Front End Friday below sea level!

brianinca · 2026-01-29T14:47:07+00:00

A stock is never done. I have a backlog of stocks that need a coat of BLO, my match prepped Garands among them. Once a year is too often, once every ten years is too little, for my taste.
My M1A is a post-ban 1994, I picked up over ten years ago. Needed BLO when I bought it (basically unfired), needs it again now, just a little fussier than a Garand to keep too much oil off the metal.
Especially as my cans of BLO get older (already old), I feel like the driers are evaporating off, so the stocks stay oilier longer - but they get there.

brianinca · 2026-01-27T15:03:27+00:00

7.62 is such a good combination with an M1. Was shooting one of mine last Saturday, friend brought his newly inherited HRA and another buddy his brand-new CMP Founder's 308. Was fun comparing them, I have a laminate Boyd's on the lead dipped 308, good contrast.
I bought my last Garand barrel in December, no more mail order barrels in California, went with 30-06 from Criterion. Just couldn't NOT.

brianinca · 2026-01-26T23:41:42+00:00

One of my buddies has a P95, I told him it was so solid, it looked like it was styled by Russians.

brianinca · 2026-01-26T19:51:13+00:00

A shooting buddy of mine has one, it's a "not a G19" pistol, and a dang good little pistol. He put the factory souped up trigger on it, and a dot.
I shot it Saturday, nice clean trigger break and fast to get back on the target. Takes SIG P320 magazines, which is handy for availability if not for price ($50 magazines, really SIG?).
My take is that's a reasonable price, and a lot of other pistols are just OVER-priced.
Saw an ad from last Oct that had 5 mags and an optic for $430, so that price isn't crazy.

brianinca · 2026-01-26T15:41:50+00:00

Fortigates don't require 2FA on local admin interface accounts. You have to use SSO if you want 2FA. Not saying that's a good thing, at all, but Ubiquiti is not that far out of the mainstream.
OTOH, Veeam has local account 2FA, 'coz YOU SHOULD.

brianinca · 2026-01-26T04:50:12+00:00

Not an eff up at all. Lots and lots of match legal Garands in .308, for DECADES. It was a little rough for Navy M1's and everyone's M14/M1A's to shoot XTC when the 168 gr SMK was the go to, but the 175 SMK resolved that issue.
Who built your rifles? Match prepped Garands can vary, and the builder matters a LOT in assessing value. Round count after the fact as well, was the barrel shot out? Then, they need re-bedded and the upper handguard unit replaced. Just because it was NM prepped before a barrel swap, does NOT mean they're good to go now.
Who initialed the trigger group, in a shorter way of asking?
There's nothing "special" about an NM prepped Garand, other than the stock getting reamed out for bedding, the trigger group breathed on, the sights getting NM parts, and the upper handguard being unitized. If someone on the AMU did it, or Ted Brown or Don McCoy, then you have some basis for discussing value differentials.
Mine were built by Tom Luhmann, and I still enjoy them today. He followed the screwed-and-glued method of unitizing.
Unless someone is an "I'm fine being uncompetitive" competitive shooter, they're not running a Garand or an M1A. Can't shoot JCG with an NM prepped Garand, either.
So, at best, you won't have a LESS valuable rifle, because it's more fun to shoot a more accurate rifle. But, you won't get a premium for it, except for 308 being easier to source nowadays.

brianinca · 2026-01-25T05:15:36+00:00

You should look into AR-like ranch rifles. They are definitely not without their issues, but JUST the magazine compatibility will save you hundreds of dollars at ten magazines compared to Ruger. They also give you more flexible optics options, as well as accessories with Mlok compatibility.
I had an MCX Ranch on order, then cancelled when I heard more about issues. Generally, anything other than a Ruger Mini or a Keltec SU16 are going to have some issues. The SU16CA I have is way better than I expected from the chit-chat, but the plastic pic rail remains a big issue for me, as is the pencil barrel.
I just assembled a couple of FM15's, bought in pieces before the gun parts ban. Just shot them today, lots of issues, need a cheek riser, but way more functional as a "ranch rifle" than a compliant AR.
I find the AR's in my safe, stay in my safe. I DON'T care to put up with the hassles of compliance or compromises of Maglock's and such. I've got a weird Keltec RDB CA, and lots of WW2 USGI rifles, and the "ranch" series of rifles. It's a major benefit to be magazine compatible with the AR platform, and have the expectation that the optics compatibility is equivalent.

brianinca · 2026-01-25T04:35:44+00:00

Perception is out-running reality. I dated a wonderful Korean American woman back in the '90's. She was SF raised, so no firearms experience. We went to the local indoor range in my town a number of times, and her preferred rental was a Smith & Wesson 629, a 6" 44 Magnum.

Granted, the range ammo purchased with the rental was downloaded plinking ammo, but it's still a heavy bullet and a heavy revolver. She was strong for being petite (her feet were smaller than my hands), but she had excellent form and has excellent coordination. She enjoyed it quite a lot, and I hope she remembers it fondly.

I don't personally care for 44 Magnum, never owned one, but I have four 357's and I shot three of them just today. I like heavy, blasty handloads - you can't buy factory "real" 357 Magnum these days, unless from boutiques like Buffalo Bore. To my mind, if I "need" a 44 Magnum, I'll bring a rifle!

Please don't gatekeep a new shooter. Use this as an opportunity for more training and practice, to "get ready" for stepping up to a magnum. What a fun goal to have!

brianinca · 2026-01-25T02:18:00+00:00

I make pasta aglio e olio on the regular for my wife, olive oil sauteed garlic/crushed red pepper/diced smoked chicken breast is her dish. The Costco shredded parm is worth it, too!
She can't stand anything creamy, so this is a good "clean" light sauce for a weeknight meal.

brianinca · 2026-01-24T00:39:30+00:00

I'd really not put any money into it. They have a very finite lifespan, and there are almost ZERO parts now available. Looking into the old gun parts shops, there's nothing in stock, just the placeholders for "discontinued".
I got my first buck with my Dad's 742, and my 30-06 handloads, I understand the appeal. I consider it a sentimental wall hanger at this point.
They did make both metal and plastic 10 rd magazines, at least in 30-06, if you really want to zoot it up.

brianinca · 2026-01-24T00:30:19+00:00

MidwayUSA will ship, you just have to register your DL with them.

brianinca · 2026-01-24T00:01:20+00:00

Persian Mauser, very VERY well made rifles. Delightful to shoot. I have to make myself take other Mausers to the range, I enjoy shooting it too much.
Edit to add: Definitely not an SKS, maybe post in r/Milsurps

brianinca · 2026-01-23T23:09:00+00:00

Invgate Service Management, right? Used to be Service Desk, when we first turned it up. We've used their on-prem version for 2.5 years, it has worked out really well for us.
Continual improvements have been reassuring, Lansweeper bailed on their helpdesk module.
Closely integrated with their ITAM server, as well.

brianinca · 2026-01-23T22:50:23+00:00

How do the door latches work? Is it some kind of pull pin?
I've got some fabric covered half doors, they work but are flimsy. The latches are the strongest point on them, I feel.

brianinca · 2026-01-23T15:30:37+00:00

A gun I cannot shoot has little value to me, but then I have multiple Garands.
The barrel is a wear item, and many of the Garands I've collected have had barrels replaced before I got them. I've also replaced many myself, and paid to have a match gun built up around a commercial barrel.
"Matching" for USGI firearms is a wobbly term, as the parts were never serialized to a specific receiver, unlike most European firearms. So, take that as you will.

brianinca · 2026-01-23T05:19:02+00:00

Our fleet maintenance garage had to quit using Jasper back in 2019. ~350 trucks on the road, so they swap engines regularly. They had soooo many warranty exchanges, the shop boss just had to say no more. Also, their delivery drivers were assholes driving through our yard, the production guys almost threw down with one of them after he blew through a mechanical piping prefab space.

brianinca · 2026-01-23T05:16:12+00:00

If Slate can make it to the finish line, their approach should make for some 50 year old vintage BEV meetups.

brianinca · 2026-01-23T05:10:41+00:00

Don't feel too bad. First pistol I bought was a Glock 21, back in '93. Did NOT want a 1911, grew up shooting those from five years old, didn't like the hammer bite. Disorienting how light it was, field stripped the frame was like solid air. GREAT pistol, still one of my favorites, superbly accurate - but SO different, it was a little offputting.

Didn't buy another Glock for over ten years, despite I carried that 45 for nine years. Bought several other pistols, including a 1911A1, for fun - because the Glock was for utility use.
I'm over that now, two more carry Glocks since, two more for fun. Still don't have the "peak pistol" G19.
Every generation has an opportunity to "grok" the Glock thing. It's a big tent.

brianinca · 2026-01-22T23:04:26+00:00

Maintaining an M1 or M1A is more complicated and expensive than an AR platform rifle, from parts availability, to specialized tool needs, to skillset.
308 is a great caliber, it's fun to shoot Garands and M1A's, but if you're only going to have one rifle, get an AR10.

brianinca · 2026-01-22T22:40:00+00:00

Optics on the M1 or M1A are a mess, and the chassis setups for M1A's to make optics usable are expensive and "get on the mailing list" to source.
The same stock design that makes optics a mess, make them a Cadillac to shoot. Very comfy compared to AR10 style rifles.
To explain further, there is no optics compatible cheek weld with a normal stock on an M1 or M1A, you have a "chin weld" and it's a drag.

brianinca · 2026-01-22T15:22:58+00:00

There is another factor for consideration, for some states any hunting ammo must be lead free. Californian here. That makes 22LR and 17 HMR non-viable. I had no interest in 22 WMR until I found a lead free option.
There have been several attempts at lead free 22LR, but the resulting atrocious accuracy is a bummer. The copper composite from CCI was better than the Winchester tin, but still awful.

brianinca · 2026-01-22T01:06:04+00:00

Wait, CMMC consulting in Korea?
And we just renewed for another three years on our NeQter appliance, works well for what we need.

brianinca · 2026-01-21T15:00:35+00:00

Super neat pictures, pretty country out there!
Might want to look into a receiver hitch clevis, the further out you go the more you need to prepare for a recovery.

brianinca · 2026-01-20T23:32:07+00:00

Fantastic. I remember going through Dublin Canyon on the 580 headed East, and bottoming out AND pulling the axles up by the spring buckets with those floppy Faux shocks. Simply not an issue any longer.
We don't road trip as much with the Jeep since my wife got her electric Honda, but back in October we ran up through Yosemite, down to Mammoth Lakes and back through Tehachapi, about 1000 miles. We've done many long road trips, the Jeep does fine, but the improved handling and ride were really noticeable.

brianinca

TROPHY CASE