100

Even my Dad wanted me to do this meme:

The meme going around. 100 things I've done. Those in bold, are it.

1. Started your own blog.

2. Slept under the stars.

3. Played in a marching band. (theramin)

4. Visited Hawaii. (Never been west of Albequerque)

5. Watched a meteor shower.

6. Given more than you can afford to charity. (What have those beggars given to ME?!)

7. Been to Disneyland. (Disney World, actually)

8. Climbed a mountain. (Sugarloaf in Frederick Maryland count? Probably not.)

9. Held a praying mantis. (many times)

10. Sang a solo. (… make it simple… to last the whole day looooooooong)

11. Bungee jumped. (never with a bungee cord)

12. Visited Paris. (I was kicked out of Toulon, though. Damn Frogs.)

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch. (Cabinetmaking is more a craft…)

15. Adopted a child. (Not allowed to.)

16. Had food poisoning. (Ohhhhhh, Sun-Brewed mayonaise)

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty. (it was closed)

18. Grown your own vegetables. (If you mean by ‘grow’, ‘avoid like the plague’)

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.

20. Slept on an overnight train. (On the list of things to do.)

21. Had a pillow fight.

22. Hitch hiked. (Wearing a uniform during the first Gulf War had bennies even for a slob like me.)

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill.

24. Built a snow fort.

25. Held a lamb.

26. Gone skinny dipping.

27. Run a Marathon. (HA!)

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice.

29. Seen a total eclipse.

30. Watched a sunrise and sunset.

31. Hit a home run. (T-Ball, 3rd Grade.)

32. Been on a cruise. (Paid for by the US Gov’t. I even slept in the CPO compartment)

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person.

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors. (I’ve been to Washington DC many times, since I live 6 miles from it.)

35. Seen an Amish community.

36. Taught yourself a new language. (HTML)

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied. (I sorta have this now, as long as no extra big expenses crop up)

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person.

39. Gone rock climbing.

40. Seen Michelangelo's David.

41. Sung karaoke.

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt. (Albequerque)

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant.

44. Visited Africa. (I could see the shore from the ship.)

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.

46. Been transported in an ambulance. (Boy Scouts fake wounds/triage to train firefighters and paramedic.)

47. Had your portrait painted.

48. Gone deep sea fishing.

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person.

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling. (Snorkeling yes, my friggin ears!)

52. Kissed in the rain. (how can you not?)

53. Played in the mud. (see above)

54. Gone to a drive-in theater. (Saw Hancock, ET, Horton hears a Who, and the Doberman Gang.)

55. Been in a movie.

56. Visited the Great Wall of China.

57. Started a business.

58. Taken a martial arts class. (pistol training)

59. Visited Russia. (I’m no gotdem commy!)

60. Served at a soup kitchen.

61. Ate Girl Scout Cookies.

62. Gone whale watching.

63. Got flowers for no reason.

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma.

65. Gone sky diving. (See bungee jumping,)

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp.

67. Bounced a check. (I don’t think… over draft covered my butt once.)

68. Flown in a helicopter. (Uncle Sam's)

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy.

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial. (nor the Washington Monument, nor Jefferson… I am a Washingtonian. We never do that.)

71. Eaten Caviar. (and other fish roe)

72. Pieced a quilt.

73. Stood in Times Square.

74. Toured the Everglades. (GATORS!)

75. Been fired from a job. (for once I want to go to a new job after not having to leave one because of a layoff or a bidness failure.)

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London.

77. Broken a bone. (rib, arm, sesamoid bone, but not all at once.)

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle.

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person.

80. Published a book. (Want to.)

81. Visited the Vatican.

82. Bought a brand new car. (Never again.)

83. Walked in Jerusalem.

84. Had your picture in the newspaper. (Boy Scouts.)

85. Read the entire Bible. (Old Testament, mostly, so far. New is next.)

86. Visited the White House. (See Lincoln Memorial. WASHINGTONIAN.)

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating. (Kill and cleaned fish, cleaned deer.)

88. Had chickenpox.

89. Saved someone’s life. (I’ve refrained from killing someone that deserved it. Does that count?)

90. Sat on a jury.

91. Met someone famous.

92. Joined a book club. (Sci Fi in Jr. High)

93. Lost a loved one.

94. Had a baby. (men can’t have babies)

95. Seen the Alamo in person. (My boots have never touched Texas soil.)

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake.

97. Been involved in a law suit.

98. Owned a cell phone. (Not yet. I am a Luddite.)

99. Been stung by a bee. (The pool in my childhood neighborhood was on the other side of a cloverfield… Many foot stings.)

100. Read an entire book in one day.

Cooper Sez

Jeff Cooper says: “Having nothing to lose, I am going to climb out on a loose limb and make a horrifying statement. To wit: group size is spinach.”


Well! So if I center my group, seen below, I should shrug off the tightening and let that happen naturally. And for that I may receive the blessings of Colonel Cooper, as long as I train and concentrate on other aspects? Works for me.

Other aspects:
Mindset, including a calm and ready mind.
Smooth deliberate holster draw.
Gaming scenarios, internally. Exits. Escape routes. If A happens now, I will do B, if C happens then D and E.


Though I have a feeling if I fix that group by shifting to center that’ll mean my trigger squeeze is better and that’ll mean my groups will tighten of their own accord.

One day… One day… That little red spot in the middle of the Shoot N See target will be afraid of me. Fear me, Spot!!! Your days? They are numbered!

Gone Huntin'... Agin.

Fingers crossed.

Update: Bupkis.

My Buddy's Time Machine

I've discussed before with My Buddy the Gun Enthusiast that if he could go back in time and guide his 21 year old self, what different gun acquisition decisions would he advise?

We've already discussed that he'd recommend to himself that instead of 24 cheaper guns, to get a dozen higher quality things.

He's also totally turned around on caliber choices. Before, he was all about the 9mm and .223, now he believes .45 and .308 is a wiser decision.

What else?

Remember, there was no internet back in those days. He had to rely on shooting magazines. Had he listened to them, and had the money, he'd have a revolver that shot .41 caliber, and a 10mm pistol, too. Rounds that have gone down in popularity since. Normal police carried revolvers almost exclusively, then. Anything he could have told his younger self would have helped avoid those pitfalls.

What he DID listen to from the shooting magazines was that the Beretta .40, Double Action only pistol with an integral laser sight INSIDE the guide rod and a threaded barrel for a suppressor was the be-all, end-all, must-have pistol for now and for all time for every super-cop, special forces Operator, and all Mall Ninjas in the know. When he got it, the laser on the .45 long-slide that the Terminator used in the first movie was the norm... as big as a rifle scope, so the mini laser in the new Beretta was the ultimate. And the gun was expensive. Very. what should be the pride of his aresenal, the ONE pistol that all the cool fancy guys were going to carry from then on out was this Baretta .40, DA, with a threaded barrel and an integral laser sight. And super-cops and Operators use... what now? Not that Beretta, not double action, and rarely lasers. The darn laser eats through batteries, too. Maybe he should have gotten a Colt Python instead. They were still making them back then, I think. He doesn't regret the purchase, and is, in fact, contemplating a CX4 carbine to complement it, now. So, all's well that ends well.

Would he advise himself to get Remington shotguns instead of Mossbergs? Not that much of a differential there. Maybe he'd recommend a few less Mini-14s. Better 2 M1As than 4 Mini-14s, he thinks now. Not that he has 4 Mini-14s. He has 9 or 10. He's very happy with Ruger .22s and revolvers. And he adores his S&W .44. No change there. The only .223 he'd get would be an actual AR, and that would be a later acquisition. Less of a priority. Especially with the M1A 7.62mm goodness.

How about his first pistol? It is a S&W 9mm. Maybe he could have convinced himself to get a actual Colt 1911 instead. And eschew 9mm for the most part, maybe? 9mm has a utility in pistol and carbine. It's handier for small folks. He'd certainly avoid .40.


But the market then isn't the market now. He couldn't get a first generation Glock way back in the misty recesses of time, no matter how bad you wanted one. And to get a Glock 21, .45ACP, he'd have to wait some more. He does like the Glock.

Reciprocity Map

Conceal carry reciprocity map.

I wonder how well this is updated?

But if you dig around in that site you can find links to the text of various state laws and find out the specifics before a visit. Like "What constitutes a restaurant in that state I am visiting next month, and hence can carry, and what constitutes a bar, where I can't. Do they recognize MY out of state permit or not there?" Important stuff. Stuff to NOT mess up.

For instance, I thought WVA would accept a Utah Non Residential Permit. They do not.

CCW Training Report

Where have you been, solider?



Training, sir!



What kind of training?



ARMY TRAINING, SIR! (props to Bill Murray, Stripes.)




Ok, so I went training on Pearl Harbor day. It was a double class, so it was a full Sunday of Gun Goodness.

The pre-requisite for the CCW class is an NRA Basic Pistol or First Steps. The trainer, CRAIG COLLINS of Maryland Firearm Training Group does a thorough job, I thought, and there were 2 women with me in the class that had never shot a gun before. And this First Steps class was the morning session. I thought this class would be a review, and I wouldn't learn anything, but I did pick up a tip or two. Like a better way to load a revolver. It's harder on a lefty and more natural for a righty, but it's still good system for me. When you flip open the cylinder, stick your middle 2 fingers through the hole the cylinder leaves, and support them under the back strap. Now your thumb can control the cylinder rotation AND press the ejector rod. There is better control that way.

Now Craig Collins is a contractor for a company working in a part of the world between Egypt and India. He's ex-military too. MP it seems. His job is VIP protection related, and he has to carry and use firearms for his job. That's cool enough, but he clearly LOVES teaching people how to shoot. When we went to the range, the ladies were first. One, Erin, was more nervous than the other, Jen, so Jen shot first. She did pretty well for a first timer. The target is a full sized silhouette with a notepaper sized rectangle drawn on the chest with chalk. Most all of Jen's were in the rectangle. I doubt I did as well back on that Navy ship in 1990, at my first pistol shoot. Nervous Erin was even better! The nervous/excited women always seem to shoot like target champions in my experience. She even fell in love with the Glock. That's what they shot. A S&W Model 10 with .38 special, and a Glock 17 in 9mm. Erin even got a spent casing INSIDE her shooting glasses. After a bit of drama for that she went right back to making a big shot-out hole in the middle of the target.

They left, and it was my turn. Craig knew I was a shooter so the .38 was first just to gauge my skill and if we could move on the CCW specific training. I did ok here. Then, the excitement, began.

We brought my Sig for this, though I had the 1911. My holster was the plain-Jane Serpa holster with a little catch release that retains it. This little release would be my curse, though Instructor Craig likes them and uses that type himself. (He's also a bit of a Glock man... won't hold that against him. Heck MBtGE is a Glock man.) My biggest hang up was getting past this little button on the draw.

First is the standard draw. It's a six or seven step exercise that I was already familiar with thanks to Jeff Cooper and similar types. From ready chest you Grab the grip, support hand still on your chest, Present the pistol by rocking your elbow down, forearm parallel to the deck and still close to your side, Slap your support hand into position on the grip, Look by extending your arms into shooting postion by pushing the pistol away from your body, then the sights are there and your can shoot. If you have a 1911 or other type pistol with a safety you have to add "Click" after the Slap where you get that safety off. Great, another thing to slow me down.

After a few practice runs, we went to timing the event. Those little buzzer clocks you see on pistol training videos for shot timing? He used one of those. It is amazing how quickly 2 seconds goes by. He upped it to 2.1 seconds, and if the push button on the holster didn't hold me up I'd beat that time. Sometimes. If you want to beat the clock AND see your front sight you have to have a good grip right from the grab. No time to change it up. And then your support hand has to hit position as though it lived there. And neither grip worked out the way it was supposed to even half the time. LOTS of dryfire practice at home due, to get that grip automatic, to get that holster button release automatic, and to bring the overall time down, is called for. LOTS and lots. Of practice. Also, you better have a decent squeeze for the trigger already in place in your muscle memory, because when you are doing this for real or you are being timed, things are happening fast, and it's not time to THINK about squeezing, you just have to do so. It's hard. Practice is vital.

We progressed through that and did some one handed drills. These targets are set and interview distance. 6 feet for so. One is firing just after the rock forward of your elbow after draw, so NO sighting is possible. When your forearm is parallel to the deck, you fire. If you need to, you can extend from here. It's all pointing. Point shooting. Anathema to Jeff Cooper, in most cases. You done let a bad guy get too close, but you don't get to choose the moment. I did my most 'missing' at this stage where the round hit in a non-center-mass area. Only one sailed over the target's shoulder, and the others would have put a real damper on the bad guy's day. Especially the round in the groin.

There is another drill called the ATM drill. You face the wall with your hands on it. When the buzzer sounds you shoot one handed, full extension, at the target to your side.

So we got the practice out of the way before the actual theory part. All to save a second trip to the range.

Classroom lecture went over shoot/no-shoot, draw/no-draw, and display/no-display situations (short answer, as you'd expect, is very few 'shoot' situations, and unless it's shoot, it's none of the others.). Some legal aspects. The importance of planning trips if you are going to multiple CCW states. Also went over the Cooper style mindset color codes that I have already internalized like the 4-Rules, and a new concept to me: The 4 D's.

The 4 D's are intersting, but I have to find them again. They include Divert, Disable and Destroy, I think, and I'll explain them further when I can locate them. You have to get inside a bad guy's OODA loop. If you have shot a bad guy 6 times and 4 of those bullets exited out the back and the guy is bleeding from 10 holes and is lying there and raises his pistol to point it at you, then YOU DIDN'T SHOOT HIM ENOUGH.

My only regret was not getting MORE range time and maybe try out the 1911, and work on that one specific problem of mine of shooting low and right. Dangit. One other tip I picked up to address that, possibly, is to watch out for the part of my palm where the trigger finger meets the hand. A LOT of movement under that pad when you work the squeeze.

I look forward to doing another more advanced class with this guy after he comes back from overseas work in April. Need to save my pennies for Basic Defensive Pistol. In the meantime: Practice.

Steampunk Quiz

GADGETEER

21% Elegant, 62% Technological, 30% Historical, 52% Adventurous and 31% Playful!

You are the Gadgeteer, the embodiment of steampunk technology. Ironically, many of the things that most define your style are probably too large to easily carry about, but given the opportunity you would prefer to be seen surrounded by boiler engines, gear-driven calculators, and incredible automata. Of all the steampunk fashion styles, you place the greatest emphasis on technological accessories, and you are the most likely to create elaborate gadgets that are as much a part of your outfit as your clothes. You probably have goggles, but unlike most people you consider them to be for more than decoration. Whereas most people might look odd carrying a satchel of tools around, for you they may well be essential. Above all, you remind everyone that what sets the genre apart from Victoriana is simply the level of technology.

Why Get to a Stand While Dark

Some commenter I've never met before wanted to know why we get to a tree stand to wait for deer while the sun was still waaaaaaaaay down. You can't see to shoot. So...

Well, since Me and MBtGE hunt form an ambuscade position and set in one spot wait for some hapless cervid to wander by we want to get to our spot and settle in and be very still and quiet. After a short time the woods forgets you are there. All the critters in a half mile radius heard you clomp up there and are properly concerned. Especially the awake ones. Forget about all the stuff where you have such an advantage over helpless woodland creatures. Their eyes are as good, or better than yours, their ears and nose are MUCH better than yours. Deer will often walk with the wind at their back, so they can smell stuff coming from behind them and SEE stuff they are approaching.

But if you don't move around and cause them further alarm woodland createres ostensibly think you are harmless. Squirrels will sometimes scamper right over you, and when that happens it scares the crap out of both of you. And if you are not moving around, deer that were gonna wander past and were nowhere near when you set in place will just mind their own business heading to a morning spot to do whatever it is deer do at breakfast time. Then you have a chance to blast em to deer Valhalla.

Even if you don't hunt it's a fun thing to do. You don't even have to do it at O'Dark Thirty. (We do it then to get deer as they move around at first light.) Go to you favorite wild spot with camp chair, wearing no perfumey stuff. Like hairspray, bug repellent, or clothes you laundered with soap (run a cycle with no soap.) You may want to cut an onion in half when you head out from your car. Stomp on the onion to get the smell of carpet or road tar down to a dull roar and replace with the natural scent of the onion. Carry the other half of the onion and toss near your spot, down wind. Then sit, be still, and observe for a few hours. It's amazing to see the woods come alive, going about it's woodly ways, not caring about you since you are not acting like a threat. You might see a deer walk by, and you'll definitely see other stuff. There was a hawk near me one morning, and that made the squirrels hide and stop barking at me. You get to experience the naturalist side of hunting without the 'icky' killing and cleaning, if that's icky stuff isn't your style.

Wear blaze orange if you do this during hunting season. And you may not want to do this in areas where there are Grizzly Bears or Mountain Lions.

CCW Requirement

Ok, in order to get my CCW Permit from Utah, I need to send them a Blue and White fingerprint card. Easy, right? To Protect and to Serve. The police will help. My local constabulary depot looked at me like I was talking French, and they told me to leave and never darken their door again.

'You cain't git that here.'

So... suggestions?

I don't HAVE a blank card. It wasn't included in my package.

Another Trip to Gilberts

I got free range time at Gilbert Guns. It's a range near my house and they offered a "go free for a week" deal to my dealer, Engage, if you bought a gun in November or December. Gilbert sells guns, but their main attraction is the range. Last time I checked it was a bit pricy and the range near work is much cheaper. $200 versus $300. One is a couple miles form my house, one is a couple miles from my work.


They also make you buy their ammo to shoot at their range, and that is priced retail for the Fiocchi brand.


But still, I did want to check them out and report on it.


It's a nice range, and you can shoot up to .308 rifle ammo there. Maybe twice as many lanes as OnTarget. It's where I went to test the Sig in the report a few days back and I went back just to practice some with the 1911 a couple days after.


The staff is very nice. I haven't met a jerk, yet, that worked at a gun store.


I wasn't pleased with the Fiocchi ammo. It didn't quite fit into any of my Springfield factory magazines. Like they were a hair too wide in diameter. Huh. They fit fine in the McCormick mags, though, so I used them for this test. Anyway, that gives me a bad feeling about that ammo brand.


That reminds me... I have to test Wolf ammo. Steel cased and $5 cheaper, but some guns don't like the type.


Anyway. Here is a typical target from the .45 at 25 feet:





Yup, the all so familiar down and right. The group is tight. For me.

Garand Enbloc Stow

PDB and later Tam linked to this neat new product. WANT!



A way to store Garand clips in modern pouches. And LOTS of Garand clips, too.

Breda N' Me

This is my target at 25 feet:

And this is the Breda's target, the same target type, the same week:

Notice any difference?

Uh huh. Me too. Breda has been shooting about a year longer than me. If my targets look like hers this time next year, I will be at the same level of experience and have achieved something. Instead of one or two in the 7-ring, I will hopefully be like the Dead-Eye Librarian, and have only one or two in the 8-ring.

Goin Training

Let's see if I learn anything.

I have some other posts queued, so I'll report on the trip the 11th.

Cowed Spouse

There are plenty of people in mixed marriages out there. Breda was, until she came around on the issue. And she was the 'problem' spouse back in the day.

Even I have met people like this. I've shot their rifles that were on perma-loan to relatives.

You know what I mean here. One half of the couple is comfortable about guns and enjoys shooting or hunting, but the other half that has joined their life hates guns, or is worried about any kids that might stumble upon a firearm. Or is worried about older kids and their friends and what if they turn out to be trouble makers? Because the gun owner in this equation isn't a fanatic, or even an enthusiast, they cave to the concerns of the other half and lock away permanently or get rid of their shooting iron.

It's the path of least resistance, and it maintains the peace and harmony of the marriage. If you are not really into guns you cede this battle. And I don't even think people that choose this option are all that wrong. When it comes down to a choice between the guns or the life partner most will choose the partner.

If you are lucky and happen to fall in love with a hoplophobe, maybe you can convert them, like Mike did to Breda. With patience and understanding. At least to the point where the significant other is at semi-neutral on subject would be a win. So you don't have to give your guns to your brother on permanent loan. Of course you'd train your kids to properly respect the firearms and keep your guns secure from idle young hands.

If you are Lottery-Jackpot lucky, you marry a woman like Tam, if you are male gunnie of shooting enthusiasm. One that has acres of knowledge to teach YOU about boomsticks.

Chances are, you aren't Tam lucky, or even pre-chrysalis Breda lucky. And you have an uphill climb that you might not surmount.

I imagine this is where we lose the most shooters. Loss of interest combined with actual outside antipathy means one less household.

How do we reverse the trend? Well the plan is easy, and the execution is simple, but solution is hard. It'll just take a while. What is the plan? Be a responsible firearm custodian. Don't scare off folks with crazy talk about plugging bad guys at your door, or taking to the hills to evade the UN Tyranny forces, or, yes, don't make people think you are seriously worried about actual zombies. Fortunately, for me, the idea of actual zombies is silly enough, and considering the source... Do things with guns that are normal and act like it is normal. No more mindset thinking you are in a special fraternity that appreciates the Bill of Rights when most do not. At least not outwardly. Encourage other gun owners to not go to extremes and let passion rule. It's the gun banners that are the crazy extremists after all. Especially encourage mall ninja types to dial it back, even if you have to ridicule them privately. If pushed as to why you are a gun owner and user explain your reasons in calm measured common sense terms, even in the face of a hostile audience. Stuff like recreation, personal betterment through a disciplined target challenge, and self-defense.

But but but... The other side is so emotional and might take the high ground of public opinion with their histrionics and you are passionate about the Second Amendment? Emotional appeal is such a strong and seemingly effective short circuit to the argument. You can be passionate and disciplined and still look normal while doing it. It's hard to do this. It's easy to rant and rail against the injustice. But a professional attitude and a disciplined application of calm pressure will win in the end. Heller was personally extreme in his passions and defense of individual rights. His strategy was victory through a Supreme Court case, and there are many other strategies going forward throught he courts and the legislature. But his tactics, were calm and disciplined. He didn't let his heart rule him in his fight. Not in the public eye. And he won. As we will win. And you can/will convert others, even a recalcitrant spouse using the same tactic.

Let's practice:

"BUT ASSAULT RIFLES ARE MILITARY RIFLES GOOD ONLY FOR KILLING PEOPLE!"

"Actually, it only looks like a military assault rifle. Military assault rifles are machine guns and there have been effective laws regulating machine guns since 1934. This rifle is only semi-automatic, like many hunting rifles. It's not a machine gun. And I use it for target shooting and not murder. Most actual murderers don't even prefer to use one of these. It's fun. If you like I can teach you how to safely shoot it, and have fun with it, too."

SIG December Range Report

I took the new SIG P229 SAS DAK .40 caliber out for a real test drive, and to check my skills with it. Now referred to as 'the Sig' until I get a Mosquito P22.

Summary: Not bad.



I still love the trigger. It's smooth with no change in the pull weight throughout the travel, unlike my revolver or, even more severe, MBtGE's Beretta .40. I sorta compared it to the Glock before. It's not like the Glock trigger. I played with MBtGE's Glocks, too, on hunting day. The Glock trigger is lighter and feels... different... to me. Plastic. Glock trigger action just doesn't suit me. Personal preference. Anyway, here is the first target of a serious range session:




Lost concentration on those 2, didn't I? But look! SIX in the 10-Ring! I never get that many bullseyes.

And the second target is almost as good:

According to the 'scoring for qualification' instructions on the target, I'd get 5 points for any in the 10, 9, or 8 ring, and 4 points for that single in the 7 ring. I guess I'd qualify if this was the Police Academy or whatever.

I tried some shoot-and-see targets, just to, you know, see, on the last target:

3 flyers. Getting tired, maybe. Still good.

Note the flaw is still low and right, even when shooting well. Less so with this gun. Yay. I think it's the trigger that helps the most. It smooth enough, even enough, and long enough and it surprises me more. Surprise is the key. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.

Update: All targets were set at 25 feet

Gun Cite

Oooo, lots of footnotes undermining politically motivated, hoplophobic and sometime fraudulent anti-civil rights studies. Including the reprehensible Kellerman but not the defrocked-from-his-academia position for, you know, making up stuff, Bellesiles. Heh. They awarded him the Bancroft prize, but when his citations proved to be vapor, they stripped the award from Bellesiles.

Hat tip to SayUncle.

Badonkadonk

Here is a good concept for an anti-zombie vehicle.










I saw it linked on Xavier's blog.



It's engine is a little anemic, but otherwise you have a sound little idea here. Armored windows, a front that acts like a cow catcher, holds five survivors. Good stuff.


If you don't buy one THIS MINUTE... You aren't gonna be ready when the zombies come.

Noob Range Report and...

I took the Random Harlot I've been dating to the pistol range on Black Friday. She did great with the rifles last summer.

I took the Saucy Trollop to the pistol range for a N00b shoot last Friday. Black Friday. That range has an attached gun store and they were VERY crowded. All the AR rifles that were on the wall a week after the election are now gone. They all had little sold signs on them in early November, just waiting for the 1 week waiting period to be up. At least 2 dozen rifles in the hands of free Americans just from that one store.

After a short wait for a lane the fun part began.

First up was for me to function test the new SIG P229 SAS with a DAK trigger. It works fine for me. I wasn't serious. My usual flaws were in evidence. I will go solo with it and see what I can do when I'm not teaching. Or 'teaching' as is this case. It's not quite the blind leading the blind, but.



Now I had taken Trollop shooting before, but with rifles at Hap Baker. She did well there, and loved the Garand most of all (so proud of her), so she had the firearm basics down. I made her memorize the 4 Rules months ago. And I had her do dry fire work at home on and off for weeks.

You usually like to start off a new shooter with a .22. I have no dedicated .22, so the 1911 took that duty with the .22LR conversion kit attached. After going back to the .22 later in the session I saw that she was most accurate more consistently with this.

Next up, the S&W 686 with .38 Special loaded. She learned how to swing out the cylinder and load it. When you are unfamiliar with a firearm that is something. Where to put your thumb on the release and where to put a finger to push out the cylinder are not instinctive when it is a borrowed gun. A gun you familiarized yourself with more extensively after purchasing and before your range trip. Same with figure out how

She did fine after I told her to concentrate on the front sight. Well, AFTER I told her to do that and still line up the rear sight. "Focus on the Front Sight" is a confusing term for the N00b. I explained that you line up the sights and the target like you normally would but that the front sight should be where the eyes focus. The rear sight may be a little blurry and the target definitely will be. Once she grocked that, the center of the silhouette was her domain. Like other new revolver shooters, she lost track of bullet count, so she fired on the 'seventh' round of six more often than not. She had a flinch. And was hitting low and left. So the next instruction was for more of a constant pull on Double Action and let the shoot surprise you. This helped her a LOT. Her trigger finger awareness discipline still needs some work. Especially on hair trigger single action. She cocks the hammer and the finger is already INSIDE the trigger guard. No serious damage would occur if she had discharged before she was ready. Just the ceiling down range a ways. Still.

Next up was for her to try the new SIG .40 caliber. She learned where the mag release was for this and many other semi-auto pistols. Her grip isn't perfect and I didn't harp on it. She has small hands and crosses her support hand thumb back over her shooting hand. There was no danger in getting hit by the slide that way so I let it go. I just wanted her to get used to shooting before fine tuning anything. And she was still hitting near the center of the paper.

I didn't convert the 1911 back to .45. Maybe next time she can try that.

Finally, the revolver with .357 magnum loaded. I demonstrated a couple so she'd see the flame and feel the difference in pressure (And damn I shoot that revolver pretty well. Even double action.) When it was her turn, I loaded just one round in the cylinder, just in case. My concern was unfounded. She loved the .357 shooting most of all and shot that the rest of the session when given the opportunity to choose her weapon. I asked her what her favorite was after the trip and she said the big round, "peels her panties." But you expect language like that from someone named Saucy Trollop.

She kept her main target. As a memento.

One thing. With my new SIG she had a FTE. Failure to eject. It stovepiped a casing. Uh-oh. I don't want a brand new gun to be imperfect. Now, I believe the major reason for a stovepipe is limp-wristing the shot. When I mentioned that, she wholly agreed that she was indeed holding it pretty loosely. And it served as a chance to teacher her the Tap-Rack-Bang method of malfunction recovery. Tap the magazine back into place in case it is loose, rack the slide to clear the ejector port and chamber of any problems, then pull the trigger. She took to that technique like a duck to water.

So, all in all a good piece of range time.





Here is her target. The holes past the right ear are her before she totally understood the 'focus on the front sight concept' All the other holes except the good head shots were her:

Fun Show Past

So, I missed the Fun Show a coupla weekends ago. Ah well.

Reason? The money burn has been heavy prior to the election, and the election results have boosted prices. There is nothing that I HAVE to have. I am prepared gear-wise. As prepared as can reasonably be expected. And my next focus is training and practice and accessories. Including a class in a this weekend.

How's that?

It's still fun to go and look, but I was there earlier in the year. And even then there was nothing on my list to acquire. It's a HUGE headache to get all the ducks in a row to buy a simple shotgun and get it back to Maryland, all legal. I don't know how FFL dealers can keep track of the Byzantine layers of regulations involved.

I picked up my 2009 gun last Friday. More than a year before I will be willing to fork over any dough I don't ALREADY have in folding money in my pocket at that time. In other words, only SUPER-bargains. $700 guns offered for $199. That sort of thing. Highly unlikely and irresistible deals. For real this time. The gun cabinet is nigh full. If I have to I'll start alternating the long guns: barrel down, barrel up, etc. It shouldn't get any worse than that. Look at the Master List, after all. Not a lot on there. This side of a Mega Million Lottery win.

Got One

Sorta. My Buddy the Gun Enthusiast got a deer. I wasn't so lucky.

We set up at different stands on the property. As I was walking to mine I spooked a deer off. We got there at noon so it was deifinitely a deer. I didn't confuse a squirrel scamper in the dark. The deer I scared looked like if was sitting in the stand I was heading to. It was nice of him to give up his seat for me.

So I settled in on a pretty afternoon, hopeful that, where there was one, there would be more. 45 minutes in I hear shots and turn on the 2 way radio. Yup. MBtGE got one. So, off to him.

He thought it was a doe, but it had little button antlers. And, also, you know, yarbles. Probably a yearling. It pretty much dropped where it stood. 25 yards. The thing HEARD the safety get switched off. Wow. The picture didn't turn out, so... nothing to post here. Sorry. But it wasn't my deer so it was less important I get a pic.

So, I get to gut it. None too pleasant. One buckshot pellet did hit south of the diaphragm. A little stomach nick made gutting a little stinky, but it wasn't too bad. The liver had a through and through. Most hit in the heart and lung area.

The trick to field dressing is to get the organs out without letting the digestive contents get into content with the meat. Especially the lower intestine contents. Freeing the terminal end of the intestine is the hardest part because it is encircled by the pelvis.

The farm we hunt belongs to MBtGE's sister and brother in law, so we have free run of farm equipment and water hoses to help the next part. A golf cart toted the carcase where we needed it, and a convenient rafter in a barn was where we hung it up upside down.

Once you get the skin off around hind legs you can pull off the rest down to the head like it was a warm, slimy, wet sweatshirt. Carve away the tenderloin and put it in a cooler. Then carve off both forelegs, chop off the feet and put em in the cooler. Then split the pelvis, chop off the hind feet and put the 'hams' in the cooler.

MBtGE didn't want to save the skin, so it went in the trash. It looks like it would be a lot of work to prep a skin. If he had saved and tanned every skin he harvested in his life, he could carpet his house in deer. He sorta wishes he had. Too late now.

Once home, rinse the meat, and de-bone it. The tenderloin or back strap is the tasty part. Steak medallions or grill it hole. The hind legs make for decent roasts. The odds and ends on the hind legs and the forelegs are stew meat for the most part. Maybe I'll get a meat grinder and make venison chili. Here's a tip. If you grind venison, throw a couple slices of fatty bacon in the grinder too. Bacon makes everything taste better and venison is pretty lean. Without bacon you might not get your FDA dietary recommended daily value of fat.

Oh, and we named him Jeffery. It made it easier to disassemble him when he had a cute name.

MBtGE shared half the meat with me. And I learned how to prep a deer. Here is a picture of what was left over when we were done, ready for the garbage man: NOT for the squeamish.