Hmm, Is That Rotting Buttered Popcorn I Smell...

...or is it something else? That could have been the question that a movie theater asked herself before opening a door to an emergency stairwell from which a strong odor was emanating. It wasn't buttered popcorn at all but the week old decomposing remains of a woman who had died there. More here.

All the best,
Glenn B

I Must Be Losing My Mind - I'm Selling Guns (or at least trying)

Shit, I listed three guns for sale today - what is wrong with me!

As for the guns I am selling, with two of them - a Taurus PT140 G2 Millenium and a Savage Stevens Model 320 Security Shotgun (version with scope rail) - I will have absolutely no qualms about selling and being rid of them. I have absolutely no use for any handgun in .40 S&W, especially the PT140 G Millennium - it is the replacement Taurus sent me for the PT145 Millennium Pro (.45 ACP) that I sent to them under a recall. (By the way, I received a letter from Taurus last week saying I should expect to be contacted by them soon, at which time they will propose something to make me a satisfied Taurus customer again. That time has apparently not arrived yet and I am still waiting.) As far as the shotgun goes, it has a pistol grip. I do not like the pistol grip or shooting with it but let me tell you I know someone who loves it. My buddy Arthur I. Tis apparently cannot get enough of it cause he comes on strong after I shoot with pistol grip Model 320. 

If I sell the third one, my Marlin X7 in .308 WIN, that may result in a good amount of seller's remorse. I like everything about it except for the fact that it has an internal magazine. In that regard, I prefer my Savage Axis XP with removable box magazine. I also like the fact that the Savage's metal parts are stainless steel. Yet, the Axis has one heck of a stiff and creepy trigger and therein may lie the seller's remorse because the Marlin X7 has an exceptionally smooth and crisp trigger and it is adjustable down to 2.5 pounds. That is nice, very nice. I wish the darned Axis XP had Savage's Accu-Trigger but it does not.

Right now, I have the Marlin and the Taurus listed only in a local gun forum's firearms for sale area. It would be easy enough to pull the Marlin's sale offering, it's not like it's on GunBroker where any legitimate bid would mean I would be obliged to sell it. Speaking of GunBroker.com. that is where I have the Savage Stevens Model 320 listed.

I don't know exactly what has possessed me as of late but it's not like I am suddenly anti-gun or anything like that. Maybe I have an affliction that is affecting my better judgment, maybe not. Maybe I can just use the money, after all our Alaska trip is just over a month away and I could sure use some cash for that. That second one is the much more likely reason but I have to tell you, good reason or not, it will do nothing to alleviate the aching emptiness one feels when one suffers from seller's remorse.

All the best,
Glenn B

I'm Selling A Shotgun

I am selling my Savage Stevens Model 320 shotgun. If you are interested, you can see it here:

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=554894548

Yeah, I know, I should have cleaned it better before taking pictures but truth be told, I was too lazy. Regardless, it is a decent deal on this shotgun since it is the version with the rail, which is the more expensive of the different offerings for this model.

All the best,
Glenn B

Everyman's Evening Eyeful

All the best,
Glenn B

Everyman's Evening Eyeful

All the best,
Glenn B

Everyman's Evening Eyeful

All the best,
Glenn B

Who Would Have Thunk It - A Helpful Guide From ATF (BATFE)

It is not often that firearms owners think of the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco and Explosives as being helpful to gun owners, they often can be whether they meant to be or not. I have found them helpful when requesting information about C&R firearms and how to obtain a C&R license. Truth be told though, we should not ever be required to obtain such a license for any reason and thus ATF can be seen as a hindrance to our rights and liberties. After all, what are regulations but restrictions of liberties and rights. All that aside, the ATF does sometimes provide the firearms enthusiast with some helpful information. For example, they have a decent illustrated PDF publication that should be very helpful to someone not particularly familiar with firearms nomenclature.

It is not as complete on the subject as it could, or probably should, be and even contains at least one mistake (or somewhat less than fully accurate description of a part as it showed a magazine floor plate and indexed it as a magazine) that I caught at first glance but nonetheless, I think it should be helpful to inexperienced and experienced shooters alike who are seeking knowledge of firearms related terminology. See it here:

https://www.atf.gov/resource-center/docs/firearms-imporation-verification-guidebook-terminology-nomenclaturepdf/download

All the best,
Glenn B

Everyman's Evening Eyeful

 

All the best,
Glenn B

Some Fucker Tried To Open An Account...

...with my wife's ID today, or recently, through Capital One Bank. They contacted me about it today and dealing with that took all the time in my half hour lunch. I checked her credit report and mine this evening when I got home. It does not look like anything is amiss, at least not yet. As I understand it, it can take a month for something to show on the credit report. Anyway, it did show credit inquiries made by capital One on both her and me a couple of days ago. Now I have to call them back to see why they ran a check on me too, maybe just part of the checks they ran when the fraudster tried to open an account in my wife's name or maybe something else targeting me.

I have at least two credit protection plans at the current time, my wife at least one plan, none of them picked this up and reported it to us! What could I expect, I got one from a private company where my identity was stolen and another (including my wife's) for the U.S. government after OPM let thieves steal tens of millions of federal employees and retirees info. Oh well, am keeping my fingers crossed and will have to check with those credit & ID protection plans to see what is going on and why they did not catch it and report it to us.

All the best,
Glenn B

Everyman's Evening Eyeful

All the best,
Glenn B

Everyman's Evening Eyeful

All the best,
Glenn B

Mr. Islamist Never Hangs Around - When He Hears This Mighty Sound

'Oink, oink, "Here I come to save the day" means that mighty pig is on his way, oink, oink, oink...'

For those of you too young to get the mighty pig thing, click here. If you don't get the point of the image, go vote for Bernie or Hillary.

All the best,
Glenn B

Everyman's Evening Eyeful

All the best,
GB

I Took The Plunge And Ordered A 44 Magnum

I'd procrastinated long enough and if I would have put it off much longer there was a good chance we would be going to Alaska next month without a backup revolver for bear defense. So it was time and today was that time and I went to my dealer and I placed an order and he said it should be at the store by the end of the week. That means I should have it on my license by early or mid next week. Now to think about getting some ammo for it. I intend to get at least a couple hundred rounds to a case of 44 magnum and one or two boxes (at most) of solid core ammo for actual use in the field. That way we can get used to firing this beast with the less expensive ammo and also fire just enough rounds of the more expensive solid ore ammo to make sure it is sighted in for it before we leave for the north country. Of course, I'll also need a decent holster for it - nothing fancy - just something good enough to be comfortable and to assure the revolver is there by my side when needed.

With all that, I am certain that pretty soon my bank account be hurting from lack of anything to keep it filled up. Hopefully my boss will be calling me in for a decent amount of work before Brendan and I leave on our trip. That way, I can heal the cash gushing gash that this purchase is about to make in my savings account. Knowing a bit about shooting and breaking in a new handgun, I am figuring my bank account is not the only thing that will soon be in pain - so to will my arms and shoulders. As for them, I guess I'll not only have to shoot it frequently but will have to do some weight training toward strengthening the muscles used to hold a revolver. It won't require much weight but will require lots of repetitions and a good amount of time holding the weight out while in a pistol grip stance. I want to do that because the revolver will weigh in at about 3/4 of a pound more than the heaviest handgun that I already own (unloaded weights). A mere 3/4 of a pound may not seem like much, at least until you are at the range, taking time to slow fire, and have your arms out in front of you as you would when shooting and then get thumped by the recoil again and again and again. Then, I am guessing it may seem like 10 pounds were added to the equation. So a little bit of strengthening up my arms is in order. As far as Brendan goes, he works hard all day making deliveries by truck. His arms are probably fine but I'll try to get in some shooting with him in a freer state, like PA, where he can legally shoot a handgun at a range.

Shit, I forgot to say what it is that I ordered! It's a Ruger Redhawk Model 5029 (strange they do not show that model on their website) 44 Rem Mag revolver with 5.5" barrel and high visibility front sight. I put the cart before the horse and ordered it before conforming with Ruger that the front sight on this one is readily interchangeable with the ramp front sight they have on other Redhawk revolvers. If they get back to me and tell me no, then I am going to change the order to the regular model with 5.5" barrel topped by the ramp front sight. My dealer told me they are interchangeable but I want to make darned sure that they are before paying for it. I also want to find out why the other 5.5" barrel Redhawk models are shown as 11" total length and this one as 10.8" while the weight and all other specs, except front sights, are the same for each model. By the way, the unloaded weight of this monster is 49 ounces - that's 3.6 pounds. I ordered one other thing for it too, three (3) HKS Speedloaders.

Now to start looking for ammo and a holster.

All the best,
Glenn B

Everyman's Evening Eyeful

All the best,
Glenn B

Light Blogging Expected This Week

I am scheduled to work a few days this week and will probably spend the other(s) one(s) trying to arrange for an estimate for a new garage door. One of the springs on our old door snapped in two. I figure we're lucky no one was in the garage at the time. Had anyone been in the path of the spring part, attached to a pulley and cable, that went flying toward the door it most assuredly would have resulted in a serious injury.

Since I will be tied up with that other stuff, I expect light blogging; however, gentlemen, Everyman's Evening Eyeful posts have been prescheduled for the whole week already.

All the best,
Glenn B

UC Berkley Reportedly Cutting 500 Jobs - Who Would Have Thunk It

Apparently, the leftists and liberal whiners at that school, who called for an increase in the minimum wage for school employees, did not think of it nor did their compatriots in the unions that called for the same wage increases. More here.

The conditions at UC Berkley should be taken as a warning of what is to come if the everything for free socialist Bernie Sanders or the redistribution of your money diva Hillary Clinton are elected to the presidency. If either one wins we will in all likelihood be brought to our fiscal knees.

All the best,
Glenn B

The Western World Is Commiting Suicide By Islamist

A man, who as a child was a so called "poster boy" for integrating Muslin refugees into Sweden and who starred in a 2005 Swedish documentary called  ‘Without Borders — A Film About Sport And Integration’ has reportedly been arrested as a suspect in a bombing, a terrorist act, that killed at least 32 in Brussels. He is reportedly seen on video carrying the explosives (source). 

By way of my rights under the first amendment, I must point out that I am of the personal opinion that: When any country in the west invites refugees from any Muslim nation to within its borders, it is in effect potentially inviting its own killers and conquerors onto its soil. That politicians, bureaucrats, leftists and other
whining arsehats have not realized this and taken appropriate steps to insure the safety and lives of their citizens truly is mind boggling. Political correctness be damned, let's start living with a survival mindset instead of a suicidal one.

All the best,
Glenn B

You Have Got To Select Your Robbery Victims Better...

...than did the alleged robber wearing the white hat. When you walk into a place to rob it, pull a handgun and then announce you are committing a robbery, you had best hope that the guy to whom you are closest is not an off duty police officer with a survivor's mindset. Witnesses inside the store stated that the suspect had announced a robbery (source).

In this instance, the officer did everything right from what I could tell (with that big whited out circle obscuring the view). The greater part of the video shows the suspect walking around outside the business, then finally entering a about 2 minutes and 13 seconds of the video. It takes a little while after that to get to the action because they then cut to what is going on inside before he enters the store.



There was no hesitation on the officer's part to defend himself and everyone else in the store; he had the right mindset. Trying to draw on the guy and say "Police don't move, drop your gun" would only give the bad guy the time to point his weapon and fire. For all I know though, the officer may have even said something as he drew and brought his own weapon to bear on the suspect but as I said - he did not hesitate and fired. The alleged bad guy was still holding his gun, his hands were not raised in surrender or anything like that - shooting him was the right thing to do as far as I can tell. Why detectives supposedly said they are trying to determine if the guy pointed his gun at the officer is confusing - the threat was there and imminent regardless.

A follow-up article on the shooting says the suspect not only drew a pistol (which has reportedly been confirmed as a replica) but also drew a knife and opened it. That only made the threat even worse and considering the fighting stance that the guy took, the officer made the only decision he should have and could have made to assure every potential victim in the store survived unharmed.

You can bet though, that Black Lives Matter, the ACLU or some other group of anti-cop and bigoted arsehats is going to whine and moan that the alleged robber did not have his pistol pointed at anyone and thus he did not pose a threat. Let's get real here for a moment - when a guy walks in, draws a pistol, pulls out and opens a knife, and announces he is robbing the place that makes the threat to life or of serious bodily harm both real and imminent. The fact that he is holding the gun and knife at the moment he announced the robbery would or should give any REASONABLE person probable cause to believe that they imminently are about to be either killed or suffer serious bodily harm. In my opinion, if the facts are as reported in the article, that was a good shoot - plain sand simple.

All the best,
Glenn B

Everyman's Evening Eyeful

All the best,
Glenn B

What Weapon???????????

Has it come to cops thinking a holster is a weapon? It seems so because not only did someone call in a bogus call to campus police that a man had an "unconcealed weapon" but the officers were responded and acted as if a holster, an empty on at that, amounted to a weapon (source).



As for the attitude of the 'suspect' versus that of the officers, I think the student was much more respectful than the officers (mind you the kind of wise arse student was apparently someone off camera). I think the white haired cop should be retrained on how to deal effectively and respectfully with the public and possibly disciplined because of his piss poor attitude and his seeming total disrespect for a citizen. His stepping back later did nothing to alleviate what had already passed, in my opinion.

The other officer was more respectful but I had to wonder, how many times did the guy have to tell him he did not have a weapon? That officer's insistence that the student needed permission from the school to wear an empty holster was foolish at best and apparently a total misinterpretation of the rules as is evidenced by the fact that the citation he issued to the student was later rescinded by the school. Writing him a citation was not only ridiculous but evidently without legal merit at all. The officers may have also failed understand who was, and deal with, the real troublemaker in this incident, the person who called in a student with an "unconcealed weapon". I have to wonder again - what weapon!

I understand them checking out the call but the way they did was all wrong. Once they confirmed the student was unarmed they should have bid him good day and been on their way to educate the caller who initiated the whole mess in the first place. No matter how you look at it, a man wearing an empty holster is not a man carrying an "unconcealed weapon"!

All the best,
Glenn B

The Rationale As To Why She Opted To Defend Herself

The below video was posted on YouTube back in 2012. So, the incident depicted happened that year or before. Too bad the word of why the pharmacist had decided to acquire pepper spray, and not just any pepper spray, has not been spread to more people. It is the same exact argument that can and should be used to arm yourself with a firearm for self-defense purposes.



Luckily all that was needed in this situation was pepper spray but had it been me, in a first encounter with the guy, then as soon as I had read the note I likely would have opted to have taken cover and then drawn my sidearm and depending on what happened may well have shot him. I would have had all the evidence, in that note, that I would have needed to have shown I had probable cause to believe that he posed an imminent threat of serious bodily harm or death to me.

As for the pharmacist, her rationale was flawless - she knew how long it would take for law enforcement to answer a 911 call and by that she obviously meant it was too long.

All the best,
Glenn B

I Think A Hammer Is The Solution...

..the head not the claw.


It's Not About the Nail from Jason Headley on Vimeo.

A hat tip and my thanks to Mike McC for this one.

All the best,
Glenn B

On The Fence About A Bear Gun

I have been considering a 357 Magnum revolver instead of a 44 Magnum as a bear defense gun for our upcoming Alaska trip. That would be as backup to bear spray and to a Remington 870 shotgun.

The reasoning behind me even considering a 357 is that while the 357 not as powerful as a 44 Magnum, it is probably easier to control and thus much quicker with which to get off an aimed 
second shot or possibly third - which in all likelihood would be the outside highest number of rounds you could get off at a charging Brown Bear (1). Note that I put the word reasoning in italics because the reference article containing that opinion seemed based upon little more than an opinion with little to back it up. Then again, I suppose each of the three articles I present as references in this blog post are opinions although the other two seem somewhat more substantial in the amount of thought put into them.

Getting back to the caliber choices, the 357 is also considered by some, to be suitable for defense in Brown Bear country (2). Adding that consideration t the premise of the first article I indexed, I started to lean to the 357. While you might be able to get off two or even three shots with a 44 Magnum, reacquiring the target, and then reengaging with a second well aimed shot, after the recoil of the initial shot, will take a bit longer with the 44 than with a 357. A good aim, at the central nervous system is an absolute must to stop one of those steam rollers with huge teeth and bigger claws. If you can get that on the first shot all might be well and fine and result in a one shot kill. I tend to doubt that - when my or Brendan's knees are giving out, or when our bladders have let go a warm stream down our legs and the pucker factor has just let loose behind us - either one of us might get off a perfectly aimed first shot as we are being charged by one of the great bears. It may be that well aimed but who can tell until it happens and you actually shoot that well under such fearfully intense pressure. Even if we were able to stand our ground with steely and icy cold reserve and a belly full of the grittiest true grit, while facing one of those monsters eye to eye, I would hope for at least two shots and better yet three. Thus, lately, I have been leaning toward a 357 from my precarious perch on the fence.

I suppose it was inevitable that the next article I would find on the subject did not completely discount the use of a 357 but blatantly said that at best it is marginal for large bears. The writer of that opinion openly admitted to not being an expert (maybe his advice is best) and also admitted to never having hunted bears. Yet he rather eloquently said one of the most thought provoking things out of all the authors whose works I have read on the subject of whether or not a 357 is suitable for great bears:

"A note on grizzly bears: they are smart, strong, mean, bulky, motivated and fast. The grizzly bear is the one predator in North America that truly inspires terror in my heart. No matter what you can do, he can do it better. He or she can be merciless in defending turf or litter, and may just kill you for kicks." (3)

After reading that I have to admit the 357 may not be enough. That is true especially if one shot is all we could take. In that scenario, it seems logical we would rather have all the power we could get out of 44 Magnum. Some of the gun gurus consider the 44 magnum to be the low end of a bear defense caliber (4). The fourth referenced article completely rules out 357 Magnum and 41 Magnum rounds. Now that I reminded myself of these last two references, here I am again not leaning either way - sitting straight up on the center of the fence - and my arse is starting to hurt because I have been sitting here so long trying to make up my mind about which to get. I definitely am not going to go for a larger caliber revolver than a 44 Magnum, no matter that some believe it the low end for great bear, if only because I truly believe the revolver would be both too heavy and have too much recoil. It is not easy making up your mind with all these experts out there with differing advice. What makes it more difficult is living in an area where there are no guns shops/ranges at which I can rent a 44 to test fire it and see how well I do. There is one in PA, at least a couple of hours away but I have not had the chance to visits it and time is running short to order a revolver. I may not order one today as I had hoped but I hope to order it at least by the middle of the week and am determined to do so by the end of the week at the latest! Decisions, decisions...

One of the things, other than the actual guns and caliber of the ammo, that is talked about in some of the reference materials I have looked over, is the bullet type in any given bear defense caliber ammunition. From what I can gather, hollow points (in handgun rounds) should be avoided as bear defense rounds and solid points of one type or another should be chosen. If I go with the smaller caliber 357, I think I would opt for a round with a solid lead core bullet. Corbon offers this one, their 357, 200 grain, Hunter HC. HSM offers this one, a 180 grain, hard cast, RNFP-GC Bear Load. The Chuck Hawks article also made mention of a similar round by Federal but I searched for it and it does not seem to be available in the current market. I would also go for a similar round in 44 Magnum if available, but right now they do not seem available from any manufacturer.I n lieu of that, I would go with something like this, the Prvi Partizan 44 Remington Magnum, 300 grain semi jacketed soft point. Decisions, decisions...

So, I am still on the fence. I don't have to make up my mind by the time I get to my dealer today but I would like to select one before then or at least have a much better idea of which I want. Either way - decision made or not - I am going to talk this over with Bruce, from Hunter's Essentials. Bruce is the owner and is also a very experienced hunter from what I can tell. His experience may be able to convince me one way or the other and I don't think the price difference (as in profit difference) will sway his judgment to steer me toward the one that would make him a few more bucks.

All the best,
Glenn B

Footnotes:
1. http://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/game-changers/how-pick-right-sidearm-backup-bear-protection
2. http://www.chuckhawks.com/protection_field.htm
3. http://www.snubnose.info/docs/grizzly_357.htm
4. http://www.americanhunter.org/articles/2014/8/13/packing-pistols-in-bear-country/

Did You Make A Firearms Purchase On BAG Day?

Yesterday, was tax day, for all of us here in the USA who are required to pay personal income taxes, or for at least those of us who follow the law. It was also BAG day; otherwise known as Buy A Gun day. I have not seen anything on it as of late but I figured why let what should become a good, all American, tradition fall by the wayside.

While I did not buy a gun, and that only because I had difficulty with the website from which I was trying to order a revolver, I did order some ammunition. Yeah, I know, it's not the same as getting a gun but I hope to complete the gun order today; I did not want to let the actual day of BAG Day go by without at least celebrating it in spirit by ordering something at least related to guns thus an ammo order.

After ordering that ammo, a case (200 rounds) of Remington's 35 Remington, 200 grain, Core-Lokt soft points, there is little if anything left with which to buy a gun in my checking account. In fact, there is zilch that I can put toward a gun. The solution to that is to buy it with my American Distress Express card and then take the money out of my suPer sekRit saving account meant for our upcoming Alaska trip. I had thought that the 35 REM ammo would be the last I was going to buy online (or anywhere for that matter) but if I buy a revolver today, I am going to need to buy ammo for it. Had I been thinking, I would have ordered ammo for the revolver but something told me to wait until I actually have it in hand before buying ammo for it. 

I'm certain though, it will be the last batch of 35REM ammo I buy in a long, long, long, long time. That is not only because I probably will have enough to last me about 5 or maybe even 10 years but because it is so darned expensive. Right now, the elusive 200 grain Remington Core-Lokt is going for $1.50 per round and that was the best price I could find because it comes with free shipping. Free shipping or not, just thinking I paid that much for it makes my wallet say ouch. I had not seen that particular ammo for sale, from a dealer that would ship it to NY, for over 6 months - maybe closer to a year.

So there it is - my BAG day purchase and as I said, before this day is over I hope to purchase a revolver too. I had been thinking of getting a Ruger Redhawk stainless steel revolver, with either 4.2" or 5.5" barrel, in 44 magnum; however, I am on the fence and leaning over toward buying a stainless steel Ruger GP100, with a 4.2" or 6" barrel, in .357 Magnum. Decisions, decisions...

All the best,
Glenn B