While I Remember How To Post Here...

Here's something I did at the day job not that long ago that turned out really flippin' sweet:



Lightweight AR Build

The original specs were that it weigh under 5 pounds, including optic, and that the total cost of the build not exceed $2,000 (MSRP). It came in at 4 pounds, 13 ounces and a total cost just over $1,800 - and that included some exotic materials like titanium lower parts and a magnesium (!) handguard. Go take a read - it turned out pretty flippin' sweet if I do say so myself...

The one drawback, though, is that now *every* other AR I own feels like an anchor...

That is all.

I Built It Myself!

So, this has been getting some notice over on the work page...

Build Your Own AR-15

I built* my own AR from the ground-up. Lower, upper, everything but the bolt carrier group was assembled from individual AR-15 molecules. Not only did it work, it worked pretty darn well if I may say so myself - this is easily a sub-MOA rifle. That I built*

*There's a debate raging over whether it should be called "building" or "assembling." There are those that feel that since all of the parts were pre-made, it's not really building but just putting together. Since I didn't mill the receiver or cut the barrel from bar-stock, it shouldn't be called "building" is the thinking from this camp.

*Shrug*

Whatever. I took a stripped lower receiver, a stripper upper receiver and a boatload of parts and turned them into a functioning rifle. I'm pretty darn excited about it, and very pleased with how it turned out. It's quite the shooter, and I'm hoping to put a hurting on the local coyote population (and distant prairie dog population) with it in the near future.


Not bad for a first attempt, if I do say so myself...

That is all.

BAG Day Gun, Revealed...

I'm allowed personal gun posts. Here's one...

This is my BAG Day gun:

Beretta M9. Standard issue to our Soldiers. 15 rounds of 9 mm goodness (or, in the case of our fighting men and women, standard ball crap, but that's another rant...). This and the SIG P226 (okay, and the Smith & Wesson 3rd Gen. And the CZ clones. And...) pretty much define the SA/DA genre. Star of "Diehard." And "Lethal Weapon."

So, you ask, why this? Why now? 


Well, that's a story for another time (actually, it's a story I need to get posted for the work site), but I'll just leave it that I won this M9. In competition, no less; not just luck-of-the-draw. As it turns out, I'm apparently handier with a carbine than I give myself credit for, let me just leave it at that.

You want to hear the funniest thing about this M9? It shipped with two magazines. Two TEN ROUND magazines. Thanks Maryland! Looks like I'll have to pick up a couple of the 15 rounders. Heck,  a couple 20 rounders too. Because I can...

So, say hello to the first Beretta in the G. armory...

That is all.

Very Cool Gear...

Man, I don't know why I haven't put this up sooner...

The guys over at Magpul have just been crushing it out of the park lately. From a 60-round AR-15 magazine to a new 10/22 stock, they're expanding their product line far beyond the standard AR-15 furniture and 30-round magazines. There's a modular stock for the Remington 700, as well as box mags for 700s so equipped.

Lost in the flurry of new gear, though, was this:

Magpul Zhukov-S Folding AK-47 Stock

It's a folding, adjustable stock for the AK-47 series of rifles. If your AK came from Romanian, Yugoslavia, or even a pile of parts like mine did, you can swap out the ergonomic-as-a-2X4 commie stock for something *functional*. Even the folding stocks left something to be desired, though, coming in the ungainly and stamped-metal underfolder variant, mostly. And adjustable? I guess with a bench grinder...

Now there's a better option available, in a multitude of colors. The stock has five positions and is set up to accept an optional QD sling mount. Matching pistol grips and handguards are also available, and I'll be putting together a web piece for the work site on how hard it is to swap stuff out (hint: It's not hard at all. Heck, *I* can do it) and with before and after shots. So stay tuned for more gunnie goodness, of a variety.

Is AK-47! Is good rifle!

That is all.

A Good Read...

Someone you might know wrote a good article over at the work place...

Which Gun for the Mrs.?

“I want a gun.”

Ahhh, the moment I’ve been waiting for. Don’t screw this up.

She said it nonchalantly, as we were watching television. Normally, she understands that important conversations are to wait until commercial break, and that she should never, ever interrupt “Longmire.” Or “The Walking Dead.” Or “Justified.” Or “Burn Notice.” Or any game involving a ball, unless it’s soccer, in which case she is welcomed to interrupt as often as possible, for as long as possible. I’m pretty sure that’s in the marriage vows somewhere.

Yeah, it's quintessential Ambulance Driver. Go, take a read. In his inimitable way, he very slyly and subtly lets you know how not to take a new shooter to the range, and especially how NOT to introduce your significant other to the shooting sports. Having been privileged to shoot with AD, I can assure you he is nothing like this in real life: he helped me get squared away on shotguns, and his instruction was both excellent and tuned to his audience.

Besides, the picture alone is worth the price of admission...

That is all.

I Love My Job...

...because, among numerous other reasons, I get to check out some mighty cool stuff.

Like the Mesa Tactical LEO Telescoping Stock Conversion kit. It's a kit that attaches to your Remington 870 (or, in my case, a Mossberg 590) and coverts the standard grip into a recoil-reducing, adjustable-stocked unit with QD sling swivel mounts.

Even cooler, the conversion piece will take standard AR-15 grips and buttstocks. Now, the grip is slightly limited, in that aftermarket grips with extended backstraps won't work, but the buttstock is wide open. It came with a mil-spec stock; I put a Magpul MOE stock on for the moment, although I won't rule out the Mission First Tactical Battlelink.

Did I mention recoil-reducing? Because it is - it's got a built-in hydraulic piston that absorbs some of the recoil to make the 12 gauge kick a little less. That's nice and handy, especially if you're putting on a lightweight stock. Between the overmolded Hogue pistol grip and the recoil-reducing stock, I suspect that shooting the 590 with even 3" Magnums will be a lot more pleasant.

And installation? Fahgedaboudit. It took longer to remove the Butler Creek folding stock than it did to install the Mesa Tactical unit. And it didn't take long to remove the folder. Basically, you attach the central converter to the shotgun, add the pistol grip, then screw the stock extension into the converter. Done. Easy peasy.

Going to run a few shells through it this weekend and see how well it works...

That is all.

One Year...

As of 8:30 this morning, I will have been at the new (dream) job exactly one year. I still cannot believe that I managed to score a gig that pays me to write about guns on the internet. Heck, one day I actually was tasked with posting a picture of a shotgun with a bayonet on Facebook.

As. Part. Of. My. Job.

In the past year I've gotten paid to attend SHOT and the NRA Annual Meeting (which, BTW, is NOWHERE near as glamorous as it sounds, trust me); I've gotten to go to Wyoming to learn how to shoot at ridiculously long distances (that WAS as fun as it sounds), I've been to Smith & Wesson as a legit media-type, and I've met literally hundreds of folks in the business I'd followed for decades.

There are times when it's stressful, when we're under a deadline or waiting to hear back from a manufacturer for a critical spec for a story. But that's life, really. I had deadlines at my last job, and the job before that. I had episodes where I was waiting for input from folks outside my sphere of influence in both previous jobs as well.

But neither of those jobs paid me to post a picture to Facebook of a shotgun with a bayonet attached, either...

A year. Wow. It has flown by, and I have learned so much. One of the biggest things I've learned is that I still have so very much to learn. As I expand my horizons and learn things outside my comfort zone I see how much more there is to learn and how much I truly don't know. It's rather zen, really. I'm still having a blast, loving the new job, and getting used to the idea that I got the hell out of Massachusetts.

Still miss the friends and family I left behind; the politics, though, not so much...

That is all.

Heh...

Guess who got an infrared camera to play with?

^This guy^

Keep an eye on the day job website for some interesting stuff with the FLIR ONE.

That is all.

TEAM JAYG.

Yo Dawg, I Heard You Like Mags...

Something that I missed when I lived in MA was the joy of loading full capacity magazines. Now that I live in America, where full capacity - and even high capacity! - magazines are fine, there's the little matter of loading them. I've got my Maglula for loading my double-stack pistol magazines, but what about those new 30- and 40-round AR-15 magazines?

Fear not. We have the answer.

Caldwell AR-15 Mag Charger

It looks dirt-simple: Load the rounds in the included tray. Take the tray and load all 50 rounds into the charger. Insert AR mag - 10-, 20-, 30-, 40- round mags are fine, as are drums - until it clicks. Depress plunger to load 5 rounds into magazine. Repeat as needed.

It will be brought to the Seventh Annual Northeast Bloggershoot, where I certainly hope that not only it get a good workout, but it will prove itself to work fine. MSRP is listed as $90, but it's available through Cabela's, Midway, Brownells and others with prices as low as mid-$60s. If you do a lot of shooting, this is a trivial investment to save your poor thumbs...

Thought this might be of interest, and we'll be trying it out at the shoot!

That is all.

Things Writers Know...

Sometimes it still takes me aback that I am a real, honest-to-goodness, professional writer. I mean, I have a degree in Biology. I learned the Krebs Cycle, for crying out loud. And while few 10 year olds respond "I want to wash test tubes" when asked what they want to be when they grow up, even fewer say "I want to stare at a computer screen hoping against hope that the words come soon" either...

So, every once in a while, you have to savor the little victories. Like finding a great keyboard. I know that Marko swears by the IBM Model M, the ancient and noble original keyboard descended from the stone keyboard brought down from the Mount by Moses. He recently discovered a newer version that he likes, and while I was tempted (trust me on this one, folks, if you want a solid gold recommendation on a piece of writing equipment, ask a writer), the price tag was a little steep.

Fortunately, my tastes are much simpler. I found this setup at BJs for $29.99. Disgustingly easy to set up (literally, I plugged in the USB dongle and it recognized both keyboard and mouse instantly. Not quickly. Instantly.), and just the right amount of play in the keys. I don't need a lot of noise out of my keys (I cut my teeth on a thermal print typewriter, back in the before-time when the earth first cooled and computers were the size of Winnebagos and about as fast).

A few goals for me:

1. Don't eat anything over the new keyboard. Seriously. It's nasty. Back before we got the all-in-one, we had a laptop. TheBoy questioned why we had a peripheral keyboard plugged into it one time, noting rightly that it seemed superfluous. I literally did not say a word, but reached down, picked the keyboard up, turned it upside down and gave it a few cursory whacks.

The pile of detritus that fell out of it answered my son's question right away.

2. It's not the keyboard's fault that the internet is slow or the computer is gakking during an update. Seriously, Jay. Push the chair back from the desk, go take a brisk walk around the neighborhood, and reboot the system. Hammering on the keyboard doesn't speed anything up, it only hastens the demise of the keyboard.

3. Write more. Whether it's for the blog, on a piece of fiction, or perhaps even the road rage compilation novel folks have been clamoring for. I swear, folks would not believe the stuff I've seen on the roads, both here and in MA. VA drivers are different than those in MA, not necessarily better, but certainly less profane. There's a reason there's a warning on the Earthf**ker...

Right now, though, I'm diggin' the new keyboard...

That is all.

Make With The Stabby...

Check out the *sweet* knife I got to review over at Across The Editor's Desk:

Every once in a while, you see a piece of gear that really catches your eye. It might be a different color, it might be an innovative design or it might just strike you as a well-made piece of kit.

The Vulture Equipment Works Cholera fixed-blade knife is definitely in the latter category. Featuring a serious 3/16-inch thick blade 5.5 inches long and an overall length of 10 inches, the Cholera—named for the disease that lives in the stomach of a vulture, of course—is ready for pretty much any task you might ask. Whether skinning a game animal or whittling a spear, the Cholera is more than up to the task. 

Forget Rambo. This is the real deal in survival knives, folks. This thing is sharp as all get out, really sturdy, comes with a sheath and fire-starter, and is just generally a badass chunky of stabby. It feels good in the hands, it has a great balance; this is just an excellent overall knife.

All this and it's made in the USA, too - this is the real deal, folks.

That is all.

If You'll Direct Your Eyes Right...

You'll see a new featured link near the top of the right side of the blog. It's official now - I have an official work blog. This is where gun and gear content will be: Across the Editor's Desk.

Right now content is a little light. That's because this is brand new - you'll see the very first post went up last Friday afternoon. As the days/weeks/months go by that will change, rapidly - I expect to be putting up several daily posts until they tell me to stop or I run out of guns, gear, and other neat stuff to bring you.

We may even see a return to Friday Gun Pr0n...

I'm going to try to feature primarily the newest gear out there and whatever happens to come around the office for firearms (which is typically new stuff). If something really cool shows up, I'll pop over here and let you know (although you *are* reading ShootingIllustrated.com, right?)

It just goes to show, you can't keep a gunblogger down...

That is all.

Something Really Cool...

One of my fellow editors here at Shooting Illustrated is about as big a sci-fi buff as your humble host, and he's also a might fair amateur gunsmith. He took it upon himself to create a working version of an iconic movie prop, and he details his adventure here:

Building a Live-Ammo-Firing Han Solo Blaster

Go read the whole article. It's well-worth the few minutes to read about this labor of love. And the gun's pretty darn neat, too:

Yeah. Han Solo's blaster brought to life. Pretty darn cool.

Now if I can convince him to make Captain Mal's sidearm...

That is all.

Since Folks Have Inquired...

Folks have noticed the lack of gun content here, and there's a reason for it: I'm getting paid at the day job to write about guns. While no one has specifically said I can't blog about guns/gear/etc., I've felt its in my best interest to remain as far from the shooting world as possible here in my personal blog. I've been turning it more towards cars, as I'm about as serious a motorhead as I am a gun nut.

In the coming weeks, though, there will be a return - of sorts. I've been told that I will be getting my own daily blog at Shooting Illustrated where I will be covering new guns, gear, accessories and all kinds of cool stuff . I'll get a link up as soon as everything is created, and I'll put it at the top of the sidebar to the right for gun-related content.


Now comes the hardest part - I need a name for this new blog. I'm thinking "The Daily Bayonet"...

That is all.

Apologizing in Advance...

There is going to be a distinct lack of bloggy goodness this week. You see, it's SHOT Show time, and this is the first time I'll be going as certified "Press" (as opposed to "Internet" which is what bloggers are considered). It will be quite instructive to see the difference between "Jay G. of MA-rooned" and "Jay G. from the NRA's Shooting Illustrated" but I digress.

Speaking of Shooting Illustrated, we will be running up-to-the-minute SHOT coverage on the blog and Facebook, in case you're looking for the latest out of Vegas. [/end shameless plug]

Today will be spent flying out to Vegas (one advantage of flying on the company dime: Direct flights! Score!) and (hopefully) hitting the range in the afternoon (more on this later). Tomorrow, Wednesday, and Thursday are going to be pretty busy with meetings, booth tours, and interviews with industry folks for the magazine. I'm really looking forward to it, as well as catching up with my southeast peeps (New Media meetup Tuesday night y'all!)

Blogging will be light with a chance of content pretty much all week...

That is all.

Not *Entirely* Out of the Game...

Check out my latest article about a new discreet rifle case at Shooting Illustrated.

I have to admit, this is a great case for a single rifle. There's room to carry everything you need in a case that doesn't look like every other tactical bag out there, and that helps when you're still in the Volksrepublik. I've always been a little leery loading up for a day at the range before - not to mention riding around with rifle cases in the back of the truck...

One thing that I get a kick out of, though, is the folks who point out that it really isn't discreet simply because it has the molle straps. Now, I could understand this criticism if the entire case were covered in molle, but there are a handful of straps on the side. Anyone that understands what those straps are for isn't going to be freaked out by the thought of a rifle...

Anyways, go take a look - I'm still gunblogging, just at the place that pays the bills...

That is all.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes...

Okay, so I'm waiting on final approval from HR (HR *always* has final approval), but talking to my boss it looks like the blog will be able to stay in at least some form. Gun content from this point on will be strictly limited to Shooting Illustrated - hey, they're paying me for it! - and I'd like to ask someone else to take over the Dead Goblin Count if they'd like; those are the major changes. Expect a LOT more traffic blogging/road rage stories, at least from what I've seen so far. The traffic really *is* that bad here.

I also want to more completely explore the transition from Massachusetts resident with all these restrictions on what I can own and such to a resident of a (mostly) free state. Assuming that McAuliffe doesn't complete Colorado the state of Virginia, I should be in pretty good shape even if he does win. There's the wide world of what new guns I can own; the variety of accessories that will no longer make me a felony; open carry; there's a lot more in VA than in MA, that's for certain.

So, the good news is that I won't have to shutter the blog, and I'll get to stay in touch. The "bad" news is that I really won't be able to call myself a gunblogger from here on in - of course, that's because the 9 - 5 gig that I'm getting paid for involves writing about guns. I'll still be able to rant and rave about stupid people - and believe me, I'll be keeping an eye on the idiocy out of my former state, no question about that. I'll also be keeping an eye on my new state so it doesn't slide into the same pit as CO and MD...

So, who wants the Dead Goblin Count?

That is all.

I Survived!

Made it through my first day at the NRA. It's a lot like drinking from the firehose, only even more so. There will be some changes coming in the blog - I'll have a post up tomorrow morning - but it will be remaining. Yes, eventually the name will change - since I am, in fact, no longer MA-rooned...

Met a whole bunch of new folks, met some folks that I know I've seen at the NRA conventions and SHOT Show. Saw the indoor range - holy smokes, that is cool, both the public range and the NRA's private range for the Publications group. There's a good deal of "new guy" stuff that will (hopefully) be gone by the end of the week or so, but overall, as first days go, this one rocked.

More tomorrow; right now I need to find something in the frosty malt beverage category...

That is all.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

So, The Big News...

I've been given the green light to discuss the "dream job" I alluded to in my post last month where I mentioned I was moving. I've been sitting on this news for a while now, waiting for my new employer to give me the okay on telling folks about the new position, and word came down that I was cleared for broadcast. A few folks have guessed it already, given the location and the "dream job" hint.

Yes, folks, it's true. I'm going to work for the TSA. Two by two, hands of blue, all that; living the dream.

Okay, okay, kidding aside, the dream job that I have accepted is as the Associate Editor for the NRA's Shooting Illustrated magazine. I've been writing for Shooting Illustrated for two years now as a freelance author, and now I'll be moving into editing and layout as well. I'll be working on the print magazine, too, so that will be a new challenge for me, but it's a challenge I am really looking forward to undertaking.

After the black powder shoot last weekend, I stopped into the NRA headquarters to see where I'd be working and meet a few folks. Walking around the building and talking to people, the phrase I heard more than a few people use after talking to me was "you'll fit in well here". I think so. I walked into various offices and there are Pmags, miscellaneous rounds, lots of gun (print) magazines, and all sorts of various accessories, books, and posters - kind of like my desk at home where I write this blog.


I'm really looking forward to this new chapter in my life.

That is all.

Laser-Like Focus...

Over at Shooting Illustrated I have a review up about LaserLyte's new training target.

Between the Trainer Target, LTS Training cartridges, and the new Reaction Tyme target, LaserLyte has a full line of laser training tools.They are supremely useful for training whenever the mood strikes, and allow you to get accurate shooting simulation from your carry sidearm. The Reaction Tyme targets help bring laser training to the next level, adding in the need for quick reaction to your training scenario.

Go, take a read - I really enjoyed this review!

That is all.