Beyond Gell-Mann Amnesia.

Dang it, I had been enjoying some success stepping back from Facebook, and I should probably clamp down on myself again.  In and among the current blood-dancing (the recent Isla Vista disaster, this time), we have this tiresome Bore-owitz Boor-owitz Borowitz fellow, who gets shared by about half my Facebook stream every time he offers such... modern pithy wit as this:

Deep, man.  Deep.  (Seriously.  I'm not wearing waders...)

I suppose I should be fair.  The above is, in fact, a slightly more sophisticated brand of sanctimonious demagoguery than all the simple dick jokes.

Click to...engorge the stoopid.

Mind you:  slightly.

But this one, I admit, got me today:

Personal weakness, plain and simple.  (One can only absorb so much stoopid before it just flows over, I guess.)  I just couldn't let it go:

This is what now passes for wit? Really?

I don't think this sort of thing even qualifies for simple "Gell-Mann Amnesia effect" any more. The crusade of the True Believer requires a more... active commitment to his ignorance than that.

I suspect that Mr. Clever Man here would not particularly appreciate having his words used against him, but in at least one respect he is precisely accurate. All these school shootings--each and every single one in a posted "gun-free zone"... 

It's true--nobody seems interested in changing that.

And of course there's the tacit admission that he's just peachy-fine with the TSA/DHS approach to public safety, so long as he gets to designate the Kulaks.  (A nice stylistic touch, really.)

It's a good thing he's such a decent, upstanding, ...what's the word?  Oh, yeah:  politically reliable person.  I'm sure it helps him sleep at night.  (You know, since he's not doing anything wrong...)

The Funny River fire - notes.

I was asked on Facebook how things were going with the Funny River fire, and thought that it might be of general interest here.  This is what I posted back.

It's impressive, that's for sure. If you don't already know about it, someone actually made a dedicated FB page:

https://www.facebook.com/funnyriverwildfire

We got noticeable smoke, smell and crimson-red sunshine in the fire's early days last week. Then the winds shifted and it's been much less noticeable since then--a little smell in town here, a noticeable "cloud" line there. Keep in mind we're at least 60m south of most of this; on the other hand, we know a lot of peeps in the Kenai/Soldotna area, where it's a lot worse. Fortunately, I think everyone is getting rain today, so we're hopeful.

The geography has been fascinating. Apparently the big reason we got the smoke we did was that the initial winds blew across Tustumena Lake and right down the Fox River valley, straight down Kachemak Bay and over to us. (Our place is essentially right at the juncture between "Kachemak Bay weather patterns" and "Cook Inlet weather patterns", so the fact that we got the significant smoke even out here means it went all the way down the Bay with full force. Impressive.)

The current map tells a very interesting story. The natural boundaries of the fire are the north shore of Tustumena Lake, the southwest shore of Skilak Lake (which the fire is approaching) , and the west slope of the Kenai Mountains between the lakes. That is: it stops when it hits massive water or glaciers! This covers roughly from 45 degrees to about 250 on the compass; an enormous area on the scale we're talking about. So, the firefighting is really constrained to the northwest quadrant, obviously to protect the communities of Soldotna and Sterling, and the small amount of road system (the Sterling Highway) that serves us all.

And it sounds like they've been doing an impressive job at it. It's telling that they've kept the fire at bay distinctly north of the Kasilof River, which itself would be a logical natural break (the Kasilof is the drainage outlet for Tustumena Lake); likewise, the recent improvements along Funny River Road (with which we are a bit familiar) have been impressing people with their performance. The most serious risks to people would certainly be along the south shore of the Kenai River, which would be the natural northern firebreak, but there are a lot of people on the south side of the river and I'm sure they're getting the priority effort.

It's obviously a huge blaze, and it could have been much worse. Having natural breaks on three sides and having almost nobody inhabiting the bulk of the area was lucky. As well, the wind was even somewhat helpful: initial winds blew south for long enough that by the time they shifted back to the north, the fire had to recross a fair amount of area it had already burnt, which must have robbed it of at least some force.

Scary and fascinating at the same time--truly the word "awesome" fits in its literal sense.

It should be quite interesting to see what this does to the fauna patterns over the next generation. One of the reasons that the Kenai Peninsula got such a reputation as being a place for moose, was that a giant fire had roared through the area just before most of the area was settled. Moose were actually not common on the Peninsula before that (and they're not nearly as common now as people think they are), but they thrived on the new growth, their numbers temporarily exploded just as lots of people showed up, and the misleading reputation was born. Who knows, maybe it'll happen again.

Anyway, that's my take--as limited by spending nearly the entire time doing Mr. Mom duty. (Better Half got back from Haines yesterday. You just might see a few of her photos on FB by the time she gets through with the sort-and-process task.)

The current map, as of today:

Click to embiggenate.

Met a S&W Shield for the first time today...

...and impressions were a bit mixed.  To be fair, I did not get to try the trigger, and I can't call any opinion fully considered until I've had a chance to do that.  (The counter-jockey actually responded to my customary request to try the trigger with "I'd rather you didn't", which actually took me a bit by surprise.  I'm pretty rough on most gun-counter types, and with reason, but to their credit, most of them at least recognize that dry-fire does at least no harm to a centerfire, and also that someone who explicitly asks permission is probably not going to then freak you out with something unexpected.  Buncha savages in this town.)

The gun is dimensionally impressive, right in there with the Kahrs for slimness, and the grip frame is quite comfortable.  I don't particularly like the currently trendy magazine-extension-serves-as-the-bottom-of-the-grip-frame approach (just give me a short grip frame and call it done), but this one seems somewhat less offensive than other designs.  Oddly enough, despite the slim grip, the magazine seems to have a slight flare below the feed lips--certainly not a double-column, but there is at least some staggering in there.  Ergonomics of the slide, magazine release, and slide stop seemed perfectly acceptable.  Springs were reasonable.  Sights were good.  Knowing Smith & Wesson, I'm sure it shoots well and is durable enough.

The safety lever was annoying, because it is present but not foolproof.  Now keep in mind, I like the idea of a manual safety, both for weapon retention and as a safety for me.  (Even on a striker-fired pistol that doesn't "need" one.)  I must admit, as I tested it there on the floor, it never failed to come off for me.  But it is really tiny, and doesn't like to swipe on easily.  For a 1911 guy, accustomed to positive snap! sounds and readily-available extended levers that fall very positively under the thumb, the Smith's safety just doesn't instill confidence.  (The Kimber Solo, by contrast, has an excellent safety design.)  Were I to invest in the platform, I would absolutely find a way to extend the lever just enough for positive engagement both ways.  (And with that, we might really have something here.)

And of course I'll have to find another example on which I can examine the trigger, for pull quality, reset length and quality, etc.  I'll admit I'm a bit leery of the hinged (Sigma style) trigger, but people seem to agree it doesn't seem to pose a breakage problem in actual use.  As far as pull quality goes, I expect it will probably be pretty good--hell, most of the examples of this breed seem to have triggers better than the "revolver smooth" that I grew up with.

Will have to see.  With an improved safety and confirmation of a good trigger, the piece might well get serious consideration as a competitor to the Kahr or the XD-S.

Must be springtime.

Neighbor warns us by text message, as we're in town today, that a mama moose and her new calf have decided to spend the day in our driveway, and the yearling is hanging out as well, most annoyed at having just been kicked out for the new arrival.  Oh, and a bear has been spotted moving from one neighbor's yard into another.

Must be spring.

Very well then.  Eyes up, girls reminded to constrain themselves to the deck unless we're with them, and Kerflättenböömer moved into the first-reach position.

Is .45/70.  Shot go through.

Dang, I do love that rifle.  I'd rather it draw blood under different circumstances, but if push comes to shove, she stands ready, and will do her part if I do mine.

Five weeks Outside...

...can actually have a rejuvenating effect, even while being both physically and metaphysically exhausting. 

We got back home today, with selves and stuff intact.  (Not a given in the age of Teh Stoopid, so I'm calling it a win.)  We started with a week in Montana visiting my folks, then two in Minnesota visiting the outlaws and getting a sister-in-law married off, and finished with two in Colorado visiting friends and running various errands of impressively variable magnitude.

I don't miss commercial air travel;  not one bit.  An entire industry hijacked by people so scared of their own shadows that the very concept of usefulness is seen as a threat to the universe only they have convinced themselves that we all live in.  Jeez, those people are aggravating, and of course far more dangerous than anything they claim to be protecting us from.  (By complete contrast, air travel within Alaska is very nearly civilized, but that is a topic for another time.)

But of course most of that nonsense can be willfully ignored when necessary, and the trip was mostly high points.  Excellent visits with friends and family, a few important administrative matters, musicking with D. (truly the single thing I miss most about life in Colorado), and even some useful gunnie things.

On this trip I picked up the deer rifle that my wife's grandfather told me he wanted me to have before he passed away a couple of years ago.  Based on just a couple of never-detailed conversations with him, I'd figured this would turn out to be a Winchester 94, but to my complete surprise, instead it is a Remington 760 in .300 Savage!  Now it has truly been a long time since I've seen a slide-action rifle, and entirely aside from the honor of his specifying me as its caretaker, I get more tickled by the day that this is now in my stable.  Once I get some range time I'll be sure to post further here.

I was also able to pick up a couple of completed projects from Gunsmoke in Denver.  (Unfortunately, the '03 Springfield Scout is not yet done, nor is the slimline 4" LW 1911, but in talking directly to Rich Wyatt this time, we'll see if we can't get those "expedited" and complete by the time I need to speak at a conference in July.  Fingers crossed!)  One of these is my own grandfather's old shotgun, which I had done up as a defensive/general purpose piece.  It's an old Ithaca M37 in--get this--16 gauge.  The work, as I've come to expect from Gunsmoke, is beautiful, and ammo availability aside (not a trivial consideration), I'll be happy to use this as my primary "serious" scattergun.

The other completed project was the Browning Hi-Power, functionally dolled up with a ducktail tang, improved sights and safety, and a most amusingly blue (not blued...blue) finish, which will make for good photos when range day comes.  I don't lean on 9mm much any more, but if you do this is a great piece to have.  Invariably, people that I work with love this gun when they see it in action.

Anyway, more details to come...when they come.  In the meantime, I'm back and actually quite full of ideas.  We'll see how that manifests itself here. Posting had been really light for a while anyway, what with trying to lay low and take a break from all the stoopid for a time, and I'm going to try and continue that practice as much as possible. 

Good to be home.

Your Friday giggle.

Via the useful Gunmart Blog, this funny for gunnies:

Ha!

Now anyone who has read me for a while (no snickering, you two) knows that I've got little personal use for full-auto fire, but since it seems to perturb the priggish out of all proportion to its actual utility, it's also easy to get behind and defend on principle alone. (Oh, and I'm sure it's all kinds of fun, too.)

Jeff Cooper used to say that he never understood the setting on some select-fire guns that provides for a three-round burst...but he might understand the desire for a two-shot burst.  Then again, with an understanding of how to ride the disconnector and just a little attention, effective "hammers" are certainly available to mortals on semi, without having to be Jerry Miculek.

Still...for anyone that has seen him run a revolver, you get that joke instantly, and for a reason.

Redneck action targets.

Tried a new idea for Airsoft targets today:  steel can lids suspended with baling wire.

An old paint can lid, two punches with a nail, a couple of twists of the wire:

A baked beans can top, done up the same way:

 
This strikes me as very workable.  They should be easily movable and weatherproof, should interchange easily as they get shot up (note the two minor dents in the second picture, a test pair from the green-gas 1911 from very close--maybe three yards), and should respond well to spraypaint when visibility or contrast is required.

They're inexpensive, obviously, but they solve some other problems as well.  Ricochet is much, much better than with heavy steel (e.g., steel spinners for .22 rimfire) or other fixed surfaces.  With the baling wire attached at two points, they actually seem to strike a nice balance between reactive feedback (the ping sound and movement) and not spinning so much that you can't put a pair on it at speed.  The wire loops should be friendly to tree-branch attachment, without being so heavy or tight that it would dig into the tree.  And of course there are all kinds of sizes for steel can lids.  (The paint can lid, actually, produces a most satisfying sound on being hit, and being larger can be used at greater distance with normal perspective, rather than being used at closer distance with reduced perspective.)

With a little more thought, I wonder if I could get even fancier with the concept.  Different-colored disks could be brought together for shoot/no shoot scenarios, or maybe I could fashion Airsoft Pepper Poppers (maybe by tin-snipping open the can itself, and using the whole thing) and learn how to calibrate them for a given power level.  I hadn't thought about this before now, but if ranges are kept Airsoft short, target resets for thing like falling Poppers may not be nearly so annoying.  :-)

Their big dependency, really, is that they presume that the BBs really are biodegradeable.  I'm still running my first test on that, but if these things really do break down reasonably well, this may be a great poor man's solution to fancy reactive targets. 

Next:  get in a few serious testing sessions, and see how they hold up.