1-11-11:  You know, we have a lot of people in Federal Offices, and Judges.  Do you know all of them?  Can you recognize them all 300 yards away?  I know I can’t.  So when Representative King in New York, a Republican mind you, says that he’s introducing legislation... well... here.  Check this out.  This is a hard thing to make work.   I know all of us are Good Law Abiding Subjects and none of us want to break the Law.  So how do we know who these judges are from a distance?  To prevent this bill from creating hundreds of thousands of new criminals every day, I have a couple suggestions.  First, each Federal Judge must wear a large bright green foam rubber cowboy hat.  This makes them visible from 300 yards away.   “But what if they are in a crowd or something?”  That’s a good question.  They must also carry with them a bunch of helium balloons.  This why all members of congress and judges can be seen from 300 yards away and anyone with a gun on them can easily avoid them.  I think this is an elegant solution to a serious problem.  I also suggest carpooling for Congress and the Judges, because this 300 yard rule doesn't just end at the curb... and they want to go green, so it needs to be an economical car, right?  Your Congress.

1-10-11:  So yesterday I did some shooting with my SIG GS1911 TACOPS:  I popped a few more round this morning, after discovering I had a partial box of CCI Blaser Brass rounds under the seat of my truck.  Functionality has been flawless with all rounds fired.  All Magazines used.  Sig’s factory magazines, a Novak mag, and several Kimber Pro Mags.  Accuracy has been exceptional and I think I just might have the most accurate 1911 that I have ever owned.  It’s already the most reliable.  The only 1911 type weapon that I have ever shot that has been this accurate has been the custom gun I got from Rock River, the SIG C3, and the Springfield TRP.  I’ve fired other customs from great makers such as Ed Brown and Les Baer... but this TACOPS seems to have a slight accuracy edge.    And did I mention the reliability?  It felt good right out of the box, cycling it by hand.  But after the Slipstream treatment it felt amazing.  In the video I did when I had no voice, I used just oil.  I later went back and ran some of the Slipstream grease over the rails... the results are amazing, as usual with Slipstream.  The way the TACOPS shoots, I’m impressed as hell with this gun.  I’ll put this SIG right up there with the TRP from Springfield.  If there is any downside to the TACOPS it is the same as any other 5" full steel... its got some weight to it.  However that same weight has the benefit of making it a very soft shooting handgun.

I’m getting pissed off about this AZ Shooting Tragedy:  The Psychopath that carried out this violence was a Registered Democrat.  His fellow students were afraid of him because he was unstable, and they called him “Left Wing”.  Yet this his actions were somehow the fault of Sarah Palin?  This makes no sense.  Sarah Palin has never called out for violence... let’s see... who does?  How about MSNBC’s Liberal Cartoonist Ted Rall?  Wait, let me try to get this straight.  A Liberal Jackass calls for Violence and a Liberal Wacko does Violence, yet it’s a Conservative Conspiracy and thus the fault of Sarah Palin?  This makes my brain hurt, not trying to follow the logic, but trying to see how so many people believe the Liberal Party Line chanting that it’s Sarah Palin and the Conservatives are some how behind this or that it was because of something the Right Wing said when everything about him points otherwise.  This kid didn’t didn’t follow Conservative pundits... he was a follower of the Democratic Underground and the DailyKOS... Not Rush or Palin.  
Oh but Palin had a map with TARGETS on it!  Targets!  Oh really?  What about THIS?
Okay, now that the playing field is level... Let’s remember one thing.  This psychopath fired the shots.  This murderer is the one that pulled the trigger.  He made the plan, he carried it out, he did it and no one else is to blame for it.  He is the sole person responsible and that’s where the buck stops.    
Anyone standing up before the American people and tries to position this horrid event to the benefit of their own agenda, needs to be smacked down hard.  Such as the Pima County Sheriff.  

1911:  HAPPY 1911 Day!  What?  You don’t know what that is?  1-9-11.  This is the day that no matter what you have going on - get out to your range and pop off at least one magazine worth of good old .45ACP.  This is the only day that even God In Heaven looks down upon the 1911 and says that it’s good.   John Moses Browning, standing beside him, grinning and nodding with the satisfaction that he invented something that has withstood the test of time.  Like beer, bacon, the pocket knife, hot chicks, and Sausage.  This is a very special day because there will not be another one for a hundred years.  If you don’t have a 1911... Can’t say that I didn’t warn you. I’ve been telling people all year last year that if you don’t have one by 2011, you are wrong.  
So let’s do this.  Send me your photo of you and your 1911, a pic of you shooting is cool, or just the gun.  Reasonable size, please.  I’ll put together a Video with all the photos together.

The AZ Congressperson Shooting:  This was an unfortunate event, by all counts.  But even more unfortunate is the reporting of it... because sane people have the ability to use rational thought regarding it, and yet they haven’t.  A Federal Judge was shot and killed in that even, along with a Child.  We didn’t hear anything about those persons until much later in the day.  All the news was about the Congressperson, and about the Shooter.  Why is the Congressperson so bloody important?  Is her injury more important than the other’s deaths?  It’s like SOMEONE IMPORTANT GOT HURT and oh, by the way, some Little People got killed too.   And then there is all the attention being put on the Shooter.  His name, his facebook, his youtube, his myspace...  Giving him fame and putting him in the history books.  People, please!  Don’t make these kind of people famous!  Don’t say their name, don’t search them out.  This guy was nuts.  Now Big Sis is going to come down on anyone that might kinda look like him online.   Guys that are opinionated, guys that like guns, guys that are Conservative in nature... Big Sis is going to point her fingers and say “See!  What have I been saying?”  And all her Domestic Terror Watch bullshit is going to roll forward with a vengeance.  
I bet I wouldn’t be able to fly to SHOT Show now if I wanted to... I bet me and others like me (see my blog roll) are now going on the Terror Watch List before Noon today.  Gun Control is going to come back as an issue.  The Patriot Act.  Bama’s Internet ID thing.  This event is going to cause a whole mess of trouble.

1-7-11:  Holster list is updated in the weapon section. 

It’s sad when Blog Trimming time comes... old favorite blogs that withered on the vine... died, and now trimmed away, leaving a blog list that is more live and vibrant.  New Blogs have been added.  Blogs from Members of WeTheArmed.com have been included.  So sad on one hand, yes.  But a happy time as well.  So check out the new blog list.   
SHOT SHOW 2011:  I’m helping man the Armed American Radio joint.  I’ll be there and around.  This is exciting!  A lot of friends are down there this year... SHOT is going to be off the chain.  
Okay, some other good news.  Guess who just picked up a Sponsorship with AAR?  The NRA.  The 800 Pound Gorilla in the Gun Rights Fight.  4 million members.  This is a HUGE boost to AAR.  Now understand this, because of this sponsorship, AAR is going to explode.  We have a few advertising slots, so if you want to get in on this runaway train, shoot me an email.  

1-6-11:  The 2011 is 1911’s Golden Year.  This year is pinnacle Golden Year for the 1911 pistol.  The Golden Years I should say... It’s been said that the 1911 is the weapon of the aficionado and professional.  However it's not the gun I would recommend to most guys... in fact, I hardly ever recommend them anymore unless I am talking to a fellow aficionado or one who wants to become one.  Now here is the thing... modern professionals are moving from 1911's to Glocks, M&P's, and SIG's... guns that are not labors of love.  Modern Professionals are selecting guns that don't require the attention and just simply work rain or shine.  I think the 1911 is in its golden years... I know some cops that still carry them, but they are all older.  That's what they know.  I also know younger cops, who dabbled with 1911’s but have switched back to Glocks or such because of the simplicity and unquestionable reliability.
Now, before I go on, let me tell you... I have much respect for the 1911 and have used them in darkest hours.  My respect is actually more of a deep love and affection.  I love the 1911, I really do.  In automotive terms, the 1911 is like the classic American Muscle Car with a Stick Shift.  It requires attention and maintenance and you have to know it in and out and how to drive it get the performance out of it... but the rewards are very satisfying for the Owner.  You can’t just drop a guy in it that’s spent all his life driving a Honda with an Auto Tranny.  He’s not going to get the performance out of that Hot Rod.  But you can put that Hot Rodder into that Honda and he’s going to do just fine.
Now here is the interesting thing.  About 20 years ago performance cars with automatics started out performing performance cars with manual transmissions.  Started with the Nissan 300ZX.  And now days its no longer questioned.  But the Manual still remains the choice for the Driver Enthusiast.  Unfortunately the Driver Enthusiast is a dying breed.  America doesn’t even make a true Sports Car anymore... Really, I don’t think anyone is now.  But that’s another topic...  
The 1911 is the same way.  The professionals are moving away from the 1911, save for the Shooting Old Guard, who is dealing with diminishing numbers and eventually there will be no more.  And when they are gone... the 1911 will be much like what the Peacemaker is now.  Shooters enjoy them recreationally, in gun sports... but I don’t know any cop or military person that packs a Peacemaker.   Oh, it will never go away... the 1911 will enjoy use by Gun Game Guys, Hobbyists, Plinkers... But the professionals will by and large move on to the more modern weapon options.  Time will move on, and will eventually leave the 1911 behind.
Okay, now as I have been writing this, on my hip is a 1911.  On my hip in the morning will be a Glock.  

Been having fun playing with the latest version of Ubuntu, 10.10.  It took 20 minutes to download the latest ISO, download the USB Jump Drive installer, and create the bootable Jump Drive.  Then I booted to the Jump Drive and 2 minutes later, here I am on Google Docs jotting down my thoughts.  Brilliant!

1-4-11:  It’s the 4th day of the new year and I’m still bloody sick:  I went to work this morning and after a couple hours, had to come home again.  Is it okay to say I’m sick of this?  Speaking is physically exhausting... I get winded like I just ran the Army PT Test 2 mile run.  Then I’ll get random coughing fits that end up with me puking.  It’s like I have no air.  You know what I have?  “Walking Pneumonia”.  Friggen Great.    
Remington has been hard at work lately.  They have two new .30 caliber cartridges specifically for the AR-15 platform.  First one was the “.30 Remington AR” and the second one is the “.300 Blackout”.  The .30RAR is an interesting round.  It gives some good performance with a projectile that is more suitable to hunting even big game in an AR type gun.  Hornady’s latest Reloading Manual they show some wicked loads for it that surpass the initial publicized figures, even a 150 grain SST load that outperforms .30-30 Leverevolution loads.  This legitimizes the AR as a hunting platform.  The .30-30 has taken every big game in North America, so now you could do the same with an AR-15 from a company that is well known to everyone who has a hunting permit.
So now everyone that has a habit of saying “You don’t need THAT to hunt deer”, you guys can STFU now.
That right there is probably the greatest result of this mediocre thirty cal.  I suspect that this round would be extremely accurate with a heavy bullet out of a bull barreled gun, but the Remington R-15 rifle it’s chambered for remains pencil thin even if it is fluted.  The cheap green and white box Remington ammo, 123 grains or so FMJ’s, and the green and yellow packaged soft points of the same weight... they really don’t perform as hoped in the accuracy department.  Going so light in a .30 caliber projectile in the attempt at gaining speed made a sacrifice of accuracy.  I’d rather give up some FPS to gain some precision here.  But that’s just me.
The other cartridge, the .300 Blackout, is kind of an Open Source version of the .300 Whisper.  Like if it was a Linux version of the Whisper.   It does everything the Whisper does, but works better Cross Platform and without the restrictive EULA.  Now, I’ve fired the Whisper out of an AR, with and without a suppressor.  I was in love.  Unfortunately the Military isn’t too keen on working with JDJ on this so the Whisper remains a curiosity.  Okay, let me correct myself here.  It’s not the “.300 Blackout”.  Actually the correct name for it is the “.300 AAC Blackout”.  AAC is a company that Remington purchased that produces some of the worlds best suppressors.  These guys make Gun Mufflers so their help in developing this cartridge, and with what I’ve seen with the Whisper... this tells me that this round is Hell On Wheels when it comes to firing suppressed.  A Remington ACR, with an AAC can on it, chambered for the Blackout... Say hello to SPECOPS next toy.  That should be Standard Issue to every RANGER, MEU, and any other SOC type unit.  Especially if you combine it with Remington’s new Multi-Cam type camo.  Awesome.
Puppies.  For Christmas, we got a couple of young, just weened, puppies.  They are little mutt pups and they are cute as hell.  They are a pair of brothers from the same litter.  Mom was a Spanish Water Dog and Dad was a Vallhund.  A curious mix, but both are good breeds and each pup takes after its own strain.  One looks like a little Water Dog, the other like a little Viking Dog.  Both pups are wicked smart and within a week one of them had learned to whimper at the door to be let out to do it’s business.  They are small and fat little pups... just adorable... but what I like best about them is that you can look in their eyes and you can see the intelligence there.  I have great hopes that these will be good dogs.  I’ll eventually take some photos of them.  These guys are going to be outside dogs.  We’ll do a proper dog yard for them, finish fencing in the whole yard.  Our other dogs stayed in the yard really good.  Save for Bear.  Bear ran off and disappeared.  But Bear, when I looked into his eyes... he wasn’t all there.  He had eyes like a coyote.  Touched, you could say.  I hoped Bear would have grown up a little smarter.  He was learning from Kenyan pretty well, which gave me hopes... but then one moment he just disappeared.  I don’t know what ever happened to him... but I don’t think he’s still alive.  Anyways... we’re not going to take such a change with these little guys.  Koda (he looks like a little bear cub) and Loki.  
I need help with something...  Writing an iPhone/Droid app.   I want an “Ogre Says” app that will give proper advice when you type in a question.  
BattleComp:  Is very soon going to become a CrusaderWeaponry option on your AR builds.  Go check them out.  I love how stable it makes the AR... when shooting fast, this is a huge help.  Sure, 556 doesn’t buck much, but when you are ripping off five round controlled bursts and trying to keep them all in the 10 Ring... this helps.  For the 3Gun Shooter - this is a must have option... Crusader Weaponry:  Get Your War On.

1-3-11:  My first vid clip for 2011:

KACP, Freedom 570 AM is now just broadcasting 105.7KNRS.  This means no more Armed American Radio in Salt Lake.  Please contact KNRS Program director Jeff Cochran at 801-908-1300.  Make sure to politely request that KNRS bring AAR over from KACP.  Make sure to leave a message on the recorder if they don't get directly through to Jeff.  Please be polite and respectful... and persistent.  We can’t lose AAR in Salt Lake!  Also, contact your other radio stations and ask them to carry AAR!

You ever see a new gun that is just so... Gotta Have?  Yeah, I got hit with that again.  Kel-Tec has done it to me... A dual feed pump action bullpup shotgun.  I want that gun so hard that it hurts me.  That’s my dream gun.

I’m still suffering from a problem in my larynx and lungs.  My voice is effected.  I sound like Rorschach from “The Watchmen”.  This would be a step up from sounding like Nike Cage as many YouTube followers say I sound like.  It wouldn’t be so bad save for the fact that just speaking is physically exhausting.  I had to take a day off work today, and that’s not cool.  I hate being sick and I’ve been sick now since last Wed.  Physically I am feeling much better, but the breath/speaking thing is the limiting factor here.

1-1-11:  I would blog more about Food and Restaurants... because I love good food...  I could write a whole new Blog about just that.  Unfortunately I live outside of Vernal Utah.  Let me make something perfectly clear:  We don’t have good restaurants here.  We have a few Chains... To make my point, the two best places to eat are 1. Golden Corral.  2.  Cafe Rio.  That’s it.  I’m serious.  You can’t call it Fine Dining by any means... but at least its edible and you'll get your moneys worth.  The "7-11 Ranch Restaurant" has been here forever.  Unfortunately the place serves up the worst burnt gristle and fat that I’ve ever had. 
When it comes to food, I love all kinds... But my weakness is a really excellent Burger.  An American Classic.  The holiest of the burger is the majestic Bacon Double Cheeseburger.  But any good Burger is a thing of beauty.  Done well, it is everything a man could ever want with his pants on.   There is a little place outside of Vernal near Pelican Lake.  The Pelican Cafe.  They serve up the best burgers this side of the Wasatch Mountains.  Out on the Wasatch Front, there is a place called the Bohemian Brewery & Grill.  The serve a Buffalo Burger that is so good, once you taste one... you would become a hitman for another one.  The other super awesome burger joint in SLC is Crown Burger.  (Apollo Burger is a second fiddle to Crown) Crown does the most amazing things with a patty.  Such as pile a wad of pastrami on top of the burger.  It’s so good... you would kick a bell-ringing Santa in the stones for another one.
I have to admit no small Burger Talent myself.  I just happen to make the world’s best Elk Burgers.  That’s not just a boast, it’s a fact.  Sorry about that if you had self delusions of your own burger grandeur.  I also make enchiladas better than any restaurant I've ever been too.  But that's another topic for another day.
There is a couple of BBQ places that have opened up and have tried to stay open.  One is the BBQ shack in the Jiffy’s Parking Lot.  I wont name them by name.  BBQ Chicken should not taste like boiled chicken with ketchup on it.   You can’t call that BBQ.  The other place?  I don’t know... every time I go there, it’s closed.  I think they only open whenever I’m not hungry.  But I’ve tried to eat there on many occasions.  So I’ve given up.  This is Beef Country out here... and we don’t have a BBQ Pit worth a nickle.  It’s a sad state of affairs.
I think what I want to do is to create a new section for MadOgre.com where I review a few restaurants, where I like to eat, and such.  But I’ll have to do it next time I travel... because Vernal just isn’t happening when it comes to good restaurants.

Ken Salazar is a man with no balls.  He announces in Denver that he’s going to screw Utah.  Of course, people in Denver cheer that.  Much like Clinton’s announcement of the Grand Escalante Land Grab... while in Arizona.   How come they can’t come to Utah to announce their shafting of Utah?  Cowardice!  Utah’s state legislature has said nothing about this... And that is highly disappointing.  This move by Ken Salazar to snatch more authority should be outrageous to everyone in Congress... Because only Congress can create Wilderness, but this is just what Salazar has done.  This is an affront to the democrat process and constitutional law.  It’s also a huge middle finger to the State of Utah.  Because while special interest groups such as the Siera Club and Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance had many meetings with the BLM and Salazar’s office - The State Of Utah on any level was basically shut out.  Utah had no say in this.  This guy standing across the boarder waves his hand and steals a huge swath of our State.   This is outrageous. Utah needs to write and pass a law that all of Utah once again belongs to Utah and is under Utah management, not Ken Salazar’s or anyone else’s.  This is one of the most infuriating things I’ve ever seen happen.  The US Supreme Court needs to shut this clown down.

First day of the new year and I have no voice... I can’t talk... Bronchitis... Sore throat.  Sick as a dog.  At least I don’t have a fever.  I’ll be fine... it’s just annoying.

The Year of the 1911:  Gear up for it... Every gun magazine in the world is going to be running articles and photos about every kind of 1911 on the market past, present and future.  And that’s cool... but not everyone likes a 1911.  We call those people, “Wrong”.  A 1911 is a great weapon.  It may not be everyone’s first choice for a side arm, but we have to give it the respect it deserves.  For the First Day of this New Year, on my hip is riding a new 1911 .45.  It’s from SIG.  It’s the TacOps model, and it is amazing.  Because I’m under the weather, I am not going out and doing anything... which means I’m at home, on the couch, not even going out to do any shooting.  This is a bummer.  The new SIG 1911 though, makes me feel much better. Oh, and being Utah’s official State Gun... it’s all the better to be packing on New Years Day.

12-31-10:  Ruger’s Gunsite Scout Rifle:  Before I go on, I have to set the tone from where I am coming from.  I don’t like Ruger.  I’m being honest here, I just don’t like Ruger.  Look up my past comments about Ruger and you can clearly see that I am no fan.  I like to bash on Ruger, because I think they are an easy target.  Now back to the subject.  Ruger and Gunsite basically took the Ruger Frontier Rifle and gave it a system to adjust the length of pull, gave it a detachable box magazine, Iron sights, and a flash suppressor.  I’ve mounted scopes on the Frontier in the Scout Configuration several times before.  I like the Frontier.  It’s the only centerfire rifle from Ruger that I have liked.  Now we have this Gunsite Scout.  I like the idea of the Scout, the magazine idea is good... the whole concept is good... however I think he execution is lacking.  For example, why would I spend the extra money for this Scout when I have the same thing in the Frontier?  Well, looking at the Website, I can’t even find the Frontier there anymore... But the Scout is on the front page.  You could get the Frontier rifle in .300 WSM, a huge increase in Punch.  The Scout, however is available only in .308.  Not that it’s a bad thing... .308 is just fine.  But a .300 WSM would be better.  Actually, the .270 WSM would have been a lot more suitable, but that’s another subject.  Okay, now let’s get this done here... I’m not digging the execution of the Gunsite Scout.  The Flash Hider is cheap looking and ugly.  Ruger is putting that same thing on everything and they shouldn’t put it on anything.  I like the M-16A2 style Flash Hider much better.  Or just not use any at all.  I don’t like the Laminate Stock.  How about a simple synthetic stock?  Maybe one made of Kevlar?  The 10 round magazine seems to stick out too far for the capacity.  But that’s not a real problem.  Really there is no one thing that stands out as being too wrong, its just the sum of its parts that makes the Gunsite Scout off.  Not only that, it seems to be a bit too expensive for what it is.  Alternatives to the Ruger-Gunsite Scout are plenty.  I like the Ruger Frontier for example.  I also really like the Savage Scout... a rifle that has quietly been getting the job done for years now... the new version has also been upgraded to the AccuStock with it’s superior bedding system.  It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to make the estimation that the Savage will scalp the Ruger in accuracy... which for a bolt action rifle is hugely important.  How about the original scout rifles?  A classic lever action carbine?  In .30-30 or such, that’s a gun that’s been getting it done since the beginning.  If I was going to buy a new Scout Rifle right now... I’d take the money for the Ruger Scout and spend that amount on the Savage Scout and the money I saved I’d buy a good scope for it and then I'd have a rifle that was a flat out better shooter.  But that’s just me.  A lot of guys are really digging the Ruger but I question if they are really liking the Ruger, or just the Scout concept in general.

12-30-10:  One of the finest things in life, outside of friends and family... is a fine weapon.  A well crafted arm, made with skill and of good materials is a thing of beauty.  I think most of those who read MadOgre.com would agree.  A good knife, probably the most useful... a well made pistol such as a 1911 is truly a wonderful thing... however, I think the pinnacle of the art comes in form of a Rifle.  Some would argue the import and grace of a military style weapon, such as an AR... but I say the pinnacle takes the form of a Hunting Rifle.  More elegant lines, a purity of form and function... and make no mistake, it’s function is to kill.  A hunting rifle can deliver a powerful kill-shot at extended ranges making for an ethical and clean kill that is the goal of every hunter.  Every sportsman.  A hunting rifle is the culmination of centuries of hunting tradition combined with the most exacting of precision engineering for the sighting instrument.  And the Cost?  Nothing like what arms used to cost.  A fine weapon used to cost the soldier almost a years worth of wages or more.  It was important enough to them.  Now it’s much cheaper.  A slight fraction.  DeBeers, the family that has been in control of the Diamond Trade has been so kind as to tell us how much we should spend on their little glittery bobbles.  How much should one spend on a Fine Weapon?   A solid and manageable figure...  How about the equivalent of 1 Pay Check?   For a Shotgun, Handgun, or Rifle... Every Man should have a fine weapon and One Pay Check is a good start.  
Of course, for a fine hunting rifle, that One Pay Check doesn’t count on the Optics.  For a Scope, the rule of thumb is about what you paid for the Rifle.  That Rule of Thumb seems to work out quite well.  
Face it guys... what else are you going to spend your hard earned money on?  A little bitty glittery thing?
While on this Tradition Convention here... “Two Months Salary for the Rock.”  Fine.  We can do that.  How about a Dowry in return, for the Groom... a Fine Rifle of equal proportional expense?
I hear guys talk about how they can’t afford a nice gun or a nice scope on their nice rifle so they settle for a cheaper one or they pass it up all together... Yet I have seen these same men spend as much on much more frivolous stuff of a more temporary nature.  Get your priorities straight, man!  

I have to mention the film True Grit again.  Yes, I think Jeff Bridges completely owned the role of Rooster and did a better job of it than The Duke.  He did.  And the girl... amazing performance.  Yet I continue to be haunted by a walk on character that doesn’t get 2 minutes of screen time... The Bear Hat Man.  He haunts my nightmares... in my dark dreams of twisty roads covered in shadow, the Bear Hat Man rides out to offer his very special Medical Attention.   He is, without a doubt, the single most disturbing thing I’ve seen in 2010.  The Bear Hat Man.  A Perfect Model of the Stereotypical Mountain Man... which while probably no historically accurate... reminds us of who those people where... Educated, smart men... who spent waaay too much time away from civilization.  Now... do you need any... medical... attention...?