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| Remington 1100 TAC 4 |
--And no pumping required! Hey, I'm old!
Remington 1100 TAC 4
I am liking the look of the Remington 1100 TAC 4. I think this guy has to go on the want list. This shotgun was mentioned by a commenter in my post about the Beretta Tx4 12 ga. I started looking for one and finally saw one. It holds nine shots, has a 22 inch barrel, polymer stock and lots of stocks and other after market upgrades are available.
A pistol grip is even available. So maybe I won't cut down my model 11. What can I say, I like pistol grip shotguns!! At $760 street price, it goes on the Want List!!
--And no pumping required! Hey, I'm old!
--And no pumping required! Hey, I'm old!
Primitive Weapons
A friend of mine is a big time SCA Archer. The SCA is the Society for Creative Anachronism. Basically they are a bunch of beer drinkers with a history problem.
It's been like 15 or 20 years since I have done any real archery. I did OK. I shot about 200 arrows and didn't miss the target. I was using a 30 pound long bow. Some folks had crossbows too. Big fun.
I will be buying a decent bow this summer. Maybe even do some bow hunting this fall.
--"Gentle Archer ages old, release the aim, free the goal..."
Obama Administration Fires ATF Whistleblower
By Maxim Lott
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is being accused of retaliating against an agent who helped publicize the agency’s role in allowing thousands of guns to cross the U.S. border and fall into the hands of Mexican drug gangs.
The agent, Vince Cefalu, who has spoken out about the ATF's so-called "Project Gunrunner" scandal, says he was served with termination papers just last week, and he calls the move politically motivated.
“Aside from Jay Dobyns, I don't know of anyone that's been more vocal about ATF mismanagement than me,” said Cefalu, a senior special agent based in Dublin, Calif. “That's why this is happening.” Dobyns, an ATF special agent based in Tucson, has appeared several times on Fox News to discuss the scandal.
Cefalu first told FoxNews.com about the ATF’s embattled anti-gun smuggling operation in December, before the first reports on the story appeared in February. “Simply put, we knowingly let hundreds of guns and dozens of identified bad guys go across the border,” Cefalu said at the time.
Since then, Cefalu’s claims have been vindicated, as a number of agents with first-hand knowledge of the case came forward. The scandal over Project Gunrunner led to congressional hearings, a presidential reprimand – Obama called the operation “a serious mistake” – and speculation that ATF chief Ken Melson will resign.
Yet last week, Cefalu, who has worked for the agency for 24 years, was forced to turn in his gun and badge. He can appeal but will be on “paid administrative leave” during the process.
--The ATF has to go. In total.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is being accused of retaliating against an agent who helped publicize the agency’s role in allowing thousands of guns to cross the U.S. border and fall into the hands of Mexican drug gangs.
The agent, Vince Cefalu, who has spoken out about the ATF's so-called "Project Gunrunner" scandal, says he was served with termination papers just last week, and he calls the move politically motivated.
“Aside from Jay Dobyns, I don't know of anyone that's been more vocal about ATF mismanagement than me,” said Cefalu, a senior special agent based in Dublin, Calif. “That's why this is happening.” Dobyns, an ATF special agent based in Tucson, has appeared several times on Fox News to discuss the scandal.
Cefalu first told FoxNews.com about the ATF’s embattled anti-gun smuggling operation in December, before the first reports on the story appeared in February. “Simply put, we knowingly let hundreds of guns and dozens of identified bad guys go across the border,” Cefalu said at the time.
Since then, Cefalu’s claims have been vindicated, as a number of agents with first-hand knowledge of the case came forward. The scandal over Project Gunrunner led to congressional hearings, a presidential reprimand – Obama called the operation “a serious mistake” – and speculation that ATF chief Ken Melson will resign.
Yet last week, Cefalu, who has worked for the agency for 24 years, was forced to turn in his gun and badge. He can appeal but will be on “paid administrative leave” during the process.
--The ATF has to go. In total.
Blog Roll Updates
So I guess ALL would be the first announcement.
Most recently however I have added:
- Black Sunday Society
- 18 Wheels and a 1911
- In Search of the Tempestuous Sea
- Barrel Smoke
- In Jennifer's Head
- Rocks in a Sea of Chaos
- Insert Witty Title Here
- Excels at Nothing
--I will keep track better in a future. Thanks guys for keeping me informed and amused!
Wikipedia and Guns
The Anti-gun crowd is apparently trying to delete, deface, re-write and bullshit the world via Wikipedia.
"The neutrality of this article is disputed." appears again and again when it comes to the topic of firearms and Gun Control. Positive depictions of firearms and their use as a tool for peace and negative depictions of anti-gun efforts are under constant revision by the anti's.
Revisionist history is a very popular past time of the anti-gun crowd. Even with the articles that describe their own organizations. Looking at the discussion sections of pages cracks me up. Even the Brady Campaign page has a Discuss section that is a hoot.
--There are massive gun resources in there. I should spend more time there.
Quotes of the Week
Every week as I am stumbling around the Internet I see some quotes that I like. I collect them and post them in a weekly roundup.
"If guns kill people then spoons made Rosie O'Donnell fat."
--Anonymous
“It was a pleasant cafe, warm and clean and friendly, and I hung up my old water-proof on the coat rack to dry and put my worn and weathered felt hat on the rack above the bench and ordered a cafe au lait. The waiter brought it and I took out a notebook from the pocket of the coat and a pencil and started to write.”
--Ernest Hemingway
--Ernest Hemingway
"By the time a man realizes that maybe his father was right, he usually has a son who thinks he's wrong."
--Charles Wadsworth
--Charles Wadsworth
"Scorn pain: either it will go away or you will."
--Seneca
Family
The SWAT Team in Denver CO use to use them for hostage training. In two years they never saved a hostage. Most of the time all the SWAT guys would get killed.
My brother told me the secret was, "Keep moving and you simply cannot care if you live or die. That is the secret to paintball. It's a superpower."
Paintball is a great way to have fun with your kids. It's a great way to stay fit. It makes you get up off the couch and go outside! You can develop skills and tactics. You can bond with friends and family. "It's way more fun than bowling!"
--But most of all it's a great way to meet interesting people, and kill them!
I want this knife!
Inside the magazine in the handle is:
- compartment door is a diamond hone
- a Leatherman Micro
- a magnesium and flint fire starter
- a needle for sewing
- a length of synthetic sinew for snares, fishing, sewing, a bow string etc.
- fish hooks
- it has capacity for a .45 round
- and a flashlight is on the lanyard.
Mark Knapp has more pics here.
--I hope it is a quality knife. Not a cheesy Rambo style Survival Knife. I have enough of those!
My New Slim Grips
I have come a long way with this gun. I still call it "The Biter" even though it no longer bites me after a small custom hammer mod.
I also had a run of trouble with the gun jamming a lot on me. Even after a 500 round break in period. A couple runs to the gun smith and some new quality magazines and it's now several hundred rounds jam free.
Once it was running like a top I got a quality, inside the waistband, holster and I started to carry it a lot. It holds a single stack, 6 +1 of .45 ACP goodness.
My most recent upgrade is a set of replacement slim grips from VZ Grips. They are half the thickness of the original wooden grips, they look good, have a nice texture, they're durable and were easy to install.
--I need a range visit soon to see if it shoots any different!!
ATF director to resign over gun-running operation, agency sources say
WASHINGTON - The acting director of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives is expected to step down because of a controversial gun-running investigation that allowed weapons to be sold to suspected agents of Mexican drug cartels, according to two sources inside the agency.
Kenneth Melson’s resignation, which could happen as early as this week, is the most significant repercussion yet from a growing public outcry over the "Fast and Furious" operation, under which ATF agents watched while straw purchasers acquired more than 1,700 AK-47s and other high-powered rifles from Arizona gun dealers and delivered them to others.
Hundreds of the weapons turned up at crime scenes in Mexico and the United States, including in southern Arizona last December when a Border Patrol agent was shot to death.
--Scapegoat. Why the hell is this not the leading story on the news? Sheesh.
Kenneth Melson’s resignation, which could happen as early as this week, is the most significant repercussion yet from a growing public outcry over the "Fast and Furious" operation, under which ATF agents watched while straw purchasers acquired more than 1,700 AK-47s and other high-powered rifles from Arizona gun dealers and delivered them to others.
Hundreds of the weapons turned up at crime scenes in Mexico and the United States, including in southern Arizona last December when a Border Patrol agent was shot to death.
--Scapegoat. Why the hell is this not the leading story on the news? Sheesh.
The Rules: A partial list
I have over the years compiled a series of Rules that I try to use to live my life. Some are funny, some were hard to learn, some were a joy to realize and some even involve guns.
This is the random list in Alpha order:
Act as though it were impossible to fail.
Admit your mistakes.
Always carry a Swiss army knife.
Always have a plan B.
Always remember the four rules of firearms
Always respond right away when someone writes to you.
Always take an outstretched hand.
Always Vote.
Always wear seat belts.
Be a good listener.
Be a leader.
Be decisive. Even if it means you'll be wrong sometimes.
Be loyal.
Be modest.
Be organized.
Be polite.
Be positive and enthusiastic.
Be prepared.
Be quick to praise, slow to criticize.
Be romantic.
Be there for your friends and family in time of need.
Call your Mother, she misses you.
Consider the worst case scenario now and then and prepare for it.
Don't badmouth people behind their backs.
Don't be afraid to tell someone you love them.
Don't buy cheap tools.
Don't carry a grudge.
Don't discuss salaries with your coworkers.
Don't envy.
Don't fear death, only dying.
Don't gamble. (except friendly poker)
Don't interrupt.
Don't leave the toilet seat up, even at home.
Don't lie to yourself.
Don't make sarcastic remarks.
Don't nag.
Don't Panic.
Don't procrastinate.
Don't put up with racism from anyone.
Don't smoke.
Don't try to top other peoples stories.
Don't wish for yourself when throwing a coin into a fountian.
Drink skim milk.
Every day listen to some music you like.
Every day look for a small way you can improve your marriage.
Every now and then, dance the razors edge.
Every season, spend some time in a forest.
Every so often push your luck.
Give people a second chance, but not a third.
Honor other peoples beliefs.
Honor Police Officers and Firemen.
Honor Teachers.
Honor the elderly.
Honor tradition, yours and others.
Honor your parents.
Keep a journal, a life worth living is worth recording.
Keep an escape route open.
Keep it simple.
Keep secrets.
Keep several irons in the fire.
Keep your overhead low.
Know how to drive a motorcycle.
Know how to drive a stick shift.
Know how to throw a baseball.
Know how to type.
Laugh often.
Learn about other peoples beliefs.
Learn the general history of mankind.
Learn to grill, make stew, chili and breakfast.
Learn to handle all kinds of firearms safely.
Learn to listen.
Learn to live beneath your means.
Learn to maintain your own car.
Learn to make something beautiful with your hands.
Learn to play a musical instrument.
Learn to speak at least one foreign language.
Make long and short term goals.
Marry only for Love.
Measure people by the jokes they find funny.
Measure twice, cut once.
Moderation in all things, except Love and Justice.
Never buy another house without a fireplace.
Never cheat.
Never cut what can be untied.
Never forget your anniversary.
Never loan a lot money to a friend, you may lose both.
Never trust a politician.
Opertunity sometimes knocks very softy.
Own a good dictionary.
Own a good shotgun, handgun and rifle.
Own a great sofa, stereo and TV system.
Own a large library.
Pay your bills on time.
Read every day.
Read the Bill of Rights.
Read to children.
Relax.
Remember peoples names.
Return borrowed vehicles with the gas tank full.
Return everything you borrow, promptly.
Say "please" a lot.
Say "thank you" a lot.
Say what you mean and mean what you say.
Slow dance.
Stay in good physical shape.
Study the martial arts and their phylosophies.
Suprise loved ones with unexpected gifts.
Treat people the way you want to be treated.
Watch the sunrise now and then.
What is honored in your heart will be cultivated there.
When someone hugs you, let them be the first to let go.
Write at least one novel.
--Let me know if you have Rules you live by.
This is the random list in Alpha order:Act as though it were impossible to fail.
Admit your mistakes.
Always carry a Swiss army knife.
Always have a plan B.
Always remember the four rules of firearms
Always respond right away when someone writes to you.
Always take an outstretched hand.
Always Vote.
Always wear seat belts.
Be a good listener.
Be a leader.
Be decisive. Even if it means you'll be wrong sometimes.
Be loyal.
Be modest.
Be organized.
Be polite.
Be positive and enthusiastic.
Be prepared.
Be quick to praise, slow to criticize.
Be romantic.
Be there for your friends and family in time of need.
Call your Mother, she misses you.
Consider the worst case scenario now and then and prepare for it.
Don't badmouth people behind their backs.
Don't be afraid to tell someone you love them.
Don't buy cheap tools.
Don't carry a grudge.
Don't discuss salaries with your coworkers.
Don't envy.
Don't fear death, only dying.
Don't gamble. (except friendly poker)
Don't interrupt.
Don't leave the toilet seat up, even at home.
Don't lie to yourself.
Don't make sarcastic remarks.
Don't nag.
Don't Panic.
Don't procrastinate.
Don't put up with racism from anyone.
Don't smoke.
Don't try to top other peoples stories.
Don't wish for yourself when throwing a coin into a fountian.
Drink skim milk.
Every day listen to some music you like.
Every day look for a small way you can improve your marriage.
Every now and then, dance the razors edge.
Every season, spend some time in a forest.
Every so often push your luck.
Give people a second chance, but not a third.
Honor other peoples beliefs.
Honor Police Officers and Firemen.
Honor Teachers.
Honor the elderly.
Honor tradition, yours and others.
Honor your parents.
Keep a journal, a life worth living is worth recording.
Keep an escape route open.
Keep it simple.
Keep secrets.
Keep several irons in the fire.
Keep your overhead low.
Know how to drive a motorcycle.
Know how to drive a stick shift.
Know how to throw a baseball.
Know how to type.
Laugh often.
Learn about other peoples beliefs.
Learn the general history of mankind.
Learn to grill, make stew, chili and breakfast.
Learn to handle all kinds of firearms safely.
Learn to listen.
Learn to live beneath your means.
Learn to maintain your own car.
Learn to make something beautiful with your hands.
Learn to play a musical instrument.
Learn to speak at least one foreign language.
Make long and short term goals.
Marry only for Love.
Measure people by the jokes they find funny.
Measure twice, cut once.
Moderation in all things, except Love and Justice.
Never buy another house without a fireplace.
Never cheat.
Never cut what can be untied.
Never forget your anniversary.
Never loan a lot money to a friend, you may lose both.
Never trust a politician.
Opertunity sometimes knocks very softy.
Own a good dictionary.
Own a good shotgun, handgun and rifle.
Own a great sofa, stereo and TV system.
Own a large library.
Pay your bills on time.
Read every day.
Read the Bill of Rights.
Read to children.
Relax.
Remember peoples names.
Return borrowed vehicles with the gas tank full.
Return everything you borrow, promptly.
Say "please" a lot.
Say "thank you" a lot.
Say what you mean and mean what you say.
Slow dance.
Stay in good physical shape.
Study the martial arts and their phylosophies.
Suprise loved ones with unexpected gifts.
Treat people the way you want to be treated.
Watch the sunrise now and then.
What is honored in your heart will be cultivated there.
When someone hugs you, let them be the first to let go.
Write at least one novel.
--Let me know if you have Rules you live by.
Beretta Tx4 Storm 12ga Tactical Shotgun
While I was at the NRA convention this year I had the chance to handle the Beretta Tx4 Storm 12ga Tactical Shotgun. I actually did not get a chance to speak with a rep about the shotgun at the time. I liked the feel. The features (sights, 18"barrel, stock) were good, but when I cam home to research it a bit I confess I was disappointed.
First and foremost is the price tag: $1,450. Oh the Humanity!! That ticket price was about $725 too high for what I was holding. This is not fancy firearm. It has a simple synthetic stock, and standard gas operated semi-auto. It holds only 5 rounds. It suffers from import restrictions so there will be no sweet after market goodness. No mag extensions, no stock variations, no pistol grips.
--Go buy three Remington 870s in stead...
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| Beretta Tx4 Storm 12ga Tactical Shotgun |
--Go buy three Remington 870s in stead...
Movie: True Grit
First of all, let's be clear up front, I love True Grit with John Wayne. It may be my favorite John Wayne movie. I watched it often with my wife's father. Well, I watched while he slept in the recliner. Please know that I will not be comparing the two movies.
The Internet Movie Firearms Database Lists the following guns in this movie:
- Colt Dragoon
- Colt 1851 Navy
- Winchester Model 1873
- Single Action Army
- Winchester 1866 "Yellowboy"
- Henry 1860
- 12 Gauge Double Barreled Shotgun
- Sharps 1874 Cavalry Carbine
- Remington 1875
The Miller Rating = 7 of 10
--That eyepatch really brought that room together. Did it not?
Happy Fathers Day
I wanted to just take a minute and wish all the fathers out there a happy Fathers Day.
My own dad died in 2005. I still miss him.
--If you still have your dad in this world, make sure you call him today. He wants to hear from you.
Quotes of the Week
Every week as I am stumbling around the Internet I see some quotes that I like. I collect them and post them in a weekly roundup.
"A lawyer with his briefcase can steal more than a hundred men with guns. "
"A lawyer with his briefcase can steal more than a hundred men with guns. "
--Mario Puzo
"Growing up in eastern Kentucky like I did, I'm used to having a few guns around to protect me. "
--Loretta Lynn
"Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of Congress; but I repeat myself."
--Mark Twain
Jayne: "How's it sit? Pretty cunning, don'tchya think?"
Kaylee: "I think it's the sweetest hat ever."
Book: "Makes a statement."
Jayne: "Yeah, yeah!"
Wash: "A man walks down the street in that hat, people know he's not afraid of anything."
Jayne: "Damn straight."
--Firefly
Kaylee: "I think it's the sweetest hat ever."
Book: "Makes a statement."
Jayne: "Yeah, yeah!"
Wash: "A man walks down the street in that hat, people know he's not afraid of anything."
Jayne: "Damn straight."
--Firefly
I need some land, dammit.
A nice cozy place full of books, rice, beans and Spam where we can quietly sit out the Killer Robot Uprising.
The $50 & Up Underground House Book
This book has the right idea.
Needs the right spot. It looks like it would be fun to create and conceal. Add a bit of solar power and we have a winner!
--Can be made so it's not only concealed but nicely bullet resistant!
The Bullet List
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| The Bucket List -With Guns! |
It got me thinking about a shooting goal list. I already had one in my head that was seperate from my want list. All I needed to do was to document it! I even came up with the name: The Bullet List
- Hit a one meter target at a thousand meters.
- Learn to reload and set up a reloading bench
- Have a range of my own
- Get a deer with my .44mag handgun
- Design and build a remote sentry
- Fire an M2 on full auto
- Fire a Chain Gun, full auto, Terminator 2 style
- Fire a full auto 12 ga shotgun
- Introduce 100 individuals to shooting (current count is 31)
- Build a quality, beautiful, muzzle loader pistol and rifle
- Attend more formal, practical, shooting classes
--I hope I will be updating it as often as my Want List!
"The Day I'll Join the NRA"
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| Ted |
AN OPEN LETTER TO TED NUGENT: "THE DAY I'LL JOIN THE NRA"
By Aaron Zelman, Founder and Director of Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership.
Ted, the day I’ll join the NRA is…
1. When the NRA announces, from the rooftops, that the police have NO LEGAL DUTY to protect the average American citizen. Time after time, our courts have upheld this.
2. When the NRA aggressively presses to abolish all concealed carry permit laws.
3. When the NRA calls for the complete and unconditional disbanding of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (BATFE).
4. When the NRA soundly condemns, and works tirelessly to abolish, the “Gun Control Act of 1968”.
5. When the NRA quits kowtowing to authoritarian police bureaucrats and takes a no compromise stand against the increasing paramilitarization of our local and State law enforcement agencies.
6. When the NRA assertively speaks to our active duty military personnel and respectfully (but emphatically) reminds them that any disarming of innocent Americans is a blatant and evil breach of their oath to uphold and protect our Constitution.
7. When the NRA forcefully and persistently brings up the uncontestable fact that every major genocide of the 20th Century was preceded by “gun control” policies.
8. When the NRA honestly and accurately “grades” politicians for their real position on the Second Amendment.
Aaron really hammers these points home. All members and board trusties need to hear this message. Hopefully Ted is reading it to them. I think I may have to look at each one in greater detail and post about them individually.
--I am an NRA Member. I believe I will apply pressure on these same issues from within.
Gun Give-Aways
Everyone likes free stuff. They keep a nice list of Contest Give-Aways over at The Weapon Blog.
Here is just one example:
"Yup. You heard us right. Guns.com is giving away a brand new XD(M). What are the specs on the new XD(M)? Guns.com doesn't even know, it is that secretive. The good people over at Springfield Armory will be releasing the new XD(M) very soon and we are happy to be able to give one lucky Guns.com member the chance to get their hands on one of the first, soon to be released, semi-automatic pistols."
--Sometimes Freedom IS Free!!
Here is just one example:
"Yup. You heard us right. Guns.com is giving away a brand new XD(M). What are the specs on the new XD(M)? Guns.com doesn't even know, it is that secretive. The good people over at Springfield Armory will be releasing the new XD(M) very soon and we are happy to be able to give one lucky Guns.com member the chance to get their hands on one of the first, soon to be released, semi-automatic pistols."
 | |
| XD-M Contest |
--Sometimes Freedom IS Free!!
Renewing My Concealed Carry Permit
I like to actually stop in at the courthouse and renew in person. I have been in there lots of times so when I got there I knew enough to leave my knives in the car. But this time I discovered that my cell phone was now forbidden. Specifically cell phones with a camera or recording ability.
Hmmm...
Five minutes, and $50 later I was swearing on a stack of mothers graves that I will behave. Quick and easy. The clerk was a classic southern bell. She called me "Darlin". Called everyone, Darlin.
I asked, "How long until the new permit arrives in the mail?"
She answered, "Well the law says you have to have it in 45 days or less. Darlin, if you don't have it in 21 days, you just give me a call." She gave me her card, a free trigger lock and a smile that wouldn't quit.
--I love Virginia.
Shooting Skills Enhancement Course
I have been considering taking the course detailed below. Has anyone ever taken this class? Any classes from the Silver Eagle Group?
Shooting Skills Enhancement Course
Course description:
This will be a four week, 8-session pistol enhancement training course. The shooter will leave here both confident and proficient in handling and manipulating their weapon system, with the skillset to back that up. Our trainers will take shooters from all levels and turn them into smarter, well rounded practitioners.
The course is designed around the natural progression of each individual student. During the training, students will learn to develop the fundamentals of shooting and master the mechanical manipulation of their firearm. Students will learn safety, fundamental manipulation, ballistics, round placement, target acquisition and more.
Once grounded in the fundamentals, students will progress to more dynamic shooting techniques. They will be taught speed reloads, stress shooting, problem solving, dynamic movements and immediate action drills. Through this progression, the student will become a self-confident, knowledgeable shooter. By the end of our course, you will be capable of analyzing situations, solving problems and placing rounds where they need to go, in any situation.
Course dates & times: Tuesdays and Thursdays starting July 5 – July 28 from 5:45 PM – 7:45 PM
Instructor:Paul Sweeney
Paul retired as a Master Sergeant from the United States Marine Corps after twenty years of service as a Force Reconnaissance Marine. Through his extensive operational and training experience, Paul has achieved the ranks of Master Training Specialist, certified by the US Marine Corps. He has designed, implemented and instructed both tactics and firearms training programs for the Maine Corps, the Naval Expeditionary Combat Command, Federal and Local Law Enforcement Agencies, Special Operations Units and civilians.
Round Count: 400 total for the 4-week course
Required Materials: Handgun, ammo, holster, and two extra magazines with a magazine holster. You may bring your own. Items also available for rent or purchase at Silver Eagle Group.
This course includes eye & ear protection but you may bring your own.
Course Length: 16 Hours Total
Quotes of the Week
"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse."
--John Stuart Mill
"Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learnt something from yesterday."
~John Wayne
"If someone comes to kill you, arise quickly and kill him."
-- Talmudic law
"Sin lies only in hurting other people unnecessarily. All other "sins" are invented nonsense."
-Lazarus Long (RAH)
-Lazarus Long (RAH)
"Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans. "
--John Lennon
--John Lennon
"Happiness is a warm gun..."
--John Lennon
"And what would humans be without love?"
"Rare" said Death"
-- Terry Pratchett (Sourcery)
My Story
Jennifer started a ball rolling...
I was born in 1959 in farm country of Western NY.
I knew every family for five miles in every direction. Every house had guns in them. How did I know that? Because I saw them. They were not squirreled away. They were over the fireplace, leaning in corners, in tool chests in garages, on shelves in basements and in a lot of closets.
My whole life there was a double barrel shotgun hanging over the kitchen door with ammo. We knew what dangerous meant. I believed my parents when they told me what was dangerous. I remember a demonstration my father performed with a ripe melon and a shotgun at around 5 years old.
By the time I was 10 years old I was hunting rabbits for my father. They were pests on our farm.
Guns were tools where I grew up. They were not demonized. During deer hunting season half the trucks in the parking lot at my high school would have shotguns in old style window gunracks. Even the teachers.
My elementary school had a rifle range in the basement under the gym. Gun safety and target shooting was a class in gym.
I bought my first gun in the early 1980's. It was a Smith&Wesson Model 539, 9mm. It was the hay days of the 9mm. Miami vice was on the TV and the gun shops were full of 9mm's.
A Mossberg 500 and a Ruger Mini-14 quickly followed. A classic three gun system. That turned to a five gun system with a Ruger 10/22 and a Ruger Mark II. I needed a long range rifle next and got a Savage 110FP.
All those purchases and shooting was in the 1980's. I watched the the ramp up to the Assault Weapons Ban happening. I paid a lot for a pile of 30 round mags and later a second Mini-14. (2 is 1)
Oddly enough I bought my first suppressed firearm during the Assault Weapons Ban.
In the years that followed I have taken many people to the range for the first time, bought more guns, got married a couple of times, had two great kids, had the honor of teaching them safety, respect and the enjoyment of firearms, and eventually started this blog in June 2008.
This blog has been and continues to be fun. Through it I have met some of the best people I know. They are not a crazy violent lot like some want you to think. They are real men and women, they can be funny, kind, honorable, intelligent and noble. I am honored to call some friends, in the real world.
--I even found a new Mom!
I was born in 1959 in farm country of Western NY.
I knew every family for five miles in every direction. Every house had guns in them. How did I know that? Because I saw them. They were not squirreled away. They were over the fireplace, leaning in corners, in tool chests in garages, on shelves in basements and in a lot of closets.
My whole life there was a double barrel shotgun hanging over the kitchen door with ammo. We knew what dangerous meant. I believed my parents when they told me what was dangerous. I remember a demonstration my father performed with a ripe melon and a shotgun at around 5 years old.
By the time I was 10 years old I was hunting rabbits for my father. They were pests on our farm.
Guns were tools where I grew up. They were not demonized. During deer hunting season half the trucks in the parking lot at my high school would have shotguns in old style window gunracks. Even the teachers.
I bought my first gun in the early 1980's. It was a Smith&Wesson Model 539, 9mm. It was the hay days of the 9mm. Miami vice was on the TV and the gun shops were full of 9mm's.
A Mossberg 500 and a Ruger Mini-14 quickly followed. A classic three gun system. That turned to a five gun system with a Ruger 10/22 and a Ruger Mark II. I needed a long range rifle next and got a Savage 110FP.
All those purchases and shooting was in the 1980's. I watched the the ramp up to the Assault Weapons Ban happening. I paid a lot for a pile of 30 round mags and later a second Mini-14. (2 is 1)
Oddly enough I bought my first suppressed firearm during the Assault Weapons Ban.
In the years that followed I have taken many people to the range for the first time, bought more guns, got married a couple of times, had two great kids, had the honor of teaching them safety, respect and the enjoyment of firearms, and eventually started this blog in June 2008.
This blog has been and continues to be fun. Through it I have met some of the best people I know. They are not a crazy violent lot like some want you to think. They are real men and women, they can be funny, kind, honorable, intelligent and noble. I am honored to call some friends, in the real world.
--I even found a new Mom!
Keeping Stock
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| My computer wallpaper! |
I sort my rounds into primary and secondary stock. My primary stock I keep in stock in volume. Secondary stock I only keep a few hundred rounds in each caliber.
Here is my spread:
Primary: I buy in bulk, sometimes from the Internet, usually at gun shows, and I shoot these cals a lot.
9mm, .40, .45 ACP, .22LR, .223, .308, 12 ga
Secondary: I have guns in these cals but don't keep ammo in bulk for these.
.25acp, .380, .38, .38spl, .357, .44mag, 20 ga
I like to keep my primary stock rotated. I also keep my mags full at rest. I have never had a problem with spring fatigue. I never have enough mags, in any cal.
--I never have enough ammo.
Bull Run Regional Park Shooting Center
Andy over at The Tempestuous Sea got me looking at my bookmarks. One of the ones I found buried in there to send over to him was for Bull Run Regional Park Shooting Center.
Here is a quick blurb from their website:
"Bull Run Shooting Center offers 5 different shotgun games that are fun and exciting for new or experienced shooters of all ages. Our Learn-To-Shoot class, which is required for new shooters to our range, is affordable and fun. Certified instructors are available for experienced shooters who want to improve their scores. The shooting center is open year-round and features a pro-shop for shotgun reloading supplies, ammunition and more. Rental guns are available."
It has excellent archery ranges too! One of the best things about it is the that the costs are so cheap. Here is a list of current pricing, all subject to change:
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--I love the fact that this is a Prince William County Park. I love Virginia!!
NoVA Guide to Guns
"This page is provided as a quick resource for firearms and shooting information in Northern Virginia. If you find something is incorrect or feel there is information that could be added, feel free to leave a comment or contact me. If you have questions about terms and observations, please feel free to ask. If you have a review and would like me to link to it, also drop me a line."
I will have to sort though my half assed bookmarks and sift out some gunny goodness to send over to him!
Send him updates if you have info to add!
--This is a great idea!
The Lucky Gunner Shoot
There has been a lot of conversation regarding the "Ammo Waitresses". For an event like this the idea of someone to help out along the line is wonderful.
When I saw the pics of the Ammo Waitresses I did not expect to see normal attire.
I was expecting the kind of "helpers" that exist in specialty shooting ranges found just outside of Las Vegas. Or even like Tilted Kilt.
I for one am totally cool with it.
My wife says, had she been there, she would probably have been more comfortable being helped by these girls. I say "girls" because they remind me of my daughter!
Good job ladies. Excellent marketing Lucky Gunner!
--Man, I love Capitalism! And guns, and women. I wonder if there was bacon there?
Movie: Strange Days
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| Loretta "Mace" Mason (Angela Bassett) and her SIG-Sauer P226. |
The Miller Rating: 6 of 10
I would have probably have given it a higher rating back in 1995.
It's odd to watch a Sci-Fi movie about New Years Eve 2000 that was made in the early 1990's. The Technology was bad but the movie had a ton of good guns.
It also had the smokin, super hot, fit, sexy, Angela Bassett as Loretta "Mace" Mason.
From the Internet Movie Firearms Database:
- 1 Colt Python
- 2 Heckler & Koch MP5A3
- 3 Beretta 92FS
- 4 Beretta 92FS Inox
- 5 Glock 23
- 6 Glock 17
- 7 Mossberg 500 Mariner
- 8 M16A1
- 9 SIG-Sauer P226
- 10 Smith & Wesson 659
- 11 OA-93
- 12 Browning M2
- 13 M1911A1
- 14 Smith & Wesson 459
- 15 Sphinx AT380
- 16 Unidentified AK-47 variant
- 17 Unidentified Revolver
--Angela Basset was so beautiful in this movie. Great arms and legs!
Gun Story
My grandfather was a postman on the railroad. He would go to work and get on a train that would collect mail bags all along the way and they would sort the mail on the train.
It was classic snatching mail bags, with hooks, as the train rolls and the bags fly by. Kicking other bags out onto the platforms.
It was an excellent job. He was lucky during the Great Depression to remained fully employed. My grand parents also had a farm with orchards and gardens. He greatest asset was my grandmother. She basically ran the 250 acre farm herself. It was easy to hire farm hands back then.
Anyway, my grandfather always carried a gun for work. Train robbers were real back then. My father told me that it was a Smith &Wesson .32 cal. He strapped it on every morning.
When my grandfather died suddenly in 1966 no one thought about the gun. When my Grandmother died the year after and the estate was distributed the gun was no where to be found.
Out of the blue in 1991 my dad gets a call from the current owners of my grandparents house. They were renovating. They found a classic loose floor board in the master bedroom that gramps used as his stash.
It held love letters my grandmother had written to him and his revolver, rusted completely solid, with rounds still in the chambers.
My parents enjoyed reading the letters one at a time, then burning them, so private they were.
And the gun? It was rusted closed. My dad was worried that it had live rounds still in it. He soaked it in a bucket of water for a month and then buried it.
--I wish I still had it. Even rusted closed.
It was classic snatching mail bags, with hooks, as the train rolls and the bags fly by. Kicking other bags out onto the platforms.
It was an excellent job. He was lucky during the Great Depression to remained fully employed. My grand parents also had a farm with orchards and gardens. He greatest asset was my grandmother. She basically ran the 250 acre farm herself. It was easy to hire farm hands back then.
Anyway, my grandfather always carried a gun for work. Train robbers were real back then. My father told me that it was a Smith &Wesson .32 cal. He strapped it on every morning.
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| S&W .32 but not the actual one he carried. |
Out of the blue in 1991 my dad gets a call from the current owners of my grandparents house. They were renovating. They found a classic loose floor board in the master bedroom that gramps used as his stash.
It held love letters my grandmother had written to him and his revolver, rusted completely solid, with rounds still in the chambers.
My parents enjoyed reading the letters one at a time, then burning them, so private they were.
And the gun? It was rusted closed. My dad was worried that it had live rounds still in it. He soaked it in a bucket of water for a month and then buried it.
--I wish I still had it. Even rusted closed.
Quotes of the Day
--Marcus Annaeus Lucanus Roman poet (A.D. 39-65)
"There exists a law, not written down anywhere, but in our hearts; a law which comes to us not by training or custom or reading; a law which has come to us not from theory but from practice; not by instruction but by natural intuition: I refer to the law which lays it down that, if our lives are endangered by plots or violence or armed robbers or enemies, any and every method of protecting ourselves is morally right."
--Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 BC-43 BC)
"When a strong man, fully armed, guards his palace, his possessions are safe."
Jesus Christ, Luke 11:21
"Laws that forbid the carrying of arms...disarms only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes..."
--Thomas Jefferson
"Let us speak courteously, deal fairly, and keep ourselves armed and ready."
--Theodore Roosevelt
"Americans [have] the right and advantage of being armed - unlike citizens of other countries whose governments are afraid to trust the people with arms."
--James Madison
"Those without swords may still die upon them."
--Eowyn, J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings
Collection: Squirrels Bane
I have a Ruger 10/22 that I have named: Squirrels Bane
I purchased this gun from SSG Tactical for $900. I add the stock myself from Tapco, a modest scope and a nice sling.
I get asked all the time about this rifle. It is a big attention getter at the range. Where did I get it? How much it costs? So this posts helps with that.
I also just purchased some Ruger factory 25 round mags. Great stuff.
--Everyone needs a rifle like this. Great for squirrels and Zombies!
I purchased this gun from SSG Tactical for $900. I add the stock myself from Tapco, a modest scope and a nice sling.
I get asked all the time about this rifle. It is a big attention getter at the range. Where did I get it? How much it costs? So this posts helps with that.
I also just purchased some Ruger factory 25 round mags. Great stuff.
--Everyone needs a rifle like this. Great for squirrels and Zombies!
Movie: The Green Hornet
The Miller Rating = 6 of 10
I really like Seth Rogen but not in this one. I think I liked the TV series too much.
The Internet Movie Firearms Database lists the following guns.
- 1 Handguns
- 2 Rifles
- 3 Shotguns
- 4 Submachine Guns
- 5 Machine Guns
- 6 Other
- 7 Armaments of "The Black Beauty"
--The cars were cool. So was Cameron Diaz in underwear!
Arizona
I have posted about my awesome gun chick niece before. She lives in Arizona and I very rarly get to see her. Keeping in touch with her is easy because of Facebook! She loves to make me jealous about being able to just drive out into areas of the desert and chase cans with her Springfield XD 9mm.
--They have serious night sky there. Love it.
--They have serious night sky there. Love it.
REM 11 Short
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| Rem 11 Short |
This modification would give me an excellent home defense tool or a camping gun. It would have five shots of 00 buck, no pumping required, ass kicking, action.
The smith says that the mods would be about $100 and the ATF stamp is only $5 for this modification. The paperwork takes a while though.
--What do you think? Sling or thigh holster?
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