All posts by MadOgre

Weapons

.44 Mag Smiths

4 Comments

Nightcrawler is an unrepentant Wheelgunner.  He’s also an advocate of the .44 Magnum.  NC sent one gun off to S&W’s Performance Center for special tuning.  The other one, with the short barrel is a gun that S&W gave him as a replacement for a previous .44 Mag that he sent in for repair… which turned out to be unrepairable.    So they gave him some options and he picked this one.  It’s a great little gun.  Looks sexy.  But is exceptionally unpleasant when firing.  The wood grips are just gorgeous, but do not belong on a .44 Magnum firing full power loads.

Because S&W doesn't make an .88 Magnum.
Weapons

Breaking in a Broadsword

3 Comments

WeTheArmed.com’s Nightcrawler brought out his new rifle.  A Crusader Broadsword, built custom to his specifications.  There is a thread about it on WTA, and I’ll let him tell the story there.

The Crusader Broadsword, at the range, ready to roll.

The rifle feels and handles even better than it looks.  It’s accuracy was impressive even without zeroing the ACOG.
Overall I am extremely pleased with our Broadsword rifle.  It’s not finished, but the potential is there and it’s impressive.

Continue reading Breaking in a Broadsword →

Uncategorized

I’m not Vintage, just Out Dated.

10 Comments

My wife has scolded me because my faded jeans are out dated. “You’re stuck in the 80’s.” She said.
“What are you talking about?”
“Those faded jeans are so 80’s. You need new jeans. Yours are out of style.”
“Fine, I’ll get some new jeans.” After all, last thing an Ogre wants to be is out of style. Actually I just want the whole conversation to go away now. Consent by exasperation.
I buy a pair of new, darker jeans…. and she’s happy about that. She says that they look much better and life goes on. That was a month ago, or so.

Continue reading I’m not Vintage, just Out Dated. →

Weapons

Armchair Quarterback: Mossberg.

5 Comments

As regular readers of MadOgre know, I like to Armchair Quarterback a Gun Company every once in awhile. No company will ever be immune to my examination. I’m in the mood to take a closer look at Mossberg.
The reason being, is that I think Mossberg is a great gun company and I really like some of the guns they make. The 590A1 is a gun I used as my Patrol gun a long time ago and it was truly dependable. The 500 platform has been a workhorse pump action shotgun, second only to the iconic Remington 870. In fact, that’s been a big “Ford vs Chevy” debate for many years now when it comes to shotguns.
Now Mossberg has a fantastic semi-auto tactical gun, the 930 SPX which I have been running for awhile now and it’s been serving me flawlessly. In fact, it’s so good that it’s made me reconsider my whole outlook on a semi-auto shotgun. Congratulations, Mossberg… You have done very well.
Now let’s take a look at your new line up. You have some interesting guns.
Your Blackwater Series looks like a good line up. The 590A1 looks like it’s set up “just right”. The XS sights and the rail on the top. A+ on that one. Having used the 590 series guns extensively, let me tell you what it’s all about in one word. “Rugged”.
Continue reading Armchair Quarterback: Mossberg. →

Government

Wisconsin Democrats, real Cheddar Heads

6 Comments


It is with both a great deal of amusement and with some disappointment that I read the news about the games Senate Democrats in the great state of Wisconsin are playing.
Before you can take your ball and run home with it… it needs to be your ball, Senators. You people have sworn oaths of office, and I know that means so very little to Democrats, but you still took the oath. The topic of controversy is spending, and here you are running off into another state, which is costing the Wisconsin Taxpayer even more money for your silliness and you are holding up the functions of the Wisconsin State Government.
This is not what you were voted for. You folks are behaving foolishly. Yet at the same time, not unexpectedly. The Democrat Party has been reprehensible for some time and your behavior as a national party has only been getting worse. You people are disgusting. Either get back to work, or quit and let those willing to do the job step up.

Weapons

The most important gun in US History.

5 Comments

I have to agree, the single most important gun in US History… This is it.

What is really impressive about these guns is the pressure they operate at. Not only that, but the number of shots they can shoot before they lose velocity. They used bone for the gaskets. The performance has not been matched with modern materials in modern air rifles. Those air-rifles were truly amazing.

Uncategorized

Thank You SAVAGE ARMS

5 Comments

Back on 10-09-08 I wrote the following:

“An Open Letter to All Gun Manufacturers: We are sick of the .22 Hornet. Not all of us are reloaders, and commercial .22 Hornet ammunition is expensive. Stop shoving the .22 Hornet down our throats. Yes, its a nifty cartridge, and a lot of fun – and back in the day we all had wonderfully full and colorful summers with Pa’s Hornet carbine and a pocket full of shells. But these days, at $45.00 a box, no one is shooting it a lot unless they are reloading it. In the same guns you are chambering for .22 Hornet, you could be chambering them for 5.7x28mm. This gives you the same happy fun joy, using premium ballistic tipped bullets, for the same price a box as cheap .223 FMJ loads. This means we shooters can enjoy your product a lot more, for a lot less… which means we will be buying more of your product chambered for these instead of your .22 Hornet versions. Magnum Research’s BFR in .22 Hornet would sell more if it was in 5.7x28mm. The CZ 527 in .22 Hornet would be more enjoyable in 5.7x28mm. Anything you are chambering a Hornet for, or a Fireball round for… do it in 5.7x28mm instead. Please. It’s just about the most dandy of cartridges out there that I care to buy myself, and I know a lot of guys out there that feel the same way. Forget the Hornet and embrace the 5.7x28mm. Thank you.”

Some time later I wrote to Savage, and even posted that on MadOgre, that they need to do the Model 25 Lightweight Varminter in 5.7x28mm.

They did it.

Gotta love it.  They took their time doing it, but they beat CZ to the punch.  I told CZ that they needed to do it in their 527, but they decided against it… instead they continue to push the .22 Hornet.  With the cost of ammo going up and the factory production of .22 Hornet going down; I see a lot of Hornets getting retired.  We don’t even stock a rifle in Hornet and haven’t been asked for one in years.

This however – this would sell.  This will sell once people realize what it is they can really have here.  I’m telling you, this is the IDEAL small game or fur bearing hunting kit, right here.   Top that with a little 2-7x32mm or a fixed power… Man.. that would be SWEET.

They also have something else that is also sweet as hell.  (and yes, hell can be very very sweet indeed)

The Model 10 FCM Scout.  In 7.62x39mm.  You guys remember me being quite a fan of the CZ 527 Carbine.  Scope mounting and options for that gun suck. Namely because of the bolt handle hitting the occular bell of most scopes.  That and CZ makes some seriously awful rings and their proprietary bases on the 527 limit your options drastically.  As much as I loved the gun – it had limitations.  Also the bedding wasn’t as ridged as I would have liked.  Overall, the gun was fantastic… within it’s limitations.   Savage gives you a light weight carbine, without those limitations.  I had thought about buying the Scout in .308… but 7.62x39mm… VERY tempting.   I know a lot of guys are going Gaga over the Ruger Scout.  Ruger, meet your Superior.

The only thing Savage is lacking in these Model 10 guns – and this is something Savage could fix so easily – 10 Round Magazines.  I have lost sales on Savage guns because of this.  I have had customers ready to buy – form 4473 in hand – and they walked away because of the magazine limitation.  And these are some of the best guns in the industry.   Go figure.  Savage, make us some 10 round mags!