Mexico

Damn zombies are EVERYWHERE.

Japanese

At least the Japanese are taking the Zed threat seriously, and training their populace. Even young children are given the basics of this most important survival skill. Essentials include improvisation.

When they are older, and if they get their hands on a samurai sword, they may be very effective. Swords don't jam like a rifle might. Just avoid breaking it.

Offical NRA Guide to Firearms Assembly

... Pistols and Revolvers.



I bought this book at the NRA museum, last week.

Meh. It's a good book to have. A useful reference. A few dozen different pistol types, most of which I will never lay eyes on. I can see it being very valuable for people starting to accumulate 100 firearms. And useful if I someone just foists a pistol on me that is different than anything I now own. Say, like, my brother finding a Walther PP up in Pennsylvania and having no idea how to field strip it... I can help him out, thanks to this book. And... I'd never turn down a Browning Hi Power, but I don't know how to dissassemble it for inspection.

Normally, I'm not too proud to ask my gun dealer to show me. That's how I know how to take apart the Colt 1903/8 Pocket Hammerless. I know how to field strip a 1911 thanks to the internet.

Each pistol is given a page or 3 to show an exploded drawing and some concise steps to dissassemble it.

I need to read it more closely to extract all the minutiae. Might be a few nuggets in there to help me figure out how things work.

And it would not be remiss to add the rifle version of this book to the library. I can work a Garand down for cleaning, but a Schmidt Rubin would be fun to have. I have NO idea how to break it down. More importantly, I have no idea how to put it back together once apart.

S&W Locks

One of me next firearm purchases is a snub nosed S&W revolver.

But most every Smith and Wesson comes with a stupid little trigger lock on the frame. Certainly the models I am interested in. (S&W reveresed policy and actually offer some new models of snubbies without a lock.)

And the great State of Maryland kinda insists on trigger locks, anyhoo. If you get a new gun without one you have to buy a State-approved external trigger lock. And they only like the expensivest kind.

So why are my knickers in a twist? It's an extra mechanical doohicky on my gun that could fail when I need it most. The purpose of a snubbie is self-protection, not target competition or hunting. You need it to work like a fork. Not a fork that you need to unlock. Or a fork that locks its own self in your pocket.

Sure, you'll get all the anecdotal evidence in the world that will tell you the lock is dang reliable. It only fails .00000000001 % of the time. Yeah, so? The .0000etc... is too much.

(you alos can get anaecdotal evidence that it fails once every 5 shots or so... but we'll give S&W the benefit of the doubt.)

I just fixed a .44 where a screw that rattled loose caused a total failure in.... uh... stick-togetheredness!

If a screw can rattle loose, a lock can rattle closed.

So, I'd rather not have a lock on my 640. I also want a gun never owned by anyone before. Looks like I wish in want hand and poop in the other and see which fills up first. The chance of getting a pre-lock 640 New In Box from something like Gunbroker is pretty remote.

Options?

1. Wait for S&W to ome to their senses and make a gun right.


2. Buy one with the lock and get a GOOD revolver gunsmith to totally disable it.

Crap. Neither option is good.

Let's review:

Extra doohickeys == BAD. Nothing extra that stands in the way of reliability == GOOD.

Eye Doc

I’m still 20/20 20/25 according to the doctor. But how long will THAT last. Within 10 years, the smart money is on me needing reading glasses. But that happens to near everyone. Especially in my family. Dunno how long the distance vision will last. 10 years ago it was worse than 20/200 but I had some quack shoot a laser into my eyes and fixed that. The first few years after that I was 20/15. That was nice.

Why all this concern over vision? Well I read bloggers a few years beyond my 40 some winters and they occasionally drop the long slide into visual crapulence. The iron sights aren’t as clear as they used to be. They figure it’d curtail their hunting if it weren’t for 9x Leupold glass optic on their favorite rifle “Bambischplatterspitzen”.

Well, I don’t have no glass. Well just the one. The long eye-relief 2.5x scout-style scope on my Garand.

But other than that, nuthin.

(Trollop is nearsighted and realized she NEEDS her glasses to see the front sight allllll the way out on the end of that 8 inch barrel on the Fohty-Fo. She’s ok with the XD. It’s short.)

I guess, when the day comes and that front sight is just too far away, I’ll get some 5x-ish optics for the Marlin 1894C. It’s about the only rifle really ready for easy mounting of a traditional scope.

The Garand is ok. Even with the scope so far from the face, nearsighted people report good clarity.

The M1A is another story. I didn’t even consider mounting a traditional scope on the Garand, but there are considerations on the M1A to make that a more distinct possibility. They were put there to tempt me. I’ll resist that temptation.

Why? Well the way the action works any scope on the rear of the receiver is in the way of ejection brass. Plus, the action of firing with the full powered semi-auto is very hard on scopes. Sure, I know that scoped M1A’s are/have-been used by military forces as a sniping rifle, but military folks can afford to requisition $2500 optics and get the stock glass-bedded in house. I’ll probably never glass-bed a rifle. It’d be fun to shoot 800+ yard ranges, but how would I be able to arrange to get good enough to enjoy that? Perhaps if I was living next to Quantico and was a personal friend to the Commandant such antic could be possible…

So a 10x conventional scope is probably out. A 5x Acog scope might be nice and perfect for aging eyes, but that is still a necessarily rear-mounted optic (he eye relief on Acogs are about an inch), with the mounting compromised an M1A presents. And have you noticed that all scopes are variable magnification these days? Something else to break. What’s wrong with a quality fixed power scope at 9x? It worked for Sergeant Hathcock. Seems, to me, that variable power scopes are lipstick on a pig. The only time you’d need it is when the deer pop up 15 yards away, and all you can see in your lens is fur, and you’d not know if you were aiming at the neck, boiler room, or hind quarters. So you dial back from 16x to 8x? You have time for that, and want to move around that much? The fur would still fill glass at 8x at that range. The scope makers might be better off making a 2x and 12x scope, with no variability in between. A simple switch to go from 12 to 2, and back, if you needed to. At 2x you can shoot anything an iron sight shot could do (good enough for grandpa), and at 12x you can shoot your trophy Ram at 350 yards.

So that leaves a similar operation with the M1A, and just like I have on the Garand. A Weaver or Picatinny fore-rail. I can then swap the out Leupold scout scope or an EOTech. Even get a second scout scope so both rifles are prepped for aging eyes. The commonality of equipment appeals to me.

I See You’ve Played Shooty Bolty Before!

So my too biggest shooty selection agonies are a carbine and a bolt action.

The bolt action is easy enough. There are enough lefty bolts in .308 out there to make me happy, I just have to but that purchase in the priority list. The ideal bolt action for me is very similar to the run of the mill bolt action anyway. My desired features are pretty nitpicky. What does the bolt action give me than the M1A doesn’t? Just simplicity of operation and subsequent reliability and it is easier to mount optics on a bolty. Big deal. The M1A isn’t known for being delicate and I have spare parts of the commonly broken bits. It’s not like a bolt action can NEVER fail. A kluged up firing pin is an end to the fun with either rifle.

As for the carbine… What’s the hurry? If I need something short and more boomy than a pistol I have a Model 11 with an 18.25” barrel. That’d cover most situations where you want short and handy like a pistol cartridge chambered rifle. I even have a lever gun chambers in .357. I’m fine and dandy. If I want something MORE than the shotty (frex: Zombocalypse, or something greater than a Katrina situation) then I have the M1A and Garand. I’m set. I just need to relax a bit. One day, perhaps, I’ll just pick up a Camp Carbine and be done with it. But no hurry.
So did I just talk myself off the ledge on gun purchases again? Yes. Yes I did. I need to do that regularly to avoid mortgaging the house acquiring a gawdawful huge COLLECTION. I’m sure I’ll get a hankering again for either type in the near future. Well, delayed gratification has a pleasure all its own.

NRA Range Report and Museum

We went to the NRA range Sunday. Me, Trollop, MbtGE and his Boy.

Trollop had never been and I wanted her to see what a primo range looked like. Well lit. Twice as long, and with programmable target trolley controls. And it was pretty crowded. She had to take the safety test to get her card, but that was no biggee. We had to wait for a lane, anyway.

She was disappointed with her shooting. She feels like she lost her mojo. Just not hitting as well as she usually does.

Here is her target.

We kept pasting fresh Orange Peel sticker over old ones so this is late in the session after she improved some with practice. Her Springfield XD and all but one on the sticker.

Her .44 is fixed, thanks to the tip from maddog. You need to check those screws on your magnum when you clean to be sure they don't rattle loose.

Another thing Trollop needs to work on is finger discipline. She has to readjust her grip after cocking and that finger keeps trying to sneak into the trigger guard. THAT could lead to a nasty surprise.

You can see in the picture the results of my previous shooting, aiming at the head of the silhouette with the Sig 229. I was stinking up the joint, too. I aimed at the head to keep Trollop's target holes separate, but I wasn’t hitting anything. In fact, I managed to hit the innocent 'bystander' 30 feet behind and over the left shoulder of the target. One in the throat, one in the gut. THAT’s why you aim for center mass until you get REALLY good. And even then…

Here is some work with the 1911 I did after warming up:

THAT makes me feel like I’m progressing. Things are starting to click into place with me and the .45. My skill with the .40 is staying the same or dipping a little bit. The one closest to the bullseye was the 7th shot of .45, 21 feet.

Plus I got to try out MbtGE’s new Beretta CX4 Storm in .40. First impression? It is very easy to hit the paper, especially with generic dot-optics. But the gun has a little more kick than I’d have guessed. I did a cheek weld to the stock and it smacked back harder than the M1A. Still, a fun little gun. I like it. It’s easily tailored to your needs. If you want the safety and bolt on the right and the mag release on the left you can do that your own self.

After the range session we wandered up to the NRA Museum. Quite a lot of really nice pieces to look at. The most fascinating to me were the custom guns and prototypes. Like the shiny steel Thompson Machine Gun looking thing that look like it took M1 Carbine magazines.

My only beef was the item description. You need to get a reference work to carry around with you to match up the numbered item in the case with the entry in a book. I shoulda gotten the book. Maybe next time I’ll go alone, get the book, and spend some time over it.

Inglorious Basterds

Well, Tarantino made a good one again.


Short review? See it.


Long review is as follows with attention to the blog's theme.


Perhaps a nitpick: There is a scene in the beginning that was set in 1941. And, though my mind saw MP40s, my buddy Frozen thinks they were StG44s, 3 years before they were fielded. So, fanciful inaccurate gun pr0n, but still good gun pr0n. Can someone go to the movie and confirm which firearms were in the first chapter?

MP40s were in wide use throughout the movie otherwise. I have a warm place in my heart for that piece of German hardware because it is so gentle and fun to shoot.

There is, of course, a big guy wielding an MG34 or MG42 Rambo style (I’m guessing it was the 42). Mauser K98s are everywhere, as are a few shots of Garands. There are 2 ‘punch guns’ attached to the back of a glove. And quite a few pistols. In evidence were a probable Luger P08, a P38, a PPK, and a little mouse gun. Probably a Berreta? A model 21 Tomcat sort of thing, but something made at the time. .25 or .32 caliber. Heck it could have been a Colt 1908 vest pocket. At least that would have been available at the time.

There were so many guns I am probably missing a few varieties. And a couple I saw that I can’t identify. Like what the British agent was carrying. A German SOMETHING I am sure.

Beyond firearm, the dialogue is excellent. You really get to HATE them Nazis. They just drip pure evil. Put it this way. Hitler is probably the least loathsome Nazi character in this movie. Hitler! Your characters have to be pretty damn evil to overshadow all the historical baggage that ol’ Adolf carries around. Sure, the Hitler character goes through the usual Hitler screaming fits of histrionics, but that is just rage. And you’ve seen that sort of scene in countless movies. The other Nazi characters show their wickedness not so much by their actions, but by dialogue. It’s very well done.

And oh my goodness… violent movie. And most of the worst violence is done by the good guys. Tarantino’s other violent scenes were cartoonish compared to this. Might as well have been ketchup in Kill Bill.

Loose ends… What happened to Martin Bormann? And you know what happens to 6 of the eight Basterds. What happened to the other 2?

Contrarian Range Report

So I went to the range with the work buddy known here as the Contrarian.

I was rusty, as you can see here:


But I came back to my usual level quickly. It's been too long. The upper left is my first few mags, all 1911 .45, and at 25 feet or so. Bottom left is .45, too, the right sides is the .40 through the Sig 229. Not so good.

Contrarian had been shooting forever so I didn't go over the 4 rules like I do with real new shooters. If he didn't know and follow them now nothing I could say would fix him. And if he was lax at the range I wouldn't have shot with him again. He was not lax. He really did know his stuff. Though he told tales of his and various associates and family members antic. He grew up in rural Wisconsin. All there was to do was mess around in cars, drink, and shoot guns. Sometimes all 3 together. Yikes.

I didn't get any pictures of his targets, and that is where all the .22 action went down. At first, he shot poorly, but near the end of the session he improved greatly. A matter of getting his sea-legs back.

On here, I did a bit better:




On the left side panels it's .40 top, .45 bottom with both hands. The right side? One hand drill, (both hands in turn with the 1911) .45 top, .40 bottom. I shoot a bit high either way. But I shoot about as well with either hand. I need to grip harder one handed as the gun flips up as bad as it did for Tom Hanks in Saving Private Ryan when he is taking on a German Tiger tank with a .45.

Contrarian kinda lusts after the PPK. Which, I figured out recently, stands for Polezei Pistole Kurz. Or Police Pisol chambered in 9mm Kurz. 9mm Kurz is also known as .380 ACP. I think another alias for that round is 9mm Short. Yup. It is. And it has other names too, apparently. Corto? Kratak? Scurt? Interesting. You know who designed that cartridge don't you?

S&W

Something I figured out recently that I should have figured out long before.

The way Smith and Wesson's numbering system generally works. Generaaly.

I have a 686-3. Does that mean their were almost 700 models of revolver before that? Not really.

That first 6 means it is made out of steel (stainless genrally.) A 2 digit number is the classic model number and made of regular old steel. Like blued Model 10's or 36's.

A three digit model number that begins with a 3 is made out of scandium alloy. A 4 at the beginning is aluminum.

So when I am looking for a 617, I want the clasic .22 firing model 17 but made with stainless steel.

So what is a 642? It's a small matte silver snubbie, but isn't stainless steel. There is a model 42 that is matte black in color, also made of aluminum. So I don't have the numbering system figured out entirely.

Oh and the '-3' after 686 on mine? I think that is an improvement over and earlier generation. There was a recall on -1s and no dash 686's. Or that is the theory.

Neat site though, FirearmsID.com. Check it out.

.44 Oopsey

Trollop reports a failure with her S&W 629

The cylinder and yoke fell off. The gun.

Happens. I'll see it tonite and see what can be done.

Double Deuce

Here’s a question, range trip related…

How come I shoot .22 pistols so much better than full power rounds? Not just comparing the P22 to the Sig 229, but with the Springfield with the .22 conversion, and the same frame with the .45 loaded. It just seems so much easier to keep the .22 near the bull than the .40 or .45. Not perfect, mind you, of course.

Theory:

Sub-conscious flinch. I know the big .45 is coming and flinch, I know the little .22 is coming and don’t. Or I’m more relaxed with the .22.

Remedy:

Rig some way of getting a partner to hand me a gun with one round in the magazine and I can’t tell what it is by looking at it. This would require a .22 conversion kit that completely matched my regular slide so I couldn’t tell by the sights. Probably require 2 separate guns, too.

What else could I try? Bring a .44 magnum, maybe, and shoot 50 through that before switch to practice with the .45…

I don't even know if flinching is the issue.

I've done all the drills. Especially with the revolver with empty cylinders. It still doesn't eliminate it.

Correction

The Contrarian's gun was a Walther P22. Not a Sig Mosquito.

And he need to buy more than one magazine.

Range report to follow... If i cna get the camera working.

New-Old Shooter Range Date

I’m taking a new buddie to the range. He is a new gun owner, going from zero to one, but he is not a new shooter.

Let’s call this guy ‘The Contrarian.’ I call him that because during the Bush administration he was a hippy, and he’s gone the other direction against Obama since his election. I guess he has serious anti-authority and libertarian leanings.

Anyway, his wife wouldn’t permit a gun in the house, but she’s no longer there so… He got a Mosquito. I think he did at least. It’s a .22. I’ll confirm what it is for the range report. He wanted something to plink with, and it will more than do.

But he grew up in the upper Midwest and has shot almost as many deer in his life as MBtGE had at his age. His first deer was when he was 12 and he shot it from the window of a pickup truck with a .410 slug shotgun, 15 yards away.

Anyway, he’s shot a lot. I am bring a couple full size pistols for him to sample. He’s probably already shot a 1911, but maybe not a Springfield Loaded. He’s probably shot a SIG but not a 229 DAK. And he may never have tried something tritium sights. So hopefully he’ll get some variety out of the session. We shall see. It will be fun, regardless.

Zombaritaville

Zombie Lyrics

and

Texas Zombies. 'Keep Texas Zombie Free.' Good mission statement, that.

and

Zombie Science and Maths.

Buddy's New Toy

My Buddy the Gun Enthusiast bought a new toy. The Beretta CX4 Storm. It’s magazines go in his Beretta pistol, too, so he now has commonality.

I may get the chance to shoot it this weekend, and I’ll report back on the experience.

Since I’ve mostly given up on a new version of the Marlin Camp Carbine coming out, I may give up on the magazine commonality requirement for my own future carbine-get. But I’d still like to keep the ammo commonality. And now, it seems, the CX4 is chambered in .40, and 9mm and… .45 ACP. Very nice. If I do give up on magazine commonality, I am good, having both pistols in .45 and .40, now. I don’t know how prevalent the CX4 in .45 is yet, but the .40 has been out a while. When I came up with my personal carbine requirements I assumes I’d never have anything but 1911s, but that Sig 229 I borrowed just shot so well…

My dream carbine would be the CX4 Storm that took 1911 mags and then get some of those 25 rounder drums to go with it. But that is never going to happen.

Beretta’s offering decent firearms. People have problems with Beretta’s guns, but rarely from quality control issues. Hence the reason it is sort of on the short list. And it’s modern. You can mount modern optics on it in a trice and still have room on the rails for a cup holder or cigarette lighter.
So if I fall in love with shooting MBtGE’s gun that could put a third piece on the priority list. That reminds me, I need to update the Master List…

10 Essentials

You need stuff in case of emergencies. A Bug Out Bag. Or BOB. Something in your car when you are at work. Maybe in your office. Something by the door at home.

But what to put in it? Water. Food? A knife and/or multitool. You best good luck charm? A lot depends on your personal preference, but how do you know if you haven’t missed something important?

Well there is a guide to it lots of people go by. The “10 Essential Things.” Some of you know about this. For the other reader. (I think I have 3 readers now…)

And it’s not just for BOBs and emergency preparedness. It also applies to outings in the woods and camping, or otherwise having fun.

1. map and compass. A topographical map, preferrably. The compass will keep you from walking in circles if you have no map.
2. flashlight
3. eye protection, but a hat may serve for sun protection
4. food and water. Couple canteens and energy bars, minimum. Water purification can be useful to stretch your 2 canteens out with other sources in most areas. And check out Lifecaps for a food replacement in pill form. Especially if you are a bit on the beefy side, like me.
5. extra clothes including a way to keep dry, like a poncho. A rudimentary shelter would also fall under this, and a poncho can double for that. Or a space blanket.
6. waterproof means of firestarting (and a spare type) Strike anywhere matches in a safe and a disposable lighter in a separate waterproof container.
7. tinder/firestarter
8. pocket knife! And a larger knife if you can swing it. 'Large' like a machete-large.
9. first aid kit, and this should include insect repellent and sunscreen.
10. means of communication, from a whistle to a signal mirror to a cell or satellite phone (or all 4!) Remember, a radio reciever with a hand crank is a one way form of communication that is better than nothing. It can at least get you the weather.

Additional ‘nice to haves’ include terlet paper, and for those of you in the more enlightened areas of the country, you personal firearm and accoutrement. I’d also like some line, like paracord. Also, fishing line and hooks, and one list recommends a $50 bill. In case you come out of the wilderness and are next to a convenience store, it'd be nice to get a few ho-ho and bottled water after nearly starving to death.

The Eleventh Item you carry with you always. It's between your ears. All the prep in the world won't help you if you don't use your brain.

Survivalism

Frank James says:

“Those who know me understand I find the whole popular concept of 'survivalism' as nothing less than a cruel joke, if not utter stupidity. It isn't even valid enough to be considered 'unorganized stupidity' in my opinion”

I think Farmer Frank is close to right. It’s one thing to fantasize about a total world wide collapse for whatever reason, but if it really came to pass even the most prepared would be pretty much fooked.

I’m talking level 4 Zombie outbreak size disaster. 100,000% inflation in the US. EMP blast over the US and Europe. Nuclear war with 1000 warheads. Caldera Volcano in Yellowstone that blots out the sun and covers the northern hemisphere in ash. An asteroid strike like Jupiter takes in the face with regularity. Ebola spread by respiratory droplets. That sort of thing. A disaster that makes EVERYWERE like New Orleans the day after Katrina and lasts a lifetime or more. If a disaster of that nature happens, even Galt’s Gulch will have very hard times. Die offs approaching 90%. A dark age throwback to the medieval era.

So it’s pointless to prepare? No, of course not. It’s pointless to think you can prepare for a level 4 zombie outbreak. You CAN prepare for lesser situations. A day after Katrina disaster that lasts a year or so. Prepare for that. A disaster of that magnitude is naturally more likely, and much easier to prepare for. It would be no picnic, and you’d need to be lucky to make it through unscathed, but it is doable vis nigh-impossible. (and luck, by nature, is out of your control; it might be hedged a bit by the most prepared, but there is still a lot of chance involved.) The better you prepare the more comfy you will be for the duration.

If a big nationwide disaster caused mass migration out of many cities then there is going to be a lot of misery and death. Even if things can return to normal in a years time. With that sort of population flux, nowhere is safe. Not even in your remote retreat. Not even in your semi-remote sizable community where the whole of a normally contrarian population bands together. You’ll still have to be lucky. Take Farmer Frank as an example in the above article. Say his farm isn’t between 2 major urban centers, but is more remote and defensible. Also say he diversified from just corn and soybeans (assuming he is just a corn and soybean farmer) to add some hobby cows and pigs and a chicken coop, a few draft horses. He is a professional, and tends to that without issue, easily feeding his family and even all 25 of his blog followers. But it wouldn’t take many bad actors coming to his farm to ruin it all. And a bad actor can be a relatively small group of desperate hungry people that were otherwise law abiding before the event. And a group like that would find him, eventually, it's only a matter of time. A remote farm may luck out in a years time, but a generation's time?

So, we all must hope that a big cities-emptier never happens.

So, “Go-Mormon.” Members of the Church of Jesus Christ and Latter Day Saints have always been preparers, storing food and supplies to last a year. If we were 300 million Mormons we’d shrug off a year long disruption, comparatively. But you don’t have to be Mormon to be as prepared as they.

Am I that prepared? No. I’d be getting pretty lean in 3 months, having eaten all the canned goods and such. So that is my vulnerability. I’m working on correcting it over time.

Here is a more sober, less panicky, look at how not to die.

Culture Shift

The culture is shifting.

The father is proud.

Proud.

Why is the father proud of a daughter, that’s only 4, wanting to shoot? Is it because he is some fringe-clingy lunatic gun nut? I don’t think that’s it. He is proud because something is rubbing off on daughter. Something that has remained dormant for a few decades in wide swaths of this country. It is a revival of a part of the American spirit. A demystification of a normal thing. A thing that never should have been mystified in the first place.

We’ll have won when it’s an embarrassment NOT to know how to shoot and not to own a gun.

Sorta like the way some people are ribbed for not knowing how to drive a manual transmission car.

When a professor looks down his nose and says to a student, “oh you are one of those Neanderthals with genital size issues” turns to a class a students looking at one of those professors and thinking, “you are one of those namby pambs afraid of his own shadow and ignorant of firearms.” When THAT happens, then we will have won. When most every American thinks the professor is the odd one. The eccentric. Then he, and those like him, will be harmless cranks.

Further comment on the JayG letter. It’s good to see the adherence to strict safety and supervision procedures. These is no reason to not let a 4 year old shoot if the right precautions are observed, both on range and with storage. Obviously, the 4 year old possibly sneaking her gun into school for show and tell is probably a very bad idea, but there is no reason to think that the firearm will be accessible to her for sneaking at 4. Or 14 for that matter.

I hope the cultural trend continues to swing our way for the rest of that 4 year olds lifetime. I'm optimistic.

Wochenende

I got my new computer up and running. So I can do GunNuts radio again.

I have the day to myself tomorrow, so I think I'll make brefass. Center cut bacon in cue. Eggs, English muffins, coffee, OJ, too.

One chore... the lawn.

One fun activity, clean the guns and organize the arms closet.

It's gonna be a good day Tater.

That is, if the Latin Kings don't vandalize my car again. I guess the local MS-13 have competition now. Tip: Paint thinner, rubbed lightly, takes off spraypaint if you do it within 24 hours. And it doesn't hurt the clear coat finish.

Yup, Friday morn greeted me with 'LK' written in black and white on my hood and windows. Julio got a whole crown on the hood of his truck. About 8 other cars were done to, as well.

Inherit

Well, apparently there was ANOTHER gun at my father’s house that I NEVER knew about. He gave it to a friend a few years back, but still. I had no idea it existed. Dad had some stuff since before I was born that was effectively hidden for 22 years.

This was some nickel plated pistol. It may have been some top break .32 revolver. It had belonged to my great grandfather. The cylinder release or break action was activated by pulling the trigger guard somehow. And, when younger, my father broke this part off. But I have no idea, for sure, never laying eyes on it myself.

AND there were many more guns in great grandfather’s collection that someone stole/scammed from him while he was in the old folks home. That and a treasure trove of machinist’s tools that he had accumulated in his work repairing Linotype machines. Shame shame. Who knows was firearm and tool legacy I missed out on through a series of events. Ah well.

Along with the pistol, Dad had some ancient ammo and other peripherals that went along with it. Interesting, after a fashion, and would have been nice to inspect, but I’d be hesitant to use pre-war ammo and rubber ear plugs. The plugs would probably stick in my ear, crumbling, and the ammo would be corrosive at a minimum and squibby at worst.

Conjecture about the missing guns, long ago absconded? I’m sure they’d all be pre Depression era stuff. Great Grandpa bought a lot of stock on margin and lost his shirt in the Crash. (My grandfather was still waiting for the promised wedding present of a ’29 Ford Roadster in 1999. It took til the 1950s before the last debt was paid off, and my great grandfather was very proud of that.) At best a Krag and Springfield rifle type. Some odd pistols, too, including a Lemon Squeezer, is my guess. That sort of thing. It’s unlikely he’d have had anything super desirable, like a Colt from the teens or somesuch, but you never know. It’ll torture you, dwelling on the ‘might have beens’ but I try not to let it.

Cool things that did survive from my Great Grandfather’s time? A carbide bicycle lamp, a set of ivory dominoes, and a single machinist chests filled with tools with his initials all over them.

Is Ammo Back?

I have good news and bad news. The good news is, .380 ACP ammo was available at Bass Pro! First time I've seen it in months. And the price? Only $17.

The bad news? There was only 2 of it boxes left (guess how many boxes after I left?) and there was nothing else I wanted there. No .40 or .45. A few boxes of .357, .44, and a couple dozen 9mm. No bulk boxes, only sets of 50.

So the drought ain't over by a long shot. It's not zero. And the stuff that IS there isn't inlfated in price.

Gear

There is more to survival than just guns. Didn’t I read some news recently about some survivalist type that starved with his family in some back woods cabin. He had a half dozen rifles with him, but no bags of rice and beans. He sounded like some non-murderous Ted Kazynski style wacko. But I bet he thought he could survive with his SKS and an AR style M4gery.


Well, none of us are prepared for a huge disaster, like a level 4 zombie outbreak or an EMP blast that fries every last piece of solid state electronics in North America. To be best prepared for that we’d have to be in a large isolated community of 5000, preferably walled somehow, filled with like minded people and with self sufficient acreage for farming, diverse cottage industry, and, extensive defensive capabilities. Even then, an organized force of 20,000 could come in an wipeout this well armed Shaker-esque community, this Galt’s Gulch. Not to mention how the feds would look a little askance at such a place, and it couldn’t be really hidden.

Failing that level of preparation is where we live in the reality.

I’m sure not a few readers have a few canned goods in surplus in the event of a Katrina-esque, or longer duration, disruption. And to that end we also have made other preps.

I, too, have taken measures.

One of the measures I’ve taken to is to acquire a decent sleeping bag. I’ve always admired the modern military ‘sleep system.’ It’s 3 bags in one, and you can add or shed layers depending on the temperature. It replaces the moderately warm nylon bag I got in boy scouts and the 60 year old Mil Surplus bag my dad used to use. That mummy bag of the Army of the 1950’s is truly confining and isn’t quite long enough for me, anyway. The newer bag as a bit more foot room.

Best part about this kind of survival gear that would go in a larger Bug Out Bag (or frame backpack) is that you can use for less dire, and much more FUN, circumstances. It’s been years since I’ve gone backpacking for fun, and I want to be able to do that. With rugged gear. It’s dual purpose, just like firearms. Sure a firearm can save your life by stopping bad guys that mean you harm, but we all know it is hella fun just plinking or competing in matches, or even just accumulating.

And the best part about this Army Sleep System? I’ve seen new ones close to $300 and used surplus for around $200, but I found this bag on Amazon for $89. Not bad at all.

Next up? A good expedition style 2-man tent. Expedition means ‘rugged.’ It’ll be more durable. Expedition also means ‘expensive.’ When someone calls these things 2-man what it means is ‘1-man comfortably, and 2 if neither needs to roll over.’

After that, I’m searching for a good backpack to carry all this stuff. I still have the one I used in Scouts, but it’s bright red and there are much better ones available now.

What else? There are very teeny and light alcohol burners out there for cooking. I want to try one with Everclear grain alcohol and see how it works. Why Everclear? Because you can mix it with Kool Aid and get your drink on. You can also use it for first aid. Or in trade. There is also stoves out there that use small twigs and wood shavings, and they intrigue.
Cookware is already available. You just need a pot to boil stuff in and a pan to fry stuff in. I’ve also gotten the bug to try camp food that was available 100 years ago. Smoked meats like bacon, dried legumes, cornmeal, that sort of thing. And canned stuff like Dinty Moore stews and Bully Beef. But I’m not above porting around Mountain House freeze dried stuff. I live off of that on 50 mile hikes 25 years ago. MRE’s can also be an item.

What else? I have a good poncho (not those disposable plastic kinds) and appropriate canteens.

And SIGBoy recommended a boot. Footwear has always been my downfall. I have a hard time finding shoes that work for me. In Scouts, the others made fun of me because I went on a hike in the rain in Tennis Shoes. They were right, my feet were wet immediately. Thing is, it only took 15 more minutes for their nice, treated, hiking boots to be just as soaked. Now they were wearing heavier shoes than me, and theirs carried more caked on mud, adding to their misery.


So, a tent, a pack, a stove, and boots.

General Stuff

I've been away from the range too long. And from the ammo store. I must check in with both, and right soon. I need .40 to get available again. And .45 wouldn't be bad either.

My next 2 purchases, many months in the future, are going to be revolvers. 617 and a Centennial 640. If the steel snubby is too heavy for pocket carry and starts pulling my slacks donw to my ankles regularly, then I'll think about an Airweight version of same. That's an ADDITIONAL snubby. One for practice, mostly, one for carry, mostly. I lean toward the 617 as the first pick up because I have a pistol for carrying. I don't have a dedicated .22 pistol. And that's just not right. And after, with all these wheelguns in the arsenal, I can have a revolver day at the range one day and a auto-chucker day at the range the next.

Not much left to pickup after that. In the far future there is a couple long guns I want. The Ideal-For-Me Carbine, and a lefty bolty. I'll have to get creative in the gun safe to jam them in, but I got some ideas for that. It'd be nice to keep the shotgun more accessible for home defense, and that would free up a space.

New Gun

I forgot a range report before my lengthy absense.

Four weeks ago, Trollop and I traipsed to Hap Baker to shoot rifles, and to try out the "Trollop Fohty Fo" S&W 629, with an 8 inch barrel.

She is scary accurate. I learned an important lesson. Don't get Trollop angry enough with me so that she might shoot me. It'll be the last thing I ever do. Her double action shots are the 3 touching at 4 o'clock, off the black. Standard lefty flinch Her next 3 and the first 3 after the reload is that hole in the middle. 7 yards.







Damn!


During the shoot we got 3 duds, shooting DA. Primer dented, and just didn't go off. 2 of those shot after resetting the cylinder and going SA. It was Remington ammo.

While shooting the pistols, folks would ask The Trollop when I wasn't around whether that big .44 was really 'her' gun and not just mine that I let her shoot. She was very happy and proud to set them straight.

I'd like to go to the range as a pair, and out of my range bag a .380, .22, and a .38, out of hers, a 8" .44, and .50 Desert Eagle... just to see people's eyes.

Shooting at the rifle range, the sights on the m1a were a failure. The screw had worked loose so all clicks were doing nothing, most of the time. When on it shot fine. Most in the black at 200 yards. Trollop enjoyed it too. I don't have any pictures of the rest of the targets because the camera is attached to the dead computer. I should get the new one up and running this week, with luck.


What i NEED is to hang to with someone like Carteach or Blackfork for a long weekend


Im gonna do detailed strip vis a fieldstrip. Been to the range 3 times and it's time to see how much dirt is in that M1A now. When good it's great for zombies, but until the sights are fixed... Should be just a matter of tightening.



As for my pistol shooting, I noticed something very good. And something not so good.


My kungfu grip is off. I need to drill dry fire to get it back. When I grab a pistol with the right kungfu grip the front sight is there, whereever I look it is just sitting there looking where I look. This time it was a bit to the right and I had to search for it. The good thing? When I concentrated and got everything right, when my shooting arm was straight and the grip was good and I leaned forward a hair, and I flexed me knees, and I held my breath in an abbreviated hold and I squeezed the trigger, and didn't rush it.... The shots were NOTICEABLY better. Almost shooting-epiphany better. I need to drill this. If this was automatic instinct I'd be pleased.

Wha Happa?

So I've been perusing the gun blogs to see what happened over my extended absence. Not too much.

Camp Perry happened.

Alan Gura is setting up a suit in DC about the bearing of arms since he already got the keeping hammered down.

Pay Pal seems to hate charities that benefit serving heros.

And Tam is shilling for FEMA, trying to convince and lull us into believing the concentration camps aren't real. She probably thinks the moon landings ARE real, too...

Not much else.

Dee Brief

So, I can't go into too many details about the 'reserve training' two weeks I just completed as part of my RoMERO duties. Suffice to say, it was held near Pittsburgh (one of the worst places for frequent zombie outbreaks in this country) and it looks like we got a little budget relief and didn't have to mount broomsticks on pickup trucks to simulate armored personnel carriers.

There is a lot of 'hurry up and wait' that goes on with these things, so I was able to get a few books in in the downtimes.

Patriots
One Second After
The Dead And The Gone

Talk about a depressing set!

I got a little bit in through Patriots and it struck me. This guy sounds just like the the Survival Blog guy. Then I read the back flap. The author is the Survival Blog guy. A decently entertaining read and he sneaks in a lot instruction on the stuff he's about into the narrative, which was pretty cool.

One Second After is a book detailing what would happen if a rogue enemy of the US popped off a nuke 100 miles over the continental United States, frying the continent with EMP, knocking out most every item that runs on solid state electronics permanently. And most everything we touch seems to have solid state electronics in it. A hit like that would knock us back 150 years. The story centers around the doings in a small college town in west North Carolina. From there the characters witness a 90% nationwide die-off and have to deal with roving psychotic cannibals with colanders on their head. It is also scary. If one tenth of the effort devoted to glowball warmening, a much less likely or severe disaster, was spent on EMP issues we'd all be better off. The flaw in this book? I think if I was the character that loved his dogs, and didn't want to see them starve, and you had to kill a predator that broke into your house... Well, Fido might be eating well, after, if that were me. Especially since the dog was so very valuable in alerting to murderers breaking in.

The third books is more of a young adult novel, but still entertaining as a book. It is the second book that deals with asteroid striking the moon and altering its orbit. With the moon closer there is worse tides, and the the gravity issues spark earthquakes and massive volcanic events. The first book, Life As We Knew It, dealt with a small town in Ohio, this one, The Dead And The Gone, with a high school kid on the upper west side of Manhattan. And this book is much darker. There is a lot of flaws in this book. Very few human predators victimizing people for their food ration as they leave the bread lines. The main character eventual controls an entire 16 story apartment building, but only breaks into the few rooms he has a key to. Even when he is starving. Once I knew no one was coming back to the block, and I had to survive and keep my sisters alive, I'd be taking a sledge to the doors to get canned goods and black market items.

Do not read any of these books if you have a pacemaker or are a Type 1 Diabetic or have a relative in a nursing home. Too depressing. Just like fathers with a 10 year old son should not read The Road.

Home

Am I home yet?

Zombie! We're lunch. To the bunker!

“Z” is for Zombie, undead in kind.
“O” is for Other-Zombie, sneaking up from behind.

“M” is for Mankind, now that they’re gone.
“B” is for Big Bomb, the option not done.

“I” is for Infection, the cause of this mess.
“E” is for Extermination, it might be for the best.

“!” is for !&%@*!, the curses you’ll swallow.
“W” is for Water, at least across that, ghouls can’t follow.

“E’” is for Evade, flee, to save your ass.
“R” is for Reload, you have to do it real fast.

“E” is for Egress, you must board it up tight.
“L” is for Loved-ones, avoid after a bite.

“U” is for Undead, they shamble and lurch.
“N” is for Nighttime, light it up with a zed-torch.

“C” is for Cache, I hope your larder is stocked.
“H” is for Hunger, when you prepared you were mocked.

“T” is for Terror, spreading in the streets.
“O” is for Officers, fleeing their beats.

“T” is for Tasty, which you’ll be to the others.
“H” is for Horrible, they just ate your brother.

“E” is for Everything, everything that is gone.
“B” is for Brains, nom nom nom nom nom.

“U” is for Uzi, hope you have some spare clips.
“N” is for the Nightmare, which will surely give fits.

“K” is for Klondike, what would you do for a bar.
“E” is for Evil, the most evil by far.

“R” is for Run, Run Forrest, RUUUUNNNNN!!!!
“!” is for !&%@*!, I just like cussing, it’s fun.

R is for...

“R” is for Run, Run Forrest, RUUUUNNNNN!!!

“!” is for !&%@*!, I just like cussing, it’s fun.

K is for...

“K” is for Klondike, what would you do for a bar.

“E” is for Evil, the most evil by far.

(just to clarify, I do not think Klondike bars are evil in any way. quite the opposite. zombies are evil. looks like a zombie took a chomp out of this ice cream treat, though, don’t it?)

U (again) is for...

“U” is for Uzi, hope you have some spare clips.

“N” is for the Nightmare, which will surely give fits.

E (what? again?) is for...

“E” is for Everything, everything that is gone.

“B” is for Brains, nom nom nom nom nom.

T (again) is for...

“T” is for Tasty, which you’ll be to the others.

“H” is for Horrible, they just ate your brother.

T is for...

“T” is for Terror, spreading in the streets.

“O” is for Officers, fleeing their beats.

C is for...

“C” is for Cache, I hope your larder is stocked.

“H” is for Hunger, you prepared, others mocked.

U is for...

“U” is for Undead, they shamble and lurch.

“N” is for Nighttime, light it up with a zed-torch.