AK vs. AR vs. . . Mosin Nagant.

Alright. Here goes. I am stepping into the AR vs. AK debate. But to sort of spice up things, I’m throwing in perhaps the quin-ultimate fighting rifle of the past 100 years or so: the Mosin-Nagant. I have obtained a very thought provoking list of key points from 7.62x54r.net. Feel free to peruse them, and then share any thoughts you might have.

Knowing that some of you probably are not familiar with ARs, AKs, and MNs, I have determined to provide some basic info before I list the points.


This is an AK-47. The name designates the type of rifle, the name of the designer, and the year of adoption by the Soviet Army. Roughly translated, they letters and numbers mean “Automatic rifle, Kalashnikov (the fellow who designed it), model 1947” - AK-47. Furniture is solid wood or plastic. Military versions have fully automatic capability, as well as detachable magazines; thus, they may accurately be termed, “assault rifles.” AKs are not renowned for their accuracy. Military AK-47s have a bayonet with about a 6 inch blade.


This is a Mosin-Nagant. Originally designed and adopted by the Russians in 1891. All furniture is solid wood, and very heavy. As you can see, it is a bolt action rifle with a very long barrel. These are pretty slow to load and fire, but pretty accurate - customized versions of these rifles were used for sniper platforms as late as the Second World War. The Mosin has a bayonet that looks half as long the rifle itself, and is of the old triangular sort that is no good for anything other than thrusting.


This is an AR-15. The name stands for “ARmalite rifle, model 15,” as I understand it. This is the rifle that was adopted by the US Army as the famed M-16. Furniture is high-tech plastic. AR-15s can be customized and used for very precise shooting at extended ranges. However, unlike the AK, they do require a good bit of maintenance for proper function. There is a reason one does not often see pictures of bayonets mounted on ARs; the AR platform is not designed to double as a halberd, and would not last long when employed as such.

Now for the list itself. Throughout, AK = AK-47; AR = AR-15; MN = Mosin-Nagant.

AK: It works though you have never cleaned it. Ever.
AR: You have $9 per ounce special non-detergent synthetic Teflon infused oil for cleaning.
MN: It was last cleaned in Berlin in 1945.

AK: You are able to hit the broad side of a barn from inside.
AR: You are able to hit the broad side of a barn from 600 meters.
MN: You can hit the farm from two counties over.

AK: Cheap mags are fun to buy.
AR: Cheap mags melt.
MN: What's a mag?

AK: Your safety can be heard from 300 meters away.
AR: You can silently flip off the safety with your finger on the trigger.
MN: What's a safety?
AK: Your rifle comes with a cheap nylon sling.
AR: Your rifle has a 9 point stealth tactical suspension system (this is hyperbole, obviously).
MN: You rifle has dog collars.

AK: Your bayonet makes a good wire cutter.
AR: Your bayonet is actually a pretty good steak knife.
MN: Your bayonet is longer than your leg.

AK: You can put a .30" hole through 12" of oak, if you can hit it.
AR: You can put one hole in a paper target at 100 meters with 30 rounds.
MN: You can knock down everyone else's target with the shock wave of your bullet going downrange.

AK: When out of ammo your rifle will nominally pass as a club.
AR: When out of ammo, your rifle makes a great wiffle bat.
MN: When out of ammo, your rifle makes a supreme war club, pike, boat oar, tent pole, or firewood.

AK: Recoil is manageable, even fun.
AR: What's recoil?
MN: Recoil is often used to relocate shoulders thrown out by the previous shot.

AK: Your sight adjustment goes to "10", and you've never bothered moving it.
AR: Your sight adjustment is incremented in fractions of minute of angle.
MN: Your sight adjustment goes to 12 miles and you've actually tried it.

AK: Your rifle can be used by any two bit nation's most illiterate conscripts to fight elite forces worldwide.
AR: Your rifle is used by elite forces worldwide to fight two bit nations' most illiterate conscripts.
MN: Your rifle has fought against itself and won every time.

AK: Your rifle won some revolutions.
AR: Your rifle won the Cold War.
MN: Your rifle won a pole vault event (again, a bit of hyperbole, perhaps . . .).

AK: You paid $350.
AR: You paid $900.
MN: You paid $59.95.

AK: You buy cheap ammo by the case.
AR: You lovingly reload precision crafted rounds one by one.
MN: You dig your ammo out of a farmer's field in Ukraine and it works just fine.

AK: You can intimidate your foe with the bayonet mounted.
AR: You foes laugh when you mount your bayonet.
MN: You can bayonet your foe on the other side of the river without leaving the comfort of your hole.

AK: Service life, 50 years.
AR: Service life, 40 years.
MN: Service life, 100 years, and counting.

AK: It's easier to buy a new rifle when you want to change cartridge sizes.
AR: You can change cartridge sizes with the push of a couple of pins and a new upper.
MN: You believe no real man would dare risk the ridicule of his friends by suggesting there is anything but 7.62x54r.

AK: You can repair your rifle with a big hammer and a swift kick.
AR: You can repair your rifle by taking it to a certified gunsmith, it's under warranty!
MN: If your rifle breaks, you buy a new one.

AK: You consider it a badge of honor when you get your handguards burst into flames.
AR: You consider it a badge of honor when you shoot a sub-MOA 5 shot group.
MN: You consider it a badge of honor when you cycle 5 rounds without the aid of a 2x4.

AK: After a long day the range you relax by watching "Red Dawn".
AR: After a long day at the range you relax by watching "Blackhawk Down".
MN: After a long day at the range you relax by visiting the chiropractor.

AK: After cleaning your rifle you have a strong urge for a stiff shot of Vodka.
AR: After cleaning your rifle you have a strong urge for hotdogs and apple pie.
MN: After cleaning your rifle you have a strong urge for shishkabob.

AK: You can accessorize you rifle with a new muzzle brake or a nice stock set.
AR: Your rifle's accessories are eight times more valuable than your rifle.
MN: Your rifle's accessory is a small tin can with a funny lid, but it's buried under an apartment building somewhere in Budapest.

AK: Your rifle's finish is varnish and paint.
AR: Your rifle's finish is Teflon and high tech polymers.
MN: Your rifle's finish is low grade shellac, cosmoline and Olga's toe nails.

AK: Your wife tolerates your autographed framed picture of Mikhail Kalashnikov.
AR: Your wife tolerates your autographed framed picture of Eugene Stoner.
MN: You're not sure there WERE cameras to photograph Sergei Mosin.

AK: Late at night you sometimes have to fight the urge to hold your rifle over your head and shout "Wolverines!"
AR: Late at night you sometimes have to fight the urge to clear your house, slicing the pie from room to room.
MN: Late at night, you sometimes have to fight the urge to dig a fighting trench in the the yard to sleep in.

So there you have it. Comments?

Hints to Young Men: Choice of a Wife

"Young gentlemen, a word of advice to you in the choice of a wife. Don't allow yourself to be deceived and fascinated by a gay, dashing young lady, fond of company, extravagant, vain, artistical and showy in dress. It is a not a doll or coquette you want for a partner. Choose rather one of those retiring, modest, sensible, neat young ladies, who have learned to deny themselves, and possess a decided mind, and have acquainted themselves with the domestic affairs of a family."

From our latest book acquisition, a charming little volume entitled, "Cyclopedia and Compendium: Useful Knowledge". This ancient tome is sadly without a date of publication, but is apparently from the days when ladies were ladies, men were men, and both were expected to behave as such. Pretty good advice, actually - slipped in right along with the dictionary of the English language, dictionary of nautical terms, advice on how to conduct public meetings, cures for household ailments, a listing of all counties in the state of Alabama, etc., etc., under the quaint chapter heading, "Hints to Young Men." They don't write books like this any more . . .

One-liners from General Robert E. Lee

“I cannot consent to place in control of others one who cannot control himself.”

"I like whiskey. I always did, and that is why I never drink it."

"Obedience to lawful authority is the foundation of manly character."

“It is particularly incumbant on those charged with the instruction of the young to set an example of submission to authority.”

"You cannot be a true man until you learn to obey."

"Never do a wrong thing to make a friend or to keep one."

"In all my perplexities and distresses, the Bible has never failed to give me light and strength."

Presidential Proclamation: June is officially "LGBT Pride Month"

Read the article here.

Army Considers Options in Replacing the M4

This is "old news," but I don't think very many folks know about it. Read the article HERE.

If you don't do anything else, just look at the multi-media comparing the potential replacement weapons. Notice how many of them are piston operated (or modified impingement). Notice also that Colt has essentially done nothing (that I can see) to upgrade the M4, other than adding folding battle sights and a few other little doodads.

I also found it interesting that several of the carbines are offered in non-5.56 calibers: 6.5 SPC, 6.5 Grendel, 7.62x39.

I'll be curious to see what comes of this. SOCOM has already adopted the FN SCAR, and SOFD-D (Delta) has claimed the HK 416/17 system - both of which are piston operated systems.

Some Thoughts on the Death of George Tiller

Most of you, I am sure, are by now familiar with the recent murder of Dr. George Tiller of Wichita, Kansas. I personally knew very little about Dr. Tiller until one week ago this past Sunday, when he was shot, but in the past few days I have done a fair bit of research about him and what he did. I would like to share with you the gist of what I have learned.

The story of the life of Dr. George Tiller is one of confusion and tragedy. He devoted his life to the business of murdering babies, and apparently did so with an almost religious conviction. Finally, he was himself murdered, leaving behind a wife, four children, and ten grandchildren - who I am sure will miss their granddaddy very much.

Dr. Tiller has long been notorious as one of the few doctors in the country who will provide late term abortions. His clinic in Wichita, Kansas, “Women’s Health Care Services,” was one of only three in the nation that performed abortive procedures after the twenty-first week of a baby’s development. He has been picketed and harassed for decades; his office was bombed in 1985, and he was shot in both arms in 1993. In 1998, the FBI informed him that he was number 1 on the “violent anti-abortionists’ hit list.” Reportedly, he wore a ballistic vest habitually.

I think it is safe to say that Dr. Tiller had to be committed to what he was doing, or he would have stopped before now. I do not say that with admiration or respect; I say that as a statement of what appears to be fact.

According to his own account, Dr. Tiller originally planned to be a dermatologist. His father died unexpectedly in a plane crash, and Dr. Tiller assumed the task of closing his dad’s “huge family medicine practice.” While doing so, he of course came in contact with many of his father’s patients. It was there, he says, “The women in my father's practice for whom he did abortions educated me and taught me that abortion is about women's hopes, dreams, potential, the rest of their lives. Abortion is a matter of survival for women.” The day after he was shot, back in 1993, he returned to work with his arms still bandaged. “There was never any question in my mind that I was going back to work the next day. I belonged there and they were not going to separate me from my job and they were not going to separate me from my community. So I did go to work the next day, and we got everything done. People got taken care of, it took a long time. Arms hurt, bled a little bit, but so what? I am not going to be run over and I'm not going to run out. It's just that simple.”

Dr. Tiller’s family apparently supported him very strongly. He recounted one particular conversation: "My daughters came into my study. I was reading. And they said: 'Daddy, if not now, when? If not you, who? Who is going to stand up for women with unexpected and badly damaged babies?' I had the support of my family, and we were able to proceed ahead."



Dr. Tiller also appears to have been fairly religious. He was an active member of Reformed Lutheran Church, where he served as an usher. In fact, he was killed while passing out bulletins before the service began.

Dr. Tiller’s wife, Jeanne, recorded an album in 2005, entitled “Legacy of Love.” One of the songs she performs is “The Lord’s Prayer.”

THIS website (click the block letters to link) has a guestbook where people may leave condolences for the Tiller family. It is amazing how many of these are written from a religious standpoint: “Rest in the peace that he left the earth in God’s house.” “I am glad that George will be able to be with his savior.” “May his soul rest in peace and may God comfort you in your time of need.” “I know that God holds him in high regard and he is sitting at the throne right now.”

Yet God’s Word says something very different:

‘Cursed is the one who takes a bribe to slay an innocent person.’
-Deuteronomy 27:25

'There are six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: a proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood . . .'
-Proverbs 6:16,17

“You shall not murder.”
-Exodus 20:13

“Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
-Galatians 5:19-21

"If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other peoples’ matters."
-1 Peter 4:14,15

" . . . You know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him."
-1 John 3:15

“But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
-Revelation 21:8

'Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.'
-Revelation 22:14,15

The Bible makes it clear that God hates murder. In John 8:44, Jesus says that the devil, Satan, was a “murderer from the beginning.” In Jeremiah 2:34, the Lord continues a condemnation of Israel’s idolatries, saying, “Also on your skirts is found the blood of the lives of the poor innocents. I have not found it by secret search, but plainly on all these things.”

Apparently, Dr. Tiller himself estimated that he had performed more than 60,000 abortive procedures. Supposedly, there was a link on THIS site where one could hear Dr. Tiller himself say this. Interestingly, I have been unable to access this web page since the afternoon of Friday the 5th; if any of you are able to do so, please let me know.

The 60,000 figure is widely quoted, however, so we will accept it as accurate. If it is indeed true, then Dr. George Tiller is personally responsible for the murder of 60,000 babies.

I know that’s a big number, and hard to visualize abstractly. Think about it this way: If Dr. Tiller had killed one baby every single day of the year, he would have taken 164.384 years to reach 60,000. He would have needed to start in 1845, just nine years after the Battle of the Alamo. However, it appears that he did not begin performing abortions until 1970; so, he would have had to perform an average of 1,538 abortions each year for 39 years to reach his estimated number. If he worked 365 days a year (I’m sure he did not), then he averaged 4.21 abortions per day.

Some of these were “life of the mother” cases - in other words, kill the child so the mother can live. Some were based on sonogram data that the child would be severely deformed or would not develop “normally” - thus, kill the child so he/she would not suffer, go through life as a vegetable, etc. Some simply were based on the baby being inconvenient.

I do not know of any passage in the Bible that condones any of these as right or just. For those who would like a more detailed analysis of this subject, I recommend THIS article by Mr. Doug Phillips. You may also be interested in THIS article by the father of a very premature birth son (barely 24 weeks, 1 pound 4 ounces), who was constantly advised by medical personal to let the child die - but didn’t, because of what the Bible says.

The fact is, religion apart from Jesus Christ means nothing. That’s not my personal truth, or something I’ve derived, it’s what the Bible says. When man - sinful, fallen, depraved man - endeavors to make himself acceptable to God in a manner which God has decreed unacceptable, the result must be confusion.

I believe this is what we see in the life of Dr. George Tiller. I have said he was religious; based on what I have read on THIS site (which is strangely inaccessible) and THIS one (caution: very graphic, discretion is advised), his religion extended even to the abortive procedures he performed. Dr. Tiller apparently provided religious services for the murdered child after the abortion was complete, should the parents so request. In the second link I listed above, it is possible to see a picture of “Tess,” an aborted little girl, wrapped in swaddling clothes, with a rose and picture of “Jesus” nearby. The webpage of Dr. Tiller’s clinic is “TEMPORARILY OFFLINE,” but according to the inaccessible site I have referenced before, Dr. Tiller’s website had this advertisement:



And this:



The link for which I advised caution contains an account of one such “funeral.”

In addition, the inaccesible website has the following transcript from a 1996 video Dr. Tiller made (I have obtained the information by accessing my cache, which is the only way I can view the page):

“If you wish to see the baby, we call this an identification and separation encounter. About 2-3 hours after you deliver and after the twilight anesthesia has worn off, so that you will remember the process, we will bring the baby to you either at the bedside or we will go to our quiet room and we will bring the baby to you there. During this encounter we will describe to you what's right with your baby, we will identify what's wrong with your baby. You may hold the baby. We can take pictures of you and the family holding the baby, if you wish, and that is not an uncommon request. The identification/separation encounter may be very brief, five or ten minutes. It may even take less than that. Or the identification/separation encounter may involve 2 or 3 hours of bonding with the baby - the identification that this is your baby and you have had a delivery. We understand beyond a shadow of a doubt that the difficult part of this process is not the premature delivery of the stillborn. We understand that the easy part of this process is the premature delivery of the stillborn. The difficult part of the process is saying goodbye to the relationship that you have with your baby - saying goodbye to the hopes and the dreams that you have for this - you have placed this baby in your life someplace and you simply have to start the process of saying goodbye.

When you have finished your support - when you have finished your identification encounter you will separate from the baby by giving the baby to us and you will begin the process of saying goodbye on a long-term basis and you will begin your journey into growth, recuperation, recovery, and healing.”

Notice that Dr. George Tiller declares that he has just aborted a baby - not an “inviable blob of tissue,” or a “blastocyst,” or a “zygote” or an “embryo.” He himself said these were babies; therefore, the term “murderer” is most certainly appropriate.

And this is why I said in the beginning that I see Dr. George Tiller’s life as one of tragedy and confusion. It is evident that in spite of his religiosity, he did not know or understand what the Bible actually says. Instead, he made his own attempt at righteousness, even incorporating a weird, pseudo-religious affectation into the abortive processes he regularly performed.

But, y’all, the Bible makes it clear that there is only one way by which man may be saved, and that through Jesus Christ. Isaiah 64:6 makes it clear that all our righteousness - our attempts to gain favor with God - appear as filthy rags in God’s sight. It’s not an issue of how good or bad a person we are, or whether we gave our life to some socially accepted cause, or any other merit we could possibly attain. It’s not even about an intellectual, abstract realization that Jesus Christ may very well exist - see James 2:19.

It’s about humbling our hearts before the Lord, and crying out “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Ultimately, it’s about Jesus Christ, who He isand what He has done in paying the penalty of our sins through His death on the cross, and the glory and honor He is due for the work He has accomplished.

I cannot believe that Dr. George Tiller was a Christian, because I cannot reconcile his actions with what I find in God’s Word. It appears to me that Dr. George Tiller’s life and behavior is indicative of the confusion that dominates our society. In direct contradiction to what the Bible says, it seems that many people apparently do think him a great “christian.” Mr. Doug Phillips wrote an article a few days ago, entitled “FOR WHOM SHALL WE MOURN?” He has since been BLASTED, even by people calling themselves “christians.” It is sickening to me that some people seem to think Mr. Phillips has committed a more grievous sin in speaking the truth, than Dr. Tiller committed in all the abortions he performed.

We are literally seeing evil being hailed as good, and good denounced as evil - and the Bible pronounces a curse on all such. This is why it is critical for us, as believers, to be diligently studying and applying God’s Word - so that we ourselves will have no part in confusion, or in the promulgation thereof.


Information from this article was obtained from:

GUARDIAN.CO.UK
DEMOCRACY NOW
PRCH
GEORGE TILLER - REVEALED
KANSAS CITY.COM
LEGACY.COM Guest Book
WICHITA MEMORIAL (caution: graphic)

You can't help but love a book that starts like this . .

TO

The Grandchildren of General Jackson

Julia and Jackson Christian

THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED

In the prayerful hope that as they grow in years they may draw inspiration from his example, and conform their lives to the same exalted standard of Christian duty, which marked the character of their grandsire, and which was also reflected in the life of their young mother, who with gentle footsteps followed her father as he followed Jesus

~ Dedication of the "Life and Letters of Stonewall Jackson," written by his wife, Mary Anna Jackson
Republished by Sprinkle Publications

About the Title

I believe meanings of names to be significant; throughout the Bible, we read of parents who selected names for their children based exclusively on what those names meant. "The Defender" is simply a variation of the meaning of William, which is my first name.

William originated from the Germanic "Wilhelm," which essentially breaks into two words: Wil (will - as in the will to do something) and Helm (helmet - a rather vital piece of protective armor). There are a number of derived renderings of the name's meaning: Resolute Protecter, Determined Guardian, Great Protecter, Strong-willed Warrior, Strong Helmet, Resolute Defender. The wording in each case is slightly different, but the meaning is fairly constant. I tend to visualize words, and words such as these conjure immediately in my imagination a picture of a warrior: grim, determined, his great sword across his back, his dirk at his belt, as he gazes from his look-out; resolved to fight unceasingly and uncompromisingly in defense of truth and justice, and in protection of women, children, and the defenseless. He is resolute, he is determined, he is resolved; he is great and strong; he is a protector, a defender, a very helm to those he guards.

There are such men in history; Christian warriors who understood manhood and the responsibilities associated therewith. Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson (whose timeless nickname is rooted in the idea of iron-willed defense); Joshua Gianavel; William Wallace (the Guardian of Scotland . . . ach, man, mah heart swells at the rememberin') and John Knox; Patrick Henry and George Washington; Moses, Joshua, King David, Nehemiah; and most importantly, Jesus Christ - the absolute most amazing, strong and resolved, defender, protector and guardian ever.

In naming my blog, The Defender, I am seeking to honor the Defenders who have lived and died and provided an example for those who would follow. I am also seeking to convey who I desire to be and what I desire to do. I think you will find that most of what I write revolves around this idea.

ABOUT THE PICTURE:

Taken from the opening sequence of HBO's "John Adams," then modified slightly for a better look.  

Excellent Article

Saw this on Doug's Blog - excellent article about Mr. Obama's recent nomination of Sonia Sotomayor. I do not have time to comment on it right now, but I would recommend reading it.

http://www.visionforumministries.org/issues/rule_of_law/empathy_impartiality_and_justi.aspx

- Johnson