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. 
 

Time for Militias?

This pretty much says it all...

http://therealrevo.com/blog/?p=93066

I ask, sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people, except for a few public officials. — George Mason

Saturday, January 19 was gun appreciation day.  We were all very pleased and surprised at how many of our regular customers, and lots of new customers, came into the store that day to show their support.  Thanks to everyone who visited us that day and throughout this past week.

On the 19th I wore a T-shirt which was given to me by the local National Guard recruiter.  It was black with a cannon and a star on the front.  On the back it said "Come and take it".  

Until recently I had always thought of the National Guard as our militia, and indeed they are the formal, organized militia which is mobilized when things get tough in this country.  Then I read an article in the Concealed Carry magazine which reported on the 27th Annual Gun Rights Policy Conference held last September in Orlando, Florida, and it opened my eyes to a new definition of "militia".  I know it sounds boring, and I almost skipped over it, but I read the first paragraph and decided I should at least check it out.

Evidently, this conference is hosted annually by the Second Amendment Foundation, it's hosted in various cities around the country.  Here's the interesting part.  It's completely open to the public.  Anyone with an interest in gun rights may participate AND there is no fee to attend.

One interesting observation brought out in the conference is that polling currently shows support for the right to keep and bear arms is at its highest level in more than 30 years.

Another theme if the conference was the need for everyone to get personally involved in the fight, especially at the local level.  Small groups and individuals have a lot of influence on state and local politicians, and if you are doing what you should be doing, your local representatives should know you by name.  Even on a national level, individuals are important.  Communicate your desires to your senator and congressional representatives so they understand the depth of our commitment about these issues.

If you are interested in nullification of the gun ban laws in North Carolina, click this link:  https://www.change.org/petitions/north-carolina-general-assembly-nullify-all-federal-gun-control-laws?utm_source=supporter_message&utm_medium=email

The Second Amendment is for everyone.  Its advocates believe in an absolute human right to self-defense that transcends social or political barriers.  

Next year the GRPC (Gun Rights Policy Conference) will be held in Houston, TX if you would like to attend.

In light of what went on today, rather than comment, I just give you this quote from Thomas Jefferson in his Proposal for Virginia Constitution:

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms"

This week I would like to discuss water and the "rule of 3's".

Actually there are two rules of 3.  The first one has to do with what we need to live.  You can live 3 weeks without food.  (Some of us can live A LOT longer than that), 3 days without water, 3 hours without shelter (in a hypo- or hyper-thermic situation), and 3 minutes without oxygen.  To put this in realistic terms, if you have a power outage in the winter, and have a heat pump, it makes more sense to think about how you will keep your family warm than how you will save the food in your non-functioning freezer/refrigerator.  As Cody Lundin states in his very informative and funny book, "98.6 Degrees, or How to Keep Your Ass Alive", water and shelter are paramount to regulate your core body temperature.  In our area, winter is not so much of a problem if you can be indoors and out of the wind.  Summer is a different matter.  In our summer temps, without air-conditioning and without water, it's not going to be pretty.

Everyone who asks me how to begin to prepare for a "grid down" situation knows that I always say.  Start with your water.  A minimum to store is 1 gallon per day per person just for basic living.  Don't forget your animals, they will be useful as well as pets.  I have 4 dogs who collectively use 1 gallon per day.  So that means I need 4 or 5 gallons per day of potable water.  WHAT!  That's 150 gallons per month.  How can I possibly store that much, you ask?  You don't.

That brings us to the second rule of 3's.

I think it was an old Indian saying that you need 3 ways of doing something in order to be sure you can accomplish what you need.  (more if you can)

In the case of water, you might have rain barrels underneath your downspouts - you'd be amazed how fast a 55 gallon garbage can fills up.  You might turn off the intake valve to the hot water heater before the water becomes polluted, and then open the lowest faucets in your home to collect the water from the hot water tank.  Maybe you have a large bath tub or a jetted tub.  Plan on using a double layer of plastic drop cloth duct taped to the tub with the vents and drains duct taped beforehand.  Or just clean the tub with clorox and go for it. Or you could buy what's called a "Water Bob"  which is a large food grade plastic bladder that fits inside a normal sized tub.  Cost about $20.  Maybe you have a free flowing stream near your house, or a lake or swimming pool.  Some of this water you can use as-is for basic cleanliness and toilet flushing etc.  For drinking purposes, we need to go a little further down the path.

Most of those water sources will need to be purified somehow for drinking.  The simplest is boiling.  Bring a gallon of water to a full boil for 8 - 10 minutes.  Allow to cool unless you want to make coffee, tea, or cook or wash/rinse your dishes with it.

Next is chemical purification. Plain, unscented Clorox is a good and readily available method.  Eight drops per quart of water, shake well, and allow to stand for 30 minutes.  You can remove the chlorine smell/taste by using a filter pitcher like Pur or Britta (note:  they DO NOT remove bacteria or other impurities).  Swimming pool water MUST be filtered due to the shock and other chemicals in the water for long term use.

Next is filtering.  There are Berkey filters which can do 2 1/2 gallons in a very short time.  Each one can filter 5500 gallons of water before needing a filter change, but they can cost $200 or more.  There are personal water filters, such as the Life Straw which will filter water for one individual for about a year and cost only $20.  I have one of these for each member of our family.

As you can see, there are many things to consider when starting to plan for the worst, hope for the best.  Sometimes it's just a matter of thinking of easy solutions to difficult problems.  If you have questions, please come and see us at the store, or call/e-mail and I will contact you.  Our phone number is 336-944-3933, and our e-mail is patriotaims@gmail.com.

Anna

I was talking to a customer in the store on Monday about how to store medications for a survival situation when my daughter chimed in with, "You ought to write a blog".  So here it is.  I'm not sure how it will go, but what I plan is to let you know about an interesting article I have read related to food/water storage, medicinal herbs, foraging, alternative power and lighting options.  Really, anything to do with preparedness.  I will also try to find an appropriate quote that relates to what is currently going on in our lives.

This quote is from Abraham Lincoln.

"The people of the United States are the rightful masters of both Congress and the Courts, not to overthrow the Constitution, but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution"

This week I was reading a Facebook post by "Survival for Blondes" (yeah, I know...but she's really good).  She had included an article from Ezine by Mike Kuykendall about how to determine if you are a "Prepper" or a "Survivalist"

He maintains that a prepper is concerned about everything from a natural disaster to the hyperinflation that will follow an economic collapse. They are prepared for anything that MIGHT happen.  They can be anyone from the guy next door that you would never imagine to be a "Whacko", to the full-blown "Doomsday Prepper".

The Survivalist, on the other hand, takes it to the next level.  In addition to food, water, etc., the survivalist will stock up on guns and ammo (bullets, beans and band-aids), and have a plan for a retreat from a populated area, or a plan to "bug-in" if their home is deemed to be safe.  Survivalists believe that there WILL come a time when they will definitely have to defend themselves, their families and their food/supplies.

There is a lot of overlap between the two categories.  Those that are more into self-defense and concerned about societal collapse lean more toward the survivalist end of the chain.  Those more concerned with economic collapse or "merely" a power grid or supply chain failure would be more comfortable with the prepper tag.

For my part, I know that I am a survivalist and have been calling myself one since the 1970's.  Now that you know the difference you can choose.  Even if you don't believe in Zombies (which I don't) or that the end of the world will be happening very soon, you will make a choice whether to prepare for an emergency, such as hyperinflation or economic collapse, or to remain unprepared.  Even if you make no choice, you have really chosen to remain unprepared.

If you'd like to read his whole article go to http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_Kuykendall

Build it and "It" will Come

With persuasion from 2 of the guys at the store, I have decided to build a .223/5.56 rifle.  Some call it an AR.

Wikipedia calls it:

The AR-15 is a lightweight, 5.56 mm, magazine-fed, semi-automatic rifle, with a rotating-lock bolt, actuated by direct impingement gas operation or long/short stroke piston operation. It is manufactured with the extensive use of aluminum alloys and synthetic materials.

The AR-15 was first built by ArmaLite as a selective fire assault rifle for the United States armed forces. Because of financial problems, ArmaLite sold the AR-15 design to Colt. The select-fire AR-15 entered the US military system as the M16 rifle. Colt then marketed the Colt AR-15 as a semi-automatic version of the M16 rifle for civilian sales in 1963.^[8] The name "AR-15" is a Colt registered trademark, which refers only to the semi-automatic rifle.

For purposes of this post, I'll call it 'the rifle".

So how do you start building the rifle?

With this part - the "stripped lower". 

This is the part that is classified by the ATF as the actual gun.  This part will contain the trigger/hammer assembly, the safety, the bolt catch, and will accommodate the magazine and the buffer tube.

This part is manufactured following the original specifications (from the 60's) for the military version of the gun. The major difference is the military version (M16) has a "selective fire" option which allows automatic fire. The civilian version (AR15) does not. All manufacturers use exactly the same specifications for the part, dimensions and material. This makes for a huge source of lowers for the consumer, but also a choice. For example, there is virtually no difference between a $65 stripped lower made by ABC compnay and one that costs $185 - they're all made to the same specifications.  Just depends which "name" you want people to see on the side. 

The part I bought is manufactured by Delaware Machinery. Fit and finish is beautiful, anodized aluminum. $65

Now, this is where it gets interesting...

To build out the lower, you need a trigger/hammer assembly, springs, pins, a grip, a buffer tube, and a stock. And of course, you can customize every one of these parts. I chose to buy the "standard parts", predominantly because of availability but also due to cost. My target price on this rifle is <$600. 

I chose the standard lower parts build kit from Palmetto State Armory - $109. Here's what you get for the money.  Note: the stripped lower is not a part of the kit.

With some trial and error, I was able to get all the parts in place in about 45 minutes. The lower build kit I bought does not come with instructions or even a schematic - I found both on the internet.  There are dozens of sources for schematics and hundreds of YouTube videos showing how to assemble the various parts of the lower. At least 10 minutes of the 45 was spent searching for the information. Once you know where the parts go, it's pretty simple to actually install them.

Here's where I am now with the parts installed: 

Next step:  find and purchase a complete upper (barrel, upper receiver, bolt carrier group, and charging handle).  Stay tuned.

Sighting the Target

We need water to survive. It's more important than food. You need bullets to shoot a gun. And to hit the target, you need to aim. Aiming, or sighting, is not as easy as it sounds.

 

First of all, let's check your eyesight. Do you know which is your "dominant eye"?  Here's a quick way to find out.

HOW TO DETERMINE YOUR DOMINANT EYE

• First, form a triangle by clasping your hands like in the picture above. Hold your hands out in front of you.
• Next, with both eyes open, sight through the triangle and focus on an object. Don't focus on your hands.
• Close one eye. If you can still see the object in the triangle, then you're looking with your dominant eye. If not reverse the process.

When you see how the image shifts when you are not using your dominant eye, you can see how much that could effect your aim when sighting your gun.

The next issue to consider is your "sight picture".  Briefly stated, that's the line formed between the rear sight and your final target. In reality, when you sight your gun, you're looking at the target, your rear sight, and somewhere in between is the front sight.  This is your sight picture. But is it possible to focus on all those objects at the same time? The short answer is no. 

While you won't be able to bring all of those objects into focus at the same time, it's important that you focus on the rear sight primarily and look through it to see your target. At this point, you'll see a fuzzy front sight. Without changing your focus, move the gun so the front sight moves into alignment with the rear sight. As long as you can see the target through your rear sight, you should now be "on target". Pull the trigger. Check your results.  

Learn how to make this sight picture quickly. It's important in a self-defense situation, where you need to acquire the target as quickly as possible. Practice by lowering your gun after each shot, so you have to find the target every time. You'll get good at it with practice.

Bersa Thunder 380 Plus

I have to admit that there are very few things that "surprise" me.  It's not that my expectations are low; I've just grown to accept that few products are going to make you smile when you first use them. The Bersa Thunder 380 Plus makes me smile.

First of all, fit and finish on the Bersa is first class. It is a solidly made gun; no rough edges, no obvious machining marks. Our particular sample has an alloy frame with a matte nickel slide. The "Plus" designation signifies that the model sports a 15 round magazine instead of the 7 round found in the standard Thunder 380. Total capacity is 15+1.

The 380 is chambered for the 380ACP round.  While there is a lot of discussion about the merits of this round, the Bersa handles the ammuntion with ease. We shot several boxes of JHP without a single failure.

Out of the box, this gun is extremely accurate. At 7 yards, we were putting rounds into a three inch circle. At 20 oz empty, it has plenty of weight to help dissipate the recoil of the 380 round and feels very comfortable in the hand.

The action is DA/SA with a thumb safety which acts as a decocker. The pull weight on SA is very low.  The rear sight is drift adjustable, although we didn't think it needed any adjustment in the short time we shot it.

If you're looking for a well-built, economical handgun, in a relatively compact frame, put the Bersa Thunder series on your list. At less than $400 retail, it is well worth the money.

Triple Target Range

What better way to start off Independence Day than a trip to the shooting range?  Wednesday morning, we went to Triple Target Range in Sophia, NC.  

The check-in station at Triple Target Range. 

Located "in" Sophia, NC, Triple Target Range offers outdoor, covered shooting for rifles, pistols, and shotguns. We didn't visit the rifle section, although there were several people there as we passed by on our way to the pistol range.   

The ranges are positioned in an arc and each section is approximately 15 degrees apart on that arc.  That and the high earth berms make it impossible for any errant shots from any of the ranges hitting anybody at one of the others. 

At the end of a long gravel road, Triple Target Range is a well-thought-out range where you get to shoot any or all of your weapons in a relaxed, outdoors, woodsy setting. Limited to firearms at this point, they are building stands for the archery range. Don't have any information at this point when to expect their access. Please check with the range directly. 

While we didn't encounter any zombies at Triple Target, there was enough lead-slinging all around to pretty much put a "hurtin" on them if they had been there. 

Triple Target Range in Sophia, NC.  Owners Shelton and Joann Bradshaw.  Check it out!

http://www.tripletargetrange.com

Drive-By Shooting

You hear about them on the news and see it in the movies, but you never think you're actually going to be involved in one - a random drive-by shooting. My daughter and her son experienced that yesterday during lunch in the Charlotte (NC) area.

They were just sitting down, when a bullet came through the front door, striking the chair in which my daughter's son was just getting ready to sit in.  It passed through an oak slat in the back and grazed his forearm. Fortunately, nobody was seriously hurt.  The police later discovered the bullet (.22cal). They said this was the third time this type of event had occurred in that area. 

I guess that's why we sell guns. Seems like everyday, people are in situations where they need to protect themselves from the crazies and criminals out there. What if the shooter had actually come into the restaurant and started shooting innocent bystanders. You would want to either have a weapon to defend yourself or hope that somebody else there had a weapon to fight back. 



We are fortunate and extremely happy that nobody got hurt. Unfortunately, there is somebody still out there that thinks it's perfectly okay to shoot into a crowded restaurant. Sad but true.

UPDATE: there were actually 6 shootings in a 12 hour period;  apparently the shooter's target is automobiles.

See the coverage here: 
 http://www.wsoctv.com/news/news/6-shootings12-hours-has-charlotte-residents-high/nPP6j/

Care and Feeding of a Taurus 738TCP

When taking a new gun out of the box, you don't expect it to not work AT ALL, but that's what we discovered when tried to put a brand new Taurus 738TCP into service for a customer.

At Patriot Aims, we do a basic QC check on every semi-automatic pistol, which at a minimum consists of racking the slide to check for any resistance, checking the operation of any manual safeties, and chambering and ejecting a round from the magazine (we use snap-caps in the store).

While these basic pre-sale checks don't tell us anything about the accuracy or long-term reliability of the gun, they do indicate whether the gun can actually be used as a gun and is more than just a bunch of metal and plastic parts.

When we performed this check on a new Taurus 738TCP, this is what we found:

1). The magazines (2) locked into the handle, but the base plate would not fully seat against the base of the grip.

See the picture. 

 This caused the top of the magazine to be fully 1/16" lower in the chamber. Because everything was lowered in the receiver, when the slide was released and the cartridge was stripped off and pushed forward, the bullet "dead-headed" into the ramp.

2). The slide spring was so tight, the slide release button could not be depressed. You had to loosen the tension by pulling back on the slide (two handed operation), before the slide button could be disengaged. This issue would probably have gotten better with successive firings (breaking in) but the magazine issue forced us to reject this gun as a usable weapon.

In other words, what we found was this gun was totally unusable in its current state. Luckily, we were able to verify the problem by substituting a magazine from another 738TCP.  With the magazine firmly seated in the handle, the bullets chambered and ejected as designed. This one is going back to the manufacturer.

Store your water in Bricks

Of the 3 necessities for survival - 1. shelter, 2. food and water, and 3. protection, water is perhaps the most important.  A person could survive for days and weeks without food.  You can only survive for a few days without water.

To complicate matters, the average person needs a minimum of 1 gallon of water per day for drinking and basic cleanliness.  When you do the math, a family of three would require over 20 gallons of clean, potable water a week.

The issue then becomes, where do you store that volume of water?  There are all kinds of ideas, milk jugs, 2 liter drink bottles, waterbed mattresses... All these choices have some serious downsides. 

Consider this option - the WaterBrick.  

Think of the WaterBrick as a lego you can fill with water - 3 1/2 gallons per brick. Then they can be stacked, stored in closets, under beds, in the garage...

They are designed to be stacked, they have carry handles, and they have pass-through holes that allow them to be lashed to ATV's, trailers, etc. 

In addition to holding water, they can also be used for bulk food storage, dog food, and even ammunition (the bricks are watertight). 

Check out this link to see some innovative ways to use WaterBricks in your setting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=im1mFUXiGiw

The Thin Red Line

A customer purchased a Crimson Trace laser sight for a Ruger LCP and asked us to install it. The CT sight is designed to fit around the trigger guard with an "on" button just below the trigger and the laser source is just in front of the guard. When installed, it looks like this:

The "on" button is located so your finger activates the laser when you are gripping the gun to fire it. As soon as it's released, the laser goes out. The unit has adjustment for elevation and windage and the instructions are pretty clear. We adjusted this unit to match the gun sights at 7 yards.

Solar Charger

If you are looking for a small, lightweight system for charging your small electronics with solar power; this is the system for you.  The Guide 10 Plus Adventure Kit from GoalZero.

The kit includes a 2-panel solar collector, a USB adapter/connector, a AA rechargeable battery charger and a nylon carrying case.   Price through our website - $119.95.