Ballseye's Gun Shots 124 - Support Your Local Firearms Dealer or Buy Online?

I like getting a bargain on something and I will shop around, for a deal, in local shops, sometimes in distant shops (usually if traveling near one), and also at online dealers when looking to buy a firearm.

Some folks think it is best to buy from local dealers. I think it a good way to keep the local economy going and to help assure that the local dealer stays in business. Regardless of that though, sometimes still buy from an online dealer. While the reason for that can be the price, sometimes it is availability, other times it is customer service most times it is all three. It is not me doing a disservice to a local dealer by not buying from them when their prices are not competitive or are downright highly overpriced. Likewise, I am not doing a disservice to a local or online dealer when they do not offer, or will not order, a gun for which I am looking. Nor am I doing anything wrong when I avoid dealers who have less than at least good customer service.

While there are several criteria on which I base my decision to buy either from a local dealer or online dealer, one of the most important considerations is competitive pricing. I don't like getting ripped off, so I shop around to make sure the price is competitive. Included in the price are other considerations such as sales tax (locally, distant or online), shipping fees (online) and transfer fees (online). If I was going to buy a new gun online, and had to pay a transfer fee, I would shop around for the best value there too, I might even check to make sure that the shipping fee was reasonable. A few years ago, many FFL dealers or holders in my area were asking $50-$75 per transfer. I recently checked and found some, if not many, are now asking only $25-$35. I add that and shipping to the price of the firearm, from an online dealer, when I am doing price comparisons against local dealers. I will buy from a local dealer, even when paying a bit more than when buying elsewhere, but if the local dealer is still more than about 10% an online price as calculated above then guess from whom I buy.

Some of my local dealers had been selling Mosin Nagant 91/30 rifles, in very good to excellent arsenal refinish condition, for upwards of $175 each. When I inquired about buying one of those from a certain local dealer, with no other customers in the store, he acted as if I was being a pain in his backside for asking about it. That was over a year ago, I stopped shopping there since then. When I can buy the same rifle online for $100 plus about $20 shipping, from an online dealer who has given me great service in the past, which should I buy? It is easy for me to figure.

Recently though, at a gun show which I attended, one local dealer that was there had great prices on them, of $110 for hex receiver and $100 for round receiver models. I had been about to buy another online but when I saw his very competitive price, I considered buying one from the local guy. It was not price alone that got me to buying that rifle. First of all it was availability and display of them. Only after I saw them did I see the good price. When I went to the guys at the table and asked to look at one, I was a little leery of them. I had a bad experience with them, oh just over a year ago and had stopped shopping at their gun store. Yep, these were the same guys who made it seem painful when asked about a Nagant in their shop. Not only had I had a bad experience with their poor attitude but since they used to sell these rifles at inflated prices and I wondered why these were priced so competitively. Well, to my relief and surprise, I was treated attentively, respectfully and politely. They gave me time to look it over and took off the nylon tie that had been through the action and removed the bolt so I could look down the bore. They also took the time to discuss the rifle with me. So, a combination of availability, good service, and price convinced me to buy one from them. It seems they have changed their attitude toward customer service and that went a long way toward me making my purchase. They will keep me as a customer as long as they keep up the good pricing and good service. Others who had noted their deficiencies in the past have also noted their change for the better as of late. It seems their business may be improving in the near future as news of their improved service is spread by satisfied customers.

I often base my continued dealings with the local, distant and online dealers on past experience with them. If they price well is one thing but as I just pointed out, in the above example, there are other factors in my considerations. If they give good service is a big consideration. Things about their service that consider are: if they have been helpful, if they answer questions, if they are knowledgeable, if they stand behind what they sell, if online dealers ship promptly, if local dealers get something in when they say they will, return policy, if they treat the customer respectfully, if they don't act like the stereotyped pompous gun dealer, if they seem to be ethical, etc. Most dealers at which I no longer shop have not given good service in at least two or three of those areas. Why reward them with my continued patronage and my hard earned cash if they do not treat me well. I have to earn my money, so too should they and excellent customer service is one way to earn it.

So, when it comes down to it, it is not as simple as saying 'buy locally'. It is a matter of a dealer convincing me that I should buy from him other than buying from someone else. It is up to him whether or not he wants to do that convincing. That is one of the main aspects of capitalism and one of the reasons I like the capitalist system as much as I do like it. Competition is a good thing for the consumer in a free market.

All of the best,
Glenn B

If This Happens In The United States...

...you can bet I will either be among the infidels victors or will go down fighting because I have been sworn to uphold and defend the Constitution. Hopefully it will never come to the way it already is in England, France, Germany and others. There is one basic law for this country as a whole and that is the Constitution of the United States of America. I believe that any system of laws and or any form of government, even one that masquerades as a religion, that opposes the Constitution and our Constitutional Republic, and tries to overthrow our form of government whether by violence, or by slow assimilation, should be abolished on our soil swiftly and permanently.



All the best,
Glenn B

Austin, TX Police Dept. Holds Gun Buy-back but Activists Buy Some of the Guns Before Police Have a Chance

No way to post the video here so I will just post the link to both the article and the video, it is the same for both. Read, watch and listen, this is a great idea where legal!

http://weareaustin.com/fulltext?nxd_id=125606

All the best,
Glenn B

Where Is The Outrage?

Gasoline prices are the highest they have been in years, yet have you heard one liberal or progressive or Obama supporter complaining that it is all Barrack Hussein Obama's fault as they did to George W. Bush. What hypocrites.

Hopefully, in the 2012 elections, the outrage will out itself!

All the best,
Glenn B

Ballseye's Gun Shots 123 - Do You Have Any Guns That Are Older Than You?

I posted a pic of my C&R guns on a firearms forum last night and it got me to wondering, just how many guns I own that are older than me. I sat down with the older ones around me and looked for dates of manufacture on them. That was easy with the old combloc weapons - they were all dated. It was not so easy but still not all that difficult to determine at least a date range of manufacture for the rest of them.

PISTOLS:

1) Ortgies in .32 Auto, probably made in the late 1920's.

RIFLES: (When it came to rifles, I had some checking to do. They are listed by order of age, oldest first.)

1) Mosin Nagant 91/30 - manufactured 1939 at the Izhevzk Arsenal.

2) Mosin Nagant 91/30 - manufactured at the Izhevzk Arsenal 1943, bent bolt.

3) Mossberg 44 U.S. - these were made between 1943 - 1946 and mine has an early serial number.

4) Remington 241 Speedmaster - these were produced between 1934 - 1951. While there is no date code on the barrel, judging by the serial number and the fact it has a steel butt plate (they changed to aluminum in mid 46), I would say this one was made in early to mid 1946.

5) Mosin Nagant M44 - Hungarian manufacture in 1953.

6) Remington 513T Matchmaster - manufactured September 1963. Whoops, not older than me but I may have shot this one at summer camp since it came out the year I turned 8 and I started camp that year or next and went for 5 years. I never before realized that it could actually be one of the Remingtons we fired at summer camp. I remember they were heavy as could be and this is a fairly heavy target rifle. I wish I could find out for sure but such will probably never happen.

Well, now you know, I was born somewhere between 1953 and 1963. Am I getting old? I suppose so but thankfully not yet as old as some of those guns. Then again, all of them are in better shape than me!

All the best,
Glenn B

Trojan Tri-Phoria???

Are they kidding? Does the Trojan company really believe it appropriate to advertise vibrating massagers on television? Do the stations and the cable providers think it appropriate? I am not a sexual prude, never was and never will be, but that is, in my opinion, something better kept in sex shops or behind the counter in a pharmacy.

I think that to actually advertise it, in that wedding shower commercial (yes that is a link to the commercial on YouTube but then this is not television and you can either choose to click on it or not to watch it), is one thing. I think it a bit disturbing. To show women with the with their hair 'blown' back, apparently from having used it is another also a bit disturbing. I think that for the woman to receive as gifts not only 1 but 3 of them is a third thing that, again, is to me a bit disturbing. I also think that to have her go home and tell her boyfriend or husband that they got them for a present to which he replies SWEEEEEET, in what I can only interpret as a high pitched squeal of anticipation - almost as if he anticipates having his hair blown back by his own use of one, is truly disturbing.

All the best,
GB

The Girandoni Air Rifle - An Amazing Piece of American History

A friend of mine sent me an email link to this video. For years now, I have known about the Austrians and some others using air rifles in the military. Yet, I never knew about one being used on the Lewis & Clark Expedition. If you are interested in firearms, air guns, American History or just history in general, watch this video.




All the best,
GB

A Shiny Surprise

Remember that Mosin Nagant 91/30, the one I picked up about 2 1/2 weeks ago at the White Plains Gun Show? My only regret was that the bore seemed somewhat frosted looking. Well, I cleaned it, and cleaned it and cleaned it and there was some improvement but still what looked like frost in the barrel. Then went to the range and shot it and got some fairly decent results with it when using some heavier ammo, the light stuff was all over the place. Then I brought it home and gave it a quick field strip and clean.

Well, tonight I was watching Sons of Guns (a fairly to pretty interesting show, I have only seen 2 episodes) and I got to thinking about guns, particularly the ones in my house, and I decided to give the barrel of that 91/30 a good cleaning again. After about an hour of running wet patches (wetted with Windex, then Hoppes Copper Solvent, then regular Hoppes #9), dry patches and 2 different type of bore brushes through it, it came out all nice and shiny. Now I am not saying there isn't a bit of pitting down that long hole but if you took a look right now you would certainly think there was none of it. Maybe there isn't either, it is quite possible what I saw before was only surface rust. I can tell you this for sure, right now, it is almost as shiny as the day it was cut. The lands and grooves are well defined, certainly much better than my other 2 Nagants. I like it and I cannot wait to shoot it again! Sometimes, a bit of extra elbow grease pays off.

The thing is, although I like it a lot, I'll not be keeping it. Don't be sad, I am not. It will soon officially be given to my son as a gift. Of course, even then it will still be in the house and I'll be able to take it out to shoot it whenever I want - unless Brendan has it at a range somewhere and forgot to take me along for the fun.

All the best,
Glenn B

Ballseye's Boomers 122 - Shoot or Don't Shoot - How Do You Determine That

You determine it by assessing the situation as it unfolds. Here is a link to an article that gives a perfect example of assessment working well:

http://www.kansascity.com/2011/02/18/2666368/would-be-robbers-end-up-losing.html

I cannot say what you would or would not do if someone pulled out what you thought was a gun and pointed it at you but I am pretty sure I would look at it - after all that is just what I did in the past. Why, I guess because it is a pretty natural reaction to look at the threat and because I was trained to assess the situation. Short story, 2 guys pull up to a parking space in a car in front of me as I am walking by. I walk past car, door opens, guy gets out with sweater in hand, as he is beginning to stand he says don't move MFer and pulls sweater back revealing something that looked an awful lot like a white metal short barreled rifle barrel. He was pointing it at me. I kept moving, drew and shot him. A second shot hit the windshield of the car they were in. Driver had appeared to be exiting car with a revolver in his hands. He fled, other guy still in car fled.

The thing is I saw what looked to me to be a threaded barrel of about .30 caliber pointing at me. I began to draw and suddenly saw that it looked like the guy was pointing a clear plastic soda bottle at me. A brief momentary surge of relief due to wishful thinking? Maybe, but I heard myself screaming at myself inside my own head "it's a gun, shoot him he has a gun" and the thing again looked like a gun as described above. As I said, I shot him. Was it a gun. NOPE. It was not a bottle either. When police responded, one of the detectives found a length of pipe laying in the street. It was white metal, had a threaded end and had what sure looked like a .30 bore through it. It looked like a gun when held the way the bad guy had held it. It would have fooled anyone, I think and so did the police think likewise. What about the driver, did he fool me too? NOPE. He had a revolver in his hand alright.

How did police figure this out. Well, while I was at police station giving a statement, a 911 call comes in. Another guy has been robbed by the same pair of hoodlums. Police figure my shot must have missed but are wrong. You see, even though 911 call comes in after my shooting event, the call was about a robbery that took place about 20 minutes before I was robbed. Took the victim about 40 minutes or so to walk home and then call police. As for how police knew the other guy had a revolver, well the other victim's story told them that. He said he was robbed by guy with shotgun hidden under a coat and another guy who stuck a loaded 38 in his face. How did he know it was loaded - he saw the bullets in the cylinder and this was at night under a street light at best. Two people robbed, two people looked at the weapons. That is part of a natural reaction and is also part of good firearms/self defense training.

But, why would assessing be important in the situation of the particular robbery reported on in the above linked article? Imagine the guy, who was asking for the ammo, was legitimate. He thinks he has $60 and puts it on the counter. The clerk tells him he is short by over $10. The guy realizes, "oh man, I gave Fred the other $20 so he could pay the toll on the way to the gun store. He still has the change". At that point, the guy pulls out a black cell phone, like a Nextel with short antenna. He hits push to talk, his hand out in front of him with antenna pointing at clerk. Guy says to Fred over the phone - "give me all your money". Would you have shot him? If not, why not? Would it have been because you looked at the phone and realized it was a phone? Same thing with the clerk looking at the gun, he assessed.

The clerk looked at the gun. It is natural and also should have been part of any good training course because you want to be sure before you shoot. It almost certainly did take less than 30 seconds as someone in a forum in which this incident was discussed had surmised. Heck, it probably took less than 3 seconds, from the moment the bad guy drew his weapon until he fled. The initial assessment probably took a second or less. Seeing the empty cylinders took place in that shorter time frame, though the assessment was ongoing and excellent. Why was it excellent? Because the clerk decided to fight the threat, he drew and that was his decision to make. It does not say he noticed the gun was empty then drew, it says he drew as he was zeroing in on the other guys gun. In other words, he heard the verbal demand for money, he also saw the gun, he started to draw but also was assessing all along and saw the other gun was empty. (I have to wonder if he was moving too, and moving for cover, movement and cover are your friends if a guy points a gun at you.) Then the guy ran, and the clerk decided not to shoot. How long do you think it took for he clerk to start to draw and for the other guy to assess his own situation, see the clerk's gun and run? Probably a second or less from the start of the clerk's draw.

The clerk did the right thing by not shooting. Had the crook assessed the situation when he was in the store earlier in the day, or even when he was shoving $40 onto the counter, maybe he would never have attempted the robbery or maybe, when he walked in the second time, he would have walked in shooting. Thank goodness many of them are dumb.

All the best,
Glenn B

New York State Rifle & Pistol Association - Life Membership Problems

I don't get it. I have been a member of the NYSR&PA for several years now. I am pretty sure I have always paid my annual dues on time. I have never caused them any problems. Last June, I decided to upgrade my membership to a life membership. I sent in the full amount for the life membership dues. Shortly thereafter, I received a receipt for my payment. Attached to the receipt was a temporary life membership card and a note. The note said it would take 8 to 10 weeks to receive my permanent life membership card and life membership packet. I am still waiting for them to arrive. I have contacted the NYSR&PA several times now over the past several months (I think my first call was in September or October) and someone there the same person each time) keeps reassuring me I will have my card soon. Then, once I made the inquiries about the missing permanent life membership card, my NYR&PA journals stopped coming. What a coincidence! I am at my wits end about this. So, I just sent them an email informing them if don' t receive the permanent life membership card within 2 weeks from today, I will be taking action outside of the NYSR&PA, like contacting the BBB and others, in the hope of having the issue resolved.

Anyone else out there a NYSR&PA member who is having similar problems

All the best,
Glenn B

A Good Reason or an Example of a Good Reason To Be Armed?

This video is old, at least a year old, maybe older. remember seeing it and thinking the guy was crazy and I would have either shot him or run him over if possible, if I had been in that blue car and could not drive away immediately. Then I heard maybe it was all a set-up. If it was a set-up, all preplanned just to make aa video, well - it is still a good example of when you would be able to use deadly force to end the threat. if this was a real situation, it is obvious that the guy is absolutely wreckless with regard to the people in the car and their well being, it is obvious that he presents a threat of serious bodily harm and or death, it is obvious that the folks in the car cannot get away fast enough to avoid at least several hits that could have hurt them, it is obvisous that had they been armed the threat may have been over much sooner. Had I been in that car, and that really been happening, there is virtually no doubt in my mind, I would have defended myself and the other person in the car with deadly force.

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Had I witnessed that, I am fairly certain I would have done everything I could to stop it.

All the best,
Glenn B

The Tax Man Shall Repayeth Me...

...on both the state and federal income taxes - or so they should be doing if they find all is well with my tax returns. I just got them finished today. I would have had them done at least a week or two ago but there was a question about a state income tax refund from last year; luckily it was not reportable to the feds this year as income because what I received was from a credit - not from an overpayment of taxes. I am also going to amend my federal return for last year, did all the paperwork already, just need to mail it in; we should be getting an additional refund due to the amendment. Shame on me for neglecting to claim part of my property tax as a deduction when I filed last year - I forgot to include a portion of my property taxes. It makes a sizable difference and that will get me back a nice chunk of change as will this year's refunds from federal and state. Whoopeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

All the best,
Glenn B

Middletown Gun Show Report

After driving the 90 miles or so today, to get to the Middletown gun show, I can say almost without a doubt, I will not be going there again in the near future. This gun show was a flop and a big disappointment. I feel fairly safe saying that the show, 2 weeks ago at White Plains, NY , had more guns offered for sale by a fairly good margin. Besides that, the Middletown show was mobbed, and it was very difficult to walk around and see what was for sale. I had thought the White Plains show was crowded but it was nowhere nearly as bad as was the one in Middletown today. When you figure that White Plains is about a 90 mile round trip for us and Middletown is about a 180 mile round trip, you see that we will be saving a pretty penny on gas (and on tolls) by cutting out future trips to Middletown. I normally don't mind driving a good ways for a gun show, I have driven to Valley Forge, PA and up to West Springfield, Massachusetts but I do mind driving all that way and winding up at a show that was a flop. As I already pointed out, such was, in my opinion, the Middletown show today.

As you may be aware, I was looking for either a Remington 700 VTR and if I could not find one then a nice AK47. There were a total of about 6 AK-47s on display in the whole show. One dealer who usually has a good selection of them did not. That was one of the five dealers who's owner was arrested a couple of days ago in XXXXXXX County. The guy at their table (I was surprised they had a table) told me that the police had seized all of their AK-47s; another guy at the same table said not all were seized and they had some in the store. That was not helping me at the show and I am none too sure I would have bought a gun from them while they are under investigation. It is not that I am pre-judging them but with my job, I do not need a conflict of interest that such a purchase might cause. They saved me the trouble of having to make up my mind because they did not have any for sale.

As far as guns went, I would also have settled for a nice Remington Model 8 in .35 Remington but I did not see any at the show in any caliber.

The only things I purchased were 2 ammo cans for $15 the pair. The guy who usually has them at $6 or $7 each was nowhere to be seen. These are in very good condition with some nicks or small scrapes to the paint but no visible rust or dents.

Brendan picked up some pre-ban hi-cap mags for his AR and also picked up a case of Prvi Partizan 5.65x45 ammo for his AR. This was the stuff I kicked myself for not getting him two weeks ago at the White Plains show, from the same dealer that had been at that show. Luck was with us, they charged $4 less than they asked for at the other show. Not a big savings but certainly a savings. The price out the door was $350. It is 5.56x45 62 gr. FMJ M885 with the green penetrator tip. It's brass cased, boxer primed, non-corrosive and the brass is reloadable. Country of origin is Serbia. Year of production 2008. I'll have to check the base to see if it is NATO spec.

Now you may know of a better on-line price but I have not been able to find a better deal on-line or in person. That is because when I see it at a less expensive price on-line there is a nasty phrase next to it saying: 'sold out' or 'not available' and I have not seen it in person at a cheaper price at all. Then there is the thing about on-line purchases and shipping expenses, usually around $20 to $25. I did see it at one site for $299.99 with free shipping but of course it was sold out. On-line ammo retailers, who did have it in stock, had quite a higher price that what Brendan paid today. Midway has a case for: $527.99 plus $21.87 shipping and Sportsmansguide has it for: $455.97 for the club members price, regular is $479.97, plus $19.49 shipping for either. So, I think Brendan got a good deal. Of course, all that gas money and the tolls, well they add to it, but they come with a day out anyway and I paid the tolls (the eZ-pass is in my name) and I gave him a twenty for gas. Come to think of it, I paid his admission fee too ($9 with the $1 off coupon). So, the ammo itself was such a deal but then so too was the rest of his day - he also got a nice lunch at Texas Roadhouse out of me and I gave him one of the ammo cans! Oh well, I had a good time and he sure is worth it.

As I said though, I am none too sure a future trip to Middletown will be worth it with the greater expense just to see less guns, more crowds, and more scenery on the drive than it takes to go to White Plains. That could mean that next time if and when we do decide on a trip further away than White Plains, it probably will be to PA or MA for a show.

All the best,
Glenn B

MilitaryShooters.com (update 2)

I have got to say that the folks at MilitaryShooters.com, particularly Fred which was the person with whom I dealt, handled the messed up ammo order very well. He promptly offered for me to return it for an exchange of similar but FMJ round nose instead of the FMJ Truncated Cone ammo that I received in error or to make a full refund of the purchase and shipping price to me. You cannot ask for more than that in customer service. To tell the truth though, I decided to keep the ammo after all. I checked on some forums about it, and it gets rave reviews as being as good or better than regular round nose FMJ - so 'll give it a try. That way I save both Fred at Military Shooters and myself the hassle of a return/exchange. One other reason I decided to keep this ammo instead of make an exchange is because they apparently don't have it in FMJ round nose and offered something foreign in lieu of that. I buy foreign ammo but when I bought this particular case of ammo, I specifically bought it because it was made in the USA. It would be a shame to return a USA made product for a foreign one. So, I'll make do with it.

As for my over all impression of MilitaryShooters.com - despite the order mix-up, I would say everything else went great and rate them very excellent in all other regards.

All the best,
Glenn

What Would You Think If 45% Of Gun Shops Owners In Your Area Were Arrested

To tell you the truth, I don't know what to think either but that is what has happened in NY. It appears that the owners of 5 of 11 guns shops in certain county have been arrested, I think the article said for essentially selling assault rifles. NY State still has assault weapons and hi-cap magazine bans. Read about it here:


http://www.liherald.com/stories/Five-charged-with-selling-assault-weapons,30880?page=1&content_source=


There is no love lost between myself and the owner and employees of one of these gun shops. I think they are scum but that is for personal reasons related to their selling practices and my opinion that they lack ethics. Hmm, maybe that could explain how they got themselves into this pickle, then again, I am a true believer that everyone should get their day in court and that they are innocent until proven guilty and that goes way beyond my personal feelings toward someone. Just because I don't like someone does not make them guilty in my eyes.

As for one of the other shop owners, heck I jut bought a rifle from them 2 weeks ago at the White Plains gun show. Now that rifle may actually well have been used in military assaults and quite possibly could be properly termed as an assault rifle due to its history. It is one of the dreaded Mosin Nagant 91/30 assault rifles. Said shop owner and a couple to a few of his employees were arrested in this operation. That is too bad because they seemed like nice, polite, knowledgeable folks when it came to selling firearms. Their shop had a reputation for iffy sales based on legal issues however, as I understand it, they are new to the shop having taken it over recently. I hope they were not targeted based on someone elses reputation. You can see, in the article where it says:

"Rice showed a video of one instance in which an undercover policeman filmed a conversation with Tretola, inside of one of his stores, where he demonstrated to the officer how to remove the temporary pin from the fixed stock of the gun, making it collapsible –– and illegal."


Mr. Tretola is the gun shop owner of the gun shop about which I was just writing. Well, if he actually removed that pin or even if he actually demonstrated how to do it to make the weapon illegal, then maybe he is guilty. Of course, it is always good to know all the information. Here is a bit more on that:

"“What this means is you take that pin out, I’m telling you you’re in trouble with this gun,” Tretola told the officer."

Does that change things at all or does it confirm criminal intent? District Attorney Kathleen Rice thinks there is absolutely no question that this statement confirms Mr. Tretola's criminal intent as can be seen in this statement:

"There's no question that Mr. Tretola knew what he was doing,” said Rice. “He knew exactly what the state of the law is here in New York state, and was selling weapons and giving people the information they needed to violate the law."

I suppose that seeing only one side or one explanation for a statement is her prerogative as a prosecutor. Being that I am open to see all possibilities due in some large part to the investigative nature of my psyche, I do see another possibility. Just again read the statement that Mr. Tretola is alleged to have made. Could that be seen as a warning to someone not to take out the pin so as not to violate the law? I think it could be that but then again I do not have all the facts so I cannot judge on the mere bit of evidence that is available to me. Of course, a lot depends on the use of the word "temporary" in her statement. If the pin was temporary then shame on Mr. Tretola; if however it was affixed permanently but still could be removed with some deal of work, then maybe there was no violation and he was just giving a warning. All the relative facts are needed to make judgement. As I said, they will have their day(s) in court and if guilty should pay but if not guilty should be set free. The law is the law and if it stinks then we need to change it not violate it in most instances unless it is tyrannical and making people suffer, then maybe we can and should violate it as did the Founding Fathers of our nation.

As for me, I am soon off to the gun show in Middletown, NY. I imagine it will be a few tables less than usual because I think at least one of the gun stores involved in the arrests was supposed to have had tables there. Oh well, there will be others. Too bad about all this, too bad about NYS still having what I believe to be such an unconstitutional law on the books, to bad if someone broke that law or would be willing to do so, too bad that many in government seemingly do not understand why the 2nd Amendment is in the Constitution. It is there so we never forget that We the People can arm ourselves against tyranny and to insure that the government never forgets it either. This would lead one to believe that the Founding Fathers saw absolutely nothing wrong with assault weapons because, at least in some instances, they saw absolutely nothing wrong with assaulting government. There is, or should be, no doubt they wanted We the People to be well prepared, by being well armed, should it ever again come to a time such as: "When in the Course of human events...".

All the best,
Glenn B

Hey Wisconsin Teachers - I Am a Government Employee - I Cannot Unionize - I Cannot Strike...

...I Live With It And Can Honestly Say - What do you mean you do not see fit to pay what is certainly an acceptable and ethical percentage of your health insurance and retirement and are unwilling to to give up your outrageous bargaining power that, in my opinion, just keeps sponging off of the rest of your state's citizens.

Government Employees are already safeguarded by our government and do not need blood sucking unions to suck the tax payer dry to protect government workers. What they need is to remember that not only are they too tax payers but they serve the people, they are public servants. They are not masters of the people for whom they work, they are servants - get that, this includes the teachers in Wisconsin. They are employees of the citizens and they already make a really nice salary with way too nice benefits as far as I see it (but of course who is it that seemingly cries for all this all of the time but teachers and other union members). How dare they want to propagate more of what, in my opinion, has brought them to this damnable economic situation in their state and what almost certainly is much the same of what brought us to our poor economic state federally.

Here was a man with the right idea as far as government employees going on strike was concerned - he offered them a good raise, then he negotiated with them when their union demanded an astronomical pay raise, then when they and the union kept demading - he warned them not to break the law by striking, then when they went out on strike - he fired them (but even then he gave them 48 hours of chances to reconsider):



It is high time to tell the unions to go screw themselves at least in the case of unionized government employees. They have been telling the rest of us to go screw ourselves for years while they have had it better than good, now they don't want to budge an inch or give up a dime. Shame on them but better yet - SCREW THEM they have become what they were supposed to be protecting against, in my opinion, they have been exploiting us as big business used to exploit the worker. The people they are exploiting are the tax payers as I see it.

All the best,
GB

Did Mexican Troops Invade U.S.A. - Then Take Military Action On Our Side Of The Border???

This is not a drill, this is for real. Mexican troops may have driven into the United States territory and then taken military action against apparent civilians, then seemingly fled the area back into Mexico. Is this the cooperation of which President Obama and Janet Napolitano spoke when saying that Mexico and the U.S. were cooperating in the war on drugs? If our troops had gone into Mexico like this it would have been a major international incident with us apologizing profusely and maybe someone bowing to someone else. As it is, our agents are not allowed to be armed within Mexico, even when in the most dangerous areas and on potentially dangerous assignments because Mexico forbids it, yet they take the liberty of sending their armed troops across our border. How times have changed - we are now a third world nation for all purposes from what I can tell!

My bet is that Mexico will deny it was their military but look at the video. You tell me, do you think military like vehicles carrying armed men are the norm near border crossing points in Mexico. Yes they are, in the form of Mexican Immigration authorities, Mexican Customs authorities, Mexican police officials on the state and federal levels and of course - Mexican Military personnel. As opposed to the USA, Mexico regularly has armed military personnel near its borders. It's not likely these were cartel members driving around freely like that at the border, it is very likely they were in the Mexican army.

See the article and video here: http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/video-shows-armed-men-crossing-border-into-us-from-mexico-possible-mexican-military-incursion-021711

Or just watch the video here:

Video Shows Armed Men Crossing Border into US from Mexico; Possible Mexican Military Incursion: MyFoxDC.com

Could you hear the guy who was interviewed, the sound was terrible on my laptop, hopefully you heard it better. Sounded as if he was making excuses for them, maybe they did not know they crossed the border! Wouldn't it be pretty important for an army to know where is the border!!!


All the best,
Glenn B

A Good Example Of Training Taking Over

I was bored to tears this morning and took a spin over to YouTube and typed the term 'pistol shooting' into its browser. One of the videos struck me as a fine example of just how training kicks in while shooting or handling guns under stress. Now, you may watch this video and be amused; I was too. You may also watch it, after having read what I have just written, and then scratch your head and wonder what the heck I was writing about when I said that this video shows training kicking it. No, its not a pun, it has nothing to do with the 'kick' of the pistol in this video except that the kick of the pistol and its result is what causes the stress that causes the training to come into play. Watch it and see what I mean. If you don't get, or even if you think you do but want to be sure, go to the comments section of this post where I explain it.

All the best,
Glenn B

MilitaryShooters.com (update)

I received an email from Fred at MilitaryShooters.com today. In it he said yes they got the order incorrect and will fix it to my satisfaction. I have not spoken to him about it yet but I am anticipating an amicable solution will be offered to me and that this will come to a good end with me being a satisfied customer.

I have to say, they were quick to confirm my order when I first made it, sent it out promptly, and it arrived when expected. If there was an error in packing it they sure seem willing to correct it.

Second Impression = excellent customer service so far.

All the best,
Glenn B

MilitaryShooters.com (first impression)

Last week, I posted a blog post here about an order for ammo I made with http://MilitaryShooters.com. I placed an order for 1,000 rounds of Fiocchi 124 gr. FMJ 9mm ammo.

The order was confirmed and sent out within a day or two. I received it Tuesday (yesterday by the time I post this) via UPS, one week to the day after I placed the order. I opened the box and there were 20 boxes containing 50 rounds in each box of Fiocchi 124 gr. 9mm FMJTC ammo. Funny, I thought I ordered FMJ not FMJTC ammo. I checked my order and checked their website. The order was for FMJ and the website advertised it as FMJ but they sent FMJTC.

My first impression was some disappointment. I do not like it when I order one thing then get another, one that is so close it makes me think either they just made an innocent mistake or pulled the old bait and switch scheme. Now I am not saying that the FMJTC is not as good as, or maybe even better, than the regular FMJ (which is round nosed ammo). It is just I do not like getting something other than for which I paid without prior notice from the merchant and without the merchant getting prior approval from the customer (who would be me).

I sent them an email to ask them to straighten this out. Time will tell as to how they handle this. Maybe my second impression will be better.

While I am awaiting a reply from them: Does anyone who is reading this have any experience with the truncated cone shaped bullets? I seem to remember having fired this before but cannot for the life of me recall if it shot well or not. If someone can convince me it is as good or better than round nose FMJ, who knows - maybe I will keep it after all.

By the way, if you do not know what is a truncated cone, here is the dictionary definition:

1. a frustum formed from a cone

Now if you are unaware of the definition of as common a word as frustum, here is the geometric definition of it (because that was the definition in the dictionary):

1. the part of a conical solid left after cutting off a top portion with a plane parallel to the base.

2. the part of a solid, as a cone or pyramid, between two usually parallel cutting planes.

In other words, this bullet looks cone shaped, but as if the pointy end has been cut off to make it a flat nose that is parallel with the base of the bullet. Pretty neat looking but I have to wonder if it is balls on accurate when shooting. I mean that should be important to a guy nicknamed Ballseye - shouldn't it!

All the best,
Glenn B

PS: On that word frustum - can you think of the item on which, quite possibly as frequently as every day, you see one pictured? That is, at least you do, if you are in the USA.

Ballseye's Gun Shots 121: Beretta 70S Magazines - Possible Source (definite source for Bersa Model 644 mags, while they last)

Recently, someone sent me an email inquiring about whether or not I would sell him one of my 5 magazines for my Beretta Model 70S. I declined and tried to steer him to a source of aftermarket mags for said pistol. Well, if you are the person who inquired, and you are reading this, you may be able to get a really good deal on magazines that, while not made for the Beretta 70S, may fit and function in it. Of course, if you are not that person, and have a Beretta 70S, and want some mags that may fit and function in it, you might also be interested. If you own a Bersa 644 and need mags you will most likely be interested.

Tonight I received an email from the http://www.sportsmansguide.com/ in which they advertised magazines for sale for the Bersa 644 pistol in .22LR at this link:

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=771993&ecid=E107D&em_id=gbarthgwt@msn.com

When I saw the pic of the mag, I immediately thought it looked a lot like a Beretta Model 70S mag (in .22LR). I was curious so I did a web search for Bersa 644 magazine. I came up with a website, that apparently specializes in selling magazines and other gun parts, called Hoosier Gun Works. I checked their page for magazines A-D:

http://www.hoosiergunworks.com/catalog/magazine_pistol.html#a-d

One that page I saw they offered the Bersa 644 mags (in .22LR) for $25 each. Sportsmansguide has them at $19.97 each or $17.97 each for club members at the link I gave above. The thing about the Hoosier Gun works page was that it certainly seems to indicate that the Bersa Model 644 mags can be used in a Beretta Model 70. Now, mind you, I am not to sure that is actually the case, but if you are in need of mags for the Beretta 70 and it variations in .22LR, well it just may be worth checking into further. If you can get em at this price and they work in the Beretta 70S with no glitches - well you have probably gotten yourself a really good deal. Of course, if you do not want to chance it, you can always get after market mags elsewhere that were actually made to fit the Beretta 70.

That's it.

All the best,
Glenn B

SHARK...SHARK...GET OUT OF THE WATER

I was just watching Fox News and they reported on some new toys expected to be released sometime in 2011. One of them was basically a remote controlled blimp of sorts. It is shaped and colored to look just like a shark, well just as much like a shark as a toy balloon can look. The thing about this balloon is not only is it helium filled so it floats in the air, but it also is remote controlled and it appears to swim through the air propelled by waves of its tail fin.

Okay, sounds like a kinda fun, maybe even kinda scary, kids toy. I just can't wait to see who will be the first moron to bring it to the beach, my guess is that it will make the news. Hopefully it will either be released soon, well before the summer season begins so folks will be aware of it well before summer, or they will wait until after the summer has ended. Otherwise, I can just imagine the scene something like this could stir up at a crowded beach if it goes air swimming by, just above the water's surface, and just one person yells "SHARK" and starts to flee the surf.

All the best,
GB

Happy Birthday Arizona

Today, Arizona is 99 years old; it became the 48th state on February 14, 1912. I love the place, its people (the legal residents and citizens not the illegals) and almost everything about it. I have been there now a total of - wow I lost count - but I figure it has to have been at least 30 0r 40 times now. I have visited there for anywhere from driving through, to day trips, to 2 weeks long vacations, to 45 days for work, to 4 months for work (twice). I would go there again tomorrow if I could go. It is certainly a state full of natural wonders, wonderful people who are good Americans with great values. Their idea of gun control is basically being able to hit your target and they strongly believe that our nation should enforce our laws against illegal entry of aliens into the country. Just gotta love it.

All the best,
Glenn B

Another Gun Show Just Around The Bend

It's only Monday but I am wishing it was already Friday and that I'd find myself waking up tomorrow to head out to the gun show up in Middletown, NY. I still have a decent chunk of change set aside and am hoping to pick up a rifle his weekend and I don't mean another Nagant like I got at the White Plains show earlier this month. I am really hoping for the Remington 700 VTR in .308. If I cannot find one at the show, I may see if I can pick up a nice decent AK-47. Of course, if I run across a really nice Remington Model 8 in .35 Remington, well I guess I can forget the AK, at least for now. I have to admit though, the AK would go nicely with the ten 30 round pre-ban AK magazines I just bought.

http://users.erols.com/fasttrack/loc/mid/MIDDLETOWN.htm

http://users.erols.com/fasttrack/loc/mid/MIDDLETOWN-%20FEB-11.pdf

All the best,
Glenn B

The Bellamy Brothers - Jalapenos

Maybe you have already seen it, it looks to be at least 8 months old from what I saw on YouTube, but today is the first I rememebr seeing it. I don't think I would forget certain parts of it because of how they just stuck out (lol).



All the best,
GB

Ballseye's Gun Shots 120 - Happy I Did Not Go To The Range Yesterday...

...because when I went this evening, I found out it was closed for the day yesterday for a state/county holiday (they called it Presidents' Day but they also take off on the 21st for that, I imagine they meant Lincoln's Birthday which actually was February 12, 1809). So I was lucky not to have made a wasted trip yesterday.

My trip there tonight was a fun one as most of my range trips turn out. I only brought along 2 guns, the new Mosin Nagant 91/30 and my issued SIG 229. The range is an indoor one and the maximum distance at which one can shoot is only 25 yards. It's probably needless to say, I did all my shooting with the Nagant at that distance. With the open sights I would much have preferred to shoot at a range of at least 50 yards but I made due with what was available. I only had 40 rounds for the Nagant but that was enough to get an idea of how it shoots and to realize what kind of ammo it probably likes. I had a 20 round box of Prvi Partizan 150 grain soft points and a box of 20 Silver Bear 203 grain soft points. Let me just say right out that there was one heck of a difference in how well the rifle shot the two different bullet weights.

I started off shooting the Prvi Partizan out of the Nagant in 3 round sets. I wanted to see how well of a group I could get with it. When I brought my target back after the first 3 shots I was absolutely amazed to see only one bullet hole on the paper. Okay, I tried again but made sure the rear sight was set as far back/low as it would go. On the next target there were only 2 out of 3 shots on paper and the darned paper is 10.5" x 12". I took another look and saw that two shots had apparently gone though one hole (note, I said apparently, more on this later) but the group was 2 3/4" across at only 25 yards. I was beginning to think that the frosted barrel was shot out. The three shots were all at about the same level vertically but were spread out horizontally from left to right. Not something I usually see when I shoot. Another try with 3 shots and all 3 were on the paper but sort of 3 in a row from left to right. All the shots were hitting about 3" low but that was not my concern, it was that spread from left to right that was bothering me.

I decided to give the Silver Bear ammo a try. I moved the rear sight forward 2 notches to raise the sight. Then I fired 3 shot groups with the Silver Bear ammo. After I got the first 3 off, I brought the target back not expecting to see anything better than what I had done with the Prvi Partizan but wow was I surprised. The first group was about 3" high and 2 1/2" to the right of the bull's eye. The group size was 1 1/2". I decided to just keep shooting for group size not worrying about where the group was hitting for now, so I did not adjust the sights again. I tried a second set of 3 rounds. That group was in just about the same place and the group size was 1 1/4" across. I gave it one more try with 3 rounds and that last time again shot in the same area but with a group size of 13/16 of an inch.

I shot some more withe the Prvi Partizan, until all of it was gone - which was another 11 shots. Of those, I shot two 5 shot groups and a single shot. The 5 shot groups both had 5" spreads. I was shooting bent over at the waist so that my elbows were resting on the bench. I figured I could do better with my SIG 229 at 25 yards and fired 7 shots out of it from essentially the same position. I got a 6 shot group with a 2 1/8" spread and one flier a few inches directly above that group. With the flyer, the group was 4 3/4" with my SIG 229 pistol at 25 yards. I then shot two 5 shot groups from the Nagant using the Silver Bear ammo. The better of those two groups was 1 5/8" across the other was only slightly larger.

The Nagant was consistently shooting in the same area, with decent sized groups, using the 203 grain Silver Bear ammo. It was pretty much all over the place with the lighter 150 grain Prvi Partizan ammo. Once I got home and I looked at the targets to measure the group sizes, I discovered something interesting about how the ammo was hitting the paper. Remember I said more about two of the Prvi Partizan shots having gone though the same hole! Well, it seems I was wrong. There actually only were 2 shots out of 3 that hit paper on that set. What had looked like a 2 shot hole actually now seems to have been caused by bullet wobble. Not like a bullet that was tumbling end over end but as ft it had been wobbling side to side just a little bit because the hole was just a wee bit oblong horizontally. When I looked at the other targets I had shot with the Prvi Partizan ammo, I noticed that most of the holes in the paper looked just like that one, as if the bullet had wobbled side to side a little bit. On the target that I shot with the Silver bear ammo, the holes were crisp and about as perfectly round as a bullet could make them. I am not much of a technical guy when it comes to guns or to ballistics and how bullets fly toward the target. I do know that the rate of twist can cause different weight bullet to fly differently, some weights are just not made for certain barrels. My guess is this is what happened with the lighter Prvi Partizan ammo. I will see what happens in the future with heavier bullet weights, those closer to the 203 grain Silver Bear. Prvi Partizan makes a 182 grain FM, I will probably try that one but will have to wait until I can get to the outdoor range for the FMJ stuff. They also make a 180 grain soft point and if I can find some of that I will try it at the indoor range as soon as possible. There are lots of other choices out there for me to try, I may even try some other lighter weight stuff but for now will probably stick with the heavier weight ammo until I see how each of them shoots though this Nagant. Of course, I will continue shooting the Silver bear 203 grain ammo thought it and see if I can fiddle with the sights until I am hitting pretty close to dead center. I am eagerly looking forward to some better weather and a day at the outdoor range with this rifle.

Back to the range this evening - once I had finished up the ammo for the Nagant, I took a look at the spent shell casings to make sure they looked normal. Actually I did that after the first 3 shots with each ammo, then looked at all the shell casings once I was done shooting the rifle. I wanted to see if there was any apparent evidence that the head space was off. All of them looked fine. The primers of the Prvi Partizan ammo looked to have normal to almost light hits on them. The Silver Bear on the other hand were dimpled more than I would have expected. I am guessing the Silver Bear may have a hotter powder charge that caused this or suppose it could just have been due to softer primers.

After that, I shot up about three boxes of ammo for the SIG 229. Other than the 7 shots I took at 25 yards while resting on the bench, I fired the rest of the ammo at 7 yards. I shot some of it slow fire and some rapid fire from a 2 hand hold unsupported. Then I shot one handed with each hand and then went back to the 2 handed shooting. Let me just say, there was a single big hole in the center of the target with a few orbiting shots around it when I was finished. Once the ammo was expended, I loaded for the street. (I always make sure to have enough put on the side for that so when I leave the range I am sure to have a loaded weapon. I once left unloaded because I had shot up all my ammo and I can tell you it gave me a feeling of vulnerability that assured I would never do that again.)

It's been a good couple of weeks for me, I have been to the range 4 times in the course of exactly 2 weeks. I had been thinking of what I could do to get over the winter doldrums and shooting is sure one way to keep myself happy. of course, it would be nicer if Brendan had been coming along but he has been working on the 3 days I have been to the range for recreational shooting and of course, he cannot come with me when I shoot to qualify for my job. Maybe next time, I can work it for a Saturday and he can come along. We always have a good time shooting together and I enjoy it immensely to see him shooting not only well but safely. That, along with a few other of his good habits, convinces me that he is a responsible young adult.

All the best,
Glenn B

Ballseye's Gun Shots 119 - Firearms Safety - Not Just The Responsibility Of The Person Holding The Gun

If you read my blog regularly, then you know I can be a stickler for firearms safety. The reason for that is because when it comes to accidents with firearms it is all too often that you do not get a second chance. I was among the lucky in that regard. I have had a single accidental discharge, due to my negligence, several years ago, when handling a firearm. I put one into my kitchen floor when I thought I was making a firearm safe prior to take down. I thought i had removed the magazine, then pulled back the slide and ejected the round in the chamber, then thought I clearly saw it was empty, then aimed in a safe direction and squeezed the trigger to decock, and bang.

So what is the rest of that story. I had come home late one night, very tired. I placed a loaded pistol I had been carrying in a fairly safe place. I was so tired I then forgot to unload it and went to sleep on the couch. When I awoke, later that night, I noticed the pistol sitting there and realized it was loaded. I went to unload it, then thought I had better go upstairs and leave it on top of my fridge after unloading as that was its usual roost. When I got upstairs, I had the magazine in my hand already. The thing was that the mag in my hand was the spare mag and not the one in the gun. When I visually checked the chamber and mag well, I basically saw black, probably because of the small size of the well and because the room was only dimly lit and because I was not really fully awake or alert. I broke an awful lot of firearms safety rules that night all because I broke one that basically says not to handle firearms when not alert. All my bad, yes indeed. Yet I followed at least one rule and thanks to me keeping it pointed in a safe direction, I only wounded the floor and my pride.

I always considered myself a stickler for the safety rules, even before that accidental discharge. For those of you screaming out that it was a negligent discharge as opposed to an accidental one, don't get your shorts in a wad. It was definitely accidental because I did not do so purposefully. Accidental and negligent are two very different concepts although as is often the case they go hand in hand down the path of 'whoops - did I do that'. Negligence goes toward fault and not toward whether or not you did something purposefully or accidentally. It is that simple. So mine was both accidental and negligent at that. As I was saying, before that guy started screaming a me about accidental versus negligent, I always have been pretty much a stickler for gun safety rules. That is the only accidental discharge I have had in my lifetime. Regardless of it being the only one, it was one too many. Sure accidents can happen, even to the most careful of people because we can all be off at times, emotions, fatigue, illness, brain farts, can all effect us now and then without us realizing they are effecting us. But there are ways to help assure that even if you are off, you will not have an accident with a firearm or that if you do then the accident you may have with one is not one that results in an injury or fatality. Mind you, I am not at all saying, even in any small measure, that it is ever okay or even expected that you will have such an accident but as a wise old coot of a firearms instructor used to say to me: There are three types of shooters in the world, those who admit to having had an accidental discharge, those who will have one and then admit it, and liars. If you do something long enough, even always having done it the right way, there is the increased chance you will do it wrong sometime sooner or later.

With that all in mind, I am usually very on the ball with firearms safety. Yet, I have committed some other small momentary errors in that regard. I have rarely done the following: inadvertently if only momentarily covered myself with a firearm, covered others momentarily with a firearm, had my finger on the trigger when I did not intend or was not ready to activate the trigger (note I did not say when I intended to shoot because the rule about keeping your finger off of the trigger until ready to shoot just plainly has too many legitimate exceptions - one of them being take down of Glock pistols) and so on. The thing is I usually caught myself or someone else caught me and let me know. Anyone, who handles firearms on a fairly frequent basis over many years, who tells you they have absolutely never committed an infringement of the firearms safety rules is either an out and out liar or an idiot or is simply not self aware enough to realize when he or she has broken those rules (this is very often the case but there are plenty of idiots and liars out there too). I have way too much experience with guns and with being around people who shoot or otherwise handle them to know better about such claims of 'not me - not ever'. Even the best of us make small mistakes now and then no matter how much we strive to prevent them.

Now, when I refer to the Rules of Firearms Safety, you must bear in mind that I am not making reference to Colonel Jeff cooper's 4 Rules of Firearms Safety. As far as am concerned, those 4 rules are never enough. Some have accused me of not understanding that adding more rules is not the right way to go and that if those 4 are followed an accident or negligent act with a firearm could never take place. The truth is though that I have not added more rules to Colonel Cooper's 4. He, on the other hand, actually abbreviated some already long standing rules of firearms safety to come up with his 4. Of course, you could call his rules the 4 cardinal rules of Firearms Safety but I would disagree even then. They just do not cover enough of the situations that arise when safety is at issue concerning firearms. They do a fairly good job of covering firearms safety when someone (as in one person) is shooting or otherwise handling a firearm and is wide awake, not under the influence of mood altering drugs, is not about to hand a firearm to someone else, and so forth but remember I said a fairly good job. They are truly lacking in that they leave out such tidbits as 'gunpowder and alcohol don't mix' (in other words - never handle firearms, ammunition or their components while under the influence of alcohol or mind altering drugs), before handing a firearm to another person - open the action, always make absolutely sure you are using the correct ammunition, safely store and transport firearms to prevent unauthorized access (by children and adults) and on and on and on.

This time, while writing about firearms safety, I am not going to do what I have done in the past and spell out rule after rule after rule. Instead, what I have done this evening was to compile a list of firearms related web pages that contain firearms safety rules. Why have I done this instead of just listing the rules here. Well, to be quite frank, because others have called me: unqualified with regard to teaching firearms safety (regardless of my 13-14 years as a firearms instructor and over 40 years of shooting experience), a bullshitter in that they thought I made up these rules to spite Jeff Coopers 4 rules, inexperienced, a trouble maker, a liar in that I said there were more rules than 4, a moron, and a range Nazi. One has even told me that I am paranoid about firearms safety because I stress the importance of additional rules. Well, if I am paranoid or full of crap, or too much of the stickler because I believe there are many more than just 4 rules, at least I can say that I am in good company because some major firearms organizations teach those additional rules just as do I and they have been doing it for many-many years and now I have linked to them. I remember these rules from when I was a pre-teenaged child and that was, sadly, a long time ago. After all, when and from whom do you think I learned them! I did not make them up out of thin air or gun smoke. So, in the Blue Zone, to the right on my blog page, I have embedded a new link list called: FIREARMS SAFETY - Do yourself a favor - read these because 4 Rules are not enough by a long shot.

I strongly recommend you read the firearms safety rules that are available at the Smith & Wesson and Remington links that I provided under said header. They are fairly in depth, don't take all that long to read, and are well worth the expenditure of 5 or 10 minutes to read them because they may someday cause you to save a life because you adhered to them. When reading them, if you pay attention, you will discover what I printed out in the title of this post, that firearms safety is not just the responsibility of the person holding the firearm (it took me an awfully long time to get to that, didn't it!) Firearms safety is the responsibility of the shooter, handler, owner, the person who stored or transported a firearm, the parent, the experienced versus novice shooter, the instructor, the gun blogger, a person observing others shooting or handling and so on. Remembering that will go a long way to help assure things stay safe. Of course, familiarizing yourself with all the rules, then practicing them relentlessly, is the best way for you to personally keep things safe but making sure that others do likewise is also a good bit of safety insurance. So, do your part to handle and store them safely and make sure others are doing likewise because you following those rules may either prevent or lessen the effects of an accident that otherwise may have taken a life or seriously injured someone. That life could be that of a stranger but then again, it could be your own or that of a loved one. Never forget that you want to do your best to keep things safe at all times because sometimes there are no second chances.

Safe shooting,
Glenn B

Ballseye's Gun Shots 118 - Hopefully Another Range Day Today or Tomorrow

I need to get to the range with my latest acquisition, the Izhevsk (man is it hard to recall how to spell that) Mosin Nagant 91/30. I hate to shoot it at only 25 yards at the indoor range but I do not have the time to go the 40 or 45 miles to the nearest outdoor range nor do want to freeze my toes off. The outdoor range can wait until later in March or April. For now, can see how it shoots and handles at the indoor range. Of course, if I do get a chance to get to the range today, that would mean I'll also bring a pistol or three or maybe some 22 caliber rifles in addition to the Nagant. Besides that, a trip to the range today would mean my fourth or fifth such trip this month. (And someone told me today he thinks I am more of a collector of firearms than a shooter after seeing my blog. Go figure, I always thought of my meager collection of firearms only as an offshoot of my shooting since I bought them to shoot and not to hang on a wall.)

Before I can go to the range though, I will need to get my fish and amphibian tanks cleaned up and maybe get some more work on my income taxes done. I am doing them for me and the wife and am doing my son's. His are done just need his bank account info to get them financially accounted. He will be a happy camper once he sees he is getting something back this year. I figure I ought to have an hour or two for the range this evening - hopefully two. Maybe one can get enough range time but for me, it seems, there is barely enough time for the range for as often as I believe I should be going. So, when I get the time, I try to make the best and most of it.

All the best,
Glenn B

Ballseye's Guns Shots 117 - Non-Range Firearms Practice

I was wondering how many of you other shooters not only practice tactical shooting at the range but also practice other non-shooting tactical firearms techniques at home. In other words, do you practice things at home such as dry firing (with only dummy rounds in he firearm, such as snap caps), magazine exchanges, one handed loading (if not at a range then using only dummy rounds I would hope) weapons retention, weapons take aways, malfunction clearing, one handed malfunction clearing (again for the last 2, using only dummy rounds if not at a range and maybe even then).

I know, that at most ranges I can use in my area, the practice of most of these techniques would be frowned upon. So, I sometimes wind up practicing them at home with unloaded guns or guns loaded with dummy rounds, or with dummy guns (for weapons retention or take-away techniques). I make darned sure that there is no ammo in the room in which I am practicing, that is unless it is locked up and very secure. I would hate to make the mistake of picking up a mag with a live round after having been distracted and then putting that mag into a pistol and having to live with the possible consequences. I also do it only when no one else is home, well except for the pets. In addition, I do it in the most secure room in my home, the one least likely to allow an accidental shot to hit someone outside or inside (my basement). I would much prefer to do all this at a range but as i said - they usually do not allow it. The only range at which I can do this sort of thing is the one my job uses for qualifications and then it is only under the supervision of our range officers during tactical exercises and practice. Since we do this a very limited number of times per year, I opt to practice as best I can at home with unloaded or dummy weapons.

What about you?

All the best,
Glenn B

Federal & American Eagle - .45 Auto Ammunition Recall Alert

A friend from work let me know about this recall notice. I am passing it on to the rest of you as a public service sort of thing. I am hopeful that Federal will see it that way, as sort of a helping hand to spread the word and prevent any potential tragedies.

I would strongly recommend that you check your .45 ammo and if you have any of this you follow the instructions in the accompanying notice.

The image is clickable to enlarge. The original posting about it can be found by clicking the appropriate link on the Federal Premium site . The link is located near the lower right hand side of the home page or you can just click on it here:

http://www.federalpremium.com/pdf/45_Auto_warning.pdf

There is also another link on the Federal Premium home page that says: "If you have affected product Click Here". Please don't go crazy clicking on this link just for the heck of it or out of curiosity. Click on it only if you have the effected ammo. I am pretty sue Federal does not need any unnecessary traffic on their servers right about now. They will probably have enough with all the people who will be turning in the recalled lots of ammo.

Shoot safely,
Glenn B

Some Would Say This Car Has Everything but...

...I would say not unless it has a hot coffee dispenser, dual front facing machine guns, dual rear facing machine guns, a smoke blower, an oil dispenser (in the rear) and an ejector seat. Of course, if it really had email service and served up sizzling bacon, those would be the first steps toward getting it there.


see more Very Demotivational

All the best,
Glenn B

Ballseye's Gun Shots 116 - Ever Sold, Traded, or Just Gotten Rid of A Firearm & Not Regret It or Miss It Later?

Over all the years I have owned my own firearms, which has been since about the mid to late seventies, I can think of only one that I do not usually miss and that I most certainly do not regret getting rid of. That is one and the same as the RG pistol in .25 Auto that was my first pistol (in fact the first gun I ever owned). It was an out and out piece of junk. One of the best things I ever did was when I took it apart and threw its pieces in different parts of a salt water bay. It was just that crappy. Of course, if I think of it as my first gun, well then I can get all nostalgic and actually begin to miss it, that is until I remember what a piece of junk it was and then I am again happy that I just rid myself of it forever.

With every other gun I have gotten rid of, that I can think of right now, I have always had regrets, sooner or later, once it was gone. That goes for my Charter Arms 38, my 4" and 2.5" S&W Model 66 revolvers, my 2nd 2.5" S&W Model 66, my Ruger Mini 14, my Remington 870 Wingmaster, my Charter Arms Path Finder, my few (at least 4) Beretta Jetfires (.25 ACP), my Browning BLR in .358 Winchester, my CVA .45 caliber Philadelphia Derringer (a kit gun), my J.C. Higgins 22 rifle, my first Marlin 336 in .35 Remington (missed it so much I had to get another), two Yugo SKS rifles (even though I kept another), a Mosin Nagant M44 even though in only fair condition and whatever else once owned that I got rid of one way or the other. As a matter of fact, sometimes I almost kick myself in the head because of some of the guns i have sold. That Marlin 336 was pre-safety with a gold plated trigger and was just soooo sweeeet. Then again, the sale of the marlin was nothing as compared to my selling of the Browning. Selling that Browning BLR was probably the stupidest move I ever made with a gun. I bought it for a song, sold it for a decent profit and just miss the hell out it! I don't care if the ammo for it goes for around 2 bucks a round. It was a great rifle and shot one heck of a great caliber round. Ouch, I just kicked myself. To one extent or another same goes for everything I sold, I deserve to be kicked in the head or elsewhere a bit lower down wherein brains sometimes wind up!

Oh well, life goes on and there are plenty more out there to buy and the next gun show within about a hundred miles of my house is in about a week and a half in Middletown, NY. Guns, guns guns, guns - I just never seem to get enough of em. They are lots of fun to shoot, interesting to collect, useful hunting tools, a part of my work life, and are just comforting to have at hand in the event I ever need them to defend me or my loved ones and the Constitution (hopefully it will never get to that).

You know, now that I think of it - maybe I should have kept the RG .25 Auto.

All the best,
Glenn B

9mm Ammo - Good Price Alert

Military Shooters has some pretty good prices on two brands of 9mm, 124 grain, brass cased, reloadable (so I am assuming both brands are boxer primed although it only says so for the Swiss stuff) FMJ ammo. They have two types available at right around a hundred bucks for 500 rounds:

Fiocchi @ $109.99

and

Geco @ $94.49

I was about to order the Geco, then I saw the ad for the Fiocchi said: "This 124gr FMJ 9mm ammunition is mfg by Fiocchi USA in Missouri." Again I am about to assume something, that they mean Missouri, USA. So I paid the extra $15.50 for it (well actually the extra $31.00 plus a bit more for shipping because I ordered a thousand rounds not 500). I figure the added expense is worth it if it helps keep some jobs here in the U.S. of A.

If you want either, I would hurry. They only had 7 lots (of 500 rounds per lot) of the Fiocchi and the Geco was also limited, I think they had 19 lots. Now that I think of it, maybe I should have ordered 500 rounds of each, instead of 1,000 of the Fiocchi, and I could have saved some cash and had a variety. Wow, an extra thirty bucks, I could have bought a case of beer - a really good case of bier - for that money. Heck, what am I thinking??? I just said it was better to buy the made in the USA stuff - didn't I! Sometimes I wonder about myself. Oh well, I'll survive. Anyway, it was just better to have ordered something made here, even if by a foreign owned company, because as I said, it helps keep jobs here.

All the best,
Glenn B

The First Lady....

...wants us to watch what we eat! Have you taken a look at her derriere lately? It is disproportionately huge in comparison to her head. Maybe that is because something that belongs in her head is really in her ass. All that not to mention her flabby upper arms. I am no lightweight myself but I do not go around professing that everyone in America should follow my guidelines to lose weight when I myself do not follow them. For example, while she has been telling us to all lose weight by watching what we eat, and has been praising and pushing the properties of organic vegetables, something else was happening at the White House Super Bowl party. Have you seen the list of delectables that was served at the White House Super Bowl party? If you have not seen the menu, here are at least some of the items that were served:

assorted beverages including at least 2 kinds of beer

bratwurst

buffalo wings

cheeseburgers

deep dish pizza

chips & dips

German potato salad

kielbasa

potato chips

pretzels

twice-baked potatoes

salad (apparently not organic)

As the First Lady's other end keeps getting broader, she keeps taking broadsides at the rest of America and all the while keeps butting-in to our lives. It seems, if left up to her, we would not be able to choose what we eat, all only to satisfy her voracious appetite for control of every aspect of our lives!

References:

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/06/white-house-super-bowl-menu-salts-fats-sugars-and-bipartisan-brews/?partner=rss&emc=rss

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/early-lead/2011/02/super_bowl_xlv_what_the_obamas.html

All the best,
GB

Way To Go Packers

I watched the game sort of half halfheartedly. Why would I want to watch a game where neither team has cheerleaders? That is not the only reason I only watched the highlights and listened to the announcers for the rest of it. I was busy cleaning guns and paid much more attention to that. Had I been somewhere else, like at a friend's or relatives place for a game party or at a bar, I would have paid more attention. I decided to stay home though and to get the new Mosin Nagant 91/30 cleaned and then cleaned the bolt of another one I in my collection.

I guess I am not that much of a spectator sport fan. I had hoped that the Green Bay Packers would win and am happy with the result. Now back to gun cleaning or maybe I ought to go to work, it is just about that time of day.

All the best,
Glenn B

Ballseye's Gun Shots 115 - The New Mosin Nagant 91/30 - The Good News & The Bad

If you read my blog posts from this past Saturday, you know I went to the gun show at the Westchsester Convention Center in White Plains. You also know that I picked up a Mosin Nagant 91/30 that was manufactured at the Izhevzk Arsenal in 1939. It is a nice looking rifle, obviously an arsenal refinish - one that probably saw some little use after being refinished but that definitely has little more than storage rack wear marks. All of the serial numbers are matching with the exception of the magazine floor plate which is forced matching, or in other words which has one serial number stricken out and another number stamped onto it. The newer stamped number matches the rest of the numbers on the rifle, thus it was probably restamped when at the arsenal for refinishing. Could have also happened at the original factory, I suppose especially since 1939 was a war year. I am guessing they could have taken one from an older surplus gun, that was already marked with a serial number, and incorporated it into a new gun - who knows - who cares! Either way, it does not matter to me because the much more important parts of the rifle, the bolt and receiver, have matching numbers.

When I looked at the rifle at the show, I had somehow missed the strikeout on the magazine floor plate. Since I am not collecting this as pristine or perfectly matching rifle, but more as a shooter to add to my collection, it is not of much concern. This rifle has an importer number electro-penciled onto it along with other importer info. I tend to shy away from firearms with importer scribing on them but this was was an exception because of the serial number and because, as I said, it is a shooter for my collection. The only importance, for me, of the original serial number is that it is prefaced by two letters: "BB". Those are my son's first and last initials. It was a must buy so long as it appeared to be in very good to fine condition and this one seemed to be in excellent condition for a refinished rifle.

Yep, I just said it seemed to be in that good of a condition. Today I disassembled it, a detailed strip, for a good cleaning. I found no problems on any internal parts. The bolt assembly was clean as a whistle, probably cleaner. There is no rust on any of the parts that were previously hidden under or behind the wood. Nothing looked broken or worn too much. Everything looked great except for one thing. When I cleaned out the barrel I was disappointed. It had just enough cosmoline in it at the show that it looked fouled but otherwise great. I cleaned it out, I came to realize it is a bit frosted. Now, I have had this problem before and cleaned it good enough with a tornado brush to make it look almost pristine while retaining accuracy. This barrel has great rifling so what I am seeing is either a bit of surface rust or is a slight amount of pitting. That is a bit of a disappointment but since I have not shot it yet cannot say if it is going to be a big disappointment or not. I cleaned it well today, and will give the barrel another several passes of both a regular cleaning brush and a tornado brush tomorrow and see what it looks like then. Of course I will also shoot some non-corrosive ammo through it, as soon as I can. That probably will do a lot to clean out any remaining frosting. Then I will clean it again, and see how it looks and again see how well it shoots after that. Chances are this one will be a pretty good shooter since it does not look to bad down the bore. I am keeping my crosshairs crossed.

All the best,
Glenn B

Ronald Reagan Tribute On Fox News Now...

...well on at least as I type, Started about minute ago. Worth watching? I think so.

All the best,
Glenn B