Q4 2013 update

I am a horrible blogger.  Mental note, need to post up far more often...

Just a couple updates.

All of the financial documents have been filed with the State of Missouri and several manufacturers and distributors of VERY good equipment have a copy of our license.  Many have some decent initial buy-ins, typically $500.

First order as a company was placed with Ace Cases (www.acecase.com) who are purveyers of VERY nice bags and holsters.  It was a fund raiser for the Liberal Gun Club (www.theliberalgunclub.org) and $90 was raised for the club via Pro Range Bag purchases.  These bags are made here in Missouri, are VERY high quality and feature three pistol 'rugs' and a removable magazine holding shooting pad.  All seams are double stitched, all velcro is industrial quality and all zippers are reenforced.

Another great company is Unique AR's, (www.unique-ars.com) who make freefloat handguards for AR-platform firearms.  Their design is very good, they use a proprietary barrel nut that is easy to install and the handguards are all made of high-strength aluminum with custom cut outs.  If you buy one through my link or because you saw it recommended here, please do me a favor and let them know that "Olsen Training Group" sent you.

Maxpedition (http://www.maxpedition.com) is another company that we will be selling.  Their high end gear bags and morale patches will be available soon and I will post here as soon as they become available as well as what we will be stocking.  I can get them for less than MSRP.

For survival supplies, we will be a stocking Thrive merchant.  More info on that, my lovely wife will be running that portion of the business.

As well as running firearms safety/CCW training I will be building AR uppers for sale and will be selling black powder cap-and-ball pistols.   AR uppers will be built around Aero Precision/Surplus Ammo stripped uppers, barrels from a few different sources (Alpha Shooting Sports, Black Hole Products, SSE Machining) and Midwest Industries handguards.  The Cap-n-ball pistols will be Armi San Marcos gift sets and single pistols.

Exciting stuff is coming!

Range Report #2 - hung-up buffer ends the day early

We made it out to Ultimate Defense (http://www.udrange.com) on 6/11/2013 and shot both the P238 we picked up on 6/4/2013 and my AR pistol.

First magazine (TAC powder 55 gr FMJ hand loads) worked great  four round rapid fire strings all stayed on paper and the majority were on target at 20m - Holographic sights feel like cheating! - but 15 rounds into the American Eagle 55gr FMJ the bolt recoiled behind the bolt stop and stayed there.  I removed the magazine (still had 15 rounds in it) and since the bolt hadn't gone back forward yet there was no round in the chamber.

I tried to lever the bolt free by yanking really hard on the charging handle to no avail.  Thankfully, the armorer at the range was able to free the buffer whose roll pin had worked loose just enough to hang up on the recoil spring.  Since the bumper on the buffer was VERY brittle and rather cut up I ended the day and ordered a new buffer from the Equipment Exchange on ar15.com.  I got the replacement buffer on 6/14 and my pistol is back in serviceable condition.

Now to try out the 55gr soft points I have loaded over 24gr of IMR 4064 powder I got at the Machinist Hall gun show last weekend...

Update to AR Pistol build

Here's where my build stands now.  All I need is a bolt carrier group, barrel and gas tube.  Not bad for 6 months and a lot of help from other folks.  I didn't build this on my own.  ;)

Parts so far:
Smith & Wesson M&P15 stripped lower  - Bud's Gunshop, transfered through M&M GUns, St Peters, MO
Cerro Forge A2 upper - Kurt in Russellville, MO
Carbine buffer tube - eBay
Carbine buffer & spring - Mark's Guns, MO
Magpul MOE handguard - eBay
Magpul AFG2 - eBay
Magpul 5-slot rail - eBay
Cerro Forge A2 front sight base - Kurt in Russellville, MO
Noveske KX-3 muzzle device - Kyle in Iron Mountain, MI
CMMG lower parts kit - Cabela's mail order
Pearce 1911 Grip Frame and hard rubber stocks - M&M Guns, St Peters, MO
Ambi rear plate - eBay
Charging Handle - Equipment Exchange on ar15.com
Round hand guard cap - Equipment Exchange on ar15.com
Delta Ring group - Equipment Exchange, ar15.com
Barrel nut - msc used gear seller at St Charles, MO gun show

Once I get this finished, I will get video of me shooting it.

Democratic Gun Owner's Caucus of MO is GO!

After several months of trying to figure out how to get a Gun Owner's Caucus set up, it's done.  Here in MO it is easy, just start a group and get members, no formal decree from the state Democratic Party is needed.

Democratic Gun Owner's Caucus of MO on Facebook is the facebook presence, we already have a few Missourians and several other folks from other states as well.  While we may not have time to really throw our support in favor of specific candidates for November, I have personally reached out as Interim Chairman of the Caucus to the Democrats in the State Senate and have the full support of Marie Chappelle-Nadal who is the Senator from my home district.

If you or anyone you know who owns firearms in Missouri, is a registered voter and tends to vote Democrat please tell them about this group. 
Feel free to email any ideas, comments or questions to democraticgunownersofmo@gmail.com

The DNC has dropped gun restrictions from the national platform, let's make sure that pro-gun Dems get elected in our state.  The Right to Keep and Bear Arms is neither a Conservative nor a Liberal right, it is a human one.

NRA-ILA ice cream social

On August 4th I was invited to go to an Ice Cream Social at the new NRA-ILA office in St Charles, MO. I signed in but did not take the 'Vote Obama Out' sticker that they were using to track who had signed in. They now have my name, address and the new email address for my volunteer position with the LGC.

There were some very earnest folks there. I did hear terms bandied about that I had anticipated hearing such as "socialism", "anti-gunners" and "Liberal" used as negative terms.

What I did learn was that despite being told the contrary, my perception of the NRA-ILA being vocally Republican was correct. I don't think that there has been a Democrat (non-DINO) in a place of leadership since the
ILA was formed.

When the NRA-ILA is willing to allow non-Conservative views to be expressed as part of their platform or at least not spending members' money on Conservative issues, I will consider joining.

Lower is 100% finished

Went to the gun show today in St Charles, MO and got the parts needed to finish off my lower.  I got my buffer and spring from Mark's Armory's buttstocks and buffers page and am very pleased with it.

Since my last update, I have done the following:

• Sprayed the lower and grip with Rust-Oleum Dark Taupe paint and flat clear coat.
• Done a simple whip-tie with tan 550 para cord on the buffer tube.
• Attached a single-point to two point sling adapter on the rear plate consisting of 550 para cord tied with a bowline on a bite into the loop and a pair of standard bowlines on the ends.

Why not in Missouri.

Arizona, Oregon, Nevada, Texas.  What is it that these states have that Missouri does not have?

A Democratic Gun Owners' Caucus.

Traditionally, Missouri is a red state largely due to the wedge issues that seperate the Conservative 'hinterland' from the Liberal urban areas.  Gun ownership (the individual right to bear arms) should not be one of the wedges used to keep this state's Democrats from public office.

I have been in contact with several of my elected officials.  It troubles me that I hear the familiar 'whistle words' of 'gun show loophole', 'assault weapons' and so forth.  These are just buzzwords made popular by pro gun restriction forces such as the Brady Group and Mayors Against Illegal Guns.  These terms need to be removed from the lexicon of OUR elected officials as they are code words for 'no private sales of personal property' and 'modern firearms'.

So far, my efforts have not produced much traction but I am digging in and will continue to post up when I have more information on the Missouri Blue Steel Democrats.

The family goes to the Gun Show

Well, it finally happened, I got my family to go to a gun show last Saturday.  Met some nice folks, got to check out some good deals, some not so good deals and still managed to walk out with almost nothing purchased.  I did get a line on a high-cap Bersa 9mm for significantly less than the standard street price (as well as wifely approval to get it...after she gets her SIG 238!)

My biggest concern was for my 9 yr old son.  He doesn't tend to do well in cramped quarters with a fair bit of people, so I was VERY pleased that he lasted almost an hour in the show before he got overwhelmed.  Mainly it was the rifle barrels pointed at him on the tables, he said.  He did say that he knew they were not loaded but it still made him uncomforable to be 'flagged' every time we went past a booth.  Also, we were done with almost everything by that time so it was ok to go.

I was glad that there was very little political 'nonsense' going on there.  There were pro-gun bumper stickers, of course, but nothing truely inflamatory.  A lot of the vendors said that they prefer this show's promoter since they are a local company and the money stays in the local area, unlike the other major gun shows that are run by a company from another state.  There was a lot to see and we will be going back for sure in November if we're not traveling for Thanksgiving or at worst January.