The Walking Dead Season 2 finale...

Wow, well folks wanted zombies...and last night they got them!!

All I can say is what a waste of ammo!  Driving around shooting out the windows at masses of walkers like you were in some East LA street gang...if you knew how many were coming and you had you cars already to go you should of thrown your go bags in them and hit the accelerator.  Oh wait, for all of their experiences they still act like they are in some gypsy caravan and have stuff all over the place...except for Andrea..my girl. Once again the argument is made that the most important thing to pack in a zed holocaust is a good red neck and plenty of ammo.

We said goodbye to two characters I hardly cared enough about....Jimmy, who I couldn't even remember and Patricia who obviously was blind not to see walkers right next to her like that.... I don't think next season will miss them...

Oh yeah, and you get a glimpse of some bad ass chick in a cloak with a sword and two arm less walkers chained to her...this is Michonne..apparently a major character to be introduced next season, along with a prison....all in the comics I haven't read.

Well, got to wait until fall now to find out more!

Heavy Metal Monday #1 - M1 Abrams and Quiet Riot

OOPS! Sorry, meant for this to auto publish at 7am..had it set for 7pm!  

New feature...Heavy Metal Mondays...I pair a piece of military hardware with some classic metal or hard rock from my life...

Today, the M1 Abrams Tank and Quiet Riots Metal Health...

The M1 first took shape in the late 60's and Early 70's as NATO looked to standardize their MBT force against the massive Soviet armored might peering over the iron curtain at them.  The project was a joint effort between the major powers in NATO, The US, Great Britain and (West at the time) Germany.  Britain dropped out early and Germany after the US cancelled the project in 1971.  While the Brits went on with their Chieftan and the Germans with the Leopard family of MBT..the US went on to develop what is arguably the most lethal tank of it time...

Replacing the aging M-60  and M-48 tanks in service the, M1 drew upon lessons learned in WW2, Korea, Vietnam and elsewhere around the world in its design.  Facing a numerically superior threat from the Soviets operating on their own continent, and the US projecting force from across the Atlantic, the American design borrowed a page from the German playbook in WW2 and sacrificed numbers for quality of features in its design.  

Powerplant:  The M1 did away with the old diesel engines of previous designs and incorporated a 1,500 hp turbo engine with a six speed (4 forward, 2 reverse) automatic transmission to obtain a max governed speed of 45mph...with that pesky governor removed speeds in excess of 60mph are possible.  This power is linked to a "fly by wire" control system to ease both the training and fatigue of the driver in operating the vehicle. The engine will consume quite a bit of fuel (as will most tanks) but is capable of using diesel, Kerosene, MO Gas (regular gas) or JP4/JP8 aviation fuel if need be to help in replenishing its tanks in a drawn out logistical chain.  Also the "power pack" itself on the tank is designed to be replaced in the field (by maintenance troops).

Armor:  The M1 uses advanced Chobham armor to provide excellent protection to the crew.  The front of the vehicle and turret get the most armor of course, but the sides and rear are also well protected for a tank of its class.  The engine exhaust is not at the rear of the tank as on some designs, but on the rear deck, so there is no "sweet spot" on the vehicle for a quick engine kill by dismounted infantry with LAW type weapons.  There are other no so readily observable measures to... The turret has an ammo storage system that separates the crew compartment from the ammo stores except when loading, its also equipped with blow out panels so if rounds in storage do get hit and explode the force is directed outside of the vehicle and not directly against the crew. All tanks are primarily designed to fight in open terrain against other tanks, urban or low intensity conflicts (such as in Iraq) present an distinct challenge to the tank as it allows all sorts of folks to get close enough to it and at high enough angles to bring fire down on the thinner top and side armor from close range.  To combat this the Army has fielded both slat and reactive armor kits to give our troops a better chance against these threats.

Firepower:  Oh Yeah...how does a 120mm smooth bore cannon, .50 M2 MB, a coax 7.62 and another in a turret mount sound to you?  Pretty damn good, now lets pair that main gun and coax with a laser ranging and targeting system that gives the ability to shoot on the move that is second to none, a electronic communication package that gives up to the minute intel on enemy locations and the ability to see in the day, night, fog, smoke and anything else you can think of...yeah, you get the point.

The Crew:  Probably the most lethal part of the tank.  The US tanker is among the best in the world and receives outstanding training both inside and outside of his tank.  The team that comprises the crew of the M1 consists of the following members.

1. Tank Commander: Responsible for the overall performance of the vehicle and its crew.  Navigates and communicates with other friendly forces.  Directs the driver. Observes and identifies threats and assigns targets to the crew.   He can override the gunner and engage targets if need be.  He has a .50 M2 MG at the top of the tank from his hatch.  He is the "brains" of the tank...
2. Gunner:  Targets the main gun and coax 7.62 and engages targets as directed by the TC.  Calculates lead on targets using laser range systems.  Performs maintenance on the main gun and systems. 
3. Loader: Loads the main gun, manages ammo.  Mans 7.62 MG from his hatch against dismounted targets if needed.  This position was eliminated from some Soviet designs in favor of an automatic loader. We kept it as the loading of rounds my a skilled loader can be as quick as an automatic loader and gives another crewman to aid in maintenance of the vehicle. 
4. Driver:  Drives the tank from a position in the front slope of the armor, when buttoned up he almost reclines on his back in the chair.  

All of the members of this team must work in unison in order for the tank to "come alive" on the battlefield.

I was never a tread head in an M1..tracks yes, tanks no...but man, who hasn't thought at least once in their life about firing that damn gun!!

And I would like to pair that up with Metal Health from Quiet Riot...why?  Why not!!  This is from the ,83 "US" festival..great performance, catches all of the over the top spandex madness that was 80's hair band goodness!

Happy St. Patty's Day!

I got some Irish blood in me...hell, today EVERYBODY has a little in them.  I am on antibiotics right now so green beer is not in the cards for me today....lets see if I can still get in the spirit...


(Foliage) Green hat and green shirt.....check

Green CETME, Green AR....check

Celtic tattoo with my daughter's Irish sounding name....check....

Seems like the tradition is upheld this year....

And please, from a previous post...notice the addition of facial hair...wife hates it...shooters love it...and in red none the less on St. Patty's Day!

Have fun and be safe tonight folks...remember, guns and alcohol never mix!!

Teach your children well....

"Teach your children well,

Their father's hell did slowly go by"

I am sure CS&N would be crapping bricks to know the context I quoted that song in...but hey, I was also in the Ohio National Guard and I think they sang a song about that also with some help from Neil Young...

Anyway, remember back this fall when I posted about a local 4-H exhibit a county fair that I visited and how impressed I was with the amount of firearm related projects on display?  No?  Well, click here to check out that post.  I spoke of how I was pleased to see so many kids learning correctly to safely use and enjoy firearms at a young age.  When my daughter gets old enough for that in 4-H you bet I will be helping her with that.  The age for that project I believe is 12 years to be able to do it.  I know that there are a lot of you out there that probably held you first gun before that. Maybe it was given as a Christmas or Birthday present of a .22 to go squirrel or rabbit hunting with Dad or another family member?  Maybe a youth .410 to start shooting clays with? Maybe just a Red Ryder BB gun with a compass in the stock.  Whatever the reason, 12 is not the "absolute" minimum age for a lot of folks to introduce their kids to firearms.

How about 3 or 4 year olds?  Check this out (thanks to EDNDO for finding this)...



 Of course the first thing that strikes me is the term "live guns"....OMG WEAPONS HAVE BECOME SENTIENT BEINGS!! QUICK DESTROY SKYNET!!   You would think that maybe she is talking about guns with ammo loaded, but a minute later she explains the guns at no time have ammo in them...oh well, it was a good video so I can overlook a little media ignorance.

This takes place at a martial arts school in Boise, Idaho so it has two things going for it.  First, its in a school that teaches a skill that is dangerous to begin with and is normally taught to children with a ample emphasis on learning responsibility and control.  This is just a logical extension.  Secondly, its in Idaho which is a much more gun friendly state and area that say California, New York or Chicago...where a story like this on the news would be almost unheard of.   

"What children...and GUNS..why...they'll explode on contact with them!!"   ~ Typical Anti-Gunner

Well, no they won't explode, spontaneously burst into flames, melt, disintegrate or otherwise die, no more so than with any other dangerous item we have in our home....IF they are taught to respect and give it its proper due caution. 

We teach our kids about dangerous stuff all the time.   Stay away from fire...don't run with scissors...don't play in the street...don't talk to strangers....don't eat that...don't drink that.... Its what we are supposed to do as parents.  Just because we tell them what not to do doesn't mean that we don't expect them to eventually use those things when they know how to responsibly and safely do so.  Otherwise we would not have backyard cookouts and a lot of other fun stuff. 

Here is a pic of my Facebook and WTA friend Jesse...yes that Jesse... with his boy recently on a trip in the wilds of Arizona where he lives...notice anything?

Here let me point it out for you in case you miss it looking at that beautiful scenery behind them...



Yep, that's the barrel of an AK...please notice in the picture that his kid is not panicing or exploding.  "But why would he need that?" you may be asking yourself.  Here's a picture of Jesse's lovely wife...

Right where this picture was taken they found the carcass of a deer kill, one that looked like it had been killed by a mountain lion...or maybe a sasquatch, I don't know which but either way an obviously dangerous predator lived nearby.  So the AK makes sense in this context for two reasons...

#1.  Against an animal that is as quick and dangerous as a mountain lion I would want a honest to goodness .30 rifle that fired as fast as I needed it to...
#2. If it was your family in those pictures wouldn't you want a damn AK to protect them as well?

In any case the weapon is a "tool"...Say it with me... a T-O-O-L...those of you lurking on here from the Brady campaign may have a hard time comprehending this so I will say it slower.....T....O....O....L.   Even though many of us view them as objects of beauty and engineering marvel, when it comes down to it a firearm is a tool...a very dedicated and efficient tool, but a tool none the less.  Like any other tool in the house its use should be taught properly to our children -when they are age appropriate according to maturity and other factors - and the "mystique" and "cool factor" mitigated for them to want to "play" with them later.

Teach your children folks, I am not going to tell you when and where is the right time, that's you job as parents...but teach them right and make it stick.

I mean really, do it right before you kid has to experience this .....