This Is What Happens When The Dogs Get To Your Glow-Sticks

Nope, I'm not about to tell you that my dogs ate the glo-sticks and now glow, sorry no pics like that either. At least one of them though, and there are 6 culprits here tonight (our 4 and my daughter's 2), got to a glo-stick and started to chew on the packaging.

What was left of the wrapper.

 My basement is a mess in the middle of a mini-renovation, and shit stuff is everywhere. Anyway, the package got chewed up and torn open and when I picked it up to look at it I saw this particular one had a rating for 30 minutes of light and an expiration date of 02/06,  in other words - February 2006. This particular glo-stick was given to me in September of 2001 at work as I recall, right after 9/11 as part of an emergency kit. I have had it ever since.

It gave a nice eerie glow to my lemonade and tequila.

Being it was way past it's expiration date, I decided to give it a go to see if it still worked. I shook it vigorously, snapped it and voila - light. It was an eerie green glow, the same sort of a green that used to be in the display on automobile dashboards back in the 50s and into the 60s. It has been glowing brightly now over one hour. Well, it's been glowing brightly enough to help one see in a very dark place or to act as a safety or distress beacon in the dark of night.  My bet is it will last a couple to few more hours.

Note to self, don't believe all the things you see written on a package about when a product  expires because my guess is they tell you it expires in a few years or so to get you to restock with new ones every so often. You know why they do that, right? It's to keep the economy strong! Seriously, why ever the do it does not matter to me, what matters is that I can give this product no better praise than to say it is working better than it was rated (which was for 30 minutes of light) and is doing so 10 years after its expiration date! 

I am pretty sure this one was in with some survival stuff I carry in a day pack whenever I go hiking or take a flight (then it's my carry on). I probably last had it with me on our trip to Alaska. Don't know how it got on the basement floor so that one of the dogs got to it but with all the moving back and forth of stuff I have been doing while painting a wall at a time down in the basement, it is no wonder one of them found it. At last now I know these things can last a good long time.

Since I know they last a good long while, I may have to buy some more of them from the same company, that is if they are still making them. Luckily the name of the company was still visible on the wrapper: OmniGlow Corporation. The part number was on the back too.

That being said, I did some online research on OmniGlow Corporation and when I Googled it, I got results for Cyalume Corporation. Since their site shows they have been in business for 40 years and have a plant On Windsor Avenue (used to be Street but now shown as Avenue) at the same numbered address as on the wrapper, I guess it is the same company. Apparently they changed the name to Cyalume Corp but as you can see the product I had was called a Cyalume Safety Stick so it is not that much of a change.

They sell direct to the public and offer a decent variety of light sticks - both industrial grade and military/tactical grade and others. The thing is though, the military grade snap lights they sell have only a 4 year shelf life, give 12 hours of light and are more expensive that the industrial grade. The industrial grade not only costs less but has a longer 5 year shelf life. Maybe I am missing something or maybe it is just the typical way that DOD allows for companies to label things as military grade. Anyway, I plan to buy some but am not sure if I will buy a few ten packs at $12.00 per ten or go for a pack of 100 of them for $99.00. I wrote the company an email praising it and, who knows, maybe they will send me a discount coupon. I think I'll wait a few days to see if they reply and if they are feeling generous before I order any.

By the way, this particular one, 15 years old and 10 years past its expiration date, has been glowing now for over two hours (I started writing this about an hour after I snapped it, and yeah I have been writing and researching for another hour or so)!
All the best,
Glenn B

He May Not Be The Biggest Horse's Arse Ever...

...but John Kerry sure comes close to it. He reportedly had this to say about the media's coverage of terrorism:

More here: http://insider.foxnews.com/2016/08/30/john-kerry-media-would-do-us-all-service-if-they-didnt-cover-terrorism-much

Yes, besides having quite the horse face, he is quite the horse's arse but as I said, maybe he is not the biggest one ever if only because of the competition he gets from Michael Moore:

More on  Moore being a Muslim here: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/dec/17/michael-moore-holds-we-are-all-muslim-sign-in-fron/

As for that sign and Michael Moore's idiocy and to any Islamist who wants to convert the Kafirs of the world or kill us, all I can say is that if I was the last living Kafir, I would emulate The Omega Man and defend myself until my dying breath.

All the best,
Glenn B

Do You Prep And If So When and Why Did You Start

I started prepping as you call it a truly long time ago and not much more recently like most of you who probably started later and for somewhat different reasons. I was born in the mid 50s and lived though the Cold War. I learned a lot from my mom who always had something on hand just in case even though I am sure it was never even enough for a month; she was terrified of the prospect of a nuclear war which folks back then thought was inevitable. I also learned from the Civil Defense film shorts and from drills while in grammar school. Then there were the hard times. My old man and mom got divorced when I was 8 or 9. He did not give us even a penny. My mom did the best she could to support herself and my brother, sister and me with mostly part time work. Then there was the assistance; I stood in line for free cheese, free butter, free honey and went to the stores with food stamps even though it was pretty embarrassing as a pre-teen and young teen. I do not recall if we were ever actually on welfare, I think maybe once for a brief time, but my mom was too proud and had too much of a work ethic to go that route for long.

My mom's work ethic that was transferred to me. I partied hard as a teen and even into my college days trying to rid myself of the reality of being poor but what she had along a work ethic and what she did along prepping lines sank into my thick skull regardless. I have worked all my life since I was a teenager and got through high school and college with the goal of getting a decent job and to never be poor again and again that was without really understanding that was why I was doing what I was doing. Funny, as a kid and even a teen, even in my twenties, I never realized (or waned to admit) how poor we were or had been. It did not sink in except maybe when waiting on line for cheese or with food stamps in my hand. Anyway, once I got out of college and finally got into a career in federal law enforcement (arresting illegals and customs violators so usually not arresting U.S. citizens) I started to really prep after once getting a check with the decimal point in the wrong spot, a check for about $5.12 for a two week pay period instead of $512.00! I had about a whole $25 or $30 more than that to last two weeks. I lived on rabbits and quail I shot, what little I had in the fridge, and a very small loan from a buddy of mine (maybe $20 of the total amount I just mentioned). Then all of the past kicked in and I realized I was in the real world and needed to be ready for SHTF in whatever shape or form it arrived in at my door. It was a wake up call for sure and I started planning and preparing for the worst even if only just a bit.

Yet, even today, after many more hardships and lessons learned, I am not a prepper on a grand scale. I have food enough for me and my family for probably two or three months - at least certainly for a month and a half. I have enough ammo to last several years, if used only for hunting and if I am successful with almost every shot I fire. I have other supplies as well and have some bullion on hand too though nowhere near enough if the economy goes belly up or my federal pension takes a hit. I have had it pretty good and got lax. Then, recent world and national and even state political events have made me realize it is time to wake up again. I never stopped prepping completely but never did enough of it as far as I am concerned.

Thus, I need to build it all up to have a more substantial amount on hand because as has become only too plain in recent years we are headed for utter tyranny and an all out ensuing revolution in this country and or maybe even for WWIII as well (look at what China has been doing over the past 40-50 years relative to military build-up and look to Russia and North Korea also). If you have not noticed, Obama has almost single handedly rekindled the cold war with Russia and China and North Korea (though he had help from Bill Clinton with North Korea) and he has added countries like Venezuela and Iran to the mix and added the so called JV Team of ISIS as well. Then, with douche bags like Obama and the Demoncrats and RINOs running things, there just may be a total financial collapse of the U.S. economy due to how much the deficit has grown; we cannot keep spending more than we produce without dire consequences sooner or later. So I prep now and then and hope it will b enough to get us through until we can group with others of like mind to survive and regain a Constitutional Republic.

All the best,
Glenn B

The Progression Of The RKBA Since 1986

It seems we are winning the war against the anti-gun nuts but it will remain a never ending battle as long as the leftists want to restrict our rights and liberties in their drive to become all powerful and totally unreasonable. This map can be found over at Radical Gun Nuttery at this link: http://www.gun-nuttery.com/rtc.php and there is a good deal of info about the map at the linked page.

Give it a moment and it starts upgrading itself beginning in 1986 and going right up though this year showing how states have become much more gun rights friendly with few exceptions such as NY and CA. In fact, both CA and NY have gotten worse in how badly they restrict firearms ownership. I still live in NY and am hopeful that will change sooner than later.

Of course, a vote for Hillary Clinton, or merely thinking Never Trump and not voting for Donald Trump, most assuredly will lead to a relatively swift reversal on the state level and almost without doubt will result in what could be irreparable damage on the federal level. Remember that if she is voted in and appoints a couple to a few Supreme Court justices our RKBA in all likelihood will be abolished and tyranny will prevail. I believe it would likely take decades to regain any semblance of what we have today via political means or an all out revolution to change the damage Hillary Clinton will have done as president when it comes to our rights and liberties especially with regard to firearms ownership, how and on what we spend our money, raising our children, free speech, energy use, education, freedom of religion, and so on.

A hat tip to PA Guns & Ammo at the NY Firearms Forum for this one.

All the best,
Glenn B

Standing For The National Anthem

Fuck that douchebag Colin Colon Kaepernick who refused to stand during the National Anthem.

Here is a real man standing for it, a man who is at least 100 times the man Kaepernick will ever be.

All the best,
GB

A Little Gratitude Would Have Been Nice...

...but instead I got this graceful pose after bringing Brendan to Alaska and specifically to see Mt. McKinley (aka: Denali). Anyway, I like it, it's one of my favorites pics from the trip.


I think I asked him to smile for the camera.

Lucky for us that we got to see it later on that same day once those clouds cleared. Those mountains under the clouds were about 20 miles away. Denali was about 40 miles from us, yet it dwarfs the closer peaks.

It went from this in the mid-morning to...

...this in the late afternoon.

 

The dark parts may look like part of Denali but they are not, in fact they
are mountains that were about 20 miles closer to us than was Denali. The
highest snowcapped peak is Mt. McKinley or Denali as it is called now.

 

Not smiling yet but not flipping me the bird either!

Posting these pics now because I realized I forgot to post most of our pics, from our Alaska trip, as I had planned back in the spring. So, I will be posting one or three every now and again to make up for it.

All the best,
Glenn B

Missing Arizona

I miss the Gila Monsters

And the many other lizards

 

 

and the darned noisy and huge Colorado River Toads coming out after a summer's rain hundreds of miles from the river

 

and the desert flowers

 

and the magnificent sunsets

and Brendan coming to visit, and us going to Tombstone, while I was out there for 4 months for work

 

and even the tarantulas

 

We need a vacation out that way fairly soon and may have to set our sights on it for next summer.

All the best,
Glenn B

Giving A Fuck

Maybe it's best that way; after all, how can you evenly distribute your fucks in a world without moderation!

All the best,
GB

Earning Is Great But Work Sucks...

...at this point in my life because my job sucks. I wish there was something I could find for myself to do that I truly liked while earning at least the same salary I have now but that seems as elusive for me as was the quest of the conquistadors whilst seeking Eldoardo. Nope, the search for a new job has not been going very well. Maybe I am not looking hard enough or looking in directions where I will find something that befits me.

It is possible, I should heed the words of EAP and "Ride, boldly ride...". In my younger years, I abided by those words quite often and life was an adventure. It still is sometimes today buy I think that with age some of the boldness has left me and I surely am tired and without the strength of my youth. Yet, maybe all I need do is to heed Poe's words and head back over the mountains of the moon and down the valley of the shadow:


ELDORADO
by: Edgar Allan Poe

Gaily bedight,

   A gallant knight,
In sunshine and in shadow,   
   Had journeyed long,   
   Singing a song,
In search of Eldorado.

  But he grew old—

   This knight so bold—   
And o’er his heart a shadow—   
   Fell as he found
   No spot of ground
That looked like Eldorado.

 And, as his strength   

   Failed him at length,
He met a pilgrim shadow—   
   ‘Shadow,’ said he,   
   ‘Where can it be—
This land of Eldorado?’

 ‘Over the Mountains

   Of the Moon,
Down the Valley of the Shadow,   
   Ride, boldly ride,’
   The shade replied,—
‘If you seek for Eldorado!’

Seems simple enough although much easier for a younger man but after all, Poe was not writing about a younger man. I too, like the knight, am old, have not found Eldorado and my strength is not what it was once upon a time. Then again, when I had cancer, I was likewise or worse, yet I rode boldly and I found a bit of Eldorado in that I am still around to ride again. So why not now when in relatively good health . Considering that this has been one of my all time favorite poems, I think it is time to continue my search for Eldorado. Here's to the bold ride going forever on. I think I have come to realize, and in the end you may well find, that the bold ride was all of Eldorado we ever needed or that mattered.

All the best,
Glenn B

Did A Little Bit Of Gun Fixin Tonight...

...and am happy that I finally did it. I am not very confident of myself when it comes to fixing things around the house and such but if I have some decent instructions I will try my hand at some simple gun repairs now and then. I found a decent video on YouTube to illustrate what I wanted to get done so set out to give it a try.

A few weeks ago, I ordered and received a new safety switch for my Remington 870 Express Synthetic that had a J-Lock safety switch. I had planned to use the old spring and plunger but had problems, all operator caused no doubt, when trying to switch the J-Lock out with the new one. It is an understatement to say that disappointment cloaked my countenance when the safety spring for sprung the first three times I tried to replace the safety. The first time, it didn't as much spring out of the hole it belonged in but instead got stuck on the end of my Glock disassembly tool. I thought it must have flown out though and looked around for a couple of minutes thinking it had sprung only to find it stuck on the end of the tool. Man, did I feel like an arse. As for the Glock disassembly tool, that's what I used to ty to depress the spring enough to replace the retaining pin that holds it in place.

I tried again but the next two tries, the darned spring sprung out of that hole like a rocket. The first time it shot out, I could not find it but my brother-in-law Hans, whose place I was at while trying my hand at changing the safety, found it after several minutes search. Then it sprang a second time, hit me in the sleeve, and I figured should have fallen close by on the floor but was nowhere to be found. We looked for quite some time and I looked again later and again and again. Finally, I just gave it up for lost figuring it went down one of the floor mounted heating vents. That was about 2 or 3 weeks or so ago. Since then I thought about why that happened and figured the Glock disassembly tool was just too wide to depress the spring while giving the retention pin enough room to get in above the spring and hold it sufficiently before I could push the pin all the way through. What I needed was something to just push down on the edge of the spring on one side thereby giving the retention pin enough room to slide in on the other side and hold the spring down unassisted. Then the pin could just be pushed all the way into place without the tool blocking it. Of course, I also need a new spring to replace the one that I lost.

I wound up ordering two of the little and necessary coil springs from Remington. Luckily, I paid attention to the other parts that seemed to go with it. My synthetic 870 Express had a plunger under that spring. A narrow portion of the plunger on one end actually sat inside the coil of the spring and the wider part, on the other end, sat on the safety button's innards and acted as a click stop sort of thing that held the safety switch locked in place snuggly in either the fire or safe position; the spring gave it the necessary tension. (What can I say but that I am not a gunsmith and am explaining I as best can.) I note that the plunger in my gun was not shown on the website as being part of the current parts available for the safety. What was available was the 870 detent ball, aka: a ball bearing, that seemed to replace the plunger and that was listed as for "all models". So, I ordered one of them too. When they arrived, the spring looked longer than the old one but I cannot be sure without the old one for comparison. The ball bearing was much less in height than would have been the plunger or at least the half of it that did not fit inside the coil of the spring, so I figured that was why the spring may have been longer. Thus, I opted that I would go with the all bearing. Any way, it all had arrived and needed to be inserted but, of course and as usual, I procrastinated.

Finally got around to trying to replace that J-safety with the new one tonight. I used a narrower tool to push down on the spring, which gave the retention pin enough room on one side to hold the spring in place thus allowing me to remove the tool to make room to push the pin in all the way while the pin held the spring in place enough not to let it be sprung. In other words, the spring did not fly out this time and the operation was a success. In fact it was rather simple once I used the right sized tool to depress the spring as it should have been from the beginning had I given it a bit more thought at the time.

The happy result is that I once again have a fully functioning Remington 870 Express Synthetic or maybe I should say I think I do. I only bought this one a short time ago and have not test fired it yet but from what I know of these shotguns, it appears to function perfectly. I'll give it a try one weekend soon or bring it back to my brother-in-law's place for Labor Day weekend to have a blast with it then (or both).

All the best,
Glenn B

Machetes Now Partially Illegal In NY

NY has made machetes illegal to a certain extent. More here. It might seem good at first glance but if you know Cuomo and leftists as we NY folk know them then you would think otherwise. Cuomo and his minion are waging a never ending battle against the pursuit of happiness, truth, justice and the American way by the citizenry of NY State.  That especially holds for Cuomo's rampage against our right to keep and bear arms and now even tools! Of course the ultimate goal will be to ban machetes outright, on that you cam safely bet but for now they make it palatable to liberals by saying that illegal use of them is banned.

What a sad state of affairs it is that most New Yorkers probably agree with Cuomo in their perpetual insistence on more control of the people by the government and less liberty for all.

All the best and good night,
Glenn B

CCI Mini-Mag Availability

TargetSportsUSA.com has two types of CCI Mini Mag Ammunition available as I key this in on my laptop. They have: CCI Mini-Mag High Velocity 22 LR Ammo 40 Grain Copper Plated Round Nose

CCI Mini-Mag 22LR 36 Grain Copper Plated HP (the picture on the site shows it as copper plated high velocity ammo)

Each is $9.99 per box of 100 rounds and there is a limit of 5 boxes of each.

All the best,
GB

It's Always Too Many Or Not Enough

What more can I say except that it's true.

All the best,
Glenn B

Stay Alert And Be Armed Whenever Legally Possible

Good read here about an unexpected SHTF situation that could happen to anyone just about anywhere and at anytime. Read it before the femilibleftists in charge of Facebook take it down:

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1660951024232619&id=100009532116632&pnref=story

Be careful out there.

All the best,
Glenn B

Egads - No Beer

 

All the best,

GB

The Little Red Haired Girl - Gone Forevermore

The Little Red-Haired Girl, the unseen beauty who made Charlie Brown's heart throb and for whom he longed throughout the life of the comic strip Peanuts has passed on. Well, at the least woman on whom the Little Red-Haired Girl was based has left this world. http://www.startribune.com/obituary-donna-wold-inspired-charles-schulz-s-little-red-haired-girl-for-peanuts/390807911/

More about the Little Red-Haired Girl character can be seen http://peanuts.wikia.com/wiki/Little_Red-Haired_Girl.

We, those not as outward as others, probably all have had someone like that in our lives, unattainable and yet worshipped from afar. I remember the older blonde haired girl who lived on my block when I was about 12 or so. She was one of those rare beauties and I adored her without once letting her know it; although she teased me so often I am sure she had guessed it. Then one day I asked a friend of her's where she had been because I had not seen her around. The other girl told me she and her family had moved away. That was it, she was gone without even a goodbye. Should have learned my lesson about women then and there. Charlie Brown - you were never the only one with a lifelong cherishing for lost loved one!

All the best,
Glenn B

Don't Steal Trail Cameras...

...or if it looks to good to be true, as in finding a trail camera out in the middle of nowhere, especially in KY, don't pick it up. If you do, you may not like what happens next. At least one man lost fingers after a trail camera blew up. According to a report "The man had obtained the camera from someone who found it on a mountain trail". More here: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/08/21/dead-man-left-explosives-behind-in-kentucky-woods-police-say.html

Yeah right - he obtained the camera from someone else who just happened to find it. Okay, even if that was true, at least make sure where your buddy got that camera before fiddling with it because a fiend was leaving some cameras out there with explosives in them.

All the best,
Glenn B

Another Reason Trump is Assured To Get My Vote

“If Donald Trump wins, it will be a pretty dramatic setback,” says Murphy, who has emerged as the Democratic Party’s most vocal champion of new gun regulation. “Not just because how terrible he’ll be on the issue, but the fact that a presidential candidate who ran asking for a mandate on guns lost.”

More here: http://time.com/4457009/chris-murphy-guns-clinton/

I need no other reason to vote for Trump than that Hillary Clinton will try ot abolish the right of the people to be armed and therefor the right of the people to defend themselves and to overthrow tyranny. Remember that the 2nd Amendment was added to the Constitution by those who had just overthrown a tyrannical government. To me, their intent was clear - that the people should always be capable of doing so. 

All the best,
Glenn B

Kalashnikovs For Sale At The Airport - TSA and BATFE Would Shit Boulders...

...if such was the case here in the USA even though the AKs being sold at Sheremetyevo Airport, near Moscow, are only replicas. They reportedly are true sized realistic replicas at that. More here: https://www.rt.com/business/356507-kalashnikov-store-moscows-sheremetyevo/

The person or people who made the decision to allow sales of replica rifles at an airport might be true believers in the free market system but have little in the way of common sense capabilities. What will they sell at airports next, replica suicide bomber vests!

Of course, if it was up to me though, they would sell and rent real guns at airports so all passengers could be armed to defend themselves. Then though, I suppose they'd have to close down all the airport bars and stop serving alcohol on the flights. Decisions, decisions...

All the best,
Glenn B

A Reminder For The Older Voters...

...among us. Then again, it is also for younger voters even if they don't know the bear pictured.

Hat tip to Colette D.

All the best,
Glenn B

A Common Denominator

While it doesn't list enough of their heinous vile deeds, it says it all as far as I am concerned about Islam.

All the best,

Glenn B

Black Sabath Was...

...smashing but their performance way too short. It lasted all of 1 hours 20 minutes with a 10-15 minute solo by the drummer included in there while the rest of the band took a break. Great show by Ozzy and the rest of them just a pitifully brief performance considering the tickets were about $200 each!

What the hell, I have to say the music was excellent regardless of the brevity of the show. The best thing about it was that Brendan loved it and thought they were awesome. Nothing better than sharing things like that with your children, especially your now adult kids. I must have done something right.

I won't bore you with details of the show except to say that the first song was the fist song from their first and namesake album which in my opinion is the best album ever.

 

Brendan and I saw the show at Nikon Jones beach Theater on Wednesday night. Regardless of its brevity, it was the best concert we have seen in years.

 

All the best,

Glenn B

Groove Music Is Out

I just clicked on the saved version of God Bless America, sung by Kate Smith, that I have on my laptop. It opened with something called Groove Music which I am guessing is a media player that came with Windows 10 when I upgraded to that operating system. First thing I saw was a picture of the total arsehats extraordinaire  Kahn Yay East Kayne West on my laptop screen. Lest I should dishonor the memory of Kate Smith and God Bless America or maybe worse yet puke on my computer, I turned it off and reopened the song with Windows Media Player. I for one don't need to see images of a piece of shit like him anywhere within my field of view.

All the best,
Glenn B

GunBroker.com Raising Prices

GunBroker has announced that it is raising its fees for sellers using its site. The new fees will be: "...5% of the first $50 and 2.5% above that with no subscriptions, no minimums, and no insertion fees". Still not a bad deal but just like all else their services are getting more expensive. The new fees go into effect on 09/01/2016 for any item ending on or after that day. They did not mention if their fees for auction listing extras, like boldface titles, color headers or thumbnail pics are going up too.

All the best,
Glenn B

Sitting Here With My Son...

...listening to Rival Sons, the opening band for Black Sabbath at Nikon Jones Beach Theater.

The only way it can get better is when Ozzy walks out onto stage and starts crooning. Bet you never heard anyone else refer to his singing as crooning or to him as a crooner.

Anyway, the lead singer of Rival Sons just said that opening for Black Sabbath is somewhere between your first Christmas and the first time you opened a Playboy. Excellent sentiment for those of us whoever celebrated Christmas or looked at Playboy in our tender days long before the Internet and even before Hustler.

Pictures not loading, later for them. Phone almost dead, got to save some juice for Black Sabbath pics.

ALL the best,
 GB

Scheming Fuckers

This evening, I got a call from a guy claiming to be with Microsoft. He told me, in what sounded like a Pakistani accent, that my computer had a virus that was destroying my files and other computers. When I asked him to repeat himself, he said 'you are Mr. Battery aren't you' or something like that. He also again said something about my computer having malware. I told him that would mean I would have to have a computer and he went dumb, apparently never had anyone tell him that before. I could hear many voices, all probably scum like him and probably making similar scam phone calls, in the background. I hung up and suggest you do too if you receive a similar call from a fucker like him.

All the best,
Glenn B

Car Woes & Work For The Next 2 1/2 Weeks

I don't know if I will actually work for the next 13 business days but am scheduled to do so right now. I need the cash too, my car is in the shop and the estimated charges will be about $1,500.00 or virtually every penny I will get in my take home pay if I work all those days. My exhaust system was completely shot, including exhaust pipe, two catalytic converters and the muffler. Then there is an oil change, complete coolant system flush and a bit of electrical work. What a friggin bummer; I guess it is time for a new car but I will have to work an awful lot more before I have a down payment for that.

Luckily, I can take public transport for the first three days of work while the car is in the shop. My car should be done by Thursday allowing me to drive to another location for the two following weeks.

I need a drink.

All the best,
Glenn B

Olympic Gold Spread The Word

 

All the best,

GB

America Then And Now

Hat tip to Peter Q.

All the best,
Glenn B

A Stunning Development In Georgia

The governor of Georgia, who vetoed a bill allowing firearms carry on college campuses, has signed legislation allowing stun guns on college campuses.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/08/15/new-stun-gun-law-in-georgia-electrifies-concealed-carry-debate.html

All the best,
Glenn B

This May Well Be Ever So Correct

All the best,
Glenn B

Truthful 2016 Political Sign

I cannot add to that.

All the best,
GB

A Man Can Dream...

...can't he.

This certainly is one of mine and one of my son's I think!

Hat tip to John D.

All the best,
Glenn B

My Gun Collection Sure Has Grown Since 2009 (2009 = Obama's First Year As President)

Back in November 2009, I took a few pics of my guns for insurance purposes. They were not worth all that much relative to a collector type firearms or to larger collection of working/shooting guns but they were worth taking the pics to me. I just took a look at those pics and was reminded not only of how many fewer rifles, pistols and shotguns I had back then but something else also came to mind. While I don't normally think in pictures, this memory popped up in my head as a perfect picture of Obama looking like his arrogant smug self with words underneath saying something to the effect: President Obama Best Gun Salesman Ever. That may well be true because my gun collection certainly has grown since that year, which by the way was the first year of his presidency.

My pistols and revolver in November 2009. Because of new laws in NYS since
then I have had to remove several of those 15 round magazines from NY state.



The AK in the photo was not mine but a relatives. As with
my pistol mags, the 30 round rifle mags are now gone from
my stock after illegally being made illegal here in NY state.

 

My rimfire rifles back in Obama's first year as
president of these now tyrannized United States.

Take a look at the pics and count them yourself or take my word for it, I had 7 semi-automatic pistols, 1 revolver, 1 shotgun, and 12 rifles (the AK pictured was not mine) in 2009 and is no longer in my possession. Since then I have sold a few but also added several more to bring the count well above the one from back then. Sure, I may have bought a gun now and then but to get where I am at now you have to consider that I was driven to do so by the anti-gun hysteria in his country and especially in my home state of New York.

Where I am now is at a number considerably higher that a total of 21 guns. I now own 2 revolvers, 11 pistols, 5 shotguns and at least 20 rifles for a total of 38 firearms. (I may not be remembering one or two rifles but have 20 for sure, will have to count them again soon.) In addition (and then subtraction) I also bought another 3 shotguns in that period but sold them recently. Finally I also sold one rifle I owned in 2009 and another that I had purchased since 2009. Anyway, as I said, the total I own right now is 38 (+?). That is about an 81% increase in the number of firearms I own. I owe my incentive to buy many of them to President Obama's and Governor Cuomo's tyrannical rule in this country and state respectively.

I'll be selling a few of them soon, probably at least three pistols, one or two rifles and two shotguns. In fact, I have one shotgun for sale on GunBroker.com right now. It's not like I am depleting my arms holdings, it's just that I will need money to buy some others more to my needs and liking. Since I am not rich (need to check my last Powerball and Lotto tickets to even be sure of that - just checked still not rich), I need to sell some guns now and again to be able to buy new ones. 

All the best,
Glenn B

A Day At A Gun Auction or A Very Expensive Pheasant (Not Under Glass)

Spent a few hours Friday night at the Hessney auction house in Geneva, NY while looking over guns, ammo and other items they would have up for bids on Saturday. Having three pretty much unrushed hours to look things over in advance of the auction and then getting to look them over again a bit on the morning of the auction before bidding starts is much better than just looking them over hurriedly that morning. So, there I was on Friday evening strolling around at my leisure, looking at this and that, to see what I wanted to research online pricewise so I would not overly screw myself if I placed any high bids. I had already placed a few online bids, on items sight unseen, just to judge interest and was outbid on every one of them except a Beretta 950BS Jetfire pistol as new and unfired and in the box with papers. My bid on that held all the way through online bidding which closed shortly before the live auction began. Getting back to Friday evening, I also preregistered for the live bidding and they made sure to give me the same number as that for m online registration.
 
I wound up selecting several guns to bid on for Saturday after looking them over and then went back to my hotel where I checked prices online via Blue Book of Gun Values, GunBroker.com's current auctions and some other sources. After doing that for about 2 hours or so, I was fairly comfortable in the thought I would not go overboard on any firearms on which I planned to bid. I had also made up my mind not to bid on anything sight unseen or in other words on guns I had not bothered to look at during the preview but then had an impulse to bid on later.
 
Come Saturday morning, I got up later than I would have if I had not gone to the preview. I had a decent free breakfast, cooked to order, at the motel and after that I headed to the auction house. I was in no hurry both because I had already looked over those guns and ammo lots on which I planned to bid and I was already registered. I had also reserved myself a seat on Friday night, right up in the first row, just about the same exact seat I have been lucky enough to get in the past couple of auctions. With nothing to hurry me up, I took a leisurely drive there and arrived at about 815 instead of my usual 700 or 730. That was nice.
 
Once inside, I looked over the guns on which I planned to bid again. I wanted to assure no one damaged them and believe me I have seen folks drop them when looking them over. I also wanted to make sure none of the magazines disappeared. One of the rifles I saw during the preview was missing its magazine and that was not listed on the auction tag. That most likely meant that someone has swiped it because the are usually very careful to list a "no mag" on the tag if such if the case. All seemed in order and I looked around some more at the ammo and accessories they had up for bids. One thing I had not paid much attention to the night before were the lots in flat beer case like boxes. Most of those consisted on an assortment of things and one in particular caught my eye. Since they start calling or bids on accessories, archery equipment and fishing rods, reels and tackle, in a side room, before the main auction begins and then keep that bidding going once the firearms auction begins in the main hall - I hoped that they would come to one particular lot like that before they reached the first gun on which I wanted to bid (which was item 29).

Well, they went through a lot of lots fast, sold all the archery equipment, reloading equipment, and some other odds and ends and then started on the tale with the one thing in which I was interested. The thing was that by the time they got to that table, the main auction was well under way and only a few items away from number 29 - a new, unfired and in the box, Marlin 1895G Guide Gun. What they do with those miscellaneous lots and almost all the stuff on auction in that back room is to take bids on any item on a set of tables or in a certain area. In other words, you bid, and if you have the high bid, you can select whatever you want from that table or area, in addition you can select as many as you want of those lots and then pay your high bid times however many lots you want. One person beat me on the first set of bids. She is a dealer and I was shocked she did not take what I had wanted but took something of much less value and only took one lot. I am guessing she had missed what I was after.
 
The lot that caught my eye was box holding 5 B-Square scope mounts each for a different type of gun. They were all new, sealed in the plastic pack, and were not cheap. All are made of aircraft aluminum (as far as I am aware) and all come with scope rings and mounting hardware. I ran a quick Internet search for them and saw they retail for around $35 to $45 each or more for the shotgun mounts and about $25 for the Russian M44 mount. The Russian the Russian mount has been discontinued and might demand a higher price now.

After checking on them, I saw on one of the many monitors showing the current firearm up for bids in the main auction room that they were on the gun two before that Marlin I wanted to bid on. Time was tight but the second round of bidding for those table lots went off and I quickly had the high bid at $50. Could it be no one else had seen those scope mounts. I selected that lot and another guy standing there, who saw what I had bid on, said no one else had probably seen it or paid attention to it and added I had gotten a steal. I was quite happy. The mounts are: one for a Remington 870 12 gauge, another for a Mossberg 500 12 gauge, another for Winchester 1200 / 1300 / 1400 /1500 12 gauge shotguns, another for Ithaca 3 & 87 12 gauge shotguns and the last one for a Chinese 53 or Russian 44 rifle. The mounts for the shotguns look like they fit over and around the receivers, the one for the rifles looks as if may fit into the slot for the rear sight (that will take some checking to be sure). As it turned out, I walked out of the room just as the firearms auction finished up on lot 28 and moved onto 29, the one on which I wanted to bid. There was no need to worry though, a reluctant bidder outbid me at the last possible second and that rifle was not meant to be mine. His high bid was $525, I stopped at $500.
 
With the 10% buyer's premium added on plus sales tax, had my $500 bid been the high ne, I would have paid $591.25 in total for it, or $100.61 less than the least expensive local dealer in my area. Not a bad deal. Oh well...there were many more bids to be made. Of course, it costs me to go to the auction but I often buy more than one gun and some other items too. The savings on that one alone would have paid my gas both ways and left me about $50 for food or to put toward a motel. Since I enjoy going to the auctions, I kind of overlook those other expenses. Anyway, at least this time around, I used hotel points for a free night and that gun would have been well worth the $500; anything more though would have put it in the loss column if that would have been the only thing for which I had the high bid. As you can figure though, if I can sell some of those B-Square scope mounts I will have more than made up for the cost of the trip.
 
Moving on, I also bid on several other guns, the ones I did not have the high bids on were: CZ Model 512, a semi-auto rifle in 22 Magnum, new in the box; two different lots of one each Henry Golden Boy, 22WMR; Henry Lever in 22LR; Browning Citori Model 725 Feather 12 gauge; Franchi Renaissance Classic 12 gauge; Smith & Wesson Model 19-4 as new in the box, this one barely had a cylinder turn mark on it. It had a  high gloss finish and was and very beautiful revolver. I bid $450 (note I was bidding up to my max bid depending on where my bid fell relative to another bidder's bid I may have bid lower by $25 on any item an I only went over my limit once during the entire auction). I wish now that I had bid one more time on this one, it would have been worth it in the long run.
 
Others on which I bid but not enough, well only enough for me, were: Ruger 10/22 50th Anniversary edition with heavy hammer forged factory target barrel and a 4x16 scope; Henry Model 39A Golden in 22LR; both a Ruger Mini-14 and a Ruger Mni-30 Stainless; Keystone Arms Davy Cricket 22LR with black synthetic stock; a used but perfect looking Remington 1911R1; H&R Topper Model 88 12 gauge shotgun; Westernfield 12 gauge single shot shotgun; Mossberg Model 44 U.S.(a) {the one missing its magazine}; H&R Model 686 Convertible revolver with 22LR and 22WMR cylinders (all new in box). I came close on several but decided not to go over my limit.

Oh yeah, there was one other I did not wind, that Beretta 950BS Jetfire pistol in 25ACP that I mentioned above, I bid $275 on it online. Yes, that was a lot considering I would have to have it shipped to my dealer and pay a transfer fee plus the premium and tax or go back and pick it up in person on another day so I could get the necessary forms from my local PD (they used to give open forms so you did not need to do anything like that but stopped that practice a year or three ago). The Jetfire was wanted for personal sentimental reasons (I have owned 4 or 5 previous ones) and wanted another to fill that niche in my psyche demanding a real featherweight caliber. I was outbid just as the auctioneer was about to close bidding for it, he had the gavel in the air and was bringing I down when a woman behind me shouted out a bid at the last moment. She bid $275 on it ands she won it. Yes, I also had set my maximum bid at $275 online but as the live versus online bidding went, my online bid kicked so it wound up my most recent bid was at $250, thus to better me, she bid $275 which was my cut off (and I could have but was unwilling to go above that at the live auction). I would have had to bid another $25 to go higher for it but that would have been way too much for it with all other fees considered. It was just about in perfect condition too and I sure wish she would have kept her mouth shut but such goes the bidding at an auction!

I did bid a little bit above my preselected limit on one gun and wound up taking only that one rifle home with me  

My new toy is a Savage Model 93 (actually a Savage Model 93BVXP) in 22WMR with 3x12 illuminated reticle Harrier scope (a cheap scope but what the heck). It was auctioned in "as new" condition but without box or papers. It truly is pristine and apparently never fired other than maybe a test shot at the factory but if they did that then they cleaned it well. It has Savage's AccuTrigger, which on this model can b adjusted from 2.5 pounds to 4.5 pounds (if I remember right). The scope on it is also pristine. Today, I sent Savage a request for a hardcopy of the manual as opposed to just downloading a PDF file of it and as I understand they do honor such requests. I also ordered the AccuTrigger tension adjustment tool from then for $2.00 plus shipping. I was just thinking about it, this one will make ours a two Savage rifle household along with the Savage AXIS XP I got at a previous Hessney Auction. All in all, by my calculations, I spent about $100 to $120 less than I would have had I bought this model new at retail with that scope. Not a bad deal on a pristine rifle that's just missing the tension tool, box and papers. I should note, some firearms I buy with the idea of shooting them a bit then selling them for a small profit to help feed my addiction hobby. This one was not one of them, I bought this one with the idea of me and Brendan having a lot of shooty goodness fun with it and maybe using it for hunting. Time and a few range trips will tell.

I also picked up some other things including those B-Square mounts already mentioned, a new in plastic pack Remington Model 870 Express 20" slug barrel with rifle sights and 3" chamber, Remington Premiere Copper Sabot Slugs (8 boxes), a Kevin Johnson - DNZ Trading Company, C Series (tracker knives), 11" Damascus Steel tracker knife with 6" blade and 5" Pakka Wood (a composite) multicolored handle and it came with a nice with leather sheath. While the blade and sheath are marked DNZ, I see nothing to indicate that either was crafted by Kevin Johnson who is out of Idaho while DNZ is in California but I don't care either way. I got the knife probably as a gift for someone dear to me; early Christmas shopping.

I also had the high bid on a pheasant mount. I figured it would either look good in my son's room or in my brother-in-law Hans' new house (but I am not too sure how he feels about dead animals adorning his walls). Did I mention I had the high bid on it, apparently so high in fact that with the money I supposedly bid on it, you could fly first class to France, rent a limo and driver, go to a posh 5 star restaurant and have them wine and dine you with a main course of pheasant under glass and maybe still have a few bucks left over. I thought I had bid $22.50 on it and about a total of $750 on everything (including the buyer's premiums and tax on each item) but when I went o square my account, the lady at the counter told me I owed tem $3000 and change. No hesitation held back my tongue and I immediately told he there was no way my bill was for $3,000 and they must have added other bidder's charges to my account. She took it in stride, coolly looked at the computer screen studying y bill and then without missing a beat said to me "I bet you didn't bid $2,250.00 on a pheasant mount, did you"! No ma'am was about all I could say other than my bid had been $22.50. Someone forgot to put in the decimal point was all it was but it was enough to raise my blood pressure by several points or so I am guessing. The best thing about the pheasant though was right after I got it out of my car this afternoon, I brought it inside and told my wife "Here's your gift". She said "you're kidding" and I said "nope" and for a second or two I had her.

Now, I need to put some of those B-Square scope mounts up for sale on GunBroker to pay for the pheasant.

All the best,
Glenn B