More from the ILEETA Conference

04 Apr 08

More from the ILEETA Conference:

Today, I attended the excellent FAL Armorer's Course put on by my friend and colleague, John Krupa, of the Spartan Group.

I own several DSA/FALs, and I asked John what issues are of the most concern in keeping the rifle running. The FAL is a rugged, robust, military weapon, and, in my experience, nearly indestructible. However, John indicated that three screws, (1) the joint pin, (2) the rear-sight base-screw, and (3) the handguard screw, all need to be secured with blue Locktight. The issue is, as with most military rifles, recoil-impulse vibration. With target rifles that spend their lives in padded cases in gun vaults, loose screws may never become a issue. But, with serious rifles that may see heavy, sustained, field use, these screws will vibrate loose when not Locktighted down.

On another subject, John is left-handed, and he pointed out that a vertical forend is a handy feature for left-handed shooters on any military rifle, as its regular use prevents the left forearm and hand from inadvertently blocking the ejection port. Being right handed, that never occurred to me until I saw John demonstrate the problem.

My old friend, Bert Duvernay, in his wonderful Class on Emergency Planning, pointed out that advocating for "Anti-terrorism" training and equipment will predictably glaze over the eyes of most politicians, simply because the subject has been beaten to death, and politicians no longer want to hear about it. Changing the wording to "All-Hazards" planning and training is likely to get a more sympathetic audience (although the two are essentially identical).

He also pointed out the crop-duster aircraft are of particular interest to terrorists, because they are extremely maneuverable and have a heavy-lift capacity. Thus, once airborne, they are difficult to follow, and they can carry a heavy load of explosives. Homeland Security is far more concerned with these particular planes than they are with most other private aircraft.

Tomorrow is the last day.

/John