Gunsmith 'r' Us. 

2015 is a change for us at Patriot Aims.  We closed the store in August (2014) because we could not compete with the online stores that were selling firearms at or below our cost. We turned into a transfer station, and an ammo depot (when it was available). At the end of the day, it was hard to justify paying the rent, utilities, etc. to bring in guns for customers who ordered them from somewhere else in the country. 

So now, we open as a gunsmithing operation. 

Check out the new website    www.patriotaims.com 

Thanks for your support. 

Fire Starter

Cotton balls saturated with petroleum jelly (don't need a name brand).  Can store it in a plastic bottle with a screw top.  Easy to store and carry.  Lights every time. 

Internet Firearms Purchases and the Demise of Local Gun Stores.

Today I learned about a local gun store (a competitor?) going out of business. Everybody's first response is "yippie!".  One less shark in the tank.  Right?  

Personally, I would like to have MORE gun stores and competitors so I can actively strive to be the best gun store in town. Best service, best prices, etc. Actually, I am more concerned about that store's demise because it is proof that more people are choosing to buy on the internet than at their local gun store. 

So what's wrong with that?  

Let me explain the purchasing protocol (at least in North Carolina). 

When you purchase a firearm, you are required to complete a form 4473 (ATF) that formally documents the sale. If you buy a firearm in our store (or order one in our store), the 4473 transfer is included in the price.  When you buy the firearm online, you still have to complete the 4473. but now we charge you a "transfer fee" because we are liable for the transaction information.   

We currently charge a small transfer fee. It's really as a convenience for our customer base.  We don't always have the right firearm at the right time or price and customers find them someplace else. That's great! And we're happy to accommodate the customers who find the firearm they are searching for. 

But the trend is that more and more customers are buying their firearms from internet sources and using the local stores as the document clearing house. 

I can understand locating a hard to find firearm that the local store doesn't have in stock. Buy it and ship it to your local gun store. On the other hand, why buy a gun that the gun store has in stock or can order?  Sure, you may save a few dollars because you didn't have to pay sales tax. 

But when the local stores all fold because of loss of sales to the internet giants, who is going to be around to handle the required ATF transfers?  If I am the only guy in town, my transfer fee is going to go from $20 (current)  to $150.  Why not?  I have a brick and mortar store, bills to pay and no sales to support it.

With the current environment, I suppose that traditional gun stores are going to eventually (maybe sooner than you think) fade away.  Anti-gun legislation makes it harder to make a gun transaction every day. It is an inexorable push to make it harder and harder for citizens to own firearms.  We are trying to help facilitate that process. "Progress" is working against us. 

Please. Support your local gun store. Support the 2nd amendment.

Is that a Mosin?

Recently, I made the decision to add a large caliber rifle to my collection and after some deliberation and research, chose the .308 as the caliber of choice. The decision was helped when I started to look at the various rifles available that shoot that caliber. One of the originals - the Mosin Nagant 91/30 - a Russian battle rifle that has a long history of solid and reliable performance. 

Here's a picture of the rifle I bought (after clean-up).

The 91/30 is a simple design, bolt-action rifle, with an internal 5-round magazine. It actually shoots a 7.62mm x 54R round, which is the equivalent of the modern .308Win round. There were millions of 91/30's manufactured and it has been used in almost every major battle worldwide. While prices are beginning to head north, the basic 91/30 can still be purchased for under $200. Two drawbacks - 1) the rifle is very heavy (> 8lbs.) and is very long (48"). 

Another deciding factor - cost and availability of ammunition.  There is an abundance of war surplus ammo stored virtually all over Europe and Russia. Much of it was packed in the 1970's and has remained untouched since it went into the storage cans. The good news is that the 7.62x54R cartridge can be purchased for less than $.30/round. In today's crazy ammo market, that's less than most pistol ammo.  And certainly less than .308 ammo.  

This is what the ammo looks like in the "spam" can.   

Each can contains 440 rounds.  You open it like you would a sardine can with the opener (seen at the front right of the crate).

For reference, this is how the 7.62x54R compares to other common calibers:

From left:  .22LR, .380ACP, 9mm, 5.56, and 7.62x54R

I took the Mosin when I went deer hunting this past season. Didn't shoot anything but we did put some holes in a paper target.  At 50 yds. I was putting shots into a 2" circle with iron sights. 

All in all, I'm happy with my decision to buy a Mosin. It's simple, clean looking, and solid. I planned to leave it as I bought it, although I am contemplating adding a scope. 

Then I saw the ProMag Archangel stock for the Mosin Nagant at a gun show. One look and I knew I had to have it.  You can see why. 

The Archangel stock is lighter (polymer), stronger (fiber reinforced); has an adjustable cheek rest and butt pad (pull length), and provides a removable magazine. To finalize the set-up, I added a bipod and a Witt Machine muzzle brake.

The gun now looks very modern, is lighter, and has a full free-floating barrel.  

Can't wait to go hunting with this baby. 

And now...

This is the gun that Anna Built. 

She DID Build That!

Several weeks ago, Anna announced that she wanted to build an AR. I guess we were all a little bit surprised, but when you look at the recent statistics, the overwhelmingly new group of shooters is women. So Anna fits the stats; she has the desire to be sufficiently armed, she knows that an AR is an important part of her arsenal, and she knows that they offer high capacity fire power in an easy to control format.  

So, to build an AR, you need to start with the basics. There are two basic parts of an AR - the lower, and the upper.  This discussion addresses the lower. 

The lower (sometimes called a "stripped lower") consists of the piece that houses the trigger group, the magazine well, the bolt catch and the buffer tube.  In it's "stripped" state it looks like this:

Anna chose the polymer lower manufactured by New Frontier Armory.  It's a little lighter than a standard aluminum lower.  

Out of the box, it looks just like the aluminum version.  More on that later. 




Next step.  Take inventory of the lower parts. You should have 33 parts, including the stock, buffer tube, buffer spring and insert, springs, pins, detents, trigger group, safety and catches. 

Here are the lower parts laid out on the table. 

Each group will be addressed individually. 

Anna chose to install the trigger group first.  Here are the parts of the trigger group. 

From top and clockwise, you have the trigger spring, the hammer spring, the trigger, the disconnect, and the hammer.  There are two pins that hold the group in the lower and an additional spring to operate the disconnect. 

Here is Anna installing the trigger.

The disconnect sits on top of the trigger and both get pinned through the lower.  See the little circle directly above the trigger. 

Next is installation of the hammer. 

 Here you can see Anna driving home the pin that holds the hammer in place. Because this is a polymer lower, the pin/hole tolerances were very tight and required a little "persuasion" to drive the pins home. 

After the installation of the trigger and hammer, Anna installed the safety.  A relative easy install:  cock the hammer to lower the disconnect and push the safety through (from the left side).  

Next, the magazine catch.  This proved to be a bit of a problem because the formed slots were smaller than the metal catch part.  It required some modification to the lower to make the part fit. Initially, Anna tried to enlarge the dimensions of the slot with an electric nail file. 

This was replaced with a Dremel, which removed enough material to allow the catch to function properly in the lower.  Unfortunately, this added at least 15 minutes to the build time. 

When the grinding was done, this is what the part looked like. 

As can be seen in this picture, the bolt catch is also installed. This, too, is relatively easy to do but requires some patience when setting the roll pin. Sorry that we didn't capture it in pictures. It's a tight fit and cramped quarters. Take your time and tape the side of the lower (especially if it's aluminum) to prevent marring from the punch and hammer. 

Next, Anna installed the grip. It's actually very easy and involves one screw to hold it to the lower.  When attaching the grip, you need to install the safety detent and spring. The detent can be placed into the hole in the lower; position the spring in the hole in the grip. By slowly pushing the grip into place, the spring depresses the detent back up into the hole. It's a little tricky getting the grip screw in place because it's up inside the grip but you can use gravity to your advantage or a long nose plyers.  Here Anna has successfully mated up the spring and detent and is tightening the grip screw. 

Following the grip, the buffer tube, spring and stop were installed. This includes installing the buffer retention pin, and the rear latch pin detent and spring for the upper. Here you see the buffer tube installed, the rear latch pin is installed, the buffer retention pin is installed and she is preparing to insert the spring and buffer. Note: the hammer is in the uncocked position. Push it down to the cocked position prior to inserting the buffer and spring. 

With the final piece of the install being the front latch pin and detent, the lower is finally complete.  Here it is in it's finished state. 

The entire build took about an hour.  Minus the extra 15 minutes adjusting the magazine catch slot, the project actually took about 45 minutes.  Not bad for the first time (although she did get some coaching from somebody who has built out a lower.  And there are a number of really good tutorials on the web.  Here is one of them.  

http://www.thenewrifleman.com/how-to-build-a-lower-receiver/

Bottom line.  Even if you don't know anything about guns. Even though you may not be mechanically inclined, this project may seem daunting, but in fact is relatively easy. Before you start, familiarize yourself with the parts and where they go in the lower. Pay attention to the way the springs are installed (it matters).  And be patient. Some of these parts are very small.  When you shoot the detent out of the hole and you hear it land someplace in the room, be prepared to spend some time finding it.  

In Your Castle or In Your Yard

Castle Doctrine or Stand Your Ground?

In the aftermath of the George Zimmerman trial in Sanford, Florida, much has been said about "Stand your Ground" laws.  And how does it differ from the "Castle Doctrine".

A little history, 46 states have "self defense" laws that give limited rights to individuals to protect themselves against bodily harm up to and including the use of lethal force. Some of these laws are truly "Stand your Ground" laws similar to that in force in Florida today.  Others take a more limited "Castle Doctrine" approach.  What's the difference?

"Castle Doctrine is a common law doctrine stating that an individual has no duty to retreat when in his or her home, or "castle", and may use reasonable force, including deadly force, to defend his or her property, person, or another. Outside of the "castle", however, an individual has a duty to retreat, if able to do so, before using reasonable force. For example, if a homeowner is awakened by an intruder breaking in through the front door, the homeowner is not required to try to escape, but can use force, up to and including deadly force to repel the intruder, if a reasonable person would conclude that the intruder meant to inflict great bodily harm or death to the homeowner. Some states restrict the "castle" to the individual's home. Other states have extended the "castle" to include your place of work, and your vehicle (even if you don't own it).  If an individual was attacked in some other location, say a parking lot, the individual would be required to attempt to escape (retreat) before using deadly force. 

"Stand your Ground" laws remove the common law requirement to retreat outside of one's "castle". If the individual has a legal right to be at that location, and is not engaged in an unlawful activity, then the individual has no duty to retreat in order to defend himself or herself. 

Florida was the first state to enact a SYG law in 2005 and many states followed suit with SYG laws or CD laws.