This week was a whirlwind. Work was especially busy, and I got hit by the migraine freight train one day and a cramped up back the next. It’s been exciting, on the bright side, fall weather is setting in, which is much appreciated. Despite the cooler weather, the leaves haven’t begun to turn yet. At least I haven’t seen any trees with yellow leaves yet. We can expect that to begin at any day now.
I took my daughter out to fly her airplane and that did not go as well as I would have liked. I think I finally understand what it means to be tail heavy and why it is so devastating to fly a plane that is tail heavy. It seems like a simple concept but for some reason I couldn’t quite grasp it, until I launched her plane and it kind of just clicked, about two seconds before it completed a flip and nosed dived into the ground.
My wife and I plan to visit the Tunbridge World’s Fair, I enjoy watching the horse and oxen pulls along with seeing the old engines and machinery. It’s been awhile since I have had the chance to go to that fair but I am looking forward to it.
Website Updates
When Marc wrote his article on the chronographs it got me thinking about how people generally use their chronographs. I often do not hear much about Standard Deviation, or discussion around how shooters apply that to their loads to figure out if “good enough” is “good enough”. Statistics can be a deep and dark well to dive into especially if you don’t have a background in math or engineering. So, I thought it might be useful to try and explain it in the simplest terms I could muster so folks might get the benefit of using their Chronograph not only to measure what is, but also “what might be”. See the article below and let me know your thoughts.
Time at the Bench
I opted to switch my Dillon 550 over to rerun that .223 Remington where the COAL was a touch too long. It turned out better than I had thought it would be. Most of the rounds were fine, it was just a couple of lots that I needed to go through. It’s a pretty darn quick process. One die to set the bullet back about .025 and a second die to reapply the crimp.
You could argue that I shouldn’t need to reapply the crimp, especially since I am not crimping especially hard. However, I felt it helped the rounds gauge a little better, as does just tuck in the case mouth and prevent it from hanging up. It’s not much, but it’s noticeable.
New Cartridge (for me) 7.62x39mm
This is a new cartridge for me. I have been collecting components for a while with the intent of loading ammo for that VZ-58 I built a few years ago. I had some left-over components from some experimentation I did with the .303 British. Both cartridges have a bore diameter that can range from .310 to .312. The bullets I had were some Sierra 125gr Soft Points measuring .311in.
I had a few different powders I could have used for this load, but I decided to use H335 as I have an abundance of it at the moment. This powder is on the slow side for what will work, but I don’t mind that. Case fill will always be 100% and I don’t run the risk of overtopping the service pressure. My big holdback on getting the rifle sighted in will be the trigger, it’s horrendous. I’ve got to figure out how to fix that.
Industry and Legislative News
Rest in Peace Charlie Kirk
This is a news story that has hit closer to home than usual. I lived in and around Orem, Utah for 10 years, and I went to school at Utah Valley University. So, to see the tragedy happen not only in a city I knew well, but at the college campus I knew well, it’s hard to watch. Charlie Kirk was not someone I had in my regular rotation of podcasts but I have heard him speak on a few occasions and I have always appreciated his wit and stalwart defense of the Constitution and of Christian values. It has been absolutely heart breaking to see this unfold.
To those who are not familiar with the area, Orem and Provo Utah are basically one city with two major colleges. Utah Valley University (UVU), and Brigham Young University. Like much of Utah, the community is between 30 to 50% members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In the interest of full disclosure, I am part of that community, having been a member of the church all my life. The crime rate for both cities is lower than the national average.
Utah is unique in that if a school receives state funding, then they must also allow individuals with Conceal Carry Permits to carry on campus. That is true for colleges as well as grade schools. Many people, including myself, regularly carried a firearm while attending UVU. No doubt many of the attendees at Charlie Kirk’s tour were also carrying. It is of no surprise to me that security could be considered “lax”. Charlie was speaking to a large but very friendly crowd, and even the people protesting were tame when it comes to university protests.
The campus is set up, like many modern campuses, with large outdoor spaces. However, you could get pretty much anywhere you wanted to go through long corridors. Many of these corridors were also terraces on top and served as additional walkways. Elevated positions, and lots of open spaces, it is everything a sharpshooter could ask for. I wish very much I was not having to write about this, as it is a true tragedy. I suspect it will not be long before the culprit is apprehended. A surplus Mauser .30-06 has already been recovered, and investigators have released pictures of a suspect who remains at large. Whoever the shooter is, the death penalty will likely be on the table.
Even still, Charlie left behind a wife and two young children, and a conservative movement that happens once in a generation. Whatever punishment or justice is granted it will not replace the truly a good man we lost, and it makes me genuinely concerned about the future of our country. If we can no longer have discourse about ideas, even those which may be unpalatable to some on the left, right or center, then we have lost the Republic.
DOJ Considering Restricting Gun Rights to Trans individuals
With the shooting two weeks ago, and with the recent assassination of Charlie Kirk. The discussion around gun control and gun rights is still very much in the forefront of the public discussion. Reports indicate the Department of Justice is internally deliberating whether or not individuals suffering from Gender Dysphoria should be stripped of their gun rights. This stems from the fact that several of the most recent mass shooters claimed to be suffering from gender dysphoria.
I am somewhat upset that I have to be put in the position of “If you do it to them, then you’ll do it to us.” Literally millions of Americans struggle with mental health issues, including Anxiety, Depression, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD). Many of our veteran struggle with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) which go hand in hand with depression and anxiety. So, if we begin to strip rights from individuals with mental health issues, where does that line get drawn? Are we putting our rights into the hands of the American Medical Association, who have been vehemently antigun?
I find it unlikely that any such restriction is going to be held up in court. There are processes to adjudicate individuals as mentally ill, and there are legitimate arguments over that process, and how the Rights are restored to that individual when they recover. This whole “Transgender” issue has irked me in more ways than one, and it irks me a bit more that I am put into a position of “Yes, they are mentally ill, but no you cannot strip their gun rights from them”. If the shoe was on the other foot, I have little doubt that I would be thrown wholesale to the wolves.
Delaware Judge Strikes Down Age Requirement
The minimum age to purchase a handgun was moved to 21 as a response to the Columbine shooting. Since then, there have been many arguments that this was unconstitutional, as the age of majority in the country is 18. Why should we give some people the majority of rights at 18 but withhold the remaining rights at 21?
There have been several lawsuits and verdicts upholding this requirement but now we have at least one instance where a judge found it was unconstitutional, from Delaware of all States. Expect this ruling to be appealed. There are other courts cases in the works dealing with the same thing, and there has been a push in some states to include so called “assault weapons” under the 21 or older requirement.
Steps Towards Conceal Carry National Reciprocity
We have had at least one pending ruling that has the potential to erode the barriers towards the goal of National Reciprocity. At the end of August, it was ruled in Higbie v. James that New York must allow nonresidents to apply for concealed carry permits. This does not exempt them from the state’s extensive requirements, but it’s a step in the right direction. The more concealed carry is normalized, and the more restrictions that are struck down in court the closer we are to getting national reciprocity.
To that end, New Hampshire has joined 24 other states in asking the U.S Supreme Court to review Massachusetts’ onerous permitting requirements. To highlight the severity of the issue, gun owners have to be hyper vigilant when crossing state lines. An arbitrary line on the map is the difference between being law abiding and being a felon. It is not theoretical, in many areas you can go for a walk on a street at the beginning of your walk you are perfectly legal, by the middle of the walk you are a felon. Given the Right to self-defense is a National Right, and not a State Right, then that right should apply regardless of State lines.
Tennessee Mandating Gun Safety Classes in All Grades
One of my biggest frustrations about school is that they do not teach skills that transfer into the real world. Skills such as:
- Managing money, what is a credit score, what and how to manage debt, how to file for taxes
- How Insurance works, what is a deductible, and what it means to be in-network
- How to vote in local, state and national elections, how to be engaged civilly
- How to rent an apartment, what tent rights are, how to read a lease, what is a security deposit.
- First aid and basic health literacy, CPR, when to go to the ER vs. Urgent care,
- How to write a resume, interview for a job, negotiate a salary, and avoid the pitfalls of internships
This list is probably a mile long, but it’s things we as adults have to figure out on our own. Well in Tennessee, they are going to be teaching gun safety, something that used to be taught nationally through programs like the NRA’s Eddie Eagle.
New Guns and Gear
Taurus 66 Combat
Taurus recently announced a new 7 shot 357 Magnum Revolver. This is a medium framed revolver with a double action only hammer. Clearly this is targeting the folks who like to conceal carry a revolver, as the hammer has been bobbed and the barrel is a short 3in. This all but guarantees that the flash is going to be extraordinary and blinding when shot in low light conditions. It does come predrilled and tapped for an optics plate if you’d like to mount a red dot, that is handy.
Wilson Combat SFT9
While not a “New” product it is something Marc was able to put his hands on this week. Wilson Combat announced and released this pistol back in August of 2022. I would deem it a modernized 1911, eliminating the grip safety, as well as offering it in a double stack 9mm. Marc reports that it feels very comfortable in his hands and over all he was impressed with the fit and finish of the handgun. The only thing I would change is the front barrel bushing, while it is iconic 1911, a reverse plug like found on a double stack in 1911 just makes servicing these guns a bit easier.
Hi-Point HP-15
A new addition to the entry level AR-15’s, the HP-15. Honestly, I am like everyone else, when we see a new MSR hit the market, apathetic. Most of us know Hi-Point for their very inexpensive and ugly as sin pistols. Yes, they work, yes they will never win a beauty pageant, even if they are the last contestant standing. Apparently, they have seen a hole in their line up and have decided to make the bold move of offering a budget AR-15. Now to be completely fair, the specs read to be just fine. 1:8 Twist 16in Nitrided barrel, 15in Free Floating M-LOK handguard, M16 Full Profile Bolt Carrier, etc.
The price tag is fair, at $499.99 you’re not going to break the bank. It’s probably just fine for someone looking for their first AR. It’s just a very crowded market right now. AR’s are a dime a dozen, Andro Corp Industries AR-15’s are regularly on sale for $369.99, which is about as low as I have seen an AR go for. So I am not sure why a company would be looking to launch budget ARs in this market. Yet here we are.
If you have questions, comments, or ideas, we’d love to hear from you.
Jay – jay@theballisticassistant.com
Marc – Marc@theballisticassistant.com
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