Diary of a Reformed Democrat

No, not me. Posted by "Breathe_Squeeze" on AR15.com:

I'm not sure how to best put this in words so bear with me please. 

I've been doing some thinking over the last few days on how I have changed in the last year and a half and I figured I would share, as these thoughts/observations may help bring more people to our side. 

First off, some back story. Or "how D's are made" 

I was raised by Democrats. Working dad, stay at home mom, hippy-ish types. At least for the first 12 years. Not hippies but live and let live, to each their own, myob types. I was raised to think this way and taught that this was the fundamental standing of the D philosophy. We weren't into talking politics much other than Republicans were all greedy, dollar worshiping idiots who only cared about themselves and couldn't give a shit about me. And that we were the opposite. Except my lessons that the Government will do what it wants and there's nothing you can do about it, so why bother worrying. Just go about your day. 

Public school education pretty well enforced this and most of my friends and classmates were taught the same. No emphasis on researching or learning anything further on the matter. Instead, subtle pushes to do the opposite, as they were taught by their parents, and they by theirs. This, I believe, is where the D's get their strength. The blind leading the blind and children trusting that their parents are teaching them the right things. As we all trust of our parents growing up. 

I was raised, however, with a love of hunting and shooting. Plinking and target with my father and later on hunting and larger bore firearms with my step-father. My first firearm was a Ruger 10/22 for my 9th Christmas. 

The first 28 years of my life were lead that way. Voting D because I didn't pay attention to the world outside of my little bubble or think that I could change anything if I saw something I didn't like or agree with. I went to work, paid my bills, and enjoyed myself. I've always held strong beliefs about and love for this country and the principles on which it was founded. I just never saw how those were being eroded by the very people I thought were the same as me. 

I caught a bug for black rifles around 2010 and bought one in 2011. 

Then came Newtown and Furer Cuomo's Unsafe Act. WTF?  I'm about to be a criminal overnight? By the swipe of a fucking pen and the changing of a definition? I started paying attention. I woke up. 

Fortunately I was blessed with a very analytical thought process. I just never applied it to this before, I never needed or wanted to. I began reading, here and elsewhere. Learning what I could. I realized that I had been wrong my entire life. My basic beliefs were flawed, some/most outright backwards. I was fucking pissed, enraged.  I had been lied to. I had been suppressed. No more. Unsafe Act, Obummer's try (and fail) at the same on a federal level (I do thank Andy for that though), Obama care, the NSA, the fucking welfare state, National debt, and so much more. 

I've spent the last year and a half doing what I can to open others eyes and point out the false logic they have come to accept as fact. I've realized it takes a soft tough. No one wants to learn what I did. They don't want to know that they've walked through life with blinders on. They resist. It requires small points to be made, subtle suggestions on topics to learn about or small facts to be given. Like the trickle of water that created the grand canyon, just a little at a time until there comes a tipping point and you see the light dawn in someones eyes. 

I make these points to maybe help you, my brothers and sisters, in your efforts to do the same. Having been the person that I'm trying to convert lets me understand them and do so better. 

Or maybe I just needed to get this out, my disgust, my hatred, my realizations and rebirth. I welcome any comments or criticisms but I probably won't check this thread till later tonight or tomorrow as I'm off to work soon. 

A good day to you all and GOD bless.

Link to original. (Edit: I just realized that to see the original you will need to be an AR15.com Team member. However, the OP gave permission to foward his post.)

Welcome to the (less) Dark Side.

Beretta CX-4 Storm Carbine

Lately I've taken a shine to 9mm as a carbine cartridge. It's relatively cheap, easy to find, reloadable, and effective for defense out to at least 50 yards. Plus, it's relatively quiet from a carbine length barrel and has minimal recoil.

A couple months ago I got a TNW Suomi which is a blast to shoot, but weighs 12 lbs. and has a trigger nearly as heavy. Both factors would prevent my wife from ever shooting it, so I went in search of a lighter, more modern alternative. I settled on a Beretta CX-4 Storm in 9mm setup for Beretta 92 (M-9) magazines, and bought one from Bud's Gun Shop last week. I picked it up fro my FFL last Friday and took it to the range Sunday for the first time. I'm very happy with the purchase.

  

It is not obvious from the pic, but I set the rifle up for left side ejection, and left handed safety operation. I'm a southpaw, while my wife and one daughter who shoots are both RH but left eye dominant.

With me I had the two Beretta 15 round mags, plus four Mec-Gar 20 rounders. All worked just fine but I like the longer Mec-Gars a bit better, because they are easier to fully seat, since the base isn't recessed as much in the bottom of the pistol grip.

The gun digested 255 rounds without a hitch: 100 Federal 115 grain FMJ bulk pack, 145 Brown Bear (lacquered steel case) 115 FMJ, and 10 American Eagle 147 grain FMJ-FP loads. I shot at 50 yards and from the bench, I'm able to keep my group inside the black of an SR-1 target. The short sight radius and heavy trigger pull are limiting, IMO. Also, last night I opened up the apertures on the rear sight so that they now provide a ghost ring sight picture. The original factory apertures might tighten my groups a little but they are too small for anything other than target shooting, again IMO.

(I pulled the IDPA target out of the trash to use as a cleaning mat. I didn't shoot it.)

In the second pic above, the long bar under the top half of the gun is the bolt. It uses a telescoping design similar to that of the Uzi. This, combined with the magazine well location in the pistol grip, result in a carbine with an OAL under 30". The short OAL and light weight (under 6 lbs. empty) make it a very handy little gun.

Aside from the trigger it's a real pleasure to shoot. There is well-known hammer mod to reduce the trigger pull but didn't want to tinker with the gun's innards before I tested it.

After I got home I ordered a Bushnell TRS-25 red dot sight from Amazon to go on the Storm. I have a couple TRS-25s on other guns and IMHO, they are the best deal going in an inexpensive micro-RDS. I also have a light mount, rail mount sling loop, and tactical sling on order. Overall, I am very happy with the Storm and look forward to shooting it a lot more.