Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Watertown shootout

Whatever network news program is on right now is running a special on the recent shootout between the Boston Marathon bombers and police in Watertown, MA.

Part of this includes video taken by someone who lives on the street where the shootout occurred, via their smart phone.  The video looks directly down onto the shooters, who are in a prolonged firefight.  From the video, it looks like the shooters are maybe 40-50 feet away and down from the window.    There is an exceptionally clear view of both of the bombing suspects, for extended periods of time.

The firefight resulted in the death of one of the brothers, and the escape and an extended manhunt for the other.

Imagine if you will, had that citizen's smart phone been replaced with an AR-15, how those events might have ended a bit differently.

It's a sad state of affairs when all people are able to do is to video evil, while the state-appointed agents struggle to fight it.  There's a time in this country, even in places like Boston, when you didn't have to search for someone willing and able to put their own lives on the line to do something about monsters such as these.

3 comments:

  1. Well said indeed. Cameras have replaced the ability to protect oneself in England and we see how that worked out this last week.

    Stay safe.

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  2. Here is the full blog: The Kafir Gear 458 SOCOM – What are the Questions?
    To this day I still have some questions about the 458 SOCOM. I have heard a lot of guys talk about just how much lead this thing slings down the range and that at 100 yards it is pretty “badass.” Apparently it has about a 3 foot drop at 400 yards so for purposes of this overview let’s talk about it being pretty badass up to 100 yards.
    Here are some of the specs I did not know prior to looking at these rifles.
    • It can be built on a standard AR15 lower platform
    • Average velocity is around 1,900 ft/s (5.56 is about 2,700)
    • Average bullet size is about 300-grain (similar to that of a 50 bmg)
    • Magazines are a modified 5.56 NATO with single stack capability
    Just a little history tells us that the 458 has less than 20 years in production and was developed for special operations in Mogadishu where the requirements were lots of lead at subsonic speeds that could be suppressed. They wanted the round developed to be completely compatible with the M4 platform which cemented the deal for the 458 SOCOM because they could make this work without any modifications.
    The first guns went into production in 2001 and the continued development has little notable history since then. It is a misnomer to say that the 458 feeds through the standard 223/556 magazines without any problems. Some development on bullet tips since 2000 have helped the feeding to be better but in reality, you will be much better off choosing a magazine that has been designed with the front cutouts for the 458 SOCOM.
    Can anyone say ballistics?
    OK, that may be a little premature to let the secret out of the bag on ballistics. There are a lot of fun guns that seem to be built around the 458. There are some bolt guns, a few lever action rifles and even a Remington pump action rifle. You are going to have to look for them because they are few and far between. The rifle you will find the most of is the original platform built on the M4 and AR15 platforms. SIG, CMMG, Kafir Gear and Head Hunter are a few brands that come to mind. Everyone who gets this gun seems to have the same thought. How can I throw the biggest piece of lead down range with the most knock down power and also have the baddest looking gun on the range. Answer; 50 BMG. Oh, I forgot the last part of the question. “That I can afford?” Answer now is 458 SOCOM.
    Everyone buying these knows it is not a long range rifle with ballistics that compares to even a 308. Guys shooting the 6.5 Creedmore or any one of the 338 Lapuas on the market know that they have the reach out and touch you factor. But when it comes to sheer volume of lead in almost a 50 caliber form with about 300 grains of punch, the 458 SOCOM is a fun gun. The one that Kafir Gear built is pretty amazing and much less than the others in the same class. Check our Kafir Gear and see for yourself.

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  3. Great post really enjoyed reading it!

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