Going and Coming

Sort of an NRAAM post, pics on the way there and on the way back...

All photographs © 2019 D.W. Drang and The Cluemeter.

On climb out from SEA

It got a bit hazy once we made altitude, but this gives you an idea of the local terrain.
(Click to embiggenate.)
I was on the wrong side of the plane for shots of Mt. Rainier.
Too far south for Mt. Adams, Mt. Baker, or Glacier Peak.

Somewhere over the Mississippi weather started to close in.
Last 45 minutes or so of the flight into IND was rough.

On final into SEA, sunset over the Olympics 1

On final into SEA, sunset over the Olympics 2

On final into SEA, sunset over the Olympics 3

SEA has airplanes hanging from the ceilings, so naturally, IND displays race cars...

Obligatory local color/architecture shots:

The buildings in that part of town are all connected by a series of skywalks.
Most of them are not this fancy.

NRAAM Day 3 part 2

Press room is closed, but the wi-fi still works (ATM).

These were actually taken today.

Fixit Sticks. Handy little field tool kit.

This Fixit Stick kit has torque drivers.

Primary Arms "Cyclops" Prismatic sight.
A good option for those that suffer from astigmatism...

May not be able to tell from this photo, but the reticle really popped pout.

More pretty antiques up for auction.

Medford Knives. I assumed they were from Oregon,
but it's a family name.

That's one beefy knife!

New Aimpoint Acro red dot...

...eagerly awaited, with rumors that it hadn't been released yet...

Beefy, should be durable.

Streamlight has a new shotgun fore-end, they say less expensive than the Surefire.

Looks to be easier on the hand for a high-shell count class, but that shouldn't be a serious consideration for most uses.

NRAAM Day 3, Part 1

Sitting in the media room trying to brain. Coffee hasn't kicked in yet, so maybe just a bunch of pics...

Haydon (sp?) is an ex-pat Brit...
That's a Henry .410 shotgun, BTW.

I'm going to ensure he can never return to Blighty.

Remington R1, case-hardened frame, and gorgeous grip panels.
Photo doesn't do it justice.

This is the B&T Personal Defense Weapon that
DOD just bought for Personal Security Details.
(Edited to add link, correct firm name.)

The opposite of lily-gilding: Gold engraved Glock.

Another look at the Aimcam glasses-mounted camera.
www.aimcam.com

Whoops; NRAAM Day 2

Got over to the media room at the convention center, and realized I left both my laptop and my tablet in the room. Crap. Well, looks like light blogging during the day...

In other news, someone paid for a light plane to circle the convention center towing a banner accusing the NRA of "selling out", due to"Red Flag" laws passing.

Klickabiggen

Once again, the only possible reason a law contrary to our interests could possibly pass is because the NRA sold us out...

Lot of walking around. Saw a lot of stuff. Debating whether I can afford some stuff. Also debating whether I want to go walk some more or sit here and take a load off a while longer...

NRAAM -- Our Story Thus Far

Saw some stuff, met some people, had dinner...

Finally met Tam and Bobbi in person, not to mention DaddyBear's better half Irish Woman, and their son Boo. Last night we went to the Liter House in Broad Ripple, had schnitzle and beer, a good time was had by all, although the arty kept growing and they had to keep adding tables. I'm not sure what the folks at our end of the table thought about OldNFO, DaddyBear, and my war stories. (Well, DaddyBear and OldNFO's, mine are pretty mild.)

POTUS and VPOTUS were in town, spoke to the meeting, but so far as I can tell didn't come close to the actual meeting floor, so security there was not outrageous. Spent it in the media room, wondering if Bruce Springsteen knows they were using his songs to fell in dead spots...

Here are some pics from yesterday:

New Ruger Wrangler .2LR

Keltec KG7 bullpup 12 ga. They're "thinking" about a 20.

Aimcam shooting glasses mounted camera. I'll have more on this.

What's behind that picture frame?

Oh!

Tactical pens in non-tactical colors.

Belly bands with kydex holsters! Rigid, no floppyness around the trigger!

Suppressed M3A1 Grease Gun...

GOAL Alert 2019-2 25 April 2019

GOAL Alert 2019-2 is up at the Gun Owners Action League of Washington site.

TEMPORARY HOLD ON BUMP STOCK INFO RELEASE
IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED
According to information that we have not been able to confirm at this time, a temporary injunction blocking release of the names and addresses of those who turned in bump stocks to the Washington State Patrol has been imposed by a Washington judge.

Click the clicky, read the whole thing, act accordingly. It's currently 1745 in Indy, 1445 in WA, so  things may have changed by now. 

Lafeyette, We Are Here!

Except Lafayette, IN, is a ways northwest of Indianapolis...

Flight was good, not a lot of turbulence, until about 10 minutes before we started final approach and it started to get bad. I've never heard cabin crew announce "The restrooms are locked" over the PA before...

OldNFO landed shortly before I did, and kindly offered to give me a lift in his rental; all the major hotels are clustered around the Indianapolis Convention Center, connected to it by a system of skybridges, so I didn't splurge on a rental of my own.

After checking in we met Kelly (Ambulance Driver) and Gary (EMS Artifact) for dinner at Dicks Last Resort, which seems to be a chain with an unusual schtick, but the fish and chips were good, and the beer was cold.

Back to the room to finish unpacking, some texting with Mrs Drang -- I was going to call, but she started texting, so... -- and then bed.

Now we're siting in the Media Room, drinking free coffee, and waiting for exhibits to open.

GOAL Post 2019-15

Joe sent out the latest GOAL Post last night, and reported that his ISP is acting up again/still, and since the report is still not on the web site, I'll go ahead and post it here. Usual rules, minor editing for formatting for the blog, not textual changes.

FWIW, here is my thought about a Special Session, mentioned by Joe: The Democrats in Olympia, as in Seattle, are unhappy that the state constitution prohibits an income tax being levied by either the state or a municipality. They are trying their hardest to impose at least a "millionaire tax" or pretending that a capital gains tax would not be a fancy name for a tax on income. 

It should be noted that it has been reported that there's a budget surplus right now, and they have no actual plan to use the money they want to try and wring out of the people of Washington State, but they still think our income is rightfully theirs. 

So if there's a special session, I think that the focus will be trying to get more blood from the turnip.

In other news, I received media credentials for the NRA Annual Meeting, so I guess I'd better practice pretending how to be all journalistic and stuff. Better yet, I'll ask questions and report what I see, instead of staying in the bar and making it up...

***

FROM: GOAL-WA <goalwa@cox.net>

TO: undisclosed recipients

SENT: Fri 4/19/2019 5:35 PM

SUBJECT: GOAL Post 2019-15

Legislative Update from Olympia 19 April 2019

• RALLY FOR YOUR RIGHTS
• BILLS PASS, ONE DIES
• CONCURRENCE VOTES
• ONE MORE WEEK
• SPECIAL SESSION LOOMS
• BUMP STOCK WARNING
• LATE DISSEMINATION
• ON THE ROAD

A pro-gun “Rally for your Rights” will be held on the Capitol Campus on Saturday, 27 March at 12 noon.  A little late in the session, but still an opportunity to show your support. It IS on a Saturday. Try to make it and show them the gun lobby is not a paper tiger...

Several bills passed by the end of the second chamber cut-off on Wednesday evening. 

House Bills 1465 (handgun delivery), 1739 (undetectable/untraceable firearms), 1786 (firearms/protective orders) and 1934 (military online/mail CPL renewal) all passed out of the Senate.  HB 1934 was rushed off to Governor Inslee for his signature.  The remainder await a concurrence vote or conference committee action because they were amended in the second chamber.  It’s not over yet!

Senate Bill 5782 (assisted-opening knives) died on the House floor without a vote.  What a surprise!

The Senate has concurred in House amendments to HBs 5027 (Extreme risk protection orders, under 18), 5181 (firearms/mental health) and 5205 (firearms/incompetence for trial).  All three are on their way to the governor.

There is one week left for the House and Senate to review difference between passed versions of the bills and kick them to the governor – or they die for the session.  That doesn’t mean they won’t be back next year… or in a week or two in a special session.  The regular legislative session ends at midnight on Sunday, 28 April.

It appears the Democrats who control the House and the Democrats who control the Senate can’t agree on how much to raise taxes for the biennium.  This means it is likely we will enter one or more 30-day special sessions until they get it sorted out.  Apparently there is no honor among thieves.  As the saying goes, neither you life nor your wallet are safe as long as the legislature is in session.

An individual with what appears to be a fictitious name, “Yati Arguna,” has sent a Public Records Act request to the State Patrol asking for the names and addresses of everyone who turned in a bump stock for cash compensation.  That’s about 1,000 individuals.  Unless a judge blocks the release (reasonable as a public safety measure), state law requires the names be released.  Who is behind this and where or how the information will be used remains to be seen.  Should one assume that anyone who turned in a bump stock has a Modern Sporting Rifle in their home?

I will likely hold off on posting next week’s GOAL Post until Sunday night (when I’ll be flying back from the NRA annual meeting in Indianapolis) or Monday, when we know for sure what passed and what died.  Recognize that in the event of a special session ALL BILLS from the previous regular session come alive again and may be considered, voted on, and passed. 

The week after I’m off for Europe – allegedly.  I’ll be flying on an airline family pass, so it’s “space available” and any movement will depend on empty seats available AND my (very low) seniority number.  I sent my wife to visit family ten days ago, and now I have to go bring her back.  This living alone (not entirely alone, I have a Lab, but she doesn’t talk) isn’t all it’s cracked up to be when you’ve had a wife to spoil you for 50+ years now!

Should a special session be called, it is my intention to continue GOAL Post… all dependent on information being available to me wherever I am.  Historically they don’t use special sessions to drag back gun bills, so unless there’s a major gun incident, we should be safe.  Operative word “should.”

BILL STATUS/GOAL POSITION:

Indy Here I Come!

Made reservations for air and a room for NRA Annual Meeting 2019.

Gettin' Siggy

Hit the range today, just shy of 200 rounds through the Sig P320s.

Benchmade Barrage, Sig P320 Carry, SigP320 Sub-compact.
Benchmade Knives was having a special event at the PX when I bought the P320 Compact.
Copyright 2017 DW Drang

This is a photo-heavy post, so click to read and see the rest after the jump...

Cool! Also, "What the hell?!"

So, in my post "Odds and Ends from #NRAAM 2015:, I reported that, when queried Ruger reps about their SP101 and LCR models in .327 Federal Caliber, they seemed dismissive because "You'd need a three-inch barrel to make it work." Guy I was talking to never really made it clear why that was such a stumbling block, granted it might be less than ideal for a pocket carry revolver, but it's not like a three inch tube is that hard to make.

This showed up in my in-box today: Ruger Releases LCR in .327 Federal Magnum | Gun Digest:

Like the rest of the LCRs, the new .327 has the dimensions to make it a slick deep-cover or backup gun. The double-action-only revolver is only 1.3 inches wide and tips the scales at 17 ounces, making it more than convenient for pocket carry. It has a 1.875-inch barrel and comes outfitted with a Hogue Tamer Monogrip, a feature that should make recoil even more manageable. It also has a pinned, replaceable ramp front sight and integral U-notch rear.

Emphasis added. What's up with that, Ruger?  Was I talking to a sales rep who didn't know squat? Was this some sort of disinformation campaign? And why? Why not just say "stay tuned"?

Oh, look! An SP101 in .327 Federal too! Ruger SP101® Double-Action Revolver Model 5773. "Four inch barrel", and I bet you could find a 'smith to chop it off an inch and a half and turn it into a snub...

So, what's the big deal a bout .327 Federal? Quoth Gun Digest:

The .327 Magnum has plenty of selling points in and of itself. Among these is it’s potent, yet manageable to shoot. The round achieves velocities similar to a .357 Magnum; it actually outperforms the larger cartridge in snubbed-nosed revolvers, such as the LCR. Of course, there’s a rub to the small magnum’s performance: It’s with a smaller projectile.
Presently, the majority of .327 Federal Magnum ammunition is topped with 85- to 130-grain bullets. And while availability is typically not a problem, there isn’t a ton of different rounds to choose from. However, shooters need not fear about fodder for a LCR in this caliber. It’s fully capable of shooting .327 H&R Magnum, .32 S&W Short and .32 S&W Long rounds as well.

 Would probably make a decent bedside gun,  especially if/when Crimson Trace makes a Lightguard for it. (Apparently they don't, but I thought I saw one listed or announced for a Smith & Wesson J-Frame revolver, so if that's true, the SP101 and LCR should be doable, if the demand is there.)

UPDATE: Lasermax sells a trigger guard-mounted light for J Frame revolvers. 

Shooter Self-Care Class @ NRA AM2015 (Update)

Saturday morning at the NRA Annual Meeting in Nashville this year, we attended a Shooter Self-Care Class taught by Kelley Grayson of the blog Ambulance Driver Files - A Day in the Life.

The odds are good that even a police officer who totes a gun every day will never fire a shot off of the range, let alone get shot himself or have a partner do so.  The statistics are even better for lawfully armed citizens. Nevertheless, as the amount of gun handling goes up, so does the chances of someone experiencing a gunshot wound.

The responsible citizen will know how to do more than dial 911 and wait...

I had intended to post not just a review of the class but something of a syllabus, but Shooting Illustrated magazine has published Kelly's article on the topic: Shooter Self-Care: Providing Lifesaving Care, which does a pretty good job.

Now, the classes you usually hear about on the subject tend to be "Tactical Critical Casualty Care" or something of the sort, and are all about the sort of things that a SWAT Team member will need to know to provide casualty care under Dynamic Operational Conditions while Operating Operationally. The course requirements usually include a packet of QwikClot and a thousand rounds of ammunition.

Sounds like fun, but not what I need.  Also, not what Kelly was teaching.

Here's the outline for the class:

• Formulate a range safety plan
• Discuss legally mandated reporting
• Recognize and treat life-threatening injuries:
• CPR/AED
• Major hemorrhage control
• Thoracic wounds
• Recognize and treat secondary wounds:
• Burns
• Eye injuries
• Impaled objects
• Minor bleeding

After the jump, this turning into something of an uberpost, I'm just going to go into detail about a couple of things that were not in Kelly's SI article. 

Souvenirs!

So, NRAAM 2015 ended a week and a half ago, and we've been home a week. I still need to write up Kelly Grayson's "Trauma Care for Shooters" class, and the two seminars we attended, but upon my return I pushed to get all of my minions' performance reviews done on time -- and I think I was the first to actually have them all done -- but now I am struggling with the common side effects of too much time on a pressurized petri dish with a hundred or more total strangers.

So actual, you know, writing will have to wait.

In the meantime, a few pics I hadn't previously posted:

In time, I realized that there's not really much differance between a kid in a candy shop, and a Bearcat in a Knife Shop*:

 So, I mentioned on Facebook that Brownell's had the best tote bags of all the vendors I saw. Theirs had a pocket on each end the right size for a water bottle, with a smaller clear plastic slot above it you could use for business cards or whatnot.

I went and grabbed one, and saw that TOPS Knives had 5 or 6 tables across from Brownell's, a very simple setup with tables full of blades for sale and sales guys ready to take your money...

Souvenirs, Hers, Mine, Ours:

 Hers: TOPS Devil's Claw.

 Mine: TOPS Lite Trekker. The tan and orange scales are an option. The fire stick is standard on this model.

ours: TOPS ATAX .
If you buy it online it comes with an instructional video, which I think might be a good idea.

*There is, however, no truth to the rumor that I only married her for her knife collection.

Odds and Ends from #NRAAM 2015

Some more pics. Spent the rest of last week visiting my folks, and didn't get these up.

 

Colt Lightweight Commander Rail Gun I believe this was in 9mm, but not sure.

 Colt 1903 and 1908 pocket pistols. I understand that there is going to be a limited production run.

 Ruger SP101 in .327 Federal. For a .32 caliber the projectile moves out pretty smart. Ruger rep said that they couldn't make it work with less than a 3" barrel. Didn't answer my question about "So when is the 3" barrel version coming out?"

 Ruger LCR in 9mm, showing the cuts in the cylinder for the moon clips. Also asked about an LCR in .327 Federal, same answer "Would need at least a 3" barrel." Same non-answer to "And...?"

Magnum Research BFR in .45-70....

 ...and in .30-30 and .500 S&W. Took these for a co-worker who was talking about getting a S&W .500, because he thought it would be the most outrageous handgun.

We looked at the Ergo Delta Grip for j-frames. They claim that it forces one to lock one's wrist in the most effective position for shooting a j-frame and similar sized revolver. Hard to say without actually shooting one, but it seems to be so.
Whether it's the best solution for carrying such a handgun concealed, would probably be a personal decision.

Mrs.Drang auditioning for her new career as "Handgun Hand Model." Yes, she's using a teacup grip, she knows better, but she did it to allow a better view of the pistola.
I confess, I've had a hankering for one of these S&W Performance Center Model 629s.  That snub barrel will hardly get the most effective performance out of any .44 Magnum or even .44 Special round, but it would be a far better solution for carrying on most environments. (My opinion.)
All stainless, so the weight would make it easier to shoot than the lightweight versions that use a lot of alloys.
Granted, it's fat enough to make it harder to conceal.

NRA Commemorative Ar 15. Of course.