152 insights into my soul

So wait, when Okuni asks dudes to "Go to Izumo" with her, is that some sort of weird innuendo?

Vids from around the web:

FPSRussia reviewing the 1216 shotgun:



Oh-em-gee, I am so dumb, I had heard of the 1216 shotgun, but I never put together that the 1216 stood for 12 gauge, 16 rounds. Anyhoo, its just a tad longer than the Kel-Tec KSG, but holds 4 more rounds.

Both are innovative new shotgun designs (well, the 1216 is, the over-barrel dual tube design used by the KSG has been around a while, since at least the 90s with the South African Neostead shotgun), so I think inevitable comparisons can be made.

I'm kinda curious which has the faster rate of fire and which is more user friendly. I mean, on the one hand, the 1216 is semi-auto while the KSG is pump action. However, there's less of a learning curve with the KSG since it works just like a pump action. The 1216, you have to get used to firing four rounds, then rotating the magazine to the next 4, and so forth, until you've expended all your rounds. Additionally, while the 1216 holds 2 more rounds than the KSG, its 4x4 compared to the KSG's 2x7. The KSG currently can be set to feed from the left tube or the right tube (there was talk of the design being tweaked so it would be able to do alternating feed like the Neostead, but I'm not sure if that ever came to fruition). So which has me curious, with minimal training, is it faster for someone to pump and fire those 7 rounds from one magazine, or for the fire 4 rounds semi-automatically, then switch to the next magazine and fire the next set of rounds? Like I said, the pump action is more familiar, but how much familiarity will one need to fire and magazine rotate quickly and without error?

The 1216 does have a huge advantage ammunition wise. It holds more rounds, and has 4 tubes compared to the KSG's 2, which means more ammo types if you need it (so you could switch between non-lethal rounds, buckshot for stopping power, slugs for longer range, and breaching rounds to get through doors) And not only that, you could carry multiple of the four tube mags on you, so you can easily switch out once you've fired all 16 rounds, whereas the KSG loads like a normal shotgun. So after you've expended those 14 rounds, you have to painstakingly reload both tubes, which may not be practical in the heat of battle.

Ah, another interesting item at this year's Shot Show, the RAAC Akdal MKA1919. Its a semi-auto shotgun from Turkey based on the M16 platform. So its got the AR ergonomics going for it. Its prolly not as reliable as the Saiga, but the AK is not as easily accessorized as the AR.

TV commentary:

Pretty Little Liars- Argh, the old "break up with someone to protect them because the bad guy won't mess with them to get to you" routine. I've stated my displeasure at such plot lines. Maybe it makes me a jerk dragging people I care about down with me, but I just don't feel keeping them in the dark protects them. Because honestly, I don't know the bad guy will stop messing with them if they think I don't care. I mean, if I was a bad guy, why would I stop? It could be a ruse! And lacking any other options, what other pressure points do I have to push? I won't know its no longer a pressure point unless I push it and nothing happens. At best, it works. And its no skin off my back if it doesn't, I'm evil! So all you're doing is keeping them uninformed about a potentially dangerous situation! ( spoiler cut )

House- So Chase has a younger sister? She sounds hot! Though I may only think that because she has an Aussie accent (or whatever the hell Chase is). ( spoiler cut )

So this prolly isn't news to some people, but here are two pr0n chyx who I think look like former Disney starlets- Kiki Vidis and Kagney Linn Karter, who look like Miley Cyrus and Hilary Duff, respectively.

I tried to find pics with which you can judge for yourself: ( under the cut )

Anyways, I'm still trying to figure out the mysterious grenade launchers from this week's Sons of Anarchy. But, alas, the Internet Movie Firearms Database page for SoA is no help. Two more images of the thing: ( under the cut )

So, had gotten the latest batch of DW DLC the other day. So now there's a bunch more to do in the game. One of the DLCs they referred to as "new weapon skins" as if they were something you can equip to make your weapons look different, but still have the same properties of whatever weapon it is. But nope, they're just more weapons. They share the same number of slots as the level 10 versions, but just have different elements. Which is useful for some characters who had crappy elements for their level 10s.

Also, unlike the normal conquest weapon stages, the new weapon stages, you get multiple weapons on, but you have to do special things, like kill 300 people within a certain amount of time, or find them hidden on the map, or stop an officer from reaching a certain point. As for the new stage packs, its variations of Ji Castle, Chang Ban, and Guandu, which were all pretty lengthy, challenging stages.

Now onto something completely different, the "assault cannon" weapon type found in cyberpunk-ish rpgs like Shadowrun. ( cut for huge geekiness )

The latest latest FPSRussian video, wherein he fires a 40mm machine gun:



So I am totally shocked a civilian can own such a thing, much less fire it on their property.

And I apparently overlooked his specialty shotgun rounds vid from a few weeks ago:



It never ceases to amaze me the crazy and imaginative ways we've come up with to kill stuff.

So I've shot a few times at a couple of places around Atlanta, and even though hardly anyone reads this, I figured I'd share my thoughts on these places for peeps in the Cobb/North Fulton area who are thinking of going shooting.

Wild West Traders- The first place I ever shot, way back in 2002 or perhaps 2003. He who can not be named was there with me, so it can't be any later than that. But I want to say its after a certain thing happened (which I remember distinctly as the weekend Pearl Harbor came out, as I ducked people and went to see that to avoid all the drama and fallout), so its post 2001. I could prolly look at the archives in this journal to figure it out, but it doesn't really matter. Anyways, I digress.

Its a relatively simple indoor range, $10/hr. Ladies shoot free on Wednesdays BUT only if someone in your party buys a box of ammo. On Thursdays, Military and Law Enforcement personnel only pay $5 with the proper ID. Its pistols only though (and no magnums, at that), unlike Sandy Springs, which also lets you fire rifles and shotguns.

Sandy Springs Gun Club, on Roswell Road- This is a relatively new place, I believe its only around a year old. Its somewhat state of the art. At WWT, the target holder is controlled by a simple switch that goes forward and back. The walls are painted with lines telling you the distance, and you basically have to eyeball the distance. At the Sandy Springs gun club it has a touch screen which you can program to the exact range you want. I'm sure you can program it to do other things, but I have no idea what else you can do, I never tried it.

Its a little pricier, $19 for men, but only $14 if you're a chick, or $12 if you're police or military. However, that's unlimited range time. So unless you're shooting for more than an hour or two (which is easily possible, at least for me), Wild West Traders is cheaper. And like I said earlier, even though this is an indoor range place, they do have a range where you can shoot rifles and shotguns, so that's something else it has over WWT.

They do have a Ladies' Night also, on Thursdays, but I don't see the same restrictions of having to buy ammo or targets like Wild West Traders has.

Sandy Springs does seem to have a significant advantage in rental policy. At Wild West Traders, you can only rent if you have a buddy with you, plus its $15 per rental. Sandy Springs, you can rent any of their pistols for $10. And that's $10 total. You can try one gun, trade it back and try another, and so forth, at no extra charge. Plus, you can rent AK-47s and AR-15s for $18.

I'm not so sure about the pistol selections though. The only thing I know for sure is WWT has the .45 acp version of the Springfield XDM to rent, while Sandy Springs doesn't. (they did have other XDs and XDMs though) Also, Sandy Springs don't have any HK pistols to shoot, though I have no idea if WWT had any either. Owel, next time I go to either I'll have to eyeball their selection so I know what they have for posterity.

Both offer ear and eye protection, and targets, but I believe the prices are all comparable.

I will say though, that you prolly wanna bring your own ammo, as you can find ammo cheaper at other places. For example a box of 50 115-gr 9mm rounds at SS is $15.95, while at WWT its $16.

Wal-mart sells a box of 100 of 115-gr 9mm bullets for $22.97. (I wanna say a box of 50 is $11.99, but I can't be sure, in any case, a box of 50 is still cheaper). Adventure Outdoors has an even better deal, as a box of 50 9mm 115-gr bullets are $10.99. They also sell 124-gr 9mm for $13.99, if you're so inclined.

Adventure Outdoors is moving to a new location in August, one that also has a pistol and rifle range, I'm definitely curious how it will compare to these other two places.

All in all, I'd recommend both these places. Wild West Traders is cheaper in certain instances, but its not as fancy as Sandy Springs Gun Club. Plus, you're limited in what you can fire there, and unless you have your own gun, you'll need someone with you in order to rent.

Sandy Springs is pricier (especially if you're not a girl), but its got a more sophisticated facility, and you can fire more than pistols. Plus, with the unlimited range time, you could prolly make a day out of it. Particularly since you can change out rental guns for another at no extra charge.

Interesting, so I was mistaken about needing a buddy to shoot with you at the range at Wild West Traders. Apparently that was for something else. But that's convenient. So, hit that range today, and I definitely need more practice! I opted to use a traditional silhouette target, I wanted something big so I had a better idea of where my rounds are going:



As you can see, some preferred to shoot at nazi zombies. I think I need to really work on tightening my groups before venturing into longer ranges. I mean, everyone else on the range was sticking to 21 feet while I was opting for a longer range. I suppose I did okay, certainly not up to the standards I set for myself, but I kept it on the paper. Behold my suckiness: (Oh, these images I hung up the targets at home to take pics, as I didn't want to waste range time taking pictures there.)

( cut for your benefit )

I guess I'm decent, but I want to get good enough to get the wows and accolades I used to when playing games like silent scope at the arcade. EDIT- I guess for posterity I should say what I was firing- A Springfield Armory XDM, 9mm, with the 4.5 inch barrel, 19 round clip.

Actually, there's another new thing unveiled at the 2011 Shot Show that caught my eye. So anyways, Taurus has had their Judge out for over a year now, with Jack Bauer himself using it to kill a few baddies (even though I remarked that it was an odd weapon choice for his particular mission). So, I noticed Smith and Wesson revealed they were coming out with the new Governor revolver, that fires .45 acp in addition to .45 colt cartridges and .410 shot shells, which you can mix and match in the cylinder.

Apparently not to be outdone, Taurus has now come out with their new Raging Judge XVIII, chambered for 28 gauge shotgun rounds. Now that's a big effin gun! And you thought the S&W M500 was huge! The M500 is chambered for the .500 S&W magnum round, which is pretty big, but 28 gauge shells are .55 caliber which is .05 inch wider than the .500's half inch diameter.

Is it practical? Not really. But hey, its pretty bad-ass! Sure, 28 gauge rounds are hard to come by, as it is an uncommon caliber. But the word on the street is some of the manufacturing companies are indeed coming out with ammo for this beast. Heh, we've come along way from Dirty Harry's .44 magnum, which hasn't been the most powerful handgun in the world for almost 30 years now.

So I was watching a repeat of that episode of Cold Case where that one chick got almost gang raped by Tyler Lockwood and his friends, so she goads Beaver and his buddy to go on the killing rampage they always talked about doing, but then realizes the horror she unleashed when they not only kill those guys, but innocent shoppers at the local mall. And they have the usual uninformed BS where people are going to some gun-owner, "How dare you have a semi-automatic weapon!"

But they don't actually mean semi-automatic, they're talking about fully automatic. Do they not friggin' understand what the latin prefix "semi" means?! I mean, a semi-automatic weapon just fires one bullet per pull of the trigger, and there's nothing wrong with that. People don't go hunting for deer with friggin machine guns, but people hear the word "automatic" in there and they freak out. Its like, what are you a luddite? So a weapon has black plastic, they think its all sinister, but maybe people don't want to cut down a tree for the stock. One that could crack or warp and force them to get a new stock that would entail another tree getting cut down. Or it has picatinny rails. What's so wrong with wanting to easily attach and detach accessories without too much trouble or have a good way to mount your scope to make a more accurate weapon so you don't accidentally hit something you don't intend to! Or a gun fed by a magazine? People are all, "Oh, why do they need to shoot so many things?" Did you ever think, maybe they just want as many bullets as ready as possible even if they're not going to use them all because they don't want to spend half their time sitting around reloading their weapon?!

But yeah, getting to this semi-automatic thing, its the 21st century, what's wrong with wanting to fire a bullet with one pull of the trigger and the gun being ready to fire another bullet right afterward without having to cycle a pump action or pull back on a bolt!? I digress though, my actual complaint is not about hippies being uninformed about guns and rallying against some inaccurate image they have in their mind about them. Its just a pet peeve when the media uses semi-automatic and fully automatic interchangeably. Is it that "semi-automatic" just sounds cooler than "fully automatic"? All high tech and sophisticated when it doesn't actually do what they think it will do?

Videos from around the web:

Awesome, there's a full length trailer for Sucker Punch out:



Hottie nymphets fighting dragons and robots and nazis in zeppelins and giant gatling gun wield samuari? It has almost everything I want in a movie. Now if they could only work a musical number in there, and we're set!

I linked to this on facebook, but freddiew's latest vid has recreation of the William Tell thing, but with a .50 caliber rifle:



Ah'm skeptical that this is for real, but its awesome nonetheless.