Wandering Neurons

Well, I survived one day of the 2016 NRA AM. That was enough for me, I was pooped and back was hurting after just five hours in the exhibition hall. But walked all 11 acres and saw lots of neat stuff. So here goes:

Entering the Expo Center, after hours of waiting to get onto the grounds, then waiting to park. But nobody got nasty or obnoxious. FYI, note the two silhouettes on the roof. There were several helicopters hovering as well, including one old Hughes NOTAR:

These guys had the right idea for traversing the Expo: Electric bar stools! Converted convenience scooters, they modified the steering mechanism and added bar stools as seats. Gives them an eye-level rather than belly-button level view of their surroundings and easier get-on/get-off:

Magpul had tons of gear on display. Look online or in any good gun store to see what they make and sell. But what I really wanted to see was their converted bus. Too many ideas for the RV, none very practical though. It was pretty crowded and these are the best of the few that I got.

The in-bus bar:

And the in-bus arsenal. Now, I need a compartment on the RV that’s accessible from both inside and outside, that I can thoroughly reinforce…

Some toys I’d love to get if I a) won the Lottery, 2) had time to go shooting more, and III) didn’t live in Maryland.

IWI x95. Follow-on to the Tavor. Improved ergonomics, trigger pull, rails, etc.:

Semi-auto SAW (M249). Good way to pump bullets downrange. Not necessarily for long-range targets, but fun none-the-less:

Several cool armorer/shooter tools. The one on the left is a general-purpose weapon-maintenance tool with tips for small fasteners, push-pins, very small allens (on the other side), barrel bushing, etc. The right hand tool is AR-specific, with cleaning scrapers, file, and a bunch more attachments. Wanted but didn’t spring to buy at the moment:

Did not necessarily want to buy, but definitely gawk at: Arsenal AF-2011 double 1911. Big, heavy. Dunno why other than it looks crazy. Would be better serving as a movie prop, otherwise I absolutely cannot think of a practical purpose. But it does exist in a number of calibers and finishes:

Very heavily modified Arctic Cat 4-seater. Would be great to play with given the off-road area to do so:

And the final word in tacti-cool: a tactical-T-Rex. Fitted with the latest in NVGs and LBE. Cute, very cute. Right up there with “Sharks with Friggin’ Lasers” cute. The ultimate “I’d hate to meet this in a dark alley”. Though I’m trying to figure out how he’s going to handle a weapon. It’d be real easy to “stay out of arm’s reach” with this guy…

Tons of other stuff on the floor to go with the above pictures. AR-based parts out the wazoo. Some very nice antique rifles and pistols on display. Lots of accessories, and just about as many businesses selling partially or completely finished weapons. Hunting safaris, classic weapons, safes, you name it, someone probably brought one (or three) to put on display.

Two benefits of driving the Zombie Truck to the show:  the number of folks wanting to talk about it at the show and the campground that we stayed in, and people letting me change lanes/enter queues ahead of them, because it was unique. Thanks all! Even to the point that someone, I think the owner, of Outlaw Precision Weaponry, LLC, stopped me to give me a sticker while I was in line to get out of the parking lit. Good luck to them and thanks for saying “Hi”.

Very relaxed atmosphere, wish I’d had more time and other folks to travel with. But OldNFO was late getting in, The Shekel was in training all Friday, a handful couldn’t make it, and others had schedules that didn’t work out. Oh well, there’s Atlanta next year!

In spite of terrible traffic complications, I had a good time today at the NRA Annual Meeting. I’d left my drivers license at the RV and couldn’t do the Press area. Oh well. Still got to enjoy a few minutes outside visiting with OldNFO after he finally made it to the show, many hours later than planned. But that’s his story, not mine.

Found lots of neat stuff that I want, but either can’t afford, don’t have a real reason to purchase, or simply cannot own in the communist state of Maryland.

Flash note, good deal: if you go to the Appleseed booth and register for a training course, the $60 fee is waived. So I’m signed up for an Appleseed event in my local area in a few months. Read up on the Appleseed program and think about saving a few dollars, and help defray the price of your ammo.

Met lots of nice folks, everyone was friendly in spite of the parking situation. Lots of interesting weapons, accessories, clothing, and info available. Electric bar stools, a tactical Tyrannasaurus Rex, the double-barrel .45 in various incarnations, and a few other oddities.

Internet service is slow here and I’ve got to transfer photos off the phone. Leaving for another destination tomorrow (Saturday) and with all of the driving, may not get pictures and more extensive writeup done till late next week. So be patient.

Also, hat tip to our neighbors in the campground. Ken with the FJ, and Dennis and his wife (who’s working at the Barrett booth). Enjoy the rest of the show, sorry we couldn’t spend more time visiting.

I’ve dealt with lots of traffic over the years and thought I’d seen some terrible traffic. Up till now the worst was several incidents in Arizone, when the Highway Patrol shut down I-10 to investigate the numerous fatal collisions. Have been caught several all times when the Interstate was shut down for hours.

But events today take the cake. It seems that the city of Louisville, KY either doesn’t know how to handle a crowd like the NRA Annual Meeting, or intends to make the meeting the most frustrating experience possible for those who support the Second Amendment and shooting sports.

My first attempt early Friday morning to get onto the Kentucky State Fairgrounds had me sitting in the Zombie Truck for over an hour still on the Interstate 1/2 mile from the exit to the Fairgrounds. After an hour of sitting and only moving 100 yards, I gave up and drop over back to the RV. Picked up the Wife and hit a local Goodwill, got some more pants.

A couple of hours later I made another attempt. Our next-door neighbor in the campground gave me a recommendation that saved me an hour of waiting to get into the Fairgrounds. But it still took 45 minutes to get from the entrance to finally parking in B.F.E.

At 6pm when the exhibition hall closed, the situation was reversed. Took 45 minutes to travel the length of the parking lot, onto the main road and out the exit to the Interstate.

Nobody was directing traffic to speak of. Amazing. Thank goodness the crowd was composed of people who are not predisposed to fits of anger and stupidity!

Nashville was nowhere as bad, hope that Atlanta won’t be either.