JULY 2008

7-30-08:  Kimber now has a Pro Staff program, and I'm in it. This one is a little different then other gun makers special dealer programs. Not only does this one have special offers for guys like me who sell these guns for a living... but this one has Kimber actually listening to us on product development and improvement. So here is what I'm going to tell them:

I want Kimber to make a gun for me. I want an all steel version of the Tactical Custom II, with the SIS grips and sights... I want the Tactical Custom grey frame with the 25 to 30 LPI checkering. Black controls and mag well funnel. Contoured for carry with a good Melt Job on all corners. Black slide, and I want the slide serrations sharp and easy to grasp. I want a match grade barrel and bushing. Call this like the Defender Custom II, with Commander and Officer's sizes... in Kimber lingo that would be Pro and Ultra sizes.

There is no shooting like Long Range Shooting. There is something deeply satisfying on both Primal and Spiritual levels when you can look out at a landscape, and know that you completely own it with the rifle in your hand. Today, I took a much needed day off from everything. I headed up into the Uintah Mountains with a couple of my rifles. I wish I had taken the .22-250 with me, as it would have been ideal today... but I didn't My companions were my beloved 527 Carbine, and my Big Seven. Working with the Big Seven has convinced me that I will have to upgrade my glass. The Leupold VX-II I have on it is great... but I am wanting to upgrade that to the 4.5-14 Conquest Rapid Z 800. Reason being is that the max 12 power is just a touch short for the working ranges I'm engaging in. That Rapid Z reticle is also a bonus for long range shooting. Now the CZ 527 continues to be a pure delight. The 400 yard zero is a bit ambitious, and when I get the Vortex Viper – it should be here later this week – I'm going to zero it for a 100 yards and use the BDC reticle to help me get out to 400. I'll keep 400 yards as my self imposed max limit. While it can reach out farther, I want to maintain it's lethality.

The targets today were prairie dogs. If you look at pictures of P-Dogs, they look cute and they make cute little squeeks... just adorable, right? Nope. Prairie Dogs are disgustingly foul little ghoulish bastards that need to be shot as much as possible. When you watch them through your optics, you see them play and chirp and tussle together. But as soon as one gets zipped through with a 155 grain slug and lays their twitching and bleeding profusely... the other P-dogs that had been playing with it so cutely, start to attack it, biting off chunks of flesh like a pack of cannibalistic miniature brown fuzzy great white sharks. They will try to drag the still twitching corpse of their friend down into their holes to feast. They look cute until you get to know the P-dog, and then you find they are extremely repulsive creatures... much like Democrats.

The 527 Carbine is a fantastic brush gun suitable for most areas that have tasty deer or even black bear... It's just about the ideal rifle for an inexpensive scout rifle. In 7.62x39mm it can handle damn near any serious chore you ask of it. However, as a Target Rifle with a flat trajectory that you would want for hunting P-Dogs, the 7.62 Carbine is going to fall short. I fired a total of 60 rounds today through the little CZ and only killed about 25 of the little bastards. The difficult part was simply a matter of estimating range to the target and figuring your trajectory and hold for that target. While that's always the problem, with the Nerf-like trajectory of the little .311 Russian caliber, the situation is exaggerated and ranging becomes all the more critical, even at shorter ranges. Now look at the size of a P-dog... they are small. And way out there at 200 to 300 yards, they represent a very difficult challenge with the 527 Carbine. Had a taken along my .22-250, this would have been much easier.

No, I'm not calling 400 yards long range shooting, but Long Range is a matter of Relativity. With a 7.62x39 with a short barrel, it's a challenge. With my Big Seven, it's nothing. Let me say that again... It's nothing. Now what about ranges beyond 400 yards? Past 600 yards? A thousand? Now you are talking Long Range. Most guys out there that are shooters not only have never shot at a Grand, but they woldn't know how and would take a lot of rounds to even get close to their targets. I been able to make hits on rather smallish targets – namely coyotes – out to 1400 yards but not past that. I've found my limit. To stretch past this limit, I need coaching. There was a time when I was instructing Advanced Rifle Marksmanship, but that was out to 300 yards on human torso sized targets. Long Range Shooting is a different skillset and you can only learn it properly from real experts of long range shooting. If you want a good instructor for this skill, you need someone who is proven at this skill. For this, I turn to the Snipers of the US Marine Corp. These guys are experts at “Making Shit Dead”, whenever and wherever.

I've talked about these guys before and have referred students to them... I'm talking about Long Range International. Masters at MSD. They have another class coming up... September 8^th to the 12^th. I've had members of The Horde attend classes and have reported that the instruction is not just above par, but the best they had ever taken. Remember this?

“Hey Ogre, I just wanted to drop you a message of thanks ... A few months back you posted about an outfit called Long Range International (LRI - http://longrangeinternational.com). Their first class back in June filled up immediately so we were unable to make that one but we did manage to get signed up for and attend their second class from July 6 - 12 and it was a fantastic experience for both my wife and I.

The instructors, largely made up of ex-Marines from a Scout/Sniper unit that operated in Iraq and lead by one of the nicest guys you can ever hope to meet, Bill Shepperson (Shep), were an amazing bunch of guys who brought a wealth of expert knowledge and firsthand experience to the table. With their guidance everyone in the class successfully reached the goal of repeated 1000 yard hits on 18 inch by 24 inch steel targets.

Then, just to prove it wasn't all by accident, they had the shooter/ spotter teams switch rifles and take the shot again. My wife and I NEVER shoot each others rifles so this was an interesting exercise. After one near miss and a quick windage adjustment I got on with my second shot. My lovely wife, intensely competitive, overachieving woman that she is, was on with her first attempt using my rifle.

What I find most remarkable about her being able to make the hit at 1000 yards using my alien rifle is the nature of my alien rifle. Unlike what most folks would typically use for precision long range shooting, my rifle is an HK-91 ... a gas-operated, semi-automatic battle rifle with a non-free-floated 18" barrel. In addition to all the challenges presented by the rifle type, the comb on my stock sits a good two inches lower than where she needs it to be in order to see through the scope (I guess I've got a big head). So, knowing that something had to be done and done quickly, she reached over,

grabbed a stray bean bag, plopped it on top of the stock, got her cheek weld on the squishy, shifting bean bag and made the shot successfully on her first try. Her determination and the excellent instruction provided by the LRI team enabled that beautiful moment to occur.

The LRI instructors also set up a variety of exercises that went way beyond just teaching the skills needed for long range shooting, each of which were very educational and entertaining in their own right. There were night shoots, a ground assault course, a vehicle assault course (OMG, that was a freakin' blast!) and an overnight "mission" to clear out some "unattractive guerrilla's that had recently moved into the area".

To wrap up, I wanted to thank you for your initial post about LRI which lead directly to our week of learning with Shep and his fine team of ex-Marines. It was an extremely rewarding experience and we would go back and do it all again in a heartbeat. I have to imagine that many of your readers would enjoy the training offered by LRI as much as we did.

Regards, Mike”

Seriously guys – if you want to learn how to really shoot – talk to the cats at LRI. They need a minimum of 6 students for the upcoming class. This is an opportunity of epic proportions for serious shooters. Even if you think you know how to shoot – get some instruction from the real deal – real veteran US Marine Snipers.  There are very few people who get to have this degree of instruction from guys like this. Usually they end up never being able to talk about where they get sent after such classes... so here is your chance to learn from the best.
I can't say that I'll be able to go to the class... my knee only has about 50% of the connective tissue it should have to hold it together, and I don't know when I'm going to be able to get it fixed yet.  They are killing me over here trying to get me out there – I really really want to.  My wife wants me to go.  But I don't know if I can make it yet.  I am going to try.  I only have 2 things standing in my way.  One is my knee, the other is 300 rounds of 7mm Rem Mag.  That's a lot of ammo, but I think by then I'll be able to swing it.  I might be in a knee brace if I go... but I think I can deal.  I did complete a mission with a shattered ankle and extracted 5 miles away.   If I can do this, I think I can handle some range time with these guys.  If you can make it – do it. This is a once in a lifetime chance to get this kind of instruction.

7-29-08:  Another one bites the dust: Master Blogger Kim duToit is going to be retiring from Blogging. This isn't the first time he has done this. He's quite before and has come back with his new blog. He might come back again, but I kinda doubt it this time. We wish him well.

I have seen many great bloggers drop out... usually to pursue writing. Let me make this clear to everyone out there. Blogging is Legitimate Writing. If you choose to make it so. I talked one “Writer” who does an Op-Ed column in a print paper. He thinks blogging is illegitimate, while what he does is “Real Writing”. Well, check this out.... I checked his paper's circulation. My Blog gets more readers a month than he does all year. Print is Dead. Newspapers are failing all across the country. So who's more Legit? Blogging is the New Media and it pisses the Old Media off. Blogging is more current and up to date than Print Media. It's even ahead of Networks. Most networks are hitting the bloggers first, before they write their scripts. I've found more than a few times things I have said has been used word for word by other “Media” sources. Including Radio. Especially Radio. The Media is tapping Bloggers as their sources yet refuse to give credit because they are Legit and we are not. So for you other bloggers out there – BLOG HARD. To you new bloggers out there – Do not look at your traffic stats... do not hang on for emails about anything you said. Ignore that shit and just keep writing. If you get email and traffic, great. Don't expect overnight fame. And don't expect to be linked and don't ask for links for a new blog. If your blog is worthy, links will happen. Links don't necessarily mean traffic. Say, I link to you and some dudes go check you out – that's a first impression. You have to grab them all on your own. If you fail to hook them, they wont be back. And don't get emo if you get delinked. Perhaps your blog doesn't mesh with the meaning or goals of the other blog. Don't worry about it. You keep doing what you do. Make your posts meaningful with some good information to make it useful and you will get your readers. Blogging needs a point or its pointless. If you get that point, you are ahead of the class. Pick your subject matter that you are knowledgeable about... it could be anything. It could be Selling Used Cars, Nursing, Traffic Control, Real estate... whatever you do, write about that. Throw in some personal stuff and develop yourself as a character to your readers. Most of my long term readers know me pretty damn well by know. Because of this, I have friends all around the world. And that is awesome. That makes it worth while. I'm sure Kim feels the same about that.

Back to Guns: My Topic: I wore one of my guns “Open Carry” style today. Just because I can. It's a .45, a Kimber Tactical Pro II carried in a Galco high ride rig. I carry openly at least a couple times a week, so everyone that knows me is pretty used to it. Customers at the gun shop don't care... it's a gun store. We have guns. One lady didn't quite get that and gave a startled reaction and exclaimed “OMG, Why does he have a gun?” I just looked at her, looked around me at the WALL OF GUNS we have.... “Your kidding, right?” She seemed to get my point and didn't say anything more about it... but that knee jerk reaction was genuine shock and horror and she visibly recoiled from me. Yeah, laugh at that... I must get that a lot... ha ha ha... but seriously. She is the only one person who has ever had a problem, even one so momentarily in the last two years. Most of the time, guys and gals are quite cool with my open carry... I've heard nothing but positive comments about it. Bonus is that before I started doing this, we didn't carry Galco leather. We've sold a ton of it now because I make this shit look good. I like my Galco. Good stuff. And when you buy a nice gun, you have to have a nice rig to pack it in. And we've been selling a lot of 1911's to go with those holsters. I like it.   Note to Morons:  if you go into a Gun Store - don't be surprised to see that they have guns.

7-28-08:  Let's just add insult to injury for Ogre Ranch. Top everything off that is completely and utterly fucked, Mrs. Ogre calls me at work and tells me the Starter is dead in the “Fucking Pontiac Montana” that I told her not to buy. I was so tickled. That's just great.

I had been pondering the Starter situation for the rest of the day and came up with a hypothesis. So on the way home I picked up a set of Jumper Cables. The last set we had got lifted out of the back of the Bronco. What's funny though was that they stole the cables and nothing else... not the two rifles I had in the roof rack... just the cables. I guess the skinny little bike locks I had on the guns was discouragement enough to thwart the attempt. Anyways, so I come home, hook up the “Fucking Pontiac Montana” and try it. Nothing. I decided to wait a minute, give the Contour some revs... and tried it again. Guess what?  It started. Checkers has new batteries in stock... we'll get one in the morning. No big deal. Disaster averted. Small blessing or big blessing... I'm not sure... but I'm sure has hell glad I don't have to try to replace the starter under that van. That engine bay is flat out unworkable. Why do car makers feel they have to fill every damn square inch under the hood? I like cars and trucks from the 70's and early 80's. You can do a Conga Line under the hoods in those things. Which means you have enough room to actually FIX something.

We had a guy come in to pick up a gun he was awarded by his company.  He's born in Mexico, retains his Mexican Citizenship... yet has a Resident Alien Card. It has no expiration date. The guy was able to transfer the gun, in this case a Browning shotgun, just as easy as anyone else buying a gun. No US Citizenship, but can buy guns, work, doesn't have to pay Social Security, and never has to leave the country. The card was old. He got it when he was 18. Dude is quite a bit older than that now. Going grey in parts... in his 50's. The gun was an award for safety for 5 years. He's won two of them. He's purchased other guns. He has full rights as a US Citizen, but none of the liability. How the hell does that work out? I'm not to pleased with the system that allows for this. Nice enough guy. Speaks English quite well. But why the hell does the system allow him to skate like that and not be required to seek full citizenship? Emigration laws need to be completely rewritten and enforced.

Yes, I'm negative tonight... like an anion ion storm. But I'll get over it. (if you don't know what an anion is, Google it.) I know I have much to be grateful for, and I shouldn't feel this way... But I do. Sometimes Mad Ogre is just mad...

I'm sick of money issues. I'm sick of my damn knee causing so much agony... I can't even walk more than a few feet.   I used to be able to run.  I was never a good runner, but I could run. I used to be able to do the Army PT test, 75 and 75 and the 2 mile run in an honest 10:30.  Right now, I'd be lucky to do that in my car because it would take me 8 minutes just to get out to it and get in it. I went from being healthy and strong (350 pound bench) to just broken.  I just want to be able to walk without it feeling like a trek through a giant Bene Gesserit Pain Box, (Google that too) and it pisses me slam-off that I can't.  I'll get this fixed... in a few weeks I guess. Surgery is the only option here.  Torn ACL and lateral meniscus.  Just like last year in my other knee.  Trust me, this shit is pure suffering... the kind that is legendary, even in hell. You can't sleep, you can't rest, there is no position of comfort, you can't get away from it, and pain killers don't touch it. Now, toss is some gout pain. The inflammation and pressure and all that pain. My knee feels hot, like it's been over cooked. On the outside of the knee I have a railroad of lightning that goes from my knee to my ankle, sharp and hot. On the inside of my knee it feels cold and wet, like I spilled cold soda on it. It makes me nuts sometimes. Like tonight.  I am convinced that God likes to see me suffer... sure, I get blessings... but they feel like bread crumbs on the trail... like today... all sorts of bad news, but I did sell two high end Swarovski Optic spotting scopes that needed to be sold.  He's toying with me...

To calm me down from a Rage Session... I watch this:

For some reason I can not fathom, it makes me feel normal again.  Doesn't take away my pain, but at least I'm so pissed about it.

For some reason, several of my Guns Of articles kinda got lost in the mess of the interwebs... Boondock Saints, Sin City... so I restored those. They are back on the list, with proper icons. I've also rearranged the Movie Page where those are listed. I'm not planning on doing anymore of those, simply because none of the new action movies out have inspired me to do so... not one of them have been worth my time. Yet. We'll see.

I'm not so sure I am liking the Shout Cast widget. I know some guys like it and it adds some interactivity to MadOgre.com... but it slows load times and the benefits have proven to be actually slight. I think the Forum might add more interactivity and a sense of community. So... should I kill it? I'm thinking so.

7-27-08:  Our friend Correia got a message from an Obamazombie. The Zombie gets quite emo with Larry, who in return, fisks her to the elbow. Classic. This is how you counter Zombies in discussion – you eviscerate them so they have no responses left to make other than leaving them mumbling for brains. Obama supports are zombies, they just don't know it yet. Eventually they will realize that if they can't have brains of their own, they will just take yours. Larry's responses are well worth reading in whole, so please do so.

I find it quite interesting that the Zombies are okay with Mandatory Volunteers now, when they were so against it years ago when my great great great grandpa was a Mandatory Volunteer Leader in The South. Sure, he owned an odd plantation or two... but he was a community organizer too. I don't see the difference here and what Obama wants to do.

One more question. What the hell is a Community Organizer and how does that make this puppet qualified to be our President?

I am quite tempted to order a Cav Arms lower. Unfortunately the don't make one in Ogre Green. I would do something different with it. Maybe an upper for 5.7. Or for .45 ACP.

The Tussy Custom is no longer available.  Thank you for those who were interested.

I took two of my boys to the range with me today. I got the CZ 527 and the Savage .22-250 zeroed on the short 100 yard range, and then we went to the long rifle range to work them out. The boys were shooting like heroes... they both were calling and nailing targets from 180 to 600 + yards. They really liked the .22-250 and were making hitting look easy. Both of them were taking the bear and elk with only a little coaching. I think I'm going to take them out for some live coyote hunting. I can't tell you guys how proud I am of my boys.... I'm busting at the seams with pride. They are going to grow up into fine shooters.

The CZ 527 shot great as usual, and the plex reticle in the Bushnell 3200 2-7 really helped. The plex provided 3 very clear hold points. I think the Dead Hold BDC reticle in the Vortex is going to be an even bigger help, but this was a huge improvement over the plain thin hairs in the old Leupold. This wouldn't matter so much in a flatter shooting caliber, but the 7.62x39mm with it's rainbow trajectory had me using the whole scope and shooting to its limits. The retail price on the 2-7 Bushnell Elite is 199.99. That makes it not just a very good option for the 527, but an affordable one at that. And you can see, it really doesn't look that bad on the CZ. Notice how I had to mount the scope as far forward as I could.  It was fine for me, but it still gave both my young boys very slight scope kisses.  Enough to sting, but not enough to make them stop shooting.  Now, it's because of that mounting limitation, finding a good scope for the 527 Carbine is a difficult chore.  I've been tempted to grind off the rear sight.  Discuss here.

7-25-08:  Obamanation is striking in Europe, eh? Well, not really. The Media would have you believe that he's sweeping the world and everyone loves him. But that's not it. The holy city was vandalized by Obama's campaign, who put up Obama posters on the holy walls... something no one has ever done before... no one had the gall or disrepect to do that before. Media said it was “Obama Supporters” in the holy city... in reality it was his staff. That's flat out not cool. Obama is the ultimate Ugly American Tourist over there. Read the last line of this report. They know Obama has no love for Israel. What about all the throngs of people out to hear his speech? They didn't come out to hear him – they came out for the free concerts. Obama is openly mocked by the Brits. They don't really like Obama, the Media is letting him play us back here. They are playing us for him here. Obama is going to ruin this nation, if there is any support for him, that's why. They want to see a weak America, and they know Obama will do that...

I am overwhelmed by The Horde. As always. Thank you for the support. The financial crisis at Ogre Ranch is temporary and we will get past this. This is a speed bump. In a month, I'll be laughing about it. Right now I'm pissed and stressed, but it's temporary. I'm going to have to go in for surgery in a few weeks, but I'll be fine... and once that's done... I'll be better than I have been in decades. The Taurus is still available and yes, it ejects just fine now. The Tussy is still available and this weekend I'll do a series of photos and post them. Someone out there is going be quite taken to it, just like I was. 1400, I think you will see, is a pittance for such craftsmanship.

Well I got the Vortex Viper 2-7x32mm scope ordered for my CZ 527 Carbine. How can I order a new 380 dollar scope if I'm in a financial bind? Vortex has great program for dealers... I get anything in their catalog for 50% of the MSRP, and I apply my Vortex Bucks to that price. What those are, is a cool deal. Say I sell a scope for 239.99. The MSRP on that is 300 bucks. I get 5% of that MSRP, in “Vortex Bucks” by keeping a copy of the receipt. A sell a bunch of those scopes or binos, or spotters, earn say 180 Vortex Bucks, apply that to the 50% of the MSRP of what I want... it basically pays for the scope. I pay 10 bucks shipping. This Viper, I'm only paying 10 bucks cash. The Strikefire I have on order, I only paid 10 bucks for that too. It's a perk... it really is. I'm a huge fan of Vortex, not because of this program. I was a fan before this program came out. In fact, I was pimping that Strikefire long before this program started. The Vortex stuff is just so good, it sells its self. Unfortunately, it sells too good and The Boss has cancelled our next Vortex order. Why? Because we are sitting on a crap load of other optics that just don't move when Vortex is in the house. Namely Bushnell. So I can't get any more Votex to sell until we move out a lot of these Bushnells. Trophies and Banners... cheap stuff. If anyone out there needs a cheap Bushnell... seriously... come see me at the shop or contact me. We can ship to anywhere in the US. If you are outside of the USA, and you want a bunch of them, contact me and I'll see if we can hook you up. I have got to move a ton of these things.

We also have to move Swarovski optics too. So if you are in the market, talk to me first. They have MAP pricing, so we can't be lower than that, but most places sell for MAP anyways. But instead of buying from Cabellas or whoever, help me out. I REALLY love the 10x32mm EL binos. Stunning. They kick every x42mm bino by anyone else, and go toe to toe with the x42mm SLC bino.

Back to those Vortex Viper 2-7... I can't wait to see this. The Viper series is Vortex top of the line rifle scope. If it keeps up on this little Carbine, it's going to do well on any rifle. I'm not easy on my rifles... they get used. Used, cleaned, and used again. They get worked. And this 527 just continues to make me fall in love with it every time I pull the trigger. So if this Viper fails... I'll let you know, and I wont bother selling them anymore. But I am more than confident this glass is going to be fantastic. Everything I've seen has been +3. So yeah, I might be getting a kick ass scope for nothing. Or I might be paying 10 bucks to crash test a flop. You'll know when I know if Vortex is the real deal.

7-24-08:  A couple came in to swap a Swarovski from one rifle to another. He was young and handsome, clean cut, clear eyed, and sharp. Former Marine. His wife was one of those good looking kinda women that can take your breath away. Not just with her looks, which would have been enough, but she's a Real American Woman, a shooter, smart, and confident. She was amazing. They had 3 children of their own in tow, and three more for added measure. Good looking kids. Great family. I was hugely impressed. We chatted. Great people.  But check this out. She, not he, was going up into the Northwest Territories for a horseback hunt for caribou and wolves. Him, he was staying home. This was her adventure, so I set this scope up for her as best as I could, which as damn near perfect. How cool is that?  Not only is she a huntress, but he is confident enough to let his Goddess go on such an adventure. That is one hell of a family. That's the cool thing about living out here and working in a shop like ours... we meet the coolest people.

Looks like a few more Horde members have discovered Ogre Nation: The Horde's Forum. One recent topic that I thought for sure would come up in the forum was my ranting about Ruger. I sure did get a lot of emails about it... even Kim DT chimed in about it – and he agrees with me. But there is no more discussion on this? I am surprised. Okay, now don't just go and start one to be cheeky.

7-23-08:  Wolves: They are back on the Endangered Species List. This is NOT a good move. These things are not In Danger, they are Danger. I know a rancher that watched some wolves kill a number of animals, not to feel, not for a need... just to kill them. I have a guy near here that has a private area with a huge elk population, these wolves have ravaged the herd and killed a number of trophy bulls. If they are doing these things in known areas, what are they doing to the other animal populations? I don't know, but I do know it can't be good for the other herding type animals. Deer, Antelope, Mountain Goats... Predator pressure is intense already because of an out of control coyote population. Coyotes are fast losing their fear of humans. I can't imagine what it's going to be like when (not if) the wolves lose their fear of humans too. This is yet another reason I own guns and pack them when I'm outdoors.

This city judge, imposing his liberal feel good bullshit on ranchers and outdoorsmen in states like Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, Utah, and Colorado where wolves are a growing problem, a clear and present danger. They are not happy and content to stay in Yellowstone... they are here, in my Uintah Basin... where I roam. Endangered or not, wolves coming near me or mine will very likely be shot if they are not scared away. My boys are on my Endangered Species List and my list trumps the Enviro-Wacko's list. I know ranchers who are losing their shirts because of coyotes... add in super protected wolves that kill just for fun? They are going to be ruined when the wolves find them. And they will... it's just a matter of time.

I seriously need some help, guys... I need to sell these guns. Taurus 605 Titanium, the one I did the Concealed Carry review on, my .22-250 Savage, and my Tussy Custom compact .45. Make realistic offers at least.

Now, I have another one to sell. A S&W Model 29 .44 Mag with a 3” barrel, round butt, with good looking wood finger groove grips. It may have been worked over my Lew Horton, but I'm not sure. The gun is in fantastic shape.  800 Bucks firm or highest offer. That needs to sell fast. They all need to sell fast. I need cash, a total of 2400 bucks ASAP, so I need to sell all these guns.

7-22-08:  A good clear examination of Ruger firearms. This is the email I was hoping to get: “Ogre, Your take on Ruger is pretty much spot on.  As an owner of previous and current owner of almost every Ruger product, let me give you my take.
Ruger has this nasty habit of of only completing 90% of the job when it comes to guns.  Many of their products are just barely on the verge of being awesome, but they never are quite able to "make the deal" in my opinion. Some examples:

The Mini-14: An excellent proven design ala the M14.  The Miss? Inaccurate barrels, difficult and expensive to acquire 20 round mags, and crappy factory policy on obtaining spare parts.  All things the AR-15 is.

The P345: An outstanding idea! A lightweight polymer pistol in the great American caliber of 45ACP. What's not to like?  Well the fact that Ruger's design team botched the whole thing so when you dry fire the pistol without the magazine in place you peen the firing pin against the mag safety so it's no longer usable. You would think they would come up with a design fix, but instead they just ignore the problem and remind people not to dry fire without a mag in place.

All Aluminum Framed P Series: Excellent weapons, reliable, affordable, high capacity, awesome?  Well not so much.  Ergonomics? Terrible. I can't think of another trigger guard that sweeps downward crowding your middle finger.  Frame and slide size: Huge.  Trigger: terrible.  If they would've focused a little more on ergonomics and the trigger this would've been awesome.  But they refused to accept that it was even a problem. They continued pretty much the same mold design from the P85 to the 89, 90, 91, 93, and 94.  And spare parts?  Go ahead, try to order an extractor. Oh sorry, it requires factory fitting.

The SR9: Excellent idea. Ruger finally listened and made an ergonomic reliable polymer pistol right?  A tidbid of advice: Beta testers=cheap.  Recalls=expensive. And what's up with that massive chamber loaded indicator right in the sighting plane?

The 45 Colt Single Actions: The gun of the west in a modern safe transfer bar design in many different barrel length to choose from.  As American as apple pie?  Except for the fact that pretty much all the cylinder throats are WAY too small, usually measuring around .450.  If you try to send it back to Ruger they'll tell you it's "within specification." Excuse me?  Oh so that's why all these countless cottage industries have sprang up to ream your 45 throats. To be fair I've heard they've "fixed" this problem on all their newer SA designs (after 10 plus years of claiming it's not a problem), but you'll have to live with the new internal lock, and cheap plastic grips.

The Gold Label:  An American made side by side, at last!  One word = vaporware.

The Red Label: An excellent American made over under, at last!  Too bad that for a couple hundred more I can get a forged Beretta that weighs almost 2lbs less, looks better, a points like the finger of God. Cast parts are a bad idea when it comes to weight, but if you're going to push the price point up almost to Beretta range and expect me to buy it you're crazy.

The M77 Series Rifles:  A proven Mauser action in calibers that we all love? What's not to like?  Cast barrels that's what. Some things just need to be forged. Ruger has never been able to CONSISTENTLY make an accurate rifle barrel.  Yeah, you may have one that's accurate and can shoot the knees off a bee, and if you do, consider yourself lucky. Ruger needs to take notes from Remington or Savage on this one.

The Super Redhawk:  After figuring out that the reason for our barrels coming out of their threads was the use of Chlorinated Esters in the barrel thread lubricant as opposed to what we thought was the problem of not enough barrel thread, we just decided to keep the more than TWO FULL INCHES of barrel thread on the frame anyway, you know for extra strength.  We don't care that the gun looks like the offspring of Buck Rogers and Annie Oakley. Come on Ruger, no one needs this much barrel thread, not even Freedom Arms!

The Mark III: Too bad that in the stampede to add all the lawyer features like mag disconnect, lock, and chamber loaded indicator, that we messed up and overlooked the fact that the chamber loaded indicator has the potential to cause slam fires making your Mark III go full auto.  Ruger did fix this, but only after a whole lot of complaining.

Ogre, don't get me wrong, I don't HATE Ruger. I still own quite a brace of Rugers.  I just get so aggravated with so many things they do.  An American company, making arms for Americans.  I WANT to like Ruger. I try really hard to like Ruger.  I know they have the capability to make awesome stuff.  I've heard unconfirmed rumors they cast the receivers for Springfield's M1A's and make many parts for Kimber.  They've got the tools! They've got the know how!  If we could just get their management and designers teams to actually grow a pair we'd have something.  But short of a major event like bankruptcy or a shareholder revolt I don't see this happening.  They'll be satisfied with mediocrity forever. Regards, Jeff”

7-21-08:  We got some very bad news at Ogre Ranch. The kind of bad news that is expensive, and it's going to take much more than what I have. This is forcing me to sell a few guns. Two of them I'd been thinking about selling anyways, but one of them... it's going to be painful to part with. The Taurus Titanium .357 Mag snub nose, the Savage .22-250 with Leupold Vari-X III, and the Colt 1911 .45 Compact based Tussy Custom. Selling the Tussy hurts. A lot. But you can guess from the items going, I need a rather serious chunk of cash, and I need it fast. Taurus Titanium is 450 and the Savage is 550, I need those to go together or at least at the same time, and the Tussy, I need 1400 out of it. Each one is a great shooter, and selling the Tussy is something I would never have agreed to until tonight. This hurts a lot, but we have an emergency here. I need to sell all three quickly. Email me your best offers. I will pay shipping to the FFL of your choice as long as it's not in California.

I've been thinking about my CZ 527 Carbine a lot lately. Man, do I love that thing. The only thing that still hangs me up is the optics. The old school fixed 4 power Leupold on it fits it perfectly as far as style, size and general “feel” goes.  But it's not the ideal glass.  I've had guys ask me what the best scope is for this rifle, and I just don't know.  The Leupold I have on it has plain old thin cross hairs... no plex reticle, nothing. Just straight plain hairs. This is fine for a fast point and shoot on most guns inside a certain range. The problem I have with it is that the 7.62x39mm cartridge has a trajectory similar to that of a golf ball hit with a #3 Wood. It can get out there a good distance, but it takes the long way in getting there. Right now my Carbine is sitting here with a 400 yard zero, which I'll admit is a might further than I had intended. The gun shoots about 3.6 inches high at 100 yards. About 2 feet high at 200 yards.... see the data here. So you can see there is considerable arch here. It's workable, but it takes some calculations in the noggin to be dead bang on with a cold bore shot. The fine hair reticle I have is lacking in reference points. Ideally, if I could, I'd take this little Leupold out and have the Nightforce NPR-1 Reticle put in it. But no one does that, and I don't think anyone could do it in this old Leupold of mine. So I am thinking of changing optics on it. Bushnell glass is right out. Not even a consideration, because I had one on here and it lasted until I got it zeroed before it just came apart and the reticle looked something like a half formed swastika. Yes, the Carbine does have a bit of buck to it. Leupold has an LR reticle with hold over marks but no hold under. So I am thinking Mil-Dots would be ideal. But I don't know of any mil dots that will fit this bill. The scope has to be compact with a wide eye relief box. I don't know. I'm scratching my head here like other guys. Everyone I know that has a 527 Carbine has all settled on a glass for various reasonings, but there is no consensus on what is the ideal glass for this little rifle. It's capable of long range shooting, all the way out to a thousand yards... but at a grand, it's about the same as a .380 at 50. Not much power left over. So I'm thinking it needs to be held in check to 600 MAX, and I do mean max yardage. I think 400 yards is probably the most you should take game at considering energy levels and all. We don't want to wound anything. Perhaps a 200 to 300 yard zero is best to keep us inside our effective range. I'm going to have to look carefully at all the glass out there and see which one is going to fit the bill the best for this specific application.

Right off the cuff I'm thinking a Nikon Team Primos might be the best choice without spending more than the rifle. But we'll see. I'll get back to this later.

7-20-08:  Rethinking Ruger: Perhaps I have been harsh on Ruger without proper justification. Let's see, they have some decent guns, don't they? The Vaquero. The Mini-14. The Mark III now. The Number 1. The M-77 Hawkeye. All fines guns right?

Well, the Vaquero is aping the Colt Peacemaker. The Mini-14 is a mini copy of the M-14. The Mark III now was the Mark II and that was the updated original Ruger auto pistol which was a visual remake of German Luger. The Number one falling block as a stronger remake of the 1885. (An employee of Sturm Ruger described it that way to me, even though the gun doesn't look like that) The M-77 is a caste copy of the Mauser and the light Hawkeye configuration was to mimic the Remington Model Seven, to include copying the same checkering pattern but just reversing the angles. Ruger has got to be the Least Creative gun maker – ever. Norinco comes up with more original ideas. So, no... I'm not too harsh on Ruger. I think my opinion is justified from my point of view. Now I know Ruger has a lot of Rabid Fanboys out there... and if you like Ruger, that's fine. I'm just saying that I don't.

Dr. Horrible. Watch this... all three acts. This is awesome. Stick with it, you'll love it. Trust me. Yes, they sing... but it's a cool. Joss Whedon, the dude that created Firefly... Captain Mal as Captain Hammer, NPH as Dr. Horrible, with his PHD in Horribleness... And the Bad Horse, the Thoroughbred of Sin... it has everything. Watch this. Watch this and know that Joss is The Master.

Ben, aka Fenris the Warmonger has posted: He's getting better but it's going to be some time before he gets his feet under him again. But this is a good sign.

7-19-08:  Walthers, Kahrs, and Sex: Walther has come out with a lot of interesting weapons in the last few years. They made .22 pistols cool again thanks to the clever little P22. They made the G22 which is a clever little .22 Bullpup carbine. I say they are clever because they are... and while I honestly don't really care for either... I find them attractive and interesting even if I wouldn't buy one. I really like the P99 pistol in .40. It's one of the only handguns I would have in a .40 caliber. The PP series, including the famous PPK are classics. I can probably be said that Walther makes some of the best guns on the market when you look at the long term. And now Walther has there new little PPS pistol. Take the P99, James Bond's new weapon, and reduce it dimensionally in all aspects to the smallest sizes that still allow for functionality and shootability. That's the PPS. Similar action and trigger to the P99, just much much smaller and skinnier. Too small and skinny, really. Anorexic and stunted comes to mind. It's advertised as Thin and Attractive. I'm going to say yes and no here. Yes, it's thin. But no, it's not attractive. It's hideous. Like some women can be thin and attractive, others when they get thin... they just loose everything about them that made them attractive.

Kahr has the advertising that is selling us Thin Is Sexy, and then they show this skinny woman with dark hair. She is not unattractive... but I don't consider her to be sexy. Sexy chicks, forgive me Horde Ladies for being a pig here... but Sexy Chicks have that look that make any healthy red blooded male instantly swing into Rutting Season. That's what Sexy is. Attractive is close, but doesn't have that biological effect. Pretty... Cute... “Hittable” are all below what I call “Sexy”. Sexy makes you want Sex. Right here, right now, on the floor, over the couch arm, in every position, with all the naughty twists. Sex. Hot, steamy, sticky... Gotta have it. Kahr's model doesn't do that for me. Sure, I'd wreck that... once.

For a pistol to be sexy, it has to make me want to take it out, shove it down my pants, run to the range, fire it up till it's hot and smoking. Some pistols can do that... The PPS doesn't do that. The Kahrs don't do that. A Kimber SIS Ultra does... that is a Sexy pistol.

EMAIL: “Hey Ogre, I just wanted to drop you a message of thanks ... A few months back you posted about an outfit called Long Range International (LRI - http://longrangeinternational.com). Their first class back in June filled up immediately so we were unable to make that one but we did manage to get signed up for and attend their second class from July 6 - 12 and it was a fantastic experience for both my wife and I.

The instructors, largely made up of ex-Marines from a Scout/Sniper unit that operated in Iraq and lead by one of the nicest guys you can ever hope to meet, Bill Shepperson (Shep), were an amazing bunch of guys who brought a wealth of expert knowledge and firsthand experience to the table. With their guidance everyone in the class successfully reached the goal of repeated 1000 yard hits on 18 inch by 24 inch steel targets.

Then, just to prove it wasn't all by accident, they had the shooter/ spotter teams switch rifles and take the shot again. My wife and I NEVER shoot each others rifles so this was an interesting exercise. After one near miss and a quick windage adjustment I got on with my second shot. My lovely wife, intensely competitive, overachieving woman that she is, was on with her first attempt using my rifle.

What I find most remarkable about her being able to make the hit at 1000 yards using my alien rifle is the nature of my alien rifle. Unlike what most folks would typically use for precision long range shooting, my rifle is an HK-91 ... a gas-operated, semi-automatic battle rifle with a non-free-floated 18" barrel. In addition to all the challenges presented by the rifle type, the comb on my stock sits a good two inches lower than where she needs it to be in order to see through the scope (I guess I've got a big head). So, knowing that something had to be done and done quickly, she reached over,

grabbed a stray bean bag, plopped it on top of the stock, got her cheek weld on the squishy, shifting bean bag and made the shot successfully on her first try. Her determination and the excellent instruction provided by the LRI team enabled that beautiful moment to occur.

The LRI instructors also set up a variety of exercises that went way beyond just teaching the skills needed for long range shooting, each of which were very educational and entertaining in their own right. There were night shoots, a ground assault course, a vehicle assault course (OMG, that was a freakin' blast!) and an overnight "mission" to clear out some "unattractive guerrilla's that had recently moved into the area".

To wrap up, I wanted to thank you for your initial post about LRI which lead directly to our week of learning with Shep and his fine team of ex-Marines. It was an extremely rewarding experience and we would go back and do it all again in a heartbeat. I have to imagine that many of your readers would enjoy the training offered by LRI as much as we did.

Regards, Mike”

I just wish I could have been there Mike. I really do. You have no idea.

I did my own long range shooting tonight. We were shooting a Barrett model 82 .50 BMG, 7mm Rem Mag, and an assortment of other guns. From 100 to 1000 (est) we had a blast. Guys from work, friends, and some other blokes. It was fantastic. Shooting always is. The one single rifle that continues to please me, the one that never lets me down. My CZ 527 Carbine in 7.62x39mm. Solid hits all the way to 600+ yards. It is just fantastic. I'm zeroed for about hitting 4 inches high at 100 yards.... 2 feet high at 200 yards... dead nuts on at 400 yards... and at 600, just hold about 3 feet over and you are hitting it. Yeah, that's a lot of arch, but it's easy to predict that curve and make the shot. Fun to. Enough kick to make you know you are not shooting a .22, yet still cheap to shoot, with enough power to put meat on the table, or ears in your bounty sack. I can't tell you how mush I love this rifle.

I think I'm going to sell my Savage .22-250. Fast caliber, but that little .22 pill just doesn't float my boat. I want more Wack than that. I don't know.

7-18-08:  Some things really piss me off. As you well know. The one thing that renders me livid more than anything else is the wholesale liquidation of our Liberty. Read this:

“The Arizona Department of Public Safety announced yesterday that it would pay an Australian company $28.75 for every ticket it is able to issue on state highways. By September 26, Melbourne-based ticket vendor Redflex will activate what will soon become the largest speed camera operation in the United States. Governor Janet Napolitano (D) commissioned the program to generate $165 million in revenue from the $165 citations. Redflex hopes this bottom line inspires other states to follow.”

I am not quite happy with this. I do not think that this program is in the best interest of Public Safety – which is the whole purpose of imposing arbitrary speed limits in vast open spaces. Instead, I think the DemocRAT dipshit they call a Governor, is doing this as a means of generating revenue. I just have this feeling. One of the reasons I keep an eye on the UK, is because what happens in the UK today is what happens in the USA tomorrow. The UK is lousy with traffic cameras, and the Subjects in the UK are tired of it... some have taken drastic action and I suggest the Citizens of Arizona do the same thing. The method involves tossing a tire over the camera, or up on it some how, then light it on fire. This destroys the camera. While there is risk, if the cameras are regularly destroyed, the program will have to be aborted. Another good way is to just use a big heavy truck and ram the camera over, then pack it up and toss it into a landfill. If you can't do that, just spray paint the lenses. I also suggest to the Highway Patrol there, to ignore anyone they see doing this to a camera. These cameras are not the American Way. Leave No Camera Standing. Someone should put up a web page marking the locations of every camera they put up, so every camera can be taken down.

STING has put up a handy website. Check this out. A free service paid for by advertising, so when you see an advert, click it for STING.

Me on the other hand, I'm going to kill the advertising on MadOgre.com. I find the adverts to be annoying, distracting, or otherwise useless. The money I get per month on it is nice, but I'd rather not advertise for certain things that I disagree with. So I'm going to kill it. Instead, I'd rather just accept the small random donations. In the place of the Adverts, will be a link to my PayPal “Tip Jar”. The Horde's Forum is paid for with advertisements, through the Lefora host. That will stay. But my domain, I'm not going to offer the bandwidth for that crap.

Fishing Report: I know a lot of you guys are not into fishing, but I sure am. I discovered something that I never thought to use before. Glow Sticks. Holy crap those little things work! I was getting hits constantly with that glow stick on the line. Unfortunately they were tiny little Perch little things, so nothing of consequence... but the fish were going for it like crazy. They were eating the bait off the hook. Fish too small, hook too big... not a good combo. But it was fishing with the fellas so it wouldn't say it was a waste of time. Buy the small glow sticks from your local Dollar Store if they have them. The fishing sticks are twice that and are a touch too small. Bigger sticks would be better and will cast better. Add a sinker because they will float. I can't wait to try these up at Flaming Gorge, where I can put them nice and deep where the big fish dwell.

Ruger's LCP. Let me vent here. I want to get this off my chest. This has been stewing in me for some time. I am sick to death of all these other Gun Writers out there skirting the issue of this gun being an almost direct line for line copy of the Kel-Tec P3AT.  Even Concealed Carry Magazine published a review where it mentions the Ruger being “Similar to another Manufacturer's gun”.  It's not fucking similar, it's a fucking copy... it's a rip off!  Just because other companies often make similar guns to someone else's, such as the 1911 or the CZ 75... this isn't same thing.  This is Theft of Intellectual Property here. Comparing the Rossi to the S&W isn't' the same thing either – that was contracted.  Rossi and Taurus made agreements with S&W a lot time ago.  Ruger made no agreement with Kel-Tec.  The only reason Kel-Tec hasn't sued the shit out of Ruger is that Ruger has more lawyers and more money to buy more lawyers.  It's the same gun. I wanted to do a Head to Head comparison between the two pistols. Kel-Tec agreed to it. They would love to see that done.  Ruger, they don't want to play ball with me on that one. I wonder why. I could purchase my own LCP and do it anyway, but quite frankly I am disgusted with Ruger and I will not give them one freaking penny of my money. 

In fact, as of this morning... I no longer own anything made by Ruger.  I've sold all my Ruger guns. Including the Single Six and the Vaquero .357. No more Rugers for me. I hate their Rifles, and their autos already, so I'm just making a clean slate on the Ruger account... No exceptions. No Rugers.

They are ripping off a small company, stole their intellectual property, and are acting like a bully in the market.  This is killing Kel-Tec, a small company that is viciously clever, coming up with some unique new ideas, and trying as hard as they can to make their way. Good people there. And Ruger is bending them over and making them bite the pillow. 

Worse yet, the Gun Writers out there are letting them get away with it by not even mentioning Kel-Tec!  The Kel-Tec is the original, they designed it. They engineered it. They developed it, and Ruger stole it.  If you want the Ruger, fine. Knock yourself out. But just remember who designed the damn gun – it wasn't Ruger. Now if this is the type of gun you want, buy the Kel-Tec. Get the original. Give props to those that came up with it. I love the P3AT. It's a fantastic carry gun. Very light, very small, and is just flat out nifty. You can even get an improved rear sight for it, called a P-Sight. Very handy. Give due where it's due, guys... don't get the Ruger Rip Off, the Little Copied Pistol.  And don't give me that "Others have copied other designs as an excuse".  That's like trying to excuse theft because someone else stole something... that doesn't fly.  Ruger should know better and Ruger should be paying a hefty royalty.

While on the subject, Kel-Tec's little .308 Bullpup is going to be out near the end of this year hopefully. So add another rifle to the Must Have list. When this hits the market, it's going make some serious waves. I am going to have to pony up for one myself. After I get this Microtech paid off.

Magnum Research: Okay, here's my rant I've been saving up. Magnum Research has a nifty little .17HMR rifle out. Unfortunately it has a tendency to blow the magazine apart. I called MR and they were very quick to say “It's an ammo issue.” If fact, they said it before I could even finish a sentence or ask about replacement mags. Sure, they've sent more mags and they are quick to do so, but the whole time they say it's an ammo issue. Well, check this out. It's happening with Winchester, CCI, Hornady, in every different bullet weight and loading. So I called the guys as CCI. They were very politically correct in not coming right out and saying it's a Gun Issue... but let's put it this way. Everything about the brass shows that it's coming out of the chamber before the pressure drops off. It's not an ammo issue. It's a damn gun issue. Instead of trying to get the ammo makers to change the loading of everyones favorite Rimfire – why don't you make the gun able to handle the cartridge you are chambering your gun for. Look at it this way... Remington was having similar issues with the 597 .17HMR rifle. Look at the 2008 catalog... there are no .17HMR 597's anymore. Hmmmm... I'm callling that a clue. Magnum Research needs to grow a set, and admit they have a Gun Issue. Instead of sending everyone a new magazine, they should send them a new magazine and new spring and a new heavier bolt... or they should drop the .17HMR like the big boys at Remington did. I've sold several of these Magnum Research rifles and I am sorry I did.

Between Ruger and Magnum Research – I'm pissed. Is it too much to ask for a little honesty in the gun industry? Judas priest, are they going to start selling Carbon Offsets next? WTF!

7-16-08:  Thank you again to all those that contributed to help Ben get his new gun. This means a lot to Ben, but even more to me. I am humbled, as always, by my Readership... those whom I call “The Horde”. You guys are awesome. Just flat out awesome. A lot of guys ask me why I keep blogging... because my Readers keep challenging me, keeping me on my toes, and constantly motivates me to Blog Better.

As soon as Ben gets out of the hospital, the gun is waiting for him. A new Springfield Stainless GI that Ben wanted very badly before the accident. Now, it's his. All he has to do is fill out the 4473 and I'll call in his CFP.

Ogre Nation: The Horde's Forum. I know most of The Horde are avid gun nuts who read MadOgre mostly during the day, while at work... getting a quick fix. Hits from government agencies, Pentagon, Ft Meade, Langley, Bragg, Benning, the Puzzle Palace... I think if I say the wrong thing, within minutes I'll be hearing helicopters overhead. No, I'm not worried. Cause when I get emails from these guys, they say I'm spot on. These guys don't have a lot of time to dwell on The Horde's Forum. Ogre Nation has 98 members at this moment in time. That's pretty good. I'd like to see more. So if you are a regular reader, join in and say hello and vent your spleen about anything I've said or something else you want to get off your chest. If you agree with me, if I piss you off... fire back. I opened that forum for you guys.

Remember the other day when I said I was thinking about a solid steel 1911 for IDPA shooting? I think I'm going to have to put that on hold right now. A gun that I wanted was not due to come out until later this year. Well, RSR is saying that they have one. Crap. I'm not ready to buy this yet! Well, I can put it on layaway and pay it off slowly. The gun I'm wanting is the Microtech MCS-08... a .45ACP Steyr AUG type rifle. Microtech calls their AUG “the STG 556”, for the .223 version, but I want one in .45ACP. This will end up getting a suppressor on it. I'm excited about this one. And it's close to coming. I might have to buy a Bushnell Holosight for this one. Still waiting for the Vortex Strikefire... which is due out at the end of August. A long push back from the early June release date. Waiting for this is getting annoying. Vortex's red dot had better impress the shit out of me. I mean, it's got to be bloody brilliant. If it's not, I'm going to burn my Vortex hat. I'll do it on video. I don't have a picture of one yet, but ths MCS-08 looks like an AUG but with a skinny mag well.  I imagine the action is a simple blow-back.  We'll see!

I read in one certain gun magazine that the FNP45 is not a bulky pistol. Wait, what? Not bulky? If we were to pick a Hollywood celeb to personify the FNP45, it's John Goodman for hell's sake! Yes, it's bulky. But the FNP45 carries it well and with that high capacity, we can forgive it. Kinda like Goodman in The Big Lebowski. He's cool enough he gets a pass on the bulk issue... but he's still bulky.

7-15-08:  So here I am, wanting to run into town to take care of some business... but I can't get off the bloody couch. My right knee is swollen to the size of a melon and it hurts. Pain, lots of pain. A very special, intense, constant pain. Much like my left knee before I went in to get it cut. It hurts so much, it boarders on causing a panic attack. But I'm cool. I've learned techniques for dealing with pain and it is keeping me sane. Could be pulled tissue, could be a gout attack... so I'm treating for both, drinking lots of water... which has the nasty side effect of making me have to get up to go relieve myself more frequently than I would like

I think the problem was that I had run out of Celery Seed Extract, which had kept all gout attacks at bay. So I ran out of it for a week, then stained my knee Saturday... and now I am paying for it.

I had written a short story that I am going to incorporate into SilverShot, my western horror novel I'm working on. In this story, there is a rancher that is losing cattle every night. Calves, a full grown cow... large herd... quickly turning into a small herd. Carcasses disappear overnight. Well, the same thing is happening out here. Kinda freaky. Cause of this?

Cougar is suspected, but I suspect wolves. There are a number of known wolves just to the north of us. If they know of one, there are others they don't know of. I suspect strongly that there are now 2 or 3 packs now.

And instead of being able to go out there and check things out and see if I can't balance the ledger and maybe find a young pup to replace Ranger... I'm here reading the news, watching Anthony Bourdain, and tuning out a massive torrent of pain while dealing with certain painkillers that forbid me from operating either motor vehicles or firearms.

I really hope no one else out there in The Horde has to deal with such agony. I'm dealing, I don't need sympathy, that's why Mrs. Ogre is here.

7-14-08:  Gun For Ben Update: The Generosity of The Horde, you Compassionate Conservative Super Heroes... Alpha-Cons... I am impressed and humbled by the way good people can come together for something good like this. Ben's pistol is almost paid for now. I wont be at work at the shop tomorrow... but I will pop in to make a phone call for one certain donation... and take care of some other business. I think by tomorrow we will have Ben's gun paid for completely... its almost there already.

Great Email: “Hey, George, I've been responding to anti gun people by making the argument that there are about 80 million gun owners in America. That means that half the homes in America have a gun in them. So, I tell them that when they are out driving, to count the houses as they pass them. Point to the first house and say, "GUN". The next house say, "NO GUN".House after house.  And continue this until the end of the day when you pull into your driveway. Then go inside and turn on the news. If they don't tell you that there were 80 million murders today, then the fact that so many homes have guns in them is actually proof of how responsible gun owners are. It's astounding that they don't really have a response. They've never really put the facts in perspective. Another fact that eludes them is that some states have strict gun laws that prohibit, or limit,  gun ownership. Therefore, some states may have a gun in every house! What does that do to their statistics? And, as we know, more guns means less crime. How can they argue against the logic? Something to think about. See Ya. MoPac”

MoPac slams it out of the ball park. Funny how everyone who drinks knows someone who has driven drunk or who has driven drunk once or when they knew they shouldn't have driven. I know loads of gun owners... how many of them have killed someone or held up a liqueur store with their guns? Er... none of them outside of Military or Law Enforcement actions. Not one.

For those that missed the NUPC shoot last Saturday, you missed a very good time. Check it out. Your humble Ogre is only in this video for two strings on one stage. I was wearing a blue shirt with a camo hat. It was my worst stage, but I am comforted in knowing that it was everyone else's worst stage too. Forgive the Beastie Boys music, I didn't do the video. I'd have used something from Metallica or Disturbed here. You see everyone is using something different. Dudes are using S&W M&P's, Glocks, Springfield XD's, 1911's of different types. I was rocking my Kimber Tactical Custom II and it ran perfectly. I am noticing however that my recovery time between shots is slower than it should be. Reason being, the light alloy frame. I think I really need to be using a full steel gun. But DAMN AND BLAST all my 1911's are alloy framed guns save for the Tussy Custom which is all steel, but it's a Compact. I think I should perhaps do something about that. But because I have a couple guns on the way already this is going to take some doing. It's no big deal yet... I'm not even sure which 1911 I'd get for my race gun. I'm thinking a Springfield TRP... it has all the things I want on my race gun. Night sights, Ambi-Safety, Checkering, and a Mag Well funnel that isn't going to be mistaken for something you use to put oil into your crank case. There is also the Kimber TLE/RL that I like, and a SIG GSR that would work quite well too.

The Military just made a contract with Bushnell for a special version of their model 1500 laser rangefinder. Amazing... they can make a special version that takes out the SUCK for the .Mil, but not us. I was thinking, wow, they picked just about the worst of the lot. The unit is not that great as far as how well it works, and on top of that it's huge and bulky. Brilliant pick there, Army... idiots! But then I got thinking, the only US sourced units other than these are the Leupold units... while they are smaller, they actually make the Bushnell look good. I'd have picked the Swarovski for the Army. It's all around the stronger unit with the farthest range capability. So what if it costs more. Like the Army cares about cost.

This is interesting. S&W is making a version of there AR-15 in 5.45x39mm. They call it the M&P 15R. They are offering the rifle as a whole unit, or just the upper to mod your own AR. S&W is saying that this Russian caliber is cheaper than .223 which is why they are doing this. I think they were trying to get a bit more power out of it. If this is reason, I'm not impressed. If you are going to do this, why the hell didn't they do a 6.8SPC version instead? Because I don't see this Russian ammo being actually cheaper. Yeah, you can order a case, but you have to order it and pay for the shipping. Do you guys have local sources of bulk russian rounds? Not around here, that's for sure.

7-13-08:  Dennis Prager is an Alpha-Con^tm: Watch and listen to this. This is some of the most coherent and cognative thinking on Liberalism out there. I love this guy... I can catch his radio show sometimes when I'm driving home from work. Sometimes I end up sitting in my car outside of Ogre Ranch, listening.

Ben called me earlier today. He sounded tired, but he's doing good. Still has his sense of humor. He asked about the Springfield Stainless GI he had in his box. When I told him what we were doing for him, he was speechless. And that's saying something for Ben, the man is a Writer. We need some more donations guys. I'm keeping this running total as donations come in. You can PayPal me, stop by, or call the gunshop with a credit card and we can do it that way, no problem.

Some time ago I posted about our need to retake the term Neo-Con. Well, I was wrong. We need a new Brand for our more active Conservative push. Alpha-Con. The Alpha-Male is the Leader of the Pack. The head honcho. The Big Cheese. The Biggest Baddest Wolf. The one the others look to for guidance. We all need to mold ourselves not into Neo-Cons... but into Alpha-Cons. We need to lead other conservatives... guide them away from the slippery Moderate slope and back to the core issues that are important to our national well being. Obama can kiss my ass. He is going to tell me that my kids need to learn Spanish? Uh, no. Not even close. My kids need to learn English. That is the language of our Nation. If they want to learn Spanish, that's fine. Press One For English, my ass. Screw Obama. We need to focus on getting all our kids literate with our native tongue before they take an alternate. Obama equates European multi-language as some sort of moral high ground? Look, you can drive for 8 hours and cross like 9 countries in Europe and as many languages. Or more. In the USA, you can drive for 8 hours and not even cross one of our states out here in the west. America is huge, 300 Million strong, and most of us will never have a passport. Never need a passport. Why would they need to learn another language? I'm all for learning... but a Presidential Candidate telling us we need to learn other languages? That makes me sick to my stomach. This is where our Alpha-Cons need to come into play. Confronting Liberal Bullshit whenever it raises it's empty head, point out logical points to counter their illogical reactions. We need to get people to get out to vote in November. We need to lead the way.

FBMG is back online. Check out the new website. Very clean design, very well done. They still need to load in all the photos and stuff... but at least it's there again. Good job, guys. I am still going to be having them do my SIG 556 in a desert camo duracoat. I just don't know when I'll have the spare Benjamins to pay for the job, and have the time to actually take my rifle out there. No, I'm not shipping my baby. Here in Utah, you have 2 great gunstores, and FBMG is one of them. Make makes a gun store great? Inventory? Yeah, that's part of it... any gunstore can order a gun, but having some guns on hand is critical. More importantly is to have the guy at the gun counter actually know what the hell he's talking about. The dudes at FBMG know their trade. Tactical stuff, they are all over it. Go to Draper and talk to them. Want something black and sinister, they can help you and teach you how to run it. For hunting, come talk to us in Vernal. We can tell you what you need for your hunt and how to hunt it. Other guns stores? Ask them about coyote hunting or what they need for their deployment... You'll get blank looks and bullshit. One big one I've checked out – they left me quite unimpressed. Just looking how they mounted scopes, I wouldn't buy a cleaning rod from them. Great elk sandwiches, but pathetic on ballistic basics. I've remounted several of their scopes. Note to the gunshop in Lehi, you can't use just one scope base for all models of Savage rifles. Seriously. If you see gaps, you are doing it wrong. And remember, torque is your friend. Other shops I've checked out seem to be staphed with either idiots or self-inflated wankers. Our shop and FBMG are 100% wanker free.

Obama Exposed. Read this site, book mark it and read it. A

7-12-08:  Defensive Pistol Shoot: I did a lot better this morning than I had any right to. Getting about 3 hours of sleep for about 3 nights in a row, I was dragging ass so I hopped up on carbonated liquid stimulants. I was reasonably satisfied with my accuracy on most stages, save 2... but again, I feel like I am slower than I should be. I know I can be faster, but for whatever reason, I've been lagging. Probably has to do with sleep. The human body needs sleep like it needs food and sex and off color language. (Don't even argue that point, you stub your barefoot toe or step on your kid's legos or nail your thumb with a hammer or don't get your thumb out of the way when loading an M1 Garand... you can't help but to let slip expletives. Don't deny it.) Some stages tripped me up... shooting on the move. Does it every time. I know I need to work on it. And I will. The Body Drag stages hurt. Your Humble Ogre is no longer that Young Hard Charger that he used to be... ahem... outside of the bedroom, that is. A simple sled with a couple weight plates on it....someone said it was about 200 pounds. I don't know. But dragging it while shooting one handed was no easy task for me. My bad knees and ankles can only take so much anymore. The extended cost of being all I can be I guess. Here I am, late in the night, and my right foot is throbbing like... well, it hurts like crazy. My right knee is quite sore too. My left one is fine, the one that got the tune-up last year and I thought it would never be well again. It's now the best joint in my body next to my trigger finger joints. That Body Drag stage wasn't too bad its self... but the move while shooting stages that came next were handicapped because of that one. The other stage that tipped me was the shotgun stage... shooting on the move with pistol hurt my score, but my shotgunning was good. A bit too good. 4 shots with pellets were right on target, but the slugs got me. The first slug hit the swinging plate, and my second shot was a touch too quick. The slug past just below the plate, that had not swung back down yet. Had I delayed just a split, that slug would have caught the plate solid. Dang it.

Larry and I talked about the mechanics of shooting with a pistol while moving... and I know what I was doing wrong. I was off beat.

Regardless – I had a fantastic time, learned new things, and I got to shoot guns. Win win win.

One pistol I got to look at, an STI Trojan, single stack 9mm. It was nice. Good gun. Kinda makes me want a 1911 9mm. Probably only because it's a gun that I don't have yet.

The Benelli Super Nova Tactical 12 gauge. We sell them for 429.99. Great gun for the money, but the thing needs – NEEDS some choke. It blasts slugs well, but the pattern is wide and thin. Federal Black Cloud is the best shot to use with this thing. The Flight Control wad is the only thing that helps. I'd get one of these guys, but I want one with a threaded barrel for different choke tubes. That should not be too much to ask for. Other than that wide open bore, the rest of the shotgun gives me nothing to criticize. Its a fantastic weapon that is affordable and perfect for Home Defense. I recommend them highly.

The photo of my with the Barret 82 .50BMG rifle... No, I am not wearing my normal Howard Leight Impact Sports. I am trying on some Caldwell electronic muffs. I try stuff so you don't have to. If you see the Caldwell electronic muffs, don't get them. Get something different. Anything different. These things SUCK. They are bulky. They feel heavier than they are. You always know you are wearing them. They get in the way when you try to aim a rifle... not just the Barret, but any rifle. They don't fit well. I really like the Howard Leight electronic muffs. They do everything right for only fifty bucks. Get some. Not from me though... we are out of stock. We can't keep them in stock... we get them in, I hang them up, and they evaporate off the pegs.

7-10-08:  Confession: Our friend Ben is still in the hospital, recovering. He's going through physical therapy. A slow and painful process. In The Horde's Forum I posted that we might do a donation drive for Ben to get him a new carry gun. I found that he had a pistol he had put on Layaway at the shop... so he's picked his pistol. Why an I doing this? I will gather good efforts of good people for a good deed for good people... with my own contributions as well, of course. This way more is able to be accomplished than what I can do myself, and we all get to share some good karma. Packages for soldiers, holsters for a Vet, and now a gun for Ben. Why a gun for Ben? It's more than just that I consider him a friend... and this is my confession. I feel guilty for what happened to him. You see, at work, we generally follow a scheduled pattern and we don't exactly look at the calender to see who's on and off. The pattern stands as long as there is no changes. If there is a change for whatever reason, we work out the new pattern and follow that until something else comes up. Well, Ben and I followed that pattern, but for some reason the schedule had been altered. I was on my 5 day weekend... but the schedule said I worked Monday. Well Ben came in per the pattern and I stayed off. I came in later to pick up my check and we had a chuckle and I bought him lunch, we joked, all was good. Then after work he started riding home and nailed an antelope on the highway at full speed. Guys, this is what put me in a depression and I am still feeling guilty. If I had looked at the calendar, I'd have been working and Ben would have been home safe and sound. I know the randomness factor of life makes no difference and if I had worked or not... but you never know. I should have been working that day. As soon as I found that I was on, I should have immediately revealed Ben and sent him home. But I didn't. I fucked up. I fucked up and Ben is in the hospital because of it. There is nothing I can say or do that can make up for this. I don't care if Ben and Shannon forgives... It's my fault and they are paying the price.

Anyway... Ben has a Springfield Stainless Mil Spec on layaway. It's not an expensive pistol relatively speaking, but it's a lot more than I have. I need your help. Any and all donations will be going directly to that.

On a lighter note: We got in the new SIG 556 SWAT model. I thought the base 556 was good. The SWAT model is FANTASTIC. The rails are nice and the vertical foregrip really helps balance the SWAT's weight. It actually feels lighter even though it is heavier. The light is a nice touch... and the light is a good light. It is hellabright like a Surefire and it has a disco mode. Well, they would call it a strobe mode. Very distracting and disorienting to bad guys. What I don't like about it, is the way the light is held in that foregrip. The mount is the weak link. Sure, it's functional, but it feels like it could easily be broken in a tactical situation. I think the Surefire grip/light combo is a much better unit and much better option for a gunfighter. I don't say this lightly... I'm a huge SIG fan and having to point out something critical kinda pains me. A little.

A second look at the XDM pistol. I was quite critical of Springfield's new XDM pistol. I took the M apart and the regular XD and compared them. What I found is that no parts interchange. Levers, triggers, magazines... nothing. The M is fully re-engineered. It's a whole new pistol. Yes, it shares obvious genetic traits... but it's not your old buddy XD. It's like, your buddy XD's hot sister. I give the M a thumbs up.

7-9-08:  Mother of Violence: There is a rifle out there that is really and truly unlike anything else... It's been 15 years since I fired one. I didn't remember just how tremendous it is. I'm talking about the Barrett Model 82A1. When you fire this weapon, Thor smiles down from Valhalla and nods proudly. The blast from the muzzle break, the recoil, the empty shell shucking out... It is a mother of violence and thunder.

Yes, my job sucks.  It's tough work.  You think you got pressure?  I got SAAMI pressure. 

The recoil from the weapon is actually not bad at all, much like a shotgun... but add in everything else going on, it's FANTASTIC. The Barrett is topped with an 8-32x50mm Nightforce with the MLR reticle. Great scope. This is THE scope for topping the .50 BMG. I know some guys are going to say that the 32 power is a bit much and 8 power is too much for shorter range shooting – but come on – this is not a short range gun. This gun is for reaching out there... way out there. For a sniper set up – this is the ticket. Lots of police snipers have said that this is too much scope. I really don't think so. The first job of a Sniper is not just for putting firepower into a target, but observing, reporting, and identifying the target and what's in the target area. It's foolish to say more magnification is not a good thing for identifying a subject at long range. Is that guy down range the subject you are looking for or does he just look like the guy you are looking for? At 20 power you might not know for sure... you are too far away. At 32 power, you can make a positive ID. The biggest advantage is when you are zeroing your rifle. Very nice. The illuminated reticle is perfect. Not too bright, just enough... the reticle is easy to read, never gets out of focus... Nightforce makes a brilliant scope. Yes, this one is 1680 dollars and that's a lot, but for a .50 BMG I'd put nothing else on it. Nothing. That is THE scope, and the 82 is THE rifle. I've fired other .50 BMG rifles, but they just did not give me the visceral thrill the 82 does.

The other rifle is Browning A-Bolt II in .325 WSM. I really didn't have a chance to wring this one out. After 3 shots it broke the rings. So it went back in the case to be remounted. The .325 is a great cartridge. Very accurate and really not that much penalty of recoil. So I was surprised when the scope pooped out. It was a Zeiss with a Rapid Z reticle. Great scope. Disappointed. I remounted it with new rings and I'll take it out tomorrow and get it dialed in. One thing I really noticed about shooting this one, the X-Bolt is such a better rifle. I don't think the X bolt would have had the same problems with the improved mounting system. It's a shame Browning has dropped the caliber.

This is the view from just in front of the shooting benches.

The Buckskin Hills Shooting Range has been improved yet again with nice covered shooting benches. They are on the public ranges and the long range rifle range. It being hot as hell out here in my desert now, the shade provided by the covered benches was much appreciated. You can see the range is interesting here in the photo. The animals are at various ranges out to about 621 yards or so... the Lieca 1200 range finder was giving us inconsistent readings. We are estimating the white rock up on the hill in the far background to be at 1000 yards. Evidently it's a bit farther as I hit 2 feet below it... damn it.

Barack Hussein Obama scares me. He really does. Reason is that Liberal Fascists scare me. I'll be honest about this. In the 1930's in Germany, the Brownshirts fed information to the secret police who then arrested those who did not follow the party line... and they conducted their own violence against those who resisted them. Obama's plan does the same thing. Obama said:

"We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we've set," he said Wednesday. "We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded."

Doesn't this worry anyone? Obama doesn't like the very Military he would be the Commander and Chief of. Did you hear his comments to The Army Times? He could barely talk to them. He stuttered, he used whisker words a lot... “Uh... uh... um...” He wasn't coherent at all. Trying to get their votes, but not respecting them one damn bit. It was disgusting that he was being taken seriously. He said he would talk to the Chiefs of Staff about military matters, but he has never said he would talk to his Generals. He fears his own Military. So he wants to start his own new one. Just as well funded? What for? So they need weapons? Submarines? Jet fighters? Do you remember your History when the Brownshirts armed? Formed units? When the Nazi Party militarized? And no one stopped them. We are seeing the same thing being suggested here.

Should one of these offices open up in your area... I suggest harsh protest and swift reactions. I'm too pissed... Larry talked about this with his rage in check enough to type.

I had been saying our biggest threat was China. It's Obama and the Democrats. 

The Democrats just don't get it.   They actually think they are doing a great job and this is their God Given Mission in Life, even though they think there is no God... With them controlling the House and Senate, the Congressional Approval ratings have been dropping faster than Barbra Streisand's breasts. They are now at only 9%. Do you know how low that is? When asked, more people would rather be stabbed in the eye with a shrimp fork than say Congress has been doing a good job. President Bush has managed to pull a 23% positive rating... and no one even likes the guy.

What's sad is that when asked about why they don't like Bush, most Democrats can't even give you a straight answer that doesn't involve “lying about the war”. They don't know why, because they have never thought about it. Even guys that are working jobs paying 3 times the amount of money they would be making anywhere else in the country right now thanks to the Oil Boom we have here right now. But they still don't like him. If it wasn't for Bush these dudes would be flipping burgers for 8.5 an hour... instead they are building houses, buying .50 BMG rifles, and rolling in bigass Dodge Ram trucks. They should be worshiping Bush.

My biggest Gripe? He's selling the South West back to Mexico. For that, he deserves a special place in hell. So if I'm willing to cook Bush for eternity over brimstone... you can imagine my feelings about the Democrats in Congress.

7-7-08:  I'll admit that I've been quite depressed lately. I've not written much. I've dabbled in the Ogre Nation forum. I've withdrew from several social events I could have had some fun at... but I didn't feel up to it. The 4^th of July, I went to bed early. Depression does that. This morning I snapped out of it and I feel better, like myself again. I once again realized just what a lucky man I am. Normally I work 4 days a week every two weeks I have a 5 day weekend... in the land of the Free home of the Brave with outdoor activities everywhere you look. Shooting, hunting, fishing... whatever I want to do and plenty of time to do it. So what if money is tight... I still enjoy a standard of living greater than 98% of the rest of the world. I might be Middle Class, but the Middle Class is pretty fucking good here. I have a high speed broadband internet connection that I enjoy on the comfort of a very comfy couch or outside under a tree or in my bed or wherever I want. I have my TV signal beamed to my TV's by satellite. My wife drives a big American van and my car is designed by Germans. My guns are, well, I can't keep track of them. And I have a couple more on layaway and I've got one more on order. My boys are all healthy. My wife is healthy. They all love me. I enjoy my work, if you can call it work. I work with good people. So what if money is always tight... things always work out. So what if my car needs a new O2 sensor, tires, and shocks. It's still a good car and Tire Rack delivers. And my readership here at MadOgre.com is The Best in the World. Life is actually pretty damn good.

Interesting new Gunsmith added to the Directory. J. White Gunsmithing. How many gunsmiths post videos of their work? Well done.

This is one of the reasons I want to do away with Racial Classes. No more Hyphenated Americans. No Blacks, Asians, Latinos, Native Americans... and of course no more categories based on sexual preferences. No more racial check boxes on any official forms. We are all Americans. There is only one question. Are you a Citizen, yes or no? If you are a citizen, you can vote, you have rights. If you are not a Citizen or are either a Guest or you are illegal. Guests enjoy temporary, but limited rights. You can enjoy all the rights of a Citizen for a period of time, but you can not buy a gun and you can not buy property and you can not vote. If you are illegal, and you are caught by police, you get launched across the nearest border with a large but inaccurate trebuchet .

7-5-08:    HarryReidSucks.com: Our man, STING has started a blog that you will want to bookmark.  He's a good friend of mine, and one of the smartest guys I've ever met... brilliant mind.   Keep an eye on him.

My Top Ten Personal Favorite 1911 Pistols:

10. Springfield Armory: GI .45. This is 1911A1 that started it all... The one we took to WWII and kicked ass around the world with. Well, it's a copy of it. This is as close to an original as you are going get without forking over major dollars for the real McCoy. This one has a lifetime warranty and you can enjoy shooting it as much as you see fit. It is very much like the one the US Army issued me... but mine didn't have U.S. stamped in the grip.

9. Kimber: Custom II. While the GI is great, I like a more modern gun. Widened port, better sights, flat mainspring housing... for a simple no frills, just what you really need pistol, this is it. Great price point too. You can get it in different lengths, but the classic 5” length, what Kimber calls “Custom” is just right.

8. Kimber: Tactical Custom II. This is one I'm quite smitten with and the pistol I compete with. It's a step up from the basic Custom II, with an aluminum frame, checkered, night sights, mag well funnel, ambi-safety, and an attractive two tone finish that I really like. For the money, this is packed with more features that it should have.

7. Kimber: SIS Ultra. This gun is one you just have to actually put in your hand to fully appreciate. It feels – sexy. Full steel construction it is no lightweight for it's size, but it isn't too heavy either. It's very smooth to the point of almost slippery until you wrap your hands around the grip and then – it's magic. I especially love the night sights that you can use to help one handed manipulations. I really wish other 1911 pistols at rear sights like these.

6. Dan Wesson: Bobtail Commander. If you have to pick just one pistol... this is a great choice for your only one. Solid stainless with night sights and the Bobtail Conversion. The slide to frame fit is amazing. The checkering is the pistol's only downside. It is too coarse. It needs to be finer, like 25 – 30 LPI. For the price, this is probably the best made pistol for the money.

5. Smith & Wesson: Gunsite Edition. For those who want a really good Commander type 1911 with a classic look to it and all the good stuff, here you go. I've handled this one and while I love my Scandium Commander, this is an upgrade to it. Mine is quite basic and this one is more fleshed out... finished. Ready to roll.

4. SIG: 1911 RCS Nitron. This isn't your Grandfather's 1911. SIG gave the Colt CCO pistol their own touch, Officer's size frame, Commander length barrel, this is probably the ideal concealed carry configuration. Similar to the SIG C3 which I am quite fond of, this one goes a step further and rounds off all the corners that need rounding and it wears a business like all black finish. Handsome and feels good. Even if it is non-traditional. The triggers are not as crisp as they should be, but that is easily fixed.

3. Rock River: RRA Carry 4.25. While all the other guns up to this point are production guns, this is where we start getting into the custom guns. We have a large increase in cost now, but what you get here is a hand built, hand finished, hand fitted gun... meaning the thing is as damn near perfect as you can get. Rock River might be known for their rifles, but they really need to be known for their 1911 pistols. The RRA Carry has all the features I want in a carry gun and I like the 4.25” barreled version the best for all around use. These guns are amazing

2. Wilson Combat: Professional. What can I say about the Professional? This is a gun to aspire to have. It's top rung here. The finish, the quality of the parts, the looks... and more importantly... the feel. Wow. Can it get any better than this? Yeah, it can... and that leads me to #1...

1. Nighthawk Custom: T3. This pistol is insane. This is what a custom pistol is all about. The attention to detail here is amazing. Everything that makes a Wilson Combat so good... this one is better. Now, you can argue that with other Nighthawk vs Wilson models... but the T3 takes the cake, makes it bite the pillow, and has its way with it. I've only seen one once... only put my hands on it once... only fired 6 rounds through it... but it made such an impression. This is my dream gun, right here. It's so good, it's almost a sacred relic... small tribes in the Amazon Rain Forest worship it as if it came from the heavens.

7-2-08:  We got in the new Springfield XDm's. 

Of course, I'm going to give you my take.  I have to say that I am underwhelmed. Springfield jumped on the replaceable backstrap bandwagon and they tricked out the cosmetics and added a “Match” barrel. What low hurdles do you have to jump to get the “Match” title? While the pistol feels good in the hand, there is a disappointment.  A big one.  The big disappointment you will find is the trigger. It has more creep than Christopher Walken. However I am not saying that this is a bad pistol... I kinda like... it's just the ticket if you don't like the regular XD, the M&P, Glocks, FN, HK, CZ's... or any other pistols... then THIS is the pistol for you. I know, that isn't saying much, but after reading all the hype the reality is like seeing a picture of a great looking burger, ordering it off the menu you get... well... you know what you get.

The case the M comes in is pretty tactical. It's so tactical, it has rails. Two Rails. Now THAT is hard core tactical. Inside the case you have the lid showing the big red M logo letting you know you have something... different. The .40 cal versions that we got in have great mags... stainless bodies with 16 round capacities. That's nice. The free holster you get with the kit is improved over the older Springfield mags... this one is a paddle back. I like paddles. They are convenient. They work well. Everything else is typical XD stuff.  So the question... is it an improvement over the regular XD?  Yes, I think it is.  Yes, I think the tariff is worth it... But if I purchased one, the first thing I'd do with it is to take it to FBMG and have Joe do a trigger job on it.

Did I mention the rails on the case? Impressive... they went there. Springfield is more tactical than HK and FNH put together... even their pistol cases have rails!  Springfield should just be refered to as SF now... they are so Tactical they don't need the other letters... So RUN!  Go get your new SFXDM right NOW or YOU ARE NOT TACTICAL!  You are not a real Operator unless you have more rails than Union Pacific...  Damn... look at those letters... SFXDM... Hell, I want one right the hell now.

7-1-08:  ANWR.  We need to tap it NOW.

We need your prayers badly out here:  Our good friend Ben Thompson had a serious accident on the way home from work last night.  He hit an antelope at freeway speed.  He was on his motorcycle.  He was taken by Life Flight to SLC. I just learned of this... his condition is critical to say the least.  Ben is a good soul.  A good man.  A loving husband who doesn't even look at other women... devout and faithful... a good writer... a good friend... and a good shot.

6-30-08:  What is this? 55% of Gun Deaths are actually Suicides? Wow. If you take that into account, the Liberals stats become less meaningful.  Not as if they were ever meaningful to begin with...

An Open Letter to the Mayor of Washington, D.C., Adrian Fenty.

Mr. Mayor, you have put yourself on one side of the Gun Control argument, and I am on the other. I believe more guns will mean less crime. You happen to be the Mayor of one of the most violent cities in our Nation and this is our Nation's Capitol. Yet you believe that more guns on your streets will mean more crime. I do not believe you and neither do millions of law abiding, gun owning citizens. You have the opportunity to make your point. I humbly submit a challenge to you, Sir.

If the homicide rate in DC increases (as illustrated by public FBI crime statistics) and we see a bloodbath in the streets of DC, then your asinine opinion will be vindicated and you will be able to wag your finger at us... and you will win reelection easily.

However, if the homicide rate drops... if the crime recedes after the implementation of the Heller decision... then Mr. Mayor, I would ask you that you not seek reelection and the people of DC can hopefully get a competent leader that puts public safety ahead of political agenda.

With all due respect,

George Hill

The Ogre of MadOgre.com

6-28-08:  My top picks for fighting rifles are up at the Weapons Section.

My picks for top Red Dot sights is up there in the weapons section.

6-27-08:   October 4^th is the next FBMG Machine Gun Shoot. Mark it on your calendars and get ready for it. These events are a blast in every sense of the word... you do not want to miss it. I'm planning on being there and I'll be bringing some buddies. The last one I went to was pretty damn cool. Lots of guns you normally never get to see, let alone pull the trigger on. For some more info on it, read this.

Any graphic artists out there? Chime in on this idea here. I need something simple and clever.

I have to admit that I am still glowing from the Heller decision. The SCOTUS wording was carefully done... it is not a ground breaking, climate changing mandate that all gunlaws are wiped away like I'd have preferred. However it does clearly ratify that Gun Ownership is an Individual Right and not a Collective Right. I've read the decision in total, including the dissents... some 175 pages in total. Of the 4 judges that ruled “no”... two of them were put into place by Democrats, the other two were placed by Republican presidents. This is disappointing to me but considering the track record of these two, not surprising. And with these narrow margins, it tells us one thing. The fight is not over. We did win a major battle that will carry over into the next administration... but the fight is on. The NRA has already launched a legal attack on Chicago. We need to launch more. In every state. Especially in California, Colorado, New York, and any other place that is restrictive. It would also do well to petition our State Reps to move from Carry Permits to Vermont/Alaska style Carry. Meaning no permits required. That's the next step I want for Utah.

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.

The Democrats are all wringing their hands and spinning this decision that it is actually a loss for us. It's not. Don't believe them. The decision just didn't eliminate all the restrictions. I'm all for some restrictions... Criminals Shouldn't Have Guns. I'm fine with that. Kids shouldn't be allowed to buy guns. I'm okay with that too. Uh, that's pretty much it, really. But man, the fits the Liberals are pitching... this is good entertainment.

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