What's the Best AR...? (The Would-Be Hash Bash Blog)

Today was the Hash Bash. Well, er, I mean the Hemp Rally. I kind of thought about writing a blog about that, but I’m still on probation at my new job so I better hold off on that and behave. So I’ll write about homegrown ARs and Roll-your-own SBRs. Seems like a safer bet to me…..

Anyway, a guy walks up to me and knows that I work at A3, so he asks, “What’s the best AR you got?”

I hate these questions. Any question that starts with “What’s the best…” is fraught with peril. Almost inevitably when we answer, the guy has a come-back. Like, “Well, what about the ‘Whiz Bang 2015’ I just read about in Job Shooter’s web review?”  Sometimes it is almost as if they guy was trying to lay an ambush for us and let everyone in the store know how smart they are by asking about some obscure gun that nobody else has heard of.

So, I try not to answer these questions directly. The best response to the initial question is that it depends on a whole host of things. And often the case is that the ‘Whiz Bang 2015’ that Joe Shooter reviewed was a pre-production sample of a gun that won’t be available for another year or so. And, when it comes out, it might not actually work. (Anyone remember when the Kimber Solo came out)? Oh, and let’s not forget that "Whiz Bang" bought a whole page worth of full-color advertisement in Joe Shooter’s magazine. Still, I’m sure Joe was objective in his review….

Which brings us back to the original thrust of the blog. The best tactical AR's.  I asked the guy who posed the original question what his intended purpose is for the AR. The response was something like “Well, I want it for home defense and maybe some hunting. If you could carry any AR you wanted in your police car, which brand, caliber, optic, barrel, etc. would you carry?” Hmmm. The options are endless.  Wilson Combat, LWRC, Smith & Wesson, Core 15, Daniel Defense…you get the idea. There are tons of them out there, most of them being pretty well made.

Truth be told, though, I’d opt for none of the above. Sure, they’re all great and most any rifle on our ‘wall-o-rifles’ would probably serve my purpose very well. But if I could take just one rifle on patrol with me and knew I would need it in the direst of circumstances, it would be none of these. It would be one custom built by me with guidance by "Tactical Corporal."

Bottom line is that I would believe in and trust a "Tactical Corporal" gun right from the start. Why? My home built guns have all been built with input from him and post-production inspection by him, and I have shot other guns he’s built. They just simply work damn well. That, and he’d probably take it out and shoot the crap out of it before handing it over.  Using my ammo, too, no doubt.

And you can have the same thing. If you've never built an AR but enjoy them and want to understand them and build your own, stop in and ask for Bill (AKA Boss Dude) or Tactical Corporal.  We have or can get all the goodies you need to build a great shooting AR.

I just guided a friend through his first build. Talk about rewarding. He’s shot a bunch but never built one. He got the parts and sat down and spent a couple of hours driving roll pins and putting some torque on barrel nuts with my guidance. When he got done, we went out and he sent a couple of magazines down range to sight it in. What a hoot!

If you want to build your own, we can give advice and pointers to you and get you on the right path. Shooting an AR is a boat-load of fun. Shooting one you built is even more so.

(So, what would I have Tac Corporal building if I could carry any AR on patrol? It would be an SBR in 300BLK with 8 to 10 inch barrel  (1:7 twist), a suppressor, a Rogers Super-stoc and probably a Leupold VX-R scope. Load it with a 20rd GI magazine full of Barnes Blacktips and watch me smile).

Cheers.

Here's Your (co)Sine

A chicken and an egg are lying in bed. The egg is not happy. The chicken is leaning back grinning and he's puffing on a fat cigar. The egg speaks. “Well, I guess we answered that question.”

And you wonder what this has to do with shooting. (Hell, you probably wonder why you still read these blogs) As for the first question, easy, follow me here. As for the question, God only knows.

We were almost to Suttons Bay on our bicycles last summer, having left Traverse City fifteen or so miles behind us. It was uphill all the way and I was thinking of the incline. Didn't really want to think of the incline, but it was better than thinking of my sore butt which regular blog readers might remember I had sprained a number of blogs ago. (Refer to the June 10 “Call Girl” blog, if you need a refresher) The incline had reminded me of an egg joke: Why did the egg cross the road? Simple. It had the inclination. Some won’t get it. Some will. Some who do get it will wish they hadn't. Either way the joke sucks, but play along for a minute. And I promise my jokes for today about eggs are all ova...

I got to thinking about shooting up and down hills and how to compensate for bullet drop. The fact is that bullets drop based upon how far they travel horizontally, not how far they travel overall. Seems kind of counter-intuitive at first, but distance traveled vertical doesn't really matter much to the bullet.

Gravity affects a bullet basically at right angles to horizontal. So, the distance over which it affects a bullet’s flight is measured horizontally and does not count true distance on the incline. Some range finders do the math for you; they measure the true distance to the target, compute the angle up or down at which they were held, and render the horizontal distance.

If this is not taken into account, the bullet impact will be above the point of aim. How much? Well, for most of us it isn't that much. But to someone interested in the utmost precision, it will matter.

To find out how much, we need to know a few things; the actual distance to the target on the slope, the horizontal distance, the angle of the slope from horizontal, the cosine of the angle and the trajectory of the gun. If we know the measured actual distance to the target and the angle, we can calculate the horizontal distance and then plug in the rifles ballistics (and I’m sure you all know your rifle’s ballistics, right?)

(WARNING: I am about to commit the crime of math here. For you who are math professors and physicists, please forgive me! It’s been a long while since high school math class. Hell, I can’t even tell a sine from a cosine anymore… So, feel free to add your insight if you can clarify things.)

Example:

Measured distance to target on the slope=300 yards           

Angle up or down = 30 degrees

Cosine of 30 degree angle = .87 (And we all carry cosine charts, don’t we???)

So, 300 yards x .87= 261 yards.

Or, if the distance to target on the slope is 200 yards, then the actual horizontal distance is 200 x .87 which yields a horizontal distance of 174 yards.

In my 300 Blackout, which is admittedly not a flat-shooting round, the difference in the 200 yards example is two inches. If I did not compensate for the incline, I would be shooting two inches high.

The difference will be even smaller if shooting a flatter round like the 308 Win Mag. The difference here would be about .4 inches.

At a 45 degree angle, which has a cosine of .71, the actual distances from the above examples are 213 yards for 300 measured and 140 yards for the 200 yard measured.

Does this matter in Michigan? Probably not, from a practical point of view. But for those of you who head to mountainous areas, it could make the difference between a miss and a meal. And, you can impress your hunting mates around the campfire with your erudite grasp of ballistics.

This Ain't No Polar Vortex

I think I can go out on a limb here safely and say that most of us are done with winter. What sucks is that it isn't done with us.  It seems that one polar vortex after the other has had us in its sights.

I thought I'd never want to see another vortex. Then we started carrying the Vortex line of optics. Vortex is an American company from Middleton, Wisconsin and is building a solid reputation for bullet-proof optics with fail-safe warranties.

What kind of warranty? Unlimited. Unconditional. Lifetime. If it breaks, they will fix it or replace it. Period.

Their line of optics covers everything from red dots to long-range sniper glass. Prices range from under $300 to, well, how much do you want to spend?

Our order from SHOT show is starting to come in and I like what I see. We have their Crossfire II 1-4x24 with 30mm tube for $289 and we have a Razor HD 1-6 x 24 with 30mm tube for $1,900. We are still receiving shipments and will have models filling in between these. And to complement the optics we also have mounts arriving from Vortex so you can screw them securely onto your rifle.

If you haven't been in to see us lately, stop on by and check out the Vortex line. The glass is great, the features well thought out, and the cost competitive.

Hope to see you soon. And think spring.

PIG Gloves

“Oh, you meant the food kind of pig roast,” I said.  Someone had just mentioned a pig roast and I thought they were referring to a typical law enforcement retirement party.  “I always feel a bit cannibalistic at the food-type of of pig roast,” I continued.

“You’re an ass,” they replied. Yeah, I already knew that, but I amuse myself so I just roll with it.

Which brings us to the blog’s topic, PIG (Patrol Incident Gear) Gloves. We’re starting to carry them and are excited about it.

Yeah, I know, our Boss Chick is Jewish and is supposed to avoid pork, but hey, it’s bizness! And besides, as far as I can find, no actual swine were injured in the production of these gloves. 

For those not familiar, PIG Gloves burst on the scene advertising a level of fit and dexterity not found in most gloves. As a bonus, they have a model that allows use of touch screens while wearing the gloves. According to their website, they accomplish this by using “magical thread made from the hair of the unicorn pu...”… ahem, well, ummm never mind, let’s just say they use something that makes the touch screens work and leave it at that.

For now, we just have the PIG Gloves and they are here now.  As time progresses we might branch out to their other products but for now we are tight for space. That should change soon. Stay tuned for more on that later!

For your edification, and for something to do until you can come in and check them out, here’s the PIG Gear website.  As you’ll see, they have a refreshingly lighthearted and irreverent view of things.

And for those of my brother and sister law enforcement types who might be offended by the pig thing, be sure to check out their FAQs wherein they address the issue.  And then lighten the heck up!

Cheers

Winter Driving Preparedness- The Paul Simon Blog

I gotta think that there was a whole lot of slip sliding away going on lately on the roads… .

I remember getting the calls; someone was on their cell phone, in the snow drift, in hopeless conditions in which we would be hard pressed to get to them.  Were they prepared?  Not just no, but hell no! Under-dressed for the cold, no boots, thin gloves, no warm hat, probably poor tread on their tires, no water to drink, no flares, no tow rope, no shovel, no self-protection in case someone with ill intent came along, no emergency light, no food, no real pressing need to have been out in the weather and the question on their lips… “how soon can you get to me? I’m in a hurry!”

And like the Coast Guard when they rescue a boat that went out in crappy seas, we’d always find a way to get to them.

So, what should you do if they needed to risk a trip in the weather?  Prepare!

Any car should have a basic kit in it. The contents of the kit will vary based on the season, but the kit should be there. How extensive should the kit be?  That’s like asking an old timer if he wears boxers or briefs, he’ll answer, “Depends.”  It depends on your level of comfort.  It depends on your type of vehicle.  It depends on the route you’ll be plying.

Any time of the year, you should have some basics like water and some munchies. (No damn it.  Not those kind of munchies, this ain’t Colorado, dude. I mean real food! ) Throw in basic emergency supplies for your car (flares, air pump, fix-a-flat, jack, flashlight) and some means of protection (you always have that on you, don’t you?) and you have a good start.

Summer is easy. Not much above the basics are mandatory, although I’d throw in some bug repellent and extra hydration.

For winter, warm clothing is paramount (boots, hat, gloves, blankets).  A shovel is good.  Toss in some bags of something for weight, too. I use water softener salt; adds weight for traction and I’ll end up using it eventually for its stated use.  It also can be pressed into use for traction under your tires. (Reminds me of some folks I came across one winter. Stuck in the snow and putting floor mats under their rear tires for traction. Might have worked if it hadn’t been a front wheel drive vehicle. (And worse, these type of people breed).

And best advice; if you do not need to be out, stay in. When old man winter is over-achieving, there’s nothing like a warm fire in the fireplace, warm mug of cocoa in your hand, and a warm spouse and warm puppy belly to rub.  Staying in sure beats the alternative which can be frustrating at best, or deadly at the worst. Ask any cop, firefighter, EMT or wrecker driver. They’ll tell you how many times they’ve attended scenes where lives were tragically changed, or ended, in an instant on hazardous roads.

And don’t forget to say a quick prayer for those in the emergency services and medical care field who can’t take snow days, who absolutely have to "get there" and go to work.

Cheers

Snow Geese

It is no secret that I like to hunt deer. Certainly, shooting them is an integral and important part of the whole thing. Beyond that though, what is important is the time alone with my thoughts to reflect, ponder, meditate and, as much as anything, to simply sit there and regard what is going on in the woods.

I love hearing the raucous, frenetic cries of the Canada geese as they wing overhead. They are like a band of unruly frat boys noisily returning to the frat house after a night of libations.

I also love to hear the snow geese on the rare occasions when they make an appearance. In contrast to the Canada geese, the snow geese have an eerie, forlorn cry that is one of the most lonesome sounds I know. The Canada’s song is more upbeat and vivacious and it energizes the soul to hear it.  The snow’s song is a beat or two slower.  It chills the soul with its sadness.  It is a plaintive reminder that the warmth of summer and the abundance of fall have ended and will be replaced with the long, cold, stark days of winter.

It seems their voices travel for miles.  I hear them long before they come into sight.  Finally, the flock materializes into sight always at dizzying heights. Despite the lonesome sound, the flocks are huge; many seeming to number hundreds of birds. Hearing and seeing them, it is as if each bird is alone amongst the huge flock.

Today as I sat in the woods I heard them. I never saw them, but their cries lingered for several minutes as they passed me heading south. After they could no longer be heard the woods hushed and there was nothing left but to think.

I reflected on how tomorrow is Christmas and how most of us will be joining our families for a big dinner and shared gifts. I then thought of our soldiers far away who would not be with their families.

It occurred to me that the soldiers were like the snow geese. They are deployed together with thousands of other young women and men with whom they have been assigned. Still, each of them is individually lonesome for the family they have left behind.

As we all gather with our families and friends, please take a moment and remember those who are stationed far away from their families.

On behalf of Mrs. Blog Sarge, Blog Puppy and me, I offer my prayers for a blessed Christmas.  As we celebrate God’s ultimate gift to us, please join me in praying that this time next year we will have His peace to celebrate as well.

Blessings to all.

Giving Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving from the entire Blog Sarge family. And happy start of Hanukkah for our brothers and sisters of the Jewish faith.

While we are all running about doing family activities, we need to stop and contemplate on all we have to be thankful for.

For my part, I am thankful for the limitless blessings I have received and for which I feel completely unworthy. These include family, good friends, good health, a truly wonderful group of folks here at Ann Arbor Arms with whom I work and a bunch of wonderful customers who are as much friends as customers.

I am also thankful for the wonderful country we are blessed to live in. I pray we never take for granted the country or our freedoms. Freedoms that were secured for us through the blood and trials of the "sheepdogs" who stood guard before and now those currently stand guard.

Please join me in praying for those who serve and are far from home and in giving thanks for all the blessings we have here.

I wish all of you safe travels and a happy Thanksgiving.

Blog Sarge