Drink from the fire hose
The Road to Woodland Brutality
InRangeTV’s Woodland Brutality and Midnight Brutality are physically demanding 2-gun action shooting matches taking place in the wilderness of West Virginia. Woodland Brutality is a test of endurance squeezing seven full stages into one match day, and Midnight Brutality will be four more of the same, only this time after dark. I’ll be taking on the task of doing both matches in the same day, with Midnight starting just hours after Woodland wraps for the day. Here, I’ll be going over my kit, plans, and predictions for the match.
Medium Format and the Mamiya RB67
So, you’ve been bitten by the grain bug and you caught the film photography disease. Congratulations, and my condolences. At some point 35mm, as ubiquitous and fun as it is, may not be enough anymore. You may start to crave the extra detail, sharpness, and razor thin depth of field that only medium format can provide.
Photography Part 1: Green Lakes State Park
Green Lakes State Park is a beautiful spot located in Fayetteville NY. It's home to two incredible lakes formed by melt water from ancient glaciers. Due to the surrounding hillsides the light from the sun hits the lakes at such and angle to make the water appear a translucent green color, which is what gives the park its name. I spent my third and fourth rolls of film on a day trip here with my buddy Dan.
Custom DNC Parka and a Brief History of Raid Mods
The US Night Desert craze started seemingly out of nowhere in 2018. Growing nostalgia (for lack of a better term) and interest in Operation Desert Storm led to the re-discovery of the Desert Night Camouflage (DNC) parka and pants issued to ground troops during the conflict. The pattern was funky, short lived, and had an interesting history, so naturally it started to become popular. How did a comically oversized jacket with no liner or pockets skyrocket in price? Because the pattern is neat. Here I’ll go over my custom DNC parka and share some history on “raid mod” uniforms.
Photography Series Pt. 0
This is the start of a series where I learn the ins and outs of film photography. By no means do I consider myself a photographer, nor do I claim to be any good at anything I show here. That being said it seems like it’s going to be an interesting journey, so I’d like to take you along for the ride.
Steal That Look: Norway in the Cold War
Recently, I was doing some research on the Heckler & Koch G3 rifle. From there I found the AG3 or Avtomatgevaer 3, which is Norway's designation for the G3 rifle. What really got my attention was a picture I saw that looked like it was taken some time in the early to mid Cold War, maybe late 60's. The part I found interesting was not the subject matter, but that the picture was actually from the mid 90's!
Fumbling Around with C++: Searchable Inventory
Picture this: you’re wiring a new set of fog lights into your mad Lancer Evo, and you need 8 inches or yellow 16 gauge wire. But, disaster! You only have 6 inches, so now you have to drop what you’re doing and go buy more, or use a different color (thus ruining your color coordination and, by extension, your resale value). Petty, non-issue “problems” like this could be a thing of the past if only you had spent weeks of your life creating a terminal-style program that manages all your parts inventory and maintenance schedules, right? Of course. Let’s build it.
Cast Iron II: The one where John McClane drives a motorcycle into a helicopter
This is a sort of “lessons learned” or after-action report that will serve as an addendum and follow-up to the cast iron article. I haven’t changed my procedure as much as refined it, so all the advice in the previous article still stands. The big takeaway is to use the thermal mass of your pan to your advantage.
Buttermilk Biscuits
The fastest and most low-effort bread I have yet to make. These crispy, fluffy, salty, buttery biscuits blow bland pre-made offerings out of the water twenty times over. The hardest part is grating some frozen butter on a box grater. Why? I’ll show you.
The CS95 Windproof Smock
Rain coat, windbreaker, fall jacket, Bag of Holding. The British CS95 Windproof Smock is all of these things and more. Derived from a popular design from the Second World War, the windproof smock still sees military service today, and remains extremely popular in civilian circles. The smock is a product of the dismal weather of the British Isles, and is as much of a symbol of its homeland as the L85 or Aston Martin.
EDC: What it is and What I Carry
Every Day Carry. It is, quite simply, the things you carry every day. The truth is, everyone has things they always carry with them, but when discussed in the context of “an EDC” or “my EDC,” people are generally referring to a refined selection of items that is often more multifaceted than what most people would bother to carry daily in an attempt to be prepared for a wide variety of situations.
Top Notch Lemonade: Fast and Easy
Quick: You want a glass of lemonade, but you don’t want to make a whole batch, and you especially don’t want to put on pants to go out and buy six more lemons to do so. Never fear, because if you have a passable home bar setup and a couple leftover lemons from Tom Collins night last night, you have a cool glass of quality lemonade already sitting on the counter. Some assembly required.
Seasoning Cast Iron
Guides and recommendations abound online and through word of mouth on how to season and care for a cast iron pan. An opinion about protection and use comes packaged with every piece of cast iron cookware, and everyone has their own spin on the basics. Here, I’ll present my own preferences and hopefully dispel a few myths or misconceptions about cast iron pans. Stick around for a bonus feature on cast iron tea pots at the end.
Russian Plum
The Soviet Union and countries using their leftover Cold War era gear have a reputation for strangely colored furniture and magazines. Orange Bakelite magazines are relatively common and well known, but a more interesting and debated example is the mystifying purple hue of Russian Plum.
South African Pattern 83
The South African Pattern 83 gear is a scalable load bearing system used by the South African Defense Force in various bush wars all around southern Africa. Made of tough water resistant cordura fabric, Pattern 83 consists of a chest rig, “battle jacket” assault vest, and the “grootsak” rucksack. This gear is versatile, adaptable, and perfect for campers, hikers, bushwackers, hunters, competitive shooters, and Bush War enthusiasts alike.
Night Desert Reversible Parka
The US Night Desert Reversible Parka is a flexible three-season garment used by US special forces in the Persian Gulf War and beyond. The main pattern is US 3 Color Desert, with US Desert Night on the “inside” shell to disrupt image intensifiers during low light use. This jacket is perfect for anyone looking for an all-weather 3 season outer shell, NAVSPECWARCOM fanboys, and anyone looking to defeat first generation Soviet night vision.