The Alleged Killer Of Charlie Kirk...

... has been arrested.

 

I did not sleep even a minute on the night Charlie Kirk was shot. I kept checking the news to see if they caught the killer. Then maybe I got a about a half hour of sleep just before 145pm yesterday. 

 

The assassination was terrible. Almost as bad as the assassination, or maybe as bad, are the responses of leftist looney liberals to Charlie Kirk's death. The hatred, the vehemence, the audacity of these psychos is absolutely abhorrent; 

 yet, they claim it is those on the right who are hateful. I have watched many of Charlie Kirk's question and answer discussions with college students, many who made ridiculous accusations about him; yet, many others, and even some of the nay sayers, were swayed to come over to the right because of those discussions. He was always polite courteous, well informed, intelligently well spoken and was simply an excellent debater. That is what the lefties hate because when they tried to debate him they made themselves out to look like the fools that many of them are in reality.

Then you have guys like that total asshole governor, in my opinion, from I think MN - Tim Walz. You may know him by his alias Tampon Tim. I fantasize that he should be tarred, feathered, smeared with blood and chopped liver, then taken out to sea and used as chum for sharks but of course, I do not actually suggest anyone do that nor would I do it, nor do I condone such barbaric violence, not even for the likes of him. He calls Trump things like Nazi, calls ICE something like the Gestapo and on and on. So of course, the loonies hate them because the lefties are so gullible. That has been the long-term pattern of the democrat politicians and bureaucrat dems, to always look for the easily persuaded potential voters to shove their creed down their throats. Then at the same time they waste tax dollars to persuade them by forgiving student loans, giving them food stamps, welfare, Medicaid and Medicare, giving the incompetent jobs by way of DEI, spewing lies about their political opposition through the media and the educational system, and so on. They did that with black Americans for well over 100 years, but as of the last decade or so, many blacks woke up and realized they had been hoodwinked and became Republicans. With a diminishing voter base, what did Biden do, he allowed the illegal entry of over ten MILLION illegal aliens hoping for a fast track to become citizens, even heinous criminal aliens. They figure those aliens will reciprocate by voting democrat either illegally (probably why they give them drivers' licenses) or upon becoming citizens. Note, they did not allow, in mass, all of the millions who applied for LEGAL immigration status. Heaven forbid that the left would help folks who obey the law.That was likely because most of them have an education, had jobs in their home countries, and would find the same here, and thus are not easily persuaded by falling prey to the handout trap created by the left. 

Other politician lefties, who are disgraceful are, in my estimation: Pelosi, AOC, Schumer, Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton, William Clinton, Obama, Schiff and on and on and on. That guy Schiff repeatedly claimed to have evidence that Trump was colluding with the Russians. Have you seen any of it yet, many years later? He never produced one bit of it as far as I am aware. Also, as I have heard, when asked about it during a Congressional inquiry, while under oath, he allegedly admitted he had zero evidence. Then, he allegedly, when not under oath, went back to saying he had it! 

 

Other governors who apparenyly spread lies about Trump and or oppose him at almost every step, are Gov. Pritzger from IL, and that pretty boy Newsum from CA among others.

 

 I think the apparent and alleged constant lies, the seening Trump Derangement Syndrome of leftists, and the seemingly barely veiled calls for violence against the right, will get more people killed because their followers seem to believe only them and their followers seem almost rabi to me.

Then there are the phobic homos and the pedophiles, who by some stretch of their imaginations call us homophobic. They  think it fine to cut off a little boy's penis or a little girl's boobs. About a half dozen, maybe more, recent mass shootings were commited by, in my opinion, delusional psychotic transgender pieces of trash. It is odd, how when leftist lunatics murder people, lefties of influence make excuses by way of the mental health of the killers and suddenly it is not the fault of guns but the fault of society for not taking care of them before they kill. I ask, who coddled them and promoted what I think is the psychotic delusion of  transgenderism in them along with abject hatred for people with differing beliefs? Also, who pushed for the release of the seriously mentally ill from mental health care institutes instead of reforming care in those facilities!

 

They call it normal when people have had body parts removed to pretend to be a different sex. They also seem to accept as normal they who claim they identify as a different species of animal, such as a dog, a cat or whatever. Think about that, they seemingly consider that normal.

 I do not think I ever really hated anyone in my entire life, except maybe for a while my father who was a real life monster, but I now am close to hating most democrat politicians. At least I hate the barely veilled attempts to repeatedly promote illegal violence against those on the right. Their cadre of lunatics, whom they apparently have brainwashed to hate ANYONE who disagrees with them, is disgusting. I can imagine that if I had a terminal illness, with nothing to lose, I might consider doing something drastic to as many of them as possible. Of course, the difference between me, and most of us on the right, from those on the left, is that we only think about, as in imagine, doing stuff like that. We would never do it, nor recommend anyone else do it, or condone it. That does not mean though that I and you can not imagine it.

 

Hopefully they arrested the actual killer and have not detained another person acting as if he was the killer. Supposedly, as I saw reported on Fox News, the police charged a man for obstruction, or a similar charge, for doing just that. My guess would be to confuse investigators in an attempt to give the killer more time to escape, which I believe is another sign of the sickness of the leftists if true.A speedy trial, a guilty finding or even a quick guilty plea, and a swift execution of the killer, if found guilty of a capital crime, would be justice in my mind. My guess though is he will plead guilty in an attempt to escape execution and will opt for a life sentence.

 

All the best,

Glenn B

 

RIP Charlie Kirk - The USA Ha Lost A Champion

 Today, Charlie Kirk was assassinated by who I can only sssume was a piece of liberal scum. More at the source.

 

​Violent liberals are a rapidly spreading cancer within the USA. The equally dangerous disease though, in US society, are the despicable pieces of political liberal scum like Schumer, Biden, Harris, Hillary Clinton, and others on the left, who obviously, in my opinion, promote and spur on violence against conservatives or any others who disagree with them, and who are probably secretely ecstatic due to  his death.

Mr. Kirk was a peaceful conservative - he was well spoken, very knowledgeable and an extremely intelligent man - who openly discussed his ideals with anyone who would listen or care to debate him. Such a person is despised by leftists.

Sadly, it seems evident to me that the typical liberal's response to answer people like him is full of vitriol, hatred, lies and nonsensical rhetoric that leftist politicians and influencers have spewed forth for decades. When that does not work to their ends, they evidently resort to actively promoting slightly veiled calls for horrific violence in an attempt to silence they who think differently. Yet, somehow they call themselves tolerant.

I almost hope that this results in wide scale violent retaliation, but note I said almost. I said almost because I believe as Mr. Kirk believed that peaceful intelligent dialogue and debate are the better way to go. The thing is, in my opinion, I also believe that any politician who evidently espouses violence against their opposition, the likes of that low life Schumer, should be jailed for life. The shooter should be executed upon conviction as I see it.

Rest in peace Charlie Kirk, I will miss you greatly. My sincere condolences to his wife and his young children who now will grow up without their loving father. 

 

Stay safe, stay armed, be ready for an explosion of leftist violence; be ready to protect yourselves and others from liberals who hate us. I can only hope that the U.S. Secret Service will excel at protecting President Trump, his family and his inner circle because I feel another assassination attempt against a conservative is almost certain to come all too soon.

 

All the best,

Glenn B 

 

 

 

 

 

Ark of the Covenant - I Dislike Come-On Titles In News Articles...

 ...and if this title is not one of them, then I am a monkey's uncle. The title to which I refer is: 

"Has the Ark of the Covenant been Found? Monumental Structure Unearthed at Tel Shiloh"

That was the title of an article in the Jerusalem Post, dated August 8, 2025. The article, as can be surmised from the title, obviously was about an archaeological discovery that would have had extremely significant religious, cultural and historical ramifications if the ark had actually been discovered. The question of whether or not the Ark of the Covenant has been found in the title, then the article about archaeologists discovering an ancient structure, believed to have been a Jewish place of worship post-Exodus, maybe even the first stone and mortar Jewish post-Exodus temple, has one reading it with great interest, and has one hoping, maybe even expecting, to get to the part of the article that tells about this truly magnificent discovery. 

 

 

The thing is, they did not find the ark. The photo above is not from the article but was among many other images in a DuckDuckGo (quack quack) search of: Ark of the Covenant images. Oddly enough, after posting the search link, I went back to get the actual link for the photo but the photo, like the actual missing ark, has disappeared and is now missing from the search results!  What an eerie coincidence, but I would think it may show up again if I keep searching. I am guessing that the images, resulting in the image search, try to depict a description of the ark from the Bible; almost everyone I looked at was gold and had two angels up on top, with poles attached at the bottom by which it could be carried. What the article says was the thing they actually found was evidently a Jewish post-Exodus temple, just as was the one described in the Bible that was said to have housed the Ark of the Covenant. In fact, as per the archaeologists, that temple matches said description in great detail, once again meaning archaeological findings have shown at least parts of the bible to be accurate in content.

As to what happened to the ark and where it may be located, if it still exists today, those are a mystery that has not yet been solved. if there was an ark as described, I suppose the ark could be hidden somewhere within or near those temple ruins. If it is there and if it is found, that would be a truly stupendous discovery. If found and if it still holds its purported contents, the tablets of the Ten Commandments, that would be absolutely awesome. Since the ark was supposedly made of, or at least covered in, gold, it would be even more amazing that someone had not already found it ages ago and melted the gold down to possess a fortune or simply sold it to the highest bidder to that same end. In fact it has been believed that the ark had been captured by the Philistines during a war with the Israelites. That seizure was supposedly made after the Israelites carried the ark into that battle, a battle in which they were defeated. Why carry a valuable gold chest, containing such important stone tablets, into battle? Well, I suppose, because they believed that to touch it or to open it and look inside would have deadly effects; so, maybe they thought it could be used as a weapon of war against their enemies. I seem to vaguely recall - from many years ago, prior to the age of the Internet - speculation that the tablets or the ark itself may have been radioactive. If real, radioactivity could explain why it was said to be lethal if someone touched it or  viewed its contents. Of course, it could all have been a bunch of bunk meant to keep anyone from opening it only to find a few slabs of stone with no inscriptions or in other words to find a religious hoax. In effect, the mystery of the ark lives on and we may never know any more about it than what we can speculate from what was written about it in the best selling book in all of history. Then again, who knows, maybe it will be discovered someday and a lot of answers, to many millennia old questions about it, will be answered.

While the article is quite interesting, the question in the title gives one a sense of hope that is utterly destroyed once you realize it indeed has not been found. So, the article's title, when it appears online, is essentially click-bait. Very disappointing, at least to me.

All the best, 

Glenn B 

 

It Does Not Matter How Much You Spend - Sometimes Life Just Goes All Topsy Turvy...

 ...as can be seen in the example of the newly launched one million yacht, the Dolce Ventoa, capsizing mere minutes after its maiden launching this past Tuesday. The ship was launched, in the Black Sea, from the port in Zonguldak, Turkey. Now, I may be wrong in what the title of this blog says about how much you spend not mattering. I am guessing that a mere (ha-ha) million dollars is pretty cheap for a luxury yacht; so maybe it should say - you get what you pay for!

 

The yacht can be seen listing to port, at 39 seconds into the video, as evidenced by the starboard side water line being above water by some feet and the port side waterline being under water. At 1:49 of the video, the yacht is over on its port side. I imagine the boat's owner was having a psycho episode at that moment; and if one feels any sympathy for him or her, you might hope the owner had it insured. 

 

Of course, since there was no explosion, like if it had hit an old WW II mine or a rogue mine left behind by the Ruskies in the Ukraine war; and since there was no scream of a submerged rock ripping open the hull - I am led to the conclusion that some type of human error caused this catastrophe. I am thinking along the lines of a manufacturing flaw, but that is just my guess. It could have been due to other types of human error, such as bad weight distribution in the hold, but then, I would think, it would have been listing immediately once in the sea. Then again, I am not a mariner or nautical engineer. 

 

More at the source:  https://www.foxnews.com/world/luxury-yacht-tips-sinks-minutes-after-launch-terrified-passengers-jump-overboard. There was a nice video of it in the article but no embed code, so go to the link to view it. I have to say this, and I am just noting it and not making a conspiracy out of it - the guys you can hear in the audio of the video certainly did not seem excited by what they were witnessing, they were talking so calmly almost as if they had expected it to happen, and that seems odd to me to say the least. Again, just noting that.

 

All the best,

Glenn B 

 

 

2025 Standard Catalog Of Firearms - It Pays To Shop Around

 

Yesterday, after having become quite disappointed with the current format and content (as in lack of certain information) in The Blue Book Of Gun Values, I decided to pick up a copy of  The Standard Catalog Of Firearms as put out by Krause Publications (as best I recall), and was authored or edited by Ned Schwing. When I looked at my most recent copy, the 28th edition dated 2018; I saw something I had forgotten, it is no longer published by Krause Publications but has been published by Gun Digest since at least that year, probably longer and Ned Schwing is no longer the author/editor.

 

Regardless of the author's name or who publishes it, The Standard Catalog... seems to be one and the same excellent source of firearms values and other firearms information as it was when I first picked up a copy of it many years ago (I can say that after having paged through a copy of the current edition in a book store a few months back). So, being disappointed with the Blue Book..., I decided to pick up a copy of The Standard Catalog Of Firearms, and was going to buy one at my local Books-A-Million. I did not buy one there because I was really dismayed by their price for it of $59.99 plus tax (tax would have made the total it $64.94). So, I went online and shopped around. I found out it was being sold at Midway USA for $41.32 shipping included but before tax (tax would have made it $44.72), and also was available on Amazon for $44.01 with free two day shipping and tax included. I opted for Amazon. In all, that was a savings of $20.93 which is a substantial difference between Amazon and Books-A-Million. While I could have already had it in my possession if I had bought it in store at Books-A-Million, I figured what is a two day wait from Amazon since I have waited seven years to purchase an updated version of my 2018 edition. Yes, as I have said many times: I am THE Great Procrastinator.

 

As far as I am concerned, in other words - my opinion is, The Standard Catalog Of Firearms has always given better descriptions and closer to reality current pricing for guns than does the Blue Book of Gun Values. Besides that, the Blue Book's online indexing stinks, in my opinion. You sometimes can run the name of a firearms manufacturer and if you do not have it exactly the way they have it, you get zilch as a return. However, the attraction that kept me purchasing subscriptions to the Blue Book was that they have the online version that offers subscriptions. Last year, or so, though, they changed the format of their online version of the Blue Book and to be quite frank I think the latest version stinks. Sometimes it is quite difficult to find almost any information about a gun you are querying, one that I figure most definitely should be listed but seemingly is not indexed, or at least I cannot find it. So, back to the Standard Catalog I have gone; although I may keep my Blue Book subscription up and going next year when the current one expires. Then again, maybe not, time will tell.

 

As for The Standard Catalog of Firearms, my 2018 edition had 1,472 pages. It is a big book dimensionally as well. It has listings for thousands of firearms listings. They are often, but not always, accompanied by a photograph of the gun being described. They use their own grading system which they fully explain near the beginning of each edition (or at least they did so until 2018 - my last edition). Their grades go from NIB (New In Box), to: Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair and Poor. In the descriptions of those grades, they include what percent of metal & wood finish should remain for each and also other information as to repairs and originality of parts versus replacement parts, et al. 

 

Another thing about one versus the other type of firearms references: I am a child of the 1950s. I grew up with libraries full of books. I used to enjoy reading books quite a lot when in school and afterwards, that was until I needed glasses. I am no slouch when it comes to using a computer although I do not use a lot of social media sites. Yet, I use my online access each and every day for various applications. This blog is one of the things I do online. Therein, writing my bog or reading anything online, lie some of the reasons I like computing and online reference materials. One being because I can enlarge whatever I am viewing on my computer's or phone's screens, that makes it easier on my old man's eyes. I also like the portability of having access via my phone or laptop. Yet, despite all that modern innovation, I still like references in book format, just as much, if not more than online access to reference material. There is just something about picking up a book and leafing through page after page that is much more satisfying than taping away at a computer keyboard or phone keypad will ever be. The other thing is a book is more much more dependable than a computer or the Internet. Books do not depend on power being available to read them (at least during daylight hours) nor do they depend upon Internet access being available or a website being up without problems. 

 

Also, consider this: If I take my reference book to a gun show and someone, somehow, walks away with it (yes as in steals it) - what have I lost! Exactly $44.01 in this case. If, on the other hand, someone makes off with my phone, I am out somewhat more than $300.00 and have to change some passwords and maybe my email address before the crook accesses my info. If they steal my laptop, well let me just say it was much more expensive than my cell phone and has a lot more personal info on it. None of that is an issue with a bound paperback firearms reference book of mine if it gets stolen.

 

I will be happy once The Standard Catalog Of Forearms is delivered (they say tomorrow) and will probably use it immediately in anticipation of bidding in an online auction this weekend. I likely will also continue use of The Blue Book of Gun Values, at least until my current subscription for it expires. 

 

Want to save some money, then shop around a bit for the right price relative to your pocket book; you may find it for a lower price than I just paid. Caveat emptor.

 

All the best,

Glenn B 

They All Went Bang ...

...and that is what I like to hear (while wearing ear protection) when I take recently acquired guns to the range for test firing. 

 

Yesterday, I drove to a local, more or less, firearms range. When I arrived, there was one other person there policing brass. I asked her if she had ear protection and she said she did not but I could go ahead and start shooting. Since she had no ears, I decided to wait until she left. That wound up being only a few minutes later.

 

I set up on a bench but did not set up any targets. I was there only to test fire several new to me pistols & revolvers. They were:

Charter Arms Pathfinder in .22 LR, Charter Arms Undercover in .38 SPL, Norinco 54-1 in 7.62X25mm Tokarev, Ruger Mark I in .22 LR, and TEC-9 (Mini) in 9mm.

 

As I said, they all went bang. The Pathfinder misfired once, pretty sure that was not due to the revolver but to the ammo. I fired it several more times and it went bang8 all those other times. 

 

The  Undercover fired flawlessly. I fired two full cylinders through it, 12 rounds total. Remember, I was not target shooting nor attempting to break in any of these handguns. Just trying to see if they all functioned properly.

 

The Norinco fired well but it failed to feed twice requiring a tap to load the stuck round. I attribute that to said pistol evidently not having been fired before as best I could tell. It looked pristine when I got it even though it was evidently first sold circa 1992 according to a receipt that came with it. All steel guns often require a break-in period consisting of 250 to 500 rounds being fired through them to assure they functione flawlessly or not. I put 16 rounds through it. I will break it in at an indoor range, where it will be much cooler than yesterday's 95 degrees or today's forecast 97. Wile I was not target shooting, I did shoot at a certain point on the berm. The Norinco came in right where I was aiming laterally and a bit low vertically, as would be expected for a pistol at 100 yards. I imagine it will do well at an indoor range whenever I get myself to one with it.

 

 The Ruger Mark I fed, fired, extracted,  and ejected flawlessly.

 

The TEC-9 had some hiccups but I think they were caused by user error except one failure to feed properly. The other couple were caused by me and were both due to not inserting the mags completely. I had thought they were in all the way (as I told her years ago but she said I was wrong then too) but they had to really be pushed in very hard to get them to fully in (just like way back then). I only loaded one of the 30 round mags to 20 rounds and the other three mags to 10 or so rounds in each. The mag springs were very strong, hardly used by my guess, due to lack of visible wear. With my arthritis being a bit bothersome, that was enough loading the mags for me. I bought the mags independently from the TEC-9 which did not have any magazines when I bought it. 

 

The thing I was happiest about with the TEC-9 was that it went bang, bang, bang or one bang with each successive trigger pull. Very happy indeed was I because it  did not go banngbangbangbangbang until out of ammo with only a single trigger pull. These pistols, in their early years were notorious for being very easily modified to go full auto.

 

That was it for shooting those latest additions to my  aggregate of firearms. Once again I am a happy shootists because my new boomers all went bang.

 

All the best,

Glenn B 

Money Spent On Ammo At A Single Dealer - Target Sports USA

Have you ever taken the time to figure out how much money you have spent on ammunition at one particular dealer for about as long as you have dealt with them? Well, I did that today because I am having a bit of an issue with an order recently delivered to me in which 27 of 23 boxes of the ammo I bought were damaged, that evidently during shipment. Now, if I had bought this ammo with the intent of shooting all of it, the boxes being ruined would not matter much, but I had intended to sell much of it at guns shows, give some to my son as a gift and maybe shoot the rest if any was left over. The thing is, the boxes are so badly damaged that I'd have to sell them at a greatly reduced price, way under cost to get anyone to buy them. 

 

So, I contacted Target Sports USA, the dealer from which I bought the ammo. They got back to me quickly wanting to know how many "bullets" were damaged. Yes bullets was the word they used instead of cartridges. I don't know if any of the ammo is damaged as I have not opened the inner paper wrapping around them. I told them to send an insurance adjuster/examiner to determine that if they want to know, otherwise to file an insurance claim for me promptly since I paid for the shipment to be insured, or to arrange for a return/refund for the badly damaged ones. Their site says ammo cannot be returned because of federal shipping regulations as best I recall. Heck, anyone can ship ammo. Thus, I anticipate they may not honor my claim. Add to that  they have done the same at least once before (I think twice but am uncertain on that) by not honoring a claim, and apparently ignored me when I notified them of damaged goods received. One time though, they honored my claim and I think gave me a refund as best I recall and that was for almost exactly the same type of damage.

 

I will say this, I know for a fact that I have been making purchases from Target Sports USA for over ten years now, since at least March 1, 2015. I could have been doing so longer but did not save the invoices. In fact, I have 67 invoices saved and one MS Word document all showing purchases that I made from them. I actually may have made more purchases but did not save the invoices. When I checked my purchases on their website, it only showed 50 since 2020, so I am guessing they only go back so far and delete earlier invoices (but as I said I have 67 plus the Word document going back to March 2015).

 

Today, I decided to calculate how much I have spent there over the years. It worked out to a total of $15,454.48  since March 1, 2015, that  over a period of 10 years 5 months, or 10.42 years, or 125 months, or 3,803 days. That equals about $1,483.16 spent there per year, $123.64 spent there per month, or $4.06 spent per day (boy that last one does not make it seem so much). I am certain that I am not their highest paying customer by far but then I am no slug either. If I figure it correctly, I spent less each year during the first few years and much more since at least 2020. For example over the course of the last eleven months, since September 9, 2024 until today August 21, 2025, I spent $4,059.94 there. That is a little more than 26% of the total I spent with them in over ten years, and that 26+% was spent in only the last 11 months. Maybe I should slow down, then again - maybe not.

 

I have to say, pretty much my biggest and definitely my most frequent disappointment with Target Sports USA has been how little cushioning/packaging material they usually put into their shipping boxes. For example, this time they placed one rather insufficient piece of brown paper inside the outer shipping box atop the inner shipping box. Of course, it appeared that the parcel was dropped landing on its bottom or a bottom corner where there was no cushioning inside the box. A few more cents spent on cushioning probably would have protected this shipment much better. The other thing that bugs me about them is that their customer service is not that great in my estimation, that or the reasons I mentioned above regarding my past contacts about receiving damaged goods from them. 

 

Some things I found excellent about Target Sports USA have been: great prices, usually fast shipping, a usually decent inventory, an easy to navigate website, free shipping on cases of ammo, free shipping on any amount of ammo purchased with their Ammo+ membership, an 8% discount on ammo with that same membership making prices even better (which saved me about $324.80 minus the cost of the membership which was about $110.00 per for the past year; so I actually saved about $214.80 off of their already low prices). That may not seem like much but it could buy a case of 9mm, 115 grains, FMJ ammo at today's prices.

 

I am uncertain as how I am going to proceed if they decide not to honor my claim for either reimbursement or a return and refund for the damaged product. If they decide not to reimburse me via insurance for the damaged product, or to not allow me to make a return for a refund, I am going to remind them of what I spent there. If that does not change their tune, then I may tell them to go screw themselves if they expect me to pay another penny to them for anything. I'll then also be contacting my credit card company to see what they will do for me regarding reducing my loss. American Express is excellent in that regard, it's one reason why I use my American Express card whenever possible. I have to balance my loss against how much I save on ammo by purchasing from them before I do something as drastic as deciding not to purchase from them again. That is because they almost always have the lowest prices, at least that I have found, on ammunition when you calculate in the cost of shipping usually even without the Ammo+ membership. Oh what to do if they do not honor my claim, decisions - decisions, decisions! 

 

Then again, if they make good, I will be a happy camper or is that a happy shootist!

 

Edited to add, on September 5, 2025: Much to my relief, target Sports USA sent me a return label for the ammo in the damaged boxes. The lady in customer service, at first wanted to know how many of the actual cartridges were damaged; which was what they told me the first time I had the same issue with another order. It was evident, she only wanted to refund any money at all, if cartridges were damaged. After a bit of back and forth though, she relented and sent me the label. Luckily I found a box from a prior ammo shipment that fit all of the damaged boxes perfectly. I went to the UPS store and because it had a preprinted label, they accepted the ammo for shipment (which if I understand correctly, they do not usually do for ammo shipments saying they have to go through a UPS customer center - and the one near me closed their customer counter thus eliminating chances of shipping ammo through UPS in most instances for the average Joe). So my worry apparently was for nothing (that is at least once I receive my refund, it will have been so) and I am quite happy to remain a loyal Target Sports USA customer.

  

All the best,

Glenn B 

 

 

Nice Dancing - Don't Know If I Ever Shared This Video Before

 She has all the moves to keep any straight man happy, that is for sure. I, for one, never get tired of watching this one. 

 

All the best,

Glenn B 

Don't Expect Potential Gun Buyers To Be Serious...

...if you are not a serious gun seller. This evening, while browsing a gun forum which I frequent, I came across a thread by way of which someone was trying to sell some guns. I read the title of the thread, the sale was called a "SAFE CLEANOUT", then I read the opening post and saw only three guns were being offered for sale. The info given about two of the firearms included: make, model, caliber. It gave the barrel length for one of those two and its finish; for the other of those two it mentioned an optic and number of mags it came with. For the third gun, there was a date, supposedly of manufacture, make and model and its condition listed as "great" and said it was accurate. A price was listed for all three. That was essentially all the info given for the guns.

 

The seller did list location of the sale. There were no photographs of the guns. The seller went on to say that photos would be available only to serious buyers. I laughed at that most of all.

 

You may be wondering why I laughed. It was because I found it ludicrous as far as gun sales go. The ineptness of some folks to use what should be common sense when trying to sell a firearm or almost anything else is astounding. So what was it exactly that set me off laughing? Well that was a combination of things but one final thing really got me guffawing.

 

First of all, the description of the sale as a "Safe Cleanout" had me thinking, wow it must be a really small safe because the seller was only offering three guns for sale.  Then, the descriptions of each were lacking. If you want to sell anything, especially a firearm let me assure that most potential buyers would prefer as much info as possible right up front. They mostly do not want to have to ask lots of questions, the answers to which should have already been made clear, with a very good description, by the buyer in his offering advertisement. Those things, with reference should include: make, model, issue (many models of firearms have various issues, or versions, with differing modifications); caliber, MM  (millimeter size of ammo), gauge or bore size (last two for shotguns); finish, type of grips, type of sights and or optics, number of magazines or cylinders, type of action and so on. 

 

The last thing that made me laugh and guffaw the loudest, was that the seller stated he would send pictures to only serious buyers! First of all, it is insulting to any potential buyer that they are not serious enough for the seller to have posted pics without them asking. Secondly, what actual serious buyer wants to buy from a seller who is not serious enough about selling an item to list pictures in his offering; sure some folks will ask for pictures and then buy but why have to bother if the seller was not serious enough in the first place to include pics! It is a turnoff for many potentially SERIOUS buyers.

 

The condition of each gun, both cosmetic and mechanical (if known) are important pieces of info to include when listing a firearm. As for mechanical condition, saying it is fully functional, has functional issues, and or is missing parts (and therefor is a parts gun or gunsmith special) should be stated. As to cosmetic condition, the  seller should be telling potential buyers the estimated condition by using an accepted format, such as NRA condition codes for modern firearms, or the NRA condition codes for antique firearms. As for me, I much prefer a simpler description for the cosmetic condition, one that plainly states the metal condition as a percentage of remaining finish. Other important condition info to include is whether or not there is any rust, how bad is any rust, or are mars of any type on the metal, wood or polymer parts. More info can be supplied by the seller but the things I just mentioned are basic.

 

 One of the most important pieces of info to include is a visual representation of the actual gun for sale. In other words, post good, very clear photographs of what is being sold. Picture the complete gun from both sides, and from the top and bottom too. Offer close-ups also of any special features, engraving, markings, or of any damage.

 

What including that info does is this:

 

1. Shows that the seller is serious.

 

2. Saves both the seller and potential buyers a lot of time because when that info is there for all to see, the potential buyers do not need to contact the seller and each potential buyer ask several questions about it.

 

Telling a potential buyer the seller's terms in advance is very important. Knowing whether or not the seller will ship or is only making an offer for a face to face sale is important to most buyers. Showing types of payment acceptable to the seller is also imperative. This also rules out unnecessary inquiries of the buyer by potential buyers and thus saves each of them time and effort. 

 

If you post a gun for sale ad, don't leave out information or pictures and then say something like: photos will be emailed to serious buyers only! The reason to to not say that and to provide photos and a really good description is to show potential buyers that you are a serious seller and not some nefarious buffoon trying to screw them. It is of benefit to the seller in another way, giving all that info shows the seller is serious and thus let's the buyers see the seller is making a serious, good and hopefully an honest effort as opposed to trying to rid himself of items he failed to show pictures of in the first place. It also helps weed out some buyers with ill intent by way of alerting the seller to those who ask unnecessary questions about what already was made obvious and by way of those who question and try to change your seller's terms. Beware of them. It can also offer protection to the buyer when a seller later claims the gun was in poor condition and then leave you bad feedback. If you showed everything in your offering you have proof otherwise when bad feedback or a bad claim made against you as the seller. Along those lines, giving the serial number of a gun, in an offering, and of course sending the gun with that number, protects the seller as well. For some reason, unknown to me though, many sellers think showing the serial number somehow puts them at great risk. Unless you were trying to sell a stolen firearm, I cannot figure the fear of showing the serial number; and if it was stolen and offered by you: go to jail - go directly to jail, do not pass go.

 

Thus, in brief, what you should try to accomplish, if offering a gun for sale, is to attract serious potential customers, and ultimately someone to buy it, by way of showing you are a serious seller.

 

One last thing and this should be obvious to all: Make certain your offer to sell and your terms of sale follow all laws an regulations in the area in which you are selling, in the area to where you are shipping (shipping company rules and local, state a federal laws on shipping must also be adhered to) and where the buyer resides also make certain it is legal under federal law and regulations. Some, if not all, gun laws suck but you need to obey them to stay out of prison. You also would want to follow all rules of the venue through which you are selling it: such as gun forum rules as to sales, auction house rules, online auction company rules such as those of GunBroker.com to name one such company (my favorite).

 

Note, the above is a basic rundown but not all inclusive of how to sell a gun via an ad. If I was selling one right now and listing it, say on GunBroker, I'd probably think of some other points to make. So, there are other things you can list in an offering to show yourself as a serious seller if you ever list an ad for a firearm sale and actually make a good and quick sale.

 

Good luck with your sales. 

 

Al the best,

Glenn B

Conway, AR Gun Show

 My son and I attended the Conway Gun Show this morning. I brought along two rifles to sell. My son carried around my Savage 111 Long Range Hunter in .300 WIN MAG. Not one person asked to look at it. I strolled through the aisles hefting my CZ 457 Royal. The vendor at the first set of tables I walked by told me to come back if I had not sold it by the time I was leaving. That made me hopeful that I'd be leaving the venue with lots more cash than the $67 I had in my pocket.

 

 As I passed one table, I noticed a package of twenty 7.62X39mm stripper clips for $12.00. I figured I'd buy them if still there later. Almost everyting else I saw was way overpriced. Yet, I did see one new Beretta 92FS with an asking price of $625.00, out the door. That was not bad at all. The lowest price I saw on AmmoSeek for the same pistol was $646.49 shipped. Add another $20.00 to have it go through my local FFL and the price into my hands would have been $666.49. So, $625.00 was a very good price without a waiting period due to shipping, to actually have it in hand. If I did not already have four 92FS pistols (two of which are regular and the other two are 92FS Compact L, Type M), I may have bought that one. Let's face it, with inflation at its current level,  saving $41.49, or 6%, off of the rock bottom price shown on AmmoSeek, is a good thing making it a good bargain. That money could get you a couple or few boxes of 9mm ammo at today's prices. Heck, with my Ammo+ membership at Target Sports USA, that amount would be sufficient to pick up four boxes of CCI 9MM, 115 grain, Blazer Brass ammo, shipped. 

 

 There was one other firearm with an almost decent price on it by today's pricing. That was a nice looking Chinese SKS. The seller was not a show vendor but an attendee. He was asking $550 for it. I should have taken a look at it right after he walked in but I did not. Later, I saw him as he was leaving and should have looked it over and asked him what was his bottom line. I would have offered $400 if it was in excellent condition, and if it had matching numbers maybe an additional $25. With him walking out the door, still with it, it may have been the perfect time to haggle with him. There is almost always the chance of a disappointed seller making a good deal at that point, instead of leaving without making a deal at all and thus with the same amount of cash as when he got there. It was a Frank Fritz (RIP) "buy it when you see it" moment; a would have, could have, should have at least looked at it kind of a thing. I failed at doing what I usually would have done and missed out on that potential opportunity. While I would not pay his asking price of $550, even that was at least a decent price by today's pricing. Who said you cannot find good or even decent deals at gun shows nowadays (or ever)?

 

 Of course excellent, good or just decent deals at gun shows are a rare commodity and that has been likewise in the few decades I have been attending them. Granted, it is more difficult to find such a deal today as opposed to 45 years ago or so, when I went to my first gun show, but a couple or a few decent to outstanding deals can be found at almost every show. That is if you look hard enough and haggle as best you can. You are more likely to find dealers willing to come down in price on Sundays instead of Saturdays, in my experience. That can be either because they sold almost nothing on Saturday and need to get some cash, any amount within reason for a y given item, or because they have done so well, so far, and are more willing to sell something for a little less because their coffers are filled with how much they have already brought into them.

 

Not long after the guy with the Chinese SKS departed, I went back to the vendor who had told me to come back with the CZ 457 Royal, if not sold by the time I was ready to leave the show. I offered it to him at about $200 less than the lowest price found on AmmoSeek. Mine is unfired in excellent condition, in the box with papers, essentially brand new. He offered me $100 less than my low-ball price. I am pretty sure, had he bought it, he would have asked quite a bit more than the lowest online price when he offered it for sale, or so is my guess.

 

The only thing I bought at the show were 100 rounds of Norinco 7.62X39mm ammo (banned from future imports by Clinton back in the 1990s) and the pack of 20 stripper clips, that I mentioned earlier, for 7.62X39mm ammo. The ammo had an asking price of $50, I got em for $45. I gave them to my son as a gift since he had asked me earlier for a hundred bucks to buy ten boxes of it from the same vendor. I only had $67 on me, and my credit cards while far from being maxed out have to much on them for me to use them for anything other than what I need, at least until the 1st of next month when I pay them off in full. So, I got what I could afford while leaving a bit of cash in my pocket. I had asked Brendan if he wanted me to take $100 out of the ATM and loan it to him but he said forget it. So, I surprised him later when I gave the 100 rds. to him as a gift. The stripper clips had an asking price of $12.00. I got them for $10; I think I think I was lucky the vendor still had them. Until today, I had not seen them offered for sale below a dollar apiece, a buck each has been the offering price for a couple of years now in my experience. So. .50 cents each was such a deal and a good one at that.

 

All in all, Brendan & I enjoyed the show. Well, I think we did, but know I did (I just asked him about it and now I know he enjoyed it). It was a nice way to spend about a couple of hours together, actually about three hours with the drive.

 

Some other things of note: I would have taken some photographs of the show, to display the wide variety of guns and other things for sale except for the numerous signs at the entrance forbidding anyone from taking photographs. This is the only gun show, in my memory, where I have ever seen such a disappointing rule and there were at least two, to a few, signs saying so. If I had been permitted to have taken pics, I would have made certain to take them not only of tables displaying guns, firearms parts, their accessories, and ammo, but also of what I think were the annoying amount of tables with odd ball stuff, at least oddball to sell at a gun show. 

 

Those off items were anything from: bread and other baked goods, jam, hot pepper sauces, pepper mills, coffee grinders, knickknacks, fishing rods & tackle, axes, hatchets, fantasy swords, brass knuckles, toys, jewelry, and even a few tables with only potted house plants for sale. Never before, to the best of my little gray cell's abilities, do I recollect house plants being sold at a gun show; that was weird to say the least and the vendor selling them had at least three tables of them. Those are sad examples of what things are allowed to be sold at gun shows, in my opinion, but it happens at all gun shows nowadays and I am not blaming the promoter of such shows but I am disappointed that such has become the norm. It is amazing what unrelated junk items are allowed to be sold at so called 'Gun shows' or Gun & Knife shows. I, for one, do not even particularly like the sale of knives being allowed, other than bayonets, but I can tolerate them as they are also weapons. I suppose folks have accepted the fact that knives always will be sold therein. I imagine it is much akin to peanut butter & jelly (fruit preserves are to my liking), as they go well together and so it seems for knives and guns go together to many folks. 

 

However, in my estimation, those other non gun related items, like house plants, really do not have a valid place at a gun show. I suppose though, the promoters do not attract enough firearms vendors, and financial concerns demand they fill as many tables as possible to stay in business and make a profit. Thus they allow what I, and many others in my experience, believe are junk vendors into the venues. As I said, it is like that at all gun shows. I am not, by any stretch of the imagination, singling out G&S Promotions. It has been that way for decades at most, if not all, guns shows I have been to in the past 30 years or more. Although, I remember some of the shows I attended early on that did not allow anything but guns and items that were directly related to firearms, I miss those days. Sadly the trend to allow things unrelated to firearms seems to be continually getting worse. Sooner or later, if not restricted now, the amount of tables selling items unrelated to firearms may outnumber the number of tables from which guns are sold, at some shows.

 

 

Regardless of my qualms along those lines, the show promoter Stephanie E. of G&S Promotions is a very nice lady and runs a very professional operation with good people working for her. I have been to several of their shows with Brendan, and to a few by myself, both as a vendor and as an attendee. I think they host some of the best Shows in AR (anywhere for that matter) along with those run by Kerry Murphy Promotions; although, I must say Stephanie is much prettier than Kerry!

 

All the best,

Glenn B 

 

 

Best Sellers

Do you know the most popular book in the entire history of the world? You probably know or have guessed, it is the Bible, but what is the most popular novel in the history of the world?

That novel is about a hopeful and chivalrous gentleman on a seemingly hopeless and foolish quest. It was written by a Spaniard in the early 1600s and has not been outsold by any other novel in over 400 years.  I may have read it in gramnar or high school as  I know the essence of the story but cannot recall if I actually read the book or just heard the story. My little gray cells vaguely remember reading it way back then. Regardless, it is on my bucket list to acquire a copy to read either again or for the first time.

That novel is: The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha, by Miguel de Cervantes.(2)

 

1. https://www.britannica.com/one-good-fact/whats-the-best-selling-novel-of-all-time

2. https:/en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Quixote

A Culinary Delight

This evening, I picked up an extra large pepperoni pizza at Joe's Italian Bistro, in Texarkana, AR. It was made in true NY City style, closer to that than any others I have eaten in a couple or few years now. I had three  slices. It was delicious. I would rate it a 7.5 as compared to pizza rated 10 from a really good pizza parlor in NYC. Maybe it could have used a bit better cheese but the cheese was still good. Definitely needed, in my opinion, 1.5 to 2X the pepperoni. The pepperoni was kind of sparse on a few slices. Regardless, it was the best pizza I have eaten in a long time. That was an unexpected joy.

 

All the best,

Glenn B 

Homebound Hidden Handguns & Long Arms

I know that many firearms owners carry handguns virtually all of the time. Some even carry while in their homes, or if not actualy carrying at home, have one or more readily available inside their abodes. What I am interested in discussing is whether you have hidden, loaded and easily accesible, handguns or even long arms, wthin you living quarters.

 

A bunch of a firearms forum members, up on Long Island, NY, discussing a similar topic as this one, years ago, said they kept loaded handguns on shelves behind other items like a picture frame, in or on a night table, in specially made gun concealment wall hanging frames, in drawers, in closets, hidden in false books, in a holster attached to their couch, and even under the pillow each night (yikes). Some said they kept long arms at the ready in a closet, next to entrance doors, under their beds, hanging on a wall and so forth. 

One fellow firearms enthusiast surprised just about every other forum member when he said he kept a loaded and easily accesible handgun, hanging in a waterproof bag from the pipe that was attached to his shower head. The bag was something like what a diver or canoer might use to assure personal propery is kept dry. He said the pistol was made of stainless steel. Plenty of the forum members derided him for that, thinking he was paranoid. I and several others thought it was not such a bad idea considering the amount of home invasions in NY at the time, and as long as their were no young children in the home.

 

I am left wondering,  if you do likewise. If so, in what places do you keep your loaded and ready firearms at home. Of course, I imagine some folks do not keep loaded firearms in the home because they have young children, but some with kids have probably figured out, or at least believe they have figured out, safe places to keep a loaded gun at the ready, places which they think  their youngsters cannot access (beware, kids often get into the seemingly most secure and or secret places).

As for me, I have a handgun either on my person or within fairly easy reach, such as on my coffee table when watching TV. I also have a shotgun loaded and ready in my bedroom and keep my every day carry pistol on a bedside table when I go to bed. There is also a bed holster holding a Charter Arms Bulldog revolver - loaded with 44 S&W Special ammo - hanging from the holster's flap that is between my mattress and the bed frame. I have a spare bedroom/storage room with another handgun in it. I do not have one in the bathroom but have been thinking about putting one in there too. No guns in my kitchen but several big sharp knives and a machete too. As for me, there are no children in my home and if have an expected, or even unexpected guest, come by with or without children in tow, I take appropriate safety precautions.

 

What about you folks? Do any of you have innovative places, or simply any places, where you keep a loaded gun at the ready in your home?

 

As I have said often before, there always has been one thing I liked about the Boy Scouts Of America, their motto: BE PREPARED!

 

 All the best,

Glenn B