Saturday, February 27, 2021

Some Kansas Hunting

Brendan, my son, headed to Dexter, KS yesterday with some of his buddies, I am guessing from work, to go pheasant hunting. To my knowledge, other than clay pigeons, he's never been bird hunting before. 

They hunted at a private lodge today and he got his limit of ring-necked pheasants - which was 4 birds per hunter (damned expensive birds too, think it was $450 for the day). He said some of his pals did not even get off a shot and some others did not get the limit and others just missed their birds altogether. He got the most birds of anyone in the group. That he got his limit put a smile on my face for sure as did the fact that he got the most birds of anyone. That he told me "That 870 U got me went to work", about the Remington 870 Express combo gun, with laminate stock and 3" chambers, that I had given him several years ago also put a smile on my face. So far this year, with two guns I have given him, he has done very well on his hunts. Shot an 8 point buck (his first buck ever) earlier this year in AR with a Savage rifle I won I a raffle at a gun show and now the pheasants with the 870 I gave him. I think he also used the 870 last year when he got a doe in AR. Makes his pops proud, outstanding is all I can think about it!

 

That's his 870 with the wood stock. I am happy to see the chamber is open. 
 

Going to visit him later this week, hoping for a tasty meal.

All the best,
Glenn B

Friday, February 26, 2021

It Almost Brought Tears To My Eyes...

 ...when I was cleaning my Remington 870 Express Combo 12 gauge shotgun yesterday and I saw that there was a small crack in the wood of the buttstock on the bottom side where it meets the back of the trigger guard. It was never there before or at least, I do not remember it. While it sure looks like it soaked up more of the stain when I refinished it years ago, I would swear it was not there until now but then the little gray cells do not have the RAM capability they once had I suppose. 

The more I look at it, the more I think maybe it's been there awhile & I did not notice or forgot about it. It Still bothers the heck out of me, in as much as I am concerned it may expand and have a bad result.
 

I am guessing that maybe the wood treatment I used darkened it like that or maybe it was sweat from shooting it on a hot summer's day at the range last year (and man it was hot) or just whatever air and humidity to which it was exposed did so even though cased with desiccant in the case. I treat the wood regularly and never expected to it crack. Of course, that could be the result of firing it too. Many thousands of rounds have gone down its bores (has two changeable barrels), mostly 12 gauge slugs and 00 Buckshot but some bird and small game shot too.

I guess after 33 years 3 months & 15 days, anything was possible but I did not expect that. It's almost like a friend got hurt and is in need of care. It truly is virtually a friend and a long term one at that. I purchased my tried & true friend back on 11/11/1987 at Herman's Sporting Goods in Queens, NY and it definitely has been and remained among my favorites, in the top 5 if not the top 3 (maybe even number 1) over all those years. I carried it on the job on many an operation, in the field on many a hunting trip (took my first deer - an 8 point whitetail with it), my son hunted with it as well and we both used it on many a range trip including blogger-shoots in NH and West By God Virginia! Admittedly, in recent years, it has seen more of the inside of a case than it has of targets or deer downrange since the old shoulder cannot take the beatings it once was able to withstand with gleeful merriment but it still comes out a couple to few times a year to be shot with as much enthusiasm as ever.

Now, I am considering drilling a very small hole with a very small drill bit at the end of the crack to stop any further expansion. If anyone has had success or failure with that method of preventing a hairline crack from getting bigger, please chime in in the comments section. I may just leave it as is but really am concerned that it might continue to expand if left unchecked; so, if based on your experience, you think it best to leave it as is, please let me know likewise. The crack getting worse and possibly cause a piece of the wood to fall off would be catastrophic as far as I am concerned. So fixing it, to stop the crack in its tracks, is my thought for the moment but I do not want to make it worse while trying to do that. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

All the best,
Glenn B

Thursday, February 25, 2021

I Have Disposed Of All My Firearms Save One

Thus, I no longer carry a firearm. Since Joe Biden was elected, I have come to see the wisdom of his anti-gun crusader like rhetoric and have had an epiphany of sorts - it was like waking from a terrible dream to see the light of Paradise with Joe welcoming me to everlasting bliss. Can you say it with me: "Halleluja brothers & sisters, the only gun I need now is a double barreled shotgun to scare off would be home invaders and soon - I am sure - I and we will no longer need them". So with my thanks to Joe, I have disposed of all my other guns as I do not need them and thus no longer carry as the DB shotgun is only for home defense. I feel so much better now, truly I do. It's like I have been freed from the burden of ever having to defend myself, loved ones, innocent bystanders or our Constitution. It's like the weight of lead has been lifted from my soul. 

 Doesn't Joe wish it was actually so!

The truth is: All of the things I just mentioned, that I sarcastically said I've been released from the burden of protecting, are ones I will continue to defend; of course that means, I will remain armed as is my right. I am sure though that soon: many people, almost all firearms (ammo too) and the foundation of our law & government will be decreed as obsolete (or will be taxed to hell &  back) by Joe Biden, his followers and of course by his puppet masters (who will only come out of the shadows if they are successful but only sneaking out long after that). 

They are already trying to deem any of us, with political thoughts other than theirs, to be akin to The Obsolete Man by way of wanting to "reprogram us" (source), by cutting us (and our ideas) off from social media (common knowledge by now), by eliminating books they deem offensive (allegedly happening see this source but I have not seen other sources), by attempting to pressure television companies to eliminate access to conservative news media (source) - and then what? What will come next will quite possibly be either total elimination or assimilation or maybe something else but it most definitely will not be acceptance or tolerance of the right by the left!

Once we either have been eliminated or assimilated, the Constitution will be discarded or changed - so hideously as to be unrecognizable compared to its current form - by the current administration and replaced with a one party tyrannical manifesto akin to communism or nazism (I know, it is supposed to be in caps but why bother capitalizing evil).

Carry on and forever.

By the way, if you did not watch the full clip above, watch it all the way to end. What Rod Serling says is true today as it was then. Better yet, watch the entire episode: It's Season 2 - Episode 29, of The Twilight Zone (source). If you do not have possible access via something like Netflix or Amazon prime, you can purchase the episode at YouTube here. It truly is among the best of the best and Burgess Meredith, in the lead role, was outstanding as usual. Then again, Fritz Weaver, who played the chancellor, did a pretty good job too.

All the best,
Glenn B 

Wednesday, February 24, 2021

Federal American Eagle IRT 380 ACP Auto Ammo 70 Grain Lead Free Full Metal Jacket

I received a text message from Target Sports USA, just 5 minutes ago as I type these words, that Federal American Eagle IRT 380 ACP Auto Ammo 70 Grain Lead Free Full Metal Jacket was in stock. It took me 30 seconds or less to log onto their site at the page for that ammo. It was already out of stock. Amazing.

All the best,
Glenn B


Sunday, February 21, 2021

Are You Buying Ammo...

 ...or reloading components now at the current inflated prices and if not - why not?

I will admit, I have been making purchases at the exorbitant costs that face us now in the ammo market. When I can get ammunition at Academy Sports or at Walmart, I've been buying it there for the simple reason that their prices have been the lowest I have found anywhere on the ammo that I've bought over at least the last three months, if not longer. Academy Sports has a much larger selection than Walmart - my purchases at Walmart within the past few moths have amounted to several of 100 round range packs of 12 gauge, some bricks of 22 LR and maybe a box or three of 308. The thing is, I've not only been buying ammo at those two stores; and when I buy it elsewhere, it almost always is at a price so high that I would never have expected to pay that much for it within my lifetime, maybe even within two lifetimes should I be so lucky (and having beaten stage 4 throat cancer I guess I am that lucky).

Now, you may wonder why I am buying ammo at the current super high prices when I just said Academy Sports and Walmart sell it for less than just about anywhere else - much less and Academy Sports sells a large variety of what I want and need. Well, the truth is that Academy Sports, like anywhere else nowadays, does not get any specific type of ammunition in on a regular basis. They get some of this and some of that on one day, then something totally useless to me maybe two or three days later, then no ammo at all for a day or tree (talking weekdays as they usually do not receive new stock on weekends , at least by me). So, when I see something I think I should buy, I will sometimes buy it from an online dealer or sometimes even in an auction such as those at GunBroker.com. I wind up paying truly ridiculous prices when i do that - well, at least they were ridiculous prices a year or so go. Currently they are pretty much the standard prices unless I am lucky enough to find that which I want at Academy Sports. Still though, you may be wondering why keep buying - why not wait until the prices go down!

The prices may indeed go down but right now I doubt it and I also doubt that they will go down within at least the better part of the next 2 to 4 years under the Biden (or is it the Harris) administration. Sure the Republicans could retake control of the Senate in 2023 but even if so, there are so many of them who lean left (just look at how many wanted to impeach President Trump) that winning the Senate by a few seats might not be enough to actually control it. The only direction in which I see ammo prices going is up, up, up and away! Let's face it folks - Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and most, if not all, of the Biden administration members are anti-gun and anti-rights (especially the RKBA) zealots. They control the White House, the Senate and the House of Representatives - the whole ball of wax as they say. Biden has already announced his plans to outlaw AR-15s and similar firearms. Senator Charles Schumer, D-NY, has been attempting to institute a mega-tax on ammunition and firearms for decades. So far, it's all been to no avail but that is very likely to change as the Democrats have all the marbles right now.

A few or so months ago, my son and I got a couple of tables at a local gun show - that was well before the election in November. Since the election was imminent and since much of everything President Trump had done for the economy has suffered due to the leftist governors in states like NY shutting down the economy in their respective ultra-liberal states, I guessed that it was quite possible that President Trump could lose the election. People told me I was nuts, that I was a fool and that only an idiot could think Biden might win. Regardless of all that, I posted signs on the fronts of our tables to the effect: 'Buy Ammo Now Because If Biden Wins Prices Will Go Sky High', 'If the Dems Win The Senate Ammo Prices Will Surge', If The Dems Control the WH, The Senate & The House of Representatives They Will Tax Ammo At A 35 to 50% Rate'. Those were not exactly what my signs said, sadly I deleted the files containing them but that gives you the gist of them. I had several signs posted and people at the show would stop, read them and then laugh at them and at me. Only some very few said they made sense. At the subsequent shows, where we had tables, I did likewise and changed signs each time to fit in with what was going on with the changing political scene prior to the elections. Same result at each show, most people who stopped to read them just laughed. At least one guy told me he was a democrat and was going to vote for Biden but he knew Biden did not stand a chance of winning.

When Biden seemingly won, before all the voter fraud and such claims had been squashed or should I say ignored, I made the same pitch but then almost exclusively with regard to the runoff in GA for the Senate seats. Again - folks laughed but it seemed a little less so than they had laughed before it was apparent Biden was in. Still, they all  evidently thought there was no way that the conservative candidates (the two Republicans) could lose in Georgia. Still though, I was so determined to get my message across that people should buy ammo before it was too late that a couple or few of the signs even basically said - 'You Don't Need To Buy It From Me But Buy Ammo Now From Anyone Because If he Dems Win It Will Be Too Late'. I had another sign that essentially said: 'At Previous Shows You Laughed At My Signs When I Said Biden Might Win - Who Is Laughing Now'. Some folks seemed to get it, others did not and just complained the prices were too high. Granted, they were high but they have only gone up more since then. In fact, at a show after all the election results were in and the dems had won it all (whether legitimately or not) folks still did not get it.

What they did not get is that ammo prices are not going back to the so called normal prices any time soon, if ever again, but likely will just keep getting higher and higher. There is no shortage of ammo from what I can see. It is out there and keeps getting produced. The thing is it is purchased almost as soon as it becomes available in many cases despite those sky high prices. Most certainly, that is because some people are panicked but it also is because some people understand everything I just wrote; heck, maybe they are not panicked - maybe they are just smart. 

 Of course, it would have been smart to have been stocked up on ammo and other supplies & equipment before the COVID-19 pandemic made people buy everything from toilet paper to Lysol, to ammo like crazy. It would have been likewise to buy before the George Floyd killing and the resultant BLM & ANTIFA riots and insurrection (and it was and remains an insurrection without a doubt in my mind - just one that is pleasing to leftists as opposed to the riots at the Capitol on January 6 that scared the poop out of them and the RINOs). It also would have been wise to be stocked up on ammo before the elections in November but even if you had planned to do so, say six months in advance, it was already too late - the libs had decided months before to start buying what for years they tried to ban. The year 2020 was a record breaking year not just for firearms and toilet paper sales but for ammunition sales as well and the trend has not stopped. Prices keep getting worse and yet the buying frenzy is out of control. Soon, I expect 5.56 NATO will be selling for $1.50 to $2.00 per round (another sign of mine that was laughed at was that it would be going for a dollar a round - it's there right now).

So yes, I am buying ammo and all of that is why I am doing so. I had a good amount before all of this started. All along since the summer of 2019, I have been restocking ammo, ammo I had sold off before leaving NY when I moved to TX. Normally, I buy ammo as I can get it, pretty much regardless of the price. Of course, if I do not have the funds, I do not buy it but when I have the cash on hand I buy it as I can get it. Granted, lately, the amount of ammo I have been buying has slowed quite a bit but I still am making purchases because i think it prudent because of the current politically oppressive climate. Hell, they want to reprogram you if you supported President Trump.

My latest purchase was a bid of $705.00 plus $15 shipping on a case of 9mm FMJ of a brand I like - Sellier & Bellot. The same ammo was going for about $189.00 plus shipping a year or little longer ago. The thing is that the same ammo may be going for $1,500 or more by next year or sooner; that is my bet anyway if you will even be able to purcahse ammo legally by then. Of course, buying ammo now at these prices is a gamble but then that is just as not buying it is a also gamble. If the likes of Biden, Harris, Schumer, Pelosi, Romney and such have their way - you will either not be able to buy ammo at all or it will be taxed so high and restricted so much that you absolutely will not be able to afford even one round of it. Thus, I am still buying it now. I may lose a lot of money by purchasing it at these prices if the prices suddenly drop or I may wind up a very happy shootist in that I will have it if and when I need it. 

The way things have been going in this country, I am pretty sure we will be needing it sooner than later - just saying that is the way I see things going - not condoning a shooting war but if someone starts shooting at me and mine I aim to defend us.

All the best,
Glenn B

Friday, February 19, 2021

Officer Fires 12 Shots At Attacker...

...before dropping him and my guess is all of them hit. A friend of mine just sent me the link to an article and video of a police officer (or deputy) in Maryland shooting an apparently crazed guy who attacked him with a stick breaking it over the cops arm, all while the guy seemingly, to some, had a smile on his face. The officer allegedly tried his TAZER to no avail, then fired at the guy as he, the officer, backed away with the bad guy repeatedly trying to hit him with what remained of the stick. Reportedly the bad guy had also rammed a couple of vehicles before the officer arrived. 

The video is graphic and the commentary from the guy who made the video is filled with some cursing but I recommend you turn your sound on anyway. It shows, no matter how supportive is the public, many will not help an officer in such a situation. The guy making the video also states what is the bottom line in this case and says it more than once.

Good shoot as far as I can see - every shot he fired should be included under the header GOOD SHOOT when Internal Affairs investigates! 

Note, the guy was not grinning, as he appeared to some to be doing, anymore when he hit the ground and was writhing around. One has to wonder what were his thoughts at that moment, maybe something like: 'Why did I do that, I want a do over'. 

I do not know if this officer's department had been at all defunded but if so all I can say is thank goodness the police were not defunded to the point of not being able to supply ammo to their officers.

Good job officer - now get yourself into counseling. Then consider retiring. You look old enough to be a granddad - if so go enjoy your grand kids and or go fishing or something; it may be time to call it quits in this day and age of anti-cop hatred. Retirement is grand, take it from me.

More info at this link. Says the officer is a Sgt. on the job for 18 years, currently assigned to the Civil Section. He certainly did not act like a desk jockey - I must say he did it right in my professional and personal estimation. He may need another couple years before retirement and that would be a shame since he's earned it already - every penny of it.

All the best,
Glenn B

 

Thursday, February 18, 2021

I Don't Know How Many Pots Full...

 ...of snow it takes to make one potful of water and while I did not count, it seemed like at least 6 to 8. I wound up getting two Homer Buckets worth, about 3/4 or a bit more full, to use in the toilets when the need arises for a good strong flush. I've been getting the snow on my small patio but I kind of think there is enough for maybe one more and doubtful for two. So, that will mean getting the rest from the parking lot depending on how long our water at the apartment complex is shut off. A pipe burst and that was it for our ready supply of H2O. I had about16-18 gallon jugs full of the wet stuff for whatever emergency use it becomes needed but that supply has dwindled down by about 6  gallons already. I also have 11 cases of bottled water for drinking (edited to add: and lots of booze)!

So far not too bad. If the power goes out though we are screwed. I do not have a portable heater (kerosene or propane) nor do I have a generator with an electric heater. In the event of a power failure, I'd have to heat up the car, grab the tortoises and the mongrel Skye and hit the road headed toward my son's house. I really do not want to drive in this crap; the authorities here seem to have been totally unprepared for a snowfall like this and the ice that accompanied it so I have no clue as to the road conditions. I imagine though that they are hazardous. I suppose if very bad, I could make for the nearest motel with power and sneak in the critters. Maybe many folks would go to see if portable heaters were still available at Home Depot or Lowe's but the thought of burning kerosene or another combustible fuel inside my apartment does not appeal to what little good sense remains within my little gray cells and I know little to nothing about generators.

This post was edited/updated a bit on 02/19/2021

Stay warm and covid free.

All the best,
GB

Wednesday, February 17, 2021

RIP El Rushbo

 He will be missed, not just by me of course but by tens of millions of Americans if not b y all Americans. He was one of the most articulate people I have ever heard speak about being an American (as in being a U.S. Citizen or an alien who legally immigrated her with the intent of becoming a citizen). He was my kind of American, he truly lovedthis country.

I should not be in shock over his passing, we all knew it was imminent. I said to my son a week or two ago that I feared his passing was at very close hand because last I heard him on his show he was evidently in distress from talking. Then he was absent for about 3 or more weeks with only guests hosts doing the show. We all must die but it was a loss that I wish we did not need to suffer now at this critical point in our nation's history. 

I will miss him. RIP Rush - a mega dittos RIP at that.

All the best,
Glenn B

Saturday, February 13, 2021

Did I Say Something Recently About Selling Some Guns?

Yes, I am certain that I said so and then what did I do today but have the high bids on three Beretta pistols at an online auction. The pistols on which I had the high bids are: 

Beretta 92FS Compact with wood grips, one 10 round mag, as new in the box:

 



 
Beretta 70S in .380, as new in the box with 1 mag: 




Beretta Model 87 Target with two 10 round mags, as new in the case:
 

 



 
I had to pass on a few other Beretta pistols and a Beretta CX4 Storm Carbine when they went for higher than what I was willing to bid. I picked up the 70S and the 87 Target at good prices. I probably overpaid a bit for the 92FS compact but think I got very good deals on the 70S and the 87 Target considering recent sale prices I have seen on GunBroker for them. I will say though, in this case, the prices did not matter much as long as they were within my I want them that badly price range.

If the Beretta 92FS Compact shoots where I aim it, as do each of my other three 92 series pistols, it may become my daily carry. Then again, if pretty enough, I may just hide it in the safe and never shoot it. 

There were literally 33 Beretta firearms in this auction (Hessney.com). Two of those were shotguns, one was the carbine mentioned above and the remainder were handguns (all semi-auto pistols save one revolver). When I asked the auctioneer, Joe Hessney, about why there were so many Berettas, and why so many were listed "as new" in the box or case (which was the majority of the Beretta handguns), he confirmed my suspicions that they had come from a single collection. In fact, he told me that they were from a collector's estate in Rochester, NY and that the man's wife had told Joe: her husband bought them, fired most of them only once, cleaned them and put them away. Joe said she also told him that her husband had been attempting to collect all models of Beretta pistols and it looks like he was well on his way before that dream was cut short. RIP brother Beretta lover and rest assured I will take good care of them.

Now that these will set me back a bit more than just a pretty penny, I really have to get mine arse in gear and sell some others. More gun cleaning to do tomorrow or even later this afternoon (once the auction ends) to get them ready for sale. They are mostly all clean but it does not hurt to clean them again to make sure they sparkle before selling them. I only hope that the auction selling bug bites me as badly as did the auction bidding bug. Then again, I really used a lot of restraint on several other Berettas today and a few other firearms. Thus, I set my high bids and never went over except on the 92FS Compact and only went over my set high bid by $50.00  - it was, as were the other two, definitely on my I want these guns list.

All the best,
Glenn B

Friday, February 12, 2021

I Am Fairly Computer Literate...

 ... as they say. So, when my newly purchased refurbished HP ZBook G6 went on the fritz, I tried to fix it by doing a system restore to its earliest restore point. That failed a few to several times and I tried a complete reset of Windows 10. Thing is it told me I needed to insert the media with the recovery info on it, I thought I was screwed because I forgot to make a recovery drive. Normally you do not need a recovery drive, Windows 10 will reinitialize itself from files stored in the computer but not this time. So I tried to make a recovery drive - no dice. It told me files were missing. Oh shit I thought. Now normally I'd have thought, no problem I'll call warranty service and yes I had paid extra for a 3 year warranty. 

The thing about the warranty - or lack of it - was that earlier in the day before the laptop going on the fritz, I had tried to register my warranty. When I checked the warranty there was a link to contact info for warranty service on it; I went to that link and found there was contact info for service and to register the warranty. I called to register the warranty. The HP rep had a heavy accent I had heard many times over the years I worked for the U.S. Custom Service Office of Investigations and my bet was he was in a South American nation like Colombia or at least from there. His name was Carlos. Carlos told me I had called the wrong number and got the one for consumer warranties and not for Care Packs (as Barney Fife would have said: what's the diff). He then said he'd give me the correct number, guess what number he gave me. It was the exact same number I had just called to get him - I thought 'oh boy here we go' . After awhile of nincompoopish conversation (on his part) I asked to speak to a supervisor. He put me through to customer service where Lisa got on the phone. She introduced herself as a supervisor. 

Lisa asked me for all the info about what was going on. She told me she could not help me because she was not allowed to run the serial number (a supervisor - I doubt it). She then said she would put me through to Care Pack Registration and did so. I first asked her for their number should we be disconnected and she said she did not have it but only had an internal code to connect to them (yeah right)! Anyway, she put me through and it connected. I figure I had been on the phone maybe 10 to 12 minutes by then.

I was on hold again and about another 10 minutes went by with me on hold but finally a lady who did not give me her name got on the line saying she was with Care Pack Registration. She asked me everything about the laptop and the warranty such as my customer number, the model number and description of the laptop, the serial number of the laptop and the numbers for the Care Pack. When I read her the description of the laptop, reading exactly what HP put on the Care Pack warranty as the machine being warrantied, she said something to the effect of: 'I have that all here on the screen, your Care Pack has already been registered'. I thought great. Then she went 'hmm, did you say it is a refurbished system'? I said yes. Then she dropped the HP-bomb by saying: 'HP does not in any way warranty refurbished laptops'. She then told me, in no uncertain terms: 'HP absolutely will not honor this warranty'. My head was almost to the exploding point but I remained polite and asked her how could it have been offered to me and how could HP have taken my $300.00 payment for it for three years, and how could they send the warranty to me with the fact it is a refurbished machine included on the warranty paperwork and then not how is it they would not honor the warranty! 

She then asked me to hold on. I am guessing that by that point I had been on the phone for 20 to 25 minutes. I was getting edgy but promised myself to remain nice because if I let go of that restraint I can get stupidly nasty. It did not matter that I had restrained myself because at 38 minutes and 30 seconds into my phone call, I was disconnected. Do you think the woman who did not give me her name had the courtesy to call me back? After all, she had all my customer info, including my contact phone number in the HP system and I had given her my customer ID so she could have easily looked it up but, of course, she did not call me.

So, I wrote an email to the salesman asking him about the warranty. After that, I watched some TV and later on I got on the laptop and fiddled around. They it went on the fritz. Either I screwed something up or the computer screwed up but it does not matter which because either way it would have been covered by the warranty. What mattered was maybe they really would not honor the warranty; so, I did not bother calling them because had they told me 'no way Jose' I would have exploded in a litany of nastiness. I waited for the salesman to get back to me to first assure me I had a good warranty.

Later that day, I got a reply from the salesman. His reply was an email asking 'when is the best time for me to call you'. I replied that I wanted a written reply in an email so I would have a written record of whether or not HP would honor the warranty and I told him because of my mood it was probably best if I did not talk to anyone about it further that day because I was pissed off big time. I then forwarded the email I had sent to him to a gal at HP who doles out RMA's for returns and told her her I'd be returning the laptop. She replied same day and sent me the RMA telling me she fully understood why I wanted to return it. Next day, no contact from the salesman. Today, day three, no contact from the salesman. I will call him on Monday but first I am going to send him another email.

Since the laptop went on the fritz, I figured out how to do a complete reset Windows 10 and start fresh. I do not know why but it must have been my third or fourth attempt and I was able to make a recovery drive. How it could make the recovery drive but not do the reset from files on the laptop with the recovery drive is beyond me. Only thing I can think is that I ran a Windows update in between that last attempt and the one prior to it and maybe that put the missing files back into place. It seems to have worked so maybe I do not need warranty service but I still want the warranty to be honored. If I am told something like: 'whoopsie we made a mistake, no warranties on refurbished machines, I may have to break my vow to myself never to purchase another Dell and look to them for a different laptop. It's been probably last two laptops, not including this latest one, have been HP's. 

All this made my head spin. I hate dealing with leftists and you probably safely bet that those working for HP & Dell are almost al lefties.

All the best,
Glenn B

Tuesday, February 9, 2021

Doing Some Gun Cleaning...

 ...for regular maintenance and in anticipation of selling some of them off. I hate it when I buy a gun and it's filthy. I figure the least I can do is a good field cleaning of them before I sell them. Actually I am going beyond that a bit, taking down the wood and steel ones and making sure to clean & treat the wood as well as the steel but am not taking apart trigger groups or bolts to clean them more thoroughly than a filed cleaning of them. It always amazes me, that a gun I know I cleaned not all that long ago, maybe a few months as most, winds up with fouling coming out of the barrel when I clean it again but it's just a fact of life, it hides and then seeps out of everywhere just like Cosmoline.

Anyway, while cleaning a few today, I also realized I am low on some cleaning supplies so I placed an order for several things. I'd rather not run short and sooner or later all the leftist rube newbies who bought guns, over the course of the last year's long or so buying frenzy (to date), are going to realize they need this stuff too. When they do, I imagine it will run low just like everything else firearms related and the prices will rise. Besides that, there is that tax on guns, ammo and maybe on firearms related equipment & supplies that Schumer is chomping at the bit to have legislated and enacted and you can bet it is coming sooner or later this administration!

Now is the time to, as they say in the stock market: BUY BUY BUY!

All the best,
Glenn B


Friday, February 5, 2021

This Will Be Hard To Do...

 ...not so much as to getting the practical aspects of it done but rather because I am attached to them and thus just getting it done period will not be easy for me emotionally. What the "it" is that will be hard to get done is selling off between 25% and 50% of my firearms. There are several I do not shoot and others I do not need; although, I like them all. Yet, I am considering selling them because of Joe Biden is president and because of the dem control of both houses of Congress. 

What those sales would accomplish is to give me enough cash to buy more ammo and to buy some others assets like gold or silver to hedge my future before they are completely too expensive for me. My guns are not heirlooms or exquisite pieces worth a fortune but valued at enough maybe to help me get through the hard times that I anticipate are coming. 

Now, mind you, this is just a thought for the moment. I may or may not actually decide to sell them but I have to say, I see no other options right now except the option to be unprepared when hard times hit. I think those hard times are a year or two away at most if not sooner under the current administration. I do not want to find myself unprepared and in a predicament that I cannot fix once it is upon us. With that in mind, I recently sold my meager stocks; got a decent profit even though I could have gotten more because the market has gone up since last week. Still though, my profit was a sure thing and I am looking for sure things right now as opposed to taking chances that may or may not work out. So, I am considering selling some firearms; prices may get better, then again - maybe not!

Still, it would be truly a difficult decision to sell that many of my guns and even more difficult to select which ones to sell. Right now though, it seems like the only thing to do in order to be able to prevent my financial downfall when we, the people, become accountable for the economic blunders of our elected officials.

 

Mind you, it will not be all Biden's fault. Trump made a fatal error by approving stimulus payments and other pandemic relief. Obama spent like there was no tomorrow times 10! Bush, before him did likewise to a lessor extent but still spent way too much. Clinton was no different and each successor spends more than his predecessor.

I truly think that certain things besides merely the essentials for life will be good investments for the future. Besides food & water and medical supplies, I think precious metals and ammunition are good investments. Land too if you can afford real estate. Guns may be good ones too but if you cannot find the ammo for them, what good are they? Thus, I would rather have fewer guns and more ammo for the ones I decide to keep. 

If I ultimately decide to sell of 1/4 to 1/2 of my collection, I will sell the ones I consider to be the least valuable for use in a tactical or other survival situation. It will be shame if I decide to sell them but the possibility is very real, with these socialist/communist loving and Constitution hating scum in office, that such will be the best course of action for right now. 

 If we are lucky, a meteorite will hit the House and Senate when in session and take them all out. (No I am not attempting to incite unlawful activity like an insurrection; I am expressing to you how disgusted and frustrated I am over the current course of events in our political standing and future.) America First - after all she is our country made up of none other than us.

All the best,
Glenn B

Tuesday, February 2, 2021

What Was I Thinking...

 ...when I sold my last Mosin Nagant 91/30 a couple of months or so ago - and I do mean the last one I sold as in most recent as well as meaning the last one I had in my collection. Would have sworn I had another 91/30 but the only Mosin Nagant I have now is a Hungarian M44. Damn those little gray cells, the bunch of them! Oh well, I won't be buying a replacement any time soon at current prices. Saw them going (asking price) for up to $800 at the gun show in Longview, TX this past weekend. Imagine that, an Izhevsk Mosin - nothing special in average condition - for $800.00!!! 

All the best,
Glenn B