NOV-DEC 2006 

Friday, Dec 29, 06:  Christmas was well with us in the Ogre Clan. I hope it was with The Horde. Good and thoughtful gifts were exchanged and everyone got things they enjoyed and appreciated. The Boyz (Ogre has 5 Sons in his Assault Element) were horribly spoiled with new overpowered pellet rifles, bows and arrows, camouflage suites, and other such things as required of adventuring for young boys. The best thing about Christmas though... is that it is over. I love selling guns, but when it's the day before Christmas Eve, and I tell you I can't get you a thumbhole-stocked Pro Hunter in 7MM Rem Mag in time for Christmas... you whining like a bitch isn't going to get you the rifle. And then the day after Christmas... don't ask me if one has come in yet. Especially when I gave you an estimated time of “February”. For the love of Pete, I'm good... but I don't build Thompson Centers by hand in my Garage after the store closes.

Gift Cards. I heard a lot of talk about Gift Cards. Lot's of people saying they don't want to give them because they are impersonal. That's bull pucky. You are letting someone pick out something they want rather than impose upon them a selection that they didn't make for something that they didn't want or need. Gift Cards are fantastic. Gift Cards let the person get exactly what they want. If you think they might be less than personal, give them more value on the card that you would have otherwise spent on them and put the card in a nice Christmas Card. There you go. They will love it and love you for it. Gift Cards ROCK. Especially to stores that sell guns and ammunition. A small token gift card to the store that I work at... turned into a spare Kimber Pro Tac magazine. That was a great Christmas Gift. I loved it. I appreciated it. Thank you.

We got a rifle into the store that I had not seen in person before. Now, I don't mean to do another Browning vs Benelli debate again, but it looks like that's what this is going to be. I really think Browning has a hit with their Short Track BAR, rifle. It looks slick, feels great, and balances nicely. It is a great rifle. Then the Benelli R1 came in. All the sudden the ST-BAR looks a little chunky and feels a little clunky. The R1 is sleek and smooth. Looking at the guns in photos or while the guns are up on the racks, you don't really see it. Once you get the guns in your hand and feel them side by side, the R1 is heads and shoulders above the ST-BAR. Browning is close... but the R1 nails it. It is gorgeous. It is one of the sexiest rifles on the planet – period. The R1 we got in is in .270 WSM. I know a lot of guys are skeptical of the Short Mags. Don't be. The .270 WSM is a fantastic cartridge. Velocity is up there, energy is up there, the accuracy is outstanding... It is a great all round caliber capable of doing anything in North America and most of the rest of the world. It would be a bit light for several of the African Big Five, but anything short of that, it would do it just fine. I would really like to see the R1 shoot. The accuracy, if it is acceptable, would make the R1 one of the best rifles in the world. The only question is how would you define acceptable. The R1 is a hunting rifle, not a Bench Rest target rifle, so it doesn't have to be MOA... but 1.5 would be great.

Update on the R1. Just got in the synthetic stocked R1 in .300 WSM. I like it even better. It sports the new Comfort Tech stocks. Outstanding.

Another gun update: STOEGER COUGER. Just like everything else from Stoeger, the gun is high quality... very well made... but the finish sucks. Someone needs to buy them a buffing wheel.

The Guns of Miami Vice is now in the works. The Mrs got the DVD for me... great movie. Stark. Lots of guns. Lot's of guys like the .50 cal rifles, but the real groovy gun is Tubbs' 40MM grenade launcher with buckshot loads. Dayum. It's going to take a few before I have the time to really review this one... there are just so many guns in this one. Everyone is packing a different gun and I'm going to ID and examine each one.

Sunday, Christmas Eve:  Kimber: Yup, the Night Sights were there from Kimber when I got in to work the day after my last post. It took about 10 minutes to get them installed. I used a couple pieces of wood and a hammer. Gotta love the simple tool requirements. After I was done I found that we had a sight push tool. Crap. Oh well... Who needs finesse when you have a brute force option? The sights installed fine and I got the positions in the same spots as the original sights so it's all good. Kimber's Mepros are great night sights. Very bright. Twice as bright as the units on the Wilson Combat ADP. One thing is for sure, Kimber's finish is delicate as hell. I've got scrape lines on the finish from 1 presentation from a kydex holster. I put it in a clean and new kydex holster and pulled it back out again. That was it, that was all I did. The finish was ravaged. What the hell? Clean holster, no grit in it, and the finish looks like a tied it to the back of a newlywed's car. Other Kimber's don't have this problem. Some are stainless... some, like their high dollar “Desert Warrior” have a tough poly-coat finish. Not the Custom II. I've seen better finishes on Hi-Points. But that doesn't matter. Because the Custom II is a 1911; which means they are like a pair of Levi jeans... they look better with a worn in look and they look good with everything. Wear a button down collar shirt, tuck it in and leave the collar open and you can still go to church. Wear a black turtle neck with your jeans and you can run Apple Computers. You also have to give credit to the simple and almost elegant lines and proportions of the 1911. They always look good, because the look right. Even the 1911 Taurus came out with. They just look good. But Kimber's do look better than most other 1911's and that means Kimber's are some of the best looking handguns you could ever hope to get. The beauty is something that I always considered to be only skin deep with the Kimber. This is one of the main reasons I got one. I've been shooting the hell out of mine. There is a spot one the way home that I can pull off the high way and stop to pop off a box of rounds or at least a couple mags full. I've been doing this every night since I got it. I still don't know what it looks like with a jam. So I have to say that I am impressed so far. Knock on wood. Before I got the Kimber I was considering getting a High Power. I'm glad I got the 1911. The High Power is European gun for fit Europeans. Specifically the British. Like the British, the High Powers are different enough to thought of as clever, but not too bright once you spend time with them. They have the right idea, but lack the power to carry it through. This is not a problem with a .45ACP. The .45 was designed by Americans with the intent on killing the enemy. It is roughly the same size and shape as a fire hydrant. It has power to spare. The 9mm seems like it was designed by a German file clerk. Efficient and swift, but overestimating it's significance. Yes, we know the High Power was a John Moses Browning design, but it was done to the request and specifications of the Belgians and finished by the Belgians. I'm pretty sure that before he finished it, JMB would have said “Screw it, we're making it a .45.” And then we would have had the CZ-97B years earlier. The 1911 is America forged in steel, carried in a holster. We used it in World War I, II, Korea, Nam, the Gulf War, and now it continues fighting in the War on Terror... It is fantastic. No other weapon system has continued so long. Closest second is the .50 cal machine gun that Browning also designed. Every regular MadOgre.com reader should get a 1911. Make that your New Year's Resolution for 2007... to buy a 1911. Either for yourself, or for someone else who doesn't have one. It can be which ever make and model you chose. A GI from Springfield or a high end Wilson Combat or Ed Brown, I'll leave that to you. Lots of guys complain to gun magazines because of all the 1911's getting editorialized. There is a good reason for that. They are all so good.

More thoughts on Liberals: One of the more annoying things about dealing with Liberals is that they are never – ever – willing to listen to or study something coming from a counter opinion. They refuse to look at both sides. Now, I don't know about you... but I do look at things from both sides. I'll listen to talk radio... Rush or Hannity, then I'll listen to NPR and consider their opposite view point. That's just what I do. Now, Liberals would never do that. Rush is just a stupid big fat drug addicted idiot and they just say that without even hearing more than 30 seconds of anything he says. Such a shallow, elementary school level attitude, but a pervasive one on the left. It's not just Rush. It's anything that puts out any idea that is counter to their own. That's just they way they are. Frightened that they might be wrong. For example, we had a liberal Congressman say that anyone who is skeptical of Global Warming be treated like a terrorist and be denied access to the media. Free Speech is one of the Bill of Rights items that they want to get rid of along with the Second Amendment. Lots of other “Scientists” want to censor other scientists who question Global Warming or anything that suggests that maybe it isn't just Man Made. Wait a second... are not scientists supposed to be skeptical? Isn't that their job? Not if you are a Liberal Scientist. See, Liberals don't want to hear things that they don't like. They pitch fits, stick their fingers in their ears and yell “la la la, I can't hear you”... and then they try to silence you by whatever means they can muster. Nice.

Wed, Dec 20th, 2006:  Kimber: The Kimber Custom II is a pretty damn good straight up 1911. Not spendy, not fancy, and a good step up from an ol'Sproingfield GI. Reliability out of the box is awesome. I just dumped (as fast as I could reload in cold weather) 4 boxes of Blazer Brass and one box of Winchester 230 grain SXT's through it with not a single hint of a problem. Accuracy wasn't tested here, but it seemed to be throwing them out there right where I was pointing it. I'm pleased enough with it. It's on my hip right now and will be most of the time for some time to come. The Wilson ADP remains a fantastic carry gun, and carries a heck of a lot easier than the Kimber, being so much smaller and lighter... but there is just something about a good old .45 that makes it feel just right.

I've not packed a 1911 for some time and it really and truly feels like I've come home. I love guns... I'm a total Gun Slut... and I will have meaningless short lived relationships with many different guns... but I always come back to the 1911 platform. Friends of mine will tell me that I need to make a commitment. That is a very real possibility with the Kimber. I've got night sights for it on order and they may have already arrived... I'll find out tomorrow. Packing “Kim” in a G-Code rig and loving it. I need a good stealthy IWB for it. I've got all the others I'll ever need. Bianchis and G-Codes and FISTs and Mitch Rosen's, etc. There is always one more you need, right? The one you don't have? Yeah, holsters suck that way.

Hotties: The Miss America was almost dethroned for getting wasted and making out with Mrs. Teen USA... so she blamed her inner demons. I'm sorry, but THAT is my inner demon.

Windows Vista: Lots of questions about upgrading to Vista. I'm going to let you make up your own mind on that one. Here is something that might help you. The five best things about Vista and the five worst. The Beta I tried out sucked to a shockingly high degree... but it did look cool. Looks are not important to Ogre. Function is. Security is. Speed is. And based on those things... I'm taking a pass on Vista. $399 for the OS? You've GOT to be kidding me. There is no way in hell I'm shelling out four Benjamins for an OS. Especially not for a Windows OS. The next system I'm buying is going to be an Mac of the Lappy variety, but that is not for awhile. I'm still well pleased with my wee little HP with 512 Meg Nvidia graphics card and GIG of RAM acting like a supercharger for the Centrino Duo CPU. It says the Lappy is Vista Ready. The lappy might be, but I'm not. Ever. I'll roll with a MEAD and PILOT before I'll shell out for Vista. I'll post my MadOgre.com updates with scotch tape on the front window of Ogre Ranch before I do that. I could be happy enough with a Mac. I might even like it. After all, I do like romantic comedies based in San Francisco and I do drink green tea... so I could be a Mac Guy very easily. I'm only a Windows guy right now because I like FrontPage and Games. Of course, those are very solid reasons. I'm thinking maybe I'm conflicted... maybe I'm just kicking and screaming because the cost of Vista is so freaking high. That's what I paid for my damn Kimber! You can roll with Vista if you want too. Let me know how that works out for you. And if you have a copy of Vista with a spare valid key – hook an Ogre up.

Blogging Rights: Read this. I've got too words for this: “Make me.” If you think I should... screw you. This is Free Speech, Raw and Uncut. (and unedited due to time constraints... your getting this as a First Draft and only draft) Not that I have any sponsored posts... this isn't an issue with me... but I'm open. ;)

This is probably going to be my last post before Christmas... If it is – I wish all my readers around the world a very merry Christmas. Even if you don't celebrate it – I wish you the very best of the season. No, I did not play Grandfather in the Nutcracker like I did last year... they didn't do it this year. Thank God!

Sunday, December 17th, 2006:  Funny Liberal: There are few things more annoying that a person who claims to not be a Liberal, yet quotes every Liberal talking point about everything. Denial is evidently a river running through the Uintah Basin. The guy is a good guy, generally speaking... but he gets way too hostile and worked up when politics comes up. Liberals are like that. They quote a lot of things as facts but none have any foundations in reality and are counter to what happened in history. Of course he's not Liberal. And I'm a Senator from South Carolina. This guy has given me crap about snagging a soda for 2 quarters instead of 3, after I came back after getting the third quarter. He says that is typical Republicanism. Which is funny because that would be called “Credit” by anyone familiar with economics. Something Liberals really don't understand all that well. This is especially funny because he is a Dance Student of my wife – and after several months of classes, he's never once paid for one of them. That's called Theft of Services. My wife is too nice to demand payment and tolerates his shit. She's nicer that I am. I would have turned his ass out on his ear a long time ago.

Compare: Watch these video clips. Clip one, Japanese urban war fighting. Clip two, American MOUT. The Japanese win hands down on the dynamic entry. They are more ready to "Go to War" as in war as a state of mind. The American's tactics are clean and designed to be as safe for the operators as possible... security is the priority over the Japanese priority on speed. Whish one is better would really depend on the METT. If the enemy doesn't know your coming, the Japanese method is the way to roll. Get in, hit hard. Once the enemy knows you have arrived, it's best to switch to the US method to keep your people alive.
However, overall... I think the Japanese have an edge. SIG handguns and a rifle that is NOT an M-16 variant. Force on force, I think the Japanese might have an edge. The ARMY has become too cautious since Mog and Iraq because the US puts too much emphasis on individual casualties rather than the results of direct action. Kudos to Japan's warriors. Share your observations.

More thoughts on the Gun Review Score sheet. This week I'll post a Beta form for your review and feedback. Hopefully... Maybe next week. The idea for this uniform rating system is to avoid bias as much as possible. Of course because of human nature, bias will exist. We just hope to minimize it and highlight it when it happens. Give me a little time on this, as I am a heck of a lot busier this next week. I've been doing 12 hour days day at the gun store and will continue that schedule through next week... on top of that is a couple deadlines, one past due, one right around the corner. Shooting spots are not accessible due to recent heavy snow that forced me to break a topless Brutus out of the garage and force him into service. He did very well in the snow, but the heater couldn't keep up with the cold. In fact, it died on me. The heater, not the truck. I also found that I really need to get some lockers installed. I came very close to getting stuck for the first time... I had to rock it back and forth until I could punch out of some snow that had hung me up. Crazy. Anyways, busy like crazy for another week or so then I can chill out.

Speaking of chilling out. We did get the satellite TV hooked up. Direct TV rather than the Dish Network I thought we were getting. I think I like the Dish Network better... I think.

Tuesday, Dec 12th, 2006:  I'm trying to come up with a uniform rating system for guns. We have seven general categories. Reliability. Accuracy. Caliber. Capacity. Size & Weight. Looks. Ergonomics. Balanced with the gun's purpose or “class”. I need to form this up into a way quantify a gun's qualities into a more substantial, objective and less shear opinion. Opinion is great, but I'm going to roll out something better. You know how Car and Driver rates cars with points to compare different cars together to see which one wins? I want to do the same thing with guns. Anyone thinks this is a good idea? Any suggestions?

This Wilson Combat ADP. Man, I have to hand it to Wilson... they transformed the old Stealth into a pistol that is actually worth having. It's smooth and it hits. I've been packing it around... it carries like I left it at home. The gas system allows the slide to be pulled back easily and smoothly. Smooth because there is no mechanical hitch from a barrel disengagement and light because the gas system doesn't need a heavy recoil spring like a straight up blow-back action. This gun is good for those looking for a decent CCW option that is small... for women who can't jack the slide on a regular auto... for those with small hands... for those who like Wilson Combat... or for those who just like cool guns. Because the ADP is a very cool little gun. If you are a petite woman with small hands who likes cool guns and wants a full power 9MM with decent mag capacity – the ADP is your next gun. Being a full sized male, the ADP feels like a toy in my hands. But man... it shoots! I love this pistol. I shot it again today... Slick little bastard.

I've got a little game I've been playing at work. Let me give you some background. Man, I've been busy guys. Very busy. Like a one legged man in an ass kicking contest. Lot's of stuff going on. Anyways, at the gun shop we've been selling tons... by the freight load. Now to the game. A lot of guys have wives that want to buy them a new rifle for Christmas. Many of these wives know nothing about guns. These customers have become a sort of specialty. They want to buy a gun that they think their husband would like. If they have any shred of information, I can use that directly. Or if they have none, I play a little game. I ask them what kind of car their hubby would like, if they could have any car regardless of price... dream car. I take that, examine the general qualities of the car and apply that to a rifle with similar attributes. I wont give examples because they are too numerous and time consuming. Once I establish these qualities, the sale is made. It works every time. The reason it works is because I am not convincing the wife that these are the guns that the husband would want, but I am reinforcing the wife's mental image of their husbands. That's all it takes. Cars I've been given to work with have been: Mustangs, Camaros, Porsche, Hemi Cuda, a Jaguar, a Cobra 427, Hummers, various trucks, and a '34 Ford. I do try to make as good of a guess as I can as to what the guy would like. The only hard part is connecting the wife to the husband who has been coming in frequently to drool on the guns. If you are observant, patterns emerge and it becomes less guess work and more of an exercise in filtering data.

I also broke my hand at work. The CO2 fill station for paintball... let's just say that a valve was opened under full pressure that shouldn't have been and the fill line with the attachment and fill valve swung like a rocket and smashed my hand like a mace, crushing bone. This has been two weeks ago now and still the hand is swollen. Hurt like a sumbitch but it wasn't anything as bad as what I've had before so I delt with it, sucked up the pain, popped some aspirin and kept going. That's what I do. Had some guns to sell. Including a .50 BMG. Booyaah.

Yes, Lord of War is my favorite movie of all time.

Harvard: I heard report that Harvard is going to be changing up the way they set general education requirements. Students are all for it and of course the Profs are all against it. Students want to study subjects that have relevance while the Profs want to have their obscure subjects made mandatory. Their argument is that learning bullshit obscure subjects is an exercise in academic thought and the actual subject is less than important. Using the Prof's argument, then why would it matter if they took course that are more relevant to the student's desired program? It would be interesting for a school to adopt a full “free market” approach. I think we would find a lot more unemployed profs while others are packed to the gills with students.... and students would be able to spend more time on core courses than BS filler courses. Image all the more hours spent on studying their main focus than a wide span of courses that have nothing to do with their degree? I think Harvard is on to something. Something I've been arguing for for years. And anyone who has to pay for all those credits. Obviously that is the key right there. On a streamlined program you can save hundreds of thousands of dollars on unnecessary classes that the school would have otherwise earned by wasting your time and money.

Rummy & War: I find it interesting that Donald Rumsfeld in the last couple days of his time in office as SecDef takes the time to fly to Iraq to give his farewell to the troops. It would be a hard thing to be Rummy these days. I think out of all of his booboos, his biggest mistake was belief. He believed that the people of Iraq were ready to stand up and grab and embrace democracy. To fight for it. And he was partially right. Remember all the smiling Iraqis with purple stained fingers and big smiles. Rummy underestimated the power of hate and the grip it had on the frightened and those willing to kill and die for hate. I do think Rummy had the best of intentions.

How come it is so clear that a weak America gives power to evil, and the Democrats are either so blind to it or so willing to give it up? With every sign of weakness, Iran grows bolder. I think it is a little late for the US to try to be Mister Popularity. We have to one of two things and Congress is not willing to do either. We have to either pull back and reinforce our defenses at home and prepare for the worst... or we have to follow the more difficult path and go do what has to be done. You can't wage a half ass. If you are going to go to war, go to fucking war. People die and it isn't pretty... but the US needs to do it. The US needs to roll hard into Iraq, squelch shit there hard and in a fast and all the sudden move on Iran and squelch the shit there. If Russia has a problem with that, if China has issue... if the UN does... we just give them the finger and do what needs to be done and let the chips fall after the dust settles. Because look what is going to happen if we don't. If we don't go all the way... Iran is going to be supplying nukes to anyone who wants to pop one off in any of the G8 nations with the biggest ones coming to the USA. That's just the way it is. I'd rather be right and unpopular than wrong and still unpopular just because we are still Americans and watch our friends die in a fission blast. But that's just me. I don't think we are going to be able to maintain peace. If we can't have peace, let's have war on our terms. If we pull out of Iraq, the liquid that fills the void is going to be blood. Blood of the innocent. I'd rather spill the blood of those that would spill it of the innocents. People in Iraq and in Iran do not want to cause massive amounts of death. And neither do I. But those in power in Iraq want to do spray nuclear fire like a gardener sprays his garden with water. We can't allow that to happen. If we stand down and let that happen, we are accomplices. With this new SecDef who seems to be a huge pussy, and the white flag waving Democrats who are now in the majority... it looks like we are going to be sitting back, watching the fireworks and putting on sunscreen with SPF 39 Million.

F'N Pistol: I'm just about finished with the review of the FN FNP9m and I am going to spill the beans on it right here... It's positive. The gun is not without some warts, but in the end, I'm very pleased with it and think it is one of the better polymade guns out there. While I didn't mention it in the article, any polygun has to be faced off against the Springfield XD which represents the best of the species. If it can compare well to the XD, then you have a good gun. If not, then there is no reason to buy it. The FN compares very well. I'm saying that it is an 8 out of 10. This for a gun that I actually disliked when I first got it for review. This is kind of odd because usually guns start out in the positive and slowly or all the sudden work their ways into the negative. Or there are some guns that I kinda like but would never ever actually acquire... like a Ruger P345. It's a fine gun with nothing wrong with it, but I'm not going to get one. Ever. I don't think I could actually explain why.

Email from Hordeman Brad. Late due to a lack of Wireless in Lapoint, Utah... but still worth posting. “Dec. 7, 2006, 0515... I woke yesterday morning thinking about something that I usually don't think about on a daily basis. I sat back for a moment, thinking about what our country was going through 65 years ago on the eve of one of the worst attacks on our country, I think about my Grandfathers. I think about what it meant to truly believe in what our country stood for back then, and then question what the general public thinks now, given the liberal fodder spewed from the idiot box on a daily basis. I served my country, as did my father, as did his father. Every day it seems the political shitstorm swirling around our latest conflicts chips away at the very core of our younger generations of Americans.
I grit my teeth and clench my fists, as I listen to my fellow Gen-ZZZ classmates bitching about how they didn't get their hands on a PS3 or Wii this Christmas, while they fail their college classes because they're too busy with their fucking MySpace e-life. Fucking little ungrateful maggots. Mandatory 2-year stint serving your country? You bet your ass. Maybe after serving this great country of ours, we just might be back to what being an American is all about. It's a whole new world when your head is removed violently from your ass.
I see red, as the liberal media does its damned best to throw U.S. casualty statistics out with enough spin to make it sound like Bush himself pulled the trigger.
I finally shed a tear and whisper a prayer, thinking about those who are still serving our country in godforsaken places away from their families who would give anything for a hot shower and a hug from their loved ones.
I thank you O mighty Ogre, for giving us the platform to perhaps influence just one more person to realize what being an American is really about.
God Speed to those who continue to serve, and know as long as I draw a breath, there will always be someone back home who is behind you 110%, thinking of you, and praying for your safe return. - Brad”

Amen, Brad. 

Hot

Miami Vice is now out on DVD.  Along with a package that has the first (best) season.  Mrs. Ogre wont let me rent it or buy it.  Looks like it's already under the tree.  If it is, look for a Guns of Miami Vice article coming soon.

Sunday, Dec 3rd, 2006:  Taken to task: One of the easiest things that I can do to piss a lot of people off is to simply state my opinion. While I will address three issues I've been rebuked for, I promise with a solemn vow with my hand on a Hornady Reloading Manual and a copy of the movie “Grand Prix” that I will always be opinionated.

First off, someone who reads Concealed Carry Magazine ripped on my review of the S&W CS9 Chief's Special. Either I failed as a writer or he failed to understand it. Considering all the emails I got from other readers saying that they loved the article, agreed with me, and understood where I was coming from... I think I'm going to chalk this one guy up to “not getting it”. You see, he thinks that in my article I said that you have to save up loads of money to buy a really expensive 1911 handgun. No, that was not what I was getting at. What I was doing was responding to the several emails I got saying that they didn't like reading articles about unobtainable guns. That is rubbish. It's like reading a car magazine's review of a Ferrari Enzo. The Enzo articles are rather masturbatory in that such a car, even if you had the million dollar funds, is unobtainable. Ferrari sells those only to who they deem worthy. A pistol that is available to the general public for under two grand is simply a matter of putting some money aside every pay check and saving up for it. There is a difference there that this one individual did not get. Like I am not telling you that you have got to buy a spendy 1911... what I was saying is that if you really want it you can get one. They are obtainable. I was also saying that you don't have to get one to get a worthy gun for self defense and as an example I showed you the Chief's Special which turned out to be an outstanding self defense option. The fellow's post on the CCM forum sounded like some bitter sour grapes and he was lashing out at me for his own failure to comprehend or acquire.

The other thing I was called to the carpet for was for my recent post here on MadOgre.com about the Taurus PT1911. After I had posted that, our store got in a couple more examples of these Brazilian .45's. Everything I said about the first example I looked at when I made that post was completely true. The next examples however were a solid step up from the first. The frame to slide fit actually fit and show about the same amount of play as do regular production Springfield and S&W 1911's. Meaning that they are pretty average. This time I disassembled the PT1911 and examined the internals... the machining and the parts. You know what? I think I was a bit harsh on the Taurus, maybe unfairly so. I would like to now publicly apologize to Taurus. Sincerely. I was harsh and unfair. My bad. You will have to forgive me, I am an ogre. The PT1911 does fill a nitch. When you consider the price point... for the money... the Taurus is not a bad buy. For under $500 you do get a lot of pistol for the money. They are a bit more than a GI Springfield, but you do get the features a lot of guys are looking for these days. Ambi safeties, front strap checkering, widened ejection port, etc. They are also well under the price of any other gun stocking these features. By a couple hundred bucks. So they represent a very good value if they perform. And that is the big question that I do not have an answer for. Mike in Kansas City reports on this for us: “As far as its reliability and shooting potential goes, it has met and exceeded my hopes. While I have not conducted any kind of scientific accuracy tests, I can say that it hits anything I aim at and has never, from 0 to 500+ rounds now, had a single problem, no matter what kind of ammo I feed it.” Interesting. So they are shooters... Mike, please keep us informed as you rack up the miles... every 500 rounds or so. I am interested in seeing how these go over the long run. Up to this point, if you wanted a cheap 1911 you only had 3 options: Argentine guns which look and feel like 1911's but are not. Philippine 1911's which look like decent knock offs but are made from castings out of melted pot metal and tire weights... or the no frills GI Springfields which are fantastic Old School shooters, but lack the things most shooters today want – like decent sights. The GI pattern did help save the free world... but unless your shooting at Huns, most guys want better sights at least. Let's look at it this way, For the same amount of money, you could get a Springfield with the same features as the PT1911, or a S&W 1911 with the same things... or you could get the PT1911 and 2 cases of .45ACP to train with. That is an advantage for Taurus, real, clear, and tangible. I've got 300 rounds of hard ball at Ogre Ranch waiting to be shot up for a gun review... but this wouldn't be enough to even get started on a PT1911... because I would want to shoot it to failure just to see where that point is and what is going to fail. I want to to do this so much that I have been extremely tempted to buy one just so I could abuse the hell out of it. But I am not going to do this... Thanks to Mike's head up I am going to do something different. Allow me to explain as this takes me to the next item that I've been taken to task over.

Kimber 1911's. I've never ranked Kimber 1911's very high. I've always preferred the strength of Springfields and considered the Kimbers to be a “Pretty Boy's Pistol”. More concerned about their looks that their actually qualities as hard core shooters. Well, it has gone around and come back to me... and now I am going to put that to the test myself. I'm getting a Kimber, which will be my designated shooter for some time until it fails or I find something better. Kimber has a lot of flavors of the 1911 to choose from. The Tactical Custom II is my favorite, but I am going to get something more representative of the whole line. I've selected the Custom II with night sights. In fact, as I type this, the pistol is actually sitting in my In Box at work. (Along with a pair of Charter Arms revolvers for CCM Review) By the time I actually get this posted, I'll have done the paper work and transferred it to my ownership and it will be riding on my hip in a Galco scabbard or my trusty twelve dollar High Desert slide (that I've had for over a decade now and it's never failed me). No, I'm serious, Ogre is hooking up the Kimber and I'm going to roll with it and see if Kimber makes serious 1911's or not.

Clothes: Many of my readers are avid readers of gun magazines, gun related web sites, etc. You guys are undoubtedly aware of a 5.11 Tactical, and the similar line of Woolrich Tactical lines of clothes. The Woolrich stuff is fantastic. But you know what? Woolrich's “civilian” line of clothes are even better. Looking cool at the range is fine and dandy. I know a lot of guys that dress like that all the time. Bully for them, but I don't like to dress that way. I don't like looking like a guy that most likely is packing heat. While you might avoid a conflict by not looking like an easy target, there is a flip side to that. You make yourself a target by looking like someone the badguys should take down first. What's the point of carrying concealed, if you single yourself out by advertising it? Anyways, Woolrich makes a large line of clothes for men (and ogres) that look great, feel great, and are made well enough to survive in Ogre's wardrobe. What I like best about them is that they have a certain look to them that looks classic, classy, smart and tasteful. Unlike other clothes lines that make you look like a tourist or a highschool student. I bring this up because of another line of clothes that have become very popular even out here in the Uintah Basin. Skin Industries. You might have seen them before, if not you will recognize them by the naked stripper in high heels silhouette. Often with the slogan “Show some” or other phrase indicating a desire to engage something lacking any morals. Ogre is not a prude by any means. I can engage in serious debates of locker room logic with the best of them. A skill picked up in the military... I am also not offended by scantily clad ladies should they pop in movie. Hell, i even laughed at the donkey show in Clerks II, taking it for what it was. However when I see (and I did a few evenings ago when i took my family ice skating) a virginal sweet girl of 12 or 13 who looks like an angel with a smile that could stop the sun wearing a sweatshirt with a stripper logo with the word SKIN behind it and “SHOW SOME” under it... I'm thinking “Who the hell are this kid's parents?” When I was 12 or 13 yeah I flirted with girls... but I was more engaged in being a kid. I had a childhood. What are these kids having? This girl was flirted with not boys her own age, but boys 5 to 10 years older than her. Where and when did this sort of thing become acceptable? The biggest crime in the country are the Liberals theft of Childhood. Yeah, this is a political issue, not just parental. Thanks to Bill Clinton getting blow jobs in the White House from young stupid interns, Banana Condom demonstrations to 6^th grade classes and all the new Sex Education the liberals have pushed along with “you don't have to tell your folks when you get an abortion” it looks like the future of America will be exporting ever younger and younger porn stars. Fantastic. With a new dawning of the Soviet Union and China becoming the biggest world economy... the US can at least survive its own dumbing down thanks to Liberals being in charge of education, by selling drugs and sex. (Funny, I just heard on the News that Richard Dryfus says that education is abysmal... no shit. Even the Liberals are complaining about it!) Let's see ourselves in the eyes of the globe... Americans are now fat and stupid and have nothing left but to go into porn to get their fix. Isn't this what we used to say about Anna Nicole Smith? Guys, we need to clean up our act. We can't let our kids slip down this path. We can't let ourselves slip down that path either. If I see one of my kids wearing something like Skin Industries, I'm taking a pair of scissors to the shirt right then and there. You want to Show Some? Let me help you! How many of The Horde know what your kids are being taught in school? We need full curriculum disclosure, accountability, and I'm also supporting school uniforms. That might be a bit British, but I think US schools are becoming less and less education centers and more and more mandatory camps for indoctrination. People used to dress respectfully. You know the expression that the Clothes make the man. Well, I think they make the student as well. Schools that have Uniforms do tend to have higher average grades and test scores. For God's sake, have some dignity people. Okay, I'm done preaching.

Wednesday, 11-29-06:  The bleak days of winter have finally settled on Ogre Ranch. There is a thick and cold blanket of death laying over my little valley, and most annoyingly it is also across the roads. As much as I love my BFG Traction T/A tires, they are totally shiat in snow. Luckily snow does not last long on the roads around here. This means trips up into the mountains are going to have to wait. Mrs Ogre's Pontiac Montana is having no problem at all in the snow, thanks to her “All Season” rubber. Typically “All Season” tires give poor performance all year round, but I would almost be willing to trade poor performance for No Performance. The Traction T/A does great on dry or wet pavement... but snow... the tires have the same personality that I have. “Snow on the roads? Fuck it, I didn't want to go there that badly anyway.”

Going through some emails I found some reoccurring themes. For starters, there is a growing interest in the Ruger Mini-14 rifle. For another, there is a growing interest in 1911 style pistols. Let's talk about the Ruger Mini-14 first. I've said all this before, and I'm saying it again because I've got a ton of new readers now and they don't know how to Advance Google through the Archives yet. (Check this out, go to Google, click advance, type in MadOgre.com and then what you want to search for... and there you go.) Some of you are aware that the Mini-14 has been shunned almost unfairly because it was the rifle of choice for The A Team and mullet wearing troglodytes who drove Firebirds with flaming turkeys painted on the hood. That is probably as a valid reason as any for avoidance. Other reasons included that because the pencil thin barrel would heat badly when fired more than once a day and this would cause a shift in the point of impact. The upside is that the Mini-14 has always had something the AR-15 series just doesn't have: Near perfect reliability. Reliability is a No Compromise quality. Your gun either is, or it isn't. There is no in between. AR Guys will argue that their AR is reliable and that they can also pleasure 6 women at the same time and did just last Friday night. (Truth is that they can, just by leaving the room) The Ruger has never been a popular rifle. As such it never has the desire or maladjusted psychological requirement to be the center of attention. The design is simple, scale down the M-14 to .223 and call it the “Mini-14”. While some guys say they hate the Mini-14, they often say that the M-14 was one of the best rifles ever built. They might also say that the M1 Carbine was a fantastic weapon as well... yet they scoff the Mini. The guns are all very similar in action and layout. The detractors do have a point, to a point... there is something missing about the Mini. That sense of history... the sense of patriotism... the caliber... the balls... whatever you want to call it, the Mini seemed to have misplaced it. Ruger then redesigned the Mini to take away the main criticisms. Ruger went and changed the barrels for one thing. While there is still some impact shift when heating, there is a huge improvement... and if I was to hazard a guess that if the shooters were completely honest and if you asked them about their other guns, they would tell you that their other rifles would do the same thing if you fired them more than once a day. The Mini has earned the right to be a little smug as it remains extremely reliable. Yet the gun does have one major drawback. The gun looks like it was cast out of zinc alloy. The weird raw metal finish is about as attractive as Mickey Rourke's ass. The Mini's need to be refinished, even with just a cheap spray and bake finish process. Better yet, Ruger needs to be do this right off the bat at the factory. The other reason for avoidance is that Ruger is the source for reduced capacity magazines... Bill Ruger is the dude that came up with the idea. He said no one needs more than 15 rounds. Politicians took hold of that and reduced it further to 10. Ruger likes to sell guns, but they only like to sell guns that they are comfortable with. Where is the Ruger Compact Auto? Where is Ruger's high capacity magazine for the 10-22? Where are the factory folding stocks? Anyways, there are a lot of reasons many shooters are not down with Rugers. If you get past the bias and into some aftermarket, the Mini-14 comes into its own. Much like the AR-15, the Mini-14 can play dress up too. They can be made to be very accurate. Dollar for Dollar, you can build a great automatic rifle that will compete with the AR. For example, you can buy a rather basic AR, such as a Rock River (the only one worth buying in my opinion) for under a grand, buy some upgrades for it and be into it about 1500 bucks. Well, for the same amount of cash, you can get a new Mini for under 600 bucks, upgrade the hell out of it, and you will have a rifle that can go toe to toe with the AR with the advantage that it isn't an AR, wont be hygiene sensitive, doesn't foul like the AR, and doesn't get those unique AR jams, and it wont take over an hour to clean properly like an AR. The AR's success is like a mass delusion. How anyone was ever convinced it was a great weapon is an amazing achievement is selling bullshit. With all the rifle's bad qualities, it is topped off with a seriously wussy caliber but I'm not going to get into the caliber. .223 has become a very fun (if not all that effective) caliber thanks to low ammunition costs. Not to bag on .223 but it is a round that does nothing very well except sell for some reason. It's a freaking .22 with bigger case volume. It uses bullets with weights under a hundred grains... it's been outlawed for hunting scrawnyass white tail deer in most states because it isn't effective enough but .Mil Wannabees brag up it's killing power? Bullshit. It's cheap and abundant and that is .223's only saving grace. If it was as much as any other rifle cartridge... or if every rifle cartridge cost the same shot for shot, say ten cents a pop – no one would use it. Everyone would step up into .243 or .25WSM or above. The .223 would disappear like .218 Bee or .22 Hornet. Sure it would still be around, but harder to find. People might reload for it. Well, not like .218 or Hornet, because those rounds are seriously fun little plinkers... maybe like .30-40 Kraig. Anyways.

Another thing I want to touch on today is the new 1911 from Taurus. When it comes to touching the Taurus PT1911, I recommend you don't. When I saw it at SHOT I had hopes. It seemed like a decent attempt. But after seeing a production unit and put it into the gun case... just forget they exist. The parts fit together in a way that would have made John Moses Browning cry. The guns are easily the ugliest 1911's I've ever seen and I've seen a lot of them. After almost a hundred years of development (the 1911's development started in 1907 btw) you would think that Taurus would have a basic understanding of what it might take to build a decent one, but they don't. The have a general idea of what a 1911 looks like, but the actual part about building of one seems to have escaped them entirely. Much like myself trying to build my own Lotus Exige. I've seen them. I've driven one. But I wont try to kid myself into thinking I could build my own. Not even from a parts kit. Taurus thought they could. The result is a rattle trap piece of crap. I tell you this because I'm not sponsored by advertising money from Taurus like other Gun Writers. I don't say this lightly... I WANTED to like Taurus' new 1911. I really did. I want them to do well, I really and truly do. Taurus deserves some cheerleading... but they are not ready for it yet. I like many Tauri products... and I would not have a moments hesitation at buying them with my own money... but their PT1911 is not one of them. I don't know, maybe I am being unfairly harsh on them. Maybe in some way the loose fitting barrels and slides somehow mesh together in the instant of firing that allows them to be both reliable and accurate... but I don't see how. Okay, I can admit that I have been wrong. I've always before thought of Kimber as being a Pretty Boy's 1911 maker. Kimber guns, especially all their newer guns with the “II” designation, have impressed me as of late. The Tactical Custom II gun especially. I could buy a Kimber now. I really could. Even their basic “Custom II” gun is a solid and decent example of a 1911 that is worth the price. They are a few bucks more than the Taurus PT 1911, but unlike the Tauri, they are worth the investment. I'm not all that found of their “Raptor” series... I think the styling is a bit too “Riced Out” for my taste. Hey, speaking of Ruger, it looks like they are going to be releasing their M77 Frontier rifle in .338 Federal. Booyah! That is one new caliber that I am eager to try out.

I was asked what I thought about the new Short Mags. Let me put it to you this way. I think the .270 WSM cartridge is one of the best cartridges ever made – period. For a medium caliber, it is just about ideal. Now if only Hornady would make ammunition in that caliber... but the Winchester stuff is just fine. Especially the rounds that come in the black winchester boxes. Outstanding cartridge. Now, even though the round is outstanding, it does not put your old .270 into the back of the gun vault to be forgotten. Your old .270 is just fine. Gun makers have to put forth some great effort to make people think that their old rifle is not good enough. This is why we have deer rifles and elk rifles and mountain rifles and so on and so forth... because if they didn't we would all be packing grandfather's old .30-06. You know what? We would be just fine with that. But we do like variety... and can appreciate the subtle differences between calibers even though they are within 10 grains and 100 FPS different... Just like a cigar aficionado can tell the difference between a Cuban cigar and a Haitian or Honduran cigar... or a wine taster can detect the nuance between vintages. Different calibers have different tastes, different flavors. Some flavors go better with others... like white wine with prime rib just doesn't work. Some calibers are better suited to certain tasks than others, some don't. A lot of guys think .308 is the ultimate sniper cartridge. No freaking way is that true. It's an adequate caliber for that task. Oh, now don't even bitch at me about saying that, you all know it's true. Why else did HK work on development of their 9MM sniper rifle? Why is the SF using .300 Magnums? Israel using freaking 12 gauge slug guns? Why? Because they need more power to reach out and lay the smack down on shit. .308 doesn't quite measure up. It's a fine caliber... granted. But the idea behind that was to just scale the .30-06 down to make it better for a lighter and more assaulty flavor of the M1 Garand. It was never imagined to be a full blown sniper caliber. But like so many things... its biggest advocates are not the soldiers behind the triggers, but the fan boys that think they are the coolest and want to be like them. A real grunt would, if offered a more powerful weapon, not turn it down. Unfortunately soldiers use the weapons they are issued.

Just watched Clerks II. FBMG needs to change their name to FDMG, that's all I'm saying. Looking back on all of Kevin Smith's flicks and realized something... Kevin Smith has been one of my very favorite directors. I'm not just saying that because I really digged Clerks II. No, I was into Kevin Smith's flicks with the first Clerks, Mall Rats, Chasing Amy, Dogma... not so much a Jersey Girl fan, but everything else was groovy. Okay the Donkey scene... for the love of all that is holy, it is awful and I don't recommend it to anyone, but damn if I didn't laugh my ass off because the guy looks just like Larry Correia... oh my hell I laughed so hard I got hiccups and a side ache. Clerks II is a great flick... adult and horrible, but funny and you don't want to laugh because it is awful and wrong, but you can't help it and that makes you laugh even more. That and it has some great dialog.

So here it is, my top Directors List: Robert Rodriguez, Michael Mann, Kurt Wimmer, and Kevin Smith. Hell yes. I find that I've been following directors more than actors or what is “new”. Following actors, you see the same characters in different situations... for example any Kevin Kostner flick, it's just Kevin Kostner in a different situation. But following Directors you get great new stories and movies you didn't expect. I have to say that I admire directors more than anything... especially directors that write. Those cats, these four that I've named, write and direct. They are able to take their visions and make them how they want them. I love that. I just wish they could avoid the Studio oversight and let the directors RUN with it. The Studios should give them their budget, there you go, and that's it. Stand back and then promote the film when it's done. If the movie is crap, it's crap and they don't get as big a budget the next time... or in the case of Ewe Boll, never again are they allowed to touch even a still camera.

Kosmo Kramer's blow up. Yeah, you guys have heard of this... the guy gets pissed and calls a couple black guys niggers... and all the sudden Richards is a bad guy. Hello, I have two words for you: Chris. Rock. I'm tired of the double standards that some people can be racist but others can't be. You got guys like Al Sharpton who are Professional Racists, Chris Rock that makes his living off it... It's time to get real about Racism. It's time to end it. All of it. No more all black only schools, no more affirmative action, no more hate laws, and more more gay rights shit. No more blacks, no more hispanics, no more native americans, no more homosexuals... none of that. It's time that we all become Americans. Race should no longer be a census question unless it's asking about hobbies. Racing is a fine hobby. Racism is something that should be officially put into the past instead of maintained, protected and supported by the government.

Some of my political rants of late have raised valid questions and concerns. What if you don't know who to vote for? What if you talk to someone and they say that because they don't like either candidate, they are not going to vote at all. Well, let me simplify this down for you. If you have an official in office and you don't like him or her because they are not doing a good job – Vote For The Other Guy. If the person in office isn't doing the job – Fire them. That is my policy. You might not like the other guy so much, but fire the guy that isn't doing the job. That sends the message and it gets the Good Old Boys out. Simply not voting is in effect maintaining the status quo. By not voting you are saying that you like things the way that they are and no change is made... the people in office remain in office. No one cares if you get 10 million voters to actually cast a vote or only 5 million... they only count the votes that are cast. If you don't vote – then you are a part of the problem and not the lack of worthy candidates. As such – I'm sorry but you don't have the right to bitch about politics or policy. If you didn't vote, shut the hell up. If you did vote – great. Good for you. You exercised our greatest liberty. Now ask yourself this; did your vote matter? Yes. It did and it always will. That is how we keep our liberty. That is what makes the USA so different from other countries. Like I said, if you can't decide who to vote for – fire the bastards in office already. Why? Because if you can't vote for them, then they are not doing the job so vote against them. Vote for change. And keep voting for change until we get people in office that can do the job right. I've said in the past that I believe in the system but not those that are in the system. So lets use the system to effect the needed change, to get good people into office. I'm not into this V for Vendetta bullshit. That is no way to effect good and stable progress. We need good people in office. People who believe in The American Dream. That is the only way – by voting.

Sunday 11-26-06: Last week, a local Detective in the Sheriff's Department was killed when the helicopter he was riding in during a search for a missing person, crashed into the Green river. This rocked my community. Kevin Orr was a member of my church, my ward, my community... our children play with his children... he was a loving father of four children and a good husband to his wife. He was also one of the very very few law enforcement officers in this area that I respected. He was cool too... when he caught me racing a Mitsu Eclipse (and I was owning that Mitsu hard), he could have totally busted me. I was doing over 115. He didn't even pull me over... just wig-wagged his lights at me and I slowed my roll... that was it. He was a good man. He will be missed by more than just his family. I wish the other Officers around here were as solid of men as he was.

The reason he was up in the helicopter in the first place was a missing girl. She was recently found... brutally beaten to death and dumped in an area that had just been searched. The suspicion of foul play is kinda there, aint it? The fucknozzle that is the suspect, the boyfriend, is from what I understand, already in custody. I hope this bastard fries slowly and painfully. I'm upset at this, but I have heard a lot of other folks who are even more upset. Let's just put it this way: The Sheriff had best keep him in Level III armor. Moving on. The funeral was on 11-25-06. Mrs. Ogre attended but I was occupied. She said there were full honors, and full media coverage.

Black Friday... we did over 41 thousand in our little store. Hell yeah. Lots of guns... Sold lots of guns... 35 it was crazy. Constantly having background checks running. It was awesome. Probably the funnest day I've had. Booyah!

I've been looking at GM cars lately. I've got to admit that I am liking one that I never thought I would like... the new Pontiac G6, especially the almost hot GT version. This is basically the latest “Grand Am”. The last Grand Am was killed off, the platform redesigned, and christened with a new but unimaginative name. The G6 as a result is a different car. Smooth lines, better engine in the GT package according to spec numbers. It's not that special of a car... it is common as dirt... but the G6 is a great looking car by Pontiac standards. I especially like the fact that Pontiac dropped the Rubber Baby Buggy Bumper body cladding. The G6 is handsome in a way that does not exactly attract attention. Or in other words you can say that “at least it is not ugly”. Not being ugly or overtly attractive is a good thing for a car... it means you can go faster in it without getting the annoying and expensive red and blue lights in your rear view mirror. Unfortunately in reading the online reviews, I see that the G6 GT is still not one to bother with the whole “handling” department. Vehicle dynamics is important to me... so I am not going to hold my breath on a G6 GT to be all that wonderful. I looked closely at one... I like the interior layout, but it leaves a lot to be desired. Materials seem to be the same stuff as Happy Meal toys. Build quality evidently remains a downside. Clunky transmissions, irregular gaps in between panels, windows whistle and side mirrors that shake. You know... come to think of it, why bother? It's like they are daring you to buy one. In the same price range that the G6 GT resides in, you can get a lot of better car options. This is kinda sad because Pontiac comes so much closer at making decent cars these days. The G6 is good enough to at least have drawn my attention. The GTO is blessed with a fantastic engine and chassis. It's all about potential... but remains potential unrealized. Come on, guys... You can be so much better!

No, I'm not even going to comment on Ford. I've given up on them just as they have given up on Americans. As long as they still have one single manufacturing job in Mexico and Canada – screw them. Fark Ford. I'm putting my hopes into GM but as of yet, I'm not putting my money into one. Still the best vehicles are the so called foreign ones. Japanese and German rides built in the US are the way to go. They are built to higher standards while at the same time still employing US workers. I like that.

Turkey Day 2006:  The Wilson Combat ADP. I didn't feel like doing my normal lunch hour routine, so I took the time to run to a close by shooting spot and popping off rounds through this new little pistol. Freaking Awesome. The ADP is a sub-compact 9mm. Narrow, especially for a double stack, 10 rounds. Nightsights. The action is a gas-delay system similar to the HK P-7. This allows for a small gun that shoots like a bigger gun. Before I fired it, I expected a sharp snappy recoil. This didn't happen. The recoil was negligible. Not that 9MM is all that sharp, but it was just very soft even for a 9. I mentioned before that the trigger system is odd. It feels strange.. the trigger is a long smooth pull all the way to where the sear just drops off... There is no crisp break... there is no break, it just “falls off”. If I could, I'd put this trigger pull on all my double action handguns. Now here is the best thing. These guns are accurate! I had some other ammo rolling around in my trunk... Federal, UMC, Remington, WWB, Blazer Brass, Blazer silver, SXT, Corbon, Hornady, Speer, Black Hills... pretty much a little of everything. The ADP fired it all and I didnt have a single malfunction. 115, 124, 147... the ADP ran flawlessly. At 15 paces I put all the rounds through a single ragged hole. Take a box of Blazer Brass... the B on the box... yeah, a whole mag full of rounds through the B. I'll have a photo of it in the magazine article... I was surprised. I was tickled. I have already sent word to Wilson Combat that this pistol is not going to be returned to them and they will just have to accept a cashier's check in its place. I'm keeping this one. Not only that, but it has just replaced my P-01 as my carry gun. Yeah, it's that good. It impressed the shit out of me.

I have recently upgraded my Lappy's defenses. AVG's latest and Webroot Spysweeper's most current. I actually purchased Spysweeper this time and did a full scan after it was all updated. I was surprised to see that I did have a bit of spyware in the system. I run mostly Opera and Firefox, so I don't have the vulnerabilities of IE. But it looks like these browsers are not immune. The bright side is that had I been running IE, I am sure the situation would have been much nastier. I've not spent a lot of time with the latest IE, and I don't plan on it either. I see no use for IE at all, save for giving you a way to download something better without having to install it from a disk. The latest AVG is very good and I have noticed that it is a lot more than just a cosmetic freshening of the GUI... there are some strong upgrades under the hood. Not just in the way it finds viruses, but in the way it removes them. Spysweeper remains the single best game in town for anti-spyware. If you don't have them, I suggest getting them. I like it better than Norton because Norton has a huge footprint in your system and is too invasive. It slows your system down, and just like McAffee, it gives you a false sense of security. These three things... AVG, Spysweeper, and a different browser other than the big blue E or the butterfly... you will be in pretty good shape. Oh, and one more thing – don't freaking use Outlook Express for your email! The full version of Outlook is fine, Thunderbird is great too... anything but OE.

I've been getting a lot more emails lately by new readers. Looks like MadOgre.com is getting more popular. This is somewhat unsettling. Even more so is when I meet people and they say that they actually read it. Sometimes it is cool to meet Hordemembers. Putting faces to names is always a plus. Well, most of the time. If it is you who are meeting me, buckle up and prepare for disappointment. I am not seven feet tall and can shoot lightning bolts out of my ass... that's my brother TC. No. I'm average, plain, soft spoken, and I listen more than I talk if you can believe that. My son was at school the other day and a kid in the hallway was working on a PSP or GB-DS or some such hand held gaming device that has built in wireless internet browsing. My son was surprised to see that the fellow was browsing MadOgre.com. That is very interesting. I don't write for young minds. I don't write for students. I write for myself mainly. Therapy, if you will. I don't mean to be selfish about it. The other day I walked into the local university to connect to the wireless access point they have in there. I was startled to see someone, a girl, reading MadOgre.com and occasionally chuckling. I was taken back when she got up to leave, saw me, and recognized me. Blogging can give you a very weird sort of ultra micro minor celebrity... something that I will never get used to. I don't know what this girl was expecting of me when she met me. I smiled, said thank you, and got up to leave quickly myself. It was very weird to have someone geek out on me like that. Standing there grinning at me waiting for me to say or do something... if I was Tom Cruise maybe I'd have jumped on a couch or something. I don't mind people coming up to me and talking to me... that's not it. It's just the way sometimes one of these folk look at you... you know... waiting for you to do a trick or something. It was also especially odd because this chick was freaking hot. Thin, tall, sharp featured Native American chick with a nice rack and an even nicer smile. Very pretty. That's not the sort of person who I would have expected to read MadOgre.com. The whole thing just took me by surprise I guess. So if you do see me, recognize me... say hi. Just don't geek out on me. And if you are the chick that stood there staring at me... I didn't mean to be rude when I picked up my bag and laptop and walked out. I just didn't have a magic trick ready. I don't think I'm going to go there anymore. Too many people know me and my train of thought gets derailed too often. That's why I like writing at Gandalfo's. While they know me there, call me by name when I enter and leave... they don't interrupt me. Distract me, maybe... the one chick is sexy as hell... but that's not her fault she is distracting. Anyways, moving on...

My Ford Contour is needing a slight tune up. I need new plugs for it. I've looked up all the online sources I could find about the best plugs for it and the general consensus is to use the Autolite Double Platinums because they are good plugs and not very spendy. That's fine and well, but I want a plug that will be the best performer. I was thinking about the new Bosch Ir Fusions. I have been told that these plugs rock the house. But what might be great in one car might not be in another. No one by chance has any experience with these in a Duratec V-6? I also need a cold air intake... does anyone in The Horde know of a joint that makes an intake kit for the V-6 Contour? I've asked this before but no one knew of anything. I've seen Tours with them installed, but they all look like home fabricated affairs and I don't have time to do such a thing. Well, maybe I do, but I don't want to. I would rather go with a commercial kit here.

James Bond. Ben and I went to watch the new James Blond movie. I went in to it thinking I was going to hate it... totally not like it... the era of Bond forever ruined. I am happy to say that I was wrong. This is the new era of Bond now. This latest movie is like Batman Begins for James Bond. Throw away every thing you know of Bond flicks, and any Bond movie you already own... toss it. This new guy owns Bond. He is Bond. All Bonds before him are cartoons. The new Bond is real, solid, gritty. But with depth of character never before seen in any Bond flick. This is the way they should always have been. I was blown away. He gets rather harsh with his Aston Martin DB9, but Bond is never careful with his cars. Which is too bad, but realistic. The gun play is slight, but when it is there, it is brutal they way a real gunfight is.

Friday, 11-17-06:  Email from a new Reader to which I respond inline: “Kent - Dear Sir Ogre, I discovered your web page some time ago and have enjoyed it greatly. My father was career military, and I am a gun collector - I live in California and have to deal with the gun control laws here. I couldn't agree more with you in a negative opinion of the Democrats. However, I am no longer that satisfied my party. I think the Republican party has failed in a lot of ways in the last six years, and is it too much to ask for more competent Republicans, while still being loyal?

OG -I left the Republicans years ago. I frequently vote that way, but I am not a member of The Party. I've also pulled my affiliation from the Libertarians. I also urge everyone reading MadOgre.com to drop all party affiliations. I'm now independent again. I'm not going to go along with any party anymore... they need to work to convince me if I'm going to cast a vote their way. Dropping affiliations also sends the parties a very clear message. They are losing us. I know Dems who can't stand their party anymore, but still claim to be Democrat. Why? I know most readers here are Republicans who are super pissed at the GOP. So why are you still Republicans? Makes no sense. If you are tired of the status quo then vote with your feet and walk. If you listen to the right wing talking heads they like to tie party affiliation with political spectrum standings... Republicans are conservative and Democrats are liberal. I even use this language even if it's incorrect. Let's not allow this to continue. I've not seen anything from the Republicans that is even remotely Conservative. And you know what? Being Conservative is not always the right path either. You have to take each issue on its own merit, look at all sides, apply your own filters to the ethics and the pros and cons, and decide what is best for America's long run.

Kent - Specifically: 1. Bush came in with the platform of less government spending - a noble cause. Currently the debt is $ 2 trillion dollars and climbing. This is $300 million dollars a day in interest alone. That money could purchase a new ship for the navy, or 6 ATF fighters every single day. And his public position is "what's the problem?"

OG – Not to get side tracked, but these new fighters... dayum they are badass. We need these things and we need a lot of them. We need their force multiplier ability if we are going to go head to head against China. And if China goes for Taiwan, then we are going to have to. But that's another subject. The National Debt is best used as an indicator that the .Gov's spending is so far out of control. The Dems want to raise taxes. Who on Capital Hill is saying that we need to Stop Spending? No one actually in an office with power. The Republicans like to pound their chest and claim victory about a roaring economy and tax revenues. What they are not talking about is the spending going on... totally out of control. Fiscal responsibility is something that the Dems like to take credit for under Clinton. You know what? They have a point. The republicans are spending a hell of a lot more than the so called “tax and spend” Dems.

Kent - 2. In the past six years we have lost 3 million manufacturing jobs to the damned Chinese (and more all the time), because they have unfairly kept their currency artificially low. They have the fastest growing military in the world, paid for with our dollars and our jobs. This is how the Russian and Spanish empires failed, is because they were stupid about their economies, and no longer had the money to support adequate defense. Bush has completely ignored this.

OG – Don't forget Mexico. The American Auto Industry has been making a run for the border for some time now. I was talking to one guy here in town that was proud of his history of always buying American cars. His Ford Fusion was sitting there while the guy was smiling. I pointed out the fact to him that they are built in Mexico... he called me an asshole. Sorry. I'm not the one closing factories and reopening them in another country. While we can't say this is all Bush's fault... The Bush Administration did help create the environment for the companies to see the attractiveness of shipping out while practically helping them pack their bags.... the real problem there is the unions that forced their hands. Labor is cheaper without Unions. But that is a whole other debate that is going to be tabled for now.

Kent - 3. The point of invading Iraq was to eliminate weapons of mass destruction, to get rid of extremist Muslim leaders, and eliminate extremist terrorist supporters. As bad as Sadam is, he was none of those things.

OG – Let's not forget the obligation to enforce the mandates that the UN placed on Iraq. Iraq was giving the world and America the middle finger. It was not our obligation to locate all the weapons of mass destruction, but Saddam's. Saddam failed to account for a full 20% of the documented WMD stockpiles. Remember Hans Blix? His team documented all the WMD's and tried to account for the disposal of them. 20% of the weapons went missing. I remember watching CNN live and seeing a convoy of trucks running to Syria. I don't know for sure, but I strongly suspect that these trucks carried WMDs. Why? Because the trucks were running out the back of a facility that the inspectors were entering through the front. It was like Keystone Cops it was so retarded... but it happened. We had to take care of business there in Iraq. It was necessary. Getting rid of Saddam had to happen. Lets also not forget that the terrorists trained in aircraft hijacking in Iraq. We found the airliner fuselage that they trained in. Wish it had been found in France or someplace else... but it was there in Iraq. As Gore would say, it was an inconvenient truth. Let's also not forget all the Democrats rattling the sabers harder and louder for the war than any Republicans. Let's also not forget that before the war, all the terror watch lists had Saddam up at the top of the “those who must be watched” list. He was on the To Do list for a long time and his check mark was overdue. His time ran out. Oh, I am well aware of the fact that most of the Tangos who killed folk on 9-11-01 were from Saudi Arabia. Most of the money came from there too. Global politics and economy can be a bitch.

Kent - Iran is the epitome of those things. Bush invaded the wrong country, and Rumsfeld failed to consolidate the wrong country, taking more than twelve times the schedule he said it would. Rumsfeld failed to stop Osama in the first place, and failed to get him with the best military on the planet!

OG – 100% agreement. Iran is certainly a key member of the axis of evil. We see that all the more clearly today. But Iran was not under UN mandate to comply with inspections. Iran is a whole other problem that the next president is going to have to deal with... so let's not vote in a pussy. We need someone with balls who knows when to kick ass and how far to kick it. Rummy didn't know that. He underestimated the matter. We know the “Mission Accomplished” photo... and that part was a success. We toppled Saddam's government. Militarily it was a total success. But Rummy didn't account for the fact that a land war in the middle east is not a series of battles, but a full blown crusade. His explanation that “we go to war with the Army we have, not the Army we want” doesn't hold much water with me. Undermanned, and under equipped. Our boys – my own blood brothers and not just brothers in arms – rolled around in big jeeps when they needed APC's... and we had APC's sitting there waiting in Kuwait! Hundreds and hundreds of M113 APCs sitting there ready and waiting and fully capable of meeting all the mission requirements of the Stryker progam. All they needed was some light upgrades to bring them up to date with current com gear. But instead of using them and putting them in the field right then and there... they waiting for Strykers. This is the military equivalent of New Orleans not using all their school busses to help evacuate people. This is a giant blunder. I know a lot of guys who will berate the M113, but you know what? They are a hell of a lot better than Hummers when it comes to armor. And you can up armor the M113 Gavins if you need more. Took 3 years for the Strykers to hit the ground. And when they did, they did so impressing only a few easily impressed people. I know lots of Grunts who would rather have rolled in M113s. Anyways... Rummy was a dumbass. To many things I could point out regarding this... I don't have the time to get into. The new guy doesn't look any better. The SecDef needs to be someone who really knows Defense. I'm not still not seeing this.

Kent - My father, the senior master sargent, taught me that when you are in charge, you are responsible. What exactly have Bush and Rumsfeld succeeded at in defense? My dog could have done a better job, and taken more responsibility for the failures. Sorry to get carried away, but I have a national guard cousin fighting in Iraq, and my father fought in Korea. To have men of wealth and privilege, who never fought in war, who are draft dodgers, who's friends get rich off of this war, and who send thousands of our troops to their deaths in the wrong country, (while the oil companies, Haliburton and the Saudis make hundreds of billions of dollars in record profits) in a bungled effort, to say they "support our troops", really pisses me off. Don't misunderstand me - the last thing I want are Democrats. If our administration were to say we needed to bomb and invade Iran, I would be the first to agree, just as I did with Afghanistan. However, can't we demand of our party competence, leaders who actually get the bad guys, and leaders who actually fought for our country, and didn't use power, money and influence to stay safely home? Colin Powell showed incredible competence and dedication in the first gulf war, and they put him in the wrong position and ignored him. McCain actually fought in a war for America and was tortured for it. There are other great conservative leaders out there. How did we end up with Bush and Rumsfeld? If we don't get leaders in the White House who can be competent about the economy and defense, and have truly put their lives on the line for America when they say "they support our troops", then America will fail, and we only have ourselves to blame. What do you think - am I off base here? Can a movement be started to get good Republican leaders in the White house, and be honest about the failures of this administration, so they won't repeat the mistakes? Respectfully, Kent”

OG- Kent, thanks for the email... and thank your father and cousin for me for their service. I appreciate them more than I can say. As far as Iran goes... their time is coming very quickly. What I am really pissed off about is that while Iran is saying that they are going to bomb Israel off the face of the planet, Tony Blair sitting in London sipping his Earl Grey is saying that Syria and Iran can be partners for peace. What the hell are they putting in his tea over there? There is only one way to achieve peace... and that is to remove the hate. There is no fast answer to that... there is no way to remove the hate from people... It takes generations of education to wash it away. We will not see peace in our lifetime, but we can hope our children's children might. Getting a good Republican into office? Yeah, it's possible. But the problem is that the best man for the job is the type of guy that isn't going to want the position in the first place. It's a catch 22. We need a guy that the world can respect. That will inspire people to be better and smarter... who will inspire confidence and peace... who will be reluctant to use force while at the same time not be afraid to do so. An American President that will put America first and foremost yet be aware of our place in the world. Conservative values while not being afraid of new technologies, evolving and morphing social structures. This person can not be a career politician. A true leader. We need a modern Ben Franklin. I don't know anyone like this off the cuff.

Looks like S&W is going to be getting into Shotguns. SHOT SHOW is going to be where their premier a new line. Interesting. They did a great job on their 1911 pistols, the M&P rifles and pistols... S&W is really doing a great job lately. I am looking forward to seeing what they come out with. The downside is that these shotguns are being built in Turkey. It looks like when it comes to shotguns – Turkey is the new Germany. At work I can look at all the shotguns we sell, and pretty much if they are not from Japan, they are from Turkey. Great wood on the Turkish guns. I am not going to fault S&W for building their guns there... but I am deeply disappointed that they could not find a place in the USA. Note to the American Gun Industry: Utah could be the new Detroit of firearms... You have a very Gun Friendly State... the industry needs to reward such politics and not just with campaign contributions... but with jobs and participating in the community that will embrace them. Such a move as S&W has made, much like Ford, is one of pure Profit without looking at the long term. Sure they might make a buck now, but what about in 10 years? Or unfortunately now, in 2 years? Maybe that is why they went to Turkey? Still, American gun companies should be building their guns in America. Browning, Winchester, now S&W. Is nothing sacred anymore?

A few days ago I mentioned a band called “Nightwish”. Very cool music, very different. On a whim I looked up the band's website to see what other albums they had. I think they take themselves too seriously. The female lead vocalist that I liked – and the reason I liked the band in the first place – was fired for being too arrogant or something. Maybe she was a total biatch, but she made the band work. Funny how lots of Leads leave the band and go on to make a better career while the rest of the band evaporates... I am sure this gal will have a great new album in the future. But we with the rest of the group good luck.

On days when I write a long update, I often do so while sitting in a little New York style deli called “Gandolfo's”. There are not many places to get good food around here, but Gandolfo's is one of them. They know my name here, what I order, and are friendly. It's also a bonus is that one of the gals here is a gorgeous Jennifer Gardner look-alike with a great smile.

Wed, 11-15-06:  I have been considering another Gun Project. Pariah (The Black Marlin) was/is a complete success. I'd like it even more with an upgraded red dot sight. The TruGlo unit is great, but the dot is a bit large. I'd prefer a 2MOA dot, instead of a 5. 5 is usable and fast up close, but for longer range shooting, it's less than ideal. Well, regardless, it still works for the intended purpose and at this very moment within arms reach if needed and that is what it is all about. I think I'm going to hold off on a .35 caliber rifle. Not that they are not interesting... they are... but because Marlin isn't making the platform that I want yet. Basically an XLR in .35 Remington... or any other rifle in Stainless. They only offer it in a 20 inch blued gun. I'll wait... An Encore is very tempting, but I want a Repeater. My next project is going to be about hitting harder. Delivering Elephant stopping power at reasonable range, with reasonable accuracy. I'm thinking very seriously about a Shotgun Sniper. .45-70 was my first consideration as I am fond of that caliber, Marlin makes it in XLR, and Hornady's new Evolution stuff is in a word – fantastic. But 12 Gauge needs some more attention. Ammo for it is everywhere. (Slugs) The ammo is cheap. And it just seems to have a great deal of potential that get overlooked a lot. I remember that I used to have a link to an Israeli website about IDF snipers using a Mossberg bolt action shotgun as a sniper rifle. So I know it is possible. I just want to see what it is really capable of. Lots of guys hunt with slug guns... just about everyone that makes a shotgun makes a slug gun. The only question is where to start. What platform to begin with. Then how to make it more effective, properly Ogreish, and worth the time, effort, and money. A Bolt action would be easiest to make accurate, which is why the IDF went with that. But if I want to hit something far away, hard, with a bolt action... well, I have my 7MM Maggie. I want it to be different. Something no one has done before. Simple is as simple does, and a pump action might be a good way to roll. Lots of barrels out there for Remington. I'm very fond of the Marine Magnum 870, but it's pretty far away from being a Slugger. Maybe a semi. In a semi a good starting point would be Stoeger. The Benelli action in a cheap form. Not a bad starting platform... Soooo... we shall see. I'm going to have to think about this.

So Nancy Pelosi says to the President... “I'm looking forward to working in a non-partisan manor” while all the other Dems are pretty much being as nasty as possible, vindictive, and flat out poisonous. Yes, America, this is what our country needed. Thanks a lot. And Virginia? Give me a break... You guys elected a dude that writes about fathers giving oral sex to their sons. Nice. You freaking idiots.  I'm just so freaking proud of my country. This is just great. Maniacs, Psychopaths, and Deviants are now in charge. Well, we have had them in power for many years now, but now they are being open about it. I liked it better when they pretended to be normal. Yeah, I know I am reactionary. That is my nature. I can't help it. I see something, I react to it. Ben Franklin is probably up in heaven weeping right now.

One of the biggest reasons I have a problem with the Democrats gaining the upper hand is that they as a party have the philosophy that all the world's ill are the fault of the USA. They are not proud to be Americans. It's true that the USA is not without sin... but regardless of that, America is a pretty dang good country. I've sold guns to 3 individuals lately... recent immigrants from South Africa and Germany. You know, as bad as the USA is (in the minds of the dems) America is still a pretty damn good place to be.

Let's try to look for the silver lining here. For one, the Dems are going to put a halt to the US/Mexico fence. The fence was a joke and I wasn't laughing. That project was a slap in the face to conservatives who believe the border needs to be secured. You know, if we are going to have an open border anyways, just open the thing up. Allow the .Mil to conduct sniper training along the border... but go ahead and open it up. We don't need to spend 40 million on chicken wire that wont stop anything. The other thing they are doing is that they are going to pass the net neutrality thing. That's important for reasons I'm not going to go into. Patriot Act is probably going to get killed too and that's not a bad thing either. The patriot act had good points and bad, but in the end, it's just a big tool for the .gov to abuse. We can do the job of National Security without shitting on the Constitution. There are some other minor things that are positives... so all is not lost. But let's just hope that we take everything back in '08. Seriously. If we lose in '08 then its curtains for gun rights. With the UN leaning on us like they are... and the Dems wanting to play footsies even more than Bush... it's not a good thing.

I pulled up the NRA.org's page... They have a thing about the New Orleans gun confiscations. I think all of us have been pretty unhappy about that happening. But what I am unhappy about is how easily they did it. How easily it was to disarm a whole population. Door to door confiscations went too smoothly... it worked. All they did was go door to door and they took all the guns. Easy as pie. That is what concerns me the most. That is what troubled me the most. Almost complete lack of resistance other than some yelling and cussing. Pathetic. I would rather have seen a rolling street battle, but you know, I don't think that would happen. Most gun owners would, like in New Orleans, just roll over. You ask yourself this... Would you roll over? Or would you stand and fight? Just ask yourself that. One day there is going to come a pounding on your door, and your are going to have to have your answer ready.

Friday, 11-10-06:  I find that I am becoming increasingly interested in two things. First off, .35 Caliber rifles. I know this might be odd to many of MadOgre.com readers, especially since there are no military calibers in .35. Because .35 bullets have the ballistic coefficient of cinder blocks. And also because .35 has pretty much been out of style for awhile. Not many folks are still into the .35's. Back east they are still used as deer rifles, in the guise of the .35 Remington launched from the Marlin 336. I'm also interested in the .35 Whelen. Even more power. Even though they don't fly very well and tend to drop after their zero range like a guy with a broken bungy cord, it remains a very potent game getter. A big fat slug delivering a high energy impact with deep penetration... that's what I'm all about. The bonus is that these qualities are delivered in a light rifle with easy handling that doesn't kick your trash, break your shoulder, or detach a retina when you fire it. I like that. I like that a lot.

I've also been thinking more and more about hunting rams. Bighorn Sheep. It's more of an adventure than most other hunts. The animals are way up there and they don't let themselves be taken easily. Hunting them is in a word, challenging. More than Elk or Deer ever where. I've been up high where the rams are... it's not easy to get to. Not as many guys like hunting them. You can't call them, attract them with scent, and you can't sit in a tree stand waiting for them. I don't know of anything else that is not a Predator that I want to ever bother hunting for. Bonus is that Jeff Cooper said that they are the best eating. Combine these two things... and this is what I've been fixated about for some time now. Hunting big rams with a .35 sounds like just the ticket. Oh hell yes. In Utah this is a once in a lifetime hunt and they are very expensive. Might not be worth it. Up in Montana, it is a different story. Unlimited for not a bad price. That's my dream job. A fellow from South Africa invited me to go there for a Kudu hunt, but you know... I'd rather go up to Montana. More for your money and a lot less hassle.

Now as far as new guns and stuff go... Like I said, I'm interested and considering a .35. There is one new gun coming out that I am going to have absolutely no choice in getting. Hornady's and Marlin's new .308 Express. What this is, is essentially a remake of the .307 load... or in other words, a rimmed .308. The specially bit about this is that they are designed to work in Marlin rifles, using Hornady's new rubber tipped Evolution bullets. It's the sum of the parts that I'm liking here.. the package in your hand. That's what makes this project such an attractive one. Potentially even more attractive than the .35's.

Watched “Into the Blue”. Not as bad of a flick as I thought it was going to be. Let's get this out of the way... Jessica Alba is freaking crazy hot. You could call it the Wet and the Furious with a lot of Jessica's skin. It's actually well done... decent story line, plot twists, unexpected events, and Jessica Alba swimming in a bikini. Whoa.

Thursday, Nov 9th, 2006: I listened to a little Rush Limbaugh the day of the 8^th to get his take on the election results. He says that the Dems won by moving to the right and being Conservative so that this election while a defeat for the Republicans is actually a win for Conservatism. This is horsepucky. This is a defeat just like the battle of the Alamo was a defeat. There is no silver lining on this. Here is why – Nancy Pelosi. Regardless of how Conservative a Dem might be... he or she is still a Dem and Dems will vote for Nancy Pelosi to be the Speaker of the House. That's a travesty. I didn't think of it that way before... I wanted to believe in the possibility of Moderation and that there might be “Good Democrats”. There is no such thing as a good one. Much like Werewolves, they might seem good and nice and fine folk, until there is a full moon... or in the case of Dems, a Vote to be cast. There were good Dems in the past, but the Dems kicked them out. Zell Miller and Joe Lieberman... but even they were only good to a point. The Dems, even as nice a smile as they try to put on, (and it's creepy as hell when they try) are the party for base immorality. They are For Cutting and Running, For Raising Taxes, For Open Borders (because they tend to vote Dem), For Gun Control, For letting Sex Offenders Off Easy, For Abortion, For denying parents the right to know if their daughter gets an abortion, against parental consent, for teaching little kids about oral and anal sex instead of maybe doing something other than sex, and not even let the parents know that this is what they are teaching the kids. They are flat out the party of evil. Simple as that. Thats how I see it. Not that the Republicans are the “Good guys”, I'm not saying that... I'm just saying that the Dems – as a party - are just flat out wicked and should not be trusted. No, I don't like the Democrat Party. The DNC is the bigger threat to family values than Gay Marriage could ever be. And in case your wonder, no, I'm not against gay marriages. I've said it before, I'm Libertarian and I don't care what do consenting adults do. Not my business. I think however that parent and child relations are different and the parent has the responsibility to raise their kids they way they see fit. Pelosi as the Speaker of the House... Harry Reid the Senate Majority Leader... this is a national disaster. This is worse than 9-11 or Katrina. However hopefully, like the Battle of the Alamo, this is going to serve as a huge wakeup call to rally the Right Wing to get everyone that they can out to vote. This next election is not a time for 3^rd party battles. Third Party groups need to concentrate on building a more solid local level foundation. Parties such as the Constitution Party and the Libertarians need to work on taking over the State levels before they move on the nationals. For the big national level seats, you just have to swallow it – for now – and vote republican. Because if you don't, it's the same damn thing as voting Democrat. We have got to crush the Dems completely before we can divide the republicans. The enemy is this NeoLiberalism that the Dems have embraced that espouses the worst of the worst. The two party system is ruining the US. George Washington was sooo very right about avoiding political parties. Unfortunately if you want to run for anything without a party to back you, you have to be as rich as Bill Gates or be an established popular popstar or celebrity. In the world environment that we have now, you have to have a party to pool resources. They have become a necessary evil. There is no getting around it.

So, first order of business... buy all the guns you can now. I suggest evil black rifles. AR-15's, AK types, SKS's and Mini-14's & 30's. Also, buy and stockpile as much ammunition for those guns as you can. You have two years. Good luck.

Oh, interesting rumor... FN might be releasing an FNP in .45ACP. Nice.

Okay – I'm done ranting. Time for a lighter subject. I know many of The Horde like weird B grade monster/horror/zombie flicks. “SLITHER” (out on DVD now) has GOT to be on your MUST WATCH list. ASAP. Nathan Fillion of Firefly/Serenity fame has his own Shaun of the Dead kinda flick and it is awesome. I just watched it and man... It's great. One of the best flicks of it's type. Kick back with a plate of nachos and some cold ones and some buddies and enjoy this one. It's sick and fun. Gotta love it.  

Check this out... "aftermarket" saber dual.

Wed, Nov 8th, 2006: The Vote: Watching some of the early voting results pretty much reinforces some of my opinions about the nature of this nation's political structure. The voting results pretty much show the country is further polarizing when we need to be homogenizing. The lines of polarization look similar to the county vote result map from the 2000 elections. The big cities verses the country. This isn't surprising as the big cities, much like the democrats themselves have the attitude that other people should do all the work to provide for them... The cities get their food and water shipped in from the country... from the Conservative “fly over” states. The Cities being primarily Democrats are required to be dependent on those that produce... it's almost a natural order of things. Much like blood sucking leaches.

No, I'm not happy with the results. Not at all. I'm not surprised, and I am not pleased at all. I don't think there were any real big surprises here... I am saddened that the standards of San Francisco are becoming the standards of the USA. This is patently uncool. Here is what America is leaning too... Abortions for everyone, completely open and unsecured borders, schools where the focus is not on education but feeling good, military defeat and deeper cutbacks, socialism, censorship of those who are critical of Liberals... this isn't good. This is a black day for the USA.

This email pretty much sums up why I'm not very happy: “Ogre, I read your comment that UK gun policy is a 'black mark on the free world.' I wholeheartedly agree that the near total prohibition of firearms here in the UK is nothing to be proud of, no matter how many times Tony Blair may claim that he has 'taken guns off the streets' (a claim made in a TV broadcast shortly after he became prime minister in 1997, in fact he'd taken guns out of locked cabinets, they were still on the streets and are being used more now than then). what I cannot agree with is the implication that the UK is part of the free world. Since Tony Blair came to power the British government has intruded into the lives of its citizens more than ever through spiteful laws (the pistol ban, hunting ban) and an increasing tax burden that is turning the UK's economy into a Soviet-style one where the population exists only to serve the state. Political protest is becoming more difficult in Blair's Britain, unless you are a Muslim promoting violence. Fox hunt supporters were attacked by the police, but masked Muslim demonstrators have been allowed to call for the killing of anyone who dares to critise them, even though under UK law anyone taking part in public protest may be ordered to remove masks by the police or face arrest (this was to prevent anti-capitalist rioters hiding their identities). However, people wearing tee shirts marked 'Bollocks to Blair' have been ordered to remove them or be arrested for 'causing offense' by our now politicized police force. A single protester who read out the names of British soldiers killed in Iraq without permission was arrested and removed by a large group of policemen, even though I don't agree with the protester's opinions I am appalled that she wasn't allowed to protest in this way. Sadly I doubt that a change of government will improve things much. The Conservatives are turning themselves into a copy of Blair's New Labour and their leader, David Cameron has already broken the only firm promise he gave when running for the leadership (he said he'd pull the Conservatives of the federalist European Peoples Party in the EU parliament, but didn't go through with it), while the Liberal Democrats are only liberal in the US sense of the word, their are socialist through and through, and anti-American to the core.
I would however like to include at least one pleasant comment. At my local gun club (an indoor .22 range) we still a significant number of members under thirty, and some teenagers. we may lose some of the teenagers when they go to university, but hopefully they will stay with the sport. Regards Stephen
PS. If 'Take a Brit Shooting Day' in 1775 had gone differently you could be stuck with gun laws the same as ours. So I'd say things went pretty well.”

Well, Stephen – it looks like we are following your footsteps now.

SUGGESTION: I suggest that we abolish Voting Districts and align everything straight up according to county lines. Some counties are big, some not... doesn't matter... no more districts. This will put an end to the gerrymandering that has cause much contention and twist votes in favor of the party that did the gerrymandering. Straight County Counting. Don't tell me that it can't be done. It can. And we need to get it done. Just like we need Congressional Term Limits. Two terms and your done. That's it. Final.

Enough politics for right now. I've had it. Hey, I don't know about where you guys are at, but the local Blockbuster store has changed... all movie rentals, including new releases are only 2.99 and it's for 7 days. Also if you do Blockbuster Online, you can drop off your movies and exchange them at the store instead of waiting for the mail. Whoa. BB must be going through some tough times or something, competing with Netflix and internet movies and stuff. This is drastic change here. Just with the local theater would follow along. About time something became cheaper instead of going up like everything else.

Monday, Nov 6, 2006: Selecting a rifle is a very personal and individual thing. The rifle should be the right size for you... it should fit you. Like trying out a handgun or trying on a pair of shoes. Shotgunners are lucky in this aspect as many shotguns come with shims to adjust the fit to the owner. Riflemen are not so fortunate. Rifles are made one size and that's it. Some are making youth sized stocks, but those are only available in puny calibers. I'm talking from the factory. Browning does a good job at intermediate length stocks with their Hunter series, but if you are a big guy, you are out of luck here. The reach to the trigger is a factor. How comfortable the stock is while holding on to it with your nonfiring hand, the gun's balance... all of these things come into play. Once you found a brand you like, in the caliber you want, with the finish you want... check out the individual rifle. In my gunshop, we show you a rifle or shotgun that is on display. The actual gun in the box you get is usually slightly different. Take the time to check the gun in the box. Much like in the car business they say don't buy a car built on Mondays or Fridays... guns suffer the same inconsistency. Wood grain is also going to be very different. Take a good hard look. Your looking for flaws in the stock. Dents. Scratches. Missing bits. The obvious things. Now look for the more subtle things... Check how the barrel lays in the channel. You should have even gaps on both sides. Look at the fit of the butt plate or recoil pad. Look at the trigger mechanism and the wood fit around it. It should fit, but don't expect tight tolerances if your looking at a cheap gun. Even still, there should be no gaps or voids. The action would work freely with no binding. If it feels gritty, ask why. The finish on the metal should be even and uniform unless your getting a gun with a case colored finish. Slip a dollar under the barrel between the metal and the stock. Some guns have a pressure point up front at the tip, but it should be free rearward. Others are free floating all the way, so those should allow a dollar bill to play freely between the metal and the wood. The crown of the barrel should be clean and free of burrs or any blemishes or anything that might effect accuracy. If it doesn't look right, it isn't. As to see another gun if something is screwy. If the gun's box was still taped shut with factory stickers or the like, that's a good sign. If the box looks like it was ransacked, look harder at the gun. Some shops with less ethics may have fiddled with it. Others might just have checked the gun's serial numbers with those on the box's label... but look closely at the gun anyway and everything that should have come in the box. Manual, gun lock, etc. For example, Rugers should come with scope rings or a weaver base on the 10-22. If the gun had been on display, the shop should disclose that fact to you before you fill out the paperwork. Remember, you can walk away any time until you sign that background form. Now, don't be a pain in the ass and ask to look at every single CZ 550 American rifle in .270 until you find one with wood that you like. Your looking for flaws... If the rifle is otherwise fine, but you like the display's wood grain better, it is okay to ask for the display gun instead. That's fine. But it's tacky to ask the clerk to look at every one of them so you can pick the prettiest wood. That's breaking etiquette and makes you look like an ass, no matter how many guns you have purchased from the shop. Remember the “It's a good sign when the box wasn't opened”?

Now about the brands of rifles... the name on it doesn't really matter so much if the gun fits you, fits your budget, and you like it. Screw the Gun Forums out there where people bash any rifle they don't own and shoot, or the best rifle on the planet is the one they purchased and anything else just isn't as good. That's BS. No one is really making a sucky rifle. No one is making them as good as they used to make either... but no one is making a bad one. Even the ghetto grade Stevens is a great shooter even if it looks like a mud fence.

The most important thing about buying your rifle is not to be afraid of asking questions. Even dumb questions. If the guy behind the gun counter knows his shit, then he should not have any problem answering anything about the rifle. If he is acting like your wasting his time, then back off, wait for another clerk or go someplace else. Price is little object if they guy gives you a good education about the gun so your purchase is well informed and the gun you got is up to your standards. Of course you don't want to pay too much, but if you are making a good decision, then your going to be okay.

Scopes. Too many cats out there thing a good scope is something that is higher power than a 3X9 scope. This variable power from 3X magnification to 9X magnification... this has nothing to do with the quality of the optics. That's just the power rates of the magnification, nothing more than that. I've said before Swarvoski is the best optics on the planet, and I'm still saying that. But those scopes are tending to be over a grand and well above. You don't have to pay that much for decent optics, but you don't want to cheap out here. This is a splurge item. This is probably the first thing to buy. Get as much optic as you can. I've said before that a good starting point is a Nikon Buckmaster. True. What about that new VX-L from Leupold? That bigger objective lens has to let in more light, doesn't it? Yeah, technically it does... but it funnels it all into the same 1” diameter tube like all the other scopes, thus losing the light gathering advantage that such a monster objective gives you. If they were making this with a 30MM tube, then I could see good benefit here. Sure, the scope looks cool and different, but it's 650 bucks. I don't think it's exactly worth that much. For that much you could get a Ziess and be getting a much better overall package. Dont buy into any gimmicky scope. Illuminated crosshairs may or may not be needed on a hunting rifle, but I don't think they hurt. And on a murky day they very well could come in handy... so much like I've grown fond of tritium in my handgun sights... I'm going to say that I'll take an illuminated scope too. All the different patterns going on, mildots or BDC or german or plex... really this one comes down to what you are used to using the most. But I'd say the common plex with fine center crosshairs are going to be just fine for most realistic applications. The Horus shooting system? For the love of all that is holy, give me a break. For all the calculations estimating your range, drop, windage and then counting all the points to find your point of aim... your target is going to be long gone by the time you are ready to actually shoot. I can't see how that system is going to be a real benefit. Especially since your target is so obscured by the system. Sheesh. Remember, your buying glass, not a missile guidance system like some hype would have you believe. On the glass you have different coatings and these are what separates the men from the boys in terms of quality. You want your optics to be “Fully Coated”. That means all the applicable coatings on every internal lens and prism. These coatings are what allow the most light to transmit through the objective lens and to your eye, not just the size of the objective. Then you have the strength of the mechanism and if it can handle the recoil you are going to inflict on it. Every scope will eventually fail, but some will fail before others. You want one that wont fail so soon. Simmons, BSA, and some others... they are all pretty cheap. Optical quality is not that great and some can be absolutely delicate. I've seen some old Tascos that are totally abused and their optics look like your looking through a glass of vegetable-beef soup, but the scope is still strong and holds its zero. If you are a fair weather shooter and shoot only during the bright light of day, then such a scope might do you just fine. If you go out into the world that is less than picture book perfect, then brighter optics are a must.

Email from the Nordic Thug: “About getting started in the art of the rifle. I started and I started my son with a .22. A .22 rifle and a brick or two of shells is a recipe for the pleasantest of afternoons. My preference is for single shot rifles as one spends much more time shooting than loading magazines. About the only thing as much fun as spending an afternoon shooting .22's with your son is an afternoon spent shooting muzzle loaders with your daughter. But that's just me. Gerry” ABSOLUTELY!

Email from the UK: “Dear George, I went to the famous ranges at Bisley yesterday to do a little practicing with my deer rifle *. It was pretty busy but, looking around me, I noticed that almost all of the other shooters were older than me (I'm 33) **. Out of maybe 40 people shooting on that particular range, on that day, only 2 seemed to be under 25 and only 1 was a woman. It's pretty much the same story wherever I shoot - the UK shooting community is aging and shrinking fast. This is not a coincidence: it is deliberate policy. The Government has indicated its intention to allow shooting sport to "wither on the vine". The main instrument is draconian, complex legislation, enforced with apparent glee by the various UK police forces. Shooting sports are not actually banned here, but they are severely restricted and this has the effect of taking the joy out of shooting. Gun owners are treated badly here, even by UK standards - and in the UK, you are never allowed to forget that you are a subject, not a citizen. The result is that young people simply can't be bothered to get involved in shooting and prefer TV and videogames to going out with a gun. So, when old shooters die, there is no one to replace them or even to inherit their guns. The guns go straight to the Police smelter. Let this be a warning to US shooters. Government officials and pressure groups talk to one another and anything which seems to work will be copied widely. The best thing that a US shooter can do to protect the future of his sport (and his freedom) is to take someone shooting. Anyone. But especially a young person or a woman. And make sure that it is FUN. Could Mad Ogre help to drive such a campaign? You know, a bit like "take your daughter to work" day. "Take someone you love shooting this Winter?" Something like that? Over to you – Yours James St Albans, UK”

James, I feel your pain. The UK's gun policy is a black mark on the free world. So much so that people visiting the States from the UK don't even know what guns are anymore. I had a couple from one of your shires over there watch me put a scope on a Thompson Encore, a muzzle loading black powder gun, same technology as your Brown Bess... and they called it a machinegun. What? A proper education should include some firearms basics. But that's is another subject altogether. What can we do to help this? Well, everyone in “The Horde” (that's the official title given to regular MadOgre.com readers) knows the importance of taking someone shooting whenever they can. Taking young people shooting is a natural extension of that policy. Let's expand that. I almost want to start a National Take a Brit Shooting day... But the last one was held on April 19^th 1775 and that didn't turn out so well. But I think enough time has passed we can probably try it again. Or instead of waiting for any specific day, how about any chance we get, we take someone from the UK out shooting. Also, for those in the UK coming to the US, make it a point to go shooting. If anyone in the UK is coming to my state (Utah), I'd be happy to take them shooting, handgun and rifle and let them shoot them up. First box of ammo is on me.

Interesting rock group: “Nightwish”. You guys know Ogre likes his Heavy Metal. I like all forms of music, but Heavy Metal is my muse. Hard Rock, classic heavy stuff... I groove on it. Not sure where this “Nightwish” groups is coming from, but they are a mix of Heavy Metal with... uh... opera or something. Haunting female vocals interlacing with the heavy guitar riffs. It's pretty badass. Different, but very cool. If you get the chance, check them out. Very interesting. Our man Ben gave us some MP3s and I'm listening to this stuff thinking that they might be worthy looking for the CD. You know?

Some great news! Tina paid off her rifle! See photos on the Tina's Rest page. I want to give thanks to all those that supported Tina and helped her get her gun. Willie is going to keep up doing these Walnut filled sandbag rests for a little while longer, maybe through Christmas now. Why? Tina goes through ammo... she' a shooter now!

Big Vote Tomorrow! I'm not going to tell you guys who to vote for or how to vote. Just vote for the best person for the job and let the chips fall where they may. Don't vote against anyone... vote for someone. That's all I'm saying. But I pray to God that the Democrats lose every seat on Capital Hill. Every single mother-loving one of them... fuckers.

Friday, Nov 3, 2006: Got a call from my Bro, Jimmie. Always awesome to hear from the Fam back in VA. He mentioned that his bride reads MadOgre.com. Howdy, Sis.

Long explanation to lots of small questions:  There are quite a few guys out there who are wanting to get into The Art of the Rifle, but don't know where to start. Allow me to help you out. If you are just wanting to get your feet wet, you probably don't want to spend a ton of money, but you don't want Ghetto Equipment either. A good starting caliber is .223 due to the cost of ammunition. You can do a lot of shooting for the money. .22-250 is another good starting caliber if you want to go for varmints at a reasonable cost. .243 is bigger and good for deer, ammo isnt too bad. .308 is over rated like crazy. It is a very average caliber in my opinion. But it is cost effective. I like calibers that you can buy anywhere. .270 Win, 7MM Rem Mag, .30-06. If you get something different like .338-375 Weatherby, don't be offended if not every gunshop stocks ammo for it. Savage is a good place to start, because they have some of the best factory barrels in the business and they don't cost an arm and a leg. CZ, Remington, Kimber are my favorites. If you buy used, before you do anything else soak the barrel in Hoppes Elite to remove fouling, the clean it out really good. Then soak it again. Rinse and repeat. You want that barrel virginal. If your rifle is brand new, clean it after every shot for the first box of rounds, then after every ten shots or so, depending on your caliber. Your rifling is sacred and holy... treat it as such. Your Scope is even more sacred than your rifling. It is delicate and easily damaged. Also, more than anything else in riflecraft, you get what you pay for. Buy as much scope as you can. I really like Nikon for the value. Go ahead and skip the Prostaff line of scopes from Nikon, those are the low end and they are a bit too low, I think. The Buckmark line is decent stuff. The Monarch series is Nikon's top. If you are on a budget, a Buckmark will serve you just fine. If money is no object, and you want the best scope out there... Nothing beats a Swarovski. Nothing. They make Zeiss scopes look like crap. Not that Zeiss is a bad scope at all... they are better than Nikon... but the Swarovski stuff is just that good. A good rule of thumb is that your scope should cost about what your rifle cost. If you can follow that, fine. If not, get a Buckmark. BSA, Simmons, Bushnell, I tend to pass them over. Nikon has a lifetime no fault warranty so its a really safe bet and I like that. What ever scope you buy, have it installed by a professional if you are new to the sport. A badly mounted scope can ruin it. I you come to my shop and buy a scope from me, I'll mount it and bore sight it for free. That shouldn't be too much to ask from your local shop either. I do it and I don't even like people, so if I can do it – they should too. Get a scope cover or flip up lens covers. Protect that glass. Use a Lens Pen to clean dust off your lenses. If you are not actively shooting – cover your lenses. Be anal about that. Ammunition is a difficult subject. Don't just ask “What's the cheapest you got in my caliber”? Because that is just asking for headaches. Buy good ammo. I really like Hornady Custom, but if I can't get that, I get Winchester black box or Super X as my last preference. Remington ammunition has left a bad taste in my mouth and Federal is only marginally better in the calibers I shoot. PMC stuff – run. Bullet weights in your caliber depend on your rifle. Since every rifle is different yours might like a different weight or load than someone else who has the same rifle. If your new to the sport or have a new rifle, get a box of each. Try as many different loads as you can and see which one gives you the best groups. Again, clean your rifle frequently. Don't shoot reloads if you don't know who loaded them. Or if you know the guy that reloaded them is a real piece of work... then don't shoot them either. For example if I did the reloading, you don't want to shoot it in your own gun. A Bipod is popular for “tactical rifles” or sniper rifles. Your hunting rifle might not need it. All depends on the type of shooter you are. My 7MM sports a bipod, but it isn't necessary. None of my other rifles have one either. When it comes to shooting rifles, or any other gun for that matter, the lower you are, the more stable you are. Standing is the least stable, then kneeling, squatting, sitting (not at a bench), prone. Shooting from the bench is like prone, only a heck of a lot more comfortable. Don't get into the habit of bench shooting because that isn't field shooting... its a luxury. Benching is fine for zeroing your gun, checking loads, and things like that, but it should be kept to a minimal. You should practice shooting in postures you will likely use in the field. This is why shooting sticks and mono-pods are popular. They help stabilize a less than perfect position. If you can't go prone, sitting or kneeling off shooting sticks is the next best thing and raising up gives you better visibility. Leaning up against big rocks that are happily in the right place at the right time is not something I'd bet on in the field. If it happens, great, if not, shooting sticks. You don't have to spend money on sticks either... they are sticks! Find some. A pair of arrows. Tent poles. Long thin strong branches. I'll talk more on this later.

Thursday Nov 2, 2006: Our friend and fellow Hordeman Marcus Wynne has a new book coming out soon, so stay alert for it. For you readers out there looking for a book that you can sink your teeth into and one that might bite you back, you have got to check out his stuff. Marcus is one of the few real writers out there that has been there and done that and really knows of what he writes... none of that “He cocked and put his Glock on safety” bull crap that some inexperienced writers have said. If you have not read one of Marcus' books, you are missing out. His action is gritty and his bad guys – really bad. Kick ass books. Order them for yourself or Christmas presents.

You gotta love how Drudge, just by reporting facts, is destroying John Kerry. All I've got to say is that I am so freaking happy that he isn't the President. The man has the ethics and morals of an elitist seagull who would not hesitate to eat his own young if it would profit him. The man is as shallow and as transparent as a sheet of glass. No, I don't like him at all. I can't even think of something – anything – nice to say about him at all. His racist comments, I hope bite him in the ass like an African Lion. Him and his fellow Mass Senator need to take an exit stage right like Senator Tom Dash-hole did and lost his seat in an election. Boston needs a pair of Libertarian Senators. Here's to hope.

Wed, Nov, 1, 2006:  Wilson Combat: Their new ADP pistol has arrived. It's slick in action and in trigger. Slim. Small. And in 9MM instead of .380 something puny. Night sights. Retails for under 600. Gas operated like the HK P7 series. I like the looks and feel of it. The trigger, I said slick... it's real slick. There is no break. The pull is light and smooth all the way to where it just falls off. I've never felt anything like it, it's that different. No hitch. Nothing.. the sear just falls. It's awesome. Can't wait to shoot it, but it looks like I'm going to have to. Damn it! I remember the old Heritage Stealth... and while this is the same design... this isn't the same pistol The old one was gritty and nasty. This is nothing like it. This is like a geeky teenage girl that you used to know who grew up into a svelt woman that makes you do a double take and say something like “whoa”.

Speaking of guns... I'm over due in posting up some gun reviews into the weapons section. I've got pressing matters at the moment, but they are coming!

If you want to be a Writer...then be a Writer. If your going to do it – DO IT. This is an internal decision, not and external one. No one else in the world can tell you that you are or are not a Writer – that's who you are... not what you do. It's kind of like being in love, but less floral.  Take mental notes on everything. Written notes on the most important things. Collect bits. Video bits, sound bits, notes on things you hear and see... take photos. Get a digital camera and get used to packing it. Don't be afraid to use it. Photos help you remember things. Don't think Google is all the “research” that you need. Google only gives you a starting point. Get hands on with research. Get to know what you are talking about. Don't be afraid to publish something. Don't be afraid to show your work.

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Copyright G H Hill 1999-2012

“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.”