Gun owner receives apology from police chief

This is how it goes when the police gets over zealous don't know the law and over reacts. Maybe the new training they will recieve will help them when they approach a lawful concealed carry citizen next time.

Trevor Putnam knew the gun laws. The officer who stopped him didn’t.

“When I told him that I hadn’t done anything, he said he’d find a reason to put me in jail,” said Putnam, 24, who works with guns every day as vice president of Coal Creek Armory in West Knoxville.

“It’s not that I have a problem with police officers. I deal with police officers nationwide from Arizona to Maine every day. But I lost my confidence in a legal right that I knew I had.”

Knoxville police officers will get a refresher course on the state’s gun permit laws after an officer who didn’t know the law stopped, frisked and threatened to arrest Putnam for legally carrying a gun inside a Wal-Mart this summer.

Officer Glenn Todd Greene’s actions June 21 at the store on Walbrook Drive in West Knoxville earned him a written reprimand and remedial training for rudeness and not knowing the law, Internal Affairs records show. He’s worked for the Knoxville Police Department for about seven years.

Putnam got a written apology from Police Chief Sterling P. Owen IV.

“The officer was wrong I want to personally apologize to you for any embarrassment or inconvenience you may have suffered as a result of this incident,” the chief wrote.

“The Knoxville Police Department takes pride in the training offered to its officers, and the training provided far exceeds state requirements. Unfortunately, officers aren’t perfect, and sometimes mistakes are made. As you can see from the remedial measures taken, we want to learn from our mistakes so they won’t be repeated in the future.”

The trouble started when Putnam and his girlfriend, Samantha Williams, stopped at the store to buy groceries around 10 p.m. Putnam, who holds a gun permit, carried his Colt handgun inside with him, holstered on his right hip.

“It’s like a seat belt or a fire extinguisher,” he said. “It goes everywhere with me. It was warm that night, so I left my jacket in the car.”

State law allows gun permit holders to carry their guns openly or concealed. Putnam said he usually tucks his shirt over the gun but forgot to that night.

As they walked out, Greene, who’d gone to the store to investigate a shoplifting call, told Putnam to stop. Greene asked for Putnam’s identification, grabbed his arm when he reached for his wallet and then asked why he carried a gun in public, records show.

Putnam ended up against a concrete wall being frisked as Greene took his gun.

“It’s called a concealed carry permit. State law says you carry it concealed, not in plain view (with the) hammer back,” Greene said. “I’ve been doing this for 12 years. I can put you in jail for something. It’s called inducing a panic.”

Greene ultimately let Putnam go after talking with another officer but told him to pull his shirt over the gun. He told Internal Affairs investigators he thought Tennessee and Ohio, where he previously served as a police officer, prohibited open carrying. Neither state does.

“There’s an issue there where there could be panic,” he said in a recorded statement. “I’m thinking the law is a concealed law. I’m not going to deal with a guy that has a loaded gun until I secure a weapon.”

Greene said he asked other officers about the law and that they didn’t know, either.

Investigators reviewed video from Greene’s in-car camera and found him in violation of KPD policy. They sustained part of Putnam’s complaint but ruled Greene hadn’t used excessive force in putting him against the wall.

Putnam questions that decision.

“On the one hand, I’m glad they didn’t ignore it,” he said. “On the other, I don’t feel it was a wholly appropriate response to everything the officer threatened to do.”

The department trains all recruits on the state’s gun permit laws, said KPD Lt. Jeff Stiles, who oversees training for the department. All officers will get another dose of training during the next annual session, he said.

“We don’t get that many questions about it over here,” Stiles said. “But we cover that aspect. We go straight to the experts to teach the law. We don’t guess, and we don’t speculate.”

Silence in Syria, Panic in Iran--good read

Well,

This could be interesting!

One of India's top ranking generals assigned to liaise with the Iranian military recently returned to New Delhi from several days in Tehran - in a state of completeamement.

"Everyone in the government and military can only talk of one thing," he reports. "No matter who I talked to, all they could do was ask me, over and over again, 'Do you think the Americans will attack us?' 'When will the Americans attack us?' 'Will the Americans attack us in a joint operation with the Israelis?' How massive will the attack be?' on and on, endlessly. The Iranians are in a state of total panic."

And that was before September 6. Since then, it's panic-squared in Tehran. The mullahs are freaking out in fear. Why? Because of the silence in Syria.

On September 6, Israeli Air Force F-15 and F-16s conducted a devastating attack on targets deep inside Syria near the city of Dayr az-Zawr. Israel's military censors have muzzled the Israeli media, enforcing an extraordinary silence about the identity of the targets. Massive speculation in the world press has followed, such as Brett Stephens' Osirak II? in yesterday's (9/18) Wall St. Journal.

Stephens and most everyone else have missed the real story. It is not Israel's silence that "speaks volumes" as he claims, but Syria's. Why would the Syrian government be so tight-lipped about an act of war perpetrated on their soil?

The first half of the answer lies in this story that appeared in the Israeli media last month (8/13): Syria's Antiaircraft System Most Advanced In World. Syria has gone on a profligate buying spree, spending vast sums on Russian systems, "considered the cutting edge in aircraft interception technology."

Syria now "possesses the most crowded antiaircraft system in the world," with "more than 200 antiaircraft batteries of different types," some of which are so new that they have been installed in Syria "before being introduced into Russian operation service."

While you're digesting that, take a look at the map of Syria:

Notice how far away Dayr az-Zawr is from Israel. An F15/16 attack there is not a tiptoe across the border, but a deep, deep penetration of Syrian airspace. And guess what happened with the Russian super-hyper-sophisticated cutting edge antiaircraft missile batteries when that penetration took place on September 6th.

Nothing.

El blanko. Silence. The systems didn't even light up, gave no indication whatever of any detection of enemy aircraft invading Syrian airspace, zip, zero, nada. The Israelis (with a little techie assistance from us) blinded the Russkie antiaircraft systems so completely the Syrians didn't even know they were blinded.

Now you see why the Syrians have been scared speechless. They thought they were protected - at enormous expense - only to discover they are defenseless. As in naked.

Thus the Great Iranian Freak-Out - for this means Iran is just as nakedly defenseless as Syria. I can tell you that there are a lot of folks in the Kirya (IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv) and the Pentagon right now who are really enjoying the mullahs' predicament. Let's face it: scaring the terror masters in Tehran out of their wits is fun.

It's so much fun, in fact, that an attack destroying Iran's nuclear facilities and the Revolutionary Guard command/control centers has been delayed, so that France (under new management) can get in on the fun too.

On Sunday (9/16), Sarkozy's foreign minister Bernard Kouchner announced that "France should prepare for the possibility of war over Iran's nuclear program."

All of this has caused Tehran to respond with maniacal threats. On Monday (9/17), a government website proclaimed that "600 Shihab-3 missiles" will be fired at targets in Israel in response to an attack upon Iran by the US/Israel. This was followed by Iranian deputy air force chief Gen. Mohammad Alavi announcing today (9/19) that "we will attack their (Israeli) territory with our fighter bombers as a response to any attack."

A sure sign of panic is to make a threat that everyone knows is a bluff. So our, and Tel Aviv's response to Iranian bluster is a thank-you-for-sharing yawn and a laugh. Few things rattle the mullahs' cages more than a yawn and a laugh.

Yet no matter how much fun this sport with the mullahs is, it is also deadly serious. The pressure build-up on Iran is getting enormous. Something is going to blow and soon. The hope is that the blow-up will be internal, that the regime will implode from within.

But make no mistake: an all-out full regime take-out air assault upon Iran is coming if that hope doesn't materialize within the next
60 to 90 days. The Sept. 6 attack on Syria was the shot across Iran's bow.

So - what was attacked near Dayr az-Zawr? It's possible it was North Korean "nuclear material" recently shipped to Syria, i.e., stuff to make radioactively "dirty" warheads, but nothing to make a real nuke with as the Norks don't have real nukes (see Why North Korea's Nuke Test Is Such Good News, October 2006).

Another possibility is it was to take out a stockpile of long-range Zilzal surface-to-surface missiles recently shipped from Iran for an attack on Israel.

A third is it was a hit on the stockpile of Saddam's chemical/bio weapons snuck out of Iraq and into Syria for safekeeping before the US invasion of April 2003.

But the identity of the target is not the story - for the primary point of the attack was not to destroy that target. It was to shut down Syria's Russian air defense system during the attack. Doing so made the attack an incredible success.

Syria is shamed and silent. Iran is freaking out in panic. Defenseless enemies are fun.

Poor Man's Sniper Rifle

I found this bit of information on another site. If you want to put together your own hunting rifle or sniper rifle at a reduced price, this is the way to go. I have an old military rifle (Schmidt-Rubin K-31) myself and it's what I call a real shooter. Everybody might not want one like mine as ammo is a little scare, but I managed to get myself some military ammo and also some reloadable softpoint boxer primed hunting ammo for mine. And then I bought a set of dies and other components so that I could reload the brass several times.

My Schmidt-Rubin K-31

Everyone reading this should be aware of the huge variety of inexpensive surplus firearms that are available today.

Some of these weapons have a lot potential as "sniper" weapons once they have been accurized and fitted with sufficient optic sights. I want to cover a few of the more promising candidates for conversion to this use.

These are just a few of your choices:

1) Moisin Nagant 7.62X54 5-shot, bolt, bbl 20"to 30", wt 8.5 lbs to 11.3 lbs

2) K98 Mauser 7.92X57 5-shot, bolt, bbl 18" to 28", wt 8 lbs to 9.5 lbs ALSO Yugo VZ-24, Turk M93, 03, 38.....many variations.

3) M96, M38 Swedish Mauser 6.5X55 5-shot, bolt, bbl 23" to 29", wt 9 lbs

4) SMLE .303 British 10-shot, bolt, bbl 25", wt 9 lbs

5)1917 Enfield 30.06 cal

And so as not to exclude the obvious non-military option;

6) Practically any bolt action, slide action, semi-auto or single shot deer rifle 243 cal and above.

In standard military trim these weapons are capable of acceptable battlefield accuracy (approx 3-4 inch 5-shot groups at 100 yards, rested) if you do your part, the barrel is good-very good, and quality ammo is used. Again, this is battle accuracy. You must remember something very important, these weapons were built, in most cases, 50+ years ago and have seen considerable wear. Pick the nicest one you can afford and go slowly during the accurizing process.

WEAPON SELECTION

Plainly speaking, certain of these choices will be easier and less expensive to accurize and equip with optical sights. By far the easiest would be to just get a normal 308, 30.06, 270 deer rifle that is already drilled and tapped for the purpose. Cost for a plain Jane deer rifle with glass can be as low as $250 in the late winter and spring when the deer hunting chores are past. Seems such perfectly capable guns lose some allure to the hunter attracted to foolish things like "Magnum" and the desire for something new. Of course we will be spending less than that but at the cost of doing several modification ourselves if we start with a standard military arm. There is also the lack of the military weapon stigma, after all it is just a warm fuzzy "deer rifle" and no one wants to ban those, right?

The next easiest would be one of the Mausers. They will require professional drilling and tapping in order to install scope bases and rings. You can attempt it yourself but without an expensive drilling jig the results may ruin the weapon. Usual cost is $30-$50 for this service. Several Mausers have "turned-down" bolt handles already, preference should go towards them. Otherwise you will also have to cut and reweld or heat-and-bend one with a straight handle to keep it from hitting the scope body during feeding. If you plan to heat-and-bend be sure to use a proper heat sink to keep the bolt body and locking lugs from losing temper. That could make for a very unsafe condition where the now weakened lugs shear off and you catch a bolt in the face.

There are nice after market adjustable triggers and safeties available for many of the Mauser variants. Also replacement match barrels if you want to derive more accuracy at a later date. You can start out with an 8mm Mauser and switch the bbl to 308 or another caliber as long as the bolt face of the new cartridge is similar, which lots of them are. Typical Mauser calibers, 7.92x57 and 7x57 are available in new loadings as "hunting ammunition and in quantity as old surplus loadings.

If the Mauser seems complicated to modify for optic sight use, the rest of your choices will need even more work to be converted.

A bit about ergonomics goes into selection also. The optics on a converted Mauser will have a line of sight closer to the bores axis (closer the better) which gives a better cheek weld. This aids your consistency of position during firing, consistency equals accuracy! High mounted scopes are more difficult to use.

ACCURIZING STEPS

1. CLEAN THE WEAPON

Completely strip and clean every piece of your weapon. Make sure you get every bit of the crud out of the action, bolt, magazine, and trigger. Make sure there is no crud in the bbl channel under the bbl, check the firing pin spring in the bolt, check trigger and safety for cleanliness. You will need small wire brushes or old tooth brushes, lots of q-tips (applying solvent to tight areas, reaching crud deep in an action) CLP is a fair cleaner. Gun Scrubber or some other spray solvent will be required. Remove every bit of grease crud and dirt down to bare, dry metal and wood. Remove every piece you can from the weapon and check under it for hidden crud or corrosion. Butt plates, barrel bands, sling swivels and under sights, check everywhere, clean everywhere. All of this cleaning and disassembly will familiarize you with your chosen weapon. If you are unsure how to disassemble, buy an instruction manual if it doesn't come with one, or call your team leader for help.

2. CLEAN THE BARREL

The amount of copper that you will take out of some of these old guns is amazing. I have personally had to repeat the cleaning process for 17 days on a Moisin-Nagant before the patches came out clean. I use "Shooter's Choice Copper Solvent" on all my rifles. It makes the patches come out blue-green if there is copper in the barrel.

Most of the time I use cotton patches (gun shows) to soak the bore. Some times I use paper towel or cut up old T-shirts strips. It is important that you match the cleaning equipment with the solvent. Do not use copper solvent with a bronze brush, it will destroy it. Use Standard solvent with a bronze brush. For Copper Solvent use a nylon brush. Never use stainless steel brushes. Always apply solvent to brushes or patches with a squeeze bottle or dropper, never put a potentially dirty brush into your fresh solvent. Use a single piece steel cleaning rod that is correct for your caliber.

The segmented aluminum rods are not proper to use on a weapon we intend to derive maximum accuracy from. The soft nature of this type aluminum is capable of picking up damaging grit and it could possibly abrade the bore of your weapon, don't buy them, don't use them if you already have them. Use only steel rods on rifles and be sure to wipe them clean a couple times per cycle (During second part of step 3 and during step 4)

Step 1. Make sure the weapon is unloaded. Remove the bolt from the action if possible, lock it to the rear if not easily removable (some deer rifles).

Step 2. Place the rifle in a solid rest with the muzzle pointing slightly down.

Step 3. FROM THE BREECH Run a proper size bore brush soaked with solvent up and down the bore 10 times. Scrub it. Do this twice to ensure complete coverage. Make sure the bore looks "wet".

Step 4. Wait 15 minutes for solvent to loosen fouling and copper.

Step 5. FROM THE BREECH Run at least five tight fitting patches down the bore. Scrub them back and forth several times each. Stop when patches are dry or clean.

You have just completed one "cleaning cycle". Some old surplus weapons will need as few as 4 cycles to be clean. Repeat steps 3 through 5 OR leave the barrel overnight (wet). I will usually hang mine (very securely) from the ceiling in my basement with a paper towel on the floor to catch the drops of goo from the barrel.

REPEAT THIS PROCESS UNTIL ALL PATCHES COME OUT CLEAN. All barrels have a point where they will be free from fouling, even ones that seem to stay dirty for 15, 20 or more cycles. Keep at it.

Also, make sure to clean your brushes after each application or you will just be putting crud back into the barrel. Use Gun Scrubber to clean them between cycles.

3. FREE FLOAT THE BARREL

Every time you fire a bullet, the barrel of your weapon vibrates at a certain frequency, just like a tuning fork. Many things can change the vibration pattern of your weapon: thickness of barrel, length of barrel, heat of the barrel, speed of the bullet, and pressure from contacting the stock. Contact with the stock is the easiest of these to fix.

This is where a little skill in basic woodworking comes in handy. You will need to decide if you are going to modify the stock at this point. The best thing to do with all of the rifles in this list is to shorten and reshape the forward portions of the stocks. You will probably have to discard the forward hand guards on the weapon, but these are not necessary on a sniper rifle. Shortening the stock will also get rid of some dead weight.

Now, inside the barrel channel we will need to remove any of the high spots that come into contact with the barrel past the first three or four inches of its length. With some sandpaper, files, gouges, scrapers, or whatever you have or can borrow, we will proceed.

Step 1. Take your thoroughly cleaned barrel and place it back in the shortened stock, reassemble as normal, and tighten all bolts as normal.

Step 2. Test for high spots. I use a piece of manila file folder. Wrap it around the barrel and pull it back toward the receiver. If it hangs up anywhere, you have a high spot that needs attention. Mark its position with a piece of tape on the outside of the stock and continue. If you can't slide anymore, just try to shove the paper between the barrel and the stock anywhere along its length. If it won't go, mark that spot for sanding.

Step 3. After you have marked all the spots you can find, disassemble the weapon again and sand down the high spots. The best way is to use an inletting scraper from a gunsmith supply, but we're doing this the low-dough way. Sandpaper and a proper size dowel or broom handle will do a fine job.

Get some dowel stock that is approximately 1/8 inch larger than the diameter of the barrel four inches in front of the receiver. Cut one piece of dowel three inches long for isolated high spots, and another nine inches long for blending areas. Wrap the sandpaper around the dowel and slowly move back and forth. After sanding all the spots you marked, brush out the dust and wipe the entire stock clean.

Step 4. Reassemble the weapon as before and retest for any high spots. Re-mark and re-sand any until you can easily pass the paper all the way from one end of the stock to approx. four inches in front of the receiver. Try to do a neat and even job so that the gun will look nice when finished. Be careful that you remove material evenly from both sides of the fore end, also don't scratch the top rails of the fore end.

You might want to install a recoil pad at this time. Just cut the old stock off about a half inch, sand the cut surface until smooth, screw in recoil pad and use flat block of wood to sand edges flush with stock. We are not really worrying about the stocks finish at this point but be sure to sand along the grain, not against. Purely cosmetic concern but it makes the next step easier.

4. APPLY CAMOUFLAGE FINISH

You can use any finish you like to complete your stock, but I would suggest, since it is supposed to be a sniper weapon, that a camouflage paint job would be the best idea.

You will need, first, some satin polyurethane to seal and protect the stock from moisture and weather. Be sure to completely cover the inside of the barrel channel, under the recoil pad, and all other areas of the stock with at least two coats. Sand lightly to roughen the surface so the paint will stick better then go ahead and camouflage it. Use olive drab, brown, black, and maybe a little tan for contrast. Use leaves or sticks to spray patterns on the stock. Spray in light coats so the paint doesn't run. Less is more.

You can also chose to do the action and barrel and the scope. Be sure to tape over any numbers you will need to see later on the optic. Also tape over the muzzle to keep paint out.

5. TRIGGER PULL

This area is not as hard as many people think. Most military rifles come with a two-stage trigger pull. It is not difficult to master this type of trigger, but most people want to lessen the pull weight a little. The Mauser and Enfield triggers can be completely replaced with modern target triggers. This is the easiest and safest way to do it although at about $50 cost for the new unit. Please know that the reason these after market triggers exist and sell so well is that there is only so much you can do with a typical old surplus rifles trigger. If you feel you understand the operation of the mechanism enough to proceed with these modifications be EXTREMELY CAREFUL. By polishing these areas you may at best shave a pound or so off the pull weight, at worst you can ruin the fire control components or render the weapon unsafe.

Your best option besides trigger unit replacement is a simple polishing job where the trigger or sear engages the bolt. Cycle the action several times with the stock removed. Look for the area to polish

If you have a Dremel tool you can use a polishing wheel on the metal-to-metal contact areas.

Use your instruction manual to remove the trigger and/or sear from the rifle CAREFULLY. Put the piece in a vice so you can work on the necessary area. Use only enough pressure to make the engagement area shiny. Use slow, steady passes. Re-coat felt wheel with polishing compound frequently. Go slowly. Be careful near edges so you don't round them off. Haste makes waste.

Repeat the careful polishing process on the bolt's engagement areas. Remember, you are just trying to smooth these surfaces so they will slide easier. Be sure to clean the polishing compound off of all surfaces before reassembly.

6. SCOPES, MOUNTS AND RINGS

Don't get too much scope for your PMSR. Consider the size of the targets you will most likely be engaging. Probably more "deer-sized" than not. Also know that our Military snipers rarely use any optic over 10 power. 3.5-10 is usually ideal, as is 3-9 or 4-12. Don t need adjustable objectives either, somehow they always end up set to the wrong range when you need to rapidly engage a target in the field, avoid them.

Buy the absolute best optic you can afford. I have had personal bad experiences with cheap optics. Simmons, Leapers, BEC and the Cheaper Tasco and Bushnell optics should be avoided. Bushnell and Tasco above $150 are usually fine quality. That is about the lowest price you will actually be buying a scope and not a headache. Took me 6-7 cheap scopes failing to figure that out. Those $50 scopes add up to quite a pile of money after a while.

Scope mounts for the Mausers are inexpensive, as low as $10 for a Weaver type rail. Only real cost will be for drilling and tapping the receiver. For the SMLE you will either need a B-Square clamp-on mount (SMLE) or a rear-sight-base type, usually about $40 from www.Natchezss.com

Scope mounts for the Moisin-Nagant are available in two styles weapon. The first is the military style that mounts to the receiver side. It comes with the soviet 3.5X scope. You must have a round receiver to use this mount, gunsmith installation is required. The other style is the B-SQUARE type. It replaces the rear leaf sight and can be used on either type of receiver. The only problem with the B-SQUARE type is that you must use a long eye relief type scope.

Mounts for the SMLE are available from several sources including B-SQUARE. You can use normal scopes with these mounts.

Mounts for the Mausers will probably have to be drilled and tapped by a gunsmith. These are more expensive, but are a lot more sturdy. They can be used with normal scopes.

There is a B-Square mount for the 1917 Enfield but the best way is to have the rear sight base and its protective ears milled off and a Mauser-type rail installed. Not cheap but the result is a very sturdy 30.06 weapon with a bolt handle that is already bent. Very nice when done up right.

7. SLING SWIVEL AND BIPOD

All of these rifles came with some manner of sling attachment, but we just chopped off the front part of this system. Quick-detachable sling swivels are superior to most of these anyway, so I'll tell you how to install them.

The installation of swivels is very simple. Put the stock in a well-padded vise. Mark spots approx. Two inches in from both ends of the rifle stock. Measure to make sure your spot is centered. Line up your drill (usually 1/8 inch) perpendicular to the surface of the stock. Carefully proceed.

I use little kits made by "Uncle Mike's" available at Meijer's or K-Mart everywhere.

Bipods are just as easy. This is one area where it doesn't hurt to get the best. I use a Harris "S" 9-13 with notched legs. It is tough, quiet, sturdy and very easy to attach/detach.

8. MUZZLE CROWN

Inspect the rifling at the muzzle. If there are any nicks or dings, you will need to recrown the muzzle. If there are large dings or chips missing, you will need a drill press. In this case, just pick a larger-than-bore-size drill that is very sharp, line it up with the center of the bore, and cut in until you get past the nicks. This is called counterboring and is effective if you do it right

If the damage is small nicks, use this method: Put a medium size, round headed brass screw in a power drill, coat head with polishing compound, hold square to muzzle crown, use light pressure, recoat often, until nicks are gone. GO SLOWLY.

Well, if you try these ideas out and it doesn't shoot like a laser, don't get mad. There are a couple of other tricks to try. Use the best ammo you can buy. Shoot very slowly. Keep the barrel cool. Clean the rifle often. Use a solid bench rest. PRACTICE. PRACTICE. PRACTICE.

9. SHOOTING ACCESSORIES

Things like gun cases, carry slings, ammo cases, benchrest sand bags and bipods can vary greatly in price and effectiveness. Your PMSR will need a simple carry strap for normal shoulder carry. Leather or nylon web does not matter as long as it stays adjusted where you want it during use. I prefer padded soft gun cases for all my rifles, your preference may be different. Keep your accuracy loads protected in some sort of ammo case that you carry, don t attach it to the weapon, especially the butt stock. This can get you real trouble when you have a clear shot but must shoot from the "other" shoulder. I have had this happen many times and as a result always set my rifles up for ambidextrous use. Half the deer I have killed have been shot from the "wrong side". Keep the ammo on your person and keep it protected. When sighting your weapon you will need some sandbags to support the rifle and make sure you fire from a consistent position. Cheap way is obvious, a cloth bag with sand in it and the ends sewn shut, one for the fore end and one for the butt to rest on. Expensive way is leather bags fitted to your rifle. The leather bags are nice but unnecessary.

Bipods are used far more on police sniper weapon than on military ones. Just the nature of their use, really. Police are usually involved in some long standoff from an stable position like some roof top or over a cruisers hood, bipods work good there. Military don't use them because they are often belly crawling through grass and other snagging stuff. They just use a small loop of webbing attached at the front swivel mount to drag the rifle along as they crawl. You will have to determine through a good amount of time using your PMSR what you will need. The only bipod I use is a Harris brand with the swivel/level option and I almost never put it on my dedicated rig. There are many brands/types of bipods, select carefully.

10. AMMUNITION and BALLISTICS

All this work on the rifle and so little about the ammo we will be using, that is till now. If you chose a round like 308 or 30.06 you will probably be able to find target or match loads for your gun. Not the case if you are using 8mm, 7mm, 6.5x55. Match loads are way more expensive than typical surplus loads but you do get what you pay for to a degree. Some companies like Hansens and S&B make match loadings for 7.62x54R at about normal hunting ammo prices.

Reloading is an option that some of you will choose. If everything else about your gun is in at least very good condition you should be able to improve your accuracy by handloading. Reloading is very rewarding and even fun, feels good to make your own and know everything about a loading.

Learn the Ballistics of your weapon by heart. There are several types of ballistics shareware available on the internet. You can develop a small drop chart and tape it to your rifle for all the ranges you will engage targets at. Knowing that your loads are quality (cause you made them) and exactly what it does after firing (cause you studied its ballistics) does wonders for your success ratings.

In closing on this reworded, slightly modified and longer version of this topic I would like to thank you for reading and for your interest. You might be able to do it for less, with weirder calibers and cheaper scopes but if you do, the next article is your responsibility to write!

Blackouts and other disasters

I think at some point in time we will have to defend our country with our own brand of defense as it looks like the government is getting lax on doing it. So I looked around and found some information on what one would need to make it through a disaster or other attack. I found this info on a militia site and wanted to post it here.
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The time to prepare is NOW, not after the next terrorist attack, not after the next power outage, and not during the next thunderstorm or blizzard.

A simple starting point would be to look back upon those three events and consider what you should have done to be better prepared. Did you not have enough bottled water? Gasoline? Cash? Were you able to communicate with relatives and friends as well as you wanted to? Had you gotten enough practice with your firearms to be able to confidently defend your family and your home? Don't wait until the next blackout to address your shortcomings. Find your weak points. Now. Fix your weak points. Now.

With the threat of terrorism with nuclear, chemical, or biological warfare, we should consider some basic emergency preparedness. We cannot hope to cover everything in a brief discussion, so we will touch on some basic necessities. We will assume a complete power failure, and other normal services down too.

Heat:

Should the power fail, chances are your furnace will, too. A fireplace or wood-burning stove would probably be the best alternative here, if you can find/stockpile enough wood. Kerosene heaters may work also, but again, you must have kerosene already on hand. None will be available in the event of a mid-winter power failure. Do not bring gas grills or charcoal grills into your house. You may wish to consider acquiring good, high-quality cold weather gear, such as cold-weather sleeping bags, for yourself and your family. Many fires have been caused by the use of alternative indoor heat sources, so use extreme caution.

Food:

Stockpiling food for emergencies doesn't have to be expensive. A plentiful supply of rice (preferably brown), beans, noodles, and peanut butter should always be kept on hand. You can still eat this stuff, even if there is never an emergency. Canned food will last up to a couple of years, so start buying canned vegetables, beef stew, and canned fruit soon. Many military style meals can even be eaten without cooking. You can also find military food, and other survival foods at the next gun show, or at camping stores, and military surplus stores. The time to start buying extra food is now. Rice and beans are cheap. So are Ramen noodles.

Recently, we have seen the emergence of of many "Power Bar" type of snack items. These are somewhat expensive, but less so when purchased in bulk quantities. They are great emergency rations to keep in your house, car, or locker at work. Instant breakfast bars, cereal bars, and even old-fashioned granola bars can all be an important part of any survival plan.

Make sure you have a way to cook your food. Do not bring a BBQ grill into your house. If you have to cook with a grill or other fire, do it outside, away from your house.

Food in your freezer can remain frozen for 24 hours or longer. A good way to help keep your food frozen is to keep several bottles of water in your freezer. Once meat begins to thaw, you CANNOT re-freeze it, so it will have to be cooked and eaten or dehydrated once it has thawed.

Be wary of using any dairy or egg-based products after even a few hours without power.

Water:

Ahead of time, stock up on bottled water. Buying it by the case at a local department store or even hardware store can be much cheaper than buying it one bottle at a time from a local quickie-mart or gas station. Buying several cases, and replacing each case as you drink it, will keep several cases on hand. If you have to purify your water, you can always boil it for at least FIVE minutes. To store water, add a few drops of regular bleach to each gallon. Filters are available at any surplus or camping store, and so are iodine tablets. Take some time to become familiar with water purification techniques. Save your milk jugs now.

At the onset of a power outage, in hot weather, soak a few washrags in cold water and keep handy to wipe yourself down with. This has a decent cooling effect. You might also wish to fill your bathtub, washtub, and other containers with water for washing or flushing purposes.

Communications:

You should have a transistor radio with spare batteries. A CB radio is good to have also. You can run it off of a car battery, and use a trickle charger to keep it charged. There are also hand-crank radios available; check the gun show, or electronic stores. It would be a good idea to get your amateur radio license, and get an amateur radio, to send and receive in the two-meter, and 440 megahertz range. Radio Shack may have information on this.

Certain brands of FRS radios also have AM/FM capability. These can be used in addition to a larger, battery powered "boom box" type radio. Large boom box radios require lots of "D" batteries, so keep enough extras to reload this radio at least once.

If you need batteries for your smaller radios or flashlights, you can always consider raiding all of the remote control devices that you have lurking around.

During the Blackout of August 03, many phone services remained operational. Having an electric cordless phone did not enable everyone to take advantage of this service. You should get an older style back-up phone, that only plugs into a phone jack, and does not require the use of an electrical outlet. Many cell phones were operational. Consider getting a cell-phone, and a battery charger for your car.

Electricity/Light:

A gas powered-generator will only work if you have gas, but they would keep the lights on for a few days, at least. There are gasoline additives (such as Stabil) that will help keep gas from going bad, if you want. Solar and steam generators may work, but they are an expensive and time-consuming option. Buy rechargeable batteries for your radios and flashlights, and get a small solar recharger, at an electronic shop. Keep flashlights, candles, and kerosene lanterns for emergency light. Chemlights (light sticks), which are available at military surplus stores, through mail order suppliers, and even in the camping section of some department stores. Check the expiration dates on your chemlights, because they don't last much longer beyond that.

Keep a source of light in your vehicle, in your home, and in your locker or desk at work. Keep your batteries fresh, and keep a spare set or two (or more) on hand. Know where your flashlights, candles, chemlights, and lanterns are BEFORE a disaster hits. Even keeping a small keychain flashlight with your keys is a good idea.

First-aid:

It would be best if you took a Red Cross First Responder Course. They are taught at some community colleges, and private ambulance companies. The commercially available first-aid kits will work, but bear in mind that you may not be able to replace anything that you use. Stock gauze, bandages, antibiotic ointment, and whatever medications you normally use. Pain-relievers, anti-diarrhea medicine, and cold and flu medicines should be kept handy, too. Keep plenty of reference books on hand, and learn some first-aid BEFORE A DISASTER HITS. Avoid buying expensive surgical kits, unless you are a surgeon.

Protection:

All of your disaster preparedness will be a waste if you can't protect yourself and your family. Buy a gun. To protect your home, we suggest a good pump action shotgun, like the Mossberg 500. Buy plenty of shells, preferably 00 Buckshot. If you want, buy a good military type rifle, like an AR15, or something similar, and LEARN HOW TO SHOOT IT. Get plenty of magazines (clips), and plenty of ammunition. If you can, get a handgun, too. LEARN HOW TO SHOOT. YOUR LIFE MAY DEPEND UPON IT IN AN EMERGENCY.

Fitness:

You will survive any disaster better if you are in good shape. Take some time to evaluate your diet and exercise routines. Start getting in better shape now, and it may very well pay off if there ever is an emergency.

Other:

Fire-extinguishers, tools (axes, saws, and shovels, too), extra blankets, plastic sheeting, extra plywood, good boots, extra sets of eyeglasses, plenty of duct tape, rope-string-twine, fishing, camping, and hunting gear, good heavy cooking pots, plenty of salt, cold-weather socks, rain gear, a sewing kit, a wash tub, and any number of books on survival and first aid, can all come in handy in the event of a natural or man-made disaster. The best survival tool you have is your mind. Careful planning and preparation will help you through almost any situation. The time to prepare is NOW, not when the lines are long at the market, and the shelves are empty, and the power goes off.

Mexican President blasts U.S. Immigration policy

It appears that we have a new dictator to the south of us or either he has been eating some bad lettuce and caused a drain off his brain. This guy to make statements like this might bring a lot of hardship to not only his way of running his country but to his citizens that are living in somebody else's country illegally. And last time I checked, I think that the American citizens had enough guns at home to do some serious damage just in case he thinks that his borders extend into our country.

President Felipe Calderon blasted U.S. immigration policies on Sunday and promised to fight harder to protect the rights of Mexicans in the U.S., saying "Mexico does not end at its borders."

The criticism earned Calderon a standing ovation during his first state-of-the nation address.

"We strongly protest the unilateral measures taken by the U.S. Congress and government that have only persecuted and exacerbated the mistreatment of Mexican undocumented workers," he said. "The insensitivity toward those who support the U.S. economy and society has only served as an impetus to reinforce the battle ... for their rights."

He also reached out to the millions of Mexicans living in the United States, many illegally, saying: "Where there is a Mexican, there is Mexico."