Running off at a tangent from yesterday’s train of thought (about simpler cars), I need to add the following.
As Longtime Readers know well, I’ve always preferred simple, reliable guns such as Mausers and AK-47s:
…over the vajazzled option-heavy tricked-up “operator” guns that all the cool kids are buying these days.
So needless to say, when the Great Day Of The Barricades finally comes, you’ll most likely find me lying dead on the ground with an AK-47 clutched in my cold dead hands, with a cherry-red barrel, smoking handguard and an absolute shit ton of slowly-cooling brass lying around me.
Next to me will be some amateur “operator” also dead on the ground, clutching his Mattel gun with lights, cameras, red-dot sights etc., but only half a mag of brass lying next to his corpse, because that was all he managed to get off before his supergun malfunctioned.
I’m not saying that this is the way I’d prefer to draw my last breath, of course, but under extreme circumstances (like this: 45% of Democrats want the unvaccinated sent to internment camps), it’s certainly better than the alternative:
or:
Just sayin’.
One is reminded of the line from We Were Soldiers … paraphrasing … if I ever need one there will be plenty of them lying around on the ground. Said by the Plumley character, who was planning on carrying his .45 into combat.
Also, I imagine you mention barricades only as a literary device since that’s probably the last place you would want to be (and the last place you would be) come the day. Personally, I just hope that I am not found inside my front door, but if that’s how they want to play it, it will do.
Anywhere one finds oneself battling the forces of evil as a last resort would be the barricades.
C’mon, admit it Kim. What you like are “bad guy’s guns.” Nazis and Commies. Mausers and AKs.
A basic AR is about as simple a long firearm as one can imagine; in concept and practice, certainly simpler than the basic AK. You can assemble one on your kitchen table, for God’s sake. They often have added accessories, which if carefully chosen, make the firearm more effective.
Red dot sights are really useful to old eyes, particularly in quick target acquisition.
A flashlight is also useful; it’s generally advisable to identify what you’re shooting at.
There’s much more than can be done, but little else is really necessary or useful, unless you have a particular mission which requires it. And the AR is far more ergonomic and intuitive than the AK.
Your basic AK can be loaded with the same sort of accessories, but it’s much harder; the old wood furniture is not suited to mounting optics or other tools.
I love old guns too, Kim; I got a safe full of ’em, including an AK. But when the defecation strikes the oscillator, and one finds one’s self up an unsanitary tributary with a proper means of propulsion, simple basic ergonomics and lighter weight is better. And I can carry more ammunition with less weight in 5.56 than 7.62, and effective over a greater range. Perhaps more importantly, the local constabulary and most of the locals are going to be using an AR variant in .223/5.56. Standardization of ammo/mags matters.
You know you’re wasting your time, right?
I guess I’d be out for common equipment since I built an AR-15 in 6.5mm Grendel with 20″ barrel. It’s a tack-driver with sub-MOA accuracy. It’s good out to 800 yards so long as there’s little wind. The ammo drought meant I cut practice down to a minimum. No point driving for almost an hour to a range like that. But different barrel, bolt, and magazines since 6.5 Grendel is derived from 7.62x39mm I was going to build a 5.56mm NATO carbine upper with a red dot and 3x magnifier that can be swung in (or out), and iron backup sites, but Covidiocy and the parts and ammo shortages/disappearances meant that’s been on hold. 1500 rounds through it so far and not a single hiccup. I want to build an AR-10 eventually.
I like the AK for its durability. That’s about it. I have run a M16A3 in the desert where it worked flawlessly. The AK is an up close battle rifle and the AR can reach out to 600 meters with a kill shot. I got shot in the arm with a 7.62×39 but it was almost a 400meter shot. Hagi was doing mag dumps firing at us until he caught a 5.56 in the head. The 7.62 that hit me was like getting hit with a paintball as it had lost almost all of its power. I had a purple-black welt for a few weeks. For 5.56 I prefer the Mini-14 over the AR. For my personal AR I have it in 6.8SPC where I have a the scope dialed in from 100 to a 1000 meters. It does have open sights as backup. My primary home protection gun is an AR pistol in 10mm with a 10.5″ barrel and a 2.5MOA red dot that is dialed in at 10 yards.
I am never going to be shooting at someone at 600yds. 1-100yds is more like it. At that range, the 7.62x39mm works just fine.
And if someone is shooting at me at 600yds, he’ll either get me first, in which case it’s all a moot issue; or if he misses, I’ll be zig-zagging all over the damn place until I find cover. I won’t be returning fire.
Points well taken. Also one of the reasons I luvs me some M1 Garand.
I have never owned and AK. However I have owned more than one SKS for decades. At the time I bought them, the price of an AK would get you at least one SKS, a 1200 round case of ammo, and still leave enough for a decent night out. I also have 30 round SKS mags.
My first line weapon is an AR. I graduated Small Arms Repair School at Aberdeen Proving Grounds in’74 and never looked back. I built my AR from the ground up. Trust me, it runs.
To each his own. As the old saying goes, “Beware the man who owns one gun. He probably knows how to use it”.
As the Chinkvirus narrative continues to crumble, TPTB are turning to the favorite weapon of tyrants–food. Just look at the trucks at the Canadian border. I suspect the next salvo to be fired will be when you stick your plastic card in the slot and are greeted with the words “Access Denied”.
You’re feeding an AK brass cased ammo ? You ostentatious high roller, you.
LMAO
“Brass” is a generic term…
I’ve bought once-fired brass for my SKS so I can reload for it. You never know when some asshole will do something stupid to drive ammo prices to the moon and/or cut off availability. (I bought 9mm brass about a year ago when loaded ammo simply wasn’t available at anything approximating a normal price. I’ve since laid in a case of the stuff, now that prices are somewhat normal(ish).)
A niggardly squibble:
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Just as red vs blue is their term, identifying individuals as vax vs nonvax builds a justification in readers — everybody not ‘us’ is the enemy.
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I am Northern European Heritage.
Their word for me is ‘white’.
I loathe color-based identities; individuals are decent productive or they are useless eaters (aka ‘agricultural supplements’).
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I am PureBlood.
Their word for me is nonvacx.
This S.A.R.S.-NCOV2 nincompoopery is a smoke-screen and mirrors for ‘this phase of this Economic Lock-Down’.
The intent seems to keep our focus shifting all over the place instead of unifying to solve TheBigProblem — too many people chasing dwindling and declining resources.
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I honestly believe somebody is manipulating the gullible-enough into not questioning their slow suicide.
Looking around at all the global players, what name is missing?
* hunter biden, sure, but his talents are in a different field.
* billy jeff clinton is out of the news, he needs to find a domicile without extradition for crimes against children (allegedly).
* that o’bama nincompoop is far too beholden to his zionist owners… and far too self-centered to think beyond his sycophant fans.
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Who else is in hiding?
* two billion chinesium cannon-fodder, OK, and who signs their checks?
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The saud ‘royal my Irish ass’ family seems quite reserved these days.
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I strongly doubt any local North America conflict can instigate without an outside influence to direct the liberal/socialist/progressive ninnies.
Incapable of original thought, they act only after they see their neighbors act.
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The zionists think too small, too focused, too zion-centric, short-term.
Their top is losing its spin, the tumble inevitable
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The chinesium party are too inbred, too xenophobic to control a few hundred million foreigners speaking vastly different languages and with unbreachable cultural differences.
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This seems bigger than our little local players.
I lean toward a planetary ‘spirit’, slowly losing patience with us since about 10,000 years ago — the invention of agriculture and its demonic sibling, civilization.
Our days as hunting-gatherers seems too long ago.
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PS:
I will not be at the barricades.
You will not know I exist until another wad of scalps lands nearby.
SEE YOU IN VALHALLA!
I only grudgingly bought a 5.56 AR chassis weapon because I don’t own an ammo dump and I figured the supply of fodder to feed your favored Russky,Kraut weapons would eventually run short faster than the home grown .223 rounds.
Besides with every operator carrying 5.56, .223 I’d hope to borrow/liberate some.
But, since I’m not planning on winkling Antifa,BLM,Fluckin-fascist-assholes out of their positions I’ll be pushing .308 when they come to winkle me out of mine. House clearing ain’t for the Medicaid crowd, but we won’t retreat because we know we move too slow to get away.
Seems to me that the real measure would be how many bad guys are down at the opposite barrier rather the amount of brass surrounding your corpse.
And with respect to AR vs AK, having one or more of each is prudent.
hardware is of less importance than effective tactics and strategy.
American went from a nation of riflemen who could effectively hit man sized tangos at 800 yards to barely being able to hit at 300 yards with a poodle shooter. Anything beyond 300m is the work for artillery. It’s nice to see that some folks are dragging the pendulum back towards individual marksmanship at distance.
following doctrine of effective guerilla warfare, strike when you have the advantage of strength of numbers and/or surprise and hide away when you don’t.
JQ
I won’t argue with you too much but…just a bit of accesorizing is really helpful.
1 – weapon mounted light – baddies like the cover of darkness.
2 – sling – sometimes you need your hands free
3 (optional) – low power optic – so much better for aging eyes. If you worry about reliance on batteries in red dots, check out prism scopes with etched reticles. Primary Arms has some nice, compact, reasonably priced options.
That’s all I have on mine and don’t feel like I’m all Barbied-up
Say, speaking of trains, rail transportation and lots of passenger type rail cars, is this why the left pushes for mass transportation such as California’s rail to no where etc? Right now we are a car based society. If they push us towards mass transit, who says the masses will be allowed to transit to jobs of their choosing? Get them on the bus or train and don’t let them off until they get to super secret sleep away reeducation work will set you free camp….