Looking for new figure models

Posted on September 26, 2011 by Oleg Volk

It’s been a while since I’ve worked with an inspiring model. If you are close enough to Nashville to stop by for a photo shoot or know somebody who would be interested and wouldn’t break my lens, please let me know.

Posted in art, interesting people | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

A scope for a deer rifle

Posted on September 26, 2011 by Oleg Volk

Don’s Winchester 70 in .270 gets just under 1MOA with his handloads. It seemed appropriate to top it with a better scope than the scary optical contraption it had originally.

Now Bambi, Bambi’s mom and all other relatives are in danger of gracing our tables with their presence, right next to the corn and potatoes.

Posted in hunting, interesting people, rifle | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments

For Sale: Canon 300/4 IS lens

Posted on September 26, 2011 by Oleg Volk

I’d like to upgrade my 300/4 lens to a 300/2.8. Originally, I picked the f4 over the f2.8 because of the closer focus (5ft vs. 8ft), lighter weight (2.6lb vs. 5.6lb) and much lower price. I discovered that I always use the 200/2.8 for close-range work and only use the 300 for ranges past 8ft anyway, and I would prefer a wider aperture.

Current B&H listing for the 300/4IS is $1379. I’m listing mine for $1179. It’s in excellent condition. The newest 300/2.8 is listing for $7200, but I can find a used older variant for closer to half that price.

Posted in camera and lens | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Almost a serious theory

Posted on September 25, 2011 by Oleg Volk

KSG

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

The Generalissimus of Snark

Posted on September 25, 2011 by Oleg Volk

Tamara Keel wields combat-grade snark with amazing grace.

Posted in humor, interesting people | Tagged , , , | 18 Comments

May I play with your camera?

Posted on September 24, 2011 by Oleg Volk

I would like to upgrade my Panasonic LX-3 to something with a slightly larger sensor. 4/3 is the most likely contender, with Olympus and Panasonic models being most interesting. If you live in Nashville, own such a camera and wouldn’t mind letting my play with it for a couple of days, please let me know.

My other option would be to get the smallest Canon DSLR and use a small lens like 35/2 or 50/2.5 macro, but that would still be too large for the intended use. Local stores don’t carry much of a variety and playing with controls at the counter doesn’t really tell me much anyway.

Articulated LCD and physical controls instead of a touchscreen are preferred. Panasonic G2 looks like a likely contender, perhaps with a 45/1.8 lens. Anyone with direct experience with that or similar cameras?

Posted in advice requested, camera and lens | Tagged , , | 13 Comments

Shooting well at age 11.

Posted on September 24, 2011 by Oleg Volk

Went to the range with friends today. Tried their guns and let them try mine. Fond out, for example, that .223 soft points don’t feed well from GI magazines but work just fine from PMags.

(Firing on clays set up on a berm)

Tom has been shooting since age 3. He shoots his father’s AK, so vz58 to him was just a weird AK. Which is neat, because the gun itself and the magazine are so much lighter, I had expected a more energetic kick. Turns out the amount of recoil is similar, but the loud mechanical noise of the AK bolt carrier which I find annoying is gone. From the proportions of Tom to his Walther P22, you can see that he isn’t a big kid. Short vz58 stock fits him pretty well. V-notch sight was pretty hard to see at dusk — the fiber-optic replacement was waiting for me at the door upon my return from the range. At least I will have it for the next time.

As dusk approached, we set up a bag in front of a backstop and Tom ran a magazine through the XR9S at 20 yards. The pistol was loaded with short range tracers, but Tom couldn’t observe them as the gun in recoil blocked his view briefly. From the sidelines, I could see some tracers hitting and some missing. The final score: four hits, three near misses. That’s at twenty yards in low light with a gun he’d never fired before. Doesn’t look like the recoil bothered him much, either.

Posted in interesting people, pistol, rifle, training, weapon | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Movie review: Army of Crime

Posted on September 24, 2011 by Oleg Volk

Army of Crime

Plot: 9
Acting: 10
Music: 9
SFX: 8

A very good depiction of the problems faced by civilians who want to survive and fight back against domestic and foreign oppression. Better than most films on this topic.

Posted in interesting people, rkba, self-defense | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Canned goods and ammunition.

Posted on September 23, 2011 by Oleg Volk

Many people who grew up during the Great Depression hoard food. Those who grew up during the 1994-2004 ban on modern firearm features hoard magazines. They also treat magazines as durable rather than disposable parts. With that in mind, Black Dog Machine is now making 26-round rimfire magazines with steel feed lips.

As you can see, the stainless steel feed lips are quite massive and won’t wear out from use. These magazines are also much easier to load than the older, all-plastic model. I didn’t need a mag loader to fill them to capacity.

For range use, when the ease of loading trumps resistance to dust, they are now also making Gen.3 magazines with open sides. These hold 32 rounds and can be loaded in moments.

And while we are on the topic of government restrictions, here’s a list from Black Dog Machine web site of which states and cities prohibit what kind of magazines:

Prohibits magazines over 10 rounds: California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New York
Prohibits magazines over 12 rounds: Washington DC
Prohibits magazines over 15 rounds: New Jersey
Prohibits magazines over 20 rounds: Maryland
Prohibits magazines over 31 rounds: Ohio

Illinois does not have state laws on magazines but the following cities have restrictions:
Prohibits magazines over 15 rounds: Aurora
Prohibits magazines over 12 rounds: Chicago
Prohibits magazines over 16 rounds: Franklin Park
Prohibits magazines over 10 rounds: Oak Park
Prohibits magazines over 35 rounds: Riverdale

This is a terrific illustration of the arbitrary nature of gun control laws…made worse only by the viciousness with which they are enforced.

Posted in ammunition, rifle, rkba | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

Danica smiles

Posted on September 23, 2011 by Oleg Volk

Posted in interesting people | Tagged , | 6 Comments

Boberg Arms XR9-S range report

Posted on September 23, 2011 by Oleg Volk

Yesterday, I shot about 200 rounds of various brands through it. Others at the range shot another 100. No malfunctions. Recoil with +P and +P+ was slightly more noticeable but still comfortable. Zero seems to be at about 30ft, so shots taken at 21ft were fractionally low. Dispersion at 21ft just over an inch, at 75ft just under 4″.

The trigger is quite nice. It’s DAO of constant, fairly light weight of pull. Ejection is quite brisk, empties go 8-10ft. Same weight as Kahr PM9 and Keltec PF9, less than half felt recoil. Recoil and magazine spring also much lighter. One reason for the reliability is that the next round to feed is in position before the shot is even fired, while in a conventional pistol is has to rise before the slide returns from recoil. Since the feed angle is zero, the barrel required no feeding ramp and thus has full chamber support. The extra 1.5″ of barrel length is main advertised feature of this gun, but the low recoil, the extra round in the magazines vs. other pistols of the same size, and the great accuracy are also worth noting.

Boberg Arms

Posted in pistol | Tagged , , , | 25 Comments

Steady does it.

Posted on September 22, 2011 by Oleg Volk

Ten year old Ayn is too small to fire this rifle off-hand, but she can handle it supported. On her visit from California, she mostly shot suppressed .22s, but she just had to pose with an AK…after all, it matched her shirt!

The rifle is a Romanian AK74 with Midwest Industries forend and Primary Arms red dot sight. What I want to know is where could I get that shirt in size XL?

Posted in interesting people, rifle | Tagged , , , , , | 17 Comments

Range report…tomorrow

Posted on September 22, 2011 by Oleg Volk

Went to On Target (turn off speakers before clicking — loud sound effects on that site) range today. Shot indoors for the first time in a year and it was a nice experience. Friendly and helpful staff, good ventilation and lighting.

I finally shot the vz61 pistol and vz58 rifle that Czechpoint provided this summer, ran 200+ rounds through Boberg XR9-S, sighted in Anderson rifle and tried a variety of ammunition through JARD .22 upper. Full report with photos tomorrow, some observations for now.

With rimfire, ammunition quality matters. JARD upper was unimpressive with bulk ammo. Eley Sport halved the group size. CCI Stingers halved it again.

XR9-S is almost boring to shoot. It functions 100%, doesn’t kick much even with +P+ ammunition and basically shoots to the limit of the shooter’s ability. The gun isn’t a variable, the shooter’s concentration is.

vz61 was surprise of the day. It has a light trigger, decent sights, no felt recoil and 100% reliability with ball and JHP. I shot over 200 rounds through it and wished I’d brought more with me. 75m and 150m sight markings on it are truly optimistic, but it was quite credible at 25.

Almost forgot: I zeroed a Bersa Thunder 9 with Viridian C5L laser and tried a variety of ammo through Keltec PF9 with Twisted Industries .22 upper and CTC laser. The two laser-equipped guns were real crowd-pleasers: I ended up lending both to people who were shooting on other lanes. At the indoor range, even with good ventilation, the red and green traces were extremely visible and helped fine-tune trigger control.

Posted in ammunition, pistol, rifle, training, weapon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

An interesting short film

Posted on September 20, 2011 by Oleg Volk

Land of the Free. Curious to see DHS presented as the Gestapo was shown in the 1950s films. The portrayal of the resistance is very reminiscent of the French treatment of their own history.

Posted in civil rights, rkba, self-defense, weapon | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Blu-ray player/recorder

Posted on September 18, 2011 by Oleg Volk

Need recommendations on which model external blu-ray player/recorder to get for use with a desktop. Price is a consideration but the ability to play movies and record data is a must.

Posted in advice requested | Tagged | 6 Comments

Soap, water and a couple minutes of your time

Posted on September 15, 2011 by Oleg Volk

A video I recently filmed and edited for Anderson Manufacturing.

Posted in rifle | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

Boberg XR9-S arrived!

Posted on September 15, 2011 by Oleg Volk

And it looks awesome. Fit and finish are much better than on the prototype. It even comes with a clear and well-produced instruction manual. Photos soon.

Posted in pistol | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

In tall grass

Posted on September 14, 2011 by Oleg Volk

Rainier Arms rifle on AXTS ambi receiver.

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

Re-loading a KSG

Posted on September 14, 2011 by Oleg Volk

With the balance of the shotgun right over the pistol grip, reloading a KSG is different from a conventional pump gun but no harder. And it’s only necessary half as often.

BUIS: Magpul, red dot: Primary Arms M3.

I am open to recommendations on ways to conveniently carry 15 or more rounds of 12ga ammunition.

Posted in ammunition, shotgun, weapon | Tagged , , | 11 Comments

Visual musings

Posted on September 14, 2011 by Oleg Volk

Her cross.

Winter cat

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