VolkStudio Blog

Appleseed

Posted on February 17, 2014 by Oleg Volk

Savage 110 in 6.5 Creedmoor in a McRees stock.

Appleseed.

Posted in rifle, training, weapon | 3 Comments

Software to aid with making hatched illustrations?

Posted on February 13, 2014 by Oleg Volk

Does anyone know of software that can semi-automate the process of making hatched drawings from photographs?

Posted in advice requested, art | Tagged draw, pen, portrait | 6 Comments

One way to handle switchable barrels.

Posted on February 12, 2014 by Oleg Volk

This 455Lux rifle is in 22WMR. It also accepts a 22LR barrel — with its own sights — and appropriate magazines. Plink with cheaper ammo, bust tree rats with faster 22 Magnum. Don’t have to re-zero.

Posted in hunting, nature, rifle | Tagged 22LR, 22WMR, bolt action | 3 Comments

Home alone? Not quite.

Posted on February 12, 2014 by Oleg Volk

The pistol is a classic CZ75B.

Posted in pistol, self-defense, weapon | Tagged 9x19, woman | 1 Comment

Ithaca scattergun

Posted on February 12, 2014 by Oleg Volk

Ithaca 37 is an unusual design because both John Browning and John Pedersen, normally competitors, contributed to its design. It both feeds and ejects from the bottom, making it friendly to right and left handed shooters. An older home defense model shown.

Posted in book, self-defense, shotgun, weapon | Tagged 12ga, pump shotgun | 6 Comments

Who lives where?

Posted on February 11, 2014 by Oleg Volk

Do any of my readers live in South Carolina? I may be traveling in that direction in early March. How about central Pennsylvania, late February?

Posted in advice requested, interesting people | Tagged travel | 13 Comments

New Viridian laser for Kahr CW45 is coming

Posted on February 11, 2014 by Oleg Volk

Posted in light/laser, pistol, weapon | Tagged 45ACP, semi-auto | 1 Comment

Why are ersatz foods ingredients so common in the US?

Posted on February 10, 2014 by Oleg Volk

US isn’t a poor country. Yet typical food includes junk like corn syrup. Even in fairly expensive restaurants, imitation crab is used instead of real crab. Airlines serve absolutely foul artificial creamer instead of half-and-half or cream. Typical baked goods, even at the fancy bakeries, are so inferior to German, Swiss or Czech products that I can’t help wonder why.

Does anyone know?

It’s not like making better food is difficult. At this point, I can prepare meal ingredients in 2 to 5 minutes to rival all but the best restaurants in town, and do so with fairly inexpensive ingredients. For grocery makers, is the cost of ingredients so critical compared to the cost of packaging, distribution and advertising as to mandate the use of very inferior substitutes in mainstream food products?

Posted in advice requested, food | 30 Comments

CZ97B

Posted on February 10, 2014 by Oleg Volk

CZ97B was on the cover of the wonderfully photographed CZ catalog from 2000. Especially with the 10-round limit then in force, a “natural 10-rounder” in 45ACP felt like a perfect package. It was something I had long wanted but still do not have. This pistol was a loan from the CZ Forum founder Chard.

Posted in pistol | Tagged 45ACP | 7 Comments

Co-witnessing AK sights with a red dot

Posted on February 10, 2014 by Oleg Volk

Take an AK, add a TWS top cover with replacement open sights (or a peep sight), add an Aimpoint Micro (or a clone) without a base. Secure with four screws. Done!

The machine top cover is sprung to stay firmly in place, and relieved to seat the optic very low to the receiver.

As you can see, it’s possible to have a good cheek weld even with the underfolder stock.

Posted in rifle | Tagged 7.62x39, AK47, optics | 8 Comments

Handicapped? Yes. Unarmed? Never.

Posted on February 10, 2014 by Oleg Volk

See www.romb.org.pl for more info in Polish.

Posted in pistol, self-defense, weapon | Tagged Polish, revolver, wheelchair | 1 Comment

People in difficult situations

Posted on February 9, 2014 by Oleg Volk

Waiting for the zombies

Ambushed by the cat of darkness

Posted in beast, interesting people, pistol, rifle | Tagged 303 British, 308, AR15, night, NVG, optics, vision | 3 Comments

“Мочить врагов в сортире!” (“Wet-work the foes in outhouses!”)

Posted on February 8, 2014 by Oleg Volk

Standard Russian injunction illustrated.

Also works outside.

Similar to the rifle from the previous post, but with a folding adapter in front of a Magpul stock, Aimpoint H1 and an even brighter 700 lumen Superfire light. Same Battlecomp, folding rear sight. The bathroom occupant comes from IDTS.

Posted in rifle | Tagged 223, AR15, magpul, target | 6 Comments

“Adapt and Overcome” is available, a new book by Peter Grant

Posted on February 8, 2014 by Oleg Volk

And, just like the earlier books of that series, it’s become very popular from the start. I design overs for Peter’s books, so it pleases me to see him do well — as his writing talent well deserves.

Posted in book, interesting people | Tagged fiction, science, space | Comments Off

Nighthawk Predator

Posted on February 8, 2014 by Oleg Volk

This Nighthawk Predator was a gift from G4P.

Posted in interesting people, pistol, weapon | Tagged 45ACP, M1911 | 8 Comments

Springfield M1A

Posted on February 8, 2014 by Oleg Volk

My friend Red likes rifles.

Posted in interesting people, rifle, weapon | Tagged 308, red | 5 Comments

Updating the light rifle

Posted on February 7, 2014 by Oleg Volk

One of my colleagues stopped by. She didn’t bring any of her own rifles, but we borrowed a couple from a mutual friend.

Start with a standard light-barreled Colt 16″ AR carbine.

Add a Trijicon RMR on a see-through mount. The sight is tiny, so the bore offset isn’t increased by much.

Add a Battlecomp muzzle brake/compensator to remove barrel climb on rapid fire.

Replace the M4 telestock with a sturdier Magpul CTR. Tatiana’s technique with the stock fully extended feels odd to me but seems to produce much better control of recoil.

The light is a Surefire model with 500 lumen main light and two little navigation lights with momentary pressure switches.