April 2008

4-30-08:  The Human Condition. Kim has had a bought of Gout. I have one too. It flared up two days ago and I was limping bad today. Tomorrow I might be on a cane to get around. But it gets better. I take my twins in to the dentist... and while I'm there, I mentioned my cracked tooth. Next thing I know, I'm getting x-rays and I have mirrors going down my throat and they start throwing out words like “Canals” and “Roots”. So now I'm looking at a root canal and a gold crown. But not till August. (WTF?) So late this summer, I get ”Bling in my Grill.” I'll have a Captain Jack Sparrow going on.

There goes my ACOG. 1100 bucks. Shit. Vortex is coming out to see us this Friday. I hope to get some good information about the Strikefire. Maybe that might be an acceptable replacement.

The upshot for the day: Kicked out a Barrett 82 .50 BMG rifle today. That always makes me feel good. Just knowing that I'm doing something no one in California can do. It's what gets me out of the bed in the mornings.

Just a quick note: When you are mounting a scope on a rifle... don't put the base screws all the way through the receiver.  If a screw is just a hair too long, it can bind up the works. Judas priest, if I had a dollar for every one of those I've fixed... every time, the customer has told me "I should have had you do this for me".   I've got guys that might buy the gun from dealers in other states - but bring them to me to mount and bore sight. 

Some current topics of discussion: Miley Cyrus: Vanity Fair needs to be fined... erotic photographs of a 15 year old? That's not cool. Then there was the photo of Miley leaning on Billy Ray, her father. Some guys freaked out about that, such as Michael Savage, who said he should be arrested. What? I didn't see anything wrong with that photo. It's a father and a daughter, together... I thought it was beautiful and tender... not sexual. But that nearly topless photo makes Miley look like she just got raped – which I guess, she did. By a photographer and magazine looking to turn a buck. Some guys are saying she's turning Brittany Spears. I don't think so... She's Country. Country girls don't go that route, so don't get your hopes up. She's pretty girl... I can see why my boys dig her. We hope her the best.
Jeremiah Wright: The Wacky Black Preacher: I fully support his right to say all that crap, to wish that God damns this country. That is his right. Truthfully, I am pleased that he can say it. It means we are still free. He can talk about chains all he wants. If he was really oppressed, he'd be tied to a tree like a Christmas ornament by now. Of course, I can exercise my rights, and not vote for Obama, because the idea that a president would have a guy like this as a mentor? Unbelievable.

4-29-08:  Okay, I couldn't help it. I had to take the SIG 556 home. I had to. Here is my baby:

She's naked though. Look at her. Isn't she sad? She needs to be dressed. She needs some optics. If I had my druthers, if money was no option... ACOG. No question about it, I'd roll with the ACOG.  But I can't afford that. At least not yet.

Speaking of SIG: We got in a couple different new SIG pistols, both just flat out gorgeous. One is the SIG GSR 1911 Platinum Elite. Wow. Seriously sharp looking 1911. Two tone, with grey aluminum grips. It is one of the most distinct production 1911's I've ever seen. And the price is very reasonable, 1069... for a semi custom with night sights... adjustables that look like Novaks. Again, distinctive. I like it. Nice checkering work... this gun looks like a 10.

Now the other one we got in looks like a 10 too... until you pick it up. This is the SIG P229 Elite Stainless. Let me say this again, this gun looks sexy. Now, it looks good, but it is chunkier and heavier than it should be. As Ben says, “It's like Anna Nicole Smith.” That is the nail hit right on the head. However, we showed this gun to a big dude with big dude hands... he loved it. It fit him perfectly and he really digged it. Hell, it's a slick gun, with night sights, great trigger and no warts. In examination, the extra weight and the size makes this gun rock solid and stable... combined with the great trigger... this gun is a serious shooter. Spendy though... we are selling it for 1129, which is a lot less than what I've seen other dealers roll them for.

Long Range Shooting: Learn how.

4-28-08:  Saddle up the Four Horsemen: I did something that I've said I would never do. Forgive me ye Elder Gods: A SAVAGE! Stainless and Synthetic, in .22-250. I picked up this used trade in... it was nasty dirty... it was neglected... but under the grime it was in very good shape. Had rings and bases on it, so I threw on an old Leupold and bore sighted it. I think this is going to do well. I don't know what you guys think, but I am looking forward to busting some Yotes with this guy. The barrel is heavy... in fact, I've never had a barrel this heavy... normally I don't like them. This one is, as you can see, fluted. Unfortunately it isn't fluted enough to really give any benefits to the actual shooting... it just makes it look a little sportier.

I've been looking at options for my SIG 556. Wouldn't you know it, as soon as I get mine, The Boss orders in the SWAT version that I'd rather have. I have to laugh. But not too much... the SWAT version is about $400 more than the one I got, which is no longer being offered. (The no sights version) At 400 more, that's one hundred bucks per rail. Really the only rail I want is the one across the top at the same level as the one on the receiver, so I can use my good flip up sights. Oh well, I might have to use those on something else. No biggie. I am still planning on using the Vortex Strikefire. Optical gunsight.  But all the sudden I'm thinking about the Leupold Prismatic again.

Email: “Hi Ogre, what’s your take on Para USA is the LDA pistol any good or should I stay away? Thanks – Craig” Rubbish. For something to carry around with me daily, I'd rather have a tumor. Take a good hard look at the Springfield EMP 9mm. It's just a little bit more, but what you get is in a class all on its own. Now that is how to do a small 9mm 1911.

Speaking of being in a class all on its own: The Dan Wesson Bobtail Commander. I am increasingly impressed with the Dan Wesson pistols. They are incredibly well made. Some guys have chided the DW gun as being a second class citizen in the 1911 world. Trust me, it isn't.

It's a top rung option that is a great deal for the money. Forged steel, no MIM, no plastic... no shortcuts. The guns shoot extremely well, and I've not seen any jams in them.  They feel fantastic in the hand.  And they hit what you aim at.  Every time.  Solid construction, no play in the frame to slide fit... which is flawless.  The only thing I don't like about them is that they don't offer it in black, and they have this wide lazy checkering... what is that?  12 LPI?  It needs to be much tighter. I'd like to see about a 25 LPI checkering on it.

ATK just snapped up Weaver. Meade Instruments also owned Redfield, I believe. So here is Meade, selling off two top notch industry names. Why? Probably something to do with some lawsuits regarding lenses in their star watching scopes. Like I've mentioned before, Leupold picked up Redfield and not ATK has Weaver. This is interesting. ATK, for those who don't know, is the company that owns CCI, Speer, and other gun related companies. I'm not aware of them in the sport optics fields, off the top of my head right now. Either way, Weaver is the 3^rd top US made optic historically. With Leupold and Redfield being the top two. Burris comes in 4^th and Bushnell.... I don't know where Bushnell is. Like Redfield, Weaver has been made in China for some time, and we hope they bring production back to US shores. I've never been a fan of Meade Instruments and I'm glad to see them getting away from these good names. I have a couple rifles with Weaver scopes and rings... others with Redfield rings and bases. I used to have a Redfield scope too.

4-27-08:  Hottest of the hottie ladies: Kim du Toit has a short Top Five list of the hottest ladies. We only agree on one. Monica Bellucci. She is shockingly gorgeous. FHM magazine put her at number 47? Idiots. Now, let's throw down the other four. Eva Mendes. Beyonce Knowles. Anne Hathaway. Katherine Heigl. I don't think I could put these ladies in any 1-5 order. Honorable mentions: Hayden Panettiere, even though I'm not into elf chicks. Megan Fox, FHM's #1 Chick. And of course, Jennifer Connelly.

The world is going crazy and there is a lot I could talk about... but I'd rather blow it off today and talk about those hot chicks. That's about it. It's a nice day outside... go out.  I'm going shooting.

4-25-08:  I've had a lot of feed back about the SIG 556 rifle choice. Well, I've put one on lay away until my economic stimulus check comes in to pay off the rest. Look guys, I know there are a lot new hot rifles coming out either now or shortly... but when it come right down to it, they don't offer me anything that the SIG 556 can't do. They are not actually any better, but are more expensive and are brand new. The new SCAR, if it actually gets to dealers this year, is the only one that can claim battle proven. And that is only in the limited experiences offered by a few Special Forces units that have fielded pre-production samples... so even saying that it is battle proven is kind of a stretch. The SIG 556 is battle proven. It's a civilian version of the SIG 550 series which has long been known as one of the premier rifles out there. They made if fire off USGI type 5.56 mags and they took away the select fire... but the rest of the gun is that good old 550 heritage. What's not to like? And really, who can honestly turn up their nose at SIG SAUER? They (and by that I mean all SIG's products) might be a little big, bulky, and a little heavier than they should be – but so am I. I can deal with it. I can man up on that extra half pound. No problem there for me. And I like the slight weight forward balance. It helps keep you on target when shooting fast. Look, just because I didn't pick your gun doesn't mean I don't like it or that I don't even want one. I'm just saying that for me, right now, at this moment, this is the rifle I want right now. Oh, and the SIG is anywhere from 400 to 800 dollars less than some of these newer rifles.

Questions about food storage are also coming in. Guys, I'm just a concerned citizen when it comes to this stuff... I'm not a expert on this. So, let me say this... I'm thinking were are going to be putting the bags of dried goods like rice and beans and flour into air tight plastic bins to keep the vermin out. No, not dumping the bags in, the whole bag. Then some sort of desiccant to keep it dry. That's what we are thinking about... we've not done that yet. From everything I know of what's going down around the globe, we probably have as long as three years before things get really serious. Maybe less if we get a Democrat in office. So I really think we are going to need food storage? Yes, I really do. Why? Because the geopolitical situations around the world are looking rather grim for the USA. Sure, we have more support in Europe and in the UK than we have had in a long time... but in other areas? It's not looking good. We have three main threats. Iran, China, and Radical Islam... which is basically Iran spread out all over the place. Iran is immediate... it could happen any time. As soon as they get a nuke, they are going to pull the trigger on Israel and on us. China is building up. We probably don't even know how soon China will act, but they will act. They are conducting electronic warfare against us daily. They are gathering information on everything about is. Not just the military and government, but about all of us. They are putting together lists of who to take out if they were to take over. You don't think so? Then you are an idiot with no sense of historical perspective. You bet they are. The communists did that before they took over China, Cuba, Russia, and all over Southeast Asia... Those they didn't know, they examined and if they didn't like you – they just shot you. They didn't care who you were. Doctors, teachers, artists, writers, journalists, poets, students... anyone who showed the capacity for free thought... a bullet through the head. That is the way Communists work. So get ready for it... weather or not it actually gets here – its going to effect us in a negative way. So yes, stock up. Everything you like to eat... get the stuff to make it, and stash it away.

One last question – “How long is that food storage calculator showing estimates for?” One Year. Mormons have been preaching a two year supply for some time. I agree with that. Because you might not need that much for that long, but you might have neighbors and friends that need stuff too. Around the country that ideology has paid off. Thanks to natural disasters and such... floods... earth quakes... the Church's food storage has been tapped into and people didn't go hungry. Preparedness always pays off.

Leupold has gone and done something interesting. They purchased Redfield. You remember Redfield scopes. A good solid American made brand, that was purchased out before by some jackasses that sent some manufacturing to China. I really hope that Leupold brings Redfield back to America as perhaps a lower cost alternative to Leupold, maybe even rebadging the VX-I series and killing off the Rifleman series, replacing them with Redfield named products. Tom, Leupold's CEO says that they will carefully consider how to proceed. Yeah, I can see the need for caution with that... however Redfield will always be second place to Leupold... so I think Tom needs to make sure that he does everything he can to make Redfield a viable brand again. Make Redfield a competitor to Bushnell. And Leupold can concentrate on fighting Zeiss and Swarovski. At least this is how I see it.

I sifted through all my brass from my trunk. I've got a crap-load of .357 mag, .30-30, and 7mm Rem Mag brass. I think this has convinced me that I need to get back into reloading. These are some interesting calibers here. Those three alone can hunt about 99% of the critters on the planet, and all of those that you would want to munch on. For a three gun battery, a .357 mag on your hip and one of those two rifles over your shoulder, it's not bad.

But do you really need a 3 gun battery? I mean, what do you really NEED for a future time of distress? I'm going to say two guns. You need a handgun, and you need a long gun. The handgun is purely defensive. A .357 or a .45 are probably the ideals. At least they are in my book. When it comes to the long gun, you want to be able to do two things... snipe blue helmets from long range and take deer to elk sized game at all practical ranges. A deer or an elk is enough meat to fill your freezer and a couple others. I like rifles... I like big rifles. I like big high energy, long range rifles. Now, such a gun might not be the thing for your area. You might be in an area where a shotgun is going to be just the perfect ticket for you. In such a place, you have all those different tasty shotshells and slugs you can select to make each shot the perfect shot. In a city or wooded area, I think a shotgun is perfect.

If I didn't have a lot of money, and wanted a good solid shotgun for defense and slugs... I'd take a Benelli Super Nova Tactical. Why? Because it has a good stock and pistol grip for easy handling... and ghost ring sights that makes slinging huge chunks of lead easy.

Having a lot of guns means you have a lot of options for any shooting situation... but it also means you have a lot mouths to feed... feeding your guns could eventually prove to be difficult so you might want to consider streamlining your supply train. It's OKAY to have more than one rifle in any given caliber.

So what is that one caliber? For me? I'm going to pick my one caliber to do EVERYTHING... I'm picking the 7mm Rem Mag. I've got rounds from 139 grains up to 175 grains... That's a pretty broad spectrum for any situation I can see happening. If I was going to pick something else, say, I lived in Alaska or someplace with more dangerous possibilities... I'd take a .375 H&H.

When I talked about handguns... .357 and .45... I don't know if I can pick just one. I love my .45's – you guys know that. But you also know I love my .357 and that's what I pick when I go up into the mountains. My .45's are what I wear in town. Is it because I think .357 is better than .45 for dangerous game? Not really. I mean, I knocked down a cougar with a .44 special with a 200 grain load that is pretty much the same think ballistically as a .45... and it killed it cleanly. I also took one with a .357 and that did the job with good authority. So as far as I'm concerned, they are both just fine. I think it's just a matter of platform here. I like a revolver when I'm adventuring in the mountains, looking for Big Foot or whatever. So what is it for the Ogre... a .357 mag wheel gun or a .45 1911?

Both.

4-24-08:  Food Storage: Looking at the news, we are seeing a frightening situation growing. Stores like Sam's Club and others are rationing rice and some stores are also rationing other grains such as wheat flower. This is effecting bakeries and some restaurants already.  Farmers are cutting down trees because they don't have enough water.  The continuing issue with the decreasing bee populations has no solution or end in sight. So if you see a bee – treat it like a valued member of your family. This bee situation started back in 2004 and here we are in 2008 and it's only gotten worse. So our food situation is not looking good. So what can we do? Buckle Up. We are heading into some turbulence. We (as in all of The Horde) are going to need some food storage. How much? You can find out how much food storage you will need for you and your family with this little tool. Now when you are building up your storage, don't go overboard on one thing... you have to use your head about it. I've already mentioned in the past stockpiling your ammunition, reloading supplies, and I've recently mentioned fuel storage.

Now, here is another thing to think about. You are not going to be able to be like a dragon sitting on top of your stash to protect it 24-7. So security is also critical. There will be those who will be watching you stock up, and they will want some when the time comes. You might be able to make amiable trades... such as dried beans for fresh eggs if they have chickens or something. Others, might just try to steal it when you are not there. So strong doors and locks are required. Others might try to take it by force... so again, keep a weapon on your person. Off body carry is not an option unless you already carry something on your body too. Like say, your packing a snubby concealed, and an Uzi in your brief case. I don't see how anyone can do this all alone. You need to form alliances with friends and family to work together. Talk to your buddies about what you guys can do if the shit hits the fan and all the sudden we have a collapse of social infrastructure. Don't think it can happen? There are already riots around the world. Look what happens in Virginia just when they have reports of Snow in the forecast. Milk, eggs, bread are just GONE from the stores. What if those stores can't get restocked? It can happen. And it can happen to you. Don't think it can't. Don't make that mistake. The Army taught me one thing that I'll never forget. “Plan for the worst, but hope for the best.” So, keep your attitudes positive... but get ready a little at a time... putting things away in storage. For example, we just picked up 125 pounds of rice, and a few cases of canned goods on top of our normal groceries. The rice we grabbed up because that seemed prudent... but for some time now we have been buying a little more than we needed and that's been building our storage. If we can do it...

4-23-08:  Sick of it: I'm so tired of hearing what Hillary says, and what Obama says, and what every talking head in the media says about all of it. I'm sick of the politics. It doesn't matter here. Either one, Hillary or Barack... either one would be a disaster for America. We are looking at food shortages, falling dollar, invasions of Mexicans, fuel going never before seen prices... real serious freaking issues and the media is worried about who said what about topics as frivolous as American Idol. As far as political candidates go, McCain at least is actually looking like a leader. What he has in mind to save America, I don't know. At least he isn't a Communist like the Democrats are.

SIG 556 Opinion: “Hey Ogre. Your blog a few months ago about the 556 was an inspiration to check'em out which caused me to walk out the door with one (legally). Here’s the quick and dirty: It's a solid rifle and a pleasure to shoot.  The trigger is hands down the best I've ever pulled on a semi-auto. The fit and finish is excellent and it's very accessorial for those who are into it. If you want original 551 handguards they are available  through gunfactory.ch or topgunsupply.com for $85 when they're in stock.  The best resource I've found for discussions is sigforum.com.  The SIG comes w/o iron sights but there's a guy in the process of remedying that.  auroraind.net is in the process of making a rear sight that attaches to the existing rail and mimics the original diopter.  He also has front sights available.  These sights are highly anticipated at Sigforums.  Go HERE for PICs of his sights.  Besides the 551 guards the UBR stock by Magpul makes it look very sexy.”

A 5 gallon bucket: I cleaned out the Contour's trunk. Mostly fishing gear and targets, some target stands... no big deal... lots of brass rolling around. Then I noticed the gap between the trunk and the particle board floor. So I lift that up... whoa. My son and I started scooping. We filled a 5 gallon bucket with spent brass and unfired cartridges. .22, .223, 7.62.39mm, 7mm Rem Mag, .30-30, 9mm, .375 H&H, .357 Magnum... holy crap. Whole boxes of ammo, unopened, that I never new I had. Such as the old classic yellow Winchester Super X 175 grain JSP 7mm Rem Mag, Federal shot shells... wow. The car drives so much better now. We had to laugh.

Foodage: I've said in the past that there is no good place to eat out here. Well, there are two I've found that is actually pretty good. First is Rocky's Place in Roosevelt. We had a Carmel, German Chocolate Cake, Malt shake there... Dayum. That was one good shake. Hey, my blood sugar was drastically low and I needed something fast. That worked. If you have to roll through Roosevelt, Utah – make a stop there. Tasty. Vernal got a new Chinese buffet, right next to the new Holiday Inn Express. I sampled the lunch buffet there and I have to say that it was delicious. It was overcooked, but still, there was flavor. Unlike the other chinese buffet here which has the magic ability to extract flavor from everything. The variety was only so so. You had all the main buffet dishes, but it lacked the Mongolian grill and it didn't have any sushi (which is Japanese, I know, but still love that stuff and every Chinese buffet has some but this one) so I was a little disappointed. Still... pretty good for Vernal.

Some things just make my head explode. One of this is a State Senator named Brian Frosh of Maryand, who by the powers of being a committee chairman, has single handly blocked all Pro-Gun legislation in Maryland. You Democrats out there who say you are not Anti-Gun – take a look at your man here. The House passed a bill unanimously, so it was sent to the State Senate, where Frosh wont even let it be discussed. Why? Because he thinks Gun Owners are nuts. Someone needs to let loose a pack of pissed badgers into his office.

BRIAN E. FROSH
Democrat, District 16, Montgomery County

Miller Senate Office Building, 2 East Wing
11 Bladen St., Annapolis, MD 21401
(410) 841-3124, (301) 858-3124
1-800-492-7122, ext. 3124 (toll free)
e-mail: brian.frosh@senate.state.md.us
fax: (410) 841-3102, (301) 858-3102

7315 Wisconsin Ave., Suite 800W
Bethesda, MD 20814 - 3412
(301) 652-2888

4-22-08:  You guys remember Liz Hurley, right? One of the only 5 or 6 great looking ladies from the UK? (I'm kidding, the UK Horde Chapter can put out the torches and save the pitch forks) Dang if she isn't still smokin hot. Yeah, I don't care how old she is, I'd wreck that. She's gorgeous for a skinny girl, which isn't my usual taste in gals... but anyways... what's funny about this... her husband. Why? Because it validates these guys. Some how these guys see Liz's guy, and they might be thinking that the Oompa Loompa look works. Yes, I just did a GIS (Google Image Search) for Oompas.

Mecca Time? It'll be freaking Hammer Time first. You've got to be kidding me. HELL NO. I'd launch strikes against Saudi City before I adopted this travesty.
I've long had a bad relationship with the State of Kansas. I see that changing, starting on July first. This is some good news... in this Anti-gun world we live in, something like this just makes me grin. Even if I don't live in Kansas... and couldn't afford one if I did.

I had a great day at work... I don't know about you guys, but I sold a couple 1911's and a couple Barrett 82 .50BMG rifles. Now I have my mid week weekend to go fishing and shooting. Yeah, life at Ogre Ranch sucks. LOL.

4-21-08: I've decided that when it comes to the next gen fighting rifle, my choice is the SIG 556 rifle.

I'll be getting one soon enough. The version that doesn't have the flip up sights, as I'll put on aftermarket units.  The red dot I'll use is the Vortex Strikefire.  One of the reasons I like the Strikefire is that it comes with a doubler, has a tight 2MOA dot (most have huge 5MOA dots) that can change brightness and color, and it's only one fiddy.  That's fantastic!

Speaking of fighting rifles, I've promised photos of The Fremen, my project DPMS rifle. Here is a picture. The red dot is a 40mm unit from TruGlo. Bsquare riser rail. The folding foregrip is from CAA. Ergo grip, 4 position stock. M-4 barrel. S&W flip up rear. Streamlight weapon light.

I've also promised a (didn't I?) a photo of my S&W Commander with the new grips.  Let's see that too.  Here it is.  This pistol has been my constant companion 24/7 for a long time now... pretty much since I got it.  This Commander is a light weight version of the 1911 with a shorter barrel, 4.25" instead of the normal 5" barrel.  I carry it in a tan Galco SIL212 holster, and it carries perfect, open or concealed, all day long, and I put in 14 hour days.  Slim, low profile, looks good, secure enough for my needs, and the price is reasonable.  Now, S&W has a deal going on that through the end of April, you buy a Smith 1911 (or M&P rifle) they will send you $100 back... that makes these Smiths one hell of a good deal, for one of the best production 1911's under a grand... 

I've got an email from a lot of guys about this Colt M-4 article. It's the same article on lots of news sites... this one is on Yahoo. There have been lots of news articles about the M-4 and the M-16 for a couple years now. Most of those articles have actually come from The Army Times. Not critizing the weapon directly, but sideways... as in how the Army has been testing so many other rifles with “increased reliability or lethality” over the M-4 and M-16. There are a lot of guys out there that spew all the classic old excuses. “It works if clean” and “superior wounding capability”. Yes... I'm sure in the game “Counter Strike” and in “Call of Duty 4” it's a smashing success. Unfortunately the reality is very different. The reality has the Special Forces scrambling for a gun that doesn't jam. The reality is that the Army conducted trials and the M-4 came in a far distant last. The US Special Forces recently contracted with FNH for the SCAR weapon system. That's the reality. If the M-4 was so shit hot – we would have kept it. Instead we are phasing it out. The US Marines, dumped the M-4 and have gone back to the full length M-16, this time in the A4 flavor which has flat top. Senator Coburn, I wish you the best of luck. And if the Department of Defense had any balls instead of barrels of pork, they would adopt the SCAR for EVERYBODY in the military... and they would be adopting the SCAR-H version in .308. (Or better yet, .260 Remington or 7mm-08)

There are a lot of gimmicks and stuff that sell but don't work. Such as fuel optimizing magnets and penis pills... add this to your list of bullshit items. The SKS Shockwave Brake. Let's look at these claims. First, is the increased accuracy, as much as 600%. Horsefeathers. If that did that then any rifle with a magnaport would have been grabbing long range rifle competitions for decades and all rifles would have this sort of compensator cut. But we don't have that, because this is bullshit. Next claim, Reduces recoil by 50%. Maybe... but the SKS doesn't have much to start with, and compensator could do that, and this is a useless waste of materials and money if that is what you are after. It might reduce muzzle climb during recoil, but it looks like one of the more inefficient cut compensators I've ever seen. Eliminates shot strings? Maybe during rapid fire, the reduced climb helps, but there are a lot of factors that go into stringing, not just muzzle jump. It effects cool down to the point you don't need to worry about a hot barrel? That's some magic carpet bullshit, right there. How the hell do you add a little metal tube with a cut in it, and that changes the weapon's thermal dynamics? Let's get this clear – anything you bolt on to your gun can not change physics. It can not give you super powers. It does not give you a +1 against evil. What it can do is give you increased confidence, reduce some jump in the muzzle, and reduce your bank account. This has got to be one of the worst products I've ever seen.  Look at the page title at the top of the browser... they can't even spell what they are trying to sell.

This is awesome.

4-19-08:  I do not know how it happened, when it started, or why. But I've fallen out of love with my previously beloved CZ P-01. It's not the pistol's fault... it's me. The pistol has always done everything that I've ever asked of it. It's just as attractive as it always was. I've just changed. I've just moved away. I've not even taken it out of for a range date in some time. I honestly do not even remember the last time I took it out and fired a round through it. At night, or on days I do the Defensive Pistol competition, I roll with my Kimber Tactical Custom II. During the day... and it has been every day... I've relied quite comfortably with my S&W lightweight commander. And you know what? I've been losing interest in other handguns.

I've been trying to work myself up, to convince myself that I want a different, new, fresh pistol. I've fondled the M&Ps and the Compact versions... the FNP's... SIG's... all of them. I like them... I don't think there is anything wrong with them... they are all just fine... but there is nothing that really all that urgent. The only thing that come close is the 10MM Bobtail Commander by Dan Wesson, but it would only fit in with what I'm already into – 1911's. If it's not a 1911, it's just not something I care to spend my own money on. Now if it is a 1911, I've got room for it.  

I don't think I have room for other handguns, with the exception of my Ruger New Model Vaquero... I might sell the other handguns, including the CZ P-01.

Speaking of 1911's, I've included Nighthawk Custom in my Manufacturers Directory. I didn't have them previously listed, but I've fixed that now. Same thing with Ed Brown. Let me know if I'm missing someone on the gun maker's roster.

Lapoint is a small community out in the middle of nowhere. The other day the two joints with fuel pumps ran dry. Mrs. Ogre only just barely rolled into Vernal on fumes... “We're on Vapor, Cougar!” This brought up a concern for my Bride... We are working on food storage, water storage, all other essential storage, and I'm socking away ammunition and other shooting supplies. But what about fuel for our vehicles? I can't run up into the mountains to get food if I can't get up into the mountains and back with the fresh meat. I can't get into town for work. Out here in the boondocks... we live on gasoline. I don't mean to sound Mad Maxish. I don't mean to sound alarmist. We are going to sink our own well here for water. We can't sink a tap into the earth and pump out high octane. This means we need to be able to store it. What's the best way? I'm thinking of getting a few 55 gallon drums. 

Don't make me jack you for a tank of juice...

4-18-08:  Ruger's little LCP pistol: It might be a Kel-Tec rip off, but it is a well made clone. Much slicker than the P3AT. Feed ramp was brightly polished. Trigger wasn't horrible. I can see the utility of one of these, and I might even get one... but I'm going to wait and see how they hold up and if reliability is present and accounted for. Test one for review? I might. Even though admittedly I'm about as interested in .380 as I am in Barbara Streisand movies.

Pregnant little girls. For those that think my comments about the polygamists were wrong. Eat it.  I know not all the Polygs are guilty of abuse... I am sure those mothers loved those kids. But this sort of crap is institutionalized within their little counter-sub-culture. I will not apologize for my remarks. I will not back down on my opinion. That crap has got to be put under the knife and cut out like cancer, no matter where it is found. No one should get a pass. This isn't a religious thing, it's an ethical, moral, and legal thing.  Filter out the guilty and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law... that might take a while and it might take time away from mothers and the kids.. but it is the only way.  When their prophet tells them to lie.. you gotta keep'em separated.  I know one thing for sure... a real prophet of God would not tell you to lie.

Holster maker Galco: They do not make holsters for the Baby Eagle .45 or the CZ-97B... yet they make 2 holsters for Hi Points. What is wrong with this picture? Two great pistols get no love, and the crappiest of the industry gets two options. I had to call Galco. Their response was well reasoned and surprising. The Hi Points are sellers because they are cheap and those that buy them want cheap holsters for the, so Galco supplies cheap holsters. For the CZ-97b... I'm the first guy to ask them for a holster for it. Wait a second... what? How could I be the first guy to call Galco and ask for a CZ 97b holster? That's what they said. I am speechless.

Taurus pissed me off: The advertisements that Taurus is rolling out for their PT1911: They say that they didn't rewrite history, they just updated it by 95 years. Okay, hold the bus. Please allow me to call BULLSHIT on that. Taurus didn't update shit... they are late to the 1911 game and when they finally get in, they offer pretty much everything everyone else is offering but they do it with cheap manufacturing and are putting out a cheap gun that makes a Rock Island Arsenal look good. The arrogance of this! Good hell! I can't believe I read that.

Can I say that I am underwhelmed by the XD Military pistol? Springfield puts a safety switch on the XD, and Guns & Ammo gives it 5 pages as if John Moses shat it onto a golden podium. It's an XD 45 – with a switch. As if it needed another safety... Did the dude from Gillette get a job at Springfield now? How many safeties are they going to shove into that thing? 5 blades next? It fits an unnecessary requirement written by some pencil dick at the Pentagon to force the gun makes to offer something different that is not already used by the .Mil. This is the same pencil dick that also made the “requirements” in such a way as to prevent the US Military from adopting the 1911 again... because that would make the Army look like retards for abandoning it in the first place. Which is too late... because that's what they look like for adopting a gigantic 9mm with the safety in the wrong place.

4-17-08:  Leupold has a new flashlight line out called the MX Series. The cool thing about it is that is a modular system. You can pick and chose your components and build the light you want. I wish Surefire did that. Well, they do to a small extent, but nothing like this. I think these are full of win. For a guy that has and will again drop as much as a full Benjamin on a flashlight, I can appreciate a really good light. And these look like they are right up there.

Craig Boddington's daughter, Brittany has an article in the latest Guns and Ammo magazine. She's awesome. Smart, a real hunter and shooter, and she is drop dead, like from a .416 Rigby, gorgeous. Woof! Good job Craig. Not only is he a Gun Writer that I respect, but we see that he is a good father and has raised his girl right. Kudos to you, sir!

Hair Cut: For those that know me, you know my hair has been growing out for a few years now.  Well, I got it cut.  Nice and short and professional looking. I look good. Mrs. Ogre cried... she liked my long hair. My head is cold now.

4-15-08:  I know that the subject of Guns and Gun Stuff from Wal-Mart is a touchy subject with some folks. Some guys say that Wal-Mart is the only place to buy guns in their areas. I know one guy, who happens to be a Police Officer from Vernal City who said that he would buy anything from Wal-Mart just to save a buck. Here is my take: If you buy a gun from Wal-Mart, you are a fucking moron. There, I said it. No, you can shit-can your excuses, i don't want to hear them. Wal-Mart is an Anti-Gun corporation at the core. They would love to NOT sell guns in every store if they could do it without offending their customer base. Check this out. This is one of many anti-gun stories out there about what Wal-Mart does to it's gun buying customers. I mean come on, if you buy a gun, they Perp-Walk you out of the store, and you can't even carry your gun on the way out... You just passed your background checks and in some places, waiting periods, so they can sell it to you... and then they carry it to the door because as a policy they still don't trust you. You can buy hammers, saws, poison, axes, knives, ice picks... and carry it around everywhere in the store... no back ground checks required... but they Perp-Walk you to the door on the gun. What's funny... Cabella's does that to. I don't buy guns from there either.

The EAA Witness again: One of The Horde has been considering the Witness and is also considering getting a Springfield or STI frame and building his own 10MM. Please consider the Dan Wesson Bobtail Commander 10MM as a good alternative. (and one I'm considering myself) It's under a grand, has custom features and night sights right out of the box. There is no need to build your own. Kimber also has a 10MM. But really, if you want to build your own 10MM, the EAA Witness might not be a bad place to start. Examining the internals of the Witness, it's built well, good machining, good internal finishing... and they are cheap for the whole gun. About the same just a Springfield lower to start your build with. Get the EAA and have a good gunsmith sort the rest out.

Jimmy Carter is a Gigantic Ass. That is all.

4-14-08:  I've been wanting to talk about this situation down in Texas with the FLDS. First, let's talk about who they are. The Media keeps calling them a Mormon Splinter Group, or Mormon Extremists. No. They are NOT Mormon. I am Mormon and if you equate me to them, I will take great offense and throw you a beating. This is worse than saying a Virginian is from West Virginia, or calling a Scotsman British. You just don't do it because you would look like an ignorant fucktard or your would get beaten. 

Early on in the LDS church, some folks broke away after the death of Joseph Smith, and went on to do their own thing.  From that time on, they have had nothing to do with us. We have nothing to do with them. We do not condone or sympathize with what they have going on. People tend to think Mormons are strange... Well, that's fine. But we are quite Main Stream compared to the FLDS freaks down there in Texas and in Colorado City, AZ.  There are Mormons in all levels of the US Government, and in the US Military and everywhere. Just like any other religion. Active Americans. These FLDS guys are not.  They are closer to Quakers or Amish, or Mennonite.  They live in their own world, and in this case, one that is wrong.  Not just from a "pick and choose" theological standpoint, but from a legal, ethical, and moral one.  The children of these people are not raised like other kids. The boys and girls are taught paranoia and secretive habits... distrust of anyone that is not one of them.

I've talked about my one trip into Colorado City before, let me revisit that. I had to make a delivery to an address there once. So I rolled out. Heading into that place from St George, there is a long straight road that allowed me to observe kids playing (lots of kids) and people walking around. The closer I got, the fewer people I could see. Once I got into town – it was a ghost town. No one was around. All the doors and windows that had been opened were now closed. I made the delivery and was told to just “leave it there”. As in right there on the street. A fridge. Okay. Done. Before I left, I had to get some gas, so I stopped at the local joint for a fill up and a Coke. No one said a word to me in the store. Not One Word. There was a girl in there behind the counter. Blonde, pretty, wearing a full length dress and long sleeves. Here hair was long enough to be in a Japanese Anime, and it was tied back in the long braid they all wear because it must be a religious thing. She wouldn't look at me. The 3 guys there watched every move I made – without looking at me either. No one would make eye contact. I handed the girl my card, she swiped it, and put the card on the counter instead of handing it back. This might not sound so strange in the telling of it... but you had to have been there. There was a tangible sensation that I was in Innsmouth... it was very Lovecraftian. Old HPL had to have visited there or something. I had to get the hell out of there, so I hit the gas and fled. About 6 miles out of town I got pulled over doing a hell of a lot over the speed limit. The trooper asked what the problem was, why I was going so fast. I told him just what I told you now. He understood and let me go.

EVERYONE down there, including all the officials, knew about Colorado City and what was going on there.  The FLDS moved a lot of folks to Texas for that very reason.  There was no secret about it to those in authority.  Word was leaked out a long time ago.  It was with great joy I read about the raids down there. The kids being taken into custody... awesome.  Finally someone has done something about it. This isn't a freedom of religion thing... this is a child abuse thing. Little girls are not sex objects that grown men collect like Pokemon cards or some shit. Spiritual Marriages? That's bullshit. These little girls might be Spiritually Married, but they get Physically Boned as a result. 12 year old girls should not be subjected to this, and I'm delighted that it's stopped now.

At least for now. I'm sure the ACLU will step in or something. I've 6 sons, but I have a sister in law that is younger than my oldest son, she's 14 now. She's a delight, smart and talented and beautiful... just beginning to learn what it is to be a girl, a young lady.  These are the years that formulates the woman she will grow up to be.  The idea that she would have already been hooked up down there is so repulsive to me that it provokes me to violent anger.  These grown men that would do such things to such young ladies... Violent Anger.  Jesus said that it would be better for a Mill Stone to be hung around their necks and thrown into the water than to offend one of these little ones. Well, call me the Mill Stone because I'd happily beat every one of those "men" to death with my bare hands. Warren Jeffs is lucky I don't have 2 minutes alone with him, because I'd choke the life out of him. I say these things, not because I'm a violent person. I am quite the pacifist, really. But some things just demand immediate physical retribution. Sexual Abuse of a Child is one of them. And it's not just the girls. The boys are abused too... neglected... used as slave labor... and then abandoned.  These people need to own up to the abuse and face legal actions.  The children... I feel very sorry for them.  They are taken away from what they know... mothers who I am sure love them even if they stand by and let the men fuck the kids whenever they come up with an excuse for it... The kids are better off in Foster Care - and I don't say that very often.  I just heard that 400 lawyers are on the way there to represent each child... this is going to be an ugly, long, tedious thing... but this is time well spent and the kids are safe for the time being. 

If there is any Mormon place such as this – I'd volunteer to be on the Raiding Party to put an end to it.

Archery: Had not my wife's “Fucking Pontiac” been 3 grand in repairs, Id have purchased 2 things. One, I've mentioned before... a new rifle. The other would have been a compound bow. There are 3 that I had been considering. One is the new bow from LimbSaver. The DeadZone. It's not a good looking bow. In fact, it's rather hideous. But it is a good shooter. Better than any bow I've shot from AR, Mathews, or BowTech. Hoyt beats it, but there is something about it that I like... namely putting a fist full of arrows into a group the size of a quarter at 20 yards. I can't do that with any other bow. I like the way they made the limb pockets... the part of the bow that holds the limbs to the riser. They redesigned it in an interesting way that you have to just get in your hand and look at to appreciate. I like that. Very easy to adjust, maintain, and it's stable. Different, but not so different as BowTech. It also allows for the limb stresses to be less centered like BowTech's Guardian even if they are trying to do the same kind of thing. Go look at one up close to see what I mean. Moving on, I also like the Hoyt Katera. 330 FPS is screaming fast for a bow. Such speed used to be unheard of unless you were shooting a 150 pound crossbow. And this speed we have here now is for a hunting bow. Amazing. I think the Katera is a good looking bow, smooth, pretty quite... blistering speed... but it is unforgiving. Speed bows usually are. Unforgiving means that if your grip is off, or your follow through is off, or if you don't pray to the Gods of Hoyt just right – your shot will be off. But if you do it right – wow. The one I still really like and what I would have most likely picked up is the Hoyt Vectrix. This is one I've mentioned before and it is still my favorite. I love the way it shoots and feels... and it has the least shock and vibration of any of the bows I've shot. At least for me, the way I perceive it. It's the most consistent for me too. The only problem they have is that the way Hoyt is doing them now. They are only putting on string leaches on one side now. If you want to shoot one, have one put on the other side too. You'll see what I mean if you look at them. Hoyt says the bows don't need them... but I think they do. If you come to my gun shop, we sell Hoyt and some others... but I'm not an Archery Guru like one of the guys there. Mike. Mike can set you up with a bow that fits you and tune it for you... as good as I can a rifle. You need to come in and talk to Mike about a good bow. I think any shooter should do some archery. Any real shooter should do all of it. Handgunning, Rifles, Shotguns, Archery, and at all ranges. Close range, long range... a Real Shooter should be able to hold his own with any ballistic tool in any situation. At least that's the goal. No one knows everything. No one is a Master of them all. No one. Just like now one is perfect. Perfection is the goal and we should walk that path. Getting there is a journey. And it is a fun one. One of these days I'll buy my own bow. Until then I'll enjoy taking one of the display bow and shooting it and trying it out. Well, I do have a bow... don't let me sound like I don't. It's an old – old Browning compound. It's about 80 pounds. And when you shoot it, it sounds like a Banjo.

NEW MUSIC ALERT: If you like Collide, Evanescence, NightWish... you will like Krypteria. Heavy metal with an Operatic female vocalist... We found this on Pandora, an online Radio station that gives you the type of music you like. My wife stumbled on Pandora and we love it. It provides our daily sound track here at Ogre Ranch.

Thank you to HordeMan Alfred from Virginia. Alfred sent us a box of 10MM loads from PMC. A 200 grain Bronze. I'm going to order more. This ammo fixed the failures to feed I had with other ammo. Not only that, but it was a bit hotter than the American Eagle stuff, and more accurate. I knew American Eagle was crap, but this stuff was fantastic. Group sizes shrunk considerably. I was already impressed with 10MM... this turned it up more than a couple of notches. Thank you very much.

My article will point out a lot of things that EAA could do to the Compact Witness to improve it. The gun falls in a unique category in that it is big enough to not be as easily concealable as a compact, yet too small to be a target type gun. I will address this in my article but will give The Horde the heads up. First off, the sights. I know I always bitch about the sights on a pistol or hail them as needed. Sights and trigger are two critical things that can not be skimped on. EAA should have a guy in house that grind off the front sight post, cut in a dovetail, and put in Tritium night sights. That is a must for a gun to be taken seriously by me. Target guns and Defense guns need two different kinds of sights. Different purposes. This EAA Compact Witness is supposed to be a Defensive gun. The grips. The grip panels on the gun are good and... er... grippy. They help soak up the recoil a lot and make shooting this 10MM a joy. Unfortunately they are too thick. And the soft rubber allows fabric to cling, making the gun print too much. In my attempts to conceal this gun, I found that it printed too much under just light shirts like what I like to wear in warm weather. You would have to wear a sports coat over this thing to keep it hidden. I suggest to get rid of the grips and use thin AlumaGrips instead. Unfortunately AlumaGrips doesn't make them for the CZ or EAA Witness or other guns I would like to see them on. So EAA would have to make their own. This would slim down the profile a great deal and make packing CCW much much easier. The finger rest on the magazine is another thing. The gun is too short for a 3 finger grip, and the finger rest doesn't help me one bit. Go ahead and let the pinky swing free on this one, and let the gun be just that much shorter for concealment. Now for the biggie. I've not tested a handgun that BEGS for a Melt Job more than this Witness. It has sharp edges on its sharp edges. The front of the gun has the full length rails that extend to the muzzle, all they way past any point of being useful, straight to being irritating. If this was taken to a belt sander for about a minute and a half – it would be brilliant. A custom gunsmith should be able to do this to your gun with very little effort, but with huge returns. Of course then he would have to refinish it and you would lose the Wonder Finish – which even EAA can't tell me what it is. One last thing. The gun needs a recoil spring about 2 pounds heavier. Wolff Gun Springs can fix that one with no problem. Considering the price of a new EAA Witness... having this work done to it wouldn't be out of the realm of reasonable when you take into account what you would then have in your hands.

Speaking of Grips: My S&W 1911sc Commander now sports some new grips that I am well pleased with. I didn't really care for the wood grips on my gun after an extended period of carry. I got that set of Hogue Finger Grooves on it, and I liked it... but not as much as I used to like those grips. Ben is picking up a new S&W 1911 himself, and he wanted wood grips. So I traded him my old wood grips for the grips that came on his gun. What's funny is that the gun he's getting has an Ambi Safety on it, and the grips he had – thin rubber – did not have the Ambi Safety cut out. My wood ones did. So we traded. His gun looks handsome with the added dignity that nice wood can give a gun... and my gun now has that thinner profile and black sinister look like I wanted. And it even has the S&W logo on the side which is a nice touch. Everyone is happy.

The Black Marlin might be going up for sale. In this part of the country, .30-30 is just not quite enough thump for serious hunting and it's not cheap enough to plink with. So I am thinking I might let it go if I get a decent price off. I'm into it $511, but I feel this rifle is worth a bit more than that.. scope not included. I know I just found a scope I like on it... I know... but I'm a fickle bastard. If you like The Black Marlin, make me an offer. Cash and Trade work well for me.

4-12-08:  First IDPA match of the year. I did pretty well, but was slower than I should have been. Accuracy wise, I was pleased... 4^th overall out of 21 shooters. I had problems with one stage and dropped points because my hits, while center mass, were just a touch low. I always shoot low on IDPA targets. Always. I'm also happy with my speed in reloading. I could hear the guys watching (Thanks to my electronic muffs) talk about it... they were impressed. I followed Larry Correia's training technique on reloading... namely practice reloading until you can do it in your sleep. While watching movies, when you have nothing else to do, every day... practice a few speed reloads.

The guy that won overall... he's fast and accurate... the son of a real shooter and grew up with a Glock in his hand. He shot the whole match clean. Meaning he didn't miss a shot. His speed was impressive. Let's just put it this way, he RAN the whole match. Ran it. Running... Sprinting. One handed. I think he's a T3 Terminator robot. No, I'm not making this up.

I'm noticing a lot more shooters moving to high cap .40 type guns. Glocks and M&Ps are becoming the way to go. 1911's are starting to fade out. The .40's have enough juice to knock down steel plates, yet have less recoil than the .45... and they have more rounds in the mag than single stacks. But I'm more than confident with my ability with a classic 1911 in .45ACP. The accuracy and the speed to the first hit on the target are just as fast or faster than any poly frame gun. I'll admit that I'm impressed with M&P guns. If I was to go with one of these new fangled things... the new M&P or the FNP45 would be my choice... but I'm not sure which. But for my carry gun, realistically, I'll stick with the 1911's as they have saved my ass before, and have served my country with honors. I don't need to change to be more gamey.

4-11-08: Fishing was great. It was cold, but no one else was on the water and we fished the whole lake. Fantastic.

Coupling: If you can catch the British version, it's a treat.  American TV rarely has script writing this clever... if they do, such as 'Firefly", they shitcan it quickly.

One of the characters is Jeff: “Asses are the human races favorite thing. When God gave us our asses he had to stick them round the back just so we wouldn't sit and stare at them all day. Cause when God made the ass he didn't say "Hey it's just your basic hinge, let's knock off early." He said "Behold ye angels, I have created the ass. Throughout the ages to come, men and women shall grab hold of these and shout my name!"

4-10-08:  I've got a busy weekend starting right now. Friday, fishing on Steinaker Reservoir, detail the Kia to sell. Saturday, shooting IDPA in the morning and teaching defensive handgun/carbine class in the afternoon. Sunday, Church, Family Dinner, Fishing private stocked pond. Monday, Fishing Red Fleet in the morning, shooting in the afternoon. Tuesday, fishing at Flaming Gorge all day until I'm tired of it. Expected blogging: Light.

I've got something kind of interesting to try out this weekend... see if the fish like it. Berkley Gulp “Alive”. These are 3” Minnows that are stored in a tub of Berkley's Gulp attractant solution. You can use the minnows, and put them back in the tub to soak and recharge. You can also soak your other lures in there too... but they don't say that. I'm excited for this weekend... I've been looking forward to fishing since January. As much as I love shooting, I love fishing too. I've already talked to my boy's Principle, and I'm taking them out of school for the day to fish. The ice is off the water, the fish are hungry, the weather is going to be PERFECT. We are going to be fishing!

4-9-08:  Contour Complaint: So the wife's van... while it was down, she drove my Contour and I drove the bloody Kia. She abused and neglected that car. I get the Contour back and it never got the oil change it needed, the brakes were grinding, and it smelled of cabbages. I got it cleaned out (mostly) and the oil changed, and the brakes done. Had to get new rotors. Wow... the car stops so hard now, it can pull your eyes out of their sockets. Much smoother. And it doesn't smell funny. I never neglect my cars like my wife does. I change my oil every 2000 miles with pure synth oil... Mobil One. Only M1. Nothing else. Might be overkill, but I can feel the difference. I tried to instill that in my wife, but she doesn't get it. I still have one little thing.. something is clunking in the rear when i go over a bump. I think it's the muffler. I need to get under it and investigate. I'm going to forgo the street tires on it. I'm going to raise it another 2 inches and put on new tires more friendly on less than paved surfaces. No, I'm not going to rally it, but thats the set up it's getting in a couple weeks.

Are you an Adventurer? I walked into a Burger King for a chicken salad Texas Whopper and the girl behind the counter looked up and asked me if I was an “Adventurer”, because “I looked like an Adventurer”. I guess you could say that for a middle aged father of 6 with thinning hair, and bad knees and ankles, I'm about as adventurous as one can get. “Why yes, yes I am.... Aren't you?” On the inside. I answered “Well, sometimes I go fishing.” Sigh. I wish there was Orcs and Wizards... I wouldn't mind being late for supper once in awhile.

Pro Hunter Take Down: I've had a couple customers in the past few days tell me that they liked the Encore Pro Hunter... and they liked the idea of swapping barrels. But they don't like the way TC fits the barrels. They have a point, and I agree with them. To swap the barrels, you unscrew the 2 screws holding the handguard, then you take a dowel and a mallet and tap out the drift pin. Then you reverse that to reassemble. Why not just do it like how they do shotguns? A lever detaches the handguard and then you unhinge the action and there it is. If you can get that type of take down on a 400 Turkish over under shotgun, why not on a 800 TC? It wouldn't be impossible.

4-8-08:  I've picked up a set of flip up sights for The Fremen rifle. A customer purchased an M&P 15T and didn't need them, as he wanted a scope. I had a 3-9X40 Mil Dot and traded him for his flip up sights. The idea was to co-witness through my red dot. Unfortunately the riser rail that I have is just a little bit too high to do this. It could come down about 1/8^th lower and it would be perfect. I like the red dot, but I don't want to depend on just a battery... I want irons to back it up. Hence the flip ups. Well, now I need to look for the right riser rail to bring both gunsights to where I need them.

AR-15 KB: I am not sure if this is an ammo issue, or if this was a gun issue... but ArmaLite and HSM did not mix well. We've been having some issues and complaints about HSM ammo... but this took the cake. The bolt is shoved back so hard into the bolt carrier, that it cracked and destroyed both. The case was blown out, destroying the magazine as well.  Luckily no one was hurt.  I have some HSM ammo personally, from earlier lots and not from this new batch of rounds we are having issues with.  I am going to be buying a different brand from now on.

4-7-08:  Our friend Matt has been enlightening us on the qualities of the Microtech STG556. This is a remake of the Steyr AUG, but with a number of improvements... what the AUG should have been. I have to admit, I'm impressed. I've been researching the gun, and I've liked what I've seen. It is a solid rifle. I am considering it. I am not sure if it is the one that's right for me... but it's close. Others I'm considering is the SIG 556, the Masada, and the FNH SCAR. The FNH FS2000 has dropped off the consideration table. Now, I'm also considering a DPMS LR-308 Panther based rifle. Probably not in .308, maybe .243 or .260 Remington... I'm not sure yet. I'm having fun pondering these options. I'll look at purchasing later this summer. Right now, I've been plied with unexpected expenses. Before considerations are done, I will be seeing if I can get an STG556 at a good price... because in the back of my head, I've always wanted an AUG. I remember when I could have picked one up for only $600. SIX HUNDRED. Yes, I kick myself daily for passing that up. No, I don't need any help kicking, thank you very much. If I can find a good example for the price I'm wanting... I'll probably pull the trigger on that. But I'm still enjoying the pondering of the possibilities.

Camelot: The Outlaw Trail Theater was going to do “Camelot”. I was going to play Merlin. A roll of drastically little required singing but epic stage presence. But that was canned. They are not doing “Anne”. They will let me know if they can squeeze Merlin into Anne, but I'm not going to hold my breath. I will most likely cut my hair though... since I've been growing it out for that role. I'm not too disappointed. But now I might have to just shave my head for Anne. Maybe. Sigh... the sacrifices of dedicated Master Thespians” are never fully appreciated.

Skulls: I decided I'm going to try a new style of digital camo. Instead of little squares, I'm going to do little skulls... and then interlace the skulls with Celtic symbols. Spells of ruin. It should be cool if done right, and considering my background as an artist, I can do it right. What? You didn't know that? Yes, the Ogre grew up as an artist. I've paintings in a gallery and all that shit. Murals. No, I'm not kidding. It's just not something I talk about here. I can do me some seriously badass camo. I just need to sit down with some brushes and go for it.

Mitt vs Condi: Condi would be a great choice for VP. She's a feather in the Republican's cap. She's black... real black and not milk chocolate like Obama. Not that we need a black person as if it was a requirement to be black, but it would have a draw for some. What I find impressive about Condi is that she is someone who has got to where she is by hard work, not by being lucky enough to be elected. I think she's great. Not as perfect as some would say, but could be a perfect choice... save for one thing. Mitt Romney. Who has been rather vocal in wanting to be Veep. Mitt is a financial powerhouse and that is exactly what the USA needs. The US Dollar is falling like a Helicopter with engine failure. We have got to have a Money Man in there. The USA is in a crisis and the Government doesn't give a damn. Half the government wants to raise taxes. What the hell? The Dems, both candidates, want to raise taxes by huge amounts. Do you know what that would do? It was CRUSH what's left of our economy. Crush it, dose it with 6 dollar a gallon gas, and light it on fire. The America can survive a lot crap, but this would put America into pure chaos. I would feel very sorry for anyone living in a city. Get your food storage.

McCain is a major Pain: Who is McCain for? I mean, really... he came out and said that Obama was “absolutely” qualified to be the President. You've got to be kidding. No, he's not. And if McCain had any balls left, he should be saying so. Obama is a nightmare for America... a bitter milk chocolate disaster. His lack of economic IQ will turn America into a Mad Max movie.

Spyderco: Thanks for all the links to every other store in North America... But I wanted to order it from the factory and not pay retail. That's an advantage of being a dealer.  Or it was.  Shit. Oh well.

4-5-08:  Okay, I just tried to order a Stainless handled Spyderco Native... and I found they are discontinued. If you have one and you are not all that attached to it (and it's in like new condition), I'll trade you something. I've been wanting an all silver colored Native for years and never bothered to get one until now... and I'm too late. Dang'it'all. I'll trade you for a knife of the same value... Maybe a Cold Steel AK-47? I've got to have one of them silver Natives! Its one of those itches that isn't going to go away until I get one.

Speaking of Cold Steel... I don't know who is worse, CS or Ruger. When it comes to putting stuff in catalogs that isn't actually available... and when you call them they say they don't know... Ruger has been king of the tease for decades, but I think Cold Steel just might beat them now.

Howard Leight Impact Sports: “Hello George, I just wanted to drop you a line regarding the Howard Leight Impact sport earmuffs you mentioned on your blog a few days ago.  I have been shopping for some new hearing protection for a while now and was having no luck finding what I was looking for.  I picked up a set of Impacts based on your review and I am happy to report that all my expectations were met and exceeded.  The best part is that they were $200 cheaper than the other model I had resigned myself to purchasing.  I am going to be getting a second pair to use for taking folks shooting,  they work great for hearing range commands.  (and people whispering at the far end of the house)  Does your store have a web site?  If I have online shopping to do, might as well be with Your Outfit.  Cabela's never saved me $200 with some free advice.  Thanks for the heads up. - Jeremy”

Thanks for the email, Jeremy. I'm glad you like them. I was just using them this evening when Ben and I went blasting with this new 10mm I got in for review. More on the 10mm in a minute. Ben and I both have Impact Sport electronic muffs. We even commented on how great it was to be able to shoot, then talk about the gun and ammo... shoot some more... and never have to raise our voices and yell like we used to with our regular muffs. I don't care where you get yours... just get them where ever you can get them. Get one for your shooting buddy. Get one for your Dad. ( I know a couple older guys that wear theirs while watching TV) My shop is out of stock on the Impact Sports. Don't pay more than 50 bucks for them. Actually, they would be worth it if they were double the price.

The upper hole is a .45 ACP hit.  The lower one is a 10MM hit... it is like a drill press cut the hole.

10MM: It's been AGES since I fired a 10MM. I kid you not, since before MadOgre.com... Over 10 years ago. The last one I shot was in VA, back when I was doing fugitive recovery work. One of my partners packed a full sized Glock 10MM. I remember it being a full on beast of a weapon. Large and brutal. Firing it in an indoor range, I remember the blast reverberating through the roof and walls... concussion that you could feel in your chest... and a flash that would dazzle your eyes and you had to blink away the pumpkin sized orange flash from inside your eyelids. This time, it wasn't any big deal at all. It was about the same as shooting .45 ACP out of a Springfield XD Tactical... just a little more “urgent” if you know what I mean. If you can handle a .45, then you can handle a 10MM. What's is so funny about that is that the FBI couldn't. The FBI had full sized S&W 3^rd Gen handguns and those badge wearing lawyers and accountants couldn't deal with the recoil. Pussies. The accuracy was surprising. To be honest, I didn't expect any accuracy from this EAA Witness. It was used and abused by other gun writers before me. The frame and slide has a lose fit. Yet it shot very well. Shockingly well. More impressive though, was the power. The Witness I have here is the Compact model. It has a 4 inch barrel and a shortened grip frame. Yet it was completely controllable and easy to shoot... and delivered a power level that made me think that there is no longer any reason to compromise power for concealed carry work. We shot a steel plate with a .45. The whole was torn ragged and deeply dented before the bullet punched though. The 10MM was tried next, and it cut a hole through the same plating like we had drilled it. I am impressed with the cartridge all over again. Now this makes me really really want the 10MM Dan Wesson Bobtail Commander. Hard core. I could sell other guns for the Bobtail Commander 10... I really could. And I think I just might.

Charlton Heston has died. Great actor, former president of the NRA, he was a great man. I respected him a lot. He will be missed.

4-3-08:  Nine different gun stores... I've got one box of 10MM to show for it. One box. Cabela's had 3 more but I didn't feel right snagging the last of all they had. This shows the main reason that 10MM is not popular. I found a lot more .41 Mag, and I thought .41 was “more deader” than 10MM. Most places I looked had more than one .41 load. How can we promote the greatness of 10MM if no one stocks ammo for it. Now, in these same stores... not one of them had a single pistol in 10MM. Which isn't that odd considering no gun store wants to sell guns that they don't have ammo for. Still, it's rather sad that one of the best, most flexible automatic cartridges on the planet is so invisible to the American Shooter. The Big Ten is a Cult caliber... popular to only a few, and misunderstood by many, and unknown to the rest of them.

The trip wasn't a total loss. I stopped by FBMG and chatted with the boys there. Larry filled me in on a couple things. One is the progress that MHI-II is making. It's coming along nicely. The other is The Secret that I can not tell... I'm sworn. So don't ask. But let me tell you – if you liked MHI (and that means if you read it) then this revelation in the upcoming books will knock your socks off.  It's so creepy, that it gave me chills. I'll give you a small hint... You know how one of the characters has a dirty little secret?  Someone else has one too. A scary one. A really freaky scary secret.  Read MHI again, and look for the next book when it's out. If you have not read MHI, yet...  I envy you the delight of reading it for the first time. Savor it!  No, I wont tell you...  so don't even ask... Do you think I want to piss Larry off?  I'm already pushing my luck as it is.

4-2-08:  The Black Marlin: Remember that one? My little customized .30-30 Marlin 336C? I made a statement on TheHighRoad.Org, that my favorite light rifle was my CZ 527 Carbine, and that it had surpassed TBM. This bothered me in that TBM had for a long time been #1 and all the sudden, causally, and almost a dismissal, it dropped off #1... without any good reason. I didn't know why. Well, after much examination of both rifles I finally realized why. It wasn't the rifles. It was the optics. The 527 Carbine was graced with an oldie but goodie Leupold scope that has some sentimental value to me. The old Leupold matches the 527's character, and enhances it. Even if it is only an old 4 power.

The Black Marlin wasn't graced with anything... it was topped off with a Bushnell Mil-Dot that I had available... and I only put that on it to replace the Simmons that replaced a ghetto $50 Red Dot from TruGlo. All these were completely functional and would get the job done... but none of them felt right... none of them made that match... that connection that makes little rational sense but is something that makes a Shooter nod in understanding. Well, I came across a well used Leupold Vari-X III 3.5-10x40 AO. The variable adjustments are old school... not smooth gliding through the zooming, but click adjustments through 4, 6, 8, and 10. This reminds me of a scope that was on a rifle that a very good friend of mine used to have before he died. This scope is thrashed and beaten, just like his. This scope is tinged yellow through the glass... it looks like crap. This scope isn't worth a dime. Seriously. It's crap. But it reminds me of my old friend... and when I look at this scope... it really brings me back to some good times. Am I an overly sentimental fool? Maybe so. But now, for the first time, TBM feels complete. It's done. And now, I can honestly say that I don't have a favorite light rifle anymore. At least it isn't the CZ 527 anymore. Of course now that I've rescoped TBM, I have to zero it all over again. Chore after chore here at Ogre ranch.

Optics – the right optics – makes all the difference with rifle. And too often Shooters pick one based on such random reasons... friend said... price... I heard... I always or I never... all of these very well could end up being stupid reasons. We need to pick our glass much more carefully... consider the intangible elements such character and feel as well as cold things such as “Clarity” and “Power” and such... “Value” isn't all that matters. Hell, if it was, we would probably all be using Nikons. And how Effing Boring is that?

Firefox 3 Beta 5 was just released: And it's good. Very good. Get yours here. I've said it before, and will always say it when the subject comes up. If you click on the big blue E to get your internets... You. Are. Wrong.

10MM:

Pacifism is a privilege of the protected.

I'm for McCain, but I don't like it one damn bit.

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