May 10, 2018 -- A Quick Run Around The Web

"Varmint Bullets For Defense? .300AAC 110gr V-Max gel test"--AR15.com. The 110 grain V-Max bullets are intended as varmint bullets for the .308. But Andrew (of the Chopinblock fame) decided to try using it in loads from the .300 Blk, with an 8 inch barrel, and found that the penetration, expansion and weight retention were almost perfect in bare ballistic gel. That is, penetration was 13 inches, retained weight was just over 90 grains, expansion was between .486 and .674 inch, and the neck prior to expansion/upset was 1 inch.

• Time for planting your vegetable gardens if you live in the Treasure Valley! Planting dates vary by region and city, but today--May 10--is generally the last day frost would be expected in the Treasure Valley; and it looks like the snow has melted off Shafer Butte, which is the rule of thumb in this area for planting vegetables. Here are a couple calenders that give you planting dates for the Treasure Valley for different vegetables: The Idaho Statesman and The Old Farmer's Almanac. 
• While we are on the topic of gardening: "Companion Planting Chart For 10 Popular Vegetables"--Modern Survival Blog. Perhaps more important than what grows well together, the chart also notes what plants don't get along.

• Related: "Garden Vegetable Calories List"--Modern Survival Blog. Pinto and Navy Beans top the list, with Yams a close second. 

• The Woodpile Report from this week had linked to this article--"5 Things That Disappeared During the Collapse of Venezuela" (from Organic Prepper)--which has some interesting points, especially when considered together with what Selco talks about in the Balkans and FerFal has discussed in relation to Argentina. Of course the list includes food (which is available, but at extraordinary prices), dependable utilities, and money (cash is king). Self-defense is also an issue, but the nature of that issue can vary. In Venezuela, crime went up as would be expected, but the socialist government also had clamped down on private ownership of firearms and ammunition, which left few options for effective self-defense. However, the one that really jumped out at me was transportation. The author of the article noted several points as to transportation: (i) the difficulty in obtaining fuel and lubricants, (ii) the inability to afford or obtain parts to repair vehicles and, therefore, (iii) the necessity to have transportation that was easy to repair and required little or no fuel. In this particular case, the author recommended a bicycle or a small motor scooter; he had to park his nice motorcycle and SUV because of the fuel and maintenance issues.

• Related posts: "Post SHTF Bicycles--Some Thoughts"

• The Southern Utah Practical Shooters have announced "Rifle Dynamics Red Oktober Kalashnikov" match set for October 6-7 of this year (enrollment is already open). The reasoning for an AK match is: "Unfortunately, the American AK is left behind when it comes to fun competitive shooting matches, in modern 3-Gun and Carbine matches it is simply outpaced by high-speed and highly modified AR-style rifles." In any event, the match will have multiple divisions, including for .30 caliber or larger AKs, the 5.45 mm or similar, tricked out AKs, and a "Com Bloc" diversion "which is for any rifle issued by a Warsaw Pact nation that ISN’T an AK (such as an SKS, Vz.58, StG-44 or any commie subgun like a PPSh-41). AK-based Pistol Caliber Carbines compete here too."
• "PRIORITIZING REALISTIC 'ENGAGEMENT' TRAINING"--American Partisan. The author warns that too many of us don't spend enough time training for identifying the target. He writes: 

Muscle memory is a bitch, and if you primary training concern is accuracy and speed, and you only give a cursory overview to the importance of IDing the target, you will shoot an innocent before you’ve even thought to actually ID them, just because a certain “threat trigger” (like ” He’s got a GUN”) was initiated.

Also:

Things to look for: 1) Train yourself to always look at the hands. Their face can’t hurt you (well, most can’t LOL), but the hands are what holds the weapons that will kill you. 2) If you can’t see the hands, or a hand, look at their facial expression. It’s not hard to tell if someone is scared shitless (not that that means they aren’t a threat) by their facial expression, but usually, it is an indicator that if you appear less threatening (not pointing your weapon at them), it might deescalate the situation (regardless, on a patrol, you should take cover). 3) If they are holding a long gun, what position is it in? “Low ready”, “High Port Arms”, pointed at you? If it’s Low Ready, or High Port Arms, and stays that way, they haven’t become a threat yet (that’s how you should be carrying your weapon, right?), but if it’s pointed at you, it could be a threat, or it might not, and as said earlier, take cover.

• A bit off the beaten track: "A comparison of sword oils for use with antique blades"--Tameshigiri.ca. (H/t Maajak World). And the winners for rust protection were Rem Oil, Breakfree CLP and Breakfree Collector. 
• "Israel strikes ‘nearly all’ Iranian infrastructure in Syria after Iran rocket attack, minister says"--Fox News. Israel finds that it has more leeway on dealing with Iranian attacks. The article reports: "The Israeli Defense Force said it deployed fighter jets and used missiles to strike a range of targets, including military compounds, intelligence operations and munitions warehouses, a statement read."
• Refugees welcome: "Britain's knife crime epidemic spreads to the Home Counties: Stabbings are now more likely in Bedfordshire than in Merseyside as city drugs gangs extend their grip across the UK"--Daily Mail. Drug gangs are spreading to the suburbs and using violence to replace the gangs already in the area.
• The wages of sin socialism: "One million fled economic crisis-hit Venezuela for Colombia in past year"--The Guardian. And over 1 million have fled into Brazil. 
• The Fudd Is Strong With This One: "The Fudd Manifesto: Ten ‘Responsible’ Gun Control Measures We Can All Get Behind"--The Truth About Guns. Dan Zimmerman translates into plain English a statement from a group that includes 8 members of the Circle of Chiefs, "the highest conservation honor of the Outdoor Writers Association of America," that have no problem with throwing gun owners under the bus. The original article, including the names of those that signed onto it, can be found here.
• "Army's new weapon: 'Enemy can’t see we’re targeting him until we pull the trigger'"--USA Today. As is all too typical of journalists today, the one that wrote the headline for this apparently can't use a dictionary. The item/technology in question is not a new weapon, but new binocular thermal imaging goggles for troops to use, that would also interface with a computer network and electro-optical sights on a rifle to overlay information and act as a heads up display. In theory, this would allow the soldier to shoot around corners without exposing himself, because he would be viewing input from the weapon mounted sight. The military spokesman interviewed in the article indicated that it would be very useful in urban combat. The military seems to be announcing these gee-whiz systems every few years, but so far none have come to fruition.
• Interesting: research has found that Melatonin (a sleep supplement) burns calories and reduces fat storage around the midriff when tested on rodents. Maybe it will work the same for humans.
• "3 Old Testament Prophecies Predicting the Crucifixion of the Messiah"--PJ Media. There is more than this, but it is a good starting point. There is also a "rebuttal" from a rabbi entitled "Three Biblical Passages Misinterpreted as Referencing Jesus," but I find his argument disingenuous; particularly as he has to fall back on the two messiahs theory, then explain why the death of the first messiah hasn't yet occurred.
• And winner of the "It's All About Me" award: "Women Are The Hidden Victims Of Gun Violence"--Huffington Post. Just a sample of the authors' writing: "We know that women are affected by gun violence in all its forms. By reframing the conversation around women, in full recognition of our multiple and intersecting identities, the full scope of the problem of gun violence can be seen and intersectional advocacy can be pursued." I can see that they have promising careers awaiting them in the fast food industry. For some reason, this article reminds me of this video:

"It's Not About The Nail" (2 min.)