I've Have Not Had A Thing...

...that I have felt like blogging about for the past few days .Perhaps that is not just right, maybe I should rephrase it to say I just have not felt like blogging because I surely could have written about my trip to the gun auction in Geneva, NY this past weekend. I also could post some photos or a  video of some things I acquired and I suppose I could tell you how not to screw up at an auction as I did on at least two, maybe even three, of five items on which I had the high bids. I could also brag about how well I did on the other two. A blog post about all that is likely in the near future but for right now, I seem to have lost my blogger mojo. There is a fair chance I'll post more later tonight but I think a better chance that I'll start posting more in a day or two. I'm just in a rut right now due to some non-blog related things on the home front and in the job search and so on.

All the best,
Glenn B

Patriotism - It Dies Hard

My friend, who sent this video to me, said in his email:

"You have to see this. This is one of the best videos I have seen in a long time and not a word is spoken."

I guess I have to agree with him. While it's kind of long for an Internet video at over 11 minutes, I must say it is well worth the time you take to watch it.




A hat tip to Richie M.

All the best,
Glenn B

Good Sized Gun Auction - This Saturday In Geneva, NY

There will be a good sized firearms auction up in Geneva, NY this weekend. The auction includes numerous shotguns, rifles and handguns. They will also be auctioning off hunting and fishing gear. I think I will be there. If I buy anything, I'll have to reach into the retirement savings so, I would have to be a very prudent bidder and only buy if it is something that would be an excellent investment for my family's future.


All the best,
Glenn B

Test Your Political Knowledge

I found the below link to a political knowledge test over at Wirecutter's site. The test is about your knowledge of U.S. politics. There are only 13 questions and it is an easy test. I scored 100% correct but as I said it is an easy one. Then again, you may be surprised at how many got absolutely none correct, when the test was given by way of a national telephone survey. I was certainly shocked. It is also amazing at how many scored less than 5 correct, approximately 25% of the test takers who took the phone survey. Yet, I kid you not, it is a very easy test or at least it should be easy.

Go to this link to take it and then to see the stats for it:

http://pewresearch.org/politicalquiz/

Once you have taken it, come back and leave a comment telling how good you did on it. My bet would be that the great majority of my readers, who are here in the USA, will do well on it.

I also have a question of my own, not one from the test: Can you guess a possible reason that there were only 13 questions asked bearing in mind that this is a test about U.S. politics?

All the best,
Glenn B

Tyranny - Nothing More and Nothing Less

Where does it come from? From the Obama administration and from one of the most useless agencies of all time, the EPA.

See: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/04/26/epa-official-apologizes-for-call-to-crucify-oil-companies-senator-investigating/

Why this has only been reported on now in 2012 when it happened in 2010, maybe because of the upcoming election and maybe because the video was just made public. Whatever, the reason for the timing, it does not lessen the fact that what was described, in essence as being the policy that the EPA should follow as to enforcement of EPA regulations, is nothing less than Tyranny! No mention of due process, no mention of having a  mere suspicion that a regulation has been violated,  no mention or indication that the Constitution will followed, only the threat that the EPA enforcement division will "crucify", at random, companies or individuals as alleged violators all to set an example to others! The man who said this, in my opinion, needs to be investigated, brought up on charges, jailed and fired.

I have never heard a more nefarious violation of government ethics, proclaiming the use of tyranny, by a self righteous and obviously pompous U.S. arsehat bureaucrat in my lifetime.

All the best,
Glenn B

The 1911 I Gotta Shoot It Now Bug Bit Me Tonight & I Didn't Wait...

...for my order of .45 ammo to arrive before heading out to shoot the Remington 1911-R1. I hit the range tonight with 150 rounds of .45 JHP ammo from the little I had in stock. I shot 50 rounds of that, through the Remington 1911-R1, without a glitch. Not the best shooting I have ever done, certainly not the worst either. It was the first time in many years that I have fired anything in .45 caliber. I shot at 7, 15 and 25 yards. Everything seemed okay but I will say that the trigger had some creep to it and is certainly set at a higher weight of pull than 3-5 pounds as Remington claims it is set. Nonetheless, all my shots hit the paper which is about chest sized. The 7 yard target is shown, that was the first 28 shots. I did somewhat better at 15 yards. Not so great at 25 but as I said all shots hit the paper even though the group size at 25 yards was about 11.5 inches.

Then, I put the 1911 away and shot my Beretta 92FS. I put about 100 rounds through that. I just wanted to make sure that the slide stop spring, that had popped out when I was cleaning the gun last week, was back in there properly and that I had not twisted it out of shape or any thing like that when I put it back in place. It stayed put and functioned properly.

I put the Beretta away and took the Remington 1911-R1 out again. I fired only another 14 rounds. I shot slow fire at 10 yards and got a group much better than even the one I had shot at 7 yards earlier. I am pretty sure I was anticipating recoil somewhat for that first box of 50 rounds but it seems I got better when I shot these last two magazine loads of ammo. I think I could come to like this pistol very much.

I had one jam with the Remington, a failure to eject and the shell casing prevented the last bullet from the mag from chambering as it rode back forward with the slide - it looked sort of like a double feed but a contorted one at that. I am not too concerned. That might have been caused by me, maybe by the gun, maybe by the mag, if it starts to happen regularly I will check into the reason.

After that, it was time to leave, my hour was up. I had taken my time between sets of two mags worth of shots, I saw no need to hurry with a new pistol. I only used the two Remington mags that came with the pistol, and that had me taking more time to reload between sets. I'll check out my supposed mil-surp mags another day, I have 9 of them. As it turned out tonight, I had a bunch of ammo left over but that's okay, I can shoot that next time.

All the best,
Glenn B

Cleaning My 1911 - Now That Was Different

I just got finished cleaning my new Remington 1911 R1 pistol. It was pretty fouled for a brand new pistol meaning either that Remington test fired it and did not clean (or did not clean it very well) it or that the dealer from whom I bought it shot it some and did not clean it (or did not clean it well).

Now that I got my 1911 apart and back together again, I can understand why many people think the 1911 an archaic pistol and why many others think it a pain in the arse. There are an awful lot of parts to disassemble just to field strip it for cleaning and there are also an awful lot of steps involved in disassembly and reassembly. You also need a special tool to field strip it (although maybe in the future, after shooting it some, the parts will have loosened up a tiny bit allowing me to do it without the tool). 

I did not mind any of that though, I thought taking it down and getting it back together - so it seemingly will actually function again - was interesting and fairly easy. I will say that the Remington manual was lacking just a bit as for the instructions on the reassembly side. Not lacking much mind you but there were one or two small tidbits of info that they not only could have included but probably should have included. Nonetheless, I got it back together pretty quickly, no problems, and am sure it will get easier and easier each time I do it.

Now all I have to do is wait for the ammo to arrive before heading out to the range. If I become inpatient I could always use up some of the JHP ammo I have had in my ammo locker for the past few years. I could also go to Dick's Sporting Goods to see if they have any .45 Auto at a decent price. I am pretty sure that I still have $70 to $75 on a gift card there. That gift card may be better if saved to buy something else if only because their ammo prices are sure to be way too high compared to online dealers. I think I'll just wait for my ammo order to arrive; hopefully I can make it that long without the 'I gotta shoot it now bug' biting me. I much rather break in the gun, and break in me as a new 1911 shooter, with FMJ rounds and save my JHP rounds for more serious shooting. Once I have familiarized myself with the new pistol and how it shoots, with the less expensive FMJ rounds, I'll shoot the JHP rounds through it. I almost cannot wait but my order has already shipped so it should be here in a few days.

All the best,
Glenn B

Get A Load Of These Pants - Woolrich Elite Concealed Carry Chinos

I was visiting MArooned and saw that Jay posted about the NY Times doing an article on Woolrich's new chinos. That article gave a description of them as having, among other things, a pocket specifically designed to conceal a handgun! That intrigued me but who wants to read about it in the NY Slimes Times  - not me. So, I went right to the source at Woolrich.com and searched for chinos. There they were, listed as Men's 44919 Elite Concealed Carry Chinos! They seem like a good deal too, at $65 a pair; not that I usually buy pants at that high a price but hey even Levi's dungarees (for you youngsters, you call them jeans today) go for at least 2/3 that price lately and they don't have a concealed carry pocket built in.

If you don't want to bother visiting the Woolrich site, here is the info they supply on the Woolrich Elite Concealed Carry Chinos:

"These pants are ideal for situations where discretion is important. The Elite Concealed Carry Chinos have the clean profile of a standard pair of pants with no external cargo or utility pocketing, but offers the added advantage of of a hidden chamber pocket strategically constructed to reduce printing. It is made of 7.8-ounce 98% cotton/2% stretch twill fabric. It has a comfort waist with elastic side panels with three-ply, dual-chamber pocket bags. An inner chamber is accessible through an invisible zipper and allows for discreet carry option. Outer chamber provides provides conventional pocket function and additional benefit of reduced printing. Two knife openings. Reinforced crotch. Imported. Machine wash."

Now, mind you, this is not a fluke on the part of Woolrich. They also manufacture and sell:

Men's Elite CCW Shirt

Men's 44950 Elite Short Sleeve CCW Shirt

Men's 44923 Elite Short Sleeve CCW Shirt

Men's 44428 Elite Discreet Carry Twill Jacket

and others geared toward concealed carry. They all seemingly fall under the line called Woolrich Elite. Sorry ladies, so far it seems they only offer them for men. I imagine if they sell for men, ladies Woolrich elite garments will not be far behind but too bad they do not offer them now.

What a company. I may just have to buy my next set of hunting pants/jacket from them, something in wool (I sure could use some warm winter clothing and not just for hunting) and I may have to pick up one of those Elite Discreet Carry Twill Jackets this coming fall. (Hint: it would make a great birthday present, buy it for me now before they run out. That was just in case anyone in my family ever reads my blog. Oh well, one can dream.)

Now that you have been informed of this shooter geared apparel, why not consider Woolrich Elite next time you want to buy a piece of clothing geared toward concealed carry. (Nope, I don't get a penny or any other type of consideration from them for giving them a free plug.) We shooters need to support companies that support us or at least I think we should when we can.

All the best,
Glenn B

Man Shoots Self And Wife At Firearms Safety Course

Sometimes it seems people are just destined to become Darwin Award winners sooner or later. Hopefully not this guy or his wife but he sure came close this past weekend. Go to the below link, then click on the play icon to hear it from a Fox News Radio announcer, it is better than just reading it:

http://radio.foxnews.com/2012/04/24/va-man-shoots-self-and-wife-at-gun-safety-class/

Imagine that, him not only shooting himself but also his wife, with the same bullet while taking a firearms SAFETY course. Where was the firearms instructor at the time of the shot? In another room, where else. Life sure does have its little ironies - doesn't it!

We all need to be careful out there when doing things like handling guns. If you need a refresher in firearms safety, look to the right side of my blog, about 4 sections down in the Blue Zone, where there are links for several sets of firearms safety rules (not just the simple minded 4 rules either).

All the best,
Glenn B

"Justice For Trayvon" - Is A Race War On Its Way?

I do not condone racism in any way shape or form especially when it is the underlying basis for the use of violence against another. This is why, at first, after hearing the, unbeknownst to me, edited 911 tapes of the call George Zimmerman made to police, I thought that Mr. Zimmerman had racially profiled Mr. Trayvon Martin and that racism resulted in Mr. Zimmerman using deadly force against Mr. Martin. When the complete unedited tape of the 911 call was released, as opposed to the one that someone in the media had edited, it became obvious that Mr. Zimmerman never made any remarks that could have been constituted as racial profiling during the 911 call. Once again, it had become obvious that the media had twisted things perversely in order to sell the news! (A producer at NBC was fired but I believe he should have been arrested, see: http://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/TV/2012/04/07/NBC-producer-fired-for-Zimmerman-911-call/UPI-62881333814965/.)


Well, that edited version of the 911 call, as put out into the media by NBC, is probably one of the biggest reasons that the black community went haywire and started in with all the woe is the black race and the white man is the devil sort of crap, in my opinion. The thing is that the violence has not abated all that much since the release of the the truth in the unedited version of the tape and since the firing of the NBC producer. Of course, maybe the fact that the media also reported, that when Mr. Zimmerman was brought into the police station, there were no apparent injuries to his head has something to do with fanning the flames of racial hatred against Mr. Zimmerman. Since then, the media has released photographs or video frames clearly showing at least two gashes to the back of Mr. Zimmerman's head thus evidently supporting Mr. Zimmerman's claim that Mr. Martin had bashed his head against the ground repeatedly. Yet, NBC is still much to blame, as I see it, for creating the black community's uproar that the shooting was a racist incident. They are, in my view, also much to blame for the continuing outcry as it still being race related and for the ensuing violence by blacks against whites. I believe they had and still have an obligation to accept responsibility for turning the event into a racial incident when it apparently was not. I think they have not made enough of the firing of the producer, heck they will not even release his name, and seemingly have not made anything of the apparent fact (from what I have seen) that their edited version of the 911 call is what in great part started or at least fanned the flames of this latest friction between the white and black communities. (Yes, I realize George Zimmerman is Hispanic but he was reported on as being white and the black community has repeatedly called him white and seemingly has taken revenge on other whites because they see him as white.) That NBC edited that 911 tape is not just a shame, it should be a crime.

The reason I think it should be a crime is because of the violence that has broken out that has been perpetrated by blacks on whites. The latest incident is one in which a white man tried to get some black kids, who were playing basketball, out of the middle of the street. They left, but a large number of black adults (and some of the kids) reportedly showed up and beat the white man, Matthew Owens, senseless. They reportedly beat him with brass buckles (from a written report), metal poles, paint cans and chairs among other things. Mr. Owens is now in critical condition. It needs to be noted that at least one person in the black mob reportedly was heard to say: "Now that's justice for Trayvon."

Here is a news video on it:



I see this all only escalating, especially if Mr. Zimmerman is found not guilty of any crimes. The sad thing is that any jury would also probably realize that if they find Mr. Zimmerman not guilty, there is likely going to be an explosion of black against white violence as after the beating of Rodney King by police in LA and the subsequent not guilty finding for the police. Hopefully though, the jurors will stick to the facts of the case and not be driven to their verdict by any emotional urges or a sense of responsibilty to prevent race riots. Justice should prevail and in order for it to do so, the jurors must be blind to outside influences, they need to stick to the facts of the case, and they need to try Mr. Zimmerman only on those facts in an objective manner and not based upon on their feelings or what they believe will be the outcome of an acquittal. (Note, I am not concerned about a guilty finding and I think nor should be the jurors, because based upon the history of similar cases, it seems unlikely that the white community would riot if the verdict goes against Mr. Zimmerman.) They must bear in mind that their duty is not to prevent race riots but to try on the evidence and facts presented in this case. They must remember that justice is not revenge nor a manner by which to placate a community but that justice, by way of a jury trial and due process, is the right granted to both to Mr. Zimmerman and the State (who in essence represents Mr. Martin's family) by the Constitution and that it can only truly be arrived at objectively.

If Mr. Zimmerman is found to be not guilty though, I predict that race riots will break out and that those riots may indeed lead to what amounts to a race war at least on a small scale in different communities around the country. I hope, if Mr. Zimmerman is found not guilty, that my prediction is wrong but my gut tells me I am right on this one. It will be a sad day if such happens but it will just again go to show that there are violent racists in the black community, such as the Black Pussies Panthers, and no matter how much many, if not most, in the black community wish to deny it, they portray Mr. Zimmerman as guilty no matter what the facts if only because he is white, at least in their eyes.

All the best,
Glenn B

.45 Auto - The Ammo Order Is In

What good is my brand spanking new Remington 1911 R1 without .45 Auto (aka: .45 ACP) ammo for it? Absolutely none except maybe as a paperweight, a sinker or a doorstop.

Truth is I do have a store of .45 ACP on hand but I do not want to break-in the gun with high-end JHP rounds; I'll do that with the 250 rounds of Blazer Brass, 230 grain, FMJ rounds I just ordered.

I also added 250 rounds of Federal Classic Hi Shok JHP, 185 grain, rounds to the order. I have to say that the price on each seemed pretty good - I ordered from CheaperThanDirt. Every other place  checked, and I checked several ammo dealers, had the Federal Classic at $3 to $4 more per box of 50 and it was pretty much the same for the Blazer Brass ammo too except all the places I checked had that ammo at about $5 to $6 more per box of 50 rounds. Funny thing is, even Cheaper Than Dirt itself had that same ammo at a much higher price since they offered it from two different warehouses. Cheaper Than dirt Warehouse A had it for 16.69 per box but under Warehouse B they had it listed at $21.51 per box! That was a $4.81 difference, per box, from the same dealer.

As for my old standby for ammo sales, I have just about given up on the Sportsmansguide.com since a recent bad experience I had with their customer service. As far as I am concerned, it is my opinion, that they blatantly refused to honor their satisfaction guarantee. That, added to the fact that I think their pricing is way too high as compared to Cheaper Than Dirt, has put me off on buying from them at least for now. 

As for this current order from Cheaper Than Dirt, this is likely the last ammo I will be buying for the rest of the year because my saved up good time funds and tax return have been totally depleted. (Yes ladies, I spent some on the wife too.) That is, no more ammo buying, unless I get a job soon or unless start selling guns or other stuff that I have around the house. I do not think I am about to start selling guns and I do not have a lot of saleable stuff around the homestead so, I will have to find a job! Speaking of jobs, I have been looking; I put in for another 8 jobs today, or was it 9. I lost track but it was at least 8 applications today. Having a paying job would sure go a long way to feed my shooting hobby even if only part time work.

All the best,
Glenn B

The Hypocrisy Of The Left About Gas Prices

Watch this video, the one that I found over at the Feral Irishman and blatantly lifted to post here, though I am sure that Pissed will not be pissed off at me for doing so. This one needs to be seen by as many people as possible. Sure, you know it already, that the leftists, the hard core Obamessiah supporters do not fault him for high gasoline prices and oil prices as they did Bush. The thing is, do all of your family and friends and neighbors and coworkers know it? Have them watch this video, and if they are on the left, ask them to rationally explain why it is that high gas prices are now seen by the left as a good thing, to be welcomed as constructive, job creating and life saving under Obama; yet, they were seen as something to be feared and loathed, because they supposedly were the height of corruption and would essentially lead to the destruction of America, under Bush!





In all of my lifetime, I have never seen a president, an administration or the left as hypocritical as they are now. Mind you, I did not much like the liberal policies of President G.W. Bush (such as bailouts and the Patriot Act) and for a rating as a president I thought he was only fair (at best). I will say this for him, at least he was not a blatant hypocrite on just about every policy that he spoke about as seemingly is President Obama. That is he biggest difference I see between the left and the right. I have not met a leftist anti-big business type yet who does engage in the free market economy and purchase and then use cell phones, designer coffee products, or things like brand name clothing (all produced by big business), when they can get them - who does not take every opportunity to travel by car when they can get a free ride (produced by big business and that use oil and products) - who is not just as greedy as anyone, might be on the right, who supports big-business and the free market economy! They just want to make believe they are fundamentally different. The only true difference I can see is that they want to be in control of every aspect of our lives and will stop at nothing, well certainly will not stop at merely being truthful, to accomplish that.

If you don't think that is a fair and justified view of the left, then please answer me these questions: Where are all of the people, on the left, who should be condemning Obama and his lack of policy on oil and gasoline prices? Why are they not screaming at the top of their lungs that he is supportive of the oil companies and thus corrupt since oil prices are higher than ever under his watch? Where is Cindy Sheehan and all of her cohorts and Code Pink, all who vehemently protested the wars during the Bush administration; I mean have all the peaceniks suddenly become war mongers? Obama has kept each war going although he promised to shut them down virtually as soon as he would become president. Instead, he continued even enhanced many of the policies of his predecessor (such as the surges). Where are the liberals who strongly protested the Patriot Act, the same act that Obama continues to use. Where are the protesters about Obama signing into law an presidential order allowing the U.S. government to seize whatever property you own for government purposes without compensation or due process? Where is the outcry from the left about the government now being allowed to detain, arrest, hold (in the U.S. or on foreign soil such as in Gitmo) indefinitely without due process American citizens if the government says, without evidence, that they are enemy combatants or terrorists? Certainly they would have branded GWB as a Nazi had he signed that one into law; but Obama, they see him as wise and prudent for having done so! Where are those on the left demanding, as they did under GWB, that Obama shut down the detention facility at Gitmo? Why is the media not condemning Obama, at almost every turn, as they did Bush? The list could go on and on.

The hypocrisy is there whether or not you want to believe it and it is blatant. I am far from conservative on many issue and quite conservative on others. I am much more the libertarian than a conservative but when and if it comes to making choices between  conservative as opposed to liberal candidates, I almost defintely would choose conservative ones almost every time. The left and its sickening and America destroying hypocrisy just makes me want to vote for the other guys.

All the best,
Glenn B

The Overdue Gun Pron

As luck would have it, I left my camera out in the car when I went into the Syracuse Gun Show yesterday. I was not there to take pictures but taking a few would not have killed me. So let's see, I forgot my tackle box (which did not completely rule out fishing but I had to go to bass Pro Shop to buy some tackle first) then I forgot my camera. If I had also forgotten my cash that would have just totally ruined the trip but I was not that careless, I had a good amount of cash on hand. In fact, I emptied the jar in which I have been saving both change and dollar bills for, I guess the last year now. I wound up with about 250 extra dollars in my pocket for the gun show trip. Add to that my income tax return and I was virtually loaded (pun intended).

So, if I did not take pics of the guns show - actually I think I took 3 or 4 of them with my phone camera but those were of folks waiting on the line to get inside - then what kind of gun pron can I show you. Well, that cash I had along seemed to just about burn a hole in my pocket after a certain gun caught my eye. It was a rifle, no a shotgun, no a pistol, yep a few caught my eye but only one started to get that cash in my pocket to smolder and that was a pistol - one in a caliber that I have never before owned. That alone made it appealing to me, and that it was in a man sized caliber and not a poodle shooter caliber (like the 9mm, and I already own 4 poodle shooter caliber pistols) also gave it some oomph in the appeal regard. I guess there were other things that had me considering buying it. I first saw pics of one, online, last year. Being that it was made by one of my favorite gun manufacturers right here in the good old US of A also tickled my fancy. Then that it was and is manufactured right here in NY State just about sold me on it. How many gun manufacturers still make guns here in the Leftist RepubliK of NY! Of course, it also looked one one heck of a nice handgun.

All of that would not necessarily had that cash more than smoldering, I guess what set it to burning the hole in my pocket was the price. It was for sale at this dealer's table for  $49 and $99 less expensive than at two other show dealer's tables. They were the only three I saw with this particular handgun being offered for sale. It was also $109 less expensive than I had seen it while at Bass Pro Shop the day before. Yep, when I went to buy some tackle, being I had forgotten my tackle box, I took a look at the guns there too. Regardless of the name bass pro Shop, they are not limited to fishing gear but also sell hunting and shooting supplies and gear. While the price was better than those of the other three dealers, it may still have been just a it higher than MSRP. (Edited To Add: Remington shows this with an MSRP of $729.00. Thus, I stand corrected - I got it for well under MSRP. My source prior to Remington was a gun price book and they showed it as going for $600 new in the box.) I did not let that bother me because whenever I have seen it, it has been listed for more than MSRP - thanks to the greed of gun dealers that resulted from the gun buying mania fueled by the prospects of another 4 years of the Obamessiah. Oh well, I figured - what the heck - I owe myself a really nice retirement gift and it could double as an I kicked cancer's ass gift from me to me.

Speaking of kicking ass, what pistol, in the entire history of the U.S.A. is best known for its stopping power (whether in fact that stopping power is real or imagined). If you guessed that it was the veritable 1911 in .45ACP then you at least have guessed what type of pistol I bought. The brand should not be that hard to guess if you have come this far. just the fact that it was made in NY state should be enough, if not let me just say it was made by a company that currently manufactures only a single handgun. In addition let me add that this company produced virtually the same pistol (although the current manufactured one has safety improvements) starting in 1917 as part of a contract for the U.S. Government and those pistols are one of the most highly sought after of all model 1911s.

Okay, so you figured it was the Remington 1911 R1. Enough with the words and my incessant rambling, let me show you a couple of pics. I am not the best photographer so these snapshots will have to do. I think you will agree they are pretty good gun pron nonetheless.

Finally, I am the proud new owner of a 1911 in .45ACP - a true manly man's gun and the gun of choice of many a manly gun loving woman too and I perhaps even the gun of choice of quite a few wussies too. Heck, everybody seems to love it. I am not so sure, yet, that I love it but it sure seems nice. I like the way it looks and how it feels in my hand and the size of the bore/bullets (wow - really huge when compared to poodle shooter rounds) but have not shot it yet. I will let you know what I think of it once I order some ammo for it (ammo prices at the gun show were ridiculous for .45ACP, so I will order 500 rounds online later this week). While waiting for the ammo to arrive, I will read the manual from cover to cover, maybe two or three times. Then I will strip the pistol down and clean it, then reassemble it. That way it will be ready to go to the range for an immediate range trip once the ammo arrives and I will be somewhat more familiar with it than I am right now.

Before I get all the way off of the subject of ammo for this beast, let me ask: Does anyone have any suggestions for bullet grain weight choices. I see they run in weights like about 180 grains to 200 too 230. I was thinking of the mid weight rounds as a starting point. As for bullet type, I am just going to order cartridges with FMJ bullets at first and buy HP ammo once it is broken in and once I am familiar with the gun.

I usually hate waiting but am being patient relative to my new 45. I figure why get in a hurry and possibly screw something up and besides that, I have waited well over half a century to buy a 45 so why start hurrying over it now!

All the best,
Glenn B

GUN PRON COMING SOON

I spent the last couple of days up in Syracuse, NY. Went to the 1,000 table gun show there today. It was wonderful at least as far as I was concerned. I only bought one thing but that was more than enough, I probably cannot attend another gun show for a year or so after today's purchase. More on that later along with pictures of it, once I am home again.

Right now I am still on the road , waiting for a burger at at an eatery in Windsor, NY. Nice they have a PC here for the customers, thus the blog post since I left my laptop at home.

All the best,
GB

Colombian Hookers???

Source: http://politicalhumor.about.com/b/

There is nothing I can add because sometimes a picture says it all (at least when given humorous captions).

All the best,
GB

The English - Afraid Of Ancient Greek Warship Delivering Olympic Torch?

Thoughts that someone would throw him/herself from a bridge at the sight of this replica ancient warship are pretty far out. Can you believe the British have turned down the offer, from Greece, of a replica ancient Greek warship to deliver the Olympic Torch because the Brits were worried about congestion caused by people coming to see the ship and also are worried that people (English people no doubt) would throw themselves from bridges if they saw it! I think that those in power in England and the regular working slugs have all pretty much lost their ever loving minds because worries like that are preposterous. It sounds like one of the plot twists in a Peter Sellers movie like the Mouse that Roared or the concerns of those in the war room over the end of the world in the movie Dr. Strangelove, or even something akin to the panic caused by the radio broadcast of War Of The Worlds. It simply boggles my mind that they would seriously consider something like people throwing themselves from bridges upon seeing that ship, let alone worry about traffic and congestion. What in hell do they think is going to happen when the Olympics actually take place in London? Don't they think there will be congestion caused by that? It is a wonder they have not banned the Olympics by way of the same or similar ridiculous concerns!

All the best,
Glenn B

Last Minute Persistence Pays Off

Here I am, about to be driving up to Syracuse tomorrow for the gun show on Saturday and I just finished making my hotel reservation at the last minute. I actually had already made a reservation at a Holiday Inn Express near the airport but had been hoping to make one for the Holiday Inn Express right at the fairgrounds. The one near the fairgrounds had no rooms available at all (not for points or cash) and none of the Holiday Inns or other hotels in their chain had a room available at the points rate I wanted to use, so I had to book on my credit card for about $127 for the night. The lowest amount of points, charged by one of their hotels in Syracuse was shown as 20,000. Since I only had 46,000 points, I wanted to make the most of them and get a rate at 15,000 points but the hotels with that points rate were booked. So, I figured I would pay for the stay and earn more points for next time.

Then, a few minutes ago, I decided to again check the Holiday Inn Express at the fairgrounds one more time. I don't know what happened to my back cloud because a room was available for points and the rate was only 15,000 points. I booked it immediately and I cancelled the other reservation. Now all I have to do is basically fall out of bed right into the fairgrounds come Saturday morning. I am going to see if the fairgrounds are within walking distance, I think they are very close to the hotel. If so I may ask the folks at Holiday Inn if I can just leave my car in their lot for  a few hours after I check out on Saturday morning.

With the $127 I am now not spending on the hotel (and a few more bucks), I may have to buy Brendan a few hundred rounds of .223 ammo to cheer him up since he is not coming along on this trip - something usually available at gun shows, like this: http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/420-rds-223-556x45-mm-62-gr-m855-ammo-with-can.aspx?a=862719.

I have to say, that my joining the Priority Club when I was on the Federal Air Marshal detail after 9/11, was one of the smartest moves I have ever made. I have received a good amount of free hotel stays because of my membership. I also have a Priority Club VISA card that adds points as I use the credit card. That is not a bad deal at all. My good experience with Priority Club led me to joining Hilton Honors when I was away on another temporary assignment and was required to stay at an Embassy Suites. I got a good amount free hotel of stays out of that one too. I highly recommend joining a points club like that if you travel a lot.

All the best,
Glenn B

Gun Show Blues

Brendan and I were to have been leaving for the Syracuse Gun Show Trip tomorrow morning but I am singing the blues. Looks like he will be staying home buried under a pile of school work and I will be making the trip alone. Though down in the dumps over Brendan not being able to make it, I am still going. I have been planning this for a year now and see no reason to miss it, at least no reason for me to miss it.

I am fairly ready to go. I have three purchase documents. The purchase document  is required paperwork needed to buy a handgun in NY. You cannot just show your pistol license but have to buy a purchase document from the local issuing authority, then have it with you when making a purchase. Their is a section to be filled out with the buyer's info, one to be filled out by the seller with his/her info and a section to fill out with make, model and serial number of the handgun that is being transferred. One the sale has been completed, this form has to be brought back to the issuing department within 10 days and the new handguns added to your license. The cost is $10 per form, they expire on December 31 of the year in which issued. If unused you lose the money you paid for the documents. I bought three, not so much because I am certain to buy three pistols but because there is a decent chance I will buy one at the show on Saturday and maybe one or two at an auction next weekend. I have my eye on a Colt Officer's Model, .38, Target, 2nd issue and a couple of Ruger MKIIs, among others at the auction. While I am hesitant to spend a lot of money on three guns right now, let alone even one, until my pension is straightened out, these would all be bought for investment and collection purposes. That is only if I can get them at a decent price at auction.  I know I can always turn these around for cash or use them as barter if needed at some future time.

I do have some few things that need to be made ready before I take off. I've got to fill the gas tank on the Corolla, I have to get my fishing gear ready (I plan to make one or two stops to wet a line and maybe also try to catch some crayfish), I have to print up some maps or grab the wife's GPS. Other than that, I think I am just about ready to go and have some fun while someone else is weighted down by the burden of textbooks and term papers. Maybe I'll buy him some ammo, that should put a smile on his face.

All the best,
GB

LEOSA Qualification

I qualified for the purposes of LEOSA today and have to say it was a pleasant experience for the most part. I drove up to the Rockland County Police Academy and that is the part that was the only par that was not pleasant for the most part! The drive took me an hour and forty minutes, and I am pretty sure it was just about 50 miles. Morning rush hour traffic in the city, then traffic on the highway because there was a construction zone where it went fro 3 lanes to 2. It was like people forgot how to drive once close to that. I am guessing it was stop and go, real slow, for at least 8 to 10 miles due to that one choke point.

Oh well, once at the range, I got the last available parking space, not bad considering that several more shooters showed up after me and probably had to park on the shoulder of the road. I checked in and that was a breeze, handled by 2 nice gentleman, apparently both retired officers. After check in, and a quick photo, there was a brief classroom instruction period and a short quiz of the stuff covered in the classroom. Then it was out to the range where we shot a total of 50 rounds from 3, 7 15 and 25. I only qualified with a semi-auto as i figured if I had tried to qualify with my only revolver, that being a S&W Model 17 in .22LR, they would have frowned heavily upon me and maybe farted in my general direction. I shot a 98 out of a possible 100 meaning I either missed the target of miscounted rounds. Being I wound up with 2 rounds in my pocket, all I can say is: "Whoops, I guess I miscounted how many I had loaded and probably did it twice". Shame on me.

Once done shooting, they took our score and we could take our targets down. immediately after they had scored everyone, they handed out the LEOSA Qualification cards to all those who had passed. I am pretty sure that was everyone in my group. Their was a shoot right before ours, and one shooter was having a hard time getting his card because they did not have a score for him. I think they retrieved his target from the trash to look it over, then gave him his card, because he did not have to shoot again. Each target was marked with the shooter's name among other things.

We were done with the first qual by 1030. If you had another gun, you would have to stay to shoot that one, I figure it would have taken me another half hour or so if I had had a revolver too.

Everyone I dealt with there was very nice, and very professional. I will consider going there again next year when I have to requalify but am hopeful I will find someplace closer to home before then. One treat for me was meeting up with an ex-supervisor of mine, Tom C.; one of the nicer guys I ever worked for in Customs. He is always a gentleman so it was nice to run into him there.

I now have my NY State pistol license, which is now pretty much moot, since I now can carry all of my handguns under its authority, that is except for the fact that I still need my NYS license to carry my revolver.  For now, I am limited to carrying my revolver in the state of NY. Until I qualify for LEOSA with a revolver, LEOSA does not allow me to carry under said statute.

I am hopeful that a national carry law will pass the Congress. It would be best for all involved if our elected officials finally realized the meaning of the right to keep and bear arms and did something about it to make sure that all law abiding citizens, and legal resident aliens, are at liberty to exercise said right. I think LEOSA was a small step in that direction but only very small since it applies to such a restricted group as LEOs and retired LEOs. Yet, it does show that Congress is willing to oppose the desire of many liberal leftist states, such as NY, CA and NJ who were not truly in favor of it and which only incessantly seek more and more restrictive gun control laws - even where LEOs are concerned. The thing is, our right to keep and bear arms is not merely one that is for LEOs alone; it is a right of the people, as in each and every one of us and the liberty to exercise that right should be likewise with very few exceptions. (I can see things like not allowing a convicted murderer to ever again exercise that right, nor allowing a psychotic to exercise that right until found to be normal again, etc.) Note that I took advantage of the LEOSA statute and its provisions because I think I would have to be nuts not to do so but that does not mean I do not support a national carry law any less. I am a strong supporter of the right to keep and bear arms for "We the people". I join pro-gun groups with that in mind, I donate with that in mind, I bug the heck out of my elected officials with that in mind and I vote with that in mind.

Now that I have my LEOSA cards, I think I may also apply for one or two state permits. I was thinking of Florida and Utah and maybe Pennsylvania. Any thoughts or recommendations as to which states are the best when it comes to allowing non-residents to obtain a permit and which are best for having reciprocity with the largest number of other states as relative to non-resident permits?

All the best,
Glenn B

A Sensible Outlook Regarding Black Community Support For Treyvon Martin

I would like to meet this man because I think that is one of the most sensible outlooks with regard to arsehats like Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, the NAACP and the like that I have ever heard. If we ever do meet, I'd offer to buy him a good cigar and alcoholic beverages of his choice and then hope to sit down with him for a few drinks worth of good and interesting conversation.

All the best,
Glenn B

The GSA Extravaganzas

In the 32 years that I worked for Uncle Sam, I saw a good deal of government waste of tax payers dollars. Most of it was never intended to be wasteful but it was nonetheless. Things lke purchases of government equipment that were useless or unneeded, nicer than needed vehicles being bought for bosses and even working slugs, sending people on work details and having them standby without ever accomplishing the work they thought would be their assignments, political ass kissing by way of government operations that were nonsensical, overpayment of employees with too high salaries, overpayment for legitimate travel expenses (such as using a government rate when other rates were lower or putting personnel up in nicer hotels than needed) were all part of it.

In those 32 years, I saw lots of work related parties and attended plenty of them, like holiday parties or retirement parties. Most of these parties were after work hours although sometimes a retirement party was during lunch time. They were great and I enjoyed the ones i attended. Some were in the office, others in nicer venues. I also saw a lot of work related travel, some by myself and some by others. I will admit, when I traveled for work, I had a good time almost every time. So did the others who traveled with me. The thing is, the fun time, while on a detail away from home, was always our own personnel time. As far as the cost of both the parties and the good times went, it was never charged to the tax payer, not once as far as I am aware. Each time we had a retirement or holiday party we had to pay out of our own pockets. Each time we had fun times while in travel status, the money for it came out of our own pockets.  I never once, to the absolute best of my knowledge, attended a party or fun times paid for by the government (in other words by the tax payers).

So, it galled me no end, to have seen a pompous bureaucrat on the news today telling a congressional inquiry that the GSA employees who partied hearty on the government dime, were entitled to those privileges! I will applaud the day that they convict that sack of turd, and his compatriots, of fraud, misuse of government funds and mismanagement. The other thing that pissed me off about it is the claims of the current administration that their hands are clean of any wrong doing in this affair regardless of a year passing by since the administration suddenly became aware of the problem. in that year, they thought up an excuse: 'It is all George Bush's fault'. That, of course, is if you believe the current administration under which the problem has continued to fester and under which it has gotten  much worse. It is time to stop passing the buck about fraudulent spending of the buck and do something definitive to put an end to it.

Hopefully a good number of party animals who like to waste taxpayer money will be arrested and convicted, and/or lose their jobs over this one.

All the best,
Glenn

The Glock 26 Slide Was All Packed And Ready To Go In For Repair...

...Until My Black Cloud Rained Down On Me Once Again.

I had it all packed and ready to ship, via my local UPS hub, to Glock so they can do a warranty repair of the sight. The front Tijicon night sight dimmed badly last summer when I was at the NRA LE Instructor course for handgun and shotgun. My health issues right after that had me forget all about that problem. When I retrieved my pistols from my former employer last month, I soon remembered the sight needed replacing. I finally got around to contacting Glock about it again, just a few days ago. They got back to me today telling me to just send in the slide and they would replace the sights under warranty. I asked for standard sights, no more night sights for me. That is not mainly because the sight went dim but more due to the fact that night sites are a waste of money, a waste of time (takes longer to sight in with them in dim light) and are pretty much as useless as teats on a turtle. Yeah they look cool, and they do give a nice sight picture, but people take the time to line them up just right even when in close in dim light and that, as opposed to point shooting, could get you killed. So, not for me anymore. Anyway, the standard sights will never go dim. Oh well, as I said, my black cloud was right over me today.

With the Glock 26, wrapped in bubble wrap and in the box with the necessary paperwork, I sealed it all up and was about to go to UPS when it hit me that I did not have a pistol on my belt. I decided to give a quick cleaning to one of my Beretta 92FS pistols. Wouldn't you know, my black cloud was right over me when I did it. I have cleaned my two Beretta 92FS pistols and my Beretta 92SB (the gun that made me Ballseye) hundreds of times with never a glitch. Easy as pie. I could disassemble and reassemble them in the dark or at least I think I could do it and with ease at that. So what happened? As I was giving the final once over wiping off excess Gunzilla, something came loose in my hand and I heard the tiniest of pings on the fish tank cabinet to my left. Yes, the loose piece was in my left hand and I just knew that ping had to have been a spring. I was right. When I looked closer, I saw the darned slide stop lever was in my hand, not on the pistol, and the ping was the spring that holds it in place and it nowhere to be seen. (Look for the part labelled 22 and note that diagram is not to scale, what you see on the screen, or at least when I looked at it, that was about the actual size of that spring while the slide stop latch was much smaller in the diagram than in reality). I suppose, I put too much pressure on it, or whatever, and out it popped. Never has happened before that I can remember.

Well, it took me about a half hour just to find the spring. Then, I had to figure out how to get it back in place. Now after my trouble with the AK retaining spring a couple of days ago, I kind of dreaded trying to get this spring set right. When I took a close look, with 2 pair of readers on, one over the other, I could see the tiny hole that one end of the spring would fit into and the groove on the slide catch that would accept the other end. This was relatively easy compared to the AK spring fiasco. I tried to set the 92FS spring about 5 or 6 times and got it right on the last try, luckily it only too a couple to a few minutes at most. After I set it back into place, I realized there would have been an easier and better way to do it - MAYBE. Heck, I did not care, I got it back in place and it works. A close look at the spring makes me think one end is a tad too short as it only fits into the groove on the slide catch by about 1/16 or less of an inch. I went to the Numrich Gun Parts Corporation website and ordered a replacement, in fact I ordered two of them @ of less than $3 each. I had tried Beretta first but they did not show the spring for sale except in a kit for $168 (containing twenty something common replacement parts). I am sort of happy that they were out of stock, otherwise I may have bought one and been short that much cash for the gun show this weekend. Although, being that I own the three 92 series pistols, I submitted my email address so Beretta could let me know when they are in stock again. Hopefully, by then, I will be receiving my full pension and have enough saved up for it.

Thinking of it, that series 92  pistol parts kit from Beretta would probably be a wise purchase to make. One never knows when a spring might get sprung while shooting or when a spring might get lost in the carpeting while you are disassembling or reassembling the pistol. It also contains other parts like the locking lug and a firing pin and a recoil rod and spring. One other thing it contains, and it has four of them, is the grip screw, washer and bushing set. Did you guess why I mentioned that? I decided to also remove the grips and clean under them and one of the bushings unscrewed still attached to the screw, instead of the screw unscrewing from the bushing. That was an easy fix and all I can say is thank goodness for Loctite Thread Locker Blue #242.  Funny, none of the grip screws have washers, as they come with in the kit. I wonder if they were an add on in later manufacturing, as in after I bought my two 92FS pistols, or if mine was just missing them when I got it. I'll have to check the other one, the grips have never been off of that one as it has only rarely been shot. If it had washers, they will still be there. If they are missing, then that these guns were manufactured without them would be a safe bet since the are consecutively serial numbered.

As it was and as it is, I decided not to send in the Glock 26 for the warranty repair to the sights just yet. I have to qualify for my LEOSA card on Wednesday. It would be just my luck, I show up there with the Beretta and the slide stop latch falls off because maybe I did not get the spring set just right (which I am sure I did get set right) or that they would see I had 15 round mags (illegal here in NY except for LE which I am no longer since I am retired). While I have pre-ban mags, I could just imagine someone giving me a hard time at the range which is a police department range since I have heard they go ape shot if they see a retired guy with hi-cap mags for the LEOSA quals. I really just want to get it over and done with, with the least friction and I do not need to get riled up by somebody who tells me my pre-ban mags are illegal. (Yes, the NY State Hi-Cap mag ban is still in effect, it did not have a sunset clause and even if it did the liberal jerks here in NY would have voted for it all over again.) So, I am going to take the Glock 26 slide out of the box and out of the bubble wrap, and put the barrel, and recoil spring, and rod back into it, and set it all on the frame, so I can shoot the 26, with its 10 round mags, for the LEOSA qual.

Well, I guess things turned out sort of okay even though it looked, for a short while, as if it might take me weeks to find that darned Beretta spring (as it did with another spring I once lost in a carpet). I had actually given up looking for it and had been about to put the pistol aside and move onto other chores when I glanced at the floor for a moment. My gaze fell right on it. My black cloud must have slipped a bit because it let through a little sunshine right at that moment, right after it had rained down on me for too long awhile for today!

All the best,
Glenn B

A Really Big Gun Show...

...for NY State anyway. The New York State Arms Collectors Association, Inc Gun Show will be held in in Syracuse, NY next weekend at the NY State Fairgrounds. It is slated as a 1,000 table show and after having been to it last year, I can say that is about right. That show, last year, had more tables with guns and ammo, percentage-wise, than any gun show I have ever been to before that. About the only show that may have had more guns as compared to tables with things like beef jerky, knives, books, jewelry and other junk was one in AZ (I think the one in Phoenix but it could have been the one in Tucson).

I am pretty limited as to states in which I have visited gun shows. I have been to gun shows in at least a seven states that I can remember: NY, CT, MA, PA, FL, CA and AZ. I may have been to one in TX but just don't recall for certain. I am sure there are probably better gun shows in many states (especially in the more pro-gun states) than the one in Syracuse but there are none better in NY, that is for sure. Sometime in the future I'd like to go to Knob Creek Range, in KY, for one of their biannual Machine Gun Shoot & Military Gun Show (that has got to be fun but I would wager it is expensive). I also am thinking that a trip to Wanenmacher's gun show in Tulsa, Oklahoma may also be in order since they claim to have the largest gun show in the world. Their 2012 show is slated to have 4,100 tables! I think the biggest gun show, the one with the most tables, that I ever attended was the one in Phoenix. If I recall correctly it had 1,500 to 2,000 tables. It also had a high percentage of guns sale tables as opposed to tables not selling guns.

For now though, at least for next weekend if all goes well, I gladly will settle for the show at Syracuse, the biggest gun show held in NY State. While this show does not have as wide a variety of firearms on display as shows in states like AZ or FL, I will still enjoy myself immensely. One of the best things about going to shows in NY is that Brendan usually comes along too. He told me yesterday that he has Friday and Saturday off next week but that maybe he still cannot attend, that is if he gets too much school work piled on. He is striving to keep his grades up in this his last year of college. I suggested, if he gets the work piled on, he just bring his school books and work on it during the drive and while we are at the hotel overnight on Friday and he seemed amenable to that.

Speaking of being at the hotel, thank goodness for hotel club points that build up on my credit card. I have more than enough points for a stay at a hotel up that way for one night. That will reduce our expenses for this trip which can get costly even if we do not buy any guns but I do plan to buy at least one new gun (I have bee saving change and dollar bills for this event). The fuel cost and the tolls are enough to just about empty my pockets of a weeks personal spending money. It will be about $70 just for gas and probably another $15 to $20 for tolls. Avoiding the tolls is out because, for the most part, it means adding a good amount of time and probably a fair amount of miles to the trip and while it would save a few bucks over all, it probably does not save that much because it ups the fuel costs. In this case paying more is a better than paying less. I am happy to say that the admission fee for the show is only $6.00 each per person and parking is $5.00 (compare that to $14 admission fee plus $10 for parking at the Phoenix gun show and that was 2 years ago). The Syracuse show is a good deal in the world of gun shows!

The show opens its doors at 0900 on Saturday and closes shop at 1700. It is also held on Sunday from 0900 to 1500 but we will only attend on Saturday. If we get to the parking lot by 0800, we should have a decent place on the line, which was quite long last year so, maybe we better shoot for 0730 arrival time. I am figuring we will hang out in the show until about 1300 and then head back toward home. A quick stop or two for some crayfish catching and some fishing may be in order. I would love to spend an hour or three fishing with Brendan. Then back on the road to home where we should arrive by 1000 at the latest if all goes well. I think we will have a great time together.

If both of us can make it, I am sure we will both have a great time. If only I go, I will have a good time but not nearly as much fun if Brendan will have been able to go along. We are planning on meeting friends up there at the show - Charlie K, his brother-in-law Rob and his friend Dennis. If ever we have a question about ARs, Rob is the go to guy. The three of them are all great guys too and it is always a pleasure to meet up with them. If you are headed to the show, let me know, maybe we can meet up.

All the best,
Glenn B

Tapco Retaining Plate - Maybe The Idiot AK-47 Owner's Solution To The Retaining Spring? (Yes I would be the idiot.)

While fiddling with my AK-47 and trying to get the retainer spring back into its proper position to reassemble the rifle, I took a break to check the Tapco website to see if they had instructions there to reinstall the spring. They did not, at least for the style of spring in my AK.

What I did find that seems promising is that they manufacture a plate to take the place of the spring. Even a sometimes idiot like myself (my wife would debate that saying I am an always idiot) would find it difficult to screw up installation of the retaining plate, which is supposedly a one size fits all AK models kind of a thing. At a MSRP of only $5.99, I figured why not and I did a web search for a dealer that had them in stock. I found it at Brownells, I think for $4.70, or there about, plus shipping of $5.95. Yes, the shipping was more expensive than the item!. I ordered it for a grand total of $ 10.95. If it saves me from even 10 minutes worth of the hassle I had with that spring, it will have been more than worth it.

Check out the list of dealers, and their pricing, that Tapco shows on their site. Remember the MSRP is $5.99. Most dealers, on the list that Tapco shows, have it shown close to that price, in fact all are under Tapco's MSRP except two of them and one that is over the MSRP is charging only about a dollar more. The other dealer that has a higher price than that suggested by Tapco is way over the top.  Their price was shown as $17.95! Going to their website shows is actually on sale at only $16.56 plus $10.95 shipping for a total of $27.51. That is a $16.56 difference from what I just paid at Brownell's. That is two visits to my local indoor range plus some targets for each visit and .56 cents left over for the change jar at home (gun show fund). We really need to shop around just a little nowadays, there are just too many people looking to screw the rest of us.

All the best,
Glenn B

Even The Leftist MSM Is Questioning The Decision To Charge Zimmerman

It was pretty amazing for me to just read an article on a CBS online news site that actually questions why George Zimmerman was charged with murder relative to his having shot and killed Trayvon Martin. I was amazed because CBS has routinely been one of the far left leaning branches of the MSM. Are they finally seeing the light after that terrible news report that edited the 911 tape to make it seem as if Mr. Zimmerman had profiled Mr. martin because Mr. martin was a black and that also edited it to make it sound as if Mr. Zimmerman did not listen to the suggestion of the police to break off from following Mr. Martin

By the way, I have to ask, since when is following a suspicious person, and calling 911 about it, considered to be some sort of aggression and not considered being a good citizen. Fact of the matter was that Mr. Zimmerman apparently did break off following Mr. Martin when the 911 operator suggested he discontinue doing so. Fact of the matter also is that Mr. Zimmerman did not racially profile Mr. Martin while speaking to the 911 operator. This case is just so much politically motivated bullshit it makes me want to puke right on the DA's lap and I base that feeling on having met a few other prosecutors in my day whom I believed to have been overzealous in their pursuit of justice.

All the best,
Glenn B

The 2012 Presidential Election - Is The Fix In Already

The arrogance of president Obama is beyond compare. We keep hearing him blatantly stating, as if he knows with absolute certainty, things like: 'when I am reelected', 'in my second term' and so on. Well, maybe it is already a given fact that he will win . How? By a new means never before seen in our country throughout her history. Reportedly the counting of our votes no longer will be handled on the precinct level, the responsibility to count the vote has been assigned to a private company, one based in Spain (that bastion of an honest democratic process). All this from an eye opening report from Michael Savage. You may not like Savage, he may be a bit too much for you but I have to say he usually gets his facts correct. Listen to the audio:

If this is true, we need to protest the vote before even one ballot is cast.

All the best,
Glenn B

AK Reassembly - It Took A Lot Of Wriggling Just Proving I Are Not A Gunschmidt

I did a little gun cleaning last night, cleaned up the Romanian AK-47 WASR. I took it just about all the way down, the only thing I did not disassemble was the bolt itself. I usually do not have a hard time disassembling and reassembling guns. That is because I read up on how to do it, or get video or in-hand instructions, from someone, before I make an attempt. I found a fairly good set of videos on YouTube for how to get both the taking apart and putting back together again accomplished. Just my luck though, there just had to be something different. In putting his gun back together, the guy who made the video puts in an aftermarket Tapco L Shaped retainer spring for his Tapco G2 trigger set. My AK also has the Tapco G2 trigger set but it uses a different spring and I just could not figure how to get it back in there the right way.

It must have taken me a good 2 hours before I got it figured out. There are three possible anchor points for the retainer spring of which you must use at least two with any spring for an AK. These points are the hammer pin, the trigger group pin and the pin on the end of the safety. No matter how I tried, there was either too much tension needed to set the spring or there was none after it was set. Getting it right is important. The retainer spring assures that the hammer and trigger group pins will not come loose and fall out of the AK. After about a half hour of not being able to figure it out, I decided to check the Tapco website to look for the particular type of spring in my AK, to see if they had any instructions on how to set it. Sure enough, they had instructions for both their AK-47 L shaped retention spring and for their AK Wire Retaining Spring but they did not have instructions for the spring that was in my AK. Mine is more similar to the L Shaped pin but definitely not the same. Regardless, it did not fit like either of the two other springs. That all being useless, I continued trying it this way, that way and the other.

They say 'hope springs eternal'. I can tell you: whoever thought that up must have been trying to fit a spring into a gun without knowing how to do it! Not only are there several ways this particular spring might possibly fit, only one of which was correct, but you have to continually reassemble the hammer and trigger group into the receiver to see if you got it right, then take them out again if wrong. That was not only a pain in the neck, it was also a pain in the hand, the left one to be exact. A few times, while fiddling with the hammer, the hammer spring (see the 5th pic), the ends of which are wrapped around the hammer to keep them out of the way while working, sprung! In other words, one of its ends came off of the hammer, flew around due to a good amount of tension in them caused by having wrapped them around the hammer, and then embedded itself into one of my fingers or under a fingernail (depending on which time it was sprung). This happened three times and another two or three times it just whacked me. What a pain in the arse hand.

After having been frustrated several times, then getting hot under the collar, I decided to give it just one more try and go to bed after that. Hell, was about 0030 hours and I had started cleaning the darned thing when the sun was still up. By the way, a side note, I used gun scrubber to try to remove all the carbon fouling from the gas piston. Didn't work. Neither did Gunzilla gun cleaning solvent that I also used once all the Gunscrubber had dried. Neither did Hoppes #9. (Gunzilla seemed to work best at cleaning the rest of the gun.) Neither did a brass brush. Oh, one other thing about the piston. After I sent the AK to Century Arms for repair, they returned it to me saying they had changed the gas piston among other things - like the trigger group. I distinctly remember asking my son, when I bought the rifle, if he thought the piston face looking to be rough in one area, maybe 15% on its face, would be a problem. It almost looked like chromed over pitting. Well, funny how they supposedly changed the gas piston and it still has identical roughness on the face of it.

Back to the retaining spring. I don't know what it was made me do it  but I tried one of the positions for it again. This was about the second or third attempt in said position and this time it worked. I think it worked anyway. The spring is snugly in the grooves of both the hammer pin and the trigger group pin. I guess i should take it to the range today to shoot it to check to see if it falls out or stays in place while firing. This would also mean the AK will need another cleaning and that would be a good thing because I will get to reassemble it after cleaning and replace the spring with the proper position for it still fresh in my mind.That way, by repeating the process I will be able to have it set in memory a little better than after having done it only once; of course, that being if it is in the proper position to begin with. I hope it is.

Disassembly was easy. Reassembly was not so easy but should have been easier except, as I said, I am no gunschmidt! Hopefully it will be easier next time. Everything except for that one spring was a snap and simply because I did not know how to do it beforehand both because the guy who made the video used a spring different from mine and because I could not remember for the life of me how it was set before I took it out - shame on me for that brain fart. Of course, maybe I should have looked for a better set of video instructions than those I found on YouTube. One clue, that I missed, that this was not the best set of videos on the subject should have been clear to me when the guy making it said:

" Like I said, this is a eight handed operation. Push down and just sort of wriggle everything, until you find ah, you'll find ah where it all goes". 

Oh well, even if he did not explain the reassembly very well, I cannot fault him for being incorrect in that statement. He was right 100% - at least in my case - I have to admit that.

All the best,
Glenn B

Zimmerman Charged With 2nd Degree Murder Maybe Will Now Have To Prove His Innocence...

...and yes I know that in most criminal cases you are presumed innocent until proven guilty and so will be Zimmerman. Yet, he has been charged with 2nd Degree Murder and he has been claiming self defense. If he continues to claim self-defense, then yes - he probably will be obligated to prove that it was self defense. The burden of proof as to a claim of self defense is that of the person making the claim. It is called an Affirmative Defense. Of course, if the this falls through, the prosecutor does not get a freebie and still has to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Zimmerman is guilty. The thing is, if the self defense claim falls apart, it will be pretty much a given that Zimmerman will be found guilty of something even if not the current top charge against him - 2nd Degree Murder.

And to think, almost all of the national outcry over this may have been fanned into a flaming frenzy by a media employee who edited the tape of the 911 call to make it seem as if Zimmerman had targeted Martin because of race! The outrage I feel over that single fact has me seething, screw the mud slinging media.

All the best,
Glenn B

Voting Catholics May Be What Is Needed To Help Defeat Obama

I was raised Catholic. Right now I am pretty much an agnostic at best. I have not practiced the Catholic faith in many years although I will admit to stopping in a church now and again. Heck, even when I went through my cancer I did not even think of turning to the Catholic faith or any other. I maybe said one or two 'if there is a god please watch over my family type of prayer' but that was it, I said none for myself. That is changing though, I my consider returning to the Church. If not, then I am thinking of at least supporting the Church if not actually becoming a practicing Catholic again. Why? Because of all this stuff with the health care bill and birth control being forced upon the Church by way of them being an employer that will be required to supply health care including birth control.

After having watched the embedded video, I have to agree with the Church that the upcoming elections need people to get out to vote. If the message in the video was not clear enough for you, allow me to say it outright - VOTE AGAINST PRESIDENT OBAMA AND VOTE FOR THE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE! One can only hope and pray that as many Catholics as possible see the video. The Church is a powerful force with many members in the USA, many among them registered voters. If they push this enough, it may wind up having been exactly what was needed to turn the tide, to get Obama out of office.

All the best,
Glenn

Obama Has Secretely Signed Law Making Some Protests A Felony

This is some crazy stuff. We truly are under the thumb of a tyrant, I no longer have any doubt of it. If president Obama is reelected we stand to lose every Constitutional Freedom we currently enjoy and some of us maybe even our lives trying to defend those freedoms. I say that because I am pretty convinced that should he be reelected there will be a revolution in this country within the next couple to few years at most. He and his rights smashing agenda need to be stopped once and for all, so vote and make certain you do your best to encourage others to vote against him (not for a third party candidate, not for a mustang, but for the Republican Party's candidate). Otherwise I fear we are doomed to a change for the worse, in America, like we have never seen before.





All the best,
Glenn B