The weapons issue generated some email. For those wondering about the last blog post, I am perfectly aware that the Ruger Mini 14 fires NATO 5.56. The Mini Thirty is the version that is chambered for Russian 7.62. My ignorance was that when I read 7.62, I didn’t realize it was also a Russian round different from NATO 7.62.
I did some checking. The Russian 7.62x39, which can be fired by the Ruger Mini Thirty, was developed after WW2 for the AK-47. It is, in effect, a cut-down version of the Russian 7.62x54 round created in 1891 for the Russian Moisin-Nagant rifle. The NATO 7.62 was developed in the 1950s and is a militarized version of the American.308 cartridge, which was developed from the American.30-06 Springfield cartridge.
Personally, the last firearm I used involved a rubber band and a paperclip.