You are currently browsing the monthly archive for May, 2009.
Ogre of madogre.com has made an announcement of things to come. He’s pretty vague about it but I’ll let him do the talking.
I’ll let Ogre tell you the rest himself.
This past week I got to do a little of what I enjoy most about what I do and that is making old well functioning guns look like new again. When this Yugo AK came in it had been well cared for and was in pretty good condition but needed an update. We put on the UTG rail the gentleman brought in and started the 4 color camo finish. I think it turned out pretty well and the owner was thrilled with it’s new look.
I picked up a Para Ordinance Big Hawg a few months back. I don’t have a range report yet but it will come. I wanted to quote the Para Ord. website on their finishes:
Para-Kote™ Finish
Blue or stainless finish? The competition would limit your choices; Para gives you a wide range of tough, good-looking finishes from which to choose. Para’s exclusive Para Kote™ finishes are ideal for the shooter who likes to keep a gun for many years; they offer good looks, plus lasting, rock-hard protection and Teflon-based lubricating qualities. Para Kote is a handsome finish that withstands hard knocks and holster wear. The Teflon component results in smoother functioning and also makes cleaning a lot easier.
Okay here’s my take on it. Because of some work my other carry gun is going through I’ve had to carry my Para even though I haven’t had the time to take it to the range. For just what little wear it has taken being put in my leather holster in the morning and coming out at night it has quite a bit of holster wear. I’m not impressed. Don’t get me wrong I love the gun itself. I’ll have to redo the finish before long but the gun is well made.
I appreciate the fact that they put match grade barrels in every model they make. That makes my day. It tells me they care how every pistol shoots and not just a couple elite models. I’d like to see that from every manufacture.
All in all I would recommend Para Ord. for the quality of their workmanship. Just plan on having them refinished at some point.
You know, I love this guy. There’s no double talk and absolutely no praising up a crappy gun because he gets paid to write an article. I’ve felt this same way on Gas Piston AR-15’s but the public loves them. Why? Allow me to explain. There has been some horribly out of spec AR’s out there. What I mean by that is this. Every firearm blueprint has a tolerance variance. It will have the exact measurements drawn out and will allow for “+ or – .0010″ for example. Now the gun will function fine as long as you stay to that tolerance. Go outside that and you have a poorly (if at all) functioning gun. To fix that problem (that they created by not having better quality control) they introduced the piston upper. Now that you know the truth let’s hear Mr. Farnam’s experience with them was.
Gas-Piston ARs
14 Apr 09 Gas-piston Stoner Rifles: I just completed an Urban Rifle Course in UT. Students brought the usual assortment of AR-15s and Kalashnikovs. We also had one RA/XCR (mine) and one DSA/FAL. All ran fine for the duration, except for one of the AR-15s, which was a gas-piston model. All the other ARs were conventional Stoner System (pressurized receiver) models, and all experienced no more than the usual number of hiccups. However, the one gas-piston ARs displayed many unscheduled interruptions, mostly failures to eject. We all made a mental note that this is not a rifle any of us would want! Unhappily, this experience has been typical at our UR Courses. As a rule, gas-piston ARs do not hold up nearly as well as conventional ARs. To add insult to injury, gas-piston ARs are a good deal more expensive than are standard models! It strikes me that, in their enthusiasm to maintain the classic AR-15 profile, designers attempting to equip this rifle with a gas-piston have produced both a piston and op-rod that are tiny when compared with those found on the XCR, SIG/556, and other military rifles in the same 223 caliber. Apparently, a gas-piston system that small is below the reliability threshold, because we can’t seem to keep them running satisfactorily. The original Stoner System (pressurized receiver) has had a disappointing tenure. Compared with gas-piston systems, like the Kalashnikov, it has been excessively maintenance-dependant, because so much garbage ends up in the receiver. Gas-piston rifles don’t get nearly as dirty, nearly as fast. However, in my opinion, gas-pistons and op-rods must be substantial, even on rifles chambered for 223. Tiny parts and tiny systems do not reliable rifles make!
/John
I’ve always liked what John Farnam has to say. This one is quintessential common sense the way most in news and the media will never understand. Why? Because it makes sense. If the answer isn’t too out of reach, the people having a lack of intelligence, or just plain old made up nonsense then the media doesn’t want anything to do with it. Without further adu John Farnam:
African Pirates
15 Apr 09 Piracy! Around the Horn or Africa, piracy is far from a “new” phenomenon, having been a scourge in the area for millennia. It is only in the age of ” learned helplessness” that the international maritime community interminably agonizes over the prospect of offering even the slightest resistance, the minutest inconvenience, to pirates. Pirates, no matter where they find employment, are vicious cutthroats, and always have been. Among less confused civilizations in the Nineteenth Century, the brutal truth of pirates and piracy was well known and honestly confronted. When encountered or captured, pirates were executed immediately. They were never afforded clemency nor consideration, nor should they have been. Today, of course, with confusion and institutionalized stupidity the prevailing philosophy, we, as a civilization, endlessly seek ways to become victims and foist forced-victimization upon our citizens! In the wake of last week’s daring rescue of an American ship’s captain by the US Navy, airwaves are predictably brimming with pundits and “study groups,” all regurgitating the same sorry dogma: “Never offer any species of resistance to violent criminals. Never fight back. Freely allow yourself to be maimed, raped, and murdered. Such a fate is surely better by far than being guilty displaying even the slightest personal initiative!” Their pitiable rationalizations we’ve all heard before: (1) “It will escalate violence” … Well, I sure hope so! (2) “It will start an arms race” … There is no “race” when only one side is racing! (3) “Sailors are too stupid to use guns effectively” … Oh, please! (4) “Pirates are so clever, so superior in every way, that we can never win. Resistance is futile!” … For these pathetic losers, everything is impossible, and therefore nothing, no matter how promising, should ever be attempted. If these people are Americans, then I’m ashamed to call myself one!
/John
