The regular weekly podcast is going to start appearing on Tuesdays, instead of Mondays. Regular podcasts will switch to Tuesday starting on the 13th! I’ll see you guys back here then.
E Postal Match: Pin training
Went and shot this month’s E-Postal Match on Saturday. I took two of my favorite .45 caliber guns; my ’58 Remington that I converted to .45 Colt and my 1937 Brazilian Contract Smith & Wesson in .45 ACP.
This is our first international e-postal match, hosted by a French shooter. The rules were a total of 10 shots on two different pieces of paper – the first paper had five really small bullseyes, and the 2nd paper had a bowling pin with a triangular shaped target zone. The bullseye targets were scored by their number, and the scoring for the pin was a shot in the red triangle was worth 10, hits to the body of the pin were worth 5, and a hit to the head of the pin was worth one. Maximum match score is 100 points.
But that’s enough talking from me, so why don’t we laisse les objectifs a parler.
First off, I shot the ’58 Remington at the bullseye target. 5 shots at 25 feet, total target score of 46. Click the picture for fullsize.
2nd Target – the “Bowling pin”. I shot this one clean for a target score of 50.
So with the ’58 Remington, which I shot in the Centerfire Iron Sight Class (Class 3), I scored a 96 out of a possible 100. Not too shabby.
Next up I shot the 1937 Brazilian Contract Smith and Wesson in .45 ACP, also at a distance of 25 feet. The first target I shot a 45 out of a possible 50.
The 2nd target, the bowling pin, I dropped a shot into the body of the pin which gave me a 45 out of a possible 50 on this target.
My total score with the ’37 Brazilian S&W was a 90 out of 100 – also entered into the Centerfire Iron Sight category.
All in all, not a bad day at the range. I was a little dissapointed because I wanted to shoot both of the “bowling pin” targets clean, but I shouldn’t get too greedy. I did have fun with this match, it was just the right amount of challenge coupled with fun. Plus, it reminded me that there’s another pin shoot coming up this month that I need to buy some ammo for.
I had a lot of fun with this match – can’t wait for next month’s!
Change I can believe in
“Yes we shall” campaign video.
I am such a nerd.
Project Frankenshotty
My BAG Day gun has turned into some kind of devil hybrid project, as it seems that finding certain parts for a Remington 11 in 20 gauge is slightly more difficult than I would have expected. Namely, the part I’m having a hard time getting my hands on is a 20 gauge barrel for the dang thing.
Because it’s become a horrible frankenbeast of a shotgun using parts from all over (including a Browing Auto-5 stock), I’ve taken to calling it the Frankenshotty, which makes me laugh every time I say it. To complete the Frankenshotty, all I need at this juncture is a 20 gauge barrel, which is actually quite difficult to find. The problem is that the e-gunparts guys are sold out, and I can’t use a Browning Auto-5 barrel on it because the ejectors don’t match, and of course this is the time I can’t find anything on Gunbroker.
Now, if one of you fine gentlemen or ladies who reads here happens to have a line on some 20 gauge Remington 11 barrels, drop me a line. Seriously. Because I have an awesome shotgun just waiting to be born. And besides, you know you want to contribute to something with an awesome name like “Frankenshotty”. Plus, if I get a barrel for this thing, it will be the first gun project that I’ve ever actually completed that required more work than dropping in a cylinder conversion.
Police Gun Cameras
I actually agree with this bill, and wouldn’t mind something like this being used nationwide.
A D.C. Councilman has introduced a bill which would require that police officer’s handguns be equipped with a “gun cam” that goes active when the pistol is drawn from the holster.
I actually think this is an awesome idea – as someone who used to be involved in law enforcement, I am in favor of technology that adds another level of accountability to police officers. I firmly believe that cops must be held to the highest standards of conduct, as anyone who is in position to enforce the laws of the land should be. By adding a “shoot cam” to an officer’s firearm, it also creates additional record keeping, which can be used to protect cops from frivolous lawsuits.
Right now, the technology to do this is being tested in Orange County, NY – from what I understand the camera is just a little doohickey that attaches to the accessory rail on most modern pistols. I love it when technology and the firearms industry converge to make stuff like this.
If McCain is Colonel Tigh
Does that mean that Obama is Gaius Baltar?
It makes sense – they’re both well educated, have been accused of elitism, and have an extremely dedicated semi-religious following. They’re also both not interested in anything other than their own advancement. Obama has his wife whispering crazy things in his ear, and Baltar has his imaginary Six whispering crazy things in his ear.
Obama: Viewed with messianic fervor by his followers.
Baltar: Viewed as the messiah by his followers.
Obama: Aspirations to be president.
Baltar: Was president.
Obama: Claims to represent the working man.
Baltar: claimed to represent the working man.
The rabbit hole just keeps getting deeper and deeper.
Sure, McCain actually looks like Colonel Tigh, but Obama’s policies and actions sure do resemble those of Gaius Baltar.
Stupid gun owners
One of my biggest pet peeves is bad gun owners – people who are irresponsible with their firearms in one way or another and because of their irresponsible actions people get A) killed and B) give the anti-gun faction ammo to use against us.
Such as an example is James Michael Booher, who was recently arrested by Indy Metro PD after the shooting death of his 4 year old daughter by his 5 year old son. Here is the relevant factoid that ends any support or sympathy I would have had for Mr. Booher:
A spokesman said they planned to file neglect-related criminal charges today against Booher, 26, in part because his 5-year-old son was able to get hold of Booher’s gun from the top shelf of a bookcase.
…
When the [5 year old boy] grabbed the gun, it had no magazine but did have a round in the chamber, police said.
If there are children in your house, and you have guns in your house, it is your responsibility to perform three critical actions. The first action is to secure your firearms in an area or manner that a 5 year old child can not defeat. They make these marvelous inventions called “trigger locks” which usually require a key and when properly used render a firearm inoperable. Or, if you’re too lazy for that, you could have maybe checked the goddamn chamber on the gun to ensure that it was actually unloaded. The other responsibility that is incumbent on any gun owner with children in the house is to educate those children on firearms when they reach an appropriate age. Before that age, you need to ensure that they understand that touching guns is not something they are to do, ever.
I fully support filling charges of criminal negligence against this guy, and I hope they convict him. People like Mr. Booher are the kind of gun owners that give responsible, safety-minded gun owners a bad name.
I hate seeing things like this – it is absolutely appalling to me that a 4 year old girl lost her life due to this man’s negligence. As I said, he had three critical areas in which he failed to observe intelligent safety procedures:
- Failure to properly unload his firearm – popping the magazine out doesn’t do you any good if you don’t clear the action.
- Failure to properly secure his firearm – the top of a shelf doesn’t count as “safely away” from children.
- Failure to educate his kids – even at 5, a child is old enough to understand that “you don’t touch guns”.
Bring your carry gun
One of Louisville’s biggest conventions, the National Rifle Association, begins Friday May 16th with most events at the fairgrounds. The NRA is advising its members to feel free to bring along their own firearms if they are so inclined. And apparently even to a speech by the republican presidential candidate John McCain.
When McCain appears at the NRA convention in Louisville next Friday, not only will his security detail be armed, but so will the audience.
The national rifle association’s Ashley Varner says it’s “a treat” that the Kentucky Exposition Center, unlike previous NRA convention sites, allows concealed weapons.
This is neat on multiple levels for people attending the Annual Meetings and the Blog Bash. First off, since the convention center is allowing carry guns, that means you don’t have to worry about leaving your gun in an unsecure hotel room while you go gallivanting around the convention. Secondly, like Sebastian I’m very pleased that McCain has called off the Secret Service and will allow said permit holders to attend his speech while armed. It shows a tremendous amount of respect for law-abiding citizens, and is an excellent way to start his courtship of the gun owner vote that he will need come November.
Remember, Kentucky honors all carry permits, so it doesn’t matter where you’re from, as long as you have a permit you’re good to carry in Kentucky. Of course, it creates the other question of what carry gun to bring with me to Louisville. Sure, I could just bring my Beretta 92D, but that’s not sufficiently snazzy enough. A good Bar-B-Que gun might be in order to carry to NRA Annual meetings, something with a little bit of class and panache to it would obviously be the order of the day. Maybe my ’37 Brazilian S&W? On the flip side, I’m going to be doing a lot of walking, and I don’t know if I want to be weighed down by a heavy carry piece – I could always go old school and pack a .32 ACP Beretta from WWII, that would be neat-o. Oh, decisions decisions.
Clarification: It seems that the reporter got a little carried and took a bit of “creative license” (I know, I know, a reporter making a mistake – will wonders never cease). You can carry at the convention center on the convention floor, however security details for McCain’s speech are being kept confidential.
Student arrested for not having guns
I know that looks like a typo, but it’s not. Thanks to Fits for the link, here’s the entire (very short) story from the local New Mexico station:
ALBUQUERQUE—A University of New Mexico student has been arrested on charges of unlawfully carrying guns on campus.UNM Police Chief Kathy Guimond says Kevin Boyar, 19, was arrested Tuesday.
No guns were recovered from Boyar’s dormitory room, but Guimond says officers found evidence that weapons had been in the room.
Guimond tells the Daily Lobo that police found guns and ammunition at Boyar’s parents’ home in Albuquerque.
The weapons included an assault rifle, a 12-gauge shotgun, a 22-caliber rifle and an action rifle.
Guimond says Boyar was arrested on camps without incident.
She says additional charges could be filed.
Aside from where it says “action rifle”, I’m sort of confused as to why they arrested him. They found “evidence” that the guns had been in his dorm room? What evidence? A shell casing? A pistol rug? I have a hard time believing that they could conclusively prove that he had the guns in his dorm room, especially since they then recovered the guns from his parent’s house.
Something about this arrest is rubbing me the wrong way – I can admit that if they have conclusive evidence that proves her broke a law, that’s one thing, but I have the strangest feeling that they’re arresting him without conclusive proof that he had the weapons in his room.
Funny
A t-shirt that would cause my wife to kick my ass.
But that is pretty funny.