RECCE ROOM

From a reader: Usagi, Your thoughts on an MK12 for home defense or TEOTWAWKI? In the words of professional wrestler, Daniel Bryan; YES! YES! YES! For my readers, the MK12 is a version of the AR15 rifle. It seems to cut the difference between a Squad Designated Marksman (SDM) rifle and a RECCE rifle. Unlike the RECCE, the MK12 has been adopted as an official rifle for certain military specialty groups, and has official specifications. Like the RECCE, the specifications are quite wide-ranging. The MK12 can have an A1, A2, or even a carbine stock. It has an 18" match grade stainless steel heavy barrel, and a match trigger.It is topped with a scope of variable magnification. Some people top the scope with a piggyback red dot. The MK12 is a fantastic platform for precision. It suffers (as does the SDM, M16, etc.) a bit in close-quarters battle due to length, and optic. However, it is still a superb rifle. If your choice is the MK12, you have an excellent ...

From a reader: Usagi, Would you recommend an M4 for a SHTF rifle? If so, or if not; why? Also, what’s the main difference between an M4 and a RECCE that you talk about? Really good questions. I've addressed one, albeit indirectly , before. But since it was indirectly, and since you asked so nicely, and since others might have the same question, let's tackle it! Would you recommend an M4 for a SHTF rifle? If so, or if not; why? In short, YES.  Of the M4 variants, I'd prefer an M4 SOPMOD variant, as it offers a free-floated barrel. Optic is up to you, but an ACOG would be really hard to beat, and an Aimpoint would be a distinct second.An ELCAN would be frikkin' sweet, too... and I hear they are almost as tough as an ACOG. If you are building one, and want quality while keeping price in mind, get a 16" barrel with the M4 profile... you can do more with it in terms of flash hiders or brakes, with less worry about legalities of a short b...

Every few months, I get the urge to take up Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ). Then, I see all the drama online or am reminded of it by a friend who trains BJJ... then my urge subsides pretty quick. .

As time passes, we hear more and more of the myth that is named "rape culture." At its core, it is the teaching that "sexual violence is deemed to be so pervasive that all women live in constant danger from all men." ( Link to quote ) When a person objectively looks at all data, and not cherry-picked tidbits, the picture becomes very clear: there is no rape culture in America. The vast majority of men never rape anyone, and never even get accused of it. When analyzed objectively, a very few people commit the vast majority of rapes. There are also a lot of rapes accused toward people close to the false victim - indicating a lot of women are falsely accusing friends and lovers of rapes that never happened. It's not about "teaching men not to rape." That is the most asinine statement I've read in years. The vast majority of men know not to, whether they were "taught" not to rape or not. The ones who rape will likely do so regardless of...

From a reader: Why do you espouse the Noahide Laws? Why not just proclaim Christ? Good question... but one that shows you didn't read what I wrote. Maybe you skimmed it? Salvation is by God's grace through faith in Him.  The evidence of salvation is "fruits" or "good works" - these are defined by "Love God" and "Love your Neighbor." These good works are also defined by keeping God's commands - Decalogue and/or Noahide and/or Mosaic Law (for Jews only). From this, it is easy to see that Jesus, Paul, Peter, and the Apostles actually preached the Noahide Laws. Salvation by God's grace and through Faith, as demonstrated by simple guidelines of a Godly way to live. Enter Acts 15:19-20 - “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, ...

Recently, I conducted a Black Belt test for a couple of my students. I asked all members of the panel to submit to me any suggestions they might have for future tests... I'm always looking to improve. Here was an email from one, (and my responses in italics): 1. Instructor has to sit on the sideline and can only offer encouragement. Other than that, the instructor is not part of the testing process. Then who calls out what techniques shall be done? 2. Testees will have an assortment of ukes available. All techniques are demonstrated on all ukes and all techniques are performed on both sides. It would be nice to have enough students to do this. We had two potential ukes (aside from the examinees themselves) available that day, one of whom suffers from severe migraines and asthma and had to withdraw before the test was complete. 3. Exercises happen BEFORE board gets seated. Board members are welcome to join the examinees in the physical endurance portion. *Two* ...

That's all for today.

To me, that is. No, it's not my wedding anniversary - that's in July (16 years this year). It's my blog anniversary. This blog is 5 years old today. In that time: Over 2100 articles published. Over 90,000 page views. January 2012 was my all time high with 4500 page views. July 2009 was my all time low with just over 500 page views. Since January 2010, the blog has averaged over 2000 page views per month.  Most referrals: Gun Blog Black List Goggle Ar15.com Most visited pages: Shooting Jacket Product Review Appleseed Suggestions - Shooting the AQT Appleseed and the Tube Feed Countries that visit the most: USA (60K+ views) Russia (5K views) France (2500 views) Browsers used most: Firefox (24K+) IE (23K+) Chrome (17K+) .

Earlier this month, my cousin passed away at age 23. Not sure if this is mentioned in any article anywhere, but the cause of death was self-inflicted hanging. For those keeping score, our nearest common ancestor was my grandmother, his great-grandmother, Edna McDaniel . If you read that last linked article, you'll be curious about something - yes, Drew was in jail at the time of my grandmother's passing. I understand the charges were drug-related. No, he wasn't perfect. Drugs Theft Jail time Made his wife have an abortion, then called it a miscarriage. (Funny story - had a twitterstalker think I was talking about him when I was indeed talking about my cousin. But that's how folks like that do - they want to think it's all about themselves) To be fair, later, his ex had another abortion (the child was Drew's by all accounts) against Drew's wishes. Supposedly, this influenced his decision to end things. Someone asked me if his committing suicide...

Flew Delta last week. Yep, they screwed up. Nope - wasn't my decision to fly them. Flew out Monday. No errors on my end, but my boss' flight was inexplicably delayed, then cancelled. He was supposed to arrive Monday at 11:00 am in Madison, WI. He actually arrived after 8:00 pm. Flew back Friday. Was supposed to be back by noon. Arrived in Nashville at 10:00 pm. That was a total of four delays. One plane was declared mechanically unsound to fly. More on this below!*** One plane was inexplicably delayed... twice. Another flight (this one to Knoxville from Detroit) - right next to my final leg - was simply cancelled. Folks from the cancelled Knoxville flight were told (at the gate) that their luggage would be transferred to the Nashville flight. The pilot later advised us (after we were in the plane and taxiing down the runway) that their bags were not going to arrive in Nashville. The broken plane: We were in Madison, WI, awaiting a flight to Detroit. After we we...

Finally, the news is becoming mainstream. Time magazine has an article on " Fat is Good For You ." .

Earning one's black belt is one of the happiest days of a person's life. It is the public recognition of hours of blood, sweat, and tears. It is a grueling challenge. It is a time to demonstrate one's abilities. Earning one's black belt is also one of the more disappointing days in a person's life. "Is this all there is to it?" The new Shodan realizes the mystique is gone. Earning one's black belt is the beginning of one's true martial arts career. Now you are ready to explore you in the martial arts. .

Back on the 31st of May, I examined two students for Shodan - 1st degree Black Belt. Some myths: A black belt is invincible. A black belt knows everything about the art. A black belt is a master.  A black belt is worthless in a fight.  A black belt means nothing with regards to self defense.  Just anybody can get a black belt. Black belts are not invincible, nor do they know everything about the art. Black belts are not necessarily masters of their art. A black belt simply means that one has a thorough understanding of the fundamentals. In short, the Shodan is now ready to start his specialty in the martial arts.  Similarly, there have been too many "McDojos" that promote any kid that hangs around for 18 months to black belt. These folks most certainly are worthless in a self defense situation or fight. However, for the classic systems, and a few modern systems, we know better. A black belt in my dojo means a minimum of 350 hours on the mat. Our f...

3 mile run (31 minutes!) 100 push-ups 100 sit-ups 100 lunges 100 arm locks (top) 100 arm locks (bottom) All fundamental, intermediate, and advanced techniques. Sparring, sparring, and more sparring. At the end, two new black belts: Back row (the panel of examiners): Jordan Newman (4th Dan), Al Smith (5th Dan), Rox Brown (5th Dan), Jimmy Jackson (10th Dan), Larry Beard (9th Dan), Patricia Hill (8th Dan). Front row: Sarah Caum (new 1st Dan!), me (6th Dan), Michael Miner (new 1st Dan). .

This guy pulls a Jedi Mind Trick on a cop: Funny stuff!

I am thankful for my job. Between January of 2013 and April of 2014, we had the following *unexpected* expenses: New roof - deductible = $2000 New water heater = $1200 Car repairs = $2500 New HVAC unit = $5100 Medical bills for the kids = $2400 New refrigerator = $900 Despite all that, our bank account actually had $1000 more in it in April of 2014 than it had in January of 2013. And we hadn't even received our tax refund yet at that point, either! Make no mistake, I work hard at my job. I am a top performer (not all my counterparts earn the same as I do). But I also enjoy the work I do. I'd even stay on if I won the lottery tomorrow. But, also make no mistake in this: as a matter of historical fact, in 17 years in the sales profession, I've out-earned my immediate supervisors more often than not. So I offer thanks to God above for equipping me with the skills and opportunities. I also offer thanks to my employer for letting me make a lot of money for them....

Several months ago, my family decided to upgrade our internet. We had been using a wireless service from TDS Telecom with download speeds of 1.5 Mbps. We had upgraded to that back in 2004 or 2005 and it had served us well until my son got a laptop and a tablet for Christmas and his birthday, respectively. He enjoys watching Youtube videos of Minecraft, and this would hamper other internet users' ability to watch Netflix, work, etc. So upgrade we did. Funny part: the nice Customer Service Associate at TDS pointed out she hadn't upgraded anybody from our plan in four years or more! The Associate also informed me of TDS' relatively new TV service. It is fiber-optic (as opposed to their former partnership with Dish TV). After learning more, we decided to give it a try. The TV service has far more High-Definition channels than Comcast had in our area. It also has far more regular channels than Comcast offered. The channels themselves were also more desirable (the kids l...

From a reader: You mention your study of jiu-jitsu many times on the blog. But, from conversations with martial artists we both know, it would seem you are quite adept - to say the least - at forms (“kata”). What gives? - Don Hi, Don! Thanks for writing. The simplest answer is this: at the time of this writing, I hold a 5th Dan in Wado-Ryu karate and 1st Dan in Kenpo karate. .