What I Learned in 2011

Looking back at 2011 I must say on a personal level, I am glad this year is over. Too many funerals and not enough weddings. But this is a gun blog!

Lessons learned:

• A well made holster is required.
• Don't buy any more cheap guns that you will never shoot twice.
• Buy only quality optics. 
• Always bring folding chairs and bottled water to Blog Shoots.
• I can hit an 18 inch target at 250 yards, repeatedly, without a magnified scope, with a Cx4 carbine.
• 922r compliance is a pain in the ass and not that hard with AK platforms.
• I need to do more Skeet Shooting.
• Tactical Bacon is pre-cooked, ready to eat and actually pretty awesome.
• It's easy to travel via Air with firearms.
• There are more ranges around than we realize.

NRA Convention:

I attended the NRA convention this year. I met a lot of great people. Enjoyed the show. Collected a lot of blog content.

Blog Shoots:

I Hosted a blog shoot at NRA HQ early this year (thanks for the reminder Andy!) I think we will do it again in 2012. I attended Northcoast II in Ohio and Mid-Atlantic Blogshoot in West Virginia. Both were big fun. Great friends and firearms!

Additions to the collection:

My big purchases this year were a Sagia 12 and  my Glock Suppressor!


--Here is to a great 2012!!

More and more women embracing gun ownership

Chicks with Guns by Lindsay McCrum

It is all over the news on TV and the web that more and more women are embracing gun ownership.

They are also touting record gun sales this year and December in particular. Guns sales were record breaking for the Christmas season.

I personally have been asked on several occasions this year to take women to the range for their first time. My own daughter, who has shown no interest beyond safety, even wants to go soon just for fun.

Concealed Carry Permits and training is way up for women in Virginia where I live. The NRA headquarters range even has dedicated classes for women, by women instructors.

This flood of guns also came with a suspicious lack of blood in the streets. That dead horse beating somehow continues by failed and weak gun control bigots. Yes. Bigots.

Bigot: a person who is obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices; especially : one who regards or treats the members of a group with hatred and intolerance.

"Gun Control Bigots" is how I will be referring to them from now on because the shoe fits.  


--Thank you, ladies.

Chicks with Guns

My daughter bought me the coffee table book, Chicks withe Guns, for Christmas.

This book was beautifully photographed. It contains photos of women and firearms from all around the country and from many walks of life.

It's so mainstream!

"In Chicks with Guns, Lindsay McCrum has created a cultural portrait of women gun owners in America through photographs that are both beautiful and in a sense unexpected. The book explores an indelible part of our national identity, but is not thrown off balance by the natural suspicions and political ideology often associated with firearms. It examines issues of self-image and gender through the visual conventions of portraiture and fashion, but guns are presented here not as superimposed props but as the very personal lifestyle accessories of the subjects portrayed. And it defies stereotypes often associated with aspects of the popular culture of both guns and women."

I should put that Degree in Photography to good use and do one like this myself!


--Unlike all the other "Chicks with Guns" items I have seen in the past not a bikini in sight!!

Save $140.48 on BACON!!

--Available on Amazon NOW!!

Christmas Gift

My son bought me a new pocket knife for Christmas this year! It turns out the kid actually listens to me when I say stuff at display cases.

It's a CRKT EDC (Every Day Carry) with a Tanto profile blade. Easy one hand open. It also locks closed as well as open.

It is made to specifically be an every day carry knife. It's modest price means you won't be pissed if you scratched it. You will not be heart broken if you lose it.

We shall see how long I can hold on to this one!

--It is made to be used like the tool that it is.

Movie: Ballistic - Ecks vs Sever

Lots of sweet guns but the movie kinda sucked.


The Miller Rating: 4 of 10
 

Here is the list of guns from the Internet Movie Firearms Database:

• 1 Handguns
  • 1.1 SIG-Sauer P226
  • 1.2 Beretta 92FS
  • 1.3 M1911A1
• 2 Shotguns
  • 2.1 Heckler & Koch FABARM
  • 2.2 Remington 870
  • 2.3 Armsel Protecta
  • 2.4 Mossberg 500
• 3 Submachine Guns
  • 3.1 Heckler & Koch MP5A3
  • 3.2 Heckler & Koch MP5A2
  • 3.3 Heckler & Koch MP5K
  • 3.4 FN P90
• 4 Assault Rifles
  • 4.1 M4A1 Carbine
  • 4.2 Heckler & Koch G36K
  • 4.3 AKS-74U
• 5 Sniper Rifles
  • 5.1 Remington 700PSS
  • 5.2 Remington 700 with Choate Super Sniper Stock
  • 5.3 Heckler & Koch SL8
• 6 Heavy Weapons
  • 6.1 M60 machine gun
  • 6.2 Cobray 37mm flare launcher
  • 6.3 GP-25 Grenade launcher
  • 6.4 DefTech 37mm rotary launcher

Quotes of the Week

Linus: “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, ‘Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.’ ” (Luke 2:8-14)

“You see, Charlie Brown—that’s what Christmas is all about.”

Movie: Defiance

I finally got to see the movie Defiance. Lots of good classic firearms content.

This movie made me want an MP40 really bad! They seem to old about 500 rounds before running out. The plot was based on a true story.  My favorite line was, "Women need guns too."

The drifting languages and accents was a bit distracting.

The Miller Rating: 7 of 10

Here is the list of guns from the Internet Movie Firearms Database:

• 1 12 Gauge Double Barreled Shotgun
• 2 MP40
• 3 Walther P38
• 4 Chamelot-Delvigne Model 1873
• 5 Nagant M1895
• 6 PPSh-41
• 7 Mauser Model 1938
• 8 Mosin Nagant M91/30
• 9 Mosin Nagant M38 carbine
• 10 Tokarev SVT40
• 11 Degtyarev DP Machine Gun
• 12 Karabiner 98 (K98 Mauser)
• 13 MG34
• 14 MG42
• 15 Tokarev TT-33
• 16 Model 24 Stielhandgranate
• 17 Mk 2 Hand Grenade

Give Peace a Chance

My Newest T-Shirt!

A friend of mine surprised me with a new T-Shirt gift.

--Some people know me so well...

Fun with Photoshop

I had so much fun last week mocking up a Glock Carbine I decided to mock up another dream gun.

This one combines a bullpup Keltec RFB .308 and a Saiga 12 gauge, mag fed shotgun. This has an integral suppressor on the .308. I know that fully loaded this baby would weigh a ton even though most of the rig would be polymer based. I'd probably add a LASER and a Tac light to make it weigh even more.

--A 12 ga magazine of flares, or grenades, or 00 buck or flechettes, or flash or birdshot...

Injuries While Hunting with Firearms

I ran across some very interesting stats on on sports related injuries, by sport.
 You can see the whole report here.

--I cannot believe how dangerous Cheerleading is! I am not surprised how safe hunting is.

FNH USA

FNH PS90

I was talking to a gun buddy at work and he told me he had the chance to shoot some firearms made by FNH. He has been looking for a new hand gun and really liked the FNP-45 and was very surprised to see it was stamped as being made in Fredricksberg VA.

Fredricksberg VA is only about 30 miles from where I live. I wonder if they would be interested in giving a group of gun bloggers a tour?
 
     FNH USA Inc - www.fnhusa.com

     59B Jack Ellington Rd
     Fredericksburg, VA 22406

FNH is the maker of the PS90 carbine. I have had this guy on my list for a long time.

--Yet another reason to love Virginia.

Emily Gets Her Gun, Trying to Anyway...

Emily Miller

Washington Times Opinion Page Senior Editor Emily Miller has a blog covering our Second Amendment freedoms. Follow her on Twitter @EmilyMiller.

As part of the "Emily gets her gun" series, Emily Miller needs to find a handgun that she could buy to register legally in Washington, D.C.

Emily details her quest to get a legal handgun in Washington, D.C., the daunting nature of it. She has been overwhelmed by all that is required before she can take legal possession of a purchased gun. She talks about how she needed to get organized, make a checklist of the required steps, bring order to the complicated mess of instructions given by the city.

--Follow her as she works her way down this list.

Quotes of the Week

No kingdom can be secured otherwise than by arming the people. The possession of arms is the distinction between a freeman and a slave. He, who has nothing, and who himself belongs to another, must be defended by him, whose property he is, and needs no arms. But he, who thinks he is his own master, and has what he can call his own, ought to have arms to defend himself, and what he possesses; else he lives precariously, and at discretion.
 
-- James Burgh

This is my rifle. There are many like it, but this one is mine. My rifle is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life. My rifle, without me, is useless. Without my rifle, I am useless. I must fire my rifle true.

--Major General William H. Rupertus 

I Was Surprised!

The media makes our country sound so bad. We barely made the top 10 by actual count. We were not even close in the per capita numbers.

Provided by Emergency Preparedness

--Sometimes we need to be reminded how good we have it.