Monty Hall Chooses The Prize Behind The Exit Curtain...

...and I can only hope for him that he has stepped through the threshold to Paradise. Monty Hall, co-creator and long time host of Let's Make A Deal, has made his last deal and has passed away from suspected heart failure at age 96. The man gave me a lot of laughs back when I was kid watching him and all the whackos on his show. I remember that the first show I saw on our very first color TV, back in the mid-sixties, was Let's Make A Deal. As we watched, I turned to my older brother and said in amazement - 'look at all the colors' (meaning of the audience's wild costumes) and my brother turned to me in in as sarcastic a voice as he could muster said something like 'what did you expect, it's color TV'! I just shut up and watched.

More on Monty Hall here.

All the best,
Glenn B

Offensive What?

 

All the best,

GB

Paladin Press Closing Shop

After 47 years in business - Paladin Press is closing shop. I think maybe I have ordered one or two books from them ever. Then again, I am guessing others may find them their go to book seller when it comes to firearms and training related books among others like those on knives, prepping, improvised weapons, fighting styles and so on. They are closing down at the end of the year, last sales on November 29th. They say to stay tuned for drastic price reductions. More info here: http://paladin-pressblog.com/2017/09/28/paladin-press-is-closing/

All the best,
Glenn B

First Armscor & Savage - Now Marlin

As I posted previously, I bought a Savage Model 93 about a year ago. There was a problem with the mags not seating properly. So, I sent it to Savage for warranty repair. It took some time but they supposedly repaired it and sent it back to me. When I received it, it was badly damaged. The shipping boxes were not damaged so it apparently was damaged at the Savage facility by them when they had it in for repair. I sent them a complaint, via their website. Along with the complaint I also sent before (on day I first shipped it to them for repair) and after (day I received it from them) pictures. They never responded to my complaint so I called them. The representative to whom I spoke had me send it in again, I am still awaiting a reply from them although their site says the issue has been resolved. If it has been resolved it would be nice of them to tell me about it.

As if that was not bad enough, I recently purchased a Marlin 1895GBL in 45-70 Government. The online sale went smoothly. I made the purchase in time to apply for a $100 rebate. The idiot that I was, when I picked up the rifle at my FFL, I did not have my reading glasses. So, I just gave it a quick once over and accepted it. Got it home where it sat for a week or three, finally took it out of box to give it a cleaning before an anticipated trip to the range (that never came about). While disassembling it for cleaning, I noted a screw was not seated properly. Apparently, the tenon it was screwed into did not have holes drilled properly and it looked as a simple replacement would fix it. I also noted that an internal part was rusted - it could be seen without disassembly when the lever was pulled away from receiver. I contacted Marlin and was told ship it to them. I sent it in. They received it.

They have had it about three weeks or a few days more. On Thursday, I sent Marlin an email requesting an update on Thursday. On the same day, Marlin left me a voicemail (did not realize it was there and only listened to it today) telling me that after their repairman had inspected my rifle, he determined it needs to be replaced. The representative was inquiring as to info for my local FFL so they can send me a replacement!

The same thing happened to me not all that long ago with an Armscor Rock Island Armory 1911. Sent the pistol in for repair and they replaced it it with a new one because something on the frame had not been machined properly!

I must be cursed. Then again, maybe I am blessed in as much as both the Armscor pistol and the Marlin will not catastrophically fail when I need them due to whatever were their defects. As for the Savage, I can only hope they send me a band new rifle of the same model and variation they damaged. At least I already received the $100 rebate check from Marlin!

All the best,
Glenn B

 

Detective Kristen Hearne - Taken Too Soon

Polk County, GA Detective Kristen Hearne was gunned down today after responding to a fellow officer's call for back-up when he was investigating a suspicious vehicle that turned out as having been reported stolen in TN. The suspects, a man and a woman, reportedly came out of the woods near the vehicle. At least one (reportedly the male) opened fire on both officers as the officers engaged them in conversation, mortally wounding Det. Hearne and injuring Officer David Goodrich who was shot in his body armor.

Det. Hearne is survived by her husband, her 3 year old son and her parents. She was only 29 years old with a mere 5 years on the job.

The suspected shooter reportedly had a previous arrest for methamphetamine and weapons charges in 2015 but was released last year! He has been arrested and was reportedly naked at the time of arrest. A female suspect was also arrested. More at the source.

My condolences to the family and loved ones of Det. Hearne. My wish for a speedy recovery for Officer Goodrich, both physically and spiritually.

All the best,
Glenn B

It's Friday Night...

...and my wife and daughter just went out to eat and have a few drinks. My son-in-law just took his son to the mall, my mother-in-law went to bed (go figure - before 6PM - but thank God for that), my son is living in Arkansas. What is a fella to do?

I may just have to go for a walk for health reasons. Along the way, I may wander into a bar; that is if I just so happen to come across one in my travels. When I leave it (if I just happen to find one along my way), I will continue my walk and who knows - I may find and walk into another bar. If I find enough of them and walk into them, I may have to crawl out of, and to home, from the last one.

Is that what they call a Pub Crawl?

Later for U,
Glenn B

Not Bad Shooting...

...considering I have not fired a .38 revolver more than twice in over 10 years. Yes, I do shoot my S&W Model 17-8 now and then but that is in 22LR but it has probably been close to a year since I last shot it. I also have shot my Ruger Redhawk 44 Magnum a few to several times in the last year and a half but certainly never will shoot it like this:

Five out of six shots through one tight hole. Not bad shooting for an old geezer I suppose. I admit it was only at 7 yards but I am happy with it.

I thought I  could not come close to that again in my remaining lifetime but then two attempts later I did this and while not quite as good, it came close:

The funny thing is that the flyer on each was my last shot at each target. Practice may make it better and maybe in the not too distant future I will put all 6 through one hole; although, I have to say, I doubt it.

All the best,
Glenn B

Hef Off To The Playboy Mansion in The Sky

A fairly young Hefner with his Bunnies.

Hugh Hefner, indubitably a man responsible for fanning the flames of preteen, teenage and adult males around the world with his publication Playboy Magazine has passed at the age of 91, more at the source. If I could imagine anyone meeting death with a smile on his face, Hef (as was his nickname) always - and I do mean always - seemed to be a happy man. If you know anything about him and his lifestyle then there should be little reason to doubt that and no question about why he was happy. To be able to surround yourself in a lavish mansion by a bevy of nonstop and beautiful Playboy Bunnies would be sure to keep many a real man happy.



An older Hef, still smiling, can you guess why!

His magazine, Playboy, at first showed partial nude female models in seductive poses but also included serious articles about current events and societal concerns. I remember sneaking peaks of my Godfather's Playboy mags and calendars many a time (and he and my godmother knew I was doing it) when I was in my late preteen and young teenaged years. Oddly enough, while I liked the photos of semi-naked women and later fully nude models, sometimes even at an early age I read the articles. My favorite features though were the Varga Girls. The Varga Girls was a collection of absolutely stunning pinup paintings or drawings by Antonio Vargas (and yes they were called the Varga Girls not the Vargas Girls). He came to fame in Esquire magazine and was later hired on by Hefner to work for Playboy in 1959. He produced over 150 pinup prints for Playboy from 1959 through sometime in the 80s. There was at least one such print in each edition of Playboy, usually with a catchy and funny but seductive caption accompanying it. I have to admit, I was sometimes more enamored by those pinups than by the photos of the semi-nude or nude models. 
 
The other regular feature of Playboy that I always enjoyed was the jokes which contained several jokes as well as, often if not always, containing a limerick too as best I can recall. It is funny how something from so long ago was able to make a lasting impression on me as did one of the so called limericks. As best I remember it went something like this:
 
There once was a woman who begat,
she had three children Nat, Pat and Tat.
The fun was in breeding,
but not with the feeding,
when she found she had no tit for Tat.

Of course, besides the magazine (and because of its success), he built and based his empire at the Playboy Mansion. I can say, I would not mind having a place like that and being able to fill it with Bunnies and to also afford it for most of my life. I believe he sold it in 2016 with the condition that he be allowed to remain living there.

The Playboy Mansion.

He also opened the Playboy Club, a posh and expensive gentleman's club (not a strip joint) in Midtown Manhattan, as I recall on 57th street just west of 5th Avenue (I used to pass it frequently and wish I could get inside). More followed around the world. That lasted for quite a time but nowhere nearly as long as did the magazine and the rest of his empire.
 
I read Playboy fairly regularly up through my mid to late twenties. It got to the point somewhere in there where it just no longer seemed the same and lost some of its appeal. I guess I still read it now and then but by the time I reached my mid-thirties, I got married and that was the end of it for me. I have to hand it to Hugh Hefner though - it was a masterpiece and his lifestyle was one that teenaged boys and grown men around the world coveted.

An air of utter contentment.

I have to say, I do not think I ever saw a man smiling as much or as contentedly as did he. Nor did I ever see a man with as many reasons to smile as he. He knew what he had and he enjoyed it as long as possible; he allegedly was a big fan of Viagra up through his mid eighties. He was 91 when he passed but something tells me his mind's eye still held onto an image of himself as being a happy go lucky young lad in his twenties.

Rest in peace Hef.

All the best,
Glenn B

It's Time To Cull...

...blogs from my blogroll. As you know, if you have ever looked at my blogrolls, I in essence have three of them. There is one with links to the blogs of bloggers I have met, one with links to the blogs of bloggers who have had the courtesy to link to my page once I linked to theirs (or vice versa) and yet another one with links to the blogs of bloggers I find worthy even though they have not given me a reciprocal link. Well, after having some of the later links in my blogroll for years, I have decided that it is time to remove the links to the blogs of freeloaders who have not given me a reciprocal courtesy link in their blogs.

Now, while I am going to remove some of the links, it will not be all of them who do not link reciprocally. If another blogger, for some reason, does not have a blogroll at all, it is likely I will not remove that blog from my link list. On the other hand if a blogger, to whose blog I have supplied a link, has a blogroll on his or her blog to the blogs of other bloggers but has decided for whatever reason to leave mine off of the list I look at it as - why should link to them!

This is absolutely nothing personal and was not instigated by anyone from any of these blogs doing anything in particular. Instead what got me to even consider this, let alone do it, was other bloggers seemingly not doing something by lacking common courtesy. I, for one, am absolutely sick of folks who claim to be conservatives or libertarians or good guys/gals but yet who lack what was once known as common courtesy. Today, the whole ideal of common courtesy is quite uncommon and I truly believe there is no reason for me to support anyone who exercises the lack of it. So when they have other bloggers of their choosing on a blogroll but not a reciprocal link to mine, I have come to the conclusion why bother with them.

Yes, they can pick and choose whomever they desire to place onto their blogroll. The again, that is no excuse for not exercising reciprocal and or common courtesy. In other words, no respect deserves likewise and thus there is no reason for me to show them any measure of respect by keeping their blogs on my blog roll. Not that they give a rat's arse about me doing so but it gives me some measure of satisfaction to drain the swamp my link lists of those who lack what should be a common trait among us all.

If you are thinking it possible that any of he folks I am removing from my blogroll are unaware that I link to them, I made several, if not the great majority, of them aware of it over the years. If someone whose blog is being removed would like to see a link to their blog continue in my blogroll, please let me know and if you offer to do a reciprocal link I will relink to your blog. Along these same lines, if there is anyone out there who has my blog on their blogroll and I have not reciprocated, it is likely that is because I am unaware of such so please let me know and if there is not a gross idealistic conflict of interest that may preclude such, I will gladly give you a link.

So, at least for now, out are:

Irons In The Fire

Lurking Rhythmically

The Bearded Backyarder

Peace or Freedom

Sharp As A Marble

The Smallest Minority

hellinahandbasket

dad's deadpool blog

Doubletroubletwo

In Jennifer's Head

The Gundoc's Doctrine (Blog deleted by the authors)

Tales From The Clothesline and the blog it merged or morphed into Haze Gray and Red Clay

A Man, A Dog And A Gun

Random Nuclear Strikes

Gun Pundit

Home On The Range

That is all,
Glenn B



 

Leftists Were One Of The Reasons I Moved Out Of NYC...

...and as you can see from this linked article about NYC Council scum sitting for the national anthem (eve to lazy to kneel) - nothing there has changed since I moved away about 23 years ago. Well, that is nothing has changed except that it has gotten much worse as in more akin to an anti-American communist Utopia. Fuck them! Now if only my wife would agree to leave NYS altogether, we could be living in, and enjoying, Paradise in a freer state!

All the best,
Glenn B

Get A Job





 

A job will put money in your pocket and the longer your tenure and harder you work, while playing by the rules of your employer, you should see rewards in the form of raises, promotions and possibly bonuses come your way.

 

All the best,

GB

Calibers - How Many

On a gun forum of which I am a member, someone requested feedback on the following:

"A question came to me regarding how many different calibers is practical for one to own and I'd like to get some feedback here as to how you approach it."

The thread starter was concerned with whether or not people limit their gun purchases to only a select few calibers for whatever reasons and mentioned a few.

My reply consisted of the following seven sentences:

"I have pistols and rifles in 18 different calibers and also have shotguns guns in two gauges. I have ammo for all of them. I have shot all but one caliber because a brand new gun, in a new caliber for me, is in for warranty work. When it comes back to me, it will go to the range pronto. I foresee getting other firearms in other various calibers. I have also had weapons in at least three other calibers than the ones I have now but sold them. There are never enough so long as you believe that variety is the spice of life."

I don't know whether or not I have ever said it better, than I did in that last sentence, as to why I own so many different caliber firearms. And note, I was only writing about those firearms I own or have owned that accept cartridges as opposed to any muzzle loaders I have or have had in the past. I must say, variety really does spice it up a bit when it comes to shooting and my guess would be that many of you agree with me on that. I mean, I just mean - who in hell gives a rat's arse whether or not it is practical to own firearms in many different calibers so long as it's fun!
 
All the best,
Glenn B

 

Clinton's New Book...

...but to see it you have to look behind the cover (pun intended). Nothing obscene, no nudity, nothing from which you need to shield your eyes, just Clinton's new book plain and simple.

Yugo SKS Range Report

I took my new Yugoslavian SKS, the one I picked up at auction on Saturday, to the local indoor range last night. Yeah, I know, I must be slipping out of my role as The Great Procrastinator. Shooting it that soon after buying it must be a new speed record for me, at least in recent years.

Last night, I put 100 rounds through it. Most of the first 20 rounds, all Wolf Military Classic 124 grain HP ammo, did not go where I thought I was aiming. I fired 10 rounds using my weak reading glasses, the ones I wear for distance vision. Then switched, for the next 10 rounds, to the glasses I use for reading - 3.00 magnifiers. What a difference in vision but it did at all change the point of impact for my shots.

As most shooters do, I also did - I refused to think it was me causing the errant shots. So, I tried some Brown Bear 124 grain FMJ ammo on a new target. I fired 10 rounds, checked the target and saw everything was going just about where I was aiming but a little too spread out. I was convinced it had been the Wolf ammo that caused the other shots to be so far off their mark or maybe me getting my eyes used to focusing on the front sight with the right pair of glasses.

As I was shooting the Brown Bear ammo though, I noticed something I had not seen before - what looked like a burr on the front sight that I had not noticed before then. Before firing another 10 rounds of it, I stuck my booger picker under the sight hood to see if it was indeed a burr and wound up with a small blob of dirty gunk on my finger tip. Ah- ha! I fired the next ten shots with much improvement and they were all pretty much going where I was aiming. All I can think as that the blob of gunk had been causing me to shift my sight alignment a bit and was throwing off my aim. My guess is it may have been bigger when I started shooting and can only think it may also have been larger and more formed to the front sight and some had come off, due to recoil, allowing me to see it was there. I am 99% certain that was most of the problem because I then went back to the Wolf ammo and they too were now hitting the mark. Of course the glasses may have had something to do with it but I changed back and forth between them on that second target. I shot another 50 rounds for a total of 60 rounds into that second target. This was the result:

It can shoot!

After that, I fired another 20 rounds out of it, this time Wolf Performance 154 grain SP on a third target. They went down range well too and wound up where I was aiming.

The only issues I had, other than for the first 20 shots being off seemingly due to that blob of gunk, was that there were three or four instances of the last round failing to feed properly. That could be a magazine spring issue. It happened when I shifted my hold with my left hand that had been under the mag and thus pushing up on it. I had it centered on the bottom of the mag for most of my shots but changed it a few times and while my left hand still supported the rifle it was not on the center of the magazine and that is when it failed to feed the last round. When I moved it back to the center of the mag, the problem stopped. 

It is possible the magazine or its spring could use some tweaking. Since it was always on the last round and since my supporting the gun with my left hand centered on the mag pushed the magazine up a bit when all rounds fed, and then when my left hand was not centered on the mag the last rounds did not feed, I think the likely culprit is the magazine follower spring not having enough oomph. I may have to research this a bit and buy a new spring to see if there is any improvement. If not, then back to square one. Now to find one.

Anyway, I like it, it is a shooter.

All the best,
Glenn B

This Is Why You Don't Fuck Around With Guns

Pointing guns where they should not be pointed could have dire consequences and no one says it better than does Johnny Cash in: I Hung My Head:



All the best,
GB

Post Road Trip Report (or my reason for not blogging for 4 days)

On Wednesday last, I took a drive to the north western side of the Catskill Mountains to partake in the early black bear hunt. I left kind of late that day but still got in a few hours of scouting for bear (and for good deer hunting spots). I was out the woods only a short time where, maybe after only about 10-15 minutes of hiking along some old logging roads, I found this:

Clear evidence of bear in the neighborhood.

 There were bear around for sure but just in case you missed it in the first photo, here is a close-up.

Surprisingly to me, there were no seeds evident in this bear scat.
At this time of year they eat lots of a variety of late berries.

I hiked to the top or near to it of a mountain, sat down and took a break after wiping the sweat from my brow. I have to admit, I am not in great shape and I was carrying my 870, had my Redhawk strapped to my hip, and was hauling a pack weighing about 15 to 20 pounds (much of that in bottled water but I had enough of everything to survive a few days if I fell and broke something and could not walk out). Once I was seated and drank a bottle or so of water, I got to thinking - what in Hades was I about to do with a bear if I shot one! Sure, I could drag out a small one, or go and get help from the locals to drag out a bigger one but I figured by the time I got it to my car, it might well be ruined due to the heat. It had to be about 85 degrees and just about as humid as it can get in NY state! If I had gotten one, I would have had to skin it and at least quarter it in the field (and was not prepared to quarter it unless my K-Bar could do the trick) so as to cool it off enough to prevent the meat from spoiling. Regardless, I saw no bear, just bear sign, a few possible bear tracks and some scat. Hell, even the squirrels were absent - and that even where there was plenty of evidence of them having fed on acorns from the oaks that were all around me. The forest floor was littered with acorn husks and caps and with many small branches with several fresh leaves still attached to each. Apparently the squirrels had broken off the branch tips while getting those delectable acorns. I had been planning on camping there to continue the hunt the next day but the heat, the lack of critter activity, the worry about what to do if I got a bear, along with my sweaty brow, was enough to convince me - no more warm weather bear hunting. Add to all that, by the time I was back down at my car, it was too damned late to look for a suitable camp site. Off I went.
 
I moved west to Binghamton and set up camp in Motel 6 for two nights. At least they had air conditioning. They were also close to some state land I have hunted before, well 20 miles or so away but that is relatively closer than from my hone to the state forest. On Thursday, I went to Cascade Valley State Forest and did some deer and bear scouting while carrying the 870 again. This time though I had changed from the 20" barrel to a 28" and I was loaded for squirrel. Yes I had the Redhawk just in case. I saw very little deer sign, some bear sign and also squirrel sign. The only critters I saw though were chipmunks. Even the birds were taking a break from the heat as I saw almost none flittering about, it was as hot as the day before or hotter and all God's furry and feathered creatures except for the chipmunks seemed to be taking a break. I did see several amphibians in the form of three species of frogs, one salamander and one red eft. Go figure, but they were all near water if not in it so able to cool off if need be.



Neat little Spring Peeper.

Again, I saw a lot of squirrel sign same as I saw in the Catskills. I also saw the same type of bear sign, a couple of big piles of it. This time each plop was loaded down with seeds/pits. My guess is the bear that left it was a bigger bear than the one whose scat I saw in the Catskills and here is why I guess it:



Not the biggest pile of it I've ever seen but much bigger than the one the day
 before in the Catskills, note it's a size 12 boot. I 'd like to come across the
bear that left it so long as I was armed well and saw it before it saw me.

Probably one of the sources of the seeds in that bear scat were small trees and bushes in the area and loaded with small fruit like this:

I've no clue as to what type berry bush is this but they were abundant as
were some small trees with orange berries and big sharp pointy thorns.

As for deer sign, there was very little of it but I found some in a spot I have hunted before and I expect I will hunt this year. I also found a new spot, a fairly nice clearing in the middle of the woods with some deer sign in and around it. At one edge of that clearing is a nice mature apple tree full of apples. I will be hunting there too - I am about as certain as one can be on that. I hope I get to go there during the early part of the crossbow season when apples may still be on the branches.
 
On Friday , I headed northwest to Geneva, NY for the Hessney Auction preview that afternoon and for the auction on Saturday. More info on the auction in my post immediately prior to this one. I went to the preview, only the first or maybe second time I have ever been there for all 3 hours of it and took my time checking out the auction lots. Well, actually, I stayed for about 2 hours and 45 minute. Then it was off to my motel in Canandaigua, NY about 20 miles west of Geneva. Only motel available that close, with rooms and with an almost reasonable rate. Hoofed over to and hung out in a local watering hole for a while until the bartender or a customer stole some of my cash off of the bar, when I mentioned it to him he was smug and nasty and no reason to be so unless he was a guilty fucker as I saw it. I him to go fuck himself and left. Since it happened twice, I was pretty sure it was the bartender as different patrons were there earlier when it first happened than when it happened a second time with completely different group of people at the bar. He was the only common denominator except me being stupid enough to leave cash on the bar after the first time. It wasn't much but enough to piss me off yet not enough to have me causing much of a scene over it so I hoofed it back to the motel without getting myself in trouble.
 
Next day, off to Geneva for the auction - a bit later than I expected but then again I remembered I did not have to be there early for the preview that day immediately prior to the commencement of bidding. I got there with plenty of time even though door opened at 0830 and I strolled in around 0915. had my seat reserved in the front row, something I did on Friday night, and was set to have a good time. This Hessney auction was great but was different too. It was an Early - Modern Gun and Military Auction and this time, as opposed to some others billed the same way that had few old guns and fewer military items, there were a very high number of military items for sale including firearms like M1 Garands and M1 Carbines. As usual the auction house staff were friendly, courteous and just all around good folks. I had an excellent time there, a better time than going to a gun store or a gun show.
 
Drove home last nigh despite being pretty pooped when I left the auction house. A decent meal gave me the impetus to make the whole 6 or so hours drive (Geneva is about 320 miles from my place). I didn't even doze off for a few seconds while driving either! ;>)

All the best,
Glenn B

Cleaning A Yugo SKS - How Many Cotton Swabs Does It Take?

I don't know about you but I use long handled cotton swabs when cleaning my guns - they get into a lot of places that would otherwise be almost impossible to reach and clean. Today I cleaned my new Yugoslavian SKS, yes the type of SKS with the integral grenade launcher although I am not sure of the exact model designation M59/66 or M59/66A1 but will check on that later.

My new Yugoslavian SKS, not a bad looking rifle at all.

I have not disassembled my original Yugo SKS in way too long so I needed help in making sure I got things right with the new one. While I could have gone to you tube and enjoyed (or suffered though) a video about how to do it, I decided to look for my old tried and true Surplusrifle.com CDs and look for their manual on how to disassemble a Chinese SKS. Granted, it is different from the Yugo edition because the Chinese does not have an integral 
grenade launcher and related parts but those parts are as easy as pie to take apart. Anyway, the CD helped me move along without a glitch. Before moving on, let me say just one thing on glitches with taking apart an SKS - when they warn you to be careful when removing the gas piston extension and its spring they mean it. I thought I had the hole covered but my grip must have shifted a bit and the darned things shot out of there with the speed of light, hit a door a few feet to my right and bounced back right on my desk where my laptop was sitting. I am happy that made the parts easy to find and am ecstatic that they did not hit the laptop's monitor cause they would have done damage. Learn from my mistake - make sure cover that hole to prevent the parts from flying out.

Otherwise, everything went well and I did 95% plus of a detail strip. The only thing I did not disassemble for cleaning was the trigger group. It seemed to be pretty clean. As for the remainder of the gun, there was virtually no Cosmoline inside if it and note I said virtually as I did find a dab of it at the back of the receiver cover. From the look of it, I would say that when first purchased by its prior owner it was in almost new condition and I do not mean factory refinished either. It may have been fired some when issued if ever issued but not much. Once the first owner had it, he evidently fired it infrequently. I am guessing it was so infrequently as to have shot with it only once, or maybe a few times at most, and then maybe he gave it a field cleaning or maybe not.

He should have detail stripped it and cleaned it after he fired it, if indeed he did fire it and it looks as maybe he did so as many as three times but apparently did not detail strip and clean it. The trigger group was clean but despite that, a lot of the SKS was a bit fouled to pretty damned filthy. The pretty filthy parts are what make me think it was fired a couple to few times or that at least a darned good amount of rounds was fired through it if only fired once. The lack of any heavy wear on most of the rifle's action parts with most wear seeming to be from banging around in a crate,  or getting put into and taken out of a gun cabinet, is what makes me think it was fired only a minimal amount of times. It does not look like new now but is certainly 95% or better. My guess though would be that at least 500 rounds went down the bore of this one and that accounted for the badly fouled internal parts. Again though, it was probably not more than that or at most 1K of rounds fired through it since there is so little wear on parts in the receiver.

So where was the dirt? The bore was fouled a bit with gunpowder and primer fouling and with copper. As said above, the action was also only a bit fouled. That made me guess it was given a basic cleaning after shooting it and the remaining fouling leeched out after cleaning or that it also was fired and cleaned, then fired a subsequent time, with only a small amount of ammo going through it, and not given a field cleaning after the subsequent shooting with it.

Whether or not what I surmise is correct, it needed a good cleaning. The gas piston end was very carbonized o its face and took quite the bit of scrubbing with a brass brush and patches after several good soakings in solvent. The gas piston tube also was filthy. So too were the gas piston extension and its tube. The gas shut off valve, gas shut off button and its spring were badly fouled as was the housing for them (making me think a good number of rounds went through this one) and it just got the field cleaning of the action and bore. As for the question in this post's title and opening line - it took a lot of cotton swabs to get most all of the fouling out of parts that I could not otherwise have reached. Almost half of what I used of them went to cleaning the gas valve housing alone. That little booger hole was filthy!

If there is one set of things that can screw up the functioning of a Yugo SKS it is, I think, the gas valve assembly. Sure, other things can go wrong but when it comes to the action not operating properly it is among the first things I would check from the valve button being in the wrong position and allowing only for single shots (proper position for when using the grenade launcher) to it being so badly fouled as to not allow enough gas to get to the piston to operate the bolt assembly properly or at all.

Regardless of having to clean it, I have no cons to mention about the actual gun so far. The good things about it are that: I was able to pick it up at the Hessney Auction yesterday, I got it for an okay price as far as SKS rifles go lately, it is a Yugo SKS meaning no stamped parts, it was relatively easy to disassemble and clean, it is clean now and as I said it looks almost brand new. The metal wear is minimal and the wood is virtually pristine. It also has all matching original numbers. I said original numbers because there are also electro-penciled numbers and importer markings on the gun. It is a very nice SKS.

I made plenty of other bids at the auction yesterday but only picked up this one firearm. Sadly for me, I did not have the high bid of the Yugo SKS they auctioned off that did not have an integral grenade launcher. That was a nice gun as well as the one I got but when the bidding brought me to a point where my next bid would have been $50 above what I had set as my limit, I bowed out. It pays not to go overboard when bidding at auctions or should I say - it sucks the money out of your pocket and pays the auctioneer nicely 
while putting a smile on his face and too much of your money in his pocket if you do go in over your head.

The other things I picked up were two vintage bayonets for wall hangers, a box of firearms related books, and some ammo. The ammo consisted of three boxes of Remington 38 Special +P SJHP hard to impossible to find lately and the last going price I saw for them was about $28.00 per box of 50. I figure if they get them back in stock the price will be somewhat lower - maybe around $20 per box; I got them for $14.30 per, including the buyer's premium. I wish that they had had more of it. I also picked up 5 boxes of Sellier & Bellot 8x57 JS 196 grain FMJ (8mm Mauser) ammo. I  got that at a great price, much less than for half of what they go for at retail.

Now to get mine arse back to work by assembling it (nope have not done that yet). Then hopefully a range trip with it later today or tomorrow. Pause for reassembly...

OK, I got it back together and it was easier than I recall doing it with my other Yugo SKS; that is a good thing. The only part of assembly that seems to be a pain is getting the trigger group seated properly. I tried pushing it in place a few times and then just whacked it with the heel of my hand while holding it in place with the other. That worked like a charm. It is ready for the range to be test fired to make sure I reassembled it properly  and that it works and that it is a good shooter. I suppose that right after shooting it, I'll have to disassemble it, clean it and reassemble it, then test fire it again and just jeep the torturously monotonous cycle going until I am out of ammo for it - that may take me years to accomplish!

All in all, it was a good trip even if just to find out how many cotton swabs it takes to clean a Yugo SKS. Oh yeah, the actual number I used today, cleaning just that one SKS, was 56 and they were the type with a much larger cotton head than the usual Q-Tip type. I should buy stock in cotton futures.

All the best,
Glenn B
 

Sunken WWI Sub Found...

...and it is mostly intact with the bodies of its crew aboard.

See: http://www.foxnews.com/science/2017/09/19/german-world-war-submarine-discovered-intact-with-23-bodies-inside.html

While I am curious as to everything about this discovery, I am intrigued by and anxious to find out what small arms are found aboard and the condition of them.

All the best, 

Glenn B

You May Have Noticed, I Have Not Been Blogging As Much About...

...what the mud slinging media or anyone else like One America News Network (slowly but surely becoming my favorite media outlet) has to say about world events lately. That is mostly because I am sick of all the psycho shot that is going on - not only on the whackadoo left but also by those who claim to be on the right but are little more than RINOs (if they even qualify for that). The world has become a sick, sick place and I am beginning to think that if it's not going to be a true zombie apocalypse that befalls us then it is going to be the rapture in the form of idiots rising up and trying to destroy the world. Wait a moment, what am I saying, it is not like they are going to try to do it - the fact is they are already doing it. It truly is time to prepare for the end because even if it is not on September 23rd as some religious nincompoops are claiming, it is sure to hit us and hit us hard sooner than later.

That is all except to say:

All the best,
Glenn B

Getting Away...

...to go hunting during the early bear season has been impossible so far and there are only six days left in the season after today. I was all set to go tomorrow but now it seems the electrician wants to come by to undo a screw-up on some prior work they did for us. They left me a message and I tried getting back to them but it seems they close early since I called them at 345 and they were gone for the day. Hopefully they will call me very early tomorrow and tell me they will be there by 9 or so. Otherwise it will be next week for them. I am leaving to go hunting tomorrow by hook, by crook or by way of a later appointment for the electrician. If they do not call me by about 830 in the morn, I will be gone and worry about it after the coming weekend.

This early season bear trip is more of a deer scouting trip than a bear hunt but since I will be exploring new woods in the area open for the early season bear hunt, I figured why not bring a bear gun or two. So, along comes the Ruger Redhawk in 44 magnum and probably my Remington 870. The 870 being quite the versatile gun, I can bear with one barrel and slugs or hunt squirrels with it too but only of course if I change barrels and ammo.

A day or two of that, Wednesday and Thursday (I hope), while camping out if the weather is good, and then off to Geneva, NY on Friday for the preview of the Hessney Auction. If the weather is not agreeable, I will hunt one day and then probably head to up to my brothers-in-law if they are home and amenable to be stopping over. I have a bottle of Redbreast Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey somewhere and it is for just such a trip to see them. Regardless, I need to be in Geneva by Friday at 3PM.

This time around, the Hessney Auction Co. is not their typical rod  gun auction but an Early Gun & Military Auction. While they have some new stuff up for sale there is going to be a good amount of military hardware & memorabilia, military weapons, older non-military firearms, collectible ammo and so forth. I cannot recall the last time, if ever there was a time, when I saw as many M1 Carbines for sale at one time in one place. They have 13 of them listed and also have about 5 Garands as well. I have always fancied picking up an M1 Carbine and a Garand but now they are pretty much out of the question since the prices have soared on them over the years. Who knows though - it is an auction and I might get lucky. The thing is, I would have to get very lucky to have the high bid on any of them. I probably would not bid more than $500 on each because I know very little about them or their values. As I said, I fancied doing it but I never really studied up on them. I will do as much as I can this evening into to late tonight in between 
packing my gear and guns & ammo for the trip.

I don't know how consecutive is the numbering of the auction items for this particular auction, sometimes this miss some numbers or have gaps in the numbering and at other times they add something between numbers such as adding Lot 141A between 141 and 142. Right now though, they start at number 1, skip # 2 and go through to 1,187. If they truly have that many lots up for sale, this will be one heck of an auction.

I really am not going with the goal of buying any guns. I have my sights set on some ammo they have for sale and if I can get it for a good price, it will be mine. Of course, if it just so happens I see a gun that really catches my eye, I will bid on it and may come home with yet another one. They do have one Remington Model 81, in 35 Remington, and I would love to bid on it when the time comes except for the fact that some arsehat someone did this to it:

Sometimes I cannot believe what people do to firearms
that were destined to, or already had, become classics.

 

I may bid on it and if I can get it at a low enough price, something where the cost of a replacement stock would not make the overall cost prohibitive, I may bring it home with me. 

 

Anyway, those are the plans for the rest of the week. Now, I need to get cracking if I ever expect to get out of here by sometime later tomorrow morning.

 

All the best,

Glenn B



 

Ammo Can Labelling - Why Have I Never Done This Before

There I was, a couple of days back or so ago, browsing blogs on my blogroll, when I came across this linked post over at The Miller that showed this photo:

 

I have seen better looking ammo shelves with ammo cans that were labelled in a similar fashion but this one was, for whatever reason, the one that got me to pull the trigger - or at least to press the keys of my label maker. It did not happen right away but today, a few days after seeing that pic, I was rummaging through some crap in my basement and moved the bag I use to carry stuff to my local herp society meetings. As I was doing so, I suddenly remembered that I had a label maker somewhere inside of it.

 

Almost as soon as I had though of it, I had the label maker in hand and the next thing I knew I was pulling out all of my ammo cans and labelling them. I labelled them to the calibers within, keeping it pretty to just basic info on the label like 45ACP JHP. I placed one label on the top front leading edge of the can and one at the top of the can latch on the front side of the can. After about an hour and a half or a bit more, I had all of my thirty eight 50 caliber cans labelled plus two spam cans of 7.62x39 and two spam cans of 7.62x54R. Of course, that does not include any of the ammo inside my ammo trunk.

 

What that is going to accomplish is to make it a lot easier for me to find an ammo can for which I am looking. If I get really ambitious, II can make it even easier by building a dedicated shelving unit for the cans. So, I may head to Home Depot later this evening and pick up some concrete block and boards to build a shelving unit on which to stack the ammo cans. Then, if I do buy some blocks and boards, I will probably also buy some paint to make it look half arsed acceptable to she who must be adored if not obeyed. I know from experience way back in my single life, when I had cinder block and board shelves as my living room furniture, that unpainted cinder blocks and unpainted wood are pain in the arse to keep clean and I am guessing painted ones would be much easier to maintain. Damn, where to put a shelving unit though is the big question so what I need to do first is to find a frigging place to plop it down.

 

One last thing: When labelling the cans, I decided to leave the two spam cans of TULA 7.62x39 ammo in the outer shipping / packaging boxes. When I picked up the first one, I heard a telltale rattle inside of it and knew that it was not the ammo. I sliced the tape on the box, peeled back the lid, and smiled when I saw the span can opener that was what had been doing the rattling. I opened the second box and found another one in there. Then it was decision time, leave them in the boxes or take them out and stash them where I am sure to find them when I open the cans. I took them out. before putting them in a secure location, I chose to label them too.

 

 

Damned things are almost as valuable as their weight in silver.

 

All the best,

Glenn B

 

My Absolute Favorite Album

Yeah, I know, I've posted this before and now I am posting it again. I think that the best album I have ever heard is Black Sabbath by Black Sabbath. To me, a guy who loves things like the music of The Talking Heads, Jefferson Airplane, Traffic, Hot Tuna, Simon & Garfunkel, Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie, Ten Years After,  Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, The Rolling Stones, The Doors, Led Zeppelin, Janis Joplin, The Grateful Dead and Vivaldi's The Four Seasons (probably the second best musical work I have ever had the pleasure to have had pass through my ears) - there is nothing better than the premiere album of Black Sabbath!

It was my great honor to be able to see Black Sabbath in their final tour last year at Jones Beach, NY. It was an honor because I saw them accompanied by my son Brendan. The honor was that he loved music that I had turned him onto when he was in high school and that at 26 1/2 years old he would still hang out with his old man at a concert! A good son is he.

Anyway, here is that album, for your listening pleasure:




26:36 is where the best part begins and it ends at 37:41 - my favorite part anyway. Then again, you need to listen to the whole album to truly appreciate it.

All the best,
Glenn B

Little Red Riding Hood - Adult Version Not Safe For Children or Work

Just to be nice to those of my readers who do not want to see something explicitly funny like this x-rated cartoon, I warned you in the title and am putting it behind this page, so to speak. You have to click on read more to see it:
 

North Korea's Missile Program On Fast-Track But How & Why!

North Korea is supposedly on the faster track than had been expected to a build-up of its nuclear arsenal and thus probably well on its way to a nuclear war. There are only two possible reasons that North Korea's nuclear weapons / missile program is on fast-track and both are interrelated.

1) First of all, it means they are getting a lot of help from another pre-existing nuclear power, a power that does not give a shit about the United Nations and its mandates nor about other nuclear powers. My guess is that would be China. It could be Russia but I tend to doubt it. (Yes, I know they got a lot of help from us via Bill Clinton but at least that has stopped.)

2) China is ready and probably willing to go to war if North Korea starts it. If they do, let's face it, it will not be as our ally. Fact is, they have been getting ready for war while the rest of the world has watched and done less about it than we have done to North Korea. The truth is that we have done virtually nothing to stop China from preparing for WWIII from their helping North Korea. It goes from the buildup of their own navy, to using their navy to harass vessels legally on the high seas, to claiming the open seas as Chinese territory, to the building of islands in the middle of those waters and then turning them into military bases. It all reeks of very similar moves made by Nazi Germany prior to WWII. Think of it, Germany did not attack the U.S., Japan did so once they were aligned with Germany as an Axis Power but Germany was more than happy to then join in against  us.

World War III may not be imminent but the Chinese are very patient antagonists and when the time is ready, there is no doubt in my mind, they will start WWIII by way of some piss ant country like North Korea staring it for them. A counterattack on the north will come to close to China or be seen as a threat by China and that will be al the excuse they need to join in against us - that is if they even wait for an excuse which I tend to doubt they would do. If the North Koreans are successful in striking a couple of major U.S. targets, it would bring us to our knees and give the Chinese all the incentive they needed to join in and finish us off.

I hope you are well prepared for it in your lifetime. I believe with all my being that it will take place within my lifetime, that is if I live at most another decade. I also think it probably will take place sooner than that. That is unless we find a way to avoid it and with the current crop of leftists, RINOs and other arsehats in DC, I see little hope we can prevent it.

All the best,
Glenn B

Please Vote In The Poll...

...at the end of the linked and brief article about the difficulty of getting a pistol license in NY.

http://wpdh.com/is-it-too-difficult-to-get-a-hand-gun-in-new-york-state-vote/

All the best,
Glenn B

War Story, I F-ck You Not

 

All the best,

Glenn B

Looters & Shooters

All the best,
GB

Cause of the Recent Hurricanes?

 

All the best,

GB

Imagine A Greener Zombie Apocalypse

By that title, I don't mean a zombie apocalypse in which the zombies skin appears greener or that the zombies will be spewing forth green gobs of gooey guts but one in the near future wherein we have become more politically correct regarding the environment. A near future by which time we have had an environmental revolution of sorts and all the screwball leftists who were dead set against fossil fuels (you know them - the global warming crowd, the manmade climate change crew, the freaks who want everything that works destroyed - those guys) have gotten all of the politicians to bow down and kiss their arses by outlawing the internal combustion engine and replacing any vehicle or machine that used them with ones that run on electrical battery power.

Now that I have gotten that out of the way, let me take you back to the  title of this piece and insist that you do just what it says. Not a sci-fi fan, find the zombie apocalypse a completely silly premise - okay then - you can imagine a greener hurricane evacuation and rescue response, a volcanic eruption evacuation, a tsunami evacuation, a nuclear power plant explosion evacuation, or even the outbreak of world war III with an invasion on U.S. soil and the resultant evacuation of the southern and or northern border areas. Pick one - heck pick Hurricane Irma. Just imagine it with electric cars and not one vehicle with an internal combustion engine. What do you see in your mind's eye, is it paradise or a nightmare?

The European Institute for Climate and Energy (EIKE) apparently thinks it would be the latter - a nightmare. Read about it here.

A hat tip and my thanks to Mike G for the link.

All the best,
Glenn B

Just When I Think I'll Be In The Black...

...because I have worked the last few weeks and been able to save some cash, I get hit with a couple of medical bills that took the wind out of my sails. Went in for a PET CT Scan on the advice of my ENT back in June or so. He seemed convinced I had cancer again or at least that is what he convinced me that he was thinking. He urged me to get the test done and said 'it is the best way to determine if the cancer has returned'. So what would yo do! Hell, I had the test done pronto. In July, I received an outpatient hospital
bill for the test in the amount of about $250; I also received a explanation of benefits from my insurer showing the same amount owed. In late August, or maybe it was earlier this month, I received another explanation of benefits from my insurer saying I owed $1,038.95 for the same thing. I called them and they confirmed they had recalculated, apparently because they had fucked up the first time around, and that was the number. On top of that, I also received another bill, this one for a doctor, in the amount of $71.34 for the same test. I now owe $1110.29 and that has caused me to dismay the dwindling bank account balance that I thought would be used for something nice like helping pay my property taxes! I guess that ain't happening and I will see the balance depleted by even more for that next month.

I suppose  should not complain about it. After all, I could be a welfare slug/drug dealer who would have the bill paid for in full by Obummer care and thus be putting the burden on taxpayers. I just couldn't see myself doing that no matter how much I profited by being a blood suck dirtbag.

Next time though that the doc recommends such n expensive test, I am telling him to opt for a regular CT scan or an MRI first and then only go with the more expensive test if either of those come out positive. Friggin doctors are getting as bad as lawyers when it comes to sucking you dry. I should go by some Powerball tickets.

All the best,
Glenn B

Just When I Think A Break Is In My Sights...

...I get reminded that after this week, I am also working on Monday of next week. Damn, that is just over 5 weeks of work - what is a retired guy to do! I am not complaining, really I am not because I certainly can use the cash; it's just I've had to keep changing my plans to go scouting for spots to hunt deer & bear this year. As it stands now, if I go during New York's early bear season up in the Catskill Mountains (open from September 9 - 24th) I will be going blind so to speak; I meant to get in quite a bit of scouting last month and this one too but was too tied up with work and could not get away.

Oh well, hopefully I can get some hunting in next week.  I would go on opening day this weekend but figure a longer trip than a day or to is in order so will wait until free from work. So, it sound likes Tuesday or Wednesday of next week may be my bear blast-off day. Not complaining just anxious to go!

What I will complain bout though is that the rifle I bought to use for hunting this year is damaged and in need of warranty repair. I am currently waiting for Marlin to give me an answer about what they will do to fix my Marlin 1895GBL.

All the best,
GB

A Terribly Good Beating...

...might not be legal but in my opinion it most certainly would be fitting punishment, along with life in prison - no chance of parole, for this guy if he is convicted of the crime he is alleged to have committed. That crime was reportedly the rape of a brain injured woman in a Bronx, NY hospital. More here at the source.

All the best,
GB

When Buying A Gun Look It Over Well

I recently purchased a Marlin 1895GBL in 45/70 Government. I was excited to make the purchase and ordered it online. I ordered it from an evidently reputable dealer who gave me excellent customer service and shipped it promptly in a factory sealed box. The rifle arrived at my FFL holder on a Monday, much sooner than expected because I had ordered it on Saturday just two days before. It had to sit at my FFL for a few days because I was tied up working each day and had no chance to pick it up until that Friday. When I went to pick it up at the dealer, I took it out of the box and gave it as good a going over as I could do. I said it that way because while I had my glasses with me, I had the wrong ones. I use a pair of glasses for distance and another pair for close up stuff like reading and there is quite the difference between how I see things depending on which pair is sitting on the bridge of my nose at the time. I had forgotten the strong reading glasses but figured the others were good enough - they were not.

Well, everything looked good except for the front sight cover which was not set right. All that required though was being snapped into place. Everything else looked okay and I accepted it and took it home where it sat in the box for about another 2 weeks or so. Just over two weeks later I got a chance to go to the range with it so I took it out of the box for the first time since getting home. I then proceeded to strip it for cleaning as per the manual. As I was handling it, my fingers wrapped around the forearm tip and I felt that the left side forearm tip tenon screw was protruding at an odd angle. I took a closer look, this time with my reading glasses in place. I saw the screw was askew and not fully seated.

I thought it was nothing but was I wrong. I tried screwing it in and it would not budge. I took it out and even that was not easy. I tried screwing it in several times and it would not go in right. I examined the forearm tip tenon more closely and the screw hole in it had a an uneven ring of metal around it and looked oblong as opposed to perfectly round and correctly drilled. My guess was that both the threads in the forearm tip tenon and on the forearm tip tenon screw were damaged when the rifle was assembled. I even tried the screw from the other side but neither would it screw into the left or damaged side.

Only have a photo of the right side but the screw in question is
on the opposite side of the one I circled, there is one per side.
The carrier assembly is inside the receiver above the lever.

I proceeded with the field strip to clean the rifle anyway but stopped shortly after when I noticed another problem. What appears to the carrier assembly is rusty. Yep, a part in a brand new gun evidently has rust on it. Marlin quite possibly does not make 'em the way they used to or should I blame Remington since I believe they took over Marlin.

I reported the problems and requested a warranty repair. So what did Marlin do? They sent me a "rear band screw" - or in other words a screw for another model rifle. I received that earlier this weekend. Last night,  I shot of an email to their customer service with a detailed description of the problems and asked them to notify me without delay as to how they plan to resolve the issues.

I hope they realize and admit this is indeed a warranty issue. I got this rifle at a great price and on top of that should be getting back a $100 rebate but I sure do not want to have to spend even a penny of that repairing a gun that was faulty from the factory. That would truly dishearten me about buying another Marlin. Let's face it, I have not had the best of luck with new guns lately; I sent a Savage Model 93 in for warranty repair - the mags would not fit securely. That gun was a pristine new gun and they returned it with muzzle 
gouges, scratches, dings and a cracked stock (thank goodness I have before and after pictures). I do not need any more headaches.

So, what is the moral to this story. Don't be an asshole like I was that day and inspect a rifle without exercising the utmost scrutiny. I should have gone home to get my correct eyeglasses or at least checked in my car for a spare pair (which I did have in the glove box but I was in sort of a hurry). Still though, it is not my fault it was damaged. That was a manufacturing glitch on the part of Marlin. Next time though, you can bet that the correct pair of anteojos will be sitting on the bridge of my nose where they belong, or I will drive home to get them, before I examine and accept any firearm from a dealer or anyone else.

All the best,
Glenn B