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TSiWRX

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About TSiWRX

  • Birthday 12/02/1974

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  • Location
    Cleveland/Shaker Hts., Ohio
  • Car
    '16 Outback 2.5i Ltd/'16 WRX Premium CVT
  • Interests
    Sharp thingies, glowy thingies, and the wifey!
  • Occupation
    Scientist

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  • User Title
    Where'd that Pop-It go?!

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  1. Penguin, was this you? https://www.facebook.com/BlackfoxIRT/photos/a.216612628762816.1073741829.184454238645322/462882550802488/?type=3&permPage=1 I find it highly suspicious that you'd post up a rant just hours before this one!
  2. I think you'll get there fast enough. My goal for the new beater last year was 5K rounds, and I only missed it by about 500 or so because I got injured and stopped going to the range to practice: most of that was just classes, and I didn't even take that many classes, compared to some of the guys I know. Even not training nearly as much, my original beater managed 4K rounds over the span of a little over a year. ---- Very well said. The real problem is a combination of choice-supportive bias and regret aversion bias. The worst thing, though, is not like the knowledge isn't out there or is somehow difficult to access. Anyone can sit down and spend the hour to watch the late Pat Roger's final lecture and gain excellent basic, fundamental knowledge from that wonderful presentation. For free. Spend the $15 to $25 on Panteao's website or the like and stream, for example, Dean Caputo's AR15 Armorer's Bench video, and they'll be able to confidently take apart and put back together their weapon. That same person can then step up to the few hours of P&S Modcasts and really nerd-out - delving deeper than any hobbyist-level shooter/enthusiast would ever truly need. Again, this is totally for free. Finally, instead of a blasting off case of .223 half-drunk at their third-inbred-cousin's back-yard, they could take that same money - and the time it took to drink that alcohol and recover from the hangover - and easily have the necessary funds to attend a great open-enrollment "armorer's class" that will give them virtually all the knowledge that they'd need, short of the certificate.
  3. Whether a vendor is a "manufacturer" really doesn't mean that much to me, as long as the parts they use are quality components *_and_* their assemblers/builders actually know what they are doing, because those two factors are really what makes the difference. Take Sons of Liberty Gun Works, for-instance. There's a reason why they use the parts they use in their guns and why they take the time and energy to build the guns they way they do. Same with Noveske, as you cited. We all remember the not-long-ago "walk through video" that a lesser make made of their shop floor, which got dissected and bashed by the online AR community for the lackadaisical manner in which their assemblers Bubba'ed together the guns that were heading out of their warehouse. The biggest problems with the big parts like the lower and upper is not their materials - rather, it's whether or not they are in-spec. And that's not so much in terms of the forging, but rather, in the final machining/milling. Most actually agree that the typical 7075-T6 forgings are essentially the same, and it's whether the parts finished to - or even beyond to a more exacting standard than - spec'ed tolerance that's the problem: think inability of fire-control components to properly align/install, problematic grip screw threading, take-down pin alignment issues, or magwell tolerances, which are the common complaints on the "lesser" lowers, such as Andersons. And this is as much a manufacturing issue as it is a QC/QA issue. As Chad Mercer and Tom Victa noted openly on a past P&S ModCast, this is where they can't fathom how Anderson and the like are able to push out lowers and small parts at the price-point they're at...because having been inside that part of the industry intimately (with big-name companies such as LWRC and FN), they know the costs involved to insure the level of QC/QA necessary, and they can't fathom how the discount companies are able to have prices so low, without cutting some very harsh corners. And this cost extends to that subjective "feel" you cited, too. A functional, reliable, and durable weapon is what the "MilSpec" TDP is after. It's the finer art of tuning the gas system, managing the recoil buffer assembly, matching the gun with a for-purpose muzzle device, and going after that extra bit of durability/reliability (like penguin so nicely explained of the KAC's proprietary bolt assembly, for-instance) and/or accuracy/precision (by, for example, managing barrel harmonics - look at the BCM's ELW profile barrel [and I get it, no, it's not a precision barrel, by-far, but it is very good for what it actually is), of the gun being spec'ed with parts that make sense - that makes for these "more enjoyable" guns. But that takes engineers sitting behind computers. It takes time and experience (listen to how passionate and knowledgeable guys like Mike Mihalski are, when they discuss the finer points of the AR as a mechanical system). It takes a willingness to go that extra mile in QA/QC - and all of that costs money. I think people take things too far when they "snob-free" their AR, or when they narrowly look at the field as either "duty grade" or not. I think that in the vast majority of cases, "hobby-grade" Anderson, PSA, Aero, or what have you guns will work just fine - and that they will be every bit as durable, reliable, and accurate as any "duty-grade" gun. But that said, the chances that something may be awry on the lower-tier components or completes: be it something instantaneously no-go such as components being out-of-spec or something that comes over time - durability/reliability related - with wear and tear also increases, and depending on one's end-purpose for that weapon, this may be a no-go criteria.
  4. There aren't that many places doing the forgings. Unless you're going with one of the billets or the exotic materials (and both become a whole different ballgame altogether), that's not really the issue. The issues comes in with QA/QC. Dimensional issues are one thing that is readily apparent here. As are small parts that fall below (or are otherwise outside of) the "MilSpec" TDP. It then becomes an issue of whether the company that does the final work actually goes to the trouble of QA/QC, and how in-depth they pursue such assurances and testing. There's a reason why those little springs and detents in a Colt or other MilSpec LPK are the colors that they are, and it's not because of prettiness, but because they are a certain metal that's been heat and chemical treated in a certain way so as to insure that they'll meet or exceed a certain usage and life cycle, and also so that they won't wear a hole in the parts that they are designed to capture (provided that part is, by itself, also correctly made). There's a reason why when you open 10 Aero bolts from their complete BCGs that some will have an insert or a doughnut and others won't, versus when you look at the BCM, they'll all contain the insert and ship with the doughnut separate. This is where the cost differences come in, outside of the actual material and, in the case of uppers and lowers, where the forgings originated.
  5. ^ Subscribe to the FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/heckinweaponmalfunctions/ It's got all sorts of fun.
  6. That would be nice. I wrote on the DDOG FB Page (in a thread which solicited ideas about what DD could do to better show off their ARs) that DD should team up with industry personalities again to run customer-appreciation/exclusive training classes in all the major regions. The post received I think the most "Likes" out of all other suggestions in the thread, but who knows. It wasn't an official DD solicitation, just one of those things where another member posted up a "what if" kind of deal. Hey, at least you'll get in a lot of reps! ARRRGH! I must be stupid. For some reason, I can remember you're in NJ, just not that you poor folks have to abide by all those ridiculous laws.
  7. ^ It should be fun. Great Meadows or Garrettsville? I'm assuming the former? Are you able to get a shorter gun for the class? You'll give us all here an AAR, of-course? I had a brain fart - that was both obvious and easy! :lol: It looks like it just comes with one of his CDs, and that's it. But then again, that's par-for-course with these guns. Buying a gun is not meant to be buying an experience like: https://www.cabelas.com/assets/cms/img/CLUB/theexperience/2018magpuldefensive.html
  8. Parts are never just parts. In all honesty, you really owe it to yourself to listen to that 4-hour P&S ModCast on AR QC/QA, it's an amazing look beyond even hobbyist-level knowledge of the platform and the individual components that goes into the equation. This I definitely agree with, too. I think that for folks buying stripped lowers from "lesser tier" makes, the easiest thing for them to do would be to just take along a magazine (if not also a one-piece trigger assembly) - to get in good with the store personnel and go there on an off day, and let them allow you to at least drop in these easy components for a quick-and-dirty fitment test. Certainly, it won't guaranty that everything will be peachy, but it'll at least rule out the most egregious. Same with FB. The knowledge that comes about from discussions always gets lost, and somehow the "TL:DNR" has become a legitimate response, instead of folks actually taking the time to read and understand. It makes me both mad and sad. But then again, people no longer read books (and I don't mean just hardcopy paper, I also mean electronically, or even via audio format)...I guess this really shouldn't surprise me. I'll make a note of it, no problem! Both Chris Cerino and Andrew Blubaugh are local to me, and they're aligned with RCA as partners, IIRC. Do they discount Proctor's carbine course with purchase, or no? Uggh, that's sad to hear. But thank you for your honesty. Any idea of the date of manufacture on the Colt? My good buddy has a 6920 that's been through a lot of class work and seif-driven practice and continues to be a solid gun, but a lot of folks I trust have poo-poo'ed recent-make Colts due to QC/QA issues. It's always been on my go-to list for recommendations for folks for whom the rifle will either be their first beater or is likely to be their only gun, but as of the last two years or so, I've only made the recommendation with the above caveat. He's taken his time and upgraded it over the last two years as he's increased his shooting proficiency and started to really come into his own "style." He even took it to an armorer class where he as one of the students completely tore it down and rebuilt it.
  9. I'm now 43 - I literally noticed this past year that my nose-hairs have not only seemingly become more numerous, but also significantly tougher (either that, or the scissors a lot duller all of a sudden! ). I've also got a random blond hair growing out of my right deltoid. ------ RE: triggers - My occupation allowed me some rather interesting insight into this little tidbit, when I first started in on shooting as a real hobby. As a benchtop scientist, it's not uncommon for me to have to use a glass stir-rod. You can actually get them on eBay for pretty cheap. Pro-tip: wear cut-resistant gloves when you're doing this, or just tape the pad of your finger. ----- RE: THE RZA's article - Man, that sucks! Can you post the article, here, THE RZA? Or at least post your thoughts on the Sig?
  10. Be careful with Spikes and Aero. While I've both seen good (Spikes) and have had good luck with (Aero) lowers, this is not something that's true across-the-board. Discriminating communities like M4Carbine.net and P&S have both cited more than casual/anecdotal instances of lowers from these makes as being OOS, and also have reported other more major problems, too (Aero, specifically). While I do not personally have enough experience with Spikes components to be able to say one way or the other, I do know from personal experience - albeit limited - that Aero's components can be inconsistent.
  11. Understood - but I'm not talking about those "large" components. Rather, I'm talking about the springs and detents - it never occurred to me (although it should have) that there's reasons for the specifications to which they are built to, too, and that sub-standard parts can cause rather disastrous functional issues.
  12. Not on an AR platform, unfortunately. I don't know that it would matter that much to me, given how I shoot - i.e. the rather relaxed BSA template of "tactical/action" shooting, like what you're doing. There's folks who favor a good single-stage for target and hunting - and combine that with my interaction with some of the top-tier shooters, I really think now that the single versus two-stage issue on the AR platform is honestly a non-issue. There's more than a few tip-of-the-spear guys I know who shoot out to the 600 and beyond (with commensurately tight shots from the 100 and in) with single-stage triggers that I'm no longer convinced that a two-stage is necessary for absolute marksmanship (similarly, having seen some of the guys with fast trigger fingers run two-stage triggers, I'm also no longer convinced that a single-stage is absolutely necessary for burning things down, close-range). I really think that in the above aspects, it's more about end-user preference than anything else. In terms of safety, I am not really that worried: I'm a "finger out of the trigger guard, ya big doofus!" kind of guy. My wanting to experiment with single-stage triggers in this context comes from the fact that -very- occasionally, I'll un-intentionally bump-fire a hammer with the SSA-E or MBT if I'm shooting from a compromised/unconventional position (like the brokeback, for-instance) when the stress of the drill/evolution makes it happen. I was initially hyper-critical of myself for letting this happen, but one of my instructors re-framed it for me and caused me to re-examine it a bit: he asked me if what I did was in any way dangerous or was otherwise unacceptable. Given that in each instance I landed the shot into an acceptable BSA template (once on an A-zone mover at the 50 and the other on a mover of similar size and at similar distance, but in low-light), I was hard-pressed to say "no," but still, it was a round that I had not specifically intended to send downrange....and that's what's motivated me to look more at single-stage triggers. Yeah, I agree! That and the mrgunsngear FB page are trying to ruin me! The 4-hour long P&S modcast on AR QC/QA really made me look at LPKs in a totally different light.
  13. I haven't tried it, yet, and I really want to. I can't really say anything about it until I've had finger time on it.
  14. ^ I debated between the usual for my daughter when she wanted to start shooting "real guns" a few years ago. I figured that I could either let her grow out of a Cricket or Rascal, or have her grow into something, instead. I ended up ordering a CZ452 Scout. It's honestly one of the best decisions I've ever made. Instead of growing out of the gun, she grew into this one over the span of 3 or so years. We - myself included - still enjoy shooting it.
  15. ^ The reality is that Geissele has a 9-lb. brain, and his stuff is just so well designed.
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