5th Gen 4Runner E-Locker Issues

Do Masks Really Prevent the Spread of COVID?

First, I have to start this article by saying COVID is a very real virus and it is deadly, if you are elderly, have a weak immune system, and smoke or have a lung disorder. Don’t be fooled by the gossip people, this is not political, it’s not racial, and it’s not terrorism. It’s a real virus that has been around for decades, if you don’t believe me, grab a can of Lysol spray from under your kitchen sink and read the label. Somewhere in the fine print it lists all the different viruses Lysol kills, and believe it or not, Coronaviruses are on that list. oh, and no COVID won’t go away after the 2020 Presidential Election, it was here before Trump, before Obama, before Bush, before Clinton, before Bush Sr, before Reagan, so on and so forth, you get the picture. COVID-19 is a coronavirus it’s just a slightly different strain than we’ve seen in the past. You could say it’s more evolved and the latest studies show it could be targeting specific blood types, but that’s not what I am here to discuss.

Now that I’ve given some background let’s dive in. The US and most other parts of the world are almost 6 months into “the pandemic” and all countries, states, territories and provinces have chosen to deal with it in similar but different ways. For us in the United States, the CDC recommends everyone where a face mask and practice social distancing at a distance of 6ft or more (2 meters for my international readers). I don’t mind the social distancing, it has been a godsend in the fact that it has taught people to give others space. Lines at Supermarkets, Malls and Airports are less dense, and people aren’t touching each other anymore. I don’t mind the plastic/plexiglas shield screens in front of everyone at the registers, it’s fine and doesn’t hurt anyone. What I do mind and where the public has been fooled more than anything else ever before is this whole ridiculous mask order. 

The type of masks most people are wearing are not of the N95 type, nor are they respirators with particulate filters that can filter out viruses, bacteria, fungi, metals, dust, and microscopic particles. The little blue hospital masks that are so popular don’t do shit! They don’t stop viruses from escaping someone’s mouth, they don’t stop bacteria from escaping. Despite the fact they don’t prevent the spread of germs and viruses they are so often infested with bacteria and coronaviruses because people keep wearing the same masks everyday, everywhere, collecting tons of germs along the way. Think about that again, these masks, unless they are 3M N95 they DO NOT stop the spread of COVID-19, flu, other viruses, bacteria, fungi, and molds. So, what’s the point in wearing them you ask?? Well, they do stop saliva and breath moisture droplets from flying out of your mouth into someone elses. But wait, couldn’t we accomplish the same thing via social distancing?? Yep! If you stay at least 4-6ft (1.5-2meters) away from others, you won’t have to worry about someone spitting in your mouth.

What blows my mind is how scared the public is of coronavirus when the vast majority of people will experience little to no symptoms at all. It really makes me wonder why people didn’t walk around in Hazmat suits to keep from catching aids! HIV is WAY more scary than COVID, it’s a life changing virus, and it is highly contagious. If someone Who has AIDs spit in your mouth or bled on you, you would have AIDS. Could you imagine never being able to have children because you can’t be intimate with someone if you have AIDS or you risk giving them the virus and sentencing that person to death. As a society we have literally allowed the government and media to scare us into cowering into our houses, staying away from each other, and covering our bodies and faces. When did the US come under Sharia Law? We are not an Islamic nation! No one can tell you what you can and can’t wear. Now please understand that privately owned businesses can and most likely WILL refuse to serve you if you don’t wear a mask. But public entities don’t have that same ability, if it’s not a law in your city, town, county or state, they can’t refuse you service for not wearing a mask. Seriously people, wake the fuck up and quit doing everything you are being told! It reminds me of the 90s when Bill Clinton said you could get AIDS by shaking someone’s hands. Everyone freaked out and started wearing latex gloves everywhere they went until the CDC came out and said, “you can’t catch HIV by shaking hands with someone, you must exchange saliva or blood for the infection to spread.” These mask rules are the same thing, bad information, given to the public as a scare tactic, just to see how easy it is to make the majority of the public do something.   It’s no different than if the media told us, “if you don’t wear a hat, you’ll get pregnant”, then everyone started wearing hats. It’s bad information, spread purposefully as a scare tactic.

Whether you agree or disagree with anything I’ve said, I will share with you why I decided to write the rant. I’ve been a subservient coward like the rest of you wearing your masks in public, and I wear a mask when I go into a store if the sign says you have to. Today my wife and I flew across the country with a layover in Chicago. TSA is requiring everyone to keep a mask on their face unless they are eating or drinking. So we had to wear masks for 6hrs straight. I’ve never been claustrophobic, and I often tell my wife her claustrophobia is in her head because she panics if she’s in the closet picking her clothes out and I walk in and block the doorway. But I will tel you I am claustrophobic when I wear a mask in a confined area like a plane. I started to panic, I couldn’t breathe and it didn’t help that the air was stagnant and hot. Wearing a mask makes my face feel all muggy and humid and I can’t breathe correctly, not to mention the rubber straps really hurt the tops of my ears when worn for any length of time. 

This morning we get into an Uber to go to the airport. The driver looks at me and says, “can you please put on a mask sir?” I said, “yes I have one and will but could I please eat my breakfast first?” He said that was fine, but I could tell he didn’t like the fact I was in his backseat without a mask. He cracked the window in front of me to flow air my way so it would keep my “poisonous” breath from building up. Maybe he realized the blue hospital mask he was wearing won’t prevent viruses like everyone seems to think?! After I finished my bagel, I promptly put a new 3M N95 masks on. 30mins later we arrive at the airport and the mask was cutting the skin above my ears, so I pull my bandana out, take the mask off and I walk into the airport sporting my bandana cowboy style. Look like I’m ready to rob a bank we went through security and made our way to our gate. Once on the plane the the stewards told us we had to keep the masks on unless we were eating or drinking. I took a break for a few minutes while I sipped a coke, then back on the mask went. Two and a half hours later we land in Chicago, by this time my face was sweating and hot and muggy, my chest was sweating and I had to get out of the mask. We walked through O’hare with my mask down below my mouth until we found a restaurant. I wasn’t even hungry but I ordered just so I would have an excuse to get out of my mask. Our flight to Chicago was on a Boeing 777 and it was only half full, so we had plenty of room to stretch out and stand. But our flight from Chicago on “Wisconsin Air” was on a small Canadair Plane three seats across. It was so small, hot and full. We ended up sitting in the back row by the restroom (my wife is cheap and won’t upgrade even for the $8 it cost to upgrade this flight). FYI people - the CDC does NOT recommend sitting in the back of a plane or near the restroom as this an area of high contact with other people. But since my wife and I know that COVID is not near as bad as the flu or Tuberculosis (both of which are much more contagious than COVID) she ignored the warning. I started having a panic attack and for the first time in my life I experienced claustrophobia, I had to take the mask off and let the cool air blow on my face. Luckily we were in the back of the plane and it was a one stewardess flight so no one saw or bugged me about it.   

Today was the first time I had to wear a mask for almost 8hrs and I am done! The government can’t tell me I have to cover my face, or what I have to wear. It’s a free country and I’m free to make my own decisions. If you are a scared, liberal, coward who can’t make up your own mind and are frightened you’ll catch COVID, then please wear a mask, because when you see me out in public, I won’t have one on. I promise not to spit in your mouth or sneeze in your face because I’m a normal person who has manners and respect for other human beings. 

Please feel free to comment and let me know what you think about these ridiculous mask ordinances and rules. Do you like it or hate it? Do you think we will have to wear masks the rest of our lives? Let’s discuss. Take care and God Bless America!

RIP Gary Crow

I hadn't posted in a long while, and the reason being this time around is because for the last year, I had been spending a lot of my time with my Mom and Dad.  On February 6th, 2020 at 9:19pm my father, Gary Crow, breathed his last breath and then closed his eyes.  Dad was just 5 days shy of turning 65. He had battled with MDS (Myleodysplastic Syndrome) since 2010.  MDS is a form of Leukemia that affects the bone marrows ability to produce blood cells.  His marrow was shot, it wasn't producing blood cells at all.  Over the past 10 years the answer was to give him periodic blood transfusions, and chemo injections.  Early 2019, at his doctors recommendation, we re-visited the idea of a Bone Marrow transplant.  Dad's condition was worsening, and the doctors basically said, if you don't do this, you will die in 6 months.  We opted for the Bone Marrow transplant, and my sister and I went and immediately got tested to see if we were compatible. Unfortunately we were not, but they found a 100% match in Germany, a 23 year old donor.

August of 2019, Mom and Dad temporarily moved in with Kristin and I, as he began his pre-treatment at MD Anderson.  In September Dad was admitted, and the bone marrow transplant happened.  It worked, it went well, and was uneventful.  They let Dad out of the hospital by the end of October, on the condition that he would visit a couple times a week for check-ups.  By Thanksgiving the donor cells had fully grafted with Dad's cells, and his body had accepted the new tissue....at least that's what the doctors told us. Keep in mind that Dad is on a LOT of different medications throughout this process: Anti-Virals, Anti-Fungals, Anti-Bacterials, Anti-Rejection, Immunosuppressants, among other things.  This is a normal regimen for Cancer, Leukemia, and transplant patients.  The goal here is to ensure nothing attacks the body while the body gets used to the new (donor tissue), and to keep all immune systems turned off so that they don't' attack anything while the body becomes acclimated to the new tissue. There were a few things that the doctors just didn't do anything about though.  Dad had not eaten since before his transplant. By Thanksgiving it had been 3 months (90 days) since he last had a meal.  He would take a bite of something and drink a Gatorade, but that was it. No food, no nutrition.  However, everytime we told the doctors, they would test him and say he was not malnourished.

By Christmas, Dad had lost 60lbs and of course, was still not eating.  He was taken off the Immunosuppressants on Dec. 22nd.  The idea here was that the new tissue and DNA were active and it's time to turn his immune system back on. The next day, Dad began to lose movement in his feet.  He began to fall and by Christmas day he could not lift his legs to get in bed or into the truck.  We thought it was Muscle Atrophy because of the fact he wasn't eating.  The last week of January Mom called me and said that Dad had not gotten out of bed for a week, was just laying there wasting on himself so she was taking him to MD Anderson.  You can see from the timeline, he was dead within 3 weeks of arriving at MD Anderson.  MD Anderson could not explain the condition, all the would call it was an ascending paralysis, a type of neuropathy.  He tested positive for absolutely NOTHING.  They ran every test they had, and I watched him lose control of his body as he laid there. The first few days he was able to use his hands and text and type on his phone, then he couldn't move his hands, then arms, and then his neck, and it just kept going up.

My father's life was stolen from him, he was too young, and he didn't deserve to suffer the way he did.  You know how people have this idea of how things will be years from now, or how life will turn out? I remember as a kid watching my Dad and his father (Pappaw) and all the great things they go to do together. I have had this plan in my head the last 5-10 years that my Dad and I were going to do all of those things he got to do with his Dad.  I was planning to take him on an Exotic Game Hunt, and I always wanted to take Kristin and go on a cruise with my parents.  When I was younger, during Holidays, the women would go off and go shopping together, and then the guys would go and do their thing. Those moments I spent with my Dad and my Pappaw were priceless.  I don't have children at the moment, but I already am sad that my children will not get those memories.  Birthdays and Holidays just won't be the same without Dad.

My Dad was a great man and everything he did, he did for my Mother, my sister, and for me.  Sometimes we take for granted the fact we have parents, but if you are lucky enough to have BOTH of your parents, you should pick the phone up and call them EVERY SINGLE DAY and do everything you can to spend as much time with them as possible.  If you are like me and only have one parent left, then you need to love that parent twice as much, because I can promise you, as much as Dad's death hurts me, it hurts my mom more.  I only wish I had spent more time with my parents, and talked to them more. I can't bring Dad back, and I can't go back in time, but what I can do is make sure I spend more time with my Mom so that I don't feel the same way when she passes on some day in the distant future.  Cherish the time you have with your loved ones and tell them how much you love them, because the time you have with them is limited.

Crow's Custom

Hi Guys and Gals...wanted to let everyone know that our upcoming Gun Business has a blog, acting as a placeholder for our upcoming website, www.CrowsCustom.com. Be sure and check it out, bookmark it and check back frequently for updates concerning Crow's Custom LLC.

As always, for the very best the Crow has to offer on political opinion, current events, DIY, Electronics, Tech and Firearms info, stay tuned here.  If you would like to subscribe so you can be notified of new posts and updates send an email kellym.crow@gmail.com with the subject "Subscribe Me"

Thanks to Everyone!

- Kelly

Shot Show 2019 - Las Vegas

Kristin and I attended this year's Shot Show (2019) in Vegas, as guests of exhibitor 5.11 Tactical.  Since forming our new Custom Firearms Retailer, Crow's Custom, Mid-2018, we've been excited about getting setup as an Authorized Dealer with all the industry's Top Brands, Manufacturers, and Distributors. With that said, we just had to make an appearance at Shot Show 2019! I must say, we had an excellent time checking out all the new products coming out this year, and visiting with some of the industry's best.

Unfortunately, we did NOT take enough pictures, since we were there to Network and get setup as a Dealer with anyone we aren't already setup with.  But, I wanted to show everyone the pictures we did take, and give ya'll a quick recap of what to be on the look-out for this year!

Daniel Defense

As everyone knows by now, Daniel Defense, the main sponsor of Shot Show 2019, unveiled their latest offering, and their first step into the Bolt Action game, the Delta V.  This is essentially a highly accurized, suppressor ready, Short Action Bolt Gun built on the Rem700 patterned Action, equipped with a fully modular and adjustable polymer tactical stock featuring MLok attachment points for your bipod and accessories. 

The rifle comes in 6.5 Creedmoor, 7mm-08, and .308/7.62mm as of January 22nd, 2019, but they've assured me there are plans to make this rifle available in a few other caliber offerings.  I did ask about Long Action calibers, specifically .300 Win Mag and .338 Lapua and was immediately told, "those calibers are an entirely different animal and would mean going completely back to the drawing board....not going to happen in the near future."

I pulled specs for the Delta V from Recoil Web, who just published an awesome review on the rifle a few days ago:

• CALIBER: .308 Winchester | 6.5mm Creedmoor | 7mm-08 Remington
• BARREL: User-interchangeable, stainless steel cold hammer forged to contour
• BARREL LENGTH: 20” (.308 Win) | 24” (6.5 Creedmoor) | 24” (7mm-08 Rem)
• BARREL TWIST: 1:10 RH (.308 Win) | 1:8 RH (6.5 Creedmoor) | 1:9 RH (7mm-08 Rem)
• MUZZLE THREAD: 5/8” x 24 TPI (Threads Per Inch) with thread protector
• WEIGHT: 8.9 lbs (.308 Win) | 9.5 lbs (6.5 Creedmoor/7mm-08 Rem)
• LENGTH: 40” Max (.308 Win) | 44” Max (6.5 Creedmoor/7mm-08 Rem)
• ACTION: Mechanically bedded stainless steel action with integral recoil lug
• BOLT: Three-lug bolt with a 60 degree throw and rotating bolt head
• BOLT KNOB: 5/16 – 24″ removable bolt knob
• TRIGGER: Adjustable single stage Timney Elite Hunter with two position safety (1.5 – 4 lbs)
• PICATINNY SCOPE BASE: 20 MOA/ 5.8 MRAD of elevation with four #10-32 bolts
• BARRIER STOP: Integrated into pillared bottom metal for stability
• ERGONOMIC STOCK: Constructed of carbon fiber reinforced polymer
• ADJUSTABLE CHEEK RISER: For preferred height, yaw, and drift
• CONFIGURABLE BUTTSTOCK: Offers length of pull and butt pad height adjustments
• ATTACHMENT: 11 total M-LOK points along forend with one point on bottom of buttstock
• QUICK DETACH: Ambidextrous M-LOK QD sling points on forend and buttstock
• MAGAZINE: Accepts AICS pattern detachable single feed magazines
• MSRP: $2199.00

Kimber

Kimber is known the world over for making high-end semi-custom 1911's.  I say semi-custom

because they are made in a factory on an assembly line process, but their guns are made with the utmost attention to detail, quality, and tolerances.  They have always gone above and beyond to offer the firearms community as many custom features as possible, in as many finishes as possible.  This year Kimber is releasing a striker fired micro pistol, a new lightweight 1911 offering called the Rapide, 6 models of a hammerless revolver, the K6, as well as one model with a hammer, a DA/SA type K6. We spent some time checking out the Kimber booth, and seeing all the new variations of their product lines. One of my Dad's friends wanted us to look at the different K6 hammerless revolver offerings and see what we thought about the various barrel lengths offered.  I must say, for a compact revolver that is quick to draw from a concealed position, the K6 fits the bill! However, I was most impressed with the Rapide 1911, as I feel this is Kimber's first venture into the modern custom handgun market.  We've seen what ZEV Tech, Agency Arms, and Lonewolf Dist have done with the Custom Glock Market over the last few years (my apologies to the dozen or so other Custom Glock companies that I failed to mention).  However, the high-end custom 1911 market has been dominated by a select few companies that predominantly target the competitive shooting sports market.  Kimber's new Rapide 1911, fills that niche, and does so in a very classy, and very useful package!

The Rapide is currently offered in .45 ACP and 10mm. The frame and heavily machined slide are made entirely from Stainless Steel and finished off in Kimber's proprietary KimPro II finish in Black. The match grade stainless steel barrel features a LH 16" Twist Rate which is pretty standard for this class of 1911, but is finished off in a super hard Gold DLC Titanium Nitride finish.  I was unable to find out if Kimber has purchased the equipment to do DLC finishes themselves at their shop in Yonkers, or if they are outsourcing the finish on the barrels for these.  If they did in fact purchase DLC finishing equipment, this could open the door down the road for a variety of other colored barrel finishes for some of their other 1911 models.

Kimber finished off this new model with Tru-Glo TFX Day/Night Sights, a G10 Grip, and a V-Cut aluminum trigger set at 4.5lbs at the factory.  MSRP is expected to be $1490 USD at the time of release.

Remington

The guys at Remington Outdoor Company, formerly the Freedom Group, acquired AAC, Bushmaster, DPMS, Remington, and Marlin a few years back under the direction, and with funding from Cerebrus  Capital Management, an investment firm.  Since this time, we've seen the ACR released to the civilian market under the Bushmaster portfolio, DPMS' quality control has increased significantly, and a new plant was opened in Huntsville, Alabama specifically designed to manufacturer AR-15's and Remington's version of the 1911, the Remington R1, based off the old Remington-Rand Blueprints from the Ilion, NY plant that date back to the Great War and WWII.  Remington brought their entire product lines from all major divisions, and it was fun to look at some of their larger silencer ready precision rifles.  As a matter of fact, I was holding one such rifle when the marketing team from Remington came over and started filming me while I was holding the rifle, I worked the bolt, and posed for the video footage. If anyone see's a video floating around YouTube or Remington's website with me in it, please shoot me a link! I'd like to link to the video here.

There's a lot of cool things going on at Shot Show, and much more to write about...but it's time to sign off for tonight.  Stay tuned for more cool products and spoilers from Shot Show 2019 in Las Vegas, NV!

10 AK Variants You Should Own - Part 1

As the title suggests, we are going to take a closer look at 10 AK Variants that You Should Own. I'm breaking this article up into a two part series, we will look at 5 AK Variants in each article. The list could be a lot longer, but having just 10 AK variants on your Gun Store Shopping List is probably easier for all of us to explain to our significant other, than having 25+ AK's on the list!  There are many list like this available at different forums, blogs, and websites around the internet. However, this list is not a Top 10 of the Most Sought After, Most Coveted, or Most Expensive AK's on the market. This is a list of the 10 AK's that you Must Own because of their reliability, dependability, accuracy, and overall badassness!  Believe it or not, the AK and it's variants are the most widely used military rifles in the world (sorry AR fanatics). The reason for this is because it has been adopted for service by more than 45 countries and it's seen use in every military conflict since the 1940's. Impressive for a single weapon platform, as there isn't another weapon in the world that can say the same for itself. Without further ado, here are the 10 AK Variants You Should Own!

10. Romanian WASR-10 - 7.62x39mm

The Romanian gun manufacturer, Cugir Arms Factory, builds the WASR-10 as part of agreement between Century International Arms, a US based Weapons Manufacturer and Importer, for sale in the US. The WASR was already being manufactured by Cugir in Romania when Century negotiated a contract to import WASR-10's into the US, in order to fulfill the United States high demand for AK style rifles. WASR's are built in Romania in a single stack configuration, and shipped to the US without a barrel and the standard wood furniture. Once in the US, Century stamps the receiver with their import marks, converts the receivers to accept the standard AK double stack magazine, installs their RAK-1 Enhanced Trigger Group set, and a US Made chrome lined 1:10 Twist Barrel. You can pick up one of these classic AKM style WASR-10's with one Steel Mil-Surp 30rd mag for about $650 from any reputable gun dealer.

9. Century RAS-47 - 7.62x39mm

Century International Arms manufacturers this gun 100% in America. It's almost identical to the WASR-10, as it's an AKM clone, except it's American made! These come standard with maple wood furniture, chrome-moly 1:10 twist barrel, with Century's RAK-1 Enhanced Trigger group, all on a 1/16" stamped receiver. These are a good alternative for anyone wanting a WASR/AKM style AK-47 but prefers American made products. The price is what makes this a better alternative to the WASR-10, you can pick up an RAS-47 with one Magpul 30rd AK mag for $625 from you local gun store.

8. Zastava M70 N-PAP - 7.62x39mm

Another AK imported by Century, the M70 N-PAP was originally manufactured by Zastava for use by Yugoslavian troops and law enforcement. After the breakup of Yugoslavia the country was split into 6 different countries, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro, and Macedonia. The modern day M70 N-PAP is still manufactured by Zastava which is now located in Serbia and is still issued to Serbian troops and law enforcement. The N-PAP is your basic AK-47, it comes standard with wood furniture, the slant style muzzle brake, and Cold Hammer Forged barrel with a 1:10 twist rate. The big difference between this AK and the others is the bolt carrier group is Hard Chromed for added durability and lubricity. This is by far one of the most reliable and accurate AK's listed thus far. I personally own one and have never had a single FTF, FTE, or other type of malfunction. I do have one recommendation for anyone who purchases an M70 N-PAP though, replace the muzzle device with a high quality brake.  The AK-74 style .30 caliber brake is by far the most common choice and it does a fantastic job of taming the recoil dynamics and calming the notorious cheek slap that the N-PAP is known for.  Any aftermarket parts built for the Yugo M70 are interchangeable with this rifle as it is built to spec, identical to the Yugo M70s. These can be bought for about $650.

7. Polish Tantal - 5.45x39mm

This Polish legacy has had it's share of fans and haters over the past couple of decades.  When I first saw this rifle it was at the Ozark Armory in Springdale, Arkansas. It sat on the counter in their tactical section, priced at $750 and came with two 30rd Bakelite Mags. Now there is a lot of information on the internet about this rifle and some of it is non-sense while some of it is true. As you know I only post facts here so you can rest assured everything you read about this rifle at my blog is the truth.  First, if you had purchased one of these when I first saw it, 8 to 10 years ago, you would have bought an AK that was notorious for key holing. This flaw was quickly traced to the US Made barrels that Century was putting on these rifles when they started importing them a couple decades ago.  Century sourced a replacement barrel about 6 years ago that was of better quality, after making hundreds of warranty repairs to these guns. So, if you find a Polish Tantal that was imported and assembled by Century, the first thing I would do is take it to the range and see if it has the key holing issue, if so, change your barrel out with the best barrel money can buy and you'll have an amazing rifle. The best option for a barrel would be the original Polish made barrel than can often be found in the parts kits on Gun Broker but there are a few US manufacturers producing high quality replacement barrels for the Tantal. Secondly, when this rifle was being produced and issued to Polish military and law enforcement it came in a black color with bakelite furniture and bakelite or steel mags. The Tantal's floating around on the market that were imported and assembled by Century were parkerized a silvery gray color. If you pick up a gray parkerized Tantal then you definitely have one that was brought into the US by Century. However, now that these have been in the states for almost two decades, several custom shops have started building these correctly and finishing them in an all Black Moly Resin coating just like they were originally finished in Poland. Nowadays if you can even find one of these, it will set you back $1000 - $1200.

6. Arsenal SLR-107 - 7.62x39mm

Arsenal is a manufacturer/importer of some of the higher end AK variants. These are the AK's that the AK purists and the collectors are looking for. However, they do make and sell some really good AK's that aren't priced too high. The SLR-107 is one of those. This particular rifle also comes in two other versions, the SLR-106 and SLR-105 which fire the 5.45x39 and 5.56x45 rounds. Other than the chambering all three SLR AK's are identical. The SLR-107 is built on a Bulgarian Stamped receiver and features Arsenal's Bulgarian made Cold Hammer Forged barrel with a 1:10 twist rate. It ships in a few different variations, the most common features the all black polymer furniture with a folding buttstock, but it can also be had with a Midwest Industries quad rail handguard, or with Desert Sand polymer furniture.  One notable difference between this AK-47 and most AK-47's is the muzzle brake. Instead of the basic slant brake, Arsenal equips the SLR models with an AK-74 style .30 caliber brake which drastically reduces recoil and muzzle rise. There is no cheek slap when firing an Arsenal AK! You can purchase one of these fine AK's for about $1200.

5. Arsenal SAM7 - 7.62x39mm

Another Bulgarian AK from Arsenal the SAM7 differs from the SLR models in that it is built on a Milled Bulgarian receiver and comes with a Chrome Lined Cold Hammer Forged barrel with a 1:10 twist rate and removable four port muzzle brake. NATO black polymer furniture and a Bulgarian Waffle Mag come standard. Other than the features mentioned there aren't any real differences between the SLR-107 and the SAM7 except the receivers. Many prefer the added durability and weight that milled receivers add to the platform. Similar to the AR platform it has been found that milled receivers increase stability and accuracy. That's as much as will say on the subject, I don't need to turn this into a lengthy debate on the differences of milled and stamped receivers.  Another great Arsenal AK that cane be had for about $1200.

The Southern Cross aka The Confederate Navy Jack

It's been awhile since I've posted but I felt this is EXTREMELY relevant in the times we are faced with today.  The Southern Cross, also known as The Confederate Navy Jack, is the most widely recognized flag of the Confederate States of America.


Please be aware of the following as this is the information that is of extreme importance for all Free Men, Americans and else where to understand.  It is necessary to disclaim any connection of this flag to neo-nazis, white nationalists, red-necks, skin-heads and the like. These groups have adopted this flag and desecrated it by their acts. They have no right to use this flag - it is a flag of honor, designed by the confederacy as a banner representing state's rights and still revered by the South. 

In fact, under attack, it still flies over the South Carolina capitol building. The South denies any relation to these hate groups and denies them the right to use the flags of the confederacy for any purpose. The crimes committed by these groups under the stolen banner of the conderacy only exacerbate the lies which link the seccesion to slavery interests when, from a Southerner's view, the cause was state's rights.

Note contributed by BJ Meksikatsi.


It is in this Southerner's opinion, that I highly recommend those who wish to fly a symbol that is less widely known, and it's very essence was created as a basis for State's Rights, such as those rights that are so widely fought for today by protests, and violence, you should fly the Stars and Bars, the original flag of the Confederacy.

What ignorant and under-educated Americans don't understand, is that the American Civil War was fought over State's Rights, not Slavery, it had no direct correlation with Slavery. In fact many of the so-called "Northern States" (Union States) allowed and legalized Slavery up until the end of the Civil War when the Emancipation Proclamation was signed by President Lincoln.  Issues of States Rights, like those that divided our country so many years ago, are very much prevalent in American Politics today. It is my opinion that if the citizen's of our great country don't quit their bickering, get educated, learn to accept compromise, and clean up the US Government with their right to vote, the only thing that will fix this country again, would be another Civil War. This would be horrible and it would decimate life as we know it, and I don't wish it on any country.

State's Rights are being taken each and every day! California fought for a long time to legalize Marijuana, it remained illegal per US Government Federal law, but through peaceful protest, education, and voting it soon became decriminalized on the Federal level. Their hard work has caused many other states to adopt similar legislation.  While on the topic of State's Rights why don't we talk about States having the right to deregulate their utilities industries like Texas and New York have done. In many US States, utilities are a Government run monopoly, the states do not have the right to choose how they wish to regulate them either.  How about States having the right to choose if they wish to honor citizen's wishes to have same-sex marriages? Or what about States having the right to choose if they allow the sick and mentally ill citizens that have been affected by some mental retardation saying they don't understand what sex they are, so they wish to use the opposite sex bathroom in public places?  No matter how liberal the issue, the State's should have the right to choose how they wish to legislate and allow these issues within their borders. This is EXACTLY the reason for the American Civil War, don't confuse the facts, and don't EVER let anyone tell you otherwise, because they are a liar, and are simply trying to push an agenda on you if so.

God Bless America
Kelly Crow