Once again he gets it right as rain!
All the best,
Glenn B
Friday, July 10, 2015
Pat Condell Gets It Right Again - How To Insult A Progressive
Once again he gets it right as rain!
All the best,
Glenn B
Thursday, July 9, 2015
Remington Model 241, The Speedmaster Diassembly - Assembly (the short version)
Finally got around to doing a fairly decent detailed strip of my Remington 241 Speedmaster after only owning it for just over 9 years. (If you want to know the detailed reason as why that took so long, read the long story in the post directly before this one.)
In brief, the reason it took almost a decade was that I did not know how to do it until today. I found a YouTube video about taking down and reassembling the Browning SA22, which is close enough to the Remington 241, to give me the knowledge and confidence to try it. While there were notable differences relative to the takedown method and to bolt removal, the innards were similar enough to have everything go the same for the disassembly to the point he did it in the video. Reassembly was a breeze, just as he showed it, with the only pain being getting the recoil spring back into place. Really, that was fairly easy too once I gave it about 5 seconds of thought and maybe because unlike the guy who made the video, I had
wiped the oil off of my fingers. before dong it.
Here's the video:
All the best,
Glenn B
In brief, the reason it took almost a decade was that I did not know how to do it until today. I found a YouTube video about taking down and reassembling the Browning SA22, which is close enough to the Remington 241, to give me the knowledge and confidence to try it. While there were notable differences relative to the takedown method and to bolt removal, the innards were similar enough to have everything go the same for the disassembly to the point he did it in the video. Reassembly was a breeze, just as he showed it, with the only pain being getting the recoil spring back into place. Really, that was fairly easy too once I gave it about 5 seconds of thought and maybe because unlike the guy who made the video, I had
wiped the oil off of my fingers. before dong it.
Here's the video:
All the best,
Glenn B
Remington Model 241, The Speedmaster Diassembly - Assembly (the long story)
You have heard here before, that yours truly is The Great Procrastinator. I imagine one of the reasons for that is my father was never around to show me how to do anything when I was a kid and I never gained the confidence to do things because of the extreme lack of both coaching and know how passed on from him to me. Now, that does not mean I won't do anything but it sure limits what kind of projects I readily and happily take on. Things I will do are thing for which I have received expert training, like work on my Glock since I am a certified Glock armorer. I am also a pretty decent firearms instructor and while I do not work at that any more, I am always willing to give free instructions because I have the confidence, built of years of training and experience, to know I am getting it done right. Forget things like plumbing or electrical work; painting I can do but I such at plastering and when it comes to other handiwork around the house I am a putz (and yes I do know the meaning of what I just said).
One of the quasi-mechanical things I will do is to maintain and even make small repairs on some of my firearms. I am not always that great about getting it done though. Sometimes I forget to clean them for months and rust is usually the result but I usually take decent care of them. When it comes to my guns, I am more on the willing side to attempt something I've never done before, like detail strip (disassemble virtually completely) and then reassemble one or a minor repair of an internal part like replacing a firing pin or some springs. Still though, while I am willing to try it, I try to avoid attempting it without detailed instructions and right there is not only that lack of confidence thing again but also something more important being revealed about me. At some point in time, somewhere along the journey from the first rifle I ever held an fired up through this very day, I have developed a bit of wisdom when it comes to taking guns apart and putting them back together. Almost without exception, it takes a father of sorts or a mentor, an instructor, a good detailed set of instructions with diagrams, a guru on a mountain top, or a good YouTube video of a knowledgeable person doing the same thing to get me to the point where I will attempt to take apart one of my guns and put it back together.
Believe me on that, it is wise a wise gun guy / gal who gets some good instructions on how to do it before trying t delve into the mechanical innards of a shotgun, rifle, pistol or revolver. I remember the first pistol I took apart. it was a RG25 Auto (and yes RG does stand for rotten gun as far as I am concerned). All I did was field stripped it and then when I tried to put it back together, I kinked the recoil spring. I brought it back to where I purchased it and they replaced the darned thing saying it was faulty (I guess they had more experience with RG being junk than with goofballs like me screwing them up) and they did it for free. Early on in my career, when I was one of the Mean Green, I took apart my issued revolver. it was a Colt Border Patrol 357 magnum. It was pretty easy to take apart and as I remember it sure seemed fairly easy to reassemble too. The thing was when I tried dry firing it, to do a function test, I heard a loud crunch that wound up being one of the springs being destroyed by one of the moving parts. It took me a long time to live down that one but at least I learned you that Colts were not user friendly for such maintenance as were S&W revolvers; you in essence had to be a certified Colt armorer to get anything done with them!
Years went by after that and for the most part all I ever did to any of my gun was to field strip them for basic maintenance. I got into doing a bit more, taking don some to their basic components once I became a firearms instructor in the Customs Service. While those were only collateral duties, I gained a lot more exposure to permanent range personnel and learned a good deal from them. I started doing more thorough maintenance on some of my guns and one that stands out as probably the first was my Remington 870 shotgun. It became a ritual for me to detail strip it at least once or twice a year for a good cleaning and inspection. I was also able to change parts that did not require a gunsmith to accomplish ( for instance Remington recommended only a gunsmith change the ejector in the 870, or at least they did back then). Anyway, as time moved on, the next thing I knew I was taking a Glock Armorer's course on 9/11 - yes that 9/11. Once we heard the news, my cousin who was in the class with me (he was a retired Nassau County Police officer and got a job as a permanent range officer for Customs) headed back to the city to see what we could do to help and I was left in limbo and not certified by Glock as an armorer. I don't recall how long after that it was but sooner or later (probably later knowing me) I attended a Glock Armorer's course on my own time and my own dime.
I guess that armorer's course and my firearms instructor experience and all gave me some needed confidence. After that, I just started tinkering with some of my other guns to maintain them and even make minor repairs. I have not and will not do gunsmith work on any of my guns. I am not about to polish a feed ramp, well I might on a 22 rifle that I use as a plinker but I certainly would not do something like that on a self defense pistol on which my life depends. I have seen too many all knowing gun gurus do it themselves only to wind up with guns that went click instead of bang. Wow, did I just say I might do it on a 22 plinker, my confidence certainly has grown over the years and that is mostly due to training - to instruction - of one sort or another. An example of such training, nothing formal mind you, was a video I watched on YouTube today.
I 've owned a Remington Model 241, The Speedmaster (not a Speedmaster as most, even I, usually call it) for 9 years, 2 months and 8 days today. over all those years, I have taken it down for cleaning often but only by way of a field strip (partial disassembly to do basic maintenance). I had searched high and low for an instruction sheet or a video on how to disassemble it for a detailed strip but never found any. Today, while I was giving it a cleaning, I decided to look one more time for those instructions and something dawned on me like the proverbial light bulb turning on inside my brain. The Remington 241 is pretty much a copy of a similar Browning. Why I had not thought of this before, while searching for those instructions is a mystery to me but I done thunk of it today. So, I searched for instructions on how to detail strip the Browning and there they were in the first video that came up when I typed in the right keywords. Granted, the model of the Browning shown in the video was much newer than my Remington 241 and there were definitely some differences between them but by watching that video I was given not only the knowledge I needed. I guess the video and my past experience gave me the confidence to tackle the job even though there was a notable difference on how to remove the bolt being that the Remington has a pin in the bolt operating handle that must be depressed and held in place while removing the bolt.
Somehow though, I was confident I could get it done right and that I could disassemble and reassemble the 241 after seeing that video. Here is where something else, built on experience (and confidence) comes into the picture. I was absolutely certain, or should I say 100% confident, after watching the video that the guy who made it was sure of what he was doing and had done it several times before successfully. Thus I was also sure I could get it done with the Remington even though some parts and operations were plainly different. Luckily for me, those external differences were readily apparent to me and easy to overcome and luckily, the major things he did internally were virtually the same for his Browning as they wound up being for my Remington. So finally, after having owned it for over 9 years, the little tube fed, semi-auto, shooter has been detail stripped, cleaned and oiled and reassembled - and based on my function check it seems to work too. In fact, it operates now better than it did before I took it apart. While I know there was 9 year plus of shooting grime in it, my guess would be there had to have been at least 40 years or more accumulated gunk and grime built up in there. It's gone now and the 241 bolt is running much smoother than before.
I should mention that while I have been calling it a detailed strip that I did on the 241, it technically was not one. It was probably more like a 75-80% strip. I did not fully disassemble the bolt although I removed the bolt, recoil spring, the firing pin and its spring. I did not remove the extractor as mine had two retaining pins near it instead of one (the guy who did the video did not remove his either but explained how to do it). I also did nor remove the sights or anything to do with the internal parts of the receiver that guide the rounds to the camber from the tubular magazine. Yes, of course, I removed the magazine and cleaned it, but the receiver contains what is obviously a cartridge guide that appears to be held in place with a screw and I saw absolutely no benefit to removing or even trying to remove it so I left it in place and cleaned it and around it as best I could. I may try that next time and may disassemble the bolt too but want more instruction on that. This time around, I was so happy about finally getting the rest of it done right that I figured I had best not tempt fate or Mr. Murphy.
I left a comment, probably too long of one as is this post, for the guy who made that video, to thank him. I love it when one of us is willing to help the rest of us by sharing his or her knowledge about firearms and am always thankful to they who do so. It is one of the things that keeps the shooting community strong.
All the best,
Glenn B
One of the quasi-mechanical things I will do is to maintain and even make small repairs on some of my firearms. I am not always that great about getting it done though. Sometimes I forget to clean them for months and rust is usually the result but I usually take decent care of them. When it comes to my guns, I am more on the willing side to attempt something I've never done before, like detail strip (disassemble virtually completely) and then reassemble one or a minor repair of an internal part like replacing a firing pin or some springs. Still though, while I am willing to try it, I try to avoid attempting it without detailed instructions and right there is not only that lack of confidence thing again but also something more important being revealed about me. At some point in time, somewhere along the journey from the first rifle I ever held an fired up through this very day, I have developed a bit of wisdom when it comes to taking guns apart and putting them back together. Almost without exception, it takes a father of sorts or a mentor, an instructor, a good detailed set of instructions with diagrams, a guru on a mountain top, or a good YouTube video of a knowledgeable person doing the same thing to get me to the point where I will attempt to take apart one of my guns and put it back together.
Believe me on that, it is wise a wise gun guy / gal who gets some good instructions on how to do it before trying t delve into the mechanical innards of a shotgun, rifle, pistol or revolver. I remember the first pistol I took apart. it was a RG25 Auto (and yes RG does stand for rotten gun as far as I am concerned). All I did was field stripped it and then when I tried to put it back together, I kinked the recoil spring. I brought it back to where I purchased it and they replaced the darned thing saying it was faulty (I guess they had more experience with RG being junk than with goofballs like me screwing them up) and they did it for free. Early on in my career, when I was one of the Mean Green, I took apart my issued revolver. it was a Colt Border Patrol 357 magnum. It was pretty easy to take apart and as I remember it sure seemed fairly easy to reassemble too. The thing was when I tried dry firing it, to do a function test, I heard a loud crunch that wound up being one of the springs being destroyed by one of the moving parts. It took me a long time to live down that one but at least I learned you that Colts were not user friendly for such maintenance as were S&W revolvers; you in essence had to be a certified Colt armorer to get anything done with them!
Years went by after that and for the most part all I ever did to any of my gun was to field strip them for basic maintenance. I got into doing a bit more, taking don some to their basic components once I became a firearms instructor in the Customs Service. While those were only collateral duties, I gained a lot more exposure to permanent range personnel and learned a good deal from them. I started doing more thorough maintenance on some of my guns and one that stands out as probably the first was my Remington 870 shotgun. It became a ritual for me to detail strip it at least once or twice a year for a good cleaning and inspection. I was also able to change parts that did not require a gunsmith to accomplish ( for instance Remington recommended only a gunsmith change the ejector in the 870, or at least they did back then). Anyway, as time moved on, the next thing I knew I was taking a Glock Armorer's course on 9/11 - yes that 9/11. Once we heard the news, my cousin who was in the class with me (he was a retired Nassau County Police officer and got a job as a permanent range officer for Customs) headed back to the city to see what we could do to help and I was left in limbo and not certified by Glock as an armorer. I don't recall how long after that it was but sooner or later (probably later knowing me) I attended a Glock Armorer's course on my own time and my own dime.
I guess that armorer's course and my firearms instructor experience and all gave me some needed confidence. After that, I just started tinkering with some of my other guns to maintain them and even make minor repairs. I have not and will not do gunsmith work on any of my guns. I am not about to polish a feed ramp, well I might on a 22 rifle that I use as a plinker but I certainly would not do something like that on a self defense pistol on which my life depends. I have seen too many all knowing gun gurus do it themselves only to wind up with guns that went click instead of bang. Wow, did I just say I might do it on a 22 plinker, my confidence certainly has grown over the years and that is mostly due to training - to instruction - of one sort or another. An example of such training, nothing formal mind you, was a video I watched on YouTube today.
I 've owned a Remington Model 241, The Speedmaster (not a Speedmaster as most, even I, usually call it) for 9 years, 2 months and 8 days today. over all those years, I have taken it down for cleaning often but only by way of a field strip (partial disassembly to do basic maintenance). I had searched high and low for an instruction sheet or a video on how to disassemble it for a detailed strip but never found any. Today, while I was giving it a cleaning, I decided to look one more time for those instructions and something dawned on me like the proverbial light bulb turning on inside my brain. The Remington 241 is pretty much a copy of a similar Browning. Why I had not thought of this before, while searching for those instructions is a mystery to me but I done thunk of it today. So, I searched for instructions on how to detail strip the Browning and there they were in the first video that came up when I typed in the right keywords. Granted, the model of the Browning shown in the video was much newer than my Remington 241 and there were definitely some differences between them but by watching that video I was given not only the knowledge I needed. I guess the video and my past experience gave me the confidence to tackle the job even though there was a notable difference on how to remove the bolt being that the Remington has a pin in the bolt operating handle that must be depressed and held in place while removing the bolt.
Somehow though, I was confident I could get it done right and that I could disassemble and reassemble the 241 after seeing that video. Here is where something else, built on experience (and confidence) comes into the picture. I was absolutely certain, or should I say 100% confident, after watching the video that the guy who made it was sure of what he was doing and had done it several times before successfully. Thus I was also sure I could get it done with the Remington even though some parts and operations were plainly different. Luckily for me, those external differences were readily apparent to me and easy to overcome and luckily, the major things he did internally were virtually the same for his Browning as they wound up being for my Remington. So finally, after having owned it for over 9 years, the little tube fed, semi-auto, shooter has been detail stripped, cleaned and oiled and reassembled - and based on my function check it seems to work too. In fact, it operates now better than it did before I took it apart. While I know there was 9 year plus of shooting grime in it, my guess would be there had to have been at least 40 years or more accumulated gunk and grime built up in there. It's gone now and the 241 bolt is running much smoother than before.
I should mention that while I have been calling it a detailed strip that I did on the 241, it technically was not one. It was probably more like a 75-80% strip. I did not fully disassemble the bolt although I removed the bolt, recoil spring, the firing pin and its spring. I did not remove the extractor as mine had two retaining pins near it instead of one (the guy who did the video did not remove his either but explained how to do it). I also did nor remove the sights or anything to do with the internal parts of the receiver that guide the rounds to the camber from the tubular magazine. Yes, of course, I removed the magazine and cleaned it, but the receiver contains what is obviously a cartridge guide that appears to be held in place with a screw and I saw absolutely no benefit to removing or even trying to remove it so I left it in place and cleaned it and around it as best I could. I may try that next time and may disassemble the bolt too but want more instruction on that. This time around, I was so happy about finally getting the rest of it done right that I figured I had best not tempt fate or Mr. Murphy.
I left a comment, probably too long of one as is this post, for the guy who made that video, to thank him. I love it when one of us is willing to help the rest of us by sharing his or her knowledge about firearms and am always thankful to they who do so. It is one of the things that keeps the shooting community strong.
All the best,
Glenn B
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
Polish WZ-48 Training Rifle - Detailed Strip
As I noted in a recent post, I finally fired my Polish WZ-48 trainer in 22LR a couple of nights ago. It was about time after owning it for more than 4 years and 8 months. In all that time, I have searched many times for a manual for it and would have settled for an exploded parts diagram of it but never found either. Despite not having them, I decided to do a detailed strip of it this evening to give it a long overdue complete cleaning.
Manual or no manual, it needed to be fully taken down and cleaned and I pretty much got to everything. I must say this is one of the most simple rifles, as far as number of parts - disassembly and assembly go, that I own. The only things I did not take apart were the sights and the bolt. While I did remove the firing pin from the bolt, I could not figure out how to take apart the rest of the bolt and figured why chance breaking it especially since parts would be hard if not impossible to find. As for the firing pin removal, that was easy, it is held in place by a screw. If though, any of my readers are knowledgeable of how to disassemble the bolt, please do let me know and I'll get to that pronto.
Putting it back together was almost as easy as taking it apart. Had I paid a bit more attention to how it came apart I would have been certain as to how to put it back together instead of just almost sure. Anyway, I got it right except for a washer that fell out of the stock when I took out the rear bolt that holds the wood to the metal. When I tried reassembly without realizing it was missing, the bolt would not slide back into place. After about 8 - 10 tries of doing this and that, I figured out where it was catching and that it had to be that screw. So, either I had mixed up the front and rear screws that hold the metal to the wood (and they sure looked to be the same length) or there was a missing washer. A look at the screw in front showed one was there, so I started looking around on the carpet and there was the one for the rear screw right at my feet. Once I put that in place and reassembled everything, the bolt went into place like greased lighting.
Once reassembled completely, I function checked it and everything worked fine. Because it would be easy to reverse the firing pin, I also ran a couple of 22 blanks through it to assure I had gotten it right. Went bang each time.
Note that I would have made a video of this if I had a camera that shot decent video. That camera went belly up some time back and a new one is on the wish list. When I finally get one, I may just have to do a video of the disassembly and reassembly of the WZ-48 because I have never seen one anywhere.
As for the WZ-48 remaining in my collection, I have been thinking of selling it lately, still am, but I am not as enthused about getting rid of it as I was before I stripped it and got it back together with nary a real problem. Still though, it is a single shot and as I said in my previous post about shooting it, it is tedious to load. I'll have to debate whether or not I want to sell it. For now though, I think a second trip to the range with it is in my near future.
All the best,
Glenn B
Manual or no manual, it needed to be fully taken down and cleaned and I pretty much got to everything. I must say this is one of the most simple rifles, as far as number of parts - disassembly and assembly go, that I own. The only things I did not take apart were the sights and the bolt. While I did remove the firing pin from the bolt, I could not figure out how to take apart the rest of the bolt and figured why chance breaking it especially since parts would be hard if not impossible to find. As for the firing pin removal, that was easy, it is held in place by a screw. If though, any of my readers are knowledgeable of how to disassemble the bolt, please do let me know and I'll get to that pronto.
Putting it back together was almost as easy as taking it apart. Had I paid a bit more attention to how it came apart I would have been certain as to how to put it back together instead of just almost sure. Anyway, I got it right except for a washer that fell out of the stock when I took out the rear bolt that holds the wood to the metal. When I tried reassembly without realizing it was missing, the bolt would not slide back into place. After about 8 - 10 tries of doing this and that, I figured out where it was catching and that it had to be that screw. So, either I had mixed up the front and rear screws that hold the metal to the wood (and they sure looked to be the same length) or there was a missing washer. A look at the screw in front showed one was there, so I started looking around on the carpet and there was the one for the rear screw right at my feet. Once I put that in place and reassembled everything, the bolt went into place like greased lighting.
Once reassembled completely, I function checked it and everything worked fine. Because it would be easy to reverse the firing pin, I also ran a couple of 22 blanks through it to assure I had gotten it right. Went bang each time.
Note that I would have made a video of this if I had a camera that shot decent video. That camera went belly up some time back and a new one is on the wish list. When I finally get one, I may just have to do a video of the disassembly and reassembly of the WZ-48 because I have never seen one anywhere.
As for the WZ-48 remaining in my collection, I have been thinking of selling it lately, still am, but I am not as enthused about getting rid of it as I was before I stripped it and got it back together with nary a real problem. Still though, it is a single shot and as I said in my previous post about shooting it, it is tedious to load. I'll have to debate whether or not I want to sell it. For now though, I think a second trip to the range with it is in my near future.
All the best,
Glenn B
Some Say The South Will Rise Again...
...and others think the Third Reich will do so. While those good old boys down south may have lots of guns & ammo, something tells me that the Germans may be better armed:
http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-33381772
And I'd bet you thought this was going to be about the Confederate flag.
All the best,
GB
http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-33381772
And I'd bet you thought this was going to be about the Confederate flag.
All the best,
GB
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
Is The Subway Spokesman Being Rail Roaded...
...because of his association with an alleged child pornographer or is he possibly actually involved in criminal activity. I would hope not either way.
While I am not a great fan of Subway, I do eat there now and then both because my son used to love it and because Jared Fogle was, to me, truly an impressive spokesman. His tremendous weight loss, achieved by him restricting his diet to Subway sandwiches of turkey and veggies, gave hope to others that they could control their own appetites and lose weight too. More on him, and the search of his home by authorities, here.
Pardon me while I go look for something to help end my sudden cravings for an Italian BMT smothered in pickles, onions and jalapeno peppers!
All the best,
Glenn B
While I am not a great fan of Subway, I do eat there now and then both because my son used to love it and because Jared Fogle was, to me, truly an impressive spokesman. His tremendous weight loss, achieved by him restricting his diet to Subway sandwiches of turkey and veggies, gave hope to others that they could control their own appetites and lose weight too. More on him, and the search of his home by authorities, here.
Pardon me while I go look for something to help end my sudden cravings for an Italian BMT smothered in pickles, onions and jalapeno peppers!
All the best,
Glenn B
Why Should It Surprise Anyone That The DNC...
...hired an apparently disrespectful narcissist (my layman's term not a professional mental health provider's opinion) to be their spokeswoman? More here.
All the best,
Glenn B
All the best,
Glenn B
While on The Subject Of My Targets...
...I suppose I should post a photo of another target at which not only would I have sworn I took only three shots but am absolutely certain at which I fired only three times. See anything a bit unusual about it?
At first, even though I was virtually certain I had fired only three times, I thought maybe I had screwed up and fired four shots at it but then I realized I only had put three rounds on the bench before loading. Then I thought maybe one of the bullets was faulty and partitioned and made two holes but I figure that to be pretty far fetched. As I was cleaning up, it suddenly dawned on me that something else may have happened. A man and who I am assuming was his young daughter were on the point next to me to my left. They were firing a 22 rifle. my guess is it was one of their shots; although, I suppose I'll never know for sure. For all I know maybe I fired it but as I said, I would have sworn, and still would swear, I only fired three rounds at that target. Then again, that is a group of the Federal Value Pack ammo that I was firing consistently to the right like that, so perhaps I should not be trying to blame a kid who may well shoot better than me.
All the best,
GB
At first, even though I was virtually certain I had fired only three times, I thought maybe I had screwed up and fired four shots at it but then I realized I only had put three rounds on the bench before loading. Then I thought maybe one of the bullets was faulty and partitioned and made two holes but I figure that to be pretty far fetched. As I was cleaning up, it suddenly dawned on me that something else may have happened. A man and who I am assuming was his young daughter were on the point next to me to my left. They were firing a 22 rifle. my guess is it was one of their shots; although, I suppose I'll never know for sure. For all I know maybe I fired it but as I said, I would have sworn, and still would swear, I only fired three rounds at that target. Then again, that is a group of the Federal Value Pack ammo that I was firing consistently to the right like that, so perhaps I should not be trying to blame a kid who may well shoot better than me.
All the best,
GB
Some Images Of My Targets From Yesterday...
...showing how I did with my first shots from my Savage Axis in 308WIN and my Polish WZ-48 in 22LR.
As I described in my previous post about my range trip, I was shooting sets of two shots with the Axis. I know it is usual to fire sets of three shots when sighting in a rifle but I figured if I was not getting any really errant flyers, why bother wasting a third shot. Doing it this way, I was able to zero in pretty quickly and I saved seven rounds I would otherwise have fired. With ammo at its current prices, I am okay with that.
All in all, despite the horrendous trigger on the Savage Axis, I am happy with the accuracy that can be achieved even if I was only shooting at 30 yards. Sooner or later I will fire it at 50 yards and then sight it in for 100 or maybe even 200 yards.
As for the Polish WZ-48, I fired several groups of three shots at it (22 ammo being much cheaper than 308, I did not mind firing three each set). I fired it at 25 yards throughout after the first three shots at 50 feet. I only had a couple of brands of ammo with me and each of those made a difference in the accuracy department. I fired Remington Target 22LR standard velocity and Federal Value Pack High Velocity copper washed ammo from the WZ-48.
Nothing special on those targets that I'd write home to mom about (unless I was a kid again back in summer camp and then I be darned proud) but it certainly shows the WZ-48 is more than good enough for a plinker or squirrel slayer. Perhaps I should fire a lot more brands and types of 22LR through it to see how well it does; I imagine if one took the time to match it with an ammo it really likes and then threw a scope on it, it would be balls on accurate out to at least 50 yards if not to 75. Too bad it is not a repeater fed by a box magazine or even a tube, this single shot stuff can be tedious but even then it was fun. by the way, I suppose I should mention, there was zero (as in absolutely none) felt recoil with this 22 rifle.
All in all, I would recommend both of these guns, based for now only on my preliminary shoot of each of them, as good decent guns for the shooter on a tight budget. Putting it another way, they certainly are not excellent by any means but are none too shabby either. More, at least on the Axis, after I test it at more distant ranges.
All the best,
Glenn B
As I described in my previous post about my range trip, I was shooting sets of two shots with the Axis. I know it is usual to fire sets of three shots when sighting in a rifle but I figured if I was not getting any really errant flyers, why bother wasting a third shot. Doing it this way, I was able to zero in pretty quickly and I saved seven rounds I would otherwise have fired. With ammo at its current prices, I am okay with that.
 |
| Note there was a flyer on the fourth set, the one that hit dead center. |
 |
| The fifth and sixth sets were getting there. |
 |
| Since the last two sets were so close, I adjusted the scope a bit more, flipped a target over and aimed at what I thought was dead center. I prefer shooting at the blank side because I have not met a prey animal or dirtbag yet that was wearing a bullseye to shoot and in fact the two shots were pretty much dead center in the bullseye. |
As for the Polish WZ-48, I fired several groups of three shots at it (22 ammo being much cheaper than 308, I did not mind firing three each set). I fired it at 25 yards throughout after the first three shots at 50 feet. I only had a couple of brands of ammo with me and each of those made a difference in the accuracy department. I fired Remington Target 22LR standard velocity and Federal Value Pack High Velocity copper washed ammo from the WZ-48.
 |
| This target was typical of several I shot while firing three round sets of the Remington Target Standard velocity 22LR ammo. |
 |
| This target was typical of several I shot while firing three round sets of the Federal Value Pack High Velocity 22LR ammo. |
All in all, I would recommend both of these guns, based for now only on my preliminary shoot of each of them, as good decent guns for the shooter on a tight budget. Putting it another way, they certainly are not excellent by any means but are none too shabby either. More, at least on the Axis, after I test it at more distant ranges.
All the best,
Glenn B
I Almost Sold Another Gun Today But...
...the keyword there was "almost". I set up a meeting with someone who was interested in my Winchester Model 37 shotgun. We agreed to meet at a range local to me. He said he would be there in an hour and would call before he got there. I waited and waited and then just headed to the range arriving about an hour and a half after we spoke to one another. I sat there awhile, then went inside to assure we could use the range for him to look at the gun. I had done it there before but it had been sometime since the last time. The range person told me we could not use the range for that purpose unless he paid $22 as a nonresident and I paid $10 as a resident. Back to the parking lot and I called my local FFL who said sure the buyer could look at it at his shop - no problem.
Shortly after that, the buyer called and said he was lost. He was less than a 1/8 of a mile from the range and I told him so and he said he would try to find it. About 15 minutes later he called again and told me he was in a parking lot at a certain location because he still
could not find the range. I drove there only because I know that GPS devices often lead the people looking for the range to the first location he had mentioned and because the other parking lot he was then in was a very public location and very close to the range. That lot was literally directly across the road from the range entrance, I could not figure how he had missed it.
Anyway, I went to the lot and met him, then explained about the range wanting to charge so much to use their facility for 5 minutes at most. I suggested he follow me to my FFL less than 10 minutes away. I gave him the name (which had also been in my ad) and was about to give him the address when he said we should go to far corner or out of the way less busy area of the parking lot and do the deal there! That was not about to happen and I immediatelty told him so. I reminded him of my requirement that the buyer pass a NICS check at my local FFL. He literally waved me off and said he doesn't have to have a NICS check because he is an FFL licensee. He indicated he had his FFL, then went to his vehicle, pulled out an envelope and took a paper out of it and handed it to me. It was apparently a photocopy of a NY State Dealer in firearms license and was not an FFL and I really did not do more than glance at it when I saw that. I simply and politely told him I would only sell the gun to someone who passed a NICS check and he said forget it and got back into his vehicle.
At that point I said goodbye and drove away. I don't know about where you live but I can tell you that there is no way under the sun (or under the moon or the dark of the darkest night) that I am about to sell someone a firearm, out of my car's trunk, in a parking lot, in NY State. This isn't AZ or KY or even NH and it sure as hell is not KS so there is no way I am about to do anything that even hints of impropriety or illegality with firearms here in feudal kingdom of Cuomoistan. Even if there was absolutely nothing legally wrong with such a sale (and mind you handling an uncased shotgun in a public parking lot in Nassau County, NY would be considered illegal by any passing cop) there was just too much wrong with this scenario.
Things that prickled the hairs on my neck were those such as: him being unable to find the place immediately across the road from where he was parked, his showing me a NY State Dealer in Firearms License copy instead of an FFL, him not having informed me beforehand that he was an FFL holder but yet asked me if I was a dealer while we made arrangements over the phone earlier, his insistence that we move to a more out of the way area in the parking lot in a location he chose instead of meeting at our previously agreed upon and easily found meeting place, his refusal to go to the dealer's shop and him wanting to buy it from me out of the trunk of my car, all without him going through a NICS check. (Yeah, I know dealers are not required to pass a NICS check by law but it was one of my requirements plainly mentioned in my ad.)
I am very happy I did not invite this person to my home to view the gun here. For all I know he is as honest as the day is long but all that stuff gave me the creeps, especially the bit about wanting to do a firearms transaction in a more out of the way place within the parking lot. It merely could have been he was a legitimate FFL holder and wanted to do a deal without the additional hassle of a drive to my local FFL and thus was willing to try to get me to do it in the parking lot, or could have been that he was working with or was part of law enforcement and trying to set me up for an arrest on some sort of weapon sales charges if I did something stupid and illegal, or that he was with someone else and hoping to rip me off in that other more out of the way corner of the parking lot. Whichever, I was not about to find out because I was not about to complete a sale other than under my terms that had been announced in my ad.
All the best,
Glenn B
Shortly after that, the buyer called and said he was lost. He was less than a 1/8 of a mile from the range and I told him so and he said he would try to find it. About 15 minutes later he called again and told me he was in a parking lot at a certain location because he still
could not find the range. I drove there only because I know that GPS devices often lead the people looking for the range to the first location he had mentioned and because the other parking lot he was then in was a very public location and very close to the range. That lot was literally directly across the road from the range entrance, I could not figure how he had missed it.
Anyway, I went to the lot and met him, then explained about the range wanting to charge so much to use their facility for 5 minutes at most. I suggested he follow me to my FFL less than 10 minutes away. I gave him the name (which had also been in my ad) and was about to give him the address when he said we should go to far corner or out of the way less busy area of the parking lot and do the deal there! That was not about to happen and I immediatelty told him so. I reminded him of my requirement that the buyer pass a NICS check at my local FFL. He literally waved me off and said he doesn't have to have a NICS check because he is an FFL licensee. He indicated he had his FFL, then went to his vehicle, pulled out an envelope and took a paper out of it and handed it to me. It was apparently a photocopy of a NY State Dealer in firearms license and was not an FFL and I really did not do more than glance at it when I saw that. I simply and politely told him I would only sell the gun to someone who passed a NICS check and he said forget it and got back into his vehicle.
At that point I said goodbye and drove away. I don't know about where you live but I can tell you that there is no way under the sun (or under the moon or the dark of the darkest night) that I am about to sell someone a firearm, out of my car's trunk, in a parking lot, in NY State. This isn't AZ or KY or even NH and it sure as hell is not KS so there is no way I am about to do anything that even hints of impropriety or illegality with firearms here in feudal kingdom of Cuomoistan. Even if there was absolutely nothing legally wrong with such a sale (and mind you handling an uncased shotgun in a public parking lot in Nassau County, NY would be considered illegal by any passing cop) there was just too much wrong with this scenario.
Things that prickled the hairs on my neck were those such as: him being unable to find the place immediately across the road from where he was parked, his showing me a NY State Dealer in Firearms License copy instead of an FFL, him not having informed me beforehand that he was an FFL holder but yet asked me if I was a dealer while we made arrangements over the phone earlier, his insistence that we move to a more out of the way area in the parking lot in a location he chose instead of meeting at our previously agreed upon and easily found meeting place, his refusal to go to the dealer's shop and him wanting to buy it from me out of the trunk of my car, all without him going through a NICS check. (Yeah, I know dealers are not required to pass a NICS check by law but it was one of my requirements plainly mentioned in my ad.)
I am very happy I did not invite this person to my home to view the gun here. For all I know he is as honest as the day is long but all that stuff gave me the creeps, especially the bit about wanting to do a firearms transaction in a more out of the way place within the parking lot. It merely could have been he was a legitimate FFL holder and wanted to do a deal without the additional hassle of a drive to my local FFL and thus was willing to try to get me to do it in the parking lot, or could have been that he was working with or was part of law enforcement and trying to set me up for an arrest on some sort of weapon sales charges if I did something stupid and illegal, or that he was with someone else and hoping to rip me off in that other more out of the way corner of the parking lot. Whichever, I was not about to find out because I was not about to complete a sale other than under my terms that had been announced in my ad.
All the best,
Glenn B
Monday, July 6, 2015
I Took One New Gun & One Old One To The Range Today...
...and had some first time fun shooting both of them. While that may seem like it's a contradiction in terms, it's not at all since I never before shot the new one or the old one.
The new one was the Savage Axis, in .308 WIN, that I picked up at the Hessney Auction last month. In brief, the trigger was absolutely horrendous, my bet would be that it broke at about 12-15 pounds and it had a terribly long creep and crunch until it went click and allowed the firing pin to fly forward. Other than that it felt good in the hand, rested nicely on my shoulder and the bolt operated pretty smoothly regardless of the fact that this is a bargain basement rifle. Something I thought would be a problem, that turned out to be one, were the cheap magazines that Savage chose for this rifle. They are steel but with a polymer sleeve the front of which acts as the magazine catch and release (by bending it). The mags, I have three of them (the gun came with only one and I bought two extras last week) are sometimes difficult to snap into place, it takes some getting used to. They can also be a bit difficult to remove. They hold four (4) rounds each but when loaded to capacity, I could not get the rifle to feed a round out of them and into the chamber reliably every time on the first round. I will have to work on that. With three rounds in each, they worked fine.
As for whether or not it is a shooter, I have to say that I only fired it at about 30 yards. I was at an indoor range and that was only 30 yards maximum (or 28 yards as a range officer claimed as opposed to what the website for the range says). Anyway, I decided to try a few shots using the scope that came pre-attached to the gun and fired two shots, then two more. They were all fairly close to one another and then I started fiddling with the adjustments for windage and elevation took a few more shots and was in the black but high. Did it a bit more and was in there good enough to head to the outdoor range with it next time out and sight it in at 50 and then probably at 100 yards. If it shoots as well at the 50 and 100 yard points, resting on sandbags, as it shot today with me holding it in a two hand hold, in a bent over standing position with my elbows resting on the bench, I will be quite happy with it's accuracy. That's because after shooting the earlier shots at the bullseye, I turned a target around and fired at what I thought was the center of the target. The first shot was pretty much in the center and the second shot went through the first. Even if only at 30 yards (or 28), I was impressed.
I was shooting 180 grain Remington Premier Core-Lokt Ultra Bonded PSP rounds (they sure make it sound groovy, don't they baby). I have a wide selection of different brands of .308WIN ammo split between bullet weights of 150 and 180 grains. I want to see how I do with each and am figuring that if the 180 grain bullets all perform well in the accuracy departments, I am going to stock up mostly on them since I'll be using the Savage Axis for hunting in pretty thick cover. Of course, I'll keep some 150 grain stuff on hand too.
I don't plan on doing anything to customize the Axis although, I am certain many would recommend a trigger job if they have ever felt the one in this gun. I don't like to fiddle with manufacturer specs. I will check those though, the specs, and then may have the trigger weight checked because I find it hard to believe it is going to match whatever they claim in the specs - it is that bad. If it is way off from what the say it should be set at, it may need a trip to their factory for a bit of work. I truly find it hard to fathom that a firearms manufacturer as big as Savage would set the trigger weight as high as I believe it must have been when I fired it this evening. Then again, I am a wuss, so who knows.
Regardless of the trigger and the mags, I was otherwise almost impressed with it. Next time I bid at the auction though, I think it will no be on bargain basement stuff like what I bid on this time. I'd much prefer a Remington 700 or even a different Savage model, one with an Accu-Trigger. I hear they are excellent triggers ad that Savage puts them on very good to excellent shooting rifles. As for the Remington 700s, nothing needs to b said about their legendary inherent accuracy.
Before I forget, I guess I should make mention of the other gun I shot. That was my Polish WZ-48 Trainer in 22LR. It's a single shot, military training rifle. It has the weirdest extractor I have ever seen and in order to load it I found it easiest to push the extractor forward a bit so it was close to the chamber face so it wouldn't get in the way as I tried to load each round. You have to see it and how it operates to understand. So, it was a bit tedious reloading this thing but I had fun shooting it regardless. I shot it at 50 feet first, then moved the target out to 25 yards and did the rest of my shooting with it at that distance. The bolt operated smooth enough for a single shot although it needed a bit more push near the end of its forward travel to seat the round. The sights were pretty skimpy, at least for my older eyes. The rear notch is a bit small for my liking height and width wise as is the front sight but I was able to maintain good focus on the front sight post keeping both the rear sight and target just a bit blurry (which is what you want). I held at a lollypop position on the bullseye at 25 yards and was satisfied wit how I shot using the Remington Target standard velocity 22LR ammo I had along. When I switched to Federal Value Pack high velocity ammo, the groups were off to the right and somewhat bigger than with the Remington standard velocity stuff. As with any ammo/gun combination, for a firearm chambered in 22LR, I'll need to soot a bunch of different brands and loads of ammo through this rifle to see which rounds it likes best. In all, I figure if I had to hit a squirrel at 25 yards, with it just as is, I could make fur fly on at least 4 out of 5 shots. That's it for now, for the range report, maybe I'll post a couple of pics of my targets in this post, or in another tomorrow.
As a closing note, I said that it was the first time I fired each of these guns and that is correct. As I have mentioned before, I am The Great Procrastinator. While I just bought the Savage Axis (and fired it in near record time for me), I bought the Polish WZ-48 in October 1911 during utter misery my cancer treatments. It arrived at my house on Halloween 2011. It was sort of a belated birthday present for myself that even though at the time I truly believed I may never get the chance to shoot, I wanted to get because it was manufactured in the same year I was born. I figured even if I did not make it through my treatments to fire it, my son would have something from me that was as old as me. Anyway, here I am and I have had it since then and only fired it for the first time today - 4 years, 8 months and 7 days (bearing in mind I am counting day one and today) - since it arrived at my house. Did I mention that I am The Great Procrastinator.
All the best,
Glenn B
The new one was the Savage Axis, in .308 WIN, that I picked up at the Hessney Auction last month. In brief, the trigger was absolutely horrendous, my bet would be that it broke at about 12-15 pounds and it had a terribly long creep and crunch until it went click and allowed the firing pin to fly forward. Other than that it felt good in the hand, rested nicely on my shoulder and the bolt operated pretty smoothly regardless of the fact that this is a bargain basement rifle. Something I thought would be a problem, that turned out to be one, were the cheap magazines that Savage chose for this rifle. They are steel but with a polymer sleeve the front of which acts as the magazine catch and release (by bending it). The mags, I have three of them (the gun came with only one and I bought two extras last week) are sometimes difficult to snap into place, it takes some getting used to. They can also be a bit difficult to remove. They hold four (4) rounds each but when loaded to capacity, I could not get the rifle to feed a round out of them and into the chamber reliably every time on the first round. I will have to work on that. With three rounds in each, they worked fine.
As for whether or not it is a shooter, I have to say that I only fired it at about 30 yards. I was at an indoor range and that was only 30 yards maximum (or 28 yards as a range officer claimed as opposed to what the website for the range says). Anyway, I decided to try a few shots using the scope that came pre-attached to the gun and fired two shots, then two more. They were all fairly close to one another and then I started fiddling with the adjustments for windage and elevation took a few more shots and was in the black but high. Did it a bit more and was in there good enough to head to the outdoor range with it next time out and sight it in at 50 and then probably at 100 yards. If it shoots as well at the 50 and 100 yard points, resting on sandbags, as it shot today with me holding it in a two hand hold, in a bent over standing position with my elbows resting on the bench, I will be quite happy with it's accuracy. That's because after shooting the earlier shots at the bullseye, I turned a target around and fired at what I thought was the center of the target. The first shot was pretty much in the center and the second shot went through the first. Even if only at 30 yards (or 28), I was impressed.
I was shooting 180 grain Remington Premier Core-Lokt Ultra Bonded PSP rounds (they sure make it sound groovy, don't they baby). I have a wide selection of different brands of .308WIN ammo split between bullet weights of 150 and 180 grains. I want to see how I do with each and am figuring that if the 180 grain bullets all perform well in the accuracy departments, I am going to stock up mostly on them since I'll be using the Savage Axis for hunting in pretty thick cover. Of course, I'll keep some 150 grain stuff on hand too.
I don't plan on doing anything to customize the Axis although, I am certain many would recommend a trigger job if they have ever felt the one in this gun. I don't like to fiddle with manufacturer specs. I will check those though, the specs, and then may have the trigger weight checked because I find it hard to believe it is going to match whatever they claim in the specs - it is that bad. If it is way off from what the say it should be set at, it may need a trip to their factory for a bit of work. I truly find it hard to fathom that a firearms manufacturer as big as Savage would set the trigger weight as high as I believe it must have been when I fired it this evening. Then again, I am a wuss, so who knows.
Regardless of the trigger and the mags, I was otherwise almost impressed with it. Next time I bid at the auction though, I think it will no be on bargain basement stuff like what I bid on this time. I'd much prefer a Remington 700 or even a different Savage model, one with an Accu-Trigger. I hear they are excellent triggers ad that Savage puts them on very good to excellent shooting rifles. As for the Remington 700s, nothing needs to b said about their legendary inherent accuracy.
Before I forget, I guess I should make mention of the other gun I shot. That was my Polish WZ-48 Trainer in 22LR. It's a single shot, military training rifle. It has the weirdest extractor I have ever seen and in order to load it I found it easiest to push the extractor forward a bit so it was close to the chamber face so it wouldn't get in the way as I tried to load each round. You have to see it and how it operates to understand. So, it was a bit tedious reloading this thing but I had fun shooting it regardless. I shot it at 50 feet first, then moved the target out to 25 yards and did the rest of my shooting with it at that distance. The bolt operated smooth enough for a single shot although it needed a bit more push near the end of its forward travel to seat the round. The sights were pretty skimpy, at least for my older eyes. The rear notch is a bit small for my liking height and width wise as is the front sight but I was able to maintain good focus on the front sight post keeping both the rear sight and target just a bit blurry (which is what you want). I held at a lollypop position on the bullseye at 25 yards and was satisfied wit how I shot using the Remington Target standard velocity 22LR ammo I had along. When I switched to Federal Value Pack high velocity ammo, the groups were off to the right and somewhat bigger than with the Remington standard velocity stuff. As with any ammo/gun combination, for a firearm chambered in 22LR, I'll need to soot a bunch of different brands and loads of ammo through this rifle to see which rounds it likes best. In all, I figure if I had to hit a squirrel at 25 yards, with it just as is, I could make fur fly on at least 4 out of 5 shots. That's it for now, for the range report, maybe I'll post a couple of pics of my targets in this post, or in another tomorrow.
As a closing note, I said that it was the first time I fired each of these guns and that is correct. As I have mentioned before, I am The Great Procrastinator. While I just bought the Savage Axis (and fired it in near record time for me), I bought the Polish WZ-48 in October 1911 during utter misery my cancer treatments. It arrived at my house on Halloween 2011. It was sort of a belated birthday present for myself that even though at the time I truly believed I may never get the chance to shoot, I wanted to get because it was manufactured in the same year I was born. I figured even if I did not make it through my treatments to fire it, my son would have something from me that was as old as me. Anyway, here I am and I have had it since then and only fired it for the first time today - 4 years, 8 months and 7 days (bearing in mind I am counting day one and today) - since it arrived at my house. Did I mention that I am The Great Procrastinator.
All the best,
Glenn B
New Blog Added to The Blog Roll...
...it's over there on the right, under OTHER NOTABLE BLOGGERS. I guess I should tell you the blog name and address too: Pundit From Another Planet at:
http://punditfromanotherplanet.com/.
Quite the outlook on newsworthy events and such.
All the best,
GB
http://punditfromanotherplanet.com/.
Quite the outlook on newsworthy events and such.
All the best,
GB
If Only We Could Assure The Death Penalty...
...would be carried out on dirtbags who commit offenses like the alleged ones linked to below, at least we could rest assured that those found guilty of such offenses could never again commit another similar crime or, in fact, any other one.
Boy Beaten Until In Critical Condition For Eating Cake
Boy Placed in Swing By Mother Dies of Cold and Dehydration
Wetback Admits killing Woman in SanFransicko Francisco
What in hell is wrong with America when things like this have become excusable? There is no excuse and there should only be one outcome if the accused are found guilty - a swift execution.
All the best,
Glenn B
Boy Beaten Until In Critical Condition For Eating Cake
Boy Placed in Swing By Mother Dies of Cold and Dehydration
Wetback Admits killing Woman in San
What in hell is wrong with America when things like this have become excusable? There is no excuse and there should only be one outcome if the accused are found guilty - a swift execution.
All the best,
Glenn B
Sunday, July 5, 2015
A Symphony Of Shooter Errors...
...but I have to give her the fact that there are evidently at least two range officers overlooking her shoot like that without correcting her. People shoot either as trained or as ignoramuses without proper training, I am not sure into which category she fits - maybe both.
All the best,
GB
All the best,
GB
They Cut Off The Muzzle In The Photo...
... and darn it if that doesn't just ruin the whole thing!
And by the way, did you notice it appears as if she indeed has the right ammo and her finger off of the trigger. Very important aspects of firearms safety and why else would I post a pic like this here if not for firearms safety education.
All the best,
GB
And by the way, did you notice it appears as if she indeed has the right ammo and her finger off of the trigger. Very important aspects of firearms safety and why else would I post a pic like this here if not for firearms safety education.
All the best,
GB
Doctors Asking About Your Guns
Has your doctor or health plan ever asked if you own a gun? I had a doctor or three ask me that over the years. Once doc asked me as she was examining me, I told her that I had it with me at that very moment. She was okay with that being that she usually dealt with responders to the WTC attacks on 9/11. Had another doc (actually a radiologist) ask me about guns once, I think it was because I had a NRA or hunting magazine with me when I was in his office. He asked out of mutual interest, he owned quite a few himself. Other than that I have rarely been asked about guns by any doctors treating me.
If a doctor asked me that today, I think I'd either answer that I had a nice machinegun at home set up on the second floor to sweep the street out front or that it was none of his friggin business. Then, I would probably report the doctor for an ethical violation. Unless I am seeing a psychiatrist for emotional or mental problems, it really is none of my doctors' business whether or not I own guns and even then it may not have anything to do with my treatment. So, unless for some reason I decide the bring up the topic, it should not come up for discussion in my doctor's office nor in his waiting room as a question on a form I need to fill out.
An interesting and somewhat informative article on the subject of doctors asking patients about guns and what you can do about it can be found at this link.
All the best,
GB
If a doctor asked me that today, I think I'd either answer that I had a nice machinegun at home set up on the second floor to sweep the street out front or that it was none of his friggin business. Then, I would probably report the doctor for an ethical violation. Unless I am seeing a psychiatrist for emotional or mental problems, it really is none of my doctors' business whether or not I own guns and even then it may not have anything to do with my treatment. So, unless for some reason I decide the bring up the topic, it should not come up for discussion in my doctor's office nor in his waiting room as a question on a form I need to fill out.
An interesting and somewhat informative article on the subject of doctors asking patients about guns and what you can do about it can be found at this link.
All the best,
GB
Attention Shoppers...
...we have specials running in aisles 2 and 3 hurry before you miss them. Tell me, why is it that when I shop at the supermarket, I never see anything like these two. I must live in the wrong part of the country.
All the best,
Glenn B
All the best,
Glenn B
Saturday, July 4, 2015
It's Independence Day...
...and while I wish you a happy one, I wish you would think about what is the meaning of Independence Day. It is the day we declared, as a new nation, that we were throwing off the yoke of tyranny, that we would stand united in the face of whatever was to come and that we pledged our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor to stand by one another to do so.
Heaven help us, what have we become! We need to again face tyranny or perish as a free nation. Our elected leaders are as tyrannical and rights usurping as any King of England had ever been but just in a manner more easily tolerated by the People. It has come to the point though, that should we continue, in just a short time we will no longer be the country we fashioned ourselves to be. We will no longer remain a constitutional republic, we have truly fallen into an abyss of rights and liberties violations, of corrupted government control of, and interference in, the most private parts of our lives, even into the most mundane aspects of everyday living. Should we not reverse course soon, all is sure to be lost. I pray it not too late already. A turning point is near my friends, either one in which we turn to wholly embraces the darkness of oppression or one in which we decide to turn to face our oppressors, the tyrants who seek to completely strip us of every freedom, and stand our ground to bring about their defeat and a reinstatement of our rights and liberties and rule of constitutional law throughout the land.
All the best,
Glenn B
Heaven help us, what have we become! We need to again face tyranny or perish as a free nation. Our elected leaders are as tyrannical and rights usurping as any King of England had ever been but just in a manner more easily tolerated by the People. It has come to the point though, that should we continue, in just a short time we will no longer be the country we fashioned ourselves to be. We will no longer remain a constitutional republic, we have truly fallen into an abyss of rights and liberties violations, of corrupted government control of, and interference in, the most private parts of our lives, even into the most mundane aspects of everyday living. Should we not reverse course soon, all is sure to be lost. I pray it not too late already. A turning point is near my friends, either one in which we turn to wholly embraces the darkness of oppression or one in which we decide to turn to face our oppressors, the tyrants who seek to completely strip us of every freedom, and stand our ground to bring about their defeat and a reinstatement of our rights and liberties and rule of constitutional law throughout the land.
All the best,
Glenn B
Friday, July 3, 2015
Well, The New TV Sure Is Nice...
...and I owe a lot of thanks to my wife, daughter, son-in-law for it but I really owe most of the thanks to my son whose idea it was to get me one and as I understand who put forth the lion's share of the money to pay for it. Anyway, thank you all VERY, VERY, VERY, MUCH.
I finally got it set up this evening after picking up a HDMI set-top box from Verizon yesterday. Setting it up was a bit of a pain in the arse, mind you not because of the TV but because of the FIOS set-top box. I called in to Verizon tech service to get some help and was on the phone for about 20-25 minutes before someone among the living picked up. We talked for awhile and she said she was testing this and that and asked a gazillion questions about the new box I had just picked up yesterday (I am stressing she was aware of that) and she went on and on about nothing, put me on hold, and you guessed it - we were disconnected at a few seconds under 37 minutes phone time. Due to some recent dealings with Verizon incompetence, I was fuming. So, I decided not to call right back.
I waited bit and then went online to see what I could do myself. Amazingly there under a link for support was another link for TV and when I clicked on that I saw a menu including an option to Activate Set-Top Box or DVR. Guess what happened when I clicked on it, it said I had a new box that needed to be activated. I click on the icon to activate my set-top box and within a few seconds it said the box had been successfully activated. Why couldn't he tech services rep have figured out tha this step was necessary? While necessary though it was not all that was needed and I went to Verizon chat to try to get someone to help me there. It was a task just getting to the chat screen in Verizon Support. I finally got there after about 10 minutes of answering stupid questions that had zero to do with the problem and was told I was 15th in the queue and my wait would be about 15 1/2 minutes. At about 20 minutes of waiting, with no representative engaging in chat with me, was beginning to fill the room and when I looked around, I realized it was coming out of my ars. Yes I was fuming once again.
While still waiting for a Verizon representative to engage me in an online chat, I called Verizon again This time, surprisingly enough, the automated system asked if I was calling relative to my earlier call for tech service and when I responded yes, it put me through to a live person within about a minute or less. I explained everything I could to the young lady who answered my call for help. She was quite pleasant and listened attentively, even when I interrupted to tell her a bit more and I did that twice, or was it three times. Anyway, she giggled when I finished and told me it sounded if I had done my part right. Then she got to work and did this and that. After about a good ten minutes, the box was working, the TV came I an I set it up as per screen instructions. Then I noticed the picture was not filling the screen and I wondered aloud why it wasn't doing that. She had me resize the screen under video settings for Standard Definition override or something like that and it looked great. Then I thought of something else and mumbled it to her because I kind of, sort of, figured I had been a jerk in mentioning the picture size in the first place since I had the TV tuned to a SD channel instead of a High Definition one. Yep, I went back a reset everything as it had been, tuned from the SD to an HD channel and the picture was full screen as it should be in HD. At least now though, I got some lessons on how to change the video settings if need be. When I apologized for giving her extra work, she just gave a young ladylike giggle again and said not to bother.
The one thing she explained to me about the new set-top box that makes it different from older ones is that it is apparently a cheaper model because it does not display the channel mor the time. The older ones displayed the channels as you changed them, or when the set was turned on, for at least a few seconds and then switched to the time. I was used to that but she said the new models did not have that feature. She cheered me up some on that point when she said they may still have some of the other models available and to check wit my local Verizon store. I'll be there on Sunday.
After that as all done, I asked her where she was and she said CA. When I asked where in CA, she told me San Diego. I then told her about how I used to live 120 or so miles due east of there in both Calexico and El Centro, CA many years ago and how a weekend trip to a friends house in Pacific Beach (a neighborhood In San Diego) was like going to heaven right out of hell. Well maybe not in those words but she understood. We talked a bit more about how nice it is out there and such and said our good byes. What a pleasure she was and what a difference from the first tech services person to whom I spoke was she. She, along with another nice lady I dealt with in Verizon customer service this week, actually convinced me that maybe, just maybe, I won't be dropping Verizon and going back to Cablevision as I had supposed might be happening soon.
Now I just need to figure out how to get the every feature of the TV to work. I already set the Wi-Fi connection, adjusted the picture, set the sound, set up an infrared device so the TV's remote works that of the set-top box but will probably change that to the FIOS remote controlling everything since that one is a universal remote when I have some more time and more patience. What I have been unable to get right is how to share pictures and such from my computer via the Wi-Fi connection or how to otherwise use Wi-Fi, such as to surf the net, over the TV. I also have yet to manually hook up my laptop to the television via the HDMI ports on each device. If I get that right, I may use the TV as a monitor now and then for things like a good game like Fallout New Vegas. Yeah, I know, it's dated but I love it. I'll probably try to do that stuff on Sunday, I have other things to do tomorrow on Independence Day.
All the best,
Glenn B
I finally got it set up this evening after picking up a HDMI set-top box from Verizon yesterday. Setting it up was a bit of a pain in the arse, mind you not because of the TV but because of the FIOS set-top box. I called in to Verizon tech service to get some help and was on the phone for about 20-25 minutes before someone among the living picked up. We talked for awhile and she said she was testing this and that and asked a gazillion questions about the new box I had just picked up yesterday (I am stressing she was aware of that) and she went on and on about nothing, put me on hold, and you guessed it - we were disconnected at a few seconds under 37 minutes phone time. Due to some recent dealings with Verizon incompetence, I was fuming. So, I decided not to call right back.
I waited bit and then went online to see what I could do myself. Amazingly there under a link for support was another link for TV and when I clicked on that I saw a menu including an option to Activate Set-Top Box or DVR. Guess what happened when I clicked on it, it said I had a new box that needed to be activated. I click on the icon to activate my set-top box and within a few seconds it said the box had been successfully activated. Why couldn't he tech services rep have figured out tha this step was necessary? While necessary though it was not all that was needed and I went to Verizon chat to try to get someone to help me there. It was a task just getting to the chat screen in Verizon Support. I finally got there after about 10 minutes of answering stupid questions that had zero to do with the problem and was told I was 15th in the queue and my wait would be about 15 1/2 minutes. At about 20 minutes of waiting, with no representative engaging in chat with me, was beginning to fill the room and when I looked around, I realized it was coming out of my ars. Yes I was fuming once again.
While still waiting for a Verizon representative to engage me in an online chat, I called Verizon again This time, surprisingly enough, the automated system asked if I was calling relative to my earlier call for tech service and when I responded yes, it put me through to a live person within about a minute or less. I explained everything I could to the young lady who answered my call for help. She was quite pleasant and listened attentively, even when I interrupted to tell her a bit more and I did that twice, or was it three times. Anyway, she giggled when I finished and told me it sounded if I had done my part right. Then she got to work and did this and that. After about a good ten minutes, the box was working, the TV came I an I set it up as per screen instructions. Then I noticed the picture was not filling the screen and I wondered aloud why it wasn't doing that. She had me resize the screen under video settings for Standard Definition override or something like that and it looked great. Then I thought of something else and mumbled it to her because I kind of, sort of, figured I had been a jerk in mentioning the picture size in the first place since I had the TV tuned to a SD channel instead of a High Definition one. Yep, I went back a reset everything as it had been, tuned from the SD to an HD channel and the picture was full screen as it should be in HD. At least now though, I got some lessons on how to change the video settings if need be. When I apologized for giving her extra work, she just gave a young ladylike giggle again and said not to bother.
The one thing she explained to me about the new set-top box that makes it different from older ones is that it is apparently a cheaper model because it does not display the channel mor the time. The older ones displayed the channels as you changed them, or when the set was turned on, for at least a few seconds and then switched to the time. I was used to that but she said the new models did not have that feature. She cheered me up some on that point when she said they may still have some of the other models available and to check wit my local Verizon store. I'll be there on Sunday.
After that as all done, I asked her where she was and she said CA. When I asked where in CA, she told me San Diego. I then told her about how I used to live 120 or so miles due east of there in both Calexico and El Centro, CA many years ago and how a weekend trip to a friends house in Pacific Beach (a neighborhood In San Diego) was like going to heaven right out of hell. Well maybe not in those words but she understood. We talked a bit more about how nice it is out there and such and said our good byes. What a pleasure she was and what a difference from the first tech services person to whom I spoke was she. She, along with another nice lady I dealt with in Verizon customer service this week, actually convinced me that maybe, just maybe, I won't be dropping Verizon and going back to Cablevision as I had supposed might be happening soon.
Now I just need to figure out how to get the every feature of the TV to work. I already set the Wi-Fi connection, adjusted the picture, set the sound, set up an infrared device so the TV's remote works that of the set-top box but will probably change that to the FIOS remote controlling everything since that one is a universal remote when I have some more time and more patience. What I have been unable to get right is how to share pictures and such from my computer via the Wi-Fi connection or how to otherwise use Wi-Fi, such as to surf the net, over the TV. I also have yet to manually hook up my laptop to the television via the HDMI ports on each device. If I get that right, I may use the TV as a monitor now and then for things like a good game like Fallout New Vegas. Yeah, I know, it's dated but I love it. I'll probably try to do that stuff on Sunday, I have other things to do tomorrow on Independence Day.
All the best,
Glenn B
Lynne Russell's Husband Takes Out Assailant
...but sadly also took three shots himself. he is expected to recover. As for the bad guy, the coroner recovered his body and good riddance is all I can think.
Lynne who, you may be asking! You remember her don't you, the attractive anchor of CNN once upon a time. She was accosted in a Motel 6 parking lot (she will never live down that she was staying there) and pushed into her room by a gun wielding assailant. Once they were inside the room, her husband Chuck de Caro, also a former CNN employee and a former member of the Special Forces exited the bathroom, saw what was going on and moved in front of the night stand on which they had two pistols. Lynne reportedly made her way to the table and put one of the guns in her purse, turned to her husband and asked him if he thought there was anything in the bag they could give the aggressor. The husband reportedly replied "Oh yes, there is" took out the pistol and wound up in a blazing gun battle with the dirtbag, expended all the rounds in that pistol and then grabbed their other one and started firing that one too. The alleged criminal is history. More here.
Now, I did not write this post to merely tell you about what happened but to ponder a single question. Why didn't Lynne Russell turn, pistol in hand and start firing while she apparently had every advantage of surprise, which would have allowed her husband to grab the other gun and do likewise? Actually, it's not a question you or I need to answer but it may wind up being a question that she and her husband keep asking for all the years they have remaining. Would have, could have, should have been - I am not going there but my bet would be they will be plagued by that question and with what may have been had she started shooting first.
Hopefully though, all will be well for them because one never knows just how one will react when under the gun. For all she knew or thought, that was the best way to get him.
Here is wishing a speedy and full recovery to her husband Chuck de Caro - American hero and most certainly Lynne Russell's hero.
All the best,
Glenn B
Lynne who, you may be asking! You remember her don't you, the attractive anchor of CNN once upon a time. She was accosted in a Motel 6 parking lot (she will never live down that she was staying there) and pushed into her room by a gun wielding assailant. Once they were inside the room, her husband Chuck de Caro, also a former CNN employee and a former member of the Special Forces exited the bathroom, saw what was going on and moved in front of the night stand on which they had two pistols. Lynne reportedly made her way to the table and put one of the guns in her purse, turned to her husband and asked him if he thought there was anything in the bag they could give the aggressor. The husband reportedly replied "Oh yes, there is" took out the pistol and wound up in a blazing gun battle with the dirtbag, expended all the rounds in that pistol and then grabbed their other one and started firing that one too. The alleged criminal is history. More here.
Now, I did not write this post to merely tell you about what happened but to ponder a single question. Why didn't Lynne Russell turn, pistol in hand and start firing while she apparently had every advantage of surprise, which would have allowed her husband to grab the other gun and do likewise? Actually, it's not a question you or I need to answer but it may wind up being a question that she and her husband keep asking for all the years they have remaining. Would have, could have, should have been - I am not going there but my bet would be they will be plagued by that question and with what may have been had she started shooting first.
Hopefully though, all will be well for them because one never knows just how one will react when under the gun. For all she knew or thought, that was the best way to get him.
Here is wishing a speedy and full recovery to her husband Chuck de Caro - American hero and most certainly Lynne Russell's hero.
All the best,
Glenn B
Walmart - What The Fuck Is Wrong With You
Of course, by now, Walmart has issued an apology for having made the ISIS flag cake. Too bad their apology is half assed as they use the excuse that their employee did not know it was an ISIS flag. They have missed not only the point but the whole frigging boat, they went way overboard with this one. Now they are floundering in a sea of political
I would bet I could walk into a Walmart tomorrow and get a cake decorated to look like: the Little Red Book, the words Mein Kampf, the abbreviation USSR, an atomic bomb explosion (mushroom cloud), a map of Vietnam, a Cuban flag, a North Korean Flag, the image of Che Guevara, and image of Pol Pot or Stalin, or many images or words that would most certainly be extremely disturbing to many United States citizens. They would probably use the same excuse, if I was successful in getting cakes decorated likethat, that their clerk had no cue as to what was being represented.
Likewise though, even though all the businesses I am about to mention have stopped selling Confederate flags, I'd also bet that I could purchase merchandise with words or images on them, like those just mentioned, at or through those businesses. In fact, it seems certain that I can: Walmart, Amazon, Ebay, Sears (is this supposed to be okay because they do not offer it in red), Target and Etsy. Read, here, the reported reasons why some of them refuse to sell the Confederate flag.
Now tell me, should not the sales of all these other items be banned by them likewise according to their own reasoning! We live in a world of hypocrites and political arse kissers but I do not have to shop at them and neither do you. Then again, maybe you do have to shop at a place like Walmart or those other places sometimes but even if you do, then why not shop there less frequently and spread your money around elsewhere. Let them feel some space in their pockets - at least until they make amends or do business equally for everything and everyone instead of them pandering to political correctness.
You know, as an afterthought, maybe I should t be addressing this post to Walmart with the question of what the fuck is wrong with it. Maybe I should be asking America because folks we are the ones who allowed crap like this to happen.
All the best,
GB
What Idiot Would Use This Cell Phone Case...
...and not expect that at some point he might get himself shot? Shot by whom - by a cop or by a person legally carrying a firearm who felt threatened by it when the moron pulled it out to use his phone and inadvertently pointed it at one of them.
I have to pretty much agree with almost everything the cop in the video said except maybe for the fact that it is not just cops who have to be concerned about this when it comes to morons who would use one of these pistol shaped gun cases, it is all of us. Even if unarmed and I saw a guy pull one out, with me thinking it was a pistol, and it was pointed at me or mine, I might try to take him out to defend myself and my loved ones. Really folks, I think that if you buy and use one of these, you areasking begging for trouble because sooner or later one of these is going to get someone hurt or killed.
All the best,
Glenn B
I have to pretty much agree with almost everything the cop in the video said except maybe for the fact that it is not just cops who have to be concerned about this when it comes to morons who would use one of these pistol shaped gun cases, it is all of us. Even if unarmed and I saw a guy pull one out, with me thinking it was a pistol, and it was pointed at me or mine, I might try to take him out to defend myself and my loved ones. Really folks, I think that if you buy and use one of these, you are
All the best,
Glenn B
I Am Not Concerned At All...
...about a threat to my safety at the beach due to shark attacks. I am not about to go to the beach let alone go swimming in the ocean any time soon. Of course, I might go fishing and fall overboard into the chum-slick and then I be worried some. What about you?
All the best,
GB
All the best,
GB
Typical Leftist Too Stupid To Realize Being An Anarchist & A Communist...
...are mutually exclusive of one another. Watch and listen here to the second guy that was interviewed, in the linked video, about an attempted flag burning the day before in NYC. The brain surgeon, rocket scientist, Che wannabe revolutionary type, potential flag burner who said it is the guy in black ball cap and black shirt, get a load of what it says on his shirt (evidently it's okay for a leftist to advocate murder). What would you expect of a leftist loon who probably never paid attention in school and who likely does not have a clue as to what is either an anarchist or a communist.
Yesterday, I heard Kuby, of the Curtis and Kuby show, belittle the intellect of the patriots who were defending the flag while trying to show how superior was the intelligence of the leftists who wanted to burn the flag. It was an amusing skit but sadly, I think Kuby probably believed what he was saying. To me, it's obvious he struck out on that one when more of the evidence was viewed.
All the best,
Glenn B
Yesterday, I heard Kuby, of the Curtis and Kuby show, belittle the intellect of the patriots who were defending the flag while trying to show how superior was the intelligence of the leftists who wanted to burn the flag. It was an amusing skit but sadly, I think Kuby probably believed what he was saying. To me, it's obvious he struck out on that one when more of the evidence was viewed.
All the best,
Glenn B
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