OK, enough of that – here’s the pics

23 July 2010 - Guido & New Frontier Armory's new "deuce and a half" military surplus truck

23 July 2010 - Guido & New Frontier Armory's new "deuce and a half" military surplus truck

I headed on over to New Frontier Armory / Infinite Arms after work after not darkening their doorway for two whole weeks   Well, Guido who owns New Frontier Armory just got a new toy and I couldn’t pass up getting a pic of it   These trucks don’t get the greatest gas mileage as you can imagine but I still want one in a big way – they’re just cool 8)  Of course, the fact that you can get one for between $1,500 and $2,000 might have something to do with it, too

23 July 2010 - Geocaching vehicle travel bug

I haven’t been geocaching in quite a while, but I still recognized this for what it is – a travel bug decal on a vehicle

If you haven’t heard of geocaching, check out geocaching.com and see if it’s something you might like.  All you need is a GPS receiver and a computer, but a pencil helps as well sometimes   Basically, people hide geocaches, record the GPS coordinates, post them on geocaching.com, and then you go find them and log your finds on geocaching.com.  A geocache is basically some sort of container with a log inside that you sign.  Many of them also contain a pencil to sign the log with and a few trade items like key chains and small compasses.  You’re always supposed to trade up – leave something nicer than you took for others to trade.  It’s a fun way to get out and do something

23 July 2010 - Heading home under the desert sun

It will likely come as no surprise that it’s been HOT lately here in Las Vegas   I took this picture while heading home from NFA/IA when it was about 114° or so and yes, it’s just as hot as you’d imagine.  At least the humidity’s down near 10% so it’s pretty livable

Last, but not least I have a video for a change   I set up my Nikon Coolpix S220 in interval mode to take 1 picture per minute looking out from my desk at work when I saw a thunderstorm building.  Once I had all the pictures, I put ‘em into Windows Movie Maker and made a time lapse movie 8)  The music comes from YouTube’s “audio swap” feature and I think it works rather well

That’s it for now   Here’s hoping you have a great Sunday

Las Vegas weather - hot, dry and windy!

It’s that time of year again here in fabulous Las Vegas, NV.  The time of year you’d swear you live in a blow dryer.

Take a look at those figures and try to imagine them all together.  109°, 12% humidity, wind 20 gusting to 28 mph.  Those conditions mean that no matter what, you won’t feel cool outside.  There’s nothing cool in the breeze.  You’ll dry off in a heartbeat if you do get wet.

I think I’ll stay in the air conditioning

I had to get some ammo to someone yesterday, so we met up at New Frontier Armory / Infinite Arms   Of course, I had to pick out a few items I thought my readers might like to see and get some good pics of ‘em to share

10 July 2010 - Taurus TPC PT738 in .380 ACP at New Frontier Armory / Infinite Arms

10 July 2010 - Taurus TPC PT738 in .380 ACP at New Frontier Armory / Infinite Arms

Small .380 ACP pistols have become very popular for concealed carry these days.  Taurus seems to have gotten the message and jumped on the bandwagon with this PT 738.  This easily fits in a pocket, it’s not too heavy, and it shouldn’t have too much recoil

10 July 2010 - Walther P22 in pink digital camo at Infinite Arms / New Frontier Armory

10 July 2010 - Walther P22 in pink digital camo at Infinite Arms / New Frontier Armory

The Walther P-22 is pretty much a recreational gun.  It’s a semi-automatic .22 LR caliber pistol which is reasonably priced, cheap to shoot, and easy to use as a suppressor host   Sure, you can still hunt with it, but I’d rather have a larger caliber for other applications like self defense.

10 July 2010 - Benchmade rescue hook at Infinite Arms / New Frontier Armory

10 July 2010 - Benchmade rescue hook at Infinite Arms / New Frontier Armory

Benchmade is known for the quality knives they make.  This little piece of equipment is made strictly for rescue applications.  Their rescue hooks can go through multiple layers of seat belts, thick leather boots, and any type of clothing imaginable with ease.  It’s something I’m probably going to buy before long (this one’s only $24.99) but hope I’ll never have to use.  It’s that whole being prepared thing again

11 July 2010 - Texture in the sky this morning over my apartment

Again I don’t know why but I woke up at about 0500 today.  I headed out a bit after 0600 to grab a bite to eat and saw something I’ve not seen in a while – clouds   It’s been severe clear here for the longest time with very few exceptions, so texture in the sky is something I enjoy

That’s about it for now – I’ve got stuff around the house to get done.  Have a great Sunday

One of the benefits of living in Las Vegas is the close proximity to the Moapa Paiute Travel Plaza.  Think of it as a small casino with a truck stop, liquor store, smoke shop and fireworks emporium all rolled into one   They’re not really actually in Nevada since it’s an Indian reservation which means Nevada and Clark County laws on fireworks don’t apply – only federal laws.  That means you can buy things that fly into the air and go BANG!!! Now, that wouldn’t be so great if you had to take them home to light them off – you don’t want to break the law, do you?  I didn’t think so   Well, there’s even a “launch pad” (really a big, open field) out back where you can set off any fireworks you can buy inside.  I had a blast (pun intended ) and I expect this to be my annual destination on Independence Day from now on   Of course, Moapa and the launch pad are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year so I can go play anytime.  It’s just more fun when there’s a few thousand miscreants to share the fun with

Here’s what I wrote on the page for YouTube:

After moving from San Diego to Las Vegas a few years ago, I’ve become a bit more personally involved in some things. Things like lighting my own damn fireworks on Independence Day. Don’t get me wrong – the professional shows are cool, but there’s something special about lighting that fuse myself.

I guess part of it’s a bit of a rebellious streak that I’ve always had. I just have to do things because I can and most people think it’s too dangerous for the “average person” to do so. Another part of that rebelliousness on this particular holiday goes back to the Founding Fathers of the United States of America. These were men who owned cannons and all the other terrible implements of the soldiers. I can only imagine what would happen if someone told them a bottle rocket was too dangerous for them to deal with as Free Citizens and adults. I have the notion that such a discussion might beget a duel…

The fireworks in this video aren’t mine. I was on a meager budget and those were too expensive for me. I made due with some firecrackers, sparklers, and roman candles, but it was worth the trip and the expense. And it was great to see “Joe Sixpack” out shooting off the shells in this video

Some people say I’m a “rabble rouser” and that I have issues with doing what I’m told.  OK, there might be a bit of truth in that

4 July 2010 - The first time I've ever been stuck like this

Alas, the night was not all fun and games.  Yours truly found out that the berm that looked so easy to cross wasn’t.  I knew the there was trouble about when the front tires got just over the top and then they kind of sank.  The dirt was seriously loose and the tires found no purchase – I was high centered.  It was bad enough that I could spin the front wheels by hand.  The floor mat did nothing.

So I did what any intelligent (most of the time) GM vehicle owner would do and pressed the blue OnStar button!  Jan was the person who worked with me and the tow truck arrived within about an hour which is quick for where I was   One of the benefits of the OnStar system is that it sends your GPS coordinates to the people in the call center so they actually know where you are.  OnStar and the tow company weren’t the only groups of people who helped out last night – the Moapa security guys were great and offered moral support when they realized they couldn’t pull me out themselves

Hey, I had a good time overall last night.  I still have all my fingers, toes, both eyes, and my car’s OK.  That’s what I call a happy ending

Have fun everyone

Saving money has been my biggest concern lately – I’ve even refrained from shooting for the most part   Yeah, the Strip has been off limits for the most part   Still, trips to Infinite Arms / New Frontier Armory have been called for to acquire supplies such as paracord for new projects.  And that’s why I was over there yesterday

26 June 2010 - Sig P250 in digital desert camo

26 June 2010 - Sig P250 in digital desert camo

Yep, more cool guns   The Sig P250 is a rare breed of gun – what’s normally considered the frame isn’t in this firearm.  The grip is merely a piece to hold the magazine and the fire control group.  Next time I’ll be smart enough to take the slide and barrel off so you can see how that works, but for now just believe me when I say you can swap the serial numbered part between different size grips and different caliber assemblies.  This means that you can have a 9mm, .40 S&W, and a .45 ACP pistol with only one legal firearm.  You can also have those calibers in a subcompact, compact, or full size package.  It’s also a double action only gun like my PF-9 so the hammer starts from the forward position and has to be pulled all the way back with the trigger before it can swing forward to strike the firing pin.  Think of it as a revolver with a slide and a magazine

Along with the options of caliber and size, you can swap out grips for color.  Lots of people are either bored with black guns or just think the different colors are cool and the firearms industry has taken notice.  I like the digital desert camo on this P250 and if the prices were the same, I’d probably buy it over a normal all black gun

26 June 2010 - Draco AK-47 pistol

26 June 2010 - Draco AK-47 pistol

Legally, a rifle has a shoulder stock and must have at least a 16 inch barrel unless you register it as a Short Barreled Rifle (SBR) under the National Firearms Act of 1934 (NFA).  That means paperwork, a background check, and a $200 transfer tax.  This Draco pistol looks like a short barreled AK-47, but because it’s never had a shoulder stock, it’s just a pistol under the law.  You can add a forward vertical grip if you want to, but that would require NFA paperwork and a $5.00 transfer tax as an Any Other Weapon.  Sometime in the future, I’m planning on getting a Draco, doing the paperwork, paying the tax, and adding a side folding stock to make it a very compact SBR.  Add a sling and it would be a dandy car gun

26 June 2010 - LAR Grizzly .50 BMG rifle

Banned in California as too dangerous for their possibility of use by terrorists based on zero facts, rifles in .50 Browning Machine Gun (BMG) caliber are large, heavy, and expensive both to purchase and to feed.  This LAR Grizzly rifle isn’t expensive at all when it comes to big 50 rifles.  What’s worse is the price of ammo – assume $3 to $5 per round.  They’re meant to be shot at distance with 500 to 1000 yards being common.  You need lots of practice to do this well and I don’t know how you’d do that cheaply.  But it’s still a really cool gun

Once again, I have to thank Infinite Arms for the opportunity to photograph some really neat guns as well as for providing a fitting size reference in that $100 bill   Some people think it’s a bad idea to hand me guns and money, but it’s all good

26 June 2010 - Lens from a camera used in the U-2 Dragon Lady

26 June 2010 - Lens from a camera used in the U-2 Dragon Lady

One other stop was in order yesterday.  Hahn’s Military Surplus is my go to source for pants.  I like quality BDU trousers as they hold up better than anything else I’ve found, they’ve got enough pockets to carry all the stuff I usually have on my person, and they’re loose and comfortable.  Unfortunately, you will pay for what you get when it comes good BDUs which in this case means about $50.  But it’s worth it

Hahn’s is an old school surplus store like I remember.  They’ve got clothing, camping gear, mining gear (including Geiger counters for uranium hunters), MREs, knives, inert grenades, and a lot of other cool stuff.  Not everything is for sale.  These are labeled as being U-2 cameras, but I wasn’t sure about that.  What’s really cool is that I’ve got TD Barnes on my email list and he knows everyone in the Road Runners Internationale   TD checked with some sources and found that these aren’t really U-2 cameras, but they are the correct lenses    Years ago when the U-2 was new, these were highly secret items along with those jets which were developed here in the Nevada desert during the Cold War.  I’m thankful they’re still around for people to enjoy and that they like the Road Runners are finally getting the recognition they deserve

That’s about it for now, but there’s going to be more in the very near future.  Have a great Sunday