Jump to content

Gun Talk


VL-16

Recommended Posts

16 hours ago, brickhistory said:

Did not see that one coming.

Hook, line, and sinker for my initial response on seeing the pic.

 

Well played.

Haha.  awesome.  I too did not even want to click on the video because I thought it was just another idiot making an idiot of himself online. But that one was good. Full semi-automatic. lol!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Not bad.  The vast majority of Americans are grossly ignorant of our own history.  The bottom line is that American exists today because the government attempted to enact gun control.  It was 243 years ago today that the British arrived in Lexington enroute Concord to confiscate guns.  The American militia in Lexington were grossly outgunned, but fought to defend their freedoms anyway.  Our forefathers fought and died to fight gun control and now Americans are eager to give up the very freedoms our forefathers died defending because those guns look scary.

Along the line of the linked article; the British were hands down the most powerful military the world had ever seen to that point.  They were beat and besieged in Boston by a 'well regulated militia'.  As we have seen ourselves in Vietnam, Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan, don't underestimate a motivated group with some guns even when faced with the worlds most powerful military.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...
2 hours ago, pbar said:

Anyone seen one of these or flown with one?  Do you have to qualify on it?

https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2018/06/26/usafs-new-gau-5-a-aircrew-self-defense-weapon/

Holy crap, they did it!  Some Strike Eagle guys were trying to push this last year.  I couldn't get ACC or AFCENT to buy into it.  I'm glad someone finally did!  The training, mx, and SERE TTPs were the sticking points then.  (As well as the cost to buy non-inventory major parts).  The seat kit dimensions were a big technical sticking point. The original plan was a GAU-5 with the barrel cut at the gas block and the upper and lower disassembled--not a great thing for someone who just ejected at night, IMO.  The QD barrel really made it possible.  That restores a little faith in the AF sometimes getting it right.

Edited by raimius
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oddly it was AFGSC that was doing the last bit of the push. Once the SERE guys got their tentacles into it, and they could see their own empire grow with "new tactics" it took off. These are needed not just for ejection seats but also other aircraft that don't have the cockpit space for an M4, ***cough H-60***.

For qualification, the course of fire will be identical to the M4, just with iron sights instead of the M68. The last powerpoint I saw had that if you were qualified in the M4 you were good for the GAU-5A since the manual of arms was the same between them. SERE handles all of the assembly training.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

40 minutes ago, raimius said:

Holy crap, they did it!  Some Strike Eagle guys were trying to push this last year. .... That restores a little faith in the AF sometimes getting it right.

Cool weapon and all.... but most of the SERE stories I heard  from Vietnam and Desert Storm didn't start with survivors of a shoot-down being real interested in going 1 or 2 v X with their sidearm.   A lot of the Vietnam guys just tossed it away so it couldn't be used on them when they eventually got surrounded by a couple hundred pissed off locals.  Not real sure a few more rounds and a higher firing rate is going to change that - but I guess it'll be nice to have the option if someone wants to go "Lee-roy Jenkins" as a last resort.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, JeremiahWeed said:

Cool weapon and all.... but most of the SERE stories I heard  from Vietnam and Desert Storm didn't start with survivors of a shoot-down being real interested in going 1 or 2 v X with their sidearm.   A lot of the Vietnam guys just tossed it away so it couldn't be used on them when they eventually got surrounded by a couple hundred pissed off locals.  Not real sure a few more rounds and a higher firing rate is going to change that - but I guess it'll be nice to have the option if someone wants to go "Lee-roy Jenkins" as a last resort.

Vastly different scenarios for most of our guys these days. 

  • Like 1
  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thinking about building an AR-15 pistol - want to do it relatively affordable (goal is < $600 pre-optics, better arm brace than the tube, etc.) The gun is for backyard fun/home defense, not for competition. Looking at places like PSA, Ghost Firearms, etc.  Any recommendations, things to watch out for, etc? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, JeremiahWeed said:

Cool weapon and all.... but most of the SERE stories I heard  from Vietnam and Desert Storm didn't start with survivors of a shoot-down being real interested in going 1 or 2 v X with their sidearm.   A lot of the Vietnam guys just tossed it away so it couldn't be used on them when they eventually got surrounded by a couple hundred pissed off locals.  Not real sure a few more rounds and a higher firing rate is going to change that - but I guess it'll be nice to have the option if someone wants to go "Lee-roy Jenkins" as a last resort.

That's fine in a theater where being a POW is an option.

Being burned alive in a cage or having your head sawed off with a rusty blade on LiveLeak might motivate some folks to face those odds and shoot back.

  • Upvote 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Buddy Spike said:

That's fine in a theater where being a POW is an option.

Being burned alive in a cage or having your head sawed off with a rusty blade on LiveLeak might motivate some folks to face those odds and shoot back.

Valid. I’m not saying not to field it. I’m just skeptical that it will get any more use than the previous options or truly change the outcome of a SERE situation.  But, if there’s even a small chance of increased success or just the option to send a few bad guys on their date with the virgins before capture, who can argue with that?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, brabus said:

Thinking about building an AR-15 pistol - want to do it relatively affordable (goal is < $600 pre-optics, better arm brace than the tube, etc.) The gun is for backyard fun/home defense, not for competition. Looking at places like PSA, Ghost Firearms, etc.  Any recommendations, things to watch out for, etc? 

Not sure about a pistol, but I just completed my first AR build with all PSA parts.  I bought the $299 basic kit, along with a PSA lower for $40.  The kit contained a completed upper, so all I have to do was put together all the springs for the lower/trigger, etc.  Took me about 2 hours and I am very happy with my total $360 investment ($20 transfer fee) for a backup AR to leave at the hunting cabin.  

 

I put about 300 rounds through it without a single failure or issue of any sort.  It's all basic, cheap mil-spec parts, but I was very impressed overall with the value of it.  I did notice that one of the holes for the front takedown pin was a tad too narrow.  It looked like there was a little bit of a burr left on the hole (a few other guys complained on PSAs website about the same thing), but I just scraped it off with a flat head screwdriver without scratching the rest of the receiver and the pin fit right in.  That fix took me about 15-20 seconds.  

 

I went behind the hunting cabin to "zero" it in, but realized I forgot my damn front sight tool, along with anything to support the rifle on.  So I would up laying prone on the ground, supporting it with only my sweaty elbows scratching on the gravel.  I took 5 shots at each of these targets at 25 yards (I did remember my laser range finder) and was shocked by the groupings.  Maybe it was luck, but on the target on the bottom I literally put 3 bullets through the same hole, and I don't consider myself a good marksman by any stretch.  

 

So overall I am a big fan of the quality and repeatability of PSA so far.  I have also bought their ammo cans and their red-dot/PMAG combo a few times, which is a steal of a deal.  

 

 

ARlower.jpg

target.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, brabus said:

Thinking about building an AR-15 pistol - want to do it relatively affordable (goal is < $600 pre-optics, better arm brace than the tube, etc.) The gun is for backyard fun/home defense, not for competition. Looking at places like PSA, Ghost Firearms, etc.  Any recommendations, things to watch out for, etc? 

I got all my parts for mine from PSA and built it. I believe the deal was a 8 inch complete upper, pistol brace (I forget the brand) but it was basically a really narrow stock with a screw to fix in place, and a vortex sparc for $400. I had a blank lower sitting around, and $60 bucks for the parts kit. It’s a fun gun, several hundred rounds with no problems. Hit 12 inch targets at 100 yards, no sign of any tumbling of the round. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 hours ago, JeremiahWeed said:

Cool weapon and all.... but most of the SERE stories I heard  from Vietnam and Desert Storm didn't start with survivors of a shoot-down being real interested in going 1 or 2 v X with their sidearm.   A lot of the Vietnam guys just tossed it away so it couldn't be used on them when they eventually got surrounded by a couple hundred pissed off locals.  Not real sure a few more rounds and a higher firing rate is going to change that - but I guess it'll be nice to have the option if someone wants to go "Lee-roy Jenkins" as a last resort.

The idea isn't to be Rambo.  A carbine buys you more time and distance, which opens up opportunities for other people to help you out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/27/2018 at 3:35 PM, JeremiahWeed said:

...I’m just skeptical that it will get any more use than the previous options ...

Hopefully it will get zero use ever.  But if I found my self in the chute over any of our current AOs, I'd be very happy to have the little extra firepower.  In any modern conflict, good guys will be enroute fast, but so will every bad guy who sees or hears about it.  I'd gladly trade most of that BS long term survival stuff in for bullets.  Unless Korea kicks off, an isolated pilot is probably either dead, captured (and will be dead in a very painful manner), or already rescued before he could even think about being thirsty let alone hungry or sleepy.  This is long overdue and should have been SERE's absolute #1 priority 15 years ago.

  • Upvote 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Texas mom shoots man trying to take car with her kids inside at gas station: "I hope that woke him up"

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/07/05/texas-mom-shoots-man-trying-to-take-car-with-her-kids-inside-at-gas-station-hope-that-woke-him-up.amp.html

This is why I love Texas! A few years ago some guys broke into a home. A wife hid in the attic with her kids and her gun. She called her husband and he basically told her to unleash hell if they come into the attic. The attic door opened and all you heard was her emptying her clip and her husband cheering her on. Merica! In California you would be locked up for defending your family.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It'd be more comparable to the XD-S since it's a single stack. I shot the XD-S in 9mm and liked it. The .45 had a bit too much bite for my tastes. Then again, I have big hands and needed the extended magazine for my pinkie to fit on the grip.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a XD-S in .45 and while it's no fun putting several magazines' worth of rounds down the pipe at the range, its recoil is a lot more manageable than I thought it would be!

The XD-E (per Springfield) has a "Low Effort Slide (L.E.S.)" that requires 27% less effort to manipulate compared to striker-fired handguns in the same class.  Other than that, and the hammer, it's essentially a XD-S as Breckey stated; but I think it is a tad larger than the XD-S.

I don't really see the market for the hammer design, but it will probably appeal more to smaller statue individuals or those who may have physical limitations where the LES would be helpful. 

I am getting older and a bit arthritic, but am not at the point where racking the slide is a tough task.  Perhaps one day down the road, but not today!

But what really concerns me is the lack of safeties that the other XD models have.  I see it has a slide lock/decocker (which I don't like), but no grip or trigger safeties.   That not only adds an extra step to make the weapon fire, but also adds a degree of risk when it is disengaged.  I subscribe to the rule that your first and foremost safety lies between your ears (and trigger finger), but even the 1911 has a second grip safety in addition to the slide lock.  That said, some prefer the lack of a trigger safety, stating it adds ambiguity to the pull.

Another concern is the SA/DA trigger, which equates to either having to cock the hammer before firing or a long, heavy trigger pull during the first round.  

It's all a matter of preference, I certainly am fond of the Springfield XD/XDM line but the XD-E just hasn't tickled my fancy.  Maybe if I got a little range time with one that might change, but at this time I have no plans to lay out my hard-earned cash for one as I just don't see the benefits over my other XDs (I have several).

But don't take my word, here's a good review of the XD-E...

https://www.usacarry.com/xde-springfield-armory-review/
 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...