There is a lot of rhetoric going on regarding the Orlando Shooting that occurred yesterday.I don't think that I can add much to it, especially since it was just yesterday (didn't we used to take time to mourn prior to politicizing things?) and all of the facts aren't even in yet.

I don't often recommending anything posted by VOX but this is a (surprisingly) decent (honest) article from VOX titled:
Here's what Democrats want to do on gun control after the Orlando shooting

To me this is the most interesting line in the article:

"There aren't exactly policy proposals for Australian-style mandatory buybacks circulating among the progressive pundit class — largely because it's a nonstarter with the current Supreme Court, which has ruled that there is an individual right to own guns (a premise that many liberals still argue with). Instead it's more of an attitude: the sense that there is not actually any such thing as the "responsible gun owner" Trumble talks about, because it is irresponsible to own something so lethal." 

and confirms something that I have long believed about a certain element of the gun control movement - they don't trust anyone with a gun, and that everyone is a potential criminal.

Let that sink in.
Think about that in terms of appeasement on gun control.

Are they going to be happy with just universal background checks? (which the shooter went through)
Are they going to be happy with just mental health checks? (which the shooter went through - he was employed by the largest security company in the world)

And exactly who is on this "watch list" that President Obama has said can be triggered by things such as visiting certain websites? 
And how big is this "watch list" if there is "not actually such thing as the 'responsible gun owner"????

According to the VOX article above the watch list is already has over 700,000 people on it, and once included Senator Ted Kennedy! 

It is the elimination of due process, and the easy targeting and punishment of anyone (or group's) political enemies.
If people can be prevented from travel ad hoc, and Constitutionally protected rights removed - why not put them under gag order too, and silence them?

 -----

This post has not been sanctioned or authorized by the Department of Information.
Any questions should be directed to Mr. George Orwell.

I am sure that we all have encountered that place where we cannot legally bring a firearm. I am sometimes forced to leave it in my vehicle or hotel room, etc.  As a result I have been using a Gun Vault NV300 for about a year primarily leaving it in my vehicle, sometimes dragging it into a hotel room or even at home (when leaving a loaded firearm on the night stand may not be a good idea).

I have been happy with it, but decided to purchase a second lock box for the home so I can leave it there to use whenever I need it. I also had the idea that a 3-digit combination in the car was not a good idea since I can be gone from the car for hours - If you have the time, there are only 1000 possible combinations to go through. The box itself is also very small and light, so I thought maybe a bigger/heavier one might be better and hoped for a beefier lock mechanism.

I purchased the Hornady TriPoint for these reasons. They were both in the $30 range and use a similar setup: locking box padded with foam and both have a cable lock attachment (a hole drilled through the side) that you can loop it onto something stable to keep it secure. Basically it works like a bicycle cable lock.

The Hornady is definitely larger and heavier. This actually was a detriment in my case. It was noticeably harder to hide as the Gun Vault was able to slip under my front seat and be easily covered with the floor mat. The Hornady was very noticeable. I am going to try getting an additional floor mat and make it look like a part of the car (just another unexplained hump?). The big advantage to the Hornady for me are the three locking points vs the single latch of the Gun Vault (see pics below). Another plus to me is that it uses a barrel lock key. I think the pics will explain better than I can write.

Click on any pic for full-size

Here you can see the physical size difference and 3-digit combo vs barrel lock:

Here they are both opened up:

Another pic for size comparison:

Here is the Hornady 3-point latch system (aka "TriPoint" ):

Single latch of the Gun Vault NV300:

Hornady's 3-points locking points in the frame:

Closeup of one of the Hornady's locking points:

Here is a closeup of the Gun Vaults locking point. Not sure why there are 2 notches since it only has a single latch:

Here are both the units open. Notice that they hinge open on opposite sides (Gun Vault top, Hornady bottom):

Closeup of the Hornady cable. Notice that the side that actually goes in the lock box has a spacer:

Close up of the Gun Vault. The diameter of the 2 cables is about the same although the Gun Vault might be a little thicker. Notice that the loop-through loop is noticeably has a larger opening. This makes it much easier to attach it to things:

For fun here is a pic of the underside of my Jeep Grand Cherokee (WK) seat where I looped the cable through a bar:

Here is an alternate Jeep Grand Cherokee (WK) mounting point. Underneath the passenger seat. I then stretched the cable forward and placed the box under the driver's seat. Makes it easy to access from the rear passenger seat.

At home or hotels I attach it to anything that I can. I usually attach it to the bed frame. They can take the box but they will have to take the bed frame with them. I am going to see if I can hide the Hornady, I feel safer with it since it (appears) to be more pry resistant. If I can't however, I will just switch it out for the Gun Vault and keep the Hornady at home.

However, either of these boxes is a worthy investment at about $30. As always, safety first!

It has been about 3 months but my two M1 Garands have arrived from CMP! Only one is mine (the other is a gift for someone who deserves one). I am very excited as the M1 Garand is one of the finest weapons ever designed (as someone famous once said). The two that I ordered were H&R Service Grades. I was pleasantly surprised at the nice CMP stamped hard cases that they now come in.

My last Garand was a Springfield Service Grade. To be honest it (at least the wood) was in better shape. However, these two definitely seemed more broken in (smoother) although quite a bit more used. The foreends had a definite darker stain than normal. I am not sure if that is a CMP thing, but I like it.

Anyway, without adieu - some pics...

Now that AR parts are somewhat more available I am able to replace some stock stocks (haha). The M4 stocks work, but there are definitely better in terms of durability (or so I think) and especially storage. For my 6.8 I even would like to replace an M4 stock with a full A2.

So who builds the "best" one? Everyone has their opinion and favorite brand. Ever want to drop-test all of them and see which comes out ahead?

Well, GearScout.com did and it makes for a good read: http://blogs.militarytimes.com/gearscout/2012/02/01/buttstock-bashfest-gearscout-finds-out-just-how-far-tough-talk-goes/

The good news? It seems like they all did comparably. The bad news? The all broke.
Oh well, I still need some place to put extra batteries.