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June 2007
6-29-07: Clearing out the Contour's trunk. Everyone around here that knows me, knows my trunk as my Happy Trunk. Because I often have massive amounts of ammunition and a decent selection of weapons in there. Moving guns from my trunk to my vault, it took three trips of arm loads. Ammo? I had – I kid you not – 200 pounds of ammo. Cases of this stuff. Some of it, calibers I never knew I had. .35 Remington? .338 Win Mag? When did I get this? And I've got a ridiculous amount of 9MM rolling around. Seriously, where did this ammo come from? It's like guys at the shooting range are just throwing boxes of spare ammo into my trunk. I've got an extra 4 inches of suspension travel now that I've emptied the trunk out. I was bottoming out all the time over here. Not a problem now. This guy last year had an accidental shooting. He had an RG .22LR revolver, loaded, and then dropped it. It hit hammer down and fired a round up through his stomach. It came very close to killing him and from what he said, he is still carrying the bullet. He came in and demanded to know how to get a hold of the RG company so he could sue them. Super pissed when he found out that the RG company folded years and years ago. Now the guy decides to buy a new pistol. So he gets a Hi-Point. You know, if you buy the cheapest, shittiest stuff all the time and that's all you get. You get what you deserve. No, he's not broke. The guy is loaded. I could understand if he was broke and poor... but that's not the case. The guy is just a bit thick headed. Storm Troopers: Our Military is the smartest, best educated, best equipped, and most ass-kicking military ever fielded in the history of our planet. Yet they can't pack weapons with ammo... they are universally unarmed unless in an active war zone, and even then only when going out of the bases... and now in the Troop C 2-183rd Cavalry they can't even have a pocket knife. The Commander, a guy named CPT Jones, who ordered this horseshiat has got to be the biggest pussy in the US Military since JOHN KERRY. And this is my brother's unit? This is the Officer that is going to lead my brothers into war? I'm catastrophically unhappy about this. The man must be dickless, because he acts like it. Who is he? Is he really a he? He must be a nursemaid. That's the only explanation I can think of. If I was going to be heading out to a war zone, I'd want a bunch of a badasses and I'd want them to have as many weapons on hand as possible... knives, pistols, all that shit just sticking out everywhere like a bunch of damn pirates. Those are the kind of guys that I would want to roll in Iraq with. Not a bunch of freaking File Clerks. This is a CAVALRY unit... Have some pride! Break out the Cavalry sabers, give everyone a damn SWORD! If you can't trust your troops with pocket knives, how are you going to deal with them packing automatic weapons? What happens if – OMG – you see a BAD GUY with an AK or an RPG?! You'll probably just wet yourself and whimper a lot. Is this Harry Reid's military? Is Carrot Top the Secretary of Defense? Where are there warriors who are ready to go kill terrorists? If anyone out there wants to tell Cpt Jones, what a flaccid penis he is, feel free to contact him: CPT “Pussinboots” Jones Troop C 2-183rd CAV/TF SABER Bldg. 2490 Camp Shelby, MS 39407-1000
I'm not at all happy with our Government. Specifically, Congress. They finally end this Immigration bill issue, and what do they do? They let Robert Byrd get up and talk about growing old. Term limits. We have got to get Term Limits. With all the talk about the Fairness Doctrine, to be fair, we will have to have term limits. Two terms max of 4 year stints sounds about right. Just like the president. 6-27-07: BOOM HEADSHOT! This is amazing. Willie, the father of Tina, who made the sandbag rests fires a .50BMG, an Armalite AR-50 and it ricochets off of a steel plate that it should have easily penetrated. The bullet comes straight back and hits him in the head. You can see it hit the dirt about 15 feet in front on him before it clobbers him. Luckily he was uninjured. He's a bit sore today, but otherwise fine. Lucky lucky bastard. He has been advised to buy lottery tickets while he still has so much luck. I don't know about the timing, but you can hear the hit on the steel plate. Time that till the impact on Willie's head... how fast is that 750 grain slug traveling? The range is 100 yards. Amazing. No Knives for the Cavalry?! My brother's cav unit they are now apart of, the 2-183rd Cav has just had all the knives confiscated by the unit commander. Too dangerous. Even folding lock backs and multi-tools. WTF? From what I understand, private property... just confiscated as if they were school kids on the playground. What sort of NancyBoy bullshit is this? The Guns Of Shooter. Rented flick. Enjoyed it in spite of all the political bullshit in it. Wrote a Guns Of review for it. If you have to ask: A 12 gauge, pump action with an 18 inch barrel. Make model and other options are all up for grabs. Best to keep it simple. You add more stuff, you make the gun more complicated and more specialized. Simple is good with a pump. Simplified is an asset. PC Systems: Remember how I used to work at a computer shop? Well, I signed a two year no compete agreement when I started there. It's been a year and I've been thinking. This area is growing, but that little shop I was at hasn't. In fact, business seems to be crumbling from what I'm hearing from customers who used to go there and no refuse to ever go back there again. I've been told that since I left, the business has done nothing but go down hill when everything taken together says it should have been growing and by now it should have really taken off. Last time I was in there, there was hardly anything in stock. This got me thinking. There is a lot of room for another computer shop. Of course, I have to wait... but as it stand right now, if someone was to open up a new shop – they could make a slam dunk killing right now. PC system building, service and repair, computer accessories, and offer computer classes to teach the less literate users to run their boxes. Networking and business support would be a huge portion of the business too. Seriously, now is the time to jump in with both feet. I'd call the shop “FAST” or something evoking speed. This would be a slam dunk money maker. Ahem... of course I wouldn't be able to do anything for a year yet... but someone could and I could offer some advice on which businesses to approach for service contracts as such. You could be the IT Department for the whole freaking Uintah Basin. Because right now people might be ordering preconfigured box systems from the major builders, HP, Dell, etc... but once they get the box home. That's all they got. Just the box. There is a lot of room for additional services here. We've got so much growth going on out here in the Uintah Basin, there is no way for a computer shop to fail. I have a very clear idea as to why the little shop I was at is failing... I could name a name, but I wont. Let's just say she's driven away customers and some very good techs and people who could have transformed the business. Myself included. When people ask how long it would take to get something in, and they pay for it, and we give her the order but it takes her a week just to actually place that order – that not only slows things down, but pisses off the customer. I actually had some customers order the parts themselves off Tiger Direct or Egghead and bring the part in to me to install. This was a well known issue by everyone there, but it was never her fault. If she had a question about an item, she wouldn't ask... she'd wait until we had a yelling customer in our faces and then blame us for not being clear. Yeah, that was a daily thing. Not cool. The owner always sided with her, because, well, she had boobs. I don't remember her name, but I do remember her sneering face. Saturdays were always the best days to work because she never worked Saturdays. A new shop could do very well here. Especially if they offer a bit of Linux and Apple sales and support. I bring all this up because as I've mentioned before, I am still asked about computers. Not just to do computer service calls, but to build computers, and which laptops to buy. Basically everything because they wont work with that little computer shop anymore. If I had some money to do it, I'd open a computer shop right now. Of course I'd have to stay behind the scenes for a year. But I'd get the ball rolling right now. If I could. Just saying. 6-25-07: I've been finishing up a couple article for CCM, so I've not much to really post about here right now. But I have some thoughts that I wanted to address. Have you had a chance to really play with these new Winchester Super Short Magnum cartridges? I'm thinking they are worth the space in the Gun Vault. For example, let's take a look at the quarter-bore. For decades the good old .25-06 has been the caliber of choice for a good many shooters. Good ballistics, flat trajectory, not harsh on the shoulder like the parent .30-06... the .25-06 is a classic. Now comes the Super Short quarter bore, the .25WSSM. It's giving you just about identical ballistics to the .25-06, so why bother with the WSSM? Well, thanks to the efficiency of the cartridges, you are getting greater accuracy potential in a rifle that is about a pound lighter. That can make a world of difference if this rifle is for your significant other, a young hunter, or if you are the type of hunter that likes to travel on foot up steep grades. It gives you a light, handy rifle capable of delivering Elk dropping punch that your little Sis can carry or you could carry all day up into eagle territory. The other WSSM's don't have such a drastic transformation. The .243 was always a light handy platform, as is the .223... but the WSSM versions are also worth looking at. These guys are taking the concept that benchrest shooters use in their 6MM Benchrest cartridges and putting it into a factory load. This gives you impressive accuracy and impressive performance. But what if you want more? This is where the Wildcat Guys have just gone nuts. They've taken the .300WSM brass, and cinched down a .25 bullet into it. Greater case volume, hotter charge, means greater velocity and a flatter trajectory. You are now out blasting the mighty .257 Weatherby Magnum in a lighter, handier rifle. What's not to love about that? If that's not sick enough, neck that .25 WSM down to .243. That's nuts. That just might be the ideal Antelope or similar plains game cartridge. Okay, okay: I've heard you... Many of you don't like Milla. While she got the most votes, everyone who nominated someone else has outnumbered her and have come back with Kate Beckinsale as an alternative. Let's have two MadOgre.com Girls. Specifically any Kate Beckinsale when she's wearing a corset. As in Van Helsing or Underworld. You guys chose. Put your money where your mouth is... or I should say, put your Photoshop/GIMP where your talents are. Let's see it. Personally... I'd take Kate.
And before you ask me which is cooler, Pirates or Ninjas... I'll tell you. Ogres. Ogres are cooler than both put together. In fact, Ogres often enjoy Roasted Ninjas and Pirate sandwiches. Both Ninjas and Pirates are backstabbing sneak attack artists that are nothing more than glorified burglars. Ogres will always stand up and fight either or both, where as both will turn and run from a fully armed and operational Ogre. Speaking of putting your money where your mouth is: Yes, I've gone on and on again about the merits of the AK. Hey, I tell you what. In all seriousness, I'll put my AK up against your AR any day in terms of practical accuracy and application. That means field conditions shooting open sighted from unsupported positions. The more I look at AR-15 type rifles, the more silly they become. I wish I've had a dollar for every time I get an AR-15 guy coming in wanting me to show them how to properly clean it. The AK isn't anything like that... cleaning it isn't just self evident, but totally optional. Now take these Siaga AK type rifles. Everything from 5.56MM on the way up to 12gauge. Imagine for a minute one chambered in .300 SAUM. Dayum. I'd want one of those. 6-23-07: Fishing AAR: We got large amounts of trout and bluegill. All the trout were undersized, but they were still fun. Liked to fight. My boys caught more fish than I did. I wasted time with large bait and lure trying to get bigger fish that just didn't bite. I could see them, they would follow the lure almost all the way up to the shore, but they never actually went for it. Little silvery minnow lures... maybe they could have worked earlier in the day or later, but at that time, nothing. It was still enjoyable. We took home an icechest full of fish to fry up, but once I lopped the head of one and started gutting it, the boys lost all appetite for fish. So I fixed up a batch of my Totally Awesome Fast Chili, and the boys were most grateful for that. I'm calling it a good day. At least for me and the boys. Mrs. Ogre didn't have such a good day at all yesterday. Mrs. Ogre's van decided to throw a fan belt. Because my cell phone is having issues, I never found out about it until she came home driving her Dad's truck. He got it fixed, after discovering it busted one pulley and just how to route the belt around the 7 others. Eight pulleys. What does an engine need 8 pulleys for? Alternator, AC, Water Pump, what else do you need? Vehicles have become just too damn complicated. Luckily for us Father in Law loves his Daughter a lot because I couldn't have fixed that for the life of me. I'd have to have had the van towed to a garage and paid out several hundred bucks. Now if we could just convince Mrs Ogre to clean her van out once in awhile. MadOgre.com's Cheerleader: Lots of solid suggestions out there but more suggestions for one chick than all others. Milla Jovovich. I can live with that. She's pretty cool and does a lot of action flicks, lots of guns. And she was The Perfect Being in the 5th Element. “Big Badda Boom.” Okay, now can anyone in The Horde do a little photoshopping and give her a MadOgre.com T Shirt or something like that? One of her prettier images would be nice. Hordeman Mark: sends us a link to a YouTube clip worth watching. Now, before you watch the clip, let me point something out. The AK is a fraction of the cost of the AR, and is built out of stamped sheet metal. The barrel wobble they show is because of this. Better made AK's don't have such wobble. Also in terms of accuracy, they show the AK unable to hit the target at two hundred yards. My AK can easily hit a smaller target 30 out of 30 times at three hundreds open sighted. This clip shows a guy that doesn't know how to shoot an AK. The difference in power is telling. They also made no mention of reliability. Even still, I think we can see which one is better suited as a combat weapon. Here is another AK video that I found enlightening. Manufactures of the AK-47. This one talks in length of the Saiga 12 of a new flavor I think you will like. I want a dozen of them. The simple brilliance of the AK format is under appreciated in the west. Think if this... you might be able to get an AR in a lot of different calibers, including .308, just like the AK. But can you get an AR-15 in 12 Gauge? There you have it. The Tonka of battle rifles. Update on The GI CARE PACKAGE: Surefire has sent us a whole bunch of magazines. Hunting magazines, tactical magazines... the guys will love them. I'm shipping everything out Monday. Thank you to everyone who contributed. It means a lot to me that there are people out there that care as much as I do. 6-20-07: Don't try to stop me... I'm going fishing. I got the fishing license, a good rod and reel, a bunch of lures and the rest of the kit. I'm set. I'm going. This is pretty much the first time I've fished in decades. Now a couple years ago I took my boys fishing, and I let them fish... but I didn't do any fishing. No, this time, I'm going. I got a net too. I'm even looking forward to it. Bring it fishies. Check this out. At the gun counter today, I was standing there and an oilfield construction worker comes up. Then a cowboy guy walks up. Then a cop (Deputy). Then a Native American guy comes up. I'm thinking “Oh shit, The Village People!” Then I thought, these are The People, then I'm living in The Village. Crap. Funny thing... this happens every day. I only just realized this. I'm just glad they don't wear neck scarves.
It's time to dump Angelina
Jolie. Sorry Angelina, but you've got
to go. No, don't cry... it's not you... it's me. No, wait a sec... it is
you, you stupid crazy liberal biatch. You no longer inspire those warm
feelings like you used to. So here is what we need. We need a suitably
gorgeous woman who is expressing her support for MadOgre.com on her
I've reworked the Guns of Miami Vice article. Not much, one correction and a bunch of changes for clarity. Serves me right for writing it while on percocets. 6-19-07: The story is getting out about the 11 year old that was dragged from his tent and killed by a bear. His grieving Grandfather is pissed that their were not warning signs around. I feel his pain... I do. And I can understand his searching for excuses and trying to make sense of this. But I have two thoughts on this: First off, when you go up into the mountains, you should be ready for bears. Always. No excuses. I recommend a .44 Magnum at the very minimum. At least bear spray for the love of all that is holy. I know that might not have helped this kid at this time, but it would have helped the first guy that got mauled, because he could have put the fear of humans into the bear or killed it. This brings me to the second thought. If God says it's your time to come back to heaven... he will arrange a way. If it wasn't a bear, it would have been a fall off a cliff or a snake bite or a falling tree branch or something. You time is up, its freaking up. Warning signs wont help you. Marlin's 308MXLR rifle: I mentioned the caliber before, without going into technical details. In general, I approve of this caliber and rifle platform. Now let me talk about the rifle. Marlin has two rifles for it, one is short with a blued finish and simple walnut. This rifle is worth ignoring. In a nutshell it seems to be just a 336CS in a new caliber. Yawn. If you are looking for something to hack down to 16” like how I like my lever-actions, then this is the one. But if you want a shooter out of the box, you need the long stainless version with the gray laminated stocks. This version is optimized for the Hornady ammunition and gets the most out of it. Even the magazine tube is tweaked. Look at the loose fit it as at the end. This allows the barrel to move freely during firing to help increase accuracy. This and other little details might not sound like much, but the result is a sharp looking Marlin lever-action that can hit at long range and deliver potent, accurate fire. The one thing Marlin overlooked was the sights. The same old buckhorn sights are the original express sights used on dangerous game rifles. Sure they are fast and easy to use, but they are not precise long range sights. Marlin really needs to step it use here. This rifle needs micro elevation and windage adjustable sights at the very least. Ideally this rifle needs a low mounted, compact, light fixed 6X sight or a 2X to 7X variable. Ideally this sight would be both small, light, super rugged, wide field, and of course stainless in finish. What I would like to see in this sight is a reticle similar to the Nikon BDC, fine hairs, but ballistic matched to the .308MX load, and illuminated internally with tritium for low/no light shooting. I don't know of anyone that makes such a sight anywhere close to what I have in mind. I need to design it and Leupold or Nikon to build it. I think Leupold would be the ones to do it. They have the imagination to dig it... they have a tactical gun sight at least. Nikon is too set in the traditional rifle scope vein, which what I have in mind, isn't. Email from Hordeman Barrett: “If the greenies out there want you to be Carbon Neutral, they should chip in for a Toshiba Nuclear battery to run your beast. Can't get any more Carbon Neutral than a Nuclear SUV.” Eff'n Epic. Come on San Francisco, you get me one of those and I'll never drive a gas guzzling SUV again. Put your money where your heart is. Hmmm... “Epic”. That would be the name for my gunsight. The Epic Sight. 6-18-07: Confession. I am going to buy a PS2 now. Why? I've only got one reason. Guitar Hero II. Don't laugh... Guitar Hero rocks. (sorry) My whole family out here is addicted to this game. My Mother in Law jams out to Strutter by Kiss. My sweet little sister in law shreds to Killing in the name of by Rage Against The Machine. My beloved wife rocks Sweet Child Of Mine by Guns and Roses. It's fun. No, there is no FPS component and there is no killing of bad guys... but it is a lot of fun. I've never enjoyed this sort of game before... rhythm games are tedious. But Guitar Hero nails it. So much so, that I'm about ready to buy a PS2 just for it. Strange, I know. I'm telling you, it's fun. Before you judge me on this – just try it out for yourself. You play it hands on, and then you get back to me. I heard on the radio, Michael Medved (sp?) talking about the history of America being primarily Christian. Nothing critical of Micheal but I have to say his view is limited. Let's pull the camera back for a minute. It isn't just America. The whole of Western Civilization is not just profoundly influenced by Christianity but it is built on Christianity. It is only here in the US in these last few years that there has been a revolt against our documented history and everything having to do with Christianity is being covered with tarps or bulldozed under. 6-17-07: Happy Fathers Day: To the Ogre Father, I love you. Don't send your agents to kill me. I wont make you move to Utah. Even if you should. To all the other fathers out there. Kick back today, enjoy your favorite Cold Ones and relax. You have to go back to work Monday and hopefully you can do so without wearing some stupid new tie. Not that I ever wear the things anymore. I don't care if John Moses Browning himself came down from heaven and gave me a new tie... I still wouldn't wear it. Hey, I'm not saying I'd toss it... but I just wouldn't put it around my neck. I think any length of material you tie off around your neck is symbolic of a noose and going to work or church in it is like walking to the gallows. Or shackles for slaves. Men should not have such things around their necks. This Global Warming issue just wont go away. Some emails have come in chastising me for wanting to put Brutus back on the road because Kevin Rose is right and SUV's are planet killers. Hey, maybe so. Maybe that is what happened to Mars, the Martians loved SUVs and drove them everywhere and that's why the planet lost its atmosphere and died. Maybe. Then again maybe the Global Warming Nazis are just nucking futs and SUV's have nothing to do with it. I don't care if everyone drove Hummer's I don't see that as being enough to change the climate. Al Gore is a moron and his thesis is blatantly false. He's catering to the easily convinced. If SUV's are causing Global Warming, then how in the hell are they doing the same to other planets in our solar system that are also going through a warming trend? Explain that Al Gore. There are two things that are causing global warming... two. And my Bronco is not one of them. A – The Sun. B – Natural Earth Cycles. That's it in a nut shell. Everything filters down and condenses into one of those two reasons. My truck has nothing to do with it. So bite me. But because I am a reasonable man I will do this: If you REALLY believe that my Bronco would be a bad thing to have back on the road... you give me a new cleaner running Jeep or Toyota or other efficient rig that is capable of off road trail running... I will shelve the Bronco until I can eventually put in a hydrogen engine. Okay? Until that point, STFU. The real story about climate change is that these guys are the real fear mongers and they need people to be afraid so they maintain and increase their support base. It's simple economics. Not world economics, but personal. Global Warming is their business and they need you to buy into it. You buy into it, you donate money, buy Carbon Offsets (full on bullshit) and gather popular support to gain government grants for further “research”. That's the heart of the matter, that is what it all boils down to. And really this isn't so bad. Some guys are into professional sports... they buy their shows on pay per view, they buy promotional items like team jerseys... all that. That's what they are into. Some guys are into music and follow their bands. Other guys are into Fishing. Or Shooting, like me. And these guys are into Global Warming. they are just really freaking annoying about it like pushy Born Again Christians. What ever makes you feel better. Pick your own opiate and don't push it on anyone else. I do want to make Brutus more efficient. Just because I want some fuel economy. I don't want to spend 135 bucks on gas just because I want to roll to SLC in my truck. Because that was what it had been costing me. That's insane. My Contour does it for about 30 bucks... which is much nicer. But what if I want to move some stuff? Out of luck. I'm going to have to swap in a new engine and I'm thinking a fuel injected 302. Just a thought. SIG: SIG has a line of 1911 type pistols... you guys know this. But the one that they have that I'm actually liking is the C3. It's pretty sweet. I'm not all that impressed with the full sized examples... but the C3 is one they did right. Slim line grips, Officer's frame with a Commander length slide. (roughly) It is one of those “just right” packages. Very nice. Take a look at one if you get the chance. I'm not sure if they are worth the price. For 959.00 (what we are retailing it for) you could get a lot of other options that might work out better for you. Like maybe a Kimber Tactical Pro II? (Sorry, I'm a fan now) Or even one of the other SIG offerings. The SIG 1911 looks like a 1911, and seems to be of the same Right Stuff as the 1911... but there is something just off about it. It makes me suspicious. Like a wolf wearing a sheep costume. I don't know if this is a good thing or not. It might bite you. I don't know. I'd have to pump a few hundred rounds through one before I'd be able to make that call. Another thing about SIG... I just might have my name on a 556 carbine. YEAH! We are getting two of them in and I'm excited. As far as military carbines go, this is one of the best new designs to come around in a long time. I'm not all that thrilled with the 5.56MM cartridge, but there is possibilities in getting a new barrel in 6.8SPC. SIG also has a new pistol that they are calling the 250. From what I've seen of it so far, it looks like a next gen SIGpro. Even has the stupid looking triangle shaped mag release button. If you like it, knock yourself out. I'll pass on that. If I'm going to buy a SIG, I'm buying a real SIG.... the classic SIG. Either a P220, 229, 228, 225... those are the ones I like. The plastic SIG just isn't right. Again this makes me just shake my head in wonder. Why do gun makers think they have to put out a gun made of plastic? Why? What is the draw there? When you have a successful line of guns that dominate your segment of the market, why throw your hat into the area with the most competition? What does this gun have that all the others out there don't have? There has to be a reason that goes beyond “well, it is a SIG.” I mean, look at the FN P9. Great gun... but as good as it is, the thing is just tepid in the market. If you are looking at plastiguns, what is going to draw buyers to it rather than the XD's M&P's and Glocks that are dominating? Just because they have hammers? That's not a smart move. Typically guys who want guns with hammers also want their guns to be made with metal frames because they are traditional classic type guys. That's just they way it is. Now if the new SIG was striker fired, then they might have something. Few guys ask for all metal striker fired guns. Kahr is not exactly burning up the market with their full sized all metal guns. That metal Glock frame replacement is not exactly making inroads. Such guns never will. You are either Modern or you are Classic. One of two ways there. If you go some other way, you are an abomination and God hates you. Marlin: I've had a couple guys ask me about this new .308 Marlin Express. Here is my take. At first I was not all that impressed. After all, Marlin's new XLR rifle in .30-30 loaded with Hornady's new LEVERevolution ammo does about the same thing, right? Well, no. I don't have my notes on any of this, but let's look at it objectively. The new cartridge is doing at 200 yards what my .30-30 is doing at the muzzle. The new cartridge is doing at 400 yards what my .30-30 is doing at 100 yards. There is advantage to the new round. The new round is going to chrono differently than what Marlin and Hornady are advertising of course, but the basis is there. If you are going to get a new lever gun, this new package is a hot option. Would I buy it? Yes. Sure the ammo is new and we don't know about availability. But that's okay. Hornady will eventually release their flex tip bullets as reloading components, and other ammo makers with do something similar... but for now, when you buy a .308 Marlin lever gun, just buy a case of ammo to go with it. Lever guns are not box fed semi's and you are not going to be spraying lead like an AK or AR... so vast stockpiles of ammo is not necessary. These are hunting guns. Serious hunting guns. I would be curious to see what this new .308MX round does out of a short 16 inch barrel. I love Marlin lever action rifles, but they are too heavy. The wood is thick, bulky, heavy and makes the lever gun clumsy. Winchester 94's had the advantage in handling – big time. Night and day difference. The best thing I ever did to my Marlin was to get rid of the lumber and replace it with thin, light, synthetic stocks. I suggest you do the same to yours if you want to quickly revamp your old thumper. The chopping of the barrel is secondary to the improved handling... the loosing the wood made all the difference. Marlin should offer these Ram Line stocks as a factory option. Seriously. Not everyone wants wood and the Laminate options are just as heavy if not more so. I'm going to replace my red dot sight that i have on my Marlin. The one I have does just fine, but I want to swap it out for one with a 4X magnification. I'm just not using it on things close enough. If something is closer than 100 yards, I'm tagging it with a handgun. I just need a bit more optical assistance out here in the desert. Really I've been surprised and quite pleased with that sight. It was a $50 unit from TruGlo. Simple, rugged, and it just works. A great option for those that can't or don't want to drop the same money for a used Glock for a new sight. These would work for rifles, handguns or shotguns. Great for your turkey gun or tactical carbine. Fifty bucks. You can't beat it. MadOgre.com REALLY needs a regular Ammo Sponsor. I would LOVE for Hornady, Federal, or CCI to sponsor. Just a case of ammo a month is all I'm asking. That's not too much is it? Mostly for handgun calibers, but I do need rifle rounds too. Of course that would be primarily for my own edification and depletion of the local coyote population. You think gas prices have gone through the roof? Ammo has been going nuts. Save your brass. All of it. Seriously. Even if you don't reload yourself... save every single bit of brass that you can. Someone else will need it, want it, be willing to buy it from you or reload it for you. But save that brass. Armalite's AR-24 pistol: I've heard a lot of talk regarding the AR-24K pistol because awesome for concealed carry and duty carry... a do everything type of pistol. BS. I've seen this pistol. I'm unimpressed. If that is the type of pistol you want, get a CZ P-01. Done deal. And it isn't a shoddy Turkish knock off. Even if it isn't so shoddy... it's still a Turkish knock off. Wild West Guns: They finally have their .500 Magnum lever action rifle out now. Outstanding. This is THE lever gun for hunting the world's biggest and most dangerous critters. Just awesome. Bloody ferocious. I love it. 6-15-07: Cold Steel has sent us a few of their new AK-47 knives and their library of training videos. This really helps round out the GI Goody Basket. The AK-47 knife is supposed to be the edged weapon embodiment of all the qualities found in the rifle. I think Cold Steel pulled it off. The first quality you notice of the knife is that it is solid and rugged. The G-10 handle is large and affords an uncompromising grip. The blade is simple short and fat drop point with a wedge on top that allows for both one handed opening and an instant opening draw technique much like the Wave feature found on the Emerson Commander. Having a short fat blade like this on a big handle means you can really put a lot of leverage into cut. The pocket clip is reversible for left or right handed persons. The heel of the knife is tipped with a skull crusher type feature that is supposed to be cool for some reason, but I'm at a loss as to exactly why that is needed. On top of all of this, the knife is brutal and ugly... so yeah... Cold Steel wasn't playing around when they named the knife. Of course, like all Cold Steel knives, they come freaky sharp. The final thought on this knife is this. If you are looking for a serious fighting folder knife, then get the Cold Steel AK-47 knife... I'm impressed. If I was going into a war zone and wanted a folder to take with me... this is it. The training videos should prove to be both useful to the troops and entertaining. They can watch these on their down time and pick up some pointers. A nice addition to the package. Thanks Cold Steel. This package is all but ready ready to go. The Border, an extreme view: I'm of the opinion now that securing the border is something that the US Government is not going to do. Because of NAFTA, the US gave up the concept of borders and now only has State Lines. I think it is time that we as Americans face the facts and embrace the horror that is the modern America. As such, I think it is time to pull Mexico and Canada into the USA as new states. Mexico's government needs to be imploded from the base foundation up and rebuilt completely. OR... we could overturn NAFTA. Give Mexico the finger like they have been giving us. Build Israeli style walls and put people on the border with orders to shoot anyone crossing it. You want to come into the US, fine. You are welcome to it... through established channels. US companies that fled America for Mexico, fuck'm. Ford? Too bad your loyalties were in the wrong place. Right now, you want an America car, you have to buy a Toyota or a Subaru. WTF is wrong with that? Palestine: With no one else to fight, they are fighting each other. Different political parties taking to the streets with automatic weapons and blowing up buildings. I don't know about you guys, but I'm loving this. Not only is this entertaining to watch, but it isn't a bad idea. I'd like to see the Republicans and Democrats finally throw down. Just lay it all out and put it on the table. Of course the Dems would never want to fight because they know they would get their asses kicked in short order. Come on, Nancy “I want my own Air Force One” Pelosi and Harry “game over, man, game over” Reid taking up weapons and fighting it out? The only thing they would be able to do is capture McCain and take him prisoner... Kerry would run away again as usual. William Jefferson would try to hide his weapons in his freezer. Hillary would just play with her snuke. Obama would be the only Dem to actually pick up a weapon, but he wouldn't know how to use it. It would be a short spat, and a fun one. So Apple has finally taken the Safari browser and made it for Windows. I'm using it here for a bit, trying it out. I like it. Pages render fast. Faster than Opera from what I'm seeing here. Apple should release OSX for the PC and just totally blow Windows out of the water. Some rumors had Safari being less secure, but Apple just went and fixed that (version 3.0.1) and moved on. Okay, so Safari for Windows is a public Beta. That's cool because that means it is only going to get better. Opera is still my default browser. If you are still using IE 6... or even 7... shame on you. So right now, as far as I am concerned, I don't see any real reason to switch to Safari... keep your Opera or Mozilla... just as long as you are not using IE. Ultimate Factories: M1 Abrams. Have you watched this? Why bother to bead blast the stripped hull to remove rust, when they just rust while waiting to get worked on anyways? Here is a suggestion: Blast the hull clean as normal... then spray the bitch down with CorrosionX or even just WD-40 to help protect it from further rusting. How much effort would that take? Spray the bead blasting media, then spray it with compressed air to blow out left over media, the spray it down with the oil. Just a light coat. This would save a lot of work on the flip side. Better yet, why not powdercoat the bitches? Rhino Line them things. Considering that there are no more hulls and engines being built for the M1 (WTF?) one would think they would want to protect the vehicles as much as possible. Also since the M1 is going to be in service until 2040? As for the engines, you would think they would try to develop a mod pack that would allow the use of the same turbines used in the blackhawk helicopters. But that's just me. This has me thinking. What about the M1's replacement? I'm thinking lighter smaller and faster tanks with a two man crew and an autoloading 30MM weapon similar to the A-10 Thunderbolt II's main gun. That's just what I'd put out. At least it would be fun drive around in. American Choppers: I honestly don't see why these cats are so popular. They don't build their own engines, they don't build their own frames... and I even saw them use double sided tape – sticky tape – to attach parts. These guys order parts out of a catalog and then yell at each other all the time. Sure the father/son relationship is kind of entertaining... A Dad can pick up some lines to use on his own boys... but as far as building bikes goes... they got nothing. Sure the one kid will fabricate round rods to build gimicky shit to make his bike themes, but these are not serious bikes for serious riders. You want to see some nice bikes? Look up Big Dog bikes in SLC. Or any other custom bike maker for that matter. And these guys are still on the air? Lame. I want to see some real hard core bikes being built. I want to see a demon being born... something really badass. Not a bunch of prissy theme bikes. I bet OCC bikers get their asses kicked by real bikers. Those Dentists get real butch when they ride their new Harleys in their new leathers. Kevin Rose has convinced me to keep Brutus, my full sized Bronco. Diggnation had a story that the Hummer (H1) is going to be going away. I'm not going to get into what was all said, download episode 101 and check it out yourself. But Kevin's comment that big cars are ruining the environment has full on convinced me to keep it. I was going to get rid of Brutus because it just needs so much work on top of a new engine. He also said that guys that drive Hummers are all dicks. So I'm going to keep the Bronco. It needs a whole rebuild inside and out... but I'm going to do it. Part by part... just to give San Francisco the finger. Those Prius driving bitches can bite me. This is now going to be my #1 project from now on. I'm going to get Brutus back on the road and geared up for serious rock and rolling. I never liked the H2... but the H1 is pimp. I'd love to drive one through SF, just to piss them off. And if anyone tries to key it – nail them in the nuts with a paintball marker. I'm going to redo the Bronco page, with an updated list about what the Bronco is needing in case anyone out there has some parts that could be put to use. Straight up, I do need an engine. If you just happen to have a fuel injected Ford truck engine that you don't need anymore... I could use it. The current engine isn't worth rebuilding. If you have a company with a fleet of rigs or some thing, and you donate a part – I'll paint up a sponsor thing onto Brutus. Or something. I would love to actually just snag a new F-150 that was in a crash or something... and use all the parts from it. No, I'm not nuts. Hell yeah I'd even cannibalize a brand new truck to rebuild Brutus. I love the look of the older Broncos. They looked tough... they looked like what a truck should look like. The new trucks don't have any character like the older rigs had. But thats just me. China again: This time they are selling weapons to terrorists. Straight up selling weapons to be directly used against US Forces. This is disturbing on several levels... one that disturbs me the most is the fact that China then gets to observe their weapons effects against US armor and aircraft and then are able to alter and improve them for increased lethality. Tell me again why China still has favored nation trade status? Sneaky slimy bastards. Harry Reid in the email: “Dennis Miller thrashed Harry Reid? i don't think so. First he used words too big for most conservatives to understand which is why there was no laughter. Secondly he is just not funny. I know that is true Karl Rove wimp scumbag traditon its more funner for conservatives to make fun of people like 12 graders than deal with facts but deal with this. Harry Reids comments on Iraq are in line with many people such as oh...Colin Powell. Reid is also pro-gun. - Terry” Dennis Miller is funny, you just need a thesaurus. I don't care how many people agree with Reid. Reid is an ass, and he is wrong. Miller and I both might be asses too... but at least we are right. 6-14-07: I've finally given in to medical advisement from years ago... I'm now using a cane again at least temporarily. I had a cheap cane for awhile that I used a couple years ago but I think it ended up in a theater's costume shop. The cane I'm using now is not subtle... I got an African Walking Stick from Cold Steel. When I ordered it, I figured I was going to have to cut it down to a usable cane length, but that isn't a problem. This thing is pretty brutal. Big, black and gnarly, but it isn't heavy at all. It is made of plastic, a tough sort of plastic that I'm not familiar with. Not overly hard, but suitable. The head of the cane is a big multi faceted knob that would work nicely as a mace. If you have to use a cane, this isn't a bad option. All it needs is a rubber cap at the bottom to help stability when leaning on it. I'm going to keep using this one until I find something I like better or I decide I don't need to use it actively any more. If I heal up nicely enough, I'll at least keep the “AWS” handy in my car in case I have to whoop some ass with a Less Than Lethal weapon. Because lets be honest, that's totally what the AWS is for. It's not so much for walking, but for thrashing on someone. For now, I'll just use it to help me walk. Just don't piss me off. There is a book out there that you guys will like. The Pawn by Steven James. It will be out later this year... keep your eye out for it and then order it. I have signed a nondisclosure agreement so I can't say anything specific... don't email asking me to fess it up... I can't and wont. But I've done some consulting with a couple new TV shows coming out. If you see a new show and the hero is packing some kickass and realistic firepower... wink wink. I've said too much already. Range finders: I've mentioned them before, but I'm going to talk about them again. I've had the chance to play with a lot of different range finders on the market. The best one out there is of course the Swarovski unit. Great unit. Best range and power, best optics of course. Unfortunately it is almost a grand. If you have the means, be my guest, pick one up. If you are of the average type person, you are going to have to pick something less heroic. Leica makes a 900 and a 1200 unit, but neither really strike me as anything I want to spend my money on. I don't like how they are overly blocky and I don't like the circle reticle. When lasing a long range target, you have to do it precisely to get an accurate measurement. You also have to see it clearly in order to find it in the range finder. This means you need halfway decent optics. This means the Bushnell unit is out. The Bushnell 1500 Elite unit is larger that most 10X42MM roof prism binos, and the optics look like you are peering through chicken soup fog. I don't like the Leupold units either. They are the right size, and the right shape, but the optics are dreadful and the system is too complicated for fast and easy use. Let me tell you, I'm loving the Nikon units. The Nikons are clear to look through, simple to use, and fast. And the Nikons are ranging farther than they are rated. The 440 ranges out to 500, the 600 to almost 800 and the 800 to almost a thousand yards. The 440 is only two hundred bucks and is just about as ideal a unit as you could ask for. For a hundred bucks more you can get the Nikon Laser 600, which is the same size as the 440, but if you are going to spend that much, I would advice going ahead and spending a bit more and go for the 800. I've used the 800 several times and I've found that I trust it, like it, and that is my pick. Another thing about range finders... the True Ballistic Range or Arc systems found in some range finders... I don't trust them so much. To be accurate, the computer inside would have to figure your actual load instead of the common average. These systems are also less accurate because of less accurate angle sensors inside. They can be thrown off too easily... too delicate inside. Don't waste your money. Just buy a Nikon. The importance of knowing your range is either critical if you are a serious shooter, or not at all if you just say you are. If everything you shoot is inside 100 yards, then a range finder is of no use unless you are shooting a bow. If you don't shoot at a known range shooting range, then you need a Range Finder. In the real world, you are not always going to know how far away everything is. Especially if you travel into an area with unfamiliar territory. For example when I came out west from the Blue Ridge Mountains. All the sudden I couldn't estimate range at all any more. And I hear the same thing from other shooters all the time. Check this out: Dennis Miller just thrashing on Harry Reid. This is awesome. Miller just nails him. Good job Dennis. Harry Reid should sit down and watch this a few dozen times in a row... and then swallow a bullet. Dennis Miller is one of my favorite comedians/pundits... whatever it is he's become. He rocks. 6-11-07: Horde, I have to tell you... I'm impressed. You guys truly rock to a shockingly high degree. Your generosity and support has humbled me. Not for me... I'm not talking about me here... I'm talking about for our troops serving over in the sandbox. The package is just about ready to ship out and it is the best GI Goody Basket we have ever put together. And this is all because of you, my gentile until provoked readers. Yes, I know that some gun cleaning stuff, some sharp pointy things, and some fancy flashlights are not going to turn the tide of the war... I know they might not save a life... that they might not make any material difference at all. But it does one thing. It shows those guys over there that we still care about them and their mission... It shows them that they still have some support back home. After watching Harry Reid spew his sniveling enemy appeasing bile all over the news, after hearing all the Liberals out there on all the news stations broadcast their utterances of disgrace... Our soldiers need something to pick them up. I know there is going to be at least one unit out there that is going to know that. If I could, I'd send something to each and every US solider over there... hell, I'd even send stuff to every Coalition member over there. They are fighting over there so we don't have to over here... God Bless each and every one of them. This package goes out Thursday or Friday. The Pain: I'm talking about my knee here. It's been doing better up until Sunday. Now all the sudden my calve muscle feel like a chunk of granite hung from a guitar string that goes through the back of my knee. There is some serious pain and I'm not able to straighten my left leg. I can walk, slowly. But DAMN if it doesn't hurt like it did before the surgery. No, it's not related to the surgery... the doc that did the cutting is a pro carver and knows his trade. I don't know what is up with this. I'll have to call him tomorrow and talk to him. I'm wondering if it is possible symptoms of diabetes. Considering the gout crystals that were found in the knee and the cause of that... it is a possibility. Paris Hilton: No, I'm not going to talk about her, stop asking. No, I wouldn't “hit that” either. I think she's a pathetic example of the life form. Her and Lindsy Lohan... but yeah, I'd hit that one. From now on, MadOgre.com is a Paris Hilton Free Zone. CZ P-01: I've been getting a lot more emails lately from people who are buying CZ P-01 handguns and telling me how right I was in my review. Guys, I know this. I wrote the review. All of my reviews are spot on. ;) You guys should probably keep the P-01 under your hat for awhile. If it gets out just how good these guns are, they are going to go through the roof. The P-01 and the SP-01 are two guns that I would easily put on par with SIG. They are Top Tier handguns. I wouldn't trade mine for a BNIB SIG P229. It isn't just the quality of the gun. It is the brilliance of the design. What makes it so good is the way it becomes a part of your will. And extension of your mind and body that reaches from you to your target. It really is a fantastic weapon. Even if it is “only a 9mm”, a shooter can easily inject all those “little 9mm pills” into a target's left eye socket. If you are shooting something that can shrug that off, you shouldn't be using a handgun, but a howitzer. Yes, I do prefer my Kimber 1911 for carry and for shooting, because with it, I can do the same but with .45ACP loads. But it is a bit more difficult to conceal. So both guns have their places. I couldn't pick just one. Just one pistol for the rest of my life... have to choose? I'd probably use both and shoot you with them for making me face such a decision. Blog: I am pretty committed to my blog here. I don't plan on giving it up any time soon. After all, I have turned down offers of over 5 grand for the URL... Anyways, I've gone through my list of linked blogs and many have fallen by the way side and shall have to be pruned out. I am going to continue on as I always do. However in the process of looking out there at who is left, I discovered to my own amazement that my blog has had the same layout for 5 years now. Considering how old the blog is, being out there before there every was a blog... man... I need a change. I have looked at other layouts and styles. I've looked at the blogware that guys use to make their shake and bake blogs... I'm not having that. I need something new. I need something fresh. I need a new layout. Something that allows me to post updates quickly and easily, and I need something that allows RSS feeds. Preferable it would also be something that does not require MS FrontPage, which is the HTML tool that I have grown used to.... but that isn't a requirement. Any of you Web Ninjas out there have any idea as to how best to revamp MadOgre.com into version 3.0? I've actually toyed with the idea of going back to the original style using newspaper type fonts. Because that would be different enough. Great Email: “Dear Ogre, don't know if this is the right subject line to send this to but I didn't want to make a mistake and be burnt in effigy, on the other hand it is nice to be recognized occasionally. I read you pretty regularly, and I consider myself a friend. That said I have a response to Vin. "Bull", pardon my spanglish. Vin, guys like you wear me out. Let me tell you something, the Chinese are very smart. They don't act like it but they are very crafty. If they get a chance to stick it to us, THEY WILL! Don't give me an economics lesson, muggers don't understand economics, they recon their victims carefully and only strike when they assume that there will be no meaningful resistance, sometimes they assume wrong, but the intended victim still may have scars and trauma that last a long time, but could have been avoided if intended victim had been wary of helpful strangers and had given off vibes that said "don't mess with me!" America needs to be watchful, suspicious, and be willing to back up the "don't mess with me" aura. (Wishful thinking, I think, or we already would have taken out Iran) Man I'm also tired to death of people apologizing for illegals in so many ways but one that absolutely rips my shorts is to say "but, they're only doing jobs that Americans won't do"! BULL, (sorry again), the reason that Americans won't do those jobs is that they do not have to. Have you ever heard of INTITLEMENT? Honest Americans who work have a portion of their pay taken (stolen) each month to pay other Americans who are too lazy to work. Let me ask you something Vic or Vin or whatever your name is, if there were no entitlement programs in this country do you think we would have an illegal immigrant problem? Heck no! Those lazy loafers who get a government check every month for not working would be screaming for work so they could EAT. Therefore, there would be no jobs available for people who break the law by sneaking in to our great country. I do not understand why can people like you can't or won't understand that our very way of life is at stake here, it makes me sick to my stomach. I live in a very rural small community and there are people here who make within 15 grand of what I do each year, (I'm a school teacher) and I know beyond any reasonable doubt that if they had to work for a living, they would. (I sure do) But why should they? Heck if I didn't have any self respect I would probably do the same thing. But that does not make it right. Well I've rambled enough, Ogre, even if Vin doesn't ever see this at least I feel better. Thanks Ogre for a place where some common sense ideas and communication can take place. Keep it up. -Jim” Thanks for the email, Jim. You are right on the money. Now let's also not let ourselves get locked into a Illegal Immigration as a single issue thing... this isn't just an economic issue. This isn't a law enforcement issue. This is also a National Freaking Security Issue. Right now we have no idea who is coming into our country... and that is flat out unacceptable. This is what the Republican Party is not seeing. 6-08-07: Yesterday I did a bit of shooting. It's been awhile since I shot last. Last time was the IDPA night shoot. This was the first time I've been shooting since the operation on the knee. Some 9mm pistol work, some shotgun and some simple good old .22 rifle. It felt good. To be honest, it felt like coming home. I get cranky when I can't go shooting. I lose my center. Shooting is my therapy. It is hard to explain. It is strange... shooting was my profession when I was younger, then I gave up gunslinging and shooting was just a hobby... I moved away from shooting and got into technology... while I am a geek, I am a shooter first and foremost. Now, I am in an interesting position... shooting is more than just a hobby now. It is a profession again, but I'm not a gunslinger any more. But I get to share what I know with those who are, those who are going to be, and I get to help those who are wanting to learn. But if I can't get out to do some shooting myself, I just don't feel right. At least once a week I'll stop at one of my shooting spots and break out of my guns and go through at least a box of ammo at the minimum. I also shot an NAA Guardian .380. This isn't a normal run of the mill Guardian. This is a full house customized Guardian. Most of the work was cosmetic, but some if it is all about perfecting the form. A carry melt on all the edges, guttersnipe night sights, scalloping on the slide instead of serrations. This is one nice little pistol. I love it. One seriously nice little pocket pistol. I'm going to have to get one of my own. Just like this one. Freaking awesome. Special Thanks to COLD STEEL who is pitching in to help out our boys in the sandbox. I'm blown away. I've picked up all the Surefire lights that I could with the funds donated. I'm including a note to distribute those to the guys who need them the most. With everything else contributed, this is outstanding. Microlon stepped up to the plate and those guys pitched in right off the bat. No Cold Steel. This is awesome guys. Thank you to everyone how has pitched in! We'll be shipping this box off in about a week from now. So if you want to throw something in, now is the time. I'm still looking for a few more items to fill in the cracks. Also, a special thanks to Hordeman Jon for helping out above and beyond! Three Cheers for Jon! Hip hip! 6-07-07: Email from Canada. Buckle up and wrap the duct tape around your head. This is the second email from this guy. The first one he said he wants some registration... I responded that there is nothing in the constitution that requires registration. This is his response and mine follows: “I
actually think that the constitution is one of the major reasons the US
can't adopt a sane gun policy. (I'm a Canadian, for the record, and our gun
control policy is crazy in the opposite direction). The constitution seems
to forbid compulsory licensing, since it's an infringement on the right to
bear arms, so the US is left with jokes like the assault weapons ban which
do nothing more than give gun manufacturers incentives to try out new
designs. At the same time, the constituency for gun control (basically urban
and suburbanites who have no day to day use for or interest in guns) is so
strong that it's going to keep coming up every time some lunatic shoots up a
school.
Bullshit, dude. I'm calling bullshit. No regulation – period. There is no
sane gun policy because all gun policies are insane. The Bill of Rights here
in the USA spells out things that are not to be questioned, such as the
Freedom of Speech. I wouldn't even think of compromising any of them. Going on, Alex emails back an excuse for the low crime rate in the “wild west” and says it's because of low population density. -sigh- The Liberal Mind depresses me. I find it regrettable that people actually believe such things without thinking about it. Population has nothing to do with it. The simple fact that can not be debated is that more guns mean less crime. It works every time it is tried. You allow more citizens access to guns, crime goes down. You reduce the access to guns by limitations and other schemes... crime goes up. That works every time it is tried too. Such as Washington DC. If Gun Control worked – DC would be a safe haven. That's not the case. DC is a place you drive with your doors locked. Registration is total bullshit. To what extent is this suppose to improve life and liberty? Are we not already doing criminal background checks for each and every gun purchase? Why, yes. Yes we are. Registration is supposed to do what again? The reason Libs want to do registration is because they see it as a way to choke gun owners out of ownership. Say, 50 bucks a year at least for your registration, I'd be looking at more than $4,650.00 a year just to re-register my guns every year. I know many of the horde that would be looking at a much higher bill. I'd have to get rid of huge portions of my collection. And that is the whole point. Don't give me any bull pucky about this reducing crime and making anyone safer. This is about turning Citizens into Sheep. And you support that? Dude, don't email again. Ever. You are banned from my internet until you get your head unSNAFUed. Because Alex got me all tensed up and feeling grumpy... I'm going to give everyone some good news. S&W is now giving everyone who buys a new M&P pistol or Sigma two free spare mags. This is awesome. I don't know why anyone would roll with a Sigma, but the M&P pistols are awesome. Get your gun and you will be loaded up with 4 mags... that's a great deal. If you are looking for a reason to check out the M&P's... this is a good one. The Guns of Smokin' Aces and Miami Vice are done. Links will be up shortly. 6-05-07: Another fun email regarding the Ogre Administration: “Might I suggest making Kim DuToit head of BATF. There'll be booze, tobacco and guns made available without limit to the public for reasonable prices. What more could you ask for? - Paul” Well I was going to just disband the organization, but turning it into a distribution network is an idea that has its merits. Email regarding China: “Bravo! You've managed to sum up concisely what it takes academics and professional analysts whole monographs to do! Generally the people who think the US won't go to war with China are either idealists or ignorant of history. Belligerents rarely go to war over purely rational reasons. Anybody who tells you war is rational is selling your the moon. That being said today most liberal democracies and constitutional republics are generally rational about the reasons they go to war. It is usually a war of self-defense and there are real rational reasons to engage in it, a la Iraq. Now China while appearing modern is still quite ancient. The trappings of the Imperial China might have gone but things still operate tacitly in that fashion. There is still an Emperor, aristocracy, Mandarins and Confucian principles in play. Additionally all the problems China has faced in its history are still there, particularly disunity among its ethnic groups. Taiwan is still viewed as a rouge province to be gotten back into line. It might be small and it's strategic position almost valueless it still commands the greatest of attentions from the mainland. Taiwan will be catalyst for war. As far as China is concerned the question isn't "Will Taiwan be brought back under Chinese rule?" but "When will Taiwan be brought back under Chinese rule?" - Elijah” Elijah, you are exactly right, Sir! A good question comes from Son Of Scott. Paintball or Airsoft? Let me tell you this once, and once only – it is all about PAIN in paintball, you gotta have balls to play... If you want soft, try airsoft. Let's look at the sport aspect. Paintball is a sport. It is the game of The Gods. Thor looks down upon Paintball Players with a nod of approval. Airsoft is for kiddies who can't enlist to play with the real things. I don't give a rats ass about the gaming and scenario aspects of Airsoft. All I've seen with Airsoft is a bunch of pretenders who are still playing Cowboys and Indians. Paintball has less pretension. In paintball you get paint on the other player he's out. There is no “I hit you – no you didn't”. If you got the paint on you, your bloody well hit so STFU. What it takes to become a Hordemember: “I wonder if you could set down for us what it takes to qualify as a Horde member, or Member. We recall Jeff Cooper referring to certain persons as Family. The honor was not given lightly. Might be good to set forth what it is to be part of the Horde. Might be that some few of us would take heed and improve ourselves.” The first thing you have to do to become a Hordeman is to swear an oath to yourself and to your family that their defense is not the obligation of others. You take ownership. You will protect what is yours and your loved ones. Spiritually, Physically, Emotionally, Philosophically. I have defined this in different ways in the past, but the core message is the same. As a Hordeman, you are not one with whom to fuck. This is not to say that when you are crossed, you resort to violence... but you do what you can do right what has been wronged. If violence is required, you will not hesitate to act and your actions will be decisive. As a Hordeman you look at each issue from all angles and you take all information into consideration before you take your stand. This also means you are not above changing your stance should further information warrant it. You don't hang your hat one something if it was proved wrong. You will continually educate yourself on everything of every subject. Especially history and politics. You will be open to new ideas as long as they don't conflict with your principles. You will live like the Samurai did. Not only did they train in the arts of warfare, but you will learn to appreciate the finer things of life. Art, music, literature, poetry... you are a patron of beauty and culture. This is so that you might understand that which you protect. Lastly, it is not a destination but a journey. Good luck with that. Oh, one more thing. Don't take everything I just said seriously. 6-4-07: My knee is slowly returning to normal. Pain is subsiding and swelling is going down. Doc said that there was some gout crystals in there with all the rest of the junk. I just had a follow up visit and he went over that pleasant aspect. He informed me that I am to cut back on my intake of red meat. Nice. He might as well have said “Starve to death and die”. If it ain't red meat, I'm not that much interested in eating it. I do like seafood, but I live out here in the middle of a freaking desert! We don't have commercial fisheries out here, we have beef ranches. I'm screwed. At least I'm starting to be able to walk normally again. That's a plus. I'm off crutches and heavy pain meds. Just an occasional Advil now. So it's all good. I'd love to have a celebratory steak put looks like that's out the window. I'll have to have a chicken breast. I'm working on Gun Reviews this week, so look for some updates by Thursday. Speaking of guns... This guy comes in and wants to buy a Kimber Desert Warrior but wants it at 200 bucks less, because he says another store has it at that price. I called to verify and we are 50 bucks less. He decides he doesn't want to spend that much so he gets a Tactical Custom II after I show him a bunch of others. Then the next day he comes back in pissed because I talked him out of the Desert Warrior and that he can't shoot the Tactical because it is too light. He reads MO... so this is a note to him... Come on, dude... if you can't hit with the TCII, you wouldn't be able to hit with the Desert Warrior. And I did ask “Are you sure?” before I got you started on the paperwork. Well, I tell you what, I'll send a couple buyers your way if you want... get someone to buy that gun from you so you can get your Desert Warrior instead. Fair enough? But be warned... the difference in weight is not that great and the TCII does seem to print better. I would suggest finding a heavy tungsten guide rod to replace the stainless one if you want to reduce muzzle rise. GI Good Basket ship date is being pushed back to allow more guys to contribute. Comic Books, DVDs, CD's, anything else you want to send. Getting ready to ship soon so give me a heads up if you have something you want to send. 6-02-07: Rambo. I'm not like a lot of other guys... Really I don't like Rambo and I'm not at all jazzed by a Rambo 4. I did enjoy First Blood but the rest of them have become like jokes. So this one is going to be getting more real super gnarly and that's fine... If you like Rambo, that's cool. But I'm just not into the Rambo line. I think the character is shallow and the scripts have even less depth. But that's just me. And if you ask, can a .50 BMG blow a guy into glibs of goo and random meat splatters? Yes. A .50 at close range, indeed. There is footage of US military snipers using them to just about the same effect... it looks a lot like me hitting a rabbit with my 7MM. This is one of the best emails I've had regarding China. Read this one twice: “Are
US-based China watchers right to be afraid of a possible war with the same?
"No," says the establishment, "China and the US have too interdependent a
trade relationship for China to ever initiate a war!" Nail on the head Rufus, but you are five years ago on this. China already has our play book and they don't want Alaska right now, they want Taiwan first... then Japan... they have some paybacks there... they will probably sweep North Korea and take the South side as well. Unify their continent in their own manifest destiny. Then they will want Alaskan Crude and King Crab. Hu Jintao is only peaceful on the surface and to visiting foreigners. He might say he wants a peaceful rise. But he didn't say how far he wants to rise or what he will do if anyone or anything gets in the way. Let's remember, this is CHINA. They have the worst human rights record on the planet. They will go in and force abortions to whole cities regardless of term... they will kill anyone who protests... anyone who speaks out of turn. Remember Tiananmen Square? What they did there to the protesting students? They ran them over with tanks. Do you know what Tiananmen Square is to the Chinese? It's the center of the universe for them... it is there belief that they will rule the world, it is their right to do so and it is their destiny to do so. Looks like the premise of Firefly isn't that far off. Count me as a Brown Coat. 6-1-07: An email that made my day for pure clarity of thought: “...Keep up the awesome blog. I recently told a friend that the Mad Ogre and Michael Savage would make a great presidential ticket in 2008. Savage is slightly insane, but he is uncompromisingly correct in a lot of areas, and you could balance out the insanity. And the gun reviews are great. I think my next gun just might be a P-01. Josh” Outstanding Email, Josh. They should make you a General some day! But think I would roll with an Ogre - Boortz ticket and make Savage a Secretary of State... just for fun. Glen Beck Sec Def. Or something along those lines. And yes, a CZ P-01 should be on your short list of considerations. An Email from an almost Horde Member who needs some guidance: “Ogre, First and foremost I would like to wish you a quick and full recovery from your recent surgery. Your site has been a great source of laughs and more often than not, I find that you are indeed right. But I do have a few comments about your recent posts. First off, China and the U.S. cannot engage in war. Sure, they are indeed physically capable of waging war against one another, but they would lose much more than they would gain from such a pointlessly destructive act. China spends millions-- billions of dollars on the U.S. every year which helps repays our debt. They do this so that we can keep the economy running. Should they stop, the U.S. economy, and thus the world economy, would crash, burn and smolder.... Another thing. Ask yourself this question: Who does landscaping for your homes? Who cleans, cooks and cares for the children of the middle-upper class families of America? The answer should come without me saying it: illegal immigrants. They work for us. They do jobs the lower class citizens of America won't even touch. Why? Because most American citizens in the ipod generation are simply averse to doing manual labor. And these immigrants are doing it for cheap. They are necessary. Even if we had citizens doing these jobs, the prices for such services would skyrocket. I'm not saying illegal immigration should be ALLOWED. In fact, I am a major supporter for border control. My family came in the US just like yours did, taking the citizenship test. That's how it should be done. What I am saying is that without the illegal immigrants we currently have we would be in a worse position than we are now. I say amnesty should be granted to illegal immigrants currently within our borders if they have not violated more serious laws. Then we increase spending for border control. If we really push for border control, eventually would be immigrants to the U.S. will actually learn about our government, history, and language. Of course, how they receive that education would be an entirely different issue. Sorry for this long tirade, I just needed to get it out of my chest. Keep up the good writing and don't ever fail to express your honest opinion. Your honesty is the reason why I read your blog. ~Vin” Vin, Vin, Vin... Vinny my boy... Vinster... China doesn't give a flying crap about the US economy or the world economy. They don't care. Don't be taken in by China's Bi-Polar diagnosis... China is a Communist country being run by a small group of hard liner Communist Dictators who will put you up against a wall and shoot you in the head if they decide they don't like you. If you offend them, they will kill you. If you say something that goes against China's leadership – your done. Gone. DOA. Sure they are acting like Capitalists... They have the flood of wealth from Hong Kong and from funds generated from the Panama Canal that they now own... and sure they get a shitload of cash from the USA every day because Americans are addicted to cheap Chinese shit that we don't really need... but what does China do with that money? Sure, they are growing their industrial base... but what are they really doing? They are building national industrial infrastructure to provide the foundation to build their empire. They are also building up their military as much as possible. They don't want to get along and be a player in the world economy – they want to control the world. The whole world. They want to dominate everything and make the world China. You have your head in the sand, Vin. You need to study China a little more, look at what they are doing carefully and look at what this does for them. China has threatened war and nuclear fire several times if we do anything to intercede in anything they do. They are nuts enough to do it. They want you to think they wont. That works for them. This isn't fear, this is a logical projection based on the totally freaking obvious. The Ogre can read the writing on the wall... and lots of guys in the intel and mil know it, but are not saying it as to not to provoke China – yet. A shooting war is on the horizon. I would love to be wrong about this – Please Lord, let me be wrong about China. But my previous thought of tying them up economically was wrong... because they don't care about the economics... they want to be the Overlords and nothing is going to stop them... save the USA. Give
amnesty and then pretend to tighten up the border? Are you freaking kidding
me? I'm the one on prescribed narcotics (knee started hurting again because
I pushed it too soon) here, but you sound like you are completely stoned.
When you are in a sinking boat, stopping the water from coming in is the
first priority. Bailing is futile until there is no more water coming in. If
you focus on bailing, you might keep up for awhile, but you are on a
downward slope. You will fatigue and the water coming in will eventually
swamp you. The argument that the Illegals are supporting the US way of life
is fallacy. Illegal immigrants should be rounded up and deported as they are
found. I heard on the radio that a police department has said that this
isn't their job. Hello, dumbass, your job title is “Law Enforcement”... that
means your job is to Enforce The Law. Illegal means there is a law broken.
This isn't something that I'm going to debate. You break the law, you pay
the consequence. If I break the law and exceed the posted speed limit (and I
do sometimes) and I get pulled over... I might (and have) bitch about it...
but I pay my fine because I am trying to be an Honest Citizen. The Democrats
are trying to work out ways to let these illegals vote! They are trying to
make themselves look like the softest on Illegal Aliens so they will get
more latino votes, while the Republicans want to be seen as soft because
they like the cheap labor. The US can not afford the cheap labor. It is costing us a hell of a lot more than the cash we are saving by hiring for a few bucks less an hour. The money we pay them isn't coming back into our own economy... it's leached out. The free health care we are giving them is causing ER's to shut down all over the place. Is that good for America? Ah, no. It isn't. Because those ER's were staffed by Americans who pay US Taxes and spend money in the US and thus keeps the economy rolling. Getting your lawn mowed for twenty bucks a month doesn't do a damn thing... get out and mow your own freaking lawn. Yeah, the US is lazy and the answer to this is to get Americans active again and to stop enabling unhealthy behavior. This idea of cheap labor is bullshit in my opinion... Companies that profit from illegal alien labor should be fined with harsh penalties just like I get when I go 65 in a 60 zone out here in the middle of nowhere. If they can't afford to lose the cheap illegal alien labor then they need to adjust their business model because they are breaking the law. Breaking the law because you think you have a right to break the law is not going to fly with me. Laws apply to me just like they should apply to anyone and everyone else. I'm libertarian and I don't like all the laws, but I'm also a Citizen and that means I abide by them until it is changed. The immigration laws are fine. They work. They just need to be enforced. If the Feds are not willing to do it, then the border states (north and south) should enforce them and bill back the cost to the Feds. You wanted to talk numbers and economics about China? Take a look at the numbers and see what illegal aliens are costing the US. Let's hear what The Horde has to say in response to Vin's email. Best one or two emails in response will be posted depending on length. Another good email question that deserves some attention: “Hi George, I am a long time reader, and really enjoy your site. I was wondering if I could trouble you for some advice. What would you use to get rid of Coyotes in a sub-urban environment? ( lots of houses fairly close together ) Thanks in advance! - Ed” Let's not forget the good old fashioned air rifle. For Coyotes, I'd suggest a .22 Caliber Benjamin air rifle. You might not drop it dead in its tracks, but it will eventually die if you sink a pellet into its boiler room. This works on stray dogs... they might come back once or twice... but blood loss, internal bleeding, and infection will get them. A humane kill is possible with a clean head shot... with practice you will be able to do that. RED ALERT: A US Navy Admiral is willing to help China get their aircraft carrier program up to speed? What sweet new level of insanity is this shit? This is flat out treason... Espionage type stuff... this is just as bad as the Johny Walker incident. The only advantage we will have in terms of carrier ability is that the US Navy is the best in the world at Carrier Ops. Now Admiral Keating wants to go give them a hand? Keel-Haul this assclown. Stripped of rank, charged under the UCMJ for actions unbecoming of an officer, anything else JAG can come up with... and thrash this SOB. Get on the horn with your congressmen about this and demand retribution for this jackass! I'm writing mine tonight as soon as I get off work. Care Package Updated: The order of knives for the troops have been changed. I just got word from a grunt over there that what they really need are some Surefire tactical lights – so that is what we are going to do instead. I've got a great line on some lights that fit the bill perfectly and we are going to send a bunch over there. This is what the soldiers themselves have said that they want, so this is what they are going to get. Also in the note was a request for comic books of any sort. Let's do it. 5-31-07: Hordeman Jesse found a sweet deal on a sweet gun. He snapped up a rare .41 Mag Ruger Blackhawk with a 4 5/8” barrel for only $370. Man, that would be an ideal packing gun. I'm not big on Ruger guns, but there are the shizznit for single action revolvers... in my opinion there are no others. The Blackhawks are fantastic guns. And the New Vaqueros are also great... I'm still in love with my New Vaquero. We got in one in stainless and I had to sit on my hands to keep from buying it... so my buddy Ben snagged it. As far as Jesse's gun goes... .41 Magnum is awesome. I love it. I wish there were more guns and carbines chambered for it. Designed to be in between .357 Mag and .44 Mag, the .41 is closer to the .44 in terms of recoil... but it is just soft enough to not be painful even with stout loads unlike .44. Downrange terminal ballistics are impressive. The .41 was a victim of bad timing when it came out... Right when revolvers were being scoffed at and replaced with automatics. With the recent resurgence of interest in wheel guns, had the .41 Magnum come out now, it would have swept the market and sold like hot cakes. Look at the .500 and .460 and these other ridiculously overpowered cartridges... if they can do well... the sane and rational .41 would have triumphed. Same thing with the 10MM now, but that's a different story. The local IDPA group finally sent out the score results from that night shoot. I did pretty good. Looking at the scores and filtering the data in Open Office's Excell equivalent, it turns out I came in 5th place. The #1 shooters was actually a DNF because some of his scores were not recorder or he didn't shoot some of the stages, which is why his timed were filtered as so low... so take him out and that would place me at #4. Not bad for a one legged fat man who's been out of the game for so long. I shall have to keep up and keep pushing my game. But I think I found my winning combo with this Kimber Tactical Custom II. I LOVE this gun. I wish I didn't... then I could run my CZ P-01 and give it a work out. It is worthy of the honor for sure. But the Kimber is just so damn good I can't. Sorry, CZ fans... I mean no offense. Porkuswine: Only two guys caught that reference... I'm a bit disappointed! The Stainless Steel Rat series is one of the most fun scifi comedy type ever written. I should paint porkuswine logos on my shooting muffs. Some tactical do's and don'ts my brother and I were tossing around: 1.
Move. Staying in one place for too long during a gunfight helps your enemy
come up with bad surprises for you. CHECK ARCHIVES FOR OLDER CONTENT
Copyright G H Hill 1999-2012 Graphic Artwork by Martin White
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“I keep two magnums in my desk drawer. One is a gun that I keep loaded. The other is a bottle and it keeps me loaded.”
"The opinions of Ogre at
MadOgre.com are explosive. Read with caution." - Washington Post "You make me laugh. You piss me off. You even make me agree with you. You're a
Blog-God!" - Horde Member
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That
brings me to another question that has been floating around. Which Jessica?
Alba or Biel. The answer to that can be found in the FAQ section. Both,
dumbass. However, if I had to pick just one,
