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03 Mar 23:28

AR-15 Spare Parts Organization Schematic for the Obsessive Compulsive

by Bryan Black
AR-15 Spare Parts Organization

In my previous article about AR-15 Spare Parts Organization, there were a lot of comments from readers that wanted to see a detailed photo of the layout, as well as links to each specific part. It was a lot of work, but I’ve managed to put together a list of links to every spare part in the organizer and have even created interactive, clickable photos below with links and a description of each part as you hover over them.

For those of you just now seeing this for the first time, my previous article highlighted my addiction for organization, which carries over to the spare parts I take with me shooting. When I’m at a course or even shooting with friends, I like to have everything I need to keep everyone’s guns running. While I’ve never come close to needing everything in here, I follow the Boy Scout motto; “Be Prepared.”

If you’re looking for the same Made in USA plastic organizer that I used, you can get the Akro-Mils 6318 Case, available here from Amazon for around $20. The top section has 42 individual small compartments and the bottom section has another 20 compartments. The top section compartments are also secure enough to keep small parts from rolling into another compartment and get mixed around. The section dividers are adjustable as well, should you find yourself with odd shaped items.

Top Section Organization

Ejector Spring Extractor Spring Charging Handle Pin Charging Handle Spring Gas Tube Roll Pins Safety Detent Detent Spring Pistol Grip Screw Pivot/Takedown Pin Spring Pivot/Takedown Detent Spring Ejector Extractor Insert Charging Handle Latch Bolt Catch Plunger Safety Selector Triggerguard Roll Pin Pivot/Takedown Pin Detent Hammer/Trigger Pins Ejector Roll Pin Extractor O-Rings Carrier Key Screws Bolt Catch Springs Magazine Release Sling Swivel Buffer Retainer Spring Trigger Springs Gas Rings Extractor Pin Cam Pin Bolt Catch Roll Pin Magazine Catch Spring Taper Pins Buffer Retainer Hammer Springs Retaining Pin Extractor Crush Washer Bolt Catch Magazine Catch Ejection Port Cover Spring Ejection Port Cover Clip Disconnector Springs Firing Pin Carrier Key Ejection Port Cover Pin Ejection Port Cover

Click here for high res image or hover/click individual compartments of image above for product links/descriptions.

This list is based on Column format of Top to Bottom. 

Column 1

Column 2

Column 3

Column 4

Column 5

Column 6

Column 7

Column 8

Bottom Section Organization

Image Map Handguard Cap Barrel Nut Delta Ring Weld Spring Snap Ring Trigger Guard Charging Handle Buffer Castle Nut Receiver End Plate Action Spring Rear Sight Rear Sight Hammer/Trigger Assembly Flash Suppressor

Click here for high res image or hover/click individual compartments of image above for product links/descriptions.

This list is based on Row format of Left to Right. 

Row 1

Row 2

Row 3

Row 4

AR-15 Spare Parts Organization

Most of the links above are from Brownells, which has great deals on individual parts. Bravo Company USA is another one of my spots to shop for parts and is where I buy my complete MPI’d AR Bolt Assemblies from.

If you haven’t seen it yet, be sure to take a look at our DIY AR-15 Build Series for tips on parts to purchase and of course how to build your own complete AR-15 from a stripped lower receiver.

04 Feb 03:07

Private Citizens stop 16% of mass shootings

by Caleb

On the 24th, the FBI released one of the most fascinating and simultaneously frustratingly incomplete studies in recent memory: Active Shooter Events from 2000 to 2012. This paper looks at active shooter events over a 12 year span with the goal to assess law enforcement reactions and how to improve the response at the LE level. There is a ton of interesting data for us to unpack in this paper, but for today we’re going to focus on the section titled “Resolution of the event” because to the average CCW holder that’s the most interesting. This section uses 104 incidents for its base set. Note that for the purposes of the study, the average police response time was about 3 minutes. Out of 104 incidents, they had the following resolution:

  • 49% of events stopped before the police could arrive
  • 42% of events (44 total) resulted in the killer committing suicide, of which 29 killers committed suicide prior to police arrival.
  • 43% of events (45 total) result in the attacker being stopped with force, either by civilians or law enforcement.
  • When civilians intervene before LE arrives, they stop 33% of mass shootings.
  • Slightly less than 3% of mass shootings are stopped by armed civilians shooting the attacker.

Those are all very interesting numbers in themselves, and we could spend quite some time going over those. However, what’s missing from the report’s breakdown of events is one incredibly important number, and it relates to the killer committing suicide: many of the killers commit suicide only when confronted with force, as we saw in the Newton shooting. What I would very much like to see is how many of the attackers who committed suicide prior to the arrival of LE killed themselves because someone fought back? That’s a very important number.

Today though I want to focus on these numbers and how they apply to the average CCW permit holder. While I know that 100+ events is not statistically significant (sorry stats professor) it’s all we have to go on. So let’s look at the number that generated the title of this post: 16% of mass shootings are stopped by civilians. Let’s accept for the moment that the odds of being involved in an active shooter incident are relatively rare; with that being said we don’t carry our guns because we’re optimists. But if it happens, citizens, and armed citizens can stop them. Think about that for a moment. We’re not talking about some rambo’d up fantasy hero, but average citizens who are in the right place with the courage to act.

I want you to do a little exercise. Set a timer on your watch for 180 seconds. Start the timer and stare at the blank wall until it stops. That’s how long the average active shooter has to roam free before police even arrive. 180 seconds is a LONG time. I actually quite like the guidelines espoused by the .gov for civilians in active shooter situations: run, hide, fight. It’s a good hierarchy, and we’ll use that now to create a simple set of guidelines to be better prepared for an active shooter situation.

Run

  • Be aware of your surroundings. Know where the exits are, and if you’re on foot or inside a building (like a mall) know where your vehicle is in relation to where you may be exiting the building.
  • If you have other people with you, know their capabilities. Your wife dragged you shopping with her mother, can your mother-in-law run if she needs to? Do you have small children that will need to be carried? Best know these answers in advance.

Escape is always the best plan. A big part of “Run” is being prepared to skip straight to “Fight” if you should find your primary exit blocked by an active shooter. However, if you can’t Run and don’t need to fight yet, we’ll move to the next item.

Hide

  • Since you’re aware of your surroundings, you already know where a good hiding place is. A “good” spot is one that gives you the best visibility out possible while minimizing your visibility. So if you happen to be shopping at a store that specializes in 12 inch thick bulletproof glass, you’re in good shape. Otherwise, you’ll need to find a balance of concealment and visibility.
  • Don’t be afraid to do things that are socially taboo: activate fire alarms, drop security gates, etc. This is your life at stake.
  • Know the difference between cover and concealment. Cover stops bullets. Concealment just hides you from prying eyes. A good hiding spot would do both.

But what if while you’re running, the active shooter spots you? Or you spot him? What if he finds your hiding spot? Then you have no choice, it’s time to fight.

Fight

  • Be willing to fight. The military trains people in such a way so that when they’re presented with the time to pull the trigger, they don’t hesitate and are able to do their job. A civilian can do that same mental training by preparing your mind for the eventuality of the fight. We harp on this all the time: make your choice now. Write it down, rehearse it in your mind. You should be able to visualize the circumstances under which you’re willing to use force right now, when you’re quiet and calm. I don’t mean this in some kind of daydream fantasy mode either, but a serious mental decision to not be a victim.
  • Be able to fight effectively. Get training. Be confident in your skills. If there’s an active shooter 20 yards away with a rifle pointed at you, can you make that shot with a handgun? I guarantee if you can’t make it on the range, you won’t when it’s for real.
  • Be ready for the consequences. You may fail and get killed. Do you have life insurance for your family? You may succeed and then get sued by the family of the shooter, do you have a good lawyer? There are so many things that could go wrong in a situation like that; but when you’re behind your gun isn’t the time to be thinking of them. That needs to be squared away today, before the fight could ever happen.

It’s a grim reality that active shooter situations are on the rise. The mainstream media has practically printed a blueprint for every broken anti-social loser to get all the attention they could ever want. Make no mistake that the constant media glorification is the reason for the rise in these incidents. Because they’re on the rise though, we have to be prepared. If you’ve been putting off taking that training class, now’s the time. No year like this one.

30 Jan 21:25

Downsize Your Bulky Keys By Chopping Off the Tops

by Thorin Klosowski

Downsize Your Bulky Keys By Chopping Off the Tops

Keys are large and have a tendency to destroy pockets. If you're sick of carrying around your bulk of a keychain, Redditor mattfrancis13 cut off the top of his keys to make them a lot smaller.

The basic idea here is that mattfrancis13 clamped down each key, sawed off the tops, drilled a hole into them, and then clipped them together with a nut and bolt. They look like they might be easy to lose, but you don't mind the risk, it's a pretty simple way to cut down on your key size. Otherwise, you can always stuff them into a Leatherman or a Swiss Army knife. Head over to Reddit for the full guide.

I was tired of my bulk keys, so I made this! | Reddit via WonderHowTo

17 Jan 19:01

Put your emoji where we can see them! The NSA collected text messages, too

by Christopher Trout

Secretly sifting through your text messages isn't just for overprotective parents and paranoid lovers anymore. Now the NSA's prying eyes have shifted from your call logs and location data to your texts in a not-so-secret initiative called Dishfire. The Guardian reported that the NSA collected some 200 million text messages per day globally, extracting location data, contact information and credit card numbers. This revelation, unsurprisingly, sprung from documents leaked by Edward Snowden. According to the paper, the British intelligence agency known as the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) also used the NSA's database to cull information about "untargeted and unwarranted" communications by UK citizens, noting that the program collects "pretty much everything it can."

In addition to collecting and storing data from texts, a 2011 NSA presentation titled "SMS Text Messages: A Goldmine to Exploit," revealed a second program, referred to as "Prefer." Under Prefer, the agency used information pulled from automated text messages, missed call and network roaming alerts and electronic business cards to collect information pertaining to users' travel habits and social connections. While the documents, complete with smiley face Venn diagrams and gemstone metaphors, stated that US phone numbers were either removed or minimized. The same cannot be said for numbers from the UK and elsewhere.

In a response to the report, an NSA spokesperson told The Guardian that the information would only be used against "valid foreign intelligence targets." Meanwhile the GCHQ claims it used the Dishfire data to develop new targets. According to a representative from the UK carrier Vodafone, the findings came as a shock and the program sounded like it circumvented UK privacy and security standards.

Joseph Volpe contributed to this report

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile

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Source: The Guardian