Blogging will be light

Just got the notice, I was laid off.  Blogging will be light for the short term until I find a real job again.

I’m just waiting for Glock to make an AR, and the tactical world’s head to explode.

Sales period is almost done, and got through another busy weekend.  Blogging to resume shortly, I assure you.  Have three Zombie blogs I’d like to dive into, so we’ll see how that goes.  Lower is to arrive tomorrow, yay.  And courtesy of the Hopeful Future Wifemate, I have the Beatles stuck in my head…

Quote courtesy of Texas1911 on TGT.

Weekend Updates or: Link Farming, sorta

I’ve found myself desiring a Beretta 92 as of late.  No idea why, really, couldn’t at all be related to this. Besides, it would be a nice companion to the other Wunder Nine I’ve always wanted.

Checking in from the weekend, and it seems I’ve been horribly remiss. 

I’ve had a number of clicks here from Gun Geek Rants.  So I went to take a good read, and enjoyed pretty much everything I saw.  And he’s sending readers my way, so I can’t complain.  So I’ll be adding him up on to the Blog Roll and ya’ll should go ahead and give him a good look.

Still trying to get the KTZFEBR M4gery project off the ground.  Sent in the order for the lower, still haven’t received any confirmation that they have received the order or started etching it.  Guess I’ll be shooting ‘em an email.  Not like I’m trying to give them money or anything.

I can’t really decide on any good Zombie Killing music, but I did hit up Pottsboro on Sunday so I can cross another location of my Choctaw Bingo check list.  Still need to get to Baxter Springs in Kansas, and I’ll have every location covered.  I mean, that “little town way up by Lake Texhoma” could be a number of towns, but seeing as I don’t really want to head back up there to visit every little town, we’ll say Pottsboro works.  For those of you who have no clue on the planet what I’m talking about, it’s a song by James McMurtry, who is the son of Larry McMurty who wrote Lonesome Dove.  Just because I don’t feel like digging for some good Zombie Killing metal, we can go ahead and call this our Zombie Apocalypse song for the week.  I wouldn’t recommend it for any of the little ones.

 

Of course, it could be a decent Zombie Killing song, now that I think about it, what with the SKS and BAR and that great big ol’ pistol made by bad ass Hebrews.  I mean, I don’t remember southern Oklahoma being much of a hot spot to do anything else all the times I headed up to school.  The big Mickey D’s is pretty cool though.

Matthew has promised us another Dark Arts for Good Guys post, which I eagerly await.

Doing some more research for some Zombie posts. Hopefully we’ll do better than two this week! Doubt it only because of me work schedule, but fingers crossed and all. Maybe if I spent more of my nightly free time here than pretending I can write or playing Far Cry 2 until CoD:MW2 comes out, we’d see progress…

The .22LR, Zombie Killer Special

There is an opinion out there that the .22LR round is the best way to deal with the Zombie Menace.  I see it in many sources, noting that the small size of the round allows you to carry more ammunition, it is easier to shoot, it is quieter, and other numerous reasoning.  Now, in full disclosure, I have no intent to stand down range while someone shoots at me with a .22.  Neither have I met anyone with the same inclination.  But I tend to feel that the .22LR is being given a place in the Zombie Hunter/Killer arsenal that it does not rightly deserve.

I am not saying that weapons chambered in the .22LR are not to be had.  Not at all.  I think that following the Zombie Apocalypse a weapon firing .22LR will be a great asset for certain tasks, like killing rabbits and scaring small children.  However, to claim it to be an excellent round for Zombie killing tends to either up talk the round or down play the resilience of the human skull, even in Zombie form.  Now, full disclosure is I’m not a doctor or ER nurse or paramedic, nor am I a ballistic wound specialist.  However, I do not trust the .22LR in basic, bulk ammo form to be a reliable penetration in a cranial shot, nor do I think that it will deal sufficient damage to the brain of Zeek on impact.  The round itself can’t just hit one of the thicker parts of the skull and then come to a dead stop.  No, it actually has to get on in there, and cause a bit of damage.

Lets break it down further.  Now, again, full disclosure is I have not personally attended one of the cool slightly more advanced than the basic every day deal sweet action pistol or carbine courses offered by numerous schools.  However, I have been lead to believe from reading and speaking with others that at these schools (which I would love to attend) they tend to teach you that, unless you are putting rounds in the ocular cavity (right betwixt the eyes, if you will) you should stay away from *BOOM* headshots.  Otherwise, you are running into a situation that may result in a round not reliably piercing the skull cavity and tearing up the brain, dropping our Zombie.

Now, looking at this logically, it makes sense as the area for a reliable hit in the occular region is pretty small.  And if you had your choice in targets, would you rather have to shoot at the tin can or the side of a barn?  Obviously, you want to aim for the larger target, as you have a better chance of hitting what you are aiming at.  This, however, does make a bit of a problem for out purpose: killing Zombies.  As we discussed earlier, you can pour boxes of .50BMG center mass into Zeek, and get no where.  So you are looking for a round that can reliably penetrate the skull and get inside the brain dome to tear up whatever grey gooey mess is in there.  If we don’t get the penetration we need, the Zombie doesn’t die, and it continues marching on.

There is another problem that we run into: the .22LR is just not a long range round.  We discussed earlier that getting inside social spaces with Zombies is the last thing we want to do.  The .22LR, while by no means a super close combat round, isn’t really anything special out past 100 yards or so.  I believe it is at that distance where the round itself goes sub sonic, and the soundwave from supersonic travel passes around the bullet, inducing wobble.  It is small, but supposedly measurable decrease in accuracy.  When aiming for the small target of the ocular region on a Zombie, we do not want a measured decrease in accuracy.  This is not to say it is no longer dangerous to humans, of course.  However, outside that range, it becomes a poor Zombie round.

I am in no way saying that the .22LR is a bad round.  However, no “self defense expert” I know says it is an acceptable round to use.  The round is excellent for new shooter training, as you can identify and address issues in shooting technique before moving on to defenseive calibers.  They allow you to practice more often with conversion kits.  However, the bullets are often unjacketed, at at their lower velocities it leads to delfection or no noticable penetration.  I do not discredit the round as a usefull tool, but I just cannot accept it as an appropriate Zombie Killing projectile.

Wish list

Due to an interesting event last night that reminded me of a quote from Ambulance Driver, I didn’t get much in the way of sleep last night. Ah, how good apartment living can be. Actually, as I have said in the past (and today backed up by Mom 2) Domestic Disturbance and abuse is not an indication of the socioeconomic status of any community. So it isn’t like I live in a bad complex, it is actually quite nice.  I just think the MMA wannabe roided out a bit to much, and didn’t think that the constabulary would respond quite as peacefully as they did. As in sir, get off her or you will be tazed. The perp climbed off and no one was zapped, she went to the hospital, he got to spend a night in jail. I was upset that the officer didn’t give him the door frame tap. “Oops, I’m sorry I didn’t push your head down enough to get you beneath the door”. My dad said he would do this occasionally in his police days to the real scum bags.

Anyway, lack of sleep and a self admitted lack of research means the Zombie post comes tomorrow. Until then, I’m going to do some shameless post whoring, inspired by Jay. Nothing wrong with writing down your wants in case someone wants to be obnoxiously generous.

Rifles:
M4gery: I sorta have to strike this one out as I’m starting the whole build for it now. Ordered the stripped lower, and next fun show I’ll pick up a parts kit. Nothing to fancy, might have some high speed low drag tacticool Magpul furniture on it, but that’s about it. Anvil Arms lower, CMMG upper, 5.56mm chamber.
FN FAL: The right arm of the free world. Always has been, and may always will be my favorite battle rifle. I don’t know why, but I’ve always found them very, very nice in looks and feel. Personally, I’d really want a 50.63 Para model. I’ve been told the Para models had better iron sights, and I think they look a little better. Or possibly a Vector R1, because I have a fascination with the history of South Africa and Rhodesia Zimbabwe.
Kar98K: I see a lot of people cringe when I say I want one of these, but why not? Many go back to the “well my (insert family member here) served in Europe and he was (shot at/injured/killed) with one of these, or every so often it was a Nazi rifle used to help kill Jews, why would you want one? Well, the rifle didn’t make the choice to be a Nazi gun. Tools in a toolbox and all, and the Jews (Israelis) didn’t really have a problem using them when establishing themselves as a nation. I like the way they look, and while I’ve only held one, it seemed to fit nicely to me. It would be more of that one gun that sits above the fireplace of the bar I’d own, and during the Zombie Apocalypse it would become my savior till I could get to the AR pattern and FAL…and it would still stay with me. Preferably a scoped model.
Any .50BMG rifle: What I really want is the 18in bolt action .50BMG upper from Tactalite. Because I want to make every gun grabber a Sad Panda.
Arctic Warfare Magnum: Some gamer dorks want the Desert Eagle. Some the MP5. I want the AWM in .338 Lapua Magnum. I know that .308 and .300WM/WSM will get the job done just as well and get to those ranges, but this isn’t about needs, its about wants.
Marlin 1984C in .357Magnum: See my musings on the use of the lever action as a Zombie Rifle for explanation.

Shotguns:
Mossberg 590 all tacticoolfied: Pistol grip, side saddle shell carrier, ghost rings, flashlight on the pump, etc etc etc.
Remington 11-87: Only semiauto shotgun I’ve ever fired, so only one I can really judge, and I liked it. Give it an 18inch barrel, I don’t bird hunt so I don’t need a bird gun.
AA12: Why the hell not? Shotguns make great Zombie guns. So does the AR pattern rifle (as I have explained at length). So why not put the two together? I think it would make a hell of a vehicle gun too.

Handguns:
STI built 1911: Any would do me nice. I think their builds are simply beautiful and very well made. Being done in Texas just makes it even better. The ergonomics of the 1911 fit my hand well, and I point naturally with them. Far, far more accurate than I am, and I have been told by many that they have simply the best trigger in a 1911 out there. I really like their Lawman and Trojan models, just throw some Heinie Straight Eights on it and I’m good to go. I’m also a fan of the Duty 1, as I think rails on hand guns make them an excellent home defense tool with the addition of a flash light.
Sig Sauer P226: I have a very close friend who, while thinks Sigs are nice, doesn’t like them due to the size of the grip. Oddly, the Sig P226 grip (which is the complete opposite of a thin 1911 grip) fit very well in my hand, and their trigger is magnificent. You can get them with the Straight Eight style sights straight from the factory, and the guns are superbly made. I’m not one for hero worship, but the SEALs and SAS both seem to like them, and that is quite an endorsement for me. Further, the 226 was the first handgun I “fell in love” with, finding it the best looking gun in an old “Guns of the Special Forces” picture book I have somewhere around here.  I’ll take mine in .357 SIG, please
Smith and Wesson M&P9: I really like the M&P series, and to be completely honest I think I should have gone that way over the two Glocks I’ve owned.  I’ve only been behind the trigger of one, and I found it enjoyable to shoot.  Caleb mentions on his own thoughts that he like the bore axis being much lower than the Glock, and the interchangeable grips are great so that I can shoot it with my ham hands, and then hand it off to the Hopeful Future Wifemate with her smaller hands.  Again, must have the Straight Eights* of which I often speak.  I’d like to get into IDPA as well, and it looks like this would be a good gun to do so.  My next hand gun purchase will most likely be a STI Spartan, following that I may be going with an M&P.
Smith and Wesson Model 686: I don’t know my Smiths as well as others, so I can’t tell you the exact model. I know I want it full lugged, 6in barrel, with nice rubber grips.  .357 will let me ammo share with the lever action during the Zombie Apocalypse, simplifying my logistics.  Just gotta find one without a lock.  Also, as we all know, .357 is the ONLY PROVED MAN STOPPER FOR ONE SHOT STOPS EVEN OVER THE .50AE and .44MAG IN HANDGUNS!!!!!!!!!!!!!. Further, I think that a full lugged Smith is the sexiest hand gun right next to some of the Tauri, which leads me to…
Taurus Raging Bull in .454 Casul: Much like the AWM, not because I need one, because I want one. Also, see the movie Wasabi staring one of very few bad ass French men Jean Reno (think he isn’t?  Ronin or The Professional, bitches), even though his is a .44 not the .454. Any questions?

Other Weapons
A belt fed machine gun, with a suppressor: I want an Mk 46, and I want a suppressor for it. I want every gun fearing wussy to know about it, too. Short barreled, 100 round belt fed, full automatic, and suppressed. Short of being a .50BMG plane shooting down bullet, this represents everything that they hate, and everything that is good and right in the world. Hell, just because it looks more menacing, I want a visual laser for it, too, and an optic, and the shoulder thingy that goes up. This is what I want to hold over my head and say you can have it when you pry it from my cold dead lifeless fingers.
Milkor MGL: It is like a good old fashioned old west six gun. Except it shoots grenades. The Marines call it the M32 MGL. I kinda like Milkor better, it sounds like some awesome god of war and destruction. This goes up there with the Mk 46, pretty much a “I want it because it represents everything that is good and right with the world” desire, a six shot semi auto grenade launcher. It is just full of win. And remember that above mentioned fascination with South Africa and The Country Formally known as Rhodesia? Yeah, it comes from South Africa. So I think it is fitting.

*Due to my own inability to use three dot sights properly, I like the figure eight style.  No matter how hard I try, I just have issues concentrating on the front sight when using handguns, but with the Straight Eights, my eyes are naturally drawn to the front sight, and I tend to shoot a little better.  So despite several different methods to fix me, I just said screw it, I’ll change the sights to fit me better.

Sticking it to the man

Not really, but still.  I don’t donate money to the UN or any of it’s programs on principle alone, but getting a “jeans/sports team shirt” day is always nice at the office, and it is only five dollars…

As far as the sports teams go…think I could get a Team Smith and Wesson or Team Glock shirt by Friday?  Or maybe my Ferrari F1 or BMW F1 polos (I work for a major automotive manufacturer….one of the domestic ones).  Any suggestions?

Zombie post coming tomorrow…need to muse some more on the concept.

Not quite Zombie related

First off, hello to all my visitors from Texas Gun Talk!

Second, I’m excited because at some point today, I will be receiving the order confirmation report for my lower receiver. In the words of many other bloggers, *ahem* squeeeeeeee. I’m also working on a topic right now for thoughts on transitioning from surviving Zombies to hunting Zombies.

Finally, and important for today’s post…

I’m a fan of Straight Forward in A Crooked World. His writing style is excellent, and I am always willing to take advice from someone who has been there, done that, got the tee shirt. I’m a huge fan of his dark arts for good guys series, and think they should be required reading. While not much useful once the undead hordes take over, it is excellent information for surviving a realistic Tango Uniform situation, and may even come in handy as the world starts to break down and the Zombie Menace encroaches upon us. I think it should be required reading, because while the survival guides for hiding out in the woods may be useful come the ZA, what about when you are in a hotel in a tropical paradise that usually tends to be on the lower end of the economic security spectrum and people start shooting?

So, go on over to his blog (it is linked in my blog roll) and give him a good read. He also has some excellent insights on other life topics, so you should be entertained. However, the real reason I’m linking to him is he has most definitely won my QOTD with this gem:

If someone calls you “a mother fucker,” you need to realize that in this day and age its more slang than insult, but are you? If you are not then its rather a moot point. If you are then he’s right and you need to seek help.

I laughed for a while on that.

Weekend Update

I’ve added two new blogs, The Musings of a Simple Arkansan, and The Handgun Podcast.

The first is actually a fraternity brother of mine, and a flaming liberal.  Yeah, no one is perfect, and in the interest of fairness, I tossed him in the blog roll.  Besides, someone has to balance out the insane right wing nonsense I tend to spout off when I’m not paying attention.  Cameron is also a good guy, and can drink with the best of them.  Give him a read.  He is just getting started right now, but hey, we all gotta start somewhere.

I’ve also added The Handgun Podcast, which will have to go in my listening que with the Gun Nuts Podcast and The Vicious Circle.  So far it sounds pretty good, and it’ll be a nice add to what I’m listening to on the way to work.   Eric has also been kind enough to link people my way, so I’m gonna return the favor.

I’ll be ordering the AR stripped lower tomorrow.  I’m going with Anvil Arms for the lower, I like the deal they are offering and I’ve done some internet searching that has returned nothing but good words.  They also have, what I hear, and excellent turn around time, and I can get the rifle laser etched there.

Wait…laser etched there?

With much thanks to Jim from Black Mug Media, we have a website logo! I’m working on fitting it in with a few other images for a top banner, and we have a version that will be etched on the magwell of the receiver, so I will officially have started on the KTZFEBR*.

Jim mostly does video editing mostly, and other of those fancy editing IT things I don’t understand at all, but he managed to do what I couldn’t to save my life, so much respect. I’ll be adding him in along with the rest of my “cool toys and other links” with some of my favorite tacticool sites, as well as my bud’s custom sound stuff business. So go give them all a look. And no, I don’t get paid by any of them.

Over on The Top of the Chain…anyone know if they make these in Zombie?

Looks like that is it for the weekend update.

Coming in for our Zombie Hunting Soundtrack, I’m going with one of my old favorites for all sorts of Zombie Apocalypse Music. I’ve always seen myself able to crank up this song, and go blasting around the desert or grass lands south of this way, towards West in an older Blazer, windows down, and pouring ammo down range at Zeek. Maybe even jump off a small hill and decapitate one with the lower front bumper. It sounds like it could be a good time to me. And, this is some awesome classic rock, and every love classic rock, right? Yeah, that is what I thought. I got to see these guys live at Billy Bob’s in Fort Worth, and I’d say it was probably one of my favorite live shows ever. So, crank it up while cleaning your Zombie rifles and enjoy what we have left of this weekend!

Hand to Teeth: Up close with Zombies

I’ve spent some time thinking about going hand to hand with the Zed Heads, and I just can’t seem to come away with a good way to do it.  When it comes to getting up close and personal with Zeek, we are at a pretty severe disadvantage.

We know for sure that the disease that turns us from human to undead, mindless, shambling brain eater is transmittable by saliva, as a good solid skin breaking bite is where the transformation starts.  From that point on, we run into many disagreements.  Does the bite itself kill?  Or possibly infection from the bite?  Does one turn Zombie instantly, or does it take time?  There are all questions that must be addressed, but for our purposes now, let’s stick with the transmission of the disease.

First, lets assume that the virus is transmitted only through bite.  Simple enough, just keep away from the teeth.  Let’s think about that for a second.  By avoiding the teeth, you avoid getting bitten, and therefore avoid becoming the next Zombie Idol.  Except the teeth are located right dead center in the brain dome.  Well, a touch south, but it is a generally good aiming point none the less.  So here we are, beating on the chest of a Zombie, when we know the only way to kill it for sure is by removing the head.  So why are we punching it in the chest when only removing the head will work?  Starting to see what I’m getting at?  Further, as you continue to close in and punch and kick away at the Zombie, all it needs is to trip the wrong way and get its hungry little mouth on you. 

Now, lets look at it from another perspective: you can get infected from other forms of fluid transmission.  Say scratches.  You get a good, solid flesh opening scratch from Zeek, and the dead skin cells and saliva and blood and all those other yummy fluids on its hand get into your blood stream.  So know you are going hand to hand with something that as simple as a scratch can turn you Zombie.  Now, I know some people may relish in the thought in wandering the earth forever, searching out brains and flesh, but most people I know don’t.  Now, we are in a situation where the Zed Head doesn’t even need to bite you, just good solid contact. 

So how do we handle Zombies when it gets to social distances?  Well, hopefully it wont.  The way I’m looking at it, getting into a hand to teeth situation with Zombies is a failure in your survival and Zombie Hunting plan.  In the survival phase, what we are trying to do is get to a safe, secure location while expending minimal energy in dealing with the Undead Hordes.  Or in English…go around them till we get someplace safe.  Getting close enough to The Undead Hordes to play Super Knockout is not what we are going for. 

However, sometimes it happens.  Sometimes we are offered no choice to get around the Zombie hordes, or we run out of options to move around them.  Then, there are those that during the hunting and regaining control of our land phase want to get up close and personal for fun.  Hand to hand combat rears its ugly head, and we have to get up close and personal.  Hand to teeth.  Zombies don’t have the dexterity or mental wherewithal to fight hand to hand.  They are simply going to crush in on you and start clawing or scratching as they try to eat you.  We won’t be looking for finesse and technical styled forms of fighting.  Your best bet is to just start kicking and pushing, throwing elbows, trying to break free.  Escaping grabs will be important. 

Of course, there is one other option, one that I find far more appealing.  Big sharp pointy chunks of metal.  Now, in this situation, having one of the amazing knives from MercWorkz or Greyman would be pretty nice, but save for something like the MercWorkz Equatorian, we are thinking a bit to small.  These are beautifully designed knives for snuffing out the non undead two legged critters, but when it comes to Zeek, we need to go cheaper, bigger, and more brutal.

The machete and kukri are the two best that come to mind.  Both blades are designed for chopping, hacking, smashing, and cutting stuff out of your way.  The kukri’s curved blade is weighted to add extra force to downswings.  Aim for the neck, and put some effort into it, you do have bone you need to get through.  Get used to swinging a machete or kukri quickly and getting back on target.  Tomahawks will also work well in this situation, as you can splice and dice with the business end, and most come with a pointy or blunt counter point opposite of the blade for smashing and poking really big holes in the Zombies’ skulls.  There are some companies that produce sheaths and “holsters” for tomahawks, but I think carrying one as opposed to a machete or kukri is at a slight disadvantage when it comes to getting to it quickly.

I still hold that getting up close and personal with Zeek is not the ideal situation.  If it happens, we must be prepared for it, preferably with a big, sharp, head chopping tool.

Justice has been served, Biblical style

De mortuis nil nisi bonum dicendum est…Eh screw it. He was a murdering, traitorous, criminal, thieving, lying, two faced no good Communist bastard, and neither of his brothers were any damned better. He got what was his. RIP, Mary Jo Kopechne, your killer has been served his final notice.

In my college days, I took a Personal Finance course, which is code for “economics for non econ majors”.  Basically it was a semester of how to balance a check book and invest without loosing your ass.

Anyway, being the only Poli Sci major in the course, the professor asked me “You follow politics and all that?”

“Why, yes, I do.”

“Ok, so, when a long serving Senator retires…lets say Ted Kennedy.  When Ted Kennedy steps down or retires, what his he going to get?”

“If all goes according to plan, the electric chair.”

The professor and I were the only two that laughed, because I’m sure we were the only two that got it.

Ted Kennedy is gonna be the first Zombie I hunt down after the Zombie Apocalypse.