My people

Hells yeah

The 3 year-old just said "I am Iron Man!"

Boy, I hope that is an Ozzy quote.  Cuz that would rock

I have a problem... oh, look! Something shiny!

One of those moments

Friday afternoon. Heading home from work, I pull onto the heavily congested highway. It's a beautiful day- high 70s, sunny, a little haze in the air. So, I decide to open the sunroof and windows of my paid-for sensible sedan with a child safety seat in the back.

I start to get up some speed, I feel the wind in my rapidly graying hair, and I reach down to crank up the volume so I could hear the AM talk radio. Right then it hits me:

Damn. I'm old.

I need to go shooting this weekend.

SHOT SHow 'Want!' continued

So far, this SHOT Show seems pretty lackluster from all the posts and reports I've seen.  I mean, if you want ARs of all sorts of stripes, configurations, and manufacturers- I guess it would be a good show.

The first thing I want to get off my chest is that THIS is a Thing That Should Not Be:
The Mossberg "WTH?"

Next, a true WANT!
US Palm Quad Stack AK Magazine

This one is a Mega-WANT, but of course, the Goobmint does not trust us with true full-auto:
CZ 9mm Skorpion
(5 years for a Semi version to be brought in?  Why so long?)

This is pretty cool.  An AR-ish .30 Carbine that takes M1 Carbine Mags. 
Excel Arms X-30R Rifle
If they made that in 7.62x25 and taking PPSH mags, I would dent a credit card NOW on ordering one.

This is cool, wonder what mags it takes?
Savage 10 FCP-SR

'WANT!'s from the SHOT Show

The SHOT show is in full swing, and here I am... NOT at the SHOT show.  But I have this whole Interwebz thing, and I can still see what everyone else sees, and mention what I think is cool, and what I want that is new:

Colt has gone from offering almost nothing different from a hundred other manufacturers to having this big 'ol piece of WANT!
Colt 1887 Bulldog Gatling Gun
Here is an awesome picture from Gunblast.com
I need one of these.  Seriously.


CZ has the suppressor-ready version of the P-07 Duty.  I don't need this whole gun, just the barrel to retrofit my current Duty
CZ also has a new Longslide version of the CZ-75 Shadow.

Umarex has a .22LR version of the Uzi, as reported by Shooting Illustrated

More to come as more blogs post more results from the show!

Ohio Gun 'Buy Back'

(H/T to "The Gun Wire")

First, I know that the term "Buy Back" is a misnomer.  The Govt. 'Buying' them is not 'Buying Back' because the guns were never theirs in the first place!

Next, I scanned past this article with the usual contempt, then I clicked on the picture.

"Junk, junk, hi-point, RG, Rohm, junk, meh... WHAT THE HELL?  Is that a Savage 1917?!?"

What a damn shame that someone turned that gun in to be destroyed for a measley $100 gift card, when they could have gotten a lot more in CASH for it to put it in the hands of a collector.

For Immediate Release: Herp Derp, Durrrr.....

I heard some startling news today.  I was completely stunned when I heard it on the radio, and then when I saw it on the Washington Post.  I felt a need to share it with both of you guys that read:

A growing body of research over three decades shows that easy, unearned praise does not help students but instead interferes with significant learning opportunities.

Of course,my immediate reaction is to mutter "No Feces, Sherlock." 

“We used to think we could hand children self-esteem on a platter,” Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck said. “That has backfired.”

BTW, Boston terriers make the best "Herp Derp" pictures

Click on the link above and read all the brilliance.  Us uneducated 'bitter clingers' have known this for years- we called them morons when they started all this "Everyone gets a trophy!" horse-squeeze.  Some educated moron thinks that telling everyone that they are doing a great job while screwing up royally, and now- years and millions of dollars later- they find out that it is just as stupid as it sounds. 


How many kids have we screwed up with that pap?  Those stupid decisions will resonate through the ages and continue to do damage in a hundred years.  Raising kids right is serious business- we are writing the future history of the world, and it is too important to leave in the hands of ivory-tower liberals that want to tear down the things that got them where they are.

This just infuriates me that it was so obviously stupid in the first place, and these ijits act surprised when they have raised a generation of clowns that thing sitting on the steps of city hall while smelling like pot smoke and body odor will get them further in life.

Dear Delta Airlines

I gave you one more chance. But you decided to screw this one up worse than before. Please go copulate yourselves, and the horse you rode in on.

Standing on the shoulders of Giants... and pissing down their necks.

I was over on Larry Corriea's excellent blog, reading his latest evisceration of a hatemail troll (why pick a war of words with someone who can write that well?  that's just stupid) and came across this gem from Larry:

"The thing is, the reason why we’re privileged is that we live in the greatest nation that has ever existed. Why? Because it was founded and built upon freedom and capitalism. I’d like to keep it that way so that my grandkids and great-grandkids can also be born into privilege. The other option would be to continue spending America into oblivion, because then we can all suck equally."

 That made me think of the title line of this post: "Standing on the shoulders of Giants... and pissing down their necks."

Seriously.  That is what we are doing when we wake up every day enjoying the freedoms that our forefathers fought, bled and died for- and don't respect the ideals of self reliance, smaller government, freedom, liberty, and risk.  We stand on the shoulders of men like General G. Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, Thomas Paine, Samuel Adams, and all of the heroes great and small that came after them and DESECRATE what they stood for. 

For fun, put your favorite hero in the comments, American or otherwise.

Beer- more importantly OUTSTANDING beer.

Sorry for the crappy pics.  Using a cheap camera in low light.

Sunday night, after my outstanding hunt, I needed a beer.  I wanted to make it an great beer to follow such a great day.  A few days ago, the Leviathan (who needs to start posting again) sent out an alert to me to try and grab a bottle of Deschutes 'The Abyss" before the limited release sold out.  I checked the local stores, and they were already out.  So, I contacted 45er, and he was able to grab me 2 bottles from a small store near him.

If you see this label, buy it.

This is not a 'cool down after mowing the lawn' beer.  It is dark, has very complex flavors, and is more suited to a brandy snifter than a pint glass.  It pours dark, almost black, with minimal caramel colored head.  Aroma leans toward molasses with a hint of vanilla or bourbon.

Yes, I shared.  It took a lot of strength to do so.

I poured a glass to share with That Wife.  The flavors are very complex with molasses, vanilla/bourbon, a hint of cherry and chocolate.  Very nice, and with a clean finish.  Not as heavy on the palate as I thought it would be.

Now, this beer in 11% ABV, so that is roughly 22 proof.  That is about the same alcohol strength as those nasty DeKuyper Schnapps that used to get you messed up in Junior High.  So, enjoy this at home, and don't drive anywhere. 

I give this a big thumbs up, and if you can find any of the limited release left- buy it!

Light a candle and refuse to be a victim.

Just got back from the hunting trip, and had to post before the day was over.

The skull candle from Halloween was a funny touch.

Full story here:  http://www.weerdworld.com/2011/light-a-candle-to-stop-violence/

Axis! Successful hunt!

Story later. Really busy

EDIT- Full story:
This morning was the last hunt of a good weekend hunt.  The main season is over, and we are in a special  "extended season" for does and spike bucks.  Since our lease is over-run with bucks, and I am out of buck tags, I was not really looking to shoot a doe.  I wanted to get an Axis.

So I was out at the blind most of the morning, and saw one little doe walk through.  I was getting some good reading done, and was about to pack it in when my brother texted from his blind (I know.  Sign of the times) that he was going to shoot a corn-thief squirrel.  I heard the shot, and thought "well, at least the hunt was not a waste."

I saw a similar corn-thief under my feeder, so I decided to lower the population by one more.  So I brought up the iron sighted Ishapore Enfeild, lined up on the sucker, and scored a headshot on him from a laser measured 68 yards.  Heck of a shot, I thought, and packed up all my stuff.

We drove out of the lease, and were almost gone when 45er's brother said, "Hey, there are Axis in the field."  Looked out, and saw a herd of 10-12 axis does about 600 yards away.

I quickly re-camo myself, reload the rifle (NEF single shot .308 with Leupold 3-9x40) and take off.  I work around the side of them, and get in close- like 40 yards.  One of the little yearling does pins me down and stares right at me.  I freeze, and they trot off.  I slowly work through the brush, and get to the open.  There was no more cover, and the herd was 200 yards away.  All I had for a rest was a Stoney Point monopod.  I made my decision, lined up on the biggest one I had a clean shot on, said a quick prayer, and fired.

The doe hit the ground, thrashed a bit, popped up before I could reload, and leapt the fence.  After a short track, my brother found the doe 40 yards away.

If you follow 45er's blog, you may have seen this post from him a while ago:
An Open Letter to Hunters
We have had 2 deer taken off our lease that had been wounded shortly before.

Now, we had three:

Yep, some jackass skipped a bullet off this deer's head in the last few days.  Sigh.

Anyway, the wound and the deer were not infected, so the meat was still good.

Gov't Healthcare (Canadian example)

One of my co-workers is in Canada, visiting family.  While there, one family member falls ill, and is in the Emergency Room.  While they are all waiting, another family member gets faint and collapses in the ER waiting room. 

Nurses rush out, heart is not beating, no respiration.  CPR started, code is called, and the defib paddles are brought out- the staff heroically restart the patients heart.  Once revived, they rush this person in for tests.  They can find no reason for this person to have spontaneously die.

So the hospital makes the decision to send her home with an appointment to see a cardiologist in the next few days. 

Can you imagine a hospital releasing someone in less than 24 hours after they had their heart stop for no known reason?  This is the problem with Centrally controlled healthcare.  The staff are heroes.  They save someones life... but it may be all for naught if this person gets an hour away and it happens again.  Someone looked at the balance sheet and thought "No symptoms of a problem.  Send 'em home."

It just boggles the mind.

Knife Porn!

Hsoi mentioned blacksmithing on a post yesterday, with the intent to make knives.  This has gotten several things to line up for me... and is lighting the fire under me to get in the garage and finish a bunch of half made knives I have out there

Hsoi talking about making knives, last night the garage got cleared to the point of making it usable again, and hunting season is ending.  I might actually get a few banged out soon.

Here is the last knife I built.  This one took THREE years to finish.  Not because it was that difficult, but because I got 75% of the way through and my son was born.   This one is made from a blade from Northcoast Knives, with a chunk of Texas Hill Country Mesquite,  brass, leather and vulcanized spacer materials, and a chunk of black walnut.

No, the blade is not stained.  That is a reflection.

Hope to get some more built and posted soon!

The search continues (7.62x39 hunting ammo)

On the right is the current load that I have my CZ-527 Carbine sighted in for.  It is the Herters (Cabelas) 154Gr SP round.  It gives acceptable accuracy, but with random fliers.  On the left is the round that I just tried out in my carbine- the Privi 123gr RN SP.  Just went to the range with the new round, and it is off the possibilities list.  Won't feed from the magazine.  It jams against the feed ramp- too short an OAL, and too rounded. 

From what I can tell, I have tried all the factory loads that are appropriate for hunting.  Please, if you know of an obscure option, let me know in the comments.  I REALLY don't want to do load development to make this shoot to it's potential.

Or, if all else fails, give me a favorite 7.62x39 load.

UPDATE!!: Just found that Hornady is loading the Z-Max zombie ammo in 7.62x39.  Anyone know if that bullet is a hunting bullet with a green tip, or is it a downgraded projectile?

New Year- resolutions

Robb started it.  I'll blame him.

So, it's 2012.  What are the Gunny New Years Resolutions?  I looked back at the ones from last year, and see that I got most of the way there on #1, did NOTHING on #2, and batted 1000 on the purchases.

This year:
1. Shoot More.  I have to get to the range more often
2. Finish the Projects.  Seriously, I have been saying I was going to do some of these for 12 years.  That's just sad.
3. Reload More.  Now that the kiddo listens to instructions on a semi-regular basis, I might be able to load rounds without worrying about a toddler eating a primer.
4. Purchases:

1. AR-10 of some sort.  Probably the DPMS Oracle
2. An AK Pistol to use as a base for an SBR build
3. an inexpensive bolt action hunting gun.  Savage Edge, Mossberg ATR, Stevens 200, etc... Something cheap that I can bang around and not worry about

But that's it.  Pretty simple.