Tag Archives: camo

Propane and propane accessories

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So I’d like to keep a low profile in regards to..well..everything….as I develop stuff on the property. Propane tanks are, it seems, uniformly a bright white color that is going to look a tad conspicuous amongst all the greenery. My first inclination is to just grab a couple cans of olive green paint and a brush. Perusing the internet shows me that it may not be that simple.

From what I’ve read, propane tanks are the color they are in order to reflect and prevent the absorption of heat. If a tank heats up in the sun, the contents can expand and at some point vent themselves through a safety valve, thereby reducing your amount of available propane. Painting a propane tank a camo color would only increase its absorption of heat. And, although Im not clear on this, in some cases it may not be strictly legal to paint a propane tank. (Although that might only be for rented tanks. No matter, my plan is to buy.)

So, if you want a discreet propane tank, your other alternative, it seems, is to obscure it. But, propane tanks are one of those things that, as I read it, you don’t really want in an enclosed space. Personally, what I thought would be optimal would be to pour a slab to put the tank on and then build up a wall of railroad ties or similar on either side of the tank and then berm them to provide visual camo and protection from stray projectiles. Something not too dissimilar to this:

Again, this is my uninformed opinion, but it appears that enclosing/shrouding or otherwise corralling a propane tank is feasible as long as theres enough airflow so that if a tank springs a leak, the propane doesn’t all accumulate in one spot. (Being heavier than air, it will puddle out to low lying areas but I would think it’ll dissipate better in that circumstance than if it were all ‘bottled up’ in a structure of some kind.)

Whaddyou think?

ATACS of the clones

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I’m not a Star Wars person, but when Return Of The Jedi came out I recall being very interested in the camouflage outfits worn by the Rebels on Endor. Here’s an image of what Im talking about:

At the time, I thought it was a rather good camo pattern. Then, many years later, ATACS-FG came out:

A very similar pattern and style of camo, I thought. Apparently, Im not the only one. Columbia (the outdoorwear company, not the country [which, yes I know, is spelled differently]) has introduced a somewhat derivative camo pattern for a series of outwear styled after the movie outfits.

The colors are not the same as in the movie, but I do rather like the poncho/anorak style of design. WW2 die-hards will see some similarities to the old German zeltbahn.

I rather like ATACS-FG and I’m sorry it was, essentially, wiped out by Multicam (or the military ripoff of it…OCP). But I am amused that what I thought was a very good camo pattern, shown in a movie forty years ago, is making a bit of a comeback, in a way, today. Obviously I’m not saying that this product line from Columbia has any merit as actual fieldwear, but it does give one some ideas if they were handy with an industrial sewing machine.

Oddly, I’d swear that when ATACS-FG came out I recall reading on the internet somewhere people saying “Thats the camo pattern from Star Wars”.

Anyway, I thought it was amusing and an opportunity for me to plug one of my favorite camo patterns.

 

Range time

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There is not a single thing that is, pricewise, cheap about HK products. Even the clones are spendy. And the accessories as well.

Which is why I should not have been surprised to find that the PTR I picked up shot about 6″ to the left and 18″ low at 50 yards. Why? Because unless you’re willing to spend about $80 for a genuine HK tool, or $45 for a knockoff, your ability to zero your rifle is rather limited. (Yes, you can use snap ring pliers but the marks it leaves on that sight drum ain’t pretty.)

Fortunately, being an evil yuppie survivalist, I actually have an HK sight tool and was able to zero the gun properly. But I did learn something I did not know. The sight drum has three aperatures and a v-notch. The idea is that the v-notch is your quick acquisition sight, and the subsequent “2”, “3”, and “4” aperatures are for 200, 300 and 400 yards respectively. Ok, fine. What I did not know is that the v-notch is not a 100 yard sight. I just assumed it was. As it turns out, from what I read, the V-notch and the “2” aperature are the same elevation. Didn’t know that.

I’ve posted it before, but here’s one of the best instructions on sighting in your G3-type rifle.

Years ago, Cheaper Than Dirt (home of the $99 Pmag) had a sale on surplus G3 furniture kits…stock, forend, and pistol grip….for ten bucks. I bought a bunch of them and since I have so many spares, I could afford to whip out the Krylon and DIY some winter white.

Might send this gun out to be dipped or coated in a winter camo pattern.

Yup..thats the ancient WGerman snow camo. I desperately want the new Danish or Finnish snow camo but its a colossal pain in the ass to find that stuff here. I may have to make friends with someone overseas, figure out the Byzantine metric clothing size system, and ask them to hit the surplus stores for me. Didn’t wear the matching pants to the range because..well..I figured I was already looking a little tinfoil-y with the color-coordinated rifle and outerwear. Which reminds me…anyone know a vendor for white 3-point rifle slings? I suppose I could order up some white webbing and fab up my own, but……..