Selected Episodes in the Straight-To-Video Movie that is My Life

My Trinity for 2012

2012-01-13T09:09:00.000-08:00

Hat tip to Mad Ogre
for the idea for this post. He listed his top three priority guns to acquire in 2012. Off the top of my head I can think of about... fifty, but narrowing it down to three is not only an interesting thought experiment, it may help me prioritize and move through the year with purpose. I tend to buy guns somewhat impulsively and because I can't pass up a deal, so maybe a public declaration of my top wants/needs will keep me on task.

1. An underfolder AK. I have tried the different flavors of battle rifle, but currently don't own one. However my mind keeps coming back to the AK-47. For the same reason that Glocks are awesome, AKs trip my trigger. Simple, rugged, accurate enough. When I need to reach for a rifle, I want to be confident that it will work. That means Kalashnikov.

2. A nine. 9mm is everywhere. It is cheap. It gets the job done. Every man needs at least one 9mm pistol, and I am currently without one. I need to fix this. Don't know what it will be. Could be another Glock, maybe an older SIG. Time will tell.

3. A .357 snub. Specifically a Taurus 605. I let mine go and want it back. It had the CT grips, bobbed hammer, good trigger. I miss it. I tried to replace it with a 2" six shooter, but the 6 shot cylinder and larger grip made it hard to carry in the ways I carry a snubbie. I am getting another Taurus.

I am also going to get Annie a carry piece of her choice. That is actually priority one, but I am not counting it in this list as that's not for me. She wants to start carrying, so I must do all I can to support her. This is another reason I want a 9mm, as I suspect that's what we will set her up with.

Five Short Years

2011-12-22T06:26:00.000-08:00

Today is the Fifth Anniversary of my wedding. I am still the luckiest man on earth, and married life keeps getting better. I love you Annie! I'm really glad you stopped hating me and became my bride.

They've Got My Back

2011-09-22T11:36:00.000-07:00

Well, I started what's called an MSG, or Mutual Support Group with a handful of other members of the Indiana Gun Owners forum. To say they have my back would be a bit of an overstatement at this point as I've only met these guys once, but we already have our next meeting on the calendar, and it is good to network with other like minded people who are close by.
The format we are using for our group meetings is to have one social/low key meeting each month, with additional hands on or classroom type training opportunities as they become available. The low key meetings are going to use what I have dubbed the "Demo and Dine" format, where each month we all bring gear to pass around. Next month it is EDC flashlights, another month it will be multitools, and later perhaps tactical folders and holsters will be on the agenda. The idea is to let people see and handle things that are typically either mail order only or enclosed in packaging that makes it impossible to really check it out at the store.
As far as training opportunities go, we are looking into hosting a CPR/First Aid class, a plant and tree identification series, and other things like fire making, chain saw selection and use, knife sharpening, and so forth.
I am excited to see what becomes of this group.

Taking a Break

2011-08-26T07:26:00.000-07:00

I'm going to be taking a break from the interwebz for a bit. Not cold turkey, but logging on less, ignoring the forums, etc. I've got some projects that I need to concentrate on and some gaps in the skill set that need work. Time is something in short supply at the moment, and certain tasks are beginning to take on a sense of urgency.

De-gaying my Glock 19

2011-08-11T12:56:00.001-07:00

I bought my G19 used, like I do most of my guns, and although it is awesome, it had a slight case of the gay when I purchased it. Thanks to Midway USA, I was able to get a replacement OEM slide cover plate for the very reasonable sum of $3.19, and after watching a tutorial on YouTube I swapped the parts in about 30 seconds flat.

Much better, I think.

The Strong Survive

2011-06-24T09:17:00.000-07:00

I regularly come across gun guys and preppers who are in lousy shape. I understand the reasons for this, but I wish for their sake they would wise up and start taking better care of their bodies. As Mark Rippetoe once said, "stronger people are harder to kill and are more useful in general." It is easy to imagine scenarios where being stronger will help your odds of survival, whether you are escaping from a building that has been wrecked by a tornado, or going hands on with an attacker who is so close that you can't access a weapon without first creating some distance. (Hint- you will create distance by being strong enough to get the person off of you, not by politely asking them to step the f*** back.)
Lots of folks don't work out because they are busy, or because it is easier to buy something than do something. Working out takes discipline and commitment, and only you can provide that. Access to equipment is also an issue for many folks, as going to a gym takes time, and the gym may be far away or not open at the times you have available to train. I will provide a plan for solving that problem. Another common problem is lack of knowledge. People simply don't know how to design an effective program. I can help with that. Below is a plan to buy your own equipment and begin an exercise program that can be done in 45 minutes or less per session.

Step 1:
Get an envelope, an empty beer can, a shoe box, or some other container and start your gym fund. Add $10 a week or some other amount you can afford. Think of it as your gym membership fee. This will be your gear fund.

Step 2:
Just because you don't own your own equipment is not an excuse to not train. You have a floor don't you? Do the following 2-3 days a week.
Complete this circuit as many times as possible in 20 minutes.
-Push-ups x10
-Jumping jacks x10
-Bodyweight squats x10
-Bicycle kicks x20

If 20 minutes is "impossible" start with 10 minutes and build up to the full 20 minutes. Take breaks as needed, but keep them as brief as possible. A few days a week try to add in 1-5 sets of pull-ups. (Those doorway pull-up bars are great and only about $20, or you can use a rafter, tree limb or other sturdy structure that will support your weight.) If you can do several do several, if you can do just one do one, and if you can't do a pull-up at all just jump up to the top position and lower yourself slowly. Eventually you will develop a pull-up this way.

2-4 other days a week (not the same days you do your bodyweight circuit), do something else. Ride a bike, play soccer, go for a hike, swim in the river, or do manual labor for 20 minutes or more. Have fun or get some work done.

After a few weeks, you will already be noticing a difference in how you look and feel.

Step 3: When your gear fund reaches about $100 start looking for a used barbell set. If you are lucky you can find a 45lbs olympic barbell and 300lbs of plates for around $100 by looking on craigslist and the local classified ads. You will want a minimum of 300lbs of weight. Stay away from "standard" size plates and bars. You will also need two horse stall mats from the local feed store (these will be the floor of your gym) and a sledge hammer would be nice. 8-10 lbs is a good weight to start with.

Step 4: Once you have the necessary equipment you are ready to start training with weights. You will have built up a good base of fitness and injury proofing with your bodyweight training. For an old school strength training program I really like the following from Dan John.
Press: 8-6-4
Powerclean: 8-6-4
Front squat: 8-6-4

(Go read about it at the source for a more detailed explanation)

After the barbell work is done do two sets of 5 plate curls and some sledge hammer levering. Your strength will grow.

On your days off, continue to do something fun and active like squirrel hunting, climbing trees, chasing your kids, riding your bike, going for a long walk with your dogs or doing yard work. Continue to throw in some pull-ups as well whenever you feel like it a few times a week.

This is the exact program I am doing right now, except I am using heavier weights for lower reps. Instead of 8-6-4 I am doing 5-3-2. (As a powerlifter, a set of 8 reps might actually make me explode.)

If this program does not improve your strength and self esteem while making you feel incredibly healthy and useful I will be very surprised. My workout this morning took less than 35 minutes, by the way, so this is not a huge time commitment compared to the results you will get. Yesterday I rode my new bike for about a half hour. It was relaxing but still an ok workout, and I feel great!

This is Kalashnikov!

2011-06-05T15:18:00.000-07:00

So I got an AK the other day. I have always wanted one, and having and then trading away an M4gery only intensified my want. Then Nick Dog got an M4gery, and it was settled. I picked up an AK in trade a few days later. One of the first things I did was drop for a few AK push-ups.

And above is a picture of me being as Russian as I know how to be. Kalashnikov pattern rifle in one hand and a kettlebell in the other, comrade. Both are brutally simple and effective. My kind of tools. (Not pictured is the bottle of Smirnof I consumed prior to the photo shoot.)

And finally, here I am ready to repel the zombies from my urban homestead. Except not really, because the mag in the rifle is the only one I've got and I have zero rounds of 7.62x39 stockpiled. So if you're looking for gift ideas for Father's Day or my birthday...

Surplus metal magazines. And they're only $8.95 each if you order 10 or more!

7.62x39 on SKS stripper clips. Ready to rock!

Update: I couldn't let a good deal pass me by. 15 surplus metal magazines are inbound.

Surviving Tornado Season

2011-05-26T12:32:00.000-07:00

Unless you live under a rock, you are aware that this has been an absolutely hellish tornado season already. Hundreds of lives have been lost. Annie and I have twice had to get the girls out of bed and haul them down to the scary basement to wait out a storm, and yesterday I had to go downstairs and take shelter in an interior hallway for about 30 minutes during my work day. Things I was glad to have with me included-
-knives and multitools
-water
-good quality flashlight
-sensible clothing appropriate for the weather
-small first aid kit

Things I wish I had (and do now)-
-work gloves
-towel
-small prybar

Things I wish I had (and still need to add)-
-LED headlamp
-extra flashlight

At home I was as usual wearing a gun. My 3 year old during one of the storms got up and shut the door of the room we were in and locked it. I asked her if she was doing that to keep us safe from the storms. She answered, "yes, and the monsters that come out in this kind of weather." I don't know where she gets such wisdom.

"Daddy will not let them be alive anymore"

2011-03-17T09:36:00.000-07:00

That's my 3 year old's take on scary people or things coming into our house.
I am glad she feels safe and protected, and I hope to live up to her confidence in me.

Get Some Training

2011-03-07T07:07:00.000-08:00

I heard on the radio this morning that the city of Vallejo CA has downsized 30% of their police force and let go two of their four 911 dispatchers. Translation: if you live in Vallejo, consider yourself on your own in terms of security. They had a city official on the program saying that people are calling 911 while their house is being broken into and getting no answer. And when someone finally does answer, the city lacks the manpower to respond to the calls.

Thankfully I do not live in the DPRK, but it doesn't take much to imagine this scenario unfolding even in more free states. In the last two weeks the national average price for a gallon of gas increased 33 cents, and nothing has even happened to the supply yet. Imagine the consequesnces for local economies if gas hits $4.50 or $5 a gallon.

In about two months I have the honor of hosting Mercop of Modern Combative Systems for two days of training with edged weapons, force on force, combatives and kubotan/combat pen. This summer I intend to get to at least one other class, and I am looking seriously at some Suarez International classes this fall or early next year. When the cops don't pick up the phone, my family will be protected. Can you say the same?

Happy Birthday Karenin!

2010-11-05T08:37:00.000-07:00

My goofy black dog turns 3 today. She was born just 4 days before Anja. Since she can't really have treats maybe I will find the time to take her on an extra walk tonight.

This weekend is Anja's party, so we have been getting ready for that. We have some gifts for her that I'm really excited about because I think she will REALLY like them. On her very birthday, which is Tuesday, she will get a couple more presents and I think we'll do a few of her favorite things. Lunch or dinner will be at Chick-Fil-A, which happens to be her favorite restaurant, and while we're out we will go to Target, which is her favorite store. I think we will also be heading to the library to get her her first library card. She has started asking about library cards, and saying that maybe when she's bigger she will have her own, so I think she will be really excited for that.

Firearms season for deer is only a week from tomorrow. I am as ready as I'll ever be, and I've got the entire season off from work, so filling the freezer will be my only priority. I can hardly wait, especially considering the fact that I haven't been hunting since October 1st. It's a real shame if you ask me, because the squirrels are everywhere this year, but sometimes life sucks like that.

I have been considering dropping some fairly serious coin on a nice flashlight for EDC. My little Streamlight Microstream has officially stopped working, and I have gotten to where I consider a flashlight to be one of the essentials for EDC, along with a knife and a gun. The light I am eyeing is a Surefire E1B. Surefire has earned a reputation for being the top of the line when it comes to lights, and I am seeing the wisdom in spending a lot of money once and then being done for a long time. The Surefire also has dual output. With the first click on the tailcap switch you get an intense 80 lumens (about 4 times the output of the Microstream) and a second click gets 5 lumens for non-tactical applications. I am thinking after Christmas that will be my first purchase for myself, along with a few more hi-caps for my G-17.

Zombie Post!

2010-10-04T08:23:00.000-07:00

This is a post I started about a month ago and never finished. I almost finished it though, and looking at it now I can't remember what else I had intended to add, so here it is.

Squirrel Man-
On Friday I took a vacation day that I had long planned to use for squirrel hunting. Unfortunately, as sometimes happens, nothing seemed to go according to plan, and I ended up getting into the woods for only about an hour or maybe an hour and a half. Had I not had my new revolver that I wanted to function test and do a little plinking with, I likely would've just pulled the plug on the trip, because an hour in the woods is not even enough time to get to my favorite spot, but as it was I did bag one gray squirrel as well as doing a bit of shooting with the new revolver, which appears to be everything I'd hoped it would be. Next weekend is going to be a somewhat busy one, but I find myself plotting and scheming to find a way to get into the woods for at least a few hours on one of the days.
Christmas cards-
Annie tells me that our Christmas cards arrived today. I am excited about them for a couple of reasons. The first reason is that we are really on top of Christmas this year, which is a good feeling. We already have several gifts for the girls and various family members put by, and now we have the cards, which only need to be signed and addressed and stamped. I like being prepared in advance. The other cool thing is that they are NRA cards. They look just like any other hokey Christmas cards that you can buy at a store, but they are a bit overpriced and the extra goes to an organization that fights for my rights. On the back of the cards there is a small NRA logo, but I would guess many people won't even notice or register. So it's kind of a two-for-one. I get my Christmas cards, and I get to have my guns. Yeehaw.
To build a fire-
This weekend was the annual historical reenactment here in town, and my family again demonstrated how lye soap is made. My traditional jobs related to the soap making process are to lift heavy things, and make/maintain the fire that we use to heat up the lard for the soap as well as to cook with. However, when I arrived on Saturday morning during a rain shower, another volunteer, a woman my mom invited to help us for the first time this year, was already hard at work building a fire. Unfortunately, working hard has nothing to do with successfully building a fire, especially in the rain. Actually knowing what you are doing, on the other hand, can work surprisingly well, so while my mom's friend worked hard inventing new ways to prevent wood from burning, I set about splitting logs into kindling, gathering dry materials and preparing to build a fire. As soon as my materials were ready I got busy, and despite the best attempts of the rain and my bumbling accomplice, we soon had a nice fire, as well as several logs stacked near enough to the flames to begin drying out.
The next day I made sure to arrive early enough to build the fire without any "assistance" and I told Annie I would light my fire with only one match. I gathered twigs and sticks, which I separated into two groups. Anything smaller in diameter than a pencil I broke into 8-10" lengths, while anything larger was left at closer to 15" long. I still had some kindling logs that I had split the day before, and for tinder I gathered dry pine needles. I stacked four logs in a log cabin pattern and piled about half of my kindling at the base of one of them. I next arranged my smallest twigs in top of the kindling in a lean-to fashion, leaving enough of a gap to be able to get a lit match to my tinder and also to feed more tinder into the lean-to if my twigs weren't catching fast enough. I lit my tinder, the kindling caught, I fed on more kindling, working up to bigger sticks and then my split logs, and within a few minutes, my big logs caught fire and we had our fire for the rest of the day. No big deal really, I just built a fire using common sense and a basic knowledge of how flame spreads and what a fire needs in order to grow. Apparently this is rocket surgery to some people though, so with that in mind here are a few more tips.
+Soaking wet newspaper will not burn. Paper burns well because it is dry and thin. This is a characteristic that it shares with all other things that make good tinder.
+Soaking wet logs will not catch fire simply because you hold the flame of a cigarette lighter against their bark for several seconds. They will however, often still be dry on the inside. If you split them, you expose the dry inner wood. Neat huh?
+If you are trying to build a fire during a rainshower, and your firepit is just a few yards away from a shelter with a roof, it is a good idea to keep all materials that need to remain dry under the roof and retrieve them only as needed. You really gain nothing by stacking all of your tinder next to the firepit.
Urban foraging-
I have been gathering acorns lately so I will have food for the winter. Acorns, like other nuts, are a very good source of protein, and they are just lying around on the ground, so why not pick them up? My plan is to wait until after deer season, then shell them and crush them into acorn flour with which to make bread. I am keeping my eye out for Sassafrass roots and a few other good winter plants to forage.

Throwing things-
At the Feast I took 2nd place in the Highland Games on the first day of the competition. The second day... Didn't go as well. It did give me lifting fuel though. I had been severely neglecting my heavy lifting due to preparing for police PFTs, and it showed. The bright side is that I won Annie a nice pair of pottery candle holders.

I am not dead

2010-09-29T07:42:00.000-07:00

I am not dead yet, although I can see why my blog's reader might have reason to think that. I have just been busy with various things, like my jobs, squirrel hunting, and of course having a wife, two chilluns and a gun-shy dog. A lot has happened since my last post. So much that I am struggling to come up with a good format for organizing my thoughts.
Woods loafing-
I have been getting in the woods to hunt squirrels as much as possible lately. A couple of those times I took my new to me Glenfield Marlin 60, which was fun. I spilled squirrel blood with the rifle, and even though I'm sure the previous owner used it to harvest a lot of game in the 25 or 30 years he had it, I like to break in all my guns myself, just to be positive they have been used for their intended purpose.
I still haven't mounted a scope on the Model 60, even though I have one ready, but even with iron sights it will tear one ragged hole all in a 1" bullseye all day long at 30 yards. After just a bit of experimentation I determined that this gun likes CCI MiniMags the best out of several brands of ammo, so that is what I've been using.
All this being said, and even allowing that squirrels are "the rifleman's small game" I am really a shotgunner at heart, so the majority of my squirrel hunting has been and will continue to be with my Stevens single shot 16 gauge. I love the old single shot shotguns for their simplicity and light weight, and since I originally got two of these shotguns I sold the heavier one and got enough for it that the remaining one is essentially a free gun, which is awesome. Add to that my new .22 revolver (more to follow) and a few decent knives and you've got the ultimate small game and general woods running kit.
Merchant of death-
I am (obviously) not by any means a firearms dealer, but I do like to flip guns, make trades and generally rotate my collection in search of the perfect battery of guns to do the things I like to do in the woods as well as for defense of me and mine. Lately I have made several trades and sales that have worked out well for me. I mentioned above that I've acquired a revolver in .22LR, which of course also gives me the ability to shoot .22 long, .22 short and .22 CB caps. I like versatility and I like wheelguns, so this is a good thing. The revolver in question is a H&R 622, which is sort of a "trapline Saturday night special" type of gun. H&R produced these from about the mid-50's to the mid-80's, and my specimen was made in 1970, if my serial number math is correct. These revolvers are accurate, dead reliable, and of simple but sturdy construction. They were and are quite popular with trappers who needed an inexpensive and light .22 handgun to administer the coup de grace to trapped animals. Of course, like any .22, they are good plinkers also, and mine should serve admirably against targets of opportunity like soda cans, stumps and nuisance animals that populate the squirrel woods.
My modern Nessmuk Trinity-
Anyone familiar with the writings of 19th century woodsman George Washington Sears (aka Nessmuk) is familiar with his idea of three essential edged tools to pack into the wilderness. Nessmuk favored a pocketknife with two blades (the closest modern equivalent is probably the 3 bladed stockman's knife), a sturdy fixed blade, and a double bitted hatchet. Although Nessmuk gets well-earned credit for being perhaps the first to write down these ideas on blades, I am sure many others have settled on very similar combinations without ever reading Woodcraft and Camping for the simple reason that the capabilities represented by Nessmuk's implements are sure to be needed by almost anyone who spends much time outdoors. The pocketknife for detail work, the larger fixed blade for butchering, skinning and cooking and the bigger chopper for constructing camp, splittling kindling and so forth.
My modern Nessmuk trio consists of my Victorinox Cadet Swiss Army Knife, Swedish Mora Military Model Knife, and a good machete. The interesting thing that I've done completely by accident is that I've selected three knives that are under $20 each. To be sure, I own blades that I plunked down $100 or more for, but these three have earned the title of being my go-to tools for their respective jobs.
Money grubbing-
I am always looking for a way to make a buck, whether it is by grading standardized tests or mowing a lawn. My most recent foray into interesting part time jobs is as a contract security guard. So far it's pretty easy, even though it's hard not to feel at least a bit silly in my uniform and badge, but the money isn't bad for no harder than the work is, so I will stick with it.
That's all I can think of at the moment under the category of new and interesting. I have declared this week survival kit week at my house, so I have been making sure my car kit and EDC bag are stocked with the things I need. I suggest that everyone else do the same.

The Survivalist Blog

2010-06-24T12:04:00.001-07:00

While looking on information for AK-74 type rifles (1080 rds for $130!) I found an article on this blog that I'd never seen before. They are apparently do giveaways from time to time, and to enter to win 1000 rds of 9mm FMJ all I have to do is post the following paragraph on my blog-

M.D. Creekmore at The Survivalist Blog – a survival blog dedicated to helping others prepare for and survive disaster – with articles on bug out bag contents, survival knife choices and a wealth of other survival information is giving away a 1,000 round case of 9mm – 124 Grain FMJ (a $200 value – donated by LuckyGunner)! To enter, you just have to post about it on your blog. This is my entry. Visit The Survivalist Blog for the details.

Seriously though, check them out if you've not already done so. I will likely be adding them to my links on the right side as soon as I get around to it.

Ass-U-Me

2010-06-13T08:40:00.000-07:00

I had been a bit down about my interview with TEMA because when I interviewed sometime last month I was told I should receive word in about a week or less and begin training in June if I got on. After a week went by with no word either way I assumed I didn't get on. By yesterday, it had been a good several weeks and I had more or less stopped even thinking about it. Naturally, yesterday was the day I received a letter congratulating me and advising me to await further instructions via email regarding my training schedule.
So, I was down for no good reason and now I'm happy to be starting out with my training. I will be learning a ton of cool stuff like how to administer first aid, clean up hazmat spills and how to spot severe weather like tornadoes.
I haven't been getting to the range like I should lately. Last time I was there was almost two weeks ago and all I did was get some groups with my .22-250 and a little plinking with the Glenfield Model 60 to see whether my home gunsmithing had fixed my jamming problem (so far so good but I need more data). I haven't shot my handguns in I'm not sure how long.
Speaking of not getting to the range more, one thing I need to work on is being consistent with my home practice with my handguns. Drawing from concealment, reloads, malfunction drills and transitions are all things that can be practiced with a (damn sure unloaded) handgun at home. It is free, takes virtually no time at all unless you want to spend a lot of time at one go, and will transfer directly to your live fire work if done correctly. I used to be very good about practicing dry firing and drawing from concealment every morning with my S&W 686. That helped a lot with learning trigger control, and made me reasonably fast at getting the gun out and ready. I would do well to do that again.
Yesterday I worked hard in the yard, and on Thursday I worked hard in the afternoon after going coyote hunting in the morning, so today I've decided I deserve a day of just taking it easy. As far as I know our only plans are to go to the petting zoo later. So that being said, I am going to excuse myself to go drink iced coffee and read the new Backwoods Home magazine.

One probable...

2010-06-05T05:41:00.000-07:00

Well, I shot one coyote this morning. Unfortunately I can't call it a confirmed kill, but I did see it stumble when I shot. The problem is that almost any animal can run a pretty good distance even when shot in the heart, and this one made a beeline for the nearby thick brushy woods. After waiting about 20 minutes I attempted to follow him in (with my Glock, as the woods were too thick to deploy a rifle) but although I found the broken down grass where he entered the woods I never saw a blood trail or a body. The lack of a blood trail is no surprise either. The .22-250 is a powerful round, but it still only pokes a hole 2/10" in diameter, and I would assume the bullet fragmented inside the coyote. With just one hole and considering how thick their fur is, the blood can take a while to start flowing, assuming it ever does.
So anyway, one most likely down, which is possibly the nuisance one, but I will keep going back and calling them as long as I can get them to come to me. I am looking forward to going out on Thursday mornings all summer.

'Yote Thumper

2010-06-02T20:09:00.000-07:00

"Only accurate rifles are interesting."

-Col. Townsend Whelen

This evening after work I took my new (to me) Handi Rifle in .22-250 Remington to the range in preparation for Saturday morning's coyote hunt. In my earlier post I alluded to the fact that I didn't find this rifle as "interesting" as my new .22 Marlin. They both have their unique charms, but I have to say that the H&R, despite not having quite the history or character of the little .22LR, is certainly interesting in its own (MOA) way. Yes, you read that right. Off an improvised diaper bag rest, I shot a minute of angle group this evening. Many folks get more or less addicted to wringing the utmost accuracy out of their centerfire rifles, and I can see why. I am already plotting to shoot again off of sandbags, try other brands of ammo, etc. to improve what is already more than acceptable accuracy from such a budget minded rifle/scope (it's a freaking Tasco!) combo. It's late and I get up at 4:30, so that's it for tonight, but I am very pleased with my rifle that, as one reviewer put it, looks like the stock was sculpted with a chainsaw, but definitely gets the bullet down range just as well as much more expensive weapons.

A Simple Rule for a Happy Marriage

2010-05-31T17:25:00.000-07:00

Always do what your wife tells you to. Especially if that happens to be buying a gun. A little bit ago I saw a Marlin 60 on Indiana Gun Owners for what looked like a good deal. My first thought was Nick Dog, since I know an older Model 60 is on his short list of desired firearms, but then when I added up transfer fees, etc. I realized this was only a good deal for an Indiana resident. So then I didn't think about it much any more. I regularly look at the classifieds on INGO though, and one night as I was browsing I showed Annie the ad for the little Marlin and she fell in love. As soon as I showed her the engraved squirrel on the stock she said "you should buy it." I half heartedly tried to tell her that I don't really need another .22, that I'd be better off saving my money for something more practical, and so forth, but eventually I gave in and sent the seller a message offering a bit less than his already low asking price. We dickered for a couple of days before making a deal and this morning I drove down and picked up my new rifle.
A couple hours after picking it up I found myself at the Linden Conservation Club slinging Winchester Wildcats from the 50 yard line. My new rifle impressed me. At 50 yards it was easy to bounce fragments of clay pigeons around the berm, and from an improvised rest I was able to keep my shots inside a 3" circle when I settled down and really concentrated on shooting for groups. That should shrink if I do what I've been contemplating and mount an extra shotgun scope that I have on some see through rings. The limiting factor in shooting for groups was definitely the iron sights and my inability to see much detail on the target at 50 yards rather than the mechanical accuracy of the gun.
The one troubling thing was that I had three failure to feed malfunctions in the 100 rounds that I fired today. My tentative diagnosis on this is a weak magazine spring (fingers crossed, because that's an easy thing to fix), or feed throat, which would make sense considering the serial number on this gun makes it 29 years old, and I'm sure the old man who had it before me did no routine maintenance beyond cleaning. To his credit, I ran a bore snake through the gun before throwing any lead and it came out squeaky clean, so the gun has been maintained, even though the outside shows he absolutley hunted the hell out of it. I like a gun with character though, and this one's a shooter, so no worries.
I have a bit of coyote hunting to do this summer, as a coworker asked if I'd be willing to come shoot some nuisance coyotes at his wife's family farm, so I also picked up a H&R Handi Rifle with 3-9x32 scope chambered in .22-250 Remington. I didn't get a chance to shoot it, but I will get a range report up when I do. It's definitely not as interesting a gun as the old Marlin, but coyotes at 200-300 yards might change my mind. I will be sure to post if I manage to bust some song dogs at long range.

The Warrior Lifestyle

2010-05-19T11:08:00.000-07:00

I believe most men are called to be warriors on some level, whether as a full time gig in LE or military service, or simply fulfilling the protector role that comes with being a husband and father. With that in mind, there are certain lifestyle choices that men must and should make in order to rise to their calling as warriors. Here are a few things I have been thinking about lately in relation to the warrior lifestyle.

Awareness-

Ever see the movie Ronin? There's a scene right at the beginning where Sam (Robert DeNiro) says to Deirdre (Natascha McElhone), "Lady, I never walk into a place I don't know how to walk out of." These are words of wisdom. Think about this. When you pull into a gas station what pump do you use? I always pull forward so that there is no pump in front of mine. That way if I need to get the hell out of there I can just put the car in drive and go. It is way too easy to get boxed in if you use the pumps at the back of the line.

When you go to a store what's the first thing you do? Do you scan for threats? Catalog the locations of the other customers in your mind? Or are you in your own world wondering where they hide the damn candy bars? This especially applies to the local VP, but just because a store gets robbed every other weekend doesn't mean it's the only place trouble can be found. Being aware means always.

Do you go practice at the range after having a few beers? I hope not, because it's a dumb idea. If that's a dumb idea, then why do people drink while carrying a gun for self defense? In fact, why have more than one or two drinks ever? Do you think a bad guy is going to let you call a time out until you are at 100% and best able to deal with a threat? Of course not. Some in the gun community argue that one should just leave the gun at home when one is planning to drink to excess. I have a better idea. Plan not to drink to excess. If you must leave the gun at home, realize that you are choosing to severely handicap your ability to fight for the ability to "have a good time" with your friends.

Physical Preparedness-

I have posted about this before. You cannot be a warrior and be out of shape. What are you going to do when your gun malfunctions or if your attacker closes before you can draw? Get in shape and learn to fight. That's all that can be said. Below is an excellent bodyweight only workout that I got out of an old IronMind catalog. Add a big upper body pull (pull-ups are excellent) and this would be a good start toward fighting fitness. If the exercises are foreign to you, youtube is your friend.

Jumping jacks x 20

Bwt. squats x 15

Push-ups x 15

Burpees x 10

Lunges x 20

Mountain climbers x 50

Dive bomber push-ups x15

Jump squats x 10

Alternating leg v-ups x 20

Repeat as many times as possible in 30 minutes.

Readiness-

This one will often go hand in hand with awareness, but here I am defining readiness as the things you do before leaving the house. (Terrible things happen to people in their own homes every day. Carry your gun inside and be otherwise ready even at home.)

Gabe Suarez says, and I'm paraphrasing here, to dress for battle every day. This means wear shoes you can move in, for one thing. Flip flops belong in the shower, uncomfortable dress shoes belong in a garbage can. Obviously I can't wear my boots to a wedding, but I can wear my comfortable and conservative rubber soled cap-toe oxfords and never get a second look.

Another part of dressing for battle is being armed. If your work dictates that you not have a gun, look into other ways to be armed. Surefire pens, heavy duty flashlights, and even full water bottles can be powerful impact weapons. Most workplaces allow the carry of a quality folding knife. If you can carry a gun, make it a real one. Five shot snubs and palm size .380 autos are great...as back-ups. A question I've seen a lot on INGO and other gun forums is "What handgun do you carry at church?" A lot of folks will respond something along the lines of "Well, I normally carry a Glock 19 and a pair of spare G17 mags with the factory +2 extensions, but on Sundays I just stick my Kel-tec P3AT in my pocket and call it good." Ummm. Why does that seem like a good idea? I have paced off the distance from the back to the front of my church. It is better than 60 yards. God wants me to carry my Glock, because to make that shot is hard enough without handicapping myself with a tiny hard to shoot gun. Living the warrior lifestyle might mean buying a tuckable holster or modifying the way you dress in order to carry enough gun. Deal with it. Nobody ever said things that are worth doing wouldn't be hard.

Train Your Mind and Spirit-

Blessed be the LORD my rock,

Who trains my hands for war,

And my fingers for battle.

Psalm 144:1

Being ready to enter into mortal combat means being ready for death. Let's face it. Sometimes you eat the bear, and sometimes the bear eats you. Being ready for death means knowing where you are going after death. Go to church and pray regularly, and you WILL be a better warrior.

Oh Zombieees! Got a little something for you...

2010-05-17T09:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday at Rural King (The store of the gods!) I picked up a new yard tool. I bought it to clear brush in our sideyard, but if Zeke shows up and I run the shotgun and the G17 dry, now I have yet another excellent option.
This little brush axe is seriously one of the best hand tools I have ever purchased. I have been trying since we moved in to this house to find something that will clear tall weeds and small trees, will not break the bank, and is fast and comfortable to use. I have thin bladed machetes that will clear grass and tall weeds all day, and I have a very nice small chopping axe and bow saw to take care of the trees, but transitioning tools is time consuming, and I have always found clearing brush very frustrating. Yesterday in about 20 minutes I did a volume of work that previously would have taken at least 90 minutes with the old hodgepodge of tools.
My axe is a Fiskars, and I have always been impressed with the way it handles and balances. My new chopper is equally impressive. A good cutting tool should not feel like work to swing, and this one doesn't. Yesterday trees up to 1.5" rarely took more than one stroke to fell, and most of the bigger ones required no more than a couple of swift hacks. All in all, for $25 I am very happy, and the neighbors should be too, as my property will be that much less of an eyesore.
Speaking of Zombies, tomorrow I expect to receive a 33rd "fun stick" for my G17. I can hardly wait. Not real practical for carry, but an additional 16rds in the nightstand gun will give that much more "piece" of mind. I ordered the fun stick as well as one more standard 17rd mag from Cheaper Than Dirt because they were on sale, and because I needed a little ammo and they have good prices and fast shipping. I placed my order on Friday morning and expect to receive it tomorrow, so that's pretty good.
Something I have been mulling over lately is a G26. When I got my double barrel I was deciding between a shotgun and the baby Glock, and although I went with the double, I still yearn for a back-up/deep concealment gun that takes the same magazines as my primary. I have yet to make a final decision on this, but I am tempted to once again wade into the Indiana Gun Owners Classifieds and try my hand at a bit of wheeling and dealing to obtain another Glock. I have also been tempted to pick up another G17 if I see the right price, but that's a whole 'nother matter.
In the comments section of my latest post I referred to gun control as being contrary to God's Law. The Biblical references that seem to support, or at least don't condemn self defense are far too numerous for me to list, and are not remotely confined to the Old Testament (One example- He said to them, "But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one." Luke 22:36) Some Christians seem to believe that Christianity is a religion that calls its followers to pacifism. This is incorrect. We are called to seek peace, to be sure, but NOT at any price. There is a difference. I believe, as the founders did, that the Constitution does not grant any rights, but rather only enumerates rights that are natural and God-given. Since the right to self-defense is God-given, those who disarm others are sinners, plain and simple. In my vocation as a father and husband, I am called to defend not only myself, but my family, so disarming me or others who like me are responsible for the safety of others is possibly an even greater sin. I will have to think about that some more.
Speaking of God and guns (which I cling to), reason #3 that Gabe Suarez is the man is that he himself is an outspoken man of faith and even has a Christian Warrior subforum on his Warrior Talk Forum.
I should probably get back to work here soon. I am having a tough day in terms of motivation here at work because I am exhausted from the weekend. Saturday wasn't too bad. I woke up at about my usual time, walked the dog, took my exercise and then got cleaned up and headed down the street for an interview. The position I was interviewing for is a volunteer gig with the county emergency management agency, which sounds like a really cool thing to be a part of and includes lots of training in hazmat response, weather spotting, first aid and other cool and useful skills. I should find out within a week if I am going to be starting training in June.
After the interview I walked across the river to meet my buddy Matt for a cup of coffee, and strolled through the Farmer's Market, where I chatted with Jerry the gun-toting coffee shop owner and met Annie and the girls, who had been yard saling. Then it was hurry hurry hurry to get to our nephew's 4th birthday party. We got him an awesome little revolver that has a swing out cylinder you can put full moon clips of ammo into, and it makes battery powered shooting noises. I spent most of the day playing frisbee and guns with the nieces, nephews and Anja, and I showed the older kids how to make a fire with a magnesium fire starter and fire steel. Overall it was a fun day, but I didn't get much work done, which brings us to Sunday.
Our neighbor told us we could have her garden boxes, which is awesome, but it means we have to move them. There are four, and yesterday I moved one of them and was pretty well exhausted. Each one is approximately 7-9 wheelbarrow loads of dirt, which must be shoveled twice as well as wheeled the 60 yards or so from the original location to its new home in my back yard. I also found time to mow my mom's yard and my own, cart a bunch of brush to the curb at my mom's, and clear a large portion of the sideyard, as referenced above. By the end of the day I was so tired I wanted to cry, but real men can't cry, so instead I took Anja fishing. She was pretty uninterested, so not much fishing got done, but we had a good time wandering around the park where the pond is located, and we'll go back on a warmer day to catch some fish.

On My Mind Lately

2010-05-10T12:03:00.000-07:00

Recently I have had more guns available for carry than "just" my Glock 17. This has proved a mixed blessing. Having a back-up, being able to leave the wife with options other than a 12 gauge when I leave the house and being able to carry in places that handguns are legal but not necessarily *welcome* are benefits to having more than one handgun. However, I have occasionally been guilty of leaving the Glock at home in favor of a smaller weapon. This is because at the moment I have tuckable C-hooks on order from Raven Concealment, but until they arrive I can only carry the G17 OWB. The other day though I had what alcoholics call a "moment of clarity" when I read Gabe Suarez's excellent article The Coming Jihad...In America. I will give you the short version, but do yourself a favor and read the whole thing. Basically, terrorists are evil but not stupid. They see what works, (such as the Fort Hood shooting) and what doesn't, (like the recent silliness in NYC or the dumbass terrorist who got taken out by a Dutch hero when he tried to set hmself on fire) and rest assured they will gravitate toward tactics that work. We WILL see more Islamic Fundamentalist Active Shooters. It is not a matter of IF, but WHEN. What can we do about it? Carry a full size gun with plenty of extra ammo. Practice longer shots at the range. Keep physically fit and morally upright, and wake up every day determined to prevent terrorist scumbags from wreaking havoc in your AO.
Edit: A Christmas or two ago there were credible threats that Islamic Tangos were planning attacks on one or more shopping malls in the Midwest. Just because you don't fly and never find yourself in large cities on the coasts does not exempt you from taking terrorism seriously as a threat to you and yours.
The recent primary in Indiana saw RINO Dan Coats carry the day with about 40% of the vote, while the 60% who voted conservative split our efforts between four candidates. There is an old saying for times like these (cover your eyes children) FUCK! I will be voting for the Libertarian in November. I cannot in good conscience vote for someone who voted for Obamacare or the Brady Bill. This is not a lesser of two evils case. This is a case where BOTH candidates are in league with the devil, and I can have no part of it.
There was more on my mind when I started writing, but I have a lot to do right now, and I can't remember what it was, so I suppose it can wait for a future post.

A Not-Remotely-Complete List of People, Organizations and Groups That I Hate

2010-04-26T19:07:00.000-07:00

After my last post I got to thinking, why stop at the GOP? I hate almost everyone. That being said, here are a few of the people, organizations, places, things and groups that I hate.
-The City of Chicago (well, most of it anyway)
-Senator "Tricky" Dick Lugar
-The GOP
-Democrats
-WalMart
-People from Illinois who come to Indiana
-17 year olds who have like 10,000 posts on gun forums, but have maybe fired a gun before and certainly don't own or carry any
-My new neighbors
-People who act offended when I curse
-DePauw University
-England
-Anyone who has ever uttered the words "reasonable gun control"

Well, that's all that springs to mind at the moment. Don't think that because you're not on the list I don't hate you. You probably just mean so little to me that I forgot you existed, or possibly Annie wouldn't let me put you on the list in case you happen to read this... In case you are wondering, I will list the things I like.
-My wife
-My daughters
-Dogs, and my dog in particular
-Guns, and my guns in particular
-McDonald's
-The Chicago Cubs

That's really about it. I am thinking about making the list of what I hate a permanent addition to the sidebar, and updating it as I think of more stuff.

The GOP can take a hike to hell

2010-04-26T05:44:00.000-07:00

As usual, the Republican establishment continues to piss me off. Here in Indiana we have an open Senate seat up for grabs in November. The Republican is all but guaranteed a win because people are thoroughly disgusted with the Dems right now. So what does the GOP do? They try to shove RINO Dan Coats down our throats. I have no idea why the party establishment likes this looney toon, but there are plenty of voters who've not forgotten that he voted to ban certain types of guns and accessories in 1994. Unfortunately, those voters are split between two good solid conservative candidates, and if we don't band together behind one of them Dan Coats will get the seat. The GOP has done this all over the country this year, with the nomination of Dede Scozzafava in New York's 23rd district, to the debacle in Utah that George Hill has written about over on Mad Ogre, the party has repeatedly told conservative voters to kiss off.

At this point I am as finished with the GOP as I am with the Dems, and I will be giving my support only to individual candidates and the Libertarian Party. Congratulations GOP. You had the chance to get your head out of your collective ass and you totally blew it. After you royally screwed up during the W years by adopting a big old batch of big government policies it looked like voters were done with you for a long time. Then the Dems hand you a GIFT with Obama and Socialized Medicine, and you fumbled it. There will be no change and no great conservative reform either in 2010 or 2012. I am as disillusioned as I've ever been, and I honestly think there is no hope for any positive political progress until a viable 3rd party is formed. To that end, I will be contacting my local Libertarian HQ and asking what I can do to help. On May 4th I will vote for Brad Hostettler and hope that my man Marlin Stutzman challenges Tricky Dick Lugar for the other Indiana seat.

Mark my words. The GOP is NOT the conservative party. There is no conservative party. There are candidates who are conservative on certain issues, and some of them run uder the GOP banner, but the GOP establishment wouldn't know what conservative even is. I have been thinking about this a lot, and I have concluded that the party establishment have no idea that they are shooting themselves in the foot, nor is this a vast conspiracy of some sort. They are simply buffoons who are so clueless and so out of touch that they have no idea how to let the people have a voice in government.

It's Prom Season

2010-04-25T11:18:00.000-07:00

I have nothing else to add that can compete with this picture.

Happy Earth Day!

2010-04-22T05:12:00.001-07:00

Celebrations have been underway in Somalia since early this morning. Above is a picture of Somali revelers celebrating their agrarian culture by burning a tire in sacrifice to the earth goddess.

I AM ALL THAT IS MAN!

2010-04-15T19:37:00.000-07:00

Ok, maybe that's an exaggeration, but I finally killed the possum that's been hanging around our back yard. I beat it to death with a spade.

Burn Some Ammo!

2010-04-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

Credit for the title of this post goes to the crazy old bastard who gave Nick-dog and me our first tour of the Linden Conservation Club. He showed us every firing line and the clay field and at each stop he would say, "This is the --- range. You can come out here and burn some ammo..." We got a good laugh, then went to the 25 yard line and burned some ammo. This weekend I burned some ammo on Saturday morning all by myself, and on Sunday with my buddy Pat from work. I mainly just shot handguns both days, as improving my handgunning is my primary focus at the moment, but Pat wanted to confirm the zero on his Weatherby .30-06, so we started the day at the 100 yard line, where we burned some ammo. After some fine tuning Pat was getting very respectable groups, and he let me get behind the gun for a few shots. Recoil was very manageable on the weapon, and I put three shots in a fist size group from the prone, confirming my need to attend an Appleseed as soon as possible.

Then we moved to the pistol range and Pat put me through the Army pistol qualification course. The course is timed and involves shooting from standing, crouched, kneeling and prone, with magazine changes in all positions except standing. Hits to the center of the target count as 5, while those to the next ring out count as 4. I dropped 7 of my 40 rounds into the 4 ring, and "qualified" Expert with a score of 193/200. (Anything above 160 is considered Expert.) It is funny how even though this was just an informal event with a friend, as soon as I was on the clock I got an adrenaline rush. Seeing that I was the least bit hyped up made me appreciate the idiot-proof controls on my Glock even more than I already did. I know that Pat was talking to me during my shooting, but all I can remember from each series is magazine changes and my front sight rising and falling. Note to self- combining shooting and a timer is good training.

Next week on Saturday I will be taking my shotguns to the range to pattern my turkey load. I will be using 1 1/4oz. of #6 Hevi-Shot in a 3" magnum load. Based on what I have heard about Hevi-Shot, I *should* be able to use my regular full choke tube that came with the gun and kill turkeys out to at least 40yds. This would be awesome, as I am trying to keep my investment on this turkey season as low as possible. I may also pattern my double barrel, as both of the choke tubes it came with are pretty tight. I still am not sure what they are designated since they are unmarked, but if they pattern better than the full choke in the Mossberg 500 I may just use the double.

I think we can say that warm weather is here to stay, and I can already feel myself hardening up from the extra activity that comes with warm weather. During the winter I stay active and reasonably fit, but warm weather makes a noticeable difference in the incidental non-exercise activity that I get. For example, in the winter I walk the dog a tiny bit over a mile a day. During the spring and summer I do that, and I also walk to get places and go for walks with Annie and the girls. I estimate that this weekend I walked about 7 miles more than just my daily mile with the dog. I also mowed my mom's lawn and my own and did other active things like going to the range twice. Combined with my normal regimen of weight training 4-5 times per week, it's no wonder I sleep well when I finally crawl into bed each night. Well, that's it for the moment. Below are a couple of pictures from yesterday's range session.

It's Piss-Off-A-Liberal Tuesday!

2010-04-06T04:04:00.000-07:00

A couple years ago when Blackwater (now Xe) was being absolutely massacred in the MSM, (for no reason that I could see other than that people willing to go in harm's way for a solid paycheck scare people who don't have a pair themselves) and I was working with a whole passel of left-wing nutjobs down at Wabash College, I decided that the best way to stick it to my Obama-supporting boss would be to buy a Blackwater polo shirt and wear it to recruiting functions. Needless to say, the first time I wore it around some prospects his eyes about fell out of his head, and I considered it money well spent just for that. These days, although I no longer have that job, I still have the shirt. I like to break it out once in a while for old time's sake, and today is one of those days. Wish me luck as I scare the 1 out of 20 liberals who are actually tuned in enough to remember (or knew in the first place) what Blackwater actually is, and probably make some new friends among the conservative leaning folk who vastly outnumber the true believers.

In the hour of my distress...

2010-04-05T19:10:00.000-07:00

So I was beginning to think that my Raven holster would never come, and that I would spend all of the summer sweating in a flannel workshirt in an effort to conceal my G17, when I talked to Annie on the phone this morning. "You got a package," she told me, "but I don't think it's your holster because it doesn't say it's from Raven. It says TMF?" It was my holster. I explained to Annie that although the holster is made by Raven Concealment, it is sold by The Malabar Front. I then proceeded to explain that I was grabbing my keys and could be home in 9 minutes if I caught all the lights. Well, that's an exaggeration, but I did leave a bit early for lunch just so I could try this thing out as soon as possible. My order consisted of the Phantom Light Compatible Holster, a Double Modular Magazine Carrier, and a set of IWB Offset Tuckable Soft Loops. Upon getting home and getting the IWB hardware mounted I promptly carried down to the bank to cash a check, concealing under a tucked in polo. Simply amazing. If not for the soft loops my duty size weapon would be invisible. I may go ahead and order the J-hooks at some point, as well as a single mag pouch. The double pouch will be great for classes, but it seems a bit bulky for EDC. For the time being I will just keep on keeping on with my spare mag riding in my back left pocket next to my wallet.

And now, because this post would be worthless without some pictures...

Now you see it.

Now you don't.

Walmart Continues to Suck

2010-04-05T05:45:00.000-07:00

I have a longstanding hatred of Walmart that has nothing to do with sympathies for organized labor and everything to do with the fact that the company tends to annoy me. First of all, the stores are laid out in a way calculated to drive you crazy and force you to wander around aimlessly while looking for items that are not where they logically should be. Apparently all of this wandering around is supposed to make you more likely to impulse buy, but I'm guessing all it does is get innocent employees punched in the face when they ask "did you find everything ok today?" But anyway, that's not what I'm talking about right now. What I'm talking about right now is the fact that Walmart has decided to jack up the price of 100 round bulk packs of Winchester White Box 9mm practice ammo by about $2 per 100 rounds. This is something like a 10% hike, and it's for no good reason. This ammo was already roughly twice as expensive as it was 10 years ago, and Meijer still has the same thing for less than Walmart's previous price, although Walmart seems to have better luck getting it in stock. That being said, I have 600 rounds of 9mm on hand, so I can wait for Meijer to get more. I only really need some by May 31, when I take my next shooting class.
On that note, I had my first of two scheduled shooting classes on Saturday. The training company is called Adaptive COnsulting and Training, and the two instructors who taught the class of 10 were Coach Aron and Coach Joe. The course title was Basic Pistol 100, and while some of the class was a waste of my life, I still got a lot out of it, and I have 3 goals to work on over the next two months before Intermediate Pistol 100. The part of the class that I didn't really like was the classroom portion at the beginning. Some of the people there were brand new to handguns, so we had to go over safety, nomenclature, safety, basics of marksmanship and safety before doing the cool stuff on the range. The class was an interesting mix of people, about half women, and many of them relatively old, as in three women who were no less than 65 years old. All of the women brought .38 snub revolvers to shoot, and I suspect at least some of them will be buying either a Glock 19 or S&W M&P 9 in the near future. For those who don't know, those little .38s are painful to shoot and very difficult to shoot well, and the instructors made a big point of them being an "expert's weapon" and urging that all new shooters start with a plastic pistol with a 4" barrel. They had some loaner guns that the women tried and I think they came away convinced. For my part, I am still extremely happy with my choice of the Glock 17 for a primary handgun, as this class was almost entirely conducted in a soaking rain, and the people with blue steel guns were understandably concerned. One of the older women was shooting a Colt revolver that her father had given her. It was a neat looking gun with lots of holster wear, but it didn't belong out in that weather. I think she ended up making extensive use of one of the loaner M&P 9s. I bet her dad was an old hardass though, as his gun had clearly been carried a lot.
The best thing I got out of the class was an improved grip with my support hand while shooting two handed. The instructors showed me how to get more of my (left) support hand on the gun to control recoil. They also adjusted the tension of my grip, allowing the support hand to do more of the work and freeing the right to work on trigger control. I also have a new way to use my thumbs when shooting small revolvers. The other really good tip was on riding the trigger of a Glock so that you are keeping most of the slack taken up between shots. This gives a shorter trigger stroke and an easier pull, which helps with accurate and fast shots.
The final tip, and the one that I will really work on at the range over the next few weeks, is "snapping the eyes" when I transition targets. Basically snapping the eyes just means that you move your eyes to the new target and then bring the gun to your eyes, rather than moving the gun and your eyes together. It makes transitions a lot faster, and when the instructor did the transition drills as a demo it was a very noticeable difference compared to those of us taking the class. My target transitions when I am putting a double tap on 3 different targets sounds like "bang, bang...bang, bang...bang, bang" whereas Coach Aron sounds like "bangbangbangbangbangbang." By May 31 when I take the next class I hope to be at a "bangbang, bangbang, bangbang" level. All in all it was a very cool class, and after class Coach Aron graciously offered for me to stay and shoot for fun for a bit with him and some other guys that are on his competition team, but I had somewhere else I had to be, so I had to decline.
And now, prepare to get schooled in my Austrian persective.

A Trio of New Links

2010-04-02T07:49:00.000-07:00

Three new sites are being added to the list on the right side. And because I have decided to make my links list operate like the Thunderdome in Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome (Two men enter, one man leaves!) I will also select three links to remove. I am leaning toward Shotgun World and the Linden Conservation Club. Shotgun World is fun at first, then you realize that nothing new ever gets posted, and you get bored, and then you never go to that site again. Linden Conservation Club is fun in real life -in fact I was there last night and had a "blast" haha- but if we're being honest their website combines 90's style with sporadic updates for an end product that is much crappier than the sum of its parts. To be fair, it's run by volunteers, and I am confident I couldn't do it any better, but it still sucks.
The last unlucky loser site is The Rally Point. It's a cool forum with good people, but it has never taken off in terms of participation and that makes it boring. INGO and We The Armed suit my gun forum desires better than anything else I have yet found, so all other forums have become superfluous.
Ok, the new sites. The first one is called Death Valley Magazine. It's basically in blog format and covers such topics as guns, humor, gear reviews and fighting as seen through the eyes of a writing staff comprised mainly of professional security contractors. My favorite feature is the articles on "Weekend Tactical Jobs" which basically tells desk-bound schmoes like me how to at least have fun doing a cool part time gig. I hope they will continue to publish more articles on that topic.
The next new site is far less light-hearted, but does provide a much-needed counter to some of the PC tomfoolery that goes on in the MSM these days. Jihad Watch is a very intelligent and carefully researched site that follows Islam, Islamic Nations and the role of the US in relation to the issues of "the religion of peace." I have been following the site on and off for some time, but the Obama Administration's recent actions regarding Israel and the Ramat Schlomo settlement made me think there was no time like the present to add this site to my list.
The final site is a fun one. MHI is maybe one of the only SciFi/Fantasy books I have ever really liked, and Monster Hunter Nation is MHI author Larry Correia's blog. He's a funny guy, and posts like HK. Because you suck. And we hate you. have made him famous in gun forums all over the world. He had a good conspiracy theory post the other day too, and his musings as a Wise Latino Man never fail to enlighten me on politics and current events.
The 17th of this month marks the Indiana 2nd Amendment March. These marches will be occurring all over the country, and I plan to attend with my Glock proudly open carried in the Serpa retention holster. However, I am happy to say that this will be a rare cameo for the Serpa as my Raven Concealment light compatible Phantom holster shipped today. Yippee!
I also want to give a shout-out to Indiana Senate hopefuls Dan Coats and Brad Ellsworth. You are both going down. I have put my efforts and my dollars behind Marlin Stutzman, who is both a true conservative and a friend to gun owners. That is all.

Bird Bird Bird...

2010-03-22T18:30:00.000-07:00

Our little Greta Bird is one today! I think she did have a happy day. Saturday was her real big day with her party and all, but today she got to walk all over Target while her mother and sister took care of the shopping. And trust me, to Greta, walking around is about the best thing in the world.

Happy Birthday

2010-03-04T05:21:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to my mother-in-law and Texas Governor Rick Perry, who are the exact same age. Regrettably, Governor Perry has not responded to my invitation to join us for dinner at Red Lobster in Lafayette this evening. I thought it would be fun if they had a joint party, but I guess I will just give his gift to Annie's mom.

Big Macs and Bullets

2010-02-25T08:01:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago I had a craving for a Big Mac. Now normally when I go to McDonald's I am strictly a McDouble guy, though occasionally I like to add some variety by ordering Chicken McNuggets or maybe a Filet-O-Fish during Lent. But, as I say, a Big Mac sounded good, so I got one. It sucked. After several years of Double Cheeseburgers and later the McDouble after it was introduced to replace the Double on the dollar menu, (I actually like the McDouble better anyway, although at first I was angered by the change until I tried it.) I wasn't prepared for the obscenely high bread to meat ratio on the Big Mac. I felt like I was in a commercial (Where's the beef!?) and the sauce was underwhelming as well. Long story, short point- I am a born again McDouble man.
Preps lately are taking a distinct turn for the better. I am very happy with my choice to trade the revolver for a G17. Had the Glock out to the range the other day along with my new SxS smokepole, and both functioned well. I have an order that should be coming in today from Cheaper Than Dirt. I am getting 250 rounds of Federal 115gr +P+ JHPs (the old Illinois State Police load) and 80 rounds of 00 buck, as well as a survival kit in a bottle and filter straw that I will add to my car kit. Speaking of the car, needed maintenance is getting done, as we recently got new pads and rotors on the front, and will be doing the back in March. Also on the schedule we have a transmission flush and some other fluids related maintenance slated for April, plus the new tires we put on in January. It's good to know the wheels *should* be reliable if we need to get the hell outta Dodge.
Other needed additions on the gear end of things lately have included another pair of factory G17 mags, bringing my total to four, a Streamlight TLR-1 and Microstream, and a new Wilderness Instructor Belt with polymer insert. I totally copied Nick on the lights, but it actually wasn't on purpose. The flashlight I wanted (and still plan to obtain) was the Streamlight ProTac 2L. It's a bit larger than the Microstream, has a higher output, and runs on CR123 batteries. Unfortunately my man Cwood on the INGO forum couldn't obtain one yet, and he recommended the Microstream, so that's what I went with. When he gets the ProTac in stock it will be a good excuse to order a couple more G17 mags as well. I am glad to have the Microstream, as it's a slick little light and will make a good back-up when I get a stronger one down the line.
Next on the list is to continue to build up skills. Annie is busily planning our new and improved garden, and I have sent in my registration for two handgun training classes through a local company. I want to get a lot more training, and these should set me up well to go to more advanced classes in the future. I continue to look out for a defensive shotgun class that fits my schedule and budget, and of course the Glock and Mossberg armorer's classes are on my someday wish list. After getting some training, I am also looking into local shooting competitions to keep the skills sharp.
Well, I could ramble on about the wishlist, but I have some stuff I've got to do, and it will be more interesting once I've actually done it anyway.

2010-02-12T08:53:00.000-08:00

Nick asked my opinion on a question that I had coincidentally already been thinking about. Mossberg 590 or 500 Persuader? For me it would be the Persuader because I already have a 500. The disadvantage to having a 590 for someone who already has a 500 is that you have fewer interchangable parts between the two guns. Even if you have a 6 shot and an 8 shot, the barrel and mag tubes could be mounted to either receiver. The reason that not all parts are interchangeable between the 500 and 590 is that many of the parts on a 590 are "beefed up" to meet requests from the DoD. Note though, that the gun that passed the military torture test was not a 590 but a simple stock 500, and it passed the test that all other shotguns failed. To me, the thicker barrel and other parts are needless extra weight. I am in pretty decent shape, but as a hunter I can definitely tell you that even a single shot .410 starts to feel heavy after you lug it around field and forest for a day. If potential use of the shotgun includes any kind of hunting or hiking, I want less weight to carry.
The advantage of a 590 is that it is one of the best out of the box tactical shotguns you can buy. A 500 can be modified to have some of the same features as the 590, such as ghost ring sights, but for out of the box function the 590 is hard to beat.

I have been reading a lot lately, which is nice. Recent books have included Alas, Babylon, Wasp, and The School on Heart's Content Road. The only one I would wholeheartedly recommend is Alas, Babylon, but Wasp is very entertaining, and I can see why TSOHCR got good reviews from critics, it is just a slightly weird book due to a very unorthodox style of narrative.

This weekend I should be picking up my new 12ga double, and I have ordered a Raven holster and double mag pouch and Wilderness instructor belt as well as a TLR-1 weaponlight. Making good progress toward a high quality EDC set-up. I need to run out and take the car in for new brakes, so I will cut this off.

26% Mall Ninja

2010-01-24T19:37:00.000-08:00

There is a funny quiz you can take online. A 0% is impossible. What percent mall ninja are you?

In other news, I got a G17 today. Will possibly get it to the range on Wednesday. Until then I am in the uncomfortable position of possessing an untested gun. Luckily the previous owner is trustworthy and had between 500 and 1000 rounds of various types of ammo through it, so I can be pretty sure it will work. The sights are fixed, so that's a non issue.
For now I am carrying in a Serpa Concealment holster from Blackhawk. "Concealment" is a bit of a stretch since it sits out from the body a bit and prints a good deal, but it will work until I get a better rig. I also need to be getting a lot more ammo, both carry and practice, and a few more magazines. Currently I have just the two it came with. For carry ammo I think I will be running Winchester PDX1, assuming it runs with no hiccups, as I am confident it will since we are talking about a Glock here. Rural King has some decent prices on 115 grain FMJ, so until I scrape together enough coin for a case or two off the internet that will work.
Ok, now I have to run down to the scummy VP since I had said that would be my first action when I was armed again. I had been naked for a while due to selling my revolver prior to buying this gun.
Ok. I am totally stoked but can't think of much else. Later.

And so it begins...

2010-01-20T11:11:00.000-08:00

Scott Brown prevailed in Massachusetts last night, and while he may not fit everyone's vision of a "true conservative" he is certainly preferable to Martha Coakley and Obamacare being rammed down our throats. While we are by no means out of the danger zone, this country once again has a chance to reject Obama's evil.
Make no mistake, Pelosi and Reid are like cornered animals right now, and we may be sure they will make every effort to lash out and enact their pet legislation in defiance of the wishes of the people, but we are one step closer to preventing them.
Next step, I hope, is for the voters of Indiana to tell both of our Senators to pack their shit. Lugar has been on my bad side for quite some time, particularly as related to his stance on RKBA and foreign policy, and Bayh has revealed his true colors for all to see when he pledged to support Obamacare and strap his home state with the tab.

Muddling through

2010-01-14T07:49:00.000-08:00

This past week has been pretty busy at work and I've been having to stay late quite a bit, so that's pretty boring. If anyone ever asks me I have some ideas to improve our ways of doing business, but I am confident I won't be asked.

A funny thing happened to me the other evening when I went to the store to buy Anja some stickers. I was buying quite a few because Anja just got a sticker book that she is totally in love with. What follows is the conversation that transpired between me and the college student hippie girl working the register.
CSHG: Awesome! Stickers!
Me: Yep. I'm stocking up...
CSHG: (As she is ringing and ringing and ringing up stickers. I bought over 30 tiny sheets.) So do you have a large sticker collection?
Me: Nope. I have a two year old.
CSHG: (Handing me the bag.) Well you do now!
Me: For a few minutes I guess.

Gotta love hippies.

In other news, I scored a couple of bricks of Winchester Wildcat .22LR the other night at pre-Obama prices. I remember in the '90s I would collect once fired brass at apartments I was cleaning for the guy I did labor for and trade it for bricks of Wildcat at the gunstore that my grandfather's godson owned. Those were good days. I think at that time a brick cost about exactly half what it does today, and Dick's has them at half again the price I paid, because they are of course price gougers, among their other faults. I may even pick up a couple more bricks this week if I feel like driving out there to Meijer again, or I may just stop by WalMart and see what they are charging for Federal bulk packs. My .22 really likes the Wildcats though, so it would have to be a slamming deal to make me try something else.

If you take only one action to protect your rights this year...

2010-01-01T10:54:00.001-08:00

Consider joining the NRA. I am not a single issue voter. Far from it. But the right to keep and bear arms is a surprisingly good litmus test to determine whether a politician agrees with me on a range of issues, and the NRA does an excellent job of researching politicians and contributing to the campaigns of those who are likely to make a difference in terms of our freedoms. This year for Christmas I asked for and received a renewal on my membership. My mom surprised me by renewing not just for one year but for five. I will make several contributions to the NRA Political Victory Fund this year as well, just as I did last year. 2010 is going to be a huge year for this country, as we have a chance to at least staunch the bleeding and take away some of Obama and his cohorts' ability to do evil. I do not use the term evil lightly either. I really believe that the actions the Democrats are taking at the moment are evil and will have the impact of cheapening life in this country even more than it already is.

That being said, I am totally stoked about a deal I have in the works to acquire a new shotgun. Whether I need this gun could be debated, but I will certainly get a lot of use out of it, and it is a type that speaks to my soul. The firearm in question is a 12 gauge SxS with 24" barrels and screw-in chokes. The ability to change chokes is what dragged me in. Many or most doubles have either fixed cylinder bores if they are for HD or if it is a hunting gun it will have a fixed full choke right barrel and modified left barrel. This particular gun is about 100% more versatile than either of those set-ups. The barrels are just short enough to be a legitimate option for HD, and I will probably keep cylinder or improved cylinder chokes in both barrels when I am not hunting with the gun. For hunting I will likely stick with the tried and true set-up mentioned above for most situations, but if I am kicking up rabbits a cylinder choke will replace the full. This gun will also likely see duty as a car gun whenever I leave town. My pump could serve this role if need be, but I intend to add a black plastic stock and Mesa Tactical sidesaddle style shell carrier to the pump in the near future, and the double is a bit less intimidating should someone happen to see it. No use freaking people out unnecessarily, and I can't imagine feeling under gunned with a double barrel and a pocket full of double aught buck. The sale is not final though, so I have to keep my enthusiasm in check as much as possible. The guy selling it is far enough away to be hard for us to meet up, so we have agreed that if he can't sell it before the weekend of the 15th (first weekend I can get away to go pick it up) it is mine. Here's hoping nobody else falls in love with it as I've done!

I am also in the market for a Glock 19. Recent events and a careful analyisis of both how I want to carry and what I want out of a defensive pistol have convinced me that this is what I want to have. I have concluded based on my own practice and also based on the opinions of respected trainers like Mercop of Modern Combative Systems and Todd G. of PistolTraining.com that appendix carry is the setup that makes the most sense for me. Also, I am ruthlessly cutting my guns in all but three calibers. I want to only have to stock .22LR, 12ga. and 9mm. The pistol caliber is chosen out of consideration for a caliber that Annie can shoot comfortably if necessary and also because it is the cheapest proven defensive cartridge on the market. This means it is easier for someone on a limited budget (me, for example) to train a lot at the range and also to maintain an adequate supply of defensive quality ammo.

These are my main thoughts for the day as I confront a new year that is already looking to be full of both challenges and opportunities for me. I don't really make resolutions, but it is certainly a time that invites reflection, and in these times we are living in it is hard to think about the future without thinking of my preparedness to deal with unpleasant events and situations. I am looking forward to the spring when the opportunity to take an active role in certain matters is once again offered. I have often thought lately about my garden, laying in wood and other tasks that are on hold but need to be done.

Happy New Year.

Update on 12 gauge double: Sold to someone else. Damn.

Disappointment

2009-12-23T07:24:00.000-08:00

The past couple of weeks have had a theme of disappointment. I was really looking forward to the second weekend of muzzleloader and bagging a couple more deer, and the weather was looking to be ideal for hunting. As luck would have it though, my old hip injury flared up worse than it has ever done before, to the point that I had to go to urgent care and get a shot for the pain as well as a prescription for painkillers and muscle relaxers. So no hunting. I did get to go this past weekend, but the weather was horrible and I saw zero deer. Over the two days I saw just two squirrels, which is a bad sign for a deer hunter. If the squirrels are staying bedded down on account of the weather, so are the deer.
The hip troubles and other things keeping me occupied have also meant the trike project has been neglected. The new plan is to use the trikes as Easter presents. In some ways this is fine, since Anja will be able to ride her trike outside and enjoy it more if she gets it at Easter.
Another problem I had was that the new muzzleloader conversion barrel for my Mossberg arrived from Numrich's with the front sight blade broken neatly in two. I emailed their customer service about the problem and was basically told they didn't give a damn about me, so from now on I won't be shopping there. I actually am able to shoot pretty accurately even with the much shorter front sight. I can see enough of the post that I basically just imagine where the rest would be. That being said, I will be putting a tru-glo front sight post on the barrel before taking it out hunting next year.
Complaining aside, yesterday was my third wedding anniversary. Annie and I had a nice date to the Lafayette Brewing Company while her parents watched the girls. This is a nice time of year to have our anniversary, and it felt like a little break amidst the Christmas rushing around we've been doing. We also finished watching Love Actually, which we had started the other evening. That movie is fun year round, but is especially nice at Christmas time.
I must run now. The pace is still somewhat hurried with the holidays, and I need to get a few things done before I take lunch.

No sleep! 'Til Christmas!

2009-12-07T07:09:00.000-08:00

I started sanding the trikes last night. The sanding is the most labor intensive part of this process, but I need to get it done soon because I have so many coats of paint to put on. I was up late last night and plan to be up late many more nights to get this project done and also keep up with everything else I am working on, but of course that is normal natural and expected. Annie will be right there with me, because she has even more on her plate than I have. So I will be sanding and painting, she will be knitting and sewing, and if we're lucky we'll both find enough hours in the day to get it all done.
It has been more than a month since I've worked out consistently the way I want to. First I was sick, then the girls were sick and I was hunting a lot, then I got back to it and immediately managed to aggravate my old hip injury. Two nights ago I knew I was back when I did a good hard kettlebell snatch session and still woke up relatively pain free the next day. I have been basing my workouts lately around just two main kettlebell moves -the snatch and the Turkish get-up- and renewing my focus on feats of grip strength. I am working on closing heavy grippers, and as soon as I've done a couple more solid weeks of KB work with few or no interruptions, I will resume my short steel bending. Right now my mornings consist of rehab exercises and stretching for my hip, pull-ups, push-ups and one legged squats to get the blood going, and sometimes my grip work. Then in the evenings I have a short KB session. It's a good routine, and one that is reasonable for my needs and my schedule.
I have been listening to my Punk Rawk Xmas CD to get in the proper holiday spirit. Best line ever in a Christmas song: F*** you stupid homeless guy/ You put a damper on my jubilation. I know it makes me a bad person, but God help me I do live it so...
My muzzleloader conversion barrel for the Mossberg should arrive today. I am stoked to get out in the field with it this weekend and see if I can get one or two more deer to see us through until next year. I am also super excited to try my hand at butchering. Anja loves venison. She has just been tearing it up every day, and the feeling of pride I get watching her eat the deer I shot and knowing that the lean protein will help her grow up healthy and strong is something I can't fully describe. We certainly have enough money to get by, but our budget is not unlimited, so there is no possible way we could afford to eat an amount of beef comparable to the freezer full of venison we are sitting on right now. And the thing is, most people would agree that in terms of health, venison is probably better for you. Less fat, less injections of hormones and antibiotics and the like, it is very good meat, and the only way to get it is by being skilled. You can't buy it, and you couldn't pay me for the feeling of watching Anja devour it.

A few thoughts

2009-12-01T08:12:00.000-08:00

You know it's Advent when you see Santa being pushed around in a baby stroller in your living room. We got our little tree cut and decorated over the weekend, and had a good time having friends over to "help decorate" by which of course I mean that I hauled out all of our decorations and then we put them up after everyone left. It was a good time though, and I made some spicy hot chocolate and picked up Christmas tree shaped Little Debbie snacks and Cordial Cherries at Rural King.
Speaking of Rural King -and pay attention because you WILL see this material again- this is truly the store that has everything. Ammo for just about any common rifle, shotgun or handgun chambering? Check. Toys? Check. Hunting clothes? Check. Holiday goodies? Check. Hardware and home improvement basics? Check. As time goes by, Rural King is gaining ground as my basic go-to store.
I got a new shoot-gun over the weekend. Another Mossberg 500. I traded in my special purpose Mariner riot gun and got the classic sporting combo. It has the 28" vent rib barrel with interchangeable choke tubes as well as the 24" rifled barrel for better accuracy with slugs. My plan is to add the 18.5" cylinder barrel for HD purposes and then eventually acquire another 500 with 8 shot capacity and 20" barrel as a dedicated HD/tactical gun. The thing is, I made $50 on my trade, and I can get another cylinder barrel for $80 or less, while adding a slug or accu-choke barrel to my old gun would've run me $160 each, and would've looked dumb to boot because the finishes would be different.
I actually have an idea for my next 500, which is to get a stripped receiver and then build the gun one piece at a time as budget allows. It really wouldn't be much cheaper than just buying a complete gun, but I would have exactly what I want (comp-stock, oversize safety, all metal trigger group, etc) and wouldn't have to shell out all the money at once. Plus I could keep scanning riverofguns.com and similar sites for used components. If that build went well I could actually see myself doing three different 500 builds to end up with 3 different purpose-built guns. Not a necessity really, but sounds kind of fun. The weapon I currently have is more than adequate to take any game animal that we have in Indiana as well as fill a home defense role, but I like guns and I like the idea of being able to arm the wife in an emergency as well as have guns that are dedicated to certain roles. My idea would be to have one HD gun with the 20" barrel, a weaponlight, etc. as well as a "car gun" with folding stock and no fancy add-ons beyond an onboard shell carrier. Next would be a dedicated slug gun and of course my current GP hunting gun would stay as is.
I have another project coming up first though, and it is one that I am gradually getting more and more excited to do. Before our wonderful neighbors the Cooks left for Mordor (Abu Dhabi by way of NYC. Yikes!) they gave us a pair of used tricycles. We decided to save them as Christmas presents for the girls, and I am going to repaint them. I want to make them very unique and cool, so I have been thinking about different color schemes and patterns I could do. I am thinking one will be pink with green accents and one or two sections of pink, green and baby blue plaid. For the other one I may do a tan base layer with a red and yellow checkerboard pattern on some parts and blue accents on the wheels, etc. I have to go get the spray paint tonight or tomorrow so I can get started, and the colors on hand will likely play into my final decisions. I think if I do this right we will end up with trikes that are actually better than what you could buy new.
I am adding a link on the right to the Indiana Gun Owners Forum. I like it as much as I like We The Armed, and the cool thing is that it's local for me, so any information on hunting, store sales, etc. is much more relevant. I have only made about a dozen posts there, but it is a wealth of knowledge and I see myself posting a lot more as time goes along.
That's all I've got at the moment. I need to go look for muzzleloader conversion barrels for my new shottie.

Edit: I ordered the muzzleloader conversion barrel for the 500. I hope it is here by this weekend, but if not that's ok because I already know I will not be hunting. My hope is to bag one or two the following weekend, and if I get even one I will just eat a tag and let my season end. Two in one day would be ideal, and is certainly possible if I literally hunt all day, but one is just fine.

Running Shot!

2009-11-21T17:08:00.000-08:00

Made a running shot on a nice 8 point buck today. I was sitting in a stand with my back to some woods that run along the Wabash when a motor boat went by, heading from my left to my right. Shortly thereafter I heard a deer running to my right, and I got my gun up and shot him as he passed on my left. I had to follow him into a thicket and finish him off, but the first shot really would've done the job. One more doe and I'll be tagged out. Not a huge deer by any means, but we won't have to buy meat this year between him and the doe I bagged the other day. I could have had another doe tonight, but frankly I didn't feel like gutting and hanging up two deer. Killing a deer is a lot of work, and I wanted to get home to Annie and our poor sick baby Greta.

First Deer

2009-11-18T18:46:00.000-08:00

I was getting impatient, since the first four days of our 15 day shotgun season passed by without me setting foot in the woods even once, but after sitting in a stand for less than three hours, I got my first deer today. I was up in the tree about 2:30, and made my shot at 5:15 or a bit before. I got a nice sized doe after taking a pass on a smaller one that waltzed by about 10 minutes earlier. I will be back out tomorrow, being a little more selective and trying to bag a small or medium buck. I would not feel right taking a monster. (As if it's even likely that I could! Those big boys are wary.) Johnny is kind enough to let me hunt out at his place, leaving Bullwinkle and his buddies alone is the least I can do.

Here is Anja asking the Great Spirit to send us venison. She is doing her hunting dance while wearing my hunting hat.

And here is a picture of my nice fat doe. We estimated her at 130lbs. The red splotch on her shoulder is where my Brenneke K.O. slug hit the lungs and lived up to its name. She staggered about 10-15 feet and was done.

Now I need to get a quick workout and get to bed. More hunting awaits!

What?!

2009-10-09T09:58:00.000-07:00

Please explain the latest Nobel Peace Prize selection. Really, when nominations are due by February 1, how did this happen?

Fall Party

2009-10-04T18:59:00.000-07:00

Today was Annie's Uncle Johnny's Fall Party. As you may recall, we helped him set up for it last weekend. The weather was great, and I brought along the target thrower, so we got to shoot some clays. I missed the first session because almost everyone wanted to go shoot and some of us had to stay and look after all the kids, so I let Annie go and I stayed behind and carved pumpkins. It worked out nicely though, because round two was just Johnny and me, and we busted quite a few pigeons with my riot shotgun. Johnny and I get along pretty well, and I really liked cruising around with him on the ATV and shooting stuff.

After the first round of shooting was over the flaming liberal in the group made a snide remark about the NRA and the GOP. Obviously everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but I had to laugh at this guy and his lack of situational awareness. We were guests at a "farm" that is basically only used for hunting. The main event of the party was shooting guns. Possibly not the best audience for making snippy remarks about Republicans and the RKBA lobby. I politely mentioned that I am a member of the NRA and he dropped the subject. The icing on the cake is that the comment was made to the guy open carrying a stainless steel .357 magnum for half the party. On that note, I think to have most people notice my gun I would have to carry a rifle slung over my shoulder. Even then there would inevitably be those who failed to see it.

Anyway, after the party was over I once again popped down to the woods in the failing light to see whether the squirrels were having a bedtime snack, and just like last weekend I connected at the last possible minute. I got one right at the base of the hill that I climb to get back to the car. If it had been 15 minutes later it would have been unethical to shoot. As it was I only had a shot because the squirrel was silhouetted against the sky. If it had been against a backdrop of leaves I wouldn't have been able to draw a bead. So that one goes in the freezer too, and soon we will have enough for a tasty dinner.

Squirrels Fear Me

2009-09-27T19:00:00.000-07:00

Not much news that you can't catch over at Annie's blog, but we did have a fun weekend. I have been hitting the woods every chance I get trying to put squirrels in the freezer, and most of the time I connect. The main thing holding me back is lack of time. I told Annie this evening that I literally fantasize about spending a cool rainy day hunting and knowing that the only things that will make me bring it in are getting my limit or nightfall. Yesterday I went out and had about an hour of shooting time before I had to head home to go to a (really fun) fundraiser walk out at Wolf Park. This evening we were already out at the hunting spot helping clean up for next weekend's Fall Party. This is an annual event that Johnny hosts for family and friends to come and eat food, carve pumpkins, go on hayrides and generally celebrate the beginning of Autumn. This year I am bringing my target thrower and all of us menfolk are going to break clay pigeons with our shotguns. Anyway, I was glad to help Johnny with something, since he is so generous about letting me hunt his land.

After the barn was nice and clean and Johnny left, Annie and the girls and I stuck around to wait for bedtime. Anja hadn't had a nap, and we knew she would fall asleep on the 45 minute ride home, so we were kind of stuck until 7:30 or so. I *happened* to have the .410 in the car, so I wandered off to see what the squirrels were up to while Anja and Annie and Greta played in the meadow.

It was quite breezy, which is not ideal for squirrel hunting, so I decided to concentrate on the bottoms rather than the wooded hillsides where I normally focus my operations. I watched the ground and the lower branches of the trees, figuring the squirrels would be avoiding the actively moving upper limbs. The strategy paid off, as I spotted two fat fox squirrels about halfway up a walnut tree in the swampy area. I got one, but the other wisely hunkered down somewhere in the leafy branches, and I gave up on seeing it as I was running out of shooting light. Not bad for an impromptu hour of hunting though. Below is a picture of my results from the other morning. Mmm. Fried squirrels.

Counting my eggs...

2009-09-25T11:38:00.000-07:00

So it's probably a bit premature, but I picked up some Remington high velocity shot shells loaded with number 4 shot on my lunch break today. I say it's premature, because I won't be using the 12 gauge for squirrels until I get a new barrel. The purpose of my trip was to pick up some Brenneke K.O. slugs to test fire. If they shoot better out of my gun than the Winchester rifled slugs I have been using they will hit the field with me on November 14. The Brenneke K.O. is a bit ironic since I have read this is a Foster type slug being produced by the namesake company of the inventor of the *other* type of rifled slug in common use. I don't really know though since I've never cut one open.
Annie walked over to the record store today to pick up the new Eels album. She didn't quite make it, so we will pop over and pick it up this evening or sometime over the weekend. This is very exciting both because we haven't had a new album to listen to in a while (mabe since my birthday at the end of July) and because I really like the Eels. I have already heard a few of the songs from the new album live on World Cafe, and it was excellent.
Today is another day that the squirrel woods are calling me. Weather much like yesterday, cool and raining just enough to keep things damp. I am tempted to hit it for a couple of hours tomorrow, but I also need to get to the range at some point here soon. I have been trying to go shoot every 2 weeks, but I am running late this fortnight. I need to work the revolver, as always, and I will shoot slugs at various distances. Some rifle sights for the shotgun are a priority before next hunting season, but if shooting goes well at 50 yards I may try my luck at 100 yards.

Summit Gunbroker

2009-09-24T08:00:00.000-07:00

I found out about summit gunbroker through Nick's blog. It is awesome. They have absolutely the best prices I have yet seen on a lot of different used guns, and the inventory is excellent. Currently a used Glock 22 will run you $330 from this guy, while a nice old Remington 870 Wingmaster can be had for $229. Those prices are astonishing to me, and they are pretty much par for the course. I will watch the inventory and save my pennies.
Here in town there is another gun store opening. Actually, they are already open on Fridays and Saturdays only, and after their "grand opening" they will be open 5-6 days a week. I would like to check them out sometime soon, because from what I can see their prices look to be pretty good. I am interested to see if they have much inventory though. They have the best prices of any dealer that comes up when I get quotes for my zip code on gallery of guns.
Days like today make me want to quit my job. The weather is gray and cloudy with just a light intermittent rain. The squirrels will be active all day in this kind of weather, and the wet ground makes stalking that much more quiet. Speaking of squirrel hunting, I left my name and number at my favorite local gun store. They are going to call me if they get any sporting type barrels that will fit my Mossberg 500. It will be an ugly combination since the rest of my gun is electroless nickel and the barrel will likely be blue or camo, but if the squirrels laugh at me it makes them that much easier to shoot. Eventually I will probably want to get the barrel coated in elctroless nickel, but that will run me about $200, so it will likely be a WHILE before I do that. First priority on the list after a shotgun barrel is a camouflage finish on the revolver, and probably a new Glock, so a silly looking barrel on the shotgun is something I will need to get used to.

It's on. Squirrels beware.

2009-08-16T19:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday and today I went squirrel hunting out at Annie's Uncle Johnny's farm. Yesterday was pretty much a bust. I only got about an hour of shooting light before some other family members came to ride dirt bikes. I had time to check out one promising area and I made mental notes on the location of a couple of black walnut trees. Early in the season squirrels hit the black walnuts hard before moving on to other nuts, like acorns, which are not quite mature yet.

Anyway, since I saw not a single squirrel yesterday I decided to head back today. About a half hour before it was light enough to shoot I was in position near one of the black walnuts I noticed yesterday. As the forest began to wake up I saw many game animals, but no squirrels. I didn't even see any signs of squirrels, like bits of nut hull on the ground. I came in easy shotgun range of several deer throughout the morning, and got to check out many promising squirrel areas, but by 9am I was still holding an unfired gun. I decided to make my way back to the car. I was a little disappointed, but it had been a fun morning and I consoled myself with the thought that the season runs for several months and given the lack of sign I figured they just weren't working the walnuts very hard yet. I figured I would give it a week or two and try again. Then on the way back to the car I saw three squirrels. I shot the first one and made a clean and instant kill when one of my pellets went through his eye. He was dead before he hit the ground. On the next one I didn't do as well. I shot him as he was skampering along a branch, and although I was sure I hit him I couldn't find him anywhere when I got to the spot where he should've fallen. I looked around for a good 15 minutes and sat and waited for another half hour, but never saw him again. I think I realized what went wrong when I was skinning the one I did bag. I found the majority of my pellets lodged just under the skin. Had the one not entered the eye, it wouldn't have been a clean kill. Before I go hunting again I will go shopping for high velocity 3" shells loaded with #4 or 5 shot for the .410 bore. Later in the season when I switch to the .22 I will be ready with my CCI Velocitor. Squirrels are known for their tough skin, so I hope I can still use my other .410 bore ammo on rabbits. The ammo that will never go squirrel hunting with me again was Federal Game-Shok 3" with 11/16oz of #6 shot.

Minimalist Fitness

2009-08-10T20:06:00.000-07:00

I really enjoy physical training and manual labor. To me it is fun to see what I can make my body do. However, even someone who doesn't want to make fitness as much of a priority as I have done can and should recognize the importance of maintaining a minimal level of physical ability. I will not get too in depth in recommending specific skill standards like x number of pull-ups or a certain powerlifting total, but most of us probably have an idea of what constitutes the minimum. Obviously body type and any injuries etc. will have to be taken into account.

Above is a picture of my minimalist home gym, which is what I use when I am at my mom's place on the river. A kettlebell or two, my bodyweight and this Home Depot pull-up bar are all I need. Take stock of what you have available, factor in what you like and what schedule you are likely to actually comply with and get going! When I used to travel 12 weeks out of the year I would always throw some kettlebells and a pair of pull-up handles that fit over a closed outer door in the car and be set to go. Before I had as much of my own equipment as I have now I made do with an assortment of logs, stones and concrete blocks, and pull-ups off of tree branches or beams on my porch.

Think about it. If you can hit targets that are too far for you to run to without stopping, or if you can't carry your basic load of gear a mile or two, you are out of shape. Taking care of yourself and your loved ones is about a lot more than having adequate stores of food and ammo in the basement or carrying your weapon at all times. When your car breaks down a half mile from the nearest service station and your cell phone doesn't have signal a 400lbs deadlift will be a lot more useful than a spare magazine.

Thus endeth the lesson.

Annie Oakley

2009-07-03T19:36:00.000-07:00

Lately on our trips to the river Annie and I have been enjoying shooting my air rifle. Annie has never shot before, but with minimal instruction on such things as sight picture and breathing she was hitting the bullseye routinely. It is not just beginner's luck either. We have repeated this several times with the same results each time. She appears to be a natural. Now I just have to get her out to fire some real guns so we can move the targets back a bit and really have fun.

The Dick's Sporting Goods here in town had various types of handgun ammo in stock this morning. Most of it was target stuff, but still an encouraging sign. Some of what they had was a nice stack of .38 special hardball and a sizeable stack of .38 JHPs. I might go back later and pick up a bit if I think of it.

Tomorrow is of course Independence Day, and I have no real plans. I am just hoping the fireworks don't freak out the dog too much. Last year she was really done in, but this year my sister found out from my vet the a little Benadryl will often help them calm down. Luckily we already have some on hand, so it will be a simple matter to slip her a couple tomorrow if she seems to be losing it. Although I have no plans, lots of other people seem to. Annie and I ventured out to the WalMart near the river places and were nearly overwhelmed by the sheer mass of people there. Nevermind the uncharitable things I could say about the appearance of theses people, there were just so many of them you coudn't get through the store. We ended up being so desperate to just get out of the place that we took off in a hurry and forgot half the things we came for. One of those things was something to clean the grill with. It was meant as a gift to Annie's family cottage since the last one we donated was lost in the flood or something. We picked one up today at Rural King.

Let me say that Rural King deserves a new paragraph. I know I have been there before, but I had no idea how amazing it was. It's at least a few years since I was last there, and the things they have are amazing. Things I have been looking for and couldn't find anywhere else were at Rural King. For example-
-.410 bore slugs. These are illegal to hunt deer with here in Indiana, but I have always wanted to try some out of my shotgun just to see what they would do.
-Foothold traps. I have been thinking or running a short trapline this fall or next, but wanted to start with a minimal number of traps. On the internet, it is basically only worth it to buy 6-12 at a time.
-A cheap, but not flimsy, machete. On the one hand, this tool must, by its nature, be suited for some rough handling. On the other hand, why would I pay big bucks for a tool I fully intend to abuse? Rural King sells a very serviceable looking one for about $11.
What can I say? I am kicking myself for not being on to Rural King a lot earlier than today.

I have to turn in now. Both girls are asleep, and wise parents get their sleep when the getting is good. Happy 4th.

The enemy of my enemy...

2009-05-28T06:50:00.000-07:00

In the Red Corner, North Korea! In the Pink Corner, Russia!
My guess is nothing will come of this, but I sure as hell wish Russia would roll into DPRK (Korea, not Kalifornia) and clean those little pests out once and for all. Comrade Obama has neither the will nor the resolve to do what needs to be done, so I guess I have to cheer for Russia for now. Pretty sad state of affairs though.

Good news for RKBA

2009-05-18T07:38:00.000-07:00

(Image lifted from Simply Rugged)

Right to carry in National Parks has been upheld in the Senate.

link

A special post for TRP

2009-05-06T07:12:00.001-07:00

Top to bottom: 1) Enjoying the porch swing with my girls. Anja is the older one, the new baby is Greta. 2) Anja and Greta when Greta was still at the hospital. 3) One of the first strings I put through the 686. 4) Prepared to defend the homestead after church one Sunday.

Enter the Velocitor

2009-05-01T05:29:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I picked up a box of the fastest .22LR on the planet. CCI's Velocitor has a published muzzle velocity of 1435 feet per second, well above the typical 1200 or so of most .22LR. My main plinking load, the Winchester Wildcat, publishes a velocity of 1255 feet per second at the muzzle. Even more impressive than the velocity and the cool name is the way this bullet retains weight. The bullets are made using Gold Dot technology, and tests show them retaining something like 97-98% of their weight upon impact. All of the above combine to make this load a valid option for animals up to the size of coyotes. Many other .22LR loads are not even rated for raccoon at any real distance beyond point blank, so this is impressive. Being a gadget guy, I get warm fuzzies just thinking about firing this ammo. I will be sure to report on actual performance after hunting with the load this fall. The only drawback is the price. While still cheaper to shoot than almost any non-surplus centerfire round I can think of, this stuff is many times more expensive than other .22LR. However, .22WMR-like performance and capability without the cost of a new rifle makes it well worth the added expense if the Velocitor works as advertised.

Shooting Trip

2009-04-27T09:09:00.001-07:00

This Saturday I went shooting with Patrick, my friend from work. Patrick had a new cap and ball revolver to try out, and we also dragged the portable target thrower along and busted some clays with our alley sweepers. I worked on manipulating the shotgun, following the shoot one load one rule, and tried hard to concentrate on round count during all of my shooting. I put a lot of rounds through the .357 magnum, and burned a ton of .22LR. Patrick brought his M1 Garand, which was very fun to shoot.

Besides having fun, I wanted to work on reloading the shotgun, since the low capacity is often cited as their greatest disadvatage compared to a carbine. I also had a goal of trying to stretch the range a bit with the revolver and work some slow strings of fire at short range. As mentioned, I worked the shotgun quite a bit, and I also put a few slugs through it. With the bead sight at 30-40 yards it was relatively easy to keep all of my rounds on a paper plate. This is definitely "minute of deer" and more than adequate for hunting in this area. I still want to get a ghost ring sight on there eventually though.

I messed with the adjustable sights on the revolver after Patrick fired it and all of his rounds went low. When it was just me shooting low I assumed it was shooter error, but Pat is a good marksman and if both of us are shooting low then it is the sights. After we messed with them the rounds went a lot closer to point of aim. I was able to get some tight and consistent groups, although they were still a bit low and right. Next time we go I will shoot from a rest and possibly adjust the sights a bit more.

My forearms and neck got a nice sunburn on Saturday, so I decided not to wear sunscreen yesterday while working in the yard. Needless to say, this was a bad idea as the sunburn that was already there got worse and I also got a few new areas due to wearing a different shirt. So wear sunscreen unless you want to end up like I was this morning, wincing as I pulled on my clothes.

The above picture is of me burning up some 8 round clips with Patrick's M1 Garand. I bought him a box of .30-06, but I shot way more than I brought for this weapon simply because Pat is a generous guy. On the subject of the M1, Patton called it "the finest battle implement ever devised" and I would be inclined to agree. Granted, it holds just 8 rounds, but taken in context this weapon just thoroughly outclassed our opponents in WWII, and could still be carried into battle today. We definitely need to go back to chambering our military arms in a .30 caliber round. Watching what this weapon did to the backstops we were using and just handling the thing in general convinced me that we should stop screwing around and send our warriors in to battle with a man's gun.

Here we have Pat firing the cap and ball Remington .44 caliber revolver. Remington made some serious improvements to Colt's pistol, and sold his version for less. Having fired the Colt the last time we went out, I could see why the Remington was an improvement. The cylinder pops completely out for loading, so this alone makes loading much quicker, and a cavalryman of the Civil War could have simply carried one or more preloaded cylinders and stayed in the fight much longer than if he had tried to reload the fired cylinder. I am actually pretty proud of this picture. I caught Pat in full recoil, and even though it was a very breezy day you can still see the smoke behind him. Catching someone in full recoil is a lot harder than it sounds, believe me. We tried a number of times to get me with the .357 magnum, and it was a no go each time.

The picture at the top of the page is of me just after unloading a magazine full of slugs from Pat's Benelli. It's a fun gun to shoot, and I was trying out the ghost ring to see if the sight picture helped me. It makes it much easier to hit small stump size targets at 50-80 yards.

A book you should read, and a forum...

2009-04-21T08:40:00.000-07:00

Well, the forum I really don't know what to say... Maybe I have just been living in the dark, but until yesterday I had no idea the Obama Forum existed. These people are nuts. Be sure if you click the link to check out the area called Obama Nation Watch- Keeping An Eye On Our Enemies. At first as I was reading some of this stuff I wanted to believe that it was all a joke, but I'm afraid many of these people are very very serious. Be warned that if you visit the site you will likely feel offended and just a little bit afraid. Homeland Security should definitely worry about these folks before they worry about whether I own a few guns and like the constitution. Also, if you ever wondered whether racism is still a problem in this country I can tell you that it is, but maybe not in the way you were thinking.
On to the book. When I was in about 8th grade I picked up a copy of Woodcraft and Camping by Nessmuk. It is an old book, but the information it contains is relevant to anyone who hunts, fishes, traps or just hikes. If you are interested in developing a level of comfort when out in the woods and in cultivating a state of mind that fosters real self reliance, buy and read this book.

To Vang Comp or not to Vang Comp?

2009-04-02T06:44:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been daydreaming a lot about some of the modifications I want to make to my social shotgun. The length of pull is just the least bit long when I am working the slide and transitioning to weak side, so an M-4 carbine style collapsible stock and pistol grip from Mesa Tactical is high on the list. I also need to replace the sight bead with a ghost ring set to allow accurate shooting with slugs. One of the most important modifications though, is an internal one. Several gunsmiths offer a service that generally includes improving the forcing cone and polishing or otherwise improving the barrel's insides. One of the most regarded of these smiths is Hans Vang. His patented Vang Comp Choke System involves adding compensating ports to the barrel, lengthening the forcing cone, and back boring the barrel. These improvements greatly increase the gun's effective range with buckshot by changing the barrel from a cylinder bore to an internal choke system. The porting reduces felt recoil, making the weapon easier to get back on target for a quick follow-on shot.
The problem with back boring is that some say it allows slugs to tip and float in the barrel, reducing the gun's accuracy with slugs. My goal with my shotgun is maximum versatility, and part of that package is the ability to shoot slugs accurately out to 125 meters. That being the case, the modification package available through AimPro Tactical is very appealing. Their process involves lengthening the forcing cone to improve accuracy with buck shot, but only polishing the bore rather than back boring. I imagine you give up a small amount of tightness in terms of patterns with 00 buck, but leaving the bore a cylinder gives the ability to shoot slugs well. To me, that is a good trade. AimPro also adds compensator ports using the Mag-na-porting system, which is said to more effectively reduce felt recoil than the Vang Comp system.
When I first heard about Vang Comp I was very keen to send him my Mossberg, but now I am waffling. Hans Vang has a very good name, but I am nervous about giving up range and accuracy with slugs. Another point for AimPro is that they specialize in Mossberg. Hans Vang works on any gun, but his primary specialty is the Remington 870. It is a lot to think about, but luckily it is expensive enough that I have some time to decide. At the moment AimPro is winning, but until I actually send the gun out for the work to be done I can make no guarantees.

The Short Version

2009-03-22T19:52:00.000-07:00

Greta Jane was born at 7:23 this evening via c-section. She weighed 7lbs 4.8oz, has attached earlobes, long toes, a large nose and prominent upper lip. So basically the poor little girl looks a lot like me in many ways. Also, let me just say that I was right and everyone who predicted she would be a boy was wrong. I will post more, including pictures, later.

I'm sorry...

2009-03-17T17:26:00.001-07:00

I already pay my NRA dues. Why should I have to make a donation to Guns and Ammo?

These were roughly my thoughts a little while ago when browsing the magazine rack at my local Borders. Annie is feeling a little under the weather today, so I went to get her a decorating magazine and some Panera soup. I was going to get myself a gun magazine while I was out, but I guess I haven't looked at the prices in a while. The cheapest I could find was something like $8! Screw that. I work for a living. From now on I will be even more firmly entrenched in my habit of getting my firearms information for free right here on the internet.

98 days and counting

2009-03-17T12:34:00.000-07:00

I filed my application for a lifetime Personal Protection Permit today. Turnaround time on these is currently running around 14 weeks, or mid-June, according to the lady who fingerprinted me. I have heard that some states have had to hire extra help to handle the wave of handgun permit applications they are getting. I wonder if that was part of Comrade Obama's stimulus package? The thing that honks me off is that statistically, a lot of these people whose applications are holding mine up are people who either did not vote at all or who voted for Obama.

In other news, a book that literally changed the way I view the world is On Killing by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman. Everyone should read his essay "On Sheep, Wolves and Sheepdogs" from his book On Combat. If you read this and do not apply for a carry permit, shame on you.

It's official...

2009-03-13T19:44:00.000-07:00

Tacticool gear has gotten way out of hand.

link

I mean, really. Guns are tactical. Elbow and knee pads are tactical. Checkbook covers are not tactical. Ever.

This is funny though.

Hi, my name is Martin and I'm addicted to handgun ammo

2009-03-12T09:56:00.000-07:00

Lately I have had an overwhelming desire to purchase handgun ammo wherever I see it available. This is due to the scarcity of .38 and .357 during the current ammo crisis, and my natural instinct to hoard enough ammo to see me through at least 3-4 lifetimes. Last night I finally found some cheap .38 Special at Meijer. I have yet to see an actual box of .38 Special +P at any store here in town, nor have I seen any self defense grade .357 magnum. You can get target grade .357 at some stores, but that is because it really makes no sense to use .357 for target practice. Even the cheap stuff runs about $10 more per 50 rounds than the equivalent brand and grade of .38 or .38 +P.
I did read recently that demand among the public seems to be slowing up a bit, so this gives me hope. At a minimum I would like to have about 1000 rounds each for the primary long gun and hand gun, and a couple of bricks of .22LR. Right now I have a bit over 100 rounds for the revolver not counting the 50 that should ship from Cabela's next week, and a touch over 200 rds for the 12 gauge, most of which is #5 and #8 shot, but with significant 00 buck as well. If I buy some ammo to shoot and some to save back each month, I think I can reach my goal of 1000 rds in about a year, provided Comrade Obama doesn't hike taxes on ammo. Between this and making some modifications to the shotgun, I have my budget for the year pretty well accounted for. Anybody have any lawns I can mow?

Gun Buying Strategy and Legal Issues

2009-03-10T08:31:00.000-07:00

In the course of an exchange with Nick, I got to thinking more about a few things that relate to gun purchases. Specifically, there is a strategy to purchasing guns in my present circumstances. I am restrained by my budget, but the current political climate lends a sense of urgency to my planning and plotting. I asked Nick if another 9mm pistol is a priority over a battle rifle, and his response, in part, was that stocking up on enough 9mm ammo is already expensive enough without throwing another caliber into the mix. This is a valid point, and it is something that has been very much on my mind also. One answer that has occurred to me is to buy a carbine chambered in my pistol cartridge. There are many nice lever action carbines in .357 magnum, which at the moment is my primary (only) handgun chambering. Like my revolver, these carbines will also feed the .38 special and .38 +P. In Nick’s case there are some very tacticool 9mm carbines out there. My favorite based on reviews and technical specs is the Kel-Tec SUB 2000. Pretty affordable, and shares magazines with the Glock, which is the thing that to me makes it a winner.
I have also been thinking about another issue related to handgun calibers, and this is the legal aftermath of a defensive shooting. Massad Ayoob writes a lot on this topic, and I have taken his advice into account in choosing both my weapon and my ammo. For example, I will never use a handload as a defensive load if I can avoid it, because a prosecuting attorney could make the argument that I used handloads because factory ammo was not deadly enough. (Don’t laugh. People involved in justified defensive shootings are often prosecuted for very silly reasons.) I also will never own a handgun with a menacing name like “Anaconda” that could be used to make me sound menacing by association. That is one of the reasons that I chose the 686. It is not a description, it is a number. Something that I had never thought of, however, was to find out what the local law enforcement agencies use and just carry the same weapon, cartridge and ammo that they do. Being able to say your weapon and ammo is the same as what the local blues or browns shoot is a great defense against the maliciousness attack. As it happens, the local PD issues a Glock 22 as a primary weapon and Glock 27 as back-up, while the county sheriff uses a Sig P226. Both of these are .40 S&W, and I will have to find out what ammo they carry. I am talking about being very specific here, so if they carry Federal Hydra-Shok, that is what you want to use. So it’s not just as simple as stocking up on the same caliber. You want to copy them down to the weight of the bullet. As of this moment, I have no idea when I will actually be buying a pistol, but this concept is something I will take into account when making that purchase.
Final thought on this subject is just a reiteration that my primary focus right now is to get very very good with what I’ve got. I ordered some Bianchi speed strips that should arrive today, and I would like to get a SafariLand speedloader to practice with also. These are meant to be much faster to use, but harder to conceal. Last night I put a set of 6 .357 magnum snap caps on my Cabela’s wish list. Dry fire drills can be the next best thing to range time in terms of practicing the draw and fire from concealment, etc. At the range my focus will be on failure drill and engaging multiple targets at multiple ranges with the pistol, and on skeet shooting with the shotgun. In my present circumstances buying more guns doesn’t make a lot of sense, and having a primary long gun and primary handgun that I am stupid good with beats the hell out of having an impressive arsenal that rarely sees any range time.

Interesting 12ga Ammo

2009-03-09T06:49:00.000-07:00

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=377126

Remember the Revolutionary War? When Washington had his men load their Brown Bess muskets with buck and ball to take out more of the Redcoats? Or how about the Civil War? I didn't know this stuff was still around, but I should've known such an effective smooth bore load would not just fade away after hundreds of years of glorious history. Yep, as soon as Annie gives back my credit card I am going to order a ten pack of this brilliant stuff. If it patterns well I will stock up on 100 rds and use it instead of a slug in my HD sampler plate. The sampler plate is a 5 round load that goes buck, buck, slug, buck, buck. Basically the rationale goes like this-
Buck #1- Should take care of anyone
Buck #2- Hey, even studs like me miss occasioanally, or maybe he brought a friend...
Slug- Are you wearing body armor?! Because I KNOW I wouldn't miss twice.
Buck #3- Can't imagine needing this, but hey, the gun holds 5 rds and I would sure feel dumb if I needed it and hadn't put it in there.
Buck #4- See buck #3.
I could see using the buck and ball for shots 3 and 5 if they work nicely. That's it for now.

Carrying the 686

2009-03-08T08:19:00.001-07:00

Now you see it.
Now you don't.

Range Report

2009-03-07T10:20:00.000-08:00

Made it out to Annie's uncle's farm to unlimber the 686 this morning. I also dragged the Mossberg 500 Mariner along, and we had a lot of fun shooting clay pigeons. Actually, if we are calling things what they are, it was more like we shot at clay pigeons. A solid hit was something to celebrate.

The 686 was what I was most excited to fire since the shotgun had a good workout less than a week ago. Here is a rough transcription of my thoughts while firing the first three rounds.

Shot 1: I remember what we forgot to bring! Ear plugs!

Shot 2: Holly hell this thing is loud! Me- "Hey John isn't this thing loud?" John- "Can you speak up bud?"

Shot 3: Are my ears bleeding?

After this I fired three rounds of 00 buck through the Mariner and then we headed into Attica to grab some ear plugs. Finding ear plugs at CVS pretty much saved my trip, because there was no way I was firing either gun again without them.

Ears safely plugged up with foam, we resumed our tests. I wanted to try the shotgun with rifled slugs at 20-25 meters to test its worthiness as a deer hunting weapon, so I tacked a paper plate to a tree and paced off the distance. Firing offhand all rounds stayed on the plate, which gives me confidence that I could take a deer at common hunting distances. Who knows, maybe next fall the HD gun will also put meat on the table.

Satisfied that the shotgun works well with the slugs, I turned my attention back to the revolver. Shooting at home defense ranges of 5-7 meters, I was soon able to group shots nicely on a paper plate. I found that I needed to hold a little high because of the heavy trigger pull in DA mode. I have handled Smiths with very nice DA pulls, and the difference is very noticeable. I will make it a project to find a gunsmith who knows what he's doing and have him give my sidearm a tune-up. I have been led to believe that a trigger job and tightening up the cylinder and timing can all be done for about $100.

Below is one of the 6 shot strings at 7 meters. That bad guy is done.

After burning through about six loads of .357 magnum we turned our attention back to the 12 gauge. I had ordered some Sellier and Bellot 00 buck that I was excited to shoot because it is loaded with 12 pellets as opposed to the standard 9 pellet load. At HD ranges this stuff groups very tight, and point of impact is just above point of aim. Almost all pellets stayed on a paper plate. At 22 meters it opens up quite a bit, and only 8 out of 60 pellets stayed on a paper plate. Having answered those burning questions, we set up the portable target thrower and burned through about 40 rds of 12 ga target loads. Then we policed up our brass and what clay pigeon fragments that we could find, and called it a day.

The Devil's Right Hand

2009-03-06T05:26:00.000-08:00

It is finished. I searched high and low and finally found exactly what I have been looking for. A six shooter. It is a used Smith and Wesson 686 with 4" barrel. For those who don't know, this is a .357 magnum revolver. I like the .357 magnum because it packs a punch and has been around a long time (it was first introduced in 1934!). What this means in a practical sense is that the effectiveness of this round has been well documented in self defense and law enforcement for 75 years. That is good enough for me. Other, more recently introduced cartridges like the .40 S&W (introduced in 1990) may yet prove to be very good rounds in self defense applications, but they simply have not been around long enough to compile sufficient supporting data. The other good thing about a revolver chambered in .357 magnum is that it will shoot .38 special +P. This is a cheaper and slightly gentler round that is great for target practice, and in the event of an ammunition shortage like the one we are in the midst of now, it allows more options if .357 magnum is unavailable. The .38 special +P is a venerable round, and with some of the modern bullets it will suffice for nearly all of the applications for which the .357 magnum is used.

Above is a picture of a 4" 686. Simple, rugged, and effective.

I will try to post up some pictures of me shooting the gun after this weekend. I intend to replace the Hogue rubber grip with a nice wooden one, and I may also look into a shoulder rig for this beast. I picked up a Bianchi belt holster, but this pistol weighs 2.5lbs unloaded, and the weight of it on my hip tends to make my pants fall down. Priority for now though is to get a speedloader or two and stock up on some high quality ammo as well as some target loads. I ordered some very fine Hornady 125 gr JHP from Cabelas, but it is currently back ordered and will likely not ship until the 15th at the earliest. In the meantime I have a box of el-cheapo Remington that I picked up at Dick's. The .38 special +P has been impossible to find anywhere.

I also ordered four Bianchi speed strips from copsplus.com. These are not quite as fast as a speed loader, but they are great for concealment because they lie flat. They load two rounds at a time, and I figure I can just throw a few in my pocket and be ready for about anything.

I will definitely give a range report if we get to shoot tomorrow.

Shooting Expedition

2009-03-05T05:22:00.000-08:00

This past Sunday I went shooting with my friend Pat from the office. We took along a total of nine weapons between us. Patrick brought his Kimber 1911, a German Mauser K98, a Springfield rifled musket, a Benelli 12 gauge pump and a cap and ball revolver. I brought along my flintlock rifle, a single shot .410, my Rossi .22 and my new Mossberg 500 Mariner. Main goals for the day were to test out the 12 gauge and burn off some of the .22 and .410 that I had sitting around.

When I bought the 500 I also picked up a 100 round value pack of bird shot and 10 rounds each of 00 buck and rifled slugs. All of the ammo was Remington 2.75" shells. I wanted to try out a greater variety of loads, but 00 buck in particular has been very hard to find. I finally ordered 50 rounds of Sellier and Bellot off the web, and I hope to have that in hand when I go shoot this weekend.

Back to the subject at hand, the 500 worked perfectly at home defense ranges. Point of impact was just above point of aim at 5-7 meters, and groups were very consistent. I also got to try Pat's .45, and for my first time shooting a pistol I thought I did ok. All of my rounds at home defense ranges were center mass and grouped withing about a 6-8" circle. This was rapid fire strings as well as some work on quick reaction double taps. Pat had me stand with the target on my left side, then wheel and fire a double tap on command. We also did some shotgun drills that involved unaimed shots at close range. Pat spent 20 years in the Army, so any coaching he gives me I try to pay attention to.

The above picture is of me shooting the cap and ball .45 at 20 meters. Out of 6 shots I nicked a paper plate with one, although I could tell my other shots were in the neighborhood by watching the twigs behind the target dance as the bullets moved through.

Welcome

2009-03-04T12:46:00.000-08:00

I have decided to create a blog to chronicle my non-fitness interests and life events. I hope to make it a bit more interesting to read than my other blog.