Get the most from iron sights on an AR15 M4gery style carbine.

I like the look of the M4 with the short hand-guard/quad-rail and the traditional A-style front sight. However, I opted to build my M4gery with a full length hand guard and eliminated the traditional A-style front sight.



Why would you want to put a full length quad rail on a carbine length AR rifle? Two words: Sight Radius. Sight radius is the distance between the front and rear sights. A longer sight radius aids accuracy because it magnifies (at your eye) error in your sight picture allowing for better error correction. A significant portion in accuracy loss of a carbine vs. a full length rifle is due to a loss of sight radius, not just the length of the barrel alone.

I decided to build my AR M4gery with a longer sight picture than a traditional M4. Since the traditional A-style front sight is part of the gas block assembly, the sight cannot be moved. So the traditional front sight had to be eliminated by installing a low profile gas block that does not have in integrated front sight. For an already built rifle, you could replace this assembly or cut the sight off of the gas block with a Dremel. Either way, this allows you to install a long quad rail that extends past the gas block. You can then mount a front sight at the end of the quad rail beyond the gas block. The sight radius of a traditional M4 is about 15 inches. Because of the long quad rail on my AR15M4, my rail mounted front sight is a full 19 inches from the rear sight. This means that I have achieved a 4in longer sight radius over a M4 with the traditional A-style front sight that would have been just forward of the gas block.




While I like the side profile look of the old A-style AR front sight, I really don’t like it when using it to actually aim the rifle. The open front sight does not really compliment the rear peep sight. What I mean is that the “dog ears” on either side of the front sight post open away from the post and do nothing to aid in sight alignment. However, the “ears” on the HK style front sight close around the front post forming a front aperture which can be aligned with the rear aperture (at the rear sight) which amounts to basically aligning circles. And the human brain is real good at aligning circles. So a HK style front sight compliments a rear peep sight very well and aids in fast sight alignment. I use an HK style front sight on my AR15M4 and I love it. I opted for folding BUIS (Back Up Iron Sights) in case I decide to add optics to my rifle. The BUIS (Front and rear) on my AR15M4 are made by Troy Industries as is the full length quad rail.

IN SUMMERY:

PROS:
1. Longer site radius means better aiming with iron sites = better accuracy.
2. Can choose a front site (like an HK style) that works better with the rear peep site than the standard AR front site.
3. Can choose to co-witness the front site with an optic or fold-down the front site when using an optic.

CONS:
So, what are the tradeoffs?
1. Even though the full length quad rail does not add allot of weight; what weight is added is on the far end of the rifle and when aimed the weight is effectively at the far end of a lever making the weapon feel front heavy. This is made even more apparent if you take advantage of the quad rail by adding accessories like lights and lasers.
2. If your primary means of aiming the weapon is going to be a optic of some kind, the benefit of a longer site radius is not so important because the iron sites will be seldom used.

What will happen on 21 DEC 2012?

There is so much miss-information and half-truths out there that more and more people are thinking the end of the wold is coming sometime in the year 2012 and some even claim the actual day to be Dec 21st! Why do people think this is true? Well, mostly because there seems to be evidence that some ancient civilizations, who had NO contact with each other, end their calenders around the same point of time in the future. Wow, that seems spooky doesn't it? How could this have happened? These ancients must have know something!....No, they were just very good at astronomical observation:

Most people who believe the end of the world is coming in 2012 think the actual day will be December 21st because the ancient Mayan's of South America picked that specific day to end their own calender cycle. The year 2012 is significant because a RARE event WILL happen, but it wont be the end of the world. Its the year that the sun appears to to be at the center of the galaxy. The sun does not pass through the center, we are actually at the outer edge of the galaxy. But from our vantage point on earth, the sun will appear to pass in front of the galactic center in 2012. Dec 21st is the winter solstice. So, it only makes sense that a people who are great astronomers and who base their calender from astronomical events, should pick one of the most astronomically significant days of the year (the winter solstice) of one of the most significant astronomical years (a rare year when the sun "appears" to be at the center of the galaxy) to be the beginning/end of any "long count" calender cycle. The Mayans did not believe that the world would end, they simply figured that the time of such a rare astronomical event (once every 26,000 years) would be a good time to start/stop their long count calendar cycle.

Any other civilizations that may have come up with a 2012 year would have picked it for the same reason, but they may have picked a different day on that year to end on because it was a day of more significance to their own culture.

But when you DONT look at it from an astronomical view, people say "holy cow!, there is evidence that two (or more) civilizations who could not have contact with each other (due to distance or existing at different times) almost picked the same time for when time stops....! And then the human mind will fill in all the superstitious "explanations" for this phenomenon.

Here is some interesting reading:

http://www.planetpapp.com/br21december2012/

/John

Ammo shortage.....a small price to pay?

As the gun community grumbles over the ammo shortage (myself included) I have to wonder if this is the sign of something good for all of us; a silver lining if you will. I have read many news articles and seen plenty of media clips on youtube for months that talk about the "run on guns" that has been taking place since the presidential race. The theme is always the same; people are buying up guns because they are afraid that Obama is going to take them away. But the very interesting part of all this is that there is supposedly a jump in first time applications for firearms permits across the country. This seems to indicate that a large number of the people that are running to buy guns are buying their first gun! This is GREAT if its true. This would mean that there is a GROWING number of gun owners. I will gladly weather a ammo shortage if that's the price of a surge in membership of our gun community. Even if a large number of the new gun owners are Fudds, the overall count in the number of actual gun owners makes our community stronger and less of a minority group. So sit tight people, the shortage will subside and in the end we will be a stronger community. As for Obama taking our guns, I dont think he will...... Not until his next term anyway.

Changing A Carry Weapon

So, due to the warmer weather (which takes longer to arrive here in New England) I have been forced to stop carrying my preferred self defense handgun. My trusty Sig Sauer P229 is my most reliable semi-auto handgun and the first gun I ever bought (back in 2000). I can’t remember this thing ever having a failure to fire, failure to feed, failure to eject or failure to do anything. My P229 is chambered in .40 S&W which I believe is a good compromise between the stopping power of a .45 and the capacity of a 9mm.



However, with warmer weather I only wear T-shirt and jeans (no need for a coat anymore) leaving me with no way to sufficiently hide the midsized frame of the P229. Sure, the un-tucked T-shirt can cover the pistol, but it would "print" too obviously. When I carry, I conceal. Concealed means not just covered from view. A person looking at me should not be able to "tell" or "figure out" that I am carrying a weapon. So, from the late spring to early Autumn, I switch to a small deep concealment handgun.

Enter the Smith & Wesson SW99 COMPACT. This gun is much lighter thanks to its plastic frame (made by Walther) and is much more narrow due to its being chambered in 9mm. If this gun was any smaller it would be in the sub-compact category. The magazine has a pinky finger "grip extension" built into the floor plate, so I can still get a full grip on this little shooter.




I was not sure about carrying the SW99 after I brought it to the range for the first time (back in 2002). I realized that I was not as accurate with it as I was with the P229. At that point I was still a new shooter anyway, having only a couple years under my belt. But after sufficient practice (over a few range sessions) I became better and was confident enough to carry it as a defensive weapon and did so for the remainder of the warm season that year. I kept up my skill with the little plastic wonder with frequent visits to the range. Anyone who carries a gun should go to the range and specifically shoot their carry gun on a regular basis.

Of course, when the chill returned to New England that year, a warm coat covered my back and my preferred carry piece, the Sig P229. I was in for a surprize: the first time I went to the range to practice I realized I was better with the SW99 than I was with the P229. The only gun I had been shooting all summer was the SW99. I should have known! Well, still fairly new to shooting, I realized that sometimes that which should be obvious can be so easily overlooked. I was able to correct my fire in that same range session, but I left the range a wiser shooter too.

Since then I still change my carry guns seasonally. But when the seasonal changes come, I practice with the gun I will be changing to at least once BEFORE committing to carrying it for the new season. And if I ever decide to change my carry gun for any reason, I will fire it at the range FIRST.

Traffic Stop while carrying a firearm.

I get questions about this allot from newbies who just got their LTC or from curious friends/family who don't carry but know I do:

If I am carrying and I get pulled over, am I obligated to tell the cop that I am carrying a gun?

Not in my state (MA). Being pulled over for a traffic violation has nothing to do with carrying and there is no law requiring me to tell the officer that I have a weapon.

Some states may require you to tell the officer. Check your state laws if you live outside of MA.

What about as a courtesy to the officer?

I have been carrying for over 10 years. In that time I have been pulled over a few times. I have never told the officer that I was carrying and he never asked or "found out". Its not that I want to hide anything from the officer, I just feel that telling the cop that I have a gun could unnecessarily escalate the situation. My own personal policy is that I will not tell the officer I have a gun unless I am asked to exit my vehicle or if the officer decides that he has some probable cause to search my vehicle. Neither situation has ever happened to me while I was carrying a weapon. As for courtesy to the officer, I turn on my interior lights if its night and I don't reach for my registration or license until the officer asks for it so that he can watch me (and can see that I am not reaching for a weapon). I also speak to the officer in a respectful tone (as I would anyone). Thats it.

In Massachusetts I am REQUIRED to carry concealed (ie, no "open" carry) in my vehicle. Concealed means that no one should be able to see your weapon or be able to figure out that you have one in any way. This also means that I should not have a firearm "in plain sight" anywhere in my vehicle. Since the cop can't see that I have a gun, I don't tell him.

I should mention that I have recently read about this topic on the masscops forum. There were cops there that stated that they appreciate it when the person they pull over tells them if they are carrying. They say that they see it as a good jesture. But, some of those same cops mentioned that if you do disclose that you are carrying, that you should be prepared for the possibility that some officers may be more stern or even take your firearm for the duration of the stop. It was also mentioned that the firearm may be unloaded by the officer and put in your trunk! This is exactly the "escalation" that I want to avoid.

A sticky Rear Takedown Pin

I have found the Rear Takedown Pin (RTP) on my new AR15 lower receiver to be a bit hard to engage and disengage. It seemed to “stick” at either the fully engaged or fully disengaged positions. One day recently, I disengaged the RTP and removed the upper receiver. When I tried to push the RTP back into the detached lower receiver, it would not budge. Hmmmm.

The RTP has a slot along its shaft. A small spring loaded retainer pin that keeps the RTP from coming completely out of the lower receiver rides in the slot. At either end of the slot there is a small shallow hole with a smaller diameter than the retainer pin. The slightly rounded end of the retainer pin conveniently helps hold the Takedown Pin in position when in contact with the holes.



I removed the stock to retrieve the retainer pin spring and the retainer pin itself. I found that the retainer pin had a stub at the end instead of a smooth rounded surface (see photo). It was almost like the pin came on a “tree” (think how plastic model parts come) and each one is snapped off the tree before its installed. This may not be the case; it just describes what the abnormality looked like.



I used my Dremel tool to grind off the “tree stub”. Then I put the pin in the Dremel to spin it against a fine polishing stone to smooth a slightly rounded end on the pin. Once satisfied, I reinstalled the Retaining Pin and found that the takedown pin no longer stuck at the ends of its travel. Whalla!

What IS Ham Radio?

Ham Radio is the slang term for the Amateur Radio Service. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) says "The amateur [radio] services are for qualified persons of any age who are interested in radio technique solely with a personal aim and without pecuniary interest."

Here is my own brief explanation:

Ham radio operators are known for helping in emergencies. They bridge the communication gaps when catastrophe strikes. When a hurricane, earthquake, tsunami, terrorist attack or whatever disrupts the communications of the authorities, ham radio operators step-up to keep the lifesaving communications going in times of disaster. When hams are not helping with emergencies, they communicate with each other just for the fun of it!

Many people that I have met on the air (radio) have become life-long friends. I can talk to ham radio operators in my own town or all around the world. One of the coolest things that I have ever done on the radio is talk to Astronauts and Cosmonauts in the International Space Station (ISS). Hams are the only people authorized to make contact with the space station besides NASA!

HOW TO BE A HAM:
To be a Amateur "Ham" Radio Operator, you have to obtain a license from the FCC. The license will give you a unique letter/number sequence called a "call sign" to use to identify your radio station. My call sign is NX1Z. To get the license, you have to take a test. There are 3 license levels and each one has a progressively harder test. The entry level license is the "Technician Class" license. The intermediate license is called "general Class" and the highest license in the Amateur Radio Service is the "Extra Class". Each test consists of questions about the rules of operating radio , some basic electronics theory and some radio theory. You should know that there are elementary school students that have passed all of these tests.

I may edit this post in the future to be a bit more informative.
For now, if you are interested go to the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) website at www.arrl.org

The ARRL is like the NRA of Ham Radio.

SSB Contest this weekend

The SSB contest this weekend is still going on as I write this. Propagation is pretty good on 20 meters, there are stations all over the band-scope on my Icom Pro3. Its been fun searching around the bands and looking up all the callsigns to find out what countries I am hearing. For those of you who don't know how a radio contest works: basically ham radio operators try to contact as many other radio stations in a given time period as required by the rules of the contest. Instead of competing, I like to take advantage of the increased radio traffic to search for countries that I have not yet made a contact with and try to get just them in my log. But so far this weekend I have not heard any countries not already in my log. I have only made one contact this weekend. It was the only one I tried for: CU2A in the Portuguese Azores Islands in the mid Atlantic. My wife was born in the Azores (or Acores as the Portuguese spell it) on the island of Graciosa. Whenever I hear a Azorian station, I make contact. Then I like to let my wife know I made a contact with her home in the "old world".

First Gun Show of 2009

So I went to the Shriner's gun Show in Wilmington, MA yesterday. What better way to spend some time on a Saturday? I was on the prowl for a used snubbie in 38 spcl or even 357 mag. Unfortunately, I did not see any bargains. Everyone is still worried about Obama policy and its driving the prices UP. I decided NOT to add to the price drive. I did get some accessories for my MAK90 though. I got two 30rnd AK mags and 2 AK slings; one leather and one OD cloth. Even prices for accessories were tough as bargaining failed me this day. For instance, I grabbed 3 AK mags marked $19 ea and asked the lady if I could get the three for $50. I expected a counter offer but instead got "The price is whatever its marked plus tax!" Oh well, I put the 3rd most worn mag back and bought just 2. I got the 2 slings at a different vender, the OD cloth one for $10 and the leather one for $15. I did not try to talk down the sling prices.

And then there were 9

I am no cigar aficionado, but I like to smoke cigars on occasion. I smoke maybe 1 cheap cigar a month, usually less. I mostly like to smoke a cigar when I go hiking in the mountains. The smoke keeps the bugs away and the aroma reminds me of my childhood camping and fishing with my dad.

Recently, I decided to explore some cigars of finer quality than the flavored Garcia Vega GAME cigars that I get at the gas station. On Friday, I came home from work for lunch and found a package on the step. I new what it was. I opened the package to find the 5 pack of JR ULTIMATE maduro’s and a bonus “Best by Dominican” 10 cigar sampler I ordered from a online cigar distributer. I wanted to try one, any one, of the smokes immediately; but the time I had before I had to get back to work would not allow it.

Saturday morning, before I left the house to go to the gun range, I selected one of the cigars from the sampler:

The Henry Clay cigar, 7 inch Churchill style wrapped in a light Connecticut broadleaf with about a 50 size ring; very fancy for me. I was not able to smoke it until I was on my way home. It lit fairly easily though I had to use 2 matches; one to “toast the foot” and one to light the filler. The flavor was heavier than I am used to, but mild enough for me enjoy. The draw was excellent and the burn was even for the first third of the length. After that, the burn got a little uneven but its probably because I was driving and not turning the cigar often enough. I only let the ash get to a max of about an inch and a quarter before I flicked it into the ashtray because I was in my vehicle, but I know it was capable of much longer ash length. The ash itself was a very light grey, almost white. Overall, I was pretty happy with it. But, I have 9 more to go in the sampler!

Whats with the name?

Why Boston Sheepdog?

Ret. Us Army Lt Col Dave Grossman first introduced the Sheepdog way of thinking.

Basically, the Sheepdog Concept is where people are characterized into 3 groups based on a particular situation. People may be in one group in one situation but become part of another group in another situation. The 3 groups are:

1. Sheep: These are everyday people. They are doing their own thing minding their own business not bothering anybody.

2. Wolves: These are people that do bad things to other people. They see other people as opportunities to exploit. They may try to hurt the sheep to get what they want by force or they may give people misleading information to scam them out of money (or whatever they want).

3. Sheepdogs: These are the people that would try to stop bad stuff that they see happening to other people. A sheepdog does not mind his own business if he/she sees a sheep being attacked. A sheepdog is a person who would do whatever action is appropriate to prevent something bad from happening. This could be anything from helping a old lady across the street all the way up to using lethal force against a rapist. Sheepdogs do not do this because they feel superior to other people. They do it because they hope that other people will be sheepdogs for them if they needed help. Its a lead by example thing.

Anybody can fill any of these categories based on their actions.

So the Name of my blog "Boston Sheepdog" shows that I am someone who lives in the Boston area and I strive to be in the 3rd category listed above. Sometimes I may be in the 1st category, but I hope to never be considered a wolf.

Here is what "nutnfancy" from youetube fame says about the sheepdog concept:
Quote:
================================
Your actions could save lives. At the heart of what I have referred to as The Sheepdog is a selflessness that looks outwardly to the needs of others. They cannot abide watching their fellow humans beings suffer and die while they do nothing. They are compelled into action even when those actions could lead to their own deaths or injury. The Sheepdog comes from every walk of life, every race, and can be male or female; it is impossible to identify them from appearance alone. It is their actions in the face of horrific situations that reveals the Sheepdog as they step forward when no one else will. Lenny Skutnik, in the face of the tragic Air Florida crash in 1982 into the icy Potomac River, was just such an unassuming Sheepdog. He jumped into the aviation fuel soaked and frigid waters to save passenger Priscilla Tirado just before she slipped beneath the water to her death. Hundreds had been watching Priscilla flounder and would have watch her die without doing anything. These are sheep that are frozen into inaction by their lives of denial and lack of mental and material preparation. They are not bad people but nore are they heroic; they're just there. Leeny's Sheepdog heart was revealed that day. They are others like him in civilian, law enforcement, fire fighting, and military ranks. But they are relatively few indeed and they are special. Few have what I feel possess the other key qualities of the Sheepdog (discussed in the video): a strong value system, unassuming manner, bravery, judgment and maturity, preparation, practiced skill sets, and a strong sense of duty in the face of often scary circumstances. The Sheepdog Concept is foundational to my gear reviews here: an attempt to give quality information to help equip you good people for your "day." Both mental and material prepartation can expand your capabilities in this important calling. Good Sheepdogs span the ranks and include responsible and caring civilians, law enforcement officials, firefighters, paramedics, PJs, EMTs, pilots, and soldiers. Many of these come to TNP to get this info as they equip and prepare. I try hard not to let them down. I salute them all and I myself try to aspire to their level. /////////////////// Ret. Us Army Lt Col Dave Grossman first introduced the Sheepdog way of thinking. See his website at: http://www.killology.com
==================================
End Quote.

Here is the youtube Video about the sheepdog concept:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OW8BZ7pRt28

/John

Pro-Gun is Pro-American

When it comes to gun control, it's easy for most people who have little or no “gun education” to be on the side of the anti-gun people who say that guns are bad. Why? Well, people that have little or no experience with firearms only know what they see in the media or read in the newspapers/internet about guns being used for violent acts. People see guns on TV shows and in movies where the only people with guns are cops and criminals. There are never any news reports or movies about any of the 100 million law abiding people who carry a gun every day because its not entertaining TV. This kind of one sided exposure shows guns as being evil devises of death and leaves the impression that most people that have guns are going to do bad things. But its not fair to label the guns as evil and gun owners as bad people. If all you know about guns and gun owners is from news and pop culture, you don't really know anything about guns. MOST people that own guns are very responsible people who's firearms are NEVER used irresponsibly or for evil. It's important to understand this. Laws should keep guns from evil doers, not from the law abiding citizens. The problem is that most anti-gun laws, despite any good intentions, have absolutely NO impact on ILLEGAL guns and only serve to INFRINGE on LEGAL ownership. Then, when it is obvious that the laws have had no effect, anti-gun lobbyists and legislators conclude that the current laws are not enough and more laws must be needed to STOP gun violence. What they FAIL to recognize is that there seemingly obvious answer only makes matter worse!

Let me introduce myself as a typical gun owner: I am a responsible gun owner. I have a license to own and carry a gun on my person. I am not a criminal. I don't kill people. I don't use my guns to rob or intimidate people. I keep my guns either in my direct control or in a quality gun safe inaccessible to unauthorized people.

Criminals that have guns probably don't have a gun license. To get a gun license (in my state) you have to have a background check done by the police department. Any criminal activity in the past disqualifies you from obtaining a gun license. For the most part, criminals use guns that they steal or they buy guns on the black market that someone else stole. It is obviously illegal to steal a gun or buy a stolen gun. But criminals don't care because they are criminals.

So, if criminals steal or buy their guns on the black market, how are anti-gun laws going to keep criminals from getting guns? THEY ARE NOT! Gun laws only apply to the LAWFUL. Criminals don't care if the government says that they are not supposed to have a specific weapon, they are going to get one anyway. Criminals don't care about laws because they are criminals....remember?

So, anti-gun laws only prevent lawful citizens from owning guns to protect themselves. What good is that? Lawful citizens are the victims of the criminals that have the guns that everyone else is not supposed to have. Why should the criminals be armed and everyone else be left defenseless? What...you think the cops are going to protect you? How? Cops can't protect every single individual person. Ninety-nine out of a hundred times (or more) cops respond to a past crime. In other words, a crime happens, then someone calls the cops and then the cops go to the crime. So, how are the cops going to protect unarmed citizens from the gun toting criminals if the cops can't get to the scene until AFTER the crime? Doesn't make sense does it?

So why are so many people anti-gun? It's because anti-gun people come in 2 types. The first type is the "gun uneducated". These people can be very smart, but they just don't know about guns...but they think they do. These are the people that think people with guns are bad and the guns must be banned to keep guns away from these bad people. The other type of anti-gun person is just scared of guns. Since they are scared of guns they don't want to have anything to do with them. This also means that they are unwilling to own a gun to protect themselves; so they want the government to protect them somehow. So the government, under the guise of protecting the people, create unconstitutional anti-gun laws.

But, these gun laws are double edged swords. The first edge we already talked about: they prevent lawful citizens from protecting themselves. The other edge is that anti-gun laws put the government in the practice of taking away rights that are protected by the constitution. This is obviously very bad. Free speech is protected by the constitution right? Well if the government can take away the right to bear arms, why shouldn't the government be able to take away the right to free speech? You see were I am going here?

So, anyone that is pro-constitution and its protection of rights, including free speech, NEED to be pro-gun. This means that even people that don't have any interest in guns should be PRO-gun. Being pro-gun does not mean that you have to own a gun; it just means that you don’t believe the government has the authority to infringe on the constitutional rights of law abiding citizens, including (but not limited to) the second amendment.

Being ANTI-gun supports anti-gun laws that do two things:

1. Keep lawful people from protecting themselves and
2. Provide precedent for the government to take away constitutionally protected rights.

That is why being anti-gun is UN-American.

I don't want criminals walking around with loaded weapons, but there always will be regardless of any laws. So I take responsibly for my family protection by carrying a firearm rather than relying on the government to take on the impossible task of providing protection for me. I also want to keep our government out of the habit of ignoring our constitution or changing it in any way that takes away our rights OR makes it harder to exercise our rights. I am pro-constitution, I am pro-freedom, I am pro-American…so I MUST also be pro-gun.