Author Archives: Commander Zero

Canning coup, MRE’s, catalogs

Posted on by

An interesting day for the Zero. Was driving through the parking lot at Albertsons and noted they had a bunch of tables with merchandise set out in the parking lot. No big deal, I think. Just the usual selloff of stuff that’s discontinued, old stock, etc, etc. Mostly things like hair coloring, no-name crayons, plastic hairbrushes, etc. And I was correct…it was, indeed, mostly that sort of stuff…with one zero-rific exception….

They had ‘kits’ of canning supplies. Each kit contained several jars, lids, bands, jar lifter, food funnel, scraper and ingredient mix for whatever the kit was themed. For example they had kits for salsa, apple pie filling/applesauce, jelly, marinara sauce, vinagrettes and a few others. Normal cost? I dunno..the gal said usually twenty bucks. On sale – $4.00 per kit. That’s a decent enough deal since just a jar lifter itself is about that. I always feel the need to see if I can save a few more bucks though and asked the chick running the show if she’d take half price if I took all of the canning kits. She declined but after a little while said she’d come down to $3 ea. That’s 25% savings off of the already low price. Works for me. Picked up thirteen kits which translates to about 52 jars, lids, bands, 13 scrapers, 13 funnels and 13 jar lifters and 13 assorted flavoring packages for a mere $39. (EDIT: oops…make that 14, not 13…grabbed an extra one by mistake.Honest.)
Check it out:
Cut for your pleasure

Multitool, gas price nostalgia, Nalgene love

Posted on by

I continue to be pleased with the Leatherman Wave multitool that I got for my birthday. It does nothing supremely well, but it does everything well enough. No multitool is going to be perfect, since therell always be a need or function that is either unaddressed or not handled perfectly by the tool inquestion, but 9 times out of ten it’ll do the job well enough for the immediate need at hand. In fact, I like tis little thing so much that Im going to have to pick up a couple spares. It certainly beats the snot out ofp rety much any Swiss Army knife. McGyver coulda used one of these (and a set of balls).
=====
I was re-reading some of my older entries from about two years ago and recall bitching that gasoline was $1.86 per gallon. Good times.
=====
Im still deeply in love with the Nalgene water bottles. I’ve been tryng like hell to break one with various impacts and it just aint gonna happen. Im sure some folks will chime in and say ‘I can get an empty one-liter pop bottle for free that will do the same thing!’. True. Tell you what, you fill up that pop bottle and:
1) hurl it as high and as far as you can across a parking lot so it impacts on the ground and skids thirty feet
2) drop it from shoulder height, repeatedly, onto various uneven surfaces, including sharp rocks
3) Freeze, thaw, freeze, thaw, repeatedly
4) Clean with simple soap and water and remove all traces of previous flavorings
5) Find an aftermarket water filter that screws directly to the top of your pop bottle to make filling from a filter at streamside a breeze

Now, an empty designed-as-disposable pop bottle that does none of that for free, or something that will do all that and last pretty much the rest of my life for, oh, eight bucks.
Im all about saving money but not at the expense of utilitarianism, ergonomics and durability.

Power failures and sheep

Posted on by

The girlfriend suffered a power outage at work the other day. Was she concerned? No, of course not. Why? Because when she started woprking there the Zero asked her where the stairwell was, did it have emergency lighting, and lets go walk down it so you’ll know where it is in case theres a problem. And then I gifted her with a couple lightsticks and a Streamlight LED flashlight to keep i her desk. Thus, she simply took her flashlight and left the building via the stairs. The interesting part is the sheep she encoutnered who wondered if perhaps taking the elevators was safe or not..and then, when told the stairs might be a better idea, asked how she’d know what floor she’s on. At that point I would have left her to her own devices but the girlfriend is a more patient sort and escorted the brainless cow down the stairs. Will the woman learn a lesson about these things and perhaps spend $5 to keep a Photon LED light on her keychain? I’ll almost guarantee she will not.

How will she know what floor she’s on? Thats just too amazing to comprehend.
(The correct answer, of course, is you know what floor your office is on…you subtract one each time you come to a landing with a door on the stairs. When you run out of steps youre in thebasement.)

Birthday gear

Posted on by

My birthday came and went… a few of the highlights, in terms of gear and equipment:
A Coleman 530 from one of the LMI. Have to replace the fuel cap (uses the same fuel cap as modern manufactured lanterns so thats no biggie) and I may or may not have to do some other work to it…not sure yet. Heres the original 1950’s user manual.
The very cool Leatherman Wave multitool from the girlfriend. In using it, Ive discovered several very nice features. First of all, you can use either knife blade without having to open the tool, the blades are designed for one-handed ‘Spyderco’-type use, and the serrated blade has small serrations on the thumbpiece so you can tell without looking which blade youre about to open…a very subtle but very nice touch. Me likes this tool very much.

My brother sent me a nice Blackhawk tactical vest, which I’ll probably rig up set up as a spare or secondary vest for use at off-site locations. Which model? This one in this color. Also a copy of The Poor Mans James Bond…sort of a slightly updated ‘Anarchists Cookbook’.

All in all a pleasant birthday.

Inova, gun show stuff,

Posted on by

Speaking of flashlights, I’d been wanting one of these for a while. While there are plenty of lights out there, I wanted one that could be clipped to a backpack strap for hands free use. (This is why, in case youre wondering, why those old GI flashlights are shaped like the letter L) The Inova 24/7 is waterproof, runs on the usual lithium batt, and has 8 functions. I carry the Streamlight in my Bag O’ Tricks ™ but it isnt a hands free. (And before anyone asks, I dont find the headlamp lights to be as versatile as I like.) The 24/7 also has a couple of features that make it a good choice for my late night bike riding episodes….I can use it as a flashing tail light or as a headlamp. And only about $25. Best of all, I found ’em in Olive Drab and not the usual ugly safety yellow color. Me like. I’ll report on how it works out.
=====
Attended the big Missoula gun show. Didnt see John Trochmann at this one with his usual MOM handouts and preparedness gear. I did, however, find some other dealers selling various sundries that will be of use. Additionally, I got to handle the new FN PS90 (used, $1200) and thought the ergonomics were great, the sights were majorly sux0r and I couldnt stop thinking of every episode of Stargate. Having read the ballistics of the cartridge, though, Im thinking that the only thing the P90/PS90 has going for it is the compact envelope. Anyway….

Also saw some Spec-Ops gear. I was under the impression this was the usual looks-cool-but-made-in-an-Asian-country stuff similar to Blackhawk. Cant say about all of it, but the few pieces I looked at were made in USA. (Pronounced ‘ooo-suh’) Specifically, I was interested in this piece of gear:

Which might fit the bill for the accessory (‘possibles’) bag for my CZ. The bag can be carried as a shoulder bag or can be affixed to a larger bag through the use of MOLLE attachment. Also it can be attached to belt/harness as a butt pack. Attach this 40mm pouch panel:

and I’ve got a way to carry spare rifle mags for the bolt gun. Might have to get one of these things…….
=====
And I meant to post about this the other day – MagLite has jumped on the LED bandwagon and are now selling LED version of their big D-cell lights. (Their website was sorely lacking details.) However, Pelican is making LED flashlights toowith a unique twist – the bulb points backwards into the flashlight. The idea is that the light is aimed into the reflector where it is then ‘focussed’ to provide a tighter beam than lights that simply have the LED point forward. This product line is called their ‘Recoil LED’ line. Looks interesting but I’d need to try one head-to-head versus, say, the LED MagLite.

Mags, summer outages

Posted on by

You know I love you guys, right? Thats why I share.

A few minor things of interest. The new Sportsmans Guide ‘Shooters’ catalog arrived. A couple highlights:

AK-47 mags, $79.97 per dozen (that’s around $6.66 ea) #HX6A1-107016 you can’t have enough AK mags. Buy ‘em now before the next election. And for those of you with nice shiny quality AK’s and nothing but crappo 5-round mags (you know who you are) – do it now.

In addition to a swell deal on AK mags, they also had, believe it or not, a 40-rd drum for your 1911, Glock 21 or Ruger P90. $59.97… just the thing for making your Marlin Camp Carbine look like a PPSh 41 … #HX6A1-106853… (-852 for Ruger 10/22, -854 for Glock, -855 for Ruger)

I was going to say a 40-round drum for your 1911 is rather gimmicky but then I recalled that I have an MP5 mag pouch full of 33-rd Glock 9mm mags. Still, considering that a “hi-cap” single stack 1911 mag can be about a foot long, I guess its an improvement. Not terribly practical out of a pistol, IMHO, but it might be fun out of a carbine.
=-=-=-=-
Summer is here and with it comes the usual increase in power demand sparked by air conditioners and the like. As Im sure you’ve seen in the news, parts of Queens NY was without power for several days…parts of California under under constant threat of blackouts/brownouts due to heavy usage. So, as you can see, it aint just terrorist attacks and winter storms you have to worry about. Moral of the story – check the batts in those flashlights and be ready for power outages.

FAL probs an solutions, JFPO DIY KT AR, CZ wants, bicycle stuff

Posted on by

I’d been having on-and-off problems with my FAL and I think Ive ironed them out. The problem was that sometimes I’d have the bolt ride over the next round in the mag, stopping the bolt halfway in its closeward travel and putting a nice gouge in the case that was unlucky enough to be under the bolt. I thought perhaps it was an issue of gas system adjustment…perhaps more gas was needed to cause the bolt to travel more enthusiastically …it sorta helped but not completely. I then decided it might be an ammo problem…maybe the overall cartridge length of my reloads was not long enough to assure smooth feeding – so I loaded everything out to 2.800” and still had a few probs. Magazine? Maybe…but it happened with other mags too. Then I figured it out (I think). The mags I use are the used $5 mags from DSA. DSA started sending extra mag springs with them when you order them. Could the mags have weak springs and thus the cartridges are not being fed up through the magazine with sufficient force to put them in the ready position for the homeward-bound bolt? Certainly, it would mean the problem is more likely to be encountered when theres only a couple rounds in the mag rather than when the mag is full. But, theres an easier tell…it’s the same one you use to tell when its time to change the recoil spring in your handgun – compare an old spring to a new one. If your old one is significantly shorther than the new, swap it out. So I pulled the mag springs and compared them against the extras sent by DSA. Sure enough, they are at least a coil shorter. Swapped springs, took the mag out and loaded it with 20 rounds…boom, boom, boom..no problems. Tried a few in a mag that I hadn’t swapped the spring out..boom, boom, nada… aha!

Im pretty sure that’s the problem…especially since DSA is sending extra springs with the $5 mags. Tells me theyre aware of the problem. So, I now need to pull apart 40 magazines and compare the springs in all of them. However, I’ll be glad if that’s what the problem is. The FAL’s have a reputation for reliability and I was getting worried my Springfield Armory FAL was a lemon.

Before anyone asks, I have no idea what the gas regulator is set to..no numbers on mine. But I did do the usual ‘turn gas off and open one step at a time until the bolt locks back on empty, then go two more notches.”
-=-=-
While we’re on the topic of guns, the recent Shotgun News has a fabulous article on the JFPO selling DIY AR-15 lowers. The ‘lowers’ are four pieces that are unfinished enough to not be considered firearms. You drill some holes in the conveniently placed starter indentations, thread ‘em, and bolt them together and you have an AR receiver…with absolutely no history or paper trail. Perfectly legal since the feds do allow you to make firearms for your own personal use.

At least, you did until the ATF raided the guy who was making these things for JFPO – KT Ordnance here in Montana. Apparently, ATF knew a good thing when they saw it and couldn’t have us peons with paperless AR’s.

I admire JFPO for its ‘in your face’ end-run around the feds. Anyone can say they’ll fight gun registration but how many actually go far enough to start selling DIY AR kits that don’t require paperwork? Another reason I like these guys better than the NRA.

Since I have no confidence in the 2008 election producing a pro-gun (or gun neutral) president, and am pretty certain it’ll put in a Democrat (usually a defacto anti-gunny) my personal strategy is to start socking away AR lowers at an alarming rate. AR parts will, I think, generally always be abundant and the AR is probably a lot easier to gunplumb on your own than, say, an AK. FALs might be nice but stripped FAL receivers don’t seem terribly common and the rest of the parts necessary are usually only available from one or two sources…and only really one domestically.

Needless to add, if I think it’s a wise idea to stock up on receivers before the election in 2008 you can bloody well believe I think its an even better idea to stock up on mags.
-=-=-
Speaking of boomsticks, since I have reached the point that I am confident and happy with my CZ550, its time to shift from load development to ammo production and to getting all the necessary support gear for it…and one of the first things that I want is a Pelican case to protect my little tackdrvier. And spare mags. I currently have just two. I need about five more. And a nice dedicated bag to carry all the gear in…something with attachment points to be carried with other gear but with straps/sling points to be carried by itself. Something that can hold ammo, cleaning kits, maybe a spotting scope, and all the other gear-driven goodness that you need when putting the sneak on something 600 yards away. I likes my .308, I do.
-=-=-
Got the new rack and bag for the mountain bike today. Also picked up a foot-powered pump. Additionally, I need to pick up a more compact pump to carry with the bike and I also want a 12v pump for use at the house. (Which can be used for several other things…like inflating those funky little inflatable guest beds, filling vehicle tires and pressurizing homebuilt flamethrowers.) Still need a fair amount of support gear for my bicycle but it’s a fairly low priority at the moment. The basic gear will be fine for now…I’ll get a spare wheel, spokes, chain, etc. at a later date. With gas around $3 a gallon it just doesn’t make sense to jump in the truck to go pick up the mail or a 12-pack of Coke. Plus, as local cops have opined, guys on bicycles are harder to catch than guys in vehicles…and me, Im all about the options. Still wouldn’t mind getting the frame powdercoated though……….

Delayed posts, bicycle gear, salvage wood, stoarge food

Posted on by

Life continues apace. I usually write entries at work and then bring them home on a USB drive….but when you see a week go by without posting you know Ive been forgetful and haven’t gotten the saved posts and the USB drive in the same place at the same time. On the other hand, it means that when I do get my ducks in a row the backlog of posts gets dumped as one long post. You lucky people.
Cuttage