Valentines Day is coming.

Posted on February 3, 2014 by Oleg Volk

Practice your knots!

Posted in humor | Tagged | 2 Comments

A tug on the lace

Posted on February 3, 2014 by Oleg Volk

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Concealed carry shorts

Posted on February 3, 2014 by Oleg Volk

Undertech concealment shorts — like a wearable IWB holster. Plus: very concealable. Minus: doesn’t stay open when empty, so re-holstering is more difficult. Drawing is simple but requires a pretty long reach and careful muzzle control to avoid covering self or others.

Posted in holster, pistol, self-defense | Tagged , , , | 12 Comments

Thigh holsters, how to wear them?

Posted on February 3, 2014 by Oleg Volk

When I posted first photos of the lace thigh holster, I showed it worn on the outside of the leg. The vendor site showed it worn inside the thigh. Which is correct?

The answer is both. If you are slim enough that your thighs do not touch as you walk, you can get away with wearing the holster inside. The pistol fits very snugly and the entire rig is very well concealed.

In normal use, this would be covered by a skirt or a dress. Depending on the size of the pistol and personal comfort, the holster can be worn as shown or higher for shorter reach and greater concealment. The down side to higher placement is having to hitch up the hemline higher to draw, and the proximity of the grip to the pelvis. You have to leave sufficient room for the grip and your hand around it.

The other concern is covering your own limbs with the muzzle while drawing. You trade the degree of concealment for slightly slower presentation.

The other option is wearing it on the outside like a drop leg holster. Easier to draw, less concern about covering parts of your own body, no issues with chafing, but far less concealment. Patterned dresses that camouflage any printing would be a good idea with outside carry using a lace thigh holster.

Posted in holster, pistol, self-defense | Tagged , | 6 Comments

New on AllOutdoor: Fight cabin fever with lasers

Posted on February 3, 2014 by Oleg Volk

Lasers for sighting in guns, and for training without using up ammunition.

Posted in light/laser | Tagged | 1 Comment

My photos in Russia again.

Posted on February 3, 2014 by Oleg Volk

A show of my photos as a part of Right to Arms presentation called “My home is my castle” in Tula, Russia. Tula was long the center of gun production there, so importing gun posters has a Coals to Newcastle ring to it.

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

Nagant

Posted on January 31, 2014 by Oleg Volk

Posted in pistol | Tagged , | 7 Comments

Eye protection is very important.

Posted on January 31, 2014 by Oleg Volk

Revision safety glasses, a prop provided by a friendly rep. The rifle is a Marlin 60.

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Why I pay attention to lens and sensor quality

Posted on January 30, 2014 by Oleg Volk

These snapshot show a small fraction of the SHOT show displays using my photos:

Unlike billboards, these are seen up close. And these were not even the largest images — the biggest was a three-part Keltec display 8 feet high by about 12 feet wide. That is why I am looking at upgrading my equipment…but there’s nothing in Canon line-up that would make a noticeable upgrade in resolution. Pity.

Posted in camera and lens | 10 Comments

Models have such tough lives…

Posted on January 30, 2014 by Oleg Volk

…this one was getting a back massage from my assistant. Olive oil with a little red pepper works great to vanquish goosebumps from shooting outdoors.

Posted in camera and lens, humor, interesting people | Tagged | 8 Comments

Pointers on learning snipercraft

Posted on January 30, 2014 by Oleg Volk

Sniping is a lot more than just shooting straight. Read a few suggestions for the direction of study for being a sniper.

In addition to my post, read this excellent blog about long-range shooting.

Posted in hunting, rifle, training, weapon | Tagged , , | 12 Comments

Sign of the times…how to survive the global warming

Posted on January 29, 2014 by Oleg Volk

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Best furry friends

Posted on January 29, 2014 by Oleg Volk

Posted in beast, pet | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Looking around

Posted on January 29, 2014 by Oleg Volk

From TWS photo shoot.

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

75-round handrest

Posted on January 29, 2014 by Oleg Volk

I’ve always liked these drum magazine for providing a comfortable hand rest of firing standing.

Posted in rifle, self-defense, weapon | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Keltec M43 bullpup in 6.5Grendel

Posted on January 29, 2014 by Oleg Volk

6.5Grendel is a fast, dense round with good ballistic coefficient. In the last half-dozen years it has become a lot more popular. To me, it would make more sense scoped — but people have achieved great accuracy with similar 6.5mm Swedish Mausers which barely had more sight radius than this bullpup.

Posted in interesting people, rifle, weapon | Tagged , | 11 Comments

More photos from my Austin visit with TWS

Posted on January 28, 2014 by Oleg Volk

Some sort of a Marlin .22 bolt action.

AK74 with TWS forend and rail.

Posted in interesting people, rifle | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Clearning up the confusion about Keltec RDB and M43 action type.

Posted on January 27, 2014 by Oleg Volk

From Keltec designer: “The original prototype was a long stroke piston (Like the SU-16), which is probably why the leaked ad said so, and why there is some confusion. But the current production RDB is a short-stroke piston operation, similar to the RFB. The piston only moves about an inch before it stops, and the bolt continues on to cycle the action.”

Posted in rifle | 1 Comment

Why a CZ527 carbine

Posted on January 25, 2014 by Oleg Volk

The original 7.62×39 M43 round was made for the SKS and later AK47 rifles. Since I have a vz58 compact rifle also chambered for it, why would I want a slower bolt action carbine?

For one, it’s a work of gunsmithing art, well-finished and pleasant to handle.

It is fairly light, well balanced and easy to carry in the field. The express sights are excellent for close-range snap-shooting, but it truly shines out at longer ranges up to about 250 meters. In the terrain where we walked yesterday, the longest unobstructed shot was below 50 meters at best.

CZ527 comes with a single set trigger. Pull it, and it’s crisp but heavy enough for field use, push it forward and it’s set to a lighter pull for a more precise shot from a supported position. With quality ammunition, it’s a very accurate gun. I plan on scoping it at the next opportunity, probably with a 3-9x Accupoint.

The difference between the carbine and a full-size hunting rifle becomes very obvious on broken terrain. Likewise, light recoil allows safe firing from perches on which .308 would give the shooter too much of a shove.

I am a big fan of removable box magazines. They make it easier to safe the rifle than blind magazines, and also allow switching ammunition types quickly.

Posted in hunting, rifle | Tagged , , , | 23 Comments

Odd absence of serious ranged weapons

Posted on January 25, 2014 by Oleg Volk

Looking at the videos and photos of the street fighting in Ukraine, it would seem that the riot police formations would be quite vulnerable to arrows, bolts and slugs even if fired from extreme range. And yet I see nothing but gasoline in bottles and rocks but not the more conventional munitions likely to penetrate light armor. With all the noise, even an unsuppressed 22 rifle could have been used to great effect from within a building to hide the report and flash. It’s almost as if the protesters aren’t seriously interested in hurting the cops. The cops also seem more interested in hurting and maiming people than in actually killing them. Odd.

Posted in weapon | Tagged , | 13 Comments