DC Area Blog Shoot…

Posted on by March 6, 2013

Murphy over at Lagniappe’s Lair has found us a range that will host a shoot on 3 Dec, it’s over in WV, but still within driving distance for most of us…


 I’ve been working on the idea for a local blog shoot for some time with a few other gun blogger stalwarts–Old NFO, Keadsand Proud Hillbilly to name three–and I just cinched exclusive use of a pretty decent new range in, of all places, Berkley County, WV on Saturday, Dec. 3rd. So if you’re a local gunny or even one who lives a ways a way and feels like a road trip, here’s your chance to come join with some other great gun folks and get some shooting in, hopefully followed by some decent eating, drinking and socializing.

Exact times are still being worked out, but the range will be open for use by all with handguns, rifles and shotguns, to include some five-stand shotgun shooting for those interested. Right now, I’m putting together a rough count of those expected to attend, so if you’re interested, please shoot Murphy and me an e-mail at [email protected]. I can’t promise that Murphy’ll be there, but I will be, and so far, the above-mentioned celebrity bloggers are expected as well.

Let me know how many you’ll be bringing and what type of firearms that you’re planning to shoot. Anything but full-auto is ok. (Drat! No M60!) When I get your e-mail, I’ll send you all of the info about the shoot, including directions, as they become finalized. Some ammo will be available for purchase at the range but your own is also welcome. And yes, WV is concealed-carry friendly but check to ensure that your own state has reciprocity before coming down.

If you’re a reader of this blog or those above and a shooter, you’re definitely welcome to come.

Donations will be accepted to cover the range fees, and anything collected in excess will be donated to Wounded Warriors.


Let’s get together and have some fun!!!

AAR- Hog hunt 2011

Posted on by March 6, 2013

Alternate title- Skunked…


Third title- That’s why it’s called HUNTING, not KILLING…


AD was kind enough to invite me to participate in the 2011 Hog Hunt down in Texas, which I truly appreciated. In attendance were Ambulance Driver, TOTW, JB and the Limey (not a blogger). Having not met JB nor the Limey, I wasn’t sure how that was going to work out, but they are both outstanding folks 🙂


Anyhoo…  Murph posted a comment on the previous post that kinda says it all…


Karmadillo…


It jumped up and bit us… Turns out that was the ONLY damn thing shot the entire weekend (other than paper while sighting in)…


The weather was a prime factor, going from ‘chilly’ and windy, to HOT (81 deg) and windy (and gusty).  What this meant was unless we wanted to hunt between oh, about 0200 and 0400 when the wind laid down for a bit, it was fat chance in hell of getting a hog (I slept in till 0430).  


I worked primarily from two locations, and everybody else basically did the same thing…  


Location 1



Down on the creek…



Pretty well camouflaged 


Location 2



94 yards, big feeder, and nada… fresh corn on the ground, not a hog to be seen or heard (of course they showed up between the time I left Friday night, and the owner’s wife got out there Saturday morning…


We even tried a second flush yesterday afternoon, based on where the owner had seen hogs earlier. AD was the designated shooter, and I was his BUG, further down the creek. After we’d figured out our safe shooting angles, we set up on the edge of the creek and proceeded to wait for the ‘beaters’ to flush the hogs.


EXCEPT, the ONLY thing that flushed was a @#^& skunk!


It was a ‘big’ one, and it came across the creek just below AD (ignoring him of course), and I see movement out of the corner of my eye; about the time the skunk sees me at about 10 yards, it throws its tail straight up and flares it (NOT a good sign).  I’m crouched down, gun is NOT up, and I’m trying to back up the creek bank without looking, and trying to figure out which way the wind is blowing… Thankfully, it decided to swim across the creek and go it’s own way.


Last night, nothing (other than a good steak on the grill, thanks JB)…


This morning, nothing, other than a skunk that looked at me though the crack in the blind (and thankfully decided to go his own way).


Some of the others had close encounters with deer, and other assorted things, but I’ll let them post on that 🙂



So effectively, these were the only things killed in any numbers this weekend 🙂


Fun times, good friends, meeting new folks, and a recharge on the personal battery.  Well worth it as far as I’m concerned!


And yes, the steer with the butt ugly toupee is STILL there…

Here piggy, here piggy…

Posted on by March 6, 2013

Sitting in a blind in the middle of nowhere Texas, ain’t seen the first hog…

Sigh…

So far my ‘score’ is one armadillo shot (during sighting in), one skunk, not shot. AD and I tried a flush along the creek with no success, I got stuck in a briar patch and had to reverse out of it, crossed the creek and we finished the flush; only thing flushed was an owl!

Realized I’d lost me cell, backtracked and sure enough, it was in the briar patch… Dammit…

I’m out waiting on AD and breakfast…

Going Around Congress, again…

Posted on by March 6, 2013


On the radio this morning I heard a piece about some new legislation being pushed by the Administration…


This time it’s the DOI, they apparently have ‘draft’ legislation barring shooters from public lands for target practice and hunting; potentially impacting millions of acres of BLM land under new rules in draft by the Interior Department. 


Their rationale? Because “urban dwellers” who visit public lands apparently “freak out” when they hear shooting on those public lands (even if it is on marked ranges or designated hunting areas) which are published at the entry points.


This appears to be the key paragraph- “When the authorized officer determines that a site or area on BLM-managed lands used on a regular basis for recreational shooting is creating public disturbance, or is creating risk to other persons on public lands; is contributing to the defacement, removal or destruction of natural features, native plants, cultural resources, historic structures or government and/or private property; is facilitating or creating a condition of littering, refuse accumulation and abandoned personal property is violating existing use restrictions, closure and restriction orders, or supplementary rules notices, and reasonable attempts to reduce or eliminate the violations by the BLM have been unsuccessful, the authorized officer will close the affected area to recreational shooting.” 

e.g. they could close ranges for spent brass…



 I think this is the first big move by the Obama administration to impose limits on firearms without ‘bothering’ Congress with those ‘little’ issues…


Apparently at least some of the hunting and shooting organizations are fighting back, and more power to them…


Edit- Guffaw has a post up HERE with an article link…

Super Committee, Super Failure…

Posted on by March 6, 2013
Sequestration IS the elephant in the room, and this one isn’t a Republican…


Every thing I’m hearing is the Dems congresscritters are going to fail on purpose to effectively gut the military (this has LONG been the Dems dream) since there aren’t any votes in the military and the military budget take $$ away from the ‘entitlements’ the Dems know and love. 


SECDEF Paneta was apparently on the Hill today but his comments and brief were NOT well received. The reality of sequestration is that it WILL gut the services; cutting personnel, equipment (which is worn out after 10 years of war), stop new development, and leave us in worse shape than where we were under Carter.


Our military is already stressed to the breaking point, spread way too thin and totally frustrated by the lack of support from this administration. When this mess happens, we will have even more problems just trying to maintain a presence in various places…


If you think Mogadishu was bad, that will be nothing compared to what can (and probably will) happen.  The kids on the pointy end will not give up, and they will fight to the death, sadly because there won’t be any backup within a reasonable distance…


And the Chinese have vowed to push us out of Japan, etc. all the way out to the second island chain (Guam); it’s been in the world media, but not the US MSM (gee, no big surprise there)…


From this report- Oddly enough, from Air Power Australia


“China’s new ‘Second Island Chain’ strategy aims to develop the capability to project power beyond the ‘Second Island Chain’ , ie the arc from Japan through Guam, Northern Australia and Indonesia. Air power plays a critical role in PLA strategic thinking. To implement the ‘Second Island Chain’ strategy the PLA is investing in its first aircraft carrier, the Varyag, with an air wing of  J-15 (reverse engineered Su-33 Flanker D), and is developing a cruise missile capable bomber force.”

And when you add in Arab Spring, lack of support for Israel, Russia coming back into power, the ‘pending’ failure of the EU, the administration’s lack of support for historic allies…

Well, it just doesn’t bode well in my mind…

For those of you with friends/family members in the military, I truly hope I’m wrong, but if I’m right, they WILL need all our thoughts and prayers…

Home… FINALLY… for one day…

Posted on by March 6, 2013

Finally got home, overall good trip, and productive in a couple of ways…LOL


One image from my trip for y’all. This is the view from my hotel room at Haneda Airport, it’s LITERALLY in the airport, and the view is  of the check-in counters…



At least I didn’t have to go out in the rain to get there…LOL


And in the ye Gods and little fishes category, one more price from Tulsa.


$225,000 for a shotgun…


Not just ANY shotgun mind you, but an unfired 1930’s Purdy BEST Grade double in .410!!!


Anyhoo, I got my M-1 NM back, and it turns out the ejection problem was, of all things, a kinked spring holding the ejector!  So now the safe is full again 🙂



Left is my 1953 HRA, right is my Springfield Type 2 NM.  Now I just have to be home long enough to actually SHOOT em…


Sigh…  Y’all have a good week!

27 Hours for THIS???

Posted on by March 6, 2013


Sigh…


27 hours on the road to get to Tulsa for the big ‘shew’… Met up with AEpilotJim, at the big Tulsa gun show, and all I can say is O.M.G…


The prices… They BURN!!!


Like STUPID burn… I dunno what these people are thinking (if they are), but a ‘random’ sampling just up on the top section elicited the following:


Colt Pythons/Diamondbacks- $3000-4000


1903 Hammerless Colts- $1200-2400


SAA Colts- $8000 and up


S&W pistols (mostly at S&W collector tables), $2000 and up, one “registered” S&W I saw was $5500 for a well used gun.


Old (1873/1882/1894) Winchesters $4000-$37,000.


Colt Mfg 1921 Thompson submachine gun $37,500 plus $750 for ONE drum mag.


OTOH, lots of ‘cheap’ ARs some down around $750 for complete guns, but manufacturers I’ve NEVER heard of.


Ammo prices were semi-reasonable, bunches of cheep scopes, tac lights, green lasers, red lasers, and more junk that you can shake a stick at to hang off ARs…


Looked like a LOT of lookers and very few buyers.  Talking to some of the folks I know that have had tables up here for years, all of them to a person are amazed at the prices too!


One question for my readers, does anybody know what a R stamped on the trigger guard of an IBM M-1 Carbine signify? Tried looking it up in the books today at the show and couldn’t find anything… I know a bunch of them were reworked at Red River back in the day, and I was wondering if anyone knows what RRAD used as an arsenal mark???

Veterans Day…

Posted on by March 6, 2013

“In the beginning of a change, the patriot is a scarce man, and brave, and hated and scorned.  When his cause succeeds, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot.”
-Mark Twain

veteran_15.gif

Please take a moment and thank a Vet, or say a prayer for those both living and dead who gave some or all to defend our country…


From these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion.
-Abraham Lincoln


Almost 125,000 of our war dead from WWI, WWII, Korea and Vietnam are buried outside the USA.  This is the cemetery at Normandy…


The Marriott Casa Monica Hotel FAIL…

Posted on by March 6, 2013


Borepatch has the link and comments HERE…  


Honestly, I’m not surprised…


Marriott has never, in my opinion, treated the military well. I had an incident with Marriott a number of years ago while still on active duty, where I was given a room by the Marriott in San Diego that was adjacent to the elevator and the A/C was not operable (in the middle of the summer).  When I complained, I was told words to the effect of “What do you expect, you’re “military” and we can only charge you the per diem rate”.  And Marriott is notorious for changing their ‘military’ rates to exactly the per diem rate, even if they have quoted a lower rate on a reservation.


I’ll go to a $39.95 Indian run motel that stinks of curry and Vendaloo before I’ll take a free room at a Marriott…

Happy 236th Birthday Marines!!!

Posted on by March 6, 2013


236 years, from the Halls of Montezuma to Helmand…


They continue to serve, continue to volunteer for the HARD jobs, and do them successfully. Can’t ask for more than that…


Semper Fi!