April 2007

4-30-07:  A good question: “I know your a firm proponent of the .45 for handguns. I'm about to purchase a S&W MP but when I went to the gun shop, I was confronted with the dreaded question "Which caliber would you like it in?" ::screaching break sounds:: Damnit, just when I thought made a decision on a model, another question pops up. So my choices are 9mm, 40 cal, and the 357 Sig. I know you're a busy guy but could you take a few minutes to tell me which of these I'd "want" to carry? I'm wondering exactly what the trade offs are between these 3 rounds.”

This is a good question for several reasons, one it is an honest question and two it is one that too many people don't ask and get the answer wrong. But first let me just point out that the M&P is now available in .45ACP as well. And with the small grip inserts, the M&P 45 feels like a 9 or .40 version. But really the question you asked is something only you can answer. I consider this a question of User Skill. 9MM is cheap and easy to shoot and is best for a guy who is not fully skilled in the Art of Handgunning. The .40 is sharper, harsher, and while better for defense use, should only be used by more experienced shooters. The .45 is more expensive yet, and while not sharp like a .40, it is a bigger push. If you are already a good shoot and the gun fits your hand well, then go for that one. So rate yourself on a scale of one to 10. If you are a 7 or less, then get the 9mm. If you are an 8 then get the .40. If you are higher than that, then you are an arrogant sod and need more practice so you need to join the IDPA and get to work. If you think you are a ten and you really are... then you are Rob Leatham and you are shooting a Springfield. (kidding)

Weapon Upgrade: I had been very impressed with my Kimber. It has been a very good companion and a shooting workhorse every since I got it. I didn't think the Kimbers would be as rugged as the Springfield guns. I didn't think they would stand up. So I purchased a base Custom II and fitted it with tritium night sights and set about testing it. 2000 rounds later I found the Custom II to be better than it was new. It smoothed up a great deal as it wore in. Accuracy never degraded. Reliability was 100% for those two thousand rounds. I couldn't ask any more from it. And this was their base entry level gun. If the base Kimber was this damn good... How good could their other guns be? I'm going to say just as good or better. Something interesting happened the other day... interesting and an opportunity. A certain fellow wanted to buy my gun. Not a gun like mine, but my own Custom II. The cash he offered was greater than what I had invested in it, and sufficient enough to facilitate a slight upgrade. So as my Custom II drove off into the sunset, I purchased its replacement. A Kimber Tactical Custom II. The TCII has some nice upgrades that I wanted that the CII didn't have. Ambidextrous safety, fine checkering on the rounded front strap, a mag well funnel, with a nice two tone finish that has a black slide on top of an ogrish slide with nice dark wood double diamond grips. It is a gorgeous pistol. But it gets better... it isn't just cosmetic. I went through the TCII's we had in the shop and I selected this one. The trigger pull right out of the box is better than my CII's was after wearing in. The slide to frame fit is free of any play... it is one solid built gun. I've not fired much through it yet. Only 200 rounds... four boxes of Blazer 230 grain FMJ's. My initial observations have been promising. It fed and fired all rounds with no indications of potential failure. Accuracy was Dead Nuts On. This is one flat out fantastic 1911. I wouldn't change a thing on this gun, I don't need to. This marks two points that have me shaking my head. First off, this is the first gun I've ever personally owned where I don't want to do anything to it. I don't want to change the grips, I don't want to get a trigger job... nothing. This gun is Good To Go. The Second point is even more remarkable... we are selling these guns for only $999.99. A cool Grand. I've never owned such as expensive handgun before. While I've never owned one this spendy, I have spent a lot of time reviewing expensive 1911 guns... Rock Rivers, Wilson Combats... I've check out the Nighthawks and STI's... You know. The TCII is that Sweet Spot gun... To get a better 1911 than this one, you have to spend a hell of a lot more money. I really love the Wilsons which are 1800 and up, the Rock River which was what? 1700 bones? Then there is this Kimber which has it going on and puts forth a solid argument that you don't have to spend a ton of cash to get a great gun. I'm not saying this is just as good as those higher end guns, but it is very close to that level of quality for about seven hundred bucks less.

The one thing that the TCII lacks in the minds of some is a light rail. They think that because the gun has the word “tactical” in it, it has to have a rail on it. Rails are not ideal on every gun... weapon mounted lights are not even that great of an idea even for law enforcement. In some cases it works but in others... well for example:

Say you are covering a suspect with your weapon and its mounted light. The area is dark. You see some movement in the shadows to your left. With your weapon mounted light, to put light on the movement you turn the muzzle from the subject to the movement. Now your suspect is no longer covered and you just scared a cat. Or you just pointed your weapon at a child or something else you don't want to be pointing a weapon at. Then you bring the weapon back to the suspect but now the suspect is either gone, going for a weapon, or going for your weapon. Not cool. Weapon lights make you break one of The Four Rules. I still prefer to use a regular light which has just as bright output but better battery life. But that is just me.

So as I said, it's only lacking in the minds of some. I would rather that it didn't have the name “Tactical” but it does and I can live with it knowing that I didn't get it because of the name. Some guys are drawn to “Tactical” as if that makes something better in some magical way. Maybe I should get “+3” engraved into the slide.

4-27-07:  The Democrat Debate: Imagine 8 guys flying private jets to a meeting where they all parrot “Bush Sucks” and offer no new ideas. Well, you don't have to imagine it... because that is exactly what happened. They didn't have anything solid to offer the American People. They didn't have anything fresh... and they never will.

I hate using WWII as the example, but I'm going to use it to illustrate a point. Wars are fought where the soldiers are. The Germans used to fight in North Africa. They pulled back to France and we fought the Germans in France. They pulled back to Germany and we battled in Germany. Think about that for a second. If we pull out of Iraq, were are we going to fight them? In Israel? Well, as long as there is an Israel, because Iran is going to see it a glowing pool of melted glass as soon as they can swing it. Here in the US?  They don't want us to be able to fight. Look at Virginia Tech. The Democrats will have us disarmed, defenseless and just look at what happened when you take the path of appeasement. You get put to your knees and shot in the back of the head.

Oh, don't even freaking start with Democrats don't want to take away our guns. Bullshit. Look at every piece of anti-gun legislation that has rolled out in the last 10 years, and look at which party it stems from. Who authored and sponsored those bills that ended up becoming law? Democrats. So you can just shut the fuck up about Pro-Gun Democrats. I will not hear it. I know there are some Pro-Gun Democrats... but they are not the ones getting bills passed, are they? They are not the ones leaving their party which has become a party of sniveling surrender monkeys, liars, and hypocrites. Hey, I have plenty of venom for the Republicans as well... but the Dems just piss me off more and more often. They do that because I can not stand people like Harry Reid who stands for a weakened America who can do nothing but roll over and bite the pillow for the rest of the world to take advantage of. Because that is exactly what is going to happen.

We leave Iraq, show weakness. Who is going to fill that void? Iran – backed up by China and Russia. A weak US means an empowered China who will step up and take over as the world's #1 and only Super Power. Which means they will then roll over Taiwan, Singapore, and Japan... and then eventually the rest of the world. Looks like the Firefly Universe hit rather close to home... accept there will be no Alliance. China and the US can not co-exist under their terms. China is programed like a Terminator Robot to crush all opposition to total global domination, and then crush all criticism afterwards.

If we lose in Iraq, we lose everything.

Harry Reid is a horrible human being. He makes me vomit when I think that he is actually a member of the same church I am. I can't stand that man.

4-26-07:  There is a simple elegance to the Kalashnikov rifle. Many call it crude, but it isn't. Crude would be the M3 Grease Gun. The Kalashnikov is far from crude. Brilliant design. Look at the goal the AK needed to accomplish. Extreme simplicity, cheap and easy manufacturing, rugged like a club, and the highest reliability possible. What makes the AK so interesting to me is the weapon systems the Russians developed using this platform. Sniper rifles, suppressed rifles, submachineguns, shotguns, etc. It would be very tempting to collect such weapons.

There are two myths about the AK that I intend to confront and test. First off, is that the AK is not accurate. I believe that to be hogwash. I think that myth stems from military shooters used to AR style peep sights and the AK uses a simple blade. Other AK type rifles have accuracy reputations while having nothing more changed than just the addition of a peep sight. The second is that the AK “hits like a .30-30”. I'm going to have to test that too. The .30-30 uses blunt nosed bullets in one of the first smokeless metallic cartridges available. The AK uses an intermediate cartridge that packs a spire point bullet. I'll also test the Hornady LEVERevolution bullet at the same time as a side note. As a test medium to make the comparison, I'm probably going to end up using wet-packed news paper. I'll have to wait till my next days off, but I'm going to get this done as soon as I can.

I think an interesting quest to explore would be the performance envelope of the 7.62X39MM. If I was set up for reloading, I'd try a number of different powders and bullet weights, types and seeing just what could be accomplished with it. I suspect with modern powders, the Russian Round can do a lot more. I'd love to try this out with a CZ bolt action where the velocity and accuracy would have a constant stable platform to work from.

The anti-gun lobby is hard at work again, this time trying to regulate ammunition. Regulating guns is unpopular... but ammo is a quiet back door to stopping guns. California's AB362 will require background checks for ammo purchases and require face to face, recorded transactions. Besides being a pain in the ass, let me ask California one small question: If background checks didn't stop Cho, what is the freaking point? We know the point... to try to reduce the sale of ammo, to pressure retailers into not selling it, to try to get people from buying it altogether. It is already on record as being ineffective in reducing crime... in 1986 the requirement of showing ID was revoked because it didn't do anything. It wont do anything again. However it will do away with the practice of ordering ammo online. So if your local dealer doesn't sell your brand or caliber, you are flat out of luck. Say you have an old western caliber that is no longer popular. Say you have something like a 10MM or a .41 Mag... or a 7.62x54R? You wont be able to shoot anymore. Your done. This is INFRINGING, people. This defines infringement. You can't infringe any more than this. This is unconstitutional in the highest order. If California passes one of these laws, I think every gun owner in the whole nation should sue California for infringing. One state can not stomp on our rights like this. The Bill of Rights must me defended at all times, in all places.

The Army taught me one harsh lesson that I've never forgot. “Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.” So while we are fighting, what can we do to prepare for the worst? Lots of us can not afford to stockpile thousands of rounds for each our our calibers... so how are we going to keep our guns smoking? Reloading. You can stockpile components much easier. Primers, bullets, some brass, and of course the powders. If you reload frequently you can save a ton of cash over the amount you would have spent on factory loads. The other advantage you have when reloading is that you can tailor the loads for your individual guns for greater accuracy and consistency. There are a lot of good reasons to reload... but the best reason is giving the middle finger to Nancy Pelosi. If you can condense your components to a smaller amount of powders and bullets... you can feed your guns a lot better with a smaller budget. Think about it. You could buy several one pound jugs of powder for the price of one box of shells for a premium box of shells. I've got a set up I'm going to be getting in the near future... a Hornady kit. I like the Hornady equipment. But I don't feel comfy setting up a reloading bench at Ogre Ranch just yet. But I will eventually. I'll have to be content reloading at friends houses when I can.

Bullet dodged: Remember last year me mentioning being in the Outlaw Trail Theater? Well this year the show they are doing is The Sound Of Music and Mrs. Ogre is the Director. I had resolved myself to being in it... singing the part of a Nazi or something... I don't know. But last night my wife had completed the casting selections – and I'm not in it! Thank Heavens! I'm not in this an I'm so freaking glad. There we go So Mrs. Ogre is going to be occupied with this... he he.

Speaking of Mrs. Ogre... her young sister who I photographed shooting my Vector Arms AK... Kenna. Yeah, guys... she's a Junior in High School. So slow your roll. She has received more than her share of marriage proposals because of those AK photos... it's a bit disturbing. I know, she's dish and represents the best of everything a conservative red blooded male appreciates in a woman. We understand this. We are all proud of her, she's a fantastic young woman. But the emphasis is on young, okay? I've watched her grow up. The first time I met her when I was dating my future bride she was just a toddler, wobbling around the place. Now she's almost an adult and smarter than your average rocket scientist. We are all very protective of her. Potential boyfriends are scrutinized carefully.

Back to the AK again: The round count for the AK she shot is still under 500 rounds... I've taken some time to smooth out the action a little here and there. The gun is now slicker than any AK has any right to be. When you load a fresh mag, lock it in, and pull back and release the bolt handle, you feel an action that most AR's would envy and you hear a crisp “snick-snack” sound as the gun feeds and functions better than advertised. After playing around with this Vector and Saiga... I've come to the conclusion that someone needs to build an AK chambered for Remington's 7MM and/or .300 SAUM cartridge. “Short Action Ultra Magnum”. With a slightly heavier, match accurate barrel, something like on the SVD rifles... you would have an ideal expeditionary rifle. Of course you could do this... there are .308 and 12 gauge AK's now... so a magnum round like the SAUM's wouldn't be too much of a problem. I'd like an SVD. Especially if I could get a Russian one and not the more common Chinese ones. Not that the Chinese versions are sub par. Not hardly... they are just fine. But I do prefer the Russian examples based on the ones I've seen. I've heard some guys say the Chinese guns are actually better. That's fine. If it is or isn't, I don't care. I'd still rather have a Russian one. Don't think that my attraction to Russian weapons is something new. I've always been fascinated by them. Ever since I first enlisted back when the Soviets were our enemy and these were the weapons that were going to kill me. Much deep respect.

4-23-07:  Hard Lesson Learned from IDPA: Saturday morning I went out to the local IDPA club and joined up. Of course I competed. I also learned something that I didn't want to admit before. John Moses Browning and Gaston Glock were both right. Let me back up and start from the beginning. Let me explain what opened my eyes. I rolled out with the FN FNP9-m pistol, spare mags and plenty of ammo. I thought I was all set and ready. While the pistol is a fantastic handgun, accurate and reliable... it is completely and utterly useless to me as a competition gun. This is because of my grip and the size of my orcish knuckles. During normal shooting, I have had no problems with the gun. But during the refining heat and pressure of competition, flaws became apparent. The main problem was the decocker lever. During recoil the lever would hit a knuckle and effectively become not a DAO, but because it was inconsistent, it was a DA-Sometimes. Fast and Accurate did not come together for me. It was either one or the other, but not both. This is where I learned something. I found that the traditional DA/SA type trigger system is less than ideal for competition. After the 3^rd stage I put away the FN and pulled out my Kimber. The Kimber might be built on a 100 year old design, but it proved to be a winning combination. It was both Fast and Accurate. This isn't just what you want for a competition gun, but this is what you want for a defensive gun. You want something that has natural ergonomics, natural accuracy, and good balance. This doesn't have to mean “1911” but it does work out that way quite often. You need a weapon that has a uniform trigger. Glocks, XD's, M&P's or other DAO's are just flat out better options than DA/SA guns. The FNP9, USP, Beretta 92FS, CZ 75 type guns have been favorites of mine... but I'm moving away from them. Looking back on when I have had to use my handgun for it's intended purpose, I used a .45 1911. The other times I never had to fire, so I don't know what the results would have been. Shooting under stress really is a bitch, but it is a good teacher. I don't think I'm going to own any more DA/SA guns. The other thing that is absolutely mandatory is that the gun fits you perfectly. When you bring the gun up, it has to be on target. No adjustments to your point of aim. The gun has become a part of you. For me, the 1911 and the M&P does this. For you, the recipe might be different.

Last observation is about caliber. For IDPA, some of the targets involve steel plates. Every once in awhile a 9mm pistol will fail to knock down a steel plate even with a direct hit. A .45 might also fail to knock it over as well. But just watch which has such failures more often. It isn't the .45. Not saying there is anything wrong with the 9. But it just doesn't have the grunt. 9 does have a place... in small concealable autos, carbines and submachineguns.

I had been thinking about converting my Kimber over to .45 Super. But I think that might be too much for little gain. If I want something hotter, I'm going to have to give the nod to 10MM. The 10 has a better capacity, velocity, energy... everything... while not being all that harsh. Too harsh maybe for FBI Accountants and Lawyers but not for real men looking for real firepower. Why in the hell has 10MM been so near death ever since it's birth? I can see why .41 Magnum failed. Revolvers have taken a second fiddle position to the auto and if you are not police officer, you might as well use a .44. But for an auto, why not a 10 if you want horsepower? Springfield and Kimber both need to put out a good 10MM. Smith and Springfield both need to put out a 10 in the M&P and XD pistols. HK needs to put out a 10MM USP with a light double action. I think if these platforms came out, the 10 would have a rebirth and really come into its own.

Armchair Quarterbacking the Gun Industry: Ruger is selling off all non-manufacturing properties, assets and artwork. I wonder why they are doing that. There are two reasons for this. One, Ruger is suffering from stagnating sales. Two, Ruger is needing a lot of capital to either pay off creditors or for new product development. If it is reason one, then Ruger is in serious trouble for the future. Without assets to back up financial moves, Ruger is going to be a sunsetting company within just a couple years. If it is reason two, then we are going to see a company that is worth keeping an eye on. They are going to be open to make some drastic financial moves and be able to hit the market with a sucker punch. I am rooting for Ruger because they are a large American company employing lots of good red-blooded Americans, but to be honest, I'm not a Ruger fan. The reason for that is because I think Ruger firearms are second rate. Look at Ruger's new P345. This is the best centerfire automatic pistol Ruger has ever made. It is slimmer in girth, more ergonomic in the grip, and cleaner in the lines than all the other Ruger pistols before it. However the gun is manufacturer by the Lost Wax method of casting. I think this method is fine for some things... but I would just rather not use this process for my guns. I'm not dissing the process... Ferrari uses it to build engines. But an engine block is a large heavy object... A pistol slide is small and light (or at least they should be) any flaw becomes a critical weak spot. In a cast object, voids may be hidden just under the surface. You wont ever know it is there until you are out in the field or on the range where the weapon is subject to shock, heat, and vibration that can make that flaw into a failure. We had a rifle at the store from Ruger. Right out of the box, first time we opened the box... nice big fat crack in the receiver. Yeah, so if you are comfortable with lost wax casting, good for you. There are some guns I like from Ruger. There wheel guns. The revolvers are built just bulky enough to have the strength they need. Blackhawks, New Vaqueros are my favorites from Ruger. I'm not the only one that feels that way. We sell a lot of those... and not so much of anything else. The rimfires are a different category and all sell well, but they are not subject to the same stresses. If it wasn't for the Single Six and the 10/22, Ruger would probably be ancient history by now. We probably sell 10 other centerfire rifles for every one Ruger centerfire rifle. They just are not all that popular around here. Savage sells better. With so few people buying Rugers, they need to either change the product line, or revamp the products. This makes me curious what Ruger might be up to.

What would I do if I was chief at the Ruger pow-wow? I'd revamp the manufacturing process for all centerfires... I'd take the money made from the selling of assets to purchase new CNC mills capable of milling out redesigned rifle receivers from forged billets. Same with automatic pistols. Straight up I'd put out a tight little striker fired compact auto for the concealed carry market that Ruger is totally missing out on. That's just a start.

Vernal Utah: This is a curious part of the country. I've been all over this nation and I've visited every state save those islands in the Pacific and a couple in New England, but I would put money down that this place is the most unique. It is growing faster than city planners had ever foreseen, but it is fighting to maintain that Small Town feel by limiting growth as much as possible. And by growth that means new franchises like Home Depot, Lowes, Olive Garden, Sizzler, Applebees, and places like that.

What makes it unique is what goes down as “cool” here. If you can, ride into town for that gallon of milk on your horse. If you have a truck, F-150's and the like are just not good enough... you need at least an F-250, it has to be lifted, and for the love of all that is holy, it has to be running diesel. The bigger the lift, the better. Tires are either Super Swampers or BFG A/T's or M/T's. Ford and Chevy are fine for company trucks, but if you want your own, the real cool guys are buying the big Dodge Rams. Lifted and diesel of course.

I'm all for high horsepower numbers, but when you are rolling on more than 600 in a vehicle that is too tall for work or offroading, geared too low to be either fast or quick... I have to ask, “WTF, Over?” They don't race these things... they just have it. Just in case. Just in case someone loses a trailer hitch on a trailer two stories tall and they need to help pull it. I don't know. If you want to be taken seriously by me, exaggerated lifts and outputs like that don't do it. I'm not a professional off roader, but I've done enough to know what will work and what wont. You should only lift your rig enough to give clearance for your larger tires and some articulation.  You want just enough, not too much.  3 to 6 for most applications is plenty. An 8 inch lift is more than enough for damn near everything with even the largest of tires. You don't need to go higher than that... but they do here in Vernal. Oh, they do. You want to keep your center of gravity as low as possible.  But these knuckleheads don't get that. 

High fashion stops at Carhart. Not that Carhart is all that great, but what people like about them out here is that they last forever. Doesn't matter that they are going to trade off those trucks that can run 300,000 miles after only two years and 75,000 miles. Or that they are going to toss those Carhart jackets after only a year because they are so encrusted in either cow shit or crude oil. But these things COULD last forever. And THAT is what makes them cool. Everyone out here that has more than 1 acre, has a tractor. The older the better. Because keeping that old 1950's single piston John Deer running and working is 10 times cooler than a newer model that runs more efficiently and cleanly.

Out here, the dialect is a strange mix of Western and Southern, but it isn't what you might call Southwestern. It's just “Vernal”. And the folks here will make fun of the slightly thicker version of the same accent spoken in a small town just outside to the west called “Jensen”. Jensen is Vernal's West Virginia... the butt of all the jokes about shagging sisters and stray sheep. Unlike West Virginia, unfortunately the Jensen jokes have historical foundations that are only one or two generations old. I hope they are that old.

For all it's faults and shortcomings... for all the times this place has pissed me slam off... this area has become home. The people are still small town folk. Generally kind and generous... they know who used to live in every house that isn't just freshly built, but if it was, then they know who used to have his horses there. They know your Momma or Papa, and they can't get too mad if someone does something stupid... because they did it too and they probably did it with your Momma or Papa. If they were from Jensen, then probably both. I think Brokeback Mountain is just northeast of Jensen. Or so it seems.

It has taken me a long time to fit in here. And I never thought I would. I get waved at on the street. I'll be stopped in the grocery store to settle a caliber/gun debate... or my opinion of the .204. It's a nice place, Vernal. Strange, but nice. It's home.

4-20-07:  Vector AK-47 Pics. As promised. This is McKenna, my sister in law. She is an amazing young woman with an IQ that is off the charts and an avid hunter and shooter.

Kenna helped me out with the Detonics Combat Master review.  I had some pictures with our friend Ben for the magazine, but they emailed that those didn't turn out.  So I asked Kenna if she wanted to go shooting.  "Heck ya!" she said.  She was deadly with my 7MM and Pariah, the black Marlin, but she liked the AK the Marlin best... so she is a girl of refined taste.  Thanks Kenna!

For the Vector, I'm going to order a replacement grip and a forward upper rail for a red dot sight.  Then I'm calling it good.  It doesn't need anything else.  Done.  Love it.

Murderers: I am truly disgusted that the media will pump out all the insane crap that a psycho mass murder spewed out, while at the same time asking the question “what can we do to keep this from happening again and who can we blame?” Guess what, Virginia – I can answer both of these questions. The media wants to point fingers; the media needs to look in the mirror. Through the media, such acts of insane violence and hatred are glorified and the people who do such acts are made icons. This Cho character even referenced the killers at Columbine. How could Cho have know the names of the guys at Columbine if the media had not made such a season out of promoting them? If they hadn't killed themselves, they would have required Agents. It was an easy lesson to learn, even for a psycho, that if you want to be famous all you have to do is go on a rampage and the news will put your face on the screen more than an American Idol. To prevent this from happening again, I have a simple 3 step program.

First off: The real cause of this is a parade of errors that actually makes the killer's words ring true... they had a million chances to stop this. When you have a trail of warning signs like Cho left, and no one took any action, this tells us something. This means the mental health care system is critically flawed. We need asylums like in the old days. When we have a person who is completely f'ing nuts, what do we do with them? We give them a bottle of pills, send them on their way and hope they take them and everything is going to be fine. This is proven to be a failing system. This doesn't work. This is one of the reasons we have an increased homeless problem. We need the good old fashioned mental hospitals like the good old days, revamped with modern medical science and care giving. They were closed because they were straight out of the dark ages, but they don't have to be in. The mentally ill people can get real treatment, humane treatment, and full supervision and security for everyone else.

Second: When a killer does something like this, the media does not broadcast his manifesto. His words die on his lips and is never heard of again. No fame, no glory, nothing. We give honor the victims, not the killers. Then we use crows cages. The killer's body – alive or dead however the situation ends after a very very speedy trial and sentencing – is locked in a crows cage and hung up in a public space for people to see... for potential copy cats to see the end they will face if they decide to pull some evil crap. They don't gain glory, they end up feeding crows. No hope of Willow the Hobbit coming by and freeing him... he just gets to rot.

Third, and this is the easiest actually... We put the expectation of security on the individual. I've had it up to here with stupid vapid liberals calling out for bans on violent video games and guns. So when acting like sheep and lining up for the slaughter didn't work to reduce the number of people killed – they call for making more people into sheep because maybe that might work better. Yeah, right. You know what? That doesn't work. To protect the sheep from the wolves, you need sheep dogs to fight the wolves. That means if you want a school to be a gun free zone, then you need armed guards and limited, controlled access to the schools. You can't have just one or two cops wandering around pretending to be a deterrent to violence. You need guys at every corner and in every hallway, big, armored, and armed with rifles. If you don't have that, then you don't have a safe zone. It isn't secured. You are just fooling yourself thinking or acting that it is. Wishful thinking. Since that would be a very expensive solution, then you only have one option. Let the citizens be armed and let them be responsible for themselves. Teachers and Faculty should be armed and so should students who are old enough and have concealed carry permits. You take these factors together and you are going to have people thinking twice before they roll into a school to start a shooting spree.

S&W M&P45. I've got two words about the M&P 45: LOVE IT. No, it doesn't have a capacity that rivals the XD45, but it is a good enough payload and the grip frame isn't stupid long like the XD45 either. (I like the XD45 Compact better than the full sized) The Smith gun actually looks cool as heck too. I looks serious, sleek, and mean. It looks like what a serious handgun should look like. In the hand, it feels awesome. Man, do I get one or do I wait for the compact version?

April 19th:  Hunter Dan: I want to talk about something lighter and fun right now. Have you guys ever heard of Hunter Dan? Some of you might have... I have a lot of hunters out there that read MadOgre.com... but most of you guys are not. If you are not a hunter you probably have not crawled Cabella's or Basin Sports or other world class outfitters. Most of you have probably become well acquainted with GI Joe. Well Hunter Dan is a line of action figures and and toys related to hunting. It stars “Hunter Dan” and his girl “Hunter Jan”. This helps introduce hunting to young folks in a positive way, not the Disney “Bambi” way. What is interesting is that the Hunter Dan company has contracted and made agreements with many of the big hunting and shooting sports companies. Nikon, Remington, MossyOak. They also make scale replicas of game animals from White Tails on up to Polar Bears. Hunter Dan even has an ATV to ride off to adventure on. Rifle Hunter Dan and Bow Hunter Dan... and Jan of course both outfitted just like how a real hunter is set up. It is very cool. They also have youth bows and crossbows. I got one for my little Sister In Law who is 6 months younger than my oldest son... she just turned 13 years old and is a total Tom Boy. I got her the Hunter Dan bow and she loves it. She's become quite a good shot with it too. While she might not be ready to roll out on a White Tail hunt, but at least she's shooting regularly now. If you have any little kids in the family – Check out Hunter Dan. If kids get interested in outdoor and shooting sports as kids, they become part of our culture later. They become customers of the companies we love and that keeps them in business and keeps our traditions alive in the future.

Vortex: There is a new line of optics out there that are well worth considering next time you are looking for some high end sporting optics. Vortex. They are making binos, spotting scopes, and rifle scopes. I've only handled and examined the binos... for the money, they are just under Steiner. For the quality, they are above Steiner. I'm really liking the brand and I am looking forward to checking out the rifle scopes. If they are as good as the binos... then I would imagine that they are going to be at least on par with Zeiss. If they are as good as they claim, then they are the next greatest thing since the noncorrosive primer. Of course, that is their claims.

As far as truly great scopes go, if I was a rich man, I'd have to buy a Leupold VX-7. Not only are they straight up hard core recoil scoffing scopes, but they are optically on par with certain very high end Austrian glass. What I like about them the best is the pop up turrets that don't have you pulling off the caps to make adjustments. Very nice.

From Larry Correia of FBMG: “George, Could you do me a favor? Since you've got a very well read blog, could you say something about how CCW is allowed in schools, in Utah? I'm finding that the vast majority of people out there don't know that, including gun people. They think it is banned everywhere, and the whole idea of guns in school is flabbergasting. I want to get the word out into the Blogsphere that Utah has guns in school, and we have no problems with it. That lets the genie out of the bottle, and hopefully people in other states will pick this up. This is why FBMG is teaching CCW to students, faculty, and staff for free. I want the word to get out. I want people in other states to demand that their legislators allow them to protect their own children. I want them to ask "Why do people in Utah love their children more than we love ours?" -Larry”

You said it well enough Larry. Thank you. You are working to make Utah a better, safer State to live in for all of us.

April 17th:  BAG DAY REPORT: April 15^th is BAG day. “Buy A Gun Day”. I took possession of a new AK-47 the night of the 14^th. To celebrate BAG day, I took it and a bunch of other guns out to have some fun in the desert Ogre Style. But first, let me tell you about the AK. Vector Arms in North Salt Lake makes one seriously wicked AK. I've now taken possession of my new all black under-folder and it is the most sinister AK I've ever seen. As far as stamped AK's go, it is one of the best. Nothing rattles, all the parts fit tight and the finish looks great. The folding stock on this one is rock solid. If you are looking for a good AK and don't want to pay through the nose or you don't want a cheap POS WASR, then you need to click the FBMG gunny bunny link, and check out the Vector Arms AK-47 guns. Prices are excellent. How does it shoot? Well, it shoots just like a good AK should. It fired every time I pulled the trigger, and it hit the target every time too. Sorry AR fanatics... yours is not the only game in town. Let's see... this AK is about ½ the cost of the AR-15's I'd pick if forced to buy an AR. Let's look at the advantages. They are more reliable. They fire a .30 caliber bullet instead of a .22. They scream political incorrectness. I can dress it up with rails and all the other do-dads that the AR guys get wood over – and still be into the gun for less than the AR is stock. This leaves more money left over for other things... like a case of ammunition (which I got), a jump bag full of spare magazines, a movie and dinner out with the wife, oh... and a tank full of gas.

Shooting the AK is a joy. Good AK's are plenty accurate. To illustrate this point, I tagged a white rock about 14 to 18 inches in diameter that was 274 yards (Nikon Laser 800 verified) away with happy regularity. The rock really stood out... white against a brown background. Misses were met with a brown puff of dust, and hits were rewarded with nice white bursts of dust. After warming up with it... I was hitting every time. This practical accuracy is on par with an AR. I'm going to shoot it for groups when I get another chance to go out shooting. Well, I put a major dent in the case of ammo and the gun ran perfectly. Not a single jam. Cleaning it took just a couple minutes at most. It was great. With an AR, even if it did run fine, it would have taken forever to clean it.

It would be nice if someone would make more custom grips for the AK like they do the AR. Nice rubber ones like what come on Rock Rivers. I've not seen them if anyone does.

Still... I am pleased as punch with this new Vector AK. I've only seen photos of them before. When I ordered it, I was planning on getting a Saiga side-folder. After talking with Larry there at FBMG I switched it over to the Vector. Larry did not disappoint. The gun is actually better than I anticipated. Photos are on the way.

I just finished the review on the new Detonics Combat Master. Great little gun and worthy of the name. It is emailed, with photos and everything, to Concealed Carry Magazine. Glad to have it done. The downside is that it is time to send the gun back to Detonics. If I made enough scratch from each article to buy every gun I reviewed... I would be the Happiest Ogre ever.

Oh for the love of... I hate it when I am trying to look something up and all I find are links back to MadOgre.com. Sheesh.

Virginia Tech: This is what happens when people act more like sheep and not like warriors. With two handguns this evil sumbitch delivered death to 32 people (according to the news so far) and wounded many more. People responded like sheep, cowering and running and ending up lining up to be executed. If you are lined up like that, you know you are going to be killed – you have nothing to lose. FIGHT BACK! What happened to our warrior spirit? We are Americans for God's sake! We stand and fight, not cower in fear. We are not French!

This is the fruits of No Weapons policies. No Guns Means No Protection - and this is what comes of it. Get your CCW Permit and wear your gun at all times. You owe it to America.

There is going to be an increased call for Gun Control now. It has already started. We can not allow ourselves to lose the argument. I've got two things about gun control. First off, Gun Control obviously did not work at VT. All it did was to create an environment where the monster was able to rampage unopposed. There was another Virginia campus shooting a couple years ago. Two students who had concealed carry permits stopped the shooter in his tracks. At Trolley Square here in Utah, the shooter was stopped by a man who carried a concealed weapon. It is a fact – Gun Save Lives.  When someone tries to call for control within earshot - you call bullshit on that and point out these two instances.

The other thing I have about this – FREE CONCEALED CARRY CLASSES for all Students or Faculty of a Utah College. Contact Larry Correia at FBMG to find out when the classes are held. GO GET YOUR PERMIT. You have no excuses left. If you are a Man, then be a MAN and stand up take your place... if you are legal to own a handgun then you need to get your CFP card and defend the meek.

Friday the thirteenth:  I'm hooked on a Discovery Channel show. Deadliest Catch. I'd full on love spending a season trying out the fishing boat life. I don't know about being on a crab boat... The bit that ruined it for me was having to smash the ice off the ship with sledges or the ship could capsize. No thanks. So crabbing is out, but other sorts of fishing would be cool. There is something about that sort of life that draws me to it. I don't know what it is... but I've always been fascinated by it. I guess it might have something to do with my dad absolutely forbidding me to change from Boy Scouts to Sea Scouts as a youngster. Maybe he was afraid I'd join the Navy. Anyways, I've not missed an episode since the start of season 2. Tough job those guys have. My hats off to those guys.

Brutus is having some issues. I pulled him out of the garage and everything was cool at first... then all the sudden the brake warning light came on and wont go off. The brake fluid was almost empty so I topped it off, but that didn't help. The light is still on. It isn't just the light... the peddle is almost to the floor before any braking happens. I must have some air in the lines. One of these days I'll have to get that looked at. Until then I only need it for one short trip to the dump... after that, I'll have to dig into it to get it ready for the summer.

Imus. I've only listened to Imus a couple times before. He never impressed me and I've always thought he was a dumbass. So he got into hot water because he said a womans basketball team looked like a bunch of nappy headed ho's. Well, are they? No one as actually countered that charge save the coach. Because really for all we have learned from the Liberals, the evidence doesn't matter, just the seriousness of the charge. So Imus got slammed for the comment. I don't care about that, but what bothers me is that as soon as he could, he was on Al Sharpton's show. What I don't like about that? I don't remember anyone voting on Sharpton being the representative of all the black folks in the US. So who is guilty here of racism. Imus being a dumbass, or Sharpton perpetuating racial division? I don't know about you, but I don't think Imus is the one to point the finger at. Methinks Imus isn't the one who should lose his show – it's sharp tongued Sharpton.

What bothers me about this the most is the battle against free speech. This is the pointy end of the sword of free speech... someone, somewhere, is going to say something that pisses you off. Suck it up and deal with it.

This game, STALKER. Intense. Wide spaces like Oblivion, with smart foes like FEAR, and with scary, creepy things like DOOM 3, hard challenging action. This is the best game ever. Multiplayer is available too. All it needs are a bunch of vehicles to boost and it would be the perfect game.

I did some shooting yesterday. Mostly with my 7MM and a few different loads. As far as factory loads go, I am preferring the heavier bullet weights. Of those, Hornady has the best. Especially the new Heavy Mag cartridges. The lighter bullets have greater velocity, but they don't retain the energy at long range. I like to hit my target at a distance and hit it hard. Sun Tzu admonished hitting your enemy first, and hitting him hard enough that he can't hit back. For hunting that means hitting your prey hard enough it can't run away. For engaging a hostile, that means defeating his armor, vehicle, and putting down your adversaries in order of priority – not opportunity. The best advantage that a rifleman has over his adversary is stealth, surprise, and precision fire. So take your time, plan your shots carefully, select your best priority target, and take it when you know you got the shot and you can make an escape under concealment. This is what I like about my 7MM. I'm able to hit harder and farther than most military calibers. My scope is better suited to the task of long range hitting than most of the optics on military carbines. See, this gives civilian arms real teeth. Just because you don't have a 30 round magazine doesn't mean you are under gunned. You just have to operate within your strengths. You have to remember you Sun Tzu. For that reason I'm going to be going over The Art of War and how it applies to personal defense. I have the first few chapters already done.... I'm calling this Ogre's 13 Chapters and you will be able to read them as I get them done in the Weapons Section.

Monday, 4-9-07:  “STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl”. WHOA. This game is some very serious software. The scope is massive. Think of this like Oblivion, but with guns. The story is simple enough, you go into the Chernobyl radiated zone because it's all freaked out and brimming with goodies. There are good guys in there, bad guys, random monsters and all that... a fun place. Bring your weapons. It is open ended and free wheeling. Like GTA or Oblivion you can run around and do odd jobs, side missions, and all that. The basic story line is to find out who you are... because fully trained killing machines are always forgetting who they are. Okay, yeah that bit is lame, but the game play is just amazing. Hard too. Even on the novice setting, I spend quite a bit of time dying. The F6 key becomes your friend very quickly – the quick save. Use it – a lot. Maybe I've lost my Uber-Micro skills and my pwnage gaming skills... because this game kicks my trash. Things in the game want to kill you, eat you, rape you, or just use your dead body for decoration. And if you are lucky, they will do it in that order. (Homage to Firefly) Did I mention the massive areas to explore? Huge. Oh, and even the open terrain wants to kill you. Radiation hot spots will microwave your guts if you don't watch where you are going. Some funneling in areas. For example in one area you have to get through there are several packs of wild dogs that will rip your throat out... the road goes between the. But up the middle is a hostile group of AK-74 armed bandits who want to do the same. If you play your cards right, you could coax the bandits to shoot the dogs and get the dogs to attack them. This of course allows them to chew each other down to manageable bit that you can finish off. Or you can try to skirt the threats, or you could charge in and kill everything. You decide. This game can really make you think. I like that. Oh, and the game thinks on its own too. NPC's and enemy AI's react to you and what you do, how you do it and how you look doing it. The enemy AI is interesting. Much like FEAR, the enemy reacts to the way you fight and will coordinate against you. The enemy's weapons are effective and you will find yourself quite shot up in a hurry if you just try to tank through. Graphics are great... my Lappy only just barely plays it... but my big bad Dell machine runs it perfectly at highest settings. You had best have a serious PC to try this one – but if you do... oh brother. You are in for a very cool game. Get it. I am in love with this game.

This is a good question: “I am shopping for a small handgun, to be used 100% for self defense in a concealed carry capacity. I have a Kel-Tec 32, which is very concealable, but I am concerned that the stopping power is too anemic and that it might not work when I need it. I also have a Glock 26, and a S & W Model 60 snubnose, but both of them are hard to conceal. Reliability is essential. What do you recommend?”

Not many pistols get smaller and easier to hide than the 26 or Model 60 while keeping up the firepower. Off the cuff I'm suggesting the the Walther PPK/S in .380. Put there are others if you don't mind spending a few more bucks. The Kahr PM9 is hard to beat when it comes to packing a lot of punch in a small package... but then there is the R9 from Rohrbaugh, which makes the PM9 look like a chunky monkey. If you want to pack a real gem, the R9 is amazing. Not cheap, but you do get what you pay for. I would have reviewed one for Concealed Carry Magazine, but someone else beat me to it.

MadOgre.com's REAL MAN OF THE YEAR: The nominations have been good and plenty, tons of nominations for the late Jeff Cooper. Unfortunately since Jeff passed away, we are going to have to disqualify him. If we nominate the dead, then we could go through history for all the excellent candidates out there. George Washington, Ben Franklin, General Patton, Samual Colt, John Moses Browning... see the problem? Let's keep it current. As much as I would like to... looks like Jeff is out of the running. But he does get honorable mention. I've taken all the nominations into account. There are several fantastic men from England, one from Germany, one from Norway, one from Italy... and many great Americans. The title of REAL MAN OF THE YEAR goes to Ronnie Barrett of Barrett Firearms. Ronnie has probably done more for the Second Amendment than any other one single individual in the last few years. He is a rabid combatant in the war to keep out guns and that means all of our guns, especially the big .50 caliber rifles that his company makes. He fights, not just for the sake of the .50 because he makes them... he sells enough of them to military groups around the world. He fights for the individual as well. He has battled so many lawsuits that it's crazy... but he persists. His contribution to firearms history is a unique one Browning designed the .50BMG for his M2 machine gun... and the Barrett, so many years later is the only serious improvement of application for the caliber. His weapons are the point of the spear in the hands of our troops over in the sandbox. Taking down targets before they ever knew they were being observed. He might wear a neck tie more often than not, but he's still one of the best. Thank God he is American and not Iranian or we would be in serious trouble.

Friday, 4-6-07:  In the movie “A Good Shepard” there is a quote I want to share. “Victory has a thousand fathers, but defeat is an orphan.” Well, it is looking like defeat now has a lot of fathers this time around. Harry Reid. John Kerry, Nancy Pelosi, Hillary Clinton, Barrack Obama, and all the rest of the Democrats that are working tirelessly to undermine the war. Trying to ban the phrase “War on Terror”? Are they insane, stupid, or just flat out anti-American? Speaking of this spy movie... good grief is it boring. I just about fell asleep watching it.

I'm sick and tired of listening to vapid, flaccid brained Liberals blaming everything on President Bush... Bush is causing Global Warming. Bush is causing Palestinians to explode. Bush is killing baby fur seals. Bush started global terrorism.

Americans do not create enough greenhouse gases to effect the climate. The sun, combined with natural global cycles and geological events are what is causing global warming. I'm not saying it isn't happening... Glaciers are melting, the polar ice cap is pulling back... yeah, things are warming up. I don't care so much. Look at the advantages... longer growing seasons in areas that are normally short and less productive. Its all good. Sure, deserts are expanding constantly, but they have been doing that ever since we've been watching. They were doing that when we were thinking there was an oncoming ice age. Going to school as a kid I remember science teachers talking about another ice age heading our way. Now there isn't going to be any ice all according to these new folks. Eggs are good for you... now they are bad for you. Some science is good science and others are junk science. Come on. Enough already. We produce Carbon Dioxide. So what? Plants use that. It's plant food. Plants convert that into energy to grow and the waste bi-product that we need to breath... oxygen. I'm not seeing the downside here. So what causes most of this so called Global Warming?

The rule of thumb when looking for the truth in any matter is to follow the money. Who is profiting from it? Who is banking on Global Warming? Al Gore, for starters. Liberal groups selling “carbon offsets” like the Pope used to sell indulgences. If you believe that crap, check this out... you pay me twenty bucks and I'll see to it that The Great Pumpkin leaves you more Halloween candy.

You guys know I don't really like AR-15 rifles. I want to get back into competition and I'm gearing up for it... IDPA and 3-Gun. Handguns are not a problem... shotguns are taken care of. That leaves a rifle. Being as how I am not fond of AR's and would rather do something different, I figured why not do the opposite? That means an AK. Sure, an AK will have a disadvantage in terms of reloading speed... but other than that, I consider them on equal footing for the pros and cons here. I decided I wanted a good and solid AK so I called up Larry over at FBMG. Larry competes... and uses an AK for it. He's hooking me up a Vector AK that should work nicely. I'll need to get some things done to it... get it set up... but this is a good starting point.

I considered an AR... or at least a .223 gun. There is one that is interesting, I'll admit it. If I was going to buy an AR new in the box, I'd have to roll with a S&W Performance Center rifle. You have to spend a lot more money to get a better set up... as far as AR-15's go. But even then, it's still a .223. At least an AK throws out a bigger chunk of lead. Accuracy is underestimated in the AK. A good quality unit will shoot much better than most guys would think. Certainly good enough for 3Gun. Good enough for me. For longer range shooting that that, well, that's what I have bigger rifles for. I've guns good out to 1500 yards. Don't have a .50 yet. Eventually, but not yet. I'm in no rush. A year or so yet.

FNP9-M: I was worried that I wouldn't have a holster for it. Turns out that I have a weird little holster that I picked up for free some time ago that never fit anything else... yet fits the FN perfectly. It carries and conceals well in this leather rig. I think this might be my IDPA pistol... at least for now.

MadOgre.com's Real Man Of The Year is starting out well. We've got some good nominations to consider, but I want more. Let me know, who out there is a Real Man. So far, nominations have included presidents of some solid companies, heroes, fathers, leaders... all very good choices with good arguments to support the nominations. Next post will have the results.

Wednesday, 4-4-07: When it comes to the Bear Gun issue... I've decided to take closer looks at all the options out there. Handling each one, weighing the pros and cons. I'm really liking the Ruger Alaskan in .454. The barrel is short and easy to carry, yet the grip is full length, comfortable soft rubber that allows the use of the most potent of rounds. A fantastic combination.

The only question is do I really need one here in the Uintah Basin. The answer is actually no. I'm going to pass on this one. While I like the idea of something on my hip capable of stopping rampaging monsters, I really don't need it. Big browns are rare in my parts, and every time I'm up in the mountains I do have a long arm. 7MM Rem Mag, .300 RUM, .45-70 Gov, .300WSM, 12 Gauge... so no... I'm going to skip the Alaskan. I could kill bears just fine with my wee little .30-30.

Speaking of pulling the trigger. I'm going to be keeping the FN FNP9-M that I reviewed for concealed carry magazine.

This gun has really grown on my. After the initial hiccup with the faulty trigger system, I've come to really appreciate the gun's strengths. It is made in the USA, coming out of one of my favorite towns, Fredericksburg, VA. Small enough for easy concealment while still packing full 15 round magazines... with a decent trigger pull now that it's worked in after the repair... and the gun is nice and light. Rock solid reliability, and certainly accurate enough for wet-work.  I like that.  I especially like the price that FN is letting me have the gun for. Whoa. You'd have snagged it too.

Red's Trading Post in Twin Falls, ID. Red's is under attack by the ATF. While I don't know the full story, I do know that I don't like it. Instead of the ATF helping Red's and showing them how to fix small errors and keep them from happening in the future, they are trying to shut them down. They are trying to shut down many dealers and gunsmiths across the country. They have a long history of being a strong arm bully. This isn't cool. The ATF needs to be shut down... the agency is out dated and the F part is flat out unconstitutional.

Senator Harry Reid is a freaking moron. He supports the surge of troops and is now saying he is going to push to cut off the funds for the troops he helped send over there. You have got to be kidding me. His big idea is to give the bad guys (yes, they are bad guys) a schedule? Why not just give the enemy the GPS locations of all our troop locations too? What a dickhead. I'm sick of these Liberal Idiots fighting for failure. Can you just imagine what kind of success we could have if these jackasses (Hey, they picked their party mascot. I just find it fitting) were actually on our side? Not that we need them... our Military is a serious ass kicking machine. It would just be nice if we were all on the same side. And now we have Nancy Pelosi running around Syria like she is their best friend? When was the last time she paid a friendly visit to New Orleans or Florida or Texas? What does she being in the middle east have to do with representing her constituents in San Fran? Do Liberals really want this? Do they really want women to be subjects to male whim? To be forced into submission? To throw away Equal Rights? Are they kidding me? And she is over there jacking them off, covering her head, and making the US look like a bunch of weak pansies. Just like we knew she would. Right when we need to show as much strength as possible. Damn it, people!

An interesting idea worth exploring: REAL MAN OF THE YEAR. “Dear George, I am getting pretty impatient with the current state of manhood, in both the UK and the USA. It seems that liberal forces have diluted the idea of masculinity to the point where it is OK for men to eat salad, have feelings, cry or even moisturize. So, I have an idea. Why not hold an annual MadOgre “Real Man” awards event, to honour those who have done their bit to uphold masculine values worldwide. For 2007, I would like to nominate Ranulph Fiennes. This man is so hard that in 2000 he amputated three of his own fingers. In his garden shed. With an electric saw. Without blubbing like a girl. Alternatively, as a second candidate, I nominate Will Scully, another Englishman. Scully once took on an entire army. On his own. And lived to tell the tale. Many American civilians owe their lives to him. Either of these two individuals would qualify as “real men” in my book. Both display the necessary qualities of stoicism, toughness, courage and effortless superiority over foreigners. We need more like them. Yours James, St Albans, UK”

Let's go head and make this available for voting for all Free countries. Communist or other dictatorships need not apply. I don't want a billion North Koreans voting for Kim Jong Ill. Actually, let's just go ahead and limit this further to Coalition of the Willing nations. Which leaves out France and Germany. Nominate your MadOgre.com REAL MAN OF THE YEAR guy by Mid April. We'll do this every April if all goes well. Let's set some rules. No Politicians or Musicians or Actors. Real Men with incredible stories of overcoming huge problems by having the balls to act like a real man in the spirit of Robert Heinlein's admonition: “A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects. -Lazarus Long, Time Enough For Love” Bonus points for those who lived through the ordeal. I know it would be very easy to just go through the list of Medal of Honor winners, but Military Service is not going to be a requirement.

Sunday, 4-1-07: Music Moment: Our buddy Ben has hooked us up with four new Nightwish albums. I don't know exactly why, but I find Nightwish full on groovy. The male vocals just need to stop. Especially on the Angels Fall First album... As far as vocals go, it's all about The Chick. She makes it worth while. One sides duets, but that's part of its charms. I guess. Thanks Ben. Our man Stig in the frozen wastelands, wandering around with polar bears, has indicated that he is sending us some more of that hard edged Norse heavy metal. The last CD blew speakers out it was so harsh. Bring it. I'm down for some more of that.

Speaking of Polar Bears: I watched a special on one of the Discovery channels about bears. They talked about Grizzlies and Polars and all them... Polar bears being the largest and freakiest and possibly the most powerful. The show demonstrated the bears extraordinary abilities. I've come to opinion that I shall never venture forth into the wilderness without something capable of killing a bear. I go out all alone all the time. Used to have Ranger with me, but no more. My normal sidearm choices for venturing are my .357 Magnum New Vaquero or my Kimber .45. After that show, my hell... I'm thinking I need something with more punch. In these parts we have mostly just Black Bears but sometimes there is an occasional Brown. Yes, they are rare, but damn, I don't want to be the lucky one to find one. I've seen bears in the distance... even Black Bears are large and quite powerful. If one decides to get frisky, that's not something to take lightly. There are somethings you just don't take chances with. Cougars are one thing. A 9mm is enough for a cat. But a Bear? No way. I'm thinking a .44 Magnum at least. Perhaps a .454. Of course I always have a rifle... but not always in my hand. Hence my desire to have a sidearm. I learned that the hard way.

Children of Men. There is a lot of hoopla about this flick. I hated it. The movie just sucks. The cast was fine and the acting was great... but the story was just, just so freaking lame. The script was empty and hollow. The ending was pathetic. The movie was a total waste. The marketing calls it the next Blade Runner? Whoever said that needs to get bitch-slapped. Blade Runner was fantastic.

Now if you want a movie that moves you... one that grips you and doesn't let go – Blood Diamonds. This is one serious film that is worth watching. Here's the rub. It ain't science fiction. That shit happens. Is happening. Africa is one truly fucked up continent. So much potential. So many resources... so much evil. Now, the acting in this flick is brilliant. Buy this one. Oh, and Jennifer Connelly is a tasty goddess.

Wilson Combat ADP: The latest issue of American Handgunner had a review of the ADP written by a guy named Petty. His review is pretty good in most cases until it gets to where he is actually shooting it. I tried the ADP both right and left handed, and I never had the magazine spontaneously eject on me. In a different article by Petty, he mentions that he uses a lot of TiteGroup powder in his reloads and mentions that most of his shooting is done with that powder. Then in the ADP article he mentions the necessity of cleaning before 200 rounds fired because it starts giving failure to fires. Well... I don't know if there is a correlation there. Because in my testing I pumped a total of 500 rounds through it and only cleaned it twice. Then again, I only use factory ammo for my test shooting. FMJ, JHP, it didn't matter, the gun was perfectly reliable for me. First cleaning was after 100 rounds fired, just because I decided I wanted to and to see how much carbon (Mr. Petty calls it soot) has built up in the gas system. After that, I fired another 400 rounds before cleaning it again. I did not have ANY failures to fire. I also did not have any instances of the gun accidentally going into Safe mode. Another thing I found was that the gun was pleasant to shoot even for being so small and light. Accuracy was outstanding from first shot to last. He calls it a Thinking Man's gun, and that's true. It's for a man who can think for himself. For the ADP's size, weight, reliability and accuracy... it has a lot going for it. I still like it and I think it is perfect for folks with small or weak hands, for women or elderly, or for anyone who is tired of the same old same old. And hey, it is a Wilson Combat. That's a good thing.

Zumbo Time: Some guys are still not with me about Zumbo. That's fine. Yeah, what he said was completely shitty, ignorant and arrogant. He made a mistake and committed a sin... but he has recognized that mistake, apologized for it, and has done what he can to make amends. I think we can forgive him. What, you've never made a mistake before? Look, his comments struck me in the heart too. I carried the M-16 and so did all of my brothers. My brothers are still in and are once again On Alert with a very likely chance of going back very soon. My brothers are not terrorists. They are students and artists who appreciate the higher order of things... yet they do not hesitate in returning violence of action for random violent actions. They love Peace more than most San Fran hippies will ever appreciate. None of our family our of a terroristic nature. Well, our Sister who we dont talk about much would probably not be averse to doing some E.L.F. or P.E.T.A action, but then again she is a Slack Brained Liberal Idiot^tm. Anyways, Zumbo deserved a slap down and he got it. But feel we can forgive him and welcome him back to writing articles on subjects that he knows a whole bunch about. We have enough enemies out there without looking for more within our own ranks. So what if his words are used against us. If they are, we can use them against the speaker. We can point out Zumbo's congressional response and we can also question the speaker on if they really think our own soldiers are terrorists. Zumbo's bad is a two edged sword that I think people will not want to pick up after awhile.

Email – totally unedited: “& people have told me that i am a few $$ shy of being excentrick......LMAO.....i can learn from u..keep on truckin

ps...lower to the ground.....+ its really hard to fall off of the floor.- Joe and Myrna”

WTF? Dude, lay off the wacky weed.

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Copyright G H Hill 1999-2012

“I keep two magnums in my desk drawer. One is a gun that I keep loaded.  The other is a bottle and it keeps me loaded.”