|
2-8-10: I watched the Super Bowl and for one reason, I'm sorry I did. Oh, don't get me wrong... I enjoyed the game. The Colts started out playing some perfect football and Manning was throwing passes like a Sniper. That final interception was amazing and from that instance, the game was over... I don't care that I lost a bet... that's fine. That was some good football. What ruined it for me was Audi's “Green Police” commercial. Made me want to puke. What sort of Liberal Crap is that? This Green Movement has gotten out of hand. Hey, I respect the environment probably more than most Liberals, but I don't make as ass out of myself over it. ( I do that over other things) I've dug around the more Donk areas of the internets and found that the Liberals are literally having Joygasims over this Audi spot. I am very displeased with Audi. Then there is this guy. Teabag America? Really? Being “Green” doesn't give anyone Moral Authority. It doesn't give you a Moral High Ground. What it gives you – if you believe it – is an excuse for Liberals to Dictate their flawed (proven fraud) Ideology and to take away my Liberty... to take away my Freedom. That, I don't stand for. And the fact that Audi, a car brand that grew up in, has done this sort of commercial... It's going to be a long time before I drive an Audi. I used to have Audis, Rallied Audis, made out in Audis... and they pull this? Bullshit. This is worse than Jeep's Anti-Hunting commercial from a few years ago. Let's set this record straight. American Car Makers have been more “Green” than Toyota, Honda, and Audi could ever hope to be. And they get no credit. American car makers have more High Efficiency and more Hybrid cars than all the other brands together. But you know what? Green doesn't sell cars. Screw Green. The only green I like is British Racing Green and Olive Drab. I don't even want to look at another Green. Green doesn't sell except to Liberals and Liberals only want to drive Priuses and Subaru Outbacks. Ford needs to come out with a counter Campaign. BLACK and RED... Because those sell cars. Talk to Car Guys, and they will, in short order, talk about Performance Cars... and you ask them what color... Black or Red. Crank up some AC-DC playing Back in Black with the image of the new Mustang GT (with some new factory independent rear suspension) power sliding across the screen leaving a cloud of smoke... with the tag line “Let the Hippies buy more Carbon Credits” as the car roars off into the distance. Tell me that wouldn't sell some cars. Audi and Toyota can be as Green as they want... American Car Makers need to do what they do best – Being BadAss. Because that's what sells American Car. And all you fluffy self righteous hippies out there, if you really were “Green” - you wouldn't be buying and driving cars anyways... your attitude and moral high ground doesn't mask your hypocrisy with me. 2-5-10: Thursday afternoon my Glock 23 arrived. When it did, I took off my 229 and picked up the Glock. I had to carry it. I loaded it up with some 165 grain PDX1's from my SIG Mags, and tucked it in. I know I usually advocate the test firing of your carry gun with your choice of carry ammo, but in this case, I had no concerns. There are 3 lines of guns have always felt comfortable with right out of the box. HK's, SIG 22X series, and of course, Glock. See, I've owned a Glock before. A Gen1 17. I've been to this rodeo before... I know the Glock well enough and have always respected it's reliability. However I dismissed them when the Gen2 came out, and I've not paid any attention to them since. They just didn't feel right in my hand. The RTF2 grip feels much better to me, I don't know why. I started looking at the Glocks again when we got in a 17RTF2 and I thought, “You know, this isn't bad at all.” I've got friends who are into Glocks and they all kept recommending them. A lot of guys I respect recommended them. LL from WTA. At SHOT Show, my friend Mark Walters and sat down at Ceaser's Palace in Vegas and we had some good conversations. During which Mark gave good testimony about his favorite gun, the Glock 23. It was a convincing argument. I promised I'd give Glock a second look. So I did. I borrowed a Glock 17 and shot several magazines through it. After a few mags I got used to the grip angle. It shot just as I expected it would. Reliable and predictably accurate. I had no problem with it. However I'm just not all that interested in a 9mm. I've become reacquainted with the .40, a caliber I used to stake my life on back in Virginia. My 229 is incredible with the .40 however it's heavy. When I carry I do the “AllDamnDay” Carry and that usually means from 6AM to 10PM... That's a long time to have a Heater strapped on. As much as love the 229... and I really do... I want (no, not need... just want) a lighter gun for all day carry. A mid-sized gun, not a compact, not a mouse gun for pocket carry... a Mid sized gun in a mid sized caliber. The Glock 23. I really like the S&W M&P series, but they don't have a Mid Sized gun. The regular gun is too big and the Compact is just too dang small. The balance of form, function and firepower is just perfect for what I was looking for. The HK P30 in .40 is awesome, but almost twice as much. The CZ P-07 Duty? That's one I just don't like. The Glock 23 is just “it”. The RTF2 grip texture is said to be too rough, but it does perfectly what it was designed to do. Lock the gun into your hand so it wont slip. Oh, it does that. It isn't Fabric Friendly so you gotta watch what you wear over it, and you sure as hell want to wear something under it... it can be... abrasive. But when you draw the gun, and it's in your hand. It's going nowhere. Accuracy, well, I wasn't shooting for accuracy today. I just wanted to “feel it”. The trigger, the recoil, the action... it shot very well. Sharper than my 229 of course. Being lighter that was to be expected. But the recoil was very manageable. For a novice shooter, it might be a problem. But I found it to be just what I expected. Zero malfunctions. Of course. Not only is this a Glock, but a Slipstreamed Glock at that. I was pleased with the accuracy on such a cold day, off hand, unsupported. It shot as well as can be expected under such conditions. 14 rounds of Forty Firepower, in a package that is light enough to pack all day, yet big enough to shoot well. I'm quite pleased. Does this mean I am going to get into a Gen4 22? Why, yes, I think it does. This week I've been testing out a new holster for my SIG P229R. ADAMS HOLSTERS. The rig is well made, hand boned, and made to fit the gun snug for retention. The 229 carries very well using this rig and more importantly, all week, I've not been “Made”. Now, I work at a gun counter were everyone I work with is very good at spotting concealed weapons. No one knew I was packing. That says a lot. And it's a good looking rig. I like it. This is a keeper!
2-1-10: Okay, I knew I was going to catch some flak from my 1911 Brothers out there for selecting, of all guns, the Glock in a .40. The Anti-1911. You wouldn't believe the amount of flak I'm catching from work! They have been merciless. Let's just say I don't work at a Glock Shop. Guys, I am not turning my back on the 1911. I am still a 1911 Guy. But before I am a 1911 Guy, I'm a Gun Guy... which means I like guns... all guns... I can appreciate the beauty in Form and Function in all of them. Just like looking at a Pretty Lady, I can appreciate the Blondes, the Brunettes, the Red Heads... all different kinds of Pretty Ladies out there. See, I'm Married. I can only have one wife... but I can have a lot of different guns... so why not enjoy as many guns as I can? Now, regarding the Glock's beauty. I'll be the first to say... it's not Pretty. However the Function of it is what can make a Glock absolutely Gorgeous. The low bore axis helps reduce muzzle flip. Combine that with that funky grip angle that helps return the gun to point of aim faster... now lets add in what really is a fine trigger pull... consistent and the same every time... with a super short Trigger Reset... And it's simple. Nothing complicated. Nothing “trick”. It's about as straight forward of a mechanism as it gets. The Glock really is the whole enchilada when it comes to Function. That's why I am going to give the Glock another chance. I've not been replaced by a Pod Person... I'm still The Ogre... but one that has learned to evaluate things differently. I might decide that the Glock is still not for me. Or I might grow quite fond of it. Who knows. These things come in Threes: First off, a good friend, Thernlund of WTA almost got shot in the head by a Negligent Discharge. Read about that here. An inexperienced shooter picked up a rifle, and while doing so, pulled the trigger, breaking all the Firearm Rules all at once. We are all very glad that T is okay. T is an important member of WTA, one of the behind the scenes Crusaders, and a friend. The other instance happened at one of ToddG's recent AFHF training courses. A negligent discharge that resulted in a self inflicted gunshot wound. Read about that here. In this case, the student didn't mind his trigger finger placement as he was reholstering his pistol, and the gun discharged. The bullet passed through his calf and didn't hit anything substantial other than muscle tissue and pride. The student will recover fully... physically. Most likely the pistol was a Glock or an M&P. Whatever the gun was, there was a mistake made which is why this is negligent discharge. I don't like the term Accidental Discharge... “AD”. There are no “AD's”. There are only “ND's” with someone looking to blame something else for his negligence. This wasn't the fault of the gun... this was an Operator Error which resulted in the negligent discharge. And this is something that could happen to anybody. Guys, I've said it before and I'll say it again... handling weapons is like handling snakes. The moment you disrespect them... take them for granted... the moment you are not paying attention... that's when they can bite you. And they bite hard. When you are handling weapons, you have to pay attention. Keep your eyes open and your head on a swivel. Don't Disrespect The Gun. Now I said these things happen in Threes... We've had two strikes here... Don't be the Third! The 4 Rules of Firearms Safety: 1. Handle all firearms as if they were loaded. 2. Never point the gun at anything you're not willing to destroy. 3. Keep your finger off the trigger and out of the trigger guard until you have made the decision to fire the weapon. (On Target, On Trigger. Off Target, Off Trigger.) 4. Know your target, and know what is beyond the target. No, I'm not going to comment on Obama's dumbass State of the Union speech. Our friend Larry Correia has done that job perfectly. I'll give the nod to his expert fisking. But did Obama really BOW to the Mayor of Tampa? Are you fucking kidding me? Bowing to a Mayor? The President of the United States bows to no one. This President bows to everyone... pathetic. 1-31-10: So I sounded like an idiot on the radio. Here's what happened. I wasn't planning on being on the air... Mark's producer calls me up and basically plugs me right into the system. I was expecting Mark to start off with a question or something... and instead hits me with “Oh, we have a caller, what's on your mind?” What was on my mind? “WTF?” was on my mind! But that's LIVE RADIO. You gotta be able to roll with it. Then I was juggling the phone and a some other things, including my laptop at the same time while going into a quieter room. What you didn't hear was me tripping, almost dropping my laptop, and landing on my bed like a drunken fratboy returning to his room after a binge. Yeah, that was great. That was fun. That made me sound intelligent and sober. I was going to be on for the 3rd hour, but The Nuge was on a roll and The Nuge is better Radio than I am. Some time ago I wrote about The Zen Of Handgunning. I posted it on the main news page... and never linked it up. So it went into the Archives. Well, here it is on it's own page. Where it should be with a permanent link in the Weapons Section. I stopped by Gundoc's Joint last night on the way home from the Utah State Capitol. Gundoc had finished gearing up to do our Permanent Slipstream Treatment. He treated his Stag rifle and I took a good hard look at it. This gun was bone dry and yet slicker than anything I've felt before. He's doing my Rock River today. I left it there with him for the treatment, because seriously, this is the way all AR's should feel and this is the way all Crusader Rifles will feel. There is a thread about this on WTA... it's cheap and it will transform your weapon. Just do it. Your weapon system will thank you.
1-29-10: Ted Nugent LIVE on Armed American Radio: He's Armed, He's American, And he's Coming to AAR! That's right, boys and girls, Uncle Ted is coming to AAR and he's going to be talking GUNS, AMMUNITION, and Preaching the Gospel of FREEDOM the way that only Uncle Ted can preach it! If you don't have AAR in your area, have no fear, you can Listen Live Online, right here. Barrel Break In: There continues to be much controversy regarding the way to break in your new rifle barrel. The only thing you need to do is pull a dry bore-snake through your gun after every round for the first 20 to 40 rounds. That's it. Then treat the gun well from there. Don't over-clean your rifle either. All you want to do is to pull out the little bits of metal that are breaking off the sharp edges of the newly cut rifling. Pull the snake from the chamber, out the muzzle. After that, your barrel will wear in normally... so just shoot it normal. When you clean the gun, clean it the same way every time. Consistency is the key to Rifle Accuracy... Consistency in Everything. Also – A lot of rumors about Primers that Go Dead after 6 months. This rumor is coming around again... No one is doing this. This is bogus, this is impossible to manage and no ammo company would think about doing this. Cops and Military buy ammo from the same companies that civilians do... no one wants to risk a police officer's ammo going bad in the holster. Or the military's. So no one is going to make such primers. Legislation for this Has Not Passed, has not been even voted on... this is not something to fret about. We have plenty of stuff to worry about, but decaying primers in not one of them. 1-27-10: I have a little guilt. My Grandmother passed away today. I am happy for her... I'm not grieving like my mother is... and even she is okay with this. Granny has been dying for about 15 years now. She's had Alzheimers and didn't recognize anyone, didn't know what was going on with anything... and she's suffered things that would have killed anyone else... such has massive hemmorages and exploding internal organs... she was like the Undead, and I jokingly called her “Zombie Granny”. But now that she's passed, I feel bad for saying such things. My Grandfather, her husband, passed away some 25 years ago or so and all this time she's been alone, slowly slipping away. She feared death and held on for so long. She's no longer in pain... she's at ease... and since I believe in life after death, the eternal spirit... She's finally back with her Husband and their reunion is something to celebrate. So tonight I'm pouring some out for my Zombie Granny. And the Winner Is! I took input from a number of sources... did some research... and also tallied up the “Votes”. Of those votes, it was about a 4 to 1 ratio in favor of the Glock. From my research, I also leaned Glock, and from the personal opinions of my closest friends... the answer was a solid “Glock”. So this morning I ordered a Glock 23 RTF2 with Night Sights. If I end up liking this one enough... if I end up an actual Glock Convert... A 22Gen4 could be a possibility, but let's not get carried away. I could end up putting this Glock on KSL and ordering that P30 anyways. The only way to tell is to spend some time with the pistol and really getting to know it inside and out. I posted this as a thread on WTA and the responses have been fun. 1-25-10: I keep going back and forth on the Glock. This morning I shot another Glock. A model 17. It shot well, just as we all know Glocks do. It took a few mags worth to get used to the grip angle so that I could draw and fire quickly with accuracy. I liked the fact that I could look at the target, look at where on the target I wanted the bullet to impact... bring the gun up and fire... and that bullet would go where I was looking. Every Time. Just like with my 1911s or with my P229. It just simply put the bullets where I wanted them to go. Low recoil was to be expected, this being a 9mm. I found that the grip angle helps a bit in recoil recovery. Or maybe that was just because it was 9mm. I don't know. I'm not interested in the 9mm. The model 23 is more of what I'm looking at. I've shot one of those before as well and it, of course, shot just as good. It's a known quantity. The other gun I'm thinking about is the .40 caliber P30 from HK, that I've mentioned before. However the HK is so much more money than the Glock. The question is this... is the HK that much better than the Glock? I just don't know that, because I've not shot the P30 in .40 before. I've seen them. I have talk to people who have shot them.I want a Mid Sized, Light Weight .40, that is tough, accurate, and reliable. There is the SIG, which I have and is not quite that light weight. There is the FN P40, which is good... but I've no interest in. There is the S&W M&P Compact, too small... full sized M&P... Just a touch too big, might as well stick with my 229. The XD and the USP... done... done... just not “Right”. Sig P250 – too vanilla. I could go on... but the simple fact is that the I've narrowed it down to these two, the Glock or the HK. I can't decide yet. I don't know. However I do enjoy the process of thinking this choice through... looking at the specs and the reviews. This one could end up coming down to a coin toss... and by coin toss, I mean going with the less expensive gun. If money was no object, I'd take the HK in a heart beat. However when the money is almost double... that's an object. I tell you what, if you want me to get the Glock, donate to ogre at mad ogre dot com via paypal with the word Perfection in the note. Or if you want me to buy the HK, donate with the word Compromise in the note. I'll tally the votes and roll with that. Note: The money donated will go to my State Senate Campaign War Chest, as I have a gun I'm going to trade for this new one. Speaking of giving up a gun... I am going to sell my Rock River M4gery that I use in my tactical classes, to buy one of our own Crusaders. Sans EoTech, of course. What does it have? It has a Surefire Forend, Surefire light, VLTOR stock, and a MagPul MIAD grip. These additions to the weapon are not cheap... I'm asking 1500 bucks. I love this Rock River... I really do. It has no failed me. But I'm going to sell it to buy a Crusader so that when I'm teaching a tactical course, I'm flying our own colors. That's the only reason I'm selling it. This gun has been shockingly accurate, totally reliable, and is dang near the perfect AR. I shouldn't sell it, and if I don't sell it soon, I'll change my mind. To see this gun, check it out here. 1-24-10: Oleg Volk's photo of me: Check it out. Over on WeTheArmed.com, we have a member that goes by the handle “Bud”. Do yourself a favor, and go to WTA, search out the threads started by Bud. Because let me tell you, this stuff is fantastic. Bud has some unique experiences from his life, and he's been telling short stories of these experiences. Bud was Rotorhead in Vietnam... his stories will hold your attention to say the least. We've discussed this in length in the staff section of WTA and we've encouraged Bud to put these stories into a collection, and publish them. We hope he does... and when he does – I'm going to order the first copy and I want it autographed. Bud is what I call, a Great American. Not like a Shaun Hannity “Great American” but one of the kinds of guys that actually makes America the Great Nation that it is, and I am proud that he is a Member of WTA. He'll be coming down my way to buy a Shotgun from me, and I look forward to meeting him, shaking his hand, and getting a photo with him. Speaking of America. AMERICA RISING. Check out this video clip... it will “pump you up”. Speaking of America Again. Armed American Radio. Mark Walters, Rob Pincus, and I will be talking about the SHOT Show. There is much to talk about... we could talk about it all day. So tune in tonight 6PM MST, stream it, or download the show from iTunes or the AAR site when you get the chance... because you will not want to miss this.. we will be talking about the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of SHOT Show. Crusader Weaponry in the House at Gunfighter Cast. Joe was in an interview with the Gunfighter Cast Further SHOT 2010 Observations: Glock. I was so very unimpressed by the Gen4 pistols that I was actually disappointed. I had avoided looking at Gen4 reviews until I had held it in my hand... and quite honestly when I finally did, my thought was “WTF, That's It?” Glock changed too little to make it even remotely interesting. With the XD, XDM, M&P pistols taking up lots of ground that used to be firm Glock Territory... meaning Law Enforcement Agencies across the country... this was not enough to stem the blood flow from that hemorrhage. Vortex. Burris. ZT knives. They have a lot of new styles, including a bayonet that looks and feels very good. ZT is Kershaw's tactical division, all made in the USA from premium steels... very good. Take a good hard look at them. Buck.. Taurus. They have a Poly Judge and a Judge revolving Carbine out now. In my opinion .410 remains a chambering for the Old, Young, Silly, or just Bored. The Carbine actually looked good and if it was just a .45 Colt or a .44 Mag, or a .357... they would really have something. Springfield. The XDM 3.8 gun... slightly smaller than the regular XDM... it's still a chunk of a gun... I see no point. Now if they had made it an actual Compact size... could have been an contender... could have been somebody... on the 1911 front, they have lots of good new models that are quite nice. Leupold. Nothing impressed me. Zeiss Kahr. The new external safeties they have on the PM9 series... Completely unnecessary and I feel it detracts from what is an otherwise fine weapon. It's low profile yes, but hard to use and just redundant. Magpul. I love how these guys really think a product through... their Theory Based products are very good... sound... and actually work to enhance your interface with the weapon system. This makes you more effective with your weapon... this can help you... this can save your life... this can save the lives of your loved ones... seriously.. their stuff works. The AFG is an example of this. It works with the techniques that Magpul Dynamics teaches and enhances the techniques. I like the stubby vertical foregrip too. All their products are best in class. 1-23-10: SHOT SHOW 2010. The SHOT show was, as always, an experience I'll never forget. Other times, I had always felt like I was crashing the party... like at any time security would swoop in and grab me and escort me out. This time however, I actually felt like I was meant to be there. I had gone in with a number of expectations and a battle plan. But that got thrown out the window and I had to take what I could get. Next year, I'll be there for the whole thing. This time, I didn't get in until late Wednesday, so only really had a day and a half to “Git'er Done”. his openness, his frankness... and his expressed desire to undo that “You Suck, We Hate You” image... I was convinced. This isn't the old HK. He gave us some insight into the new Marine IAR weapon, HK's new military contracts for that and with the Navy for some handguns... big contracts that would have meant HK could have avoided the whole Civilian market if they wanted to. But that's not the case. In fact, we are going to be seeing some new stuff that would have been previously unheard of... such as a very real possibility of a revamped XM-8 – for Civilian Sales. Which would be outstanding. No, I didn't win the P30. That's okay. I want to buy one now. HK really impressed me. From that point on, the show wasn't about the hardware anymore... it was about the people. Sitting down with Rob Pincus. Hanging out with my friend Mark Walters, going to see Ted Nugent. He was playing at the Hard Rock Hotel... we had previously met with Micheal Bane who got us passes to see The Nuge... we could have sold these passes for 500 bucks each. The Hard Rock is an awesome hotel... we walk in there... they have an open bar going on... they have a huge buffet going on... steaks, chicken, pasta... all kinds of food going on. I was starving so I grabbed a sirloin and threw it in a roll and munched that while we walked around... they had the huge strawberrys the size of apples, dipped in chocolate with gold foil... I ate like four of them... The USCCA Dinner... Oh, we gotta talk about that... the dinner was Amazing. Tim Schmidt, founder of the USCCA hosted this dinner at the Smith & Wollensky Steak House, right across the street from the Monte Carlo... The valet got a kick out of my truck... he left a pack of S&W cookies form me. They were quite good. Okay, Tim has great taste, this place was shockingly good. The food was amazing. Not cheap. The conversation we had was the absolute best – we could have been sitting around a table at McDonalds and had a great time. Tim's wife is an amazing woman and I enjoyed talking with her. Oleg Volk, world famous photographer was there and we talked... Duane Daiker sat next to me... very cool guy... He does a lot of Gear Reviews for CCM. Mark Walters... Kathy Jackson... Dr. Bruce Eimer was awesome... the man was hillarious. Okay, now check this out... After the dinner, I gave Mark and Bruce a lift in my old 91 Chevy 4x4... Bruce riding in the middle, Mark riding shotgun, another dude in the back seat... roaring down the Vegas Strip in my old truck. You should have seen that... I should have taken a photo of that! I had to just shake my head... but the Old Chevy got them back to Bally's and I went to Terrible's... it was like 1:30AM when I got to my room and just crashed. The day completely kicked my trash. Packing around my bag, packing my sack of catalogs, it's not worth it... Friday I carried just my camera and a little notepad. I didn't take catalogs... just business cards. Travel Light. Everything else you can get online. Friday morning I met Oleg Volk in the Press Room. Oleg took some photos of me... How cool is that? Worlds most famous photographer and I got some shots. He had appointments, as did I so we didn't spend much time... but it was very cool to hang out with Oleg. Weather reports were getting nasty and the SHOT show was winding down, so I wanted to split ASAP... I didn't have time to hit a lot of what I planned on hitting... which was a shame... next year I'm not going to do SHOT 3 days late. I'm going to do it start to finish and make sure my whole checklist gets checked. The drive home was fast until I hit Provo... then it was back into four wheel drive mode and crawling all the way home. 1-19-10: In just a few hours from now, I'll be driving down to Las Vegas for the SHOT SHOW 2010. I'm excited. All my friends down there are already having a great time, getting the party warmed up. Me? I had obligations to attend to and I'm going to pack it all up and head South shortly. I should be there by Lunch Time. Bringing my trusty little Digital Camera, so What Happens In Vegas, gets Publicized. 1-14-10: George in the State Senate: Why would you support me? Utah is one of the best states in the whole nation, but it needs to be run better and it needs to redefine its boundaries with the Federal Government. Utah always says that it is very Pro-Family. But we neglect our Education system. We spend very little per student in actual teaching, and I know of many teachers who have actually spent their own money for things students need. I know a lot of teachers who work well past their hourly limit, knowing they will only be paid for their allowed hours. Yet at the same time I know of a couple school buildings that are being completely rebuilt from the ground up because they were not maintained and had leaky roofs and doors that wouldn't shut. Forgive me if I am wrong, but I would rather fix the leaky roof and fix the doors, and then pay the teachers. The teachers are where the education comes from, not the building. I'm all for buildings, but I'd rather keep them in good order. If this was a car, would you junk it and buy a new one just because you have a tail light out and need an oil change? Education money can be spent better. TakeBackUtah. I think we can manage our own backyard. Utah is a Gun Friendly State. For the most part. Yet Utah has many restrictions which even some more Liberal States do not have. Utah needs to really be Gun Friendly. Guns built in Utah and sold to Utah Citizens should not be subject to the same interstate trade rules which gives the ATF authority to regulate... Utah allows open carry – if the gun is unloaded. Utah allows CCW, but requires Citizens to apply for what is a defined Right. This is, to me, absurd. Do I need a Permit to exercise my Freedom Of Speech? Must I carry my Pen with the ink cartridge removed? The Pen is a Tool. So is The Gun. It's a tool. It's neither good nor bad, it has no political affiliations, motivations or agendas... such things are of the sole reliance of the owner. Time and time again we see that evil people will lash out and try to harm as many as possible for whatever reason... and it comes down to Good People With Guns that Stop It. Trolley Square, hit close to home with me. I used to live near there and was in fact intending to go there that day, and would have been there at that time. An Off Duty Cop, out of Uniform, but packing his gun... he put a stop to it. We see this same thing happen all over the country. Random Violent Evil must be met with Sharply Focused Violence in Return. All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing. You can't reason with, talk to, or plead with evil such as this... just ask Suzanna Hupp. To me, this comes back to the original thought of this post... Is Utah really family friendly? Does Utah really love its Kids? Well then Utah should empower parents to protect their children, where ever they are. Parks. Schools. And stop harassing law abiding citizens who are exercising their right to carry openly. I am a supporter of OpenCarry. If someone calls the cops that someone has a gun – officers should respond with “What's the person doing with it?” Not respond with use of force, but the guy on the ground, and investigate any reason to arrest or confiscate. Having and packing a gun is Legal. Just because someone doesn't know that, doesn't mean you should be thrown to the ground. Handcuffed. Treated like a Felon until you prove you are not. Self Defense is a Human Right and it doesn't end at the door of any building or the gates of a park or the property line of a campus. How come I have a Constitutional Right and a Human Right six days a week, but on Sunday I don't? If I want to go to Church in Utah, I don't. I don't believe that's right. Utah has a lot of other issues that I believe need to be sorted out, and I'll be talking about those as well in the future. If you agree with any of these opinions, please Contribute to my Campaign.
1-13-10:
SHOT 2010: I'll be
arriving in Vegas Wed night, staying at a hotel within spitting
distance of the Convention Center. I know most guys are getting
there Monday, and it starts Tuesday... yeah... I know. But something
came up and there is zero way I can break away. Next year, I'll be
there Monday through Friday. But that's next year. This year, I've
got a weeks worth of work to do in two days. I'm planning on hitting
as much as I can during that time. State Senate Run: This is now 2010 and my Run will officially in March. But now is the time I need to start building my war chest. Big Time. This is going to be expensive in a way I don't even want to think about. So I need help. Lots of help, and by help, I mean specifically contributions. PayPal. My email address, Ogre at MadOgre.com via PayPal. Now, because I have to track all contributions, I need a Name and Address... that's a legal requirement. Seriously guys, I will not make it if I don't have a lot of help. The Round Table. The Third Hour of Armed American Radio is becoming a favorite. The Round Table. That's where everyone sits back and relaxes and we just have a conversation. It's not just more fun to do, but it's Good Radio. For those of you listening in on Stations that don't pull in Hour Three, hit the AAR website, and download it, or hit a Radio Station Online that Streams it Live. You don't want to miss The Round Table. Man, let me tell you... being sick is a lot of fun. 1-11-10: That must be some Custom gun: I think I did very well today in keeping composure and a straight face. A fellow came in today needing a good long range scope... he went on to explain in impressively vague details about his super custom rifle that can shoot 8,000 yards. Yes, he said eight thousand yards. Several times. I don't know why, but I asked the caliber... oh, of course, it was custom made ammo too. Of course it was. I was suddenly getting that sharp pain behind my eyeballs, but I had to inquire... morbid curiosity got to me... and I was well rewarded for it. It was “7.62x54R, but based on a .30-06, necked down to .30 caliber.” This he also repeated a couple times. I found biting the inside of my cheek helped keep a straight face. My reply as I shut the sliding doors on the scope case... “Wow, that's some custom gun.” I suddenly had something else to do. A rimmed cartridge, based on a rimless cartridge, necked down to the same diameter... capable of eight thousand yards... that would be some thing... Now, something has been bothering me... an email that was read on ArmedAmericanRadio Sunday night. This has kinda bothered me. One email came in, questioning going to SHOT because they barred packing loaded and concealed guns. We explained our position that because of the nature of SHOT, if you “stand up for your rights” and don't go on principle... you are shooting yourself in the foot because of what you are missing out. Most gun businesses do the majority of their business at SHOT. It's a Make it or Break it deal for them. For the Gun Media, if you don't go, you miss out on all the contacts and networking and lining up all the reviews for a whole years worth. You miss everything. If you want to be in this business, you go to SHOT. That's just the way it is. Now the irritation came in another email to Mark, saying that we “Back-Peddled” on that issue. I forgot who wrote that email, but man... that's a classic case of “Not Getting It”. Super Libertarian Man that wrote that really just doesn't get it. Sometimes you just can't pack your heater and take care of business. So the “I'm going to Boycott” just doesn't work in real world. The SNAFU with Applebee's is one thing. There are other places to go eat. But what about Federal Buildings? Court Houses? You get a ticket and have to go to court, are you just going to boycott the court? What about the Post Office? Are you going to refuse your US Postal Mail because you can't carry into the Post Office? You can avoid going into the Post Office most of the time, or send someone else... but according to Super Libertarian Man's ideology... that's Back-Peddling. You are still getting mail. Still doing business with them. So you need to refuse all Postal Mail... send them all back, return to sender, please use FED-EX for Correspondence. It just doesn't work. Sometimes, you swallow the pride and take care of business, and then we you leave the building – you strap your cannon back to your hip and carry on. I've had that strange urge to get a Glock again. I can't explain it, but I've been kinda itching to get one. One I wouldn't have otherwise taken to... I'm leaning towards. The Glock 23. The Mid-Sized .40. When friends around the country all sing the praises of the gun... people who's opinions you greatly respect... you take an honest second look. Mark loves his 23, and I talked to him about that Sunday before the radio show. It's one of his favorite handguns. I need to shoot one again before I make any calls about it... but I will give it an honest re-evaluation. I dig the new textured grip on the Gen4's, and with the changeable backstraps... there is promise of a better fit in my hands. I'll look the Gen4's over and see if this is an improvement, or just a marketing stretch. If it's no advantage, I'll find an older 23 and I'll grind off the finger grooves and stipple it myself with a soldering iron... no problem. Kinda sounds like I'm already set on getting one, doesn't it? Well, I think I am... But I'm going to take my time getting into one. 1-8-10: Shooting Day: The Exotics. One rifle that gets a lot of discussion, but few get to actually shoot, the FNH FS2000. This is FN's slick bullpup in .223. It's unique, in that there is no other rifle quite like it, bullpup or not. Yet it does everything many other rifles do... firing .223, using USGI type mags. The gun handles very well and is very balanced. And as luck would have it... completely ambidextrous. It's a good weapon. Not perfect, but a good weapon. And IDEAL or vehicular operations. The Barrett 82 is a fantastic weapon. There is nothing else like shooting the 82. Yes, it's big and heavy as are all .50 BMG rifles, but none else shoots like the Big Barrett. Big boom, strong shove, and you can feel the action cycling and kicking out that big chunk of brass... Man, I love the 82, I really do. This one was topped with a Six Power ACOG with a ballistic reticle marked for .50 BMG drop all the way from 100 yards to 1800 yards. And it works. Brilliantly. The Trijicon ACOG really impressed me... it's a much larger, more powerful version of the ACOG we all know and love. 6X instead of 4x, which is nice... but the larger field of view, greater clarity, and more eye relief, combined with the drop compensation marks really make this an ideal gunsight for the Barrett. I had doubts at first, but after shooting it, I am convinced. We got it zeroed at 100 yards easily. Just a few shots. I fired the next shot at our 600 yard target using the ballistic drop marks... and I nailed it dead nuts on. This system worked perfectly. The green colored chevron showed up clear and bright. Much easier to see than Red on a winter day. Also, I was impressed with how quickly and naturally you could take to the rifle, tuck in, and be on target... almost instantly. So not only is this an accurate system, but a fast system. This allows you to pick up and engage your target with great speed. First shot hits are a huge advantage in any gunfight... and when you make that first hit before the other guy does, and your rocking a .50 BMG... that's a win. This new ACOG is made of Win. One day I'll have my own .50 caliber. Or one bigger. Hushed .308 sniper rifles are crazy fun... more fun than they should be... I'll have to get a Can for my own. Great Email Response to earlier post: “Dear George, Re: Citizen Soldiers. Damn right about the special sacrifices made by citizen soldiers. I too was a citizen soldier for some years (role: combat infantry) and my father has also just retired after almost 50 years of service. Many of the British soldiers currently facing peril in Afghanistan are also citizen soldiers or, as we call them, “Territorials”. In many ways, the sacrifices expected of these men and women are even greater than those of regular soldiers. It takes a special commitment to the cause to have not only an every day job and a family but also a military career simultaneously. The physical training alone is a major effort – whereas regulars do this as part of their daily duties, citizen soldiers must put their own time aside. It is time that citizen soldiers received the honours they deserve: they are not just Part Time Professionals – they are Part Time Heroes. - James St Albans, UK” Part Time Heroes. Absolutely. 1-4-10: I get a lot of emails, and a lot messages, about how guys want to hear AAR in their local areas. Guys, I feel you. But don't tell Mark you want him in your area... he doesn't make that decision... You guys need to talk to your local Radio Station's Program Director. The Program Directors are the guys that make the decisions of what Shows play and when. The Program Director needs to hear from YOU. Not the guy down the street – YOU need to talk to them personally. Now that you have contacted him, get ten of your friends, or more, or as many friends as you have... and have them contact the Program Director as well. Email them. Fax them. And call them... One of the pistols we talked about – the Kahr PM9... what a great pistol. As far has handguns go, this one is kinda unique... there are few pistols like it... smaller than many .380 autos, but in full 9mm... or .40 in the case of the PM40... they are small pistols designed specifically for Concealed Carry. Simple guns, but with some great features. Such as a very good trigger. Great sights for a pocket pistol. It uses the modified Browning action that a lot of guns use, and it's Single Stack, allowing the pistol to be very small, very thin, and very light for its size. Great back up guns... great concealment guns... and because they are able to be fired with shockingly good accuracy and reliability – they are just great guns – period. I've sold many of them to Law Enforcement officers as back up or hideaway guns. To doctors who need deep concealment for “professional reasons”, lawyers, teachers... people of all walks of life. My friend, Ben packs his P45 all the time, the PM9's big brother. I've shot the PM9 – love it. I've shot the P45 – love it. Kahr isn't the flashiest of pistols... they are quiet, hidden, but always ready... just what a Concealment Pistol should be. One of these days, I'll buy one for myself... in .40, the M4048N... this is the solid stainless MK40 with Night Sights. One of the most expensive ones Kahr makes... but easily the one I drool over the most. If you look at YouTube for just a few minutes, you will find videos of “Citizen Soldier”, a song about the National Guard, but to images from video games. I find these to be irritating and shameful. Now, I don't mind playing a video game... but to take this song and apply it to a game... that's just not right. However I can understand something about it... these guys doing this... these kids... they have no framework of comprehension of the heroics and the sacrifice that are made by real people, every day... real citizen soldiers who volunteered to put themselves in harm's way. These children just don't understand that, so they put it into a frame they do understand. The Slipstream For The Troops Update: We are sending out our first shipment to Charley Company of the 11th MEU. It is our prayer that this stuff is put to good use and improves the weapons our boys are using over there. Just because we're sending out the shipment – doesn't mean this project is over. This project is a continual Crusader Policy... a Standing Order. Just something we will continue to do. 1-3-10: On the Radio, Live In Utah: AAR went live in Utah on the new radio station FREEDOM 570, and to kick it off we had a great time with Oleg Volk and Dr Bruce Eimer... even Tim Schmidt came on and a couple others. We talked about airline safety, concealed carry, FN 5-7's, Kahr PM9's, Glocks and M&P's, Al Gore... what a fun show. Radio, especially live radio, is an interesting business... when I'm doing this, all I can do is think about who I am talking to – not who is listening. No offense to my Readers here, but the same thing here on the Blog. I can't think about how many people read me or it effects me. Live on the Air, it would effect me even more. This is my “Don't Look Down” theory. Here is a little thing you didn't know about me – I am afraid of heights. Seriously, I am. Yes, I've flown Airplanes and Ultralights, Autogyros and even a Huey... I've skydived and I've repelled out of helicopters... but I'm afraid of heights. Climbing a Ladder, I keep my eyes up... Radio and Blogging, I keep my “eyes up” too. One of the pistols we talked about, Oleg has been playing with. Keltec's new 30 round pistol in .22 Magnum. This is one of the few new pistols out that has me sitting up and perking my ears. I like the looks of this one, for some reason. I like the idea of it. And if it has good accuracy, this would be an IDEAL trail gun for packing with you while you are out and about the back 40 or up in them thar hills. On an ATV, on a Horse, or just hiking – that would be awesome. As a serious use carry gun for defense or duty... I kinda doubt it... but it has potential. What it lacks in power, it makes up good and plenty in volume. Thirty rounds of volume. That's cool. I want one.
Copyright G H Hill 1999-2012 Graphic Artwork by Martin White
|
OGRE TRAINING: Next Course:
"You make me laugh.
You piss me off. You even make me agree with you. You're a Blog-God!"
- Horde Member “You are the House of the Gun Industry!” - Some Dude
|
|
|
