Oleg Volk

Steel target sweepstakes

2013-05-18T07:41:19Z

Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.

My friend Brad at Challenge Targets is giving away one of his neatest targets, a stake clanger. As the picture below shows, it’s very simple and robust. Takes about a minute to assemble, and only a few seconds to install at the range.

When hit, it wavers for a while, providing visual feedback along with the loud clang. Great for extended range rifle practice. Here’s how it looks when in use:

Enter to win.

Take the Star Road

2013-05-17T11:50:21Z

Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.

Peter Grant’s new book Take the Star Road is now available at Amazon. I read it when it was being edited and re-read it again when making the cover design. I recommend it, especially if you like the style of early Heinlein. The book is far more about people and culture than it is about future technologies, which is how it should be. 1984 would have been less interesting if Orwell described the specification and maintenance details of the telly screen in greater detail. Much of the plot came from the author’s extensive adventures in rough and scary parts of the world.

Using offset red dot sight

2013-05-14T04:24:34Z

Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.

Let’s say you are using a 1-6x scope set to 6x when you suddenly need to make a precise shot much closer. One way to do that is to turn the rifle 45* (or some lesser angle if you have an appropriate mount) and use a red dot or backup iron sights.

Just like this. Also works if the main optic gets damaged.

Little girl and her chaperone

2013-05-13T01:47:53Z

Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.

The pair was watching the graduation ceremony at Vanderbilt Law School. The man’s niece — little girl’s mother — got her diploma.

Encouraging sights at the NRA convention.

2013-05-09T02:23:20Z

Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.

This boy, at the show with his grandfather, was excited about an aftermarket stock for his 10-22 that was a perfect fit.

The girl, at Savage Arms booth with her mother and older sister, was trying out a Stevens 512 over/under 12ga shotgun.

The next generation was very much in evidence, and acquitted themselves very well.

RFB in mid-cycle

2013-05-09T00:31:03Z

Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.

No muzzle rise even while the bolt is still moving forward to chamber the next round.

Sweet 16

2013-05-09T00:14:31Z

Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.

And a sweet 58, too.

One of the office workers at Primary Arms

2013-05-08T23:17:04Z

Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.

AK with Primary Arms micro red dot on an Ultimak rail, US Palm magazine.

It’s nice to work with people who understand their own products.

Muffs are MSA Pro-X, same as what I use at home. Looking into switching to Tactical Hearing Protection fitted plugs, like Chris Cheng. Got a molding of my ears done at the NRA show.

Back from the NRA show.

2013-05-08T22:37:40Z

Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.

Full report would take more time than I have, so I will start with a few photos.

Chris Cheng with IWI Tavor and Primary Arms light and soon to be released red dot.

The same rifle with a rather nice 6x BDC scope.

An Aryan superman

2013-04-27T18:41:36Z

Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.

О женщинах

2013-04-27T15:38:10Z

Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.

Есть женщины в русской пехоте
Их снайперами зовут
Врага в перекрестье загонят
И за пол-версты попадут

Иной их не сразу заметит,
Когда в камуфляже они
И с пулей в башке он закончит
Свои беспокойные дни

А если их словом обидеть, невежливостью оскорбить
То лучше бы некультурному на свете и вовсе не жить
В руке недрожащей Люгер выдаст громкий отказ
И в голове непутёвой зажмурится третий глаз

А коли гость тот усопший привёл с собою друзей
То в магазине хватит свинца и для них, поверь
Жестом широким девушка хулиганов благословит
К ногам её в землю сырую улечься их убедит

For close range and much further out

2013-04-26T20:16:47Z

Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.

Barrett REC7 (6.8mm) with Vortex 1-4x scope. The shooter is an Army Captain, a veteran of the Afghan campaign.

Slimming Down for the Summer

2013-04-23T03:43:42Z

Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.

While I prefer to carry full-sized sidearms, sometimes something slim and relatively light is more appropriate. For the longest time, I used a pouch made by a good friend. Made to my specifications back when I had little understanding of how things worked, it positions cartridges facing to the rear. After a decade with it, I finally turned to the more conventionally designed mag pouches, a double Galco model. On the plus side, it’s very comfortable, holds two magazines and snaps on and off the belt easily. On the minus side, it left little room for my cell phone pouch.

So I am trying out a couple of single Comp-Tac pouches. The paddle model has adjustable tension and so works well for several different mags. When working with many items on a belt, it’s nice not to have to re-thread everything just to add one more.

The tuckable pouch is a new favorite of mine. Not only does it hold a magazine comfortably and protects it from sweat, but the way it is offset from the clip allows putting the cell phone pouch right over it. The phone doesn’t interfere with getting the magazine out but obscured the clip neatly. As a result, it offers excellent concealment. In some environments that is important.

Looking for a Panasonic G2 body (updated 4/22)

2013-04-22T17:07:17Z

Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.

If you know of one for sale for under $300 in good shape, please let me know.

(UPDATE: Found one, thanks for the lead!)

Further update: The body I got had a broken sensor for switching between viewfinder and the rear LCD. I am sending it back. So leads on others, hopefully in better shape, would still be appreciated.

Bullpups Unlimited conversion of Remington 870

2013-04-17T23:36:52Z

Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.

It actually works very well.

mfg site

Revolving shotgun

2013-04-17T16:28:29Z

Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.

.410 shotguns fill a certain niche. In this case, low recoil, light weight and good balance permitting one-handed operation are important, as is the reduced report volume.

Studio space needed in Hermitage, TN

2013-04-17T15:22:53Z

Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.

My home studio works great for product photography and portraits, but it’s too small for groups of people. The dome ceiling limits where I can place lights, and the overall length makes separating foreground lighting from the background difficult. So I am looking for studio space.

It doesn’t have to be a real studio, just a room at least 6 yards by 5 or larger, with the ceiling no less than 9ft high, preferably higher. I won’t have to apply any permanent modifications, the backdrop would be two stands with a roll of seamless paper. Ideally, the walls would be either a neutral tone, white, black or gray. Does need to have electrical power outlets. It also needs to have some climate control to be usable year round. And it has to be somewhere near Hermitage. An unused commercial storefront or a warehouse would work well.

Any leads, suggestions or advice on this would be appreciated. Full time access would be preferred, but I can also deal with bringing lights and stands with me and setting up fresh every time as needed.

Reduced recoil Barrett M82A1

2013-04-17T03:51:15Z

Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.

Barrett .416 fills in a slightly different tactical niche from the .50BMG variant. The rifles differ mostly in the barrel and the magazine, being able to use the same bolts and receivers.

Flat trajectory and integrated ballistic computer give this combination a good hit probability to pretty long ranges.

Reduced recoil also allows firing the gun from a greater variety of positions.

SSG69 PIV, police variant

2013-04-17T02:41:04Z

Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.

This illustrates the utility of short, handy PIV variant. With the scope set at 3.5x, off-hand snapshots are possible. That would be rather harder with the longer bull barrels typical of longer military sniper rifles. At typical police sniper ranges under 100 yards (departments report average range under 70 yards), the ballistic differences are minor, while handling advantages add up. With 1:10 twist rate, the barrel is optimized for heavier bullets that penetrate barriers well. It also works better with sound suppressors.

For more deliberate fire, a bipod or a sandbag would be preferable, but sitting position can be steady enough in many cases.

Sarah’s sidearm is a Steyr M9-A1 in a Sideguard holster.

Other details: A-tacs, MSA active hearing protection.

AKMS underfolder with TechSights

2013-04-17T02:22:26Z

Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.

I’ve featured TechSights here before. They double AK’s sight radius.

TechSights | A-tacs

Lasers for Ruger LCP

2013-04-13T01:16:11Z

Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.

I happened to have two examples of LCP-compatible lasers on hand. Pistols with fixed sights of indifferent visibility definitely benefit from lasers for low-light use. I have seen more than one person go from 8 inch scatter to a tight 2 inch group with laser-sighted P3AT and LCP.

Viridian Reactor R5 is a green laser for LCP or LC9 and has considerable daylight visibility. With batteries, it adds under an ounce to the weight. Production units are days away and will retail for about $176.

Several holsters are available, such as this Springtach universal IWB.

However, Viridian’s own holster has an extra feature (ECR) — it turns out the laser automatically when the pistol is unholstered. Manual on/off switch also works. Below, ECR-capable holsters are shown with Ruger LC9 and M&P Shield. A holster adds just $24 to the price of the laser when bought with it.

A cheaper red laser alternative, not as bright and without automatic switching, is already available from Lasermax. The on/off switch is an ambidextrous cross bolt. Being red, this laser is for low light situations only.

Both devices appear to be of good build quality and both were easy to zero.

A better sight for the Little Badger

2013-04-12T05:21:49Z

Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.

Putting the MARS on the little single-shot .22 was a joke. The sight was too big and it sat much too high over the bore. The little Lucid M7 is smaller and much cheaper and so a closer match to the survival rifle. It’s still waterproof and the dot-circle reticle allows for rough ranging and bullet drop compensation.

The other recipient for the sight is Barrett REC7 in 6.8mm. The rifle feels very light but that’s mostly the result of a good balance. It’s not front heavy like too many ARs.

The riser has standard Picatinny rails on top, so it can be used for any compatible sight, not just the M7. Personally, I think that the new HD7 with capped turrets would be more appropriate for the AR, but I’ll have to post the photos of that later.

Banning crossbows

2013-04-11T20:38:22Z

Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.

In Medieval Europe, several countries banned crossbows and arbalests for civilian use. The reason was transparent: protecting the monopoly of armored knights and soldiers on effective violence. Crossbows were far easier to learn than longbows and quite effective against armor at close to medium range. In our days, crossbows are still banned in quite a few places.

American government hasn’t banned the modern equivalent of the crossbow, the rifle, yet. But they did quietly ban bullets that are relatively effective against armor last year. Used primarily for dangerous game hunting, lathed brass bullets are no longer legal for civilian ownership. Even the hollow point bullets designed for controlled expansion such as shown above are considered AP based on the alloy used.

You can see the result of having only low-penetration ammunition available: most American rifles won’t defeat cover effectively. They can still penetrate soft vests but not even the wimpiest of the hard plates. In the video, the only good penetrator ends up being imported 5.45×39, mainly thanks to the relatively thick jacket. But .308 bullets available today are much less effective against cover, vehicles and armor than WW2 vintage 30-06 AP ammunition was. In combat, that puts American civilians at an added disadvantage relative to the various enforcement agencies who have armor and aren’t so handicapped in the choice of munitions.

No such thing for the antis as “safe enough gun”

2013-04-11T20:07:30Z

Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.

The technology behind this carbine is 1860s. The design is 1870s. This one is in .44Mag, but they are also available in .45Colt — again, 1870s technology that can work even with black powder and cast lead bullets. As we have seen with the recent drive to make more and more people outright ineligible for legal gun ownership, the anti freedom forces have dropped the pretense of being concerned with modern weapons alone.

States like New Jersey regulate air guns as firearms without as much as an exemption for very low power models. Anything not under their direct control that can throw an aimed projectile is anathema to them. Air guns and .22s are useful for training and, in a pinch, they are better than nothing for defense.

So the current push is to prohibit “crazy” people from having guns, then to expand the definition of crazy as extensively as they can. Then they exempt themselves and their political supporters from the onerous laws and restrictions. The classic 1930s recipe used by Nazis and Communists both. It’s all about power over others, and that power is easier to maintain and to wield with impunity when the commoners are unprotected and vulnerable.

This would also give our rulers every excuse to raid anyone they dislike. One important difference between the war on privacy (aka “war on drugs”) and the war on personal guns: it’s harder to use a pot plant to defend yourself than a rifle. And if you think that pot growers are enthusiastic about protecting their patches, just wait what gun owners will do to protect their families from raids and to avenge raids already conducted.

Firefox freeze-ups (Windows 7)

2013-04-11T02:45:54Z

Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.

For several days now, I am having Firefox freeze up for 20-30 seconds at a time every several minutes. Can’t figure out what’s causing it. Other programs appear unaffected during that time. Does anyone know if it’s caused by something common or obvious?