Gun & Prepping News #102

Some links that may be of interest: 

• Some history: "HAIL AND FAREWELL: The End Of The Much-Maligned M14 Rifle And The Introduction Of The M16"--Recoil Magazine.  This article is a re-print which originally appeared in the 1965 Gun Digest annual. An excerpt:

    The M14, which was originally projected as a “light rifle,” eventually trimmed less than a pound from the unwieldly Garand. There is little apparent difference between the M14 that resulted from 20 years of development and $130 million in expenditures, and the original Garand prototypes of 1920. Early publicity heralded the M14 as a full-automatic rifle that would replace such special-purpose weapons as the submachine gun and light machine gun. A major failing is its lack of controllability in full-automatic fire. Trained riflemen have told me the gun climbs so badly they can’t keep three shots in a silhouette at 25 yards. 

    Current issue M14s are semi-automatic. Officers control a supply of automatic selectors, which, it is said, could be placed in the guns when needed. Apologists for this policy say that full-automatic rifles in the hands of infantrymen pose an impossible logistical problem. Statistics say that it requires 50,000 rounds of ammunition to produce one “good Commie” in Korea. Compare this with an average of 29 round balls per British Redcoat killed in the Revolutionary War, using muzzle-loading rifles and muskets. Apparently, the soldier values his shots more if they come one at a time. 

• "The Fighting Rifle: Kyle Lamb's Guide to Building a Practical 5.56 Carbine"--Guns & Ammo. Lamb writes: "I intend to lay out 'Thee Rifle' that I use daily, carried for years, and would stake my life and that of my family on. Don’t be alarmed if it isn’t what you already have, as you can eventually get to the same end game with your current set up." The rifle (actually, carbine) he describes is 5.56 sporting a 16-inch barrel, collapsible stock, a red dot with 1 MOA dot, and a WML, a sling, and reliable Magpul magazines. Interestingly, his build does not include a magnifier or back up sights. Would his recommendation for a 16-inch barrel change with the ATF's guidance on SBRs? Probably not. He explains his choice of 16-inch:

The carbine I choose has a 16-inch barrel, because it’s legal and provides enough room for 5.56mm NATO bullets to get the speed they need to perform not just at 7 yards but at 200 plus yards as well. In most states the 16-inch barrel won’t require any special paperwork either. If you do choose a shorter barrel beware of the distance boundaries you are placing on your so-called Fighting Rifle. Terminal Ballistics are influenced heavily by bullet speed. End of story.

• "SB Tactical SBA6: Refining the Pistol Brace"--Shooting Wire.  The author writes:

    SB Tactical has been at the center of the brace market from the beginning, and its SBA3 has become one of the go-to designs in the industry. You’ll find it sold as an aftermarket accessory and installed on plenty of factory-built large-format pistols. There’s good reason for that. The SBA3 has clean lines, works well, and isn’t particularly bulky.

    It’s a solid design, but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t room for improvement. SB Tactical took feedback from the SBA3 and its other braces and incorporated it into the SBA6. While the new brace retains some of the familiar lines and basic format of the SBA3, it brings a number of updates and refinements to the design.

Given the recent ATF guidance on SBRs, this article may seem a moot issue. But there are still some reasons to consider a pistol brace, including, but not limited to the paper work issue involved with transporting an SBR or SBS across state lines. 

• "Quick Overview of Barrel Service Life"--The Firearm Blog.  An excerpt:

Advertised barrel life is a minimum acceptable estimated service life used under normal conditions. What does that mean? Used under normal shooting schedules per the TM and design parameters. If a gun runs faster and hotter than intended, a barrel can wear out quickly; you can even burn a barrel out in one day, but that is definitely outside its design parameters. Barrel service life is generally the minimum expected period before a barrel begins to show measurable degradation in areas such as accuracy, dispersion, erosion, or headspace. Barrel life doesn’t mean that when it hits that number it falls apart or has a catastrophic failure; instead, this is the minimum number at which the barrel should see any performance degradation, and the barrel can go way past this estimated number. Some weapons, like Kalashnikovs found in different hot spots around the world, are pushed far past their estimated service life and develop severe rifling wear. In certain parts of the world, it may only matter if it shoots, not if you actually hit the target, and others prefer to hit the target and desire a certain level of accuracy. 

• "Behind the Bullet: The .22 Long"--American Hunter. This is the predecessor to the .22 Long Rifle, and I still see it on sale occasionally. I try to keep a few boxes on hand because I have found that when shooting at steel or aluminum cans, the lower velocity seems to make the can jump. Also, it can be very quiet out of some rifles.
• Speaking of ammo: "Why You Shoot That Ammo: The Power of Hunting Tradition"--Rifle Shooter Magazine.  The authors claims:

It has long seemed to me that popular choices in rifles and cartridges are somewhat regional and usually based sensibly on traditional knowledge of local conditions. This is only a theory because I can’t claim in-depth knowledge of more than just a few regions. I can, however, cite some examples I’m reasonably certain of.

He goes on to discuss common or popular cartridges for deer hunting in southwest Kansas,  Texas, the California coastal region, and the Rocky Mountain West. 

• "Are Snub-Nose Revolvers Still Relevant?"--American Rifleman. A look at why manufacturers not only continue to produce snub-nose revolvers, but actually continue to come out with new models. The primary reasons the author goes over are simplicity of operation, reliability, interchangeable grips, and caliber options (everything from .22 through the .32 calibers to 9mm, .38 Special, and .357 Magnum ... or larger if you are particularly masochistic). 
• Something you might find useful: "Downloadable - Printable Targets"--Concealed Carry. 
• "4 Perfect Dry-Fire Practice Drills for Rifle Hunters"--Field & Stream. Not just for trigger control, but also practicing unslinging and mounting the rifle, operating the rifle (particularly the bolt-action which I still constantly see people drop from their shoulder when they operated the bolt), and shooting from supports.
• And some dry fire drills for handguns from Black Flag Arms.  
• "How M855A1 Changed AR-15 Magazine Design"--The Truth About Guns.  The author explains:

    Traditional aluminum USGI magazines and some older polymer magazine designs present the top cartridge at a relatively shallow angle.

    With conventional FMJ ammunition, that generally isn’t an issue. The cartridge moves forward under bolt pressure, contacts the feed path, and is directed into the chamber.

    M855A1 changes that equation.

    Its exposed steel penetrator is considerably harder than the aluminum receiver. If the cartridge is presented too low, the penetrator can strike the aluminum feed ramps below the barrel extension as the bolt drives the round forward. And M855A1 runs at higher chamber pressures than M855, around 61,000 PSI versus roughly 51,500 PSI, which contributes to chamber wear.

    Repeated impacts can gouge and wear the aluminum. Once enough material is displaced, the damaged area can cause additional feeding malfunctions with other ammo.

    The obvious solution is to keep the bullet from hitting that area in the first place.

I don't have any M855A1, but if do, you will want to get the Gen 3 Magpul magazines.  

• "How Much Ventilation Does a Buddy Heater Need Indoors?"--Modern Survival Blog. If you haven't heard of then before, Buddy Heaters are popular small propane heaters that can run off the 1 lbs. propane tanks or hooked up to something larger, that work well for small spaces: a tent, cabin, small garage, or a bedroom. The author goes over the recommendations in the manuals which describe both high and low openings, giving an area in square inches. He notes two important points on this: the choice is not only the upper or lower but upper and lower--i.e. you need both; and "[v]entilation requirements are given in square inches, not “open the window one inch.” The actual opening depends on the width of the window."
• Another from Modern Survival Blog: "Best Bread Machine? Why I Still Recommend Zojirushi After Years of Use." The author explains:

     My machine is the older BB-PAC20 Virtuoso, which has since been discontinued. The current BB-PDC20 Virtuoso Plus is its successor and keeps the main features that made me choose mine in the first place.

    Ours gets used for more than finished loaves. Sometimes we let the machine do everything. Other times Mrs. J uses it to knead and rise the dough, then finishes the bread in the oven. We also use it for pizza dough.

    That flexibility is one reason it has stayed useful rather than becoming another kitchen appliance sitting in a cabinet.

If this interests you, read the rest of the article because the author goes into much more detail on the specific features.  

• Speaking of baking bread: "Baking Bread The Way Early Americans Did"--Urban Survival Site. The article begins: 

 Have you ever thought about how people baked bread before the convenience of modern electric ovens? You might think they used a brick oven or maybe even a bake kettle. But actually, most American farmers of the 17th century didn't even have those luxuries. Instead, they used a large cast iron pot.

• "Inside the bizarre Las Vegas underground doomsday mansion that just sold for $4.5M"--New York Post. Reminds me of the bomb shelter in the movie, Blast From The Past. 
• "Russia Walks Back Plague Claims After Siberian Lab Employee’s Death"--Legal Insurrection. We'll probably never know the truth about what happened.