Re: Best Cypherpunk long gun

[Tim May <tcmay@got.net>]

At 11:11 PM -0700 12/22/97, Mix wrote:
>What is the best long gun for a Cypherpunk?

(This is probably some sort of troll, but I'll answer it anyway.)

For what purpose? For what range? How much money do you want to spend?

I can tell you that for close quarters defense, against Home Invaders (of
either the Vietnames gang sort or the Washington gang sort), I count on an
Olympic Arms OA-96 pistol, in .223. Though technically a pistol, because of
the 6.5-inch barrel and pistol grip, it fires 30 rounds of high-speed .223
Remington, able to rip through ballistic vests like butter. The small size
makes it manouverable in tight quarters. It has a laser on it, and I also
use the HoloSight described below on it.

For slightly greater ranges, e.g., during daylight, I have a Colt HBAR
Match Target rifle (essentially a Colt AR-15, though that was banned during
the Recent Statist Action, and so the name had to change, along with a few
cosmetic features). This also fires a .223 round, of course, as it is the
standard U.S. military rifle. The HBAR is mounted with a Bushnell
HoloSight, a zero-magnification holographic reticle system, similar to a
"red dot" system (but better). Two-inch groups at a hundred yards are easy
to obtain (limited more by the scope than by the rifle).

(There are rumors that I bought a genuine Colt AR-15 in 1975 and have not
registered it, as required by fascist Kalifornia law. I could tell you if
this is true, but then I'd have to shoot you.)

I also have a Ruger Mini-14 in .223, though I'm not sure it fills a useful
niche. And a Winchester Model 94, a classic cowboy lever action, in .44
Magnum. Again, not necessarily a mainstream gun.

For defending the _perimeter_ of my property against Those Who Would
Trespass, I count on a Remington Model 700 "varmint" rifle, chambered in
.308 (or 7.62 NATO). It's a bolt-action, but the expected use is for
long-range (300 meters) use, aka "sniping." The usual high-power scope.
This rifle is capable of sub-MOA (minute of angle) groups, meaning less
than 1-inch groups at a hundred yards.

Were I to recommend one rifle to meet most needs, it would be some variant
of the AR-15, from Colt or Bushmaster or Olympic Arms, etc. About $800 for
a common variant. No need for a collapsible stock.  This will handle social
needs from short range, to a few hundred yards (maybe more).

There are those who recommend a cheaper SKS or AK-47 variant. I've never
owned one, so can't honestly comment. The concensus in rec.guns and
misc.survivalism seems to be that the AR shoots better and more accurately,
but the AK-47 is more forgiving of bad conditions, dirt, etc. Inasmuch as I
don't expect to be in the desert, or even any mud, I'll take the more
accurate piece.

(The notion that the AR-15/M-16 "jams" is based on 35-year-old early
experiences in Viet Nam, using an early design and early ammo. The jamming
problems were fixed quickly, by changing the forward assist, changing the
ammo a little, and teaching soldiers how to properly clean the weapon.)

--Tim May

The Feds have shown their hand: they want a ban on domestic cryptography
---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:----
Timothy C. May              | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money,
ComSec 3DES:   408-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero
W.A.S.T.E.: Corralitos, CA  | knowledge, reputations, information markets,
Higher Power: 2^2,976,221   | black markets, collapse of governments.
"National borders aren't even speed bumps on the information superhighway."