...in fact I am sure she has the right ammo...
 |
| Clickity biggity, can you imagine they can get bigger! |
...but did you even see the gun?
All the best,
Glenn B
Tuesday, June 30, 2015
Monday, June 29, 2015
Did Cuomo Actually Call The Shooting and Capture Of David Sweat Courageous?
I heard that today here. Did people actually crowd around in a town up that way today and cheer. Were they cheering that a NY State Trooper had shot Sweat in the back while Sweat was apparently fleeing unarmed. I wonder what Cuomo would have said, and what the crowds would have been doing, had it been a black escapee. I wonder why we have heard nothing on this from Al Sharpton. Of course, I am being sarcastic to a point. I really do wonder why we have not heard from Al.
As for the trooper being courageous, yes he was courageous to have approached Sweat on his own and he most certainly knew to have waited for backup may have resulted in Sweat being able to evade capture one more time. Was he legally justified to shoot Sweat as he fled? Yes, I believe the trooper probably was justified more than enough to shoot him (although I am not sure about NY law on this, I am going by federal court decisions). Although I do not find anything courageous in shooting a guy as he flees, I do understand the necessity of it and I think that the trooper most probably understood also. I also understand the split second decision he had to make and the internal dilemma he may have faced to arrive at that decision. I understand a lot about the use of deadly force against a fleeing felon, after all, I had collateral duties (even full time duties for awhile) as a firearms instructor for a federal agency and taught about that in classes and was taught it myself by others several times.
So, I don't care that the trooper shot the guy from behind (or from whatever angle as he fled) and wounded him and that the suspect was unarmed at the time and there is no sarcasm in that. I would not care had he killed him, in fact I think we all would have been better off had it wound up that way. He stopped him, he caught him, he put an end to one of the largest manhunts ever and just about however he legally did it is okay with me. I would think with Sweat's record and with the actions of Sweat and Matt, since their escape, such as it apparently having been Matt who shot at a camper as it drove by him and the trooper believing that Matt and Sweat had been together at the time, the trooper had more than enough reasonable belief, even probable cause, to believe that this escaped murderer was an imminent threat to the trooper or others. So, fire away at the guy as he flees and stop him from doing any more harm. Good job trooper, excellent police work and I mean that with all of my heart felt thanks.
The thing that gets me though is I would bet my house (which is paid for) that had this been an African American escapee, Al Sharpton and the agitatahz-in-da-hood would have been calling for the trooper's blood by now. Granted, the guy who was shot down in NC (or was it SC) who was running away from the cop down there, that cop will probably get what is coming to him and from what I saw of the video (and basing it only on that video) likely deserves to be convicted. That may well have been manslaughter but that is for a jury to decide.
What I am saying is that I cannot blame people for getting all sorts of riled up about that but then there was Fergusson, MO. That officer should have, in my opinion, received a commendation and a medal. Yet, the Rev. Al and his type probably are still chanting "hands up - don't shoot" as often as they can and I truly believe had David Sweat been a black man - Sharpton and his race baiting agitator of a goon squad would be at it again. Note, I am not commenting about black people in general, I am only commenting about scum like Sharpton and all the race baiters and agitators out there who scream bloody murder if an officer shoots a black man. It truly is a sad state of our society not only that I am thinking along those lines but that in almost all probability I am right.
By the way, I think the trooper did one heck of a bang up job (no pun intended) as did the border patrol agent who shot down and killed Matt. Law enforcers involved in this mess did what they were supposed to have done, doing their jobs in the face of danger, risking their lives all the while during the search, and relentlessly tracking down these dirtbags. I tip my hat to them and give them my thanks.
Hopefully the officers involved in the shootings will at least get needed counseling through their jobs because if they were brought up at all in the Judeo-Christian ways or just to be good citizens - they are going to need it. I wish I could buy both of those officers a steak dinner and a beer or three, they deserve that too.
All the best,
Glenn B
As for the trooper being courageous, yes he was courageous to have approached Sweat on his own and he most certainly knew to have waited for backup may have resulted in Sweat being able to evade capture one more time. Was he legally justified to shoot Sweat as he fled? Yes, I believe the trooper probably was justified more than enough to shoot him (although I am not sure about NY law on this, I am going by federal court decisions). Although I do not find anything courageous in shooting a guy as he flees, I do understand the necessity of it and I think that the trooper most probably understood also. I also understand the split second decision he had to make and the internal dilemma he may have faced to arrive at that decision. I understand a lot about the use of deadly force against a fleeing felon, after all, I had collateral duties (even full time duties for awhile) as a firearms instructor for a federal agency and taught about that in classes and was taught it myself by others several times.
So, I don't care that the trooper shot the guy from behind (or from whatever angle as he fled) and wounded him and that the suspect was unarmed at the time and there is no sarcasm in that. I would not care had he killed him, in fact I think we all would have been better off had it wound up that way. He stopped him, he caught him, he put an end to one of the largest manhunts ever and just about however he legally did it is okay with me. I would think with Sweat's record and with the actions of Sweat and Matt, since their escape, such as it apparently having been Matt who shot at a camper as it drove by him and the trooper believing that Matt and Sweat had been together at the time, the trooper had more than enough reasonable belief, even probable cause, to believe that this escaped murderer was an imminent threat to the trooper or others. So, fire away at the guy as he flees and stop him from doing any more harm. Good job trooper, excellent police work and I mean that with all of my heart felt thanks.
The thing that gets me though is I would bet my house (which is paid for) that had this been an African American escapee, Al Sharpton and the agitatahz-in-da-hood would have been calling for the trooper's blood by now. Granted, the guy who was shot down in NC (or was it SC) who was running away from the cop down there, that cop will probably get what is coming to him and from what I saw of the video (and basing it only on that video) likely deserves to be convicted. That may well have been manslaughter but that is for a jury to decide.
What I am saying is that I cannot blame people for getting all sorts of riled up about that but then there was Fergusson, MO. That officer should have, in my opinion, received a commendation and a medal. Yet, the Rev. Al and his type probably are still chanting "hands up - don't shoot" as often as they can and I truly believe had David Sweat been a black man - Sharpton and his race baiting agitator of a goon squad would be at it again. Note, I am not commenting about black people in general, I am only commenting about scum like Sharpton and all the race baiters and agitators out there who scream bloody murder if an officer shoots a black man. It truly is a sad state of our society not only that I am thinking along those lines but that in almost all probability I am right.
By the way, I think the trooper did one heck of a bang up job (no pun intended) as did the border patrol agent who shot down and killed Matt. Law enforcers involved in this mess did what they were supposed to have done, doing their jobs in the face of danger, risking their lives all the while during the search, and relentlessly tracking down these dirtbags. I tip my hat to them and give them my thanks.
Hopefully the officers involved in the shootings will at least get needed counseling through their jobs because if they were brought up at all in the Judeo-Christian ways or just to be good citizens - they are going to need it. I wish I could buy both of those officers a steak dinner and a beer or three, they deserve that too.
All the best,
Glenn B
Sunday, June 28, 2015
Another Woman With Her Finger On The Trigger...
...and this time it could not be more appropriate - wouldn't you say! Yes, she seemingly is at some sort of firing range. She looks about to take a shot - which is usually the only proper time to have your finger on the trigger.
As usual, this image was posted here for firearms safety education and for no other reason. Why else would I post a pic like that here anyway!
Just figured I get this one in before vacuuming the basement.
All the best,
Glenn B
As usual, this image was posted here for firearms safety education and for no other reason. Why else would I post a pic like that here anyway!
Just figured I get this one in before vacuuming the basement.
All the best,
Glenn B
Been Doing A Lot Of Almost Nothing Today...
...and that has kept me busy enough not to bother posting to the blog. Shame on me but I paid some bills, went through a bunch of paperwork, mostly old credit card and ATM receipts that I had been saving and threw out most of them, got a Pentax K1000 camera that I sold on Ebay packed for shipping, contacted the apparent buyer of my NEF Pardner shotgun to make arrangements for a drop off, contacted the buyer of a magazine I sold via GunBroker, listed another gun for sale - a Winchester Model 37 shotgun (on a local gun forum), cooked dinner (well, I grilled some lamb chops), and other boring and useless stuff like planning to do this or that.
One bit of planning was for a possible trip to Hannibal, MO to hook up with a buddy who lives out in WY. I hope he wants to do it, have not seen him in way too long. Why Hannibal? I figure why not but mostly would like to visit the childhood home of both Tom Sawyer & Huck Finn AND while not right in the middle between us it is close. It would make me drive about an additional 200 miles each way as compared to my pal but that would be ok by me. I'd also like to try to catch one of those legendary Mississippi River catfish. Like I said, I was doing a lot of nothing but it took time, yes it took up almost the whole day until now.
Now it's time for a wee dram of shine and a beer. Then maybe I'll really do something to clean up the man-cave a bit, like vacuum it. Talk about useless shit.
More posts to come once I decide there is no more useless crap to do other than blogging.
All the best,
GB
One bit of planning was for a possible trip to Hannibal, MO to hook up with a buddy who lives out in WY. I hope he wants to do it, have not seen him in way too long. Why Hannibal? I figure why not but mostly would like to visit the childhood home of both Tom Sawyer & Huck Finn AND while not right in the middle between us it is close. It would make me drive about an additional 200 miles each way as compared to my pal but that would be ok by me. I'd also like to try to catch one of those legendary Mississippi River catfish. Like I said, I was doing a lot of nothing but it took time, yes it took up almost the whole day until now.
Now it's time for a wee dram of shine and a beer. Then maybe I'll really do something to clean up the man-cave a bit, like vacuum it. Talk about useless shit.
More posts to come once I decide there is no more useless crap to do other than blogging.
All the best,
GB
Saturday, June 27, 2015
Sold A Gun...
...the first one I have sold in awhile, that being my New England Firearms Pardner single barreled 12 gauge shotgun.
Whatever, if it goes through, I will have paid some of the $577 that I just spent at the Hessney Auction earlier this week. I also sold a Pentax K1000 camera on Ebay, only $20.50 but it is more to add to the pot. A few more items sold and I will have made it all back and can attend their next auction in August - maybe.
I miss the gun already and seller's remorse is creeping up on me once again but being able to pay off the guns I just bought is an overriding factor this time around.
All the best,
Glenn B
Well, maybe it is premature to say I have sold it already but the auction it was in has closed and the high bidder bid $125 on it. My lowest acceptable bid was set at $85. I am quite satisfied with that sale price and if the sale goes through to completion I will be a happy camper. I may even be able to save the buyer some money by delivering it to his FFL instead of shipping it and charging him the $40 for shipping and handling that I specified in the item description. He lives about an hour away from me, and if he is willing to cough up $20 for gas and tolls, I will deliver it to his FFL if possible. Of course, that is if he wants me to do it that way. There is no way it is not going through an FFL, at least for the required NICS check; although, since it is a private sale, I do not think it needs the transfer paperwork if we do it in person. If I ship it though, he will pay not only shipping but also a transfer fee plus the NICS check fee because there in no way I am shipping it to anyone but an FFL.
Whatever, if it goes through, I will have paid some of the $577 that I just spent at the Hessney Auction earlier this week. I also sold a Pentax K1000 camera on Ebay, only $20.50 but it is more to add to the pot. A few more items sold and I will have made it all back and can attend their next auction in August - maybe.
I miss the gun already and seller's remorse is creeping up on me once again but being able to pay off the guns I just bought is an overriding factor this time around.
All the best,
Glenn B
While I Don't Have The Balls To Be The Test Case...
...the logic behind what is being stated in this linked article is almost flawless except it has nothing to do with license but everything to do with our right to bear arms. I think it is not a nationwide concealed carry with which we should concern ourselves but a nationwide right to keep and bear arms; then again maybe it is the privilege given by a license which we should target here as Amendment XIV does speak of privileges and not of rights and the two are vastly different.
My bet is that some who reads that article will indeed offer himself or herself up as the test case by parading through a place like NYC or Chicago while openly armed. Time will tell and so too will the quality of the lawyers who make up his or her defense team. The Supremes have opened a can of worms for themselves from everything from gun control to marijuana use to assisted suicide.
All the best,
Glenn B
My bet is that some who reads that article will indeed offer himself or herself up as the test case by parading through a place like NYC or Chicago while openly armed. Time will tell and so too will the quality of the lawyers who make up his or her defense team. The Supremes have opened a can of worms for themselves from everything from gun control to marijuana use to assisted suicide.
All the best,
Glenn B
Friday, June 26, 2015
Yet Another Woman With..,.
...who cares:
I must say, I have been to several junkyards in my day and never saw anyone in any of them that came close to her!
All the best,
Glenn B
One Down - One To Go - U.S. CBP Agent Reportedly Shoots & Kills Richard Matt
I am guessing if he or she was an agent (or if they were agents) from CBP, then it was a Border Patrol Agent or agents, from a rapid response team that came in by helicopter, engaged, shot and killed Richard Matt. It took place in a remote section of Franklin County, NY near to the cabin where at least one of the escapees' DNA was discovered and about 30 miles from the prison from which they escaped. Reportedly, a man driving a camper realized he was being shot at by at least one of the two escapees (apparently trying to hijack his camper) and hightailed it out of there and called 911. (Source 1 and Source 2, source 2 had a good video of Gov. Cuomo explaining what happened.)
By the way, LEOs may have also engaged Sweat as additional gunfire was heard ,after Matt was killed, while the officers were searching for Sweat. I cannot imagine that he will just surrender with what he would face if returned to prison probably life in solitary). I am hopeful that when they find him they are able to either capture him or take him down swiftly without fatality or injury to civilians or any of those LEOs involved.
This is what law enforcement should be doing, hunting down and arresting or shooting down crazed killers - not shooting down unarmed men for running away. These are men and women who deserve our respect and who earn every penny they are paid.I must say, this brings up a bit of Border Patrol pride within me as that was how I started my career but right now just a bit because who knows who shot him at this point regardless of what they are saying.
All the best,
Glenn B
By the way, LEOs may have also engaged Sweat as additional gunfire was heard ,after Matt was killed, while the officers were searching for Sweat. I cannot imagine that he will just surrender with what he would face if returned to prison probably life in solitary). I am hopeful that when they find him they are able to either capture him or take him down swiftly without fatality or injury to civilians or any of those LEOs involved.
This is what law enforcement should be doing, hunting down and arresting or shooting down crazed killers - not shooting down unarmed men for running away. These are men and women who deserve our respect and who earn every penny they are paid.I must say, this brings up a bit of Border Patrol pride within me as that was how I started my career but right now just a bit because who knows who shot him at this point regardless of what they are saying.
All the best,
Glenn B
I Have Been Dealing With Verizon...
...for hours today trying to upgrade a standard definition box to high definition and also to order a new 2 year contract but specifically without losing any channels. I first called them and asked for the location of the nearest Verizon store and was told, no I wasn't told, it was demanded that I give the Verizon phone representative my PIN or my account number because she said I could not get the store address without those. Then she said I could give her my phone number and when I told her I had just keyed into my phone number when I first got through to Verizon's automated answering system she told me I had to give it to her or give her the other info she had just demanded. I got pissed more than I have been in a long time and cursed her out and hung up. I regret doing so but truthfully she was a snit and deserved it.
Then I went onto Verizon chat. I ordered the new set top box in HD. Then the rep told me that if I ordered a 2 year contract, I would save $20 per month off of my current bill. I made it absolutely clear, I would not do so if I lost any channels and she told me everything would be the same except that my Internet speed would be increased (I have TV, Internet & phone with them). Got it all done then saw in the confirmation email that it said I was dropping some services and the new rate shown amount to about $40 - $45 or so. I checked back with Verizon and was told I was going to lose several channels like Starz, Encore and others under the new contract. I was told I could cancel without penalty and then that she could not cancel it and I wuld have to call another department to do that. So I made that call and spoke with a guy I am guessing was in Pakistan or India. He supposedly cancelled the new contract but only after first mistakenly cancelling the order for the set top box. He also supposedly reinstated that order. That was about an hour ago. I have not yet received a confirmation email for the cancellation even though it only took mere seconds to get a confirmation email saying the order had been placed. I have been in Verizon chat with a Verizon representative for 33 minutes now and he just asked if he can have a supervisor call me. I am awaiting that call.
I just got that last period in the above paragraph when my phone rang. It was the supervisor. I guess I was on the phone with her for at least 45 minutes. She was quite pleasant and she figured out where al this was going reference me losing channels with the new contract just ahead of me getting to it. She was on the ball and she checked everything including to see if the contract had been cancelled by the guy to whom I had spoken to cancel it. Instead of finding it cancelled, she said it went through as we were speaking to one another and no matter what we do now such as me just keeping the service I had all along, I will lose the channels that I was assured (by the woman with whom I placed the order) I would not lose.
On the bright side, the supervisor told me she could have someone else get back to me tomorrow (and here comes the bright part) if I could wait for her to call me on Monday when she gets back to work after the weekend. I opted to wait and will speak to her because 1) she was very professional, courteous and nice, 2) she was fairly knowledgeable 3) if she did not know something, she said she did not know it and checked on it for me 4) she had a full understanding of the problem, 5) she told me she would assure an approximate price range that would indeed save me about $15 to $20 a month and I would wind up with the Verizon HD Ultimate package, Internet and phone and my channel lineup would not decrease but would increase markedly and 6) She told me that what the first rep told me about her needing my PIN or account number to be able to give me a Verizon store address would have pissed her off too..
Hopefully it will all work out on Monday. As for the five Verizon reps I dealt with today, at least the first two - the one on the phone initially, then the one in chat and then on the phone who placed the orders for me, I think they fit the bill for this perfectly:
I hope she seems the same come Monday.
All the best,
Glenn B
Then I went onto Verizon chat. I ordered the new set top box in HD. Then the rep told me that if I ordered a 2 year contract, I would save $20 per month off of my current bill. I made it absolutely clear, I would not do so if I lost any channels and she told me everything would be the same except that my Internet speed would be increased (I have TV, Internet & phone with them). Got it all done then saw in the confirmation email that it said I was dropping some services and the new rate shown amount to about $40 - $45 or so. I checked back with Verizon and was told I was going to lose several channels like Starz, Encore and others under the new contract. I was told I could cancel without penalty and then that she could not cancel it and I wuld have to call another department to do that. So I made that call and spoke with a guy I am guessing was in Pakistan or India. He supposedly cancelled the new contract but only after first mistakenly cancelling the order for the set top box. He also supposedly reinstated that order. That was about an hour ago. I have not yet received a confirmation email for the cancellation even though it only took mere seconds to get a confirmation email saying the order had been placed. I have been in Verizon chat with a Verizon representative for 33 minutes now and he just asked if he can have a supervisor call me. I am awaiting that call.
I just got that last period in the above paragraph when my phone rang. It was the supervisor. I guess I was on the phone with her for at least 45 minutes. She was quite pleasant and she figured out where al this was going reference me losing channels with the new contract just ahead of me getting to it. She was on the ball and she checked everything including to see if the contract had been cancelled by the guy to whom I had spoken to cancel it. Instead of finding it cancelled, she said it went through as we were speaking to one another and no matter what we do now such as me just keeping the service I had all along, I will lose the channels that I was assured (by the woman with whom I placed the order) I would not lose.
On the bright side, the supervisor told me she could have someone else get back to me tomorrow (and here comes the bright part) if I could wait for her to call me on Monday when she gets back to work after the weekend. I opted to wait and will speak to her because 1) she was very professional, courteous and nice, 2) she was fairly knowledgeable 3) if she did not know something, she said she did not know it and checked on it for me 4) she had a full understanding of the problem, 5) she told me she would assure an approximate price range that would indeed save me about $15 to $20 a month and I would wind up with the Verizon HD Ultimate package, Internet and phone and my channel lineup would not decrease but would increase markedly and 6) She told me that what the first rep told me about her needing my PIN or account number to be able to give me a Verizon store address would have pissed her off too..
Hopefully it will all work out on Monday. As for the five Verizon reps I dealt with today, at least the first two - the one on the phone initially, then the one in chat and then on the phone who placed the orders for me, I think they fit the bill for this perfectly:
The supervisor, she was more like this:
I hope she seems the same come Monday.
All the best,
Glenn B
What Is Good For The Goose...
...is good for the gander or in this case what is terrible for the American people should have to be likewise for SCOTUS.
A bill has been introduced that would force all nine justices and all of their staff members to fully participate in Obamacare. It sounds like the scales of justice would be well balanced if the bill passes and becomes law. More here.
A hat tip and my thanks to Pete Q for the link.
All the best,
GB
A bill has been introduced that would force all nine justices and all of their staff members to fully participate in Obamacare. It sounds like the scales of justice would be well balanced if the bill passes and becomes law. More here.
A hat tip and my thanks to Pete Q for the link.
All the best,
GB
Thursday, June 25, 2015
Oh No, Not Again In Maryland,
Cops in Owings Mills, MD, while responding to a domestic disturbance type call, wound up shooting a black suspect and it has been reported that the police said they thought he had a weapon. They also reportedly said that he had been in a "defensive position" (source). If that is what they actually said, they, in my opinion, certainly used a poor choice of words apparently as to articulate one of the reasons they shot him. I would think one would believe that someone was in an offensive stance, as in posing imminent harm to me or others, that would cause me to shoot him and that I took the defensive position while acting in self-defense. Maybe that's just my way of thinking or maybe police shooting justification has changed over the years since I retired or maybe it is simply that they are not cunning linguists but were trying their best to be so.
I am guessing that even though the guy seems to have been a real piece of dirt kind of a guy (based on what I've read), all hell will probably break loose again once the media posts pics of him as an innocent looking 12 to 16 year old. Don't misinterpret my meaning, I am 100% against unjustified shootings and if this one was indeed unjustified then I say go after the cops. However, if it was justified, then give them some well needed time off to recuperate with pay before putting them back in the grinder. The real point of what I just said though is that I expect the media and the race baiters to fan the flames yet again to make this person look like an angel whether he was one or not and to make the cops look like evil racist white men whether two of them are or not (the third one will probably be portrayed as an Uncle Tom since he is black) and the agitators will hit the streets and incite violent protests, looting, arson and riots. I just wish that we could all sit back and wait for an investigation to be at least undertaken for a few days so we can look at some facts logically instead of condemning or supporting anyone of either side with the full force of our raging emotions. Of course, that would not make good news so, my bet is the media will be fanning those flames as much as they can get away with it.
All the best,
Glenn B
I am guessing that even though the guy seems to have been a real piece of dirt kind of a guy (based on what I've read), all hell will probably break loose again once the media posts pics of him as an innocent looking 12 to 16 year old. Don't misinterpret my meaning, I am 100% against unjustified shootings and if this one was indeed unjustified then I say go after the cops. However, if it was justified, then give them some well needed time off to recuperate with pay before putting them back in the grinder. The real point of what I just said though is that I expect the media and the race baiters to fan the flames yet again to make this person look like an angel whether he was one or not and to make the cops look like evil racist white men whether two of them are or not (the third one will probably be portrayed as an Uncle Tom since he is black) and the agitators will hit the streets and incite violent protests, looting, arson and riots. I just wish that we could all sit back and wait for an investigation to be at least undertaken for a few days so we can look at some facts logically instead of condemning or supporting anyone of either side with the full force of our raging emotions. Of course, that would not make good news so, my bet is the media will be fanning those flames as much as they can get away with it.
All the best,
Glenn B
My Gun Safe Shopping Timing Sucks
I found a 14 gun fire resistant gun safe on sale at Walmart around a month ago. Had seen it before at a slightly lower price also from Walmart but that was over a year ago. The price last month was $350 (actually $349 something but I cannot recall the amount of additional cents). Today, I went to Walmart's site with the intent of buying one. I was not only amazed but pretty shocked to see that today's price for the exact same safe (yes I triple checked the model number) was $658.20. If it wasn't for shitty luck, it seems I would have almost none at all. Man, my timing sucks.
I sent Walmart an inquiry to see if maybe the wrong price was listed or if it is the right price to find out if they expect a future price drop. With my luck though, I doubt their reply will contain good news.
I was able to find it at one other website for $399.99 and would have considered buying it from them but again Mr. Murphy stepped in because they do not ship, they only do in store pick-up and the closest store in that chain is in Ohio. I am not about to drive to Ohio for a gun safe. I guess, I'll just keep looking.
All the best,
Glenn B
I sent Walmart an inquiry to see if maybe the wrong price was listed or if it is the right price to find out if they expect a future price drop. With my luck though, I doubt their reply will contain good news.
I was able to find it at one other website for $399.99 and would have considered buying it from them but again Mr. Murphy stepped in because they do not ship, they only do in store pick-up and the closest store in that chain is in Ohio. I am not about to drive to Ohio for a gun safe. I guess, I'll just keep looking.
All the best,
Glenn B
Yet Another Woman With...
Well, certainly not with her finger on the trigger! As you can see her finger is off of the trigger as it should be.
As usual, this image was posted here for firearms safety educational purposes and nothing else. Why else would I post a pic like that here.
All the best,
Glenn B
As usual, this image was posted here for firearms safety educational purposes and nothing else. Why else would I post a pic like that here.
All the best,
Glenn B
So Much For Site Meter
It's time to remove Site Meter from my blog. It was down there all the way at the bottom. What it did was kept track of how many visits my blog got from others in the USA and around the world and also let me know things like which posts got the most hits and such. It was nice to know how many people visited and which posts attracted the most visits and was fun using their world map to see the locations of the last 50 hits on my site but all that is worthless when Site Meter is for some reason no longer recording, or at least no longer notifying me, of how many visits there have been to the blog. That has been ongoing since sometime on June 22 when the last hit was recorded by Site Meter.
On the other hand, Blogger also supplies statistics for my blog. According to Blogger, I have received somewhat more than 400 visits a day. Blogger calls them page views and to be quite frank I am not sure about the difference but believe that a visit is when an individual views my site for the first time in the day with subsequent visits from that same individual not being counted and a page view is the number of views counting both the first view by an individual and all subsequent views by the same person. At least that was how I think Site Meter did it, I have no clue if page views are thought of the same way on Blogger. Anyway, the way I am thinking of it is that if you view my site at 10AM, then again at 3PM and again at 9PM - Blogger would count that as three page views whereas Site Meter would have counted it as one visit. Whatever, Site Meter was saying I had about 140 or so visits a day and Blogger is saying I have had over 400 page views a day. Funny though that Site Meter never showed anywhere near that many page views (yes they also tracked them); they usually showed I had 200 plus and Blogger is showing more than 2x that amount. Regardless of how they do it, or whose is more accurate, Site Meter is just not doing it anymore. So I may have to depend on Blogger keeping track of my blog stats.
Now, I wouldn't have minded keeping Site Meter. In fact, I prefer some things the way they do it - like their world map that shows the location of the last 50 visitors. Their free application was supposed to show up to the last 100 visits but in truth it never showed more than 50, at least for me. I have not figured out if I can do that ion the map from Blogger but it does not look like it. I also liked being able to pull up viits by entry page. Blogger's stats seem much less interactive than were Site Meter's. The trouble with Site Meter though is not just that it is not showing visits to my blog any longer but that when I tried to visit their Knowledge Center and when I also tried to use their Submit Support Request link all I got was this:
"Internet Explorer cannot display the web page"
There was one more link below them, Upgrade Account. Me being the cynic that I am, I tried that link too, figuring it would be the only one of the three to actually work in as much as I thought the one giving them money for a paid subscription would be most important to them. This is what I got then:
"The page cannot be found"
I am guess that maybe Site Meter has gone belly up or is otherwise having problems that has brought their operations to a halt. Since I can still view old statistics on Site Meter, I am guessing they have pulled the plug and called it quits and just left everything in place that was already there. That's all just guesswork because I have no way of checking via the links they supply.
Just an aside here, the last person recorded by Site Meter as visiting my blog was from Maine. Here is the info that Site Meter supplied about that visit:
Sadly, I am pretty sure that Blogger does not supply any info as detailed did Site Meter. Site Meter's free app supplied lots more information than Blogger as well. Since they are not currently doing it though, it's adios Site Meter. Hopefully they will fix the problems and I can return to them later on. If not, then maybe I'll be able to find another site that supplies pretty detailed statistics for blog visits to amuse me.
All the best,
Glenn B
On the other hand, Blogger also supplies statistics for my blog. According to Blogger, I have received somewhat more than 400 visits a day. Blogger calls them page views and to be quite frank I am not sure about the difference but believe that a visit is when an individual views my site for the first time in the day with subsequent visits from that same individual not being counted and a page view is the number of views counting both the first view by an individual and all subsequent views by the same person. At least that was how I think Site Meter did it, I have no clue if page views are thought of the same way on Blogger. Anyway, the way I am thinking of it is that if you view my site at 10AM, then again at 3PM and again at 9PM - Blogger would count that as three page views whereas Site Meter would have counted it as one visit. Whatever, Site Meter was saying I had about 140 or so visits a day and Blogger is saying I have had over 400 page views a day. Funny though that Site Meter never showed anywhere near that many page views (yes they also tracked them); they usually showed I had 200 plus and Blogger is showing more than 2x that amount. Regardless of how they do it, or whose is more accurate, Site Meter is just not doing it anymore. So I may have to depend on Blogger keeping track of my blog stats.
Now, I wouldn't have minded keeping Site Meter. In fact, I prefer some things the way they do it - like their world map that shows the location of the last 50 visitors. Their free application was supposed to show up to the last 100 visits but in truth it never showed more than 50, at least for me. I have not figured out if I can do that ion the map from Blogger but it does not look like it. I also liked being able to pull up viits by entry page. Blogger's stats seem much less interactive than were Site Meter's. The trouble with Site Meter though is not just that it is not showing visits to my blog any longer but that when I tried to visit their Knowledge Center and when I also tried to use their Submit Support Request link all I got was this:
"Internet Explorer cannot display the web page"
There was one more link below them, Upgrade Account. Me being the cynic that I am, I tried that link too, figuring it would be the only one of the three to actually work in as much as I thought the one giving them money for a paid subscription would be most important to them. This is what I got then:
"The page cannot be found"
I am guess that maybe Site Meter has gone belly up or is otherwise having problems that has brought their operations to a halt. Since I can still view old statistics on Site Meter, I am guessing they have pulled the plug and called it quits and just left everything in place that was already there. That's all just guesswork because I have no way of checking via the links they supply.
Just an aside here, the last person recorded by Site Meter as visiting my blog was from Maine. Here is the info that Site Meter supplied about that visit:
| Domain Name | metrocast.net ? (Network) | ||||||||||||||||
| IP Address | 65.175.253.# (Metrocast Communications) | ||||||||||||||||
| ISP | MetroCast Cablevision | ||||||||||||||||
| Location |
| ||||||||||||||||
| Language | English (U.S.) en-us | ||||||||||||||||
| Operating System | Microsoft WinNT | ||||||||||||||||
| Browser | Mozilla 6.3 Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.3; WOW64; Trident/7.0; rv:11.0) like Gecko | ||||||||||||||||
| Javascript | version 1.5 | ||||||||||||||||
| Monitor |
| ||||||||||||||||
| Time of Visit | Jun 22 2015 7:32:15 pm | ||||||||||||||||
| Last Page View | Jun 22 2015 7:32:15 pm | ||||||||||||||||
| Visit Length | 0 seconds | ||||||||||||||||
| Page Views | 14 | ||||||||||||||||
| Referring URL | http://www.gunblogbl...cklist.blogspot.com/ | ||||||||||||||||
| Visit Entry Page | http://ballseyesboomers.blogspot.com/ | ||||||||||||||||
| Visit Exit Page | http://ballseyesboomers.blogspot.com/ | ||||||||||||||||
| Out Click | |||||||||||||||||
| Time Zone | UTC-5:00 | ||||||||||||||||
| Visitor's Time | Jun 22 2015 4:32:15 pm | ||||||||||||||||
| Visit Number | 304,339 |
Sadly, I am pretty sure that Blogger does not supply any info as detailed did Site Meter. Site Meter's free app supplied lots more information than Blogger as well. Since they are not currently doing it though, it's adios Site Meter. Hopefully they will fix the problems and I can return to them later on. If not, then maybe I'll be able to find another site that supplies pretty detailed statistics for blog visits to amuse me.
All the best,
Glenn B
Undeniable Proof That Leftists Reign As Mayors In USA...
...or at least among the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Read that proof here.
Anyone who could elect that moron (my opinion of her) to lead a mayoral conference is out of his or her mind.
All the best,
Glenn B
Anyone who could elect that moron (my opinion of her) to lead a mayoral conference is out of his or her mind.
All the best,
Glenn B
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
It Must Be Truly Excellent To Be A Filthy Rich Gun Guy...
...because then you can get your guns from makers like the Johann Fanzoi Firm. They make some outrageously spectacular bolt action rifles, single shots, multiple barreled guns like drillings and tri-barreled combination guns and they also have a line of Flagship Guns. Go to that link and then click on all five of the links they give to there flagship models. They take a little bit to download, or did for me, but are worth the wait. Note that The Crocodile Rifle looked as if it would not load at all but it did faster several seconds. They are all worth a look.
Then again, this one is well worth a look or three too and probably worth every penny they charge for it.
The above image is of a Vierling a four barreled combination gun to die for or at least on which to spend a fortune. My guess would be it is in at least the low six figure range.
If I hit the Mega Millions, I am going shopping at their facility.
All the best,
Glenn B
Then again, this one is well worth a look or three too and probably worth every penny they charge for it.
 |
| This is a Vierling (four barreled combination gun) by the Johann Fanzoi Firm. |
The above image is of a Vierling a four barreled combination gun to die for or at least on which to spend a fortune. My guess would be it is in at least the low six figure range.
If I hit the Mega Millions, I am going shopping at their facility.
All the best,
Glenn B
I Certainly Would Prefer Him In The Running Over Bush...
...but I have to say that I do not see Donald Trump as a serious candidate. He has stepped up before and then suddenly withdrew for no apparent reason as I recall. He blows a lot of smoke and even that would be okay by me if only he would blow it at the leftists. Of course, I much prefer another candidate or three to either of them but right now these two are in the font of the pack. More here.
All the best,
GB
All the best,
GB
Anyone Out There Visiting My Blog?
Site Meter is telling me that I have not had a visitor to this blog since June 22. Blogger is telling me I have had 32 page views today and over 400 yesterday. Even the 32 that blogger say I have had today seems dismally low. So, either lots of folks suddenly think I suck or my visits and page views are not being recorded or some reason.
All the best,
GB
All the best,
GB
Bersa 644 Magazine 22LR
In the unlikely event that any of my readers has a Bersa Model 644 in 22LR, I figured I would post a link here to my sale of an excellent condition Bersa 644 magazine in 22LR:
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=491057297
This post is not an offer to sell said magazine nor is it an advertisement of any sale; it is meant for informational purposes only to show that I have such for sale ongoing elsewhere.
All the best,
Glenn B
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=491057297
This post is not an offer to sell said magazine nor is it an advertisement of any sale; it is meant for informational purposes only to show that I have such for sale ongoing elsewhere.
All the best,
Glenn B
Yet Another Woman With The Wrong Ammo...
...and with her finger on the trigger at an inappropriate time. Always make sure to keep your finger off of the trigger until ready to shoot (well almost always as there are some exceptions) and always (and there are no exceptions) make sure to use the right ammo in your gun.
Once again, this image is posted here for firearms safety educational purposes and nothing else, I mean why would I post a pic like that here for any other reason.
All the best,
GB
Once again, this image is posted here for firearms safety educational purposes and nothing else, I mean why would I post a pic like that here for any other reason.
All the best,
GB
On The Road Again and Again and Again...
...all throughout the day yesterday since breakfast in what seemed like a never ending drive to here and there. In all I accomplished little but did enjoy a lot of the drive through some pretty country in upstate NY and eastern PA. Right after my breakfast, of three sausages Z(darned good sized too), three sunny side up eggs, two slices of toast, well done home fries and a couple of cups of Joe, I headed out from Binghamton, NY to the Susquehanna County Sheriff's Office I to see if I could get myself a nonresident PA pistol permit. I had been planning on going hiking but the rain was coming down in torrents so I figured I would try to get the license first and maybe hike later if the weather improved.
As for getting the license, I had called in advance, that was day before yesterday, and was told they do issue them to nonresidents without a hitch. Whomever I spoke to on the phone was either full of shit or had no clue what she was talking about. When I got there, the cops at the entrance told me there was absolutely no hope of me getting a PA pistol permit from Susquehanna County unless I owned property in PA. I asked if that was a state or county law, regulation or requirement and he said his "chief" and then more explicitly said "the sheriff" told him that was his requirement for out of state types. The officer was nice enough to tell me that there still were two counties issuing to nonresidents and one of them was Lackawanna County and that their SO was in Scranton, PA. He got me the number and I was ready to go. Before I left, the officer told me a few things about NYers who had come to their department to get licenses, he said there had been more of them than residents on line each day. He also said they had problems with NY State not notifying PA of license holders who had been arrested subsequent to acquiring the PA nonresident permit. I kind of, sort of, most assuredly was left with the impression that NY residents going through the Susquehanna SO either had been problematic pains in the arse or that the chief just did not like NY residents. Oh well, it was time to move on.
As soon as I got to my car, I gave the Lackawanna County SO a call. The lady I spoke to cheerily told me sure they still issue nonresident pistol license, even to NYers. I drove the 40 miles or so further south, parked on the street at meter, left my belt knife and pocket knife in the car along with some other accouterments and headed into the courthouse. Cops at the metal detector in this courthouse told me to head to the SO's office on the first floor and they would take care of me. A female officer also told me their printer was down for the licenses! I felt an "oh-oh" in my gut but kept my mouth shut about what I was thinking and headed up one flight from the ground level. Once there a friendly officer greeted me, told me to fill out a form (also told me the one I printed up on the net was worthless in their county) and copied my driver's license and NY pistol license. When I was done with the new form, which was indeed somewhat different than the online form, he directed me to a female officer who was busy helping another applicant, an elderly PA resident. She took about another 5 or 10 minutes with her and then took my application. Then she took my photo too. We shared some small talk and she was very pleasant. After about 5 or 10 minutes of waiting, as she did whatever she had to do with her, she told me everything was in order and I had passed muster (am guessing she ran criminal history and wants/warrants checks). That was it except for $20.00 I had to pay and them giving me my license. Then she reminded me of what the other officer downstairs had told me, their printer was broken and she could not print the license and would have to mail it to me once they got a new printer. She also told me that it was now legal for me to carry under the license in PA and if I got stopped by the police for anything and they discovered I was armed, my license would be on file and would come up in their computer if they checked. I asked for a receipt, got it, said my goodbyes and took off to get other things one. As I was leaving, all I could think was that: Oh well, I positively, definitely, without a doubt almost was issued my PA nonresident pistol license today. I am now eagerly awaiting its delivery.
After that was done, I thought of what to do next and wound up driving to a Gander Mountain that was quite close by. Pretty much all I did there was window shopping but since I had decided I would get in my hike after all, I bought a box of 308WIN ammo. I figured I'd do a little sighting in before or after my hike. Then I headed toward the state land I wanted to hike, back in NY but never made it. I got detoured at a couple of small mom & pop sporting good shops to look for crawfish and minnows to bring home. I forgot my wading shoes and my minnow trap so decided just to buy some. My turtle loves em to death. The first place did not have any crawfish and his price for minnows was about double what I had expected so I passed. The next place was closed down and after I saw it I recalled that I went there last year and it had been closed then already. Oh well, the weather had turned crappy again so I just drove around on old country two lane roads, including over a one lane bridge, and enjoyed the scenery instead of going for a hike. Too bad I did not have my waders and minnow trap, I would have looked for crayfish in the local streams and dropped the trap in deep spots regardless of the weather. Oh well, I reluctantly headed back toward home but wound up making a big detour, to the scenic route, that probably added about 30 to 45 minutes to my expected 3 hour drive. It was worth the extra time since I only encountered about another 15 to 20 cars going my way for the more than 80-90 miles I drove it and it was a peaceful scenic ride.
Made one more stop at another bait & tackle shop in Narrowsburg, NY. No crayfish there either. They told me that NY State DEC recently sent them a letter saying it was now illegal to sell any crayfish because, according to the shop proprietor, they now have been listed as an endangered species. We had a laugh over that, at the DECs expense, because crawfish are everywhere, sort of like freshwater roaches or rats. Then they showed the letter to me. As if often the case, government regulations get misunderstood and this was another instance of that. The letter they showed stated that it was now illegal to import, possess, distribute Orconectes rusticus, the Rusty Crayfish which is listed as an invasive species and not as an endangered one. Judging by the reaction of the shopkeepers to that letter and my experience with seeing such regulations being misinterpreted in the past, I am guessing that not one bait and tackle shop in NY will be selling crayfish for bait this year, even if legal species. I guess that if I want any for bait or my turtle, I'll have to remember my wading shoes next time I go upstate and then I'll see what I can to do to help decimate this not native and invasive species from our waters.
This last bait & tackle shop, did have minnows (shiners) though and at a decent price too although I would have expected an higher price at this place. So, I picked up a couple of dozen. They give my turtle some good exercise as he stalks em or flat out tries to outswim them to catch them for dinner. The ones he cannot catch will live to a fine old age for bait fish and will be well cared for. Funny, the clerk insisted I take a receipt even though I paid cash and did not need one as far as I was concerned. Truth is though, I did need a receipt due to more NYS DEC regulations. Seems that there is some fishy disease that the minnows in state waters have and they are trying to prevent them from spreading so you are not allowed to transport a minnow away from the body of water where you caught it and store bought ones have to be certified disease free. Thus the receipt to prove they had been certified. Maybe it was lucky for me that I had forgotten my minnow trap at hone because I had forgotten about that law too. Then again, I would have been transporting the minnows not to another body of water for bait but to a fish tank in my basement. Something tells me though that would not have held water had I been stopped by a DEC officer with a bunch of wild caught minnows in my minnow bucket.
Homeward bound after that and right into the tail end of rush hour traffic. That dampened my spirits more so than did the rain over most of it. In all though, I had a nice day driving through the NY countryside and getting some truly spectacular views of the Delaware River and the countryside. Accomplished getting my PA pistol permit - well almost, sort of, kind of and am looking forward to my next trip during which I will have my minnow trap and my wadding shoes.
All the best,
Glenn B
As for getting the license, I had called in advance, that was day before yesterday, and was told they do issue them to nonresidents without a hitch. Whomever I spoke to on the phone was either full of shit or had no clue what she was talking about. When I got there, the cops at the entrance told me there was absolutely no hope of me getting a PA pistol permit from Susquehanna County unless I owned property in PA. I asked if that was a state or county law, regulation or requirement and he said his "chief" and then more explicitly said "the sheriff" told him that was his requirement for out of state types. The officer was nice enough to tell me that there still were two counties issuing to nonresidents and one of them was Lackawanna County and that their SO was in Scranton, PA. He got me the number and I was ready to go. Before I left, the officer told me a few things about NYers who had come to their department to get licenses, he said there had been more of them than residents on line each day. He also said they had problems with NY State not notifying PA of license holders who had been arrested subsequent to acquiring the PA nonresident permit. I kind of, sort of, most assuredly was left with the impression that NY residents going through the Susquehanna SO either had been problematic pains in the arse or that the chief just did not like NY residents. Oh well, it was time to move on.
As soon as I got to my car, I gave the Lackawanna County SO a call. The lady I spoke to cheerily told me sure they still issue nonresident pistol license, even to NYers. I drove the 40 miles or so further south, parked on the street at meter, left my belt knife and pocket knife in the car along with some other accouterments and headed into the courthouse. Cops at the metal detector in this courthouse told me to head to the SO's office on the first floor and they would take care of me. A female officer also told me their printer was down for the licenses! I felt an "oh-oh" in my gut but kept my mouth shut about what I was thinking and headed up one flight from the ground level. Once there a friendly officer greeted me, told me to fill out a form (also told me the one I printed up on the net was worthless in their county) and copied my driver's license and NY pistol license. When I was done with the new form, which was indeed somewhat different than the online form, he directed me to a female officer who was busy helping another applicant, an elderly PA resident. She took about another 5 or 10 minutes with her and then took my application. Then she took my photo too. We shared some small talk and she was very pleasant. After about 5 or 10 minutes of waiting, as she did whatever she had to do with her, she told me everything was in order and I had passed muster (am guessing she ran criminal history and wants/warrants checks). That was it except for $20.00 I had to pay and them giving me my license. Then she reminded me of what the other officer downstairs had told me, their printer was broken and she could not print the license and would have to mail it to me once they got a new printer. She also told me that it was now legal for me to carry under the license in PA and if I got stopped by the police for anything and they discovered I was armed, my license would be on file and would come up in their computer if they checked. I asked for a receipt, got it, said my goodbyes and took off to get other things one. As I was leaving, all I could think was that: Oh well, I positively, definitely, without a doubt almost was issued my PA nonresident pistol license today. I am now eagerly awaiting its delivery.
After that was done, I thought of what to do next and wound up driving to a Gander Mountain that was quite close by. Pretty much all I did there was window shopping but since I had decided I would get in my hike after all, I bought a box of 308WIN ammo. I figured I'd do a little sighting in before or after my hike. Then I headed toward the state land I wanted to hike, back in NY but never made it. I got detoured at a couple of small mom & pop sporting good shops to look for crawfish and minnows to bring home. I forgot my wading shoes and my minnow trap so decided just to buy some. My turtle loves em to death. The first place did not have any crawfish and his price for minnows was about double what I had expected so I passed. The next place was closed down and after I saw it I recalled that I went there last year and it had been closed then already. Oh well, the weather had turned crappy again so I just drove around on old country two lane roads, including over a one lane bridge, and enjoyed the scenery instead of going for a hike. Too bad I did not have my waders and minnow trap, I would have looked for crayfish in the local streams and dropped the trap in deep spots regardless of the weather. Oh well, I reluctantly headed back toward home but wound up making a big detour, to the scenic route, that probably added about 30 to 45 minutes to my expected 3 hour drive. It was worth the extra time since I only encountered about another 15 to 20 cars going my way for the more than 80-90 miles I drove it and it was a peaceful scenic ride.
Made one more stop at another bait & tackle shop in Narrowsburg, NY. No crayfish there either. They told me that NY State DEC recently sent them a letter saying it was now illegal to sell any crayfish because, according to the shop proprietor, they now have been listed as an endangered species. We had a laugh over that, at the DECs expense, because crawfish are everywhere, sort of like freshwater roaches or rats. Then they showed the letter to me. As if often the case, government regulations get misunderstood and this was another instance of that. The letter they showed stated that it was now illegal to import, possess, distribute Orconectes rusticus, the Rusty Crayfish which is listed as an invasive species and not as an endangered one. Judging by the reaction of the shopkeepers to that letter and my experience with seeing such regulations being misinterpreted in the past, I am guessing that not one bait and tackle shop in NY will be selling crayfish for bait this year, even if legal species. I guess that if I want any for bait or my turtle, I'll have to remember my wading shoes next time I go upstate and then I'll see what I can to do to help decimate this not native and invasive species from our waters.
This last bait & tackle shop, did have minnows (shiners) though and at a decent price too although I would have expected an higher price at this place. So, I picked up a couple of dozen. They give my turtle some good exercise as he stalks em or flat out tries to outswim them to catch them for dinner. The ones he cannot catch will live to a fine old age for bait fish and will be well cared for. Funny, the clerk insisted I take a receipt even though I paid cash and did not need one as far as I was concerned. Truth is though, I did need a receipt due to more NYS DEC regulations. Seems that there is some fishy disease that the minnows in state waters have and they are trying to prevent them from spreading so you are not allowed to transport a minnow away from the body of water where you caught it and store bought ones have to be certified disease free. Thus the receipt to prove they had been certified. Maybe it was lucky for me that I had forgotten my minnow trap at hone because I had forgotten about that law too. Then again, I would have been transporting the minnows not to another body of water for bait but to a fish tank in my basement. Something tells me though that would not have held water had I been stopped by a DEC officer with a bunch of wild caught minnows in my minnow bucket.
Homeward bound after that and right into the tail end of rush hour traffic. That dampened my spirits more so than did the rain over most of it. In all though, I had a nice day driving through the NY countryside and getting some truly spectacular views of the Delaware River and the countryside. Accomplished getting my PA pistol permit - well almost, sort of, kind of and am looking forward to my next trip during which I will have my minnow trap and my wadding shoes.
All the best,
Glenn B
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
Drove To Geneva Yesterday
No, not in Switzerland, in New York and picked up the guns I bought in last Saturday's auction. Later on, I found myself in Binghamton where I decided to stay the night. Crawled out of the sack about a half hour ago or so and watched the news. Have been debating, with me, myself and that other internal guy what to do today. First things first, once I leave the motel I am going somewhere to treat myself to bacon, sausage, eggs, toast, hash browns and coffee. After that, I am figuring on taking a hike, maybe tugging along the metal detector, if I remember to buy two new 9 volt batteries I forgot the new ones at home). I'll probably also try to catch some minnows to bring home for turtle food and if the turtle is lucky the minnow trap will come up with some crawfish in it too. On the way home, I'll be taking a route through PA where Ill be stopping at the Susquehana County SO to apply for and hopefully be issued a PA nonresident pistol permit. Only $20 or $25 for that license - what a deal. May also stop a a gun store or three. Could be a fun day.
All the best,
Glenn B
All the best,
Glenn B
Sunday, June 21, 2015
The King Of Beasts
If you have ever wondered why the male lion is called the King Of Beasts, wonder no more because this explains it all!
My thanks and a hat tip to Bob C for forwarding me this one.
All the best,
Glenn B
My thanks and a hat tip to Bob C for forwarding me this one.
All the best,
Glenn B
I Have Seller's Remorse Already...
...and I only just posted my for sale listing for my New England Firearms Pardner 12 gauge shotgun (model SB1) on GunBroker.com within the last half hour. Why is it that almost every time I sell a gun, I get a case of before the sale seller's remorse - even in instances of when I am trying to make up for buyer's remorse. If you don't know what I mean by buyer's remorse, you must have more money than me and aren't taking food out of the mouths of your family members by buying guns with the grocery money. So, yes, it is usually caused by me buying a gun or guns that I definitely, positively, absolutely could not afford at the time of purchase (like the two I bought at auction yesterday) because I needed the money elsewhere. Trying to overcome buyer's remorse is why I am selling this particular gun, I want to be able to get rid of the guilty feeling of not having had enough money to have bought them by actually selling something so that it winds up I almost will have had enough, after the fact, to have made the purchase - do you get it! So why the heck do I have seller's remorse, I should be happy to have offered it up for sale so I don't have to feel guilty any longer about buying the two new guns.
There is truly no logical reason for me to be suffering from seller's remorse, especially since I have not sold it yet, whether or not I am trying to wipe out buyer's remorse. I mean, it is a NEF Pardner that I'm selling, it's not like it is one of the premiere guns in my collection. It is a bargain basement, inexpensive, single shot shotgun that I think I have shot a total of two times and that my son has used maybe three or four times. It has been taking up room in the gun locker. So why this glum feeling in the pit of my bowels and why the weight of the world on my shoulders? Well, I suppose there is the fact that it does have nice color on the case hardened receiver and it was made in the USA and it is the only shotgun I own that chambers 3" shells but those couldn't possibly be enough to have me suffering seller's remorse - could they! Damn, I have gone tough this every time I have sold a gun in the past 15 years or so, this seller's remorse before the actual sale, let alone after a sale. In reality all this seller's remorse has been pestering me much longer than that if you consider real seller's remorse I have suffered for years on end after an actual sale has been completed.
Oh well, I suppose I can live with it since I will have two new guns coming in. At least if I sell it, and also sell the Remington 513T Matchmaster bolt that I put up for sale last night, I'll have enough to cover about 40% of what I owe for the two guns that I bought yesterday and my debt and thus my buyer's remorse should be almost halved. One more gun for sale and maybe I can wipe all of it out - the it being both the debt and the buyer's remorse that came with the debt. While you might think that a sure cure for seller's remorse, I can say that without any doubt at all, I will regret selling this gun and suffer at least some seller's remorse over the next couple to few years because of it. Damn, its a gun seller's equivalent of PTSD.
All the best,
Glenn B
There is truly no logical reason for me to be suffering from seller's remorse, especially since I have not sold it yet, whether or not I am trying to wipe out buyer's remorse. I mean, it is a NEF Pardner that I'm selling, it's not like it is one of the premiere guns in my collection. It is a bargain basement, inexpensive, single shot shotgun that I think I have shot a total of two times and that my son has used maybe three or four times. It has been taking up room in the gun locker. So why this glum feeling in the pit of my bowels and why the weight of the world on my shoulders? Well, I suppose there is the fact that it does have nice color on the case hardened receiver and it was made in the USA and it is the only shotgun I own that chambers 3" shells but those couldn't possibly be enough to have me suffering seller's remorse - could they! Damn, I have gone tough this every time I have sold a gun in the past 15 years or so, this seller's remorse before the actual sale, let alone after a sale. In reality all this seller's remorse has been pestering me much longer than that if you consider real seller's remorse I have suffered for years on end after an actual sale has been completed.
Oh well, I suppose I can live with it since I will have two new guns coming in. At least if I sell it, and also sell the Remington 513T Matchmaster bolt that I put up for sale last night, I'll have enough to cover about 40% of what I owe for the two guns that I bought yesterday and my debt and thus my buyer's remorse should be almost halved. One more gun for sale and maybe I can wipe all of it out - the it being both the debt and the buyer's remorse that came with the debt. While you might think that a sure cure for seller's remorse, I can say that without any doubt at all, I will regret selling this gun and suffer at least some seller's remorse over the next couple to few years because of it. Damn, its a gun seller's equivalent of PTSD.
All the best,
Glenn B
Escaped Killers Spotted Near PA Border?
If it truly was the pair of convicted murderers, who escaped from a NYS maximum security prison, that was spotted along railroad tracks in western NY along the PA border, my bet is that they are now out of NY and westward bound after having hitched a freight train. Of course, as I prefaced it, that is all depending on the "if" of the sighting. More here.
All the best,
Glenn B
All the best,
Glenn B
Summertime...
...has arrived today with it being the summer solstice (and thus the longest day of the year as far as the amount of daylight in the Northern Hemisphere goes). Tomorrow the days start to get shorter although those hot, hazy and humid days of July and August can seem like they are taking forever if you are enjoying them while lazing under a willow with a fishing pole in one hand and a cold drink in the other. Wish I was there right now instead of at home in my basement keying this into my laptop.
Then again, why bother going fishing when my son supposedly is going to grill up some bacon wrapped bratwursts for me later today. I don't mean that packaged crap either, these ere made at a German butcher shop locally. German style sausage wrapped with bacon - mmmmmmm good - the thought of them has me salivating.
It's time to listen to my favorite summertime song:
Now that I have enjoyed that, I'm going to do some garden work, then clean up and then chomp down on some of those bratwursts while washing em down with a cold one. Sounds like a plan and like both an excellent start to the summer and a great Fathers' Day to me!
All the best,
Glenn B
Then again, why bother going fishing when my son supposedly is going to grill up some bacon wrapped bratwursts for me later today. I don't mean that packaged crap either, these ere made at a German butcher shop locally. German style sausage wrapped with bacon - mmmmmmm good - the thought of them has me salivating.
It's time to listen to my favorite summertime song:
Now that I have enjoyed that, I'm going to do some garden work, then clean up and then chomp down on some of those bratwursts while washing em down with a cold one. Sounds like a plan and like both an excellent start to the summer and a great Fathers' Day to me!
All the best,
Glenn B
Ever Buy A Firearm Online And Wonder How It Was Graded
If you have ever seen a for sale add online for a firearm, you may have wondered how did the seller grade its condition. You may have noticed that the gun's condition is shown as: New, As New, Excellent (EXC), Very Good (VG), Good (G) Fair (F) or Poor (P) or maybe even just as new or used. Your idea of what each of those means may be different than what the next guy thinks but luckily for us someone has, in fact more than one person or group, figured it all out for us.
The thing is though, just as those descriptors could be taken differently as subject to each persons ideas of what they mean, so too do they differ between those folks who have tried to view them objectively. For example, the NRA has a set of standards for grading guns here. It is used by a lot of gun sellers and buyer. Yet, if the person selling a gun is using those NRA guidelines and the person buying that same gun is thinking along other lines, say the grading system used in the Catalog of Firearms Values, there is likely going to be a problem because they differ markedly. While the NRA defines an excellent rating of a firearm as "New condition, used but little, no noticeable marring of wood or metal, bluing perfect, (except at muzzle or sharp edges).", The Standard Catalog of Firearms categorizes and excellent condition firearm as being "...in at least 98% condition with respect to blue wear, stock or grip finish and bore..." and also states that everything including sights must be "...100% original factory condition without refinishing, repair, alterations, or additions of any kind." Their standards (1) cover both modern firearms and antique firearms (manufactured prior to 1898); however, the standards mentioned above that were set by the NRA cover only modern firearms. The NRA has a separate set of standards for antique firearms.
Billy Joe Von Bubba or Hotshot Bobby Bangaroo or John M. Aikendoe (the cheap sniveling rip-off artist with whom you may be doing business, of course not knowing of his shady side) may use another system altogether. So, whenever buying a firearm from afar, and not being able to see it and handle it to inspect it, you really ought to know what grading system is being used by the seller. If a seller is using one or the other of those professional systems above it would behoove you to know which one and it would also be a good thing if the seller listed the condition and which grading system was used to determine the condition in his ad for the firearm (that is also a hint for honest seller as much as it is for buyers). If you are buying a gun from someone who is not using one of those grading systems, and is using one maybe made up by a gun store guru or one of his hunting buddies, you had best be asking a lot of questions about the gun and for lots of pictures too before plunking down your hard earned cash to buy it. If you are planning on selling piece, why not just be open and honest about it regardless of condition, it pretty much guarantees good feedback and future business from your customer(s). In short, let the buyer beware and the honest seller be forthright.
All the best,
Glenn B
References:
1. Lee, Jerry (2014) 2014 Standard Catalog of Firearms (page 13). Iola, WI: Gun Digest Books, F+WMedia, Krause Publications
The thing is though, just as those descriptors could be taken differently as subject to each persons ideas of what they mean, so too do they differ between those folks who have tried to view them objectively. For example, the NRA has a set of standards for grading guns here. It is used by a lot of gun sellers and buyer. Yet, if the person selling a gun is using those NRA guidelines and the person buying that same gun is thinking along other lines, say the grading system used in the Catalog of Firearms Values, there is likely going to be a problem because they differ markedly. While the NRA defines an excellent rating of a firearm as "New condition, used but little, no noticeable marring of wood or metal, bluing perfect, (except at muzzle or sharp edges).", The Standard Catalog of Firearms categorizes and excellent condition firearm as being "...in at least 98% condition with respect to blue wear, stock or grip finish and bore..." and also states that everything including sights must be "...100% original factory condition without refinishing, repair, alterations, or additions of any kind." Their standards (1) cover both modern firearms and antique firearms (manufactured prior to 1898); however, the standards mentioned above that were set by the NRA cover only modern firearms. The NRA has a separate set of standards for antique firearms.
Billy Joe Von Bubba or Hotshot Bobby Bangaroo or John M. Aikendoe (the cheap sniveling rip-off artist with whom you may be doing business, of course not knowing of his shady side) may use another system altogether. So, whenever buying a firearm from afar, and not being able to see it and handle it to inspect it, you really ought to know what grading system is being used by the seller. If a seller is using one or the other of those professional systems above it would behoove you to know which one and it would also be a good thing if the seller listed the condition and which grading system was used to determine the condition in his ad for the firearm (that is also a hint for honest seller as much as it is for buyers). If you are buying a gun from someone who is not using one of those grading systems, and is using one maybe made up by a gun store guru or one of his hunting buddies, you had best be asking a lot of questions about the gun and for lots of pictures too before plunking down your hard earned cash to buy it. If you are planning on selling piece, why not just be open and honest about it regardless of condition, it pretty much guarantees good feedback and future business from your customer(s). In short, let the buyer beware and the honest seller be forthright.
All the best,
Glenn B
References:
1. Lee, Jerry (2014) 2014 Standard Catalog of Firearms (page 13). Iola, WI: Gun Digest Books, F+WMedia, Krause Publications
Words of Peace Threaten Guidance Counselor???
My guess is, that is the sentiment behind the words was genuine, this could only happen in a school in the USA. A valedictorian student has been denied the honor of giving a speech at his graduation and was suspended from school after telling a guidance counselor that he wanted to resolve an issue peacefully. He believes that his statement was somehow taken the wrong way, as an "..or else..." threat by the guidance counselor because her official response allegedly was that he had threatened her (source). Not only was he suspended and will miss giving the speech at graduation but he was ordered, apparently by the school, to undergo a psychiatric evaluation. Only in aMereeka folks, only here, with our libterd wanna-be educators acting the part of the nut jobs running the asylum.
All the best,
GB
All the best,
GB
Let's See How Much Black Lives Matter To Reverand Al Now...
...that it was a black police officer who allegedly was gunned down and killed by a back prisoner (source). Will the almighty Reverand Al be out there with his entire entourage giving speeches, hugging black politicians, marching and protesting? Will there be mobs running amok through the streets? Will there be looting, riots, arson and people being injured or killed because a black man was gunned down by another black? There may be a little bit of feedback from Sharpton, whom I believe is little more than a racist asshole, to make it look as if he is impartial but you can bet there will be nothing like the protests in NY, Baltimore or Fergusson. Why not? Because in truth, as I see it, it's not black lives that matter to they who acted like that after those other black men died; it's the almighty dollar and how much they can make of them by making all they can make of their race baiting agendas.
All the best,
GB
All the best,
GB
Yet Another Woman With The Right Ammo...
...or at least what looks to be the right ammo. The way she is holding the shotgun though suggests to my sharp eye that she may be used to caressing holding something else instead of a gun. However, I give her points both for having the right ammo and for not having her finger on the trigger. Maybe she knows something about firearms safety after all but that is doubtful with the muzzle that close to her dome. As is usual, the following image is posted here for firearms safety education purposes, why else would I post a pic like that here!
All the best,
GB
All the best,
GB
Been Saving For A New Television...
...ever since I moved mine while cleaning and it smashed to the floor. The tube (yes its an old one with a cathode ray tube) didn't break but now there is a blob, sort of like an ink blot that ran down. It is mostly in the upper left hand corner but that runs down about 3/4 the height of the tube in places. When I watch old B&W moves, it just looks a little like the contrast is changed there but for color shows the color is drastically changed - reds look like the green glow of old time dashboard displays greens look eerily red and some things probably can only be said to look like one of the most acid induced purple hazes you have ever seen.
Long story short, I don't have to save any longer. On Tuesday, when I was at Costco, my son sent me text msg. saying Fathers' Day had come early for me. I had no clue what he meant. He also asked me to look for some HDMI cables because the ones for his TV were messed up. Sure, you see where this is going now but at the time I had absolutely no clue. When I got home, there was a big box with a 46" TV sitting on the coffee table in the basement! Gotta love that kid. My daughter and wife also helped him with the cost but he paid the biggest share of it.
The bummer is, it is not set up yet. I didn't buy the cables at Costco because I thought I still had a set at home but of course could not find em when I got there. Must have sold em or given em away. Then I got busy at work a couple of days and had no time to get a set. Was busy yesterday too. I think tomorrow will be the day for me to pick up a set and also to go to Verizon to get another high definition box. I surely am not going today with all the Sunday driver types out there and it being Fathers' Day which means more nuts driving to restaurants and such. Besides, Verizon is probably closed today. Oh well, as is always the case for me, The Great Procrastinator, there is always tomorrow (at least until I drop dead).
All the best,
GB
Long story short, I don't have to save any longer. On Tuesday, when I was at Costco, my son sent me text msg. saying Fathers' Day had come early for me. I had no clue what he meant. He also asked me to look for some HDMI cables because the ones for his TV were messed up. Sure, you see where this is going now but at the time I had absolutely no clue. When I got home, there was a big box with a 46" TV sitting on the coffee table in the basement! Gotta love that kid. My daughter and wife also helped him with the cost but he paid the biggest share of it.
The bummer is, it is not set up yet. I didn't buy the cables at Costco because I thought I still had a set at home but of course could not find em when I got there. Must have sold em or given em away. Then I got busy at work a couple of days and had no time to get a set. Was busy yesterday too. I think tomorrow will be the day for me to pick up a set and also to go to Verizon to get another high definition box. I surely am not going today with all the Sunday driver types out there and it being Fathers' Day which means more nuts driving to restaurants and such. Besides, Verizon is probably closed today. Oh well, as is always the case for me, The Great Procrastinator, there is always tomorrow (at least until I drop dead).
All the best,
GB
Happy Fathers' Day
That goes for all of you good stay at home fathers and even those of you who have left the home but still stay in contact with and care for your children (no matter what their ages). As for the bums who have left with nary a look behind, like my father was to my brother, sister and me, all I can says is - go fuck yourselves until you bleed.
All the best,
GB
All the best,
GB
Saturday, June 20, 2015
The Bolt & The Blanks - Nice Finds In The Basement
I was going through some of my firearms related storage places tonight, looking at this gun or that one with a possible sale in mind, when I accidentally found something I had bought about 15 years ago or so. I am pretty sure I got it from the CMP when they still actually had a good number of guns and gun parts for sale.
It is a complete bolt assembly for a Remington 513T Matchmaster bolt action rifle in 22LR. Almost as soon as I rediscovered it, I decided to put it up for sale. I just got done listing it on GunBroker.com.Of course my luck, the way it usually goes, will be that as soon as I sell it, I'll drop the 513T on its bolt handle and break it and need a replacement. No way I just wrote that here and jinxed myself - did I! Seriously, I can use the money from it, if it sells, to go toward the two guns I bought earlier today. What I am asking, and hope I get, would help pay about 1/4 of todays purchase price, tax and auction premium. That would be nice. Of course, to do that, it has to sell first and it has to sell for at least what I am asking.
I had some fun with testing the bolt down in the basement. I loaded up the 513T magazine with some blanks and fired them off to test the function of the spare bolt assembly. It worked flawlessly and that is a good thing. It stripped blank rounds from the magazine, fed them into the chamber, fired them, extracted them and then brought them to the ejector for positive ejection without a glitch. Using a little forethought, I warned the wife that any shots she might hear would be me firing blanks to test a gun. I also made sure to fire them in the back of the basement with the door to the front portion closed and I fired them toward a rolled up towel on the floor. Made sure it did not have any burning powder residue once down too. maybe I should try some CB Caps - nah better not. Anyhow, the blanks accomplished the function check more than well enough and I am happy I can sell the bolt with a clear conscience knowing that not only is it is fully operational but it works flawlessly.
All the best,
Glenn B
It is a complete bolt assembly for a Remington 513T Matchmaster bolt action rifle in 22LR. Almost as soon as I rediscovered it, I decided to put it up for sale. I just got done listing it on GunBroker.com.
 |
| The bolt and the blanks Mind you, that bolt does not look just like it does in this photograph with that deep color and sort of a warm glow to it. It came out looking like that because I took it using an incandescent bulb for lighting. |
All the best,
Glenn B
A Couple of New Guns
I can't remember the last time I bought a new gun. Perhaps that was one of the reasons I got a hankering to attend the Hessney Auction Company's rod & gun auction today up in Geneva, NY. By 10 or so last night, I had all of my auction ducks in a row. I'd given a good look over to the auction catalog, at least a half dozen times, researched some the value of several guns on which I figured I might want to bid, wrote up my own personal auction catalog (for guns on which I would bid) and printed it up to bring with me to the auction, printed up the directions, and figured that about 5 hours sleep would have me up at about 0300 or 0330 which meant I could leave the house by 0400 and get to the auction house by about 0900. That would leave me enough time to view the guns, maybe about an hour or more. I hit the hay at about 10.
About the only thing I did not give much thought to was the twinge or pain I was feeling in my left big toe. I also had heel pain earlier in the day but that had subsided after I took some Colchrys (pain med specifically for gout). Since the pain in m right heel had diminished almost completely by about 9PM or so, I expected the pain in my toe to do likewise. The thing was though that I slept in fits on and off for a couple of hours. At about midnight, or a little later, there I was scoffing down some generic for Vicodin (acetaminophen and hydrocodone) with 7.5mg of hydrocodone in it - the pain in the toe had awakened me several times by then. I guess I finally got back to sleep to get some good sleep at about 1230 or 0100. I was up at 0330 and would have been ready to go by about 0400 except for the fact that to walk the 15 feet or so to the toilet to take a pee had me in agony. My toe was just about screaming, without any help from my vocal cords, with each step I took. Oh well, I wasn't going anywhere except back to bed. I couldn't sleep and was up again by 0515. I took another pain pill at about 0530 or so and that helped some but the pain remained bad, really bad, and still does as I write this. What to do?
I am guessing that by 0600, I decided to send the auction house an email and register for the auction that way. I called them at about 0730 and left them a message, telling them I had emailed my info to them and also sent a list of items on which I wanted to bid. Someone called me back not all that long after 0900 and left me a message asking if I could give them some idea of the max I would be on each item. I obliged only because I trust the folks at Hessney. If it was an auction house with which I was not familiar, I never would have tipped y hand because they might use shills who wold then try to bid up the price on me knowing how high I'd be willing to bid. I suppose that Hessney Auction Company could do that too but I seriously doubt they do it they have too much to lose - like their sterling reputation and lots (no pun intended) of business.
Looking at my the calls on my phone's memory, I am guessing that I made my first bid at about 1045. That was on a Henry Repeating Arms lever action carbine in 22LR. That was followed immediately by more bids, this time on a Henry Classis lever action rifle in 22LR. I was outbid on both. A while later, the auctioneer's assistant (Roberta) called me back for the next item on which I planned to bid, a Beretta A303 Ducks Unlimited Gun of the Year for 9186 (new in the box). I was outbid there too. My next bid was supposed to be on item number 60A, a Savage AXIS XP in 308WIN. Somehow they skipped that one ad went right to item 60 which was a Savage AXIS XP, stainless steel, in 308WIN, unfired in the box. I had the high bid at $300. That is a good deal, in fact an excellent one as local gun stores in my area have it retailing for from $418 to 456 before tax. (Thanks to the search feature at Gallery of Guns, I was able to pull up instant price quotes online.) Yes, I'll have to either have to pay to have tem ship it to me or for gas to drive there to pick it up (which is my plan) but when I drive up there I am going to spend some time hiking and fishing and make it a mini vacation for a couple or three days. I will also start scouting my chosen hunting area for deer and bear sign. Regardless, even with all that figured in, I got that one for less than I would have had I bought it at a local gun store so it's a good deal.
I bid on a bunch of other items, all but one listed "as new" or as "unfired in box (or case). One of them I really wanted, and for which I was willing to bid $400 (or a little bit more) was a Remington 870 Tactical, 12 gauge, with pistol grip and a wire folding stock. It listed retail for $5522 to $564 in my area. Well, it could not have been more screwed up since they skipped a number and wound up on that one before Roberta realized they were on it, and she only got me just as the auction was closing. it sold for $375. Maybe I should have been pissed off about it but for once I figured why bother. Anyway, Roberta was extremely apologetic about that one. She asked if I would have been willing to beat the $375 but she already knew the answer because I had emailed them m high bids earlier and it was clearly $400; in fact though, in the interim between when I had sent the email and just a few minutes before tha one went up for bids, I had changed my mind and was willing to go $425 for it. Chances are I would have gotten that one but no such luck for me with how it worked out for some other lucky bidder.
I bid on the very next item, a Stevens Model 320 Defense in 12 gauge with pistol grip and heat shield (new in the box) and had the high bid at $175. Not a very high quality shotgun as far as I would guess, since the MSRP is only about $275 for the particular version on which I bid, but I figure that will be a fun gun and my wind up being my version of the trunk monkey. None were available around my area but another, less expensive version, was retailing for about $220 and that one's MSRP was $40 less than the one I bid on. So, it may not be a stellar deal but not bad considering.
I didn't have any other winning bids even though I bid on 15 lots in all. They had over 350 guns up for bids. In addition there were other items like ammo, decoys, deer head mounts, canoes, lots and lots of fishing gear, and so on. I restricted my bids to the guns. Not sure when I'll head up that way to claim the two guns but am guessing it will be on Monday. Sometime in there, either before or after I pick them up, I'll spend some time afield. Who knows, maybe I'' take the shotgun out in the woods with me for some small game hunting. There has got to be something in season right now even if only porcupines, red squirrels or whatever. Of course, I could sight in the Savage ACIS XP and try for woodchucks. Add a little fishing to that and it should make for a couple or few enjoyable days in upstate NY. If I get really lucky, I may run into a couple of guys for whom there is a $100,000.00 reward and get the drop on them. Of course, that is only if my left big toe is cooperative by then, right now it is starting to wail and howl in agony once again and I foresee another trip to the painkiller
bottle in a moment or so.
All the best,
Glenn B
About the only thing I did not give much thought to was the twinge or pain I was feeling in my left big toe. I also had heel pain earlier in the day but that had subsided after I took some Colchrys (pain med specifically for gout). Since the pain in m right heel had diminished almost completely by about 9PM or so, I expected the pain in my toe to do likewise. The thing was though that I slept in fits on and off for a couple of hours. At about midnight, or a little later, there I was scoffing down some generic for Vicodin (acetaminophen and hydrocodone) with 7.5mg of hydrocodone in it - the pain in the toe had awakened me several times by then. I guess I finally got back to sleep to get some good sleep at about 1230 or 0100. I was up at 0330 and would have been ready to go by about 0400 except for the fact that to walk the 15 feet or so to the toilet to take a pee had me in agony. My toe was just about screaming, without any help from my vocal cords, with each step I took. Oh well, I wasn't going anywhere except back to bed. I couldn't sleep and was up again by 0515. I took another pain pill at about 0530 or so and that helped some but the pain remained bad, really bad, and still does as I write this. What to do?
I am guessing that by 0600, I decided to send the auction house an email and register for the auction that way. I called them at about 0730 and left them a message, telling them I had emailed my info to them and also sent a list of items on which I wanted to bid. Someone called me back not all that long after 0900 and left me a message asking if I could give them some idea of the max I would be on each item. I obliged only because I trust the folks at Hessney. If it was an auction house with which I was not familiar, I never would have tipped y hand because they might use shills who wold then try to bid up the price on me knowing how high I'd be willing to bid. I suppose that Hessney Auction Company could do that too but I seriously doubt they do it they have too much to lose - like their sterling reputation and lots (no pun intended) of business.
Looking at my the calls on my phone's memory, I am guessing that I made my first bid at about 1045. That was on a Henry Repeating Arms lever action carbine in 22LR. That was followed immediately by more bids, this time on a Henry Classis lever action rifle in 22LR. I was outbid on both. A while later, the auctioneer's assistant (Roberta) called me back for the next item on which I planned to bid, a Beretta A303 Ducks Unlimited Gun of the Year for 9186 (new in the box). I was outbid there too. My next bid was supposed to be on item number 60A, a Savage AXIS XP in 308WIN. Somehow they skipped that one ad went right to item 60 which was a Savage AXIS XP, stainless steel, in 308WIN, unfired in the box. I had the high bid at $300. That is a good deal, in fact an excellent one as local gun stores in my area have it retailing for from $418 to 456 before tax. (Thanks to the search feature at Gallery of Guns, I was able to pull up instant price quotes online.) Yes, I'll have to either have to pay to have tem ship it to me or for gas to drive there to pick it up (which is my plan) but when I drive up there I am going to spend some time hiking and fishing and make it a mini vacation for a couple or three days. I will also start scouting my chosen hunting area for deer and bear sign. Regardless, even with all that figured in, I got that one for less than I would have had I bought it at a local gun store so it's a good deal.
I bid on a bunch of other items, all but one listed "as new" or as "unfired in box (or case). One of them I really wanted, and for which I was willing to bid $400 (or a little bit more) was a Remington 870 Tactical, 12 gauge, with pistol grip and a wire folding stock. It listed retail for $5522 to $564 in my area. Well, it could not have been more screwed up since they skipped a number and wound up on that one before Roberta realized they were on it, and she only got me just as the auction was closing. it sold for $375. Maybe I should have been pissed off about it but for once I figured why bother. Anyway, Roberta was extremely apologetic about that one. She asked if I would have been willing to beat the $375 but she already knew the answer because I had emailed them m high bids earlier and it was clearly $400; in fact though, in the interim between when I had sent the email and just a few minutes before tha one went up for bids, I had changed my mind and was willing to go $425 for it. Chances are I would have gotten that one but no such luck for me with how it worked out for some other lucky bidder.
I bid on the very next item, a Stevens Model 320 Defense in 12 gauge with pistol grip and heat shield (new in the box) and had the high bid at $175. Not a very high quality shotgun as far as I would guess, since the MSRP is only about $275 for the particular version on which I bid, but I figure that will be a fun gun and my wind up being my version of the trunk monkey. None were available around my area but another, less expensive version, was retailing for about $220 and that one's MSRP was $40 less than the one I bid on. So, it may not be a stellar deal but not bad considering.
I didn't have any other winning bids even though I bid on 15 lots in all. They had over 350 guns up for bids. In addition there were other items like ammo, decoys, deer head mounts, canoes, lots and lots of fishing gear, and so on. I restricted my bids to the guns. Not sure when I'll head up that way to claim the two guns but am guessing it will be on Monday. Sometime in there, either before or after I pick them up, I'll spend some time afield. Who knows, maybe I'' take the shotgun out in the woods with me for some small game hunting. There has got to be something in season right now even if only porcupines, red squirrels or whatever. Of course, I could sight in the Savage ACIS XP and try for woodchucks. Add a little fishing to that and it should make for a couple or few enjoyable days in upstate NY. If I get really lucky, I may run into a couple of guys for whom there is a $100,000.00 reward and get the drop on them. Of course, that is only if my left big toe is cooperative by then, right now it is starting to wail and howl in agony once again and I foresee another trip to the painkiller
bottle in a moment or so.
All the best,
Glenn B
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