Bulgarian AK-74 review

From The Survivalist Blog, with the most interesting (to me, anyway) part being the 100 yard accuracy testing.

The next day, I went back to the range for accuracy testing at 100 yards. I have to say for an AK type rifle I was impressed with the performance of both the rifle and the 5.45×39 round. Groups at this distance were consistent at 2-3 inches.

That accuracy was achieved with cheap mil-surp ammo; I would imagine that upgrading your ammo would result in an increase in accuracy.  That being said, the whole appeal of these guns is that 1) they’re relatively cost effective, with the Bulgarian model running around $450.  The only major issue I would have with these rifles is sourcing not ammo, but rather magazines.  For a decent fighting rifle you should have a pile of magazines, and the 5.45 Ruskie mags are a bit harder to find that the usual AK 7.62 magazines.

Attn Hoosiers: HB 1065 passes Senate, heads to House for review

From the NRA-ILA Release:

On Monday, February 22, the Indiana Senate voted 41-9 to pass House Bill 1065.  HB1065 will now head back to the House for concurrence.

HB1065 would prevent state or local government authorities from confiscating lawfully owned firearms during declared states of emergency, such as occurred in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina.  Moreover, this bill would also prohibit employers from firing employees who safely and lawfully store their firearms in their privately-owned locked vehicles while on an employer’s property.

Please contact your State Representative TODAY and respectfully urge them to pass the Senate version of HB1065. For contact information, please click here.

We’ll also cover this a little bit on tonight’s Gun Nuts Radio at 9pm Eastern time.

Update: Here are the 9 Senators that voted “no” on the bill.

  • Senator Breaux
  • Senator Broden
  • Senator Lanane
  • Senator Randolph
  • Senator Rogers
  • Senator Simpson
  • Senator Tallian
  • Senator Taylor
  • Senator Wyss

A note about that vote, with the exception of Senator Wyss all the State Senators that voted against the bill were Democrats.  Sen. Wyss was the sole Republican vote to go against the bill; so if you’re a resident of State Senate District 15, you might want to give him a call to voice your displeasure for voting against a bill to protect Hoosier gun owners.

If your State Senator was not listed above, meaning they voted “yes” on HB 1065, please give them a call or email as well and thank them for their support!  We spend so much time and energy on telling our reps what not to do that it’s easy to forget to pat them on the back when they’ve done right.

Smith & Wesson Pro Series Revolvers

A complete set of the initial Pro Series revolvers from Smith & Wesson. From left to right: 8 shot 627 Pro w/Miculek grips, 5 shot Model 60 Pro, 6 shot 686SSR Pro. All three guns are chambered for .357 Magnum, although I doubt I’ll ever fire more than a handful of full house magums (unless my boys at Wolf can hook me up with a couple of cases of their .357 Wolf Gold) as the 686 and 627 are game guns and the 60 is a carry gun.

The 627 has two purposes in life: Bianchi Cup Production division, and Steel Challenge iron sight revolver. The cushion of two extra shots over a standard wheelgun gives a little more room for speed in Steel Challenge. In Bianchi, the extra two shots are comforting if I get a bad primer.

The 686SSR is going to be part of the series “The Quest for Master class”, where I shoot the IDPA qualifier on a regular basis with that gun and with my (not pictured) 625. The 686SSR is also going to be used in ICORE’s new Retro division. As the local ICORE match director, I’m working on getting a qualifier set up for that.

But hey, you probably want to see the guns!

Smith & Wesson 2010 IDPA Indoor Nationals

The squads are set for the 2010 IDPA Indoor National Championship, and the field is absolutely stacked this year with top guns.  Stock Service Pistol has Dave Sevigny and Phil Strader squaring off, Enhanced Service Pistol features Bob Vogel, Todd Jarrett, and Mike Seeklander, and David Olhasso looks likely to repeat as Custom Defensive Pistol champion.  The revolver divisions are equally packed, with Jerry Miculek being the favorite to repeat as Enhanced Service Revolver champion, but with John Bagakis in the field that’s not guaranteed.  In Stock Service Revolver, the smart money is on Craig Buckland to wrap up his third straight win, but with three other Master-class SSR shooters, anything could happen.

Smith and Wesson puts on an absolutely top-flight match each year, featuring complex low light stages involving plenty of movement, and plenty of rounds downrange.  Hopefully I’ll be able to make it to Mass. next year for the 2011 match, but in the meantime make sure to check back here for updates from the match as fast as I can get them.  First rounds go downrange on Thursday, and Gun Nuts will be banging out the updates as fast as the bullets.

Here he comes…

Here comes Red Racer he’s a demon on wheels…sorry, whenever I think about the name for this holster, I get the old Speed Racer theme song stuck in my head.  I was (and still am) going to do a detailed post on the Red Racer holster, especially after I get it out to the range and actually use it.  However, this morning I went to grab my camera and found that the battery was dead from inattention, so the best picture I can snag for you is from my iPhone which really doesn’t do this holster justice.

Michael at the Holster Site knocked this holster together for me based on some custom specs that I had, and it is absolutely a perfect fit for my 627 Pro.  What you can’t see in the picture is that the belt loops are set up for a muzzle forward cant, which positions the grip in the fastest possible angle for drawing rapidly.

What really impressed me most about Red Racer though was the stiffness and retention in the leather.  When I first pulled it out of the box, I seriously thought it was a kydex holster the leather was so firm.  I imagine that it will hold up pretty well to the kind of use I’m going to put it through.  Michael at The Holster Site does absolutely fantastic work, and I’ll make sure to give this holster the glamour shots it deserves this week!

Friends and raw fish

I did spend some time yesterday hanging out with the good people of the Indy blogging community at local sushi joint Naked Tchopstix.  Bobbi, the Indy/Metro Area Blogger Social Director has a pretty solid wrap-up including a picture of me in a terrifying rictus.

I also had the opportunity to meet the guy who blogs at PA State Cop, a blog previously unknown to me (because I suck at reading blogs).  You really should check his blog out, and if I ever get around to updating my blogroll…  Raw fish was eaten, beer was consumed, and jokes were told.  As usual, a good time was had by all, plus I got to consume Sapporo, which is one of my all time favorite beers.

Springfield Armory, Atlanta Arms & Ammo and Techwear USA Sponsoring USPSA Area 6 Match

SEDRO-WOOLLEY, Wash. — Firearms maker Springfield Armory, ammunition manufacturer Atlanta Arms & Ammo and sporting apparel maker Techwear USA, three well known names in the sport of Practical Shooting, have once again signed on as stage sponsors at the 2010 USPSA Area 6 Championship sponsored by Glock.

This marks the sixth year in a row that these three companies have supported USPSA’s southeastern regional match which draws upwards of 325 top level shooters from around the country.

“The Area 6 match is one of the best regional competitions in the country because of the great support we’ve received over the years,” explained Charles Bond, USPSA Area 6 director. “We are extremely pleased to welcome back Springfield Armory, Atlanta Arms & Ammo and Techwear USA to this year’s match. The match staff and competitors truly appreciate the commitment these companies have shown to Area 6 and USPSA competition.”

The Area 6 Championship will take place April 16 through 18 at the South River Gun Club in Covington, Ga. Shooters from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, the states that make up the Area 6 region, and 20 other states are expected to attend as well as international shooters from Columbia and Jamaica.

Competitors will put more than 80,000 rounds down range as they negotiate their way through 12 challenging stages, vying for top honors in six divisions: Production, Limited, Limited-10, Single Stack, Revolver and Open.

For more information on the USPSA Area 6 Championship sponsored by Glock, or to register to compete in the match, visit www.USPSA6.org. For more information on the sport of Practical Shooting and the U.S. Practical Shooting Association visit www.uspsa.org or call (360) 855-2245.

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About USPSA: The United States Practical Shooting Association is a non-profit membership association and the national governing body for the sport of Practical Shooting in America. USPSA has over 18,000 members and more than 350 affiliated clubs which host weekly matches throughout the country providing recreational shooters with the opportunity to test and refine their shooting skills in a safe, competitive environment. USPSA is also the U.S. Region of the International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC), which is comprised of approximately 67 nations. As a member of the outdoor press you are receiving this latest news from the U.S. Practical Shooting Association.

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Dave Thomasdave or (360) 855-2245
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Travel day

Flying back to the frozen wasteland of Hoth Indiana today, so blogging will be light today. Hopefully I’ll be able to deliver good news about my candidacy for Top Shot early next week.

In the meantime, I’ve had great response to the request for guest bloggers, thanks to everyone who sent me an email so far! If you’re interested in guest blogging at Gun Nuts (assuming I get on the show) shoot an email to the Gun Nuts Inbox at [email protected] with “guest blogger” in the subject line.