Blog Fodder

So whenever I run out of blog fodder I should just go to the gunstore. Always something new to see and expound upon eloquently (~cough!~) there.

First, I went because I hadn't been in a while, and I wouldn't be remiss picking up a box of ammo or two. Just because.

But he had three P238s in the case! So cute! So teeny weeny. And... they aren't approved for sale in Maryland. But you can still buy them. The store will just hold onto them. Maryland isn't as bad as Massachusetts, JayG. I bet they get them by October. Cerainly much less than a year. Approval happens pretty fast for regular stuff like this P238. A cellphone pistol might languish a while before approval (if ever.) Our 'list' isn't to keep guns out of peoples hands for as long as possible, like in Massachusetts, but to keep pot-metal guns out. How fast does MA get around to it?

I didn't buy one of course. No money. Well, money is too dear right now. It would take something much more tempting than that.

And then I saw the Marlin Camp Carbines on the rack.

Something more tempting.

And I realized all my squawking about giving up the looking, or desire, for a carbine was right out the window. If they had been .45's I'd have walked out of there with one. Dammit! All because it was there and I kinda want it, and I don't see em in the wild.

Lucky for me, they were 9mm versions, and my credit card was spared. It is nice to illuminate my character and self-control without the expense. The reveal is only HALF disappointing that way.

For RobertaX

Zombie Fleet

You know what THESE are, don't you?

That's right, ZOMBIE FLEET.

There ain't no ghosts on there.

But fill those ships up with zombies and set them on autopilot to beach on the California coast? It'd take to long to notice the Californians were acting stranger than normal (more 'bitey') and then we'd have a bad Level 4 outbreak on our hands. The Portugese tried the same thing back in '49.

Cancel Christmas, indeed.

We Lost Jed Today

RIP



WOLVERINES!!!!!

rumors of my demise...

Turns out, I'm ok.

It wasn't Swine Flu as I am still alive. Since Swine Flu has a mortality rate of 116% (I am going by numbers/estimates of the Mainstream Media) I must have had something else.

Maybe it was just gas.

Sorry for those of you vultures that had your eyes on my gear. I bet you feel kinda silly NOW, huh? All that money spent on voodoo doll hocus pocus was for naught.

One Last Thing

One last thing before I succumb to this H1N1 virus and shuffle off this mortal coil.

Trollop wants to go to a pumpkin holocaust, but by the time November rolls around I'll be dead dead dead in the cold cold cold ground.

Does anyone know of a similar event as THIS that Saucy Trollop could attend? The woman REALLY hates pumpkins after November First.

Swine Flu

I gots the Swine Flu!

Probably be dead by tomorrow morning. Tuesday if I am really lucky.

Which one of you deserves my stuff, and why?

Seriously! And "I'm your buddy the gun enthusiast and you wouldn't be where you are today if it weren't for me," or "I'm your BROTHER!" isn't gonna cut it. "Where do you want me to ship this 5 pounds of Pig Candy? And I only want the Springfield and the Colt," is a better tactic. At least I'll die full of bacon.

~~~~~~~

This phenomena is common with players of MMORPGs. A guy plays for a long time and get's sick of the game and wants to go cold turkey. He talks about this disillusionment with his online friends. "Hey, Mom is getting sick of me stealing her credit card and the basement is starting to stink of my BO. I'm gonna quit playing EverWorldofCamelotWarsConanJedi and get a job."

Someone always says: "Can I have all your stuff?"

This is that.

Professor Know It All

JayG tried to be a good Samaritan and finally put some controversial gun questions to bed, once and for all. While a nice effort, he did have one little flaw. ALL of his answers are WRONG! I feel it my civic duty to help ol' Jay G out.

ahem!


Q. What's the best gun for my girlfriend/wife/best friend's mother/invalid uncle/etc.?

A. You get quite a bit more BTU per cord with hardwoods over softwoods, generally, and the softwoods can be a bit more 'creosotey' Get White Oak or Ash in your East Coast region if you can. Avoid Cottonwood at all costs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Q. What's the best "carry gun"?

A. Have you tried a hot bath? Maybe a walk around the block? In the future try to drink more fruit juices and eat whole grain bread products. Avoid cheese and other dairy if you can. And, for all that is HOLY, stop eating green plastic army men.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Q. Glock or 1911?

A. Yes.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Q. Which is the better caliber, 9mm vs. .45 ACP?

A. A good way to remember is the saying, "Spring forward and Fall back." You set your clocks ahead one hour in the Springtime, and back an hour in Autumn.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Q. Which is the better battle rifle, the AK-47 or the AR-15?

A. I find whisking a couple tablespoons of tap water into the omelette helps make it fluffy and stay together better. More so than cream or milk. Also, salt the eggs after cooking.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Q. If I'm faced with a goblin/multiple goblins, would I be better off firing a warning shot first?

A. Nowadays, hardly anyone knows how to 'lead' a car. If someone intends to patch a hole they will use Bondo. Even that is becoming rare, and just replacing the whole damaged panel is the usual way to go. If you insist on lead, check with old time car enthusiasts and the like.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well, I'm glad I was able to help put to bed some of those age old controversies once and for all. Let me know if you need any other help, Jay.

today

A couple years before Dec 31 1999, I got a revolver.

A couple years AFTER 9/11 I got a Garand. But that was mainly because of 2 realistic WWII cinematic experiences (Ryan and Brothers). Curiosity about finding a range to shoot the Garand got me here, to this blog.

You'd think if I was a paranoid gun-clinger I'd have gotten the Garand on the 12th of September...

But I'm still not satisfied with how we've done since that fateful day in 2001.

Not enough.

Update: Another thing. There is something horribly wrong with this country. Why? It's been 8 years and the towers have yet to be replaced by a grand building. The Empire State building went up in 16 months. The design took TWO weeks. It's been 96 months since the buildings came down.

Huh...

So THAT's what I have. A mild case of Stendahl Syndrome.

It causes rapid heartbeat, dizziness, confusion and even hallucinations when an individual is exposed to art, usually when the art is particularly beautiful or a large amount of art is in a single place. The term can also be used to describe a similar reaction to a surfeit of choice in other circumstances, e.g. when confronted with immense beauty in the natural world.

Most recently, I experienced it at gun shows, the the effect has faded with subsequent trips and acclimation to the stimuli.

When I entered a gun show for the first time it was sensory overload. So much neat stuff to see, and so little time in the day. It made it hard to concentrate. I suspected that that may happen and it's why I write a list of things to purchase down on something. Otherwise who knows what I might shell out money for. I might take a tripod for a MG42 home accidentally.

Kinda cool, but where would I find a use for that?

Where There is No Pinko Doc

So I just go this book, Where There Is No Doctor.

It's geared toward remote 3rd World areas, but can be useful here, in the States, In the even of a massive disruption. Sort of a Katrina times 10. Picture a North Koreas/Iranian EMP, a zombocalypse, or when Ted Kennedy's brain is reanimates and using his supernatural thought control, manages to take over the gov't until the forces of Good and Justice known as the Kopechne Brigades finally manage to get him down for good.

It's not perfect but it has some value.

I've just started it, but one thing alread jumped out at me.

The author is a commie.

Great. The whole "do no harm" oath doesn't apply, especially when one is willfully blind of History. They spout off in a few places stuff like:

"hunger exists not because there is too little land to feed everone, but because most of the land is in the hands of a few selfish persons. The balance they seek is a fairer distribution of land and wealth. ... A balance between people and land can more likely be gained through helping people work toward fairer distribution and social justice than through family planning alone." emphasis mine.

Idiot. How many have to die needlessly before that lie is put to rest? Ask the people of Zimbabwe how well they've been eating since the land was distributed more fairly. How many Holodomors or Great Leaps Forward does this guy need to see before he realizes the murderous folly of professing such nonsense? Why does he think it better to go from a bad Kleptocracy to a WORSE Communist style socialism instead of advocating for a best-of-all system of individual rights, including property rights, and rule of law?

The author/s also bandy about things like "health care is a right" (what next? big-screen TVs are a right...) and always the ubiquitous term fair. Since when is life fair? How did this person come to think that?

Considering the audience for this is largely 3rd World peoples, spreading this contagion may end up killing more people than he helps. But he'll never know that. Somebody needs to treat him for terminal ignorance before he spreads it even further.

Well, rant over. I can look beyond the silly Marxists political claptrap to the information of value. Treating Typhus or Cholera is the same regardless of political bent. And for that sort of thing is why I bought the book.


Oh Crap! Precious little gun content...

Ok, actual rights... property rights is one of survivial... survival includes self-defense... the best means for personal defense is a pistol... etc.

Phew.

Runnin Out Of Steam

I've been toying around with the Master List, again. The more I think about it, the more I think I am about done. Except for a few holes I will fill, I will forever after have enough. And those holes are more to have a spare than to get something totally new.

What's that I hear? Cries of 'Blasphemy'?

Oh I don't think I can discount the chance I might cross the line and go a-collecting. And acquisitions in collection-mode seems to have no upper limit.

And there is always the chance I'll run into something I can't resist. Those are more for fun factor, and I welcome them. Shoot, the whole Tertiary section of the Master List is all fun guns that aren't needed right away. The secondary is all holes in the inventory that need eventual filling. But I'm going to promote the mini .380 auto and demote the Carbine since nothing truly satisfying for me is available commercially. I think I'll put the double barrel shotgun at the top of the Tertiary list, too. The end is in sight.

You know something? I feel good about this.

One other thing... You'll notice the Secondary section has no long guns on it anymore. That's a good thing. I don't have the space for em...

Labor

It's Labor Day. What are you doing reading blogs? Take some time off. Enjoy yourself.

Best Evah?

Borepatch put up a nice little graph, and I totally steal it here.. While it may be true in video games (as the graph specifies) too many people have the same opinion for REAL Zombies: That the shotgun is the best defense against the walking dead.

(Note: I doubt that Borepatch is one of these misguided souls.)

I will grant that for an amateur against a SINGLE zombie, yes the destructive power of a shotgun is quite reassuring and effective. Especially at Panic-Close ranges.

But when have you seen only ONE zombie?

No, they are like roaches. If you see one that just means there are hundreds behind the walls, waiting to emerge, silently, as soon as you turn out the lights.

With the numbers we are talking about, the shotgun is a distinct disadvantage. The range is too short and the per-unit ammo weight and bulk is too high.

The only thing worse is a flame thrower. Instead of having a grabby-bitey undead shuffling around trying to grapple you and sometime succeeding, you have a grabby-bitey undead shuffling around ON FIRE trying to grapple you and sometimes succeeding. Sure, the zombie will succumb to the flame, and I'd be all for it if you could light them on fire in that fashion when they were 1000 yards away, but the effective range of a man portable flame thrower is inside the post-ignite shuffle-range of a Zed.

So, while a shotgun is fine in Left 4 Dead (and I've played that game, that shotgun isn't THAT good, really, and I prefer the submachinegun or assault rifle), do not rely on it for your survival in a Zombocalypse.

Local Zombies

A Horde! Practically in my backyard. AND front yard! They even know the day in October it will arrive. Mark your calendars. October 24th.

When I saw this coming the pit of my stomach dropped to the floor. There may be hundreds. THOUSANDS.

I am so not ready. I need to prepare my firing positions and set up extra ammo at those points. I should probably call MBtGE for backup, but I wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t come down here. What are the chances we’d make it out alive?

No, he doesn’t have to take the risk. But I do. This is my hometown. I LIVE here. And I’ll be damned if these Shamblors will chase me out. Luckily, there are plenty of high up sniping positions. I may die of thirst, stuck up there for days, surrounded by the Horde, but I will have made good use of all the ammo by then.

Here is the Radio Tower with the best views of the expected zombie approaches. Behind me, where I took this picture, there is a 5 story parking garage. A zip line to that and my waiting T-Bolt-mobile and I might make good my escape.

Nice sniper nest, easy to barricade the base, you can hear them coming for a long time if they get through the barricade... Carrying the ammo boxes up there will be a pain. Ugh.

But before the arrival of Zed and his teeming thousands, I can enjoy a cup of coffee and a cheese omellet (with side of Scrapple) at the Tastee Diner. I hope Rosa is working.

P238

Hey! What's the OTHER side of that P238 look like? Does it have a safety on that side?

LOOK how teeny it is!

Dangit

You know how gunnies like to explore product lines, look at what’s new, dream about what they might like to get next…

Well I don’t! I have a list! There are too many guns on it now! I don’t want to ADD to it.

But then JayG and his commenters starting chatting about a .380 pistol from SIG…

Dammit!

It looks like a little 1911! Awwwww! So CUTE! And I do have a spot for a new version .380 to complement the classic 1908 Colt Pocket Hammerless…

I was afraid to look at the price tag. This is SIG we are talking about. Not known as a budget brand….

Yup, the model I was looking at has an MSRP of north of 7 bills. More than twice some of the other .380s on my current list. And it’s much bigger than a KelTec or RugerLCP, I bet.

Ok, the stripped down, non-fancy, 238 is around $500. That’s better. I’ll update the Master List.

Is it practical? What role would it play in the arsenal? It would probably be a warm weather CCW gun, but I have a pistol for that higher in the queue: snub nosed revolver. So what does this get me? How do I move the ball down the field with this? I don’t. The cartridge isn’t even as strong as a .38, the capacity isn’t higher by a significant amount (just one). Yeah, now I’m talking myself down off the ledge. It’ll still be on the Tertiary list. A backup to more capable pistols for CCW and for fun otherwise.

And, of course, I’ll have to actually handle one before purchasing. I’d never get it sight unseen. Maybe there is something I won’t like. Like, a too bulky (for me) grip. The grip could be too short, too, with no available magazine extension… I’d have to see.

Hey, speaking of grips… Anyone have a line on a source for SIG grip screws that AREN’T that stupid Torx crap? Just standard flat head screws. Sheesh, why use the funky screws? If it loosens in the field I can’t tighten them, the slots don’t cut the users hands, and it’s not like they are assembling so many at the factory that they need the speed Torx offers. I tried ordering the screws from some dealer, but they never came. Bastage… Out $12. I should find the link to that website and post it here so my readers can boycott him. Hurt him economically. He’d lose all 3 of us as customers.

Link

One stop gun blog shopping. Gunbloggers.com

Also, this guy at M1A Rifles asked me to link to him.


Also: Saw this on Say Uncle. This guy has an excellent scenario to think about if you are a CCW holder. Or not. It goes to mindset. Others have linked to it, but it bears reinforcement.

Monster

I've created a monster.

Conversation with Saucy Trollop about guns are starting to sounds like this:

"Well, I could sell the XD40 and get an XDm9 so I can have that SWEET trigger on the XDm and get cheaper ammo. But the .40 was my first gun... Mabe I'll just keep it AND the 9mm. Oooo, and I love that trigger on all the 1911s I've tried, so I want one of those too... And I still want a derringer or one of those teeny vest pocket pistols like Shoshanna's 1905 FN in Inglorious Basterds!"

Yup. She covets. MORE!

ammo situation

Ammo availability around here isn't up to September 2008 levels, but it's getting better.

Went to Bass Pro and while they weren't swimming in ammo, they DID have .40 at a reasonable price, and they had bulk ammo for the first time in a year. Boxes of 100 bulk. And even .223 in 250 round boxes. The .45 was there, but expensive. .38 Special was horrendously expensive, but there was .357 next to it at almost half the price. .45 Long Colt is back. Lots of .25 and .32. Several varieties of 9mm at regular prices.

Soon, my readers, soon. Soon there will be end of the aisle displays filled with 250 round boxes of 9mm, .40, and .45. Not there yet. But soon.

I bought 100 .40. $37. Because I could.

I don't have a reserve of .40. Some I've set aside for training, and some for target practice. But nothing like what I withold of other calibers. The Sig 229 is for CCW. If it comes to the point I need to USE the reserves, then more than likely I will be open carrying a 1911. Fer zombies and sech.