Because they are fun!

Posted on June 5, 2013 by Oleg Volk

Submachine guns have many practical uses. They are also plain fun. This man picked one up for the first time in his long life. Like driving a car or riding a bicycle, the pleasure comes from being in control of a well-designed tool. Unlike riding a bike or driving, this pleasure is denied in many states and severely restricted on the federal level…and that’s just wrong.

NFATCA is among the groups trying to reduce the federal and state impositions. So is the NRA-ILA. You can do your part by supporting them, also by educating people around you on the value of modern arms for self-defense and other, more fun uses.

Posted in rkba, training, Uncategorized, weapon | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Friends in Switzerland

Posted on June 5, 2013 by Oleg Volk

Posted in interesting people | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Where to find a good forest trail in Minnesota?

Posted on June 4, 2013 by Oleg Volk

Does anyone know about any predominantly coniferous forests or parks, with trails suitable for  hiking, within 100 miles from Twin Cities, Minnesota? There should be either public access or a possibility to negotiate access with the owner.

Posted in advice requested, nature | 9 Comments

Cats of Berne

Posted on June 2, 2013 by Oleg Volk

The biggest challenge with this cat was staying far enough away to focus. It was very friendly.

And this illustrates the importance of cropping to the semantic content.

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Just in case you are hungry

Posted on June 2, 2013 by Oleg Volk

Swiss food.

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A Swiss Spartan?

Posted on June 2, 2013 by Oleg Volk

Looking at his sleeve more closely…

Give up the K31? Only if the foes take all of the GP11 first, center mass. Then, the bayonet.

Posted in rifle, rkba, training, weapon | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Most guns will do if you will

Posted on June 1, 2013 by Oleg Volk

Out of these three rifles, I’d have to go with the SKS by preference. SVT40 has a harsh recoil and complex disassembly, K31 has an awkward safety and the paper/foil clips have to be oriented in a specific way for loading. SKS, at least compared to the other two, comes across as a more modern and ergonomic weapon.

As you can see from the patch, Suarez training is well regarded by the Swiss. Several people spoke well of his teaching style and doctrines.

Posted in rifle, training | Tagged , , , , , | 21 Comments

Ammunition production since 1863

Posted on June 1, 2013 by Oleg Volk

While in Thun, Switzerland, I visited the parent company of RUAG. As the stained glass indicates, they have been producing gunpowder and ammunition since 1863. My friend Melissa Gilliland is quite fond of their match ammo, and Ashbury Precision Ordnance recommend it for all their rifles. Also got to visit their amazing history museum that contains such rarities as a 1913(!) equine gas mask and various experimental firearms.

Posted in ammunition | Tagged , | 5 Comments

Personal Defense Weapon

Posted on June 1, 2013 by Oleg Volk

BT9 is basically a 9mm pistol with a shoulder stock to aid in accurate shooting. In semi-auto form, it works well to 200m, especially with an optic like the Trijicon Reflex 2 shown. Nearly no felt recoil. A great defensive tool for people who lack the strength to operate a full-size carbine and who cannot control a hard-recoiling pistol.  Naturally, it’s heavily regulated in the US as a “short-barreled rifle”.

Swiss shooters are trained to use the same stance with all shoulder-fired weapons, hence the “elbow up” position. As with the other Swiss-made guns I tried, this one was 100% reliable and very accurate.

Posted in rifle, rkba, self-defense, weapon | Tagged , | 12 Comments

Keltec P32 pistol in Swiss use

Posted on June 1, 2013 by Oleg Volk

P210 and P220 are the official pistols in Swiss army, militia and some police use. I also saw Glock and Sphinx pistols in police holsters. But the most common “unofficial” sidearm seems to be the P32. My Swiss friends estimate that about a third of all military and police carry it as a backup, and it’s very popular with others as well.

P3AT and Ruger LCP also show up but far less frequently. I saw one LCP, no P3ATs and about twenty P32s during my trip. Some people bought P32s in lots of ten against future need. They consider P32 to me a 100 meter gun in the sense that it’s accurate enough to give 50% or better hit probability on a silhouette target. I watched them do it consistently. The same people consider P210 to be a 200m gun.

And yes, it’s a Picatinny rail on a Schmidt-Rubin K31 carbine.

Posted in pistol, rifle, training | Tagged , , , , , , | 20 Comments

Sig552 carbine with a Trijicon scope

Posted on May 27, 2013 by Oleg Volk

After a day of running around and controlling the rifle with one hand part of the time, the appeal of short carbines becomes compelling. Optics negate the reduction of the iron sight radius. Muzzle velocity does drop some but not enough to make a difference up close. Pity these aren’t importable to the US and restricted when manufactured domestically.

The full amount of gear worn is enough to make a small 5.56mm rifle a desirable alternative to the 7.62 MBR — and this guy’s kit doesn’t even include armor!

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The mainstay of the Swiss infantry

Posted on May 27, 2013 by Oleg Volk

Sig550 with 4x optic from 1976. QD mount allows true return to zero. The scopes are slowly getting phased out as the supply of parts runs out.

The thin bipod is surprisingly sturdy and allows good control of automatic fire. It can be removed very quickly without tools. Fire selector is Safe-1-3-30 but the slow rate of fire makes 3 unnecessary. The trigger and the sights are very good. The fire selector lever is too short for most people and the rifle has to be turned to the side for it to be reached easily.

Reliability in the dozen rifles I’ve seen used (including mine) was 100% over a full-day course in all kinds of weather. I literally did not see a single stoppage of any kind over 300+ rounds per person. In my opinion, this rifle is superior in handling and operation to both M16/AR15 and to the US-made Sig556.

Posted in rifle | Tagged , , | 11 Comments

Recent fun and games.

Posted on May 25, 2013 by Oleg Volk

Both days featured sunshine, rain, snow and hail mixed up randomly.

Alain Baeriswyl is an exceptionally good coach. Both the shooting course and the Minuteman training were informative, challenging, fun and lend themselves to further practice of the skills taught.

The outfit looks goofy but was very comfortable and practical. Schmidt-Rubin stripper clips are goofier by far.

Day one featured Sig550 and P210, Day two K31 and P210, including successful 100m pistol shooting. Lots of detailed reviews of training and gear coming up, and political commentary as well.

Posted in author, pistol, rifle, rkba, self-defense, training | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Steel target sweepstakes

Posted on May 18, 2013 by Oleg Volk

My friend Brad at Challenge Targets is giving away one of his neatest targets, a stake clanger. As the picture below shows, it’s very simple and robust. Takes about a minute to assemble, and only a few seconds to install at the range.

When hit, it wavers for a while, providing visual feedback along with the loud clang. Great for extended range rifle practice. Here’s how it looks when in use:

Enter to win.

Posted in training | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Take the Star Road

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Oleg Volk

Peter Grant’s new book Take the Star Road is now available at Amazon. I read it when it was being edited and re-read it again when making the cover design. I recommend it, especially if you like the style of early Heinlein. The book is far more about people and culture than it is about future technologies, which is how it should be. 1984 would have been less interesting if Orwell described the specification and maintenance details of the telly screen in greater detail. Much of the plot came from the author’s extensive adventures in rough and scary parts of the world.

Posted in book, interesting people | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Using offset red dot sight

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Oleg Volk

Let’s say you are using a 1-6x scope set to 6x when you suddenly need to make a precise shot much closer. One way to do that is to turn the rifle 45* (or some lesser angle if you have an appropriate mount) and use a red dot or backup iron sights.

Just like this. Also works if the main optic gets damaged.

Posted in rifle, training | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Little girl and her chaperone

Posted on May 12, 2013 by Oleg Volk

The pair was watching the graduation ceremony at Vanderbilt Law School. The man’s niece — little girl’s mother —  got her diploma.

Posted in interesting people | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Encouraging sights at the NRA convention.

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Oleg Volk

This boy, at the show with his grandfather, was excited about an aftermarket stock for his 10-22 that was a perfect fit.

The girl, at Savage Arms booth with her mother and older sister, was trying out a Stevens 512 over/under 12ga shotgun.

The next generation was very much in evidence, and acquitted themselves very well.

Posted in interesting people, rifle, rkba, shotgun | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

RFB in mid-cycle

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Oleg Volk

No muzzle rise even while the bolt is still moving forward to chamber the next round.

Posted in interesting people, rifle | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Sweet 16

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Oleg Volk

And a sweet 58, too.

Posted in rifle, weapon | Tagged , | 6 Comments