Post LPK update

Ok, got my parts on Saturday to get the lower 75% finished, just need a carbine length buffer assembly and then it's on the parts that touch bullets.

Also, the M&P15 logo will end up being covered up by Flat Dark Earth epoxy paint.  I will possibly get that section engraved with either a replacement M&P logo or else go with the Minuteman from the Liberal Gun Club instead.

Next step is the buffer assembly and then on to the upper receiver!

After the whole build is done and I have function tested the pistol, I'll consider cutting down the LGC custom grips I have, but those will probably just get installed on the Rock Island Armory Tactical .45 I plan on getting instead.

                                              build as it stands on 6-11-2012

AR Pistol build

Finally got the partial funding to move a bit forward with my pistol build.  Yep, I said pistol.  I know, I know, Missouri allows Short Barreled Rifles to be owned by anyone that gets their Form 1 returned successfully from the ATF, but I am not ready for that just yet. 

Many of the folks mentioned in my will are not MO residents, so taking possession of an NFA firearm is tricky to say the least.  Also, who knows what the laws will be or where he will be living when my son is old enough to take possession.  On top of that, just handing the SBR off to someone that may want to shoot it is potentially an NFA violation which carries a felony charge and $25,000 fine.  So, no SBR until I get an NFA Gun Trust set up and approved.

Anyway, back to the build.

Previously, I showed my lower and Pearce Gripframe.  Now I have gotten some Magpul goodies that will go on the firearm along with the colorscheme I plan on using.  After getting a Magpul case for my iPhone, I found I like Flat Dark Earth (Magpul Urban Dark Earth is the Duracoat color I'll need to order for the metal bits) and it should make the firearm a bit better for use in hunting.

Parts shown:
Ambi-mounted sling backplate
Front and rear MBUS
Angled Forward Grip (ATF approved for pistols)
S&W stripped lower
Pearce 1911 grip frame
Magpul enhanced trigger guard



I have a CCMG lower parts kit and vice blocks to allow me to clamp down my firearm for assembly on order with Cabela's and will have them on 6/14.  After that, all I need is the carbine buffer assembly and the lower is done.  I also have a gas block/front sight heading my way from a friend in Russleville, MO.  Also I have an attachable m1913 rail coming in for the AFG to be mounted to whatever handguard I go with.

For the upper assembly, I am planning on a 10.5" 5.56 M4 barrel with standard front sight attached to an M3 'flat top' receiver.  For handguards, I plan on either a Magpul MOE foregrip or else a free-floated foregrip with top and bottom rails from Midwest Industries.  If I go withe the free floating handguard, I can mount the front MBUS without issue but it would cost more and require me to cut off the front sight tower from the gas block.  If I go with the Magpul handguard, the AFG would look almost like it was molded onto the guard and I would not have to cut off the front sight tower.

Once I get the buffer tube, then the temptation will be to get the Duracoat 'quick use' set so I can get everything the same tone of FDE. 

More pics and updates to follow!

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.

Why does a Liberal use the Gadsen Flag as an image?

Why does a Liberal use the Gadsden Flag as an image? 
Isn't that the image of the Tea Party? 

Not really.  The yellow field backed Gadsden flag was started to be used by the Tea Party movement to show that they were fed up with the direction that the USA was taking after a black man was elected to the POTUS.  I held that symbol in very high esteem for most of my adult life and hated that a group that I found so disagreeable 'co-opted' it. 

At that point, I decided that as a counter-point symbol, the First Navy Jack should be used by Liberals, especially those of us closer to Classic Liberalism than Progressivism to show our lack of trust in the Establishmentarians that created the Tea Party Movement as well as the same demographic that is controlling both the GOP and the Dems. 

We've seen since 2010 that the ONLY THING that the TP Congress members want is NOT less government (none of these junior Congress critters are forgoing their expense accounts or running smaller staffed offices and have done nothing to effectively shrink the Federal government)but to get the sitting POTUS out using any means necessary such as government shutdown threats and scorched earth tactics.  It seems that they are worried that if this POTUS looks good.

I am a bit of an odd duck.  I see the Federal and State governments as necessary villains to assist individuals in their ability to keep their personal rights as well as to provide those things that individuals may not be able to provide for themselves, such as public schooling, health care facilities, common defense and emergency services.  I also see Corporations the way that Thomas Jefferson did. An Aristocracy of Corporations, indeed.

I close with the last political note from that great man, sent ahead to the 50th anniversary of the signing of that beautiful act of Treason, the Declaration of Independence:

“May (July 4) be to the world, what I believe it will be -- to some parts sooner, to others later, but finally to all -- the signal of arousing men to burst the chains under which monkish ignorance and superstition had persuaded them to bind themselves, and to assume the blessings and security of self-government. That form (of government) which we have substituted, restores the free right to the unbounded exercise of reason and freedom of opinion. All eyes are opened, or opening, to the rights of man. The general spread of the light of science has already laid open to every view the palpable truth, that the mass of mankind has not been born with saddles on their backs, nor a favored few booted and spurred, ready to ride them legitimately, by the grace of God.”

It begins!

On Friday I excersized by 2nd Amendment rights and have now started my AR build.
     *  Smith & Wesson M&P-15 stripped lower
     *  Pearce Grips AR-1911 grip adaptor
     *  Custom 1911 stocks from my buddy Tim's Etsy store in their green respendant Liberal Gun Club selves.

Got the grips installed and within two weeks I will have the lower parts kit.  I'll have to remove the grips in order to get the selecter/safety detent pin and spring installed as I do not have those parts just yet.

We celebrated how quickly I passed the form 4473 process (I did forgo my paranoid fears and put my SSN # on the form.  I have no doubt that this helped) by going to Ultimate Defense and getting some trigger time on their rental S&W M&P-15 and my DW put 50 .45 ACP downrange on their rental Springfield Government 1911A1. 

It turns out that since the NRA was in town, KMOV 4 wanted to get some information on women who shoot guns after speaking with Mr Bastian (owner of UDRange.com) at the NRA Annual Meeting and Trade Show earlier Friday afternoon.  They did interview Ms ALIMO but only used footage of her and not her interview.  I overcame my temptation of putting my Liberal Gun Club hat on her for the interview.  LOL

I did not attend the National Meeting and Trade Show for one simple reason.  I am not an NRA-ILA member and have no interest in joining at this time but may in the future if they decide to agree that the Right to Keep and Bear Arms is _NOT_ just a Conservative position but one for all people.  In the past, the NRA fought for gun rights for individiuals and supported politicians that did the same.  At some point after Mr la Pierre took over, the tone and targets changed.  Now the NRA is working to increase teh gun rights for those who would most greatly benefit the firearms manufacturers and Conservative interests.  For example, in 2004 and 2008, the NRA backed several Democrats and Independants that held strong RKBA beliefs and had histories of working to preserve these rights.  In 2008, a feaver pitch was reached when 'OBAMA WILL STEAL YOUR GUNS!' was the battle-cry.  In 2010, all non-Republicans were thrown under the bus.  Now in 2012 the 'OBAMA WILL STEAL YOUR GUNS!' is the message again, causing there to be major runs on guns and ammo.

The current run on guns and ammo will keep me from finishing my AR-15 rifle build in May as I had initially planned.  Manufacturers are hitting it huge, orders are piling up and things are going out of stock faster than they are being replaced.  Even the manufacturers that historically are on the bottom end of acceptable are getting record orders and have waiting lists for shipping dates.

The level of FUD spread like pasture pucks has gotten out of hand.  Membership in the Liberal Gun Club is growing daily.

And here are some pics of my build in progress:

Post-February wrap-up and updates

Well, the no-spend February wasn't as profitable but we did manage to get things back on track.  No real savings but some items that we've needed for some time have been purchased and we've cut back our 'eating out' a fair bit.

Back in January I traded some .40 S&W brass and a 1/2# of fresh Unique powder for a set of RCBS .223 full-length sizing dies so I can reload .223 ammo for my upcoming AR-15 rifle build.  I had the dies in my hot little hands for less than a day before I stuck a case.  Long story short, I've contacted RCBS support a few times and still have not gotten the replacement spindle that they have been promising me since January 25th.  I broke down and bought the X-spander spindle from Cabela's.  Since that point, I have now sized and expanded several hundred pieces of .223 PMC, Federal and Lake City brass.  Now to get a pound of Ramshot TAC powder and some Hornady VMAX 62-grain bullets...after I get a scale that is more accurate than the used RCBS 5-0-5 scale that I have.

I guess I'll send the 5-0-5 to RCBS to have them check out and recalibrate if needed.  While I have heard many good things about thier customer service over the years, my experience has been less than stellar. 

The lay-away Smith & Wesson M&P 15 lower reciever that I have on hold for me at Bud's Gunshop in Lexington, KY should be in my possession before I turn 40 at the end of the month.  Then it's $69 for the lower parts kit, $54 for the stock and recoil spring with another $400-$500 for the upper.  Or, I may just order a rifle kit from either www.akpartskits.com or www.model1sales.com.  Or both, there are still cheap stripped lower recievers out there...

'No Spend' February

Last month, my DW came to me with an idea, a 'no spend' week.  Basically, we would go for one paycheck and only spend money we needed to spend - only bills, rent, food, transport - and not spend money we don't. 

I didn't think that a week was quite enough time to make a difference in either our bank account or our spending habits, so I figured we should expand it to the month of February.  Short month, should be easy.

To offset some concerns, we're each allowed $50 for the month to spend however we want, Valentine's Day is exempt and we get one family dinner out a week.

This is now Day 3, first payday and so far so good.  I used the $50 to cover some Colt 1911 custom stocks that have been sitting in a buddy's etsy store since, well, too long ago.  Meanwhile my wife has the next week's worth of lunches and dinners bought for $150 at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. 

I planned ahead and bought us another 525 pack of Winchester .22lr which means that we should be able to shoot all month at the range for $0.  Cheap entertainment at its finest!