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Monday, September 25, 2017

September 24, 2017 -- A Quick Run Around the Web

They've been lying to you: "Climate Change Just Changed"--Suspicious Observers.
The video discusses a new paper--"Emission budgets and pathways consistent with limiting warming to 1.5 °C"--published in Nature Geoscience. In the article, some of the heavy-weights in climate science, whose careers are riding on the scare over man-made global warming, are effectively conceding that the over-estimated the radiative warming effect of CO2 by 50%. The video also notes another article, "Solar forcing for CMIP6," which shows a correlation between solar activity and the warming period claimed to have been produced by human activity.  

Notes from the Range:

         I decided to compare some different ammunition in a couple of different 5.56 mm weapons to get an idea of accuracy and feeding issues. The ammunition was (1) HPR 75 grain Match BTHP, (2) Wolf Polyformance 62 grain HP, (3) PMC X-Tac 62 grain LAP (basically, the green-tip ammo), and (4) my own handloads based on a 50 grain soft-point from Sierra. The weapons were an AR using an Aero Precision complete upper with an 18 inch free-floated barrel, and a 183- series Ruger Mini-14. The Aero Precision had a 3x optic mounted on it, while the Mini-14 had standard iron sights for that model. I shot 10-round groups to get a better idea where the bullets were clustering and make it easier to differentiate flyers from the actual group.

        As an initial note, and as would be expected, all four types of ammunition fed flawlessly through the Mini-14. Likewise, all the brass-cased ammunition fed through the AR without issue. However, I had significant problems with the Wolf ammo: essentially, I was limited to single shots (but I did find out that the forward assist really works for its intended purpose). I decided against shooting more than the 10 rounds allocated, so I didn't really get to test what was the problem. However, based on the misfeeds (a mixture of not picking up a round at all, and the bolt getting stuck midway on the next cartridge), I believe that the bolt-carrier group was short stroking--not being forced all of the way to the rear--so that it was not cleanly picking up the next round.

       Of course, what I was really interested in was any variation in accuracy. First, the results from the AR. To be honest, the Wolf and PMC were about the same, although the PMC struck higher on the target (again suggesting that the Wolf was somewhat under-powered).  But considering that the barrel is supposed to be 1:7, I was shocked to see that my worst group was from the HPR (not much worse than the PMC and Wolf, but enough to be readily seen), while the best (by a significant margin) was from my 50 grain hand loads. It makes me wonder if Aero shipped me an upper with a 1:9 twist.

       Conversely, with the Mini-14, the best group was from the HPR. My hand loads came in a close second. The PMC group opened up quite a bit, and the Wolf looked like just a bunch of random dots scattered over the whole of the target. Given the age of the particular rifle and these results, it may be the version with the 1:7 twist rate.

Firearms/Self-Defense/Prepping:
  • A few more articles on the cancellation of the Interim Combat Service Rifle (ICSR) program:
Critics of the ICSR program felt that the Army was jumping the gun and that the threat did not necessitate an entirely new rifle. Plus, using a new rifle in the larger 7.62-millimeter caliber would be heavier, require heavier ammunition, and hold less ammunition than a M4 carbine—three less-than-desirable attributes for infantrymen. The Army had also already said the technology behind its new XM1158 ADVAP armor-piercing round could be adapted to 5.56-millimeter caliber, which made a new rifle in a new caliber pointless.
  • "The 7.62mm Intermediate Combat Service Rifle Program Is Dead"--Soldier Systems. This article explains that General Mark Milley started the program after having a "squirrel !" moment: he saw a presentation on the Lightweight Small Arms Technology and its associated Telescoping Case technology, which used telescoping polymer cases with a 7.62 projectile, and just had a knee-jerk reaction that the 7.62 mm part was the solution to penetrating body armor.
        Robert Engle, 22, identified by friends on social media, had ran up to confront Samson and despite being repeatedly pistol-whipped in the head, was able to force Samson to shoot himself in the leg. 
           'There was a significant struggle between the two,' he said. 'During the struggle, the gunman shot himself, probably not intentionally.' 
              Engle then went to his car, grabbed his pistol, and returned to hold the shooter at gunpoint. 
                'This particular church member has a handgun carry permit,' Aaron added. 'The usher went to his vehicle, got his gun, came back inside and made sure the gunman didn't make anymore movements until the police department arrived.'
        Of course, the initial problem you probably identified is that the usher, Engle, did not have his weapon with him. 
                ... We are a nation under Judgement. Don’t focus on the big picture. You can’t fix it. But you can fix your own situation locally. You can meet the good folks next door. You can meet the good folks raising their own food and selling it at the farmer’s market. You can meet the good folks owning the micro brewery and hosting the beer festivals. You can meet the guys testing the handloads at the range and swapping numbers. You can lane coach the couple struggling to zero that new AR while you’re at that range. You can talk to like-minded people on the radiowaves, like I do with my friends. You can go to church, even if it’s not ‘your’ denomination, just to meet people who live and do in your community. It doesn’t do anyone any good to simply read what they want to hear, channeling some useless venom that doesn’t do anything other than cause more of a problem- thus I stay above it, as do the wise. More often than not the stuff is written by people who can’t do, hence why they complain.
                   Get out there and do it, whatever it is. Stop making it a hobby and start making it a lifestyle. Take care of home and hearth along with your close ones, and don’t forget those close by. Even if you think they’re a lost cause, people will surprise you, with a lot more folks into this preper thing than you realize- with a lot of folks not calling it that. ...

          Other Stuff:
                  The defense secretary also said he believed that the United States had found military options to handle the nuclear crisis on the Korean Peninsula that would not put the South Korean capital, Seoul, at grave risk, though he refused to elaborate on what those might be.
                     Most military experts believe that because Seoul is only 35 miles from the demilitarized zone along the border between North and South Korea, the city and its more than 10 million inhabitants would be put in Pyongyang’s immediate cross hairs for retaliation if the United States made a pre-emptive strike on the North. As a first strike would be unlikely to eliminate all of North Korea’s conventional and nuclear weapons — not to mention its chemical or biological ones — American policy makers have traditionally held the view that a pre-emptive strike would likely put an untenable number of civilians at risk.
                         American officials also do not have high confidence that the military could find and destroy North Korea’s entire arsenal of long-range missiles and nuclear warheads. It would then be up to American missile defenses to knock out any that survived and that North Korea might use to attack the United States or its allies.
                           Even a limited strike — on, say, a North Korean missile on its launching pad or a missile in midair — would pose risks that the North’s leader, Kim Jong-un, might retaliate, setting off a spiral of escalation that could plunge the Korean Peninsula into war.
                             Mr. Mattis would not say how the United States might bypass that risk while exercising military options. “I won’t go into detail,” he told reporters at the Pentagon during an unannounced news conference on Monday. He also declined to say specifically whether those options would be “kinetic” — military-speak for lethal force like bombings, airstrikes or ground combat.
                               Military experts said options that might not prompt immediate retaliation against Seoul could include cyberwarfare or even an assassination attempt on Mr. Kim — though such an attempt would have to be successful. Other potential options are a naval blockade of North Korea, or a deployment of additional troops to the region.
                                 But signs that the United States is actually preparing a military option in North Korea — like a repositioning of military assets or an evacuation of American citizens in the region — have not appeared so far.
                          Something rather unprecedented just happened in Syria: US backed “good terrorist” forces attempted a surprise attack against Syrian government forces stationed to the north and northeast of the city of Hama. What makes this attack unique is that it took place inside a so-called “de-escalation zone” and that it appears that one of the key goals of the attack was to encircle in a pincer-movement and subsequently capture a platoon of Russian military police officers deployed to monitor and enforce the special status of this zone. The Russian military police forces, composed mainly of soldiers from the Caucasus region, fought against a much larger enemy force and had to call for assistance. For the first time, at least officially, Russian special operations forces were deployed to rescue and extract their comrades. At the same time, the Russians sent in a number of close air support aircraft who reportedly killed several hundred “good” terrorists and beat back the attack (Russian sources speak of the destruction of 850 fighters, 11 tanks, three infantry fighting vehicles, 46 armed pickup trucks, five mortars, 20 freighter trucks and 38 ammo supply points; you can see photos of the destroyed personnel and equipment here). What also makes this event unique is the official reaction of the Russians to this event.
                          It goes to relate that the Russians believe that the United States was behind the attack, and that Russia has stated that it will not tolerate any further attacks, and will respond with force. 
                                 EU sources say a fresh plan for the bloc's future being put forward tomorrow by French President Emmanuel Macron could lead to the UK being offered a flexible new membership deal.
                                   His blueprint is expected to win the backing of Angela Merkel, who is on course to return as German Chancellor following today's general election.
                                      Tory Eurosceptics are concerned an EU attempts to scupper a full exit from the bloc are accelerating following Theresa May's decision to delay a full break with Brussels for at least another two years.
                                        A senior Conservative MP said last night: "A serious effort to stop Brexit is now underway. I am very worried that we will now never leave the EU."
                                  Britain fought two world wars to prevent the formation of a German led European hegemony, and it was all for naught. 
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