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Win a scoped .22 Rifle. $1 a ticket. Via PayPal. Saturday, 9-30-06: FNH has returned to us the pistol with the faulty trigger that I was going to review for Concealed Carry Magazine. After I am done with the CZ-100, I'm doing the FNP9. They did a great job on it, and the trigger is quite good for a DA/SA gun. Not good as in impressive, but good as in slightly above average. I'd call it on par. Considering what it was before, it's a thousand times better. While the review will be objective and fair and take into account the faulty trigger initially... overall it will be a positive review. A word about Project X. The scope of Project X has expanded. Once X is off the ground, it is pretty much going to be a small publishing house. Gearing up for this s difficult and time consuming... and crazy expensive. I'm seeking grant money for this – so you Libertarians out there harder core than I can keep it to yourself. I know... I'm evil. I know. But I promise the money will go to a good use – Getting this going and giving employment to about a dozen people mostly full time and a couple dozen others to lesser degrees. This is a life long dream to do this... and I am determined to make it happen. It will. Eventually. But I'm not going to launch it until it's ready to launch. I want to make sure it's done right. To do it right, I'm going to need talent in areas I don't have. Once funding is in place, I will ask for the talent and together we will launch something fantastic. I'll need animators, editors for audio and video, DVD authoring, and writers and presenters... a couple guys and a couple gals for that We've got a couple different and diverse directions and I'm going to organize two different teams to handle it. It will be great. Not everything has to be local here either. Local is better for the actual production portion, but contributors can be from anywhere. We got in some interesting new guns at work. One of them is the Magnum Research redone Ruger 10/22 thing with the carbon fiber barrel chambered in .17 Mach 2. Wow. I can't believe how light that thing is. It's easily ½ of what you would expect. At least. I've seen them and handled them before – at SHOT – but I was taken again by the “WOW” factor. It's not a cheap gun, but if it shoots as good as it looks, and if it shoots as good as it feels... then it has the potential to be one of the most FUN firearms ever made. Period. The other gun that I am impressed with is the 9MM EMP pistol by Springfield Armory. This is a 1911 scaled down to 9MM, slimed and streamlined. It's not as skinny as the STI LS9, but it has a great feel and even better looks. Taking it out shooting is not in the realm of possibility as we only got one example and customers get first dibbs on new products. The new Px4 Storm pistol is also a favorite of mine of the new handguns... I like the looks and the way it feels. I'm a fan of Beretta... always will be. Being a writer for Concealed Carry Magazine, you would think I am all about concealable handguns... I'm more open than that. I like ALL guns. Well, not all of them... AR-15's and Hi Points don't do anything for me. Rimfires don't really get me excited all that much either unless they are special some how. The one gun though that always grabs my eye and the one that I've been thinking about more often than other guns... the Remington 870 Marine Magnum. I'm going to have to get one of those. My next gun most likely. I did pick up something recently... something that I shouldn't have... a new pocket knife. It's from Columbia River. Now hear me out on this one. I know most of their knives are made with cheap blade steel that holds an edge only a little bit longer than silly putty, but this one is actually made with a very good flavor of Stainless. Have you heard of a custom knife maker named Brian Tighe? Google him up and look at the knives he makes. Crazy. He has one that is favorite of mine and I've wanted one. Down side is that his knife costs $450 bucks. CRKT did what Kershaw did and contracted with a custom knife maker to make a production run of a custom design. The “My Tighe” is the knife... it's gorgeous, feels awesome in the hand, has a snappy “assisted opening” feature that makes it faster than a switchblade without being illegal. They made a great knife, CRKT did. I have been tempted to by other CRKT knives before, but never could actually bring myself to spend my own dollars on them. I had a couple years ago and never purchased one since. Until the other day. The CRKT My Tighe is FANTASTIC. The Kershaw Boa has met it's match. If you have access to a knife shop that stocks them... check it out. You have to get this knife in your hand. Images do not do it justice. My cost on it was ½ of what we ask for retail... so it was a bargain for a knife I've lusted after. Let me fill you in on the happenings at Ogre Ranch. Mrs. Ogre had torn up the kitchen... Monday I came home early to find the bathroom also tore up. Mrs. Ogre found a water leak that had been sneaky. Under the floor was a great lot of water damage. She had pulled off the toilet and left it for me. I tore the floor up, repaired it, then we tiled it. It looks great. Plumbing issues with the toilet are resolved, but the sink is not back in yet... because Mrs. Ogre ordered a new one. (that was tore out too at the same time) Once the new sink comes in, we'll get the bathroom finished and it wont feel like we are camping so much. Not like we planned on just ordering a new sink... no... We got a new one. And after we got it in, Mrs. Ogre changed her mind and pulled it back out and traded it back in for some fancy schmancy new one. We're also needing a new Fridge, Dishwasher, and Disposal. Fun fun fun! One of the main things we needed was a new Family Car because the green Aerostar Van was totaled. Insurance decided to just total out the damaged van. After payoff they gave us a big fat 800 bucks. Wow. Now that is some pay out! That's like, almost a quarter of a down payment on a replacement vehicle! Yippie! I'm so pleased my insurance company is such tight bastards like that. Oh well. Since we had to give the rental car back, that left Mrs. Ogre needing some wheels desperately. I looked around and she looked around. I found an awesome Suburban with hardly any miles on it and an engine that looked like it was show room new. The only problem was that it had been tagged in the back and the rear bumper was dinged up and creased some body work on a rear quarter panel. Not much damage, and it wasn't even noticeable unless you were looking for it. (Which I was) Had all the options and everything. But she didn't want to drive such a huge vehicle, and the Vortec V-8 is a thirsty power plant. So she went looking and found a Pontiac Montana. 3.6 Liter V-6 gets very good fuel economy for putting out a decent power rating. It's nice too. Lots of options for everything, but not a CD player. WTF? Oh well, my Tour doesn't even have one and it's driving me nuts. I want XM. Next time I'm flush with cash – I'm getting a new stereo installed. One with a bloody CD player and XM radio. Or maybe Sirius. I don't know. It would be nice if they had receivers that could do both. Like AM and FM terrestrial radio. Just an idea there. Anyways, the Montana has the dual sliding doors, all kinds of cool features like cup holders everywhere. It has cup holders for the cup holders. Anything possible, it has a cup holder popping out of it. Seats, dash, sides, bumper... it's crazy. Mrs. Ogre loves it. And for a Mini Van, it isn't bad at all... it drives very well. Spry and doesn't wallow like most Mini Vans. I'm not saying I like it, but it's world better than that blasted ghetto train Ford Aerostar van. That thing was a POS since day one. Who ever designed that thing needs to be thrown a serious beating. It got decent fuel economy and had plenty of room inside... but the heater didn't work, the transmission felt like was made of wooden toggles and cogs, the AC only worked on cold days even though it was freshly recharged, the thing leaned in the curves exactly the way a motorcycle doesn't... it was scary and made one feel like they were driving a London style double decker bus. I hated it. I told Mrs. Ogre not to buy it – but she didn't listen to me. This purchase also represents something in the Ogre Household, a change of directions... away from Ford. Fords, even used, will never darken my driveway again after we replace the ones we already have. I do enjoy my Contour, and I do love my Bronco. But they are the last Fords for this family. If we can't get German, we will at least go GM. Here is why... GM has had many economical set backs over the last 10 years. Serious ones. To combat those issues, GM made changes internally that improved the company to make it more competitive. These changes included something that Ford doesn't quite get... actually improving their products. Ford's main cars, the Focus, Fusion and Five Hundred... are about as interesting as heartburn. And the Mustang? Check this out – after having a smash home run hit with the freshly redesigned Mustang; What are they going to do to it? Redesign it again. But this time “It will look far less retro”. What the hell are they smoking over at Ford? Less Retro? That Retro vibe is the whole reason that the Mustang is as popular as it is! Freaking Idiots. Ford deserves to burn down to the ground. The Focus is a dressed up Golf Cart, the Fusion is a VW Jetta in drag that drives like a ravaged, tired, and hung over prom queen, and the Five Hundred drives like that's how much it weighs in metric tonnes. And this is supposed to make people want to buy it? No, I'm sorry. GM vehicles are at least getting interesting. Sure, they don't feel as solid as a Ford... the doors shut with that same bank vault feeling that screen doors have on your grandma's porch... but at least the cars feel like they want to get out and run. That's a huge advantage in my book. Huge. And at least GM isn't moving all their manufacturing down to Mexico like Ford is doing. Pontiac has had a lot of great cars over the years. I'm not sure that the Montana is one of them, but it does seem like a very competent Family Car. Maybe my next car will be a GM. I'd rather something Teutonic, but I could deal with more patriotic. At least more patriotic than Ford. I'm also itching for a Jeep. A Wrangler or the like. If any off-road nut out there has a thrashed Jeep thats looking for a full sized thrashed Bronco – I'm up for a trade. Brutus runs and is fully drivable... new ignition system and everything. I want a smaller off-roader. Or a KLR-650. :) Then I would be taking some serious ROAD TRIPS!
Working on a CZ 100 review right now. I've mentioned them enough, but have never introduced one to my readers. The CZ 100 is one of the more interesting pistols out there, and this review is too so far. You will laugh at this if you are an Infidel. If not, you will be extremely pissed. I'm sitting here with two wolves dogs sleeping at my feet as I'm typing this. Ranger, my timberwolf “German Shepard Mix” (That is what the County called him) and companion of several years now. Next to him is Raven, she's a North American Gray Wolf, chubby black dog with grey as she's aging... but she is the sweetest thing ever. Raven belongs to my brother in law, who got her has a puppy from a breeder, trained her to be a fantastic house dog, then moved to Seattle for medical school and can't have pets where he is at. Raven was with the family in downtown Vernal but she wasn't doing very well there at all. She ran off one night, got hit by a car and almost lost a leg. She's going blind and is also having a hard time hearing. Loud noises really disturbs her so things like thunder storms and sirens and car horns freaked her out because she didn't know where the sounds were coming from. The Fam in Vernal was considering putting her to sleep... well... not isn't going to happen now. Out here at Ogre Ranch she is doing awesome. She's enjoying the country, running through the fields with Ranger and Maddie (Lab-Akita mix) and is loving life again. She's actually getting better, healthier, and is even starting to walk on the left rear leg that was so badly torn up. That accident was years ago and she always carried the foot up as she walked/hopped along. Now she is able to walk on it some times... and today she was even running on it. Prancing actually. Frolicking even. The two wolves played together all morning today and are now sleeping, as I said, under my feet. These two dogs are the best we've ever owned. Seriously, they are a joy. They consider the family to be their pack and they love it. Wolves need the family thing. They are a family focused breed. They sleep at the foot of the beds of my children and are watchful of anything that might threaten them. Especially my sons that have nightmares... they are the first to respond to make sure they are alright. I say this because I am extremely pissed off about my dogs. My insurance company who shall remain unnamed has canceled our home's policy because we have two dogs that they consider to be dangerous and threatening like Rotts and Pits which are also proscribed animals. As is my Akita mix. They think these dogs are too risky to insure. Uneducated Philistines... They only know what a wolf is from Disney cartoons... We are searching for a better policy provider elsewhere. Friday: 9-22-06: Interesting folk came into the gun shop yesterday... one of them the head honcho of a cable tv show on the outdoor channel... It wasn't “Team MossyOak” it was the other team. They were up here hunting Elk. Archery hunt but they wanted to do some shooting too. The head honcho fellow kept complaining that Thompson Center and Nikon both are always sending him samples of guns and scopes and that he had six brand new Pro Hunters back home in Georgia. Well, a fat lot of good that does him if he's in the High Uintahs... so he purchased a new Encore and a Nikon ProStaff scope to top it. They needed to do some “Pick Up Shots” with it. The cameraman was actually the guy buying the rifle... he's from South Dakota. Very cool that folk from all across the country are coming together to do that show... and to hunt in my mountains. Nice folks. I'll have to watch the show one of these days. I didn't know who he was, but a few people in the shop did. I still don't get why he would buy a black ProStaff scope to go on top of his stainless Encore when he could have got the Titanium which would have looked freaking awesome for the show... but I guess they always just use black scopes. I'm sure Nikon would have loved to have seen a Titanium up on there. Bloody fantastic scope, the Titanium. Worth every penny. A top choice in my book for topping a stainless rifle. Am I going to get one for mine? Eventually... I'll have to save up my pennies for that one. Other interesting folk have come to the gun counter... a couple from Birmingham, England have come through. I chatted with them for a few minutes and they were wonderful people in awe at the shear number of guns we have. Shocked really. Well, I guess we do have a very large selection. One of the best in the country actually. Seriously... you guys in VA know Green Top Sporting Goods on Rt 1 north of Richmond and south of Ashland? We top them by double. FBMG? We have ten times the selection that they do... but then again we don't do class three and we don't do the high speed stuff they do... If your not hunting people, we've got your guns. If you are hunting people who will hunt you back – go to FMBG. Anyways, the British couple were fun to talk to. A tour group from Japan came in... another one from Italy... couples from Germany, New Zealand, South Africa... all around the world when they come by my corner of the world stop by to gawk at the guns. Kinda cool. I had to get my Contour inspected to get it re-registered. Last month the Utah Highway Patrol did a sting operation on all the State Inspection Stations in the area. They shut everyone down but 3 shops. These remaining shops have waiting lists going out till mid Oct. The closed shops got shut down for things like a torn boot over a U-joint... little detail things that pretty much you either know they are there or you wont notice them or do not effect safety. I thought that was what they were for... safety inspections. The UHP is just about the biggest bullshit organization I can think of... next to the national endowment for the arts and the Department of the Interior. I'm not saying there are not any good troopers in the UHP... I know several. It's just that the group as a whole is nothing more than a very large caricature of the Sheriff of Nottingham. Anyways, I got my car snuck in early because I knew a guy... since they have to just about reject everything at least once now... I got rejected. I needed new tires on the rear. WTF? My rear tires were fine! But really... you can't argue with these people... the State has them under their thumb now. The tires could have easily lasted another freaking year... but what the hell. Have to do it or the State Police will give me a freaking ticket for expired registration. They are fascists, the UHP. Over two hundred bucks later, with some fresh Traction T/A tires on the front and the not so old Traction T/A's moved to the rear, I went back and got the inspection passed. Then I found the DMV was closed. Just my luck. Great tires the Traction T/A's. They have ferocious grip. The Contour is loving the curves, that's all I'm saying... and the Contour is also loving the Valentine 1 radar detector too. Don't drive fast without one. Speaking of England... Just got an email from one of The Horde living in Hertforshire, England that Richard Hammond of Top Gear fame was seriously injured driving a jet powered dragster and crashing it. We hope that he pulls through and has a quick and full recovery. I like Hammond. Not only is he funny, but he is the one that insults America the least. If anyone should have been injured it should have been Jeremy Clarkson, the man that insults America the most... that would have been Karma playing catch up. But it wasn't... it was Hammond. I think I smell foul play. Let's play “Clue” here. It was Clarkson, in the garage, with a monkey wrench. No, I don't dislike Jeremy. I just think him envious of Americans and he's bitter about it. I respect his talent... he's brilliant when it comes to writing reviews and presenting his prepackaged processed cheese people call Car Reviews. The man is a Ninja Master of adjectives. But he's also a twit. Get well soon, Hammond. This is an interesting video clip. Watch this. Now, I am trying hard to understand both sides... but I can't. I sympathize with this woman, and she breaks my heart. How can men do this? I say this because I know what she is saying is true. This sort of crap happens far too often. How often? NPR reported that millions of women and young girls are killed every year in the middle east... killed or just disappear. I wonder what the number really is... not that NPR is any font of truth, but I've heard similar numbers from other sources as well. This is disgusts me to my very core. Women are one of the most amazing things in the entire universe... along with metallic cartridges and internal combustion engines. Turning women into cattle, into property, into objects like this... is beyond disgusting. Beyond contemptible. I can not see how any god, be it the God of Abraham or any other god of any mythology or theology can endorse such thing or how any follower of any god can say he is doing such god's will. Even the older pagan gods would not do such a thing because they believed female divinity... as do I. Not all Muslims do this sort of thing... I'm not saying that. I'm just looking for the outcry from them to try to end this. I feel very sorry for this woman... she has got to be extremely brave because if she is found and if she is in the middle east, it is almost a certainty that she would be put to death – painfully – for making this video clip. Men should always be protectors of women. Violators and abusers of women should be dealt with harshly. You want to laugh? Check this out. Weird Al's latest video is his most brilliant. The guy dancing behind Al... it's Donny Osmond... I fixed his PDA once... nice guy. Never met Al. I'm sure he'd be a blast to hang out with. Thursday: 9-21-06: Tina's Rest Updates: The response for these rests have been overwhelming. Look for emails coming out from Willie to those who have made inquiries. Willie is going to have to go out to a big fabric warehouse to purchase enough materials and some in different colors. Hunter's Orange, Camo, etc... Look for about a two week turn around time to set everything up. LOL, I don't think he or Tina expected such a response! Now, understand, these rests are not my venture and I profit nothing for endorsing them and have nothing really to do with them... Just helping them out a little. But damn if these are not some mighty fine sandbag rests! I love shooting off mine so much that it's spoiled me... it handles all my guns very well including the 7MM Mag. Keep it up guys, order yours, and Tina will have her .204 soon enough! Here is a note from Tina and her Dad: “Hello, This is Tina's old man......Or at least that's what she calls me. Thank you for your interest in the project that my knuckle head has come up with to get a real rifle seeing that she has out shot the little .22 that she also bought with her own money from anywhere she could earn it. This time she has gone globule. The small bag is about 3.5' round & 5' long The Med. bag is about 7.5' round & 3' tall The set costs $20.00 a single is $10.00 shipped to your door. I can even send them to your friends house to keep you from getting in trouble for spending more money on "GUN STUFF". I prefer money orders or cashiers check. I don't have a pay pall account yet and don't know that I ever will. I will take personnel checks and will send order when check clears. Do to the demand for this rest I will not be able to start filling orders for another two weeks. At that time I will have a choice of colors and different patterns of camo. I will send the choices out to everyone that has shown interest. There will be an order form and all the info on payment. Pleas send your orders to tinasgunfund@yahoo.com and we will fill orders as they come in. Thanks.........Tina and Willie” 5.56MM is just fine for Combat Troops. Uh huh. Sure it is. Some more thoughts on the .284-35 cartridge. (Or is it the 7-35 cartridge?) I'm very tempted to get a barrel made and get some rounds rolled up. The idea is to get an intermediate lever action cartridge that gives you extended range and more down range energy. Ideally this would also use rubber tipped spire point boat tails. Too bad I am not able to just order such a thing up from whatever mad scientist work shop does this sort of work... but if I could, I would in a heart beat. If we could get the muzzle velocity over 2800FPS, I'd be well pleased. Over 2900FPS and I'd be very happy. 3000FPS and I'd be overjoyed. With a proper spire point boat tail slug in the weight range over 120 grains with a good B.C. I think the cartridge would meet the goal. If we could get the muzzle velocity up there. Now, ideally this would be for Marlin 1895 type lever actions or T/C Encores only... Only the strongest of frames because this would be a high pressure cartridge. The only question remains is would this cartridge do anything special or different than what's already out there? Well, I am not sure. I'm thinking this might fall in line with, say, a 7MM-08. And if that's true, then great. Is this going to be worth the expense to even try out? I don't know. But really that isn't the point of Wild Cat cartridges. It's all about the attempt and not exactly about the results. After all, damn near every cartridge combination has been made by now and there is nothing so new under the sun anymore with this stuff. If I had the money, I'd wildcat a car. I'd take the guts out of a Porsche 928 and stuff them inside the body of a new Mustang. The better, smoother all independent suspension, the better seats, better steering and better interior... and the better manual transmission. Only thing would be left would be the engine. And truthfully the engine isn't all that great anyway. Maybe snag a better engine out of a BMW V-8... or just fuck it all and slap a mustang badge on a BMW M5 and call it good. I guess I'm just not all that pleased with Ford any more, at any level. They've sold out to Mexico big time. Ford's gutting everything “American” out of the company and out of the country that they possibly can and still be called an American company. Such sentiment isn't really all that realistic to have on my part – but I have it. And this is from a guy that has 3 Fords parked outside right now. So let me make this clear to Ford Motor Company – I'm not going to buy another Ford for the rest of my life. And I'm going to make sure that my wife never does, and my sons never do either. Ford is dead to me. I'll drive what I have currently but I would buy anything else from them. Seems to me Ford has pulled the same shit that Colt did when Colt brought in a CEO from a lawn mower company. We can see the great success that Colt has become. Good luck with that, Ford. Speaking of Porsche... they need to remake the 914. Seriously. And price it under 20 grand. The Saturn Sky, Mazda Miata, BMW's new 2 seater... these sports cars are very popular and Porsche as left out. No, don't even mention the Boxster to me. That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about a true sports car, not just a 2 seat convertible. Bring back the 914! I'd give my left nut for one in good condition. The magic the 914 had was it's simplicity. It was nothing more than a pure expression of the ideal Sports Car. It did nothing particularly well, but the sum total was more than the combination of the parts. They were/are great fun to drive. The Boxster is a much larger and heavier car and just doesn't have that seat of the pants thrill to drive that the 914 had. That is what Porsche needs to recapture. They need to get back to the purity that they lost somehow over the years. The latest Porsches are faster, but they are also bigger and heavier and full of distractions from the art of driving rapidly. You don't think Porsche has lost it's roots? Four words for you: Automatic Transmission Cruise Control. I want a new 914 that has a manual transmission, a minimum of sound dampening if any at all, air conditioning should not be an option... maybe a Heater with an On/Off switch... Radio? That would be a no... no radio. Just a pure Sports Car. Think that wouldn't sell? Like hell it wouldn't... look at the Lotus Exige. They are selling those bad boys like crazy. There are even two of them in my little town out here in the middle of nowhere half way between Denver and SLC. An orange one and a yellow one. Out here. So don't tell me Porsche wouldn't be able to sell one. Priced under 20 grand they would sell a million of them and give Lotus a run for the money... priced right Porsche could sell three or four of them for the price of the Lotus. I want to talk a bit about rifle scopes. Far too frequently I see guys purchase very nice rifles, only to top them with very mediocre scopes. Let me ask you this... say you win a very nice car in a contest... a brand new Corvette Z06. The only thing is that it doesn't have tires. You have to purchase a set of tires for it before you can shoot it. What kind of tires are you going to put on it... cheap tires from Wal-Mart? Oh hell no. Sure, you could. If you are a careless idiot completely undeserving of the Vette. Tires are a critical component of a vehicle's handling. The phrase “Where the Rubber meets the Road” is not quite as understood as it should be. A car that performs poorly can be transformed with better tires. The same goes for a rifle scope. Here's a rule of thumb when it comes to optics. If it says “Tasco”, “Simmons”, or “BSA” on it... put it down and don't touch it. Before you purchase any scope – look through it. Don't just look through the display example, ask to look through the one in the box you are taking home... make sure it's kosher and glitch free. Make sure the optics are clear. Make sure the glass is the same glass you selected. Sometimes they'll put the wrong scope in the box... most of the time the same scope but with a different reticle. The wrong one can be annoying. The two brands that I like the most are Nikon and Leupold. Leupold is probably my favorite... the optics are crystal clear, bright, with excellent color transmission. Unfortunately you do pay a little more for them. In a world where you get what you pay for, the Leupolds are a bit overpriced. Nikon on the other hand is exactly what you pay for is what you get. The Monarch series is probably the best bang for your buck in terms of quality for your dollar. Nikon is really pushing their sporting optics and is determined to win shooters over. Honestly, they are doing a great job. For putting a scope on my own rifle, I'm most likely going to end up with a Monarch on my 7MM. Which one, I'm not sure. Had I my druthers and a little extra cash, I'd probably splurge on a Leupold. The reason being is that I like the wide eye relief sweet spot. This is important to me because your shooting position can effect the distance your eye is from the rear lens... that's “eye relief”. Leupolds are less effected by your eye relief. They are also very good at minimizing parallax issues without resorting to an adjustment knob. These things might be more important to you... maybe not. If not, then Nikon would serve you just fine and you will save some money. Another great scope for the money is the new 3x9 Zeiss Conquest scopes selling for around 400 bucks. This scope should be a serious consideration for most rifles in reasonable calibers suitable for hunting game deer sized or bigger. The Zeiss is a little more than others... but it just might be worth it for you depending on your kit and intended cartridge. Some guys say that a good rule of thumb is that you should spend about the same on your scope as you did for your rifle. This is great if you are in the business of selling scopes. But really it's not necessary. You can get a great scope for a more reasonable amount. Just try to keep your scope appropriate to your rifle. A Tasco has no right to be anywhere near a Kimber rifle. (or any centerfire rifle other than maybe a Stevens) And a Zeiss might be overkill for say a Savage .30-06. I'm not really a fan of Bushnell... but Burris is often pretty decent. Stay away from any Nikon Monarch made in the Philippines... Try to stay in scopes made in Japan, Austria, and of course, the USA. When you look through a scope, don't just look for magnification and objective lens diameter. Look through the scope at distant objects. Your looking for Clarity, Brightness, Contrast, and Color... as the main qualities. You should also look for focal distances... see how close you can focus on things and then look at the focus is on distance objects. Ask to see the scopes outside in the daylight. Compare several scopes and try to compare them side by side. Price should not be a consideration here. Pick the best one. This is where the rubber hits the road... or more appropriately, where the bullet hits the bone. Cheaping out here can make or break all the effort you put into putting together your hunt. The cost of the rifle, ammo, tags and everything... your camo, calls, scents, and time... it can all be wasted with a cheap scope. You've already spent so much on everything... what's an extra fifty bucks after that? I'm not saying that the more expensive scope is always going to be the better one... but it happens more often than not. With the news that Jeff Cooper is taken ill, I am reminded of his idea for a good rifle scope... A scope where the optic is just one solid piece and all the adjustments are done in the base. This was an idea that struck me as rather odd when I first heard it. But after dealing with so many scopes, using so many scopes... the idea has grown on me. It has very good potential. In fact, such a scope would be something I would have to buy. Perhaps two of them. Here is a video from a film maker in LA who has something to say about Liberty. It's on YouTube. Needs more skin... Monday: 9-18-06:This has been an interesting few days. Hard rains, some flooding, all hell breaking loose... yes... good times my friends. Good times. My apologies to those expecting me to attend the gun show as I had planned, but something came up that was as unavoidable as it was unexpected. One of the things that happened was me coming --><-- this close to trading in my car for a new VW. So close in fact, that I had signed most of the paperwork doing the deed. But at the last minute I backed out. VW cars are indeed nice, and their VR6 engine is brilliant. But at the final inner examination, they are not the cars I really want. I want either an Audi or a BMW with a big engine up front and a manual transmission. I looked at everything else, and that's it... so I'm not going to rush into anything else other than a car that I really absolutely want. There is no sense buying something that expensive if it is not what I absolutely want. There are so many really sweet cars out there... no need to settle for something I wont be fully satisfied with. Really, the same thing should go for guns. I've been criticized lately for reviewing guns that are too expensive to be realistic. Come on. The most expensive gun I've reviewed was about 3 grand. $3,000.00 for a pistol might seem like a lot of money, but compared to other things... it's a drop in the bucket. A new Mac computer with a decent configuration can cost you over 7 grand, and that's not including the printer ink. The car I am really wanting, even used, is over 28 grand. Ogre Ranch, once it is finally paid for will be close to a half million. The things we want the most are the ones that end up being the most expensive, quite often, it's true. But most of the time we buy things we really didn't want all that much in the first place. This last couple years I've come to realize that it's just not worth spending your money on something unless it is something that you absolutely wanted. Don't settle for something you can make do with. Invest in yourself and spend you money wisely, but spend it only on things that you either absolutely need, or that you will take the greatest satisfaction in. Forget the nicknacks and cheap things. Buy something worthy. And what could be more worthy to invest in than a truly fine weapon? Something that can become a family legacy. Something that your grand children can appreciate. Unless they are uncouth philistines and will pawn it first chance they get. A fellow came in to the gunshop the other day. Had a very fine Weatherby rifle that had belonged to his late father. He didn't like the caliber so he traded it for a Ruger that was about as common as lawn furniture. Shame. Speaking of rifles, yes, my 7MM Remington Magnum. It's a Remington 700 BDL SS. Normally the BDL series is the higher end wood, glossy blued finish and as fancy as a production rifle can get. This one is not. It's stainless steel with a synthetic stock and there is nothing fancy about it at all. The price of the gun was something that I couldn't pass up and the caliber was one that I've always liked. So I jumped at the chance. While this isn't one of those things that I've always wanted, this is one of those other sort of spending things... an investment type purchase. Like the Winchester 94, I was able to profit nicely on... should I become bored with the 7MM and decide to sell it I will easily double my money on it. But I think this one might end up being a keeper. It's a working type rifle for sure. The finish is nothing I have to worry about and the whole package is something that I would have no problem taking with me on a hunt in any conditions, anywhere, any time. And like I've said before, 7MM Rem Mag is one of those great “Do Anything” calibers. It's not one of those over powered hot rod magnums, but it can do great work at the upper end and at long range. This is about as large a magnum as I ever care to deal with and is probably more than enough for anything I'll ever ask it to do. My choice of ammunition for it, after some trials with Federal, Remington, and Winchester ammunition... is Hornady. I've got to give Hornady credit... it seems in almost every case of finding the best load for factory center-fire rifle ammunition, Hornady wins. The cases where it doesn't is when it comes to heavy and dangerous game, where I favor Winchester Fail Safe loads. Rimfires and Handgun ammunition, CCI is the brand to try out first in your new and untried weapon. Speaking of ammunition, it was suggest that I come up with a wildcat round. If I was to do such a thing, I would probably look at something for the lever action rifles. Marlins in particular. Marlin has the .30-30 and it's a great round. But then they jump all the way up to .45-70 with no real option in between. .30-30 is too light for too many things. .35 Remington is too short on range. .45-70 is too heavy and short range as well out of guns such as the Guide Gun. I would want something in the middle. Maybe a couple somethings. I would probably start on the lighter end and use the .35 Remington case... blow the shoulders out a bit “ultra” style and neck it down to .284 (7MM). That would give a light lever carbine a lot of added zip without a lot of extra fuss. On the upper end, I'd start with a .45-70 case and neck it down to .40 caliber. If you have read anything about the .400 CorBon loads, think if it like that, but in a much longer and rimmed case. Maybe even down to .35 or .338 caliber. I'm not sure and I'd have to do a lot of hands on testing with prototypes before I could nail it down which would be the best... but it would be interesting. Using rubber tipped LeverEvolution bullets, you could get a hell of a lot more performance out of these lever guns than is currently imagined. That said I'd love to see a reintroduction of the Winchester lever with the box magazine that Teddy Roosevelt used. I would like it even more if Marlin made it. I dislike the Browning BLR. The more I think of a 7MM-35 the more I like the idea. Anything like that out there? Similar to a 7-30 Waters Ultra but on the bigger 35 Remington case. I've not seen anything of that nature that I remember. These ideas are different than my normal trend of necking up a cartridge for a bigger bullet. The potential is huge for a lever cartridge based on a .45-70 case, mutated with Winchester Short Magnum cartridge. That could be CRAZY. I'd have to get an Encore barreled for this to try it out. Back to the cars again, I'm going to keep my Tour for maybe another 6 months or more. The Tour SE really is a great little car. Dual overhead cam, 24 valve, 2.5 liter V-6... it's a great engine. Not as much punch as I really want, but the potential is there. Come spring the car will be totally paid off and I'm thinking I might do some tweaks to it. Suspension mostly to tighten up the handling. Then I'll look into beefing up the engine output... already it's fast enough to scare me... but I want it to be fast enough to be a horror show of speed. I also want it to be low profile and not attract any attention by the local Roscoe. Maybe I'll do it... maybe not and just buy my BMW and be content. Funny how the Pope says something about Islam.. and the Muslims are proving him right. Looking forward to the next Crusades now. The Pope says something that they don't like, such as simply “they can be a bit too violent” and they respond as reasoned and rational as they are... and say “The Pope Must Die”. Typical. This doesn't surprise me in the least.
To celebrate this thing that has made Mrs. Ogre so happy I am going to get myself a new hunting rifle. Something suitable for everything in North America that I would ever care to hunt. While i was planning on a largish non-magnum... i am being very tempted by a trade in that has arrived. It is a stainless/synthetic Remington 700... and it is in 7MM Remington Magnum. Don't razz me about my Magnum Rant from a few posts ago. The 7MM Rem Mag is one of the most versatile caliber around. There are tons of different bullets for it, with weights generally ranging from 100 grain bullets going from 2600 FPS to near 4,000 FPS up to bullets as heavy as 175 grains going from 2300 to 3100 FPS. This is a very broad spectrum... One cartridge can go from Varmint to Dangerous Game with a ballistic coefficient up to .625. You can do just about anything on the planet with it... save for a few African species not likely to be encountered anywhere where I will ever go in my lifetime. This “Do Anything” versatility is what I am looking for. There are other calibers that can do this... but there is something about the 7MM that I especially like. Ammunition availability. Everyone loads up cartridges – decent cartridges – for 7MM Remington Magnum. Federal, Hornady, Winchester, Remington of course... and you can buy them just about any place that sells any ammunition. For a non-military cartridge, it's one of if not the most prolific. Or it seems in Utah. Another thing... if I told you the price I'm getting this rifle for... you would think I stole it. The rifle comes with a Simmons 3X9 scope on it... this will never do. So I do have to find a scope for it. I'm thinking a Nikon Buckmaster 4X12 BDC. It's not an expensive scope, but perhaps the best “bang for the buck”. That and since I've sold a crap load of them, I can get it for free. Other scope considerations are the Zeiss Conquest and the VX-III Leupold. I've put the Winchester 94 up for consignment, so as soon as it sell, I'll get the Remington. Photos of Tina's Sandbag rest can be found HERE. They are going to be about ten buck plus shipping. WORTH IT! Please take a look, and place an order!
Also, please note: The finishing of the Marlin Project. Email from Reader: “Hey guy. So you are still carping away about the AR-15? Sad, because it casts dispersion on your other works which are pretty much bang on. I saw your article on 'magnum-itis' and it was pretty good. However, you obviously suffer from it too. The .223 is more than adequate for soft targets like brown people dressed in togas and turbans. If you can't kill a militant moslem mudflap with the .223 you cannot call yourself a rifleman. Americans get hung up on power with everything. They need bigger engines, faster cars, and bigger guns. More power in guns will not compensate for shoddy marksmanship. I strongly doubt the 7.62x39 is much better on hard targets either...but that is just my two cents. I DO know that you will not improve any percieved deficiencies in the AR-15 with chicom crap like the AK47 or the Mini-14. Sadly, you will have to clean them too or they will stop working too. You are out to lunch on that one, Mr. Ogre. But keep up the good work otherwise, your blog always makes for great reading. Cheers, Jim” Thanks for the email, Jim. You make some good points. Why do I say some hunters are going over powered when I say the 5.56MM cartridge isn't enough for combat? Well, Jim... There is a difference between using enough gun, and using a hugely overpowered gun to compensate for a lack of skill and hunter's ethics. There is a difference between hunting and fighting. Hunting, you owe your prey a clean and humane kill. You wait for the moment where you have a clear and unobstructed shot. You take time to line up your shot to the vitals. You hold your breath and aim carefully and slowly squeeze the trigger. In combat, you don't get any of that most of the time. You aim for whatever part of the enemy presents its self. Toes or hands even. You make snap shots reacting to a rapidly changing situation. So the whole situation is very different from hunting a bull back home. Also, there is the cartridge in question. Go pick up a box of Winchester Super X and look at the game ratings. .223 is suitable for varmints. Many hunters out here find it to be good for rabbits and p-dogs, but not even good enough for coyotes... now come on... when guys who bang bang coyotes as their primary occupation during the season find that soft or hollow point .223 is not good enough for the 20 pound predators, then how is FMJ .223 anywhere near good enough for an irate iwacky weighing over 170 pounds with another 50 pounds of explosives wrapped around them? It isn't good enough. And especially out of the shorter 14.5 inch barrel of the M-4 carbine, it's not even close to being good enough. Now come on, Jim... you should be able to see the difference. So stop trying to give me crap and admit it... the 5.56MM M-4 carbine is a pathetic solution for US Soldiers at the tip of the spear. And don't confuse “Muslim Mudflaps” (WTF?) with the average underweight and too skinny Somalian our boys battled in Mog. These Mudflaps are healthy, strong, and smart opponents. Underestimating them is a dangerous mistake. And so is going after them with not enough gun. Now don't give me any shit about my 7MM Mag either... ;) Nolin sent us this quote that I want you to read, then send to everyone you know. I want you to print it out and tape it to the fridge in your company break room... I want this to be remembered before the next election cycle. “The Roman Republic fell, not because of the ambition of Caesar or Augustus, but because it had already long ceased to be in any real sense a republic at all. When the sturdy Roman plebeian, who lived by his own labor, who voted without reward according to his own convictions, and who with his fellows formed in war the terrible Roman legion, had been changed into an idle creature who craved nothing in life save the gratification of a thirst for vapid excitement, who was fed by the state, and who directly or indirectly sold his vote to the highest bidder, then the end of the republic was at hand, and nothing could save it. The laws were the same as they had been, but the people behind the laws had changed, and so the laws counted for nothing. - Teddy Roosevelt” Teddy Roosevelt nailed it. This is more significant today than it ever was. The comparisons between the fall of Roma and the situations effecting the USA are thick and plenty. And scary. The more you read about Roman history, the more similarity you see in America. I guess you could say it was inevitable... we did model a large portion of our government off theirs. Hell, even our buildings look the same. Damn. Instead of Germanic barbarians coming across the frontiers to trade and find jobs, we have our barbarians welling up from the south like an unstoppable tide. Saturday: 9-9-06: Negotiation. The topic at work today was “negotiation”. We watched a video clip of Rush Limbaugh talking about IslamoFascists and the war on terror. This is the same clip that was shown on the new Katie Couric news show... just so you know what I'm talking about. The Massachusetts Liberal that works with us said that Rush is “100% Wrong”. I tend to think that he would say that Rush was 100% wrong regardless of what was being said... but in this case he thinks Rush is wrong because we should negotiate and try to get to the source of the problem instead of just killing those that would kill us. He does have a point... Negotiation and Political Accords are a great way of avoiding or ending wars. That is true. It's also true that we should always look for a peaceful solution before we use force of arms. The problem is that these solutions or approaches are not applicable in the war on Terrorism and IslamoFascists. The main reason you can't negotiate in this war is because this isn't a geopolitical sort of war like the American Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Spanish American War, Civil War, WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam. This war is a Religious War... more akin to the Crusades than any other war. This sort of war – there is no negotiation. You can no negotiate with Zealots that believe they get to go to their heaven if they kill you. There is negotiation possible. They wouldn't even be happy if you killed yourself. If you killed yourself, you denied them their heavenly reward. What do they call us? How do they refer to us? The Great Satan. Infidels. How do you negotiate that? The answer is “You Can't”. These are not political labels like “Liberal Idiot” or “DemocRat”. These labels have nothing to do with position on issues... it's about Religious Belief and that is not something you can negotiate because people are not going to change the way they believe in mass. You can change them individually over a long course of time... but when children are taught hate as an institution... in school as matter of scientific truth... in church as a matter of natural order. No, there is no negotiation with that The only way to deal with that is to keep a close eye on them and watch for signs of potential violence and taking care of those problems as they arise. Sounds simple, but it is like watching a boiling water and you are trying to spot the bubbles before they break the surface. The Massachusetts Liberal said “What, you want to just kill them before they try to kill you?” Fuck yeah! Responses to my “Why I hate the AR-15” article: “Nice to see someone who can wade through the bullshit and square it up. Nice work mate. Keep it up. Elijah.” Thanks for the feedback, Elijah. Mike says “I have got to say dude, your dead on when you talk about the shittiness of the 5.56 nato round. although modern ar-15s tend to be better with jams and wut not, it is still not a gun I would issue to our troops. A target rifle, yes. my biggest problem with ar fans is that they always talk about how the bullet "fragments" or "tumbles" and creates more damage. bull shit. no gelatin test has proven this without a doubt. it scored inferior to the 6.8 and the 7.62 because of the energy impact. yes, its high velocity, but it has NO TAKE DOWN POWER. you hit your enemy once, and hes still standing, he can kill you. i applaud your cajones in creating this article, i know you take alot of shit from ppl like the forum masturbators (ie ar-15.com)” Ouch. Mike hits it on the head. The AR-15 type of rifle really is “The Emperor's New Clothes” of the Gun Industry. I'm still waiting for Wilson Combat to do a custom AK-47 or FAL type rifle. The AR is just completely freaking TIRED. I'm tired of the weakass 5.56MM/.223 cartridge. It's pathetic in every respect save when compared to something like... oh... say... .22LR. Those who think .223 works should really take a look at the Hornady Reloading Manual Volume 2. It's a book that is pretty much nothing more than a collection of ballistic data. In this book is about 400 pages of cartridges that kick .223's arse. The reliability of the AR is questionable and the ergonomics are over rated and the 2 hours it takes to really clean the AR is bullshit. The M4 which is supposed to be something different and better... is the same thing but weaker. The shorter barrel means the round looses a hell of a lot of energy that the 5.56MM really can't afford. The M3 Grease Gun is a better weapon. The Thompson is a better weapon. The M1 Carbine is a better weapon. There are tons of better options than the AR. And the joy of being a civilian is that YOU CAN PICK WHAT YOU WANT... so why the hell would you select any freaking AR-15? Let me be honest here... you know what I'm really liking these days? The Mini-14. Don't laugh, you bastards... the Mini-14. They call it the Mini-14 because it is a scaled down M-14. The Mini-14 has had a long reputation of being reliable but inaccurate. Ruger has rebuilt it with lots of improvements and it deserves a closer look. I am told that the new Mini-14 is much better accuracy wise, but I've not tried a new one. Have you seen all the mods and aftermarket stuff for the 10/22? Imagine just a portion of that for the Mini-14. If there was as many options for the Mini as there was for the AR-15, I bet you anything that the Mini would have been more popular. And realistically the Mini only needs two things to be superior to the AR... lots of cheap high capacity magazines available and real barrels. A custom aftermarket fluted bull barrel would be tits. Okay, now if you can take all this Mini-14 goodness and mix it with the 6.8MM MPC cartridge – awesome. The AR would be done for. Or simplify it all, and just take the Mini-Thirty and give it a good barrel. Done. Freakin done. That's all she wrote and you have a pimp rifle. Mount a forward scout scope set up like a small version of the Springfield M1A SOCOM II and you are set and you wont be looking at those jacked up AR-15 pieces of shiat ever again. Speaking of the SOCOM. I have a strong dislike of the SOCOM II. It's stupid. Awkward, heavy, and way too Mall Ninja for me. I don't like the looks of it... I hate picking it up... it sucks. That's all I'm saying. The regular SOCOM is “just right”. You can't just look at photos on this matter, you have to get the guns in your hand and see what I'm talking about. The regular SOCOM is lighter and handier than most AR-15's. The SOCOM needs a simple AimPoint on top and a decent sling underneath and it's perfect. It's a little spendy... but it's worth it. Trust me, it's worth it. Let's help Tina get her rifle! A local girl here, age 10, wants a new rifle. Dad, an avid shooter, wants to help her get the gun, but also wants to teach her about Capitalism. She came up with her design for a sandbag rest and Dad helps make them. She's wanting an Encore in .204. Guys, she's the cutest girl and is an avid shooter in her own right. The rest is great. I was given an example and I am impressed. It's better than the regular commercial made rests that I wont name. They are using a walnut shell medium as fill... similar to what reloaders use to polish brass, but it actually comes from the oil field industry for use of absorbing industrial fluids etc. The bags have a good heft to them, but are not heavy. They have a good height to them... when I'm shooting off a rest, this is what I'm using now. Pricing is about 10 bucks plus shipping. These are great rests, you'll like them. Get one and help Tina get her new rifle. If you have a Blog, please, copy the picture and put a link up and help spread the word. When she's made enough money and gets her new rifle, I will post a picture of her with her new gun and with the biggest grin you've ever seen. PHOTO and LINK coming SOON. Thursday, 7th of Sep 06: Okay, so I take a closer look at the VW Beetle, and I'm sorry. I've got to take a pass. The Beetle interior is just to weird. The dash extends out like a desk, there is a small vase but you can't take it out... and this one didn't have a CD player in it... so screw it. I think I'm just going to keep my Tour for awhile longer. I don't want to keep the Tour, but around here its the best thing going for cars in 4 to 6K price range. I don't want to spend more. If I wanted to spend more... say about 9K there is a SWEET blue Jetta 1.8T that would have been tits. Looks flawless and totally clean, fresh rubber... car looks show room new. The only downside was that it's a sissy-stick. No clutch. With no clutch, I'm just not interested. The Mustang I looked at... freaking gutless. If you purchased a V-6 Mustang for your daughter, that's one thing. If you sprung for one brand new for yourself, you're an idiot. The car had no balls. Acceleration was boring. It could only just chirp the tires in 1st gear. There was nothing in it. The ride was harsh and jarring but at the same time it wallowed in the turns. How you manage to screw up a ride like that... it could only be a Ford. I'll keep my Tour and I'll be happy with the way it drives. I just hate the way it looks. It looks nerdy and boring, like it has a big head. Not VW Beetle big headish... but close. The Tour is a unique car. It really moves well. Remember, mine is the SE version with a V-6, 5 Speed Manual, 4 wheel disk breaks, with decent suspension. I'm 25 horses less than a Tour SVT, according to the numbers, but really, the SVT I test drove didn't feel that much more spry than my Tour. It did have a better sound, and better handling for some reason, but it didn't feel off the line faster or more powerful. I could bolt on SVT parts and basically build my own SVT out of my SE, but the net gain is only 25 more ponies. I don't know if that's something worth while. I could gain a quick 25 just by putting in a K&N Cold Air Intake and put in SVT exhaust headers... removing the catalytic converter. (No emissions testing in my county) Then again K&N doesn't make a kit for the SE Tour so I'd have to fabricate one. I've made custom intakes before, and generally I've had good success with doing it... but for this car, especially when I'm still making payments on it, I don't want to do anything that would tip the scales. This is also a daily driver so It would have be able to handle hot and cold weather as well. Some Cold Air intake conversions don't do as well in the winter time. Before I talk about the next topic, I have to preface it with the following statement. I have all the respect in the world for the Japanese. I'm not talking about Asians... or Japanese as a race... I'm talking about the Japanese as a Nation. They build fantastic stuff, have a lot of creative shit, and their women are freaking mind boggling hot. Love them. Now on to what I wanted to say. I believe the Japanese are Aliens from Outer Space. You've seen the Hello Kitty stuff... but custom Hello Kitty chrome tailpipes? WTF? And what is this they are doing with vans? Don't think that's evidence of an extraterrestrial culture? Then what about this? Aliens. Oh, I could go on with evidence... but really all you need to know about the Japanese/Alien connection, you can find with Google just searching for cultural tidbits going on in Tokyo. Is this a bad thing? No, not at all. I'm just pointing out an observation. I have at least one Horde Member from Japan... And I am absolutely certain he's an Alien. The only question is where is he exactly from. I'm thinking Jupiter. Do I have an female readers over there? Just wondering. You can send photos. I should make a section with thumbnails of MadOgre.com readers. Or maybe that would be just too damn frightening. Just a thought. Maybe just of “The Women of The Horde”. That wouldn't be so scary. Anyways. My Office at Ogre Ranch: I've a small office at Ogre Ranch and the Mrs. wants to turn it into a second bathroom. This is where I “Cave”. Where I go to shed my stress... relax... play a little Oblivion... do my writing... listen to music... and of course, watch my horror movies. My Cave is my haven. It's my home within my home. There is no door, so it is always open for any of my boys to come in and talk whenever they want, but it's still my place. Mrs. Ogre's idea would take this from me. I'm not happy about that. The upshot is that I could use another room, a bigger room, for my cave. My current office has 2 windows on two different sides, being a corner office. This new, bigger room only has one window. Houston, we have a problem. I'm back and forth on this thing... but it looks like I'm running out of options and Mrs. Ogre is about to make up her mind on this and dig in her heels. So this might be inevitable. Tuesday, Sep 5th of 06: I got an email from an Airman today who is going out into “The Shit”. I'm not sure exactly what his mission is all about, or what it is he's doing... but it sounds like he's one of the few Air Force guys that are actually grunts with wings on their shoulders. Para-rescue or the like. His question was regarding Dragon Skin body armor. Now, from what I've gathered from all the grunts that have mentioned the stuff to me... and there has been a few... the general consensus is that it's good shit and it's worth the money. The downside is the flap about the .Mil not paying death benefits if you are KIA while wearing it. I will not advise anyone not to wear it... or to wear it. From my point of view – if you are a check mark on God's To Do List, it doesn't matter what you are wearing – he's going to get you. Just ask the Marine Biologist that was dragged to Davie Jones' Locker by a rutting Sea Turtle. I know of White Coat guys getting bitten... but dragged to his death by a Sea Turtle? I think he must have been honored with “The First”. At least the first that I am aware of. My point being... if it's time to go... you go. You don't collect 200 dollars either. If you are in the situation where you might get checked out like that, make sure your family gets your death benefits so they can plant you in the earth without out of pocket expenses. If you are a .mil employee that might be the one to decide if someone gets death benefits or not, and you deny someone – anyone – for any reason at all... You, sir, are a Giant Douche Bag. The only way for any threat of denial to be made is if there are angry Defense Contractors scared of losing their contract to supply armor when there is a better product on the market. If you were such a contractor, and you didn't take immediate steps to improve your armor to be like the competitions... then you, sir, are also a Giant Douche Bag. Just letting you know. Even if you probably get that all the time. There is a Mustang available at a very reasonable price. It's the older style, just before they all went retro cool. The clam shell topped Mustang. This one has a 5 speed manual and a 3 liter V-6. It's in very nice shape, has been well taken care of, and the stereo has been upgraded to a very nice Alpine unit. I am very tempted. Trashing the Mustangs for their lack of a modern rear suspension has been almost a past time of mine, but that doesn't mean that I don't like them. I only wish they were better. A 5 speed 3.8 V-6 is a nice package. It's nothing all that grand, but it is something more potent than my 2.5 V-6 Tour. My Tour is under 200 horses. I believe (but can't verify right at the moment) the 3.8 Stang Six is over 225 horses. (Correction: Just looked it up and online reports say that the 3.8 only has a 150 horses? WTF? My 2.5 has 170!) I think the Tour has better handling in the switchbacks, and I know the Tour handles better on the white stuff which is coming... so these factors temper the temptation. If this was a newer retro Mustang, then I'd be posting photos of my new ride. But since it is not, I've got considerations to deal with. There was another car that is worth consideration, a VW New Beatle. I know they are about as ghey as a car can get... but they are well made German cars with great handling and a higher top speed than my Tour. I just don't know if I can get past the flagrant gheyness. It's kind of like having a ghey friend... he's cool and everything, and you have no problem with him being ghey... it's just that you wish he'd stop wearing lipstick and heels when you hang out with him. The New Slugbug even has the little thing you are supposed to put flowers in. WTF? It would take a lot of effort to macho that car up a notch... and I'm still not sure that it's even really all that possible. The other car I was looking at was the Scion coupe. Not the little mini panel van thing.. the regular car. It looked good. Looked cool for a small car. Man, I just wish they came with better engines. I want a car with a good engine.. one that can grab you by the balls. Scion cant do that. Ever. A V-6 could do that... if done right, but I've not any available around here. Mainly I'm talking either German Sixes or Nissan Sixes. Subes don't count and Mitsubishi is too coarse for my taste. Chevy doesn't' think American Drivers can handle a 6 with a stick shift outside of small trucks... neither does anyone else inside the USA. This older Mustang is an exception, hence the continued temptation. After reviewing the data, I see that my Tour crushes the V-6 Mustangs in terms of performance and handling. This is something that I think I knew before. I've been beating them since I got the Tour, but I thought that it was simply a matter of skill. Evidently I was outgunning them. The Mustang has an edge in Torque, but not a big one... while the Tour has almost twice the fuel economy. I'll decline on the Mustang. Further reviews of the VW make it a much more tempting platform. The economy and performance are better than the Contour, and the handling is even better still. And this is with a 4 cylinder that isn't rated as high in power. German Engineering. Gotta love it. And looking at the two cars side by side, the VW has a lot more room inside. And it gets better mileage as well. I just might get it. The Wickerman. Great flick if you like HP Lovecraft stuff. This is in the same flavor as Lovecraft, with a twist you wont see coming as easily as most any other movie. Well crafted, I enjoyed it. And the Ex Fiancé, Willow. Strange looking but hot as hell anyway. Her elf-like frame doesn't really do it for me, but her eyes... they are hauntingly beautiful. I don't know what other flicks she's been in... but I would not shy away from seeing more of her. Nick Cage did a good job in this one... I liked it more than all of his recent films for the last year or two. National Treasure was his last good one up till this point. His next film out... the comic book flick... Ghost Rider... that one looks fun. But I might have to wait till DVD. There are a couple lessons we should learn from Willowman. First off is to roll with backup. He shouldn't have gone alone. Second is to always check your weapon and never let it out of your sight. In one scene we see Nick check his gun... but then later we find that somehow it becomes unloaded? That makes no sense. Maybe Nick was shagging Willow (I would have) and she tampered with his gun while he was asleep? Regardless, before going out on adventures... make sure you have your weapon and backup. Also, we saw that Nick did not immediately try to change his tactical situation and let himself get surrounded. Always move for an advantage and always have a way out. Nick didn't do this and his punishment was very grim. While Granola Chicks are achingly hot, they can be creepy... if you sense any creepy vibe – bail out. I think these are some good lessons for all of us. (Yes, I've had a thing for Granola Chicks since high school. I don't know why.) There is some controversy about the latest issue of Concealed Carry Magazine. One of the writers, not me this time, wrote something that has raised some hackles. The idea of “Blooding your Gun” is something many fellows have taken great offense to. Getting out and doing a little bit of hunting with your chosen carry gun should not be something so offensive. That's what guns are for... hunting... ultimately killing. Let's not pussyfoot around here... if you can't bring yourself to kill a rodent at least with your chosen carry gun – then how the hell do you expect to be able to bring yourself to kill another human being with it? That's what self defense with a weapon is... yeah, it's about stopping a threat to you or your family, but the death of the assailant is often a side effect of that said stopping. If you can't even kill a bunny or something... then why the hell do you carry a weapon? “But it's different...” No, no it isn't. Killing is killing and that is ultimately what it is all about. The Anti Gun groups are right about that... but they are wrong about “you don't need (insert weapon of choice) to kill a deer”. On the contrary, such weapons make fine deer slayers. Most white tail deer are about the same weight or lighter than many full grown bad guys. What's good for the goose is also good for the violent criminal. Now I don't mean to say this as any indication that we gun owners want to kill people. Absolutely not. We do not want to kill anyone... we don't even want to kill badguys. We would rather see the local constabulary take care of such matters. However, the shadier elements of society need to know that there are people out there, want to or not, are ready to do whatever is necessary to defend our loved ones. Back to hunting. A good hunter has a hunter's mindset. This is a similar mindset to someone who takes self defense seriously. I tend to think that while one mindset might not be a requirement of the other, anyone who thinks of themselves as a Defender but not a Hunter, is probably fooling themselves. Now that I have said that, I think the suggestion that you should go out of your way to “blood” your gun is rather silly. I think it is unnecessary after you have already proven yourself capable with other weapons or would rather hunt with something different. I think, but I am not sure, that every gun in my collection has been “blooded”. We heard report of Steve Irwin's passing. Killed in action while filming Manta Rays or something. This is odd. I had always thought it was going to be Al Gore to finally get him. Condolences to the Irwin Family and his friends. I always enjoyed watching that guy's show. Friday, 9-1-06: Yes, it is a glorious day on the internet when Ogre updates MadOgre.com. And today is such a day. I'm spending a few at the local university taking care of some business. Last time I was here I got drafted to speak to a couple classes. This time I am hiding out in a more secluded and quiet area of the campus... wearing my Rob Zombie style cowboy hat and big headphones... we hope this will help us minimize our celebrity status here. (it only worked for 15 minutes) The Little Trooper: You know that my littlest son, my Little Trooper as I call him... is trying to kill me. His last adventure involves the family van. Mom and Little Trooper go into the post office to pick up mail and packages. While Mom is at the teller window, Trooper takes Mom's keys and gets the mail from the box. Then he decided that he wanted to go out and start the van. Then he decided he wanted to drive home. The punch line is that he post office now has a hole in the wall and the van is most likely to be totaled. Thankfully no one was hurt. The upshot is that Mrs. Ogre is enjoying driving around in her new Mitsubishi rental car that has XM and plays MP3's off burned CD's. We had bumped up all our insurance (with Trooper in mind amongst other things) so the deductible is only a hundred bucks. I had a few heart attacks when Mrs. Ogre called me on the phone to tell me Trooper just has his first motor vehicle accident... ramming into a Federal Building. Sheesh... and he's only 5! I don't know if I'm going to be able to survive him being a Driver's License holding teenager. I really don't. (His name is not “Trooper” of course. I changed the name to protect the guilty) Right near my wee little town out in the middle of nowhere, the SASS and IDPA clubs have a non-official top secret range that I pass on the way to and from work every day. At this secret location, the clubs have full sized steel plate targets in the shapes of elk, bear, buffalo, the Blob and a dangerous gelatinous cube... and at 1280 yards an Indian on horseback. The buff is a very large beast and I miss guessed it's range because of it. It was almost twice as far as I though it was. So when I aimed and fired upon the buff... and I was getting a puff of dust about half way to it... it really gave me that disappointing feeling. I went back and tried it again armed with known range. Still couldn't hit it. Not even lobbing it in hail mary style. Using the Winchester 94 in .45 Colt with a 24 inch barrel and SASS approved Winchester Cowboy Loads, that 800 yard Buff was as safe as could be. As cool and smooth and quick as the 94 is... and as much as I like it... it's just flat out not enough gun for what I need it for. With more effort and a hotter loading, I'm sure I could tag the buff. Of course at that range and with the ballistics of a Nerf Football, that .45 Colt slug is dropping in on that buff at an angle near 60 degrees. This makes the actual target I'm aiming for a small fraction of the size that I can see through the sights. Not only that, but the impact angle like that wont even make the steel “clang” with sufficient force to hear from the shooting positions. So even if I hit it, a judge wouldn't know it or score it as a hit. .45-70 will get out there better, with more force, and with a heavier slug that gives more “clang”. It's even giving back some clang on the 1280 yard target even though it has the same problems that .45 Colt has at 800. .45-120 would be even better. Anyways, I'm going to table the Cowboy long range stuff and get something a little different. If you are in Utah or western Colorado and want to come out and make a trade... I've got a Winchester 94 in .45 Colt that I really don't need. Selling it for dollars is not desired. Money has a way of getting diminished. I'd like to trade it for something different. This is a round barreled 94 with a 24 inch tube. Nice checkering and all, but it's nothing fancy. It has a couple scratches but nothing glaring. I'd call it 98%. Even with that, it is a Winchester 94 in something other than .30-30... which makes it something a bit more desirable to some collectors. I'm looking for a trade for another gun. If you have something interesting... such as a decent bolt action (with a decent scope already mounted would be a plus) in a good caliber such as .270 or bigger (but not too big) then I would be willing to make an exchange. I hear a lot of guys looking for Winchester 94's, and I've got one I am willing to part with at the moment. I like the gun enough, but I just wish it was in a stronger caliber for longer range shooting. Inside 100 it's deadly accurate and fast handling. Probably would be just fine for any SASS shoot, just not what I want to shoot. I need something that can also kill something big and fuzzy. I've had a couple questions about automatic hunting rifles. These rifles differ from military arms a great deal. Of course you can hunt with a military gun, such as an M1A, FAL or G3 type... even an AK... but they are not well suited to the task and magazine capacity will raise issues with your local Fish & Game LEO. There are only a few choices worth consideration. Browning's Short Track BAR, Benelli's R1, Winchester's Super X, and the Remington 7400. The Winchester Super X rifle is a rebadged BAR and doesn't offer anything over the original that I find worth while. Pass. The Remington 7400 is a fine gun, but accuracy is disappointing and the fit and finish is totally lacking. Pass. So once again, it comes between Browning and Benelli. This is a match up that we have seen before in shotguns, with the tip of the hat going to Benelli. The R1 is a sleek looking rifle and with the addition of the Comfort Tech stock it should be as good of a shooter as it looks. However Browning really hit a home run with the Short Track BAR. The fit and finish is outstanding for an automatic and the calibers available are the ones you want. However what puts the Browning ahead here is how the gun shoulders and swings. It's bloody perfect. It throws up to the shoulder as if it was always there. The gun balances like a throwing knife. The whole thing handles like a Lotus sports car. Even mounted up with a large Ziess scope, it still retains all the unloaded/mounted qualities. The R1 doesn't quite feel as good. I can't remember the name of it... but back when HK gave a damn about sportsmen, before they became elitist bastards, they had an autoloading hunting rifle that felt almost this good. The Remington couldn't even hope to feel this good. Ever. And the price of the Browning... they are selling for a good price... more than the 7400, but less than the R1. It's the sweet spot. Now if Browning would just do a “Silver Hunter” version of the ST-BAR, with Stainless... then it would really be a rifle worth going out of your way for. Accuracy is of course a bit less than a Bolt Action, but it is still very good. Unless you are a Gun Writer who's job it is to make you think any gun worth having has to be printing shot groups that are under a half inch. So what if it prints groups as fat as 2”? How about this... it's a .300 Short Mag that feels like you are shooting a weak .25-06. You can bust Elk with that. Bear. Deer. Whatever you want to hunt. I bet with the right load and scope, a skilled shooter could get 1” groups. I would love to see some aftermarket efforts on these ST-BARs. I'd also like to see some custom work. The .270WSM version would also make for a dandy Police Sniper if it was tuned a bit. Powerful and capable, and it doesn't look like the SWAT team is trying to out “Tactical” a Blackhawk catalog. (OMG! A Tactical Rifle in something different than .308! France just surrendered to MadOgre.com – again) A friend of mine from out of state drove through and stopped to pay a visit and have some lunch while on his way to San Francisco. He was driving a Cooper Mini S. His little sports car was “slammed”, meaning lowered, with low profile tires and the whole 9 yards of trick mods. Standing next to his little car, my first response was “I've got guns bigger than this.” He laughed and then tossed me the keys. JUDAS FREAKING PRIEST. It gave me whiplash it handles so sharp and precise. It's an Automotive Apex ScalpelTM. You turn the wheel... that car changes direction no matter what speed. And speed... it has speed. Lots of it. You step on the go peddle... bang... your moving. You step on the brakes... you stop... Right The Hell Now. The car breaks scientific law... it has no inertia. It runs in a different dimension. And with outstanding fuel economy. Amazing car. Unfortunately I could never own one here. The car is just too small for me, especially here in the Uintah Basin. It would be a hood ornament on the big trucks we have rolling around this town. I would still rather have one of the new Audi TT's. In silver and with the Quattro system. Thanks. If Audi would like to sponsor MadOgre.com... hook me up with an XM and MP3 system, I don't need the navigation system. Thanks.
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