New Toys
It's like Christmas all over again for me, except more exciting. I've been buying all kinds of new things to play with in the last week or so, from my new knives to rucking gear. Today I'm going to pick up an Armalite AR-180B rifle at a shop in East Rochester and see about an AR-15 stripped lower receiver; either they will have one for me or I'll have them order it. Not Colt, though. I'm going to build a NY legal AR-15 carbine on it, probably with a combination of Rock River Arms and Bushmaster parts. I'm going for practical value here, not a tackdriving match gun, so reliability and weather resistance are priority. I'll have a collapsible stock and probably a pre-ban (AKA normal) upper for when I'm shooting in PA, but in NY we have our own state copy of the AWB so I'm getting to spend an extra 600 dollars on shit so I can use it here. Fucking liberals.
I'm a little lukewarm on the boots, simply because they're not the most comfortable things in the world (Altama 10" all leather combat boots--what I'll probably be issued at Basic, assuming they don't switch to the brilliantly moronic suede type of the new Army Combat Uniform by then. I'll bitch about the ACU later.) I could have bought a nicer pair, like the Belleville 700s or some Corcoran or Danner goretex/leather boots, and I might still, but there's no point in getting used to really good boots exclusively and then ruining my feet with lower quality footwear once I ship. That stands true for my rucksack and LBE too; there is much better stuff out there, but it's a waste of time and money if it's not going to prepare me realistically for the suckfest of 15 mile roadmarches with a 65-80 pound pack and no hip pad because your LBE is in the way.
Obviously I'm excited about the AR-180B, which for all of you uninformed folks is Armalite's improved version of the AR-15, with a gas piston system. I'm not going to list all of the changes here, but let's just say that from what I've heard it's at least as accurate, if not more, much cleaner firing, cheaper, and lighter. It uses AR-15 mags and is more reliable. It's not chrome lined. That's not that big a deal, and I could always have the chamber and bore lined if I felt like it later. The aftermarket for the AR-180B is nowhere near as big as that of the AR-15, but I'm not looking for a tactical toy, just a good rifle. If ever I feel like putting on the 5.11 pants and drop thigh holster I'll build an AR-15 to match.
Some of my sharp toys of recent acquisition include a Gerber AR 3.50 semi-serrated folder, Cold Steel Safekeeper II, a basic Ka-Bar 7" knife with a plain edge, and a Benchmade Rant DPT fixed blade. The Gerber took me a little while to break in--the liner lock makes one handed opening a bit harder than some of the other locking folder designs--but I love it. I'd've preferred the satin finish on the blade, because the black finish is starting to get a little rough on the spine of the blade and it shows dust really well, but I really like the knife anyway. It's my tool knife, carried with me everywhere but federal buildings clipped inside my right pants pocket. The serrated edge cuts rope very impressively, I might add. I'll probably buy a satin finish version of either the AR 3.50 or AR 3.00 eventually.
The Safekeeper II is about the coolest damn knife I've ever held--it's a push dagger--and for about three days after I got it I played with it constantly. My only complaint is the sheath; when the knife is fully in the sheath it's very hard to draw, requiring both hands and a lot of grip strength. I carry it with me everywhere, mostly in the sheath but not entirely, enough so it's secure but easily drawn. Very easily concealed, even under a plain white undershirt, and easily accessible. I ordered a new sheath from Survival Sheaths, which was recommended on a knife forum somewhere to a guy with the same problem I have. It cost more than the knife itself, but it's definitely worth it if it fixes my problem. I've had the knife leave the sheath twice in the car, and given how sharp it is I don't want it wandering around my ass on the seat unattended.
I lied about the Ka-Bar. I don't actually have it yet, it's coming today by UPS. It's a classic knife, though, so there's little to say. I wanted one, and even though I have other knives that are arguably better, my collection will never be complete without a Ka-Bar.
As for my Rant DPT, I don't like it quite as much as I thought I would. The blade is a little broad for my taste and the grip isn't as secure as I'd like. It feels like I always have to squeeze just a little harder for a good hold on it. I'd thought the Kraton handle would be a little firmer, though if it was checkered more along the lines of Cold Steel handles (finer LPI) it would be an excellent grip. So basically either one of those flaws would be fine if the other had been done correctly; firmer grip and the same checkering or the same grip and finer checkering. Despite that, it is an excellent knife in terms of fit and finish, and it holds an edge amazingly well. The blade is N690 Stainless Steel, about like 440C Stainless, or so says the Benchmade website.
For fun I bought some Zytel weapons from Cold Steel, the CAT Tanto and Delta Dart. They're made entirely out of a very hard plastic (Zytel...) and are extremely light. I'm disappointed in the CAT Tanto because the handle is really slick. Grip tape might help. It's not sharp, really--it'll cut tape easily enough but not cardboard. While you could slash with it if you needed to you'd be better off just stabbing. I stabbed it through about eight layers of cardboard with the same ease as any of my knives but my Fairbairn Sykes dagger. The Delta Dart is designed specifically for stabbing and it is very, very good at it. Much easier to control than most any knife when stabbing through thick material because the three sided spike equalizes the force of the stab laterally. The Cold Steel website says it can be driven through a half inch of leather by hand, which I hesitate to believe, but it's still extremely good at what it was designed for. I'll try the leather stab test some day and tell you about it.
I have a few more knives I'm interested in buying: a Cold Steel OSS, Cold Steel Kobun, Columbia River Hissatsu, and one of these three: Randall No. 1, Cold Steel Military Classic, or Cold Steel ODA. Some folders could be thrown in there, like the Emerson CQC-7 (I don't know why anyone would want a chisel ground folder, but I've heard good things and it's immensely popular) or a nice balisong. A khukuri, perhaps, and a fixed blade karambit. Unfortunately I've about expended my knife budget and since I have all the knives I actually need for now, I can't indulge myself. That's why God invented enlistment bonuses though. Airborne school = toy time.
A few more toys are coming in the future, probably, like a pistol or two if it looks like I'll be able to get to PA enough to make it worth my while, or if I can shoot at ranges under my father's supervision or something in NY. We'll see, but I'm not spending a shitload of cash on pistols I can't even use for years. I'd be better served spending that money on rifle ammunition.
I'm not spending all of my money and time on weapons stuff, just to be clear. I have tons of shit I am doing and am going to do and weapons training is a small part of it, it's just the most interesting to talk about for me.
Update (1/12): The AR-180B's barrel is chrome lined, apparently. I was wrong. Good. Unfortunately I didn't buy it last night because the price was higher than I thought, $750 total. If I can order it at a different store or online for, say, 25 bucks cheaper I'll do that. If I'm not going to save at least $25 the wait and hassle is not worth it to me.
