New Addition - A Face Not Even A Mother Could Love...

...but somehow a lizard lover certainly could become enamored over this mug. This my friends is the latest addition to my herp collection, albeit only a temporary guest among the many critters that inhabit or stopover at my home. I picked it up from someone who could no longer give it the care it needed, and promised to find it a good home and care for it until I did so. Well I have already found it a good person to care for it, in a home it will share with two others of its kind, but just have not had the chance to deliver it yet.

I guess that by now you must be wondering exactly what kind of lizard it is, that is if you don't know already. My guess is that some few of you may know, and others like Jungle Mom are sitting on the edge of your seats waiting to find out, yet being grossed out every moment you spend staring at it. It is a Sudan Plated Lizard, or in the scientific lingo: Gerrhosaurus major.

They come from eastern and southeastern Africa (like The Sudan) and live in semi-arid grasslands, deserts, and rocky areas. Despite this one mugging it up for the camera, in nature they are quite shy and often spend great parts of a day hidden in termite mounds and animal burrows. They are fond of a variety of insects, bugs (like millipedes), fruits and some other vegetable manner. In general they are opportunistic omnivorous feeders. My guess is they would eat anything that crawled small enough for them to easily overcome, and also add whatever fruits they can devour to their diets in nature. They are not an endangered species, and are readily available in the pet trade. Most are wild caught individuals, and while usually easily acclimated to captivity - captive bred specimens would be the preferred type to keep. Most tame very easily, and become regular family type pets. Brief but specific care requirements can be found here: http://www.reptileallsorts.com/basic-spl-cs.htm.

Now I almost cannot wait for the next additions due on this Thursday - 33 Ball Pythons! I guess that is another story in the making.

All the best,

Glenn B

The Weekend - The Get Together - The Gun Show

Saturday May 3rd has come and gone. As I had promised myself, my son, my friends Charlie and Pete and Charlie's brother-in-law Rob, I drove up to the gun show in Middletown to meet all of them except Brendan there. Brendan was supposed to come with me but could not get out of Lacrosse practice since he came with me and Linda last weekend when we visited my mom. The coach is pretty strict and I figure if Brendan is willing to go with the discipline - good for him.

So there I was driving my wife to the auto mechanic on Saturday morning at 0800 to pick up the Ford, so she could take that to work. Yep the old piece of shit Ford needed $411.00 of work pretty much precluding me buying any guns at the gun show unless I sold something first. When we got there, Linda hopped into the Taurus, and I went inside to pay. Then I was off in the Toyota (saving gas instead of using the Ford for the 85 mile, each way, trip). The Corolla made it without a hitch and before I knew it I was getting off exit 120 in Middletown (Route 211). Good thing that that was my exit, because right there near the bottom of the ramp was a Lowes. I made a quick stop, picked up a can of stain for my front door, and decided to kill two birds with one stone and also bought a couple of wood dowels, a length of yellow nylon 1/4" rope, and a Sharpie marker. Then I drove the couple of miles to the Orange County Fairgrounds and the gun show. Once parked - very close to the entrance despite the crowded parking lot - I popped the trunk and went to work.

What I was doing bent over my trunk was getting to work with marker, paper and dowels. It went something like this: Marlin Model 56 Levermatic, .22LR $150 plus NICS fee, J.C. Higgins Model 43 .22LR $100 plus NICS fee (I was told the fee could run anywhere from $10 to $45 - what a rip off). I cut three pieces of rope, tied the one piece onto each of those two rifles, keeping a piece in reserve in case I later got out the Mosin Nagant M44. I stuck the dowels down the barrels of the two 22s, and made flags at the end of the dowels protruding from the barrels with the little for sale signs I had just made up. Now I knew for a fact that I could sell these legally inside the show; but being respectful of the show promoters and the police I did something first before walking right inside with them slung over my shoulders.

First thing, I secured the trunk. Then I went to the front to look for my buddies; not there, so I paid the $8 entry fee (would have been $9 but I had a dollar off coupon - funny how the price has gone up each time I go to a gun show, but that dollar off coupon always stays only a dollar off), and I went inside. As I went in, I asked the guy taking tickets at the entrance if it was legal to sell guns in a private transaction at the show - he answered yes. Then I saw a couple of state troopers talking to a suit. I also asked them. I already knew the answer but wanted to make sure to keep it on the up and up. They said it was legal and confirmed I would have to get a dealer to do a NICS check on anyone who was not a dealer to whom I sold a firearm (I think that is technically wrong, holders of a 01 FFL or of a pistol permit don't need the check as far as I am aware). Then I took a quick walk around to look for my buddies. I did not see them, but saw a guy walking out of the show with several .50 caliber ammo cans in great condition. So instead of heading right back to the car, I asked him where he had bought them. He told me and I grabbed 4 right way since they sell out fast.

I brought them out to my car to put em in the trunk. Funny thing was those two state troopers followed me. I saw them behind me and did not realize they were actually following me at first, they made it look nonchalant. Yet after I got to my car, and had been bent over my trunk a minute or two arranging the ammo cans and other stuff in there, I came up for air and there they were about 25 feet away, both craning their necks to watch what I was doing. They both snapped their necks so fast into the other direction when I looked up I was surprised their heads did not come off. I guess those two officers should have figured I was going to sell my rifles inside, instead of illegally in the parking lot, since I had the respect to ask them if it was okay before just walking into the place with them slung over my shoulders, but there they were. Oh well, doing their jobs I suppose. I closed the trunk and left the rifles inside of it. I wonder if they were disappointed.

Then back into the show, this time to look around with a keen eye for my pals. This time I only showed my stamped hand for reentry. Once inside I kept an eye out for the guys, and suddenly there was Charlie. I called him over to me, and he let me know Rob could not make it. We both wondered where Pete was since neither of us had seen him, and I told Charlie about Brendan not being able to make it because of his lacrosse practice. We talked for a few minutes, and I decided to go back tot eh car to grab my rifles for sale. This time no police escort. I made sure the makeshift slings were secure, slung the two 22s one over each shoulder, and went back inside to meet up with Charlie. We made the rounds of all the tables. Not bad as gun shows go nowadays in this neck of the woods. I saw lots of guns for sale and that was somewhat of a surprise. Now you might think, hey wait a minute - why wouldn't you see lots of guns at a gun show? Well in recent years with all the restrictive laws put in place for gun shows, there had been a decline in sales. What wound up happening is that you would go to a gun show and see more tables of knives, beef jerky, gadgets, and books for sale than you would see of guns and ammo. My guess though was that this sale had about at least 75% of the tables showing guns for sale, maybe even 85%. That was a good thing, though I will admit the prices were sky high. No great deals at this show, well except for those two on my shoulders.

Charlie and I kept up our search for Pete as we walked around (he never showed up much to our dismay), and we kept an eye out for things we wanted or needed. Besides the ammo cans, I picked up a cleaning kit for an M1 Garand (for a buddy at work), a camo back pack (for a grab and go emergency kit), and was on the lookout for a couple of bricks of .22LR ammo. Sadly there were only two vendors selling any good amount of ammo, one was selling collectible stuff, the other shootable stuff. The one with the shooting ammo did not have even one box of .22LR ammo. Go figure - the most popular cartridge ever, and this moron gentleman was not selling any of it! As we walked around, I had a few people stop me to ask about my rifles, but only one seemed really interested. He went off to look for a dealer for a NICS check or so he said, and he said he would look for me again if he could find one. Sure enough he stopped me again later, but had a newly purchased rifle in hand; but this time he had a buddy in tow. His friend looked at the marlin, but decided against it. Charlies was off still walking around and I was looking at my Marlins big brother in .22 magnum on a table when suddenly the dealer at that table asked: "How much do you want for the Marlin?". Heck he had seen the sign, I would have thought so, but I just said $150, and he immediately and much to my delight said "sold". I completed the transaction and now had $150 for a rifle for which I paid, well let's just say, for which I paid less. Sure I could have probably asked $200, maybe even $250, but I was happy to get a fairly quick sale and be rid of it and its two after market magazines.

After the sale, I looked around for Charlie and spotted him near the front door. He was talking about picking up a pre-ban AR15 (yes NY State still has the ban). He had been holding my other rifle for me since my shoulder had been hurting, and I took it from him and brought it back to the dealer who had just bought the Marlin. He showed no interest at all in the J.C. Higgins. After having asked, it no it did not hurt to ask, I looked around for Charlie. He was one row of tables over from me, eagerly looking at a pre-ban AR15, for which the dealer wanted $1400; but for which Charlie would only go a grand. The dealer would not budge on price, not even a few bucks. Soon after that we decided to call it a day, having spent a few hours at the show. We exited, and took stock outside of what we had purchased. Then Charlie remembered something he wanted but failed to buy, so back inside for him as I waited outside. He picked up some ammo cans himself; and he also grabbed one for me as a gift. That was nice. Then just as he got back, I remembered I wanted some strike anywhere matches they were selling at a table near the front door. I picked up three boxes and a couple of waterproof match cases. Did I mention they sell survival gear at these shows besides just guns and ammo?

Then we were off, but not yet apart. We headed out to grab lunch, stopped at McDonald's,
and actually enjoyed a coup,e of Big Macs (one apiece). As we did I told Charlie again about something I had brought up inside the show - Gander Mountain. He had not wanted to take the extra time to stop there, but I explained again it was only about 1/2 mile away, and it was a store he should not miss if he had never been there. He reluctantly agreed to go with me. Once inside he did not seem impressed. Charlie is not a hiker, camper, backpacker, fisherman, boater; and we passed ost of those departments on the way to the gun department. Once there though his eyes opened wide and a huge smile broke out on his face. He pulled me aside and said 'this place is great'. Charlie got some ammo he could not find at the show and was very pleased. I picked up a rifle cleaning pad, and then went to the bait department and got 15 crayfish (food for my pet Musk Turtle). I would have also bought a brick of .22 ammo there but they wanted $19.95 for a brick of ammo that was worth about $12.00. After that we split up, Charlie headed home and I drove to Wal-Mart just up the road a bit. There i picked up a box of 550 rounds of loose federal 22LR, and 100 rounds of Federal shotgun shells for trap at a much better price than offered at Gander Mountain. While gander Mountain is on the expensive side for ammo, I will admit they probably have the caliber for which you are looking and if you need it you would probably pay the price. Of course while at Wal-Mart, I also picked up a little something for Linda. Not my usual place to shop for gifts for anyone, but on the way to the sporting goods department, I saw a nice garden figurine of a boy with fishing pole over his shoulder, pulling a wagon, the wagon holding a puppy and a bucket with a trout in it. When I got home and showed it to she who must be adored, she loved it.

So I never bought a gun at the gun show, though I did sell one, and i did have one heck of a fun time with my good friend Charlie. Too bad the others could not have made it, it would have been so much more fun had they been there. We had also wished our buddy Don could have been there, but since he lives in Wyoming now, I guess it would not have been a cost effective trip for him. We missed him too since we had been to a few shows together when we used to work with him years ago. Still though it was good to have been there with at least one good friend; and nice to think that there will be other such shows in the future when the other guys may be there too; I hope so.

All the best,
Glenn B

An Apology Due To My Lack of Blogging

Sorry for the lack of blogging over the past 4 days. Some nights when I get home from work I am just too pooped. Getting older I guess. Some other times I just don't have the inspiration. Other times it's both.

I have a few things lined up to blog about over the next few days. For instance I went to a Gun Show yesterday. Pretty much fun because I met an old friend there, but missed some others I wished could have made it. Not as much fun as in years gone by because of the lousy selection and prices, but that will be its own story.

I also have a new addition to the reptile collection. It won't be with me for long, as it was an adoption I took from someone to essentially adopt out to someone else. Easier for me to make sure it gets to someone who will care for it properly, and in the meantime I have another mouth to feed, and something else of which to snap some shots for your viewing pleasure.

Of course I could talk about politics, even though I am getting sick of it, I guess it needs talking about now and then.

Then there is the garden, that is starting to come along too. So as you can see I do have stuff lined up. Later for more blogging though, right now I have to clean my animals, clean the basement, do some gardening, and maybe refinish our front door if it looks as if the rain will hold off. I have to do all that before the liquor store closes because I'd like to pick up a bottle of Vodka. I have sworn off of beers and ales for the most part because I just started a diet. Again, that is another story to come.

All the best,
Glenn B

Ballseye's Frirearms Training & Tactics - The Rule of 45 (with video)

DISCLAIMER: Remember, the following is my opinion. I show you these things for legitimate firearms training purposes only such as self defense, and not for use in criminal or irresponsible activity. As usual, the earth has no gravity - it just sucks - mostly because of irresponsible and criminal assholes, and shark like lawyers, so here comes my disclaimer: If you read this blog or copy thereof, view the video or copy thereof, listen to the audio or copy thereof, you do so at your own risk and you must agree to the following before doing so. If you do not agree now, then stop reading and do not view the attached video or listen to the audio. Your viewing the video, and or listening to the audio, and or reading my written content herein (or copy(ies) thereof) constitute your agreement with all of my terms; including holding me harmless, and indemnifying me against any claim by you or a third party for any use of this information. You agree to be held liable for your use, in any manner, of this information, and for the use of this information by others to whom you pass on this information either directly or indirectly, in part or in whole, in any manner. If you use, copy, demonstrate, teach, discuss, direct anyone to, anything I have described, written about, shown video of, or presented audio of, you do so at your own risk and you assume all risk to you and to others in any way connected to you having done so whether or not caused directly or indirectly on your part, or caused in part or in whole by you. If you are under 18, please get the permission of a parent or legal guardian before viewing the following. If you have a problem with any of the above, cease from going any further in this blog, and do not view the attached video or listen to the audio.

Over at THR recently, someone who said she had small hands and therefore could not reach the controls on a pistol to operate it one handed asked a question about which type of pistol would be a good size for her. I red the other replies from other knowledgeable shooters. Many of them recommended fall frame pistols, those with single stack magazines, and I think some even recommended a revolver instead of a semi auto. I thought about it for a while before answering, and as I expected I would, I in essence told her almost all pistols are the right size for her.

I said that because I know there is a way around the problem of a small hand shooting a larger gripped semi-automatic pistol. This is of course within limits; and if your hand is so small as to make it either extremely impractical or virtually impossible then don't try this method with a large frame pistol. On the other hand, if you can properly grip grips of a medium to larger pistol, hold it properly, then fire it, the chances are that you can probably use what was taught to me as the rule of 45 to help make it easier to operate the magazine release, and the slide release of the pistol one handed.

Before you look at the video, let me tell you some of the things you may hear from others about why you should never operate a pistol's slide release single handed if you other hand is fully functional. They say hold the pistol in the ready to fire grip, and operate the slide release with the off hand. Fine if you can do it, not so fine if you cannot do it for a number of reasons. Many others will say, you should always slingshot the slide closed to reload, again usually requiring 2 hands, but I will answer it is not always possible. For instance your other hand is holding back a close in attacker; or you may be hanging onto to something to prevent your falling, or you may be pulling an innocent out of the line of fire, or whatever else could and does happen in the real world no matter how likely or unlikely it would be, but at the same time it is happening and you need to operate your pistol with one hand. Many also tell you to always operate the magazine release with the thumb of the off shooting hand, but again sometimes that hand could be occupied - for example it could already be coming up to the pistol with a fresh magazine for a reload, making for a faster reload than by first having it hit the mag release, then grab for the mag, then insert the mag. Even if it comes up mag in hand, and the other mag did not drop, you can use that hand or the mag in it to free the stuck magazine.

Then there are the times when a hand, for this example we will use the weak or off side shooting shooting hand (if you grip the pistol right handed and therefore fire with the trigger finger on that hand, then it is the strong hand, or on side shooting hand) is out of play. It does not function. Why - well heck you are in an armed confrontation. Three people have just attacked you, one fired shots and the bullets ripped through your left arm. You fired back several shots, you have made it to cover, you cannot feel your left arm or hand, it is not functional at all. Behind cover you take a couple more shots at your assailants taking out one of them. There are two more. You need to reload. What do you do? You operate the magazine release one handed to unload the spent magazine (or in the case of a 'break-in-the-combat' reload you may drop a partially full mag and exchange it with a full one). In any case like this, you need to get the magazine out with your strong side hand only. Let's say you are a female state trooper. You are on the petite side. Your hands are not all that big. Yet your issue sidearm is a Beretta 92FS. You have small hands, a pistol with a big grip, and a wide grip because of a double stack magazine. Your thumb barely reaches the magazine release button. What do you do?

Well if you want to do it fast, you tilt the pistol back toward you at a 45 degree angle. No the muzzle does not point at you. Instead of pointing straight out in front of you though, it is now pointing at about 45 degrees to your left. You accomplish this by holding the trigger finger along the right side of the frame, and curling it back a bit then pushing with it to start to angle the pistol, all the while as you other fingers grip with a somewhat relaxed grip on the pistol grips. In fact the other fingers can help shift the grips too, as will be seen in the attached video. Bear in mind I forgot to mention using the trigger finger to help angle the pistol in the audio portion of the show, so I mentioned here, though in one shot you will see that is what I have done. Once in the 45 degree position, your trigger finger can go right back along the side of the slide (always keeping it out of the trigger area), your strong side thumb - be you a small handed shoot, or a medium or even a large handed shooter - will now have better access to the magazine release, and come at it on a more powerful angle to release its grip on the mag. The same will be true of operating the slide release, all working virtually the same, and your thumb winding up on the release in a position better able to activate the release if you use the rule of 45. Of course there are a number of other methods to close the slide in a one handed reload, other than using your thumb on the slide release; however if you choose to release the slide with your thumb, then I suggest to remember to again use the rule of 45.

It is simple, straight forward (or should I say canted to 45) and quite effective. While a one handed thumb release of the slidelock is not necessarily the preferred manner of releasing the slide when you have only one functional hand, using the thumb of that same 'only' functional hand is the preferred way to operate the mag release. Using the rule of 45 makes it easier, from what I have seen, for the majority of those who have learned the technique to operate those functions regardless of small hands, medium hands or even large hands.



This technique requires practice - with an unloaded gun and an unloaded magazine. If you read this, then watched the video, then tried and could not get it right, you need to see a firearms instructor, who is familiar with this method, and who can show you how to get it right before you ever try this with live ammo in the pistol and or magazine. Always practice this in a safe environment and follow the rules of gun safety. Note that this only works when the mag release is midway up the side of the grip, preferable near the front strap. Don't try this with old fashioned European magazine releases at the bottom of the grip frame, or basically in the middle of the grips.

Bear in mind that this blog was in essence only about how to operate the magazine release and slide release using the rule of 45. There are many other ways to operate these two controls in emergency situations when you only have one hand available to you. I am not saying this is the best method or not the best method; but I do believe the rule of 45 to be a technique that will allow someone with smaller hands, to more easily reach both the magazine release and slide release on most modern day self defense pistols; and I believe it makes it easier for even those with medium to large sized hands.

All the best,
Glenn B

Ballseye's Firearms Training & Tactics - Oiling Your Gun Revisited

I was a bit hasty in my recent write-up about oiling firearms, and I neglected to mention a very important point. Oil is a liquid and therefore is subject to the laws of nature that effect liquids. While it is a great lubricant and protectant you have to bear in mind a few things about it. With repeated use it will wear off (common sense but funny but some people do not realize that). Less common sense, I guess because of how oil seems to cling to things, but still common sense, is that oil like other liquids can be absorbed into some things into which it comes in contact. So putting a gun that has a fine coating of oil on it into a holster results in some of the oil transferring into the holster, likewise a gun bag or whatever else is absorbent. Oil is, like other liquids, subject to the pull of gravity. This is not very noticeable when there is a fine sheen of oil on a firearms, but gravity is at work all of the time and it will cause the oil to run down sooner or later. Finally oil can and does evaporate, albeit it does take a while longer than let's say water for it to do so.

So what is the point of me telling you all of this. Well, even if you clean, then oil a firearm, and do not shoot it but instead store it in a gun case or sock, or put it in a holster and wear it everyday without shooting it, or put it in a nightstand, or put it in a gun locker - the oil will eventually either run or completely disappear. So I find it best to inspect my firearms at least quarterly, and to clean and oil them as necessary, or just reapply a bit of oil that often. This will help protect the finish of your gun, and help assure that it will operate like a well oiled machine when you need it. Also, remember that long term storage of a firearm is best accomplished not by coating it with a firearms' oil, but rather with a long term protectant made for firearms storage (but that is another story yet to come).

All the best,
Glenn B

Today In History - Muhammad Ali and Other Top Men Not At The Top Any Longer

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BallsEyes Fireams Training and Tactics - A Little Oil Goes A Long Way

Yes a little oil goes along way, really it does. It goes a long way to assure that your firearm functions properly under most conditions, that it operates smoothly, and that it stays in fine condition both inside and out. For example I went fishing yesterday. A day or so before I went on my fishing trip I had cleaned my sidearm, and put a light coat of oil on its exterior. I also had lightly oiled some of the moving parts that the manufacturer recommends oiling. When I got to the fishing boat yesterday, I thought to myself why on earth did I bring along a pistol. I guess it was force of habit, I work while armed, travel armed, and when I am off duty from my job I am armed 99% of the time; nothing wrong with that, and nothing wrong having the pistol along with me yesterday on the fishing boat. I was thinking of taking it off, but there really was no place for me to have secured it, so in the holster, on my belt it stayed. As the few fish came over the rail it stayed there as they flopped and got water everywhere. As the fishing line went out of the guy's reel next to me the salty water again sprayed everywhere. Not lots of it but I felt it each time. As the mates sprayed salt water on the fish cleaning table and into fish buckets I again got wet. I did not give my pistol a thought for the whole trip. When I got home at the end of my fishing trip, I saw that my gun had obviously gotten wet with salt water. A tell tale dry salt stain was on my holster, and on the gun itself. I took it out of the holster, wiped it down, and guess what - Look Ma, No Rust! Nope it is not a stainless steel pistol, nope it does not have any sort of rust proof finish, heck the finish it has left is pretty worn off in many places. What it did have was a light coat of oil. It got another cleaning and light coat of oil after the trip. I looked at it this morning, still no corrosion. Now if you doubt a gun can corrode that quickly from just a little salt water, well try an experiment someday with one of your guns without any protecting oil on it. Just let it get damp with salt water, and leave it for several hours. I was on the boat for about 7 hours of actual fishing. I have had guns before this one get rusty from less exposure than that.

Besides preventing rust from forming on a firearm, a light coating of oil on some of the moving parts will reduce friction, and often will help to prevent malfunctions. I cannot even estimate how many times at the range I have seen someone show up with a dry firearm (dry as in not lubricated at all). Not only are some of the guns I see dry, they are also dirty. When the shooter who has a gun in either condition goes to fire it, that person has a much higher chance of having the gun malfunction. Often the problem will be either it will fail to eject, or will fail to feed. This is, in these cases, almost always due to the side not operating as freely as it should either because of buildup of fouling or because of lack of lubrication, or both.

Now oil may be expensive, and getting more so, but it is not too expensive to apply to your firearms to protect them and make sure they work, especially if you apply the right amount. The right amount is usually a light coating. When I apply oil to my firearms I usually do so on the out side with my finger (this may not be the best way for the gun or for my health, but it is a habit I have), with a gun cloth or cleaning patch, and with a cotton swab (being very careful that absolutely no cotton strands remain on the firearm). Once I apply what I believe is a fairly light coating, I wipe down the gun with a cloth to make sure it really is a light coating that remains. I don't wipe off all the oil - just most of it. There are a couple or a few reasons you want a light coat of oil instead of a heavy one. A heavy coat of oil can literally gum up the works. No most modern oils do not get gummy under repeated heavy use (such as the slide going back and forth) or when they heated up, but they ca be gunky if too heavily applied. When dirt is added, and oil is a dust and dirt magnet, it can get sort of gummy. You don't need too much oil attracting and holding a lot of dirt. A fine coating will also hold dirt or dust, but nowhere nearly as much as could a heavier coating. In addition the dirt comes off easier when in a fine coating, so just cycling a weapon will make some of it come off. The fact that the light coat holds less debris also means the firearm while lubricated to reduce friction is less likely to jam because of dirt.

Yes a light coat of oil means the gun will attract some dirt, but overall it usually makes the firearm operate with less friction, and protects it from corrosion. That second part, the protection from corrosion is why oil is usually better than a dry lubricant like graphite dust. Graphite and other dry lubricants do have their place. They are used in very dusty environments where oil on a firearm would possibly cause malfunctions because of the dust it would attract. Such places included areas of desert where there is a lot of fine, and I mean very fine sand. I worked in the Border Patrol for 4 years in and around Calexico, California. The area outside of Calexico is about as desert like as you can imagine except for some irrigated areas (even those are dusty when they let them dry up, or when the cattle pens are set up - nasty dust from those cattle for sure). There was a lot of dust in the air that kicked up onto my revolvers and semi-automatic pistols. I always used oil as a lubricant for my firearms while there, and never once had a problem from the dust. Still though, some who lubricate their firearms with oil claim to have major problems with dust in places like Iraq (funny others using the same oil and same firearms don't have a problem at all). Many of them prefer a dry lubricant like graphite or product like Militec-1, or Hoppes Dri-lube. I can tell you, if the soil there was anything like it was around Calexico, just using dry lubricant would make for one heck of a rusted firearm with just the moisture from sweat because of the amount of alkali in it. In a case like that, I would lightly oil the exterior, and use the dry lubricant on the inside, and clean my firearm everyday. Dry lubrication may lubricate well in a dusty area, but it offers no protection from corrosion of which I am aware; although there are claims by manufacturers that dry lubricants protect from corrosion.

Of course, before you lubricate with oil or dry lubricant, and before you apply a protective coat of oil, the firearm preferably should be clean. A good cleaning with a powder solvent is recommended after each time a self defense type firearm is fired. Some modern day .22 rimfire recommend cleaning less often; but that is usually the exception not the rule to cleaning firearms in general. I use products like Hoppes No. 9 Powder Solvent, or Hoppes Bench Rest Copper Solvent which removes fouling from copper jackets bullets in addition to being a gunpowder solvent and lead remover. After cleaning I usually (as in virtually always) apply a thin coat of Break-Free CLP. Keeping a firearm clean, lubricated and protected is worth the cost when you consider that said firearm may someday be called upon to protect you and your loved one; and the cost is minimal when compared to what it could be if you don't!

All the best,
Glenn B

I will probably add a cleaning video at a later date.

Gone Fishing...

...and returned home already. I was out sick yesterday, and did not enjoy the beautiful day as I had hoped to, guess that insomnia thing just had me bushed. I slept better last night though, and called into work early to tell them I'd be taking a vacation day today.It looked as if it was going to be a really nice day, as nice as yesterday, and that would make for a nice day fishing.
I dragged myself out of bed at about 0415. The birds began singing this morning outside my window at 0433, much earlier than the ones I heard yesterday. They sang as I got ready to go fishing, grabbing my gear out of the shed by flashlight. I left my house at just before 0600, got to the dock by 0630, and was on the very crowded boat in no time. The boat was the Captain Al out of Point Lookout, NY, an open party boat (as in open for anyone - not a charter). They were going out for Blackfish. Mmm, good I thought. If you have ever fished on the Captain Al then you know it has one speed on the water - slow. It's an old fishing boat, slower than just about any other in the area, but the crew always does their best to find fish, so I never mind the ride. Scheduled departure from the dock was 7 and we left promptly at right around then if not exactly then

My guess is that 1/2 hour to 45 minutes later we were fishing over a wreck a few miles offshore. I hooked one at the first spot, my guess is a 3 pounder. I was a happy fisherman. Got another at the 2nd or 3rd spot, but it was a short and back in the water it went. After that it was pretty much downhill for me for the next several hours. I caught about 4 Skates (small ray like fish, sort of looked like the first stage of the lifeform in the movie Alien), a Dogfish (kind of a shark), and a small Seabass (no size limit as far as I am aware, but I threw it back, too small at about 12 inches as far as i was concerned). No one was doing all that great, the fishing is not what it was when I was a kid, not by a long shot. It was a nice day though, really mild (in the high 60s ashore, probably in the high 50s to low 60s on the water), sunny clear skies, and virtually no wind - so the water was very calm. My only regret besides not catching more fish was that Brendan could not make the trip. Maybe that was good because there were so few fish;but then again I think he would have enjoyed it anyhow, and I missed him too. Oh well, next time - I hope; and maybe the fishing will be better. Still though, as we say: a bad day fishing beats a good day at work (unless I guess if you are a fisherman for a living).

I kept the Dogfish (if prepared right it tastes pretty good), and have two decent fillets from the Balckfish - so I guess there will be a fish fry on Sunday. Of course the fish will have to be just an appetizer since there is so little of it, but I imagine it will be scrumptious.

All the best,
Glenn B

The Trill of a Warbler...

...or was it a Robin just reached my ears. Honestly, I have no idea what bird's song it was that just made its way to my ears though the gray early morning mist; but I do know that it must mean its time to get back to the sack and get some shuteye before I have to be up and at em. I already got 40 winks, but woke up at 2:45 and have been up since. Insomnia sucks, but waking up at this time every morning and finding myself sitting on a cold branch would suck more. That my friends is for the birds, and so is this hour of the morning.

All the best,
GB

I Had Hoped For A Miracle...

...in the form of a 20 point defeat for Clinton in PA, if only because I figured that even she would then have to bow out of the race for the democratic nomination. It would have been nice to have it over with, but alas it looks as if we all have to be subjected to this circus through the beginning of June. I may just have to not watch the news any longer because I don't know if I can take much more of the double talk, lying, waffling and all the other BS that goes along with it with these demoncrats. Sure, I know, the repukeicans and RINOs are not much better, but yes they are better. I would never have believed I would have seen the day when Barack Obama came out in favor of gun rights (how hypocritical of him) and then blame Hillary Clinton for lying when she changed her stance on gun control and suddenly seemed in favor of hunters with guns! They played PA like the people living there were fools, because even the hunters in PA know that gun rights are not just for hunters, and that in fact the rights to keep and bear arms covers a much broader spectrum to include self defense, and overthrow of tyrannies. Funny though how each of them has been pretty silent on the Immigration issue. As a matter of fact, besides mud slinging, they seem to be pretty quiet on most of the important issues lately almost as if all they could resort to was name calling. Could you imagine either one as president and having to face down a nation like Iran, let alone one like China in some world crisis. My bet is that once the name calling failed, they would beg for help from mommy.

I have to wonder, have I just opened myself up for another comment about how Obama is part of Generation Jones? How funny but sad that they who support him resort to that trash.

All the best,
Glenn B

Shooting At An Unidentified Target...

...that you simply think must be your intended target can have devastating results. One of the cardinal rules of firearms safety is to be sure of your target and what is beyond, and there are few if any circumstances where one, let alone both parts of this rule (the sure of your target part and the sure of what is beyond part), should ever be broken. While shooting for sport, for fun, for food, to test a gun, and in almost all other instances of shooting, the shooter must steadfastly follow this rule to remain safe, and to keep others safe. It really is a basic rule of firearms safety. When you do not follow it the chances increase dramatically that something bad will happen, and that bad thing could well be someone being injured or killed.

One of the worst things that could happen, probably the worst, is that the shooter kills an innocent person. It gets even worse though when that person is a loved one; much worse still when that person is your own son. This is apparently just what happened in the case of a turkey hunter who was out hunting while his son accompanied him. You can see the available details here: http://www.startribune.com/local/17956264.html. The man who shot his own son already spent about 1/4 of his 39 years bringing up the boy. He probably will now spend the rest of his life lamenting the fact that he killed his son because of what seems should have been a truly avoidable accident on his part. Mind you, none of this, as I see it, was a mistake on the part of the boy who reportedly had been told to stay put where his father had left him and who then decided to move - after all boys will be boys. It was a mistake on the part of the dad who, in my opinion, exercised extremely bad judgement if the reports are correct. Please understand, I don't say that to condemn the dad. He is going to live with this forever, nothing I can say could make it worse for him and it is not my intent to try to do so. I say this to stress the point that firearms safety is the responsibility of the shooter; and if you are going shooting, or if you will handle firearms, you had best be aware of and exercise the rules of firearms safety. Yes you, because hopefully it is not already too late to get you to follow those rules to avoid a similar disaster.

The loss of the little boy, Hunter Klaseus, is a tragedy, one that no parent should ever have to endure; and that is why I write about it here. If you are a shooter - follow the rules of gun safety. No, not the abbreviated '4 Rules' (as they are called), but all of the rules of firearms safety. Follow them even more than you abide by other safety rules. Don't hedge on them a bit as you probably do with driving safety rules such as when you go just a few miles over the speed limit, or when you sort of stop at a stop sign, or when you just have one or two or maybe even that third drink before driving. Don't give an inch on firearms safety rules as you may sometimes do when it comes to being safe with electrical appliances such as when you use an electrical appliance near the sink or tub full of water (hairdryer, electric shaver) without a safety breaker outlet, or when you use a knife or fork to pull that stuck piece of toast out of the toaster without first unplugging it (heck you know it is off - right). Don't take a chance with a firearm as you do when you decide to run across the street before the light turns green in your favor, or when you fail to look both ways even though it is a one way street. Don't give an inch when it comes to firearms safety because chances are the resulting 'accident' will be tragic, and you as the shooter will have to live with the result.

Learn the rules of firearms safety, and live them when you are around firearms. Doing so may just save a life, and save you from a lifetime of tragic and devastating grief. There are plenty of places you can look to find firearms safety rules, my site being one of them: http://ballseyesboomers.blogspot.com/2007/06/ballseyes-firearms-tactics-training-1.html. In fact that was my very first post under my Firearms Training and Tactics series. To me safety is the number 1 concern when shooting. Another source for firearms safety rules is the National Rifle Association at http://www.nrahq.org/education/guide.asp. You can also go to firearms manufacturers to see their version of the rules, such as at Remington: http://www.remington.com/pdfs/safety/sftybklt.pdf or to a more generalized page at: http://www.remington.com/safety/safety_center/. Hunter safety courses, firearms safety courses, basic shooting courses, are all out there, and all teach about, or should teach about, firearms' safety rules. If you are going to shoot, be safe about it, or face the consequences as terrible as they may be.

My heartfelt condolences go out to the family and loved ones of Hunter Klaseus; and I dedicate this to his memory in the hope that you all learn from this sad and tragic mistake, and therefore that you keep it safe when shooting.

Respectfully,
Glenn B

GUNS IN THE BEDROOM

Here is my opinion, about a loaded gun in the bedroom. Mind you it's only my opinion:

I like guns, I like being able to use them, I even don't mind shooting some dirtbag who breaks into my house and whom I believe is threatening me or my family with serious bodily harm or death. But I am not going to tell you that I keep a loaded firearm in my home. I still have one child, my son, living at home, and a wife and two dogs and a cat and lots of snakes and lizards and a turtle. My daughter is at college nearby, and sometimes comes home unexpectedly at all hours of the night/morning – I hope never with a snake or lizard of a boy. I would rather not shoot her (her boyfriend maybe another story - but right now I like him, he is a good guy) or any other family member because I was awakened by a noise, and in some half asleep groggy state I take action that is terminal. Of course, chances are my dogs will wake me before anyone even gets into the house or; if they only wake up after the bad guys are in the house the dogs will most likely keep them at bay long enough. That is long enough for me to take a moment to wake up fully, realize what may or may not be going on, and load for bear just in case. My dogs are scared of their own shadows and bark at almost everything. Hell I bet though that if a burglar broke in they would lick him to death. In that case his laughter would wake me if he was the ticklish type. If not, oh well I guess I’d sleep though it and call the insurance company the next day (talk about real burglars).

Back to guns for a minute here: Loading for bear includes not only loading the gun, but grabbing a flashlight, putting on shoes (a very important step, no pun intended). I don't need to jam my toes on the stairs. You know what comes next don’t you? Then in a knee jerk reaction I squeeze one off. What do you mean you don’t understand how a knee jerk reaction would make me squeeze one off? You know - the toe bone is connected to the foot bone, the foot bone connected to the ankle bone - on up through the knee - thus the knee jerk reaction. Eventually we follow those bony connections all the way up to the trigger finger. With my luck I'd shoot my other toe and start all over again!

My next action would be to ask my wife, in a loud voice, if she has her gun ready. I hope she has enough smarts to say yeah, instead of asking “what gun”??? Now do you really want to find out if my wife has a gun? Stop by unexpectedly at 4AM and find out first hand! During this time my wife will be calling 911, then either gathering the kids to our room or having them lock themselves in their rooms. We will let the dogs out into the hall - hopefully they will keep their courage (Ha!) and go for whomever it is doing all the intruding. I will be on the move with the dogs and the light. BUT before any of us goes out of the room, I will in loud voice challenge any potential intruder. "Helloooooooo Mr. Or Ms. Intruder, is anyone out there? Please leave us alone. I have a gun and my wife knows how to use it, err I mean we both have guns and both know how to use them."

Now you may ask, and I don’t blame you: “Why take the time to do all this and then to announce that I am coming out to take a look around?” Well this is serious, really serious: I, for one, would rather not be surprised to find out the police just raided the wrong house and I came out shooting or even pointing a gun at them. Chances are I or you would lose in that one - don't you think. (Please note we are out of the serious zone and back to delirious once again.) I would rather not wake up in heaven - is there really such a place for guys like me, and I shudder to think the alternative is real! Nor do I want to wind up in jail for shooting a police officer, not even for a night and then be released with a justified finding (yes I am being serious again just for a moment). Psychologically speaking, I do not think I could live a normal life (what is normal anyhow) again after that kind of a mistake even if it was the officer's fault for breaking into the wrong house, not identifying himself (or whatever), wearing a full black ski mask and holding a bag full of loot (or was that entry gear). Of course if you hear someone yell: THIS IS THE POLICE, but you for some reason have strong doubts: you can always go lock yourself in your room, and ask them to prove they are police or other law enforcement officers. They have ways that can convince you, believe me, yes we do.

Now on the other hand, if someone - let's say like the jealous husband of your neighbor's wife - gets all the way to your room with a weapon of almost any sort, forget your gun. If they want to whack you they are going to be able to do it. Man you must have been really drunk to let him get in that far without waking up! Of course, if you were in that much of a drunken slumber, be happy you did the right thing by not having a loaded firearm around because guns and alcohol really do not mix. Of course this will be little solace to you as someone cracks your noggin with a baseball bat just as your neighbor's wife jumps out of bed and runs out of the bedroom, along with your neighbor's dogs, screaming "Help Police". Now wait just a darned minute - let me go back to the Police issue here for a moment and get this straight. If your neighbor's wife and dogs just ran out of the bedroom in which you were having a nice drunken slumber - well is it possible just for a moment that the Police are in the right house after all - right behind the enraged husband who is hitting you up side the head with a bat? Was it that your neighbor called the police to come and get your fat behind out of HIS bed, and he decided not to wait for them to protect HIS wife and HIS dogs and HIS honor? Man you have gotta remember which house is yours in the first place - and no wonder you couldn't find your gun - it was under YOUR pillow, in YOUR bed, at YOUR house, right next to YOUR wife, where you should have been!

Speaking of wives here is another thing to be wary of when keeping loaded firearms in the bedroom. I would hate to wake up, grab my loaded gun from a night table and commence firing at the big bad hairy burglar/robber who just jumped me, only to find out my wife finally made it through the ice age and decided to - well you get the picture! A darned shot at that moment could ruin a truly promising good time! (Enough of delirious for a moment, let’s get serious again.) You really have to be careful with loaded firearms around the home. Do something to give you that extra moment to wake up before even thinking of picking up a loaded firearm if you can. Then if it is really a bad guy, and you cannot get away, and your life or a family member's life is threatened or you are threatened with serious bodily harm (or whatever your state's laws say are the proper guidelines to follow - and they have been met) then my guess would be: go ahead, you can legally blast the guy. Remember shoot to stop - but if the bad guy does not stop threatening your life until dead - well you shot to stop and he finally stopped). If you decide to do it otherwise, you know, outside the law - well you too may wind up in prison with: no house, no money, a divorce, no chance to see your kids ever again, and with a big hairy boy friend. I can attest, no matter how little I have gotten since I have been married, I do not ever want it where the sun never shines, as it so often comes to men in chains! Yes I think I would tend to be careful in such a situation, but I would definitely shoot if that is what had to be done to protect my life or a life of a family member from a bad guy. Now if only I can stop shaking long enough to load those darned bullets, I'd be ready for anything.

All the best,
Glenn B

Trigger Happy versus Barack Obama

Thanks to Snowflakes In Hell at http://www.snowflakesinhell.com/2008/04/19/happyness-is-a-warm-gun/, I was able to read a truly informative and amusing piece about gun owners; one that highlights Barack Obama's ignorance about the people whom he would have vote for him.

Be quick, click here, read the Wall Street Journal article: 'Trigger Happy', by Arthur C. Brooks (a professor no less) before it vanishes into the 'Land of Lost Links'! This article is of the same stuff of which great rebuttals are made. In essence the article gives polled evidence that gun owners are in fact educated on the same level, happier, better off financially, and more charitable than the non-owning gun public! It also in essence shows that once again Barack Obama does not know diddly-squat about which he speaks, and certainly does not understand the average American Citizen - especially they who own guns.

All the best,
Glenn B

Wal-Mart Has a New Fireams Purchase Policy - It Stinks

I was reading through my emails today, including the stuff I get from the NRA, and this caught my eye: http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Federal/Read.aspx?id=3846. In essence it tells of new Wal- NotSoSmart Mart gun purchase policies. I didn't like them. In fact, I did not like them enough to get me get fired up enough to write Walmart a letter about the new policies, and to inform Wal-Mar that until they drop this policy, they have lost me as a customer. This may not seem like a lot to you, one guy writing Wal-Mart and basically telling them he will boycott them over their new policy; but let me tell you if enough of us do it, it can have significant impact - just think K-Mart. I ask you also to consider not shopping at Wal-Mart, and to write them showing your opposition to this new firearms purchase policy.

A copy of my letter to Wal-Mart is below:

"I have been a Wal-Mart shopper for many years. I have regularly shopped at Wal-Mart near to my home, and have also shopped at Wal-Mart when away from home both while on business or for pleasure. While I have shopped almost all departments at Wal-Mart, I would have to say that a large part of my shopping at Wal-Mart has been in the Sporting Goods Department. I am an avid firearms enthusiast, target shooter, hunter, and fisherman. My son also shops at Wal-Mart and he has the same interests as myself. I am sad to say that our shopping at Wal-Mart seems to be about to end. In fact, should Wal-Mart continue to implement its policy regarding firearms purchases - we will discontinue shopping at Wal-Mart altogether. We do not need to, nor care to, patronize a retailer who has decided to treat us like criminals when we are law abiding citizens, who make legal firearms and ammunition purchases. Yet Wal-Mart for some reason has decided to ally itself with mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City (where you have no current stores to my knowledge, certainly none that sell guns, but where I would bet you plan to open stores). Regardless of if you have stores there, you have allied yourselves with one of the top anti-gun people in the United States of America. You have changed your firearms purchase rules to include video taping the sale, and to allow Wal-Mart employees to deny sales to persons whom have had a firearm of theirs traced by BATFE (whether or not the person in question has ever committed a crime or not, or in other words even if the trace was one involving an innocent who reported their gun stolen). I wonder what other Draconian measure you will implement to make it more difficult for law abiding, and patriotic citizens, to purchase firearms and enjoy their 2nd Amendment rights.

I find these actions by Wal-Mart to be reprehensible. Therefore until such policy is discontinued, and until Wal-Mart makes an apology to the law abiding firearms owners in the USA, I see no reason to shop at Wal-Mart again, and I will not shop there for anything. In addition I will recommend that friends and neighbors also discontinue shopping at Wal-Mart.

With regret,
Glenn Bartley"

If you agree with me, then when you write to Wal-Mart make sure to mention the new firearms purchase policy, that you disagree with said policy, and that its continuance will effect whether or not you continue to shop at Wal-Mart. You can contact Wal-Mart here: http://www.walmartstores.com/contactus/feedback.aspx.

Then send the message out to others and ask them to do likewise. If one person does this it is merely a drop in the bucket, if two people do it it is team, if three or four people do it heck it might be seen as a conspiracy, if a few hundred people do it it may be seen as a protest, and if thousands of people do it - well folks - we will have us a grass roots movement - an anti-gun control grass roots movement the likes of which will be able to move mountains, effect politicians, and even make the mighty Wal-Mart tremble enough to relent its latest foolish gun-control policies! Who knows, it may even help defeat Bloomberg when he runs to become governor of New York (and one has to suspect this is what is coming).

Safe shooting.

All the best,
Glenn B

Today In History - A Personal Experience

Things of Historical Signifigance that Took place on April 19:

1012 - Martyrdom of St. Alphege in Greenwich, London. (killed by Vikings after he refused to be ransomed)
1529 - At the Second Diet of Speyer, a group of rulers (German: Fürst) and independent cities (German: Reichsstadt) protests the reinstatement of the Edict of Worms, beginning the Protestant movement.
1539 Emperor Charles V reaches a truce with German Protestants at Frankfurt, Germany.
1587 - Sir Francis Drake sinks the Spanish fleet in Cádiz harbor.
1689 Residents of Boston oust their governor, Edmond Andros.
1764 The English Parliament bans the American colonies from printing paper money.
1775 The American Revolution begins as fighting breaks out at Lexington, then at Concord, MA.
1782 The Netherlands recognizes the United States.
1794 Tadeusz Kosciuszko forces the Russians out of Warsaw.
1809 - The army of Austria attacks and is defeated by the forces of the Duchy of Warsaw in the Battle of Raszyn, part of the struggles of the Fifth Coalition.
1802 The Spanish reopen New Orleans port to American merchants.
1824 English poet Lord Byron dies of malaria at age 36 while aiding Greek independence.
1861 The Baltimore riots result in four Union soldiers and nine civilians killed.
1861 President Lincoln orders a blockade of Confederate ports.
1880 The Times war correspondent telephones a report of the Battle of Ahmed Khel, the first time news is sent from a field of battle in this manner. (A terrible development as far as I am concerned, reporters do not belong in the middle of combat as far as I am concerned.)
1897 First Bostom Marathon held.
1927 In China, Hankow communists declare war on Chiang Kai-shek.
1938 General Francisco Franco declares victory in the Spanish Civil War.
1939 Connecticut approves the Bill of Rights.
1943 The Warsaw Ghetto uprising against Nazi occupation commences.
1943 - Bicycle Day – Swiss chemist Dr. Albert Hofmann deliberately takes LSD for the first time. (Turbulence of a type not experienced before, at least not to this degree; and that would have an effect on a generation in years to come in the 60s and 70s.)
1951 - General Douglas MacArthur retires from the military.
1961 - The Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba ends in success for the defenders.
1971 Russia launches its first Salyut space station (And the cold war gets hotter.).
1989 The battleship USS Iowa’s number 2 turret explodes, killing 47 sailors. (First blamed on a gay sailor whom it was thought had committed suicide, then blamed on a technical glitch.)
1993 The FBI ends a 51-day siege by storming the Branch Davidian religious cult headquarters in Waco, Texas.
1995 A truck bomb explodes in front of the federal building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people. (Terrorism of a domestic nature.)
1999 - The German Bundestag returns to Berlin. (One day before April 20, could this be significant? See below commentary.)
2005 - Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger elected Pope Benedict XVI on the second day of the Papal conclave. (One day before April 20, could this be significant? See below commentary.)
2008 – The Pope visits NYC. Yes Pope Benedict XVI, will be in NYC on my anniversary and will be screwing up traffic when I try to take Linda to see Macbeth on Broadway; and it will be Passover weekend. I can only hope all the wackos stay away.) (One day before April 20, could this be significant? See below commentary.)


Absolutely Useless Things, in my opinion, that Happened on April 19:

1927 - Mae West is sentenced to 10 days in jail for obscenity for her play Sex.
1934 - Shirley Temple debuts in Stand Up and Cheer.
1960 Baseball uniforms begin displaying player’s names on their backs.
1977 Alex Haley receives a special Pulitzer Prize for his book Roots.
1982 NASA names Sally Ride to be the first woman astronaut.


Most Important Thing In My Life On April 19:

Here is where today gets down to the personal experience level, at least for me (just in case you were wondering about the title of this blog). Linda and I said “I Do” to one another. She and Celina came into my life, Brendan coming along at a later date; but all only possible because of those two words.


Commentary on April 19:

You have got to admit that we wound up choosing one heck of a turbulent day in history on which to be married. All the turbulence in the world though did not amount to what later took place because what happened on April 20, the day we consummated our marriage vows. It was that day, a relatively peaceful one in history, on which Adolf Hitler was born. Although many years would first pass, the beginning of evil and turbulence like the world had not yet seen was born on that day. Maybe all of the historical turbulence associated with of April 19th and April 20th has had a bit to do with it sometimes having been a rocky road for us, but we and our marriage have endured over two decades; and I love her dearly. Damn history, we will make it regardless.

This April 19, we will be going to see Patrick Stewart in Macbeth on Broadway, the Pope is in NYC, Passover begins at sunset, and it is the anniversary not only of our marriage but of all those other things above. Kind of makes me second guess myself - not for getting married on April 19th (ignorance is bliss and I knew little of the above when we got married) - but rather for having bought tickets to see Macbeth when at the very least traffic will be a nightmare due to the Pope's visit, and New York City will have been turned into a armed encampment for his protection. Hopefully all the wackos will stay away, and the day will remain peaceful. As for me though, thanks to those who revolted on this day in 1775 (and people still wonder why I picked this day to do something as revolting revolutionary, for a once confirmed bachelor, as getting married) and to the Constitution and Bill of Rights they later gave to us, you can bet if my wife gives me a hug around the hips she will feel something hard it will be a fully loaded 9mm pistol. That is at least while we are in Manhattan - who knows what it will be once we get back home!

Oh well, for now am going to stop writing, and go an enjoy breakfast with the Frau on our special day. Then I have some varnishing to do before we live for the city (yes that front door frame only got as far as being stained yesterday). Oh, before I go, to give credit where credit is due, the above historical facts come from Wikipedia, History.com, todayinhistory.com, and of course from memory of history lessons learned, reading the news, and personal expereince.

All the best,
Glenn B

Gun Show Fever

Yes there have been a lot of obligations I have talked about lately and those of leisure time are certainly not the least. So, on May 3rd, Brendan and I are planning to go to a Gun Show in Middletown, NY to meet up with a few friends of mine, friends I made during my career. Once we get there we will be teaming up with Pete K., Charlie K, and Rob – Charlie’s brother-in-law. All in all I am looking to have a really nice day. I have only seen Charlie once in the past 8 years or so, and that was just recently. I haven’t seen Rob in at least 8 years, and have not seen Pete in about a year. Charlie and Pete have also not seen one another in 8 years. At work we always got along well, and as Charlie would say it – if any of us met the other of the three of us, we would not make the other guy want to puke as meeting many others from our careers would make us feel like doing. Charlie always knows how to compliment a friend! As for Rob, we did not work together but he too is a good guy.

One thing we all have in common is our interest in forearms and shooting. You might think that to be a given for the three of us who worked together since we worked for the same federal law enforcement agency. What with carrying firearms being a mandatory part of the job, many people just seem to assume that means that cops and other Les all like firearms. Nothing could be further from the truth. I had collateral duties as a range officer and firearms instructor for about 14 years in the Customs Service. I can remember many a day when a shooter would show up for quarterly qualifications with an unloaded gun in his or her satchel, or backpack, or purse. Here was a federal agent, on duty, carrying his or her pistol unloaded in a bag. Go figure. Then to see some of our coworkers shoot, it was pitiable. Despite some of them having been on the job for many years, they really could not hit the broadside of a barn on some days. That actually made my duties as an instructor more enjoyable because I took great pride in helping out the poorer shooters, getting them not only to qualify for the quarter in question, but also getting them to the point where they started shooting better with reliability.

One of the reasons some of the other agents were poor shots was that they wanted nothing to do with firearms. Not all of the poorer shooters fell into this category but most of them did. Of course this is not to say that some people who basically loathed having to carry a gun for work were not good shots. Some of them were indeed excellent shots, and one has t wonder how they did it with their apparent loathing for guns and lack of practice. Oh well, whatever the case, Charlie, Pete and I were firearms enthusiasts for sure. So was Rob; and of course so is Brendan. This will be the first time Brendan meets Charlie and Rob. He may have met Pete at another type o show to which we both go – a Reptile and Amphibian expo. Funny but for all the years I knew Pete at work, I never realized until after he retired that he too was into keeping reptiles sand amphibians.

As for this show, I am sort of hopeful that I’ll have enough cash on hand to give Brendan enough to buy himself a rifle. He is 18, turned 18 in December, so he can now buy a rifle on his own. I don’t have to buy it, and give it to him for a gift. I don’t expect to pick up anything fancy, or I should say I don’t expect to pick up anything myself. As for Brendan, I am hoping we find a good deal on a Mosin Nagant 44, or maybe on a Yugoslavian SKS. Of course one never knows what one may find at one of these shows; but sadly a bargain is usually a hard thing to find. Bargains seem to be pretty much a thing of the past at gun shows, and I guess we can thank over pious anti-gun legislators for that. Then again we could possibly find a bargain and I am hoping such will be the case.

I am sure there will be some bargains to be had at this show, even if we don’t find one for ourselves. I say this because I am thinking of bringing along 2 or 3 rifles to sell there. With the money I get for them, Brendan should have at least $200 to $300 in his pocket for his purchase should he find something he likes. That is of course if it is still legal for me to bring some rifles there to sell. I think it is, but I’ll check with the show promoter to see what they know about it. The rules for transferring a rifle or handgun have become ridiculous over the past few years, and have done absolutely nothing to keep guns out of the hands of criminals. I think life imprisonment of violent felons who use guns in commission of a crime, a death for those who kill during commission of a crime would be a better way to deal with the problem; and since the gun bans, gun registration, gun licensing and all that crap has not worked – well isn’t it time to try another approach to curbing violence. I sure think so! But I digress, so back to the gun show. If it is legal for me to sell them there, I’ll have a Mosin Nagant M44, a Marlin Levermatic in .22LR, and a J.C. Higgins in .22LR for sale. I figure the 22s can bring me $75 to $100 each, and the Mosin Nagant maybe $50 to $75. That would do nicely to have Brendan make his own purchase.

I have to admit I am really looking forward to going to this show. First of all I have not been at a gun show in a couple of years I guess, and I have not been to one with Brendan for a bit longer. Then again, I have not been to a gun show with the other 3 guys in over 8 years. I guess you can say I have a case of gun show fever; but now all I have to do to get over it is to sit back and wait for May 3rd to roll around. Then a drive to Middletown, and i should be cured, at least till next time it sets in.

All the best,
Glenn B

Interrupted Obligations

There I was working away on the front door frame feeling good because I had sanded it down so it looked not as good as newly cut wood, but pretty darned close. I then started to fill some small holes and cracks, well I should say almost started. I opened the tube of wood filer I had on hand, and low and behold someone else had used it already and cut the nozzle tip down to nothing. So, when the cap was replaced it did not make a seal having only a tiny nub of tip left. Yes you guessed it, the putty was dry for the most part. I got 3 small holes filled and the rest of it was not workable. Hopefully Linda will listen to her voice mails before coming home and pick up some wood putty from the local hardware store. I am none to happy I had to stop the job, I hate interruptions for crap like that. Things like that, the little ones, make me loose my cool big time, funny because I handle big problems much better. My solution though was to sit down, take a breather, write this, and now to go and make myself lunch. Now that sounds like a winner of an idea.

Later for you, and later for the Cherry or Ipswich Pine Finish for the front door frame; and that will be a decision to be made once the frau gets home.

All the best,
GB

Animal Obligations

Well $98.00 later, a shot, some pills, and Mimi is not barfing right now; but then again she stopped right before we got to the vet. I walked her to the vet so that was not a mess in the car. Hopefully she will get better without further incidents. Animal care can be expensive, but if you have a pet you should take care of it properly.

We met a nice lady at the vet who had rescued three kittens from a construction site. Their mother had abandoned them. She is caring for them now, and they seemed more than a handful for her. It was kind of nice to see that someone would care for three kittens like that without raising the flag of PETA or some other wacko animal rights group, and just take them home to give them food and shelter, then to the vet for a checkup, all without making it a federal case against the construction company, or in favor of spaying/neutering, or against cat ownership in general. I wish her luck in adopting them out.

Now what was it I was supposed to be doing around the house today??? While I figure out what chores I need to get done I'll say: Later for you all, and later for a gun blog.

All the best,
Glenn B

Household Obligations- a never ending joy

A productive day at home is what I was expecting to have today. I took the day off to refinish the front door and door frame, to paint the side door and frame, and to get a haircut so I'd look nice for the wife tomorrow on our anniversary. I also figured I'd be making up for my lack of production as of late on this blog as to a gun post or two. Now the new dog is barfing all over the place, and we will soon be off to the vet. Hopefully we won't be there too long, but who can tell - she seems pretty sick. I am also hoping it is only a stomach bug that will pass quickly, but the wife told me that Mimi grabbed a raccoon skull we have in the basement and was mouthing it last night, then started getting sick. I am hoping she did not ingest any toxins. I kind of doubt that had anything to do with it, but one never knows what chemicals they use to preserve those things (it was a store bought one) bought for my son. Needless to say, I checked the basement for other things that might appear appealing to her as chew toys.

Once I get home, I guess I can add the chore of going to Home Depot to pick up a carpet cleaner to my list of to dos! The list only gets longer, or so it seems.

All the best,
Glenn B