Yugo M70AB2 modification project (part II)

Ok folks, here are some pics of my finished Yugo M70AB2 modified rifle. This rifle is no beauty queen, but the paint doesn't look too shabby either. The real test will be when I put a couple hundred rounds through it. We'll see how well the paint stands up to the heat, and if the weld holds. I hope to try it out this Saturday. I'll post some video of the test session. I hope that it doesn't rain.

Yugo M70AB2 modification project (part I)

Let's talk AK mods. There are those out there who are completely against it, and view it as a sin and then there are those of us who appreciate the classic AK look, but don't see anything wrong with updating our rifles with all the bells and whistles that modern society has to offer. I happen to be one of the later. Now, I didn't get crazy here, but decided to change the sights, grips, and add a cushioned recoil pad.

My rifle started out as a standard, no frills factory model Yugo m70ab2 undefolder AK type rifle. I think that factory handguards on the m70ab2 are somewhat boring looking, so I swapped them out with an AK-47 Leapers UTG M70 Yugo Tactical Quad Rail. This allows me to add optics and grips, etc. I put a Bushnell Trophy red dot on it, and zeroed it in at about 25 yards. It works great.




I also added a recoil pad, as the metal underfolding stock against my shoulder wasn't horrible, but didn't feel that great either. I have yet to try this out while firing the file, but it feels really nice when I shoulder it.




Here's what the rifle looked liked after adding these mods.




I was pretty happy until I saw a site online where they were adding H&K front and rear sights to AK's. Now that looks cool. So, I bought some HK G3 front and rear sights and had my local gunsmith put them on. He did a great job, but I should have told him to put the front sight post on as close to the gas block as possible. Well, my father and a friend cut a piece of conduit and welded it to the gas block. I think that it looks pretty darn cool. The weld is a bit rough, but looks cool. I applied a coat of aerosol Hi-Heat Spray Paint (made for use on grills, etc.) to give it a flat look and paint the metal conduit pipe. I have to wait another 48 hours to added another coat.

Here are some pics of the unfinished AK mod. I have the rifle tapped in order to paint it. I can't wait to add the final coats of paint and take this baby out for a test drive. I will post the final pics, along with a video and range report once it's ready. In the meantime, here are some pics of the mod in its current stage.

The Way of the Sniper - Men's Journal Article

One of my friends at work let me borrow his latest issue of Men's Journal, which features a well written story about the way a sniper operates and how they think. It provides some interesting insight to both of these, as well as other facets of the life of a sniper. It's a nice short read.

Check it out here:

http://www.mensjournal.com/sniper

"Fake-lite" Faux Bakelite 7.62x39 magazine

I've always thought that bakelite magazines looked really cool. I've always thought that they were made solely for the 5.45x39 round. Several years ago I saw a bakelite mag in a SAR-3 rifle (5.56x45 AK). I believe that it was an AK-74 bakelite with a .223 (5.56x45) follower. I've never tried this, but I've heard mixed reports on the performance and reliability. The problem with a standarized 5.56x45 AK magazine is a story in of itself.

Well, I wanted a bakelite 7.62x39 magazine, and until about a month ago, didn't even know that they existed. I found some for sale on Gun Broker. These were made in China and Russia. They both looked great, but the cheapest I could find them for was $70!



Forget that. So, I decided to make my own "fake-lite" or faux bakelite 7.62x39 mags. I used 30 round polymer (Bulgarian and ProMag) magazines and paint them with several layers of Krylon Fusion for Plastic aerosol spray paint. This paint is designed specifically for use on plastic (in this case, poly mags). I still need to work on my painting skills, but I was pretty happy with the way the mags turned out. Now I just need to test them, which I hope to do soon. I will make sure to post a range report on my findings. So, far they are a cheap alternative to the Tula and Norinco real deal.

The U.N.'s global anti firearms agenda. Get the U.N. out of the U.S.

This video is dated, but still holds true. Let's stop footing the bill for these fools and get them out of the U.S.

911 call of woman who killed a home invader

Listening to this call was scary, but the woman who shot the man who invaded her home was really calm and collected. The 911 operator really did a great job. Here are two slightly different versions (extended and edited). Listen for yourself...

German Mauser K98 Rifle (Kar98k)

Ladies and gents, it's time to sell one of my rifles to fund another purchase for my firearms addiction. This one just so happens to be the very first firearm that I every purchased. It's the first one I've ever owned for that matter. This is the gun that started it all for me, the truly awesome German Mauser K98 rifle (Kar98k).

I've loved the Mauser K98 rifle ever since I was a kid. My grandfather was a captain in the U.S. Army, in Europe during WWII. Among other actions, he was served as the lookout for an m18 Hellcat tank destroyer. The Hellcat took a direct hit from a German panzer, which sent him flying out of the open turret and over a wall. He ended up with a broken leg, but that was about it. He stayed in Europe until 1946 and then came back home with a bag full of goodies.



As a kid, my family would go to Ohio to visit my grandparents. At some point in our visit we'd ask my dad if we could go up to the attic and see our grandpa's war souvenirs. Some of the items were there because my dad got them by trading some of the stuff his dad brought back from WWII for the stuff that the neighborhood kid's fathers brought back. So, he ended up with the following items: a Japanese fighter pilot's cap and goggles. A Japanese officer's steel helmet, a Luger pistol, a fallschirmjager helmet, a NSDAP part flag, and a J.G. Anschutz 4mm training rifle that was built to instruct the German youth in the art of war. I loved that rifle. It was a faithful, smaller facsimile of the Mauser K98 rifle. It had the look and feel of the K98. I loved the bolt action. There was something so cool about it, with all the history behind it. I'd always look forward to our time in the attic with that rifle.

Well, about 15-20 years later, still enamored with the K98 (and pretty much all German weapons from WWII) I purchased my first firearm, the Mauser K98. I looked for a good quality Mauser K98 for quite some time before I decided to purchase this one. The rifle is in very good condition and has been well taken care of over the years. The laminate wood stock is also in very good condition, with some scratches and wear (this rifle did see combat). The gun bluing is very good. The top of the receiver is marked with a maker's code, date, and proof marking. However, I unfortunately forgot to make note of this information before I had the scope mounted and it now covers these markings. I was told that this particular rifle came from one of the factories known for its excellent workmanship and was favored for use as a sniper's rifle. That being the reason I bought it.




I wanted more than a conversation piece though. I wanted a rifle that could actually be fired, and one that was accurate. It turned out to be a great shooter, with a very good bore and I sighted in at 100 yards with a BSA scope. Before the scope was added I just shot it using the iron sights, which I actually prefer. It has a good bit of recoil, but that just took some getting used to. The rifle is just so much fun, and one of my all time favorites. But alas, as I don't have the chance to do much distance shooting, which the rifle was designed for, I've decided to sell it to purchase another firearm. Maybe I'll get another one in the future, and I'll stick with the iron sights. I've really enjoyed owning and firing this weapon over the years and I recommend it to anyone looking to own a piece of history that's also lots of fun to use.

Centurion 39 Sporter Rifle (100% American Made)

Century Arms Inc. is producing their own AK type rifle called the Centurion 39 Sporter Rifle. This rifle is made of 100% American made parts. The rifle has a milled receiver, a proprietary V shaped Chevron Compensator, designed exclusively by Century and has Picatinny rails on the hand guards for mounting optics. I know that the milled receiver is a huge plus in the book of a lot of AK fans. I also know that there are a lot of mixed feeling about the quality of workmanship coming from Century over the years. I've owned two C.A.I. Yugo AK type rifles (M70 and M72). The construction of both them was fantastic and they function without any issues to date. So, I'm willing to give the new Centurion 39 Sporter Rifle a try. I'd like to see what the MSRP will be for these rifles. Maybe Century will send me a sample so I can spread the good word. Nah, I don't think so.

http://www.centuryarms.com/?p=199

The great outdoors

I went to my friend Scott's place to try out some new mags, rifles, and for a bonfire. We tested his Colt M4 .22lr tactical rifle, which was really nice. I got to fire an M&P 40c that one of his police buddies brought. I thought that it would be somewhat awkward to hold, due to its small size, but it was really ergonomical and I had no trouble with it at all. Even with the shortened grip it handled nicely. It was pretty accurate too. I took one of the new Tapco AR 30 round polymer magazines that I picked up at the last gun show for $10. It feed well and seems to be a good buy. At $10, I'd buy some more. I used the mag on his Bushmaster AR type rifle (I don't recall the model). That rifle shoots really well and ate up the Wolf 62 gr. and PMC .223 ammo. We fired a Mossberg 500 and an intersting Colt 22. As it got dark we made our way to the bonfire that was built like a tepee, and grilled some dogs. It was another fun day at the range.

Colt / Umarex M4 Carbine .22 Tactical Rimfire AR-15

With the price of ammo still pretty high, and the realization that people still want to fire their AR type rifles, Colt and Umarex have teamed up and tapped into that market. In an effort to provide affordability without giving up the cool factor, they have produced the Colt M4 .22 Tactical Rimfire. I was skeptical when I first saw it. I sold my Ruger 10/22 not long ago. Not because it wasn't a great rifle, but because it just wasn't as fun as my AR or AK types. I even bought an MG-42 kit to dress it up, but that didn't help. The Colt / Umarex M4 Carbine in 22 long, is a different story. It has the look and feel of a Colt AR, but it's lighter and provides an inexpensive way to do a ton of plinking. We used mostly Federal, which fires really well. We also put a couple of rounds of Remington through it, but it didn't load well at first. If you like AR rifles, but don't have the cash for a bunch of .223 or 5.56, I suggest that you try one of these.

Colt 22 Pistol

I went to a friend of mine's today for some shooting and a bonfire. I decided to start with this footage of Scott and his Colt 22 pistol. I didn't shoot it, but it looked like a lot fun.

The Hurt Locker (sniper dual)

In the Hollywood of blockbuster, generic action films, this one's an exception. It's been a while since I'd seem a good movie, but this one was pretty good. It's a film about a bomb squad in Iraq, and the missions that the team goes on, and the bond they form throughout the trials they face. Even though it's a movie about defusing IED's, there's an intense sniper dual that's pretty cool.

This scene picks up right after the English squad leader is taken out by the terrorist sniper. The allied forces (US and Brits) use what seems to be a Barrett .50 cal. The Muslim terrorists are using either a Dragunov or an Al Kadesiah (Iraqi SVD clone). Enjoy!

Shooting up a computer server

The folks at www.keepgoing.biz demonstrate their ability to protect data and keep the users working. I believe that this pretty well sums up what those of us who're stuck at a cubicle would like to do to the servers at work!

Colbert on the anniversary of the AK-47

Stephen Colbert interviews John Pike about the popularity of the AK-47 as the Russian designer celebrates his 90th birthday. I'm not a big Colbert fan, but this is worth a watch.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
AK-47 Designer Celebrates His Birthday - John Pike
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor U.S. Speedskating

History of the development of AK-47 rifle

Just about everyone on planet earth knows about or has at least heard of the AK-47 (Avtomat Kalashnikova) or one of its descendants. It's a selective fire, gas operated 7.62mm assault rifle developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov in the 1940s. Now Kalashnikov claims that the AK-47 was not influenced by the German STG-44, but I just can't see how that's possible. In fact, here are some pics to illustrate that point.





According to the Wikipedia entry, "Design work on the AK began in 1944. In 1946 a version of the rifle, the AK-46, was presented for official military trials, and a year later the fixed stock version was introduced into service with select units of the Red Army. The AK-47 was officially accepted by the Soviet Armed Forces in 1949."


The Wikipedia entry contains some very interesting information on the development of the AK-47, which is worth the read. While reading up on the development of this truly amazing rifle, I came across a really interesting photo history of the design work that lead up to what we now know as the AK-47. Here's the link from world.guns.ru (http://world.guns.ru/assault/as01-e.htm)and a couple of pics to show some of the various stages of development of the AK-47. I've also posted the clip from Lord of War, where Nicolas Cage's character Yuri Orlov, talks about the history of the AK-47 rifle. Enjoy!

AK-47
Uploaded by fred_lb. - Full seasons and entire episodes online.

Arsenal SLR-106FR Bulgarian AK-101 Clone...Pete

Pete, giving the Arsenal SLR-106FR a go.

Springfield XD 45 ACP

It had been a while since I shot my Springfield XD 45 ACP since the ammo is so expensive. My brothers wanted to shoot it, so they bought some ammo and I took out a box of Remington 230 grain ACP. I have only fired a handful of handguns, but the Springfield XD models are so far, my favorites. I got to shoot the XD 9mm model at a local range and loved it so I bought the 45 ACP one as a step up. There's hardly any recoil and it's pretty much point and shoot. It's really accurate and the ergonomics are great. The standard magazine holds 13 rounds, plus one in the tube. I have some spare mags for it, along with the holster it came with. It's just so fun to shoot. Get one or try out a friend's!