Thursday, April 27, 2017

At Least A Few Hours Left Of Pre-Road Trip Packing...

...and other preparations but I got a good deal of it done today along with some other necessary stuff I needed o get done before leaving. The thing is I have not gotten enough done of what I need to do before leaving. Thus, I am a bit doubtful that I will be able to depart early enough to get to Geneva, NY on time for the Hessney firearms auction preview tomorrow evening. I guess that just means I have to be up at getting things done early tomorrow. I figure I can leave by 11AM and still make it to the auction preview on time to see enough although, I do want to leave no later than 10AM.

One of the main things I did today was to get stuff ready to bring down to my son and that included finding some of it although I had most of it ready to go. Well, most of it except for the ammo I am bringing him. I have depleted my ammo stash by a small amount and I think he will appreciate it. This is the ammo I first decided to bring to him:

 
That made a tidy little package of ammo for him. He just bought his first pistol, since arriving down in AR, a Glock 43. So, I figured some 9mm would be welcomed by him. He does not own a pistol in 45 yet. The operative word in the last sentence was yet. I am bringing him a brand new Rock Island Armory 1911. I bought it months ago for myself but my plans for it changed when I learned Brendan was planning on moving to AR. I put it away and never shot it figuring I would give it to him. I confirmed through BATFE and my local county PD (issuing agency for my pistol license) that it would be okay for me to transport it to AR myself and then have it transferred to Brendan through a dealer with an FFL.
 
Well, after I got the ammo in the can, I decided it wasn't enough and I added a few more boxes of the 45. What the heck, I can spare it. Then I did some more chores but I got to thinking that Brendan could also use some 7.62x39mm for his AK. Once I got about half an ammo can full of loose rounds of that together, I also grabbed two 180 round range packs of Red Army Standard 7.62x39mm ammo and added that to the heap. I also remembered to grab an ammo can Brendan had left behind that contained 420 rounds of 5.56x45mm ammo for his ARs (he also has another that I recently ordered for him). As the afternoon progressed, I wound up grabbing this and that which included Brendan's Ruger 10/22 All Weather rifle. He did not forget it, it just did no fit in his car with all the other things he took with him. Yes that meant several hundred rounds of 22LR was also put into the pile. Then I remembered that he had left his Remington 870's rifled barrel behind. hH took the smooth bore barrel with rifle sights and the long one with vent rib but forgot the rifled one. Once I found that, I pus it aside with the ammo and grabbed several boxes, all I could find, of sabot slugs and threw them into the mix. I also piled on some rifled slugs, buckshot and number 8 shot shells.
 
This is what that mess looked like before I packed it into my car:
 
 
 
I imagine once you saw the pic, you also saw he pistol I am going to give him. You may have also noticed the Ruger Redhawk in 44 Magnum to the right of the ammo cans. I am bringing that too but that will return home with me. My bet is Brendan and I will have some fun with that and with his guns being I am bringing him all that ammo.
 
Did I mention, that put a small dent in my ammo inventory. There are 600 rounds of 45 AUTO, 400 rounds of 9mm Luger (he already has a few hundred rounds of that), 12 gauge 55 rounds of sabot slugs, 25 rounds of #8 shot shells, 20 rounds of 12 gauge rifled slugs, 25 rounds of 12 gauge 00 buckshot, a few hundred rounds of loose 7.62x39mm HP rounds in the ammo can, 360 rounds of boxed 7.62x39mm ammo, and 925 rounds of 22LR. I am guessing at least 400 rounds in the ammo can and using that number added to all the rest it comes out to just over 2,800 rounds of ammunition in my care package for Brendan. All that ammo, along with a set of brakes for his car (that he ordered online then wound up leaving here) and some other of his things has my Toyota Corolla much lower than usual and I still need to pack my clothes and the guns. Oh well, I imagine the car can take it.
 
I still need to mow the lawn, get the gas can for the lawn mower filled, fill up the car's tanks, do some things with my animals, leave instructions for my wife on how to care for all the critters (did I mention, I am going on this trip alone), vacuum and tidy up the basement, pack the rest of everything into the car (and I get the sneaking suspicion I may have to remove something to fit my two bags). If I get it all done to be able to leave by 10AM I will be ecstatic. Then it is off to Geneva, NY for the Hessney auction preview tomorrow and the auction on Saturday. I am headed to FL after the auction and will drive as far as I can although the auction only ends at 4PM so it will not be more than a few hundred miles. I will drive further on Sunday and Monday, which is the day I expect to arrive in West Palm Beach. A few days there with my uncle and then I will be off to AR to see Brendan. As long as I get a week and a half or so in AR with Brendan, I will be happy. I plan to be home on Saturday May 20th or Sunday May 21st. I have work the week of the 21st.
 
I am looking forward to it all.
 
All the best,
GB


 

Self Identifying Can Be Dangerous


As it should be.

All the best,
Glenn B

Some Not So Fine Police Work

A police woman in LA (not Los Angeles, the other one) essentially went berserk, threatened to kill her own brother's wife and it was all caught on a police body camera. Go to this link and watch the video, heck you may even want to read the story. They let her resign. I wonder if the other officers reported her and if not are they facing departmental charges?

Just imagine her pulling you over for felonious mopery!

All the best,
Glenn B

 

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Cutting Corporate and Personal Income Taxes

So President Trump is talking about tax reform and so is Congress (more here). Well, I have some advice for President Donald Trump and the Republicans in Congress:

Shit or get off the pot already.

It is about time you stop talking and start cutting taxes. Get it done now, do not delay. Giving big business tax cuts can only help our economy. But - why the fuck do you want to cut taxes on repatriated big business profits! Keep those taxes high to encourage business being done here in the US of A.

All the best
Glenn B

Wednesday Already!

Holy shit, it's Hump Day already. I have been busy this week, last two days and today getting ready for my road trip that will start either tomorrow or Friday. As each minute passes though, it seems like I will hit the road on Friday and not tomorrow. I satill need to have an oil change and I am thinking that is not getting done until tomorrow morning or afternoon.

When I do finally hit the road, I'll be heading down to West Palm Beach in FL to visit my uncle and some others and then onto Benton, AR to visit my son. Cannot wait to see my son! Of course he will be happy to see me too, especially since I will bring him a decent quantity of ammo that he left behind and some I am gifting him. I am thinking we will have a good time both shooting, fishing, hiking, eating and whatever else we get to do. Of course there may be a little drinking in our free time. 

All the best,
Glenn B

Sunday, April 23, 2017

Qualifications

I shot a perfect score today while qualifying with my Glock 26 for my armed guard license and LEOSA and a 245 out of 250 with my Ruger Redhawk for the same qualifications. I must have gotten the windage spring in correctly and set the windage adjustment just right to center it because most of my shots were pretty much near center going left to right. As far as the elevation adjustment went, well I had screwed around with the elevation adjustment screw when trying to figure out how to the windage screw back into the read sight. When I set it again, I did not get it quite right. Most of my shots were somewhat low. I need to sight it in better. I would have done that today except for the fact that after firing 50 rounds of 44 REM MAG my right hand was not in any condition to take any additional punishment. In fact, it still aches and tingles a little - I guess because I am not used to firing that hand cannon. Anyway, I plan to bring it down to AR when I visit my son and should have plenty of time to sight it in down there. Next time I shoot it though, I think I will wear gloves or have new grips on it like a set of Pachmayr grips.

All the best,
GB

Saturday, April 22, 2017

Two 2 Pistol Qualifications Tomorrow

Tomorrow I will be taking both my annual LEOSA and Armed Guard firearms training and qualification courses. To that end, I finally got the replacement rear sight windage spring into the rear sight of my Ruger Redhawk (44 REM MAG). After some finagling of the spring to get it held in place, to be able to drop in the rear sight blade, I finally got it right or at least it seems that way. Then I cleaned both the Redhawk and my Glock 26. 

Some folks consider me a bit on the nutty side to consider qualifying with the Ruger Redhawk and I will say that when I did it last year it made one heck of an achy impression on my right hand and wrist. I imagine it will do likewise this year although I will be using somewhat lighter loads than the Prvi Partizan 300 grain semi-jacketed flat point solids I used last time around. I plan to use Remington 240 grain lead gas check rounds (a sort of semi wadcutter). I'm praying they will be a bit easier on my old bones and joints. Now that I think of it though, I have not shot the Ruger since the sight blade broke many months ago. I imagine that means my hand is in for a pounding to which it has not been recently accustomed nor which it is ready to receive! Ouch...

Should be some somewhat painful fun.

All the best,
Glenn B

Target Sports USA - My Go To Ammo (and more) Dealer

I have no clue how much ammo my son has on hand now that he has moved to Arkansas (about two months or so ago). I am sure he did not have room to bring all that much and he did not take any from the basement where I keep mine - so I am pretty sure it is not too much. Once he go to AR, he ought himself his first pistol a Glock 43. I recently ordered him a couple of extra magazines for it from Sportsmansguide, they had a decent price on them at $50.38 for two shipped.

After that I ordered him some ammo too. It was not 9mm ammo since he said he bought a couple or few hundred rounds of 9mm when he bought the Glock 43. So, I bought him some 5.56x45mm for his ARs. I ordered an ammo can of 420 rounds through Target Sports USA for about $155 shipped. I sent it to him with an adult signature required.

Target Sports USA shipped the ammo via FedEx. The ammo was delivered within 5 days of my order, maybe even on the 4th day. That was great but the thing I noticed when I checked the FedEx tracking information was that they essentially left it on his doorstep without getting an adult signature. I had requested and paid $4.50 extra to assure an adult signature for the shipment. He got the order but I got charged for something that was not delivered - the adult signature. I called Target Sports USA about it.

As was explained to me, and I believe because I had difficulty assigning my son's address to the Target Sports USA order as the delivery address, they had to create a manual shipping label. When they did so, it appeared as if they forgot to add the adult signature requirement for FedEx. Well, as a result of my call to Target Sports USA customer service, I received a refund that same day for the adult signature option. That was quick and handled well and the rep was extremely courteous.

They have been my go to ammo dealer in the past two years or so. I shop at others too but I like them the best for price and speed of delivery and now because they seemingly have excellent customer service too. A hat tip to them and especially to the lady who handled my call.


All the best,
Glenn B

So Speaking About Costco (as I did in my previous post)...

...I figured I should share why at least one person will no longer be shopping there:

"A RETIREE'S LAST TRIP TO COSTCO

Yesterday I was at Costco buying a large bag of Purina dog chow for my loyal pet, Necco, the Wonder Dog, which weighs 191 lbs. I was in the check-out line when a woman behind me asked if I had a dog. What did she think I had? An elephant? So, because I'm retired and have little to do, on impulse I told her that "No, I didn't have a dog, I was starting the Purina Diet, again".

I added that I probably shouldn't, because I ended up in the hospital last time, but that I'd lost 50 pounds before I awakened in an intensive care ward with tubes coming out of most of my orifices and IVs in both arms. I told her that it was essentially a "Perfect Diet.” The way it works is, to load your jacket pockets with Purina Nuggets and simply eat one or two every time you feel hungry. The food is nutritionally complete, so it works well and I was going to try it again.

Now I have to mention here that practically everyone in line was now enthralled with my story.

Horrified, she asked if I ended up in intensive care, because the dog food poisoned me?

I told her "No, I stopped to pee on a fire hydrant and a car hit me".

I thought the guy behind her was going to have a heart attack, he was howling with laughter as he rolled on the floor. The rest of the folks were just bent over and laughing.

Now it's not that I don't want to shop at Costco any more. It is that Costco won't let me shop there anymore and they revoked my Costco card.

Better watch what you ask retired people. They have all the time in the world to think of crazy things to say."
 
All the best,
GB

I've Been Meaning To Pick Up A Set of These...

...for quite the while but kept forgetting while on my weekly or biweekly grocery and dry goods runs to Costco. Today while I was walking out of an aisle where I had just grabbed some needed stuff, I saw a guy at the end of the aisle rummaging through a stack of ammo cans. I had seen them before and I thought maybe I could use a set but did not pick any up because there was no room in my cart. Then, when I really needed another can or three, I just plain out forgot to grab a set. Today tough, the other guy grabbing a couple of sets was the kick in the head I needed, so to speak, to grab myself a set.

The set I am talking about is a heritage Security products 30/50 caliber set of two ammo cans. The 30 caliber sized can comes packaged, wrapped in bubble wrap, inside the 50 caliber can.

I have no clue if they are as good as ones I already have that I think were made in the USA. These were, (I found out after I got home) made in China. I guess the quality probably lacks some as compared to those made here but they look and feel alright. Anyway, I took a shot  without checking where they were made and grabbed one set. I figure as long as the gasket creates a good seal they will be alright and the gasket appears well made and fitted. They seem about the same gauge steel as the USA made cans but I am not sure about that and have no way to measure. The paint looks good and so too the welds. The hinges also look good and function well. My guess is they will be as good for my purposes as any other ammo cans I already own. If the ammo boxes stored in them don't smell moldy after 6 months to a year, I will know I made a good purchase. Time will tell.

Compared to prices I have seen online, that require a shipping fee as well as the cost of the cans, these were offered at a decent to good price. At $18.99 (plus tax) per set, it was about as good as it gets for one of each of these cans and I did not have to wait for them to be shipped, was able to examine them before making the purchase, and have ammo in them already. In fact, these are brand new and they were offered at a better price than the prices most places ask for used cans. Now if only Costco would start selling ammunition (and American made ammo cans)!

All the best,
Glenn B

Working In Retirement Sucks...

...but it does help put some cash in one's pockets. Working full time, for the past three weeks, has been a a good thing more or less. Less because the job is boring, sucks, takes a lot of my time, has me too tired to blog when I get home and requires me to spend just over a full days pay (after taxes) to commute each week to the particular job site at which I've been working. Of course what is left over, after taxes, is mine to help pay the bills. That is the more part of more or less because it is going to help with my upcoming road trip to see my son. Hopefully I will sell one or two of the things I have up for sale before tis weekend and that will add to my gas and motel money.

All the best,
GB

Monday, April 17, 2017

I Could Use 5K Quickly...

...so if anyone who reads this knows of a legal way for me to make $5,000 quickly (within a week or two and without selling all or most of my guns) let me know ASAP. It definitely has to be legal; although I am not as concerned that it is very ethical or very moral (yet still somewhat within the limits of each) but am not looking to sell my soul and no one would want to buy my body.

That is all.

Thanks,
GB

Sunday, April 16, 2017

Buy A Gun Day - Not Yet In The Past This Year

Most years, Buy A Gun Day falls on April 15th, the traditional federal tax deadline date. This year things are a bit different. The deadline to file your federal income taxes is April 18 or two days from now as I type. So, you still have time to buy yourself a gun on BAG day. Me, I am none to sure I will buy a gun that day but if not then I will at least order some ammo. I cannot let as good a recent phenomenon as that fizzle into nothingness.

All the best,
Glenn B

NYS DMV - A Computerized But Mindless & Oft Times Slow Bureaucracy

I mailed in a set of license plates to NY State's Department of Motor Vehicles. They were for the car I gifted to my son when he moved down to Arkansas. he registered the car in his name down there. Anyway, NYS DMV amazingly entered the info on my surrendered license plates into their computer system within three days of receipt if not sooner. That is a good thing, it keeps me from being penalized for dropping the insurance on my car. After getting that done, in what was apparently record speed for NYS DMV, they went right back to their old standard of being as slow as molasses running up hill on an icy cold day. You see, because I turned in my plates while still having just over a year remaining in the two year registration period, they are going to send me a partial refund of the registration fee. I believe it to be one half of the fee minus one dollar. While that is nice, the thing is that as best I can figure, the paying the refund is going to take them about 16 weeks. When I checked on the status of my plates, it said there would be a refund but that the amount o the refund would not be calculated until June 6th at the earliest. That is exactly eight weeks from the day they received my plates. Then it said to expect payment 8 weeks after that which would make it September 1st. Hell, I received my NY State tax returns in less than two months and while that seemed like a miracle it is easy to see that NYS DMV is as slow as ever in some of its business. It used to be that if you had to go to DMV for anything, in the office that was closest to where I lived at the time, it would take a minimum of 3 to 4 hours and then you were often told you had to do yet something else and wait another hour or more on another line; nowadays the wait has been cut to about 2 hours at most at the DMV I currently use and sometimes less than an hour. That is not as bad as before but still is a long wait especially since you have to go there during normal weekday business hours to get anything done as they are not open after 4PM or on weekends. My last visit to get my most recent license has me there for well over an hour. I imagine the good thing in them being slow is that when I finally receive the refund from them it will come as a surprise because I am sure to forget about it by then.

On another note, I just registered my other car because the registration was going to expire on May15th. Since the DMV kept sending me email notices about it, I figured I would get it done early. I also figured it would be good to get it done early in the event something went wrong. So, I did that online last night. Doing it was quick and easy. Yes NYS DMV has improved in many ways over the years, especially by computerizing many of the processes even though they can be as slows as ever as seen above. They say I should get my new registration within 10 days but if not they were kind enough to email me a temporary registration that I could use. The thing about the temporary registration is that it was effective yesterday April 15th and it expires in ten days of April 25th. My current registration does not expire until May 15th! Did I happen to mention that besides sometimes being notoriously slow at what they do, some of the folks at NYS DMV are mindless morons. Whoever thought up that system of dating the temporary registrations to expire before the expiration of the current registration has a definite short circuit in his thought process. Makes me wonder if anyone used any brain power at all in thinking up that system.

I suppose, if that is all I have to worry about, then maybe I should consider it a good thing. Chances are though, the next thing I will know is that my new registration will not have arrived in a timely fashion or that I will start being charged a penalty for not having insurance on the car for which I surrendered the plates. Time will tell.

All the best,
Glenn B

Saturday, April 15, 2017

Not Drawing Lines

With the recent news concerning the bombing of a Syrian military base and the bombing of an ISIS base (and maybe even the news about all those U.S. Navy vessels headed toward North Korea), I kind of, sort of, just about imagine that means the time to draw imaginary silly red lines in the sand, whilst having a puffed up chest and acting all brave and badass, has come to an end.

All the best,
Glenn B

Take A Second Look...

...at those little figures on my rear windshield.


All the best,
GB

My Airline of Choice


All the best,
Glenn B

Tasty Choices

 
All the best,
GB

A Certain Amount Of Uneasiness...

...courses through me each time I have the high bid on a firearm at an auction. I always wonder if I got a good deal or ripped myself off by bidding to high. There is also the unsettling feeling of uncertainty as to whether or not I got that for which I paid. In other words - did I bid on a gun sure to go bang each time I squeeze the trigger, or did I buy a clunker that is going to fall apart once I fire a shot or three, or maybe I got a gun not capable of firing a shot that will hit the broad side of a barn. Buying anything at an auction is never a sure thing and when they say a gun is "As New In The Box" it does not mean it is new but means it is "as good as new". It's kind of the same thing with the term "Unfired In The Box" which is supposed to mean it is new. Okay so it was supposedly never fired but that does not necessarily mean it was not somehow damaged by the previous owner who may have tried to disassemble and clean it before firing it only to screw it up.


Those holes were made with federal 30-30
WIN, 170 grain Soft Point RN, ammunition.
So, today, when I got to the range (for the first time in too long a time) and stepped up on the firing line and placed the buttstock of my recently acquired Marlin 1936 to my shoulder and sighted in on target, there was that split second of uneasy worry that it may not go bang or that worse yet it might go KABOOM instead of bang when I fired it. There is always that chance that pieces of an exploded barrel or receiver might rip my face apart. Regardless, I squeezed the trigger making sure to have eye and ear protection in place.


It went bang, then bang again and again for my first three shots. In all, I fired it only 9 times but that was more than enough for me to assure it was working flawlessly as far as I could tell and that it was right on target. In fact, there was no doubt left in my mind that an equally competent or better shooter with somewhat better eyesight than mine would have done better. Yet, don't let my saying that fool you into thinking I was not satisfied with how well I shot it. All in all, the Marlin 1936 operated smoothly throughout. I am certain it will make a decent to very good deer gun here in the woods of NY State. The 30-30 cartridge will never replace the 35 REM as my favorite northeast woods caliber but still will be more than acceptable on a deer hunt if I opt for the Marlin 1936 as opposed to my Marlin 336.


The Ruger was firing PMC X-TAC 5.56
NATO 62 grain, green tip, LAP ammunition.

After the Marlin came the "as new" Ruger Mini 14. I fired one magazine's worth of 5 rounds at the same target I had used for the Marlin. Being the Marlin is in 30-30 WIN caliber and the Ruger in 5.56x45mm, it would be easy to differentiate which bullet holes came from which rifle. Then I fired another 10 rounds for a total of 15 with the Mini. Not bad at all was the verdict I reached. The first 5 shots were fired with me wearing the weakest reading glasses available over the counter. I actually wear them for distance vision. It leaves the front and rear sights a bit blurry but I still can focus sufficiently to hit the target pretty well. All shots were fired standing, leaning over  on the bench (it is set at an odd level for anyone but pistol shooters), left elbow supported.


The next 10 shots were fired with me wearing strong over the counter readers, 2.75 strength. The rear sight was a blur and so too the target but the front sight as sharp as a tack (as it should be). The thing is though that the rear sight and target were maybe a bit too much of a blur. So, that second pair of lenses had me seeing things quite differently and the first pair and had the group open up but still it was not bad at all kind of shooting as far as I am concerned. The one flyer was caused by me and as I shot that particular round I knew it was not going to strike within the ring. Now, I'll have to see how me and my old eyes do at 50 and 100 yards the next time I hit up an outdoor range. The range I was at today was indoors and limited to 30 yards. As did the Marlin, the Ruger Mini 14 operated and fired flawlessly from what I could tell and both of them put a smile on my face.

All in all I am a very satisfired shootist. I got decent deals on both rifles at the Hessney Auction and thus am also a happy bidder. I, like anyone, likes to get good deals at an auction but I strive not to over pay by always remembering that they add a buyer's premium and sales tax to the total. Still though, I had been a bit concerned I may have paid near or right at near the top end of the value of the Marlin 1936. Both before bidding and after the auction I saw several of them for sale on GunBroker.com on which virtually of the case color was gone and they sold for near or just above or below what I paid for mine. Considering the amount of case color that remains intact on ,mine, I got it at a decent to good price. As far as the Ruger goes, from what I could see of it, it should not have been listed "as new" but as unfired in the box (or in others words NEW). There was no evidence of it having been fired after it left the factory and the Ruger is in pristine condition and came in the box with all papers and accessories. I think both at least were very good if not excellent deals. Now to get some NYS legal 10 round magazines and also have some AR legal 30 round mags sent to my son in AR for use while I am down there.

You may think it foolish to go to the range to fire only 9 rounds from one rifle and 15 from another and my guess is you would be right if that is all the ammo I fired. I spent the remainder of my remaining range time shooting my Glock 26. I am guessing I fired about 150 rounds or more through it and as usual I was more than merely satisfied with my shooting of it. I am happy I remembered to bring ammo for it and thus was able to get in some handgun practice because soon I will be qualifying for  both my armed guard license and for LEOSA. It is never a bad idea to get in a bit of practice before attending qualification courses. Then again, any time you responsibly practice your marksmanship you are doing a good thing.

All the best,
Glenn B

Friday, April 14, 2017

Road Trip Planning

Been doing a little planning for my hope for upcoming road trip to FL and AR. On the way down to FL am hoping to stop at one of Palmetto State Armory's locations. One the way back I hope to stop at AIM Surplus in OH. Other than that I only have my two main destination of West Palm Beach and Benton, AR planned out.




All the best,
Glenn B

Saturday, April 8, 2017

So What's Been Happening?

I ask because I am almost clueless as to the events of the past week. It's not like I was involved in any monkey business, it's that I've been working all week and commuting via train. There are no radios or TVs at work and I have had very little access to the Internet while working. By the time I get on the train on the way home, I am pooped. Once at home I am just about ready to hit the hay since I have to be up at 515 the next morning for work so I have not been watching much TV, news even at home. 

I do know we bombed an airbase, over in Syria, relative to some chemical weapons attack or something like that. I also just heard we staged a second attack that supposedly killed some civilians - also in Syria. Seems like a big turnaround for Trump but I imagine that the use of chemical weapons by Russian backed Assad is a big thing that needs to be hit head-on instead of drawing imaginary red lines in the sand and then not enforcing them. I hope Trump is doing the right thing for all our sakes. He sure has already proven himself more a man of action than Obama ever was in his entire presidency.

Besides the passing of Don Rickles (RIP), that is about it for what I have heard in the news all week. So, I may take some time to read up on this past week's events later tonight or tomorrow. Then again, there was one other thing of note I read about in the news. It was about a young girl who reportedly was found living with monkeys in India. She allegedly had been living with the monkeys for years and had gone feral. The monkeys supposedly had accepted her so well that they were reported to have tried to chase off authorities who came to her rescue. That sounded like monkey business to me and apparently it sounded likewise to Indian officials because now they are questioning the veracity of those reports. More here.

As for blogging or my lack of it - I may actually get in some blogging over the remaining time in this weekend but then again maybe not. In fact, I imagine my blog will be really light on content for the next week or two because I am scheduled to work through the 21st of this month (as I type). Time will tell though if that holds. If it does though, that will be good for me because I am planning a road trip for the end of April or beginning of May and that can give me the cash I will need for my trek's expenses. 

As for the planned road trip, I am hoping to get down to West Palm Beach to visit my uncle and cousins. After a few days there, I plan to head north by northwest to visit my son in AR for at least a week or maybe even ten days of adventure. If I do everything just right, and if I can start the trip a day earlier than planned, I may head out in the same direction (that being north by northwest - instead of south to WPB). That would be toward Geneva, NY to stop by the Hessney firearms auction on April 29th - before I head south. I am debating that detour though because if I get badly bitten by the bidding bug I could deplete all funds I have for the rest of the trip. Decisions - decisions - decisions!



I have a goodly amount of time to think about it and who knows, I may plan one thing, hop in my car and start driving wherever my nose is pointing. So long as I eventually hit both WPB and Benton, AR, for a while before the journey's end, it should be a good thing.

All the best,
Glenn B

Sunday, April 2, 2017

The Doomsday Sci-Fi Scenario Most Likely To Be Realized...

...other than us encountering some type of alien life forms could well be the world in which robots and artificial intelligence take over and try to destroy humanity. There have been amazing advancements in both the field of robotics and AI and that a computer may someday become self cognizant is not that far fetched. In that same vein, something of grave concern to me is that some politicians now want to arm drones for police use. More here.

Yeah, it is not like they are about to take over by themselves and destroy humanity but why start combining AI, robotics, and weaponry. All I can see it leading to is disaster especially when in the hands of law enforcement (and you can bet the LE drones will wind up in the hands of criminals) too many of whom believe themselves to be involved in a conflict know as the "It's Us Versus Them" scenario. The "Us" being everyone in LE and the "Them" being the rest of us.  It is bad enough some of them have that attitude and carry a gun but it will be worse when they are even further removed from the people they are supposed to serve and have their fingers on the trigger via remote control and a video link. Thus the armed drones will become an additional threat to our safety even long before artificial intelligence becomes sentient and able to take control. 

Please note, this is not an anti-police rant - it is an anti tyrannical police rant or an anti bad cop rant.

All the best,
Glenn B

Saturday, April 1, 2017

Hillary Clinton Tells The Truth


I Wonder If Anyone Noticed I Have Not Been Blogging...

...for over a week, that was at least until today. I suppose that is because I have been a bit busy doing this and that. Not much to post about during the last week either. I did attend a Hessney firearms auction last weekend. I had a blast as usual. Picked myself up an as new Ruger Mini-14 with box, papers and all accessories. It is pristine as far as I can tell. May go give it a nice test-fire tomorrow. Other than that, I am sick of politics and current events and not much has been happening with my life except for my post immediately previous to this one but that happened today. Will be working all of next week and possibly through the next couple to few weeks. That would be a good thing, I overextended myself a but with that Ruger Mini-14 after picking up the Marlin 1936 just a month or so prior to my buying the Mini.

I have got a new in the box Ruger 10/22, with Reaper Camo design, for sale (this is not an offer to sell via this site - just noting that I have it for sale). If anyone is interested, it is listed for sale here.

All the best,
Glenn B

A Progressive (of a sort) In Freedomland

I never thought of my son Brendan as a Progressive (aka: liberal, leftist, socialist, commie douchebag) and indeed he is not one of them. Yet, I must say he sure has been progressive since moving to Arkansas - that is at least as moving along and making progress in his life goes.

He moved down there without a job prospect and since getting there he has: caught a nice catfish, rented/leased his own first apartment, bought his own furniture, changed his license from NY to AR CDL Class A, purchased his first pistol a Glock 43, found a job within 3 weeks, passed the drug test for that job and started working, may have found a better paying job less than a week after the other (Pepsi has made a contingent offer to him), and so on. Yes, he is progressing nicely but certainly not like a whining anti-American political Progressive.

In fact, today, he progressed one step further by taking the liberty to exercise his right to keep and bear arms. He took and successfully completed the course for the Arkansas Concealed Handgun Carry License. Yes, I know, there absolutely should be no requirement for such a license but since there is one he stepped up and did what had to be done to come one step closer to obtaining that license.

Brendan's target and certificate from the A CHCL class.
As far as the CHCL course went, I think he may need to use a tad less finger on the trigger and use a smoother pull but what would I know! Anyhow, he has got it down fairly well and passed the course. I am quite the happy dad and proud to see he is keeping alive and well the tradition of being a liberty exercising and rights loving armed American like me.

All the best,
Glenn B