Right Wing Prof. - Keep Him In Your Prayers

Right Wing Prof. of Right Wing Nation and of Central Pennsylvania Orthodox is ill, very ill. He has cancer, and it does not sound good, in fact it sounds dismal - yet somehow he sounds strong. I have enjoyed his writing for a few years now but apparently had not been keeping up with my blog reading because I was absolutely shocked to find out about his health problems. I remember reading in October that he had fallen and fractured his spine and wound up in the hospital; then the next thing I realized was that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer of a type that metathesizes in the bones.

Heck, I just realized, I do not even know the man's name. Yet, there are tears in my eyes just from knowing him through his blog - Right Wing Nation.

Please, keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

All the best,

Glenn B

Ballseye's Gun Shots 40 - Marlin 336 CS Disassembly & Reassembly Videos

PLEASE SEE THE UPDATED VERSION HERE:

http://ballseyesboomers.blogspot.com/2011/04/ballseyes-gun-shots-129-marlin-336.html

Deer Hunt Results: Us - Still Hunting, Deer - Still Laughing; My Advice: Bring a Squirrel Gun on a Deer Hunt

What could be better than a couple or three days of deer hunting in the woods with your son? Well, for me three days in the woods with my son could only have been made better had we at least seen a deer! Man - this hunting on state land ain't easy; it sure is a lot tougher than hunting on a farm or on any private property of which you know the lay of the land and to which you visit frequently. When my uncle owned his farm, not 2 miles from where we chose to hunt this year, I saw deer on almost every hunting trip I made there. Sure, sometimes I saw only does and fawns when I did not have a doe permit, and other times I saw deer to far away to get off a shot with my shotgun, and other times I just missed the shot, but I did see deer. This hunting on state land though baffles me. Of course I went on a few scouting trips to the spot at which we wound up. I did all the things the books and outdoor magazines say to do. I have been there before too, many times over the years, and I know where deer sign has been over the years, same place as it is now. Yet, we did not see even one white hair of a white-tailed's tail! Our trip was disappointing in that regard but it had other rewards.

Brendan and I got out in the woods together on Friday, the day before deer season. I do not like going to my stand that soon before the hunt, I would rather visit my stand a week before the hunt but Brendan had not been there yet this year. I wanted him to be able to get out there before the hunt to see where it was that we would be hiking to at zero dark 30 on opening day. Less chance of an accident that way. While we looked around we made sure that we had the Remington 870 with the 28 inch barrel attached to it. That way, should we stumble across some turkey or some squirrels we might wind up with dinner. Brendan spotted a gray squirrel about 25 to 30 yards away and pointed it out to me. He had a perfect shot but the thing was he did not take it. When I asked why he pointed it out to me instead of shooting it, he said he thought it was too far away. Granted 30 yards would be about the maximum range for effective hunting with that gun, but I think it was within that range. Oh well - one missed opportunity.

Come Saturday and opening morning of deer season we set out from our room at Motel 6 in Binghamton, NY toward Windsor at about 0330-0345. We got to the hunting area at about 0410. Not to cold but certainly not warm out at the time but we were ready for it. We grabbed what gear we needed and headed out into the woods with small LED headlamps for illumination. used to be illegal for deer hunters in New York to go afield with lights and deer rifles or slug guns, but thankfully times have changed and now I do not have to commit a criminal act to avoid falling over a deadfall or into a woodchuck hole as I walk through the dark forest with my hunting gun. We, as rote, walk the woods with unloaded guns in the dark for safety reasons; we only load at out stands. I imagine though some others trudge through the woods with loaded gun at that hour and without a light the footing can be treacherous. The combination of loaded gun and walking through darkened woods is one that adds up to the potential for disaster so it is a good thing lights are now okay. Of course, it would be better if everyone also kept their guns unloaded until they reached their spots but not everyone is as safety minded as are we when it comes to guns.

We both walked to Brendan's stand. I wanted to make sure he would not miss it. That would have been difficult what with all the orange tape and reflective tacks I had marking the trail but I am the ever watchful father and will be for life (I helped him make it this far and plan to help him keep going for as long as I can). So, even if he is 19 and about to be 20, I walked to his stand with him and gave him deer hunting advice along the way. Then I went off on my own back to where I planned to make my stand. We sat on stands about 1/6 to 1/4 of a mile apart (yeah, I know - if you don't deer hunt you are wondering why we 'sat' on a 'stand' - some other time for the explanation). As for the site we chose for Brendan it was in a natural funnel that had the deer coming into it from from a homeowners green grassy lawn and apple trees. There was a lot of deer sign. There were a few deer trails coming out of a swampy area (which was between his stand and the grassy area), one coming from along a stream (the stream that fed the swamp), and a few coming out of the woods. There was deer poop galore. His spot had at least 7 scrapes with 50 yards, most within 25 yards. Those scrapes were active too!

So what did he see - a woodpecker, a squirrel, some chickadees. The chickadees were right over his head pecking at the tree under which he sat and looking for whatever it is that peck at when flying from bush to tree to bush. I am always amused by their antics and get kind of a feeling of satisfaction knowing that wild birds come so close to me when I am out hunting. Brendan, on the other hand, was a bit put off and shooed them away because he was worried they would bomb him with bird droppings. I never quite thought of that before, I told him it would have brought him luck. He did get a kick out of watching them though. As for the squirrels, Brendan had our Marlin 336 in .35 Remington, ready for deer. As tempting as those squirrels must have been to shoot at, especially the one who gave him the squirrel finger (shaking of a curved tail), he restrained himself and kept up his hopes for a deer. I am happy he did because there would not have been much squirrel left had he hit one anyplace other than the head with a .35 Rem.

My spot was near where a buck had a veritable playground when it came to rubs and scrapes. There were a few scrapes and at least 6 rubs within 25 yards of my stand. There was a trail going north/south and one going east/west. It was not so much in a natural funnel as was Brendan's spot, but was a spot well traveled by a buck that meant business. The scrapes nearby looked to be pretty recent. I had two possible spots picked out in y area at which to make my stand but as it turned out I moved to yet another spot. Same area, just a better spot for my stand. As I sat there, for the hour and a half or so before first light, my hopes were high - not so much for me getting a deer but for Brendan. It would be his first if he got one. Just before sunrise, and legal shooting time, shots rang out from the other end of the state land and from somewhere down in that direction but across the road. As usual some hunters were at the right spot but were firing at the wrong time. I had instructed Brendan that if he saw a deer he was to wait until legal hunting time. He is pretty good in such regards and I am pretty certain he would have waited. I told him if he saw one in the faint early morning light, chances are it would not be too far off by legal shooting time and he could call it within range if need be. Thing is he did not see any.

As for me, I did not see any deer either. I had hoped that since most hunters hunted this piece of state land at the northern end, we would get any that were spooked by them and that came down toward the southern end. No such luck. Now when you sit out in the woods, virtually for two days, in one spot or another, you begin to wonder have you done something wrong when you do not see any deer. I have done some thinking about that and here is what I came up with:

*Our stands were in areas well traveled by deer.

*We were pretty much scent free if not totally so. I washed the clothing in a good detergent made for hunters and we sprayed down with scent blocker before the hunts each day (all good enough on my successful deer hunts and on Brendan's successful bear hunt).

*We moved slowly when we needed to move.

*We stayed quiet except when calling or rattling or when we too a break and jawboned a bit (and that was not much).

*We had a scent trail and scent markers set properly.

*Our outfits, though blaze orange, were of the camo variety. (Deer are colorblind and thus the camo in blaze orange is actually camo in their sight although it is a bright warning to other hunters that we are indeed hunters - not an animal to be hunted.)

*We had other animals approach within close proximity of us either not seeing us seeing us and just not being fearful of us.

Since we did not even see deer at a distance, let alone close to our stands, I figure it was either crappy luck or bad choice of a stand site. Yeah I know there was plenty of sign, but maybe it was all just from bucks. I read, not too long ago, that to find bucks during the rut you need to find the does. That makes sense, next year I have to remember that and scout out where the does are going. Bucks are sure to be there too.

Now as for my hunting experience, I was very disappointed that I did not hear Brendan take a shot. I was also disappointed he did not even see a deer - especially the one that I think walked right up to a scent pad he had placed on the trail near his stand on day two. Deer tracks clearly showed a deer had walked up the trail, and then turned in right where the scent pad hung from a branch as if the deer had sniffed it, then turned back to the trail and walked on. Brendan did not hear or see the deer and I figure he must have been asleep. He said he did not sleep that whole second day. I have to wonder because they sure looked like fresh tracks and Brendan did not have a scent pad on the first day (we did have others up around the area though). Since he readily admitted sleeping on and off on day one, I had to believe him that he at least thinks he did not fall asleep on day two. He also admitted that he fell right out of his chair when sleeping (we bring along those fold up chairs with nylon seats). Now with honesty like that - who could not believe him when he said he did not fall asleep on day two? Of course, since the leaves in that area were still wet, I suppose a deer could have crept up and gotten away without being heard or seen if Brendan's attention was on something else at that time, or if he was day dreaming. The scent pad was behind Brendan over his right shoulder so it is quite possible. Oh well!

My hunt was not all disappointment. I was happy to have Brendan along, he makes a great hunting partner. He is nice to be around, he is a safe gun handler, he has good hunting ethics (just read above where he did not take a shot because he thought it was too far off), and he is my son. I have hunted by myself for years so it is always nice to have a partner and better yet when it is Brendan. Besides that I had some other fun while on my stand. It was while I was on my stand on day one that I realized, or is it that I remembered, that I should always bring a pistol or revolver in .22LR along on a deer hunt. Why? For squirrels - what else! The first gray ghost I saw was scampering along the branches about 8 feet off of the ground about 20 yards in front of me. He mad his way down to the ground, then onto a tree trunk only about 10 yards from me at most. That took him about half a minute what with frequent stops to look about for danger and to nose around in the branches looking for a meal. I followed his movements turning my head as I watched. I moved as if to pick up my shotgun and aim in for a shot. He did not notice me and if he did he was not afraid of me. He was a nice plump one ready for the long winter and I am sure he would have been good eating, that is had I had anything smaller than a once ounce shotgun slug with which to hit him. Later on, as I dozed meditated and pondered nature, under the tree where I made my stand, with tree trunk at my back, I heard a rustling sound in the leaves. I though - a buck cometh - but as I opened my eyes, which were pointing up because of the backward tilt of my head at that precise moment in mid snore, I saw a bushytail directly overhead. There was another fat little bastardsquirrel on a branch not 7 or 8 feet over my head - just sitting there chattering a bit. He then walked to the end of the branch, looked around sideways and up and down, then jumped to the branch of a nearby tree, just the next in a long line of branches that make up his woodland highway. He sat on the next branch for long moments, maybe as much as 45 seconds to a minute, before giving me the equivalent of the finger in squirrel language and with those quivers of his tail he turned and bounded to yet the next branch then onto a tree trunk about 20 feet from me where he made himself the perfect target for a 22 handgun shooter. Alas, the 22s were all home in the gin locker. I also saw a red squirrel in the same area. Later on, thinking maybe another point of view would be better from which to spot deer, I changed my vantage point by moving a bit further from the deer trail and to higher ground. It did not accomplish helping me to see any deer. What I did see though were two other squirrels easily with pistol distance at about 7 yards away. The next day I hunted further away from Brendan but on the same trail I had been on day one. This time I sat right near the scrapes and rubs. All I saw was one gray and one red squirrel. Had I brought along the 22 I could have had enough squirrels for a decent sized meal but as it turned out those squirrels just had their fun teasing me by coming so close that I almost could have jumped up and grabbed one or two of them. So folks, that was my long way of saying, as far as I can tell, it was not any movement on our part that had spooked the deer away. One other thing - you can bet I'll bring a .22LR handgun next time I hunt deer because I am more than willing to have a few squirrels cooking in the pot when there is no venison for the broiler.

A couple of other quick things about the hunt before closing: I also did a bit of still hunting (for you non-hunting types let me just say that 'still' hunting means you are moving, walking through the woods or stalking game - go figure wacky terminology). For my efforts I was rewarded with a find of a pile of bear poop. Too bad for me, and lucky for it, that I did not see the bear. I saw some deer sign but not as much, not anywhere near as much, as close to our stands (remember that is where we sat while hunting - wacky terminology again).

One of the best things about the trip was that Brendan did about 90% of the driving. It is nice to have a young hunting partner along. Had we gotten a deer or a bear, not only would he have done most of the driving, he would have done a lot of the dragging! I'd bet though after that, I would have at least done the driving on the way home. For now, I am doing the laundry, a good amount of it for just three days worth of clothes being that we had hunting clothes and regular clothes along. All in all the deer (and their buddies the squirrels and probably their spies the chickadees) are still laughing (I guess they are imagining me doing the laundry), we are still looking for a deer, and I am kicking myself in the head for not bringing a 22. There is always this coming weekend though, I'll be up there gun in hand and hope Brendan will be with me; I don't think not getting one has smashed his hopes just quite yet. Was that the end of cycle signal I just heard? You can bet it was! Gotta go and do more laundry to keep those deer and squirrels laughing.

All the best,
Glenn B

A New Shooting Sport

I can only wish that someday I could own, enjoy and afford the range set-up in the embedded video. It sure looks like fun.



All the best,
GB

Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, It's Off To Hunt We Go...

...so I am sorry to have to inform you that there will be an absolute paucity of blogging by me for the next 4 days. Brendan and I will be leaving for upstate NY after he gets home from his classes today and after we are done packing. I said we because while he already put his clothes in a bag, I am not about to get all the gear together by myself. That could only mean, that when we arrive at the hunting area, we would be missing something for sure, what with my muddled middle aged memory. Better to share such responsibilities anyway and not leave it all on one person's shoulders.

So, for now, that is it! I have to get the clothes out of the dryer. Then I have to start packing the hunting clothes and gear. I'd best remember to grab the cooler out of the garage too, and to make some sandwiches for the trip. Ice, got to get ice! Aaaaarrrrrrggggghhhh! Gotta go.

All the best,
Glenn B

New Addition to the Blog Roll

Smoke signals - this one may become addictive. It is on my blog list under: Rootin - Tootin - Shootin Bloggers. I found it by way of a comment left at The Jungle Hut (thanks Rita).

All the best,
GB

Ballseye's Gun Shots 39 - Range Report - Remington 513T Matchmaster

I had a lot of good things to say about the Remington 513T Matchmaster in the post immediately prior to this one. The proof of a rifle though is in the shooting. I took it to the range this afternoon, and set up targets at the 50 foot line. The targets were NRA standard 50 foot rifle targets for 22's. The black bull's eyes are 1 3/16 inches across if I measured right. As you can see I am posting 2 pictures. The reason I am only posting 2 pictures is because I only shot at two targets. Each has 12 bull's eyes. In all I only shot at 18 of those in the hour that I was shooting and the total number of rounds I fired was 88. It would have been 90 but I ran out of a particular brand of ammo and just shot the last three of that offhand, and that was not too shabby. For all the other shots, I fired them from a seated position, arms resting on the bench, with a coat folded up and placed between my arms and the bench surface. Yeah I know, really professional, but obviously it worked just fine.

As for the ammo, I fired a variety. Some was just cheap stuff, which is the bulk of the .22LR ammo that I have. Some was more expensive but nothing of the high end target type ammo used by competition shooters. Ammo types I shot were: CCI Blazer, CCI Mini Mag, Federal's American Eagle, Federal Champion (target velocity), Remington Thunderbolt. Nothing special as far as .22LR ammo goes, some of it even considered to be pretty low end - the CCI Blazer and the Remington Thunderbolt. There can be some surprises though when you expect something to be junk and it isn't. A look at the targets will show you what I mean. Click on each to enlarge it. They are annotated to show which ammo was used on each bull's eye, and as to group size. All groups were 5 shots except for one in which I fired 4 because I made a mistake when I loaded the mag, and the other because I ran out of ammo - so I discounted both of them. As for measurment of group size, I measured the widest spread from the outside rim of one to the oputside rim of the other. I think that is not the proper way to do it
and that normally you would measure from the inside edge of one shot to the outside edge of the other. That would have been tough since the groups were pretty tight. It was just easier to measure the way I did it but had I done it the right way then the group sizes would have been a bit smaller, maybe by as much as 2/16" for some groups.

Looking at the first target, you can see that every shot is to the left of center. I probably had not fired this rifle for at least a year, maybe as many as 2 or 3 years, prior to today and do not recall if it was sighted in right before or not. It is possible that the sights got messed up during a cleaning or moving or rearranging of the gun locker. Whether or not it was shooting at the center of the target is inconsequential for all the shots on that target. The thing was that it was shooting pretty consistent groups and all groups were to the left. That was good. A bit of twiddling with the sights and the result was target 2 where many more shots are at center of the bull's eyes. The groups on the second target are not too shabby but I could not again achieve the best two groups on target 1 which were only 6/16" across each.

When I was shooting on the second target, I think know I was getting a bit rattled by two other shooters who just would not stop talking, one of them was exceptionally loud. Even with all the shooting going on all I heard was him. It was friggin annoying. I was about to say something to them when I noticed one of them pointing his shotgun directly across the firing points at a right angle to all of them next to his. In other words, had he let one loose, it probably would have injured or maybe killed a shooter on one of the other points. Lucky for them there were no other shooters at that moment, the other two guys in that bay of shooting points had already left. So, I gave them a good but restrained lesson in where to point firearms, when to have a finger on the trigger, and to consider all guns as loaded. They both listened and I think they got it too. That was it for me though, no more shooting. My getting annoyed combined with the strain of trying to shoot as well as I could , and taking my time doing it, had me at the point where my shots would not be getting any better.

By the way, yes it is pretty stressing to try to shoot as well as you can when hand holding an 8 to 9 pound rifle even if resting on the bench. Maybe I should invest in some shooting bags or a rifle rest. I suppose that working out a bit to better develop my arm muscles might also help, heaven knows I have not worked out recently because of Arthur I. Tispain. No excuses though, and heck I don't need any, I shot pretty good for a muddled minded middle aged guy whose eyes are not what they once were back in my day. In closing, I have to say that the Remington 513T Matchmaster is one heck of a tack shooter and is obviously capable of better accuracy than it can get with my finger on the trigger.

All the best,
Glenn B

Ballseye's Gun Shots 38 - The Remington 513T Matchmaster

The Matchmaster was tucked away snugly in the far corner of the gun locker. It had been there for a long time, all but forgotten, among its more used companions. It came out now and then to be inspected and cleaned and then was gingerly placed back into its corner. As far as shooting went, it had not been fired in well over a year maybe even two.

There is no acceptable reason for neglect of the type I just mentioned; and I readily admit - I am guilty of it. The remedy ofcourse is at hand and later today I plan to head to the range. Yes, the Remington 513T Matchmaster will be there with me. Sometimes, we forget old friends but when we remember them and get together with them again it is always a good time. That is how I anticipate my time at the range with this rifle later today - a good time. As far as actually shooting it goes, I expect it will shoot better than I can aim or deserve it to do. A funny thing about this rifle is that when I bought it, it had been tucked away, probably forgotten, in a gun cabinet with a for sale tag on it, at a local sporting good store. It was a part of the owner's personal collection of firearms. I just took a look at the receipt for it, that too had been tucked away and forgotten, though a lot longer than was the Matchmaster. I bought it in January 1999 - almost 11 years ago for $271.25. He was asking $250 and that is what I paid - plus tax of course - this is NY after all! To me it seemed like an awful lot to pay for a .22 rifle back then, but it was in fact a good deal.

The rifle was impressive back then, heck it still is now. It is a hefty boomer, I don't know the weight but my guess is around 8 to 9 pounds. For a .22 rifle that is pretty heavy. It is a bolt action repeater with a 6 round magazine. The stock is wood with high gloss finish, the metal is all blued steel. The Globe front sight is hooded and has interchangeable inserts. The shame of it is I have three of the same inserts for it. I also have another two inserts made of orange plastic. It might be interesting to use them someday as I cannot recall ever shooting with them before. I think it would be possible to insert them along with one of the metal inserts. Sort of sunglasses for the front sight. The rear sight is a fully adjustable Redfield peep sight with positive click stops. The barrel on this rifle is a heavy target type and is 27 inches long. Not as big around as some made today but not a narrow one by a long shot. It is drilled and tapped for a scope mount. On the bottom of the forend there is a multi position sling swivel base, another feature found on target rifles. The swivels were attached, and along with them came a really nice leather sling. All in all, with its weight, the leather target sling that came with it was a very good thing. The rifle is in excellent condition. There is a chance that the wood was refinished at some point, I am pretty certain of that especially with the fingerprint in the varnish. Sadly there are a few scratches to the surface finish of the wood, but only minor ones. The metal has not been refinished and is in 98%+ condition.

They were made between 1940 and 1968(1). I know when I bought this rifle, but I am not sure of when it was manufactured; from what I can see by the date code that is stamped on the barrel it was either made in 1941 or 1963. The code of which I speak is a 2 letter code, the second letter distinguishing the year of manufacture. The second letter on mine is a K and as far as I can find out, K is assigned to both 1941 and 1963 (2). There is a good chance this was one of the two or three types of rifle I shot at summer camp many - many - moons ago in the mid to late 60s. I remember they were heavy as is this one, heavier then I suppose, when I was a stringbean of a kid.

As far as shooting it goes, I pretty much said it all above. It shoots better than I can aim. This was manufactured as a target rifle and it will hit where you aim it and if you can aim at the same spot and hold it there consistently when you squeeze off a shot then it will hit there consistently if using good ammo.

If you are in the market for a fine rifle in .22LR, this could be it - well not this particular one - mine is mine. Of course, you need some money to buy one and they are not inexpensive. I saw a similar one today at GunBroker.com that already had a bid of over $550 on it. That is an increase over 100% in value compared to the price at which I bought mine. Not a bad investment in 11 years.

All the best,
Glenn B

References:
1. http://www.remington.com/library/history/firearm_models/rimfire/model_513.asp
2. http://www.remingtonsociety.com/rsa/questions/barrelcodes and
http://www.wisnersinc.com/additional_info/remington_date_code.htm

Ballseye's Gun Shots 37 - Guns of the Hunt

Guns of the Hunt - sounds like it could be the title of a Capstick or Ruark book, or maybe even something by Theodore Roosevelt - a title that is more than just about guns, and more than just about the hunt. Truth be told though, for the purposes of this blog, while there may be some talk of guns there is no great hunting story - at least not yet. You see the hunt has not yet begun, at least not this season's deer hunt. I was lucky enough to get away over the weekend to do some scouting for deer sign and found plenty of it. As could be expected of me, I brought along a few guns just in case. In case of what? You know in case I stumbled across a turkey that was lost or a squirrel with a death wish. I actually almost came across a flock of turkeys. As I was scouting out hunting area and hiking at the same time with my trusty Remington 870. I heard a raucous commotion in the woods not far ahead. There were leaves rustling madly, branches cracking and what sounded like antlers banging into one another. I was sure, I mean absolutely certain, that I was about to sneak up on two buck locked in combat. What happened was not quite what I had expected. I got close to the commotion, even saw some branches moving in the undergrowth. Then nothing so I sat down with a good sized tree to my back and waited. Then I heard some turkeys cackling or whatever they call it. Not gobbling, this was more like hen chatter. After about 10 minutes I chattered back as best I could. Next thing you know, I was talking turkey to a turkey and yes it was answering me. This went on for about 20 to 30 minutes, then dead silence. After another minute or two I could hear what sounded like several birds walking away from me very stealthily. I guess I screwed up and either they saw me or I cackled too many times. I figure they were not more than 40 to 50 yards away and even thought I caught a brief glimpse of one as they approached me - then as I said - they took off in another direction. Oh well, the hunt is most assuredly not just about the kill. I had a great time and cannot remember having that much anticipation in a long time. Well maybe almost as much as when I thought it was two bucks engaged in combat! As a matter of fact, I am none too sure there had not been two bucks dueling it out; the sound of antlers rattling together was unmistakable and I cannot imagine a turkey making a noise like that. Now the bucks may have been right near a flock of turkeys - for all I know they were spectators as I had hoped to be. Really folks, this is no tall tale -this is how I perceived it while in the woods. Of course, there is a chance all that noise was being made by another hunter but he would have to have been mighty foolish to have been trying to rattle deer and talk turkey and take the chance of getting both a deer hunter and a turkey hunter thinking he was what they were seeking. Actually, there was turkey and deer sign all around, so I figure it may have been both types of animal making all the noise and they were close to one another by coincidence or because of a mutual food source.

Now, back to those guns, after all I said there was no hunting story here - didn't I! I brought three guns on my weekend trip: the Remington 870 mentioned above - mainly for turkey, a Ruger 10/22 All Weather (my son's) - mainly for squirrel, a Sig in .40 S&W caliber - mainly as a self defense carry sidearm. The Sig came with me everywhere, the 870 was with me in the woods just about every minute I was out there, and the Ruger - well it stayed in the car except for a short hike during which I hoped to bad a squirrel or two. I did not seen even one. That is okay though because I did see lots of something for which I was looking and that would be plenty of deer sign.

Thanks to this second, or is it my third scouting trip prior to this season's opening, I have a pretty good place selected from which to do some whitetail deer hunting. Being it is on state land there is always the chance someone else will have his big fat butt seated right on the spot that I selected for my big fat butt and for Brendan's much slimmer butt but those are the chances one must face when hunting on public land. I marked off the spot and two stands with orange tape and am hopeful no one else will tear it down or be attracted to my spot by it. I do not care if others hunt nearby, I just figure that they should respect me and the work I did in finding the spot just as I would respect them likewise and therefore am hopeful they will steer clear of it. A good thing about this particular spot is that it is not more than a few hundred yards from the road right where I will be parked. I like not having to drag a deer too far, and this spot is great for that. It is also full of deer sign. There were tracks all over the place, several rubs and a few scrapes. Some of the scrapes are only feet from where there were others last year. Chances are the same buck made them then and this year. Of course, there is a good chance there are doe tracks in the mix of those tracks I saw. As we have an anterless deer permit, I would be more than happy to bag a doe. I am pretty sure Brendan would take either a buck or a doe but being this would be his first deer you can bet I'll pass up any shot I could take on a buck that he can also get his sights on.

We will be leaving on Thursday afternoon. That way we get to hunt the last day of turkey season on Friday. Deer season opens Saturday. With two of us going, I suppose the chances are that more guns will be with us than I had with me this past weekend. Figure my Sig .40, the Remington 870 for deer and maybe turkey and maybe squirrel too, my Marlin 336 in .35 Remington for deer, Brendan's Ruger 10/22 or my Marlin 25MN in .22 WMR (for squirrels), and maybe one of my Mosin Nagants for deer if I am feeling frisky. I may also throw a .22 pistol into the mix for fun. Of course, the chances of us using them all are remote on a three or 4 day hunt, but I like the motto - 'Be Prepared'. Then again, not all of them may fit in the trunk of the Corolla with all our other gear in there but I have been known to be a wiz at packing a trunk and getting more stuff I'd never need into one - just in case. Thursday will tell but it is a safe bet that the 870, the 336 and at least one rifle in .22LR or WMR is also making the trip. Of course, so too will a sidearm. Hopefully whatever we bring for the hunt will not fail at the critical moment (yes that means I am also hopeful there will be that moment of opportunity for a shot at a nice deer) and at least one of us will bag Christmas dinner. You all know me well enough to realize that if only one of us has a shot, I am hopeful it will be Brendan.

Safe and happy hunting,
Glenn B

The Other Side Of Ballseye...

...well maybe not really the other side, just a thing about me that I usually don't talk about. Today I played the happy homemaker the not so happy house-cleaner. About once a year now, for the past few years, I have given the carpets in our living room and basement a good cleaning with a rented carpet cleaning machine. The main reason this came about was because of our dogs and their inability to be housebroken 100% (or would that be the dog owner's fault, in which case I tip my hat to my wife - her dogs - not mine). I am not going to place any blame, I'll just say man a carpet sure can look like crap (and it is actually the wee that makes it look disgusting). Yet, without placing culpability for our messy carpets, especially the one in the living room, I have to wonder what on earth ever made my wife decide to go out and get another mutt while I was away for work in Arizona this spring/summer. Did she go for a medium sized mutt like our Mimi (who is perfectly housebroken) - no she did not! Did she go for another psycho Chihuahua like our little Pepe (after Pepe Le Pew - of course) or a more demure yet sometimes psycho pooch like our little Lucy, our other Chihuahua - no she did not.

What she went for was this, a medium sized puppy that was a fawn and brindle, cuddly, loving, licking (a lot), scrappy ball of fire that is now weighing in at about 53 pounds at 8 months of age. She is full of love, and full of energy, and also full of water - or so it would seem she was until she was housebroken. Wait a minute, allow me to correct myself. Yes, she was full of water, but never for all that long. As it turned out, or should I say as it poured out, it often did so all over the living room, dining room and kitchen. Should someone have thought about this before buying a canine fireplug? Sure she should have thought of it. Did she think of it? No she did not and if she did she did not care about the mess that would ensue. Now mind what you are thinking right about now. Of course we cleaned it each time she had an accident. We used rolls and rolls of paper towels, bottles and bottles of pet accident spray too. You know the stuff if you own a puppy; it is supposed to make the stains disappear like magic.. It all FM though; that would be fucked-up magic because it did not work very well. On the carpet in the basement I could do a cleaning job and make it look like almost nothing had happened. The carpet in the living room being much lighter was a totally different story and it stained with rings around where the puddle had been and that area stained too, just lighter than the rings. It was pretty disgusting.

Now that the wonder dog, who could do no wrong in my wife's eyes no matter how much she wee'd in the house, is finally housebroken the best of all except Mimi, we are left with only Lucy or Pepe doing there thing now and then. Thankfully that is a drop in the bucket compared to what Roxie could let loose. Roxie, that's the big one's name, did I forget to mention that earlier. Well being that they are all mostly housebroken, I decided to clean the carpet. Why my darling dear sweetheart never kept them locked in the crates she has for them, or left them locked in the kitchen (where the floor is linoleum) is of no consequence because the deeds were done and I was left with the mess. So earlier today I was off to see homer. Yep, a trip to Home Depot was called for. I picked up the carpet cleaner and headed home. I got the living room done in about an hour. That included vacuuming, moving only 2 pieces of furniture, (because I moved most of it last night) and cleaning it with the cleaner. Then down to the basement. I was about half way done down there when the machine started to make strange high pitched nosies and to start to smell as if electrical insulation was burning. Back to see Homer again - wouldn't you just have known it what with my luck! Got a brand new machine this time, and a free bottle of carpet cleaner. When I told the gentleman at the counter that I needed more cleaner because the last I had was wasted when the other machine broke down he threw me a free one. That was unexpected and nice. Then back home and I finished up the job after dinner tonight. Well I finished cleaning the carpet. I have about an hour of furniture moving to do yet, but I know enough to allow lots of time for the carpet in the basement to dry before I place furniture back on it lest I get a moldy aroma in a day or two. Luckily my basement is normally very dry even on pretty humid days in the summer. It will recuperate nicely from this bathing experience.

As for the carpets they look pretty good. Now the one in the living room looks like it needs replacing and that is because it does need it but it is clean and decent enough for us not to be ashamed of it if guests come over. As for a replacement, I want to wait until the spring, maybe in May when the weather is mild and we can leave the windows open for a couple to a few days to get rid of the new carpet smell. Then again, if my wife has her way, we will be getting a wood floor installed and throw an area rug over it. We already have solid oak flooring under our carpet but the boards were ruined by the previous tenant's 15 cats. Her being wacky and old meant she did not clean up well. Hmm sounds like a problem for someone I know who owns 4 dogs. I may still see if we can save that floor, or just put drop in wood tiles over it. I would prefer the oak but we did have it refinished and they could not get rid of 2 stained areas. I may just have it stained so dark that those other stains will just blend right in - like walnut or darker. It would save us a bundle. For now the carpet is presentable again, and my wife is having a party on Friday (gals only, when Brendan and I go deer hunting) so I was smart to have gotten it done today - otherwise I would have wound up out in the doghouse where the dogs should have been in the first place!

All the best,
Glenn B

Does This Man - Our President - Have Any Clue At All...

...as to just how badly he is representing the Untited States of America and her citenzry around the world? Does he have even one iota of knowledge as to what it means when he bowed so low to the emperor of Japan as to make it look, in my personal opinion, as if he was playing the part of a fool? The bow in Japan is a tradition during which the person who bows lower is admitting that he is subserviant to or owes more respect to the other person. The other person, the one who bows less, is acknowldging the lower standing of the other person simply by not bowing as much and also shows his own self esteem by hardly bowing at all. It is akin to keeping the lower classes and ranks in there places.



What usually happens when the head of state of a country meets with the emperor of Japan, the head of state from the other country may bow slightly out of courtesy and the Japanese emperor will bow likewise. Afterall - thse are, if not equals, then at least both heads of state. If you watch the video closely, you will note that the emperor does indeed bow. He bows about an inch or two - that is it. Obama on the other hand looks as if he just lost his contact lenses or maybe as if he is asking for an apology from the emperor with his first bow, then makes several more bows of lesser tilt. Our country, with this president in charge, must be the laughing stock of the globe. I, for one, am embarrassed by such actions on his part while representing America, but that is my personal opinion. What do you think.

All the best,
Glenn B

Ballseye’s Choices For Care Package & Stocking Stuffers

Well it is again that time of year when we at least start thinking of shopping for the Christmas and Chanukah holidays. Me, I already started my holiday shopping. I got a present for each of the men in my family in my generation and included the next generation too. I’ll not say what it is because someone of them may read this and the surprise would be ruined. Usually, I do not start my Christmas shopping until after Thanksgiving but I saw something for them and knew it was limited in numbers and might be harder to get later so I ordered 5 of them. Thing was, I received them and sent them back for an exchange; the ones I got were not in good condition and they have promised to send ones in excellent condition next time. After all since they are new items they should be in excellent condition!

That’s enough on what I bought already, let me talk start writing about what I set out to pen herein. One of the reasons I already started to shop for Christmas was mentioned above, a limited item on that was available; another reason though is that I started shopping for the Soldiers’ Care Packages I will be sending out over for this holiday season. That just got me in the general shopping mood and being that it is already mid- November I am also in the Christmas shopping mood. Now I have the same problem I have every year when shopping for my family, and I also have the same problem I have had over the past couple of years when shopping for our soldiers who are in Harm’s way. As for my family I have an idea of some nicer gifts that will go to my wife, daughter and son but I need to pick out some stocking stuffers too. I prefer to get them something nice for the stocking along with some goofy and less expensive items too. As for the soldiers, I plan to get them things they can all share, but I also will try as I did in years past to get a gift for each soldier in the unit. Like the gifts I mentioned above, that I have already bought for the men in my family, these will probably be something the soldiers can use and will be pretty happy to receive even if each one of them receives the same exact thing.

This year, as over the last two, I have been assigned a soldier by way of Soldiers’ Angels. It is my job to write to him, to email him, to send him care packages. I just sent out such a package with a long letter. One of the things I asked in the letter was what he could use, another was how many guys/gals are in his unit. I would have emailed him to ask but he gave no email address just his mailing address in Afghanistan - on the front lines near the Pakistani border. Things I sent in this package were wool socks, granola type bars, candy, chewing gum, a wood carving book, a wood carving set, wood blocks for carving, mixed nuts, and some other things that I cannot think of right now. I am hopeful to receive a reply from him that tells me what he and his buddies can use - but even if he never writes back to me, I know what to send. I’ll just send things I have sent to the other couple of guys in the past who were assigned to me by Soldiers’ Angels and to the one other soldier I sent stuff to on my own (someone I never met but whom I had contact with on the Internet before he was deployed).

So what are good things to send to our guys and gals in the military who are on foreign soil. Just about anything in general but there are certain restrictions. First let me start with the restrictions – the do not sends:

Do not send:

Pornography, not even mild pornography
Pork products (to soldiers in Islamic countries)
Firearms, ammunition, explosives or fireworks
Propaganda (such as no anti-Muslim or anti-military books)
Liquids or food stuffs in glass
Anything that freezing will ruin
Anything that heat will ruin (though it should be getting cold over there soon enough)
Mass mailings of religious items
Alcoholic beverages

Okay, now that I got that out of the way, what can you send:

Clothing like hats, gloves, socks (I just sent a 3 pack of very thick wool socks to my soldier), and so on
Sunglasses
Batteries (various sizes but think of batteries for things like portable DVD players and Walkmen – so AAA, AA sizes mostly)
Music CDs and Video DVDs (be careful it is nothing that might be considered even mildly pornographic)
Toiletries such as baby wipes, deodorant, scented soap, toothpaste, dental floss, toothbrushes, safety razors, and so on.
Chapsticks
Sun Block
Earplugs (the foam variety) in multiple packs (helps them sleep or helps them retain hearing if in an artillery unit)
Books and magazines and newspapers
Small notebooks and pens, or letter writing kits (fancy paper with envelopes)
Candy (try to send stuff that will not melt, send chocolate in late fall and winter)
Chewing gum, bubble gum
Nuts of all varieties (I usually send mixed nuts)
Dried fruits
Beef Jerky
Crackers, and cookies (they may get squashed but you can bet they will get eaten)
Spices for cooking (The first year it was requested I send an electric Crock Pot and spices - and I did just that with your generous help.)
Drink Mixes like Crystal Light
Tea bags and Ground Coffee
Ziploc type freezer bags
Small toys like Matchbox Cars, Slinky, marbles, (stuff they can either enjoy themselves or give to local kids)
Small games, decks of playing cards (often available in 6 or 8 packs), poker chips
Small hobby kits (like the wood carving kit I sent this time round)
A kite flying kit
Small art kits, like pastels or charcoal and drawing paper
Dry graphite lubricant
Eyeglass repair kits
A baseball and glove
A Football
Small Air pump with pin for football
Small breakdown fishing rod kits (they make em pretty small nowadays and you can bet if there is a river, stream, pond or lake there will be fishing getting done even if there are no fish in it – that is just the optimism that comes with being a fisherman)
Pictures of loved ones (if you are a family member or loved one of the soldier)
Letters or cards from anyone who wants to include a note for a soldier (unless you bought it in the store, do not accept any sealed packages or envelope from anyone for inclusion in the care package – make sure you can review the contents)

Some of the things I have included in the previous care packages that I later found out were really well received by the soldiers were sort of the stocking stuffer variety of gifts – with at least one of them for each soldier in the unit. The first year each soldier got at least one flashlight and one pocket folding knife. Last year I do not think I had enough knives and lights to give one to each but it worked out that each soldier in the unit should have received either a knife or light. I have also sent Tobacco products (I have sent cigars and smokeless tobacco – they were both a big hit). I make a point to send enough cigars so each person in the unit can get one.

As for the flashlights please allow me to give an unabashed plug for a particular company. When I first thought of sending flashlights, two years ago, I contacted several flashlight makers and suppliers. I was looking at picking up small hand held lights of the high intensity type. Some agreed to sell them to me at a pretty good discount. Then one of the manufacturers came up with a deal that still chokes me up today. Streamlight of Pennsylvania offered me a deal I could not believe nor one that I could turn down. Angel D., one of their reps, sent me a light and batteries (including batteries in each light and extra batteries for each light) for each person in my soldier’s unit. I think it was something like 10 or 12 flashlights and about 36 batteries. Those lights retailed for well above $55, some places had em as high as $65 – and that is apiece! Then last year, I contacted Streamlight again, but insisting that they offer me a discount so I could buy some lights from them that time. They again agreed to send 12 lights, once again Angel D proving she lived up to her name. I was almost to ashamed to ask her how much she could sell me a few more for because the soldier’s unit last year was bigger than the one the year before. The next thing I knew, I received 16 Streamlights in the mail – all free.

Folks, these were all pretty high end flashlights. Again, they retailed for about $60 apiece and that second time they sent 16 of them. The company that did this is an American company in PA. It is an American made product they sent. It was done for a stranger to send to strangers and all based upon patriotism, good will and trust. They were not going to get an rave reviews in the news for this. For all they knew I was reselling the things. What they did get was my thanks and I conveyed the thanks of the soldiers to them. (What Angel D did not get was a gift I meant to send to her. That is me and my muddled middle aged memory again. I will send her a little something soon – she deserves it.)

What I could give back to Streamlight, I did. I gave recommendations for their products on my blog just as I am doing here. I am not doing this for payment or as repayment, I am doing it out of courtesy to people who really did a nice thing for our soldiers in a war zone. So here goes my spiel.

Folks – read this and read it well – if you are even thinking of buying a flashlight to send to someone you know in the military, or maybe thinking of buying one for family or a friend to put in their stocking this year, or as a gift for a coworker in a fire or police department – or even thinking of getting yourself a high quality light – PLEASE CONSIDER STREAMLIGHT. Heck I bought one for myself last year (lost it already). I also had one from work, lost that one too. I can attest to their usefulness and quality though based on my limited experience with them and based upon what I have heard fro m others. I think they make a great product. Besides that, as I said above, they are great people who have done some wonderful things for our troops; my bet is I am not the only one to whom they sent lights for the troops for free.

Okay, that is it for the unabashed plug.

Back to the idea behind this rant. All the things I mentioned above, that the soldiers can share like food or books or music CDs or cigars, are great items to send to the troops. Other small items, stocking stuffer sort of items, like knives, flashlights, pocket knife sharpeners, and other small durable items that a soldier can easily carry and then keep for the rest of his or her life are greatly appreciated by them. Other durable (and fairly durable) things, that would be for one person alone, are also greatly appreciated. These would include: sunglasses, religious or secular medals (never in bulk), a baseball glove, compasses, gloves, wristwatches, some form of not too expensive jewelry, nail clippers (imagine treasuring a nail clipper but I’d bet they do), a small hardcover book you dedicate to a particular soldier, CD players, and such are all great items to send. (Remember send expensive packages or items insured.)

Now, if you think about it, an awful lot of what I mentioned above would make good stocking stuffers as well as great inclusions for care packages. Of course, I could go on and on and on but I’ll finish up soon. In closing, let me just say - remember, way up above, how I started this piece. Something about 5 things I ordered for the other men in my family for Christmas. I will not tell you what I ordered them but will say they would be great stocking stuffers and yes they are included in the above list.

By the way, if you would like to donate to this years efforts at putting care packages together for my assigned soldier and his unit, you can click on the donation link on the right side of my blog page. Anything will be appreciated and everything I receive after PayPal takes their cut goes directly toward the purchase of items going into the care packages. I will be paying all shipping costs out of my own pocket as in the past.

All the best,
Glenn B

The First Hunt of the Season...

...will commence, for me, sometime tomorrow. I am driving up to where I hope to hunt deer next weekend on a bit of a scouting trip. Of course I'll lug along a shotgun just in case I run across any turkey's or gray squirrels. That would make for a nicer Thanksgiving dinner in a couple of weeks but then again chances are that I'll be the only turkey in the woods. I was planning on leaving earlier tonight but only got home from work at about 8:30PM, so a trip tonight of about 200 miles to a Motel 6 in Binghamton was out of the picture. I've now got my sights set on about 7 or 8 Am as a departure time. Yeah, I know that is late but that is okay by me because I still have to grab some hunting clothes out of the shed. I was not about to do that tonight in the dark with it being as windy and as rainy as it is outside tonight. Of course I may leave a bit earlier, but not by much. If I get a half a day in the woods, then spend the night nearby, then get out into the woods again on Sunday for most of the day - well - I'll be a happy camper even if I will be staying in a motel!

So - no more blogging this weekend until maybe Sunday night depending on when I get home and how I feel when I do. Well, I'll give you one more blog before I retire with a glass of Knappogue castle for the night, it will be a longish one and should keep you reading for awhile if it does not bore you to tears. Have a nice weekend.

All the best,
Glenn B

Ballseye's Gun Shots 36 - Need Gun Parts?

Have you ever tinkered with a gun and broken one of its parts, or purchased a used gun that had a missing screw and needed a replacement, or have you ever fired a gun so many times as to need a replacement recoil spring, or have you fallen down out in the woods and broken off a front sight, or maybe you left a magazine at the range only to return there and not find it where you left it? Stuff happens, parts break or wear out, or get lost (those little screws and pins holding a gun together are easy to drop and loose) and so on. What are you to do when any of that happens?

As a first resort, you would probably do what I do - contact the manufacturer to see if they have replacement parts. The thing is, as new models come out, old models go the way of the dinosaur and what you have may well be considered a fossil or at least a collector's piece. The original manufacturer may not make parts for it any longer, nor may they have any old parts left over in stock. What do you do then. I suppose you could look to online auction sights such as GunBroker.com. I just did that to look for original grips for my Ortgies pistol. Chances are that sooner or later they will come up for sale there. In the meantime I have a choice, keep firing my Ortgies with its now cracked grips and risk them falling off the pistol, or buy other than original manufacture replacement grips and use them while waiting to find replacement originals.

I already ordered a pair of other than original manufacture replacement grips. Now where on earth would i be able to find a set of grips for an Ortgies pistol? For that matter, where on earth would I be able to find gun parts for other obscure, antique, modern, and even current manufacture guns? The one place I think of when I need to find a gun part is Numrich Gun Parts.

Their website has changed in appearance since I first used it, well at least the home page has changed, but I still can navigate it fairly easily - but only because I realize it takes a bit of extra navigation in many instances. If you visit their site, here is a tip, search for the item in the search bar by the manufacturer's name but if you do not find it that way then return to their home page and click on the first letter of that manufacturers name or select from the category list relative to the part you are seeking. If you selected the first letter of the manufacturer's name, look down the list, that will come up, for the manufacturer. I don't know why it happens, but when I typed in Ortgies in the search bar, all that came up is an 'Ortgies Pocket Semi Auto Pistol Schematic W/ Parts List'. If you click on the link for it - all you get is more info for that item. When, on the other hand, I clicked on the letter O, I got a list of gun manufacturers whose names begin with O. On that list is the name Ortgies. When I clicked on Ortgies I again saw only information about an Ortgies schematic, but this time it was a very different link that displayed. When I clicked on that link, a surprising amount of available parts for Ortgies pocket pistols was displayed. Why Numrich has decided to make their website this cumbersome to navigate is beyond me but they do have a lot of parts; it is just that actually finding them listed can be a bit like going through a maze. Mind yo, it is not that way for all guns for which they sell parts, for some guns it is easier to find the available parts list.

Now if you want parts for a more popular gun, say a Marlin 336, then their will be a little more navigating involved if you use the first letter method, but finding the various parts list for a large number of Marlin models is a bit more straightforward than it would be for an Ortgies pistol. If you click on the letter M, you get a list of manufacturers beginning with that letter. Go down to marlin and click on it, then be amazed at the number of models for which they have parts and schematics. Then, take a breath, and look for the model for which you need parts on that list. Now did I just say this would be more straightforward than searching for Ortgies parts, I was wrong! Again, Numrich makes this a navigation maze. If for example you searched out M, then Marlin, then clicked on rifles, then looked down the list for a link for parts for a model 336CS you would not find it displayed as such right out! Why not? Again, Numrich has decided to hide the gun parts list under or behind a link that is labelled for a schematic. If you click on the list for the 336 - you will find a few parts. If, however, you click on the link for the 336CS Schematic, you will find not only a schematic but a long list of parts for the 336CS (the CS was one of the more popular models of the 336, but Numrich list parts for several models of the 336 - make sure you are looking at and ordering parts for the correct model for which you need them). The list of parts for the Marlin 336CS includes such things as: barrel, carrier rocker spring, ejector, extractor, breech bolt, forend, front sight complete, and so on. It is a long list. Availability for each part is listed next to the named part.

While it may not be the easiest website to search for the items you need, it is quite likely one of the biggest, if not the biggest online inventory of gun parts available at retail to the shooter. I have tried other sites to find gun parts before such as MidwayUSA, Brownells, Marstar (of Canada), GunBroker and so forth - but the one I keep looking to - the one I look to first in almost every instance of me needing a replacement part - is Numrich. I ordered my Ortgies replacement grips two days ago, and in keeping with their policy of getting out orders within two days, I received an email yesterday telling me my order had shipped already! That is pretty darned good service. In addition I have never received a wrong part from the, they have always delivered just what I have ordered. I figure I have made at least a half dozen to 10 purchases from them by now. Anything from a firing pin spring for my Ortgies, to the grips for the same, to magazines for a Marlin 44 and magazines for a Marlin Model 56 Levermatic to a pin for a Mosin Nagant M44 and I think also a 5 round magazine for a Yugoslavian SKS. There were other parts too, screws and springs though for what I cannot remember. So if you ever are in need of replacement gun parts and cannot find them at the manufacturer, or 9if the manufacturer has long since gone out of business, try Numrich. They just may have what you have your sights set on getting.

By the way, nah - they don't pay me or give me discounts for mentioning them. Why do I do it then? I do it so that you will know where to shop should you need parts. I mean, why not make a good thing known! As a matter of fact, I don't get anything from firearms manufacturers, suppliers, or related businesses when I mention their products or services on my blog. How I wish though that I got some form of pay or discounts or free stuff for mentioning them on my blog - that would be sweet.

All the best,
Glenn B

Ballseye's Gun Shots 35 - Ortgies .32 Pistol Woes

So there I was doing a good cleaning on my Ortgies .32 Pistol tonight and when I was reassembling it I noticed a crack on one of the grips. Not a negligible crack on the main part of the grip. Of course, it was instead on the a portion of the groove edge which engages the grip latch (it forms the side of the notch into which the latch fits). In other words, if it breaks off chances are the grip will no longer be held in place. This crack runs on an angle from the edge of the wood on the outside of the groove diagonally from top toward bottom of the groove and toward the center of the grip from the rear. Now I am debating, should I lop off that piece of the edge so the crack will not go any further. Doing so would probably leave enough wood to hold the grip but that is uncertain. Not doing it may allow the crack to keep going and shear off any wood that engages the grip latch, that is also uncertain. (Nothing to drill as when you drill a hole to stop a crack in a large piece of wood; if I drilled this it would just fall off.)

Anyone know: Is there any type of glue or resin that works especially well at binding wood by actually getting into its pores and really holding it together well?

Now this is not the end of the line even if the grips fell apart. Replacements are out there. I ordered a set of new manufacture hard rubber replacement grips from Numrich Gun Parts. I figure to have them by Monday or Tuesday. I can use them when I shoot and put the other ones away.

Yet, even with replacement grips ordered, this sucks a lot! I so much liked this pistol in its all original parts condition (well except for the firing pin spring which I replaced when I got it). Did I already say this sucks - if I did not let me say it now and if I did let me say it again - this absolutely sucks. So I will be looking for a set of original grips to replace these. They sometimes come up for sale at GunBroker.com; as you would expect though there are none for sale now except for the .25 Auto size. Anyone have a set? (I do mean of these grips.)

I guess one thing came of this that is positive - an answer to something I always wondered - why the grip on one side always felt a tiny bit loose. Other than that I just about completely disassembled the pistol tonight. I took everything down except for the trigger, and only did not do that because I could not see the spring and plunger that give it tension. Not seeing it to take it apart probably means I would have difficulty seeing it it was going back together right too - so why chance it. It is a fairly simple pistol to detail strip and reassemble. No screws, only pins.

All the best,
Glenn B

Latest Addition To The Blog Roll

Snarky Bytes

Thank You Veterans

To all of you who are Veterans of the U.S. Military, and who served honorably, I say thank you. I am grateful for all that you have made possible for me, my family and the rest of the United States of America. To those of you who are Veterans of Foreign Wars - I give double the thanks.

All the best,
Glenn B

Today In History - November 9th - A Significant Day For Germany

In 1989, recent history for most of us, those words - earlier spoken by President Ronald Reagan to Soviet President Gorbachev - were finally brought to fruition when the Berlin Wall was toppled. It was a great day for Germany - it meant reunification of the east and west portions of the country and of the east and west sections of the city of Berlin. There was joy all around on both sides of the wall.

The strange thing, maybe just by coincidence, or maybe by design of some higher power, is that November 9th had a lot of significance in the events that ultimately led to the fall of Germany and to the division of both the country and the city of Berlin at the end of hostilities in WWII. I will not go into it all that much except to list for you other events of historical significance that also took place on November 9th and either directly involved Germany or indirectly did so through actions of her allies or enemies. Look at the other events that took place, the most notable, but maybe not the most significant, probably being Kristallnacht:

November 9, 1918 Bavaria proclaims itself a republic

November 9, 1918 Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicates after German defeat in WW I

November 9, 1918 Germany declares itself a republic (known by historians as the Weimar Republic)

November 9, 1923 Beer Hall Putsch-Nazis fail to overthrow government resulting in 16 deaths and Hitler going into hiding and ultimately leading to his arrest during which time he wrote Mein Kampf.

November 9, 1925 German NSDAP (National Socialist German Workers' Party (better known as the Nazis) form the Schutzstaffel - the SS.

November 9, 1935 Japan invades Shanghai China

November 9, 1936 Albanian govt of Frasheri falls

November 9, 1937 Japan's army conquers Shanghai

November 9, 1938 - Death of Ernst vom Rath who was shot by a German born Jew, Herschel Grynszpan, in Paris two days before

November 9, 1938 - Kristallnacht - German pogrom against the Jews as called for by Joseph Goebbels in retaliation for the assassination of vom Rath

November 9, 1939 - Venlo-incident: German Abwehr kills 2 English agents

November 9, 1940 - German Invasions of Norway & Denmark

November 9, 1941 - Hitler threatens Clemens August Graf von Galen of Munster who will then endure virtual house arrest from 1941 on due to his anti-Nazi sentiments

November 9, 1942 - German occupiers put Erik Scavenius as Danish premier

November 9, 1942 - Transport nr 44 departs with French Jews to Nazi-Germany (part of Hitler's attempt to exterminate all Jews worldwide - something he decided on only in 1942)

November 9, 1989 - East Berlin opens its borders (Finally some good on this day for Germany - the wall comes down!)

It all sort of makes you wonder - or at least makes me wonder - what is it about 11/9 and Germany! I suppose it is all only coincidence but I really do wonder if that is all. Then again, what is it about November 9 th in general? Heck, this was the day of the discovery of the body of Mary Jane Kelly the last murder victim of Jack The Ripper, the day that John List killed his family and fled to Colorado, the day that Sherman first planned his March to the Sea, the day of the Great Fire of Boston and the day Napolean became the 1st Consul of France (as in dictatorial ruler)!

Of course, throughout history, lots of good and bad things happen on each and every day. So I suppose in the years of Nazi influence and rule in Europe lots of other days were significant too - but again I wonder - did any others have as many as significant events take place as did this one day for Germany?

All the best,
Glenn B

Reference:
http://www.todayinhistory.com/s30-11-09-event-results.html

Wikipedia (see various links above)

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