Skin In The Game Or Something To Hide?

 Some things are corrosive .. corrosive of your rights and seeking to erode our freedoms as law abiding citizens of good standing in society. - Police management have in the last two years introduced massively punitive  ANTI GUN regulations and restrictions on NZ Firearms Licence Holders - while the criminal use of guns against Police, other Gang members & the public continues to sharply rise.

I hear that there are some 2,000 prospective L.E. Officers waiting to be inducted and trained .. as the Police Training College is presently closed-mothballed due to NO FUNDING until next year 2022.

Frontline police try to do their critical function under difficult conditions. - they don't create the laws and policies that are imposed by their management .. but they are required to enforce them.

I recently 'copped' a small speeding fine for being 2 k.p.h. over the accepted 10 k.p.h. tolerance on the residential area posted speed limit. - the excellent officer checking my status commented " Ah - you're one of the good guys eh - I see that you have a gun licence." - and we had a great chat about this & that & life in general .. but I still got my $80 fine.

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Given the choice - I much prefer the feel and function of real leather for holding-up my jeans - for keeping my feet dry - and to securely hold my guns ready for use as permitted by NZ Police. 

- But it does seem NOT to be a good idea to store your beautiful pistols in that leather gear as the chemicals used in the tanning process will have left that leather with a mix of corrosive nasties including Sulfuric, Oxalic, & Formic acid and various types of salts. - In support of this caution .. I have on several occasions seen blue-green corrosion 'verdegris' around the metal studs & rivet fittings on old leatherwork.

Shame eh .. but the hi-tech plastics might just be better for your shooting irons than I like to think ..

I did buy a costly left-handed 'Blackhawk' rigid polymer security holster to fit my Glocks - about one month before the NZ governing body for pistol shooting BANNED the design from range use .. because using the trigger finger to unlock the retention system as you draw was causing overseas folk to shoot themselves by pushing-on with that finger into the trigger guard of the withdrawing pistol. I have modified that mechanical gripper to an approved static state using 'Sugru Mouldable Glue' bought online from UK. (Good stuff).

Naughty-Dangerous Security Catch of BLACKHAWK Holster:

What-evah .. real leather feels better to me - more user friendly/natural despite it being skin flayed from large deceased animals at the slaughter house and pickled in chemicals for weeks. Life - after all is said & done - is all about feelings, perceptions & aspirations eh.

Anyway - I have found an unused black leather belt-slide-thumb-break at my favorite "Army surplus" store for $14.50 that is imprinted Ruger Single Six 2/90 and it "fits" reasonably both my Ruger SP101 revolvers and my Webley Mk.IV .38"s .. that's a bargain.

The more I look into stuff .. the more I realize that there's so much I don't know eh .. like where has Paul Cross of Magnum Leather gone to - as he used to build superb leatherware?

My Tan 'Magnum Leather' Rig courtesy of Paul Cross's Genius Leatherware .. 

Shoulder Holster Rigs Have dropped-out of Fashion Lately.

Presently club target pistol shooting in NZ is having some police pressure applied by increased range visits where the officer observes the activities and takes name & licence details to cross check with the validity of the used gun's serial numbers .. a paranoid & pointless activity that must surely be aimed at justifying their new restrictive regulations.

I have heard it noted that the only safety breach observed on these visits was that the police patrol cars used were parked out of sight of the range activity with their firearms unsupervised inside for hours.

Every PRACTICAL PROBLEM has a PRACTICAL SOLUTION ..  the really tough issues stem from what problem people do ..

Hey Ho ..

Marty K.

Plasticine Goes Ballistic Down Under:

It might just be possible - when continually pistol punching holes though paper - in front of a dirt bank .. to almost forget that the bullets popping down range are capable of causing serious injury or worse. - NZ Police Authority rulings ban using "Man shaped" target images - or hunting any animal with handguns .. even on-approved ranges. Any fully licensed and endorsed pistol owner who might be asked to put-down an injured pet dog would be in breech of police requirements if he/she were to assist the animals owner and end it's suffering this way ..

IPSC TARGETS Went "pc" & 'HEADLESS'

(See no evil .. Think no evil) .. Thought Control police?

 I took 5 kilos of red "plasticine" modelling clay to the range today to see how stuff would work - well you gotta start somewhere eh.

Placed on top of an old desk about 12-15 foot from the firing line .. the first tentative shots were an Aguila  .22 Super Extra 40 grain from my Glock 44 & then a 22 WINCHESTER 29 grain copper-washed SHORT HIGH VELOCITY from a 4 inch  Ruger SP101 ..

Both .22" pills were round-nose and both drilled clean straight holes through five inches-plus of the heavy clay and exited onwards downrange - much to the audience' bemusement. - The third round fired was a 45 ACP 'full-metal-jacket' which also went on straight through leaving a caliber sized drilling.

We were concerned that anything hollow-point & too "reactive" would blast my plasticine lumps to bits .. so the lads next enjoyed an obsolete under-powered 38 S&W (short) hand-loaded lead wadcutter from my 4 inch Webley Mk IV revolver .. 'surprise of the day' when instead of cutting a clean passage it's meplat expanded to .390" - blowing an enlarged double diameter 3/4" bore channel through a full six inches of heavy clay .. enough for anyone eh.

OBSOLETE "Wimp Caliber" 38 S&W Wadcutter 

from Obsolete Webley 38 Revolver:

- I know this isn't 'Scientific' but merely indicative guesswork - but I get the idea that penetration in this clay might roughly be half to one third? of ballistic Gel.

A WINCHESTER 555 bulk pack .22 Hollow-point raised a few eyebrows by expanding to .435" (7/16") as it punched a short .75" x 2.75" cavity with the mushroomed pill before bouncing back two inches.

WINCHESTER 555 Bulk Pack Hollow-Point ..

VERY INTERESTING GRASSHOPPER eh,

Next session I'll try to lay-down a dust sheet of some kind as the plasticine readily picked-up gravel and ground dirt .. and I reckon to need another 5 kilos of the modelling clay to further extend the available penetration depth and bulk when using hotter rounds.

Marty K.

It's not (yet) unlawful to own this paper army target - but whatever you do - don't poke any holes through it eh ..

MK.

Truth & Lies in CORRUPT Government:

 Last Friday in 'We Was Robbed'  I asked ..

Todays starter question for 10 points - Can you suggest any other justification than corruption for "Parliamentary Privilege" - whereby elected members are allowed to lie and slander in the Nation's 'Highest Court' - Parliament without prosecution or facing charges of 'Contempt of Court'?

Marty K.

Today the news from UK is that at least ONE MP has the guts to stand for the truth .. DAWN BUTLER.

TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY & Please watch a politician telling the truth ..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2aafrWpsKg

- Mind you, She has been expelled from the British Parliament for 24 hours for telling the TRUTH .. whereas the known LIAR continues to be protected by the corrupt rules.

Marty K.

I BELIEVE - We Have Come A Long Way:

 The ascent of 'man the killer' has taken some 14 MILLION eventful years - we Homo Sapiens (being genetically 98.4% Chimpanzee-Ape) have been living here perhaps for as long as 500,000 years .. depending on scientific definition - but only in the last brief 2,000 years have some of us been persuaded to accept the unfounded myth that one Christian  SUPERHUMAN is controlling all that happens here beneath our star-studded skies - a belief that includes horned devils and sinners burning perpetually in Hades beneath our feet .. while ecstatic un-grilled angels play incessantly upon harps in the clouds above.

One such self avowed Christian Believer is the New Zealand Commissioner of Police Andrew Coster.

Commissioner Coster at St Peters Church in Wellington

Before being appointed as Commissioner - Coster oversaw the development of the Government’s firearms reforms, including the BAN on semi-automatic firearms.  As a Christian solicitor - Andrew Coster has worked tirelessly to shepherd both tranches of gun law reform through the legislative process.

But I quote .. "It was always to be expected that firearms like this would remain in the community,’’  - Commissioner Coster said following a recent shooting ..

- So what was the point of BANNING them from lawful use?

- He is now publicly demanding "Faster access to guns and officers working in pairs"  following the recent shootings by nutters.

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Police Commissioner Coster is directly responsible for the management of NZ Firearms Licensing and the current massive delays in their processing ..

I assess that a period of 90 Days following payment of the Firearms Licence Application Fee and submission of that documentation might be reasonable. - any delay in excess of 90 days strongly indicates deliberate delaying tactics.

I do appreciate that the expanded 35 page Application Form may take longer to process than the one page form used for applying to join the NZ Police as a constable .. but both forms were purpose designed by police management themselves.

This New Zealand Government & the current Police management should not need to be reminded of the commitment to establish an Independent Firearms Licensing Authority that may be able to correct many such police management beliefs - such as that a firearms license is a privilege, - that self defense is not justification for holding a license .. and that serving NZ Police who are armed with semi-automatic rifles and pistols are not required to hold an endorsed Firearms Licence.

Marty K.

P.S.

A six-month Police pilot of a handheld LUMI DRUG SCAN device which allows frontline Police officers to carry-out on-the-spot screening of suspected drugs has shown some promising results.

“Identifying the drugs supports officers to consider the best way to resolve the incident and ensure the person in possession of the drug is considered for a health-based resolution.”

- 2.75 Million Dollars for Gang Druggies?

M.K.

We Was Robbed ..

 News from the European Cup Final at Wembley Stadium London was that 49 'Fans' were arrested for violent behavior (is that more than usual?) and that 19 Police officers needed treatment for received injuries ..

Why don't the Brits BAN Soccer Balls ?

Well that's ridiculous .. because it's the aggressive nutters that attacked both Italy supporters & the police .. not the bouncy footballs .. but the same sort of logic applies as to why do the Authorities Prohibit & Ban various firearms related products when some anti-social freaks use them to attack others?

The causal problem lies with the warped behavior of the aggressive criminally violent actors - NOT with their choice of weapons.

Note: I did actually once go to a football match at "Chelsea" in London . my mate Mick was desperate to go and paid for the entry for me to stand beside him in the horrid melee. - NEVER again.

But our privileged upper strata WANTS to limit the lawful ownership of guns because they fear civil unrest may result from their mismanaged governance - so any available excuse to limit basic human rights is eagerly grabbed.

UK -'THE OFFENSIVE WEAPONS ACT 1999' has now become completely activated in UK - once again BANNING various firearms and knives etc.  - so will our British cousins at last achieve a drop in violent crime? .. Of course not.

However - it is clear just where our NZ politicians are copying their policies from ..

- If an action doesn't work the first time .. or the next - just keep on repeating ad infinitum and pretend that you are doing the job you are paid for by "doing something about it".

If Government administrations were truly concerned about the social issues of violent crime and gang activities .. they would address the social issues that result in high levels of illegal drug use and poor living conditions.

- they would increase funding for the BIG FOUR .. Health Care, Education, Law Enforcement & Housing. - Pay for it by proper taxation of business & private wealth .. and close-off all the taxation LOOP-HOLES.

THAT - when all is said and done - is what we elect representatives to do for us .. Not to stop decent folk harvesting wild meats, & controlling feral pests, - and not to obstruct fit & proper shooters from safely practicing marksmanship.

Anything else that government prioritizes other than the basics is DISSEMBLY & CORRUPTION.

Todays starter question for 10 points - Can you suggest any other justification than corruption for "Parliamentary Privilege" - whereby elected members are allowed to lie and slander in the Nation's 'Highest Court' - Parliament without prosecution or facing charges of 'Contempt of Court'?

Marty K.

Only In America ? Naah ..

 Would you actually believe that in USA you can gussy-up your Glock 19 - by spending around  $800 - to look like it's made of Lego ..

CULPER PRECISION 'Block 19' Glock:

YUP .. in U S you can now dress-up a functional firearm to pretend it's a toy.

Link..  https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2021/07/08/culper-precision-block19/

I think this is almost funny except the deadly possibilities preclude me laughing out loud ..

I do realize that your average street addict-mugger is no way going to find the dollars to do this but some devious psychopaths will right now be working on how to utilize it.

You can't 'dis-invent' technology - but this is a truly weird development.

- Here our NZ Police HQ will probably prohibit the sale of Lego to anyone below the age of 18 and have a hugely expensive "BUY-BACK" campaign ..

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Now, - while we're playing silly buggers with kid's stuff ..

British TV Stars Wallace and Gromet the dog:

Have you considered PLASTICINE at all? .. That's the soft modelling clay that 'stop motion'  Wallace & Gromet were made from back in 1989 ..

Plasticine was invented in Bath UK in 1897 for art students to model - said to be made from something like 65% gypsum, 10% petroleum jelly, 10% lanolin and stearic acid, and 5% lime - it is a nontoxic product that is both sterile and malleable. Shooters can fire rounds into it and assess the wound channels and recover the fired slugs for examination. 

I've bought 5 kilos of the stuff to play terminal ballistics with at the pistol club range .. If I don't catch my expellent on the way-out I may have to double-up & get another 5 kilo batch to extend my equipment's length ..

- 10% porcine collagen Ballistic Gelatine is way too expensive for me to work with and it will soon 'go off' and smell .. and the clear polymer stuff is even worse priced and unobtanium down here. - Stacked Wet newspapers or magazines would be possible but then need to be dumped .. but water filled milk containers should be a giggle before recycling.

.. Stacked soft pine boards? .. Dog rolls or tinned Cat Food? .. Messy eh.

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- And in closing & considering GUN LAWS .. I'd like to throw in the word ''DISSEMBLING' that sums it all up about our 21st century life.  It fits politicians and Marketing Professionals exactly to the decimal point:

the inclination or practice of misleading others through lies or trickery

- This folks, is the world we live in .. add a distraction about a pointless ball game & what have you got?

Marty K.

Travel - Nutters & Tritium Awareness:

 Mushrooms are Good:

I was on a grubby train from London to Peterborough .. standing room only - visiting overpacked England because of a "Heads-Up" from my sister that our mum had been ill. - It's a long crowded flight from Christchurch to Auckland New Zealand to England via Los Angeles - so another couple of hours balanced-standing in a smelly overloaded diesel-electric train carriage with hundreds of drably clad stoics wasn't exceptionally pleasing .. One mental eye on my secure tickets, passport, & money - the other trying to not loose sight of my shoulder bag stuffed with a change of clean shorts & tops.

No stress but .. other than this joker with wild eyes and a tattoed neck .. "You're SAS ain't you mate?" "I can tell just by looking at yer .. Just got out of jail in Spain .. Went for the footy and the bastards put me away for eight f*cking months".

- A pre-Covid Nutter enjoying EU freedom-of-travel. (I am not any way 'military' but was tall, sun-tinted and fit(ish).

This guy was so far-out that those near-bye fellow travellers backed away and we gained breathing space. - Well it's not easy to maintain a happy conversation with a crass low-IQ tribal hoodlum - but he eventually went looking for a drinkers top-up carriage just before Peterborough - but judging by the few sympathetic grins from our audience they were happy that I had held his full attention for 60 minutes or so .. You can't choose who you contact on public transport.

Unlike in U S - British armed hoods ride around on mopeds and in hatchback diesels with their banned screwdriver-stilettos and shooters .. but you never can tell.

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I 'research' anything sensible that I can find about the "Caliber Wars" and am noticing a slow shift towards grudging acceptance that smaller bores can work for self-defense carry - I like the tests done by various internet entertainers .. 

'Gun Sam' ..     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ly0jec1Xeg

and by 'The OldFatGoober' .. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ly0jec1Xeg

- nothing conclusive but plenty of interesting results.

Mushrooms ARE Good:

While some of the lower orders ridicule rim-fires and the other "mouse guns" it is well to remember that a police sergeant and at least one other have sadly been murdered here in NZ in recent years by nutters using PCP AIRGUNS - Pre Charged Pneumatic air rifles.

Modern 'smokeless' nitro ammo demonstrates the ongoing conflict of 

EXPANSION versus PENETRATION.

to quote Mick Jagger .. YOU CAN'T ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU WANT.

Musical? Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ef9QnZVpVd8

If you could patent a system that gives reliable maximum expansion without reducing bullet penetration you'll be made for life .. I'm working on it.

Tritium Night Sights:

 

Tritium gas is a radioactive isotope of Hydrogen - the most common element in the Universe .. that is RADIOLUMINESCENT with a half-life of 12.3 years.

The beta particles given off by Tritium are very weak and not considered a health risk unless a large amount is ingested. The stuff in gun sights & watch faces is safely captive in tiny glass tubes.

I recently bought a new watch that has 13x tritium light tubes in the face & hands and REALLY glows brightly in the dark (the 'LUME') .. but it's not easy for an old drongo like me to get an image to show you.

- US citizens might get Tritium night sights fitted to your carry mouse-guns and tell the punks that you'll irradiate their cojones as well as let all their air out .. That'll work in America eh.

Marty K.