Μarch 2007  

Saturday, 3-31-07:  I've been looking at ballistic software: We need a program that calculates and graphs exterior ballistics. I am thinking about getting one of them. The one I'm liking is called “Ballistic Explorer”. The reason I'm liking it is because of the program's flexibility. It can model any caliber and compare them to two others. Once you create and edit your caliber you can save it and add it to your library. Now if you can have a program that models Interior Ballistics, Exterior Ballistics, and Terminal Ballistics. That would be awesome. But before we get that, we'll probably have lightsabers, flying cars, and Harley Davidsons that don't suck. Anyone have anything better than Ballistic Explorer?

Don't need anything said about this, but I've had another birthday a few days ago. I've settled into my new Age now and I've now become accustomed to it. KdT posted something about “Permanent Age”. I think I've always been 32. Even when I was 16. I'm not sure what that means. Just saying.

I know some guys that are stuck in 15 after 40 years. Unfortunately most of those guys call themselves Democrat Congressmen. Who gives a shit if President had some of the Federal lawyers fired? Each and every one of them serve at the pleasure of the President and he doesn't need to justify reasons for canning any of them. So now we have Congressmen wasting time and money on investigating who knew about the legal layoffs? Give me a break. Can't they do something more productive like passing more worthless non-binding resolutions?

Anyways, yeah it was a good birthday. I got a new laptop bag which I seriously needed, and watch both from Wenger, the original Swiss Army guys. Very cool and very nice. Love them. Thank you Dacia and Mom and Family! I love you guys.

My five favorite rifle calibers: (not including rimfire) Not in any order. First Fav is the 7mm Rem Mag. Big power, yet flexible enough to hunt anything in North America and most of the rest of the planet from Mice to Moose. The next one is the smaller 7mm-08 which is shorter and lighter and reaches out farther, faster and flatter than the .308 cartridge, while still hitting harder at long range. It's just flat out a better round. I'm also loving the new .325WSM cartridge. Hit's like a .338 Win Mag while being easier on the shoulder and in a lighter, handier rifle, and out of the Browning Stainless Stalker – right out of the box – sub MOA accurate. You can't not love that. .22-250. Classic do everything varmint round, and almost as a cheap as .223 while out performing it like crazy. The last one is the .30-06. Over a hundred years old now and still going strong. This is king of cartridges in my opinion. It's done everything. It's the vet of the bunch.

I'm really not caring about this Global Warming crap any more. I really can't shed a tear about the polar ice melting and this is causing some polar bears to die. I really don't care. You want me to care? Give me a hybrid car that only runs on distilled Polar Bear juice.

Jim Zumbo again. This time he writes a letter to Congress as a response to that Democrat jackass using his words against American Shooters. Here is his letter and I want everyone to read this carefully:

“An Open Letter to the United States Senate. Dear Honorable Ladies and Gentlemen:

It recently came to my attention that one of your colleagues, Michigan Sen. Carl Levin, has chosen to attack firearms owners using remarks I wrote in mid-February as his launch pad. As you probably know, Sen. Levin has been making anti-gun speeches every week for the past eight years because of a promise he made to the Economic Club of Detroit in May 1999.

Mr. Levin has an agenda, and he should have spoken to me before using my name in one of his speeches, especially since his remarks were entered into the Congressional Record. I would like my remarks here entered into the Congressional Record as well.

Sen. Levin is only one of 16 members of the Senate to vote against the Vitter Amendment to the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act. This amendment prohibits the confiscation of a privately-owned firearm during an emergency or major disaster when possession of that gun is not prohibited under state or federal law.

Eighty-four senators voted for that amendment, inspired by the egregious confiscation of firearms from the citizens of New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina in the summer of 2005. Those seizures, you will recall, led the Second Amendment Foundation and National Rifle Association to join in a landmark civil rights lawsuit in federal court that brought the confiscations to an abrupt end.

The taking of private property without warrant or probable cause - even firearms - was considered an outrage by millions of American citizens, and yet Sen. Levin joined 15 of his colleagues in voting against this measure. It is no small wonder that Sen. Levin gets an "F" rating from gun rights organizations. He would have American citizens disarmed and left defenseless at a time when they need their firearms the most, when social order collapses into anarchy and protecting one's self and one's family is not simply a right and responsibility, it becomes a necessity.

That in mind, Sen. Levin must know that almost immediately after I wrote those remarks, I recanted and apologized to the millions of Americans who lawfully and responsibly own, compete with and hunt with semi-automatic rifles. I took a "crash course" on these firearms and visited with my good friend Ted Nugent on his ranch in Texas, where I personally shot an AR-15 and educated myself with these firearms.

Some of us learn from our mistakes, others keep making them. Legislation to which Sen. Levin alluded, HR 1022, would renew the ban on so-called "assault weapons," and dangerously expand it to encompass far more perfectly legal firearms. For the Congress of the United States to even consider such legislation is an affront to every law-abiding firearms owner in this country.

This legislation that Sen. Levin appears to endorse is written so broadly as outlaw not only firearms, but accessories, including a folding stock for a Ruger rifle. As I understand the language of this bill, it could ultimately take away my timeworn and cherished hunting rifles and shotguns - firearms I hope to one day pass on to my grandchildren - as well as millions of identical and similar firearms owned by other American citizens.

It is clear to me that the supporters of this legislation don't want to stop criminals. They want to invent new ones out of people like me, and many of you, and your constituents, friends, neighbors and members of your families. They will do anything they can, go to any extremes they believe necessary, to make it impossible for more and more American citizens to legally own any firearm.

In his final paragraph, Senator Levin misrepresents what I said. I never spoke in favor of a general assault weapons ban. Again, I immediately apologized for my blog statement that was exclusively directed toward hunting and not gun ownership.

I will not allow my name to be associated with this kind of attack on the Second Amendment rights of my fellow citizens.

A few weeks ago, in a letter to Alan Gottlieb, chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, I promised to educate my fellow hunters about this insidious legislation "even if I have to visit every hunting camp and climb into every duck blind and deer stand in this country to get it done."

I will amend that to add that I will bring my effort to Capitol Hill if necessary, even if I have to knock on every door and camp in every office of the United States Senate. In promoting this ban, the Hon. Carl Levin does not speak for me, or anybody I know.

Sincerely, James Zumbo Cody, Wyoming”

Guys, this is very interesting. In fact, this changes my opinion of him. This guy was an old fashioned traditionalist who was stuck in his ways. He's had his eyes opened. You know what? I forgive him. He made a mistake in expressing his Evil Black Rifle Bigotry that many hunters have. Guys, lets give Zumbo a break. He recognized his error and is doing what he can to make amends. He's a shooter, a hunter, and an outdoorsman. He's one of us. A valuable member of our culture. He's got a lot of wisdom and knowledge about hunting that we could all glean from. Now look at what's happened to him. He's lost all of his writing jobs because everyone of his colleagues turned their backs on him. What did he do? Express an outdated bigoted opinion. Now look what he's done. When all of us – including myself – basically all said F-Zumbo... here he is defending us. Unasked. Unexpected... and defending us with a very well written piece. Zumbo is on our side. Let's bring him back.

Michael Blane raises an interesting question here. The broomhandle Mauser is a gun that tons of guys say they want. But really, would we actually ante up and buy one? For $450? Maybe. For over a grand? Hell no. Just no. Not in any caliber. The guns are awkward. Complicated. Ugly. Questionable reliability. And accuracy that isn't all that. Let's get real here for a second. The one and only reason that everyone wants one is because Han Solo had one. If you are really wanting one of these... go to Toys Are Us, find the Star Wars section and pick one out. Taurus has been making a lot of old style guns lately. It's possible that they might consider making one these. No thanks. I'll pass. Now if they are actually going to do this, they need to do it right and make it exactly like the original and offer it in the original calibers. And they need to offer a version with a blast deflector and a pistol scope, because that's what we all want anyway.

Tuesday, 3-27-07:  I don't know what it is about Sean Penn, but he just radiates “Idiot”. His political commentary is evidently not written by him. The only thing Penn ever does is take rolls that Robert DeNiro has turned down. Honestly, I can't stand any movie he is in. I wont watch them. He could have been in Lord of the Rings, and I'd never have watched it. As an actor, I think he's worthless. As a political activist, he's at least more entertaining. Not that I'd want to watch any rally he's at, but at least he isn't making any more movies. Entertaining, but not a threat. What really got under my skin is Mr. Penn's assertion that Bush's girls should be in the Military. Mr. Penn doesn't understand that the greatest thing about the US Military is that it is not something you have to do – you volunteer for it. I don't see Mr. Penn enlisting either. Unless you are in or have been in the Military, you have no right to make statements such as he did. Sean Penn is an ass. Simple as that.

EMAIL: “Ogre, I agree with you completely that military action against Iran is fully justified. This is the second direct act of war against British forces serving in Iraq, not including the supply of arms and training to insurgents across that nation. The problem is that the current government of the UK cannot declare war against anyone. Over the past ten years our armed forces have suffered cutbacks that have left them desperately short of men and equipment, what is available is likely to have been purchased just to satisfy the European Union that controls so much of British life nowadays. Secondly Tony Blair is far too weak to take such decisive action. He has earned the emnity of much of the British public because he misled them about the evidence he had to support war against Iraq (British participation may have been illegal thanks to the acceptance of the international court by Tony Blair himself), and is now at the centre of a major corruption inquiry (it began with the sale of honours punishable by two years in prison, and now includes conspiracy to pervert the course of justice which is punishable by life imprisonment). The recent vote to develop a replacement for Britain nuclear deterant needed the support of the Conservative opposition to pass. The best I think that we hope for is that Iran quickly releases the kinapped servicemen of its own accord, or they are found in a location where they can be reached by British or American special forces. Regards Stephen”

The Zumbo situation just keeps getting worse. Read this. Let me paraphrase it for you. Anti-Gun Senator Carl Levin from Michigan has turned Jim Zumbo's anti-assault rifle against us. In Senate testimony, Levin read excerpts from Zumbo's blog on the Outdoor Life and makes assertions that a ban on assault weapons was not only necessary, but would have no detrimental impact. This is great... and it points out why I'm against Zumbo and everyone who thinks like him. Guys, it's simple... they want to ban ALL GUNS. Regardless of your fantasies about that not possible, they are making it possible. The Brady II Bill banned Remington 700's and 870's for crying out loud and those are simply sporting arms! You let them ban assault rifles and they are going to start calling your hunting gun a sniper rifle and take it too. We can't let them take an inch on this one. With Democrats running the house and senate and soon to be White House too... All gun owners need to unite or there will not be any more of us left.

Sunday, 3-25-07:  If Iran is trying to come up with a way that totally justifies The West's kicking of their asses... I think they found a way. And America isn't going to lead that charge and the UK is – while having everyone in the UK getting on board with it. It's like we've been waiting for just this reason to pull the trigger on Iran. If Iran really wanted to avoid a fight, they would have ignored the British boat. But, no. That is not the way of a psychotic megalomaniac asking for a beat down. Iran has been asking for it for some time now. And oh do they so richly deserve it. Espionage? Are they really as retarded in the head as I think they are? Evidently. You can't be a spy if you are in your nation's uniform aboard your nation's vessel. Espionage doesn't work that way, but evidently Iran does. Because witnesses are saying that the Brits were in Iraqi waters. This means Iran went out of their way to ask for an asskicking. I don't think they know who they are messing with. If the Brits go to war – the USA is backing them up. And unlike missing WMD's, we will be fully justified. You don't go snatching up sailors off of ships.

I don't have much to say to day other that I want to lay a smackdown on Iran... so I'm just going to link to this thread on Fark.com that has a lot of photos of Alyson Hannigan. Yummy.  Now if we could only just get North Korea to snag a few sailors too, then we'd be all set. In all seriousness, our prayers are with the sailors.

Friday, 3-23-07:  Late Night:  Evanston Wyoming is a little city about 30 minutes out of Park City on I-80. The city sucks, it really does. Vernal Utah can kick its ass with half its Main Street tied behind its back. There is one redeeming feature that Vernal only wishes it could have. A good place to eat. It has a Mexican joint – two of them actually, "Don Pedro's" – that actually has food you will want to eat and waitresses that actually wait on you. Even if you are there with your wife and five flailing hordlings. Wyoming is a rather dull state. Utah is where it is at... and tomorrow that is where we will be again. The ghost towns were disappointing and Fort Bridger was useless in terms of research for “Buckshot”.

Horde Member Tasos has an article published that you will want to read. It's posted on the USCCA website here. Good read. He visits the AK factory in Russia and checks out some new weapons. Don't miss this one. If you are not a USCCA member – you should be.

I've been asked about the new pistol from Armalite. Well, it is just another CZ 75 clone made in Turkey. Out of all the variants of the design, if you don't want an original CZ, then get a Baby Eagle. Check out the official page. They have in bold letters on the first photo: “ A New Chapter In The History Of Innovation.” Excuse me while I throw up. What is the innovation here? They are ripping off the CZ while at the same time ripping off the Bren Ten in looks, while the company actually doing the manufacturing rips off everyone. Sarsilmaz. I remember the Sarsilmaz booth at SHOT 2006. I was stunned at the shockingly garish handguns on display. I looked them over carefully and didn't find one of them that I would actually spend my money on. Most were tacky with pimp my auto type finishes in bad plating and gold inlay. And Armalite is calling a rebadging of that junk Innovation? Please. It is no such thing. The MSRP on it is insane, $630.95. That is too much. At my shop we are selling Baby Eagles for what? 450? Something like that. The “Beagle” is a proven pistol from a proven manufacturer in Israel. Even an EAA Witness (made in Italy) is a better choice. There is no innovation here, or anywhere when you take an established product, stamp your logo on it, and outsource the manufacturing to Turkey. There is nothing new or specially about yet another 9MM Crunchenticker. Sure, there is room in the market for any new high cap 9MM if it is done well. Take the M&P or XD for example. But is there room for yet another rehash? Not of a CZ. It's been done and there are better examples out there. Now if Armalite really wanted to make waves, they should have copied the Korth and had that remade in Turkey. That would have been something. Let me be frank. I'm not a fan of Armalite. Nothing they make even remotely interests me. Not a thing. Now if you want to rehash something, check out what DSA has done, bringing out a new remake of the Steyr TMP. And considering Steyr can kiss my grits, this makes it all the better. The TMP pistol is decent Uzi remake that has potential. I'd be more than interested in trying out one of these new DSA guns... Hell, I love DSA's stuff. Those guys rock.

Ol' Mike Bane and Kim DuToit have both come out saying that they don't like and can't shoot the .40 S&W cartridge in any pistol... I humbly state that they are wrong. I've used the .40 with good success and was able to shoot it just fine (even using my favorite Cor-Bon 135 grain loads – very snappy) in my full sized HK USP that I ended up selling to a friend because I was in the mood to have another 1911. I've also shot it with precision out of a Beretta Cougar and Beretta's new Px4 Storm pistol. (great weapon) I just reviewed and found favor with the .40 P99 QA from Walther, and some time ago a SIG P229SAS. In each gun accuracy was fantastic and reliability was flawless. Ease of handling, firing, and everything else was just fine. The .40 does have a place in our collective arsenals and it will be around for a very long time. Unlike the other two, I have a newish pistol cartridge that I don't like... and that is the .357SIG. What is that for? For guys that want a .40 but can't let go of their 9? Make up your mind, people and pick one or the other.

I don't know if I was just really tired or what. But the other night when I came home from work, I could have swore I saw Ranger sitting there on his grave. Just sitting there, proudly, grinning, waiting for me to come home like he used to. I shook my head and looked again and of course he wasn't there. But I wish he was. God, I miss that dog.

I've been looking at cars casually... not seriously looking and not even ready to buy yet... but still looking and enjoying the shopping around process. See, I'd love one of these... but I can't get one of them. I need a car that's a bigger than my Tour. I'd even like one of these. But they are not available in the US. So I think I'll just wait around for the Pontiac G8. Yes, I know it wont get the mileage I'm used to... and it's only slightly bigger... but I like it.

“Buckshot” Short Preview: Lucius Walker watched the brief exchange, then turned his attention back to the direction they had just come from. He watched and listened carefully, seeing and hearing nothing... yet he was unsure. He wished Ash would get a move on.  He pulled his hat down low over his brow to shade his eyes and scanned the area again. Nothing. There was nothing there. But he felt something.

He heard the rest of the group moving away. He picked himself up and climbed back up onto his horse, casting backwards glances over his shoulder. He kept his Winchester ready and tried to fight the urge to shoot. Something wasn't right. Whatever was back there, it wasn't an animal. A wolf or mountain lion, as smooth as they are, would have been spotted. They would have made some noise, crunch leaves or something that would give them away. Whatever was back there, if anything, it wasn't going to give its self away.

Maybe he was just spooked for some reason and there really wasn't anything back there. He tried to dismiss it. As soon as he did, he'd get that feeling... something was watching him. Following him. Breathing down his neck. He couldn't see it and he couldn't hear it, but something was definitely wrong here.

Lucius looked up at the sky. The sun was putting a bright orange glow on the eastern horizon now, and the sky was rapidly turning a bright clear blue. Time to go, he thought. He was eager to get out the area... something was still watching. Suddenly birds flushed over the trees across the draw directly to the west, the direction they had come from. Walker's heart seemed to skip a beat as he dropped from his horse. With a practiced hand he pulled the horse down to the ground and leaned on its neck to keep it down. “Shhh” he whispered in the horse's ear. The horse stayed quiet and still. Hopefully the group would be out of sight and whatever was following wouldn't notice him until he got a look at it first.

A moment later Ash quietly crawled up alongside Lucius and whispered. “We have a tail?”

“No. Nothings back there.”

“Then what's wrong?”

“Nothing... nothings back there... that's what's wrong.”

“Nothing is a good thing.”

“No, this isn't a good nothing... this is a fucked up nothing. I've been feeling like something is back there. I know there is. But there is nothing there. Now all the sudden those birds just go and take wing? Something isn't right here.”

The morning light was shining right into the trees, giving him ample light for a good view. Above the trees birds circled, agitated at something below them. Something was in there. Walker's 'Nothing' had just become a 'Something', but that something was still not going to show itself. Ash mused about this something and was about to dismiss it when he noticed something. Light from the rising sun was reaching into the tree line and penetrating the brush... but an area inside the tree line where light should be... was still cloaked in shadows. Shadows that shouldn't be. As Ash watched, his blood ran cold. Then suddenly the shadow pulled back into the forest. Not burned away by the morning sunshine, it retreated in whole, like a thing that decided to go back the other way. Where the darkness was, now there was light, as if light had always been there. Ash and Lucius both looked at each other. “Jeezus...”

“We better get moving.”

Thursday, 3-22-07:  S&W's TRR8 .357 Magnum Revolver. 8 rounds of full house .357 firepower. All flat black and sinister looking. Rails on top and below for tactical lights, lasers and optics. This is the most brutal revolver since the Lamat of Confederate Civil War fame. I have one here, and in looking at it, I am struck by the beauty of it... it's not good looking on its own, but considering the purposeful form follows functions... it is one of the best looking handguns ever made. The guns come off the regular S&W production line and are taken to Smith's Performance Center. Once there, they are basically completely redone. Smith & Wesson considers them to be only 60% completed there. New hardware is installed, and existing hardware is hand fitted and finished and extensively tested. What comes out is a handgun that is in a class all on its own. There is no other revolver or handgun out there in the same league... hell... not even in the same sport. The example I am testing here has the addition of a tactical light (Steamlight M3X) and a small open top red dot from TruGlo. Even set up like this, the gun weights very little compared to what one might think... and it balances in the hand nicely. The double action pull is better than a stock Smith, but not by much. The single action pull is nothing short of amazing. Photos are coming shortly.

6.8 vs 6.5: I stand corrected... I was thinking of the 6.5's ballistics when I was writing about the 6.8... the 6.5 does have a better ballistic coefficient that 6.8 thanks to longer bullet lengths. Hey, even I make mistakes and I live with this stuff. The first guy to catch my error, even before I caught it, is Jay Mac, from the UK. Good catch.

This weekend we are going up into Wyoming and exploring some ghost towns. Researching for my book “Buckshot”, which is my western comedy horror. After that, we are heading to Logan for a funeral. My brother in law's father in law has passed away due to a heart attack. I've only met the gent a couple times but he seemed like a good man to me. Anyways. Buckshot is a fun project that might work out best as a graphic novel with the way I am visualizing it. So I hope I can write in a way that describes the action clear enough. I think I'm pulling it off. So far. I've got a couple monsters rolling around the story so far. Werewolves and Big Foot. The reason for these have to do with the local legends of this region. Namely involving Skinwalkers, who are the main villains. It also gives a tip of the hat to Monster Hunters International, without stepping on Larry's toes. I've talked to Larry about it and he gave me his nod. It kind of gives a glimpse to the character in Larry's book that started MHI originally. Just a brief cameo, but enough to add some flavor.

Skinwalkers are evil Native American medicine men who can shape shift into wolves... as far as werewolves go, they are the worst of the worst. Normal werewolves do not normally accept their wolfish state or don't remember clearly being a wolfy or are ashamed by it. Not Skinwalkers. They embrace it. They channel it. And unlike normal werewolves, they can control it. Big Foots, I've not really gotten into that part of the lore yet... but one Big Foot does make sort of an appearance. Maybe next week I will post an excerpt.

Wed, 3-21-07: 6.8mm SPC: We got in a couple cases of this new ammunition. You've read the articles about the ammo... you've seen the photos. But when you actually hold the round in your fingers up next to a 5.56MM round, the difference becomes drastic. The improved ballistics make it completely worth switching over to the new round... Yes, I totally advocate spending taxpayer dollars to change the US Military over to a better cartridge.

The swap would not be all that difficult. Unit armorers can swap out the barrels in all the M-4's and M-16's. Other weapons have removable barrels already so it is a no brainer. Just replace them... done. Make the transition like the Y2K bug... make it a deadline. By July 4^th have all weapons ready for 6.8 from that time on. Done. Make it an accountable item for Officers down to the Battalion level. Force it through. Make it happen. 6.8mm SPC is a huge improvement and will make our forces much more effective.

The cartridge its self is simple... basically shoving a .270 bullet into the .223 case. But the down range terminal ballistics is much more telling. Why we are still using 5.56MM is something I don't understand. 6.8 in the XCR, the FN SCAR, the SIG 556 Carbine, any of these platforms would be fantastic. With everyone gooing over the HK-416, it should be apparent that we need a better weapon for this new cartridge. When you look at the other cartridges out there such as the 6.5, we see that the 6.8 does better at longer ranges thanks to a better ballistic coefficients. Take the better round, put it in a better weapon system... then we would really have something worth while. Changing just one part of that equation is only solving half the problem. No, I still don't like the AR-15 and I never will. Life is too short to depend on a flawed weapon system. Just ask yourself this: If it was a parachute, would you jump with it? Okay, now say that your wife understands you – would you still jump with it?

Leupold VX-7: We've got one of the new VX-7 rifle scopes at the gun shop and I've looked closely at it. This is the 30mm tubed variable going from 2.5 up to 10 power with the Boon and Crockett reticule. The idea is for Leupold to compete with Swarovski. The retail on it is fourteen hundred bucks so price wise it is in the same zone. Optical quality is up there... but I do think the Swarovskis are still just a bit brighter. Now, when you are playing with optics at this level you have to be really picky. You have to be a critic. I'm saying the VX-7 is right there with Zeiss, but I'm not sure if Leupold hit the target with this particular scope. Now here is the deal... the Leupold is a much stronger scope than the Austrian glass. You can top your hardest kicking guns with the Leupolds and not worry about them getting slammed to pieces. And now you can do this with glass that is better than anything Leupold has yet put out. Leupolds also have the best - roomiest eye relief of any glass out there. I love them. Now the real question is this; is the VX-7 worth double the price over a VX-III in the same power range? That is a question only you can answer yourself. Looking through the big Seven and a Three, the Seven is brighter. The Seven is clearer. But the differences are not drastic. This isn't a quantum leap forward for Leupold... and I'm saying this with the meaning that the Seven isn't that great, but that the Three is just damn good. Now, if you are a staunch scope critic and demand the very best, then I think yes, you will think the VX-7 is worth the extra scratch. If you are looking for a good scope for your new rifle, consider the VX-III. If you are considering an Austrian scope, then take a good hard look at the VX-7. Especially if your rifle is more powerful than a .308. The VX-7 is a worthy set of glass and even if it is the most expensive scope Leupold has put out, it has its place. If I was going to get, say a Kimber Montana in .300WSM... yeah, I'd really think about the Seven. What else would I consider? A Nikon Titanium, A Zeiss, and of course a VX-III.

Rocky Anderson, Mayor of SLC – Gigantic asshole. He is wasting taxpayer's money putting himself up on his own Liberal Bullshit platform and not working on SLC issues that he needs to be working on. Instead of working on getting Bush impeached, this jackass needs to get fired. Here is how I'm seeing it and why... Take away Bush as an issue. If you hire someone to do a job, and he spends all his time on the clock working on projects that he wasn't hired to do and not getting his job done – what do you do? You fire his ass and replace him with someone who will do the job. The Mayor of SLC needs to stay in SLC and work on SLC issues. That's why he is the freaking Mayor. SLC has enough problems without importing national non-issues. I hope Rocky gets hit by one of his damn Light Rails and dragged from Sandy to down town. The man is an idiot. Did you watch him on the no spin zone? He couldn't articulate a single clear thought with any sort of logic. I can't understand how this asshat became a Mayor of Utah. It seems his only goal is to get Nancy Pelosi as a bunk mate. Or maybe Ted Kennedy. I'm not sure which way Rocky swings. I am sure though that I don't want to know. I never liked Rocky. In fact, right off the bat I knew I did not like him. I met him face to face and spoke to him once. This exchange was caught on a news crew camera. I was coming out of a Crossroads of the West gun show when it was at the Salt Palace. I was wearing a Hawaiian shirt, shaved head, earring and coming from a different direction from the show because I went across the parking lot and crossed the street. Rocky saw me coming from this different direction with some bags and thought I was shopping some of the small joints down the street. For the cameras, Rocky asked me what I thought of the evil gun show going on and all the arms being sold in there. I said that I thought it was great, opened my bags showing off ammunition, high capacity magazines. Then I explained that it was a glorious exercise of our direct constitutional rights and I challenged Rocky to find even one small thing that violated the law. Rocky was pissed. He had veins sticking out of his forehead. The news guys were kind of laughing. I watched the news, but funny, I didn't see that exchange on TV. Rocky is not good for Utah. He needs to move to California or Oregon. I'd be happy to drag him there, his choice of destinations, tied to the rear bumper of my Contour.

Don't mock the Contour. I love my Contour. Yeah, it's a small car. But it has a nice V-6 with a 5 speed manual, four wheel disk brakes, leather... it's everything I was looking for when I got the car. The V-6 in my Tour is the same V-6 that Jaguar was using in their cars... it's a great engine. My car is scary fast, pretty smooth, and it has great fuel economy. And it doesn't attract all the police attention sportier looking cars attract. I love it, I really do. So don't give me crap about it. My only complaint about it is that the car is small... I wish it was a little bigger. When I load up my boys, it is a very tight fit and every day with these boys, it gets tighter. I'm going to have to get a new car within a year. When I do get a new car, I'm going to seriously miss this Contour. In fact, I think I'm going to keep this car as a backup ride or for my Oldest who is going to be driving before I know it. I don't know... but I will need a new set of wheels before I am ready to give up the 'Tour.

The XD45 Compact: Take the XD45 and shorten the grip just a bit so it has a 10 round mag instead of 13. There it is. A handgun that is damn near perfect. It still feels and points just fine, while having a size that carries so much better. If S&W wants their M&P to compete with the XD in the .45 arena, it has better be one fantastic handgun. The full sized is going to have to pack a lot of rounds and the Compact is going to have to at least have 10. I'd like to see a better package deal with the M&P too. But that is not here or there because S&W is almost a year away from a compact .45. This gives the XD series a huge upper hand. Right now, it is a hard package to beat.

7MM-08: I'm still loving this cartridge. You put it up against the Daddy .308 and I'm seeing some biggest advantages. Faster velocity, better ballistic coefficients, better terminal ballistics. I'm thinking it might be ideal for this area for all the medium/small critters.

Thursday, 3-15-07:  XD vs MP: The more I mess around with the XD's and M&P's... I have to admit, I'm liking the M&P's better. The XD is a fantastic weapon, every variant... but I am just liking the S&W just a bit more.

I'm loving the ergos and the easily changed backstraps and mag releases. The looks are much better than the XD's as well. However the one thing that I am really fond of, and something that I hated at first, is the internal takedown lever. The little yellow lever that has to be pushed down before you can pull the slide off... I really like that now. It forces you to check the chamber, and allows you to take the slide off without dry firing the weapon. You would have to be a total screwup to ND an M&P pistol.

Check this photo: The XD and M&P compacts are similar in size. Both can use full sized mags, both can use the XML light... really it is sixes. But the M&P feels better in the hand to me, the M&P looks slicker, and I think the M&P actually carries a little better thanks to the better contouring.

Speaking of Contour: My Ford Contour is still running great after having passed a hundred thousand miles. The other day I pulled in to Rocky Mountain Lube in Naples, Ut. That place is freaking awesome. They are crazy in there. You pull in and they hit your ride like a NASCAR pit crew. You are in and out in less than 10 minutes with better service than any other place out there. Windows washed and floor mats vacuumed. I brought in my own oil because I didn't have time to do it myself... Mobil One with the Bosche Premium oil filter. It's been awhile since my last oil change... I think I was pushing 5 thousand since my last change, yet the car was still running great. I know, this was a huge sin and I shall have to be punished for it. I know. So anyways, now that I am freshened up with new oil, filter, air filter... all that... Man, my Tour is purring liking the Jag the engine came out of. Spending a little more money for the better oil and filters is a good investment. It is money well spent. One thing that I noticed right off the bat, is that my engine runs 8 to 10 degrees cooler, and a whole lot smoother.

A couple new online communities I'm helping out with: CIVARMS, and PoliNews. Check them out and bookmark them.

Iran is a little pissed about the movie “300”. For what? This flick was a dramatization of a real battle... it happened. Not like how it was shown, but pretty much that is about what happened. A horde of Persians came in and slaughtered 300 Spartans and about a thousand other greeks who held their ground. There is no way of showing that in a positive way... You Persians got your asses kicked. You guys were just lucky their wasn't 3,000 Spartans at that battle or they might have driven you all back into the sea and carried the battle back to your home town.

Wed, 3-14-07:  Hundred Yard Handgunning: Shooting at 25 yards is a difficult challenge. Now extend that out to 100 yards and it gets crazy. With a normal handgun, any of your average pistols out there, you are lobbing the slug out there and the whole process is not quite a precision operation. With handguns out there like the S&W X frames and the Encore and Contender and others like these... shooting at long range is much easier. The longer barrels give a huge ballistic advantage and the longer sight radius is a critical aide to making those long range hits. Handgun bullets tend to have very poor ballistic coefficients. This makes the bullets hemorrhage off velocity like they are pulling anchors. Guns like the Encores, Contenders, and Remington XP-100 allow you to fire spire point bullets. This really opens up your effective range. I'm having so much fun with my Encore, I really can't tell you. You can really reach out there... which is great when you live out here on Planet Dune.

The main problem you have is holding the gun steady. You can't. Shooting off-hand at long ranges, it ain't happening. I'm going to have to get one of those extra long Mono-Pods. So I can shoot from a braced position while standing. Now, with this set up, I would really be able to take advantage of the weapon system's strengths. The only downside is that the gun is a single shot. What I need is something to allow me to reload faster... like a cartridge pez dispenser. This says to me “GI Magazine”. I'll have to take a GI mag and modify it to allow easy single round stripping. Or better yet, allow a user to hold it with one hand and feed a round into the Encore's chamber. Another mag for my .22-250 barrel. I don't know, maybe not.

I'm going to have to find a .500 Magnum barrel too. If any of the Horde out there have any Encore barrels, pistol or rifle (I have both now) and you don't want them any more – send them my way, please. I'll make good use of them. No matter what caliber... seriously... send them up. I need them. I'm highly addicted to my Encores, they rock. Try tagging out a jackrabbit at 100 yards with a pistol... awesome.

If I could get Thompson Center to sponsor MadOgre.com, that would be the shit. They could sponsor me in barrels and stuff. I'd be all over it. Better yet, I need an Ammunition Sponsor. One case a month of some caliber, maybe a different caliber every month. That would rock. Come on guys, I know I have a lot of industry guys out there that are reading MadOgre.com... hook me up!

Washington DC's Gun Ban: The best thing about the DC gun Ban judgement is the Supreme Court's rule that the RCBA is an Individual Right and not a Collective Right as argued by Anti-Gun groups such as the ACLU and other Liberal brain drains. The individual right ruling is going to have implications reaching out farther than just DC. This precedence can now be used across the country. Going into what is looking like a Democrat win in the 2008 election, this is especially good news. Right now there are several liberal US attorneys that have been fired. If they can be replaced by good conservatives, that will bolster our strength when Hillary and/or Obama take office. (Yeah, I have a grim outlook on this election) Let's hope we can get another judge on SCOTUS as well. Right now gun control is not a hot topic issue with most candidates... they want to ignore it. But the issue is a strong current just under the surface, make no mistake about that. The Democrats would still love to yank our guns just as soon as they could, if they could get away with it. Further attempts at reasonable control measures are out there, including Brady II which would ban everything that can hold more than 2 rounds.... your Browning A-Bolt hunting rifles and Remington 870 Wingmasters... those are going to go Bye-Bye too eventually. So don't worry about buying just that Saiga or AR-15 before the next general election – buy everything else too. Because if they have their way, .50 BMG rifles and AK-47's are not the ones to go... they will all go. Look at what the police did in New Orleans... that can and probably will happen in your area. No one expected that to happen in the Big Easy... but it did. All they had to do was declare martial law and that's it. Under martial law, there is a suspension of rights and they can come for your guns if they feel like it. There is little use in fighting back at that point. We have to prevent that from happening in the first place. We have to make sure we have people in office that would not oppress the masses at the first chance they get. This means keeping democrats out of office. Similar disasters happened all over the country since katrina in conservative areas. No one freaked out. In N.O. Where Democrats ran unchecked for ages, they had a problem and the solution was to freak out, and send in the police to crush our liberty. That is pretty much the mode of operation we can expect from a Democrat controlled government. Look at Bill Clinton's 8 years... Pretty much 8 years of sticking his head in the sand and up the skirts of young interns. I don't see Hillary being any different. I don't see any positive plans for anything from the Left. My suggestion for privatizing the VA medical system is a sound one. The Left? They think government oversight should extend to the rest of the health care system. Wow... and you thought Walter Reed was a nasty mess? Let's just extend that to every medical facility in the country... yeah, that sounds like a great idea. You have to be a complete and utter moron to follow the Democrats these days. The government can't even run its self anymore. Vast portions of its own management have been privatized just to keep it functional. Privatization works every time it is tried in every field... the government, being in a position where it can not even govern its self is not something that should be expanded. The Democrat ideas bouncing around Democrat Underground and MoveOn.org are flat out disastrous. I can't believe they even take themselves seriously. This is the equivalent of a 14 year old wanting to drive the family car by himself to go run some errands. Yeah, that sounds like a swell idea. We didn't need the car that bad anyway, did we? Utah isn't even safe... Jackholes like Rocky Anderson have gained ground and strength with shocking ease. Why? Simply because people don't like George W Bush. Rocky has yet to put out a good idea that makes any improvements to SLC. SLC is now even more a PITA to get around. His best idea? Public new years eve parties down town. Nice. The city is going to shit, but they can still through a party. Well, that's the Democrat way, isn't it?

EMAIL FROM READER: “I had spent 11 years behind a desk, as a medical clerk, at Hines VA Hospital, and instead of defending the system, I have to say, you're right. 'Course, when I got in, Al Gore said he'd engaged in some kind of miracle salvation of the system by cutting costs - by instilling hiring freezes for health care professionals, cutting down on Registered Nursing and Licensed Practicing Nursing Staff, and replacing doctors with medical students and Nurse Practitioners, instead of doing what a good leader would do and kick the fucking vultures in the Pharmaceutical industry in the teeth to cut down on the costs of medications picked up by the hospitals.

With the addition of Nursing Assistants, I picked up a few observations - before Gore's cuts, there weren't any NA's that I knew who were smoking joints while on duty, nor were there LPN's showing up with alcohol on their breath. We also didn't have RN's to whom English was a muddled second language from their Filipino mishmash of languages, whose accent was nigh indecipherable, and whose rudeness in communicating information to their co-workers inspired in me an unending, legendary level of rage that my patience for misunderstanding died a few years before I resigned from the VA and began writing full time.

How frustrating was it to see how some of these rude idiot Filipino nurses, Pakistani doctors and young black NA's were treating our nation's veterans? On a daily basis, I could duplicate full-auto fire from an AK by popping my neck tendons, loud enough to make one of my nurse friends to cringe in horror at the sound of what could have been a spine detonating. Frustration over not being able to do right gave me a huge passive-aggressive function and temper, which they sent me to a doctor for. Said doctor from neighboring Loyola (who also supplied the "brilliant students" who treated our veterans) misdiagnosed me, gave me medication which did nothing for my stress and temper, and the same medication gave me diabetes.

That's just how it affected a damn paper pusher like me, seeing how patients were neglected, mocked, ignored, or undercared for. In terms of the people I provided care continuity for, it was goddamned criminal.

Now, there were a lot of people who gave a fuck. It's just that the bastards who didn't give a fuck hung like an albatross... no, scratch that, like the Roc and Rodan having violent giant bird sex... around the neck of those in the system trying. I still haven't gotten over my self-consuming rage, to the point where I've pretty much thrown any sense of community on the web out the window because I'm not fit for human conversation.

The Walter Reed news pissed me off, but it wasn't any surprise. Not when I'd worked in a Respiratory Intensive Care Unit which had green fungus growing on the walls and small furry things running around the corners. And let's not even go into the escort service volunteers, the fucking incompetent medical car drivers...

On behalf of those in the VA who gave a fuck... I'd like to apologize, and would love to point out who really needs to get their asses LYNCHED to clear the goddamned dead-headed shitweight out of the system. - Doug”

ROANOKE.COM: I used to live in Roanoke, VA. Graduate from Salem High there. Loved it in that gorgeous little valley. Fond memories of taking girls up to the Roanoke star and having some serious makeout sessions there. Good times. Well, looks like Roanoke's news paper is being run by the same sort of dipshits that are ruining all the nations newspapers. They thought it would be a good idea to publish the names and addresses of every concealed carry permit holder out there. It was on the website for about 24 before the barbarians at the gate forced them to take it down. They then offered a backhanded statement about it, but no apology. This has angered me and I take this personally. Had I still been living in VA, my name would have been on that list too. This sort of thing, had their not been such an outcry, would have continued. Even if you legally can publish such a list, morally it is unethical. People do have a reasonable expectation of privacy. Just because I have a permit does not give someone else the right to put my information on a highway road sign, which is in effect what Roanoke.com did. We do not publish the names and addressed of those who have driver's licenses, or who get state assistance for welfare or owe the government taxes. Yet because of Liberal Politics at play, they think it is perfectly fine to expose Gun Owners. The author of this?  “Christian Trejbal is an editorial writer for The Roanoke Times based in the New River Valley bureau in Christiansburg.” Mr. Trejbal is also a gigantic jackass and needs to punished. I suggest a public flogging. His latest article is just as offensive to the people in southwest Virginia, suggesting that everyone there is a hateful bigot. This guy should not write for the newspaper. He has every right to write as does anyone, but the Roanoke Times does not have to publish it. I want everyone to contact the Roanoke Times and let them know your displeasure at his continued employment there.

Monday, 3-12-07:  The CZ 100 gun review is done and posted in the weapons section. I had a lot of fun writing that review.

Email server is acting sketchy, so I'll get back to everyone in a bit. Patience, my Horde... patience.

Sunday, 3-11-07:  300: This is the greatest movies ever filmed. Period. You have to see it. The director needs an Oscar. The guy that played Leonidas needs an Oscar. The visuals were as powerful as they were stunning. This one is better than Gladiator and Braveheart put together. Yes the movie became unrealistic, but the history of the Spartans and the basic story was realistic enough. One could easily geek out on the historical inaccuracy. Criticize the flick to death about the heroes' calls of freedom not being something that the Leonidas would have talked about and how they would have been calls for Sparta instead of freedom.... yeah yeah yeah... we know that. This isn't a historical drama. Really it is a message to us in our time and Frank Miller retold the story so that Americans would understand and appreciate it. We have to fight for our freedoms.  So take it for what it is. A fantastic motivational blood bath. I loved every minute and every frame of it. I'm just glad one of the normal Hollywood types didn't do this story... they would have ruined it like the ruined Pearl Harbor.

I would love to see more Frank Miller movies in the future if they are to be done with the attention to detail and keeping with the art like Sin City and 300.

I have been asked my opinion about the Walter Reed situation. VA hospitals, every one of them that I have ever seen, have all been miserable affairs. I understand from reliable sources that most have been greatly improved and are staffed by people who really and truly care. Walter Reed is a disaster, according to what was shown in the news. One can not defend those areas and look credible. But all of Walter Reed was not like that. The most disturbing part was the reports from soldiers about the gauntlet of red tape they had to deal with for every little thing, even an Advil. How would I fix it? Privatize it. Make Veterans Affairs a new type of Blue Cross medical insurance that soldiers get into with no cost. Military Medical outside CONTUS operates as usual but once the wounded soldier comes back into the US – he or his family picks the medical facility of their choice, doctors of their choice, and the VA picks up the whole freaking tab with no questions asked. This is the only way to insure that American Soldiers absolutely get the very best health care. This is my only suggestion, and the only solution that I see. I'm not dissing our good docs and staff that work the good VA hospitals. I'm just saying that the VA Hospital system is out of date. If a VA hospital is really so great, people will choose to get their care there. If no one wants to go to your hospital, sorry. Then you don't deserve to remain open. Turn your facility into low rent housing or over to an HMO to operate it. But you have to compete in the open market whatever you do. Our soldiers deserve the best... they have lain their bodies at our feet, broken and torn. And what do we do? Step on them? Step over and past them? Or do we pick them up and help them and honor their sacrifices for the sake of our own liberty?

President Abraham Lincoln: "Congressmen who willfully take actions during wartime that damage morale and undermine the military are saboteurs and should be arrested, exiled, or hanged."

I've finished my gun review of the new Wilson Combat ADP. By the time you have read this, I will have submitted it to Concealed Carry Magazine. Let me cut to the chase and sum the whole thing up for you. It's fantastic. It is a weird little pistol, but it is a good one. It is a good alternative to those who want a Glock 26 with night sights, but don't want a Glock. There are other great guns in this category as well... but there is just something else about this ADP that sets it apart. There is something to the way it shoots thanks to the fixed barrel and gas system like in the HK P7... This gun is seriously groovy.

Thursday, 3-8-07:  Sorry I have not responded to any emails lately. To say I've fell ill is like falling off a cliff and saying I took a stumble. It is amazing the range, power and volume of fluid that one can spew... and how often... out of both ends.  I could have put out forest fires.  I've never in my life been so ill.  Ever.  Not even when my liver was failing.  Sure, that could have killed me, but then again, so could this... the liver thing would have been more pleasant.  I am not yet fully on my feet again, but I am at least back in the land of the living. Last Friday, just a couple hours after my last post here, I got extremely sick. I think someone put a voodoo curse on me because they love coyotes and I love to kill them. Well, more on killing coyotes in a minute.

I'm just not going to respond to any more Zumbo related emails... save it. Save it, stuff it, and understand this: All firearms stem from Military Weapons. “The gun” was developed as a military weapon at it's genesis.

Killing Coyotes: Lot's of questions about coyote hunting going on with typical complaints that they are just not around or that they are too smart and will not come within range or respond to calls. First thing is that you need to extend your range. Second thing is that they, by intelligent design, are not as smart as you are. Your only problem is that you are not using all your senses like the coyotes are. You have to think like the dog. What is he doing that you are not? Probably sniffing the air. Are you sniffing the air? Guess what... you stink, dude. Seriously. You smell like a human. To a coyote, you reek of something that it doesn't want to come near. A lot of guys have said that the scent killing sprays and stuff don't work. Well, they do, but you have to use them right. Doesn't matter of you use that scent killing spray on your clothes if you use a fruity shampoo. While I was in the infantry I developed a nose for “clean”. A lot of guys shower and use soap before going out into the field. Even I could smell the soap. The dogs could smell it from a lot farther away, and then they take off in the other direction. So here is what you do. Use a scent killing soap, deodorant, and detergent for your hunting clothes. Now that you have desmellified your self, you only have a few hours before you have smelled yourself up all over again by sweating. So to give you more time you want to smell like something that is not going to freak out a coyote. The same scents you use for deer hunting, you can use for dogs. Dogs are not afraid of deer. In fact, they might even prey on them. Not the estrus scents, that might confuse the dogs if it is out of season like it is now. Then again, that might make a coyote curious. If a coyote can tell the difference or not, I don't know... I just don't use it. Gun oil has an odor too. Make sure you wipe all the excess off the gun. Hoppe's is awesome to smell after you are done, not before. Be aware of that. Lastly, and most obviously, and yet most ignored, is don't drive right up to where you want to hunt and get out and think you are going to be able to go shooting. Dogs are not going to want to check out the mods on your 4x4. Plan to do some walking. Drive in, then get out and hike it in to your area. But before you do, use a little wind check dust, see where the wind is blowing and circle around your happy hunting grounds to come in from a direction that isn't going to give you away. Now, what do you look like? Realtree and Mossyoak is your friend, not just garb for rednecks. Get some. Hat, jacket or shirt, and pants. If you can see them, they can probably see you too. So make it harder to be seen. Check your camo against the area you are operating in. And lastly, turn your cell phone off. Make no noise at all. Sneak. Infiltrate into your hunting area. Set up quietly, stay low, and then don't make any sounds save for the occasional call. If you are not doing these things, you are scaring the coyotes away and of course you are not going to have a successful hunt.

I'm really liking this Encore pistol. Seriously awesome bullet launching platform. I'm rolling with a Nikon Monarch 2.5-8 pistol scope on it... This is handgunning nirvana. I only wish this was semi-auto. This makes me curious about the Kel-Tec PLR-16 which I've fired, but have not tried it out for accuracy beyond 25 yards or with a scope. Well, one thing about the PLR-16 is that the barrel is too short. (I can't believe I'm saying that about any gun) It wont generate the velocity you need for serious work. I could probably sell off all my other guns, keeping only this Encore (and the .50 Encore Rifle I have on layaway) and my Kimber .45, and my Marine Magnum... and my Wilson Combat ADP... and my Marlin... okay... forget it... I love the Encore but it isn't replacing anything. I've not fired my .357 Magnum Ruger Vaquero for awhile now. The Marlin has been silent for some time... heck, the only guns I've been shooting lately have been my 7MM Rem Mag, my Marine Magnum, and my Kimber .45 (1200 rounds no jams) and now this Encore. I don't know what is wrong with me.

I've been accused of living the good life. Selling guns and hunting stuff, writing for a gun magazine... yeah. Maybe I am. I think my wife would disagree... but yeah, I am. When I am not sick, absolutely. That's okay, because I have another 5 day weekend coming up in two more weeks.

Friday, 3-2-07:  Tommy Guns. We had a Tommy Gun come through the store the other day. A 1927 A-1 Thompson Sub-Machinegun. It was heavy, large, and gorgeous. The stock was smooth and beautiful even if the wood was mediocre. The barrel was long, finned, and compensated. The gun, even more so than the AK in our country, has a uniquely recognized shape. The metal and wood screamed sexy adventures on either side of the law. Our price on selling this gun was only One Large. Not a bad price for such a fantastic chunk of American History. If you think about it, the Thompson played a large part in shaping the Nation we live in today. Fantastic gun. The gun arrived and we looked it over, drooled on it for a bit, and then tagged it and put it on display. Five minutes later the gun was sold. Done. It didn't last long and I didn't think it would, but five minutes is crazy.

Hand held sniper rifles. I love guns of all makes and models... but I love handguns the most. I've long been fascinated with the Thompson Center Contender handgun. Then came the Encore with a beefier frame and the ability to chamber even larger and more powerful calibers. Well, I finally did it... I pulled the trigger on my own Encore. I've got two barrels for it, one in .223 Remington and the other in .22-250. I'm really into hunting coyotes for bounty and these calibers are the two top dogs for bagging dogs. The Encore is big and long and very impressive. Stainless with black synthetic grips. Accuracy is beyond expectations for long range handgunning. I'm going to need a few more barrels in other calibers... .30-30, .35 Remington, and .308 to name just a couple. The problem with hunting coyotes is that there are other guys out there that are hunting them too, and they suck. They can't make the kill. This trains the coyotes to avoid calls and they teach other dogs to avoid them too. Coyotes are smart. They are clever creatures. Hunting them takes a bit of thought, more so than hunting other game. Now, .223 is only useful on coyotes at closer range. It just doesn't have the knock down. .22-250 on the other hand has enough juice do really get the job done. No question about potency there. Of course out of a shorter barrel like on the Encore handguns, the power factors are all the more apparent.

I was going to mention before, but there is a problem with hunting Coyotes. They are social and when you call them in you can often call them in groups. Being aware of hunters and calls and the sounds of gunshots, as soon as the smell danger, they will bolt. This means you could have four or five dogs out there, and as soon as you take the first shot, they are running away. I had the chance to try a suppressor on another hunter's gun. The effectiveness of the suppressor is striking. While the sound is only reduced enough to not to have to wear ear plugs, the sound is changed just enough that the dogs don't know exactly what is happening and you have about two or three second extra to go after a second or third dog. I'm thinking I might have to get my .223 Encore barrel suppressed and load up some extra heavy bullets for it. The difference between bagging one and bagging three is huge when you factor in the economic standpoint. At 30 bucks a dog, it adds up quickly.

I've found a nice little trick that helps bag more dogs... As soon as you fire the first shot, start using a puppy yip call. This will quite often slow the fleeing dogs and even bring back one or more to find the helpless puppy.

This might sound harsh and uncaring. But try to understand this. I'm in Ranch Country out here and we are going into the season where their animals are having their young. Calves, fawns, wee little ponies. Coyotes will kill these young animals in a heart beat. I know one rancher specifically that has already lost 3 new borne animals to the tune of about 4500 bucks of economic damage. Coyotes can ruin a Rancher's fiscal year overnight. Elk, deer, antelope populations are also at risk and when you clear out an overpopulation of coyotes you allow the other animals time to breed and mature and grow up out of danger. This is the harsh reality of wild life management. Ranchers and Hunters both have a need to help establish at risk herds for the betterment of everyone. Coyotes need to be put into check. Baiting and killing them with poisons is not the way to do it. That way will put other animals at risk... like eagles, bears, or anything else that will scavenge food.

The fact that I can cash in to the tune of 30 bucks a pop is only icing on the cake.

So the guy that directed Titanic says he found the tomb of Jesus. I'm not impressed and I don't believe it for a second that he found our Savior's coffin. I think James Cameron is an idiot. And I hated Titanic.

No, I'm not going to back off of my harsh opinion of what Jim Zumbo said. I am perfectly happy that he has lost damn near every shred of his credibility. Why am I harshing on Dumbo? Why not? Did you read what he said? Here is the quote that caused the problem:

"Excuse me, maybe I'm a traditionalist, but I see no place for these weapons among our hunting fraternity... As hunters, we don't need to be lumped into the group of people who terrorize the world with them... I'll go so far as to call them 'terrorist' rifles."

No, Jimbo, there is no excuse for you. I don't care how traditional you are or were. First off, the AR-15 is the civilian version of the weapon our soldiers carry to defend your right to make an ass of yourself. They use it to fight terrorists. They are heroes, and this is something you evidently don't understand. Now the problem we have here is that there are a lot of other “traditional” hunters out there that feel the same way. Let me educate some of you... the AR-15 was originally developed as a target rifle using a varmint cartridge. It is perfectly suitable for use against varmints. What it is not suitable for is the use as a military weapon against enemies of our nation, but that is another topic I've already covered. The use of such a rifle against varmints is nothing but the application of a tool to do a job. When it comes to hunting bigger game, these nasty evil black rifles are also chambered in .30 caliber and are perfectly suitable for game such as deer. The dreaded AK-47 fires a round that has similar ballistics to the good old .30-30. Now, Jimbo or whoever else out there, are you going to tell us that the .30-30 is not suitable for stalking deer? If you think you want to try, let me give you a hint. There is no way for you to do so while coming off as intelligent. So don't even bother. .308 versions of the AR or AK can tackle mule deer or even elk with no problem. I don't understand the mentality that cosmetic appearance has anything to do with actual effectiveness. Now, let's talk about terrorizing the world. This speaks volumes about Jimbo's political bend. He thinks the US military is terrorizing the world? If he thinks that, then he thinks our soldiers are villians and our nation is evil and should be stopped. This is no patriotic thinking. As a result he has lost just about every contract or agreement in the shooting and outdoors community. I'm not sorry in the least for his hardships. I'm sure there are places in Canada where he would be accepted and would be able to write about fishing or something. Here in the US, we just want him to shut up and disappear from the public view. The man is an ass. Simple as that. Hanging out a large portion of the shooting industry to swing in the wind just because he doesn't like the way their guns look is huge act of negligence and treason to the Gun Culture. There is no difference between the Tactical Shooters and Hunters when it comes to gun rights. Both camps should go out of their way to stand in defense of the other. Shooters should support conservation efforts and Hunters should support efforts like IDPA and IPSC shooting. Military rifles are scary to some. Hunting guns might be mundane or boring to others. But to others yet, they are all guns and are all targets for banning.

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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.”