Gun Thread: Almost End of August Edition!

Howdy, Y'all! Welcome to the wondrously fabulous Gun Thread! As always, I want to thank all of our regulars for being here week in and week out, and also offer a bigly Gun Thread welcome to any newcomers who may be joining us tonight. Howdy and thank you for stopping by! I hope you find our wacky conversation on the subject of guns 'n shooting both enjoyable and informative. You are always welcome to lurk in the shadows of shame, but I'd like to invite you to jump into the conversation, say howdy, and tell us what kind of shooting you like to do!

Holy Shitballs! How in the ever-loving Hell did it get to be almost the end of August? Next week will be the end of August and the week after that is the first of September!

On a programming note, SpaceX is planning to launch Starship Test Flight 10 not long after this thread goes up (launch window opens at 6:30pm Central) so consider this an open thread to discuss the launch and flight.

With that, step into the dojo and let's get to the gun stuff below, shall we?

Fundamentals and YOU - any progress to report?

An issue that comes up from time to time is the collection and recording of range data. When I think of range data, I am mostly thinking of ballistic data and its relationship with atmospheric conditions. A bullet you shoot today does not behave the same as a bullet you will shoot tomorrow because the atmospheric conditions have most likely changed enough to affect the projectile behavior in flight. With me so far?

If you're plinking for funsies at 100 yds this really doesn't matter. Shoot whatever ammunition you have and generally disregard the weather. However, longer distances require much greater consistency with ammunition velocities and a good understanding of how changes in atmospheric conditions effect the flight of a projectile.

Some time ago I wrote the following for the Gun Thread and later incorporated it into the handout for the TXMoMe Shooting Clinic.

Ballistics and Atmospheric Conditions Affecting Bullet Flight

If you know the weight of the projectile and its velocity leaving the barrel, and certain atmospheric conditions affecting air density then you can compute a firing solution. Most generic range cards use a "standard" atmosphere, from which there are several to choose. I use the ICAO atmospheric model, which is; air temp 59 F, air pressure 29.92 Hg, 78% RH and an elevation of 0' or sea level. But what if you're not shooting in precisely these conditions? What if you take a trip from your home range near the beach and go hunting in the Colorado mountains?

Since it's cumbersome to record and use all of that data, it can be combined into the single reference value Density Altitude (or DA) which is simply expressed as a variation in altitude to the standard column of air at sea level. If you have been faithfully recording data in a little notebook every time you shoot, you should have been including the DA, range to target, and the necessary elevation in MOA or mils for future reference.

Density Altitude is published for local airports, and many online calculation tools exist, but you need data in real time as the DA changes throughout the day. If you're interested in this level of precision, I strongly recommend investing in a Kestrel Meter a compact weather instrument with an anemometer and which calculates DA based on your current conditions at the range.

If you have been recording your data, all you need to do is look in your data book and find the last time you shot at the same distance with the same rifle and ammo, and dial the same elevation based on DA. It doesn't matter where on the planet you observed the data, if accurately measured, it will still be valid. If you are diligent, over time you will record enough data to cover most shooting situations.

This is key information, people. If your ammo is consistent with regard to velocity, and over time you record its performance with respect to density altitude, you have all the information you need to engage targets on the first try.

Might be useful in TX!

Our Pal Clint on the range!

Have we seen Target Earth before? Pretty sure we have but in case you missed it, here it is again.

This week our pal Diogenes scores again with this excellent review of the The Gurkha Ghost

The Gurkha Ghost is not a cigar for beginners. In fact, the one I fired up was tough even for me. I want to give cigars a fair shot and this one was bad enough that I will need to get a second one just to see if the first one was off in some way. The Ghost possesses a wrapper from Brazilian Maduro, and a Dominican binder and filler with a bit of Nicaraguan in there as well. It is rated as a Medium to Full flavored cigar. Yup, is all of that. It is a beautiful cigar, very dark and charcoal-like in color and having a nice solid feel to it. It has a 93 rating by Cigar Aficionado which is a great rating, but as mentioned, the one I had did not deserve it. After clipping the end, I tried something a friend suggested and gave the freshly cut end a sniff. Weird huh? But the sniffer picked up aromas of cocoa, leather and a strong woodiness.

The fecal matter hit the oscillating air displacement system as soon as I lit the match. The first puffs were pepper - red pepper - with some tobacco thrown in. Ugh! The spice hits like a linebacker and a sip of iced scotch was necessary. Hell, it was mandatory! (But then when isn't this so?) After I recovered, it took a few minutes to taste the tobacco.

There was an upside. Great smoke production, a soft draw, and an even burn. The ash held up and the aroma lingered.

The downside? Pepper, spice and coffee. Burnt coffee. There is a sweetness there but it is so overshadowed that you almost have to think about it just to taste it.

By the second third, the pepper remains but has mellowed a bit, although that may have been my tastebuds seared for life. The mellowing helped and for a few minutes there, it was a reasonable smoke, almost enjoyable. I didn't hang around for the last third. I'd had enough.

As I said above, I will try the Ghurkha again, maybe at New Years. I'll let you know how it goes.

Excellent, Diogenes! Thank you!

Here are some different online cigar vendors. You will find they not only carry different brands and different lines from those brands, but also varying selections of vitolas (sizes/shapes) of given lines. It's good to have options, especially if you're looking for a specific cigar.

Cigarsinternational.com
Cigarpage.com
Famous-smoke.com
Cigarsdaily.com
Neptunecigar.com
Smallbatchcigar.com
Bobalu Cigar Company
Cigarbid.com
Nicks Cigar World New!

A note about sources. The brick & mortar/online divide exists with cigars, as with guns, and most consumer products, with respect to price. As with guns - since both are "persecuted industries", basically - I make a conscious effort to source at least some of my cigars from my local store(s). It's a small thing, but the brick & mortar segment for both guns and tobacco are precious, and worth supporting where you can. And if you're lucky enough to have a good cigar store/lounge available, they're often a good social event with many dangerous people of the sort who own scary gunz, or read smart military blogs like this one. -rhomboid

Anyone have others to include? Perhaps a small local roller who makes a cigar you like? Send me your recommendation and a link to the site!

Ammo Link-O-Rama
I'm really very seriously not kidding around anymore. Buy Ammo
AmmoSeek - online ammo search tool
GunBot - online ammo search tool
SG Ammo
Palmetto State Armory
Georgia Arms
AmmoMan
Target Sports USA
Bud's Gun Shop
American Elite Ammo
Lucky Gunner Ammo NEW!

Please note the new and improved protonmail account gunthread at protonmail dot com. An informal Gun Thread archive can be found HERE. Future expansion plans are in the works for the site Weasel Gun Thread. If you have a question you would like to ask Gun Thread Staff offline, just send us a note and we'll do our best to answer. If you care to share the story of your favorite firearm, send a picture with your nic and tell us what you sadly lost in the tragic canoe accident. If you would like to remain completely anonymous, just say so. Lurkers are always welcome!

That's it for this week - have you been to the range?

posted by Weasel at 07:00 PM

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