Starvin Larry

By James McClellan Jr.

In our world of long range hunting and shooting there is an ongoing debate: Should I dial or should I hold? The answer depends on the situation. Each method has advantages and disadvantages depending on the circumstances. For very fast shot opportunities at close to medium range, holding is quick and may be accurate enough for big game. For very long shots, there is usually more time to set up, and dialing provides much greater precision in our firing solution.

Let us examine the closer shot situation first. I use a base zero of 200 yards for my 280AI, and my scope, a Vortex Viper HSLR FFP, has an MOA reticle with hashmarks spaced at 2moa intervals vertically. The load is 168 grain Berger at 3015 fps. The drop data that follows is based on 1000 feet above sea level and 55 degrees, generated on my Applied Ballistics phone app. For any shot from fistfight to 225 yards, the center of the reticle will land the bullet in a good spot. For 250 yards, I ought to hold halfway between center and the first mark. For 300 yards, the first mark is almost dead on. 350 yards is halfway between the second and third mark, 400 is almost exactly the third mark.

Absent a hard wind, these aiming points will give me decent hits on deer size targets IF I can remember where to aim in the heat of the moment. I don’t mind admitting that I am the weak link in this system. How well I can settle my eye on the correct point of the reticle is another variable, and looking at a nice sized buck isn’t going to help my concentration. Having a diagram of the reticle marked with the holdovers can help, but it is actually easier for me to remember a number to dial the moa than to memorize a whole pictorial representation- especially if the hold is supposed to fall between marks instead of on one.

As a practical matter, if we think of the kill zone of a deer as a circle of approximately 10 inches diameter, at 400 yards or less we can be a little imprecise with the hold and still get an ok hit. If the wind is up, 10mph is 2.1 moa full value, so shading into the wind to the first hash (the horizontals are at 1moa intervals) will keep the bullet on target. I have used reticle holds on steel at the local range out to 700 yards, but I am not comfortable with the holdover method past 400 if the target has hair.

Read the rest-(2 more pages)- @ Long Range Hunting

Via Kit Lange The Patrick Henry Society

We patriots are often found debating the finer points of Constitutional amendments and/or concepts embodied in Liberty.  One of the greatest of these—and one of those with some of the most widely used derivatives—is the idea that someone is innocent until proven guilty.  We understand this in an abstract sense.  It’s a cliche; you don’t have to be a Constitutional scholar to have heard the phrase.  It’s only been part of the opening credits for the show Cops for two decades.  But what does it really mean?  And why are patriots some of the first people to trash it in application?  Simple:  Because we are human…and maybe, because there’s an application for the concept that most people don’t even think about.

Innocent until proven guilty.  It’s the foundation of our entire court system, our entire justice system.  When someone is charged or even accused of a crime, the burden of proof lies with the entity making the accusation.  It does not lie with the accused.   This ties in with another phrase most people are familiar with: beyond a reasonable doubt.  In other words, people cannot be convicted of a crime unless the jury (or judge in some cases) is convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that the guilt was proven.  An accused person cannot be convicted because a jury thinks, “Gee, it sounds plausible,” or because one of the witnesses is their buddy who they’ve known for 20 years and trust implicitly.  In fact, one of the basic ways to get excused form a jury is to know or be related to any of the parties in the case.  Quite frankly, the system is meant to be stacked in favor of the accused, and this theoretically protects innocent people from being convicted frivolously or targeted by a government looking to silence them for some reason.  We know, of course, that in practice the concept is in shambles, but that’s another issue.

Yes, yes, I know all this, you say.  Why am I giving a primer on law when I’m not a lawyer? Here’s why: because the idea that someone accused of something is innocent until proven guilty gets thrown out the window far too often when dealing with interpersonal relationships in our prepper groups and III% units.  How many times have we seen a group implode due to accusations, drama, and mudslinging fests that rival a political campaign?  All over social media, all over the blogs…some of these groups seem to thrive on the drama.  He said and she said and oh did you hear what so-and-so posted?  One person makes accusations, and then the accused party runs to their own blog or Facebook page to answer those accusations and—if they’re into the flinging poo thing—level a few of their own.  Right about this time, someone starts making popcorn because a third party (usually a friend of one side or the other) decides to weigh in.  More blogs, more division, more BS.  After a while, not only is everything still unresolved, but the surrounding populace is sick to death of hearing about it.  In some cases there is permanent damage to the charity, cause or endeavor that the entire group had set out to contribute to, not to mention irreparable harm to reputations and credibility.

Read the rest @ The Patrick Henry Society

Via CNN

The American Psychiatric Association slammed the fashion designer on Thursday for a billboard that read: “Over 40M Americans suffer from mental illness. Some can access care…All can access guns.”

The message was signed “Kenneth Cole” and included the hashtags #gunreform and #areyouputtinguson.

The sign looms over Manhattan’s busy West Side Highway and the APA wants it removed.

APA President Dr. Renee Binder said the billboard message is detrimental because it incorrectly links mental illness with gun violence and the need for gun control.

“It provides the gross misimpression that people with mental illness are violent,” Binder said. “The vast majority of people with mental illness are not violent and most acts of violence are not committed by people with mental illness.”

In response to the roadside sign, the APA tweeted a series of messages expressing their disappointment in Cole.

Binder did note that Cole’s billboard highlights two important points — over 40 million Americans suffer from mental health issues and access to care is inadequate.

Cole, who did not respond to the APA’s tweets or to CNNMoney’s requests for comment, tweeted this message last week: “This ad not meant to further stigmatize those suffering from mental illness community in need & already under-served. #MentalHealth.”

Gun control is not the first social issue Kenneth Cole has taken a stand on, nor is this the first time he’s received criticism for his comments.

Cole has voiced support for liberal issues such as equal pay for women and marriage equality, but has received substantial backlash for tweets he made about Syria and Egypt.

In 2013, during the debate over America’s possible engagement in the Syrian civil war, Cole used his personal account to tweet: “‘Boots on the ground’ or not, let’s not forget about sandals, pumps and loafers. #Footwear.”
In 2011, when deadly protests broke out in Egypt, Cole tweeted: “Millions are in uproar in #Cairo. Rumor is they heard our new spring collection is now available online… -KC.” The tweet, which included a link to the company website, and the initials KC signified that he wrote the tweet himself.

The last installment in a great series.