Palette's Product Reviews: LaserLyte Pistol Bayonet

I've established by now that I am a big fan of bayonets. After all, a gun without bullets is just a club, but add a bayonet and even an empty gun becomes a spear.

So when I discovered that the Red Lion Precision Front Sight had a forward rail that was just perfect for mounting a bayonet to my Sub-2000, I immediately went looking for one that would attach to a tactical rail.

As it turns out, I could only find ONE rail-mounted bayonet for sale: the LaserLyte Pistol Bayonet.


The Bad News

1. It's a pistol bayonet, which means it's short. Depending from where you start measuring, it's either 2.75" long (from tip to the end of the working edge) or3.5" long (tip to hilt). 
2. I'm not sure how strong the mounting bracket is. It's made from glass-filled nylon, but I haven't stabbed things with it to see if the quick-release tabs break under sufficient force. My guess is "probably". 
3. It's difficult to hold. The hilt is small -- I have small fingers and I can only get three fingers around it, so men may have difficulty with that.What's more, the mounting bracket is molded into the grip, meaning it's awkward to hold comfortably. I managed this grip which works okay, but then I also have tiny hobbit hands: 

The Good News

1. It's from Ka-Bar, which has been making knives for the U.S. Marine Corps since World War 2. They have a reputation which carries weight, and they are unlikely to throw it away on some novelty. 
2. The knife is carbon steel and has a full tang. 
3. The factory edge is acceptably sharp.
   
   

My Rating:  A 
This is due mostly to the fact it's inexpensive and makes me giggle. For pure functionality, it's a B at most; even if it doesn't work as a bayonet, it's still a nice knife. For actual bayoneting it's probably a C.

Yes, it's a novelty item, but it's one that has good characteristics (sharp, full tang, carbon steel) and comes from a good company. Best of all, it's only $16 at Amazon, so even if you buy it and don't like it you aren't out much. Sure, the quick-release tabs might fail if you need to stab one with it (and I sincerely hope you never do), but 1) knives have a psychological effect on people when pointed in their direction, so it might not ever come to that, and 2) I'm pretty sure you can get in one stab even if it breaks after that.

Besides, it's fun. Aren't hobbies supposed to be fun? Do it because it makes you happy, not because guns are SRS BSNS.

Obligatory FTC Disclaimer: I bought this with my own money. Go away. 

Monday Gunday: Accuracy is a Mounted Bayonet, Too

You know what I really hate?  Waking up with a spasming neck and a throbbing headache that ruins the entire day for me. I hate it even worse when I did absolutely nothing the day before (like, drinking or partying) to earn such pain in the first place.

Which is basically a long-winded way of saying "Monday's post is late because I felt like shit all day."

Following up on my previous bayonet-related post, the weather on Sunday was nice enough (neither too cold nor too hot) for me to take Izzy out to the range and see if the freshly-mounted bayonet would affect my accuracy. I was also curious to see if the rangemaster or his associates would hassle me for mounting a bayonet in the first place.

The answers to these pressing questions are "Yes, it did," and "No, they did not." I did get at least one incredulous "Is that a bayonet on your rifle?" asked by a fellow shooter, but when I explained how it acted as a counterweight to barrel whip he just nodded as if it all made sense. Honestly, I don't know if it really did make sense to him, or if he was just humoring the crazy chick with a rifle taller than she, but either way it doesn't matter.

I also find it very funny that whenever I offer to let people shoot Izzy, 90% of the time they say "Uh, no, thank you." You'd think I had asked them to shoot the .950 Nutpunch or something. Some days I worry for the state of modern American men.



(You want recoil? Apparently this gun broke that last shooter's second rib. Now that is recoil.)

But enough of this. You want a picture, I give you a picture.

The vital details:

• Target was at 50 yards
• 7x scope
• bipod & bayonet mounted

The first two shots I took were ranging shots, and those are covered by the 2 leftmost orange pasters. The addition of the bayonet altered the point of impact, but consistently so. I eyeballed it at "about eight clicks to the right," adjusted my scope and took a third shot. That one is the bottom hole in the 8 ring. I adjusted the scope up a bit, and you can see the results.

(The third orange paster is just a spoiler. Not sure if I flinched, or sneezed, or someone startled me.)

I'm confident that the scope is properly sighted-in for 50 yards and that everything else is dependent upon my technique. I say that because I learned an important lesson while sighting it in.

It's common knowledge among Mosinistas that the trigger on the Mosin-Nagant is not what you'd call "elegant" or "smooth." In fact, "crudely functional" is probably complimentary, as it takes a surprising amount of force to pull it back and make the bullet go boom (this is known as "trigger break").

Well, as I was squeezing the trigger, I noticed that my sight picture was actually shifting to the side. This is what we in the gun community call "not good" and so I stopped to analyze what was going on. It turns out that I was once again giving it "too much trigger," i.e. my finger was pulling the trigger, and therefore the rest of the rifle, to the right. This was making the barrel actually shift to the left, and would have completely screwed up my shot.

Realizing what was going on, I adjusted my grip by sliding my hand as far down as possible, so that only the tip of my finger was on the very tip of the trigger, as opposed to having the pad of my finger resting in the curve of the trigger. On the down side, this made each trigger pull even harder, and uncomfortable.

Picture taken from Art of the Rifle. Please go here to read the entire article. It's fascinating and well worth your time.

On the good side, each shot was practically a surprise to me, which I've been told is the hallmark of a good shot. If you anticipate it, your breathing or your tension could alter your aim, but if you don't quite know when it's coming then you can kind of "fake yourself out" into making a good shot.

As you can see, it worked splendidly. Now all I need to do work on improving my technique, and then I can move on to 100 yards!

Monday Gunday: Happiness is a Mounted Bayonet

I took my brother to the range with me this past Christmas Eve, which was a nice bonding experience as he and I have such dissimilar tastes and experiences that we have precious little in common. I also gained some richly-deserved respect in his estimation of me, though I'm not certain if it's because his flighty little sister now has a "grown-up" hobby or if it's because I managed to finally beat him at something. Either way, I'm not complaining.

I shot some, he shot some, then I shot some again.
I claim most of the good ones, including the two pasted-over bullseyes.

However, as I was shooting my Mosin I noticed that the muzzle had a tendency to jump and buck. This probably isn't a recent development; I likely didn't notice it until now because up until this point I was still getting used to the recoil. But when the rifle's bipod leaves the shooting bench, though, that's something to take note of and worry about. Not that I think the rifle will break (Ha! I could throw this thing off the roof and the only damage would be to the scope), but because it was messing with my sight picture. I can hit targets at 25 yards with no problem, but at 50 I have to re-seat the rifle into my shoulder each time.

So I talked to my comrades from the Mosin Militia about how to remedy this situation. Fellow blogger Linoge informed me that

Apparently sporterized Mosins have a horrible tendency towards "barrel whip", in that the barrel is absurdly long and narrow when not supported by the wooden stock.  When you fire, there are all kinds of torsional forces at play, and harmonics build up and down the barrel as the bullet twists its way down. 

Barrel whip! This is a marvelous term which perfectly describes what I have been experiencing. But how to fix it? I wanted to avoid the expense of shortening or recrowning the barrel, and I was unable to mount a recommended anti-vibration device because I can't remove the front globe sight. I had heard about muzzle brakes/recoil compensators for the 91/30, but everything I've read about them suggests they are cheaply made junk with a dangerous tendency to fly off downrange after a few rounds.

Linoge's final answer was the solution:  just put the bayonet where it is supposed to be, and I would imagine all your ills will be cured.*

I liked this idea. I've wanted to mount the bayonet for some time, but I was unable to get it more than halfway down the barrel. This prevented me from locking it into place. So I went to fellow Brosin** Doug Parkhurst with my dilemma and asked if there was a way short of a Dremel tool to loosen it up. He replied,

Aye, those things are pretty damn snug - out of my 5, I could only fix the bayonet on 2 of them without some sort of grinding, and one of those 2 was only after about a week or two of persistence. Before resorting to a Dremel, you can try a good scrub with Break-Free CLP and a stiff gun brush. Sometimes just trying it over and over will eventually loosen it to the point where you can get it on and off without tools. But if it's especially stubborn, a Dremel used sparingly on the inside of the socket will work. Try to avoid hitting the spring latch; if you grind off too much of that, it won't lock onto the front sight post. FYI, the teardrop-shaped hole in the wide end of the combo tool in the cleaning kit can be used as a handy wrench to aid in removing it if it gets stuck. Hope this helps!

It did indeed help. If nothing else, this gave me permission to be as rough as necessary. This is one thing I've noticed about my Mosin: at times it practically requires manhandling, which is why I have a rubber mallet in my tool kit for when the bolt is feeling frisky.***

So I went it at with a will, using Break-Free and a bronze brush. That only amused the bayonet, as the brush left little bronze residue everywhere. Then I got serious with some steel wool, which I think maybe removed some of the bluing.

By this point I had lost patience and was ready to introduce power tools to the mix, so I went to Home Depot to look at Dremels. Sadly, they're too expensive for me (the cheapest was $80) but I did find a nice set of medium-coarse files for about $6. Choosing the round file, I sat down in front of the TV with it, the bayonet, and a bottle of CLP, and went at that sucker like it was a marital aid.

A couple of hours later, the bluing had come off and I was looking at the shiny steel underneath. Sure enough, it went down over the barrel, but I couldn't twist it to lock into place. Sure, I could get it to move with application of the rubber mallet, but that would be inconvenient (not to mention conspicuous) at the range. I took the flat file to the sides of the front sight and worked on them until -- FINALLY -- I was able to mount the bayonet.

This is the fruit of my labor. Izzy is now suitable to act as a boar spear, and if I pull the trigger I can make instant bacon.

Long gun is long.

And now I can, in the words of Doug Parkhurt, "twirl gaily through the house with [my] 65" pointy bang stick of doom (but watch out for the ceiling fans)."


* This has to do with the aforementioned barrel harmonics and torsional forces. The short simple answer is that the bayonet acts like a counterweight and the barrel thinks it's a foot longer than it really is.

** A brony who also likes Mosins, naturally.

*** "Yob tvoyu mat! And you'll get more of the same until you decide to work!"

Lead-Up to the Bidet Shoot

Now that I am finally all caught up with unpacking, reading blogs and cleaning my guns, and people have emailed/linked their movies and videos, I can give everyone a proper AAR of the Bidet Shoot.

Let's pick up where I left off, which was Thursday morning.

Countdown to the Bidet Shoot: Day 2 (continued)

I picked up my rental car, which was a Ford Fusion. It immediately endeared itself to me because of the following characteristics:

• Electronic Everything, with a nifty HUD and controls on the steering wheel. 
• Interior gadget illumination was a pleasing cool blue instead of annoying orange. 
• Nifty interface that told me how long I'd been driving, what my fuel efficiency was (about 31 mi/gal, if I recall correctly), and how many miles until I ran out of gas. 
• A trunk so large I could fit a 50" long,  two-gun wide hard case diagonally inside it! And there was lots of room for other crap, too. 
• A glittery black paint job!  It managed to be both goth and pony at the same time. I immediately named it the Princess Lunamobile. 

The Lunamobile was a pleasure to drive, and I was sad to have to return her to the rental place. While this is not meant as a full endorsement of the vehicle, as I do not know how it would perform long-term, I wish to point out that I drove it for approximately 1600 miles (I didn't write down the odometer reading, sadly) and it performed flawlessly.  And like I said, the trunk could accommodate an encased Mosin-Nagant. 

I detoured to Ocala to pick up some ammo from a friend who sadly wasn't able to make it -- a couple boxes of 7.62x39 for my SKS and an unknown amount of  loose 9mm (I want to guess between 250 and 500 rounds) -- and then headed north. 

Let me just say that navigating through an Atlanta suburb at 10 pm, trying to find (via printed-out directions) a house I've never seen, is not fun, y'all.  Still, a grateful shout-out to Johnny V and his lovely wife for letting me crash in their nerdroom:  I slept surrounded by Marvel Universe action figures. 

Countdown to the Bidet Shoot: Day 1

After overnighting in Marietta, I left Georgia and entered Tennessee, where I had lunch with Oleg Volk in Nashville. 

Okay, I might as well get this out of the way now:  Oleg Volk Oleg Volk, I am friends with Oleg Volk.  I don't want to seem like I'm name-dropping or anything (even though that's exactly what it sounds like, I'm afraid); I just really like the fellow and he seems to regard me in equal esteem. 

Anyway, we had a wonderful lunch of Pad Thai and he put my fears to rest by making this simple point: "Women without personality have to make friends solely through sex appeal.  You, however,  have managed to make people love you without ever having seen you." I thought that was awfully nice of him. 

He also gave me some .22LR and 7.62x54R to shoot. Given the current scarcity of .22, I am tempted to sell it on eBay. 

So boldened, I continued my drive for Benton, KY. 

After many more hours of driving, lots of cursing at poor directions and finally being navigated in to the hotel via cell phone, I finally met my merry band of miscreants: Oddball, The_Jack, and Awelowynt.  Despite my initial fears, they did not run in horror at the devastation that is my face. In fact, were all quite lovely to me and immediately adopted me as one of their own.

What I found funny is that all of them were quite tall and broad: they had at least a full foot and about 100 pounds on me. I really felt like the Little Sister of the Gun-blogosphere (emphasis on little) surrounded by her large, burly big brothers. 

Safety: I had it. :D

After making myself presentable with a shower and a change of clothes, we met up with Roadkill and we all went out for dinner. After-dinner festivities involved a rather unexpected session of show-and-tell as most of the boys, lacking a large trunk capable of holding their hardware, brought their boomsticks up to their rooms. Naturally, this resulted in me having to bring mine up as well, and we all oohed and ahhed over each other's pretties.

Apparently I am becoming "that knife person" among my gunnie friends, because every time I see an improper blade I have to fix it. You see, Awelowynt  had a nifty bayonet for his equally nifty trench shotgun, but it had no edge on it whatsoever.  As in, there was a millimeter of thickness where the cutting edge should have been. (This is likely because it is a replica.) I asked him if he wanted it to be functional and he said "Sure, why not," so I immediately pulled out my Speedy Sharp and EZE-Lap and went to work. 

Thanks to Cheaper Than Dirt for this picture. 

Cutting a proper edge into it was more work than I had energy for, so I had to make to with just sharpening the tip. It's still not a proper bayonet, but it's suitably stabby that it might make a decent spear.

Immediately after that, Oddball asked me if I would take a look at his CETME bayonet. This was much easier to sharpen because it once had a proper edge. 

Thanks to Liberty Tree Collectors for this picture. 

I could understand why he asked for help, as it felt like it was made from a tough high-carbon steel. Once again, I was again grateful for the Speedy Sharp. This time, I was able to give the bayo a proper working edge. Victory!

After that, we all went to sleep as we had a big day ahead of us. And because this post is getting too big, I think I will give the shoot itself its own entry. 

Monday Gunday: Cleaning your Mosin-Nagant

This weekend, two important things happened:

1. I took Izzy to the 100 yard range and shot nearly 40 rounds of ammo;
2. A Girl and Her Gun bought a Mosin-Nagant!

Is gun. Is meant to be big, strong like horse.

Therefore, to welcome A Girl to the Mosin Militia, today's post is all about how to effectively clean your Mosin after shooting a bunch of rounds through it.

But first, pictures! You guys want to see what I did to my targets at 100 yards, right? Of course you do!

This is how I set up my targets, one on top of the other, because I didn't know how much my bullets would drop at 100 yards and I wanted to make sure I'd be on paper.  The answer? Not very damn much. Not sure if it was my posture, or the ammo if I was using, but damn if the first few rounds didn't seem like they were rising. Eventually I just stopped worrying about bullet drop altogether and was firing pretty much straight-on, elevation-wise.

As for windage... there was some pretty impressive wind that day, and it was swirling through the berms of the range, sometimes crosswise and sometimes straight at me. I'm not sure if that was the big difference, or if the windage on my scope was off, but either way I needed to aim slightly to the right of the target in order to hit it.

Anyway. My first few shots were higher than expected. You can see two of them at the bottom of the top target, and some others were off-paper. I fired 38 shots, and if you count all the holes you'll find 35 of them. Not bad, I'd say! I was using milsurp ammo, a bipod, and a 7x scope.

This was my first target. 13 holes punched in it. While half aren't in the inner ring, they'd still be hits on a human torso.

My second target, once I'd settled in a bit (still had some windage problems). The very bottom two holes are from shooting at the bottom target. I had 20 shots on paper here. Anything in black is a torso hit, and anything inside the middle ring is a cranial hit.

I'm actually quite shocked at how well I did, as this was my first time with Izzy at a hundred, and there was lots of wind, and 7x magnification with long eye relief isn't what I'd call a good sight picture (but then, I have crappy vision).

So after shooting 40 rounds -- about twice what I've ever fired on previous trips -- Izzy needed a good cleaning. Since A Girl said she had trouble determining how to clean her Mosin, I offered to tell her how to do it.

First, if you haven't already, remove all cosmoline from the gun. I did that after buying Izzy in 2010 and all I used were paper towels and a can of WD-40, but my friend Jeff swears by B-12 Chemtool: "spray the metal parts with it," he says, "and the cosmoline will literally drip off it in about five minutes, even if the barrel is clogged."

I've also been told that Nevr-Dull works great to give your barrel a mirror shine. Pinch off a wad of it, and ram it down the bore like it was a cleaning patch. If it comes out a blueish-gray, you're good; that's just the natural color of the polishing agent within the cotton. But if it comes out tar-black, you still have cosmoline or carbon buildup. Alternate swabs of Nevr-Dull and clean patches until it stops coming out black. I am assured that residual cosmoline within the barrel will adversely affect accuracy.

If you've already shot your gun, then I'm assuming cosmoline isn't an issue.So now let's get on with the post-shoot cleaning.

The absolutely first thing you need to do is neutralize whatever corrosive salts may be lingering inside your rifle from shooting military surplus rounds. (If you're using commercial cartridges, this isn't an issue, but you're paying a dollar a cartridge for the privilege when the rest of us are paying $30 for a box of 100.)  There are various schools of thought as to how best to accomplish this, from the old-fashioned "soap and hot water" technique to various pricey chemical neutralizers. I was told that ammonia works great for this, so I just grab a bottle of Windex a for the task. I live in hot, humid Florida -- aka corrosion central -- and I've never had a problem.

I find that it works best to remove the receiver from the magazine and clean them in three parts: the bolt, the magazine, and the barrel. The first two get sprayed down while sitting on my cleaning mat, and then wiped with a paper towel. Then I take the barrel into the bathroom, and after spraying the receiver I give several good squirts into the chamber, rotating the barrel in my hands so that the Windex coats the entire bore surface before dripping out into the toilet. Now take your bore inspection light (you do have one, right? You can buy one at Wal-Mart for about $7) and make sure everything looks wet & shiny.*

Foreplay is over. Now let's get to cleaning this bad boy!

Take your bronze brush and scrub the heck out of your bolt-face until there's no carbon left. Use a scraper if necessary. Coat with a lubricant of your choice (I prefer Break-Free CLP) and set it aside.

Take the hinge plate off the magazine and give everything a good squirt of CLP. Wipe down the excess and set it aside.

Time to get serious with the receiver and barrel. There are a few tools I swear by that make my life easier:

• Otis Tactical Cleaning System
• Hoppe's Boresnake in 30 caliber (model 24015)
• Mosin-Nagant cleaning rod guide

Take your Otis cleaning rod, select a #30 brush, and pull it through the bore a few times. If you're using the cleaning rod guide, you'll need to affix the additional pistol piece to accommodate the length of the rifle. 

Next, take the cleaner of your choice and spray or squirt it onto the boresnake. I like to put some right at the leading edge, and again after the bristles where it widens. Thanks to the cleaning rod guide you can do the easy thing and clean from muzzle to breach -- which is technically a no-no, but isn't a big deal in this case, because the guide will channel all the crud clear of the gun -- or you can go breech to muzzle if you'd rather. Do that however many times you feel is necessary (I like to do it about 5-6 times) and then run a patch through the bore.

(This is where things can get a bit tricky, because if you aren't using the rod guide then your patch is likely picking up crud from the outside of the chamber and pulling it through the bore. This is not what you want, because it makes your life harder and you think the barrel is dirtier than it actually is.)

Once you're happy with the condition of your bore, having run boresnake and patches down it a few times, and visually inspected it with a light, you're ready to clean the chamber and receiver. The receiver itself is easy: get a bronze brush, the cleaner of your choice, and scrub it until you're satisfied with its cleanliness. Don't forget to lube the trigger and check the tightness of the screw holding the interrupter pin!

Cleaning the chamber is probably the hardest part of all, and I don't have a great technique for it just yet. Fortunately, I am reassured that unless my rifle starts giving me problems with extracting spent rounds, it doesn't have to be pristine. If your 50+ year-old rifle can survive illiterate conscripts and the Russian winter, it can survive you!

My best suggest for cleaning the chamber is to spray it with a strong solvent, like Gunk Out, and then attack it with either the longest bronze brush you have, or put a larger bore brush on it (perhaps .45 cal, or a shotgun brush) and scrub the hell out of it. Then wrap a patch around the brush and wipe it clean. Repeat as necessary.

Before assembly, spray the receiver, chamber, and bore with more CLP. If you have excess, just wipe it on the outside metal of the rifle.

Re-assemble your Mosin, and do a function check. I have found it's very, very easy to over-tighten one of the magazine screws while under-tightening another, and this often leads to failure to feed. Once I get each screw started, I like to go back and forth between the screws in one-revolution increments. Load up a stripper clip, shove the rounds into your rifle, and carefully work the bolt to see if they feed.

At all times during the process, be aware of the rules of firearms safety! Know where the muzzle is pointing and for God's sake, keep your booger hook off the bang switch!

Et voila -- or, more accurately, электронной Вуаля -- your Mosin-Nagant is now clean, oiled, and ready for storage. Make sure it's unloaded, slowly and carefully  take the tension off the bolt, and put your rifle into its case.


Congratulations! You're all done!


*UPDATE:  If you are in the habit of shooting your Mosin with the bayonet attached, do not forget to clean the bayonet shaft closest to the muzzle! Corrosive salts will spray from the barrel and begin to rust your bayonet (don't ask me how I know this) if you don't hose it down with Windex.

I've since discovered an easier way to clean the bore without having to take the rifle into the bathroom:  I attach the bayonet, go into the backyard, and stab the receiver into the ground like a tomato stake. From there I just spray the chamber and barrel and let the Windex work its way down while I clean the bolt and magazine.

Monday Gunday Product Review: Witt Machine Muzzle Brake for Mosin-Nagant 91/30

Back in March I received a Witt Machine Muzzle Brake (normally $85, but I got mine through a group-buy that only cost $55) for my now-infamous Mosin-Nagant 91/30. (Witt Machine also makes M44 brakes.)


Attachment
As you can see from the attached photos, this is not a cheap brake that clamps on with a single screw and will end up flying downrange after a few shots; this is a solidly machined piece of anodized aluminum that sockets onto the barrel exactly like a bayonet does, and is then further secured by no less than four screws.

The instructions also call for the user to further secure it in place with application of blue Loctite along the contact surfaces of the barrel. However, this was not ideal for me because 1) with the brake permanently mounted I could not fit it inside my longest rifle case, and 2) I still like the idea of being able to use my bayonet.

I remedied this by calling Witt Machine leaving a message with the receptionist. I received a call back from the president of the company (it turns out the receptionist is his wife), and when I explained the situation he said -- and I paraphrase here because it's been nearly a year -- "Yeah, it should be fine with just the socket and screws. That's how we test each of them before we ship them. The Loctite is just an extra layer of security. But if your brake fails, send it back and we'll replace it."

I am pleased to report that my muzzle brake has yet to fail, and I don't think it ever will, either.


Dimensions

Performance
This muzzle brake is supposed to reduce felt recoil and muzzle rise up to 70%. While I cannot accurately speculate as to how much recoil it reduces due to all the other recoil-reducing gimcrackery I have on my Mosin, I can tell you that it does indeed kick less. In a previous post I noted that Oleg Volk said I had managed to drop the recoil down to that of an AR-15.

I'm not sure if I would go quite that far. What I will claim, however, is that this brake eliminated nearly all of the twisting, bucking and jumping antics that drove me crazy. (No joke: every time I fired it, the rifle would jump up about an inch and 2-3 inches to the left. This made re-acquiring my target at 100 yards a severe annoyance.)


Cleaning
If you shoot corrosive surplus ammo, you know the importance of cleaning. One of the first things I thought when looking at this brake was "I bet all those vents and baffles make it a pain in the rear to clean."  I am pleased to say that I was completely wrong about this, and here's why: I can take the brake off and stick it under hot running water, or soak it in a pot of boiling water, or just spray the heck out of it with solvent. Then I just wipe it down, possibly apply some CLP to it, and it's ready to go again.

However, if you glued it to your barrel, you're probably not going to have a fun time.


My Rating: A+
I encourage every Mosin owner to get one of these. Not only does it help tame your beast to make it more fun to shoot, the brake is just as rugged as your rifle. It's easy to put on, easy to take off, and its multiple methods of securing it make it clear that its designer is serious about it not coming off during operation. The fact that it also has a 100% lifetime guarantee further demonstrates that the manufacturer believes in its reliability.

The brake mounted on a certain infamous 91/30.

Obligatory FTC Disclaimer: I bought this with my own money. Go away. 

Palette's Product Review: Red Lion Precision Front Sight for Kel-Tec Sub-2000

Last month, I received some merchandise from Red Lion Precision for my Kel-Tec Sub-2000. As a review of all them  (front sight, muzzle compensator, rail system) would be too much for a single article, I've broken it up into a series. This article will be about the Red Lion Precision Front Sight with Picatinny rail ($77.00).

I'm going to lead with the bad news: 

In order to install this sight, you are going to have to destroy the stock Sub-2000 front sight. 

The instructions (which are clear and easy to follow) say so, plain as day. I know that there are websites out there which tell you this isn't necessary, but I don't see how this is possible, and here's why: 

Despite looking like a flimsy bit of polymer, the stock Sub-2000 front sight is attached really well to the barrel. It's actually far stronger than it looks. 

You see, I tried to remove the front sight non-destructively. I read that all I needed was a butane torch, and that if I heated the barrel near the sight, the Loctite bonding the sight to the barrel would release. Well, I tried that, and after several minutes it didn't release. Now, one of two things was clearly happening here:

1. I was moving the torch too much, which is understandable since I didn't want to ruin the temper of the barrel with a constant application of flame to it. 
2. The heat required to make the adhesive give just wasn't conducting through the barrel in the right amount. 

I'm going to go with option #2, because the metal did get hot enough to cause the plastic of the blade part of the front sight to melt and detach from the ring around the barrel part. 

With the sight already damaged, I said "To heck with it!" and took a Dremel tool to the rest of the plastic to get it off. Then I applied the remainder of the butane flame directly to the metal bushing that kept the sight anchored to the barrel. After several minutes of applied heat, it came off. After that, the installation was easy: 

1. Place the muzzlecomp inside the sight;
2. Tighten the screws slightly to keep muzzlecomp in place;
3. Place the sight on the barrel the way you want it;
4. Tighten everything up.

It is worth noting that you don't have to remove the bushing to install the RLP Front Sight; however, if you choose that option, you can't use a muzzle compensator. 

Considering that there's only one merchandise choice (adapter non-muzzlecomp) if you keep the bushing on, but three if you remove it (adapter muzzlecomp with teeth, adapter muzzlecomp plain face, and adapter non-muzzlecomp) if you do, I'm just going to assume that most folks who will go to the trouble to mount a precision metal front sight to their Sub-2000 are going to say "Heck, why not?" and get the muzzlecomp.

(The muzzle compensator will be the subject of my next review). 

And now for the good news:

I love everything else about this sight. 

While it isn't as immediately visible as the Kel-Tec fiber-optic blade, it makes up for that by being an absolute breeze to adjust. Here is the how they differ:

Original Sight

1. Loosen the screw that the holds fiber-optic blade in place. 
2. Wiggle the fiber-optic blade until it's roughly where you think you want it.
3. Tighten the screw back up.
4. See if the blade is actually where you need it to be.
5. Repeat steps 1-4 as necessary.

Red Lion Precision Sight

1. Place the sight tool over post (elevation) or in knob (windage).
2. Click it the same number of times you'd adjust the elevation & windage on AR-15 iron sights.

There's a reason the word Precision is in the name.. 

And while I was impressed with how sturdy the Kel-Tec plastic sight was, this one is even more impressive:

• It's machined and anodized from aircraft aluminum
• The semicircular sight instead of full circle aids visibility
• It locks into the Sub-2000 buttstock when folded, just like factory version

Best of all, the rail underneath the sight is ideal for mounting all sorts of things: flashlights, lasers, bipods... even a bayonet.

Yes, I mounted a Laserlyte Pistol Bayonet to my Sub-2000. I like bayonets.  Don't judge me.


My Rating:  A+

The only drawback the RLP front sight has is that it's pricy: $69.50 for the base unit plus $9 for the cheapest adapter. The version with a Picatinny rail costs an additional $7.50, and the fancier muzzlecomps run between $15 and $20, so you could easily drop $100 on this front sight assembly.

That said, replacing the plastic front sight with an easily-adjustable precision metal sight is arguably the best improvement you can make to your Kel-Tec Sub-2000. (For me, it's a toss-up between this and the Extended Cocking Handle made by Twisted Industries -- heck, get both!)


Obligatory FTC Disclaimer:  I received this product for free. I was not paid or otherwise compensated in return for giving it a good review. Also, your mom says you should call her more often. 

The Strange and Storied History of Silence Do-Good, part 7: Costumed Crusaders

"There are those who will say that I have made a mistake, that I have betrayed my country. To those people I simply say: Let history judge my actions today." -- Silence Do-Good, 15 November 1920


On the face of it, what Silence Do-Good did on that cold November morning was a small thing,but it would have repercussions which would forever echo down the ages.

A shipment of illegal alcohol was being smuggled into Chicago by elements of Johnny Torrio's criminal empire via the docks, there to be dispersed by truck to hundreds of downtown speakeasies. Not only would this continue to fuel the growing war between the Italian Chicago Mob and the Irish North Side Gang, it would also dictate a strong response by Dylan, Michael, and Thomas Callaghan, a.k.a the Quiet Men.

The Callaghan brothers were all WW1 veterans, possessed of typical Irish tempers and a strong Catholic sense of right and wrong. They were among the first to take up arms against the growing wave of crime in their city, using infantry tactics learned in the harsh Mexican Campaign. They used their heritage to their advantage, making their attacks on Torrio's mob seem the work of the North Siders. Unfortunately, the Torrio was tired of these attacks, and alongside the alcohol were large amounts of automatic weapons and ammunition for same. Open warfare was about to break out in the streets of Chicago, and the Callaghan brothers were about to light the fuse.

Side note: The Quiet Men were, despite their lack of powers or costumes, the first "super group" ever to appear in this universe. They wore similar outfits -- World War 1 uniforms with any identifying marks removed, trenchcoats with upturned collars, and fedoras pulled down low. They used code names -- Lieutenant, Sergeant, and Private. They even used different weapons -- Lt. Quiet (Michael Callaghan) carried a Colt .45 pistol in his right hand and a swagger stick in his left; Sgt. Quiet (Dylan Callaghan) used an M1903 Springfield with affixed bayonet; and Pvt Quiet (Thomas Callaghan) used a Thompson SMG* with drum magazine.

Given the similarity of clothing, obvious command structure, and different yet complimentary choice of weapons in lieu of power, they not only set the mold for all future super groups, but also dictated vigilante fashion for decades. 

Silence knew that Torrio's mob could not be allowed to smuggle their contraband into Chicago, but she also knew that any police response would be out-manned and out-gunned. Worse, the Quiet Men knew about the shipment as well, and planned to hit the trucks as they left the docks. Therefore, she did the one thing that would not result in catastrophic loss of life: direct intervention.

The battle, if you can call it that, was short. Silence waited below ground as the mobsters transferred the contraband from the ship to the docks. Her plan was to have the earth swallow the crates once the ship was unloaded, then appear and take them all into custody. Unfortunately, this plan was foiled almost immediately as the gang members chose to begin loading the crates immediately into the first waiting truck, sending each out as soon as it was loaded.

When the first truck began to leave, Silence sprang into action. She partially liquefied the ground underneath the truck, swallowing it to its axles. The gangsters in the truck, not knowing exactly what was going on but aware that something seriously wrong had occurred, leaped out and sounded the alarm. Immediately the other gangsters pulled out weapons and ceased the unloading of the ship as the crew hastily made to depart. In the confusion, no one noticed the large woman rising from the ground, or saw her grasp the bow line and tie it about her waist. "YOU ARE ALL UNDER ARREST," she then shouted in a voice which carried like a foghorn. "PUT DOWN YOUR WEAPONS AND..."

The rest of her sentence was drowned out by gunshots as Torrio's mobsters opened fire on her with their automatic weapons. None of them seemed to hit her, however, for the concrete of the pier rose up and encased her as she assumed her Golem Form, granting her the strength and durability of the earth itself. This had the added effect of fusing the line to her body and anchoring her to the dock. Then she gave the line a good, solid yank.

A rare glimpse of Silence in her true Golem form

Later, one of the gangsters was reported as saying, "First we was shootin' at this big dame in blue. Next she was a statue. I dunno where the boat came from, one minute it was in the water and the next it was landin' almost on toppa us! As we was pickin' ourselves up, the statue-thing rises outta the ground with the biggest dang hammer I ever seen, like a telephone pole with cement foundation bein' held upside-down. I dunno what it said after that, but me'n the rest of the boys figgered it'd won so we all raised our hands and cried uncle."

As a point of interest, Silence's actual words were as follows: "Naughty, naughty, shooting a lady. If you don't surrender right now I shall be forced to spank you." This delivery was made more impressive by the massive war-mallet she had taken from the earth, and that her voice in golem form sounded like an avalanche.

The mobsters weren't the only witnesses to Silence's actions that day. Also in attendance was Max Fairfield, a junior reporter for the Chicago Tribune on the crime beat, who had received an anonymous tip about "something important" happening at the docks, and that he should bring a camera with him. In so doing, he made history, for he was the first journalist to photograph, and then interview, the first Super Hero.

Excerpted from Max Fairfield's Pulitzer-winning article, Silent No More:

I called you here as a witness to history, Mr. Fairfield. It is your job to ensure that my words are heard across this country and throughout history. If you misquote me I shall be quite cross with you.

Know this: A new war is upon, a war against the criminal element, and I shall not sit idly by as this war consumes the country I love. My father created me to defend our nation against all threats, both foreign and domestic, and this I do now.

Also know that just I will not abide criminal behavior, neither shall I tolerate murder in my name. There has been enough killing, and as I stand before you now, it will end. There are those who sought to emulate me and fight for justice, and their thirst for justice does them credit. But violence only multiplies violence.

I say to you now, before God and Country, that these "Mystery Men" cannot exist in America, for our country cannot, will not abide assassination in lieu of law. Let those who wish to follow me do so using my methods! Do not keep to shadows, but instead proclaim yourselves as proud defenders of law and order. Work with the police, and not against them. Do not kill the guilty; defeat them in their crimes and allow our system to put them to trial.

Do as I ask, and I shall see to it that every police force in the country will cooperate with you in your capacity as an anonymous, concerned citizen. But those who murder again in my name shall receive a harsh reproach from me.

Her gamble worked. In the weeks that followed, the mystery men stepped out of the shadows and into costumes -- muted at first, and many based upon military or police uniforms, but gradually becoming more colorful. They reduced the lethality of their attacks, using billy clubs, hand-to-hand techniques, or in some cases adopting more unusual weapons as the bow & arrow or the fencing sword. Those who kept their guns, usually pistols, either left them for use only in emergency situations or became exceptional trick shots.

Silence kept her word. Using her many connections in state and federal government, the "Do-Good Statute" of 1921 made it legal for easily identifiable (i.e. costumed) and known (having a relationship with state, local, or federal law-enforcement) vigilantes to work with the police through an extension of citizen's arrest laws.

As quickly as it had come, the day of the mystery men had set. This was the dawn of the Costumed Crusader.


Next: The Golden Age

*Before anyone says that the Thompson SMG didn't enter military service until 1938, I have only one thing to add: This is Alternate History. The needs of the Mexican Campaign resulted in its early invention.

The character of Silence Do-Good is copyright Erin Palette 2011. All art in these sections is either public domain, or machinima from the City of Heroes MMO. I do not claim any ownership of art.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution- Noncommercial- No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

Bidet Shoot After Action Report

I have been told that yesterday's post was "a cocktease." Um, thank you?

At any rate, I shall stop tormenting everyone's roosters and get on to the meat of the matter. WizardPC has some amazing pictures here, and while I will link to some of them you really should go to his blog post and look at them all.

The Bidet Shoot

After waking up and having breakfast, we (Oddball, The_Jack, Awelowynt and myself) trundled down to the logging camp that would serve as our range. There we met Freiheit, WizardPC, and James & Jim, the father & son who owned the range. Again, my fears were unfounded, as both Wiz & Frei were quite lovely to me and treated me well (even though Freiheit was shocked, the poor dear).

First we unpacked all of the guns and ammunition in a buffet of ordnance that would no doubt kill pearl-clutching anti-gunners:

I regret that there isn't a picture of the pickup with its tailgate full -- and I mean FULL -- of ammo boxes. There was an entire box full of .50 BMG. I thought this was extraordinarily ambitious.

Then we received a brief safety lesson (reiteration of 4 rules, how to call Range Hot and Range Cold, etc), and then it was time to begin the festivities. Since we knew The_Jack was going to shoot his mortar at the end, I thought it was highly appropriate that Freiheit would start things off with his cute li'l Pocket Cannon.

I also regret not getting a picture of this with a toy Pinkie Pie standing next to it. Ah well.

We seeded the range with a variety of targets: sporting clays, silhouettes, metal twirly things and even some small bottles of Tannerite.  I wanted to make sure my Mosin's scope hadn't been knocked out of alignment, so I took aim at one of the Tannerite charges and started shooting. Unfortunately, I couldn't quite tell where I was hitting, so the following exchange happened:

Me: "Hey Awelowynt, can you spot for me?  I can't tell if my shots are high or low."  (This is because the scope is zeroed for 100 yards and the range was only 60.)
Him: "Sure."
Me:  *reloads* *shoots*
Tannerite: *BOOM!*
Me: "WOOOHOOOO!  FIRST BLOOD!"
Him: "... you're a bit low."

We then shot what might be called a metric fuckton of guns.   People were going around like it was a key party, asking "Do you want to shoot my [fill in the blank]?"  Very early on I stated that "My answer to Do you want to shoot one of my guns is always Yes!"   I lost track of how many guns I shot, and sadly I did not get to shoot them all. I know I shot:

• Oddball's Ishapore SMLE and CETME (which was probably my favorite of the tryout guns); 
• The_Jack's KRISS Vector SDP and several of his pistols; 
• Roadkill's [Don't hurt me, I don't know the model] Mauser and revolver; 
• Freiheit's KSG;
• and Awelowynt's replica WW1 Trench Shotgun. I also shot his Henry Lever Octagon .22 rifle using subsonic .22 short that was so quiet and recoiled so little I honestly couldn't tell that I'd shot it.

I especially enjoyed the decoration Awelowynt made on this last one, so I brought out some folks who would appreciate it and had their picture taken with it:

I promised you folks a Glockenpony 2, did I not?

Oh, I also got to shoot a FULLY AUTOMATIC UZI.  That was awesome!  I know that full auto causes a barrel to climb, but I really wasn't expecting that degree of "ride up".  I was better the second time, in a more aggressive stance and fully braced, and I shot the hell out of an old water cooler bottle that was sitting at about 30 yards.

I also made sure everyone who wanted to shoot my toys had the opportunity. I believe the general consensus is as follows:

• The Sub-2000 is a fun gun to shoot, and is well suited to the role of home defense carbine;
• The Sleep of Reason is far nicer than any Mosin-Nagant has any right to be;
• Everyone loved the PMR-30 as a fun little gun that was surprisingly accurate, surprisingly smooth, and made satisfying fireballs. Freiheit even went so far as to write a review of it.
• No one wanted to shoot my SKS except me. 

I also managed to do this with my SKS:

It's hard to tell, but that is a bolt and washer that secured a length of chain to a hanging metal target The_Jack had brought. I, ah, wasn't aware that target was for pistols only, and I, ah, kinda killed it. First it was hanging with both chains, and then a bit later it was dangling with just one, and then it kinda fell to the ground.  Apparently one of my shots hit the bolt square-on and dig a trench out of it, and then the others caused the target to spin and dance such that the other chain failed. Or maybe I shot it too, I don't know.

The good news it was just the bolt and chains that broke, and not the actual steel target, I didn't have to replace it. Jack was a sweetheart and forgave me the chains. What a lovely fellow he is!

After that it was noonish, so we all went to lunch at a local eatery where we shared BS stories and passed around our concealed carry permits, laughing at the horrible pictures. I believe I won the unofficial contest for "If I ever get arrested, this is the picture the news will use."

We returned to the range and, because this was a celebration of Oddball's birthday, we all had cake!

Yes, that's a toilet on the cake.  It's vanilla ice cream with chocolate underneath. Make your own joke.

Yes, we are using a bayonet to cut it. Awelowynt decided that he'd use dry ice to keep it from melting, and so he used an excessive amount of it (20 pounds) to keep it cold. That worked too well -- while the ice cream melted pretty easily in the hot June sun, the chocolate was frozen solid.

There was brief consideration of using the frozen cake as targets, as well as the dry ice.

After this, it was time for the actual shooting of bidets. Now, I had expected something like this:

Instead, we got this:

Which totally makes sense, because we were going to shoot the hell out of it anyway and why waste a perfectly good bathroom appliance, but darn it, I wanted to kill a fanny-flusher. 

Luckily for us, one of the guys (Freiheit, I think) works in home renovation, and so had access to three ratty toilets ("terlets," the in local parlance) for us to perforate. 

The first one disintegrated under a hail of automatic 5.56mm fire. 

We then set up the AR-50 and let the birthday boy have first shot at it. I am pleased to report that it takes two shots to kill a toilet terlet with a .50 cal: one to destroy the tank, the second to destroy the bowl. 

Then I was up with the remaining terlet, and this one had the bidet in it. I killed the hell out of it, too. The recoil was hardly anything, due to the weight of the rifle and the muzzle brake and because I am used to shooting my Mosin-Nagant. The report was impressive, though.

When we called "Range Cold!" and went to inspect the devastation, I was impressed. The bidet was mostly in one piece (aside from having a broken hose) and it had been hurled a distance of two Erin Palettes away from the shattered terlet. I really did measure that: feet at the bidet I assumed the push-up position, and then I moved up and put my feet where my head had been. It really had been thrown two of my body lengths.

(One EP is approximately 5'4" in length.)

After this, I decided that I really, REALLY needed some photographs of the AR-50 with a certain pony.

EAT

A

DICK!

50 Caliber Glockenpony, bitches!

What happened next was perhaps the manliest thing I have ever seen. The owner of the AR-50 was talking some good-natured smack about how if anyone wanted to shoot it freehand, they were welcome to try, har har. Those pictures don't give a good sense of scale, but that damn thing is about 5 feet long (0.95 EPs) and weighs about 35 pounds, but due to the length it feels more like 50. While I could pick it up to carry, it was too long for me to properly shoulder as the recoil pad kept getting caught in my armpit.

But Oddball, being tall and strong, decided he would give it a try. In a kilt, no less. But he didn't have a good target.

I happened to see a lime-green bowling ball in someone's Box o'Targets and I asked, "How about that?"  It was decided that this would make a splendid target.

We set it up, and... well, let's just let the video speak for itself.




Yes. That is a man in a kilt free-handing a 5', 35 lb rifle and killing a bowling ball at 60 yards. You're welcome, Internet.

That's a heck of a trophy. I believe he took a chunk home with him.

Then we had the closing ceremony where The_Jack fired off his mortar (sadly, no video of this).   It was ... substantially louder than Freiheit's cannon.

After that, we cleaned up the broken pieces of terlet (which was a pain), went back to our hotel rooms, and took showers as some of us (myself included) were suffering from heat exhaustion. Wiz & Frei left for home, but the rest of us went out to dinner with Mr. & Mrs. Roadkill.

Sunday morning came too soon; we were all having a blast and no one wanted to leave. I took it as an excellent sign that, after spending so much time in each other's company, none of us wanted to stop talking at breakfast when we needed to vacate our rooms. And then, after packing up and checking out, we were still BSing in the parking lots.

Group pictures were taken; hugs were handed out (mostly by me); goodbyes were said and we reluctantly went out separate ways.

The Bidet Shoot was an UNQUALIFIED success! Much fun was had by all.  Special thanks to:

• Lucky Gunner (official sponsor of Bidet Shoot 2013) for providing us with ammunition and a bidet;
• James and Jim Cook, whose range we used;
• Charlie Rose, who served our country with distinction and in whose honor the range was named. 

Next Year:  Bidet Shoot 2 -- Flaming Chainsaw Boogaloo!

Assorted Calibers Podcast Ep 285: LaPierre under the Hammer

  

In This Episode

• Erin and Weer’d discuss:
  • Oliver North and Marion Hammer both speaking out against Wayne LaPierre;
  • a spree shooting in Canada that you might not have heard about;
  • the UK's continuing crusade to ban their way to safety, now with even more restrictions on knives;
  • and Beth Alcazar of USCCA has an anonymous survey for Concealed Carry Magazine that she wants us to take.
• Myles tells us about what caught his eye at this year's SHOT Show;
• Oddball talks bayonet myths and misconceptions;
• and Xander continues his segment on farming, this time about water and drainage.

Did you know that we have a Patreon? Join now for the low, low cost of $4/month (that’s $1/podcast) and you’ll get to listen to our podcast on Friday instead of Mondays, as well as patron-only content like mag dump episodes and our hilarious blooper reels and film tracks.

Show Notes

Main Topic:

• Oliver North says NRA reacted to misconduct allegations like a ‘circular firing squad’
• Marion Calls For A Search Committee To Replace Wayne
• NRA in Danger: Transcript Of LaPierre Testimony
• I wonder why you haven't heard about the shooting in Canada this week
• Security guard accused in Edmonton city hall shooting makes court appearance
• What you need to know about the Government of Canada’s May 1, 2020 prohibition on certain firearms and devices
• Idris Elba warns against mandatory jail for carrying knife
• They want to BAN SWORDS now.... Response to the Labour Party & Idris Elba
• When Terry Pratchett was knighted, he forged his own sword out of meteorite
• Beth Alcazar’s anonymous gun ownership survey for Concealed Carry Magazine

Southpaw Corner:

• S&W Model 1894
• Canik TTI Combat
• Henry Lever Action Supreme That Uses AR Mags - SHOT Show 2024
  • Mossberg 464 SPX
• Diamondback SDR
•  30X Tomcat Just in Case 30X Tomcat Just in Case
• Kahr Firearms Group- New Firearms
• Daniel Defense H9

Independent Thoughts with Xander Opal: 

• Guns Germs and Steel

The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters

That's basically what Oleg said when he first saw my heavy modified Mosin-Nagant, although he was quoting Goya at the time. (Click link for more sexy pics of my Mosin.)

“Fantasy abandoned by reason produces impossible monsters: 

united with her, she is the mother of the arts and the origin of their marvels.”

As much as I adore that quote (because it sums me up so very well), I have to say that I am far more flattered by his own words here: "This visual offense against good design actually shoots fairly well". "Visual offense" actually tickles me, since I've never found the stock Mosin configuration to be anything more than "Is rifle. It works. What else you expect?"

I have sporterized this rifle so much that the only original parts are the bolt, receiver, barrel, and bayonet. I am certain that the purists will begin howling with outrage at how I've bastardized and bubba'd it, but my response to them is the same as always: 

Fuck you, this is my rifle. I can paint it pink and put glitter on it if I want. Nothing I do to my rifle affects yours in any conceivable way whatsoever. 

Some can argue whether or not I've improved it over the original. I can state without reservation that I've improved how it performs for me when I fire it. Whether it's improved for anyone else is irrelevant, because fuck you it's my gun. You're more than welcome to laugh at it, because even I will admit it's a Frankenstein's Monster of a rifle; just don't think you can argue with me about it. 

Modifications are as follows:

• ATI fiberglass stock with Monte Carlo grip
• Limbsaver recoil pad
• UTG all-steel scope mount 
• 2-7x32 long eye relief scope
• Winchester bipod (bought at Wal-Mart)
• Accu-Shot monopod
• Pull-ring safety/cocking knob (single machined piece, not brazed or welded)
• Timney trigger  (review of which will come later)
• Bedded action
• Floated barrel
• Limbsaver barrel de-resonator 
• Buttstock shell holder and pouch
• "Avada Kedavra" written in silver nail polish

This is my killing curse. 

There are many like it, but this one is mine.