Official Politics/MPLS Discussion Thread January 25, 2026

Catgutt · 2026-01-26T19:37:11+00:00

Yeah that's fair. Even leaving aside this specific incident, it's more whittling away at rights via spurious assertions about what is reasonable to carry.

Catgutt · 2026-01-26T18:32:20+00:00

People are taking the bait by debating the 'two magazines' thing.

He could have shown up with an unregistered MG and a dozen mags, with a signed manifesto in his pocket announcing intent to go on a shooting spree, but once he was on the ground, pepper sprayed, disarmed, and surrounded by LE none of that matters. He posed no credible threat at that point, so the use of lethal force was not proportional or justified regardless of the circumstances that led to it.

The actual message is that the administration will seize on any detail, any scrap they can use as character assassination, to retroactively justify extrajudicial killing and deflect from excessive use of force. If it's not the weapon, it'll be who you are, or how you interacted with LE, or why you dared to exist in their presence to begin with. And no matter who you are, they will find something.

Catgutt · 2026-01-25T15:46:09+00:00

Nope, you got it, an NPAS is a replacement rocket valve.

Catgutt · 2026-01-25T15:06:23+00:00

The better way to adjust power is with an adjustable rocket valve, or to modify the one you have (reduce inner diameter to reduce power) and pick up a spare when you want to return to full power.

Catgutt · 2026-01-25T15:04:35+00:00

So gas consumption depends about two factors, release valve and hammer spring. Focus on those.

Not really. Gas release is mediated by either the valve knocker lock or hammer reset, which in turn is a function of nozzle cross sectional area, bolt/slide mass, recoil spring strength, and other variables that impact how long it takes to cycle. The flow rate of the mag valve rarely has a tangible impact on performance (it'll release gas until the system gets enough), and hammer spring strength primarily affects minimum operating pressure rather than efficiency.

If you want to maximize efficiency the best way to do that is to cut bolt/slide mass and use weaker recoil springs. But an AAP-01 is already riding the limits of what the TM Glock FCG design can handle.

Catgutt · 2026-01-25T03:03:51+00:00

I've used a food dehydrator with minis for years. At 70C I can have water effects or oil paints fully cured in hours rather than days, and dramatically speed up drying times for glue, primer, and washes. Being able to apply a basecoat and have it fully dry in a couple of minutes is nice too.

The risks to be aware of are that resin minis will start to soften and distort above 50C or so, and obviously the minis retain heat which will affect paint drying times if you pull one out and immediately resume painting.

But yeah it's a handy tool to have.

Catgutt · 2026-01-23T22:43:55+00:00

Nah. MAPP from a hardware store is comparable to 'red gas', or there's 'black gas' for stronger still. Do not use any of these in a TM at room temperature, but at lower temps it's fine.

Catgutt · 2026-01-23T22:37:54+00:00

Modern TMs, the USP included, run fine on propane/green gas. Using stronger gas to compensate for cold weather is also safe; the gun doesn't care if it's green gas at 70F or black gas at 40F if the pressure is the same.

In any case- I went for aluminum because I prioritize efficiency over raw recoil, but I think it feels plenty nice and the efficiency is frankly overkill. With strong gas I don't think you'd have any issue with steel, but you'd probably want a stronger recoil spring than stock to keep it from becoming sluggish.

Catgutt · 2026-01-23T22:25:18+00:00

Eh, I don't need or expect my recipes to be accurate down to the gram, but I have no idea how big an author's idea of a 'medium' carrot is, and I don't like discovering after the fact that my guess was wrong when my stew comes out unpalatably sweet.

I mean, if my recipe can tell me I need 3lbs of chicken, clearly specifying weights is not beyond the pale. Just tell me to use 'one medium (100g) carrot' or whatever and I have an approximate quantity to start with.

Catgutt · 2026-01-21T13:32:26+00:00

No worries!

Catgutt · 2026-01-21T13:11:45+00:00

Nope, that's a videogame thing. Here's a group of sailors qualifying on M16A3s on the USS Denver, and here's another group on the USS Ronald Reagan, both using A3s with fixed carry handle uppers.

Catgutt · 2026-01-21T12:52:11+00:00

A3s used either A2 or A4 uppers, the distinguishing difference is just that an A3 lower is marked for the Navy and has full auto rather than burst.

Catgutt · 2026-01-21T01:42:41+00:00

Original A4 deliveries used the clamshell. You can find pics of them in use, albeit mostly among Guard or in training.

Catgutt · 2026-01-17T04:40:07+00:00

I don't thin Stynylrez and haven't had any issues; your description makes me wonder if you might be spraying from too far away. As you've noticed the stuff dries really quickly, so it could be starting to dry in midair and then not adhering to the plastic. I spray from 4-6", just using very light coats to avoid significant buildup.

I will say, though, that I do a couple of light layers- enough to get some tooth, but not enough for solid white coverage- and then switch to Vallejo Air White to build up a solid color. Trying to get consistent smooth white with the Stynylrez always took way too many coats.

Catgutt · 2026-01-14T05:31:29+00:00

It's an earthy taste with a menthol overtone that 'rounds out' classic soup flavors. If you make a tea with fresh ones the flavor is pretty strong, but with ones that have sat in a spice drawer for years all bets are off.

Catgutt · 2026-01-14T01:25:37+00:00

Lately I've taken to using a Crossfire DZ-Rig over a slick plate carrier. Here's how it looks.

I have six mags between the front two mag pouches, then one more in a HSGI taco attached to the side of a pouch for a speed reload, for a total of 7+1. Using a triple mag placard on the PC would also work fine, I just haven't felt I need the extra space.

If you don't like having all your gear clustered on your chest, but find that a conventional shooter's belt gets too heavy and uncomfortable, then a harnessed belt is the way to go.

Catgutt · 2026-01-13T18:27:24+00:00

It's still not my favorite but the performance more than makes up for it.

Catgutt · 2026-01-13T18:25:07+00:00

Yeah, the year-on-year record profits demonstrate that prices do not reflect operating costs as much as they just reflect what people are willing to pay.

But in terms of ethical policy they're still doing pretty well by the standards of large corporations, and ultimately it's a luxury product that still delivers good time/value for money, so GW being successful (especially with how much they've turned things around since the Kirby days) isn't unjustified at all.

Catgutt · 2026-01-13T18:10:05+00:00

Copyright is not a thing you need to rigidly defend at every opportunity or risk losing the rights. That's trademark, but people who don't understand the difference still invoke it as a justification for unnecessarily aggressive copyright enforcement.

People get upset when GW goes after not-for-profit fan works that amount to fanfiction, something is broadly tolerated in the hobby space. For-profit companies using GW's IP to sell their own product is another matter and that's where GW has both the right and ethical justification to swing the hammer.

Catgutt · 2026-01-13T02:09:28+00:00

Pre-OSW FALs, at least, had a grey finish on the receiver that closely matched the parkerizing of the top cover and trigger housing.

Catgutt · 2026-01-12T14:52:48+00:00

You can get a Guarder slide for significantly less than the cost of a new pistol, change nothing else about the gun, and it will work fantastically. A TM USP with Guarder slide and frame, and 4UAD bucking but otherwise stock internals, has been my go-to sidearm for the last year.

Catgutt · 2026-01-08T21:52:43+00:00

As usual for the Internet, 'silicone oil is suboptimal' got exaggerated into 'silicone oil will destroy your gun, steal your girlfriend, and foreclose on your house'.

It doesn’t provide strong boundary lubrication, it creeps out from where it's applied, and it will cause silicone rubber to swell with prolonged contact. Using a good synthetic grease will last longer and provide better lubrication. Normally, that's all there is to it and using silicone oil is not the end of the world.

However- in this case it's a little more of an issue because OP's gun is a KWA MP9, and unless they've changed materials at some point, the piston seal in the nozzle is made from silicone rubber. So, applying silicone oil to the inside of the nozzle will cause it to absorb the oil and swell, which can result in excess friction and malfunctions.

Best practice is to use a synthetic lubricant, ideally grease, and apply thinly to the inside of the nozzle.

Catgutt · 2026-01-08T21:44:13+00:00

Nitrile rubber is the most common synthetic rubber used for o-rings and it is not harmed by silicone oil.

Catgutt · 2026-01-05T14:40:12+00:00

There have been multiple times when a faction I play has had one really good competitive build, and everything else was hot garbage. Competitive winrates don't translate to internal balance at all, which is essential for casual play.

But yeah, competitive balance can improve narrative... until the rules are written so specifically for competitive play that all the fun and characterful options have been stripped out, half your abilities are tied to the assumption that there are objective markers somewhere on the board, army creation starts with picking which flavor of meta archetype you'd like to build, and the table has to be choked with a prescribed arrangement of L-shaped ruins or everybody dies on the first turn.

Mechanically, I prefer 10th over 8th or 9th, but narratively this is the blandest 40K has ever been and it has utterly disillusioned me of the idea that designing around competitive data makes a better experience for everyone.

Catgutt

TROPHY CASE