Random Thoughts #7: I got a Kukri knife ( Finally )

Hey guys, 12-Gauge Chimp here with yet another edition of random thoughts.

This past Saturday I went to a local flea market in a town about an hour or so from my place. They had the usual overpriced garage sale fodder with a few interesting knick knacks thrown in for variety, but one thing that caught my eye was the fact that one vendor had knives and not just the usual crappy knives either. This vendor had a kukri, a knife that I had been looking for ever since I started rebuilding my knife collection.

I might need to explain just what exactly a " kukri " is, just so no one is confused. A kukri is a traditional fighting knife used by the Nepalese Gurkha's, it has a large curved blade and is suited for everyday tasks in addition to being a fearsome fighting knife. There are various sizes and styles of kukris, most blades measure 12 to 18 inches, with some examples being even longer. In fact the British Army still issues the kukri to certain units. Ok, I think thats enough explaining for now, on to the review.

The kukri I purchased is not a traditional styled kukri, in fact it's not even a true kukri. True kukris are made by a Nepalese company whose name escapes me at this moment, but true kukris are imported into the country from time to time. There is a certain process that every true Nepalese kukri must go through to be called a kukri, usually a sacred blessing of the blade by the master bladesmith or a religious official. Anyway, my kukri is made by a company that also supplies blades for numerous high end knife companies, of which I will not name because I don't remember all of them.

My kukri has a relatively heavy blade, the curve of which is very pronounced. This is good since a kukri is mostly used for hacking and other tasks. It has some sort of anti rust coating on the blade and the handle has a very rough textured grip, which is good because you really don't want this knife to slip out of your hands when hacking vines and end up losing a toe or finger. Another thing to mention is the blade is sharp and I mean SHARP. Most factory edged knives need to be sharpened a bit further to get a working edge on them, but this knife has a fantastic edge to it. I've almost cut myself so many times since buying it. While its not exactly " shaving " sharp, it will get the job done, whatever that job might be. My one complaint about this knife lies in the crappy sheath that is provided. Seriously, all the effort was put into the knife and it's like they just assembled a sheath for it as an afterthought. I will be replacing the factory sheath with either a better aftermarket sheath or I'll try to make a sheath for it using some Kydex or leather material.

That's going to do it for this edition of random thoughts, I hope you enjoyed it and I'll see you all later. As always this is 12-Gauge Chimp signing off.

Random Thoughts # 6: Buying a new gun

Hey guys 12-Gauge Chimp here with another edition of Random Thoughts.

Well it's that time again folks, time for me to add a new gun to my collection. Over the last few months I have been scouring the internet for the best deal on an AK-47 or similar rifle. So far I've found a few places that seem to have a good selection and all I really need to do now is narrow my choices down as to which rifle I'm going to get. I'm kind of stuck choosing between a Romanian WASR-10 AK and a Hungarian AMD-65 AK, now both are AK-47 pattern rifles, but they each have their pros and cons, which will be explained below.

-The WASR-10 is a standard military rifle with classic AK looks.
The pros of the WASR-10 are:
1. It has a full military style wooden stock
2. It accepts standard AK magazines
3. It is the cheapest version out there
4. Easy to customize
The cons are:
1. The front sight and rear sights may be canted( or off to one side)
2. Since the gun comes into the country in a " sporting " configuration, the fit and finish may have defects

-The AMD-65 is a Hungarian copy of the AK-47 with a unique side folding stock.
It's pros are:
1. With the stock folded, it's very compact
2. It too accepts standard AK magazines
3. It is also one of the cheapest AKs on the market
4.It has a standard forward pistol grip
The cons of the AMD-65 are:
1.The stock looks kind of weird and unstable
2.It needs to have a certain number of U.S made parts to use imported AK magazines

Overall both rifles have advantages and disadvantages, but it's nothing a couple extra bucks and some work in my spare time can't fix. The real hard part is choosing which rifle is right for me
Well whatever rifle I end up with, I'll be sure to post a review and a range report as soon as I can.

That's going to do it for this edition of 12-Gauge Chimp's Random Thoughts and
as always this is 12-Gauge Chimp signing off.

Random Thoughts # 5: Shotgun slugs

Hey guys, 12-Gauge Chimp here with another edition of Random Thoughts.

About a week ago, I was in my local Walmart just walking around and trying to find the sporting goods section ( My local store is undergoing a remodel, so I'm steering clear of that place for as long as I can). I found the sporting goods section and looked for some cheap shotgun shells. While I did not find any cheap shells, I did end up buying a 15 round "value pack" of 12 gauge slugs for my Mossberg and I plan to try out a box in the coming weeks, so stay tuned for that.

Now, I have zero experience firing slugs from a shotgun, so I'm kind of wondering what the recoil is going to be like. I can stand heavy loads like buckshot, so I'm hoping it will be similar, but with my luck I will walk away from that range trip with a sore shoulder, which is why I'm only taking a single 5 round box for testing purposes.

Well that wraps up another edition of 12-Gauge Chimp's Random Thoughts. Stay tuned for the upcoming range report and subsequent sore shoulder from firing the aforementioned slugs.
As always, this is 12-Gauge Chimp signing off.

Random Thoughts # 4: Army surplus stores

Hey folks, 12-Gauge Chimp here with another edition of random thoughts.
I know it's been awhile since I last updated the site, but I have an excuse for that. I was on vacation and I did not have access to my computer at that point ( I forgot to pack my laptop, I know I'm an idiot.) Anyway while I was on vacation, I stopped off at a military surplus store where I bought and saw some real neat stuff.

First off, the store itself was one of those " blink and you miss it " type shops. I think I spent about an hour or so just cruising the aisles looking for something to buy. The shop's walls were covered in old military rifles and other assorted stuff. I don't think I've ever seen a bigger collection of old single action pocket pistols outside a museum, it was pretty cool.
The guy behind the gun counter was really nice and was actually knowledgeable about firearms, which is a rarity nowadays. He answered all my questions and even knew what I was talking about when I mentioned owning a Mossberg bullpup, but the shop did not have the part I needed at the time, so I'm still on the lookout for forward pistol grip. Maybe a call to Mossberg will solve my dilemma.

Ok, back to the store. The prices were what you'd expect for surplus stuff and if I would have had enough money I would have left that store with a ton of surplus equipment. I then went to a big box sporting goods store and bought some camping gear, mostly because I had a gift card from a year or two ago and I was curious to see if it still was valid. (if anyone cares, yes it was still valid.)
I spent my vacation well, I spent time with some of my family and I bought a lot of stuff I technically needed and I had a good time at the surplus store. I highly recommend stopping at places like this, you never know what you might find.

Well that's it for this edition of random thoughts, as always this is 12-Gauge Chimp signing off.

Range Report #2: Mosin Nagant and Yugo SKS M-59

Hello folks, 12-Gauge Chimp here with the second range report of the series. This range trip took place about 5 or so months ago and it was just after I bought my M91/30.

The day started out like any other, I woke up and went about my day. I knew my best friend was in town that day so I called him up and asked him if he was interested in helping me blow through a box or two of ammo. I packed my M91/30 and my Yugo SKS, along with the aforementioned boxes of ammo ( word of caution, if at all possible avoid laqcuer coated 7.62x54R rounds, they tend to make the bolt of most Mosin Nagants stick). We headed out to our local range and proceeded to set up our targets ( which consisted of wild watermelons and other stuff). This particular range had no problem with letting us bring unusual targets.

The Mosin was new to both of us and my friend had limited experience with an SKS, but he knew how to safely handle it as he had fired it once before. Now before we commenced firing, I went over the basics of the gun with him, the usual how to load it, cock it and how to use the sights. To be honest, we didn't really hit squat in the first hour or so, but once we got used to the military sights, we zeroed in on the watermelons and hit them with numerous 180 grain projectiles.

I found out a few things that day.

1. the military sights on the M91/30 are kind of hard to use, but once you get used to them, they are pretty accurate rifles.

2.The cartridge interupter built into the M91/30's magazine is SHARP, I found that out in a moment of brilliance and left the range with a nice little cut down the middle of my thumbnail.

3.You'd be suprised at how much a small cut on the thumbnail can bleed and its also a good idea to bring a first aid kit just in case.

4.Never shoot a watermelon when the wind is blowing at you.Watermelon juice and dust are not a good combination.

5.My Mosin Nagant hates laqcuer coated ammo.

6.My SKS will chamber and reliably fire all types of 7.62x39mm ammo on the market.

Other than being doused in melon juice and dust which is a really funky way to end a day, my friend and I had a fun day.

Well that's it for this edition of 12-Gauge Chimp's Range Reports, as always this is 12-Gauge Chimp signing off.

Random Thoughts # 3: Collecting Military surplus firearms

Hello folks, 12-Gauge Chimp here again bringing you another random thought.

Collecting military surplus guns can be a fun way to blow a paycheck or two and it can also be a way to learn a bit of firearms/military history ( at least for me anyway, your results may vary). Now I've only been collecting surplus guns for about 3 or so years, but I plan to buy more in the future, so stay tuned for that. I tend to go towards the older guns first, as the majority of my collection is over 40 years old, with the exception of my Mossberg 12 gauge.

My first mil-surp gun was my Yugoslav M-59 SKS. It was my first semi auto center fire rifle, the first gun I ever bought was a cheap .22, a Marlin model 60 that got sold as soon as I could find a willing buyer. That SKS started me off in the wonderful world of military surplus collecting, as I bought a Mosin Nagant M91/30 some time after and then added an M1895 Nagant revolver to my collection last year.

The first thing you want to do when you buy any surplus or used firearm, for that matter, is get it checked out by a competent gunsmith, preferably one that knows surplus guns, trust me they are out there. After the gunsmith has given you the ok, it is now time to buy ammo for your gun. Make sure you buy the right ammo for your gun. There should be a stamping on the barrel or receiver with the caliber of the gun, along with the serial number.

You also might want to pick up a weapons manual for your particular firearm and a cleaning kit, because some guns will be covered in some really funky stuff called " cosmoline ", which is a military grease that is supposed to protect the gun from rust during the long periods of storage most surplus guns endure. You'll find collecting surplus firearms a kind of fun and relatively cheap hobby, though not quite as cheap as it was 5 or so years ago.

Well that's it for this edition of 12-Gauge Chimp's Random Thoughts.
This is 12-Gauge Chimp signing off.

Random Thoughts # 2: Selling stuff

Hello folks, 12-Gauge Chimp here with another edition of Random Thoughts.

During these incredibly crappy times (ie. screwed up economy), I have had to sell off a bunch of my stuff, mostly crap I didn't need anymore. Most of what I sold was some knives and swords I'd accumulated over the years. When I was a young chimp, I wandered through the local malls of my former hometown and on more than one occasion, bought some sharp, pointy objects because, one I had the money and two, I was a sucker for knives. I ended up with close to 400 dollars worth of cheap and very low quality knives and swords. I spent practically every dime I had on swords and other sharp pointy stuff. As I got older, I realized I had too dang many of the stupid things. So I decided recently, well about a month or so ago, to sell off some of my collection to fund my firearms purchases.

I now own only three swords, a couple of cheap samurai swords, a high end fantasy sword, and various fixed blade hunting and military type knives. The swords and knives I sold funded some ammo purchases and various other things, but so far, no new guns. I plan to purchase some high end knives from reputable makers and not just because they look cool, I will actually do the needed research to find out if a knife is of good quality.

Well,that's pretty much the end of this edition of random thoughts.
As always,this is 12-Gauge Chimp signing off.