Ballseye's Gun Shots 34 - The Lesson of the Lanyard

Practical fireams use is something not all of us get to do all that often. Yeah we go to the range maybe once or twice a year, maybe even once a month. We may even take part in competitions that have the word "practical" in the name of the match now and then but is there any real practicality to any of that.

Real life practical shooting and firearms handling, at least to me, means you are using a gun for something for which you have practiced and not just solely in practice. So how can I use mine practically here in New York amid the likes of Bloommberg, Patterson and the huge anti-gun crowd that resides in this state. Well besides carry it and being at the ready to defend myself with it (I did shoot a guy once way back then just along those lines), and besides having it at the ready when working in law enforcement, there is another thing I do with it that meets my idea of Practical Use of a Firearm. I hunt.

This weekend, I have a quick day (maybe two day) trip planned with my son. We are going to go upstate New York to scope out our deer hunting area. I have a couple of areas selected, but we want to get a better feel for the one we are most likely going to hunt. So off we will be going. Now firearms deer hunting season will not yet be open but we will take along at least one 22 rifle and a 12 gauge shotgun. No - we are not about to go poaching deer out of season, but if an old Tom Turkey crosses our path or if a gray ghost with a bushy tail chucks down nutshells at us from the swaying treetops - well then, you can bet we will be shooting. Of course, with our luck, chances are we will only see one of Pepe Le Pew's cousins and wind up getting skunked but we will be ready for putting some game on the table should the opportunity arise.

The thing is though, some other things will get accomplished by way of our armed walk through the woods this weekend. All of those things will be hunting oriented in one way or another, and some will be more specifically sighted in on firearms and their practical application. If you know anything about me and my use of firearms then you know that safety is one of the preeminent things on my mind when handling guns. It has been since I was about 9 or 10 years old. That is a long story - but here goes the nutshell version:

I well remember learning how to make lanyards by braiding and twisting and tying brightly colored strips of vinyl or plastic covered string when I was in summer camp as a youngster. It was the neatest thing, besides anything to do with monsters, that you could make in Arts and Crafts class. We all vied for the attention of the camp counselors (Marist Brothers) by giving them a finished lanyard. They only accepted the good ones so we all strove to make them well. I finally got one right and one of the brothers who was a range instructor took possession of my masterpiece. I was thrilled. My thrill was not diminished by the fact I had to make about 10 of them before one was acceptable, nor was it lessened by the fact that the brothers only accepted the good one. (Imagine that in today's politically correct nanny society - heck back then you had to prove yourself worthy even for them to accept a gift - and that really was a good thing because it instilled an ethic of doing well within us.) It was just great, the neatest thing that mine made the grade. I will admit though, that even back then I had to wonder at least a little why I had gone to those great lengths to make an acceptable lanyard, but I do not still wonder about it - I know the reason - he is in the picture above. You see the reason I wondered, back then, was because I of the the zapping electrical like sting of that very same lanyard as it was swiped across my thighs with great force like a whip. That was when I did something that was unsafe at the range. I was in the prone position (the one we shot from most) and was wearing the uniform of t-shirt and camp shorts. A cease fire or something was called for and I guess I was not quick enough - so when I finally got it right after a it of loud talking down to from the range brother - I was whipped with my own handiwork. Imagine it if you can but to tell you the truth it was an honor to be disciplined with what I had made myself. I do not know if I realized it then, though there must have been some realization of it in my mind, that it was almost as if I had agreed that if I step out of line I should in some way be responsible for my own discipline! The lanyard that I made made it so. Thus was born a deeply rooted in respect for a few things. I gained respect for adults, for authority, for firearms, and for firearms safety, and at the same time self respect and the knowledge that I had to become responsible for my own actions. That was The Lesson of the Lanyard. It was a practical lesson I have never forgotten and strangely enough it was enmeshed in Art and Crafts class! I am not an artsy guy, I do not do well with my hands building or making things, but I will never forget that lanyard or the lessons it taught me and the most important one was respect for firearms' safety.

Okay - so what does all that have to do with our planned trip this coming weekend and our practical use of firearms. Well, Brendan and I will be out in the woods together. It will be the first time in about a year. We will both be carrying firearms. We will both need to exercise firearms' safety to the maximum, not only for our own safety but for anyone with range of a fired shot. A scouting trip like this one then will allow each of us to assess our own and each others attention to firearms safety. It will give each of us a chance to practice it and to refine it before the deer hunting season opens while at the same time giving us the potential to bag a turkey or some squirrels for Sunday's dinner. I am pretty sure Brendan will be safe although he may need a reminder or two about firearms safety when afield instead of in the house or at the range. It is a truly different world out there when you are hiking through the woods with loaded firearms. Heck, he may not be the only one who needs a reminder, I am far from perfect and I can use a reminder now and then just like anyone else. I'll accept it from him as he does from me - with an open mind at staying safe and keeping out sport fun for years to come. The thing is, when I taught him to shoot, I never taught him how to make a lanyard first but I did instill firearms safety into his head above anything else to do with guns and ammo and hunting. I attended his hunter safety course and even took the test with him to show him an old dog needs to keep brushed up on things too. I also sent him to summer camp one year. I don't know if they used a lanyard on him, but I do know one of the Marist Brothers from way back when I went to camp, one of the range brothers at that, was in charge of the camp to which my son went. I imagine they also instilled a bit of respect into him as they did into me with the Lesson of the Lanyard; if they did then it was good thing.

Truth be told, I think one of the biggest reasons that there are as many accidents each year as there are during hunting season is that some hunters, while having passed a hunter safety course, just do not have as much respect for firearms safety probably due to their lack of practical experience with firearms during times of the year other than hunting season. What I mean is they only handle their guns a couple to a few times a year - at most - usually right before and during hunting season. Imagine that you drove a car only for a week or two a year and that when you did the roads were crowded with other drivers who drove as little as you and all came out at the same time of the year to drive! This is a lot like those using firearms during hunting season. The few times a year they handle guns, with one exception, are at the range or in the home - and they do not go to the range often enough at that - maybe once or twice to sight in the hunting rifle right before opening day. The first day of deer season is about the only time they handle a firearm in the field. Thus they have little experience doing so and they are the poorer sportsman and firearms handler for it - there skills are rusty and they have probably not thought of some of the basic rules of firearms safety for awhile let alone other hunter safety concerns. It can be a scary time.

How do you overcome that tendency to get rusty. Getting out to the range a at least 5 or 6 times a year (or better yet monthly) then going out afield a time or two before the opening of the main season for the animal you intend to hunt would be a good way to assure that you are less likely to do something costly on opening day in all the excitement of the hunt. I would rather take the time and effort to be a bit better prepared to get off a good and safe shot if I do wind up seeing (in other than my dreams under an apple tree) a huge 14 pointer, a flock of Canada Geese, a big Tom Turkey, or a fat cottontail zigging and zagging - what about you. So this weekend my son and I are going to go out and make practical use of some of our firearms in order to hone our handling and possibly our shooting skills, while a the same time making sure we have the safety issues right. Practical not only in that we may bag game with them but in that we will help assure that we maintain proper firearms safety etiquette during our main hunt and that we come home in one piece and help to assure that others afield do likewise.

All the best,
Glenn B

Wish I'd Had My Camera Handy Today...

...as I drove up the west side of Manhattan and got a good look at the USS New York! It is an impressive and very modern looking ship. Besides that it is partly made from steel that came out of the World Trade Center. I only got a brief glimpse and it was enough to assure me I need to see more of it. Maybe Thursday for lunch or after work when I am back in NYC for my job. I'll be out in the field tomorrow and off on Wednesday - hmm maybe that makes Wednesday a good day too - especially since it will be Veterans' Day!

All the best,
Glenn B

The Other Shooter Still Alive - Great News!

The other shooter to whom I refer as being still alive is the female civilian law enforcement officer who is believed to have been the first to shoot the suspect in the Fort Hood Shooting. She has been through surgery and is in serious but stable condition. They did not give out her department nor name her. I ask you all keep her in your thoughts, prayers and hopes for a full and speedy recovery. I imagine that had she not taken swift and decisive action thing would have been much worse. If she is the actual person who first shot Major Hasan my heartfelt thanks go out to her. She did the right thing. If anyone else assisted her and also shot Hasan - good for them too.

All the best,
Glenn B

The Shooter - Still Alive - What A Shame

That he was not killed is a shame because now we will coddle him for the rest of his life, or at least that is what our legal system will do to him. It will also wind up, heck it is happening already, that authorities will try everything in their power to kee this from being referred to as an act of terrorism, that too is a shame. Then again there is more shame to that if only because there is some evidence already that might indicate it was an act of terrorism of sorts even if only perpetrated by a loner.

The real shame of it is that this might have been prevented had something been done in the not too distant past - about 6 months ago:

"Federal law enforcement officials say Hasan had come to their attention at least six months ago because of Internet postings that discussed suicide bombings and other threats.

The officials say they are still trying to confirm that he was the author.

One of the Web postings that authorities reviewed is a blog that equates homicide bombers with a soldier throwing himself on a grenade to save the lives of his comrades.

"To say that this soldier committed suicide is inappropriate. Its more appropriate to say he is a brave hero that sacrificed his life for a more noble cause," said the Internet posting. "Scholars have paralled (sic) this to suicide bombers whose intention, by sacrificing their lives, is to help save Muslims by killing enemy soldiers."

They say an official investigation was not opened." (from FoxNews @ http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,572305,00.html)

That is the biggest friggin shame I have heard of in years. This guy was in our military possibly writing stuff like that and there was no formal investigation! If it was his writing, he obviously thought the higher cause was Islam!. I mean to what do you think the writer makes reference when he writes of a "more noble cause"?

Something curious about his writing in that I have heard it before. I doubt I saw it on his site but I have seen something at least very similar before. Maybe it even was his site, I do not recall. Regardless of where I have seen likewise before, it is a sentiment that is not unique to him among Muslims. Isn't it amazing how a Muslim views a suicide bomber as being the same as someone who throws himself on a grenade to save others. They just don't see the difference between someone actually saving others without killing anyone, actually carrying out an act to protect someone at the same time sacrificing their life - and someone killing others and at the same time killing himself to destroy an enemy often at the same time killing innocents. A suicide bomber could almost be rightly compared to a soldier who kills in action but only almost. Why only almost? Because they are cowards who attack helpless and unsuspecting people by way of surprise. Suicide bombers are more akin to the Japanese at Pearl Harbor and I say that with all due respect to the Japanese of today who are fine people. Even then they do not attain the level that did the Japanese. At least the Japanese were going into battle against other armed forces even if it was a sneak attack. Suicide bombers are just cowards hyped up on religion who think they are going to fornicate in heaven with young virgins. I hate to tell them, but even an agnostic like me realizes that heaven is not the place for fornication.

My thoughts and hopes (and my own form of prayers) go out to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives, and I pray for they who were wounded. Well, that is all except for one person - I have no ridiculous ideas of turning the other cheek - if he is convicted I say fry the bastard extra crispy. Until then, I cannot jump the gun, he is innocent until proven guilty. Somehow I feel that may never come about though either because he pleads insanity and wins or because he is killed before then either by a fellow inmate or by one of his jailers while trying to escape.

All the best,
Glenn B

Go Phillies...

...was heard roaring out of my mouth a few times in my office yesterday. I was not rooting for the Philles, I am not a fan of theirs, not a fan of baseball at that. Yet, when It comes time for the World Series, and when the Yankees are in it, I suppose I, like most other New Yorkers, even those of us who dislike baseball, wish them well and hope they win. So while I'll admit I was razzing the die hard Yankees fans in my office with those shouts of Go Phillies, I have to point out I was also wishing the Yankees well at the same time. I mean - when you think of it - what better way is there to wish the Yankees well than to tell the other team to go away. And so, the Yankees have again won the ultimate in baseball and have again sent another team home dragging their bats behind them. Once again though I did not even watch 5 seconds of any game. Baseball just doesn't do it for me but as I said, the Yankees winning is kind of nice just because I am a New Yorker.

All the best,
Glenn B

Why Is Homophobia Almost Always Used...

...as the reason that anyone would be against the gay and lesbian lifestyle, gay marriage and homosexuality in general? Here is a quote, attributed to a reported lesbian, from an article reporting on the failure of a Gay marriage Proposal at the ballot box in Maine (source):

"It hurts. It hurts personally," she said. "It's a personal rejection of us and
our relationship, and I don't understand what the fear is."

I have no fear of homosexuals or of homosexuality in general. Yet, if offered the opportunity I would vote against any legislation to legitimize homosexual relationships. I would also vote for legislation that would assure that homosexuals are not granted, or afforded protection of, rights based upon their sexual preferences especially regarding marriage but not limited to just marriage. Why would I do that if I am not afraid of homosexuals and homosexuality. I would do so because I believe that homosexuality is an aberration of the natural sexual drive between human beings. In other words I believe it to be something akin to a disease (either physical or mental or a combination). I also simply believe that in its essence homosexuality is wrong on a moral and ethical level. While you may disagree with my beliefs, while you may vehemently disagree with them, there is no reason at all to start saying it is a general fear of homosexuals and homosexuality that brings me (or others who feel likewise) to my conclusions.

I have worked with homosexuals who are both in and out of the closet. I have had several friends who were openly homosexuals and maybe one or two who tried to hide it. I am not nor ever was afraid of them based upon their homosexuality. They pose no threat to my manhood, no threat to my physical well being, and no threat to my mental health just because of the lifestyle they have chosen or have been geared toward taking because of genetics (I believe that for the great part the lifestyle is indeed chosen but there is some evidence to indicate genetic predisposition toward homosexuality). I tolerate them in my life because it seems inevitable that there will always be homosexuality. What I will not do is grant them special liberties above and beyond those of we other mere mortals who are heterosexual, nor will I cede to them rights and liberties that were obviously always meant to be between a man and woman such as marriage. I believe they should be treated equally under the law, but that does not mean a man can or should marry a man or likewise for a lesbian couple. What that means is that someone can marry another person of the opposite sex or choose not to marry regardless of their sexual orientation.

There is something that I do fear relative to homosexuality though it is not homosexuality in and of itself. Rather it is that the moral fiber that has bound our nation together is rotting and crumbling. This is evidenced not by tolerance of homosexuals, I think tolerance is fine, but by bending over backwards to appease them and to grant them liberties and rights based solely upon their sexual preferences. Take for example the decline of public decency laws in favor of freedom of expression. Nowhere in our Constitution does it say that the people are granted freedom of expression. Yet gays and lesbians and any other people are allowed to march in Gay Parades such as the Halloween Parade in New York City while at the same time exposing themselves (yes I mean exposing their sexual body parts). Furthermore gay and lesbian protesters, just a year or two ago, were seen to be beating one another with whips and other such devices on the public streets of San Fransicko Francisco. Why were they not arrested - was it solely because they were gay and lesbian. If I were to stand in front of a church in protest and whip a woman who was dressed as would be a sexual slave - I would be arrested and charged without delay for some crime, you can bet on that. Yet when gays and lesbians congregate at such protests, parades or at large group festivities, such is apparently tolerated because they are homosexuals and for no other reason that I can see. I believe that people really ought to start standing up for what is right and putting down what is wrong in this country, and folks stuff like that is just plain out wrong in my opinion.

Now, think about this for a moment: Someone is sure to call me homophobic for my having written this despite my claim that I do not in general fear homosexuals or homosexuality. Have you seen the irony that should be evident if someone says I am homophobic? If I am so gosh darned awfully afraid of them, then how on earth could I have voiced my opposition to them so openly. I don't fear them or their lifestyle - I just out and out think it is wrong. As for treating them equally under the law, sure I believe in that and I do it too. As a good citizen I have to, and as a federal agent I am required to do so. Heck I treat everyone equally - so no one gets special favors, consideration, or liberties from me, nor do I deny them what is justly due to them, when it comes to the law. None of that means I am, or need be, afraid to voice my opinion on it, or be afraid of anything in relation to homosexuality. Maybe someone else is unwilling to accept the truth - that others can be opposed to you or your lifestyle without being afraid of you simply because they believe you to be wrong. I suppose though that acceptance of such a premise would also mean that they who accept it would have to actually face the possibility that homosexuality could be wrong. I think that in general, homosexuals do not want to face that possibility so blaming others as being fearful of them is an easy way out.

If you don't like the way I think - tough noogies - I am entitled to my own opinion just as you are yours. Please though, don't say that myself or others are homophobic as a fact. The fact is we don't fear you but instead disagree with you and are not afraid to say so.

All the best,
Glenn B

So I Went To Vote...

...this evening and when I walked up to the table where they check off your name and you sign in, I picked up a ballot sheet to check out all of the candidates. I already had a good idea of for whom I would vote but wanted to check and see all that were running. As I glanced at the sheet I noticed one candidate in at least 4 parties with only one person in some off the wall party opposing him. Then I noticed someone running for judge. She was listed in each and every party's column on the page. I asked if it was a misprint or a joke. The people who were working at the polling place were obviously flummoxed. One lady told me it MUST be right.

Okay, I went in and voted but not before getting a number for the local board of elections because you can bet I will make an inquiry about how someone can run unopposed and be in each and every party while at the same time actually representing any one of those parties and its political platform. I will also ask why Spanish language appeared first and foremost above English in some of the directions on the sheet. This is still America, United States of - isn't it? I mean we are not in the socialist/communist tyranny of Cuba are we? Maybe someone took over while I was sleeping last night! I figure Spanish would be the primary language there, and they probably vote just like that in Cuba - one person running as the candidate of all parties - don't ya think!

Now as I was voting, I heard one of the workers say to another that the woman running for judge was unopposed and therefore she would naturally be listed as the candidate for all of the political parties on the sheet. Do you see anything wrong with that kind of logic? I sure do. When I mentioned, on my way out, that I had overheard that comment, and that if someone runs unopposed and is running on the platform of a certain political party then that does not automatically qualify them to run as a representative of all parties - that person should be shown with that person's actual party affiliation - otherwise we have lost something here in America - something that makes us Americans as opposed to dupes under a dictatorship or tyranny. One guy shook his head in agreement and said mmmmm mmmmm mmmm (thankfully without invoking the name of BHO).

Oh well, I just don't get it. If all of the parities involved allowed one woman to run as a representative of their party then there is truly something wrong with the system. If on the other hand she just ran unopposed and was a member of only one or two parties (such as Dem/Lib or Rep/Con) but was listed under all parties - then the election board needs to get it right and redo the election. Why - since she was running unopposed. Well what about the candidate who runs as a representative of say 4 of 5 listed parties and he is opposed by one other guy from the Bumstock party who actually runs as a Bumstockian. Now the first guy gets in under the Republicans, the Democrats, The Conservatives, and the Independents even though he is only a member of one of them and the Bumstockian candidate is in just under the party with which he is affiliated. Many of the voters who are not Bumstockians would never vote for anyone in that party and as far as they knew no one candidate had been nominated by their own party. Then when they get to the polling place they are surprised to see the first guy listed in 4 rows for 4 different political parties. They think - wow our party must have thought him okay and as a matter of fact so did three other parties. I guess we ought to vote for him because of party affiliation. So all the voters who are members of the other three parties (other than the one for which the guy received a nomination) under whose guise he is running now vote for him instead of the guy for the Bumstockian party only because of party affiliation. That is less than fair, in fact it seems underhanded to me. It seems like something that would be finagled in the old USSR. Maybe I am wrong, maybe the guy got all 4 nominations from 4 different parties - but if so then the system is broken and broken badly.

As I said, I don't get it - is this the good old US of A or not?

All the best,
GB

Ballseye's Gun Shots 33 - Isn't It Ironic - The Ruger MK II

If ever there was a pistol that exhibited irony among all of those that I have owned, borrowed, and or fired it would have to be the Ruger MK II. How can a pistol exhibit irony. Well, I guess it is due to the fact that the very affordable and fairly well made Ruger MK II is one of the most fun to own and shoot pistols available. Yes, I agree, there is nothing ironic in that. Then again, consider that the Ruger MK II is one of the most cursed at modern pistols in existence and you may see some irony.

So how is it that a pistol that is well made, affordable, fun to shoot and is one that is regularly shot by large numbers of shooting enthusiasts can also be one of the most cursed at pistols out there? Just leave it to a Ruger to come up with a reason. You see, despite all the good things it has going for it, the Ruger MK II can be one of the biggest pains in the neck to disassemble for cleaning and even a bigger pain in the butt to reassemble after cleaning. Figuring out how to take one down and then put it back together again with ease on a regular basis, especially when the pistol is fairly new, would be something akin to unearthing the secret of the Sphinx. Isn't it ironic that the Sphinx, one of Egypt's most well known and studied monuments was and remains one of the most perplexing. The same holds true for the Ruger MK II when it comes to taking it apart and putting it back together again. It can be done, it is often done, but you can bet that you are going to hear cursing when it is being done no matter how popular the pistol is due to its better attributes.

Why do I bring this all up? I own a Ruger MK II pistol. Tonight I decided to disassemble mine and give it a good cleaning. I got it apart pretty quickly, maybe only one hushed and mumbled utterance that could have been a curse. Then, after I cleaned it, I tried to put it back together again so it would be in working order. That is when the muttering, the mumbling, the hushed utterances all started to become a bit louder and when the first expletives aimed at this piece of mechanical conundrums began to spew forth from my lips. It took me at least 7, maybe even as many as 9 (or was it an even dozen) attempts to seat the bolt stop and mainspring housing (all one assembly) and get it to the point where I could close it and wind up having a fully reassembled pistol. Amazingly, once I had accomplished that, I racked and released the slide then squeezed the trigger (as in dry fired) and much to my amazement the pistol functioned as it should. I tried this holding it at various angles several times and it worked each time. usually what happens is I get it reassembled and cannot operate it at all and then have to take it apart and put it back together again to get it to work - or I get it back together and it will only work if pointed at the floor at a 45 degree angle, or more, but when held level squeezing the trigger will simply not drop the hammer. That too requires taking it down and reassembly it until I get it right. So the litany of foul language that escaped my pie hole tonight was not quite as long, nor as loud nor as flowery as it usually winds up being. That in itself may be ironic!

Truth be told though, I love (as in really like) my Ruger Mark II. It has taken a beating over the years and keeps on firing and it usually hits that on which I set my sights. There is a lot to love about this 22 pistol despite the pain in the neck it can be to reassemble correctly. First of all it is chambered in .22LR. Therefore it is inexpensive to shoot. You could put 500 rounds through it in a session and chances are that will not cost your more than $20 for ammo. Chances are also good that you would be able to do so without having to stop to clean the gun. Yeah, I know, 500 rounds is a lot of ammo, but I have already gone at least 300 rounds without a malfunction, and on another occasion I have shot 500 rounds through it in a day. That time, I did stop about half way through that time to give it a quick field cleaning without disassembling it and it kept feeding, shooting, extracting and ejecting just fine. I was using some fairly clean ammo when I did that, and granted I had a couple or a few failures to feed but that should be expected in almost any 22 after getting past 150 to 200 rounds in the same session without a cleaning and as I recall I was well past those numbers when the first failures to feed occurred.

Besides being chambered for .22lR, the Ruger has some other nice features. The MK II that I have has a blued steel 5 1/2" bull barrel, alloy frame, adjustable rear target sight, front blade sight, plastics grips mounted on an angled grip akin to a Luger pistol, and fires from a 10 round magazine. The magazine release is on the bottom of the grip and can take a bit of getting used to for someone who usually finds the mag release on the left side of the frame grip just to the rear of the trigger guard's lower section. Nothing to worry about in a target, plinker, or hunting pistol. I have shot my MK II in all of the manners I just mentioned and can say without a doubt it is one of the best can shooters I have ever fired. It has also bagged a few squirrels in its day, and really I mean only a few. I usually hunt squirrels with a rifle because a pistol just does not usually reach out and touch them as well from the normal squirrel shooting distances. I imagine some also find it a passable pistol for target shooting competitions although I suspect that most serious target shooters would choose something a bit more refined. Still though - the Ruger MK II is accurate enough to make it a great hunting pistol and a great plinker.

I don't think they still produce the MK II any longer. There were a couple or a few other 22 caliber models that came out in Ruger's lineup of pistols since the MK II so I imagine production of it ceased. One of them was the 22/45 (with a grip more akin to the Colt 1911) and another was the MKIII. My guess is they no longer produce the MK II now that the MKKIII is in production and has been for at least a few years. It is pretty much the same pistol with some refinements as far as I can tell. I highly recommend the MK II and if you can find a used one in good to excellent condition I say buy it. I also figure that the MK III is also probably worth the investment of funds if you cannot come up with a nice used MK II. If anyone wants to front me the cash to buy and test one - be my guest. I am pretty sure I'll enjoy every minute of owning it, well at least the minutes I spend shooting it but maybe not the time I spend disassembling and reassembling it.

All the best,
Glenn B

Ballseye's Gun Shots 32 - How Many Guns Do You Have?

"How many guns do you have?" was a question I was recently asked by a friend of mine. I had to admit, I had no clue. I could have given a pretty good estimate, but the truth was that I did not know, and could not think of, the exact number of guns that I owned at that time. That got me to thinking that I had better count them when I found the time, and of course when I had found all of my guns.


Finding the time proved a little harder than finding all of the guns. I was called away to my sister's and brother-in-law's house on Wednesday night for a family emergency. I spent 2 days and 3 nights watching my 9 year old nephew; then spent Saturday there too for the fun of it. Today, Sunday, I had a good amount of work cut out for me in the basement. It was time for fall cleaning. I try to clean the basement really well at least once in the Fall and then once in the late Spring. In addition to it needing a good cleaning just because it was that time of year, it also was a veritable mess. Guess who made the mess. I have no one but myself to blame for that. There was shooting , hunting and fishing gear all over the place. There was also some of this and some of that and all of it was messy. So I got to cleaning today.


Somewhere in there while cleaning, I opened up the gun locker and emptied it out. I gave each rifle and pistol a quick eyeballing to make sure there was no evident rust, then wiped a few of them down on the wood with some oil soap. Then I scrubbed down the inside of the arms locker. I made sure it was dry and put all the firearms back inside. Err, well I actually did something else first. Yes I counted them but that is not to what I was just referring. What I did that was more important than simply counting them was to take new photographs of all of them for insurance purposes and to otherwise document my collection just in case something ever happens to them. This way I have a photographic record for myself, for the police and for the insurance company. I just photographed them in groups. I took one pic of all of my rifles in .22 caliber, one pic of all of my larger bore rifles with my shotgun thrown in for good measure, and one pic of all of my pistols and my one revolver. In the pics of the 22's and the pistols I also included all of the magazines for them. I did not take close ups of the serial numbers, I have them in a separate written record.


I recommend that anyone who owns firearms to do likewise. Keep a written record of the Make, model, caliber, serial number of each gun you own - and also keep a photographic record of them too. I only photographed one side of each, but you could take a picture of each side. If the firearm is special because of fancy hand engraving - photograph the engraved sections close up. Now you have a record that shows the condition of the firearms if something does happen to them, and furthermore gives additional documentary evidence as to your ownership of them for any later date. I am going to keep copies of the photos on my hard drive, and on a flash drive or CD. I also emailed them to myself and will store the email in my ISP's online email storage.


I can now answer the question as to how many guns I have. I can also do something else. I can look at the pictures I took and can compare the guns I see in the pics to the guns on my written inventory of firearms. If I see one in the pic that is missing in the written records I will add it to the record. If I see one on the list that is missing in the pics I will either have to make a note that I sold or otherwise disposed of it. If I do not recall getting rid of it, well then that means I had better start looking for it pronto! By the way, if you have not figured it out yourself yet - I have (or should I say "we have" as at least 1 of them is my son's) 8 rifles in .22 caliber (7 in .22LR and one in .22 WMR). We also have 5 rifles in larger calibers, including my sons AK47. There is also 1 shotgun. Add to that 1 revolver and 7 pistols and I think that is all of them. That is, of course, unless we add on the BB gun and the airsoft too, but I'll pass on that and just include firearms. That makes for a grand total of 22 firearms to which I will admit that we own.

I can tell you this. That number is not high enough. I now have a yearning to go out and find myself something new to add to the mix. I am still hoping to pick up a Marlin XS7 in .308 but have not seen one for sale yet. A gun show is coming up in November so who knows. I also am way overdue for a visit to the local gun store that is only about 5 blocks from my house. That could make for a nice walk next weekend - empty handed on the way there, and carry a cased rifle on the way home. I already have the money set aside for it - so for once I can say money is no problem. What is keeping me - I do not know!


All the best,
Glenn B

Note: The total number just mentioned does not include the firearms issued to me by my employer. While I could say I have them, I surely do not own them. If I was to include them, the number would go up to 24 with the .40 caliber SIG and the Remington 870 that I was issued for my job.

For Soliders' Care Packages - Christmas Is Upon Us...

...and that means that it is high time I start taking up a collection toward some Soldiers' Holiday Care Packages. Once again (the third time if I have not lost count) I have had myself assigned to a soldier by Soliders' Angels. Again he is in Afghanistan. Again, for two out of three, he is on the front lines and very close to the Pakistani border. I already have one nice package put together for him and his unit thanks to donations from a couple of coworkers. That one is going out on Monday. It isn't a Christmas package - just a regular care package. The Christmas packages and their contents have not been shopped for yet and still need to be put together. Toward that end, I ask you for your generous support as in previous years. Any amount you can donate will go, after PayPal gets their cut, toward the contents of the care packages. As usual I will donate at least $25 toward the contents of each package (plus an initial amount of about $50) and I will pay all shipping costs out of my own pocket. I am hoping we can do good enough for our guys and gals in Harm's way so as to put together at least 4 or 5 nice holiday packages.

Each of the last two years, I contacted StreamLight and Angel D. sent me some really nice and expensive high intensity flashlights to be included in the packages. I don't think I can bring myself to ask again this year if only because I forgot to send her a gift last year to show our appreciation. I will make sure to send one though before the holidays - maybe it is best that way - so she gets it in time for Christmas this year. She has been a true Angel, and so has her company - StreamLight. The cost of her gift will be put up by me out of my own money and will not come from any donations you make toward the care packages for my assigned soldier and his fellow troops. If you would like to donate toward her gift, you can do so through the regular PayPal donation link but be sure to let me know part or all of your donation goes toward something for her. I figure a nice gift would help show her our appreciation for what she has done for our troops but you need not donate anything toward that because I can handle it.

As for the care package contents, I will try to get things that the soldiers want, need and otherwise will help make it easier for them to be in the hellhole in which they are stationed. I have had no communication with this soldier. I have written but have received no reply. I do not know if he received the letters. I have no email address for him to try contacting him that way as I did have for the other two. I do know though from his brief profile on Soldiers' Angels, that there is no PX on his base. They need toiletries and they want tobacco products. Those items will be included in the packages. So too will be included things like: candy, cookies, other treats, chewing gum, books, music CDs, batteries, ear plugs, maybe some folding knives (if I collect enough), wool socks (it gets very cold there in winter) and whatever else I can think of that will help make their days a little easier to bear and that will show we have not forsaken them especially at this special time of year.

You may notice I keep saying I have a soldier assigned to me but also keep referring to they and them. That is because what we send is not just meant for the soldier to whom I am assigned. Whatever we send is meant for all of the others in his unit and so far each solider to whom we have sent packages has readily shared everything. I see no reason to think otherwise this time, I mean would you expect it to be any other way! You may also note that I refer to this as a Christmas Package and holiday package. I used to be a Catholic. Old habits die hard and even though I have not practiced any faith in many years I like the idea of the Christmas season as one of giving - for after all - giving is exactly what the message of Christmas was all about. If you want, please think of it as a Chanukah package, a holiday package or simply a care package or whatever you want to call it. Just remember that the packages we will send are being sent to help our troops regardless of their beliefs. The most important thing about this is that it helps them.

This year, like the previous years, I will document everything in this blog that I collect and everything I buy and send to the troops from all of us. Be as generous as you can and don't be bashful. If being generous for you means you can give a dollar, then please do so. Every little bit helps. I'd like to get the first package out no later than two weeks from tomorrow, so please if you are planning on donating, send something as soon as possible.

To donate please use the link, in the red area, on the right side of my blog page.

All the best,
Glenn B

Good Eats & Good Company - Not Much Could Be Finer...

...than a frying pan slathered with butter with a few good hot dogs cooking away in it to be shared in good company. That is until the dogs are cooked and you add a little more butter then toast the buns in the pan. To that we add a pot of baked beans, some macaroni salad (not for me but we it had so I dished it out and the other fella ate it) and the meal is complete. Well, not complete yet, of course we needed some beverages. Orange juice for the youngster and something in a green bottle from Holland for me.

I am at my sister and brother-in-law's house watching my nephew. His mom and dad had to head up to MA for a family emergency. I came out last night to kid-sit D-----. He is 9 and his mom told me he is in the dark on it all. Then again, he just told me his parents went up to MA because his grandpa is very sick (and he understood exactly how sick). We sometimes hope we can keep certain things from them but nah they always have a way of knowing what is going on more than we think we let on. But anyway we kept our mood festive tonight if for nothing other than his sake.

So - our situation then was one of guy's night at home with none of the fairer sex, and will be the same for the day tomorrow after school. That made for a good dinner for us men tonight. We did not have to do it mommy's way - we did it my our way - the he man's way. While I was cooking, little D----- was playing a video game of some sort. I would not have it. None of that leaving me to be the only one doing anything so I got him to set the table, get himself a drink, and whatever else I could get him to do that he probably normally does not do. Of course his mom says he does it but I got the impression that at first he was none too happy about having to help me. I would soon see if I could make that change.

Then we sat down to our meal - Uncle Glenn's Too Greasy Hot Dog's On Too Greasy Buns. Well, that is he sat down and started to eat before I was done toasting the last bun. He probably doesn't start ahead like that when mom is home - I think he was ravenous because them eats smelled really good and he just dove in. Well he got set straight by me with no fuss and he waited another minute or so for me to finish toasting the last too greasy bun. All in all, getting himself fed tonight amounted to him having to do a bit of work for his dinner, then having to wait awhile after that, but when he finally got to it he went at it with gusto. He said he never ate any hot dogs that tasted so good before tonight's meal, and he told his mom that on the phone when she called to check up on us later in the evening. Truth be told we both liked em - them was darned good eats at that - too much grease and all.

After dinner D----- got his fingers looking as if they had been dusted with snow as he put away a fat donut sprinkled all over with fine sugar powder. Now he had to work for his dessert too because he did not get one bite of it until he helped me clean up. He cleared the table, threw away the trash, wiped of the table with a damp sponge, and rinsed off some of the dishes. Again he did not seem to happy having to do all that but when he got to being finished he got himself that donut. He sure looked to have enjoyed it. After that, he cleaned up a final time, then was back to the video game. I'll have to work on the video game thing - not too much - I like em myself - but enough to assure that when we get away on a man's adventure together someday he will not miss them too much when faced with telling stories around a camp fire.

Not a bad night. Some day D----- and his dad, and Brendan and I, will all have to go on that camping trip I just hinted at and do some more manly things without any of the potential for incessant nagging, pestering and nurturing from the womenfolk. Note, I said potential for those things because whether womenfolk actually do that or not it is important for them to think we men believe they do so. That is just as it is important for us men to think womenfolk believe us all good for nothing loafers. It does not have to be so - we just need to believe it. Why? Where would the world be if men did not think such of women and women did not think such of men and both truly believe it? There would be little to no excuses to get away from one another if we all believed each other was perfect and thus there would be no fun in the getaways because there simply would be no getaways! So I just keep believing as does my wife too, as do most men and most women that the opposite sex is just a pain in the neck and that we all need time away from one another now and then and the world is a better place for it. It may not be based on reality, then again maybe it is. Either way it does not matter - what matters is what we believe it and thank goodness for blind faith is all I can say.

Well now, back to us and our camping trip get away from the women in our lives. Who knows, we may go for a hike, go fishing, actually catch some fish, gather some wood, build us a campfire, wait for it to burn down to embers, clean the fish while waiting for the fire to burn down, then fry those fish we caught over the embers. I am willing to bet that all the while we are getting those fish to being ready he will complain that he doesn't like fish. And when the other three of us get to eating them, I would bet his brain will start to realize that all the while they were cooking over the fire his mouth was watering. All it will take will be one bite and he will be hooked for life. Then, after we are done eating all those fish we just cooked up, and in the absence of television and video games, we will get down to tell some tales, that we will swear are true and not too tall, as we sit back and enjoy an icy cold root beer by the light of the fire that we just stirred back to life and added more wood to. After that, when away from the fire but hopefully well before we are snug and warm in our sleeping bags, we may do something else that I just did while sitting here. Pardon me but those beans sure work fast....and I had better go open a window. After the air is clear I need to see that the youngster heads off to bed to dream about a camping trip or something like that. And to think - his mom - my sister - thinks I am putting some off the wall ideas into this young boy's head when all I am really doing is enjoying some quality time with my nephew! Those off the wall ideas, they can wait for the camping trip.

All the best,
Glenn B

Fox News versus The Obama Administration

I urge all of my readers to click on this link, read the brief article, then vote in the poll before it closes. The poll shown is by NPR (National Public Radio) which has an overwhelmingly leftist following. Yet, as you can see, they appear to side with Fox (that is NPR seems to side with Fox - not their readership). So why not go there and leave your opinion by way of taking the poll. I would have thought, had you been liberal, neutral or conservative in politics, you would have voted for Freedom of the Press - but it appears liberals only want that freedom for leftist news organizations like CNN.

All the best,
Glenn B

Shine A Little Light On It...

...and it will tell you just at what shutter speed and f stop to set your camera. If you are in the market for an old but quality and in excellent condition light meter - with a flash meter attachment check out my sale at eBay here. The auction already has three people listed as watchers, which hopefully means they want a reminder just before the auction ends so they can place bids.

All the best,
Glenn B

Ballseye's Gun Shots 31 - So The Youngster Is Ready To Shoot...

...or should I say the parent is ready to teach the youngster to shoot? Okay, so you are a parent, you are a shooter too. You are a responsible one at that - that is both a responsible parent and responsible shooter. You figure it is time that you can teach your child to shoot. Of course, having guns in the home and being a responsible parent/shooter, you have already - years ago - taught your child about firearms safety. Along the way to whatever age your child finds himself or herself now the kid has shown an interest in your guns. You have fostered that interest in a healthy and safe way. You feel now is the time to start your child on his or her way to the sport of shooting.

I am not going to go into what specific age is the best one one for your child to be when he or she learns to shoot. You have to make up your own mind about that. What I will say is that the child should have the motor skills and strength to, with absolutely physical assistance, handle the firearm he or she is about to start shooting; the child also needs the mental capability to know right from wrong and to be able to follow instructions and to retain information that you impart to him. That leaves out any child under three years old. It also should leave out 99.9% of children (if not 100 percent of them) who are 3 or 4. I figure 5 is about the youngest age to start a child off shooting, but think 7 or 8 is a better age. At all of those ages, at any age for that matter, a new shooter needs to be supervised with hands on supervision. Then as the person acting as the firearms instructor believes that the shooter has progressed enough it can be within hands reach supervision. Children shooters under the age of about 14 should, in my opinion, never be more a step or two away from an instructor and the ratio of children shooters to instructors should never be more than one on one in the early stages and never more than 2 (shooters) to 1 instructor in the intermediate stages. Enough about that, because as a parent/instructor you are going to do it your way regardless of what I type here. You may choose to do things as I say but it is you who have to make the choice - so it is done your way. Remember that - you are the boss - don't let the child shooter make it his or her way. Let them make suggestions and such but always adhere to firearms safety rules like your and your child's life depended on it.

The point of this post is not so much when or how to instruct your child to shoot but rather to give you a nudge toward with what type of rifle to start. Hmm, did I just say with what type of rifle. I sure did - didn't I! Take it for granted, a rifle is absolutely the best firearm with which to get a child on target in the shooting sports. It does not matter if you want your child to later become the best clay pigeon shooter in the world, or if you want her to become a quick draw specialist, or if you want him to become a tactical pistol instructor somewhere down the road. In my old and grizzled opinion, the best firearm you can use to teach a child to shoot is a rifle. There is no doubt in my mind about it.

Now that I got that out of the way maybe I should say something about what type of rifle is best. Here I go again - I am about to make another one of those statements of my opinion about which I have absolutely no doubt. The best type of rifle that you can use to introduce a child to shooting is, again in my old grizzled opinion, a bolt action repeating rifle in .22LR that uses a detachable box magazine. There is more to this but not so much of what makes a rifle best but rather what attributes should be found in the best type of rifle for a child. One important thing is that the chosen rifle fits the child. Another couple of things are that it is appropriate for the handedness and eye dominance of the child. With all that said - let me say this too - it should be a quality firearm not a piece of junk. It does not have to be something that cost a thousand dollars, not even a gun that cost a few to several hundred dollars. What it has to be is one that, even if bought for $150, is safe and reliable, is simple and easy to operate and is inherently accurate enough to keep the youngster enthused. So does such a rifle exist?

There are some affordable bolt action rifles that are right on target in those regards but before I get into the actual rifles themselves, allow me to explain my choice of a bolt action rifle and the above attributes that I feel it should have to make it the right choice for your child.

A bolt action rifle is inherently safer than a semi-automatic rifle. Now you may say here that a single shot rifle with a break open action is even safer and I will grant you are probably right but it is not the best choice with which to train a new young shooter unless you have a bolt action to move up to after only the first few lessons. You see, chances are that if you go with a break open action single shot rifle you and the child will soon wind up bored with the tedious process of reloading. There is a way to make a bolt action repeating rifle almost as inherently safe as the other type just described. You only allow the child to load a single round at a time and do so not from the magazine but by placing it partially into the chamber then closing the bolt when ready. When firing like this make sure the magazine is inserted into the rifle; of course, follow manufacturer's directions regarding safe firing and if they say this cannot or should not be done with their rifle - then do not do it. I have had new shooters, adults and children alike, load like this many times with quite a few different bolt action repeating rifles. with no problems. If a manufacturer indicates it would be a problem, then load from the magazine. It is a very safe way to load - that is loading one round at a time. This way you as the instructor knows that once a single round has been fired the rifle is empty. Of course that is no reason not to handle the rifle as it was not loaded because we all know, or should know, that unloaded guns kill or injure all to often. You never know when junior may slip an extra round in the mag while you are momentarily distracted - so pay attention to the rules of firearms safety and keep it safe.

Okay - so the way I just described it you are still letting your little princess load only one round at a time. Won't it get boring just as I said would a single shot. Sure it will but the upside is that when it does you can move up to two rounds, both in the magazine. Now not only have you increased the round count when the child is ready to advance but you have allowed for advancement using the same rifle. You do not need to change and therefore have to teach the child all about a new rifle. What you will need to teach the child about is a new loading method all the while reminding them there will not be two live rounds in the gun. Not only does this advance the shooting lessons, it advances the confidence the young shooter has in herself because you just trusted her with more ammunition and more responsibility. Let the shooter know that, don't pass up the chance to boost the shooter's ego at least a little by telling her she has improved enough to move to this next step wherein more responsibility is required of her.

As the young shooter progresses you can continue to allow the round count to progress to the maximum that the standard magazine for the rifle will hold. Yes I said the standard magazine for that rifle. That will probably be 5 to 7 rounds in the magazine. You really do not need to utilize a high capacity magazine for teaching a child to shoot. First of all, a high cap mag is one usually made for semi-autos and it is probably best reserved for when the child is at least at an intermediate shooting level or as a now and again fun reward once the child has mastered all of the basics including shooting, loading, making the firearm safe, following the firearms safety rules, following range instructions, and exhibiting a good attention span, responsibility and good manners while at the range.

Besides the progressive aspects of using a bolt action repeating rifle fed from a box magazine, there are a few other things relative to this type of rifle that lend to safety. First of all a bolt action rifle, fed as a single shot, makes the child concentrate on operating the firearm. making the child concentrate on the operation of the gun will lend itself to making the child concentrate on doing so safely if you are instructing properly. With a semi-automatic rifle the child can get lost in the almost mindlessness of simply pulling the trigger to operate the firearm. Operating a bolt action, as either a single shot or repeater, makes the child take pause between each shot and gives him time to think - 'am I doing this right'. It also gives you, the instructor, great benefit because it gives you the time to look over every action in much slower motion that a semi being fired. In addition it gives you the opportunity to critique the young shooter between rounds being fired, and not while he is firing repeated rounds from a semi. Sure you can always tell a child to fire a shot, take finger off trigger, and pause when firing a semi but the temptation and opportunity is there to keep firing and the chances of an unintentional discharge go up greatly right along with the increase in lack of taking time to think as the child would have done as the bolt was being operated with the trigger finger hand. Ah - there it is - the biggest thing about safety when shooting a bolt action - or at least one of the really big safety advantages. The trigger finger hand comes off of the rifle stock and thus the finger out of the trigger guard and thus off the trigger in order to unload the spent casing and reload the next casing. That little booger picking trigger finger that could otherwise cause problems is nowhere near the trigger until the bolt carries a new round into the chamber because it has to come off for a young child to reload the firearm. (Now don't be a jerk and tell me you can operate the bolt with your off hand - I can too. The thing is you don't even suggest such to the young shooter, heck you do not even hint at it. The child would be unlikely to do it anyway so why tempt fate at causing an accident you don't want to happen.)

Okay - you are you sighted in yet that a bolt action rifle may really be a good choice as a first rifle for your youngster. If not, I suppose I will never convince you but if you think a boltie is a good idea - let's move along to some choices of actual rifles that will help turn a potential shooter into a fine marksman. I'll cover a few with which I have had experience and maybe a couple of others too.

Armscor 14Y - A very good choice for a youth shooter of smaller stature. This small rifle could probably fit a child as young as 6 or 7 years old, and almost definitely will be a good choice for a youngster in the 8 to 12 year old range. It is a bolt action repeater, loading from a removable box magazine. It blued steel construction with a wood stock. The front sight is hooded and the sights consist of a front post and rear notch adjustable for elevation. The magazine catch is mounted in the front of the trigger guard. There is a positive click safety on the right side back of the receiver. This rifle is made in the Philippines but is of excellent quality as far as I can tell. I, or should I say we since I bought it as Brendan's first rifle, have owned one for quite a few years now. Even though it is a small sized youth model I can still shoot it comfortably. Brendan shot it regularly up through the age or 14 or 15 even though he was well accomplished at shooting regular sized rifles by then. I do not know if these are available other than used. Currently, the Armscor sight shows a model with a similar model number, the 1400Y. It looks much the same from what I can see. One that may be closer to the 14Y is the 14P and that one is still offered by Armscor. For some reason they show only the left side of the rifle thus leaving out the safety and bolt from view. For more info on Armscor bolt action rifles click here. As for price, I cannot tell you with any certainty what the current models go for but my guess would be at or just under $200. Ours was only about $125 when we got it.

Savage MK II-GY - Now I cannot say I have any direct experience with this particular model but I do have quite a bit of experience with it in the adult sized version. We owned one of them prior to getting the Armscor rifle. If I recall right, I sold the Savage MK II-G in order to purchase the Armscor rifle. Silly me! Not that the Armscor was not worth buying but that I sold one good rifle to buy another. The basic MK II-G is a fine rifle in my esteem. Its youth model counterpart fits the bill as the type of a bolt action rifle I described above. The youth model at 5 lbs. is about 1/2 pound lighter and at 37.25" is 1.75" shorter than the regular sized version. It feeds from a 10 round box magazine. It has a post front sight and notch rear. There are a couple of additional features that make this rifle special, even in the youth models. First of all they now come with Savage's legendary Accu-Trigger which is an adjustable trigger. Secondly they not only come in right handed adult and youth models but also come in left handed versions of both. MSRP is about $250.

CZ 452 - is another rifle available in a youth model that meets my criteria. I have never owned one of these and have zero experience with them. It is a nice looking rifle, get the specs and see one here. It weighs in at about 4 pounds, It comes in a blue finish with wood stock, had a hooded front sight and notch rear sight and has a magazine capacity of one round when using a magazine adapter to change it to a single shot. It also uses 5 and 10 round magazines. In addition it has an adjustable trigger. MSRP is about $315. Note: I only linked to wood stocked versions of this rifle. It is also available with a synthetic stock that is bright pink in color. To me at least, the pink version looks like a toy. I know it is not. With that said, let me also just say that when teaching children how to shoot, I am not one to confuse them by handing them something that looks so much like a toy that it may even confuse an adult into believing such.

Remington Model Five Youth - is another one with which I have no experience. I do have lots of experience with Remington firearms though. When I first learned to shoot at summer camp - many moons ago - I learned suing Remington and Winchester rifles. The Remingtons back then weighed a ton but were my favorites and I earned several marksmanship awards firing them.. I currently own both a Remington 870 pump shotgun and a 513 Matchmaster rifle. The Matchmaster is a 22 as is the newest model of 22 bolt action rifle in Remington's lineup - the Model Five Youth. The Model Five Youth at 35 1/4" is a full 5.5" shorter than the regular Model Five and it must weigh in at considerably less than the regular model but Remington did not have the weight shown in the specs they provided for it here. The rifle is made of blued steel and the rifle comes with a wood stock. It fires from a 5 round magazine. The front sight is hooded and the rear is a notch variety. The sights are adjustable rifle sights. The MSRP is about $240.

Well my friends, I think that gives you a good idea of what I expect in a 22 training rifle for young shooters. Of course, if you start a child off at an older age, say in there young to mid-teens you may want to look to an adult version of any one of the above choices depending on the size of the teenager. It is a good bet though that one of the youth models will still fit but truth be told it will be outgrown possibly over the course of a summer once a youngster has hit the mid teens.

One last thing. You may think that buying a rifle a child will grow into is the better investment than a smaller model that any child is bound to outgrow. I think not. I think the better investment is the one by which you get the child the correct rifle for his or her size, eye dominance and handedness. This way the child does not have to struggle with it and take a poor stance or grip while trying to shoulder it well enough to see the sights. In other words you will have gotten the right tool for the right job and made it all that much more enjoyable for the young shooter. As a graduation present you can move up to a new adult sized rifle and that is another thing to consider because it sets a goal for the child to line up in his or her sights.

All the best,

Glenn B

PS: Hat tip to Mel over at TheGunCounter.com for giving me the idea to write this one. It was unintentional but I'll takeinspiration where I can find it.

Ballseye's Gun Shots 30 - A New Gun Under The Christmas Tree - Sort Of A Buyer's Guide

Back in the day, many a child was happy to find a new rifle (or even a used one) under the Christmas Tree. The closest I ever came was finding an air rifle under mine, one that could not even shoot BB, just corks. You can bet I would have been happy to have found a nice Remington or Winchester bolt action 22 waiting under my tree on some Christmas morning long ago.

I don't recall if it was for a birthday gift or a Christmas present but I gave an Armscor 14y (a youth model bolt action rifle in .22LR) to my son when he was about 9. I am pretty sure that was the age though he might have been 10. I had hoped to give one to my daughter some years before but she who must be obeyed was against it then. It took almost all my persuasive powers to convince the wife and mother of my children it would even be okay to teach them to shoot. I guess by the time my son was that age she had figured it was fairly safe, safe enough at least that I could give him a rifle he could only use under my supervision.

If you are looking for a youth model rifle, and I strongly recommend teaching a child to shoot using a youth sized rifle, and need some suggestions as to where you might be able to find one, I have a source of information for you that you might not believe. I would be willing to bet that the people who compiled the source I am about to recommend never, not in a million years anyhow, would have thought their list would be used to help facilitate the search for a youth model rifle. I kind of get the impression their informative list was meant to do something completely different - like to help put an end to gun rights, to make sure that kids never learn to shoot, and to discourage manufacturers from making youth sized models. What the heck, it is good, informative information for you if you are in the market to buy a youth sized model and you are therefore looking to find out which firearms manufacturers make youth sized models. See the page at the following web address. Please cut and paste this one into your browser bar to be surprised to find who it was that was nice enough to compile a list of manufacturers of youth model firearms:

http://www.vpc.org/studies/22ap.htm

All the best,
Glenn B

Ballseye's Gun Shots 29 - Shooting Lessons...

...were never quite like this when I learned how to shoot! That is pretty much just what Pete G said when he sent me the link to this video in an email tonight. Watch the video before you read more then I'll tell you what I think he meant about shooting lessons and range days never being like that for us.



I mean if we had broken the rules like two of those lady shooters are doing, we would have been horse whipped or something. I don't mean pointing the guns at the camera either, I'll take it for granted the video camera was run by remote but the finger on the trigger thing - oh man what an infraction. Of course I had to watch that video about 12 times before I noticed fingers on triggers - for some reason I was looking elsewhere all the other times. You gotta admit those guns sure do have fine lines! Funny though I cannot even remember what kind of guns they were shooting.

Oh come-on ladies, don't ride me too hard for posting this one; a living and breathing married guy has just gotta have fun now and then and I am not quite dead yet!

All the best,
Glenn B

Some darned good singing...

...is coming through my headphones right now and is having a good affect. I am enjoying Gordon Lightfoot on the Classic Masters CD. I sure do not agree with a lot of his politics but I can enjoy his voice and the songs he sings as opposed to someone like Bruce Springsteen whom I avoid like the plague because of his pushing his politics into our faces every chance he gets.

All the best,
Glenn B

Windows Media Player Playing Again

I had to download it twice, then I had to remove iTunes, then I had to remove remaining iTune files manually. Finally Windows media Player is playing again! I am happy again but still find myself thinking iTunes should burn in hell.

All the best,
Glenn B

Screw iTunes

My son has an iPod. He put iTunes on my PC some time ago, even before he had an iPod - I think. I always ignore the notices I get from them saying that downloads are available. That was until two days or so ago when I downloaded them for some reason beyond the scope of sanity. Now my Windows Media Player (my choice for playing music) no longer works. I am downloading Windows Media Player 11 from the MS site. Hopefully that will fix it. In the mean time allow me to say "FUCK OFF iTunes - you suck".

Yes that means I am pissed off.

All the best,
GB

Wiffle Ball Anyone?

Truth be told, I don't know if it was actually a Wiffle Ball bat that was involved in the incident I am about to post about but it would be excellent if such was the case. You see, I just bought and gave a Wiffle Ball and Bat set to my nephew who just turned 9 years old. I loved them when I was a kid and teen, heck I still love em now, especially because when I bought the one for my nephew I saw that it said "Made in the USA" on the bat. It would be nice to know that this made in the USA item was used to thwart a robbery and assault.

According to this article:

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ODD_INTRUDER_TOY_BAT_ATTACK?SITE=1010WINS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

What happened was that a woman who was taking a bath with her toddler son realized something was amiss in her home when a cat, that normally remained outside, came scampering into the bathroom. She went to investigate and found an intruder standing over her other young son. She threatened the bad guy with that which almost never works - a yelled promise to call 911. What did he do in response to the threat of her calling 911? He hit her. What would you expect! I guess though he did not expect what took place next. She then grabbed a toy plastic bat and hit him with it repeatedly. I hope she beat the doody out of him. Whatever, she hit him hard enough and often enough to make him flee the scene. The shame of this is that the next thing you know is that some leftist libturd will be calling for a ban on plastic bats or the crook will sue her for giving him plastic bat welts and hurting his feelings.

Did I tell you that one of the most fun pastimes with a Wiffle Ball bat was for me and my friends to beat one another with them. Sure we played ball with them too, but you know youngsters - heck we were already older teens by then! Well, at least you understand how we acted back then if you are old enough to have been around then. Back then, kids were allowed to do lots of things they cannot do now. We were a better society for it because we had an outlet for our frustrations and we knew how to cope with life and with one another when we got pushed around by the facts of life or by a bully. Nowadays if kids so much as look at other kids cross eyed it seems they get arrested, I imagine that Wiffle Ball sets may just have already been banned in most schools, but that is just my guess. If it was up to me, every kid in America would own one! Of course - all this wimpery being taught to our kids nowadays may have just helped this mom in distress (who obviously had better advice on what to do if ever threatened than to just cower and try to call 911) because the intruder must have been one hell of a wimp to have run from a beating with a plastic bat. Then again, my bet is that mom unleashed a fury the likes of which this guy had never seen and had the bat been plastic, wood or aluminum - it would not have mattered much.

Way to go mom - if you run across my blog - send me an email - I'll send you a replacement Wiffle Ball - Bat and Ball set - heck I'll send two - one for each of your sons. That way you can frame the bat you used to beat that moron who tried to rob you.

All the best,
Glenn B

Ballseye's Gun Shots 28 - Big Game Hunting Season Must Be Upon Us...

...and I say so not so much because I am a hunter and am familiar with when hunting seasons begin in general but because there is a clue to be found by way of Site Meter. Site Meter is the service I use to find out about how many hits my blog has gotten, my last hundred hits and their locations, how long people spend on my blog, which sites referred them here, the number of visits to my page over the past 12 months (broken down by year, month, week and day), and where among other things I can find out about the ranking by frequency of visits of entry and exit pages used by those viewing my blog. Most of the things I can check are limited to the last 100 visits to my blog because I use the free service offered by Site Meter. They also have a paid subscription whereby you can get a lot more information about your blog, but the free service suits me just fine.

So what is it about Site Meter that gives me a clue that hunting season is upon us? I only need take a look at the rating of entry pages over the last 100 visits to my sight and the clue comes shining through. The number one ranking among entry pages for visits to my sight has gone to my main page, the number two ranking has gone to this:

http://ballseyesboomers.blogspot.com/2007/02/ballseyes-boomers-marlin-336.html

Now the Marlin 336, although it could be, is not usually used for: home defense, as an offensive weapon, as a plinker, as a target rifle or as a small game getter. So what use does it have? It is primarily a Big Game gun and its most frequent target is probably deer of one sort or another. It is also fair to excellent when used to hunt Black Bear. It is most frequently used as a hunting gun for hunting big game animals.

Not only has that particular post of mine gotten the second most hits out of the last hundred visits to my blog but I have also received a few emails now requesting instructions on how to disassemble and reassemble the 336. The folks who contacted me were not satisfied with the instructions that come with the 336 from Marlin and I do not blame them. Those instructions don't go far enough to tell you how to disassemble and reassemble the rifle for a really good detailed cleaning. Lucky for me, back in February 2007 or thereabout, I found detailed instructions with a schematic for how to strip down the Marlin 336 for a good cleaning and then how to put it back together again. I have it saved on my hard drive. I can not vouch for the correctness of those instructions regarding take down of the trigger group but I took down most of the remainder of my Marlin 336 using those instructions and then successfully put it back together again. That one sentence - "Reassemble in reverse order." was a good little thing to know since not all firearms go back together in the reverse order of how you took them apart. Allow me to say: Thank you Marlin for making that easy.

Since a good number of folks have visited that post on my site over the past couple of weeks, and since it still remains very popular, allow me to post a link to it here. Also allow me to post a link to the instructions for disassembly and reassembly of the Marlin 336 here because I figure having them up front may be helpful to those seeking the instructions:

http://www.gunuts.com/view.php?view=details&model_id=40&type=2

Once you see the diagram, click on it to get a larger view. Now also allow me to thank reader Russ S. for finding that link for me. I did not have that posted in my original post of the Marlin 336 Disassembly & Reassembly until just recently - after he pointed me to it. What I did have was a copy of those same instructions, and I was emailing them to anyone who wanted them. Now that I have the link on my page it is easier for others to find them and it is easier on me.

Again, as I said above, I cannot vouch for the correctness of those instructions, I do not know where they originated (I am almost certain I did not initially get them on the website where they now appear). So if you use them, or if you pass them on, you do so at your own risk and you hold me harmless and you also indemnify me for their use by you or their subsequent use by anyone else to whom you passed them onto and to whomever else they are passed onto to after that ad infinitum. Again though, I will say, they worked for me.

Happy hunting,
Glenn B