focus Technique is not hip-shooting, in fact, the only significant difference between using this technique and sighted fire is the focus of your attention at the moment the trigger breaks.

About I.C.E. Training

“I.C.E.” Stands for Integrity, Consistency and Efficiency, the hallmarks of the programs, courses and services provided by the company.

I.C.E. is owned and operated by Rob Pincus, developer of the Combat Focus™ Shooting Program and Director of The Valhalla Training Center from its formal inception in 2003 through December 2007. Rob and his staff instructors have provided training to military special operations personnel from the Army, Air Force and Navy, law enforcement and security officers and those interested in the defense of their families, their homes and themselves at venues around the United States and Europe including Valhalla in Montrose, Colorado. Pincus has written articles in a variety of magazines, appeared as a guest instructor on television programs and is the developer of the Personal Defense Video Series.

Rob Pincus - Owner, Lead Instructor

Formerly the Director of Operations at the World Renowned Valhalla Training Center, Rob has been a trainer and consultant in various combative fields for many years and is the developer of the Combat Focus Shooting Program. His background in the military, law enforcement, executive protection and recreational shooting gives him a broad experience base. Rob’s specialty is progressive reality based training and fitting the fundamentals into the context of his diverse students’ environments. At the end of 2007, when Valhalla’s ownership decided to make the venue more exclusive, Rob established I.C.E. Training Company.

His courses emphasize EFFICIENCY and what really works during critical incidents, not what looks good on the square range or sounds good in court or in a classroom. Rob’s ideas on training & tactics have been shared all around the world through his role as a writer and Training Consultant with S.W.A.T. Magazine as well as lectures and courses throughout the United States and Western Europe.

www.icetraining.us

www.coalcreekarmory.com

Absentee Landlord

I’m not managing to make regular post lately - we’re sloping into our less-busy season at work, which means hourly employees work less support, and salaried employees(me) work more. Add to that the fact that my wisdom tooth surgery is nigh, because it’s causing me some evenings and days on unexpected, sudden-onset jaw pain, and the fact that we’re doing range repairs after hours and on weekends, and you’ve got a great recipe for ColtCCO-No-Blog-Much-Emia.

Also, I got Ninja Gaiden II, which is the perfect way to be the King Badass of the World, 200 enemy ninja at a time.

However, I still have stuff to say, and will continue to put it here when I do. Just don’t expect the daily update, feel free to add me to your RSS feeds, etc.

Until next time,

-ColtCCO

If it’s not a Colt…

…then maybe the front sight will be installed correctly.

Brand new Colt Series 90 Defender.

Just to show that I’m by no means a rabid fanboy of the Colt brand - I like their guns, and their brand name recognition is huge, and still stand for something, if not what it used to. They still do plenty of things right, but it’s been a long time since John Browning touched anything coming off the assembly line in the People’s Republic of Connecticut. It could be worse though - could be a Series II Kimber, or a Para LDA. You can turn around a front sight, but you can’t fix MIM, or poor design either.

-ColtCCO

Scots and Sunburn

To celebrate my first two scheduled days off in a row in many months, I betook myself and fiancee to the Gatlinburg Scottish Festival & Games. I despise tourist traps like Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge, which must be navigated to arrive there from here, but we safely managed to arrive, enjoy ourselves at the Highland Games, and return without any henna tattoos, deeply discounted leather jackets, maple fudge, Chinese fantasy swords or corncob pipes. Not once did we partake of anything that could be described by the words “Jamboree”, and overall, I think that can be counted as a solid win on our part.

I completely forgot my camera at the hotel room the first day, which was, of course, when everything was happening, the massed bands, most of the athletics, and the very respectable crowd that showed up Saturday. This means I didn’t manage to get pictures of any of these fine things, except in crappy Cell-Phone-O-Visions. I will simply state that it was all a lot of fun, and you’ll have to believe me without photographic evidence. We got sunburned all to hell, as we spent a couple hours with our pasty white, melanin-deficient selves exposed to midday sun, watching the border collie demonstration, then the bands, and said sunburn subdued us sufficiently to make us ditch our formal wear for Sunday. Not a bad choice, as Sunday was a bit of a ghost town by comparison, and we made it a fairly quick trip. When you see the pictures here, keep in mind that most of them are from Sunday, with the exception of a few crappy cell shots, and the place is pretty empty then.

This is Frank, who’d been demonstrating border collies for the last 27 years at the games - the dog, Shep pulled off some very well executed herding, bringing both sheep and ducks in from both sides and penning them.

Shep herding. Get it? GET IT? Ah, never mind.

Friend and Armory Patron, as well as rep for the Scottish American Society of Knoxville, Eddie B.

Sammy talking sweet to midget hippie cows, Peal and Opal.

From the first day, also conversant with Bolshevik cattle, dressed in traditional McKay family ancient pattern Tartan wool hostess skirt and rampant lion lace-up bodice. The bodice does, well, amazing things, but it also is a heck of an area to get sunburned. We were wise enough to apply SPF 60 lotion before venturing back out Sunday.

The Knoxville Pipes & Drums on Parade. They’re local, and at least a few are scheduled to play our wedding. “Anything but Amazing Grace”, we said.

Really large events field, athletics, bands, and clan tents and vendors bordering. Shown empty here…

and chock full of pipers and drummers here in crappy Nokia-A-Vision. I enjoyed the bands immensely - I’m a huge geek for bagpipes, and a really decent group of 60 pipers with accompanying drums is thoroughly grin-inspiring for me.

While resting on a wooden bench by some railroad timbers, I was sat upon by no less than 10 fairly docile carpenter bees at a time, creating a minor sensation by those around me who were completely unable to accept that a person could have a ton of bees land on them without freaking out. Even though the opportunity was perfect, I successfully overcame the temptation to jump up suddenly, screaming “OH GOD BEES”.

I’ll give the GSFG a solid recommendation, and while I admit I have little use for people who base their self-worth and entire personal identity on something they had nothing to do with, be it race or nationality, it’s fun to wear the kilt and play up the MacDuff name that goes back on my father’s side. The people are gracious, the vendors no more than usually overpriced, the food not at all bad, the music is everywhere, and I’m going back next year - with sunblock. From what I saw, a man who sent up a tent selling SPF 60 in little plaid bottles could make a mint at the next “paler-than-you” festival. Should you have a decent sized one in your area, I advise you to go. It’s not a bad consolation prize for not being able to attend the NRA convention, anyway.

ColtCCO

Uneven Quality Control

I re-read my review of Redbelt from last night, and upon re-reading, discovered that none of the tense exhilaration and breath-choking emotion that I felt last night ever came through in the written word of that review. It cover the major points I wanted to share without spoiling the movie, but it’s also kind of dry and technical, just laying out the facts and how I said I liked it, and letting you decide. Honestly, if reading it with no foreknowledge of the movie, I’m not at all sure that what I wrote would have convinced someone that I enjoyed it, let alone drove home in silence thinking “Wow…damn. Wow.” I think I would have decided that the person who wrote the review was simply either falsely forcing his excitement onto the page, or - and this is the clincher -maybe just not a very good writer. Or at least not good at writing certain types of things, like concise yet heartfelt movie reviews, at 3am.

When this page clicked over 100k hits yesterday, I spent some time going through the nearly 2 years of archives from ColtCCO.com, to do a “Best Of” post with links to my best articles here. The short version? My writing is all over the place. Some of my pieces flow from the keyboard to the screen quick and easy, they read factual, organized, and clear. Other items just make me want to delete them after the fact - sometimes no matter how often I edit, write, re-write, and even start over, I never manage to make a better piece of writing for it - They stay slow, dry, hard to read and boring to follow. This begs the question -if my quality output is so difficult to maintain, why bother?

I write because I need to. I want to, and I really feel the need to. Writing down what I want to share on a given day, and making sure that it’s ready for primetime, or at least as ready as even the worst of my writings ever get, is a cathartic, relaxing exercise for mind and body. When it’s about things I enjoy or like, it’s even more fun. Sometimes, though, it’s just not as easy to get good results. This isn’t a ploy for affirmation or false compliments, I know when it’s good, and I know when it’s bad. I’m going to work on it.

I just wanted it on the record that I didn’t think I was going to win the Pullet Surprise with anything you see written here. I blog for me to have something to write, which is incendental to you then having something to read here, and hopefully I can make your task of reading it easier and more entertaining if I step up the effort a bit.

Practice, practice, practice.

ColtCCO

Redbelt - Mamet’s American Samurai

I just returned from the 10:05 showing of Redbelt. It starts off in my good graces by being directed by David Mamet; both written and directed. It stars Chiwetel Ejiofor as Mike Terry, LA-based Brazilian Jujitsu instructor with an absolute conviction in doing things in an honorable fashion. I’m going to unreservedly say that it’s the best personal drama I’ve seen since …the last David Mamet movie I saw, Spartan, and then before that, Glengarry Glen Ross. What can I say, I like my dramas with excellent dialog.

Mamet puts us right beside Mike the entire movie, following him from principled action to principled action. He crosses into the path of those utterly without principles, and becomes too comfortable, until, inevitably, his insistance on his way of doing things cause him to slam against the reality that he must cross his convictions. Mike doesn’t teach people to compete or fight, he teaches them to prevail - and his strong belief that to compete, to place contest rules into his combat art, would degrade it. “There is always an escape” is not just a reminded in sparring, but the basis for Terry’s indomitable spirit. He refuses to back down or quit, because he knows the move, and there is always an escape.

Redbelt is really a character study of Mike Terry, and I found it to be very convincing. - not just for the superb acting by Ejiofor, but also because Mamet writes unparalleled dialog, it alternately crackles and insinuates. The acting by all cast is fine, entirely believable with Mamet’s words in their mouths, but they’re window dressing by comparison to the lead. The pacing is deliberate, contrasting the calm of the empty dojo with the buzz of the brightly lit ring. The entire movie is about the contrast of two different ways - The dojo is close, personal, all about the two fighters working to drop the other for good; the ring is huge, made-for-Cable, all about the flash and spectacle. Mike is principled, his showbiz rivals are not. Mike is told he is addicted to poverty, his antagonists care for nothing else - it’s just business. This contrast between the Way and the Easy Way, is at root, the theme of the movie. I don’t know the first thing about the MMA stars in this movie, and that didn’t stop me from enjoying it one iota. If the reason for going is to see a movie based around your favorite MMA fighter, this is the wrong movie - the glamor is not portrayed as positive. The reason to go see Redbelt is to see Ejiofor, (also excellent as the Operative in Serenity) act his ass off. He’s alternately gentle and lethal, commands respect and gives it, and is earnest enough not to see the net until it’s too late. If you don’t feel anything tug at your heart in the last 5 minutes of the movie, then you have no soul. I admit, I choked up a bit.

David Mamet was not wrong to refer to this film as “American Samurai”. If this movie has a flaw, it’s that it won’t pull in the summer blockbuster bucks - it’s an indie film, playing at the indie theatres. Samurai movies never did gross high like Bogart and Bacall, and little has changed since then. Regardless, I’m going to cast a very strong vote to tell you to just go see it. If you like Mamet’s drama, or martial arts movies, Redbelt should be at the top of your list.

ColtCCO

Google loves me again.

I’m back in the Google index, and now hit very high on the list for IONBond. Go figure.

Also, mowing a 4 foot tall, quarter acre “lawn” with a pushmower just plain sucks, and takes about 3 hours. For that reason, nothing else to say tonight. I might be asleep when we roll over to 100,000 hits. You come back later.

ColtCCO

Industrial Strength Light - Just Add Magic

There’s a really great article on CG Society about how ILM, Winston, Marvel and the actors worked together to create the extra-nifty visuals that went into Iron Man. Basically, they explain the mechanics behind not making it look like crap, even when your suit is taller than your actor, and you have to change torso shape, make realistic looking metal in CG, etc. Too many technical buzzwords for me, I appreciate the detailed visuals that accompany the article, and the work that went into them. Whatever all those big artist words mean that they said, they did it right - as I’ve mentioned before, Iron Man had the best CG in a comic book movie yet. This isn’t the first movie article there either - the articles they did for Pirates of the Carribean were similarly excellent.

Also, if you’re not reading CGTalk on a weekly or so basis, just to see what the people have been drawing, why they hell aren’t you? This one Swedish guy decided he’d just sit himself down at his PC and render The Hulk, for the hell of it.

You want to click on that picture so you can see what I mean.

Seriously, visit CGSociety.com once even if, like me, you’re just there for the pretty pictures. Some really great digital artwork there, and if there’s anything that’s outstanding, you’ll see it in either the 3D or 2D Forums weeks before it hits Digg or Reddit.

ColtCCO

Custom Springfield Lightweight 1911 - IONBond Edition

Guess what? I’m an 1911 guy. Check the blog name. That’s a kind of 1911.

On the other hand, I’m a Glock Armorer. I know that Glocks work great, and when I find myself in the sandbox(never, hopefully), I’ll probably carry a Glock 17/19, because 9mm ammo’s everywhere overseas, and the gun will probably run when covered and filled with talcum-power sand. Large amounts of sand all over and in your 1911 is one thing that can shut one down, even a GI-loose, well-lubed one -if you wedge enough sand between the hammer and the firing pin block, it might not touch off. So, I’d say that’s the area in which a Glock has the advantage over the 1911 - really crappy desert environs with large quantities of small-particle airborne sand.

Everywhere else, I’ll take my 1911. For carry everyday, I put on one of 3 different 1911 pistols. All are slim enough to conceal under my T-Shirt, fit my hand like a glove, have an ideal trigger, far better accuracy (2.5-3″ at 75′) than any defensive gun needs for close-range shooting, and they all launch 230 grain Gold Dot or Golden Saber with absolute dependability. I can say honestly that over the last 2000-2500 rounds with these 3 firearms, I’ve not had a single malfunction, using up to 12 different mags, and 3 types of factory ammunition, both target and carry ammunition. I’m fairly confident that any of them will fire the next several magazines without any issues, and if they need a new spring after 5000 rounds, I’m sure I can scare one up the same place I’m getting 5000 more rounds of .45ACP.

Why am I even discussing this? I’ve been called upon a few times this week to defend my choice of carry firearm, by a guy armed with many statistics about how durable Glocks were, and how my 1911 was an antiquated choice by comparison.

Click for Full size

I commissioned the rebuild of a steel frame Springfield Loaded about a year and a half ago, and it’s still my very favorite - the gun is rock reliable, and and shoots exactly where I shoot. The weight of the steel frame makes it my favorite one to shoot for any long period of time, but even though I’m dedicated to carrying all day, every day, I have felt the weight difference between the steel Loaded and my little lightweight C.C.O. Model. After a long day on my feet on concrete floors, an all-steel loaded 1911 can become a ‘presence’ on your hip - comforting, but noticeably heavy at the end of 12 hours. In short, my back may complain. I wanted a middle path: a fullsize 1911, with full frame and slide for the sighting, weight, and potential reliability advantage over the commander slide of the Colt CCO - I say potential, because the CCO hasn’t hiccuped yet- but with the weight advantage of the allow frame.

Shortly thereafter, a nice condition used Springfield Lightweight Loaded landed in our case - and miracle of miracles, it arrived when I had funds on hand. I asked our talented gunsmiths to give it the detailed inspection, and they pronounced it good to go. Once bought and paid for, I began the task of making it truly mine - customization to my tastes.

Brief tangent - this is often where I lose many of the hardcore Glock people. I get comments that I wasted my money, dropping hundreds on an antique gun to make it shoot, when their $500 Glock ran right out of the box with no modifications. What on earth could be wrong with me to spend that much money on a gun just to get it right?

First, Lone Wolf Distributors lists well over a thousand parts for people who choose to do to their perfect gun, what I did to mine - customize for shootability, comfort, trigger pull, and yes, even reliability. My 1911 ran out of the box, too - the rest is simply functionally useful upgrades, like a trigger job, and aesthetically pleasing upgrades like the finish and fitted beavertail.

Also, Glocks cost less initially, because they cost less to make. They were designed for modern manufacturing techniques, with minimal human tweaking to assemble and ship, from the CNC machine to the shipping crate. Your basic 1911, even an entry model, requires testing and qualified assembly to get a working gun. The gun was designed almost a hundred years ago to be built, not assembled, by halfway skilled labor, and even modern techniques of manufacturing don’t remove that human component from the build process. To get a basic 1911 to it’s highest level of “shootability” costs more money then to do so to a Glock - no argument. However, I find that the finished result is more pleasing to shoot, to carry, and if done by a skilled ’smith, is a work of art, not simply an assembly job. A full or semi-custom 1911 is the equivalent of making a better-than-new classic Mustang or Camaro, as opposed to assembling a 10-second Honda Civic from parts ordered from Street Performance. All the bolt-on turbos, spoilers and exhausts in the world will never inspire the pride of ownership that a well-built 1911 can. One is a classic work of art, the other is simply a very functional tool. I like and appreciate very functional tools, but I can and do carry a custom 1911, at no detriment to my shooting, and under 99% of all carry circumstances on this continent, be at no disadvantage to those carrying Glocks - even “trick” Glocks.

Moving on…

Click for Full size

This pistol got the works. I went with Ed Brown small parts, for the most part - single-sided thumb safety, slightly extended mag release, new checkered mainspring housing to replace the Springfield one with the lock in it. The GI ’stubby’ guide rod and cap went in as well - no use for a full-length guide rod in a carry gun. The gunsmiths refer to the FLGR as “The Jammer” and in many people’s production guns, they are. I prefer the GI simply for easy of disassembly and reassembly. The slide stop is a Wilson Combat, because the little shelf on the lever is easier to manipulate than the 45 degree angle on most others. I kept the stock barrel and bushing - they shot just fine, and I didn’t need or want a tight match bushing fit for a carry gun. The beavertail grip safety is a Wilson Combat as well - they tend to fit the Springfield frame a lot tighter, and as welding up the alloy of the frame for a close fit on another beavertail was not an option, the Wilson was my best bet.

I kept the stock Tritium front sight, and latched it up with the High 10-8 Performance rear sight - a U-notch in the rear makes this sighting setup feel very natural, a bit more so than dot-in-a-box, and a much less cluttered sight picture than 3-Dot sights. I tried out 10-8’s Flat trigger as well, and fell in love - I grip high on a 1911, and my trigger finger naturally falls at the top of the trigger. The flat trigger finally eliminated the feeling that my finger was trying to “roll” down to the center of the trigger when applying pressure. Of all the guns where a flat trigger makes sense, it’s the 1911- the trigger moves straight back, why not make the shape of the trigger facilitate that movement, regardless of where the trigger finger lands, top, bottom or middle? The 10-8 Trigger accomplishes this, at the low price of looking more than a bit odd. However, as it’s a functional upgrade, I intend to keep it. I went with a set of Micarta grips to match up with the black of the gun. Micarta is super tough, used for cockpit doors and bomb shelters, and it’s not going to chip or crack like nicer wood grips might - it also affords a very grippable surface without being sticky.

The fire control parts are Cylinder & Slide, and I’ve waxed poetic about them before. Suffice to say they are all EDM wire cut out of tool steel, Rockwell hardness tested at the factory, and provide the best safe 4# trigger pull available, without any of the risk associated with cutting through the surface hardness on other fire control parts.

For magazines, across the board, I’ve been using the Chip McCormick Power Mags, upgraded with the Tripp Research Inproved followers and springs. The followers have a long front and back skirt to prevent tilt, a dimple to prevent the last round from jumping forward under recoil, and a steel insert that contacts the slide stop, preventing the ‘hollowing out’ that can occur in plastic followers, which will inevitably prevent the slide from locking back. The springs are 14 coil, very strong, and while this combination makes the mag capacity seven rounds as opposed to eight, it’s a completely dependable seven rounds, just like JMB designed it.

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I wanted a very durable finish to protect what was likely to become a well-carried gun. Melonite would work fine on the steel parts, but the frame itself couldn’t be Melonized, and after I got done having a beavertail fitted, the bottom of the frame ground flush, and the slide fitted, the protective hard anodizing would be gone from the surface, exposing the aluminum underneath to increased wear and damage. I had been reading about IONBond, a company in SC specializing in super-hard, high-lubricity finishes that could be applied to both steel and alloys. At the time I started researching, the finish wasn’t in widespread use- Kahr was using it on some slides, but that was about it - FNHerstal picked it up later, as well as SIG Sauer and S&W for their new M&P revolver cylinders. Custom gunsmiths were all waiting for the other to make the first move, though initial reports were good about their Tungsten DLC finish for firearms.

They basically put all your parts in a vacuum chamber, heat to 400 degrees, pump in argon gas, and use an electric charge to ‘arc’ first hard chrome, and then tungsten carbine onto the metal surface. The result is Rockwell 70-90 hard, only 5 microns thick, and very slick. If it has a drawback, it’s rust prevention qualities are nearly not that of Melonite. So, I Melonized all the steel parts first, had the frame re-anodized, and then sent it to IONBond. I disassembled my magazines, and sent the mag bodies, about 15 of them, off to IONBond as well.

Click for Full size

All of this took a while, and then after about a million years, it came back. I bugged the gunsmiths until it was re-assembled, and then went and shot it, a lot - testing all my mags to make sure the Tungsten DLC had’nt been detrimental. I needen’t have worried - The gun felt smoother than before, both racking it manually, and in shooting. The finish is now also hilariously unscratchable - I tried dragging my Spyderco hard down one of the magazines to see if it would scratch, and it left a silver streak that wiped off- my knife came off on the magazine, finish untouched. Now when I want to impress people, I drag a screwdriver down the side of my slide, and then wipe the screwdriver off the finish.

I’m at just over 800 rounds later, and neither gun nor mags have failed me once. I tend to carry it more than the steel gun, and now the Colt CCO is headed out to NC for the same finish. We started offering the IONBond finish at work, because we’re just that impressed with it - in conjunction with the Melonite, it’s about bulletproof.

The Custom Lightweight Springfield is shown here with it’s Brommeland Max-Con V IWB holster, Brommeland single Mag Pouch, a bunch of shiny black unscratchable mags, and a Kim Breed Damascus fixed blade sheath knife. The finer things in life are worth the price tag.

ColtCCO

Google don’t love me no more.

Google dropped me from their search results, and has not yet seen fit to reintroduce me. I know they dropped me right after my site’s front end crashed, but now that I’m back up an running you’d think they’d want to get me back on the list, after a week. I used the “add my site plzkthx” button 2 days ago, and still, all the results for searching “Colt CCO” or even “ColtCCO.com” are for the old blogspot blog, none for the actual ColtCCO.com.

Yahoo and MSN got my back, but Google has decided I don’t exist, except when people reference the URL on their page. This also means that people who are looking for stuff I talk about, like AR15 rifles, Melonite 1911s, and so on, don’t ever find my site by searching for those terms, like they use to a mere short 10 days ago.

Any great ideas? Should I start freaking out or writing email to Google?

ColtCCO

Presidential Powers

I tend to link a lot, not SayUncle-a-lot, but when someone has something said so right that there’s no way to improve upon it, you just give them the link.

Lawdog details how the vast majority of people are not even considering the unconstitutionality of actions taken of behalf of the office of the presidency in the current age, but rather simply want their president to do those things for them, and the people they like - and yes, both parties candidates are guilty of promising to do things they have not been empowered by the Office to do.

But it’s ok, because if our guy wins, most of those meddlesome actions are the things WE want them to do - unless our guy loses, in which case, someone else will meddle in things we don’t want, and then we’ll scream bloody murder, because they’re not supposed to DO that.

The office of the Pesident of the United States of America is empowered to keep us safe from foreign attacks, treat with other nations, and damn little else. Now all we ask for in a presidential candidate is a nursemaid, who gives us some of the other kid’s cookies, and promises she won’t take too many of ours, as long as we don’t replace her.

And to think, people wonder how I can stand to throw my vote away by voting 3rd party.

ColtCCO

Sub-Prime mortgages: Enormous hilarity potential.

I watch the news, and absorb a decent amount of new feed through the digital IV here, and honestly, I’m disappointed. There’s no end of amatuer and experienced pundits shaking their heads solemnly in an I-could-have-told-you-that-was-stupid manner, no shortage of people to inform us that, yes, duh, buying things that you don’t have the money for is a bad idea, no matter how many slick people tell you that you deserve to be a homeowner. I’m referring, of course, to the Sub-Prime Mortgage Fiasco, hereafter referred to as the SPMF to save pixels. It’s for the environment.

But really, I think that, as an individual who’s not been stupid enough to buy an overpriced depreciating domicile with money I don’t have, in the hope that it will double in price, just because someone told me I should, I’m entitled to get some laughs in at the poor schmoes that willfully chose this potentially hazardous path and brought it upon themselves. It’s like making jokes about hurricane Katrina - at a certain point, it’s ok, and I damn sure what to get the jokes in before the Representatives try to bail everyone out for being stupid, and begin the cycle of reinforcing bad behavior anew.

I’m certain that the readership of my blog, being consistent of nothing but brilliant, perceptive, literate and charismatic individuals with perfect teeth and hair, will all already have a firm grasp on the intricacies of the SPMF, and in fact, could lecture on the subject, but just in case a Google search should attract anyone of less than crystal-clear certainty as to what the hell just happened to the housing market and why, I present the funniest explanations I could find. I’m not afraid to say, either, that the last vestiges of doubt as to what all might have gone wrong, were cleared from my mind, like so many ignorant cobwebs, ere I had finished absorbing these bits of wit.

The Subprime Primer is a flipbook with stick figures and bad language, The Long Johns is a very typical dry British finances show, with a less-than-typical need to mention that your stereotypical 100% mortgage purchaser may or may not be of color and unemployed, as opposed to just unemployed. Maybe it’s because they’re old, white and British. If you can disregard that, it’s put across in a very humorous fashion.

Share and Enjoy.

ColtCCO

Be jealous of my framed Micheal Whelan print.

This one’s for Tam’s enjoyment -

My sweetheart acquired my anniversary gift today - an 18″x24 print of Michael Whelan’s Cover Art for Robert Heinlein’s Friday. My late night, indoor photography does it no justice - it looks really good, like I always imagined it must when I’d get lost staring at the same image in the tiny area of the paperback book cover. Click to embiggen:

The whole thing is professionally framed, cleanly edged wood with non-reflective glass, by Defenderfers in Oak Ridge, who frames all of my stuff, no matter how silly it may be. I know I was the first, for example, to bring them a poster of The Breakfast Club and Jaws for framing under glass.

This print now has a place of honor in my office, right next to the oversize cover for Amazing Spiderman #300. Yes, geeky, I know. As of right now, though, it’s my new favorite piece of artwork in the domicile, and I include my Heat, Godfather and Star Wars posters in that reckoning.

What really burns me, of course, it they have the original artwork for The Cat Who Walks Through Walls for sale on the site, and I’ve emailed them twice to see how many gazillions of dollars they want for it, and they won’t email me back. Just as well, because I can’t afford to be deeply in debt just now…

ColtCCO

John Scalzi - Author of Note

Perhaps the subtle hints dropped all around this blog are not quite enough, so I’m just going to come out with a very overt recommendation for the John Scalzi’s Old Man’s War. I haven’t read and re-read a book this often since I discovered William Gibson’s Neuromancer. I am a re-reader of books I enjoy, but Old Man’s War is in my category of “read until the paperback is nearly destroyed, then buy the hardcover and keep reading.” Heinlein’s Stranger in a Strange Land, or say, Kipling’s Kim, and before that, The Lord of the Rings, are all on this beloved short list of “will re-read, anytime.”

What you’re seeing here is my idea of subtlety. One of the best reasons for reading Old Man’s War is that it’s like finding previously undiscovered, alternate-universe Heinlein from his best days, right around the time of Starship Troopers, or maybe a few books after - but it’s not fan fiction, not a slavish imitation. The books stands on their own, as a story, with distinct characters, likable or otherwise, anda better grade of aliens than RAH ever wrote. John Scalzi simply appeals to everything in you that is appealed to in reading a damn good yarn by RAH. I long for more books by the Old Master, enough that I find myself picking up extra used copies of Heinlein I own(all of them) to loan out or keep in the car, so any good book that puts me in that same comfortable mood of re-re-re-reading The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, or To Sail Beyond the Sunset, or even the Robinson/Heinlein hybrid Variable Star, is an extra-good book by default. This is one of those.

Does it have similarities to Starship Troopers? Absolutely - any book that send marines to space to fight bugs, kind of has to, by default. Is it it’s own book, with it’s own plot, characters, politics, twists, and variables? It is, and delightfully so. The sequel, The Ghost Brigades, takes us further down the path with some of those differences, specifically the nature of humanity once you start radically engineering it, and it’s good from first page to last. I’m still waiting on the next few books to arrive via Amazon, but these two have sparked a desire to find and read all that will last. If writing books that will appeal to people who loved Heinlein is pandering, than I want to be pandered for several more books.

If you enjoy good, smart Sci-Fi, that takes place in space, with soldiers, that also happen to be good solid storytelling, you will like John Scalzi’s books. If you don’t like that sort of thing, I don’t know what to do for you. In my inexpert opinion, his books are some of the best new stuff going right now.On a completely unrelated but amazing note, the man has been blogging for the last 10 years. Holy Crap. I keep reading his reviews of his colleague’s books on his blog, and getting great recommendations- I’m running out of reading time, and money to buy books.

ColtCCO

Bread & Circuses - the Unsustainable Welfare State.

In which: Marko asks if he’s wrong in thinking that the unlimited free-handouts for the inept, unskilled and unkempt will sink us once they outnumber the actual working class. No, you’re not at all wrong - you’re simply looking a situation that hasn’t collapsed us so far, because we’ve been generally prosperous for several decades. Recent events show that doesn’t necessarily have to last. People voting themselves other people’s free money is mathematically unsustainable, and will probably be a major contribution to crippling of this nation - there will be a massive upheaval when the ‘free’ bread stops rolling in. It’s also why I refuse to vote for another candidate that will continue to take us down the the right hand side of the same road as the previous 20 or so. I am done voting for lizards, “because the wrong lizard might get in.”

The Republican party gets to lose my vote this year to the Libertarian party, and if they look at the election results, in wonder of where it went, maybe they’ll tighten themselves up a bit and attempt to court my tax-paying, non-aggression-principle-adhering ass back under their big, currently-free-spending tent.

Until then, my conscience will be clean, and I’ll send the message (in form of terse letter, as well as the vote, to the RNC and McCain) that I’ve thoroughly had it with my pocket being picked for social assistance. If 10% of like-minded did likewise and split the vote, there would be some scrambling after ‘08 saw Democrats elected. I suppose people are still scared to step out of line ever since Perot…God only knows what we might change if we forced ourselves, and in turn, the people we elect, to reject the status quo completely.

ColtCCO

Blognonymous

The subject has arisen, in my small circle of daily-read blogs, about blogging anonymously vs. under your name. Various justifications have been brought up on both sides- avoiding harassment vs. exercising discretion, living up to your statements online vs. no one knowing if you do, so you don’t have to. I can sympathize with both sides - three of the bloggers I know best, Marko, Les Jones & Say Uncle, have weighed in with their reasons for why they blog, how they blog.

I’ve had both sides of that coin. I used to blog anonymously, though most people who knew me halfway well, knew that it was me blogging - I wasn’t going to be able to post a plan to assassinate Gerald Ford on ColtCCO.com without a few coworkers, and several friends arriving to ask me what the hell I thought I was up to. So, I’ve never really put anything on Al Gore’s interwebs that I’d be horrified to have connected with my name- unlike Les’ friend who liked to blog anti-gun, but owned one. When the case involving my unlawful detainment over a legally carried firearm arose, I decided that my semi-anonymous status was not as important as my ability to reach people with the credibility that arises from putting your name with your statements. So, I buckled in, and made my case under my real name, not my favorite screen name, ColtCCO.

And nothing bad really happened. I got on the news, in the paper, got my apology, made my point, and edumacated some people, cop and civilian alike, who ‘didn’t know you could do that.’ And then I carried on with my life much the same as before, and still wrote in much the same manner as before - in other words, rather inexpertly.

Very few anonymous bloggers, truly are so -most just don’t prefer to associate their name with their writing, in such a manner that it can be Googled up on a moment’s notice. I understand and respect that - my current employer is a laid-back and understanding gent, and provided I don’t blog in such a manner that would reflect poorly upon his business, he doesn’t mind if my political beliefs, firearms preferences, life history, SSN, and plans for the weekend make the ticker on Wall Street. But as I said, I’ve got nothing out there in the ether, pre-or post-anonymity, that would cause me to be embarrassed for myself or those I’ve spoken about. Should I ever seek other employment outside of the firearms industry, my long history of writing about how much I enjoy firearms could be a potential stumbling block for employers - and I recognize that risk and accept it. It’s not the only industry you can be ‘from’ that has negative connotations associated with it, and you don’t need to be an actively dealing merchant of death, merely a firearms owner, to cause some facist in HR to discard your resume on that basis. For people who make their living outside of the industry circle, it makes perfect sense not to link your name with anything that could cause a future employer to run and hide, be it hard partyin’ (see recent Myspace related ’scandals’), sexual preference, firearms ownership, or any political stance at all less benign than ‘Liberty and Justice For All’.

However, as I was exercising discretion, some small bit of intelligence, and a reasonable amount of humor in my blogging previously, I’ll have to take the chance that it will continue to serve me as well in the future. After all, it’s not like I’m going to stop writing, or delete what I’ve written for someone else - and I really don’t want to do anything but what I do now, anyway.

Guess I’m fairly safe, for now.

ColtCCO

Very, Very Satisfying

I changed my site design again, again - the links stand out better from the text now, they’re a lighter shade.

Oh, and the header is new. I giggle every time I look at it. I’m very proud to say that it was not done via use of a web app, but rather by hand, from household items I found lying around the internet. Anyone at all skilled in graphic design can do it, and I’m only halfway adept at it. The short version is you need Adobe Illustrator, or your favorite vector art program, some of these fonts, and some of these logos. Stir well, bake at 350, and let cool for 20 minutes. It’s that easy.

John Scalzi says that blogging is “typing that is not work“, in other words, you blog too much, you don’t get any of your novels written. I take it one step further - I mess around with my site template when I can’t muster the intelligence to blog halfway interestingly, let alone getting my Great American Novel written.

ColtCCO

One-Shot-Stops, and other BS

Larry Correia puts into excellent, descriptive longhand what I’d been trying to explain to gun store customers for the last 5 or so years - that the Marshall & Sanow One Shot Stop ballistics study proves nothing, except that they ‘got some numbers’, excludes tons of actually useful data, makes for bad decisions when used in purchasing, and could get you killed if you shoot someone once with the ‘right’ bullet, and decide ‘Welps, that oughta do it, 98% One-Shot Stops with 125 graOH GOD HE’S STILL ALIVE WHY DID I PUT MY GUN DOWN’.

I once had a co-worker, God bless ‘im, who could not be convinced that the M&S stats were anything less than the Gospel according to St. Ballistics. Never mind that there were reams and reams of accredited, scientific studies, shown to be more exhaustive, and with an actual scholarly approach to the data they sought, that showed that their entire premise of using anecdotal, unrelated and completely different events to reach a conclusion about what one bullet makes people drop the fastest, was completely invalid. Furthermore, all the data available showed that people often need to be shot a whole hell of a lot to make them go away, especially when using handgun cartridges, and that any expectation that one round would do the trick better, simply because there were more of them in use by police departments when this so-called ’study’ was compiled.

This coworker had already invested thousands of dollars in his collection of .357 Mag revolvers, and whatever brand of ‘98% stops’ rounds M&S had endorsed in ‘Stopping Power’. When the conversation about how the data he was using to make these decisions was deeply flawed had him backed into a logical corner, he just didn’t want to hear it. I finally told him he could believe whatever he wanted, but not to waste customer’s valuable brain cells and time by sharing these flawed conclusions with them. In the future, should anyone dredge up the old Marshall & Sanow chestnut, I’m just going to use Larry’s example.

ColtCCO

How’s it look?

My blog design is about done. A bit more personal, and a lot more readable than the white-on-black of it’s predecessor, methinks. I especially like the header up top.

Much like a girl in a new dress, I need you to tell me it looks pretty. I need to hear, in point of fact, that my blog is the prettiest girl at the county fair.

Proceed to give me your input.

ColtCCO

Langford Basilisks

Because I doubt you’ve been well behaved enough to deserve a good night’s sleep, I’ll share The Parrot with you.

Now that you’re looked deep into it, take a read through David Langford’s excellent sci-Fi short story, BLIT. Good for making sure you don’t fiddle around with Mandelbrot set fractal screensavers for a solid week.

ColtCCO

Iron Man Review

It’s great - all of it. Go see it. If you’re the kind of person who was even considering going to see Iron Man, make up your mind to just go and do so, because it’s a lot of fun, acting is superb by everyone, especially R.D.Jr. The action is tight and fast, the tech hovers on 10-years-from-now plausibility, and the effects are seamless. Usually I am the first to bitch about bad effects or obvious CGI pulling me right out of the movie, but this time, you’re along for the ride the whole way. The little geek references for the true, deep comic books fan are all spot-on, little references that don’t detract from the movie if you don’t get the full significance, but make you feel like you got a nod when you do. Robert Downey Jr. is all Tony Stark, without a doubt. He’s the guy for the role, and he sells it with gusto from the first time you see him, all throughout the movie.

Just go see it. I guarantee you’ll like it, or get 100% of my opinions back. It’s risk-free.

ColtCCO

Holy Blap

Well, my site is kinda fixed -finish it later.

The rifle is very sold - thanks to all who asked, and it will go to Tam when Mr. C. is done with it a year hence.

I am extremely tired, achy, and have the remnants of flu.

Still gonna go see Iron Man tonight.

More later.

ColtCCO

Crass Commercialism - Buy My Scout Rifle.

I figure, what the hell, I’m paying Dreamhost for the server space and bandwidth- I’m going to get something out of it. Advertisement to follow, all federal firearms laws apply.

This rifle was a custom build by our very talented gunsmith Bob Delmore, before it was sold to me. The man is a student of Jeff Cooper all the way, and everything about this Scout rifle reflects that vision. If you’re at all familiar with the concept, this is it in true custom form - from the forward scope and mount, the 6.5 lb weight, the ‘hasty loop’ Ching Sling for rock-solid shouldering, and of course the .308 cartridge, suitable, with the right loads, for everything ‘from rabbits to lions’.

The action is the Remington 600 Mohawk, the shortest possible action for the .308 round. The action is blueprinted, trued, and the bolt polished and lapped - it runs very smoothly, no matter how fast you work the bolt. The bolt knob is flattened on the underside and serrated for extra purchase. The factory plastic triggerguard/floorplate was discarded for an all-steel Heritage Arms replacement unit. The barrel is a custom 19″ lightweight contour Douglas, Match Grade, air gaged, and match chambered. The gun will shoot a 1″ group at 100 yards, with Federal Gold Medal Match. The trigger breaks crisply, with no takeup or overtravel, right at 3.5#. The forward scope mount is securely and permanently attached forward on the barrel, and currently bears my favorite, the Burris 2.75x Scout scope, with the correct eye relief for rapid snap shots, and just enough magnification to really get a good look at targets out to 300 yards. The gun originally had one of Leupold’s 2x M8 Scout scopes when built, and it is included with the rifle. I sighted the gun in with the Burris, but if you prefer the lower mag scope, it’s a nice option to have, and a couple hundred dollars in excellent glass.

The stock is a lightweight Carbon/fiberglass, with a Pachmayr Decelerator pad that takes a lot of the snap out of the recoil. It has the Galco Ching Sling on 3 QD swivels, for both easy carrying, and for looping the forearm through the forward section to instantly ‘lock’ the rifle between hand and shoulder, reducing recoil, and making for a very stable shooting platform for either kneeling, sitting or offhand. I attached a Galco Butt-cuff ammunition holder on the stock, as it’s the most convenient place to keep several extra rounds handy - just tug them out and drop them into the action. The bluing is still intact, barring a few minor handling scratches and some slight rub-wear in very small areas. They are insignificant, but I like to under-promise, and over-deliver, so full disclosure, the rifle’s been handled, held, carried around and shot for the last 5-6 years. Always been cleaned and lubed, no rust, or other misuse.

This Scout is my probably the nicest thing I own that isn’t a custom 1911. I just work 6 days a week now, and rarely make it to the rifle range anymore, and now need to sell to cover a few expenses. The gun has less than 500 total rounds through it, barely a break-in for a Douglas barrel, and has always shot great, for both it’s original owner, a better shot than I, and for myself. I still have the box for the Burris Scope, as well as the hard case for the rifle to ship with.

$849 shipped to your FFL, or FTF in East TN with ID, for a gun with well over $1400 in parts, and many hours of gunsmith labor in it’s assembly, is a steal. If you’re looking for that light, handy and accurate ‘carrying-around’ rifle in a serious caliber, seek no further - this is it.

Direct all purchases, questions or comments to my email, I’ll try and respond as quickly as possible. Any questions I can’t answer, I will direct to the man who built the rifle - a nice ability to have when selling a custom gun. Larger pictures are available.

ColtCCO

State of the Rifle Address, March 2008

In a move that surprised absolutely no one who knows me even a little, the mercurial primary shootin’ equipment I like to refer to as The Last Rifle, and sometimes as Megan, has been changed again. I have been editing it to “The Last ROFL” when using that name, since the fixed, final configuration it refers to is always laughably short lived, no matter how adamant I am that this is IT, the last time I’ll mess with its innards or clothing, the final edit before it goes to print. I’ve learned a lot in the past few years since I declared the project finished, and then re-declared it re-finished. I sat down and did a parts inventory, and the only things remaining for its original state of 5 years ago when I naively proclaimed it ‘ideal’ are the front and rear takedown pins. Everything else is new – and while I know better now than to proclaim it ‘done’, the move it’s taken towards lightweight and simple, while incorporating parts that move me from attractive possible gimmickry to sound and durable components, even despite my prejudices, are all steps in the right direction. At least I hope so.

Click for High Res - Warning, Huge

Enough justification, let’s deconstruct this baby.

The action is the biggest deviation from the rifles I’ve built for the past 7 years, so let’s get that out of the way. It’s an LWRC short-stroke piston, for the myriad benefits of clean operation, low operating temp, and the associated extended life expectancy of heat-sensitive-parts like the extractor springs. I’ve touted the system before, and I’ll be up front about it, we stock & sell that brand of rifles as a direct result of the trouble-free operation of mine. It is by no means the only GTG piston on the market, according to DocGKR, the HK416, LWRC and the new offering by Barrett, all scored high marks on the recent US DOD testing. Larry Vickers, a man with a resume I can’t begin to fully fathom or approach, rightly states that the advantages of the piston system are fully expressed in:

• 1. Suppressed carbines,
• 2. Select fire carbines, or
• 3. SBR configurations,
• 4. Using crappy ammo out of necessity

With combinations of the above attributes counting for double coupons and extra bonus points towards benefitting from piston operation; essentially becoming less of a ‘nice thing to have’ and moving towards a ‘very, very good thing’ in these specialized roles. With the possible future addition of a sound suppressor to this rifle, this configuration of mine meets none of the ‘piston critical’ criteria (please enjoy the pun). Since privately-owned select fire is out of my price range, a 5.56mm SBR meets none of my needs for a general purpose rifle, and suppression would be nice, but would add weight to a gun I have tried to keep light, it remains a 16” semi-automatic carbine.

The piston operation does keep it clean(er) and cool inside and I’ve put a total of just over 1600 rounds through it in this configuration, forcing myself not to clean it, add lube or even wipe down the bolt lugs. It’s been a struggle, even though I despise cleaning DI guns, I feel neglectful of this one. So far, the hiccup count is zero, discounting one certifiably bad HK mag with a bent feedlip. Used, mixed Lake City and Winchester 55gr, some PMC frangible Green Box, Wolf, a lot of Georgia Arms from gun shows 8 years ago, old black Guatemalan surplus, some American Eagle, and 30 rounds of Hornady TAP. It was the perfect excuse to use up a lot of stuff that was found in the bottom of the range bag, though it cleaned me out of everything but some TAP, thankfully bought in 2006, for far less than 2008 prices, and my emergency stash of XM193. It will be a long time before I run that much ammo though anything again, because when ammo prices double, employee discount means damn-all with my budget. Everything ran in a boringly reliable fashion. I know that the DI version of this rifle started to get sluggish around 1000 rounds with no extra oil during a full-on, mags-loaded-ahead-of-time, range day 2 years ago in NH, so I view 1600, untouched and un-relubed, to speak highly for the extent to which the piston can go when pressed.

Now -do I ‘need’ need it? Nope. I’d never carry around 800 rounds of ammo, shoot it all, and not even find time to throw some CLP on and run a boresnake, no matter how heavy the zombie infestation – but it’s nice to know that I could. Your mileage may vary, as will your ‘need’ for the piston, but for me, it’s like having 4WD – rarely need it for normal use, nice to have if you do.

The upper receiver is a conversion by LWRC, not a complete factory upper – they didn’t and currently don’t offer a lightweight .625 diameter barrel, so I sent along a Colt 6320 barrel as the basis for the conversion. The extra weight saved is well worth the bit of extra hassle. The barrel is Chrome lined, 5.56 chamber, and the slimmer profile saves me several ounces, and costs me nothing but extra weight. The bolt carrier is the LWRC proprietary, with the solid piston key, and an NP3-style coating the small amount of carbon on it wipes off with a finger, which I’m sure hurts the reliability in no way. I used the KNS solid firing pin retaining pins, as I seem to have a knack for bending the bent wire pins in manners they were not meant to bend.

The upper receiver is an VLTOR MUR, which I did not need for the additional rigidity it can offer to match rifles, but wanted because I just liked how it looked and felt. Vanity? Sure. It’s a tough, block looking upper, with some attractive laser engraving.

The charging handle is a Miculek steel model, which doesn’t bend no matter how rough I am with it. I installed a PRI big Latch, which makes the purchase a bit better without putting a dent in my side when it’s slung like the Badger latch did. I can use the PRI to charge the rifle one-handed with the side of my left palm, and the charging handle doesn’t flex and drag on the upper receiver when I do.

The muzzle device is also by VLTOR, the VC-1, which looks a bit better on this barrel profile, and seems to feel about the same when shooting, as my Smith Enterprises Vortex. Both were better than the bare muzzle for muzzle jump. I didn’t notice any change in recoil with the VC-1, but sights stay on target during rapid shooting just as well with it as the Vortex. I can’t speak to flash suppression, as I haven’t shot it in the dark/dusk, but I’m told it’s better than an A2, about on par with a Phantom. As I don’t use night vision, I’ll just have to be ok with that, too.

The rail system is the SRT rail, from LWRC – their rail system is somewhat like the Troy, and the main benefit is the majority of the top rail slides out to permit access to the piston system. A downside of the piston is that it restricts rail selection – no Surefire, Larue, DD, or Troy rails have the clearance built in to permit the larger diameter piston parts to reciprocate, and even if the rail were modified, as I did to a VLTOR CAS-V for a short while to accommodate the piston, most of the mounting arrangements for the rails would make accessing the piston difficult or impossible. Fortunately, the LWRC rail is light, free-floats, and is slim, so there’s not much to complain about, though I can’t deny a submerged hankering for the LaRue forends.

I put a Midwest Industries Sling mount out front, to keep the front end of the Vickers sling secured to the rail. I had to modify it slightly to permit the top portion of the rail system to slide away. I ground off about 1mm of material on the bottom of the mount , then blended the edges on a 3M wheel and refinished.

The sights are Troy, and since they’re so well-known and liked, there’s not too much to say about that, except that I put skateboard tape on both sides of the front sight, which greatly assists sweaty fingertips in making the sight move on the first try. I have an XS Sight Systems front post, it works fine with lights on or off, and pulls the front blade out of the black background just ahead of it.

What black background? The Surefire X300 light I have mounted at the extreme end of the rail in the 12 O’clock position. I really love this thing - It’s light, flat, bright at 110 Lumens (Cree LEDs are the future of Surefire), ambidextrous, has twice the runtime of my X200, and on the top of the rail, it’s unlikely to get lost behind a barricade or doorjamb. Since the rail is a 9” model, and extends over the gas block, there’s enough room to put the light at the end, and still keep the backup irons at nearly carbine sight radius. I can ‘blip’ the momentary activation with either thumb, and since my preferred shooting grip is out far to drive the muzzle, it works great.

The last thing on this upper receiver is the LarueT1 Micro. Let me preface this by saying that I switched optics on this gun about 5 times, and the Micro is the leader of the bunch. The Tripower I had previously did its job well, but the Micro makes tritium and fiber optic backup a non-issue with a 5-year average battery life. Add that it’s small, slimmer, lighter, and less complex, and the Tripower comes in second place, as did my EOTech 512, the TA33 I tried, and even my old ML2. I didn’t need the T1 over the H1, as NV is not on my menu, and any water submersion is likely to be shallow, but the T1 was available Right Then, so I took it. I haven’t regretted it once. The Larue mount is set up for a lower 1/3^rd cowitness, and it’s light and sturdy, locks in tight, and is no bigger than it needs to be. I thought that, looking through it in my hand, that the field of view would be an issue, but so far, the tiny body of the optic itself acts very much like a ghost right when mounted close to the eye. I hardly see the Aimpoint at all, just the point. The 4MOA dot is sharp, and would let me touch that stop sign on the corner at 300 yards, guaranteed

The lower was a Spike’s Tactical, and before that, a Tromix, but I picked up an LWRC lower when they shipped, just to grab a low serial number, and so I’d have one of my own. The lower internals are DPMS with some exceptions listed below, and while I’ve been cautioned about their parts, the takedown pins, bolt catch and magazine release are have worked well for 5 years, and about 3000 rounds.

The trigger is a Gen. II Chip McCormick, and it’s ticked away without a hiccup for well over 1000 rounds, and since it makes a noticeable difference in my shooting, I provisionally trust it, with the future option to test a Geissele when the new non-adjustable duty ones launch. I use the KNS anti-rotational pins, as the CMC doesn’t tension against the fire control pins, and I dislike the tiny c-lips the CMC pins arrived with. The grip is a Magpul MIAD, with a firing pin and small repair parts kit inside –extractor, and an assortment of springs and pins, and a Magpul enhanced trigger guard installed. Selector is a RRA Star selector; GG&G Collapsible stock lock plate has provision for both an HK style hook and a sling loop. I don’t use either one currently, as the BFG Vickers is just right, but I have the option.

The stock is an VLTOR EMOD in black, and I resisted collapsible stocks for the longest time. I used an A1 length VLTOR Eric Kincel sent us back in 2003 when they were just launching the Modstocks. I loved it, and kept it, through dalliances with M93Bs, and CTRs, and a UBR, and even the original Modstock. I just liked the feel of the cheekweld on the fixed stock, and until the longer body of the EMOD arrived, nothing else was quite as good. I retired that A1 stock, ancient in terms of parts longevity on this gun, and kept the VLTOR at position 3, just right for shooting, and still plenty of room for my mug on the body of the stock. The rubber pad is nice, but the metal strike plate and reinforcement is really nice, and when I tap it against concrete, I understand why it survived the IAR 1.6 Meter drop testing when nothing else did. It holds 8 batteries for the hungry little light up front and the handy little storage compartment will come in useful for something, I’m sure. The Vickers sling attaches to the QD swivel gadget at middle of the stock. I’ve been using Magpul PMAGs for the last 700 or so rounds, and they’ve been 100%, and a lot lighter than the HK Enhanced ones.

Though it’s a long list when I read back over it, it was all chosen for a reason – move the gun back from gadget city, with, to name a few, VFG, Tripower, and spring-loaded BUIS, to light, simple, and function