Tuesday, April 24, 2012

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