This ought to keep me out of trouble for a while

New definition of 'Canned Hunt'

Texas just legalized the use of suppressors in hunting game animals!

45er has a pretty good writeup

What does this mean to That Guy?  Well, I have a .45 caliber suppressor.... it's not going to work on rifle calibers, but it will work on .357 and .45 Colt.  I don't think it will work on .44 Magnum.  Need to check with Yankee Hill Machine and see if it will.

Since I don't think I can come up with the $200 for the stamp and .308 suppressor that I want in time for hunting season.  So I guess I need to thread my NEF .45 Colt or NEF .44Mag and get optics on whichever gun I choose.

Taking the can on a hunt!  w00t!

Gun Porn- Marlin Camp Carbine .45ACP

This is a gun that should still be in production.  The Marlin Camp Carbine was a GREAT idea, implemented fairly well, and judging by the prices that the used ones on the market today- there is STILL a huge demand for these.

Yes, I know it's dirty.  I just took it shooting

I bought this while I was in college, and I think it was the first New-in-Box gun that I ever bought.  It is still one of my favorite fun guns. With the addition of the Primary Arms red-dot, it is now even more of a grin generator at the range.

Particulars- .45ACP, blowback action, feeds from 1911 magazines, 16" barrel, and came with a wood stock fitted with a thin recoil pad.  I fitted mine with a Choate folding stock shortly after purchase.  I swap between the stocks depending on how I'm feeling.  Accuracy is good.  Off a bench, I can tear out ragged holes in paper targets at 50 yards.  But that is not where this gun shines- offhand plinking is where it's at.  This gun has minimal recoil and puts big holes in the target.  Hitting steel or reactive targets just gives you that silly new-shooter grin.

What I don't like about this gun are pretty small dislikes.  The mags don't drop free.  The bolt locks open on an empty magazine, and the bolt releases as you would expect- BUT if you manually lock it open, you have to manually unlock  it.  You can't just rack the bolt and load a round, you have to flip a switch THEN rack the bolt.  However, the main gripe is it's a dirty gun.  .45ACP out of a long barrel with a blowback action blows a lot of crud back into the action.  The bolt gets filthy, the mags get nasty, and some of the powder even blows up the side of the reciever out of the stock on the opposite side from the ejection port.

All in all, if you have one of these- enjoy it.  If you get the chance to buy one, you should.  And if anyone at Marlin/ Freedom group is listening, PLEASE reintroduce this gun.  It would be very easy to redesign the magwell housing to be modular so it could be swapped to Glock, Para Ord, CZ, etc.. and make the gun adaptable to a wide range of us projectile enthusiasts.

I love pistol caliber carbines, and odd guns.  This gun hits both sides.  It's fun,  easy to shoot well, and the ammo costs don't break the bank.  No, it's not an AR-15, or the best thing ever for CQB.  It's not trying to be either- all this gun is for is recreation.  Recoil therapy, and for the pure enjoyment of plinking.

Smoked Tomato Soup

I got the wild hair today to fire up the smoker.  But I went a totally different direction from the normal dry rubbed, low and slow pork that usually graces the Bradley.

This time it was a whole pile of tomatoes.

While the 'maters were getting an hour of smoke at about 180 degrees, I started the base of the soup

onion, garlic, olive oil and a photoshop 5 degree radial blur

Add the tomatoes into the pot with some chicken stock, salt, pepper, and a small dash of cayenne pepper.

Cook it down for a while, add a couple of shots of milk, and hit it with the stick blender.

After dressing with some oaxaca cheese, and society garlic fronds we had- Dinner!

Very tasty.  Smoke is one of my favorite seasonings, and this is a great showcase of it.  Tart, smoky, creamy and just really good.

Another classic 'Gun Shop' moment

I was in the big 'Thousand Pound Gorilla' local gunshop looking at whatever was new. On my way out the door, I passed an older lady who was standing next to who I presume was her husband, and trying the fit on a new handgun.

I noticed it was an S&W j frame. With pink grips.

Uh-oh

So, I pause to eavesdrop and observe.  The lady points the gun into the upper corner of the room (nice muzzle discipline, considering the layout and how crowded it as), and dry fires it.

"That's pretty tough" she says to the counter guy, with a nervous smile

"That's a good thing!" he says.  "That means it won't go off on accident.  You have to really mean that you want to pull the trigger to fire it."

The feeling seems to go out of the lady's smile- she knows she is being condescended to.  She looks at her husband, who is grinning and nodding along with the counter guy.

"It won't go off in your purse," the counter guy says.  "You are going to be really angry or scared when you shoot, so you want a hard trigger pull.  You won't even notice it."

I had to leave before I made a scene.  That is some of the most pathetically condescending bad advice I have heard since I was in that shop the last time (see the link above).   I know I should have stepped in and said something, headed her in the right direction- I didn't and I feel horrible about it. 

My best guess is that we probably just lost a new shooter.  I can pretty much predict what will happen: her husband will buy that gun and a cheap knock off CCW purse.  They will go to the indoor range, and she will fire 5-10 rounds at a target that is set too far away, miss with most of the shots, and hate the experience.  The gun will spend the next 30 years in a nightstand drawer collecting dust.

For the record, here is what a hard trigger gets you:

• harder to shoot.  You need more hand strength.
• lesser practical accuracy
• a less enjoyable shooting experience.

 What the counterman should recommend: Proper trigger discipline, a gun and trigger that fits the shooter's strength and skill level, a proper holster, and a good training class.

I gotta stop going into that store.  It just makes me depressed.

237 years ago

H/T to The Gun Wire

March 23, 1775, Patrick Henry stood in a Church and gave his famous speech to the Virginia Convention and, according to people at the speech "You never heard anything more famously insolent than P Henrys speech. He called the King a Tyrant, a fool, a puppet & tool to the Ministry, Said there was now no Englishmen, no Scots no Britons, but a Set of Wretches Sunk in luxury..."

He threw out the famous line "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death!"

Only a few generations later, we have sunk to the point that the national debate is how much free stuff one class can vote themselves out of the rest of our pockets.  We work over half the year to pay taxes.  The limo libs use morality to beat us deeper into taxation:
"Won't someone think of the children!"
"You hate minorities and women if you are against so-and-so program"
"Jesus would help the sick and poor, why won't you?"
 You know what, Jesus would never have a Roman Soldier hold a spear to my side, or a gladius to my throat to FORCE me to pay for the sick and poor.

I guess our new slogan would be
"Give me free stuff, or you're a racist/ bigot/ homophobe/ misogynist!"

Consumer Reports are a bunch of Morons.

H/T to Say Uncle

Consumer Reports puts out the list of the 10 worst built cars of 2012.  Here they are with selected criticisms, and my replies:

Cadillac Escalade:
CR:"...performing inadequately in accident-avoidance tests and for having the worst fuel economy in its class (at 13/21 mpg city/highway)".
That Guy: So you criticize a truck for being a truck.  They can't all be Toyota Camry's, CR.

Chevrolet Colorado/ GMC Canyon: 
CR:"...finding fault with their acceleration, engine noise, ride quality, braking, body flex and fit and finish."
That Guy: Again with being critical on trucks being trucks.  As for the fit and finish, well, that is a GMC hallmark.  If plastic stuff didn't break on it, you'd think it was a Toyota.

Chevy Tahoe/ GMC Yukon:
CR: "...was less enamored of their handling and braking prowess... poor accident-avoidance performance, low fuel economy (at 14/20 mpg), dismal overall value..."
That Guy:  CR, it's a TRUCK.  It has the aerodynamics of a cinder block, and handles like a cow.  That is what it does! 

Dodge Avenger:
CR:"...deficiencies with regard to engine noise, acceleration, braking, handling, transmission, fuel economy, driving position and rear visibility."
That Guy: OK, I had one of these as a rental, and the design team for that thing needs to be kicked in the balls.  Daily.

Dodge Ram 2500 Diesel:
CR: "...they criticized the Ram 2500 diesel’s ride and handling qualities, transmission performance, its noisy cabin and a too-high step-in height."
That Guy: Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot... So it drives like a truck and is noisy.  Well hold the presses!  You just figured out that a 3/4 ton diesel is a... get this... DIESEL TRUCK!

Jeep Compass:
CR:  "...was called-out specifically for its engine noise, acceleration, braking, cornering limits, driving position, front-seat comfort and rearward visibility."
That Guy: Yeah, you got me there.  If it was a 4x4, at least it would have an excuse.

Jeep Liberty:
CR: "...the Liberty received miserable marks for its ride, agility, braking, fit and finish and for having an uncomfortable front seat and too-narrow foot-wells."
That Guy: Again, this is a 4x4.  As for the cramped interior: yep-  It's like humans were an afterthought in that thing.

Jeep Wrangler Unlimited:
CR: "...CR criticized the vehicle’s harsh ride and handling abilities, its braking, wind noise, access, driving position and visibility, seat comfort and its fit and finish. It was also cited for inferior accident avoidance abilities and for being a poor overall value."
That Guy: Criticizing a Jeep for it's poor on-road handling , wind noise, etc... is like criticizing a Corvette for it's poor rock-crawling prowess, and all the weird noises it makes as it scrapes across the rocks.  As for being a poor value, name any other car that can be sold for MSRP when 2-3 years old.

Smart ForTwo:
CR: "...took exception with its acceleration, transmission, ride, agility and noise"
That Guy: Seriously?  That car should be sold in blister packs at the toy store, and you are critical of the wind noise?  I hate the Smart Car.  I think it is a glorified golf cart, but you guys are just getting silly with unrealistic expectations.

Toyota FJ Cruiser:
CR:"...suffers from among the worst driver visibility among all models. While CR did have kind words for its powertrain and off-road prowess, that apparently wasn’t enough to offset deficiencies in its ride, handling, wind noise, access and its fit and finish."
That Guy:  Visibility- Yep.  But that's because it is designed to survive roll-overs. 
But seriously- CR, you can Eff right off.  This is the last car that 'Yota makes that has any balls left and has not been turned into a Camry or Mini-Van.  Ride quality and handling?  It's a true 4x4 truck!  Wind Noise and Fit and finish?  The interior is waterproof and designed to be hosed out.   Insulation and anything other than hard plastic is outside of the design parameters.  

CR, you are idiots.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Guns in the News- "Texas man steps between shooter and baby"

H/T to The Gun Wire

Full Story

He was sitting in his house off of Oldham Road in Bexar County, when 62-year-old Roger Clanton said he heard four gunshots.
Despite his age and his handicap (Clanton needs a cane and sometimes a wheelchair to get around), he said he did what he had to do.
Leaving his cane by his bed, Clanton said ran outside with his gun in his hand.
There he saw a woman, 20-year-old Katie Fierro, shot to death, a baby shot in the head, and a man with a gun.

"I wasn't going to let him shoot that baby again," said Clanton.
So Clanton stood between the shooter and the baby.

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
                                     -John 15:13

Read the full story.  It is worth the read... and remember Mr. Clanton and the baby- Cayden Fierro, who has survived- in your prayers.

Ooh! A slightly different thingie!

Everyone get in line!!

Bear Grylls fired

Story

That's Racist!

So, the Dept of inJustice has struck down Texas' Voter ID law.  The ACLU, the DOiJ and news organizations are just ecstatic because:

"Hispanic voters are more likely to lack the necessary documentation to vote"

Oh. My. God.  Just imagine if someone OTHER than the ACLU said that "Hispanics don't carry ID".

I shake my head at the double standards.

However, we now have the DOiJ on record saying that it is illegal to deny a constitutional right if you don't have ID.  Does that mean I can go into the local Gun Emporium and buy a gun with no identification?

Need help and advice from more experienced bloggers

I have been offered an opportunity to be a contributor to a blog on a very large, well established website for a very well known firearms periodical.  As someone who grew up reading this magazine, along with several others- this is a huge deal for me.  I'm very excited for the opportunity.

They want me to use my real name.  This is something I have not done since I was a dumb kid in college- as a matter of fact, last time I egosurfed my name, I found a post I made on a military vehicles message board my freshman year in college.  I like to compartmentalize my online life- even to the point that I use a different name on message boards than I do on the blog.

I know that nothing done online is truly private, and if any one of you wanted to really know who I am, you could do it.  You could probably get back to me with my shoe size, amazon purchase history, and what kind of naughty stuff I look at online.  I'm not worried about that.

Here is what worries me- My 'day job' is a customer facing deal where I interact with fairly tech savvy individuals in a very liberal industry.  I am concerned that someone Googles my name, and coming up with an article that states why the .30 Carbine is my choice for Zombies, why the CZ-75 kicks the Glock's butt, or solutions for daily carry while wrangling pre-schoolers.

I don't want this great opportunity to be the cause of me losing my job or impacting my ability to provide for my family. 

Suggestions?  Should I use initials, or my middle name?  Just 'come out' and stop hiding behind screen names?  Create another nom de plume, or do the Mike Venturino thing and just start saying "Oh, everyone calls me this really cool nickname, and always has.  Seriously."

Help a blogger out.

Dear God, NO!

I just heard on the radio that Coors is coming out with a beer/ iced tea blend. I almost threw up.

Edit:

Here is the news story

said Tuesday it will launch Coors Light Iced T in Canada next month ahead of a possible U.S. rollout. The citrus-like, iced tea-flavored beer will have roughly 4% alcohol content but no caffeine. 

What did Canada ever do to deserve that?

I'm taking that as a threat.

 This will be what this new generation of high school kids will think is cool to drink.  Much like we did with Miller Clear.  God that stuff was awful.

Mittens Gets his Sthuper on

Sthuper Thuethday was just Sthuper to Mitt!

I weep for our future.  When the candidates are separated with fewer degrees than Kevin Bacon has from Meryl Streep, we are in deep doo-doo.

Don't blame me, I voted for Kodos

I hate going into politics.  It just makes me mad.  I would really like to just stick to guns and food.  But this is just sad... It's like the majority of Americans WANT to sit back and be mind numbed by American Idol as the chains wrap tighter around, and rest heavier and heavier on our shoulders.

176 years ago- The Alamo fell.

To the People of Texas & All Americans in the World:
Fellow citizens & compatriots—I am besieged, by a thousand or more of the Mexicans under Santa Anna—I have sustained a continual Bombardment & cannonade for 24 hours & have not lost a man. The enemy has demanded a surrender at discretion, otherwise, the garrison are to be put to the sword, if the fort is taken—I have answered the demand with a cannon shot, & our flag still waves proudly from the walls. I shall never surrender or retreat. Then, I call on you in the name of Liberty, of patriotism & everything dear to the American character, to come to our aid, with all dispatch—The enemy is receiving reinforcements daily & will no doubt increase to three or four thousand in four or five days. If this call is neglected, I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible & die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor & that of his country—Victory or Death.
William Barret Travis
Lt. Col. comdt
P.S. The Lord is on our side—When the enemy appeared in sight we had not three bushels of corn—We have since found in deserted houses 80 or 90 bushels & got into the walls 20 or 30 head of Beeves.

Take a moment today to remember the brave men that fought, knowing that they would not survive.  They fought for what they believed in, and fought for the men they stood with.

Remember the Alamo, Remember Goliad.

Smoked pizza and extraordinary wine

I swear, I'll get some gun content on here sometime soon. It's getting so that everything is food related.

Yesterday was a special occasion, so we took full advantage of the gorgeous weather and cooked
some incredible pizza. We fired up the wood fired pizza oven

So... we meet again.

We cooked up some more of That Wife's favorite- Pizza de Parma, made a couple of standards, and That Kid actually displayed some killer pizzamaking skills.  He is three years old, and already can lay down sauce, put on pepperoni, and sprinkle cheese better than most of the people I worked with a Little Ceasar's when I was 16 years old.

The Father in Law had me make up an Italian sausage, black olive, and mozzarella pie.  At this point, we had loaded a smoker box into the oven.  Smoking pizza is something we have experimented with a little.  This one did not get much smoke, just a light perfume.  We corked a wine that we had been cellaring for a while, and it is amazing how well a 2007 Cab pairs with home made pizza.

...urp...

I made up the next pizza with tomato sauce, a few left over slices of the Italian sausage, a full layer of prosciutto, black olives, and a whole bunch of fresh mozzarella.  By now, the smoke was really rolling in the oven.

in the back by the convection fan is the smoke box.

You can see how much smoke the cheese took in.

Wow.  this was amazing.  The mozzarella took in a huge amount of smoke, but the salty prosciutto cut right through and make it just wonderful.   The remainder of the wine went so beautifully with this it was hard to describe.  

Smoke is one of my favorite seasonings, and this was a perfect showcase for it.  I just wish I had some for lunch.

Happy Texas Independence Day!

176 years ago, a group of people told an over-reaching and intrusive government to go pound sand.

They would weep at what we put up with today.