Carnival of Cordite #37

Welcome, readers, to our special 37th episode of the Carnival of Cordite!  What's so special about 37?  Well, it's probably just me... but I've really liked that number ever since Charlie Kerfeld, Houston Astros #37, asked for (and got!) $110,037.37, plus 37 boxes of Jell-O, in his contract.  That's the end of the baseball references for today, I promise.

Last week, we featured a cover photo of a scary "kalashni-kitty."  Fearing for their lives, small, furry rodents are now training a new generation of elite anti-cat troops:

And now... on with the rest of the Carnival of Cordite!

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I received this in the e-mail bag with the header "perhaps the most important thing you can post next week."  So I will:

Tim Kaine's A Lying Gun Banning Bigot

As the race comes to the finish lines, that sleazy, corrupt, incompetent former mayor of Richmond, Virginia - a city known most for failed schools and corrupt and brutal police - turns out to be nothing more than the gun banning bigot we always suspected he was.

In the last week of an election, you ALWAYS focus on bringing out your base and showing your true colors.  Well, the corrupt gun banning bigot from Richmond has decided that keeping the lie of reasonableness going isn't working and that the Brady Bunch is his answer to Virginia's problems.

Wilder, the nation's first black elected governor, said he is supporting Kaine because of Republican candidate Jerry W. Kilgore's position on Virginia's law limiting handgun purchases to one a month.

"I did everything I could as governor to be certain that we did have a change from Virginia being the number one gunrunning state in the nation," said Wilder, who signed the measure into law while he was governor.

Jerry Kilgore may not be perfect, but he is far and away better than this P.O.S. failure of a mayor.  The lying Gun Banning Bigot's charade is over, and that at least makes my choice on election day that much easier.

Please help us defeat the bigot and vote for Jerry Kilgore next Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the anti-gun crowd is gunning for Kilgore with paranoid hit-pieces like this.  Of course, this "press release" doesn't mention that, as private property owners, the owners of bars and restaurants can always request their customers leave their guns at home.

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Attention Washington State readers: Mr. Completely has brought to our attention a tragic tale of an immigrant military member, wounded in battle, who needs help to become a citizen.  Please help spread the word immediately.

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Here's something I stumbled across randomly the other day: Women and Guns!  I was searching for information on guns in movies, and found this article on stunt-women and guns.  It's always nice when two of my favorite topics can be combined into one informative article.

Meanwhile, my favorite "Down Under" blog, Gun Watch, has a far more aggravating article about Hollywood and guns.  I'd like to point out the reference to the late Robert Stack: that man was a great one!  He wasn't just a movie and TV tough guy.  He was also a champion marksman, and taught marksmanship to soldiers in WWII.  You should read his autobiography:

Remember that scene in Lethal Weapon when Mel Gibson makes a smiley face on his target?  It looks better on a pumpkin than on paper:

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Big news of the week: Alito!  What could his nomination to the Supreme Court mean for Second Amendment jurisprudence?

First one out of the gate is Of Arms and the Law, with a number of related posts.  Just start at the top and keep reading.

The Kallini Brothers weigh in.

More from Mr. Completely.

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On to the ups and downs of gun control...

Life in the Great Midwest writes about the sham of gun buybacks:

Do you really think criminals are lining up to turn in their weapons?  Of course not.  Mostly they were probably older men or women who simply have no use for the weapon anymore.  But then what happens?  Background check, serial number run, basic invasion of privacy.

The Kallini Brothers have an idea for improving the gun buyback: if you are going to get the guns from people who don't want them, why not them give them out to people who do?

Give them to high-risk communities and people and support them with proper training.  Wouldn’t it be better to take a chance at these guns saving a life in the future?

If it makes sense, you can't count on the government to implement it.  Remember, they don't care about actually solving any problems.  They only care about maintaining their power.

Fellow Oregon blogger Daniel points out the idiocy of our Department of Human Services:

Why do our tax dollars go towards this crap?  This group is housed at DHS offices and they actively lobby against gun rights.  I believe that the NRA has done more for children's safety with their Eddie Eagle program (stop, don't touch it, tell an adult) than SAFE KIDS has done with all their programs.

Another fellow Oregonian, Rivrdog, is worried about the U.N. taking over and superseding the Second Amendment.  This is an especially fitting topic today.  Earlier this morning, I sat on a student interview panel for a potential new hire to teach international law.  Even the extremely liberal multi-nationalist professor seeking a job at the extremely liberal multi-nationalist University of Oregon School of Law had to admit that the Constitution always trumps treaties and other sources of international law.  So it is all the more disturbing to think that an organization like the U.N. believes it has the power to regulate arms in America!

Here's a disturbing one from the Civilian Gun Self Defense Blog:

"He (Schalk) did everything right," Williams said. "He called police, his insurance company and hired a private security firm. He had done everything reasonable to protect his property."

Cummings said he reviewed the medical records on the two juveniles and the injuries were described as superficial. Schalk has a right to protect his property, Cummings said.

"If the injuries would have been more severe, there would probably have been criminal charges filed," Cummings said.

Let's think about this: he "did everything right" and protected his property while only inflicting superficial damage on the two criminals.  So why would prosecutor Cummings make a statement like "if the injuries would have been more severe, there would probably have been criminal charges filed"?  Is he saying that you have a right to defend your property, but not to hurt anyone while doing so?  If you shoot a would be rapist in self-defense in Cummings' jurisdiction, is he going to prosecute you if you hurt the s.o.b. too much?

When is a machine gun not a machine gun?  Uncle says, don't ask the ATF.  More here.

While you are at it, don't ask a Canadian official how many guns come in from America.  More here from Chicago Boyz.

Meanwhile, as I type this, the situation is deteriorating in Paris.  Ronocracy thinks the French could use some American-style gun laws.

Countertop draws parallels between the First and Second Amendments.

But in some places, things are encouraging.  The Kallini Brothers are encouraged by some new Florida legislation aimed at preventing a repeat of the New Orleans fiasco.

And TriggerFinger has good news from the D.C. Circuit.

Even San Francisco has its moments.

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In many parts of the country, it's DEER SEASON!

Kevin the Techno Gypsy went on a family hunting trip.  Here's one happy youngster:

I can't stress enough how important it is to teach our young ones about the joys and values of hunting and shooting!

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On to the guns themselves...

Where do you get a gun?  Why, the gun shop, of course!  More here.

What kind of gun collector are you?  Xavier explains his collecting habits:

So with this unrelated accumulation of firearms, is there any common thread to make order from the chaos?  I suppose there is, I like them all.  That's good enough for me.

Good enough for all of us!

Hell in a Handbasket tells us it's the end of the road for the XM-8.  Meanwhile, are the Israeli's beating a dead horse with this?

Israel has had to fight its own War on Terror a lot longer than we have been fighting ours, and they are undoubtedly the most experienced army in the world when it comes to this type of conflict.  They seem to be happy with the 5.56mm round even though there are more powerful alternatives available.  Like the development of the Merkava, I have to wonder if they have long realized something that we’ve missed.

Rant and rave about the .223 in the comments below.

Michael Bane has information on this:

That's a Ruger Flat-top .44 Magnum single action revolver, now available in a limited edition 50th anniversary release.  Act quickly!  Also from Michael Bane this week: what makes a good 1911.

Speaking of Ruger single actions... ¡Pistolas!

TFS Magnum links to engraved autos.  Works of art!  Follow the links for lots of photos like this one:

Irons in the Fire picked up an interesting new toy:

Confused?  That's an Enfield trainer, in .22 LR!  And it looks like it shoots, too.

Plan on visiting any grassy knolls soon?

Yes, that's a Mannlicher-Carcano, courtesy of Toys in the Attic.

You can't hit what you can't see.  Al should have no problem with that:

Of course, if Al can't see his enemy, he could always just lob grenades in their general direction...

Your enemy can't hit what he can't see, either:

That's a non-lethal blinding weapon, brought to us by Hell in a Handbasket.

And what good is a gun without ammo?  Baboon Pirates reminds us that National Ammo Day is fast approaching!

Speaking of National Ammo Day, the Gun Guy, the gun-blogger formerly known as someone else who had to go anonymous for professional reasons, he-who-got-ammo-day-started, got something to shoot his ammo...

I've known about this surprise for some time, and have been eagerly awaiting the chance to read about the unveiling!  It sounds like it was very well received.

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If you got guns, shoot 'em!

Analog Kid has details on the latest blogger blastorama (source of the smiley pumpkin above!).  More good pictures, including a G-43 in action:

More blastorama from Mr. Completely.  Still more from KeeWee.

The Revolutionary War Veterans Association has the report from the Nation of Riflemen shoot.  And if you are in or near Wyoming, there's another big shoot coming soon!

Owen has been taking his air pistol to the range.

Shakey Pete went to his first cowboy action shoot:

Lots of good photos.  But fortunately, no photos of this:

I've a lengthy set of lessons learned, number one is to try to find some suspenders for my gunbelt.  Since I have no hips or butt, it's difficult to keep a belt with two revolvers, thirty-five rounds of .45 ammo and six rounds of twelve gauge from pulling my trousers off.

It takes a special kind of man to admit that!

Cowboy Blob has a report from his latest 3-gun match.  Plus, pictures like this:

Sweet!

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Finally, some techie stuff:

If you are going to handload for Ammo Day, you might need to get some Gun Juice!

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Blog of the week award goes to Of Arms and the Law for the sheer volume of material on Alito.  But don't ignore the other posts!  For instance, this one on Arizona and negligence is pretty important, too.  Thanks for the great work.

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Discussion question: prompted by material above, discuss the .223 as a military round.

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That wraps up this week's Carnival of Cordite!  Catch up on archives and find out about submissions here.  And learn about all the other carnivals here.

See y'all next week.  Until then, keep your powder dry!

Comments

[Nobody Important]

"Remember that scene in Lethal Weapon when Mel Gibson makes a smiley face on his target?"

Remember how much Mel Gibson was flinching?

http://www.mattburkett.com/html/flinch.html

[Don Meaker]

5.56mm round works well enough, if fired from a longer barrel. The 14.5 inch barrel of the M-4 is only effective within 100 meters.

Why? If the round impacts flesh at 2700 feet per second or so, it will pitch or yaw and break in half at the cannellure. This makes an effective wound. If it impacts at lower velocity, the round will turn tail end first, and make a .224 inch diameter exit wound.

Now stopping an enemy requires destruction of tissue, that can be done directly (hit the brain and receiver housing, the medulla oblongata, or the spine) or indirectly by blood loss to the same tissues. Blood loss takes a while. Worst case example: Lavoisier was executed by Madame la Guillotine, and was able to blink his eyes for 15 seconds after his head was severed.

This isn't just Theory. It isn't new either. Theodore Roosevelt wrote, in his book on the Rough Riders in Cuba, that US soldiers who where shot in the brain, heart or spine died, but soldiers who were shot anywhere else recovered, and recovered amazingly quickly. The Spanish soldiers mostly used the 7mm Mauser, with occasional 11.43 Remingtons.

The M193 round used in Vietnam is better as a stopper. It is lighter, and has a higher muzzle velocity. The M855 round is a better penetrator. It is heavier, and must have a longer barrel to reach the same velocity.

In real combat a combat squad will have some soldiers providing covering fire while others maneuver. The fire support team will be shooting at known AND SUSPECTED enemy positions. A lot of rounds are fired into places where the enemy is not. Because of that, the ability to keep firing to reduce exposure of the maneuver team is a lot more important than the ability to stop. The 5.56mm round is pretty good at that. Civilian self defense is a different matter. 12 gauge shotguns are 18mm or .73 inches in diameter, and do massive damage to tissue at short range. 20 gauge is nearly as good, with better recoil characteristics. As a civi, you are liable for each round you fire, and you MUST hold your fire until you identify your target and clear the space behind it. (this is better done in advance!!)

The Tavor is a bullpup, so it has a longish barrel with a shortish total length. This lets the 5.56 round be effective. The AUG is also effective. The UK Enfield bullpup is effective, and works even better after a bit of time in the field and the fiddly bits fall off.

I am working to develop my patent (6,079,138) into a bullpup delay blowback rifle/lmg with dual magazines, downward ejection, quick change 24 inch barrel in a 28 inch total length. Low progress is being made. The tough part is I insist that it be able to convert from 5.56mm to 7.62X51 to 12 gauge with a change of barrel and magazine.

[Tyler D.]

Keep the .223.

[John]

Excellent points about the 5.56mm. If you're shooting exposed personnel within 150 meters or so then 5.56 is adequate. Better, you can carry a bunch of it and provide suppressive fire for your buddies to move.

Still, I prefer a round that can penetrate THINGS to get to people. 7.62mm is the way to go for that.

[doc Russia]

the .223 is a good survival round. In fact, it may be the best survival round. You can use it to hunt small as well as medium sized game. It is effective at engaging unarmored targets and individuals at relatively close range. You can carry a lot of the rounds in a small space and with little weight.
However, I consider rounds which can actually shoot through stuff to be the better combat round.
If SHTF, then 223 is adequate, even maybe ideal. If you are choosing a rifle to go into combat with, you may want to look into something like a .308.

[Geo]

You really put a lot of work into these carnival posts. And it makes for some interesting and entertaining reading!

So from a reader and occasional contributor: THANKS!

[Cliff@Ihop]

I agree with GEO. Thanks Dave.

BTW, when are you going to start a thread on the great social experiment in France that seems to be going a little astray?

I hope you are having a good day.
Cliff

[Gullyborg]

France will fall, and I will laugh.