UPDATED THURSDAY JUNE 12, 2008
THE CROPS ARE FAILING, THE WEATHER IS A DISASTER IN THIS COUNTRY AND THIS WORLD, YOU MUST READ LEVITICUS CHAPTER 26........
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PLEASE READ THIS BIBLE SCRIPTURE NOW
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The Browning Hi Power and the Magazine "Safety"
By Stephen Camp
Fans of the Browning Hi Power frequently debate the merit of the magazine disconnect present in most Hi Powers except some made during Nazi occupation when they were not included in the pistols. We will probably never know from FN, but it is possible that some special order runs did not have the part. Generally speaking, all commercial Hi Powers have the thing.
For those who don't know what this does, it simply requires the magazine, empty or not, to be in the gun before the hammer can be dropped by pressing the trigger. Unfortunately, on most Hi Powers this makes the trigger pull heavier and grittier. Unless the magazine has the mousetrap type spring on the follower to eject it, the magazine "safety" usually prevents the magazine dropping from the pistol when released.
Proponents of the magazine safety offer the following arguments in favor of leaving the device intact:
1. A Hi Power gunsmith can put a good trigger pull on a Hi Power without removing the disconnector.
2. Removal might result in possible criminal or civil charges in the event of a "bad" shooting.
3. If in a hand-to-hand struggle over the pistol, it could be disabled by releasing the magazine and might prevent its owner from being shot with his own Hi Power.
4. Some say the trigger return is altered or diminished with the removal of the magazine "safety."
Proponents in favor of its removal suggest:
1. Its removal frequently reduces trigger pull by about 15% and might eliminate a trigger job.
2. Magazines usually drop free with the removal of the magazine disconnect.
3. You could fire the pistol at least once without the magazine under emergency conditions.
4. In the event of a shooting, your Hi Power without the magazine "safety" is no less "safe" than a 1911, Sig-Sauer, Beretta 92, Glock, Springfield XD, and so forth.
I fall with those who remove the magazine disconnect. Don't let that mean that you should be, too. It's an individual choice and one that can be argued either way. I do not believe that the magazine disconnect being out will affect the legal outcome of an otherwise good shooting. In the event of an accidental shooting by a kid or some unauthorized person handling the pistol, the magazine safety's removal might very well allow the complainant to prevail in a civil suit. I'm aware of no criminal cases being filed or won in which any citizen deliberately shot another with a Hi Power not having a magazine "safety." I'm personally aware of a couple or three of these and the magazine disconnect was never an issue. That was several years ago, too, so things could have changed. I still believe that if it's brought up in a deliberate shooting incident, it can be successfully argued away. If you want to avoid that altogether, don't remove it.
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Obama wanted to ban gun stores within five miles of schools and parks?
In other words, he pretty much wanted to ban gun stores. Five miles from a school is pretty much exiling gun stores to the rural hinterlands, outside of most city limits. (I wonder what Obama’s pretend gun-rights group will have to say about this?)
James Taranto (first item) has links to some interesting maps of Cleveland and Phoenix that show the relative density of schools in each, which were drawn to demonstrate the effects of the 1000-foot radius covered by the federal gun-free school zones provision. If you can imagine those circles each being 26 times bigger, you’d get an idea of how big the zone of exclusion for gun stores would be.
This was a proposal Obama made when he was still a state legislator in 1999, but Taranto thinks it shows Obama’s true colors:
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R68 prepares for "crap cannon"
You remember the Brown Note. Well, R68 says it actually exists, was even used at protests in Miami in 2003. They want to be ready for it at the DNC:
Involuntary gastro-intestinal motility. Not bad.Political activists planning protest rallies at the upcoming Democratic Convention in Denver have their stomachs in knots over a rumor about a crowd control weapon - known as the “crap cannon” - that might be unleashed against them.
Also called “Brown Note,” it is believed to be an infrasound frequency that debilitates a person by making them defecate involuntarily.
Mark Cohen, co-founder of Re-create 68, an alliance of local activists working for the protection of first amendment rights, said he believes this could be deployed at the convention in August to subdue crowds.
“We know this weapon and weapons like it have been used at other large protests before,” he said.
Cohen, who described Brown Note as a “sonic weapon used to disrupt people’s equilibrium,” cited eyewitness accounts of its use during free-trade agreement protests in Miami in 2003.
“I think these weapons were mostly intended for military use and so their use for dealing with innocent protesters seems highly inappropriate,” he said. “The idea that they might be field testing them on people who are doing nothing more than exercising their first amendment rights is disturbing.”
His group is preparing against a possible attack by Brown Note and other crowd-control measures by dispatching street medics at the convention trained in treating injuries in demonstration situations.
“It’s all we can do,” Cohen said.So is the Brown Note a real threat?
Dr. Roger Schwenke - an expert acoustician who appeared on the Discovery Channel’s “Mythbusters” in 2004 to test the phenomenon - told FOXNews.com there is no scientific evidence that proves such frequencies cause involuntarily defecation.
“When we conducted the low frequency experiment for the Brown Note episode of MythBusters, we tested a variety of low frequencies and no involuntary gastro-intestinal motility was caused,” he said.
In a statement released to FOXNews.com, city spokeswoman Sue Cobb [heh] said, “commenting on specific security preparations is not helpful to ensuring their effectiveness. I can say, however, that all of our security-related purchases for the Democratic National Convention will comply with federal and City requirements. We are working closely with the U.S. Department of Justice to ensure that the $50 million federal security grant is spent on personnel and equipment in the manner required by the grant.”Now, does that sound like the kind of police department that would deploy a crap cannon?
Denver’s police Department wouldn’t comment on the tactics that will be used during the convention, but a spokesman said that “we do support and encourage people to express their views safely and in a manner that respects the rights of others along with the laws and ordinances of our city.”
But Glenn Spangnuolo, also with Re-create 68, isn’t taking any chances [bet that surprised you]. He said he has no doubt that Brown Note exists, and is preparing his group for confrontation.What the hell does that mean? Crap Cannon v. The Giant Diaper?
“Whether it causes someone to defecate in their pants or not, I don’t know that,” said Spagnuolo.Hey, remember this quote from Spagz, explaining why he pointed me out to his thuggish little friends at a peace rally last March?
I pointed him out because people thought some one shit their pants because of the smell, I assumed it was John so I let them know. . . .
Maybe I was the first victim of the crap cannon.
More troubling to Spagnuolo is the “Active Denial System” or “ADS,” a ray gun used to send high levels of microwave frequencies that cause a burning sensation the skin.
He described ADS as an “indiscriminate weapon” and said “there’s no long-term testing on what happens to the body when exposed to those kinds of microwave frequencies.”
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FROM WND'S JERUSALEM BUREAU
Is Israel sitting
on enormous oil reserve?
Company uses biblical verses
to locate drilling
Posted: September 21, 2005
1:00 am Eastern
By Aaron Klein
© 2008 WorldNetDaily.com
 Drill site at 'crown of Joseph' (photo: Zionoil.com) |
So believes John Brown, an evangelical Christian and founder and chairman of Zion Oil and Gas, a company he and others poured several million dollars into to drill a hole 15,000 feet deep that will as soon as next week tap a rock interval that may contain oil.
"The Bible spells out where the oil is," Brown told WND yesterday outside his drilling rig off a highway between Haifa and Tel Aviv.
"It's very specific. Now we're here to find it, and I know that when we do, the Scriptures will come alive for everyone who hears about it. And Israel will have enough oil not to worry about all the implications of the Arab states using their oil to threaten and gain power."
 Map indicates land given to Twelve Tribes of Israel |
Brown, pointing to the Bible he says he always carries with him, referred to several biblical passages he is certain indicate where to find petroleum. He stressed that two passages, detailing God's blessings to each of biblical patriarch Jacob's 12 sons, are very specific:
- "Let Asher be blessed ... and let him dip his foot in oil." – Deuteronomy 33:24
- "Joseph is a fruitful bough by a well ... blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that couches beneath shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head." – Genesis 49: 22-26
Brown also pointed to other verses, such as the continuation of Joseph's blessing in Deuteronomy 33: "For the deep that couches beneath ... and for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of primordial hills, and for the precious things of the earth."
The Twelve Tribes were each given a section of Israel as inheritance, Brown explains.
Mapping the tribes' biblical territory indeed shows that Asher's area resembles a giant foot "dipped" into the top, or "crown" area of the land of Joseph's son, Manasseh.
"The oil is there, where Joseph's head is met by Asher's foot," said Brown.
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Hi Power Two-Piece Barrels
By Stephen Camp
I'm aware of no one-piece barrels for the Hi Power that came from FN after the early '60's. So far as I know, they've all been two-piece, at least since the time in which the locking lug dimensions were changed. I do have a couple of early Bar-Sto match barrels that are one-piece, but later ones are two-piece. I've noticed no increase in accuracy of the one-piece barrels over the conventional two-piece barrels, nor have I noticed them coming apart or being less durable than the one-piece barrels.
In this picture, you can see the seam on the FN factory barrel. I have no exact reason for the use of two-piece barrels, but suspect strongly that it was for ease of manufacturing.
Some years ago, a gun magazine did a test on various 1911 barrels that ranged from GI surplus to the match barrels from some really good makers. They fired the barrels via a device that locked the barrel firmly in place. To cut to the conclusion, there was very, very little difference between any of the barrels in terms of their purely inherent accuracy. I believe this included a two-piece Springfield Armory barrel as well as some other factory barrels.
There are reports of Browning Hi Power barrels failing after a great number of shots, but I don't recall any of them separating. There very well may be some such incidents, but I'm betting that they're statistically rare. With as many Hi Powers in use around the world, if it was a real problem, it would have been addressed by now.
I don't think it matters.
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Psalms Chapter 93
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Star Pistols
By Stephen Camp
Though Star pistols are no longer made, there appears to be many out there and at reasonable prices. The pistols do generate some interest among shooters so I'll pass along my experiences with them, good and bad.
The first centerfire pistol I purchased as an adult was a Star Model B 9mm. It was bought in the early '70's and I think cost around $70 or $75 NIB. I just couldn't come up with the extra thirty or so dollars for a new Colt Government Model .45 ACP. As it turns out, I'm kind of glad I tried the Star.
That first Model B had the very small military fixed sights common to most automatics at that time, but they were spot on with 115-grain JHP ammunition. The pistol fed handloads using Speer 125-grain JSP bullets, but the short 90-grain Super Vel ammo would regularly fail to feed. Their 112-grain JSP ammo did a little better, but the gun was basically reliable only with ammunition having a round nose profile.
Eventually I sold the pistol and to this day I wish I hadn't, but only for sentimental reasons.
Several years later, I saw an ad in the American Rifleman for a chance to buy some of the last Star Model B and Model B Supers in 9mm. Supposedly, these were from a military overrun and no more would be produced. I ordered one of each NIB for something under a couple of hundred dollars each. Upon receiving the guns, I noticed that the feed ramps had been "throated" and were pretty well polished and both fed most JHP rounds well. In the meantime, I'd seen a couple of Star aluminum frame lightweight pistols essentially ruined by the use of hot handloads combined with doses of Super Vel factory ammunition. I'd also spoken to several gunsmiths who counseled me to shoot only standard pressure ammo in the Star handguns.
Accuracy was fine with both pistols and both were nicely blued with some kind of gray phosphate finish on the sights, barrel, barrel bushing, thumb safety, slide stop lever, grip screws, magazine release and lanyard ring. The sights were more "high visibility" than my original Model B, but hit far too high at any range you care to mention until you get out to about 150 yards! To remedy this, when I would shoot the guns, I'd put a targ-dot at 6 O' Clock about 8" below the X-ring on a standard NRA 25-yard pistol target. This let me shoot the pistols some, but really was not satisfactory. I wound up using the pistols less and less and wound up selling the Model B Super, keeping only the plain Model B. Along the way, I'd been picking up spare magazines and bought a few spare parts, as is my habit with about any handgun I own.
Eventually, I had Lou Williamson of Williamson Precision Gunsmithing in Hurst, TX customize the Star Model B. I have more in the pistol than it is worth, but "worth" can be a frame of mind. The pistol was not being shot and was one I liked so I figured I might as well get it "fixed" so that I could use it for more than shooting at paper…and then only with the targ-dot thing I mentioned.
Here's the customized Star Model B as done by Williamson's Precision Gunsmithing. Though taken to Lou, the "old man," his son, Scott, did the work. The gun's front strap has received 20 LPI checkering and a new front sight was silver soldered in place. Millett adjustable revolver sights were added and hold the firing pin retaining pin in place. Scott made the wooden grips shown and though smooth, with the factory checkered rear grip strap and the 'smith-checkered front strap, the pistol offers good purchase. I do not shoot "hot" loads in this pistol and the ammo pictured is Federal 115-grain standard pressure JHP. The hammer spur was bobbed and the gray-finish seen on the trigger, magazine release, etc, is as it came from the factory. The slide and frame as well as the barrel were blued. The Model B is lightly sprung and while Wolff Gunsprings does not offer a replacement spring for the Model B, I found that I could substitute those for the 9mm CZ-75 just fine. The gun has such a recoil spring in place along with a buffer. The buffer was cut down slightly from one meant for a 1911. The combination's worked fine.
With either cast bullets loaded to the 1050 to 1150 ft/sec velocity range, the gun groups pretty well and does fine with most FMJ or JHP. Again, I do recommend using standard pressure ammunition in any of the Star pistols made before the Firestar Model 43 compact.
I'm satisfied with these groups from the Star Model B. None of these are "hot," but serve just fine for shooting holes in paper and are fine for plinking, informal competition, or just knocking around in the boonies.
Somewhere I wound up with a smaller version of the Model B. It's called the Model BM and is sort of like a "Commander" version of the gun. Both use an 8 round single-stack magazine. Though the Model BM has an unfortunate name, the little gun's been satisfactory and has been used on occasion as a "loaner" in CHL classes I instruct. Though visually similar to the 1911, these guns are very different internally and thinner as well. They have been described as "graceful" in feel and I do find them most pleasing in this regard. The Model BM is stock, other than my bobbing the hammer spur to avoid hammer bite and dressing down the front sight just a small amount to adjust POI with POA at 15 yards.
For those not familiar with the Star Model BM, here it is pictured with the Taurus PT-92, a gun the size of the more familiar Beretta 92 series pistols. The BM is all steel and heavier than one initially thinks, but it does shoot pretty well. I find that I get better groups with the Model B, but don't know for sure if this is due to better mechanical accuracy or just the longer sight radius!
Both of these single-action automatics come with a magazine safety, but one that is easily removed if desired. Unlike the Browning Hi Power, removal does not affect the trigger pull, but does allow magazines to fall free. Should you desire to remove the magazine safety, which is entirely your decision, you start by removing the grips. On the left side of the frame and at the rear of the magazine well which is normally covered by the grip, you will see a flat piece of spring steel that runs parallel to the rear of the opening in the frame. It's secured to the frame with an attached hollow tube at the bottom. From the right side, simply drive out the tube and the magazine safety is gone. It can be replaced just as easily if desired. Both my Model B and BM have had theirs removed.
One evening at the police department, I was working evening shift when a detective friend called me aside and said, "Got something you might like." Knowing he was a "gun person," I got pretty interested. He produced the smallest little 9mm single-action pistol I'd ever seen; it was a Star Firestar Model 43 9mm and had the "Starvel" (E-Nickel) finish. Grips were checkered rubber and unlike my Model B and BM, the frame was cast. The fixed sights were easy to see and it had ambidextrous thumb safety levers that were very positive in either "on" or "off" position. Trying not to seem interested, I asked, "How does it shoot?"
He advised that it did fine and was reliable with anything.
"Where did you get it?"
"Gun show."
"How much."
"$255.00."
At this point, he mentioned that "Doc Avery" over in a nearby town had them for sale. I told him I liked the little thing and we went about our respective rat killing. That night at home, I continued to think about the little gun.
Anyway, I got up early, called Doc's phone number and bought one before 10AM, an ungodly hour for me to even be out of bed during that time of my life. I also bought 4 extra magazines. Like the detective's, my M43 had the Starvel finish. I removed the magazine safety and took it to the range. My particular pistol hit about 2" low at 15 yards, but this was satisfactory as I meant it for a back up pistol. I wore it for quite a long time in an ankle holster. The little all steel M43 is quite the little brick in weight and I wouldn't have been able to carry it this way except that the top of my duty boot supported the thing as the end of the grip rode on it. Unlike earlier Star handguns, the M43 did have an internal firing pin safety as well.
Another Star I really like is the Model 28. This is a full-size, all steel, 9mm pistol that sported a 15 round double-stack magazine. It is a conventional DA/SA automatic and has reversed slide rails ala CZ-75, but incorporates a take down feature from the SIG P-210. With the slide and grips removed, a spring-loaded detent at the lower rear of the rear grip strap can be depressed while lifting upward on the (uncocked) hammer. The hammer, sear, and mainspring will lift out of the frame as a unit. The front grip strap is vertically grooved similar to a Colt Gold Cup and the gun's fixed rear sight is screw-adjustable for windage. Unfortunately, it is not for elevation and the darned gun hit about a foot high at 25 yards. So did the second one I bought! Internally, the pistol works much like a CZ-75 and the front of the trigger guard is hooked and has vertical grooves for anyone still trying to shoot with such a hold. I'd have preferred a rounded trigger guard. They do have magazine safeties, but they're removed in a different fashion, but I left them in place as they do vigorously eject empty magazines, but mainly because their removal from the forged frame leaves a void with very thin walls. The pistol also has an interesting thumb safety set up. Slide-mounted like those from S&W or Beretta, depressing the safety does not drop the hammer. Cocked and locked carry is available, but there's really nothing "locked." All the safety does is to retract the rear of the firing pin below the rear surface of the retaining plate so that the hammer does not hit it. With the safety on, pressing the trigger will drop the hammer. I've tested it at the firing range and there's never been a problem, but since the thumb safety has to be moved the "wrong direction" anyway, I just carry this one and either thumb cock the hammer for target work or use the very smooth double-action for the first shot.
I had Scott Williamson ply his magic to the guns and had the following done to my brace of Star M28 pistols:
· Narrow the trigger to the same dimensions as the CZ-75 and round the edges
· Install Millet adjustable revolver sights as had been done on the Model B
· Hardchrome the barrel, hammer, external controls and guts of the guns
· Refinish with a matte blue on the frame and top of the slides, but with polished slide flats
Here's one of my Star Model 28 pistols after the custom work from Williamson Precision Gunsmithing. The gun shoots better than might be expected.
I normally don't fire much of the hot stuff in my Star pistols, but this group fired using Corbon 124-grain +P XTP is plenty tight enough for me. That load is no longer available as Corbon uses Sierra's 125-grain Power Jacket Hollow Point these days after replacing the XTP bullet with the Gold Dot Hollow Point.
Though I never owned one, I've been favorably impressed with Star's PD, a very compact, aluminum-framed single-action pistol in .45 ACP. While forty-five velocities from short barrels is more greatly reduced than from 9mm pistols in the same barrel length, the PD was more accurate than I'd expected and fed about anything. I do believe that they were somewhat "fragile" and meant for much more carrying than shooting. Like the BKS and BKM 9mm Stars, the lower portion of the feed ramp was part of the aluminum alloy frame and very subject to nicks, gouges, and wear from blunt or sharp-edged JHP ammunition. While this can be a problem with any pistol having an aluminum feed ramp, the Star pistols are the only ones I've really seen it regularly.
Such was not the case with Star's Firestar in .45 ACP. Bigger than the 9mm, this pistol had a one-piece feed ramp and was reliable with everything I tried, including handloaded CSWC, JHPs, and ball. It fed all manner of factory JHP ammo reliably and the thing would group. Recoil was minimal for caliber, no doubt because of its all-steel, robust construction.
Today, many Star pistols can still be found and with some reservations, I do recommend them if you understand that:
· Spare parts can be a problem to find.
· Dry-firing the Model B or BM will break the firing pin eventually.
· Recoil springs can be a problem in replacing unless you know which to substitute.
· Spare magazines, still readily found NIB, are relatively expensive.
· No aftermarket parts exist.
· Except for the Firestar versions as well as those with polymer frames, I'd counsel against very much +P ammunition being used in these pistols.
On the other hand, if you like these little things as I do and find one "right," I'd get it, but would not do any dry-firing with other than the Model 28, 30M, or 31PK as these had their firing pins retained via the traditional retaining plates and did not have any internal firing pin safety such that the firing pin would have to be notched.
I keeping my eyes open for a Model S .380 ACP myself!
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Lightning Weapon Will Zap Your Car, Not You
"Things not people" now appears to be the focus of the the famed lightning weapons maker once known as Ionatron. The company, now known as Applied Energetics, was presenting this week at the Department of Homeland Security's science and technology conference in Washington. I missed the talk, but lucky for us, MountainRunner was there and can bring us up to date.
Perhaps the most interesting news is that the company, which initially attracted investors with ambitious promises of a revolutionary nonlethal lightning gun, appears now to have thrown this idea out the window. "[T]hey are NOT looking to anti-personnel applications," MountainRunner tells us. "They said that's just an area that's too much of a headache and they'd rather let Taser walk that minefield and they'll focus on anti-IED and anti-vehicle application (things not persons)."
Given the company's change in name, this isn't totally surprising, but it is the first time I remember hearing about the company actually jettisoning its focus on nonlethals. The key company pitch these days appears to be countering improvised explosive devices, which is also not a surprise. But the presenter, company VP Tom Donaldson, a retired rear admiral, apparently talked a lot about moving into vehicle-stopping applications. "They found that for disabling cars, the best place to aim for is the base of the windshield," says MountainRunner, who attended the talk. "This stalls, not disables, the car by shorting - not frying, but the amount of electricity is adjustable. They found that targeting the hood looks neat but isn't the best place to aim."
Bizarrely, the company, which has often cited classification issues in (not) discussing its technology, provided details on the technology's effectiveness against IEDs placed in specific parts of the vehicle. Frankly, I don't feel comfortable publicizing the specific numbers and places when it comes to IEDs, so I won't, but I do want to point out how odd it is that the company provided the information at an open, unclassified forum.
On other significant issues, the current range is reportedly 15 meters, which strikes me as not very far if you're thinking about stand-off applications (checkpoint, fast-approaching vehicle, etc.). However, the company is looking at a new laser that could extend the range.
Here's the kicker: Time-frame. When asked when these applications would ready for fielding, Donaldson replied: "5 - 6 years," says MountainRunner.
For weapons development, that's lightning speed, sort of, and it's actually refreshing to have someone at the company provide a realistic timeframe for deployment (I suspect, this is a result of Donaldson being a retired military officer).
But five plus years for a publicly traded R&D company that depends on shareholder confidence, well, we'll see...
Update: Applied Energetics just announced that the company nabbed a contract worth up to $9.3 million. It's from the Marine Corps, and yes, it's classified.
Also:
* Investor Suit vs. Lightning Gun Maker Moves Ahead
* More Pentagon Cash for Bogus Bomb-Zapper
* Lightning Weapons Factory Shuts Down
* Bomb-Zapper = "Rube Goldberg Solution"
* Ionatron Investors Blow Their Tops
* Video: Attack of the Lightning Guns!
* Military Security Threat: Bogus Bomb-Zapper's Bogus Countermeasure
* Lightning Gun Maker Zaps Back at Danger Room
* Lightning Guns Strike Again: Insider Trading Scandal
* Laser scalpel... Or Lightning gun? Raydiance Gets Military Millions
* Lightning Gunners Strike Twice, Get Navy Millions
* Lightning Gun Company Expands!
* Video: Corridor of Death
* Lightning Gun Loses Steam, Keeps Fans
www.truthaboutparts.blogspot.com
www.tjofsugarland.blogspot.com
www.handgunpartsforsale.blogspot.com
www.hipowersandhandguns.comhttp://www.jtf.org/news.php
http://www.rabbiyess.com
http://www.cdnninvestments.com
http://www.lightningarms.com
http://www.spw-duf.info/links.html#guns
http://www.homelandsafes.com/
www.thetrumpet.com
www.staceydean.org
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