December 2008

12-29-08:  Mrs Ogre knows how to turn me on. She sends me this email, officially through MadOgre.com, To Ogre Regarding MadOgre.com:

“Ladies, It's time for advice from Mrs. Ogre. I usually stay quiet about matters of The Ogre, however, I feel that my husband has been very unfair to us women. My Ogre states that I never buy him a gun, he also stated that we can never get it right when purchasing a gun, (that being the reason I have never even attempted to) and while trying to inform the men on how to give a good hint, he was really trying to open our eyes so we can understand a good hint when they make the effort. My advice to you - "buyyourowndamngun" learn to shoot it, shoot it well and let him "buyhisowndamngun" and then see if he can keep up! He'll always find something not quite good enough if you purchase his guns for him, you'll never gain his respect because even if he is happy with it, he is still thinking that gun guy behind the gun counter knew his guns! He will respect you if you get your own and shoot with him. Honestly, The Ogre has never gotten me the gun of my choice either. He always shows me the cute pink camaflouge rifles or the little pearly handguns. Really, give me his shotgun anyday and as far as handguns go, a .45 1911 with grips that fit right into my hand - there is nothing better. So men, quit dropping your hints and expecting us to fail. "I'llbuymyowndamngun" and he will buy "hisowndamngun" and that is just how it works. I just thought I'd put a word in from the wise. -MrsOgre”

My God, I love that woman!  She is also quite good with the .45 Beretta Mini Cougar too.

I blame Steve. He suggested that I do it. Post my Why I Hate The AR-15 article on WTA. Wow. It's always a shit-storm when the subject is brought up... I think WTA has 4 or 5 threads about the AR going on... but this one is what brings the fire. I will always be the brunt of a great deal of hostility because I wrote that... but I stand by it. My predictions on responses are always proven true every time. Now look carefully at the diagrams I posted there. The AR is simple to operate, but the gun is not a simple gun. It's just not. It's familiar and that is something far different from simple.

The Vortex StrikeFire: I have to bring this subject back up because I've noticed something. Vortex has fixed the StrikeFire: It's actually pretty damn great for the money now. The cost has come up a little... but what you are getting is now actually worthy of the expense. They have better buttons now. The optical doubler is cleaner, clearer, and doesn't distort like the first ones I looked at. Its a good red dot now!

12-28-08:  The Day After: Christmas, I mean. The day after my personal gun sales was astronomical and those numbers were boosted even higher with add on sales of premium grade optics. This was a good year for Optics. The winners were Zeiss, Leupold, and Nikon. For rifles, the winner was the Weatherby Vanguard, Remington 700, and the Browning X-Bolt. Winning calibers was the .300WSM, .22-250, and .308. And interestingly enough, a lot of growing interest in .17 Remington Fireball. I did a heck of a lot more sales the day after Christmas than I did on Black Friday. I think this stems from two factors. Both relate to women. One is the fact that women are buying men guns that require a scope and the ladys are not buying scopes or are not buying good enough scopes. That accounted for a great deal of my sales. The other factor is that women are not buying guns at all. My wife, for example, has never once got me a gun. Not for a birthday, not for Christmas, not ever. So sure, like most other men, “I'llbuymyowndamngun”. Since they didn't get a gun, they come in the next day and buy the gun they wanted and hinted at. Either reason, I think Women have spurred more after Christmas sales than Obama did.

Another factor is that You Dudes are not communicating to your ladies what gun you want, or that you really want a gun. For example...

I used “The Car Game” again several times this year. This is my theory that I can select a gun that someone would like based on what their dream car is. It's funny that these women who have no idea what gun their guy would like – all know exactly what car they would like. Even down to the color. So based on the car, I divine the gun. I've never been wrong. It's been reported to me, by the ladies, that the guns were received with great joy and surprise in every case. Before you other gun dealer guys out there try it – you have to know your cars even better than you know your guns. You have to know the subtle nuances between makes and models... even model years. You have to be a huge Car Nut to make it work... but it works. I even used this to help one lady pick a gun for herself. She was delighted with it.
Now back to communications. You've obviously talked about your dream cars, but not about the guns you want. Be Specific. Say something like “Honey, I want a .45 1911”. Now, that might be like saying I want a V-8 powered pickup truck... it's a broad range of options there. But at least that narrows it down and you wont get a .38 Special revolver. Leave a gun magazine open to a page that shows a picture of the gun you want. If that doesn't work, try finding a photo of one and leave it laying around with a red circle drawn around it.

Or my personal favorite, “Honey, I'm getting a gun for Christmas, if you don't want to pick it out and get it for me – get me a gift card at least.”

Women can be like men sometimes... a little direction really helps.

Blogger to keep an eye on. He needs to just get blogging more frequently.

I have finally watched the movie “Wanted”. With Angelina Jolie and magic curving bullets. Lots of The Horde has asked me to do a Guns Of Wanted review and I promised that I would, if I liked the movie. Well, I'm off the hook. Wanted SUCKED. What a ridiculous movie. Super power assassins who train by getting the shit beat out of them, get there assignments from a magic loom that spits out binary code, and bath in magic hot wax to heal them of their wounds in a matter of hours. I'm going to say it... “Wanted” was fucking stupid. Sure it had a couple cools scenes and visuals, but the plot was so far beyond stupid that it was actually an insult to your intelligence. I can't tell you how bad I hated the movie. Curving bullets... come on... that's a fail. Standing on a train while its moving, then throwing a curved bullet 200 yards into a window that you've already passed to hit a target that is sitting at a table that you can no longer see? That's so retarded, even Anime makers said that it was too stupid. If you liked “Wanted”, you need to have your head checked. There was one saving grace about the whole thing. One thing that made it worth seeing. No, not Angelina. You get to see, at the very end, that pompous ass – Morgan Freeman – get shot through the head. That one scene alone is what kept me from tossing the DVD into the fireplace. And the whole thing about Super Human Assassins or Hitmen is just too freaking tired for words. If your job is killing people, it doesn't give you magic super flying powers. If that was true, we'd have Army Infantry and Marines flying around like Peter Pans.   Being Chinese gives you flying powers. Duh.

Christmas that scares the piss out of you: My brother brought something to our attention that I had only previously heard of in a history lecture that glossed over it and then moved on to talk about other things... Krampus. This is a PreChristian holiday tradition from Europe that is completely forgotten about in the US. Germany gave us the Christmas Tree, but we didn't take Krampus with it. In the Alpine region of Europe, Krampus is just as much of a part of Christmas as Santa. This is a pagan carry-over from when the Christians Co-Opted the Winter Solstice celebration for Christmas. There is a thread on WTA here, that the subject is brought up. Follow along and watch the videos. There are more on YouTube. This video here illustrates the tradition rather well.

12-25-08:  Too Cool: So I picked up a CZ 527 M1 American in .223. This is one I've had on lay away for some time... We had used this gun as a Range Gun for our Manufacturer's Range Day for people to test fire. CZ credited us a good percentage for it so I was able to get it below cost. Waaay below cost. CZ says this one has improves aesthetics. I don't think so. Making it all black and cutting 2 rounds off the magazine isn't improvements. I'm going to have to get a couple 5 round mags for it. The 3 round mag is very hard to load... especially the last round. I wasn't able to do much shooting. I had two boxes of ammo, but after about 6 rounds my hands were so cold they hurt and manual dexterity started to go away. I am not sure about the scope I have on it. While it's working fine, a 5.5 to 16.5 Nikon Monarch is serious overkill. It's too large, adds bulk and weight that isn't needed... but it did allow me to really dial this thing and see what it could do. I was able to shoot loose clover leafs at first... but as I got colder the shooting became harder and the groups opened up. It got to the point that I just couldn't even load the mag into the rifle. Just hard and painful cold. I look forward to spring where I'll be able to work this rifle in properly. But the accuracy I've seen so far is more than pleasing. I'm going to swap scopes on this thing eventually, putting on another Vortex Viper or a PFI RR600. Something different. This Nikon is a good scope, but I'm going to put it on something else. The 1 in 12 rate of twist is great for lighter weight bullets more suitable for varminting, which is what this gun is for. Light Varminting, where my heavy old Savage is for more serious heavy duty varminting. The 527 action continues to impress me. These Mini-Mausers are nothing but fun. Pure pleasure to shoot... absolute enjoyment. WTA Thread Here.

For those wondering, we got our Christmas Bonuses and that's what I used to pay for the gun. Political Contributions are going into a special account to be used only for political activities and expenses. I have to document that crap now. Fun.

Christmas was splendid. I hope all of you had a properly peaceful and love filled Christmas. Yes, Christmas Eve had me out at 1:30 AM driving around to every 7-11 in town looking for a pack of Pokemon cards. Long story, but I had to get some... drove all over the freaking place. From Naples to Maser. No luck. I had been hoping I could avoid this holiday tradition, but it hit me square between the eyes this year. Nothing makes you feel like an idiot like having to do the 7-11 run late Christmas Eve. I know some of the Police Officers that were on duty watching over the community that night... and they saw me and just shoot their heads at me... I shrugged. What else could I do?

I need to vent about this right now. I HATE secular Christmas Carols. I do enjoy the spiritual carols... and the seasonal ones by Nat King Cole such as The Christmas Song and some of his others... but barring Nat King Cole, only spiritual carols will do for me. Frosty The Snow Man? Rudolph? No... that's not what Christmas is about. But then I heard a new one. “Thistle Hair, The Christmas Bear.” At that point I had to turn off the radio. Thats enough. Christmas is about Jesus. Not giving presents. It's all about giving stuff. And it's not even about giving thoughtful, meaningful or useful gifts of love anymore. It's just a Merch-Fest. And what makes it all the more disgusting is what comes next. All the people lining up to return gifts. They can't even appreciate the stuff they were given – they have to trade it back in for different stuff. That sucks. Take it and enjoy it and think of the person who gave it to you. I think the only reason to return something is if it was some article of clothing that was the wrong size. So you exchange it for the same thing in the right size.

Just appreciate the gifts you were given.... come on people. It's not about the Merch. There is a reason for the season and it's not about stuff from Wal-Mart.

12-21-08:  ZOMBIE GUNS: Okay, much discussions have been going on and on about what makes a great Anti-Zombie Rifle. Certain Zombie books including a survival guide would have you believe that an M1 Carbine would be a great ZG (Zombie Gun). It's certainly usable in that role, but it's limited by lack of range and mag capacity. Normally mag capacity is less important, but when you are looking off a roof top at a sea of Zeds... your ammo capacity is going to be a concern. Just how many magazines are you packing on you? Really. Your slick HK SL-8 is a no go too. 10 rounds? Come on. We need more. Some guys think a .22 like a Ruger 10/22 would be ideal. It's not. While the ability to carry a shocking amount of ammo and the rounds lower sound signature are desirable... it just doesn't cut it. Too easily is the bullet able to glance off a Zeds skull or even penetrate without doing enough damage to destroy the brain. As we all know, Zeds are killed by Fire or by direct destruction of the brain. Freezing and Drowning do not do a thing to Zed save but to slow him down a bit. Having a lower sound signature is a huge advantage... even then, it's only temporary. Once a Zed seems you and sends out his moan, that attracts other Zeds, and more moans, and more Zeds until you have dang near every one of them within miles shambling – or running – right to you. So more important that sound signature, is the ability to reach out and touch some grey matter. The off the cuff choice is then the FNH P-90 or PS-90. 50 rounds, compact and easy to pack and simple and rugged and kinda cool. Lots going for it. But at range, that little round is closer to a .22 Mag than to a .223... and .223 is weak enough as it is. But being as weak as a 223 is – it's probably the perfect choice. The P-90 might be useful in some Zombo situations... but we can't call that the ultimate ZG. It lacks the range and the harder to find ammo is a DQ.

The AK-47 is a classic Zed Head buster... and there is nothing wrong with them... if you have a good quality made one because you might have to start shooting at 400 or more yards and most stock AK examples just don't have the consistent accuracy to make headshots at longer ranges. This brings us back to the .223 and AR type platforms. .223 is fine here, but the AR might not be. Reliability is crucial. I'm going to have to say I prefer the SIG 556 platform for Anti-Zed work... but others will say that it's too heavy. That might be true. Other guns like the MASADA and the SCAR are all vaporware right now at the moment.

I think maybe Israel might have the ultimate ZG, in the form of the TAVOR rifle.

WTF is this. The Armed School Teacher isn't linked? The guy that out Ogred my majestic Ogreness? Wow. WTF is wrong with me? Okay, he's linked and he's near the top now. Forgive me, Don. Dude – you don't need to pull an Ogre, if you can pull of Jayne Cobb's cunning hat. I wouldn't even DARE try that. Okay, now to clarify something. I did get shot in the chest with a .45. But it did not go through my chest. It was stopped by my vest and I still have the bullet. It's on the keyring to my green full sized Bronco, aka, Brutus. Had it penetrated, I would probably lost 3 out of 4 ventricles in my heart. Thanks to the vest, I'm still here, married to my achingly beautiful, non-ogrish, healthy chested, libertarian, dancing goddess, wife and we have six boys. No, I am not green. I'm too Scots/Irish to be anything but pale and reddish. I've turned greenish tint on occasion, but some Pepto helped that. I turned yellowish once, lots of water and antibiotics helped that... and every year I turn brown... but then I peel and I'm back to the paleness that would rival the Vampire Edward from Twilight... I'm so pale my belly looks like a trout. It glimmers in direct sunlight too. So do my legs, even at night – they are that pale. Don Gwinn – AKA: GwinnyThePooh. Good guy. Smart and full of snark. If you have not bookmarked him yet, your doing it wrong. How THE HELL has Don not been linked? WTF?

A couple emails in response to my announcing my intentions for running for public office:

“Ogre, You haven't a snowball's chance in politics. You are too real. You have laid out your true ideas on this blog far too much detail to win an election. Every time that you have posted the fuck word, or shit, or any other manly, or beastly words on here will become public record, and it will be twisted, and taken into any context that is needed to badmouth you. YOU ACTUALLY SHOWED PHYSICAL ATTRACTION FOR ANGELINA, AND JESSICA! Are you CRAZY man? This outwardly manly behavior must be fought against! You speak for the lone majority of the country- God fearing, family having, hard working Americans, and you MUST be stopped! They will make your life a living hell if you ever stand a chance of making a difference, so why put yourself and family through all that? That being said, OGRE 2012!!!!”

“Until now I considered you a man of intelligence. However, your entry into politics indicates a dearth of intellectual wherewithal. I encourage with all of my heart and hope that God has mercy on your miserable soul. You are a man that is accustomed to accomplishing things every day. Each night when you get home, something real exists because you caused it to exist. From that you derive great psychological compensation. You feel good about what you accomplished. This psychological compensation is extremely important to your wellbeing. In the legislature, that good feeling will not exist. You enter into this arena with the highest of motivations, to do good for your fellow man, to make Utah into a better place to live. The world would be a horrible place without men like you. Your achievements in the legislature will come at a great personal cost. As a friend and a reader, I worry for you. Good hunting sir. Most humble regards, Brian”

Thanks guys. I appreciate your kind words and support. I really do and I can't tell you how much that means to me. With your support, I know I can do this... and I know that I can make a difference. I don't have illusions of being able to change everything I want changed. Government is never that easy. But if we can get others like me, that want the changes made, we can make it happen. It's our government. On the State level. On the Federal level. We just have to claim it.  I make no apologies for being attracted to Angelina and Jessica.  Anyone straight who says otherwise is lying.

An email regarding an old pistol review... in fact, it was one of my first real “Reviews”. The Beretta Cougar: “Finally, finally, a review that was worth reading from someone who knows what they are talking about.  The article on the Beretta Cougar 8045 was long overdue and right on the money.  I have a 8045 and have found it to be just as the article described.. I plan on using it as my CCW because the double action provides a quick shot (if needed) out of the holster without cocking the hammer back.  It shoots smooth and accurately with a very controllable recoil.   The drawbacks were also well described,  eight rounds seemingly could fit in the 6 round clips and at least 10 rounds could fit in the 8 round clips if they were designed slightly different.  I bought my gun brand new at a ridiculously low price and wondered if I had made a mistake as well.  From the first time I shot it and the many rounds that have since gone through this  8045 it continues to be reliable and its point and shoot accuracy has been very impressive for such a short barreled  semi auto.  Thanks for a great review, David”

Thanks for the email, David. What is frustrating to me is that the new Stoeger Cougars, specifically the .40 caliber guns, are better than the original Beretta guns. There is design improvements into the locking block that holds the captive recoil spring and guide rod in place so reassembly is much easier. It really is a shame that Stoeger isn't going to do the Cougar in .45 again. As far as .40 caliber handguns go, I think the Stoeger Cougar is one of the finest one could ever hope to get. It's built in Turkey, but everything about it is classic Beretta. It is one of my favorites. It is on the same upper shelf level with SIG and CZ for Non-Poly Chrunchentickers.

The JSF Program. Nova had an interesting show regarding the JSF program. The race between the Boeing entry and the Lockheed's entry. The winner as we know is the Lockheed, but this shows the Boeing project in a light I've not seen it in before. When you just look at the Boeing plane, you think... it's short, fat, and ugly. In fact, it's Fugly. But the Boeing plane does a lot of things very well. It's stability is fantastic. And while goofy looking and reminding us of aircraft from the past (which is not good for an aircraft for the future) the plane has a lot of potential and we should probably consider it for future missions. Also considering all the development that went into the Boeing bird, it should be kept on tap. The F-35 JSF from Lockheed is clearly superior. But considering the Boeing bird could be built much cheaper if they had that thermal plastic issue sorted out... I can see that thing “In Uniform” in the future. I am not all that thrilled about unmanned aerial combat vehicles. While I think our drones for observation and an occasional attack are cool and useful, the idea that this is going to replace men in the cockpit is foolish. Men in the air isn't just a tradition. Its necessity. Men in the air can make decisions and commit to action in ways that unmanned craft will never be able to do. If I am on the ground with a team of shooters, and I get in some hairy shit and need help. I want a man up there, not a robot. Especially if that aircraft is going to swoop in with guns blazing. I want a warrior up there at the stick... not software. American Warriors are unbeatable.

12-19-08:  I have to admit that I am not worried about Russian warships in Cuba. We have our warships a lot closer to Russia all the time. When was the last time they made any presence there? Since the 70's? I don't know. I don't care. Don't even bother correcting me. Because I have a prediction. The Castro Regime is on the way out. Once it's gone, Cuba will come back to Capitalism and Americans will go there for holiday and Cuba will get filthy rich. Especially if you can go their without a Passport, like you could in the 50's. Exotic foreign land, with cool music and good food and hot chicks? Cuba will be the swank place to go, just like it was before. This will happen sooner than most would predict. Cuba is starving and a Russian frigate isn't going to stop the hunger in their bellies. The climate in Cuba has been growing very tired of the Castro BS. There are also a lot of Cuban Exiles waiting to go back home. This Russian ship is there mainly for the Castros to keep a grip on their own population, not to send us any messages.

One thing on My Agenda. Further recognition of Utah Concealed Carry Permits. For example, California, specifically LA County, wants water from Utah. I read a report that talked about piping in a great deal of our Utah Water. As does Denver Colorado and Las Vegas Nevada. But unlike the guys next door, California wants our water, but not our armed citizens who travel there. That's fine... No Water For You. A little political leverage if you will. When you have 10 million people in a city like that, they get thirsty. Other States also have no recognition of Utah Permits. This is not cool with me. There has to be some political pressure we can put on them to get them to honor our permits. I'll look into each case eventually. I'm sure some deals can be made, some agreements can be hashed out. Maybe Utah could import more wine from Oregon for our State Liqueur stores, for example. (wont cost us anything as a population because that money will be recouped in sales for profit) Really though, I couldn't care less about California. I just care about Utahans who have the leave the Right of Self Defense at the boarder when they go there to visit family or conduct business or vacation there.

After chastising the CEO's of the Auto Industry, Congress gives its self another raise. The hypocrisy of this is astounding. The gall of this is monumental. With all the problems in the country that they themselves caused – they give America as a whole the big middle finger and themselves 4700 bucks a year. Yeah... that's not exactly money well spent is it?

Guns and Ammo continue to fly off the shelves at amazing rates. We still have a lot of rifles and handguns. We still have one of the largest inventories in the state... But don't come and blame me that I don't have a new AR-15 for you for your Christmas Gift this late in the game. If you wanted an AR – you are about a month late, buddy. Not my fault. We do still have some lovely Mini-14's available and an FS-2000 bullpup. We also got in several more of the strange little PS-90 carbines. Of which I find fun and amusing, but would not own one. So we have lots of cool guns left. Just not AR's. I had one guy today look at us like we sucked because we didn't have any 150 dollar AR Lowers available. He took it like it was almost as personal insult and then told us about how he got one for 129 at the pawn shop up the road. Yeah, that was before the Obama Ascendancy. Not after. No one with a decent rep has any lowers like that available. No one.

Have you seen the 2008 Para Ordinance Catalog? I'm not going to name anyone's name here... but there is this one cat that shoots competitively professionally. He's in the Para Catalog 20 times. Every picture of someone holding a gun – is him. There are two guys in one place that is not him – but they are wearing masks... and another dude modeling a T-shirt or something, and he isn't holding a weapon. Every other photo is him. I'm sure he's a good guy and all – but come on. Give me a break. Todd Jarrett likes his Paras... we get it. Now, if Para would just get off his jock, maybe someone else would like a turn.

Quite honestly, when it comes to 1911's... I think I'd rather have a Taurus PT1911 than a Para.  I'd rather have Strep than a Para.

12-17-08:  Some questions about me running for a public office: What other issues are my hot topics? What can be to help? Will you go for any higher, national office? Would I put on a suit and tie? These are some good questions that I will answer as best as I can. Really guys, this is very early to even be talking about. I have 3 years to gather my resources, build my War Chest, and then 1 year to actually run. This office is just for the Utah State Legislature... so I'll be rolling into Salt Lake City on a much more regular basis and I'll probably even have to get an apartment out there for when the Legislature is in session. Or crash at Ben's place. But that's neither here nor there right now. Plenty of time to work that crap out later. Right now, I'm worried about getting together enough money to buy regular ads in the most prime time slots. Out here, that means on one certain radio station during a couple specific time slots. Morning News, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity. Like those guys or not, that's where people listen to the radio and will hear the ads. Those are also the most expensive time slots. The newspaper advertising is cheaper and less effective... but still has to be done. But my priority is going to be on the radio. It's a local thing here to listen to the radio. One of the charms of Small Rural Towns. The best way to help me right now is to donate via PayPal to my email address here.

My major concerns – other than Shooting and Hunting – are Public Education, and the state regulation of energy development. Funny how most of the money from this area comes from energy companies developing this area – yet almost none of this money comes back to this area to pay for the infrastructure that these companies need to operate. Such as the roads that the trucks tear up... they need the roads, and that's fine. It would just be nice to have the money available to keep the roads in shape. My wife works for the school district and through her I have learned of a lot of things that need fixed with state regulations of our schools. I am not going to get into anything specific right now, but let's just say that some things are just ludicrous for no reason other than “that's just the way it is.” Fiscal responsibility is pretty good in Utah, but here is a lot of areas where money can be saved... Such as the use of State Vehicles for private use. Liquidation of State Assets instead of letting them sit and rot unused until they are just replaced with shiny new. The UDOT does a good job of tearing stuff up, right on time, but then sitting around and waiting forever until the stars align when they put back together what they tore up. It's not too much to ask to have them not tear things up until they are ready to also put things back together. Just a little common sense and less BS excuses. Another thing I want to do is to bring more gun makers to Utah. Make Utah the new New Haven or Springfield. As with some other industries.

Another thing I need to help fix is the draining of Utah's water sources. We are in a desert and yet we are selling vast amounts of our water to other states. Water that we need for our own use and growth. Helping out other states is one thing, but giving them control of the tap? That's got to be contained. Piping water from Flaming Gorge to Denver? I'm not a fan of this idea. Especially not at the rates they want to pump it.

I've now lived in Utah long enough to be well familiar with a number of things that need to be sorted out by somebody just giving a damn. Right now, my District's Representative is not giving a damn. When I said that he is impossible to get a hold of – I just had a conversation with someone today about his very thing. She laughed a snarky laugh and said how funny it was that his wife who is on a committee is the same way. Emails don't work because they changed emails without telling anyone... change phone numbers without telling anyone... basically they go out of their way to make reaching either one of them as hard as possible. Because they no longer give a damn. Not his job, not her committee chair position. Because they are burnt out or something. This is highly irritating to me. If you are gong to represent me – I gotta be able to talk to you about things. Not all the time... not constantly... not about everything... just one or two things once in a blue moon shouldn't be too much to ask.

When I get in Office, it will be very easy to get a hold of me. I'll have email, fax, a blog (not this one) with live web feeds and responses for two way communication. My office will also be open to anyone who wants a meeting, and when I am not out in SLC at the Capital taking care of business, I'll be in my district, involved with the community. Visible and Accessible... and if you through a shoe at me, I'm going to nail you with mine right back. Lead from the Front. I learned that the hard way... the best way to lead is to lead from the front. It's the only way to see what's going on, keep track of the big picture, and get things done. A higher office? Once I take care of this stuff... I would really like to boot Jim Matheson and take his office in Congress. A suit and tie? Only for the most important of occasions. Suit coat over jeans and a T-shirt... probably almost daily.

OpenOffice 3: Much faster, slicker, and more responsive. The text even looks better. Love it. If you run Open Office – get version 3. 2.4 was good... but it's nothing like 3. Much much better.

12-16-08:  Since I am going to be running for a Public Office, I am going to need donations for campaign advertising. Not a lot, this is only for one State district seat, but I'll need a lot more than I have. I will need your help. Everything I want to do in Office will have a positive effect for Utah Gun Owners everywhere.

As a Politician, it is expected that I make a bunch of promises.  I don't know about all that, but I can make you some promises.  I will never sell my vote. I will never do anything that could jeopardize your Liberty. I will never take a wide stance in a public restroom. I will never take private chartered jets from my home town to the state capital, nor will I ask for a bigger jet... or any jet. I will never solicit prostitutes in seedy hotel rooms. I will never pleasure interns with cigars. I will never do any of those things... Instead, I will champion Gun Rights. I will champion rights of free speech and the freedom of religion. I will advocate and fight for changes and revocations to gun laws and fix stupid hunting and shooting laws. I'll also to it thatsome degree of preference is given to the citizens of Utah rather than Californians when it comes to hunting tags... so if you live in Utah, and you want to hunt, you can hunt, and not some guy from California just because he spends more buying his tag. I will do everything that I can to support the independent Individual. Because America is a community of Individuals... we are not a collective hive like insects like some Liberals would have you believe.

Hi-Points and Sigma's. At the gun counter today we had a discussion regarding the Hi-Point pistols. I stated that “At least they make Sigmas look good.” To which our friend Ben responded, “yeah, but they have better triggers than Sigmas.” I thought, no... this can't be true. So I tested a Hi-Point. Then I tested a Sigma. I hate to admit it... but while both are total crap... the Hi-Point's trigger is indeed less crappy than the Sigma. Don't worry... I washed my hands after handling these two examples of how low the Gun Industry can be. I make no apologies... I hate the Sigmas and Hi-Points. I really do. They are nasty and ugly and have little if anything going for them save for the cheap price tags. So they do have a place... if you need a defensive weapon and you don't have much money – there you go. But even then, there are better options out there... such as military surplus Makarov pistols.

Since Obama's ascension, the US has taken a number of turns for the worst... The Economic Crisis and the Auto Industry's BS and global geopolitical downturns and violence has all given His Majesty a very large TO DO list. I don't think Obama is going to be able to do anything to the detriment of the Gun Owners. I think he's going to save such scumbaggery for a Second Term... because he wants a Second Term. The Dems remember the beating they got when they passed the AWB. They are not going to want a repeat so soon. They have more important agenda issues to take care of. Now if Obama and the Dems get a Second Term, you can bet they will put on amounts of asshattery.

Now I said all of this so that I might say this. This shortage in ammo and weapons is artificially generated. You can't find a Small Rifle Primer anywhere in the state. Why? Because of everyone panicking. I warned you guys 2 years ago that we had 2 years to stock up. Those that listened are doing fine. Those that didn't are now looking for primers and supplies that are now in short supply and very high demand. I think we all need to calm down. I think we have some time now... because of Obama's full plate, I think we have another 4 years. Our royal screwing we were expecting as had a delay. If Obama has a second term, then yes... we will be hosed.

New York Governor David Paterson is a complete and total moron. I don't say that lightly. But 88 new fees and taxes? He's just gouging the shit out of everyone he can. You can't do anything without him nailing you for a tax. And if you do nothing, he'll nail you for a tax on that too. This is just out of control. This is going to seriously damage New York State. Not that I really care about New York, but I do care about Americans getting bent over. This is going to crush New York's economy when the economy is already hurting... this is called kicking when down. With New York looking at a budget shortfall of 51 Billion, the answer is not to raise taxes and put fees on breathing... the answer is to stop spending. A drastic cut on spending, keeping only the very critical essentials. One thing to stop spending on – The Governor's Salary. Lee Iaccoca took a 1 Dollar Salary when he saved Chrysler... How about David Paterson taking a 1 dollar a year salary until he saves New York?

12-14-08:  The Evil White Stuff from The Sky: The White Death has fallen on Ogre Ranch and the surrounding community of Lapoint. I understand the thriving metropolis of Vernal has also been socked. I don't know how much Vernal got, but there was 5 inches on the hood of my truck this morning. A nice thick coating. Luckily its dry and flaky and easily removed... not the heavy wet kind of snow that makes me want to pack the family up and head to Buenos Aries. Yes, it's flurried a little snow at us... but it's never stuck. This time it stuck. Hard. I'm not happy about that. But I'm not bent out of shape about it either... Ogre Ranch is ready for winter. My truck is ready for winter. We are all set.

Not by choice, I had to test the 4 wheel drive on the white stuff. It would seem that Chevy is better on the snow than Ford. Last winter, I pulled Brutus out of the The Shop, and drove it up into the Uintah Mountains in thick deep snow... and hit did pretty good. This Chevy did a heck of a lot better. It really did. Brutus never got stuck... but it just didn't feel as stable as this Chevy does. Interesting, that.

It's a gorgeous day outside today. Blue sky, white covered Earth... and Ogre Ranch is warm and snug thanks to a crackling fire. Very Norman Rockwell here today. 

I am not impressed with the UAW. The United Auto Workers Union has cut the nuts off of the auto industry and they are still holding to their guns – which is why the whole industry is in trouble. Do you guys realize that the first 5 grand of that new car you are thinking about buying... that first 5 grand is paying on UAW pensions. I'm not blaming on the UAW for all of the auto industry's woes... but a lot of them. The Democrats can be blamed for the rest. But the UAW doesn't see it that way... They blame the Republicans. Their logic is flawed. Their 22 pounds of legal contracts are incomprehensible without a Law Degree. The UAW needs to be disbanded and their contracts voided. If the American Auto Industry is going to survive, it can not do so with the UAW hanging around their necks.

WTA SWAG: We are looking at T-shirts and Sweatshirts and Hoodies and Hats and all that swag for WeTheArmed. I want to do some cool stuff that you will really want. Subdued colors like Olive Drab and Coyote Brown... but our my Harm has sent us a post up of a sporty football type jersey. Looks good. I wanted this all done before Christmas... but we have been too busy to really get it finished. All proceeds from these sales of course will be going to help WTA's operating costs.

I'm very pleased with the progress WTA is showing. One of the areas I am especially pleased with, very proud of, is the Ladies Area. This isn't just a Lady's Area, this is really a Lady's Area. The Mod is a woman, and she has full control over that area. It's rather unusual for a Gun Forum to have a Lady's forum... But then again, we are not the usual gun forum. The reason for this Lady's area is simple. Guys and Gals have different requirements when it comes to firearms. The makes and models... the way we carry them. Different concerns physically and socially. And to be quite frank, Male Gun Experts do not really and truly understand the needs of women. Not like women do. For the same reasons Men love the Jubblies, but don't understand what it is like to live with them every day. Men also don't have hips. What works for guys doesn't necessarily work for girls. Women understand this. This is why we have an area just for Women.

12-11-08:  Remember Tina? The girl who made sandbags to help buy her first rifle? Well Tina's little sister Niki is now wanting her first rifle. She wants a Browning T-Bolt.

  (Big Picture)

If you missed your chance to help out and or get some cool sandbags for shooting – now is your chance. Niki is a cute and smart girl who like shooting with her Dad.  Dad, in this case our friend Headshot Willy, is continuing to teach his kids not just how to shoot, but the value of money and the value of the rifle she wants.  Email them to order your sandbag rests.  20 bucks plus 8 for shipping.  Or you can buy them directly from Basin Sports.  Custom bags are available.  Today they came in and Niki helped me restock our reloading section. She's a great kid. Let's give her a hand. And at the same time you get a good sandbag for use on the shooting range. I use mine every time I go shooting.

The subject of AR-15's is going around again... who makes the perfect AR... what should I get to build the best AR... yada yada yada. Guys, there is no one right way to build it... and that's what makes building an AR so great. You can build it anyway you like to fit you and your personality and for your purposes. No one can tell you who you are, so don't ask them. Heavy barrel, short barrel, collapsing stock, trick stock, colors. Do whatever you like. An AR should be a personal thing. Just like your 1911 and what's on your iPod. I do want to build another AR... a very lightweight short and handy unit that's tuned for the use of heavier bullets or in a heavier caliber. A rapid response rifle... The Fremen project rifle was hamstrung by the use of lesser quality build parts and it only frustrated me. It ran fine, but I could not get the accuracy out of it that I wanted. The upper and lowers didn't fit as tight as I wanted... the trigger wasn't where I wanted it it to be... the barrel was the wrong twist... so I just bagged it and sold it off and purchased my SIG in response. I couldn't be happier with the SIG, but the SIG isn't a built rifle, its a bought rifle. I'm in no hurry and I wont start building mine for awhile... but still. The itch is there. I'm going to use a lot of Magpul stuff in my build, because – I freaking love the Magpul stuff. It's like the guys there didn't just think “Hey, this would be cool” they thought “What would make this actually work better?” I like that approach.

The Savage Model 99 Lever Action: What a funky rifle. I've seen and handled them before and they have always been a respected but oddball type rifle. We got one in as a trade yesterday. It's the 99E model in .308. I sat down today with it and really examined the design. The action is mostly smooth. And the lines in the rifle are mostly attractive. But it's neither smooth or attractive... it fails in some way. The waist area on the rifle... at the grip as it swoops up into the receiver is very thick. It's very wide. The gun is a bit heavier than it needs to be too. For a gun of it's size, there is no reason it should be so heavy. The balance is decent, the way it points is good. But it looks just kind of off. A bit strange. While there is nothing really wrong or specifically ugly about the 99, it's just... less attractive. I don't know how else to describe it... like milk that's just started to go off. It would be a decent truck gun. I can see it as a decent field gun. But I'm just not going to be sold on the 99 myself. Now what I can't see... is how you can look at the 99 and look at the 336 Marlin and say “Hey, I'll take that Savage 99.” But I guess that depends on what you want to accomplish with it.

30 Days: Gun Nation: I tried watching this and understanding where this Anti-Gun lady is coming from. Here is my take... This lady is weak. This lady is ignorant and proud of her weakness and ignorance... wearing her weakness as a badge of moral authority. She couldn't get past the “Guns Kill” shtick. You know what, Lady? By far more people are killed by automobiles every day, than by guns. Yet she is driving around without putting on her act. Her attitude is retarded. It's not that I'm unsympathetic to her loss... but I've lost people too. I've lost friends to untimely death. To car crashes. To gun violence. To drunk drivers. To disease. To aircraft accidents. To suicide. Here is the one thing I take away from that... People Die. It's nature. Humans are Temporary. We are relatively fragile things. This lady can who's so afraid of guns could be out on her walkies and get jumped by a cougar and she's done. What is she going to do? She's food. That's nature. These anti-gun people in this show... with their stories of how horrible guns are. Give me a break – the guns didn't do anything... CRIMINALS performed violent acts against good people. And these guys turn the anger to the tool of the criminal instead of the criminal. There is a breakdown of logic here. There is an opinion article about how guns should not be used for recreation. I'm not going to fisk this. I'm not going to go off on this... I'm not even going to link to it. But am going to do something. I'm going to be more active about this... I'm going for a seat in the Utah State Legislature and I'm going to push for Vermont Style Carry. Among other things. But Vermont Style Carry is my first goal.

By the way... that lady needs to get her Thigh Bones stretched out... she's weird looking.

12-10-08:  FOR THOSE WHO LIVE IN UTAH: Okay Utes. I want a list of some of Utah's dumbest laws. The things that bug you about Utah... Legally, not Socially. The things that don't make sense in our State Laws. Hit me. State Laws regarding Hunting and Firearms. Motor Vehicle. Education. Agricultural. Public Lands. Energy Policy. Hit me... if I get into the Utah State Government - what do you want me to fix?

12-8-08:   I joined the Mosin crowd this morning. Guy at work had an old sporterized Mosin that he wanted to trade in. If it was in military spec, it would have been worth a hundred bucks, but as a Bubbified Sporter... it doesn't even really have any value. I offered him fifty bucks for it and he accepted it. So now I'm looking for a couple boxes of 7.62x54R so I can try it out. I've shot them before and they are a respectable War Relic... but I've not shot one that has been cut down like this one has been.

As far as WWII relic rifles go, I know the Mosins have huge following, but I must confess I'm not really in the Mosin Camp. The War Relic crowd is basically divided into 4 Quadrants. Mosins, Enfields, Mausers, and the Americans (which are sub-divided into the Garands and Springfields... but since we are talking Bolt Action Battle Rifles, I'm going to stick with the Springfield here as a reference) The Mosins served the Russians very well through WWII as the Germans can attest. The cartridge wasn't the most powerful, but it was robust enough to be well respected and the Mosin rifles had enough accuracy to put that power to use. But it's a slow action, crude, and like everything else from Mother Russia, build to take the abuse of a thousand and one conscripts. The Mauser 98 rifle completely defined the bolt action rifle for the next... well... let's just say it's still the top dog out there. Most rifle makers are using the Mauser action in their guns. CZ, Ruger, Kimber, Winchester, Remington (in the 798 series) etc. Chances are, if you pick up a new bolt action hunting rifle... unless it says Weatherby, Browning, or Remington 700 on it, it's going to be a Mauser derived action. The Mauser rifles tended be in either 7mm Mauser or 8mm Mauser, and both are fantastic rounds for almost any use... no one would want to catch a round from either. Smooth, well thought out... good triggers and a fast lock time... robust without giving up refinement. It's no wonder they became so popular. The rest of the world felt the impact of Mauser's quality. The 1903 Springfield we took into WWII was already outdated, but it was still a great rifle. Quite often these 1903's are still used today in military honor guard duty at funeral services. I still have the rounds fired in salute of my grandfather... which were fired in nicely preserved 1903 Springfields.

For some reason my personal favorite is the SMLE the Brits used. I don't know why... maybe it's the sights... maybe it's the 10 round capacity... Whatever it is, the SMLE is a joy to shoot. The cartridge is .303 British, which I believe is actually .311 diameter rather than the .308 diameter of the .30-06 Springfield the Americans used. This .303 feels more like a soft kicking .308 rather than the full house potency of the .30-06. It's a moderate velocity round in no hurry to get to the target, but the round still packed enough wallop when it got there. The Battle Of Britain was fought with the .303... The Hawker Hurricane fighter which saw the most Allied Action was armed with 8 to 12 .303 caliber machineguns in the wings (depending on the version)... 12 .303 machineguns can put a lot of lead into the air... overly powerful or not, that could – and did – turn a Messerschmidt into Sour Kraut. One of the things I like about the SMLE is that the rifle's action cocks the weapon when you close the bolt... the Mauser cocks the rifle when you open the bolt. I think the advantage here is that this gives you a faster action. Less operator effort to open and eject a spend round as you have more physical leverage when you are pushing forward to close it instead of bringing your hand up and back to open it just after you have pulled the trigger. So the SMLE was faster and with a higher magazine capacity than the others... I think this is the clear winner. Now I know the No.5 Mk1 Jungle Carbines were not used in WWII... and they had a reputation for being less accurate... but for some reason they are my favorite... just a sweet little rifle.

I would really love an Ishy... An “Ishapore” as they are officially called. These were SMLE rifles made in India, but chambered in .308. You could probably call these Ishy's Mk 7's. So it has a bit more punch than the .303 version, but more importantly they fired a rimless case, unlike the .303. This means unlike the .303 British, you didn't get feeding issues of you loaded your magazine sloppy.

Well, I am tickled with this Mosin I have now. It's old, ugly, has seen many better days many days ago, but it should shoot okay. Certainly good enough to slay the Huns at 100 yards. Of not a Hun, then some coyote or feral hog.

Obama says: Don't stock up on guns. Read this and try not to projectile vomit all over your computer screen and keyboard. We have nothing to worry about. Yeah, great... Obama Says. He's for gun control, then he's against it, then he's for it again, and now he's against it again. Is this asshole plucking the flower petals off a daisy with his daughter or does he actually have an opinion somewhere? Before he was nominated, he was for gun control. Then after he won the nomination he was against gun control. Then he won the election and on his Change.Gov website he was for gun control again... then the Change.Gov site was blanked out... and now it's back up... but not under the heading of Gun Control... but under the new heading “Sportsmen”. I didn't know Sportsmen were an issue! Since when has Sportsmen been a National Issue? He doesn't talk about gun control, he talks about hunting rights. Do not take hunting as a way of saying that he isn't going to bring back the Assault Weapons Ban – which is something that he has said he would do. He's never said he wont. Because we all know that you don't need an Assault Rifle to hunt deer right? Well let me remind you all that the Second Amendment wasn't about Hunting Tools. It was about Fighting Rifles. The word Arms means WEAPONS. A Remington 700 is Hunting Tool, not a weapon... just like a Screwdriver is a tool until it is used as a weapon. Anything can be used as a weapon... but Arms are tools designed to be Weapons from the start if we are perfectly honest here. And our Bill of Rights protects our right to Arms. Our right to have WEAPONS. This isn't about going hunting with Dad. This is about essential Liberty. Unarmed, we are subjects. Armed, we are Citizens... and we are the final Check and Balance of our Government... we are the 4^th Branch of our Government. An active participant in the governing of our selves, because it is all By The People, For The People... Not Above the People and Beyond the People like the Democrats would like you to believe and behave.

So I say YES. Stock up on Guns and more importantly – stock up on Ammunition.

No, I don't trust Barack Obama as a President, I don't trust Joe Biden as the Vice, I don't trust Nancy Peloci or Harry Reid as Congressional Leaders. READ THIS!  I think this is a case of putting the worst people in charge at the worst time. This is like putting Drunks in charge of the liquor store. Our national problems in Health Care, Auto Industry, Mortgage and Energy are all problems created almost entirely by Democrats and now we have these problems at Crisis Levels, we put the Dems in charge of fixing it. Maybe that makes sense in Fuckedupistan, but here in the US this is nothing but bad news. So by all means, buy a box of ammo. Every payday, buy a box of ammo and keep doing that until you can't get any anymore.

What is amazing is that even the Brits are starting to “Get it”. Read this. They are starting to understand that Guns mean Safety and Freedom... This is something that has made sense to The Horde, but seems to be a new revelation to those that fear guns. Now I know there are those people in the UK that understand the blessings of firearm ownership, the comfort and security that they bring... then enjoyment and satisfaction that skill with a fine Arm can give you. We have Hordemembers in the UK. But their numbers are small compared to the masses that think guns are scary. To me, thinking a firearm is scary is about as daft as a fear of Staplers or Copy Machines or a Monkey Wrench. “Oooh I don't like spanners... they scare me!” Yet I hear all the time that very thing from people on the other side of the gun counter... usually the Girlfriend of a guy that likes them and the guy brings her there to show her and hopefully get her approval so he can buy one. Guys – don't do that. She wont look at a gun that you think is cool and suddenly get it. “Hey, I normally don't like guns but this one is alright... yeah sweety you can get this one.” And don't buy it “For Her”. She doesn't like it – she'll never use it. She wont be sitting around with her girlfriends and say “Hey, Let's go shooting!” She wont because “She's AFRAID”. My suggestion – If she says that - Get A New Girlfriend. Seriously. I don't care who she is – get a new girlfriend. It's like dating someone of a different religion. She's most likely not going to want to all the sudden come to church with you. Just get a new girlfriend who believe like you do and its so much easier. If you do try to get your girl into shooting... don't take out your cannons. Take out your .22 rifle for the first few trips to the range. Teach her the right way. Do NOT hand her your “Gauge” and tell her to pull the trigger like we see on YouTube all the time. She's not going think “Hey, that shotgun just kicked my ass through my nose – Let me try that again!” No, she's thinking “I wish I could shove that gun up his cornhole!” She isn't going to want to go shooting with you again and she's not going to think it was funny. The movie Get Smart was funny... acting like a dumbass is not. Teach her the proper way to shoot. Once she can cut the 10 ring out of the target, then move to something else... like a .223 or a .22 handgun. Take Baby Steps with her. Until she can protect herself with your arsenal, its your duty to protect her. And that means her feelings as well.

And while I'm on my rant of things you don't do... Don't Ask Permission to buy a gun. Don't be a pussy. Just buy the fucking gun you want. Here are my reasons Not To Ask For Permission. First: She doesn't know or care how cool that .300 Ultra Mag is and saying it's “For Her” doesn't fly... unless she's a Goddess type woman and has been wanting a .300 Ultra for herself – and then by all means buy her one!  Just buy it because if she wants a new purse, shoes, or her hair done, or a new Sofa... or several articles of furniture – She doesn't ask for your permission. She just gets it because she has your balls in a lock-box. Second: She really does love you and she wants you to be happy. She's still with you, putting up with your shit... that means she loves you. She doesn't want to see you leave, so she wants you to be happy. If buying a new gun a couple times a year makes you happy... it's worth it. Sure a pair of shoes is only 50 bucks, but every fucking month she gets a new pair... hey... there's that new levergun you've been jonesing for. Add in purses, shoes, hair and nails... there's that new Kimber 8400 Classic with a Zeiss scope.

I was going to say “Be a Man and buy a gun” but that sounds too soft.

Be a Fucking MAN and buy that damn gun you want!

Chicks want their men to be Men. The Age of Man is coming back. So cancel your Spa membership, un-pop that collar, stop using the names off all the colors in a box of crayolas... there is Red Blue Green, Orange and Black... Real Men don't even acknowledge Yellow – unless it's in that other guy.... and then you kick his ass for it. Real men don't use or acknowledge Fragrance unless it's Hoppe's #9 or Garlic on Grilled Meat.  If you have to put on some Smell Good Water – Its fucking OLD SPICE. Nothing else. NOTHING. And that's just because we can't use Hoppe's or High Octane Unleaded as Aftershave.  If she's a real woman – she wants a real man.  Be that Man, damn it!  And is she is a Real Woman... then treat her like a real woman and respect her as she respects you... and then make sweet sweet love to her and let her know that just because you got that new gun - you still care about her feelings.

12-6-08:  You have just got to love a rifle that requires you to break out a socket set to set up. This is the Barrett M99A1.

Some say that it is the most accurate and consistent rifle that Barrett makes. I'm not sure if it is... but I think so. The barrel is a bit shorter, stiffer, and that makes for a more consistent shooter. The shorter barrel does lose a little velocity... but that doesn't stop this rifle from still being able to reach out and put the smack down on your target. This one is topped with a Millett scope... not my first choice, but one that will do just fine on the 99. Fine until a better scope can be had to replace it.

I do like the .50 BMG. It's a tremendous cartridge... great ballistic coefficient. Great power. It can do a lot of things lesser cartridges can't do.

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