Owen Zastava Pitt

Posted on August 26, 2012 by Oleg Volk

The main character from Monster Hunter International. Met him yesterday.

Posted in book, interesting people, rifle, sound suppressor, weapon | Tagged , , , , , | 10 Comments

Three questions and requests.

Posted on August 26, 2012 by Oleg Volk

I’d like to get in touch with Gary Johnson’s (LP) marketing/PR team to offer my photography services. I think the visuals on his web site and print materials can be much improved and I would be willing to provide the time. If you have the contact info, please share or make an introduction.

Does anyone know what was the first car model to have a designation that wasn’t either sequential (Model A, B or 1,2,3) or descriptive (such as “touring car”)?

I am still looking for a TGS-104 video cable or a functional equivalent. If none are available for purchase, could I have one custom made?

Posted in advice requested, camera and lens | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.

Posted on August 26, 2012 by Oleg Volk

Or something like that…

Does anyone know what species this is?

(The composition was actually noticed by April, so the credit for the idea goes to her.)

Posted in beast, nature | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

OD Green

Posted on August 25, 2012 by Oleg Volk

762SDN-6 suppressor | 1-4x Nightforce scope | RFB

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You can’t ride like that!

Posted on August 25, 2012 by Oleg Volk

These two are well equipped for the the less common human road hazards, but they are missing leather and helmets for the more usual perils. It takes both — and good judgment — to be safe.

Posted in interesting people, pistol, rifle, sound suppressor | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

Oh say can you see?

Posted on August 25, 2012 by Oleg Volk

110-pound girl firing a 13+ pound rifle off-hand? Check.
Left-handed user running a bullpup comfortably? Check.
Sound suppressor making muffs unnecessary? Check.
Great day at the range today? Check.

Posted in interesting people, rifle, sound suppressor | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

2016 CAFE rules.

Posted on August 25, 2012 by Oleg Volk

I get a distinct impression that USGov is deliberately trying to make cars too expensive for the majority of the population. The so-called “clunker” destruction reduced the availability of inexpensive used vehicles. CAFE rules on fuel efficiency slated for 2016 phase-in would be the end of simpler, lower-maintenance engines. I wonder what can be done to arrest this undesirable trend.

Posted in advice requested | Tagged , , | 21 Comments

Men with swords.

Posted on August 24, 2012 by Oleg Volk

Unlike Czechia, Hungary is not a gun friendly country. That may be why I saw more swords than handguns during my visit.

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

Beggars

Posted on August 24, 2012 by Oleg Volk

When in Prague, I was surprised that all but one of the fairly numerous beggars I saw were apparently able-bodied young men. These two were typical examples.

I don’t know why they were out begging when others were not visible? Could be that shelters prohibit pets, could be that they prohibit drugs or alcohol, could be that these men are transients, could be many reasons…but I am so used to beggars being more typically old folks, women with kids and others less immediately considered capable of fending for themselves. And people did give fairly generously to them. Any insights?

Unlike US pandhandlers who are usually confrontational, Czech beggars had a ritualized manner of bowing deeply enough to keep their faces mostly covered, with hat or bowl held out with both hands.

Posted in interesting people | Tagged , , , , | 13 Comments

Iver Johnson Sealed 8 revolver

Posted on August 23, 2012 by Oleg Volk

Model 844, 1950s production. The backs of the chambers are recessed to enclose the case heads, which isn’t a bad idea with rimfire cartridges. The front of the cylinder is extended to reduce the forcing cone flash.

Ejection of all eight rounds is simultaneous.

The front sight is adjustable for elevation.

Posted in pistol | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

Famous gun writer, retired Marine Corps Major Tom Kill.

Posted on August 22, 2012 by Oleg Volk

The illustrious comrade in arms of Major Caudill, Tom Kill…err, Tamara Keel of View From The Porch blog is writing an article about Boberg XR9-S for Concealed Carry magazine. I got to photograph her on the secret Lunar base right after she test fired the guns to evaluate their performance in reduced gravity. Photos of her with Professor de la Paz coming shortly.

Posted in humor, interesting people, pistol | Tagged , , , , | 17 Comments

Why I like bullpups.

Posted on August 21, 2012 by Oleg Volk

A .308 rifle with a sound suppressor, BUIS and a low-magnification scope weights quite a bit. Add to that a 20-round and this RFB weighs 13.2 pounds (6kg). M14 and AR10 variants with the same 18″ barrel length weight the same or more. The advantage to bullpups is the weight distribution, enabling the 110-pound girl to handle it effectively.

Another advantage to RFB is that it vents gases forward, keeping them away from the shooter. That becomes very helpful when used suppressed. That does make administrative chamber checks slower, so there’s always a design trade-off. Forward ejection also allows right or left hand use. Shown here with 1-4x Nightforce scope, YHM iron sights and AAC 762SDN-6 suppressor.

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What kind of AK should I do with this?

Posted on August 21, 2012 by Oleg Volk

Recently, I acquired from Brownells a Mako mechanical recoil-reducing stock for comparison with the hydraulic ITT version. Now I am looking for suggestions on what kind of rifle to make with it. One option would be to apply it to 7.62×39 or even .308 version for maximum recoil reduction. The other is to put it on a 5.45 or .223 to take recoil from minimal to non-existent — but I am not sure just how effective the mechanism would be at at reducing already slight kick. Also, while 5.45×39 is relatively inexpensive, it’s the only cartridge of the four that I do not stock. I am also not up to date on what is available these days in terms of parts and magazines. Suggestions?

I know that AK already has minimal kick, but this way it can be even easier to handle for lightweight shooters over long training courses.

Posted in advice requested, rifle | Tagged , , , , , | 13 Comments

Rimfire trainer guns

Posted on August 20, 2012 by Oleg Volk

Ever since I got to shoot a suppressed GSG1911-22 in Nevada, I wanted to have on on hand. Rimfire trainer guns were extremely useful then and they have become even more useful since the price of ammunition gone up so much.

GSG 1911-22 has a good trigger and accuracy, little kick. It’s lighter than the standard 1911s but matches them in size, so the same holsters fit. Too large for kids, it’s just right for teenagers and women with small hands.

Chiappa mfour-22 on a polymer Omni receiver worked out well — it’s as light as Cav Arms lowers and as adjustable as the standard M4. Surprisingly good trigger, better than most milspec lowers. Accuracy with 1-4x Primary Arms scope was excellent. Reliability was also very good. Included 28rd magazine was too long for bench shooting, so I mostly shot it with BDM 50rd drum and 25rd box magazines. Light weight and adjustable stock make it very suitable for kids.

Posted in pistol, rifle, training | Tagged , , , | 12 Comments

1941 Soviet infantry manual in English

Posted on August 20, 2012 by Oleg Volk

My friend Boris Karpa translated this historic manual and made it available in Kindle format (also readable on desktop with viewer programs). He’s an excellent translator and knows the topic, so I can vouch for the accuracy of the translation.

Destroy the Enemy in Hand-to-Hand Combat

Posted in training | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Custom Dragon Leather holster

Posted on August 19, 2012 by Oleg Volk

I posted photos of a custom PMR30 holster earlier this year. Now Dennis came out of a Glock variant of it. This design works especially well for women, keeping the pistol grip out of the way of elbows and ribs.

Posted in holster, pistol | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

RFB: works well as configured

Posted on August 19, 2012 by Oleg Volk

Finally had a chance to fire the RFB with the new AAC 762SDN-6 (and shorter piston provided by Keltec) and 1-4x Nightforce scope. What an improvement over the previous set-up! For one, the cycling of the gun is now softer, the suppressor more effective and accuracy improved. In the past, the RFB by itself was good for 0.9MOA with match ammo and high magnification optic but shot like a shotgun with the flash hider/sound suppressor combination. Now it shoots about 1.5MOA with Australian surplus ball, and I was consistently able to tag a small steel clanger at 300 yards. Very pleased. No malfunctions, but that’s to be expected.

In the photo, one of the new shooters who got very good with pistol after only a couple of hours. Good aptitude and great attitude towards learning!

Posted in rifle, sound suppressor, weapon | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Henry .44Mag lever action: fit for a sniper.

Posted on August 18, 2012 by Oleg Volk

Remember my plan to find out how well that carbine shoots? It shoots this well at 50 yards with 1-4x Nikon Monarch scope. Ballistics calculator suggests that the far zero is around 70 yards, so it might make sense to re-zero it for 20, which would give the far zero of about 100.

Load: Starline brass, 24.5grains of H110, Sierra 8610 240gr bullet, CCI BR-2 primer, all from Brownells. Estimated velocity 1745fps, actual velocity will be found out on the next range trip. This round has noticeable felt recoil when shot from the bench: after I fired one, I immediately made a pad from a pistol case. A slip-on rubber boot should help. The action is extremely smooth and the trigger is excellent.

Posted in ammunition, rifle | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

With muscles like that, the rifle is a secondary weapon.

Posted on August 18, 2012 by Oleg Volk

Keltec RFB with Nightforce 1-4×24 scope, YHM backup sights and AAC 762SD-N6 suppressor.

Posted in interesting people, rifle, sound suppressor | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

So, you’d like to date my daughter…

Posted on August 17, 2012 by Oleg Volk

This young lady can fend for herself just fine, but you have to admit that the first impression made by the dad also counts.

I also recommend a sensible comment by my friend Dave.

Posted in interesting people, pistol | Tagged , , , , , | 16 Comments