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raz-0

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Posts posted by raz-0

  1. Posted

    Don't teacup your gun, and you won't have jamming problems from shoving a magazine up farther in the gun.

     

    MecGar are good mags, kind of like metalform are, and I'd like to see any factory mag come form those two contractors rather than say pro-mag or lately it appears check mate.

     

    But you can have malfunctions form teacupping even with good mags, simply because tolerances can be specced differently form lot to lot to accommodate any changes on the production line. The problem with the CM mag may not be due to CM sucking. It may be that sig doesn't want to spend as much time on dressing the chamber, and ordered mags that have the bullet sit higher in the gun while loaded to cover for it with the majority of ammunition.

  3. Posted

    Handguns get talked up because most here like to shoot. This being NJ, and the price fo realestate being what it is, it's a lot easier to find places to shoot a handgun than a long gun. I'm running about 50-50 on the mix, but you'll mostly see me talk about handgun shooting.

  4. Posted

    When I was doing things in woodbridge, Things could take 40-60 days for most things as they seemed to do them in big batches at a specific time (times?) each month. None of the officers I dealt with just 3 years ago seemed old enough to retire. They was talk that the nice old lady who took all your paperwork was going to retire, and it's never good news when the person who knows how to dot all the Is and cross all the Ts and get on people's cases goes away to be replaced by someone who doesn't know squat.

     

    I could see the whole morpho thing dragging crap out with the way they did it and having it add whatever the lead time and return time for Morpho is to the process.

  6. Posted

    My numbers were not meant for any particular weapon....let alone the Glock. They were just example numbers. I don't know what the typical markup is in the firearm industry. However, what I have seen with different quotes from various dealers, there certainly is more then $20 to $30 profit being made off of some new gun sales. When I checked here for a quote on my MKiii the prices varied by up to $75...and over $100 from where I actually purchased. Now 20 or 30% would seem to be more likely the norm profit margin and in keeping with general business. If you try running a business on less then that you are going to have a hard time staying in business. One saving grace is that accessories typically net a considerable higher profit margin. You know those cables you buy at stores like Best Buy that go for $30? They typically cost $2 to $5....one reason they can afford the bigger discounts on the higher dollar items.

     

    The margin on low overhead, high volume dealers is usually 10-15%. Places like Bud's are effectively undercutting even the 10% guys by playing distributor and gaming manufacturer incentives. To do that they needed to already be successful, have a bunch of capital, and take the risk of being shut out of supply by manufacturers for disrupting their distributer network.

     

    Low volume dealers with meaningful overhead will often mark up 50% or more. It depends on how high their overhead is, how many customers they see vs. sales, how much money they make on other goods and services, etc.

     

    For example, a while ago dealer cost on a glock was about $430. LE cost was about $380 (no excise tax). Manufacturing cost at the time was about $90. Shelf price ranged from $525-600 for a low volume brick and mortar shop.

  8. Posted

    Like to share with you what I found on an auction site. this person was selling a springfield 1911 that was sent to wilson combat for a full parts exchange & service (wilson parts). he's got the invoice for proof. and he'll even sell you the original spare springfield parts that came out of the pistol. now why would anyone go through that expense when you can get a wilson in the first place???

     

    Because you don't have any idea of who a competent gunsmith is, so you go with a big name who will take lots of your money while you wait forever for them to tinker with your gun you aren't 100% pleased with?

  9. Posted

     

     

    They sit close to the lens and close to your face. I had the same concern, but bought them anyway, since I'm a cheapskate. It is a non-issue - not even aware of them.

     

    Raz-o. I suspect it was more your optician than the insert. I have no issues and have clear side to side vision. Mine are made only in my distance perscription, as I wear progressives normally (I don't even like that term when it applies to glasses). It may just be that some inserts lend themselves to different Rx's better than others. I'm happy with my ESS's.

     

    Adios,

     

    PIzza Bob

     

    The monofilament insert with a light prescription is probably ok. The polymer one looks like poor engineering that would require the person making the lens to compensate for.

     

    If someone wants to learn my lesson, I think I still have the whole set tucked away someplace minus the red/brown lens which I'm pretty sure didn't make it to the new place when I moved.

  10. Posted

    The SGuide finally shipped my A2 stock after 2 weeks.. should be in hand Saturday for update here..

     

    As a side note I fired 5 rounds of the PMC XTAC 556 NATO without any issues at 40 yards with the MBUS.. smacked a dead tree.

     

    Its a very soft push back and very easy to recover for the next shot.. I think the rifle length gas system helps too..

     

    Well it isn't the comp. The levang is only slightly better than no comp at all. If that, depending on who you listen to.

     

    A nice article on comps. http://www.scribd.com/doc/22829785/AR15-Compensators-pt-2

  12. Posted

    I had the ess ICE system with the polymer insert. Effectively tossed them because my prescription is expensive enough that paying for shops to screw up the wrap was not worth it. I couldn't relaly blame the shops either. They plastic insert flexes significantly when put in the frame.

     

    I currently use rudy project exceptions as they permit for pretty significant prescriptions. The glasses are expensive, the Rx done right was expensive, but I get edge to edge clarity like I haven't had since I started needing glasses. Probably about $550 for the whole shebang.

     

    If yu go that route, the photochromic clear impact X lenses are what you want on the outside for shooting IMO.

  13. Posted

    There is a big difference between a low offer and getting ripped off.

     

    I completely understand that the shop has to make money on the gun, but come on! If they sell it for, let's say $450 (I dunno what used Glocks go for?), even giving the customer $300 would be a good $150 profit for them.

     

    As I said, it's obvious they want to and need to make money on it but it's a bit much most of the time.

     

    You don't understand the value of a used glock, or what is going on.

     

    First the value of a glock. 1)There are a LOT of glocks out there, granted the 35 is less common, but... 2) There are a lot of glock certificates out there form competitions, give aways, raffles, and probably most importantly warranty replacements. These certificates, unlike with a lot of manufacturers are good for any model. You may have to add some cash, but they effectively disocunt even a 35 a lot. 3) There are police trade ins really cheap, and a lot of them. 4) There are a lot of used guns sodl off by officers that still get the insane glock discount for police.

     

    This means the value of a used glock is low because the above are what you are competing on on price. That means about $350.

     

    Now a business takes it off your hands, they have to pay someone to log it in, log it out, and any other book keeping that requires labor. Then they have to store it, and when they do, that means something else with a potentially higher margin isn't in that space. Then it may sit there for months. Also, if it has issues, they may have to eat repair costs as well as making the customer happy. Figuring this out the ten decimal places are what places like wal-mart do with fancy multi-billion inventory management and purchasing systems. Your average mom and pop usually just marks it up 100% and adds in any fixed costs associated. In the case of a used glock, they take the market value, subtract fixed costs, and divide that in half. Then maybe knock $20-40 bucks off that expecting you to haggle, depending on the shop.

     

    I can find g35s for sale from individuals for $400, and ones with upgraded sights, trigger jobs, 5-6 magazines and other competition goodies for $600.

     

    So I'd expect a shop to give about $170 cash, maybe $200 in trade, and to probably refuse consignment on any price over $550 unless they are hurting for used inventory, and on consignment, I'd expect them to take 30%.

    • Like 1

  14. Posted

    There is a flaw in that point. 7.62X39 runs like crap in ar's due to the taper of the round combined with AR mags. Reliability is bad. The 300Blk or 7.62x35 overcomes these issues with better performance and the brass is easily made from .223 brass. With that being said factory ammo is still expensive at this time. I may build one at some point but I tend to stay awau from boutique cartidges.

     

    300 blackout is pretty much the same as 300 whisper. While you CAN make ammo that is dimensionally correct on the exterior, the case head is not. As a wildcat, the base case it is formed off of is .221 fireball.

  15. Posted

    A 1:7 will shoot pretty much anything commonly available except light varmint ammo that is in the 40-50 grain weight.

     

    1:9 may have issues with heavier bullets, even 68gr. It really depends on the barrel and the bullet design. With a 20" and a bullet with a longer bearing surface, there are plenty of examples of 1:9 working for >68gr too.

     

    I shoot 55gr bullets from my 1:7 16" all the time. The stuff it likes the best groups a bit under moa. The worst a bit over 2 moa, but that stuff shoots like poop out of my 1:9 upper too.

     

     

  16. Posted

    I will give you the unwritten etiquette. I'll also define some behavior that is probably going ot get a mention at our next walkthrough.

     

    First, the free for all situations. When you get to a pit, before anyone on your squad shoots, and after the previous squad has left, everything is up for grabs. Also, once we tear down the walls and vacate the pit, everything is up for grabs. Hitting these two religiously usually means you go home with more than you shot, but it also means you need to stay and clean up. It has it's perks besides getting involved and ingratiating yourself to the guys who run the match and volunteer all the time.

     

    As for picking up between shooters, it gets trickier there.

     

    If someone marks their brass, they want it back. Either offer it back to them, or don't pick it up. If you offer it back, and they say no thanks.. it's yours.

    Unmarked brass could be anyones. If you are picking up more than you shot, it is someone else's. They may or may not want it. In that case, I'll usually pocket the equivalent of what I shot, and any extra I pick up I put on the bench. If it's still there in a couple shooters, I don't feel bad about putting it in my bag. I find this is what most of the reasonable folks tend to do when squadded up and nobody feels like playing brass cop religiously.

     

    As maks said, yours or not, don't slow down the whole squad scrounging for $0.50 worth of brass.

  17. Posted

    Actually that's not quite true. The CPU itself uses less power than the old generations. It's all the new peripherals and fancy addons that make computers require massive power supplies. The biggest power culprit in the last 1.5 decades has been the graphics card.

     

    No, no it is not. Per operation perhaps, but the total thermal dissipation of today's CPUs is absolutely insane compared to olde CPUs. My current badass pc has the exact same number of peripherals compared to my old bad a** PC sitting in the corner. I also have kill-o-watt meter. The old one draws about 250 watts full load. The new one draws over 450. The old box has two discreet CPUs with a maximum thermal dissipation of 65 watts. The new one has a single cpu with a maximum thermal dissipation of 125 watts.

     

    As for the griping about cars not improving. You ahve car that weighs about 400lbs more, has awd, likely a lot more horsepower, and only gets 20% less MPG? There's a TON of improvement in efficiency there. Heck, I had an AWD eclipse, and some of the tuners did some testing when they got their first AWD dynos. The difference in efficiency just by disconnecting the transfer case and going to 2wd waws about 25%. Adding AWD, more power, and more weight while only losing 20% of MPG is pretty good IMO.

     

    TO put it in perspective, I had a 1988 toyota camry. It was an 85hp, 2500lb deathtrap that got 42mpg at 60mph on the highway with crusie control on. The new Hyundia elantra is about 200lbs heavier, gets similar MPG, and has 142hp while having a 5 star crash rating and a top safety rating from IIHS, and actually has a more roomy interior. It's emissions are light years better as well. That's just 12 years of progress for a technology where we are in the long tail.

  18. Posted

    Oh I agree with you completely. If he thinks things are identical to pre-Nazi Germany he needs to go read those history books again 'cause it's not even remotely like that. And I have no doubt that the more onerous provisions of the Patriot Act and NDAA will not stand the scrutiny of SCOTUS with regards to constitutionality, however it would really suck to be the US citizen caught in it while it's being fought.

     

    And yes I wish Ron Paul's common sense with regards to economy and domestic issues were duplicated in his foreign policies and defense.... My hope is that a good showing by Ron Paul may influence other politicians that his sane ideas are worth pursuing (ie trimming gov, enforcing bill of rights and constitutional rights, gov butting out of people's personal lives, etc).

     

    First to the patriot act and NDAA. The patriot act is modeled largely on the RICO act. SCOTUS hasn't exactly done much to temper that giant turd, and they aren't likely to do much about the patriot act. NDAA expands the executive branch's powers, as has been the trend since at least Nixon, and probably before. By the very definition of the act, it excludes the judiciary. SCOTUS is reached via an appeal process, which is absent in the execution of NDAA. That is the very reason why it is so onerous.

     

    Ron Paul has not only issues with his foreig policy and defense policy stances, but with his economic ideas about what will fix them. A gold standard fixes nothing. We had reserve banking with the gold standard. We also had serious issues with economic and population growth outstripping the supply of gold. If you simply tried to represent every individual on the planet with metallic gold, you'd already be reduced to a unit of gold that you could erase by simply handling any of the precious metal roughly. Also, we stand a precipice of disruptive technology in that arena. Lacking something like the Bretton Woods convention, we would be at the mercy of nations that could borrow and lend more easily. There are several nearby asteroids that could yield LOTS of precious metal. Like 20 billion tons of gold. If we moved to a gold standard, it would incentivize china to drag that stuff back here, and to either destabilize that gold standard, or to hold it hsotage. Nothing like the opportunity to easily dominate AND gain a huge technological upper hand while investing in the R&D to do it.

  19. Posted

    Can anyone shoot Nationals or do you have to qualify or be a certain rank or something?

     

    Nope, any class can go shoot. You just have to get a slot somehow. Here's how slots are distributed.

     

    http://www.uspsa-nationals.org/Slot_policy_adopted_11-2010.pdf

     

    Open and limited are very popular nationally, and hard to find a free slot in. L-10 is usually easier, and production is easier than limited or open. The local match directors often don't get many open slots, but we usually don't ahve takers for all of our slots due to the time and expense involved.

  22. Posted

    I have been reading the Strain trilogy (The Strain, The Fall, and The Night Eternal) by Guillermo Del Toro recently, and am completely hooked with his take on vampires, and how they would fare against the safeguards of modern society (traditional weapons, police, military, mass transit, etc.)

     

    The creatures themselves are gross and hideous, definitely nothing like the ones seen in True Blood or Twilight. They're also more animalistic, and act as a hive mind which connects to their Master. They do consume your blood, and when they're done, you turn into one of them. Daylight (UVC) kills em, silver really messes them up (and kills them), as do other conventional weapons that can be used to sever the head or break the spine. The creatures are very durable and strong as well. They are also adept at night hunting, shedding traditional human senses for ones which are more attuned to hunting other people. Abilities to sense heat, improved hearing, and smell give them a leg up, and when the power goes out, and you're fighting in the dark... well... it seems tricky to fight them.

     

    All in all, the first two books were awesome. I'm on the third (final) one now, and it's an awesome ride from beginning to end.

     

    So... if you're tired of zombies (yawn). I'd suggest this to liven things up.

     

    Del toro can craft some creepy creatures. I'll have to try this series out.

  23. Posted

    The mental side is just as important as everything else! If you think that certain people are better than you, they are! If you know that you can beat them, you can! Having a strong desire to improve along with a honest practice regiment is all that is needed along with a strong belief that you can do it.

     

    B is the class where I think most people end up that do not really practice properly, if at all. A and M take more dedication and time but are not impossible by any means. GM introduces special challenges that are Unique to GM alone.

     

    It is exciting when you do rank up! It validates the work put in and the improvement shown. Congrats to all that get bumped up!!!

     

    Brian

     

    Sometimes you can know you can beat them all you want, and you will still get your a** kicked. However, you need to believe it is possible to ever progress to the point where you CAN actually beat them. The practice is so that you can be a better shooter than you are. I think the mental part of the game is all about actually delivering the shooting you are currently capable of.

     

    B takes forever to get out of if you don't commit to practice though. It took me 6 years in part because I didn't have the time to practice seriously for more than about he first 6-10 months after getting my card. One of the more painful realities is that B is where you start seeing a divergance between what success means for a classifier, and what success means for the rest of the match. There are a lot of skills not represented in the classifiers that you need to be competitive. The higher up you go, the more you need to excel at all of them.

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