Feb 2009

2-27-09:  The New AWB: So with yesterday's not so surprising announcement that the Obama administration is going to come after our guns with the new Assault Weapons Ban – for the asinine reason of stemming the tide of gun going into Mexico – Nancy Pelosi steps up and says “no”. Make no mistake, Pelosi is no friend of ours. The only reason Nancy Pelosi says no this time is that she wants to stay Speaker Of The House. Understand this – Nancy likes being the most powerful woman in the world. She gets off on it. Nancy doesn't want to give it up. Flash Back to Clinton's first term. They pass the AWB and next election the Dems lose their majorities. The Dems do not want this to happen again. So they are saying no. If they thought for a second that they could do it and get away with it- they would.

BTW, Sure, I'm for helping stem the flow of illegal guns into Mexico... I'll help out with that, gladly... just as soon as they stem the flow of illegal aliens and drugs into the USA.

Now understand this – Congress doesn't have to do anything. Obama can sign an Executive Order, and make it so. No one else has to do anything. And I would put money that as soon as he gets his second term – that is exactly what he's going to do.

Check this out – since the election, gun sales have been insane. Through the roof sales and guns and ammunition and reloading supplies... everything. Then it slowed down... tapered off... things started to get back to normal. Then Eric Holder opens his Short Bus Mouth and all the sudden the gun sales were on again. Every time the Obama Administration opens it's mouth about anything – something goes to shit.

News report on the radio said that California has a 10% unemployment rate now. That's impressive. How do you lose that many jobs across the state? Bush is going to be beaten up over the economy, but when you look at it – under Bush the unemployment rate was at record lows. Then the Democrats got their power and took over and everything starting to go to hell in a hand basket. The Dems refused to allow regulation on Fanny and Freddy and then the credit and housing markets went to hell. Now they have passed this stimulus package and everything is going even further to hell. I've offered my solution to California's economic woes.

The Swiss are burning down stores that have American products to sell – because they are pissed about what the US is doing to the Financial Markets. The Swiss! Amazing. I thought the USA was supposed to be back in favor with the rest of the world. Hmmm. I guess this proves my theory on Foreign Policy correct then. The rest of the world doesn't have to like us because we are friendly. They have to be nice to us because we are the most powerful nation in this solar system. They don't have to like us – they have to respect us. And now that we have this WUSS in the White House, this moron that doesn't understand Economics or Foreign Policy or History, or even where the doors are in his own White House... they don't respect us.

This is great. I love this.

Added to the Blog Roll:  The Sentinel.

2-26-09:  Tactical Carbine 1: March 7^th, Buckskin Hills Range. 9:00AM.

Here it comes again: The Assault Weapons Ban is coming. Buckle Up.

2-24-09:  Zombie Gophers: As you guys know, my lunch breaks from work have been taken out in the boondocks... hunting varmints. Weird event today. I found a Zombie Gopher. It was about 275 yards and I blew it in half at the waist... it was dead right there. I turned my rifle to another critter, then I noticed movement again. I watch the gopher twist around from it's back... just it's upper half mind you... and start dragging it's self straight at me. This was horrific. So I had to shoot it again. This time the round vectored through it's goulish head and it exploded all over the snow. I had to do that... because you know you can only kill a zombie by destroying its brain. Still, this was quite disturbing.

I was thinking about the Tactical Carbine Course on March 7^th. I don't know if I want to keep it so basic... I might throw in some more advanced stuff. Just a thought. Also, instead of using my SIG 556 as I had planned, I'm going to be using my Rock River during the course, for illustrative purposes. I've set The Rock up as I like it, but I am still not satisfied with the stock. I have the Vltor, but what I'd really like is the Magpul UBR. However, those are hard to find and when you do, expensive as hell. I have no valid reason for wanting the UBR, but I do. The Vltor stock is one of the best on the market, and since I'm running an Eotech, the Vtor's battery compartments make sense.

2-23-09:  March 7^th, Saturday, 9:00AM to 2:00PM at the Buckskin Hills Range. I'll be holding my Tactical Carbine 1 Course, open to the public. PrePay with a credit card or cash at the range before the class starts, $100 USD. Call Basin Sports, 435-789-2199, for details and to prepay and directions to the range. Bring range gear, drop cloth, water, energy snack. Course will continue regardless of weather conditions so dress accordingly. No refunds if you wimp out - credit will be applied to next course. 150 rds. This is a low round count course, so we will be making the shots count.
1. Range Safety.
2. Weapon Zeroing.
3. Malfunctions.
4. Transition.
5. Short Movement.
6. Drills.

Tactical Carbine 2 course will be held in May, with Tactical 1 as a prerequisite. Cost on that one is the same, but will be longer with a higher round count, and handguns will be used as well. More on Tactical Carbine 2 in the future.

2-22-09:  I am Sick and Tired of the Liberal Democrats Hijacking this country... We need to send them a message. I propose a protest. This year, the 4^th of July falls on a Saturday. I propose we have a Conservative Day Off. All Conservatives take July 3^rd off. Everyone across the country that that believes in Conservative Values, Fiscal Responsibility by our Government, and everyone else that is pissed off at the Government's wasteful use of our tax resources.... call in sick, use a vacation day, schedule a personal day... but take the day off. Exceptions to this of course are Police Officers, EMT's, Air Traffic Controllers... those infrastructure type personnels. But everyone else stay at home on the 3^rd of July.

Okay, our friend Steve suggests doing this next to a holiday wouldn't be as effective. July 1^st. Let's promote this. July 1^st, Conservatives Day Off.

I'm still convinced that the auto industry needs to ditch the transmission. If you look at Detroit's attempts to make cars more efficient, they still nail their heads on the same problem. With cars, people are doing the small, ultralight, two passenger cars and getting them to go more than 60 MPG, some as much as 100 MPG. And that's fine. But these cars are tending to rather useless if you have more people or more stuff. And most hybrid systems only help you if you are a City Driver.  They don't do crap for you if you are a Freeway Driver.  And for trucks, there is really no progress. It comes down to the transmission. They are heavy and add a lot of weight to the vehicle, and the engine loses about 20% of it's power trying to get it to the wheels. I've suggest that we ditch the transmission completely. Use the engine to spin a dyno to pump power to electric motors. Now, previously i was told this wouldn't work because electric motors in the wheels would be too heavy. Of course. I never intended to have the motors in the wheels. Keep the motors between the axles. The motor turns the dyno, power is stored in some batteries, regenerative braking... using small efficient diesel engines for core power... We could have a real viable hybrid, with real advances in mileage. And we could have this system that allows full all wheel drive with total control over the power to each wheel... and we could have this system in any vehicle type. Trucks, Vans, Passenger Cars, and Sports Cars. I suspect one could even convert existing vehicles to a point. This system is already in use in trains – and it works an it's crazy efficient... because these trains don't have transmissions.

Okay, I was taken to task about not giving Savage enough love. I know... I know... I have a Savage rifle and I am quite fond of it. I call it my “Varmint Murder Weapon”. With that Savage, if I can see the critter, I can smoke it. My Savage is a One Hole rifle with 55 or heavier bullets. When I got it, it was on a lark. I didn't expect anything of it. All the sudden, I'm converted to Full Believer. Savage Rifles, I will say are hideous. The actions are ugly. Big, bulky, round, and they have that locking lug... but man... let me tell you... Savage has the best barrels out of the box in a production rifle... most consistent. And while they might not be the best looking, these guns are all about putting the rounds on target. That's where they become absolutely beautiful.

Now, also to Savage's credit they have some great looking stocks, good finishes and are doing the best they can to make those chubby actions look pretty.

2-20-09:  During my lunch break today I felt like spilling blood. So I did. Prairie Dogs' blood. I took out the CZ 527 American with a couple boxes of 5.56mm and went out to the Buckskin Hills Range. Prairie Dogs abound out there. They are pretty much cleared out completely inside 400 yards, and tend to prefer to stay out around the 575 yard to 800 yard distances. I don't know why.. but they seem to not to like bullets.. Out to 600 yards, 5.56mm is really pushing it... but I slew many desert rats. In fact to be honest, I got carried away killing dogs and lost track of time. Got back to work late from lunch. Ooops. At extended ranges, the 527 M1 American is hard to shoot precisely. Precision shooting is not what this rifle was designed for. While difficult, the rifle is capable of surprising accuracy. I was trying to nail one dog, and I kept missing. Worse yet – I had no idea where my rounds were going. Brown dog on a white background – easy to see. Not so easy to see my impacts. So I swung my gun around and aimed at a spot of snow on a brown background of muddy soil on a hillside. Same distance as the dog I was shooting at. So I aimed dead nuts on the spot of snow – and it disappeared. I was shooting point of aim point of impact – which meant my rounds were sailing over the prairie dog's head. I had thought I was zeroed for a closer range. Guess I was wrong. So I swung back to the P-Dog and put my cross hairs right COM. I held my breath, slowed my pulse, set the trigger, and used the pinch technique. That dog came apart like it was shattered. Very satisfying. Especially since I was not at the bench, but bracing over the hood of my truck in a practical field type position. No bags, no rests... Just crossed arms.

It was at that moment when I decided that I really and truly hated the scope I had on it. This little Bushnell Elite 3200 is a decent enough scope, clear and bright.... but the 2-7 variable is just too limiting with the shooting that I am doing with it. On the 527 Carbine, that I'm keeping inside of 400 yards, 2-7 is fine. But my .223 gun I'm really stretching it out there. I need more glass.

It just so happens that I have a Nikon Monarch 5.5-16.5 scope sitting on top of a dresser, not doing anything. Now, I hate putting this scope on the 527 because it's so large and overpowers the sleek look of the rifle... but the optical quality, the brightness, the clarity, and the greater magnification can really pay off for stretching the shots out there. The CZ still looks good... but doesn't look as sleek as with the smaller glass.

I still need to get a 5 shot magazine for it. The 3 round mag is too damn limiting and too tight.

Now for you guys that want a 527 for varminting, get the heavy barreled version CZ has for Varminting. The gun is not much heavier, but the added weight gives you much greater stability. This makes the longer range shooting much easier.
The Nikon Monarch series of rifle scopes is probably the best bang for the buck out there. You get great glass for a lot less than similar Leupolds or anything higher quality. To get better glass than the Monarch series – you are going to have to pay at least 150 bucks more. At least. Monarchs are starting out in the mid 400 buck range... And to get a similar Leupold, you are looking at 600 bucks.

Nikon Monarch – Leupold – Zeiss. Those are the three scope brands to keep in mind when you start looking at class.

Inexplicable Jones: I really don't know why I've got an itch for a SIG P229 with Night Sights, in .40. But I am seriously wanting it. Double Action, Single Action trigger mechanism with their rebounding hammer, seems clunky compared to my beloved Kimber single action guns... but the SIG's trigger is nice and smooth all the way through the Double Action pull to the break. I can keep the front sight post on target, rock solid, while dryfiring. Not a twitch in the sight. In single action mode, the trigger is fantastic. The 12 round capacity is no big deal compared to the XDM's 16 rounds... but the SIG 229 fits my hand very well and I like the more compact size.

Speaking of compact sizes. We got in an interesting Taurus. It's like a compact Beretta 92FS, but it's packing a 19 round capacity... in .380. It's crazy. Not that this has anything to do with the SIG 229... but still. I keep coming back to that SIG and looking at it... fondling it... picking it up... I like it. I want it.

I'm not happy with Kimber. Kimber decided that to continue in the Pro-Staff program, everyone has to do their new online training by a company called 3point5. To be honest, the “training” was childish and insulting. I can see this for Cabella's employees. But guys at real sporting goods stores? Don't waste my time. I explained my displeasure to Kimber, and Kimber got back to me really quick with a “Sorry you don't like it” email by their marketing manager. She explained that the training is 3point5's format and yada yada yada, trying to sell me on the training. Which is nothing more than a walk through of their catalog. There was no learning. No training. It was just a commercial. In all seriousness, if this 3.5 training is required next year. I'm out. It might be fine for other retail type items... but not firearms. I don't sell swag. I sell guns. In fact, Kimber kinda pissed me off with this. So much so, I might trade off my Kimbers for SIGs. (in this case it would be for a SIG GSR, not the 229)

2-18-08:  Some interesting things: First off... ATI is bringing out a new AR-15 Shotgun. Chambered in .410 it should be a lot of fun. Unfortunately the .410 shell is next to useless and the shells are expensive. This is just the ticket though for the fans of the Taurus Judge. Handgun, Long Gun combo in .410. Let me think about this for a second... yeah... I'm going to pass on this one. Unless of course this can fire slugs accurately... and then things get interesting.

FMG's GUNS magazine, the same company that does American Handgunner... Well, GUNS is now free online. FMG has one writer on staff that I full on can't stand. Taffin. That SOB has made me buy more guns I never knew I always wanted... than any other gun writer I've ever paid attention to

I have one of those little KaBar pistol bayonets now. I don't know what I'm going to do with it... but its cute as the dickens. It might become a Where's Waldo thing for my videos... see if you can spot it. Maybe. We'll see. I want to get 3 of them and mount them all around the rails of one of my rifles... just for fun.

Plague of Crows has been visualized. My Bro, Zack did the picture for me. Fear her.  (Warning - HUGE)

2-16-09:  How many of you guys know Woot.com? Woot finds a ton of one item, and blows them all out at huge discount prices. Woot makes good money doing this. The business model is sound. Well, there is the same thing going on for us Outdoor enthusiasts. It's called CamoFire. I've been tracking it. The deals they are offering go from pretty dang good to staggering. So, now that you've bookmarked Woot, bookmark CamoFire too. Check it daily because its' a different item every day.

Drudge had the headline that California is on the brink. I can't help but to feel sorry for those guys. The Bastion of Liberal Ideology is about to collapse because it can't afford it's own agenda. Let's see what we can do to help them out, shall we?
Really, California's problems are not social, they are economic. California has been waging a war against Capitalism for decades now, and it looks like they finally won. You remember those old cartoons where the cat is on the tree with a saw, and he's sawing away, only to realize too late that he was on the wrong side of the cut? That is what California looks like to me. They have done everything in their power to ruin Business in their State. And considering the size of the California Economy, this was a huge achievement. The drove businesses away left and right because of over regulation, over taxation, over demanding. Demanding too much of any small business usually means that small business either moves or closes. Tacking on insane regulations and hit them with a One Two punch of high taxes, it's no wonder that California can't afford to stay open for business.

To fix this mess, California needs to bring business back. First off, lower taxes. Cut them in half... then cut them in half again for good measure. Ease up on regulations... the Rule Book – toss it. If you have a bunch of picketers out front protesting something – bring out the fire hoses. Ignore the petty little Special Interest groups that get in the way of everything. You can't dig a hole without them protesting something out there – so where's what you do. Dig a big hole, let them protest, then throw them in the hole and cover it up. Think of it as fertilizer, and you can rest comfortably knowing its environmentally friendly. Stop inviting illegal aliens over. Get forceful in their eviction. You guys have the Cartel in your national forests now... the freaking Cartel! Knock it off with the playing around with legalization. Go ahead and do it... you will get tourist dollars. And while you are at it, open up prostitution as well. Legalize it, then regulate and tax it. But not too much. Elect some Conservatives to your State Legislature. About 55% of the total should be Conservative. You can be Liberal enough to make yourselves feel good about some issues – but you wont lose your heads when it comes to Economic issues. One last thing – PROFIT is not a bad word.

Email: “Just wanted to say thanks for taking the time to write and publish your article "Why I hate the M-16/AR-15 Rifle and variants".  I'm new to the AR having acquired my first example only a few months ago just prior to all the Obama induced insanity.  A good friend of mine is an AR enthusiast and finally convinced me to purchase all the pieces to build a complete rifle.  I'm a Mechanical Engineer so I was enthusiastic about assembling the rifle from the ground up.  I took the opportunity to study and evaluate each piece and system from a basic engineering standpoint and in doing so, I was surprised by what I saw.  In short, *everything* you stated in your article makes sense to me and I believe your experienced-based evaluation of the design would be right in line with a truly un-biased and objective engineering study of the rifle.   

As of this email, I have only fired about 300 rounds through my AR so it's probably not even broken-in yet.  I like the little rifle so far, but I'm not about to part with my trusty Mini-14 or SKS. In fact, after reading your article, I'm tempted to replace the AR with an AK variant or maybe step up to an M-14, I've wanted on of those for years.  I'll probably keep the AR for now, but if it gives me any trouble, it's gone. 

Thanks again for taking the time to write and post a real-world honest evaluation of the M-16/AR-15.  And also, thank you for your service to our great country. Rob - Dallas, Tx”

Thanks for the email, Rob. Such a study has been conducted, you will be pleased to know. The result is the MagPul Masada rifle that is entering production by Bushmaster under the name “ACR”. Quite literally, they took the article to heart and unscrewed the front sight post and put a new rifle under it. They started out looking at each part of the AR and what could be done to improve it... bit by bit they changed the whole thing... save for the front sight post.

2-14-09:  “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

I'm sick of people getting this wrong. It's a simple matter of elementary reading comprehension. The language The Second is quite clear. It is in two parts. The first part, talking about the Militia, is meaning all of us... but that is just a preface to the point. The point lays in the second part. The Right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. It does not say the right of the militia to keep and bear arms. All of the Bill Of Rights is about the individual. It's personal. They use the phrase The People not as a collective, but as a collection of individuals. So this means, that you have the right to keep and bear arms. Those that argue about such simple elementary comprehension are one of two things... they are either stupid, or they are politically biased. Quite often they are both.

Now lets look at this further. This isn't just about guns. Notice that they never mentioned Sport or Hunting. They never would have thought of anyone wanting to regulate hunting. Hunting was a part of everyday life back in those days. They didn't have seasons and they never would have thought to require Permits or Tags or Licenses. People just did it. A hunting rifle back then was a tool, just like an Axe or a Shovel. But the Founding Fathers didn't say tool. They said Arms. Arms means Military Weapons. A fighting rifle, a sword. Anything that is used for Combat. They didn't say that the Right to Hunt shall not be infringed.... that's silly. To them, that would be like saying the Right to Eat. That's ridiculous to think that. To translate this into not just today's language, but into today's practical application, they are saying that your right to have an M-16 shall not be infringed. A handgun, just like what our Standing Army is armed with, the Beretta 92FS, a high capacity auto, is an Arm... and shall not be infringed. Unfortunately, this has already been infringed. Deeply and repeatedly.

Also note that The Second doesn't just say to Keep it... Ownership is, according to the Second, unquestionable. The kicker here is that The Second also says Bear. Bruin jokes aside, this is talking about having the weapon with you. Carrying it. You have the right to have and to carry military type arms. Arms in those days also involved rocket and cannon. (Remember the Song that mentions the Rocket's Red Glare) Today these mean Howitzers and RPG's and AT-4's. M-249's and GAU-12's. Those are our Arms of Today, and those are what our Founding Father's were talking about.

The whole point of The Second is about The People being able to keep the Other Three Branches in check. We are The Fourth Branch. And the other three serve us. Today, while our rights have been indeed infringed, the other Three are under the impression that We The People serve them. This is what happens when we allow them to take too much power.

We have been watching, with gritted teeth, our Government usurping too much power. Spending our money in a manner that is flagrantly irresponsible. And it's not just a Democrat thing. Republicans have been doing this too. What's interesting is that we are seeing a lot of Citizens from the Left getting rather miffed about this too. People from both sides are saying “Hey, wait a second, this isn't right.” No, it isn't. But they are getting away with it These people who voted for this monstrous Stimulus Bill all need to be voted out of office. And the new Congress that comes in to replace them need to vote this bill null and void. Undo the damage. It can be done. Unfortunately it will require something unprecedented in American History. It will require The People, in mass, to get out and actually cast a vote.

Perhaps a Vote should be mandatory. I support some changes to our voting law. To be allowed to vote, you should be required to have a State ID Card or Driver's License. You vote once. Your vote is counted right then and there. And the fact that you have voted is recorded. We have the computer technology to do this. This isn't hard. We need to get away from these ancient paper ballots that get torn and crumpled. This is why there is the continued vote counting issues that is allowing Al Franken to steal an election. By contesting individual votes, disallowing some, allowing others... It's not just laughable. But it's also tragic. An unnecessary tragedy.

I've talked to too many people who say “I don't vote” as if that gave them some Moral Superiority. That's one of the most moronic opinions out there. As if our greatest Right as Americans, that our forefathers fought, bled, and died for, is somehow beneath them. Idiots. As Americans, our Duty is to educate ourselves and make informed judgments based on the facts, and Vote. Expecting the masses to actually get informed about anything is as laughable as someone back in 1776 saying that Man will one day walk on the moon. Quite the hurdle. But one that was eventually accomplished.

2-12-09:  I ordered 2 knives today. The first one is the Hissatsu, from CRKT. I've wanted one for years, but have always held off it because I wasn't sure how it felt in the hand. Well, FBMG had one last time I was there and I checked it out. It felt great and not delicate as it looks in the photos. It feels substantial, thick in the blade, with a nice heft to it. I had to have it. I didn't know if I could afford buying it at the time so I passed. It has been aching on me since – so I had to order it. The other knife I ordered for myself is a new one from Cold Steel, the Paradox. It's a good looking knife and I've wanted a butterfly knife for awhile now too... I like the springs keeping it closed, because most balisongs have that stupid little latch that always falls back open. I'm not going to be pulling butterfly tricks with it. I gashed my hand once trying that crap once before. This one isn't able to be flipped and twisted open... which means if one of my kids grabs it, he wont chop his fingers open playing with it. Anyways, I had a good price on it so I ordered it too. It wont be out for some time, but I'm patient.

BEST SPORT EVER: Rifle Golf. Up in Northern Utah there is my kind of Golf Course. I'm down with this. We need to schedule a day this summer when some of us can all get together and go play a round.

Okay, I had heard rumor some time ago that Magnum Research had lot the importation license to import the Baby Eagle pistol. That rumor turned out to be true. MR doesn't have the Baby Eagles in there 2009 catalog anymore. I speculated as to who it was that would get that contract. Well, KBI/Charles Daly got it. And of course they are no longer calling it the Baby Eagle... they are giving it the real name back... the Jericho. I've got to tell you, this is a good move for the pistol. The Jericho is a great weapon. I remember the Jericho 941 from some time ago. Magnum Research kind of screwed it up and I'm glad that such a great gun is now going to get a more respectable distributor.
I know some guys out there might be into Magnum Research, but as a company – they piss me slam off. Their handling of their semi-auto.17HMR issue is asinine. They blame the ammo maker for the bolt opening too fast and blowing the magazine out of the gun in tiny bits. No other rifles are having issues – just theirs. So instead of building a gun that can handle the cartridge it's chambered for – they blame the ammo company. Right. Also interesting is that I've seen those blowouts in several of these rifles – each one using a different .17HMR load. Uh huh... ammo issue. Right. Yeah, I'm calling Bullshit.

Remington had the same issue with their .17HMR version of the 597 rifle. Great little rifle... but in the HMR it had problems... same thing. Bolt coming open too soon. Know what Remington did? They dropped the rifle. It's not in the 2008 catalog and I don't remember seeing it in the new 2009 catalog either. If it comes back, it's because they fixed it. Magnum Research doesn't have the stones to do that. They can't take ownership of the problem they created. Notice how Ruger doesn't make one? Magnum Research is taking Ruger's 10/22 design and using it with some slight modification – and it's got a serious issue – and MR is pointing their fingers elsewhere. Bullshit.

Kudos to Charles Daly for snagging this fine pistol line. CD has really stepped up their product line and quality, and them being able to offer Jericho pistols? This is yet another good move for them.

2-10-09:  Because of a couple friends, one in South Africa, and one in North Carolina, I joined Facebook. It's pretty cool, and I'm still figuring out how to use it. But it's impressive. The weird thing is, is that while I was registering it, it said “Here are some of your friends.” And it was right. Freaked me out. How did Facebook know? No, don't tell me. I'll just chalk it up to voodoo.

Oh man did we get in a cool new rifle. The Steyr HS.50. This is a huge single shot, bolt action .50 BMG rifle built for accuracy. It is an impressive gun. I'm all about the Big Fifty rifles, and let me tell you... this Steyr unit is one of the best built examples of the breed. It's not perfect, but it's very good. There is not a .50 rifle out there that is perfect... they all have quirks. But the Steyr has a lot of good features in it that I like and some that I don't. I don't like the way the barrel and the action mate. I don't like the lack of adjustment in the stock for length of pull or height. I don't like that it comes in two cases for one gun. One case for the barrel and one case for the action. And they don't supply a driver for the two Allen screws that connect them. But they do give you a cleaning rod... taped to the outside of the two shipping boxes that are strapped together. How ghetto is that? I mean, hell, people.... this rifle is 5500 bucks. Instead of two crappy cases, why not throw in a Storm or Pelican rifle case with the airport wheels on it? Barrel does. Still. The things I like... I like the muzzle brake. It looks much more efficient than the ones on the Armalite AR-50's and a couple other .50 rifles out there. It also looks properly brutal. I like the fluting. I like the free floating. I like the fact that I can take the cheapass AR-15 grip off and put on something better. I like the look of the whole gun. I like the bi-pod that they threw in and how it quick detaches. I like the fact that this .50 is lighter than other .50's out there. This is a good .50 cal rifle, right here. I could have one of these.

2-7-09:  What do you do on your lunch breaks? I hunt.

2-6-09:  We got in an interesting pistol. A Taurus 845. This is a new pistol for Taurus. It's not even on their website that I can find. Can't even “Search” for it on their site. The box isn't marked 845, but there it is, priced at $399.99. I have to say, it's good. No, I'm serious. This is a good solid handgun and I'm impressed with it. So much so that I am sorely tempted to buy one just to test it. Hammer fired with a pretty decent trigger on this example. It feels more together than other poly framed Taurus's that I've learned to shun. This is one of the best handguns Taurus makes.  I dig this one... for four hundred bucks, this is a winner.

2-4-09:  The question of the Second Amendment is going to be hot and heavy in the next few years. It's already driven retail sales above and beyond any prior record in the history of the US. Liberals will want to say that guns are popular to buy when faced with difficult economic times. Really? I don't remember the scene in Grapes of Wraith when they loaded up with 5 cases of .30-06 ammo and a couple Springfields. In this economic crunch, that's exactly what they are doing. I've seen men who have just lost their jobs spend damn near everything they had left to buy a gun and a small stockpile of ammo for it. Reason being, they are pretty sure they will be able to get another job.... but not so sure if they are going be able to get another gun. I'm convinced that Obama has S&W stock in his portfolio, because he's been driving sales harder than anything else I've ever seen. Friend at work, Travis, has been selling guns for 15 years at the same store. He's never seen anything like it. Other guys, selling guns for twice that long... they've never seen it either. Nation Wide, there is a drive to buy everything that has a for sale tag on it. Americans have a need, it's in our genetics, to be free. That's the way we are wired. We value our Liberty more than anything else. Guns are the teeth of Liberty. Our Founding Fathers recognized that even before there was an America. Freedom is what we are about, and Guns insure that. That's why they wrote the second amendment and that's why the 2^nd doesn't mention anything about Hunting or Self Defense. Those were givens. Taken for granted. So it's important to understand the Second as well as the rest of our Constitution. The Federalist Papers give us insight. It also makes a good point that we need to remember about the Second when in any political discussion regarding it. Specifically paragraph six, which I want to talk about. Read it carefully.

“The citizens must rush tumultuously to arms, without concert, without system, without resource; except in their courage and despair. The usurpers, clothed with the forms of legal authority, can too often crush the opposition in embryo.”

Okay, now that sounds a bit drastic and potentially violent. But that is not my intent and not the point I'm making. We do need to rush to arms... we need to take action. But not with physical force. The usurpers will only use that against us. The greatest thing about our system of government is that it is built with a mechanism of change. But let's look at it a different way.

The most popular analogy of our government is that it is a machine, an engine. Let's look at it like a recipe. All these different elected officials are the ingredients and put together they form complex flavors. They have flavor. Now if we have too much of one thing it overpowers the other flavors. This is what we have going on right now. It's not missing anything, just has too much of one thing overpowering the other flavors. Like a stew with too much salt. This can be fixed. We can't take out all of the salt... but we can take out enough to bring a balance back to our government so it's not so distasteful.

In two years we will have another election. Less dramatic than the General Presidential Elections, but it is a major election none the less. We can take back the House and the Senate by simple rushing tumultuously to the polls and casting our votes. But in order for us to win and for the changes to be meaningful we have to have good people to vote for. Far too often I hear the complaint that all we can do is to vote against someone. And that has been the truth of it. Then we had Sarah Palin. All the sudden we had someone to vote for. Unfortunately she was on the wrong part of the ticket... but the energy was there. We need good people to vote for. All across the country. In every district. In every race. In every office. We need Good Men to Vote For. I'm not saying I'm a Good Man, but I'm stepping up. I'm asking for your vote in my district. I'm running for the Utah State Legislature. A small office. But the Utah State Government is leaning far too leftwards for my taste. I aim to right it. There are other districts in Utah that need other good men to stand up and do it... This is our duty. We've sat around and grumbled about the Government, forgetting that we are the Government. We've just let the wrong people run it. In your State... in your Districts... I'm asking for You to Run. Or if you can't run yourself, back someone who can. At least, for the love of God and Liberty – get out and vote. If we can – over night we can effect massive change. We could wake up one morning in a country that is free of the lunacy of the Left.

And to do this we don't need our guns. We just need out ballots.  But guns are our backup.

Nancy Pelosi has got to go. She is the most brain damaged person on Capital Hill. Take a quick look at this. And This. And This. And This. My hell... this brain damaged woman is #3 in the country. We've got to get rid of this idiot.

2-3-09:  Our friend, Headshot Willy picked up a new rifle yesterday.

A CZ 527 Kevlar Varminter in .223... and it is a shooter! Extremely accurate. Easy to shoot. Couldn't be happier with it. Now Willy and I are going to be putting money on the line for shot per shot kills on Prairie Dogs. Willy's buddy Troy came in today and purchased the same rifle, but in a grey laminate stock. Topped it with the same scope.  A 6-18 Nikon Buckmaster with a target dot reticle.  This is a good choice for this rifle as this version of the Buckmaster has tactical style turrets that are easy to work with. 

I think we all need to go out and do some serious prairie dog slaying as soon as we all have some days off together. These 527's from CZ – honestly, I could sell every other rifle I own... but I'd keep my CZ's.

My little Sister In Law has a boyfriend. He's a basketball player. He's a good kid. For some reason everyone in the Clan out here decided to go see this kid's game tonight. So the whole famdamnly is out supporting this kid by watching his game. The boyfriend's game. Not once has anyone in the family come out and watched an IDPA or 3Gun match of mine. Not once. Anyone. I'm not pissed about this. Not upset. But I can't help but to feel disappointed. You know – not many times do we have anyone ever come out to watch an IDPA match. Few “visitors” ever watch, no matter who comes out. It's just not a Spectator Sport. Yeah, I know that. But this makes me think... “What can we do to make it a Spectator Sport”? I'm thinking the answer is Cheerleaders.

“Gimme a W! Gimme an E! Gimme an A! Gimme a T! Gimme an H! Gimme an E! Gimme an R! Gimme a B! Gimme.... ah fuck it.”

Optic Shuffle. I have a sweet little conundrum. I have a scope on the way to me from Swarovski. An AV 6-24x50mm, with the BR reticle and a 30mm tube. Retails for $1999.99... Straight up a cool two grand. This is a good long range scope for long range shooting. The problem I have – I don't have a rifle that is worthy of this sort of scope. Like a .30-378 Weatherby Magnum or a .300 RUM. You know that rifle I might put this on? My Savage .22-250. Just because I can. I do that sort of thing. You're talking to a guy that put a V-8 into a Honda CVCC. Ate a Smoked Salmon and Caviar Sandwich. Did it because – I could. Waste of a good engine? Maybe. Spoiled the Caviar? Probably. But then again – I've tasted something you probably haven't and probably never will. And it was good. Stomping the gas and having the rear bumper of a car hit the ground is something you've probably only seen on The Fast And The Furious... I've done it. It was ludicrous. It was too much of a good thing packaged in something that was never meant to contain it. Well, to get back to my little problem... this is making me examine all the glass I have on all my rifles... and perhaps it's time to shuffle the deck. This Swarovski comes into a collection filled with Leupolds and Nikons and Pride & Fowlers. I'm thinking this Swarovski might go on my .22-250 Savage and the scope on that, the VX-III might roll down to the 527 American .223 and then a certain Nikon Monarch might come into play on top of a SIG 556. I'm not sure. I could put this Swarovski on my favorite big gun, my 7mm Rem Mag... that would be my obvious answer. To make the most out of perhaps my most important big game gun. Or I could go the route of Most Mileage. I get more mileage out of my .22-250 Savage. Or my Remington 700 XCR Compact Tactical. That would be the easiest answer... It's already sporting 30mm rings. Then that PFI RR800-1 could go on top of my SIG 556. Hmmmm... Now there is a thought. See... now there is conundrum. It's just fun to think of all the options.

Something arrived today for me to review. A Cavalry Arms polymer AR-15 Lower. But before I can review it – I have to finish it. It's an incomplete lower. This means that there is no trigger group, no mag release, none of that. So this will be a From Scratch kinda review. A real ground up. I'll document the process and review just what a PITA it is to Build You Own like how some guys are fond of doing. I've not built an AR since Virginia. So this will be interesting.