It is October 1, 2010. Once again, as over the past few years, I am going to start putting together care packages for some of our military personnel foreign soil or seas and I am again going to ask for my readers' help by way of donations. I have already requested, just minutes ago, that Soldiers' Angels assign me a new soldier. I specifically asked for someone in Afghanistan and asked if this time they would assign me a female since the others were all men. I figure it is both our men and women over there, so why not try to get at least one lady included among those to whom we send these packages. If they can do it - fine; if not, then to whomever they assign me will be fine just as well.
I also went out today and picked up the first items to include in the first package, I hope, with your help, there will be at least a few to several other good ones going out between now, Christmas and New Year's Day. So far this is what I have purchased for the first package:
A four pack of Merino Wool Socks (it is about to start getting cold in that part of the world)
A large box of Tootsie Roll Pops
A 48 pack of AA alkaline batteries
A 30 pack of Hershey's candy bars including Hershey's milk chocolate bars (both plain and with almonds), KitKat bars, and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups)
A 60 pack of Quaker Chewy Granola Bars (including a variety of chocolate chip, peanut butter and oatmeal raisin)
That set me back about $56.93. This is my donation so far, all out of my pocket. Any donations I receive from my readers, or others, will go toward future purchases of items to go into the care packages.
So, once again I am asking that you, my readers, help out with whatever monetary contributions you can to help make these packages something worthy of our young men and woman who are fighting terrorism, and protecting us and the freedoms we enjoy. As in the past, if you donate anything to me, every penny I receive will go toward the purchase of items to be included in the care package(s). I will also make a sizable donation to the package(s) (such as the items I already bought today - they are at my expense alone and I will probably throw in another $50 or more worth of goods that I alone pay for). I will also pay for boxes, tape (unless I use free boxes and tape), and I will pay for shipping the package(s) to my assigned soldier and his or her unit all out of my own pocket. I guess I am also paying for the gas to drive to the store and pick this stuff up. Again, any donations I receive from you go 100% toward the cost of items I put into the care packages. (Note: What I RECEIVE as a donation is what goes toward the purchases. So there is no misunderstanding, if you donate $25.00 by way of PayPal, I will use all the funds I receive, after PayPal takes their small cut, toward the items for the care packages. PayPal is not free; I get nothing of the percentage they charge but they do charge a fairly small amount for receiving funds through them. a Paypal account is free, or was when i signed up. If, on the other hand, you donate $25.00 cash, then 100% of that money will go to buying items for the care packages. (Please note, PayPal is free to sign up for and, as far as I know, still does not charge you for sending money; they charge the person who receives the money - see this link.)
By the way, these gifts are nondenominational and will be for anyone in my assigned soldier's unit regardless of religious beliefs or anything else. Regardless of it being the Christmas season, they are to be shared among the unit and with other units if my soldier and his or her unit feel generous and I hope that will be the case. I just send em out at Christmas because I was brought up as a Catholic. I am not a practicing Catholic any longer but have the Christian upbringing and still feel this time of year is an especially nice one for giving. I especially like the Christmas spirit. The Christmas spirit is not one of a stingy scrooge; it is a time for giving what you can give. I know, the economy sucks. I know a lot of people are hurting. Still, you have to realize these guys and gals are far from home, they are hurting even more than any of us and they are in some god forsaken hell holes. They surely could use some recognition from us beyond simply saying - I support the troops. No matter how tough times are, if you are reading this you have something to give - don't you?
"Money is tight, times are hard" - we have all heard talk like that recently. Remember though, talk like that is cheap but so too are the donations for which I ask. Send whatever you can to help out. Send $50 if you have it and can spare it, or send $5.00 if things are bad. Heck send a dollar if things are really that bad - then feel happy you did something because even a dollar will help make some of our boys and girls have it just a bit easier during the holiday season and the time leading up to it. I do not know about you but I don't want to be the one to send our troops a photocopied Christmas card showing Santa giving them the finger and saying "Money is tight and times are hard, so here's your fucking Christmas card"! I got that card once, I laughed until my sides hurt. Think about sending that sentiment to our troops, it quite likely would be seen in another way. Think about the message we send when we send nothing - then think about the joy we send when we send whatever we can. If it is is just a few pennies, then do it please because those few pennies will help both our troops and you.
Once I know the identity of my soldier, I will post what I can here on the blog. As usual, by the rules at Soldiers' Angels, I can only give my soldier's first name and where he or she is located (in general). If I later get permission from the soldier, I will post more info. I will also post any thank yous I receive from the soldier and his or her unit. I can tell you this without a doubt, when you and I gave in the past, when we sent those other packages, the folks on the receiving end had a better time for it. We made them smile, we made their days, we showed them that the ones here still at home really do care and they were thankful for it. Please, let's do it again - anything you can donate goes a long way toward making a soldier smile.
You can either click on the donation icon above or click on the donation icon located on the upper right hand side of my blog page. The icon in the upper right of my blog page will remain there throughout the time period I will accept donations which probably will be sometime in early to mid December. If you prefer to donate by money order, please email me for my address. I will only send my mailing address to those whom I already know. Thanks.
All the best,
Glenn B
Friday, October 1, 2010
Ballseye's Gun Shots 93 - Gun Cleaning Kits - Real Men Prefer Brass
When it comes to gun cleaning kits, I have tried a pretty good variety of them to get the dirty work done. I try to assure I am doing it without damaging my firearms. The various parts of a gun cleaning kit can be made from quite a few different materials, some of those materials are more likely to cause damage to your guns and I think they are just best to avoid.
Of all the types of cleaning kits that I have tried, and they have been numerous, I prefer those using a brass cleaning rod as the heart of the system. (Note: the one shown is only an example, I would change and add a few things with that particular kit, which is available here.)Others I have tried have included those with aluminum rods, steel rods, steel rods coated with polymer, other polymer coated metal rods, nylon rods, bore snakes and chains. The reasons I prefer brass rods are several. First and foremost, brass is not as hard as steel. This means it is less likely to abrade or otherwise mar the breech, the chamber, the bore or the crown as I run it through the barrel to clean it. While some of the other types of cleaning rod are even softer than brass, I still prefer the brass. Aluminum is pretty good but cannot stand up to the repeated use as can a brass rod. All of the aluminium multi-section rods I have used have always started to compact at the point where two pieces screw together by way of repeatedly being pushed though the bore. They then tend to flange out forming a collar like bulge at the joint of two rods. This is not desirable as the bulged out sections are more likely to rub unevenly along the bore. While the aluminum or other softer metal is softer than the steel of the bore, repeatedly runs these bulged areas against the bore could begin to cause damage to the rifling sooner or later. Brass is hard enough that this either does not happen (at least with good quality brass cleaning rods) or takes so long to do it that the cost to replace the rods would be minimal. With aluminum, I find myself replacing multi-section cleaning rods, in my field cleaning kits, on a regular basis of at least once every year. Brass rods I have had for between 5 and 10 years have never had this problem and did not need replacing. One other thing with aluminum as compared to brass, in my experience. Multi-piece aluminum rods I have used also tend to bend and snap easily at the joints and sometimes even in mid rod. This is a much rarer occurrence with brass rod. brass is, in my opinion, a much better choice than aluminum as a cleaning rod. Note that brass rods are available in various sizes to fit different caliber barrels however, I prefer a universal cleaning kit just because I own various calibers and the universal kit makes the cleaning chores a little easier. Sadly, it is much more difficult to find universal field cleaning kits with brass rods than it is those with aluminum rods. It is not difficult to find universal kits with brass rods - just the type you would normally consider a field kit - which is the type I prefer.
As far as some of the other choices go:
While I have used them before, I now never use uncoated steel rods because of the chance of damage to the bore with repeated use of such a hard metal. As far a coated steel or other coated metal rods go, let me just say I hate flaking and peeling and scraping. Every time I have used coated rods, the coating begins to flake, peel or scrape off within just a few uses. Not only do you then stand the chance of the metal possibly scratching the inside of the bore and damaging the rifling, you now also are quite likely to have a residue of the polymer/plastic coating remaining in the rifling, or to even have larger pieces of it remaining in the bore or in the action. I sure don't want any crud left over in my guns once I have cleaned them, what about you?
Nylon rods do not flake or peel, do no damage to the metal parts and seem almost perfect. The thing is that nylon is a lot softer than steel. So as you run a nylon rod in and out of the barrel there is a good chance you are leaving very small pieces of it (probably specks to small to notice) inside the barrel. My guess would be that these specks begin to form a buildup sooner or later inside the grooves of the rifling. Now before someone goes and says that this is BS because shooting a round through the gun would force out any small particles, let me tell you that I know of at least one pistol manufacturer who says you should never shoot Nyclad ammunition through there pistols because the buildup of residue left behind by Nyclad ammo (from the nylon coating over the bullet). If it does not blow all of that out, well - I am none too certain it would blow out any small particles left by a nylon cleaning rod. They probably would be blown out but I figure why take the chance of a nylon coating being formed in the rifling. The other thing I do not like about nylon rods is that they have no spine, so to speak. They are flimsy compared to metal rods and bend way too easily. I have only used them in pistols and did not like them at all but if it is all I have on hand I use them.
Of all the types of cleaning kits that I have tried, and they have been numerous, I prefer those using a brass cleaning rod as the heart of the system. (Note: the one shown is only an example, I would change and add a few things with that particular kit, which is available here.)Others I have tried have included those with aluminum rods, steel rods, steel rods coated with polymer, other polymer coated metal rods, nylon rods, bore snakes and chains. The reasons I prefer brass rods are several. First and foremost, brass is not as hard as steel. This means it is less likely to abrade or otherwise mar the breech, the chamber, the bore or the crown as I run it through the barrel to clean it. While some of the other types of cleaning rod are even softer than brass, I still prefer the brass. Aluminum is pretty good but cannot stand up to the repeated use as can a brass rod. All of the aluminium multi-section rods I have used have always started to compact at the point where two pieces screw together by way of repeatedly being pushed though the bore. They then tend to flange out forming a collar like bulge at the joint of two rods. This is not desirable as the bulged out sections are more likely to rub unevenly along the bore. While the aluminum or other softer metal is softer than the steel of the bore, repeatedly runs these bulged areas against the bore could begin to cause damage to the rifling sooner or later. Brass is hard enough that this either does not happen (at least with good quality brass cleaning rods) or takes so long to do it that the cost to replace the rods would be minimal. With aluminum, I find myself replacing multi-section cleaning rods, in my field cleaning kits, on a regular basis of at least once every year. Brass rods I have had for between 5 and 10 years have never had this problem and did not need replacing. One other thing with aluminum as compared to brass, in my experience. Multi-piece aluminum rods I have used also tend to bend and snap easily at the joints and sometimes even in mid rod. This is a much rarer occurrence with brass rod. brass is, in my opinion, a much better choice than aluminum as a cleaning rod. Note that brass rods are available in various sizes to fit different caliber barrels however, I prefer a universal cleaning kit just because I own various calibers and the universal kit makes the cleaning chores a little easier. Sadly, it is much more difficult to find universal field cleaning kits with brass rods than it is those with aluminum rods. It is not difficult to find universal kits with brass rods - just the type you would normally consider a field kit - which is the type I prefer. As far as some of the other choices go:
While I have used them before, I now never use uncoated steel rods because of the chance of damage to the bore with repeated use of such a hard metal. As far a coated steel or other coated metal rods go, let me just say I hate flaking and peeling and scraping. Every time I have used coated rods, the coating begins to flake, peel or scrape off within just a few uses. Not only do you then stand the chance of the metal possibly scratching the inside of the bore and damaging the rifling, you now also are quite likely to have a residue of the polymer/plastic coating remaining in the rifling, or to even have larger pieces of it remaining in the bore or in the action. I sure don't want any crud left over in my guns once I have cleaned them, what about you?
Nylon rods do not flake or peel, do no damage to the metal parts and seem almost perfect. The thing is that nylon is a lot softer than steel. So as you run a nylon rod in and out of the barrel there is a good chance you are leaving very small pieces of it (probably specks to small to notice) inside the barrel. My guess would be that these specks begin to form a buildup sooner or later inside the grooves of the rifling. Now before someone goes and says that this is BS because shooting a round through the gun would force out any small particles, let me tell you that I know of at least one pistol manufacturer who says you should never shoot Nyclad ammunition through there pistols because the buildup of residue left behind by Nyclad ammo (from the nylon coating over the bullet). If it does not blow all of that out, well - I am none too certain it would blow out any small particles left by a nylon cleaning rod. They probably would be blown out but I figure why take the chance of a nylon coating being formed in the rifling. The other thing I do not like about nylon rods is that they have no spine, so to speak. They are flimsy compared to metal rods and bend way too easily. I have only used them in pistols and did not like them at all but if it is all I have on hand I use them.
A final note on gun cleaning rods. I have mentioned above, several times, the fact that use universal cleaning rod kits. besides being in a small diameter to fit down to at least .22 caliber these kits always contain multi-piece cleaning rods that you can screw together to reach the needed length to clean your firearm's bore then unscrew for storage. Another type of cleaning rod is the one piece rod. These are more expensive that multi-piece kits but are excellent cleaning rods and are usually caliber ranger specific. They are best used when you are especially concerned about about avoiding damage caused by a cleaning rod due to the flanging of the joints or about the possibility of the rod or joints snapping when in use.
There is yet another choice of cleaning tool though this one can't really be called a cleaning rod. This choice would be the bore snake. A bore snake is basically a flexible rope like tool with a weight on one end and the cleaning brush on the other. The weighted end helps it go through the bore, you then grab that end and pull the rest of it through. This type of cleaning kit is pretty compact since the snake coils inside the carrying case and is therefore good for the field. The thing is, the place you are probably most likely to wind up with a barrel obstruction is when out in the field. The bore snake is no substitute for a good cleaning rod to help rid the barrel of an obstruction. For instance, - it won't do the job if the barrel just got filled with dirt because you fell while out deer hunting and the muzzle rammed down into the soil. I have used them and was unimpressed by their capabilities at all. I don't even consider using them when I clean my firearms.
Bore Snakes are akin to bore chains and I don't use the chains either. I have seen very few bore chains ever offered for sale. The only time I have actually gotten any were with old military surplus rifles and once with an order of ammo from an online surplus dealer (it was free with my order so I took it, looked at it, put it away, remembered it, then gave it away by way of a contest on my blog).
Before I get into all of the other accessories that I use regularly to clean my firearms let me talk about a specialized little piece of brass that may save you a lot of heartache and cash If you have a rifle or pistol that is a real pain to take apart, or if you are cleaning revolvers, and therefore are passing the cleaning rod into the bore from the muzzle end first, you may want to consider picking up a muzzle guard. This is a small conical shaped tool with a hole running through it from wide end to narrower end. It gets placed into the muzzle so it appears to be evenly placed and slightly snug. Then you run the cleaning rod through the hole in the muzzle guard and down passed the muzzle into the bore. This helps protect the muzzle and the crown, from uneven application of the cleaning rod, when you clean a firearm from the muzzle end.
The next cleaning accessory I will discuss is the slotted patch holder. It is basically a cleaning rod tip that screws into the rod. it has a slot in it designed to hold a cleaning patch. These come in nylon, plastics and metal. Again, I prefer brass. Nylon and other plastics just do not hold up to the repeated pushing and pulling of a patch through the bore. A good brass patch holder will outlast a nylon or plastic one by scores of years. Anything harder than brass could damage the bore. There are universal and caliber range specific patch holders available.
There are a number of other accessories that go along with whatever type of cleaning rod you choose to get the dirty work done. I suppose the next one to consider would be the jag. A jag is another form of patch holder. It does not have a slot but usually has a small pointed end and also has a ribbed body. It is designed to push a patch through the bore with even pressure on all sides of he patch as it slides along the bore. Note, I said designed to push. It is not slotted and therefor the patch usually fall off if you try to pull it back through the bore after it already exited the other end. This is a good tool to help assure a snugger patch to bore fit and therefore to help achieve a cleaner bore. Jags are caliber specific or caliber range specific.
Next come the bore brushes. These are available in metal and nylon (or other plastic). I never use nylon for all the reasons I mentioned above and because i find that nylon brushes are not stiff or strong enough to remove fouling as well as do metal brushes. I prefer metal brushes and use Phosphor Bronze Brushes almost exclusively. These are the copper colored prickly brushes you usually find in the gun cleaning accessory section of your gun store. They are as popular as they are because they get the job done well without damaging the bore of your firearms. They come in a variety of sizes to clean just about any sized bore out there as far a commercial and military small arms go. While you can usually get away with using a universal cleaning rod to clean your rifles, you should always use the exact size cleaning brush meant for your bore when cleaning the interior of the barrel. I sometimes use one or two sizes up but only for the chamber of the firearm, the chamber being wider than the bore. I never try to force to wide of a brush down the barrel, this could result in a difficult to clear obstruction. If this ever happens to you, and you cannot clear the obstruction with a wooden dowel from the other end, then bring it to a gum smith. Never try to shoot an obstruction out of a barrel - this could rupture the metal parts and seriously injure you or even kill you. If you use the correct sized brush, such an obstruction should not be a problem. One other thing about Bronze Phosphor Brushes - they are meant to clean the bore or the chamber and nothing else. If you use them to clean the inside of your action, or to scrape rust off the outside of the gun, you will in all likelihood bend the bristles unevenly on at least one side of the brush. You may as ell throw it out once you have done that because the brush is almost useless as a bore brush after it has been bent out of shape. Even with regular use, metal bore brushes bend, usually evenly is used only in the bore or chamber. When they start to look a bit on the skinny side - replace them to assure good cleaning results.
There are other types of brushes out there for cleaning a bore. One of these is the Tornado Brush. These are offered by Hoppe's. They consist of s steel brush (yep steel just like the barrel material) with a looped spiral design with no bristle ends. These brushes are designed to snugly glide down the length of the bore and to very effectively remove fouling while doing so. I found they are also excellent it and are also great at removing rust from a bore that is frosted with it. That could be the case after firing corrosive ammo and not cleaning it correctly immediately afterward (live and learn - who knew Hoppe's No. 9 would not work for corrosive ammo residue). They are available in a variety of popular calibers. I use these brushes now about once or twice per year on my regular guns for an extra good cleaning and a bit more often, maybe 4 times per year, on my military surplus rifles. I always use them in combination with Phosphor Bronze Brushes - a few passes with the tornado then I switch over to the Phosphor Bronze Brush for a few passes. At other times I use only the Phosphor Bronze Brushes. Replace Tornado Brushes when they either start to look skinny or star to slide through the barrel to easily to be making good all around contact.
One thing, as far as cleaning accessories go, that I hardly ever use are bore cleaning swabs. Now don't get me wrong; I often use Q-tips or similar swabs to clean parts of my guns. When I say I do not use bore cleaning swabs, I mean those designed to be attached to a cleaning rod that are a permanent accessory in the cleaning kit. just see no use for them. Basically they are a cotton swab with a metal rod bass that screws into the end of the cleaning rod. Not sure of what I mean, then click on this link. They come in a variety of sizes for use in different calibers. I see no need for them, though they may help get fouling out of the grooves in the rifling a bit better than cleaning patches.
Patches, did I just mention patches. These are an important part of any firearms cleaning kit. Again, there is a variety of them available. prefer 100 percent cotton cleaning patches, one cut to fit one or two calibers up from the caliber bore I am cleaning. I try some different ones and use the size that passes through the bore snugly but easily. A snug fit assure good contact and therefor good cleaning, easily assure or helps assure that the cloth will not get stuck and require Herculean efforts, that may result in a broken cleaning rod, to clear it. I not only use the patches in the bore but on all parts of the firearm for cleaning. I tend to buy quality patches, made for firearms cleaning. Doing so helps assure I avoid some of the traits of poorer quality patches such as: being too thin to get the job done, non-absorbency, shredding apart, pilling and leaving bits and pieces of cotton behind in the muzzle.
Some other accessories I use to clean my firearms are:
Utility brushes - again I prefer metal to nylon. I use both brass and steel brushes depending on the job I need them for but prefer to use brass first each time to see if it gets the job done. The reason I use brass first is because brass is less likely to harm the finish or the steel or alloy of the gun itself.
Cotton swabs - I use only good quality swabs and prefer those with a plastic body as opposed to those with wood or cardboard. I always make sure that no visible cotton has been left behind in the bore or the works of my firearms.
Cleaning picks - I use steel cleaning picks, if I could find brass I would buy a set of them instead. I use these only for special cases when I cannot otherwise get to an area of the action or frame to remove visible fouling. I never use a pick inside the bore - NEVER. I do use a pick, or a knife or small screwdriver blade to clean behind the extractor claw on most of my firearms.
There are also the cleaning solvents and lubricating and protecting oils. I am not going to go into these in this blog post. There are just too many types to cover and I will probably dedicate a future post just to them. I may even make it two posts, one on cleaning solvents and one on lubricants. I will say this, you almost cannot go wrong if you shoot modern non-corrosive ammo out of your guns and then clean the gun with a general purpose gun cleaner like Hoppe's No. 9 and/or a product containing a copper solvent like Hoppe's Bench Rest Copper Solvent. If you shoot copper jacketed bullets this is highly recommended; after I use the copper solvent I follow up with dry patches, then once the bore is clean I again clean the bore with a patch with regular gun cleaning solvent. I do this because I have heard rumored that copper solvents can sometimes corrode the bore. I am not sure it is true; but unless proven false, why take a chance! After I have cleaned my firearms, I give their metal parts a light coating of Break Free CLP. (Note: If the manufacturer's instructions say not to oil a part, or to oil it heavily, or something other than giving parts a light coat of oil - I follow 
those instructions). As for the Break Free CLP, it is the best lubricant and protectant for the money as far as I am concerned. It can even double as a cleaning product in the event you run out of your regular solvent; though I recommend using a solvent made for cleaning instead of using a lubricant that doubles as a cleaner.
I also keep a variety of small tools on hand to help facilitate cleaning chores. Not so much as cleaning tools but as disassembly and reassembly tools that I might need to take down and put together my firearms before and after cleaning them. Tools you might need could be: a screwdriver set (especially one made for guns), a punch set, a small hammer for the ppunches, a borelight and so on. Bear in mind though: One of the easiest ways to damage a firearm while cleaning it is to disassemble in with the wrong tools and or without the proper knowledge of how to properly take it apart. So read the manual for your gun and learn how to do it right when taking it down for cleaning. Don't try to force pieces apart or force them back together during reassembly. Use proper punches, screwdrivers or other tools as needed and remember those proper tools also include the use of the right cleaning kits.
In closing, let me repeat the words of Pete G, U.S. Customs Service Special Agent & Firearms Instructor, Retired, who always reminded his shooters - A Clean Gun Is A Happy Gun! Let me just add one thing with which I am pretty sure Pete would agree when it comes to cleaning rods: Real Men Prefer Brass!
All the best,
Glenn B
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Been A Rough One...
...or two. Had a long day at work yesterday and a long one today - both working in assisting agents from another office on a case and raid. Out in the field all day yesterday then again for all of the day today. Cannot get into specifics but will say it was some ball busting heavy duty work - especially today after only about 4 hours sleep last night. I should sleep good tonight. Worked with some good people including a new agent in my office. She was a pleasure to work with since she worked hard, did things sensibly, kept things moving, and was not a prima dona. I would be happy to go through the door with her anyday even though this one was not all that potentially dangerous. Nice to see they sometimes still make agents like they used to.
Will probably blog more tomorrow and over the weekend.
All the best,
GB
Will probably blog more tomorrow and over the weekend.
All the best,
GB
I Took A Test Today - I Failed
You too can take the same test that I took today. One to see if you are cool:
http://www.sailinganarchy.com/general/2002/cool_test.htm
Don't expect too much no matter how highly you think of yourself.
All the best,
GB
http://www.sailinganarchy.com/general/2002/cool_test.htm
Don't expect too much no matter how highly you think of yourself.
All the best,
GB
Awesome Teamwork and I do mean AWESOME
If the video did not show up, and sometimes it does not, then you can also go to this link: http://www.militarytimes.com/multimedia/video/rpg_surgery/
It is good to know there are still those among us who think like these guys and who are out there protecting the rest of us back here. The amount of camaraderie they showed was absolutely awe inspiring. I will sleep a good night's sleep tonight knowing that their kind is watching over the rest of us. When I wake, I guess I'll have to get a new soldier assigned to me by Soldiers' Angels.
All the best,
Glenn B
Monday, September 27, 2010
Today In History - Well In My Personal History Anyhow
Today marks the last day of the 31st year I have spent in government service. Tomorrow starts a new year for my service, the 32nd year. I think I will pull the plug at or near the end of 32 years next September.
I am not going to go into a long or even brief history of my career that began in the Border Patrol, changed to the Customs Patrol, then to the Customs Office of Investigations and finally to Homeland Security Investigations with a good number of temporary assignments in there with my home agencies as well as to being temporarily assigned to other agencies like the Secret Service and the Federal Air Marshals Service. I could tell you some pretty wild stories about arrests I have made, seizure I have effected, fights for my life I have been in and luckily won, conquests I made of senoritas down south of the border (and those north of it too), crazy things I have seen, sacrifices I and others have made, injustices I have witnessed and tried to right, my family life and on and on. Someday, I think I really will have to write a book about it all. It has been one heck of a career so far.
When I started off, I sure looked a bit different than my portly self does today - that is for sure.
All the best,
GB
I am not going to go into a long or even brief history of my career that began in the Border Patrol, changed to the Customs Patrol, then to the Customs Office of Investigations and finally to Homeland Security Investigations with a good number of temporary assignments in there with my home agencies as well as to being temporarily assigned to other agencies like the Secret Service and the Federal Air Marshals Service. I could tell you some pretty wild stories about arrests I have made, seizure I have effected, fights for my life I have been in and luckily won, conquests I made of senoritas down south of the border (and those north of it too), crazy things I have seen, sacrifices I and others have made, injustices I have witnessed and tried to right, my family life and on and on. Someday, I think I really will have to write a book about it all. It has been one heck of a career so far.When I started off, I sure looked a bit different than my portly self does today - that is for sure.
All the best,
GB
Saturday, September 25, 2010
I Always Thought Spring Was The Time...
...when the birds and bees went about their business along with most of the rest of the smaller critters in the animal kingdom and figured that tortoises were included in that group. Today though, my tortoises proved me wrong. It was such lovely and warm day, for an early fall one, that I decided to put the tortoises out in the yard for some natural sunlight. They have been in an indoor enclosure ever since the outside one essentially fell apart due to rot caused by carpenter ant damage and age. So out they went today in a concrete mixing basin right out in the sunlight. I left em there like that for about an hour, then decided to turn em all loose in the backyard for awhile. They could use both the exercise and the variety of plants they would be able to browse upon. Once out, the female Russian Tortoise headed for the shade and stayed there for a couple of hours before coming back out to feast on grasses and other low growing plants in my yard. The Hermann's Tortoises, on the other hand, had something else in mind. Well at least the male had something else on his mind. As the much larger female Hemann's Tortoise made for the inside of our backyard shed, the male was close behind her and once they were in the shed, it became obvious why he had remained so close to her, he mounted her or tried to. I let them be alone and have no idea if his mission was successful. Later on they both made the rounds of the yard stopping here and there for a nibble of whatever caught their fancies.
Just a little while ago, I went to round up all three of the tortoises and found the Russian right away on our patio. The other two required a good deal of looking on my part and I was having trouble locating them when Pepe, our male Chihuahua , started yapping in his I found em bark. They were under a bush and were going at it again, or at least the male had been trying again until so rudely interrupted by Pepe. It seemed as if the rear portion of the female's shell was down to the ground so low there was no way he could, um - get to her. I left them a bit longer but Pepe kept barking at them and was soon joined by Mimi and Roxie (our two mutts) and Lucy our female Chihuahua. I don't think the tortoises thought the serenade the dogs were giving them was all that romantic so I scooped em up to put em inside. Now you might think that would stop them but no way! Once in their tank, the male just started in again. He certainly seems to be a persistent little fellow once the urge overcomes him.
Today was the first time I noticed the male Hermann's Tort showing any interest in the female. Of course, for all I know, they could be going at it all day long each and every day when I am at work and she could be gravid already. She also could have already laid eggs earlier this year. If she did that in the old outside pen then I'll have to hope for the best as to finding the baby tortoises once the eggs hatch. They are so small they will be able to escape from my yard pretty easily. I have been keeping an eye out for any but am pretty doubtful that she laid any eggs since I never saw evidence of nesting while I had them outside. If she gets gravid now, I suppose she will lay the eggs inside just as she would have outside. If that is the case, I will incubate them in in a homemade incubator. It would be a plus to have some baby Hermann's Torts born this year but my guess is I will have to wait until next spring for the adults to get it done right.
All the best,
Glenn B
Just a little while ago, I went to round up all three of the tortoises and found the Russian right away on our patio. The other two required a good deal of looking on my part and I was having trouble locating them when Pepe, our male Chihuahua , started yapping in his I found em bark. They were under a bush and were going at it again, or at least the male had been trying again until so rudely interrupted by Pepe. It seemed as if the rear portion of the female's shell was down to the ground so low there was no way he could, um - get to her. I left them a bit longer but Pepe kept barking at them and was soon joined by Mimi and Roxie (our two mutts) and Lucy our female Chihuahua. I don't think the tortoises thought the serenade the dogs were giving them was all that romantic so I scooped em up to put em inside. Now you might think that would stop them but no way! Once in their tank, the male just started in again. He certainly seems to be a persistent little fellow once the urge overcomes him.Today was the first time I noticed the male Hermann's Tort showing any interest in the female. Of course, for all I know, they could be going at it all day long each and every day when I am at work and she could be gravid already. She also could have already laid eggs earlier this year. If she did that in the old outside pen then I'll have to hope for the best as to finding the baby tortoises once the eggs hatch. They are so small they will be able to escape from my yard pretty easily. I have been keeping an eye out for any but am pretty doubtful that she laid any eggs since I never saw evidence of nesting while I had them outside. If she gets gravid now, I suppose she will lay the eggs inside just as she would have outside. If that is the case, I will incubate them in in a homemade incubator. It would be a plus to have some baby Hermann's Torts born this year but my guess is I will have to wait until next spring for the adults to get it done right.
All the best,
Glenn B
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Ballseye's Gun Shots 92 - My Papers
Look here at what I found. These two certificates have been hiding among some of my papers so well that I had no clue I had them. I got them from my mom several years ago when she was going through some of her older These are probably the first set of Marksmanship Awards I ever received. I got them both in the summer of 1966, which was the second year I spent out of 5 years at summer camp. I may have received similar certificates in
1965 but I think they did not let us shoot until we hit 10 years old. I have vague memories of wanting to shoot ever so badly the first year I was at camp and them telling me I had to wait until the next year. I was 9 going on 10 during the summer of 65 and 10 going on 11 in the summer of 66. Man am I old but, after 44 years of it, I still love shooting. I also have two certificates for archery, one from 1965 and one from 1966 - and while I own a bow - I have not shot it in years. I guess I was never meant to be a bowman as much as I was destined to become a shootist.
1965 but I think they did not let us shoot until we hit 10 years old. I have vague memories of wanting to shoot ever so badly the first year I was at camp and them telling me I had to wait until the next year. I was 9 going on 10 during the summer of 65 and 10 going on 11 in the summer of 66. Man am I old but, after 44 years of it, I still love shooting. I also have two certificates for archery, one from 1965 and one from 1966 - and while I own a bow - I have not shot it in years. I guess I was never meant to be a bowman as much as I was destined to become a shootist.If you looked at them closely, you probably noticed that the distance at which I shot to attain these awards was only 15 feet and was on an indoor range. I think, and am pretty sure, that these were attained while shooting BB Guns (rifles) but it could have been 22 shorts and I may have shot the BB guns in 1965 instead. Whichever - after we achieved the Marksman award, we were allowed to move up to rifles in .22LR caliber. I had a jacket, somewhere recently, with a few patches on the arm. All the patches were from the NRA for shooting at 50 feet and the shooting for them was done with a .22 rifle in .22 Long Rifle caliber. I have had the jacket around the house, probably since my mom gave me these certificates, but as of late have been unable to find it. My bet is it got thrown in the trash by my wife while I was out in Phoenix this past spring for my job. She won't fess up - so I'll keep looking. Who knows - maybe it is still here.
For now though, I'll just have to think about getting these two certificates professionally mounted and framed. I think are worthy of being passed down to my son, then down to his son and so on, in order to pass on a firearms legacy that none of my descendants should ever forsake.
All the best,
Glenn B
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Ballseye's Gun Shots 91- ArmsLocker Forums: Reloaded and Ready To Fire
I was clicking away of some of the links, over at the right side of my blog page, that I have not visited recently enough, when I got to the one for the ArmsLocker. I clicked on it and got an unfamiliar looking page with the ArmsLocker logo at the top of the page but with no forums showing up (seems the address changed a it, I have now updated it in my link list). Anyone who has been to this site in the past knows that there were plenty of forums at the ArmsLocker site. If you visited the site in the last couple of years, you may have also realized that despite all the available forums, interest in that site was way down. I don't know why, it was a good forum with good people for the most part registered to use it and it had many interesting threads/posts. It was also run by a man that knows a thing or two about guns and about how to run a forum. Go figure, it was going bust anyhow.
With my interest in guns, my registration on said site, my having picked the name for said site (I am honored my creation was chosen), you probably can imagine that I was sorely disappointed to see what seemed to be the demise of the ArmsLocker. I was, then I became apathetic of a sort and I have not visited the site in weeks, maybe even a month or more. Then when I visited today and the site appeared to be down, it sank home that a good thing was gone and I had not done enough to prevent it from being lost though I did try a bit to help to keep it going. Then I clicked on the ArmsLocker logo at the top of the page. I don't know why I did it, perhaps maybe just curious, or hopeful, to see if the site was still alive. That click redirected me to what appeared to be the ArmsLocker forums but in a very new and somewhat abbreviated format.
It seems the site had fired its best shot and needed to be reloaded and that is exactly what was done. Where there used to be more forums, there are now a few less. The color scheme was also changed. Things certainly looked different so I supposed that Rich Z, the owner of the Armslocker, had made some format changes in the hopes of resurrecting the site. I was wrong. Upon looking at the 'Announcements' forum to see what was up with the new look, I immediately saw this thread: "ArmsLocker now has a new owner". It seems that Rich Z. laid his guns down, so to speak, regarding the ArmsLocker (though he is still a forum member). I cannot blame him. What I must do is congratulate him for bringing his guns to the fight in the first place and for the fact that he kept shooting his best shots all along despite the fact that the odds of success seemed against him. He is a good man who created a good gun forum site and who kept it up and running for years. I wish him the best in his other ventures. One of those is another forum he has up, one of a different nature, http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/ - a great site for the reptile & amphibian enthusiast.
As for the new owner of the ArmsLocker, his name is Lash. I know little else about him except that he went to the reloading station, set up the press and dies and has loaded a new charge into the ArmsLocker. He promises to keep the ArmsLocker going, to keep it free for users, says of himself that he likes guns and that he plans to improve the site and have the community grow by utilizing what Rich Z started. Sounds like a good deal to me and I for one intend to give it some help getting back off of the ground. With that in mind, I ask my readers to visit the site, and if you at all like what you see, I encourage you to register to become a member and then start posting in the forums. Just reading is one thing but keep in mind that forums are forums because we share our information and our stories there. Forums cannot succeed if all the visitor does is stop by to read them, you have got to contribute to keep it interesting and therefor to keep it going. Little posts, mediums sized posts, big posts - it does not matter - just post. So register there but take some shots too - start firing away with some of your firearms related anecdotes, your firearms information, pics of your guns, lists of your favorites, questions about firearms and other such shots. You don't have to be a great writer or a gun-know-it-all, just like at the range all you have to be is a shooter. So, keep a good thing going by keeping the ammo coming and remember it may have been reloaded but your finger on the trigger is what keeps it firing. Please, let's all take our best shots for the ArmsLocker, for the new owner Lash, for Rich Z who started it all and for our own enjoyment of our firearms related interests.
All the best,
Glenn B
With my interest in guns, my registration on said site, my having picked the name for said site (I am honored my creation was chosen), you probably can imagine that I was sorely disappointed to see what seemed to be the demise of the ArmsLocker. I was, then I became apathetic of a sort and I have not visited the site in weeks, maybe even a month or more. Then when I visited today and the site appeared to be down, it sank home that a good thing was gone and I had not done enough to prevent it from being lost though I did try a bit to help to keep it going. Then I clicked on the ArmsLocker logo at the top of the page. I don't know why I did it, perhaps maybe just curious, or hopeful, to see if the site was still alive. That click redirected me to what appeared to be the ArmsLocker forums but in a very new and somewhat abbreviated format.
It seems the site had fired its best shot and needed to be reloaded and that is exactly what was done. Where there used to be more forums, there are now a few less. The color scheme was also changed. Things certainly looked different so I supposed that Rich Z, the owner of the Armslocker, had made some format changes in the hopes of resurrecting the site. I was wrong. Upon looking at the 'Announcements' forum to see what was up with the new look, I immediately saw this thread: "ArmsLocker now has a new owner". It seems that Rich Z. laid his guns down, so to speak, regarding the ArmsLocker (though he is still a forum member). I cannot blame him. What I must do is congratulate him for bringing his guns to the fight in the first place and for the fact that he kept shooting his best shots all along despite the fact that the odds of success seemed against him. He is a good man who created a good gun forum site and who kept it up and running for years. I wish him the best in his other ventures. One of those is another forum he has up, one of a different nature, http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/ - a great site for the reptile & amphibian enthusiast.
As for the new owner of the ArmsLocker, his name is Lash. I know little else about him except that he went to the reloading station, set up the press and dies and has loaded a new charge into the ArmsLocker. He promises to keep the ArmsLocker going, to keep it free for users, says of himself that he likes guns and that he plans to improve the site and have the community grow by utilizing what Rich Z started. Sounds like a good deal to me and I for one intend to give it some help getting back off of the ground. With that in mind, I ask my readers to visit the site, and if you at all like what you see, I encourage you to register to become a member and then start posting in the forums. Just reading is one thing but keep in mind that forums are forums because we share our information and our stories there. Forums cannot succeed if all the visitor does is stop by to read them, you have got to contribute to keep it interesting and therefor to keep it going. Little posts, mediums sized posts, big posts - it does not matter - just post. So register there but take some shots too - start firing away with some of your firearms related anecdotes, your firearms information, pics of your guns, lists of your favorites, questions about firearms and other such shots. You don't have to be a great writer or a gun-know-it-all, just like at the range all you have to be is a shooter. So, keep a good thing going by keeping the ammo coming and remember it may have been reloaded but your finger on the trigger is what keeps it firing. Please, let's all take our best shots for the ArmsLocker, for the new owner Lash, for Rich Z who started it all and for our own enjoyment of our firearms related interests.
All the best,
Glenn B
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Need A Knock Around Rifle...
...then check out the Mosin Nagant, round receiver, 91/30 rifles at Classic Arms starting at only $69.95 each! Sounds like a good deal on what is typically a good shooting and quite durable rifle. They also have others but these appear to have just come in so they probably have a good number of them. You can bet at that price, they probably will not last long.
All the best,
Glenn B
All the best,
Glenn B
Monday, September 20, 2010
Ballseye's Gun Shots 90 - The Marlin 25MN Is Almost Sighted In...
...and had I had more time and more ammo, I suppose I would have gotten it just right with just a couple of clicks, at most, of each of the adjustment screws. The thing was though, I got carried away having fun and took 40 shots at this target and ran out of time despite having enough ammo. The circle on the target is 1.5 inches in diameter and as you can see, all the shots except 2 were inside a group smaller than that. No, not all were inside the circle but all (except those 2) were in a group smaller than the size of the circle. I am pretty convinced that this rifle/scope combo is ready for squirrel hunting. Now all I need is the time to get away for a weekend upstate. Of course, next time I go to the range, I'll bring this rifle again and get it zeroed in a bit better to bring my shots up about 1/2" and to the left 1/4" - two clicks up and one to the left. Normally, since I was sighting in this rifle, I would have done that when at the range while there yesterday but I just started to have way too much fun with my last 40 rounds of ammo in a box and just kept plinking away.
Then, I went back to the Marlin 336 and the Mosin-Nagant 91/30, the other two rifles I had along with me. I got the Marlin 336 sighted in pretty good too but may have to give that one another day at the range to satisfy myself that I got it right. I sure did not shoot what basically amounted to a one hole group with it but the group was acceptable for deer hunting I suppose. The orange center ring of the target is 3 5/8" high by 2 3/8" wide. There are 18 shots in there, the last 18 rounds of .35 Remington ammo that I had with me yesterday. I only sighted in both scoped rifles at 50 yards. That us mostly because I don't expect to get a shot at a deer or bear at much beyond that, all of my shots on deer over the years have been within 40 yards. Of course, a longer shot could present itself and I guess I should really sight the 336 in at 100 yards - maybe next time I go to the range. My shoulder was starting to take a pounding after having fired 65 shots of .35 Remington through the Marlin 336 and another 20 rounds of 7.62x54R through the Nagant and that was enough shooting with them for a Sunday afternoon. Thankfully I had the 25MN, in .22 WMR, along to give me a break between volleys with the larger caliber rifles.
As for the Nagant, I shot it using its original open sights. Those sights suck, especially with my aging eyes but I did okay with them. I had all of my shots within a spread of about 1.5 to 2" on the horizontal plane. My problem was with the vertical. For some reason, about 1/3 of my shots went high by about 2 to 3". There is a chance I may use this rifle when I hunt, especially if Brendan is along because he will likely use the Marlin 336. He did not come along yesterday, he was visiting a friend at an upstate college this weekend so he needs to come to the next range session to make sure the scoped 336 is sighted in okay for him. It should be, although he usually shoots a bit differently with it than do I. So, it may need some slight adjustment for him. I am satisfied to bring either the Nagant or my Remington 870 with me in the woods, so however he needs to adjust the scope on the 336 is fine with me.
All the best,
Glenn B
Sunday, September 19, 2010
If A Zombie Attack Was Imminent
Lucky for me, I have two rifles with ammo immediately to my left and right in the line of that finger. I think the Marlin 336 would be a great zombie slayer and that is one of those rifles. There is also some other great stuff, in line with the finger, to help me survive a raving zombie horde such as a Camel-back backpack containing what amounts to a decent survival kit.All the best,
Glenn B
Off To Te Range...
...to sight in the Marlin 336 and the Marlin 25MN now that their scopes have been remounted. I'll let you know, later, just how things turned out.
All the best,
GB
All the best,
GB
Friday, September 17, 2010
Kansas Closer Than You Think To NYC
I may have set a new world record for land speed over a 23 mile course last night! Well okay, maybe it wasn't a new land speed record that I set last night on my way home from my office but you can bet that you will be impressed by the amount of time it took me to traverse the 23 miles between my office and my home. Usually, this drive takes about 1 hour and fifteen minutes to maybe an hour and a half. Last night, after the storms that ripped through Brooklyn and Queens, there was a bit more traffic than usual - what with trees down everywhere in the storms path - including on the highways. That little bit more of traffic increased my travel time just a wee bit. It took me three hours and fifty minutes to get from door to door. Yep, 23 miles in 3 hours and 50 minutes! Amazingly, I did not even have a beer or a shot when I arrived at home, I just sat down, watched about 5 minutes of TV and then passed out.
I suppose the extra two and a half hours I spent at break-neck speeds, which were on average about 6mph (though a lot of it was at only about 1.9mph), really tuckered me out. They are saying the cause of all the bad stuff last night may have been a tornado. Maybe now they will have to change those NYC souvenir T-shirts that show a smoking revolver and say "New York City - It Ain't Kansas" because after last night it seems like Kansas isn't so far away anymore.
All the best,
Glenn B
I suppose the extra two and a half hours I spent at break-neck speeds, which were on average about 6mph (though a lot of it was at only about 1.9mph), really tuckered me out. They are saying the cause of all the bad stuff last night may have been a tornado. Maybe now they will have to change those NYC souvenir T-shirts that show a smoking revolver and say "New York City - It Ain't Kansas" because after last night it seems like Kansas isn't so far away anymore.
All the best,
Glenn B
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Koran Burning - I Agree With The NY Civil Libterties Union On This One
On Saturday, September 11, 2010, a man in New York City decided to protest the planned mosque/Muslim cultural center planned to be built near the site of Ground Zero. He bravely, if not untastefully or insensibly or foolishly or disrespectfully, tore pages from the Koran (one which I am assuming was his own personal property) and he then burned them as a form of protest. His name is Derek Fenton and he lives in New Jersey; he used to work in New Jersey too but apparently not anymore. You see, New Jersey Transit, his one time employer of 11 years, his employer on the day he burned pages of a book, reportedly fired him.(1) Amazingly the governor of NJ reportedly supported his firing.(2) Why? Because, reportedly according to them, he violated their ethics code for employees even though he did this on his own time.
According to the New York Daily News article, a statement from NJ Transit said this:
"Mr. Fenton's public actions violated New Jersey Transit's code of ethics," (3)
I was not aware that any form of exercise of free speech (or expression) would violate a code of ethics of a state run agency when the ethics seem to be based upon the religious beliefs of one religion. To me that seems as if the government is taking the side of a religion, heck it seems as if they are enforcing the religion. As a NYCU representative reportedly pointed out (4), flag burning is protected speech in this country. Would Mr. Fenton have been fired had he burned the American Flag in protest? Mind you I am not saying that a man like Mr. Fenton would ever even consider burning the American Flag. Would he had been fired had he stood up at a podium, in front of the proposed center, and said something to this effect:
"I do not believe in Allah, I believe Mohammad was a minor prophet at best, I do not believe the Koran to be a holy book, I believe Jesus is the Lord God, therefore I believe the Koran to be false prophecy and Allah to be a false god."
Would they have fired him for professing his religious beliefs because said statement of beliefs violated their ethics? I know, and so should you, the above statement would probably be almost equally as repugnant to Muslims as would burning the Koran but how would it violate an ethics code? Would they have fired him for drawing a satirical cartoon of Mohammad? That too would probably be equally as repugnant as burning the Koran to Muslims as can be witnessed by the riots that ensued a few years back when someone did just that but how would it violate an ethics code. I doubt they would have had the chutzpah to have fired him for either because it would have been a clear cut violation of Mr. Fenton's civil rights under the most important document in this land and folks that document is not the Koran, it is the U.S. Constitution! So why have they fired him for professing his beliefs, or for protesting, by way of a book burning?
Whether or not Mr. Fenton's actions were sensible, whether or not they were tasteful, whether or not they were disgusting, whether or not controversial, whether or not those actions were liked by Muslims or those of any other religion, whether or not they were disrespectful of someone else's religious beliefs (remember that every day, the Muslim faithful could be considered disrespectful to Christianity by their belief that Jesus Christ was a minor prophet and not God) Mr. Fenton has the right to do what he did so long as his actions did not otherwise constitute a crime (and even then it is possible they could later be deemed as free speech) or constitute fighting words. So my guess is that NJ Transit will later explain that they fired Mr. Fenton because he violated some NY City law about starting a fire or something like that and that was what they considered a violation of their ethics code; otherwise they will rehire him or Mr. Fenton will sue them for a civil rights violation and win. I cannot imagine they will admit they fired him because he burned a Koran as a form of protest and therefore offended Muslims; I cannot believe we have buckled under allowing our rights to have been totally destroyed and ourselves to have been conquered by a religion.
When the Virgin Mary of Christianity can be portrayed with feces smeared all over picture of her and the government allows it calling it art (and I believe paid for it or paid to display it), when a movie can depict Jesus Christ and his apostles as homosexuals, when someone can run our flag through the dirt and piss on it or burn it, when anyone can buy pornographic material at a local news stand, when a whole faith can profess that the God of another religion was merely a prophet, when politicians can lie repeatedly in connection with their official duties and get caught at it and yet remain in office, when atheists can successfully demand removal of religious symbols from public property and when all the above can be protected as free speech - then there is something very wrong with NJ Transit firing Mr. Fenton for having burned pages the Koran (that is of course if that is why they fired him, they are not giving specifics yet as far as I am aware).
If that is why they fired him, and then if NJ Transit does not relent, which I am betting they will do so after successfully placing pressure on Mr. Fenton to apologize for his actions, then you as fellow Americans of Mr. Fenton should protest his firing and support his anticipated legal claim(s) against NJ and NJ Transit. It does not matter if you are religious or not, nor what religion of which you may be a member, nor whether or not you think Mr. Fenton did a wise or honorable or disgusting or stupid or terrible thing. What matters are our rights and our Constitution, the basis of all our laws and legal actions and that they have quite possibly been violated in Mr. Fenton's case. So yes, I am saying if he asks for donations to fight NJ transit you should give to him. If he does not ask for anything, then you ought to at least be showing him support, or showing our rights under the Constitution support, by contacting NJ Transit and the NJ Governor's office to condemn the firing of Mr. Fenton.
I think everyone in this country ought to be very afraid that their rights are not only being trampled but are being destroyed by the government to honor a specific religion, that of Islam. After all, when was the last time you heard of a government agency firing someone for offending Jews or Christians or atheists? The 1st Amendment protects speech and included in that is offensive speech (or expression) no matter whom it offends. It is one of the rights we enjoy as American Citizens and legal resident aliens. As Americans, it is or should be more important to all of us than should the tenants of any single religion because it is in part the bedrock of our freedoms and our rights and of our nation. Without freedom of speech our country would never have been born, our Constitution never written and agreed upon, and our other freedoms never expressed nor enjoyed. You may not like Mr. Fenton or what he did but you had best not like, even more so, they who would attempt to suppress his rights because his rights are your rights and your rights are his.
All the best,
Glenn B
References:
1) http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/09/14/2010-09-14_koran_burner_derek_fenton_fired_from_his_job_at_nj_transit.html
2) http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/09/16/2010-09-16_christie_njtransit_right_to_can_koranburn_creep.html
3) same as 1
4) same as 1
According to the New York Daily News article, a statement from NJ Transit said this:
"Mr. Fenton's public actions violated New Jersey Transit's code of ethics," (3)
I was not aware that any form of exercise of free speech (or expression) would violate a code of ethics of a state run agency when the ethics seem to be based upon the religious beliefs of one religion. To me that seems as if the government is taking the side of a religion, heck it seems as if they are enforcing the religion. As a NYCU representative reportedly pointed out (4), flag burning is protected speech in this country. Would Mr. Fenton have been fired had he burned the American Flag in protest? Mind you I am not saying that a man like Mr. Fenton would ever even consider burning the American Flag. Would he had been fired had he stood up at a podium, in front of the proposed center, and said something to this effect:
"I do not believe in Allah, I believe Mohammad was a minor prophet at best, I do not believe the Koran to be a holy book, I believe Jesus is the Lord God, therefore I believe the Koran to be false prophecy and Allah to be a false god."
Would they have fired him for professing his religious beliefs because said statement of beliefs violated their ethics? I know, and so should you, the above statement would probably be almost equally as repugnant to Muslims as would burning the Koran but how would it violate an ethics code? Would they have fired him for drawing a satirical cartoon of Mohammad? That too would probably be equally as repugnant as burning the Koran to Muslims as can be witnessed by the riots that ensued a few years back when someone did just that but how would it violate an ethics code. I doubt they would have had the chutzpah to have fired him for either because it would have been a clear cut violation of Mr. Fenton's civil rights under the most important document in this land and folks that document is not the Koran, it is the U.S. Constitution! So why have they fired him for professing his beliefs, or for protesting, by way of a book burning?
Whether or not Mr. Fenton's actions were sensible, whether or not they were tasteful, whether or not they were disgusting, whether or not controversial, whether or not those actions were liked by Muslims or those of any other religion, whether or not they were disrespectful of someone else's religious beliefs (remember that every day, the Muslim faithful could be considered disrespectful to Christianity by their belief that Jesus Christ was a minor prophet and not God) Mr. Fenton has the right to do what he did so long as his actions did not otherwise constitute a crime (and even then it is possible they could later be deemed as free speech) or constitute fighting words. So my guess is that NJ Transit will later explain that they fired Mr. Fenton because he violated some NY City law about starting a fire or something like that and that was what they considered a violation of their ethics code; otherwise they will rehire him or Mr. Fenton will sue them for a civil rights violation and win. I cannot imagine they will admit they fired him because he burned a Koran as a form of protest and therefore offended Muslims; I cannot believe we have buckled under allowing our rights to have been totally destroyed and ourselves to have been conquered by a religion.
When the Virgin Mary of Christianity can be portrayed with feces smeared all over picture of her and the government allows it calling it art (and I believe paid for it or paid to display it), when a movie can depict Jesus Christ and his apostles as homosexuals, when someone can run our flag through the dirt and piss on it or burn it, when anyone can buy pornographic material at a local news stand, when a whole faith can profess that the God of another religion was merely a prophet, when politicians can lie repeatedly in connection with their official duties and get caught at it and yet remain in office, when atheists can successfully demand removal of religious symbols from public property and when all the above can be protected as free speech - then there is something very wrong with NJ Transit firing Mr. Fenton for having burned pages the Koran (that is of course if that is why they fired him, they are not giving specifics yet as far as I am aware).
If that is why they fired him, and then if NJ Transit does not relent, which I am betting they will do so after successfully placing pressure on Mr. Fenton to apologize for his actions, then you as fellow Americans of Mr. Fenton should protest his firing and support his anticipated legal claim(s) against NJ and NJ Transit. It does not matter if you are religious or not, nor what religion of which you may be a member, nor whether or not you think Mr. Fenton did a wise or honorable or disgusting or stupid or terrible thing. What matters are our rights and our Constitution, the basis of all our laws and legal actions and that they have quite possibly been violated in Mr. Fenton's case. So yes, I am saying if he asks for donations to fight NJ transit you should give to him. If he does not ask for anything, then you ought to at least be showing him support, or showing our rights under the Constitution support, by contacting NJ Transit and the NJ Governor's office to condemn the firing of Mr. Fenton.
I think everyone in this country ought to be very afraid that their rights are not only being trampled but are being destroyed by the government to honor a specific religion, that of Islam. After all, when was the last time you heard of a government agency firing someone for offending Jews or Christians or atheists? The 1st Amendment protects speech and included in that is offensive speech (or expression) no matter whom it offends. It is one of the rights we enjoy as American Citizens and legal resident aliens. As Americans, it is or should be more important to all of us than should the tenants of any single religion because it is in part the bedrock of our freedoms and our rights and of our nation. Without freedom of speech our country would never have been born, our Constitution never written and agreed upon, and our other freedoms never expressed nor enjoyed. You may not like Mr. Fenton or what he did but you had best not like, even more so, they who would attempt to suppress his rights because his rights are your rights and your rights are his.
All the best,
Glenn B
References:
1) http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/09/14/2010-09-14_koran_burner_derek_fenton_fired_from_his_job_at_nj_transit.html
2) http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/09/16/2010-09-16_christie_njtransit_right_to_can_koranburn_creep.html
3) same as 1
4) same as 1
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Ballseye's Gun Shots 88 -The Old Man Gives The Young Man Some Gun Buying Advice...
...and surprisingly enough, it seems the young man may be at least taking it under serious consideration if not actually falling for it taking it. No, that would not be a first for us but it went off without a hitch and that was pretty surprising. I must have done something right to have told Brendan what I told him when without making it sound antagonistic; certainly that is often the key to having your advice listened to and maybe even heeded. (I learned that again earlier this week while down in FL with my uncle and have him to thank for it in part, well in a way anyway, but enough on that.) Then again maybe the key is an underlying bit of skulduggery.
Brendan sent me a text message (or two) yesterday or the day before asking me to go to this website to check out one of these rifles. There are other models on this page. I am not sure which configuration he wants but it is a Microtech Small Arms Research E4 (that is the link to the actual manufacturer's info for the E4). I only got the chance to check it out today. What I saw was that my young man had probably been bitten by the tacticool bug in his desire to get himself an AUG style rifle. Now, I was not and still am not against him buying one. I used to shoot an AUG when with the now defunct Customs Service Office of Investigations. They were okay rifles, pretty good shooters, probably good for the city environment as a tactical firearm. What they were not, in my opinion, was not practical overall as a fighting rifle, nor as a hunting rifle. The design did not lend to them, as far as I would think, ever being used as a club or as a rifle with a bayonet upfront. Both of those uses are somewhat probably if you are ever really involved in a SHTF situation close in. I also never like the fact that the chamber, or at least the breach, was right up against my cheek when firing. I would hate to imagine the plastic plate on an AUG trying to stand up to the pressure of an overcharged round that might go kaboom. I am not sure if the rifle my son is interested in has that ambidextrous functionality of the actual AUG but if it does then it probably has that same flimsy cover over the ejection port on the side not being used (in other words the side against your cheek when firing).
I sent Brendan an email earlier today telling him to speak to me tonight about this. My doing so usually gets him ready for a confrontation or some preaching from me. For some reason though, when he got home from work tonight, he immediately asked me what I thought about the E4.I explained my plus and minus list for AUG like rifles. I also reminded him that the E4 was not shown as NY legal and that could be a problem. He told me they said they could make it so; I figure for more money. Then I reminded him that within the not too distant future he would turn 21 and that means that in about 3 to 6 months after that he could have a pistol permit. I suggested maybe he would want to save money for a pistol or two and I recommended a 1911 and maybe a Glock and added maybe even a Glock in .45 ACP. He liked that idea even though I told him he would have to buyour his own ammo. I guess he has no clue how expensive that will become. First of all he will have to buy the gun or guns. If he does that, I'll finally have he will have a .45 or two to shoot and that means buying the ammo I just mentioned! Last I saw, .45 ACP was pretty expensive especially with two guys shooting it all up and it is going to test his budgeting abilities. Of course, we he will need a place to do all the shooting. So, we he probably will also be spending a lot of money at our closest local range, the one he does not like to visit with his rifles because it is only a 25 yard range; then again he does not get to the rifle range all that often either because it is about an hour's drive away from us. Yep, I think we he will be shooting more often if he buys a couple of .45 pistols and the ammo for them. I may just have to pay for my own time at the range if I tag along now and again, then again maybe I can convince him that my teaching him how to shoot pistols will be worth the cost of him paying for my range time and a box or two of ammo for me to shoot.
I guess, if he takes my advice, it may just go a long way to help stimulate the economy and deplete his savings account whileI have he has fun shooting his new pistols. Oh my - what have I done is he about to do!
All the best,
Glenn B
Brendan sent me a text message (or two) yesterday or the day before asking me to go to this website to check out one of these rifles. There are other models on this page. I am not sure which configuration he wants but it is a Microtech Small Arms Research E4 (that is the link to the actual manufacturer's info for the E4). I only got the chance to check it out today. What I saw was that my young man had probably been bitten by the tacticool bug in his desire to get himself an AUG style rifle. Now, I was not and still am not against him buying one. I used to shoot an AUG when with the now defunct Customs Service Office of Investigations. They were okay rifles, pretty good shooters, probably good for the city environment as a tactical firearm. What they were not, in my opinion, was not practical overall as a fighting rifle, nor as a hunting rifle. The design did not lend to them, as far as I would think, ever being used as a club or as a rifle with a bayonet upfront. Both of those uses are somewhat probably if you are ever really involved in a SHTF situation close in. I also never like the fact that the chamber, or at least the breach, was right up against my cheek when firing. I would hate to imagine the plastic plate on an AUG trying to stand up to the pressure of an overcharged round that might go kaboom. I am not sure if the rifle my son is interested in has that ambidextrous functionality of the actual AUG but if it does then it probably has that same flimsy cover over the ejection port on the side not being used (in other words the side against your cheek when firing).
I sent Brendan an email earlier today telling him to speak to me tonight about this. My doing so usually gets him ready for a confrontation or some preaching from me. For some reason though, when he got home from work tonight, he immediately asked me what I thought about the E4.I explained my plus and minus list for AUG like rifles. I also reminded him that the E4 was not shown as NY legal and that could be a problem. He told me they said they could make it so; I figure for more money. Then I reminded him that within the not too distant future he would turn 21 and that means that in about 3 to 6 months after that he could have a pistol permit. I suggested maybe he would want to save money for a pistol or two and I recommended a 1911 and maybe a Glock and added maybe even a Glock in .45 ACP. He liked that idea even though I told him he would have to buy
I guess, if he takes my advice, it may just go a long way to help stimulate the economy and deplete his savings account while
All the best,
Glenn B
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
The Big Fishing Trip...
...took place yesterday though it had to be shortened from an 8 hour trip to a 4 hour one. We had planned to go out on the Captain Lew way up in Ft. Pierce but as my luck would have it I picked my trip to FL, and my day to go out fishing, to both fall within the time frame that the Captain Lew is in dry dock for annual maintenance. They sail again next week and of course, I am going home today. So we had to look for another boat. While there are boats all over the place here in southeastern FL, there are not all that many party fishing boats. We did find another 3 or 4 within a reasonable drive but only 2 of them were going out. We took the one a bit further away. It was the Sea Mist III shoving off out of Boynton Beach.
I'll not write a lot about the trip except to say: my uncle's company was excellent for me, we caught one fish apiece - both throwbacks. I had sent my son Brendan a text message asking him to wish me luck. I got a reply as my line went over the rail and hit the water the first time of the trip. I caught my fish a split second after i read his message saying - "good luck". My luck was good, I caught one, I had good company and fun.
All in all, not many fish came over the rail. At least one mate and the captain seemed more interested in fishing themselves than helping their fares. One mate was great, I gave him a tip. The guy fishing to my left was a gentleman and taught me some new ways to bait my hook.
My uncle and I also went to fish off of a pier after the boat was back at the dock. He caught 2 needle-nose (what he calls them) and I caught one small yellowtail. All throwbacks. Not many fish but you know what they say: A piss poor day fishing beats a good day at work.
All the best,
Glenn B
I'll not write a lot about the trip except to say: my uncle's company was excellent for me, we caught one fish apiece - both throwbacks. I had sent my son Brendan a text message asking him to wish me luck. I got a reply as my line went over the rail and hit the water the first time of the trip. I caught my fish a split second after i read his message saying - "good luck". My luck was good, I caught one, I had good company and fun.
All in all, not many fish came over the rail. At least one mate and the captain seemed more interested in fishing themselves than helping their fares. One mate was great, I gave him a tip. The guy fishing to my left was a gentleman and taught me some new ways to bait my hook.
My uncle and I also went to fish off of a pier after the boat was back at the dock. He caught 2 needle-nose (what he calls them) and I caught one small yellowtail. All throwbacks. Not many fish but you know what they say: A piss poor day fishing beats a good day at work.
All the best,
Glenn B
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Ballseye's Gun Shots 87 - There Were Guns Aplenty...
...at the West Palm Beach Gun Show today.
I arrived at the gun show today at about 12:30PM. As I drove up to the South Florida Fair & Expo Center anticipating getting ripped off for parking. So, once I was at the parking lot, I was very happily surprised to discover that parking was free and I had thought free parking was only a space on the Monopoly game board (and of course a reality at the gun shows in Middletown, NY). It took awhile of driving here and there to find a spot. I guess that was because there was also a fishing gear show going on in a building next to the one housing the gun show. Once parked I hoofed over to the entrance and received no pleasant or nasty surprise there. The admission fee was $8 - about average for what I have paid at most shows I have been to over the last few years.
I paid and headed inside and was again surprised because while there was a table at the entrance with nylon ties on it, the guy sitting at the table was not asking anyone if they had firearms. usually the scenario is that said guy would be asking for firearms, having the attendees unload them and then he would strap them up with a nylon tie. Did not happen today, either they were not doing it or maybe it was just that the well endowed young lady the guy was staring at, when I walked by, had his total attention. I just walked in and handed a young lady, inside the door, my ticket. Then I headed to the tables on the right side as I faced in.
The very first row had someone selling jerky and other such assorted crap that does not, in my twisted and contorted opinion, belong at a gun show. I missed it my first time down the end aisle that formed the base of all the others and missing it was a good thing. I was seeing guns, lots of them for that matter. I was in a rather blissful state and must have not noticed the jerky and did not need or want to notice it as I walked by it on my own personal cloud of gunsmoke. I turned up the first row and just took in more guns, ammo, gun accessories and knives. Now I would rather that knives were not sold at gun shows either but I suppose I'll have to put up with that since I don't think I have ever seen a gun show without them.
I went up and down each aisle looking for a good deal on something, like maybe some pre-ban AR-15 magazines, pre-ban AK-47 mags, a nice double magazine pouch for my SIG 229 and Glock 26 but did not find any. I did overhear several dealers saying that while there were a lot of people in attendance at the show - sales were really slow. It was no wonder to me why sales were slow. I spotted several boxes of 200 gr. Remington Cor-Lokt ammo in .35 Remington on one dealers table that was chocked full of ammo. This is the exact same .35 Remington ammo in caliber, bullet weight and brand name that I get for about $22.50 a box but this stuff was 'on sale' for $35.00 a box! I found the same ammo on another ammo dealer's table going for only $29.00 a box. CCI .22 mini-mag ammo, that I recently purchased at Cabela's (usually way overpriced on ammo in my opinion) for just $6.79 a box of 100, was going for $10 a box at the WPB Gun Show - such a deal - take two (yeah right)! As I walked along I saw some other great deals: Yugo SKS rifles in about good to very good condition going for $449.00 (still going for about $299 at other locations), fine condition Mosin Nagant 91/30 rifles for $169 (easy to pick up for about $99 to $129), a recent manufacture used fine to excellent condition Marlin 336 in 30/30 for $400 (Dick's Sporting Goods in WPB currently has new ones on sale for $384.98 and after the $35 mail in rebate your price would be only $349.98), a used Remington 870 Express (with a poorly refinished wood stock) for $300 (Dick's has them on sale, new, for $299.98 and there is a $30 mail in rebate that lowers the price to $269.98), new Remington 870 Express models going for $369.00 with a notice they were on sale for $339 because of a $30 rebate that reduced the price. At a table directly across the aisle from that guy, another dealer was selling the same exact model for $329 before the rebate (both of these awesome deals still outdone by the offer from Dick's). The so called deals at this gun show, like those above, were in every aisle so - it did not take even a guy of average intelligence like me to figure out why the dealers were having a slow day. And there I was thinking that the cost of living was lower in Florida so gun show prices would be great.
As for my search for magazine pouches and pre-ban mags: I asked one dealer if he had pre-ban mags that I needed because I lived in NY and NY still has he high cap mag ban in effect. I then stood there thoroughly amused as he explained in great detail, for about 2 or 3 minutes, all the benefits I would reap should I buy a new production aluminum AR-15 magazines that I already knew to be junk. He wanted only $24.99 apiece for something that usually sells for about 1/2 that. I bid him fond farewell and moved on. I never saw any high quality magazine pouches but did see lots of junk that looked to have been made in sweat shops in Red China (yes - never forget they are still red commie tyrants and we, the keepers of democracy and defenders of freedom, keep borrowing money from them as a nation). I kept moving and looking.
After about 2 or 2 1/2 hours of this, with about 4 trips past every table, I did not find anything I would have considered a great deal, and probably not even a good deal. There were one or two tables selling some new guns at prices I could expect to pay in a gun shop up my way in NY, like a Ruger 10/22 for $239. Then again, you have to remember even at those prices you would have paid an additional $8 to get into this show and getting into a gun shop is free (so far) and, of course, a place like Dick's has them at even less expensive prices. So again, no bargains that I could see at the WBP Gun Show.
The fact that prices were pretty high did not mean I did not have a good time. I had a great time at that. why? Well, because I was looking at a lot of guns for sale. It was sort of like being in a museum where I could touch the exhibits. I looked at several rifles, several pistols and a number of shotguns. They had a good amount of tables selling guns, a fair number selling ammo, a decent amount selling accessories, not too many knife vendors, and not too many food or junk vendors. The only junk vendors that thought were in overabundance were the two assholes dealers I saw selling Nazi insignia, patches, uniforms, armbands, helmets, medals, books and the like. I guess being a vendor at a gun show does not require class, tact, respect or good taste and I think those two vendors lacked those attributes. I suppose there is a market for such items though among collectors who probably lack those attributes I just mentioned so I also suppose the sales of such will continue. It is too bad though that it all too often winds up being those sales are made at gun shows instead of solely at militaria shows; I think it tends to make gun owners look like kooks and extremists when such crap is associated with them. Of course, if it were my gun show - there would be no Nazi memorabilia at all except for guns such as Mausers and Lugers but I digress, so back to what I was going to blog about, the show overall.
As I was saying, I had a great time. The show is a good sized one, has a reasonable admission fee, free parking, a lot of dealers with lots of guns, ammo, accessories and not too many dealers selling things that have little to do with guns. It was truly an enjoyable time for me and worth the eight bucks to get in just to be able to see and handle all the firearms I handled. The variety of firearms at this show was also excellent, from antiques to C&R to modern, with lots of semi-auto self defense pistols, revolvers, target pistols, many-many hunting and target rifles, black rifles too and on and on. It was probably the best variety of guns I have seen at a show in a long time. Most dealers were very courteous, so was everyone else working there. That all made it a nice show indeed. If you were there to buy though, and did not haggle and get them down in price, then it may not have been as nice for you as it was for me. I left the show at around 2:45PM, happier than when I had entered it.
All the best,
Glenn B
I arrived at the gun show today at about 12:30PM. As I drove up to the South Florida Fair & Expo Center anticipating getting ripped off for parking. So, once I was at the parking lot, I was very happily surprised to discover that parking was free and I had thought free parking was only a space on the Monopoly game board (and of course a reality at the gun shows in Middletown, NY). It took awhile of driving here and there to find a spot. I guess that was because there was also a fishing gear show going on in a building next to the one housing the gun show. Once parked I hoofed over to the entrance and received no pleasant or nasty surprise there. The admission fee was $8 - about average for what I have paid at most shows I have been to over the last few years.
I paid and headed inside and was again surprised because while there was a table at the entrance with nylon ties on it, the guy sitting at the table was not asking anyone if they had firearms. usually the scenario is that said guy would be asking for firearms, having the attendees unload them and then he would strap them up with a nylon tie. Did not happen today, either they were not doing it or maybe it was just that the well endowed young lady the guy was staring at, when I walked by, had his total attention. I just walked in and handed a young lady, inside the door, my ticket. Then I headed to the tables on the right side as I faced in.
The very first row had someone selling jerky and other such assorted crap that does not, in my twisted and contorted opinion, belong at a gun show. I missed it my first time down the end aisle that formed the base of all the others and missing it was a good thing. I was seeing guns, lots of them for that matter. I was in a rather blissful state and must have not noticed the jerky and did not need or want to notice it as I walked by it on my own personal cloud of gunsmoke. I turned up the first row and just took in more guns, ammo, gun accessories and knives. Now I would rather that knives were not sold at gun shows either but I suppose I'll have to put up with that since I don't think I have ever seen a gun show without them.
I went up and down each aisle looking for a good deal on something, like maybe some pre-ban AR-15 magazines, pre-ban AK-47 mags, a nice double magazine pouch for my SIG 229 and Glock 26 but did not find any. I did overhear several dealers saying that while there were a lot of people in attendance at the show - sales were really slow. It was no wonder to me why sales were slow. I spotted several boxes of 200 gr. Remington Cor-Lokt ammo in .35 Remington on one dealers table that was chocked full of ammo. This is the exact same .35 Remington ammo in caliber, bullet weight and brand name that I get for about $22.50 a box but this stuff was 'on sale' for $35.00 a box! I found the same ammo on another ammo dealer's table going for only $29.00 a box. CCI .22 mini-mag ammo, that I recently purchased at Cabela's (usually way overpriced on ammo in my opinion) for just $6.79 a box of 100, was going for $10 a box at the WPB Gun Show - such a deal - take two (yeah right)! As I walked along I saw some other great deals: Yugo SKS rifles in about good to very good condition going for $449.00 (still going for about $299 at other locations), fine condition Mosin Nagant 91/30 rifles for $169 (easy to pick up for about $99 to $129), a recent manufacture used fine to excellent condition Marlin 336 in 30/30 for $400 (Dick's Sporting Goods in WPB currently has new ones on sale for $384.98 and after the $35 mail in rebate your price would be only $349.98), a used Remington 870 Express (with a poorly refinished wood stock) for $300 (Dick's has them on sale, new, for $299.98 and there is a $30 mail in rebate that lowers the price to $269.98), new Remington 870 Express models going for $369.00 with a notice they were on sale for $339 because of a $30 rebate that reduced the price. At a table directly across the aisle from that guy, another dealer was selling the same exact model for $329 before the rebate (both of these awesome deals still outdone by the offer from Dick's). The so called deals at this gun show, like those above, were in every aisle so - it did not take even a guy of average intelligence like me to figure out why the dealers were having a slow day. And there I was thinking that the cost of living was lower in Florida so gun show prices would be great.
As for my search for magazine pouches and pre-ban mags: I asked one dealer if he had pre-ban mags that I needed because I lived in NY and NY still has he high cap mag ban in effect. I then stood there thoroughly amused as he explained in great detail, for about 2 or 3 minutes, all the benefits I would reap should I buy a new production aluminum AR-15 magazines that I already knew to be junk. He wanted only $24.99 apiece for something that usually sells for about 1/2 that. I bid him fond farewell and moved on. I never saw any high quality magazine pouches but did see lots of junk that looked to have been made in sweat shops in Red China (yes - never forget they are still red commie tyrants and we, the keepers of democracy and defenders of freedom, keep borrowing money from them as a nation). I kept moving and looking.
After about 2 or 2 1/2 hours of this, with about 4 trips past every table, I did not find anything I would have considered a great deal, and probably not even a good deal. There were one or two tables selling some new guns at prices I could expect to pay in a gun shop up my way in NY, like a Ruger 10/22 for $239. Then again, you have to remember even at those prices you would have paid an additional $8 to get into this show and getting into a gun shop is free (so far) and, of course, a place like Dick's has them at even less expensive prices. So again, no bargains that I could see at the WBP Gun Show.
The fact that prices were pretty high did not mean I did not have a good time. I had a great time at that. why? Well, because I was looking at a lot of guns for sale. It was sort of like being in a museum where I could touch the exhibits. I looked at several rifles, several pistols and a number of shotguns. They had a good amount of tables selling guns, a fair number selling ammo, a decent amount selling accessories, not too many knife vendors, and not too many food or junk vendors. The only junk vendors that thought were in overabundance were the two assholes dealers I saw selling Nazi insignia, patches, uniforms, armbands, helmets, medals, books and the like. I guess being a vendor at a gun show does not require class, tact, respect or good taste and I think those two vendors lacked those attributes. I suppose there is a market for such items though among collectors who probably lack those attributes I just mentioned so I also suppose the sales of such will continue. It is too bad though that it all too often winds up being those sales are made at gun shows instead of solely at militaria shows; I think it tends to make gun owners look like kooks and extremists when such crap is associated with them. Of course, if it were my gun show - there would be no Nazi memorabilia at all except for guns such as Mausers and Lugers but I digress, so back to what I was going to blog about, the show overall.
As I was saying, I had a great time. The show is a good sized one, has a reasonable admission fee, free parking, a lot of dealers with lots of guns, ammo, accessories and not too many dealers selling things that have little to do with guns. It was truly an enjoyable time for me and worth the eight bucks to get in just to be able to see and handle all the firearms I handled. The variety of firearms at this show was also excellent, from antiques to C&R to modern, with lots of semi-auto self defense pistols, revolvers, target pistols, many-many hunting and target rifles, black rifles too and on and on. It was probably the best variety of guns I have seen at a show in a long time. Most dealers were very courteous, so was everyone else working there. That all made it a nice show indeed. If you were there to buy though, and did not haggle and get them down in price, then it may not have been as nice for you as it was for me. I left the show at around 2:45PM, happier than when I had entered it.
All the best,
Glenn B
The Suspense Is Killing Me...
...when it comes to finding out who won the raffle. Well, not really killing me but you get the idea. My guess is that I did not win because, I am pretty sure if I had won, I would have been notified by GreyBeard already. He is a member of the Eastern Arenac Sportsman's Club, the club holding the raffle, and he cordially arranges for my raffle tickets each year. This year I bought 5 tickets - hoping to increase my chances of winning. I will be shocked, but nicely so, if I later find out I won. I don't expect it though, both because I am sort of a pessimist (you hadn't noticed that - how nice of you) and because my personal black cloud usually just does not allow that much good luck to shine down upon me.
Pessimism be darned, I am going to check my lottery tickets right after I get done with this post.
All the best,
Glenn B
Pessimism be darned, I am going to check my lottery tickets right after I get done with this post.
All the best,
Glenn B
Been in Florida The past Few Days...
...thus the lack of blog-time for me. I will be getting back to NY on Tuesday and try to resume the normal amount of blogging by Wednesday or Thursday, There is also a good chance I may write up something tonight and tomorrow night but I'm not certain about that yet. Hoping to go to a gun show today a get in some fishing tomorrow so that should give me something to write about.
All the best,
Glenn B
All the best,
Glenn B
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Seasonal Reminder - Hunting Seasons Upon Us
Here we are again, it is the end of the summer and fall is coming on strong and will be here before you know it. In a lot of the USA that means hunting seasons are beginning or are soon to begin. I do the great majority of my hunting in October through November but may get some squirrel hunting done before this month is up. The thing is though, I won't be able to shoot a darned thing unless I get to the range soon to sight in the two rifles on which I just mounted scopes. I need to give myself a good kick in the pants to get myself going sometimes but I figure I am doing okay this year since I already scoped them. I would have gone to sight them in this coming weekend but for the fact I am flying down to West Palm Beach in FL tomorrow for several days. I figure that on the weekend following my return, Brendan and I will be at the range on Saturday.
You ought to be figuring likewise if you are a hunter too. That is unless you have already gotten a jump on it all by getting your gear prepared well ahead of time. For those of you who have not done so this is a friendly reminder that hunting season will be on you sooner that you know it if you don't start getting ready now. Some of the things I do to my firearms, in preparation for the hunt, are inspect them for damage, rust, proper function. Then I address any problems and if none I clean and lubricate them. I mount scopes on those rifles on which I will use them. Then a trip to the range is in order - whether the firearm is scoped or not. As a matter of fact, the more range trips the better, in my opinion. Several trips to the range are usually the regular course of business for Brendan and I in anticipation of a hunt. As we shoot scoped rifles, I make sure the scope ring and mount screws all remained tight. Of course, after shooting all that practice ammo (the same exact ammo with which we will hunt is all we use for practice) it will again be time to give the firearms a good cleaning and lubrication, and to again make sure all the scope ring and scope mount screws stayed fastened tightly and so on. Then I store them away safely where they will not get bumped, fall over or whatever else could jar the scopes.
I mentioned ammo up above didn't I. Before you start all this practice, it would be a good idea to make sure you have a sufficient amount of ammo on hand for the practice as well as for the hunt. As I said, I use the same ammo for practice as I do for my hunting. I even try to use only ammo from matching lots. No surprises that way, it should all fire the same.
I also have already started to stock up on some gear and accessories I will be depending on during the season. I bought my deer lure already, picked up some hunter orange trail marking tape, and got some high quality waterproof matches, along with some other things. In addition I have been checking on the gear I normally bring along, making sure I have it all and that it is all in good condition. About the only things I still need to purchase are some hunter's detergent and some trail food items like snack bars.
Most importantly, I already ordered, paid for and have received our hunting licenses for Brendan and myself. Because I got them early we also got the deer management permits in the zones in which we wanted them and each got 2 DMPs at that! We have not been quite that lucky in years.
As for actual hunting, I have been upstate to scout out a few good hunting places. I need to go again a couple or few times more and hopefully I will get to do that too before the season arrives. Maybe I'll be able to bag a few squirrels while we are at it. Did I say we? Hopefully Brendan will come along on at least one scouting trip this year, he is not the best at coming along on them.
I have been getting all this done for a couple to a few weeks now, that is a good thing. Waiting until the last minute to do all this stuff just assures that I will wind up moody, hurried, aggravated, annoyed, pissed off and darned cranky. Doing it now usually eliminates at least pissed off.
All the best,
Glenn B
You ought to be figuring likewise if you are a hunter too. That is unless you have already gotten a jump on it all by getting your gear prepared well ahead of time. For those of you who have not done so this is a friendly reminder that hunting season will be on you sooner that you know it if you don't start getting ready now. Some of the things I do to my firearms, in preparation for the hunt, are inspect them for damage, rust, proper function. Then I address any problems and if none I clean and lubricate them. I mount scopes on those rifles on which I will use them. Then a trip to the range is in order - whether the firearm is scoped or not. As a matter of fact, the more range trips the better, in my opinion. Several trips to the range are usually the regular course of business for Brendan and I in anticipation of a hunt. As we shoot scoped rifles, I make sure the scope ring and mount screws all remained tight. Of course, after shooting all that practice ammo (the same exact ammo with which we will hunt is all we use for practice) it will again be time to give the firearms a good cleaning and lubrication, and to again make sure all the scope ring and scope mount screws stayed fastened tightly and so on. Then I store them away safely where they will not get bumped, fall over or whatever else could jar the scopes.
I mentioned ammo up above didn't I. Before you start all this practice, it would be a good idea to make sure you have a sufficient amount of ammo on hand for the practice as well as for the hunt. As I said, I use the same ammo for practice as I do for my hunting. I even try to use only ammo from matching lots. No surprises that way, it should all fire the same.
I also have already started to stock up on some gear and accessories I will be depending on during the season. I bought my deer lure already, picked up some hunter orange trail marking tape, and got some high quality waterproof matches, along with some other things. In addition I have been checking on the gear I normally bring along, making sure I have it all and that it is all in good condition. About the only things I still need to purchase are some hunter's detergent and some trail food items like snack bars.
Most importantly, I already ordered, paid for and have received our hunting licenses for Brendan and myself. Because I got them early we also got the deer management permits in the zones in which we wanted them and each got 2 DMPs at that! We have not been quite that lucky in years.
As for actual hunting, I have been upstate to scout out a few good hunting places. I need to go again a couple or few times more and hopefully I will get to do that too before the season arrives. Maybe I'll be able to bag a few squirrels while we are at it. Did I say we? Hopefully Brendan will come along on at least one scouting trip this year, he is not the best at coming along on them.
I have been getting all this done for a couple to a few weeks now, that is a good thing. Waiting until the last minute to do all this stuff just assures that I will wind up moody, hurried, aggravated, annoyed, pissed off and darned cranky. Doing it now usually eliminates at least pissed off.
All the best,
Glenn B
Southbound...
...to FL for the next several days. Maybe get in some fishing, maybe some herping, maybe some shooting. I'll be around West Palm Beach - if you see me - be nice and maybe I'll buy you a beer.
All the best,
Glenn B
All the best,
Glenn B
Prvi Partisan .303 British SP BT 180 gr Ammunition
I have 100 rounds of this stuff. It is brass cased, boxer primed non-corrosive. I bought it a couple of months back when ordered an Enfield. After sending the first one back for an exchange, then the second one back for a refund, I got stuck with this stuff that I had bought in anticipation of shooting fun. Now it is just sitting around collecting dust so I am looking to offload it. It will only be disposed of legally to someone 18 years old or older. If interested, go to my profile and click on the email link to contact me.
All the best,
Glenn B
All the best,
Glenn B
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
To Blaptica dubia or not?
I have been planning for this year LIHS 21st Annual reptile & Amphibian Expo since I walked out the door of last year's show after it was over. Have not given it much thought all year until now but have given it some now and then. These 'now and then thoughts' have me fairly well prepared for this year's show as far as animals I will display for the competition go. I have a good selection, better than I have had in recent years. This year I plan to place animals into at least two categories. One will be Turtles & Tortoises, the other will be Amphibians. For the life of me I do not understand why amphibians are not broken down into separate classes as are the reptiles (they have snakes, lizards, tortoises & turtles while amphibians are all lumped together) but that is what I have to work with and I plan to enter several amphibians into this year's competition along with a tortoise or two.
As far as the tortoise or two goes, I am not going to divulge which species I am entering, nor am I going to show pics. This year I am keeping it under my hat, so to speak, until the day of the show. As for the amphibians, it will be likewise. I will say this for the slimy ones though: I am planning on entering at least one frog/toad, maybe two. I am also planning to enter at least two different species of newt/salamander. Right now, I have at least 18 different amphibians from which to choose. Who knows, maybe I will not choose among them and just enter them all.
That is not what I have been giving much thought to lately though. The thing on my mind most recently, regarding the show, is what to set up on the vendor/display tables I will pay for at the show. While showing animals in the competition is free, the vendor tables do have a fee associated with them. I am none to sure I want to sell anything and may just put on an educational display on my table(s) this year but even then I will still pay for the tables; that will be sort of a donation to the society from me.
In looking for ideas on what to use to set up on my tables, I have thought of selling things like: varying species of amphibian and reptile, herp keeping accessories, or feeder insects. I have sold feeder insects before - crickets, wax worms, meal worms, and super worms. I can say without a doubt it is a pain in the neck. I have to order them early enough to receive them at least two to three days before the show, then store them in my garage. I have to be at home when they arrive or plan to have someone else here to receive them. I have to repair any damaged boxes to stem the tide of illegal bug-aliens escaping into my garage and there are always damaged boxes. I have to squeeze all the boxes into one of my compact cars and bring them to the show, then set everything up, then spend virtually all day stuck at my table trying to sell them. Despite the hassle, I may do it again this year.
If I do it this year though, there may be a big change. I may also add roaches to the mix. Not those pesty little things, German Cockroaches, that infest apartment buildings in NYC but bigger, meatier ones that really go crunch when something like a bearded dragon gobble one down. I am thinking of ordering a thousand or so of these guys - Blaptica dubia. Amazingly enough, people actually breed and sell roaches as feeder insects for critters that eat bugs. So, a source of them is pretty easy to find, such as: http://afexotics.weebly.com/available-feeders.html. Even though I have successfully kept another species of large roaches, Blaberus discoidalis, without escapes, as far as I recall, I have got some more thinking to do on this one. I would hate to get them then have any get out. Not that they would likely breed once on the loose, since they require high temps to successfully breed, but in that my wife might kill me - literally -if they got loose. Besides that, I cannot stand roaches, they skeeve me out big-time, so if any got out and wound up crawling up my leg, or wherever, I'd probably have the big one as in coronary - or maybe just grab a pistol and shoot the roach. Either way - it would not be good. So, some more thinking on this is in order.
All the best,
Glenn B
As far as the tortoise or two goes, I am not going to divulge which species I am entering, nor am I going to show pics. This year I am keeping it under my hat, so to speak, until the day of the show. As for the amphibians, it will be likewise. I will say this for the slimy ones though: I am planning on entering at least one frog/toad, maybe two. I am also planning to enter at least two different species of newt/salamander. Right now, I have at least 18 different amphibians from which to choose. Who knows, maybe I will not choose among them and just enter them all.
That is not what I have been giving much thought to lately though. The thing on my mind most recently, regarding the show, is what to set up on the vendor/display tables I will pay for at the show. While showing animals in the competition is free, the vendor tables do have a fee associated with them. I am none to sure I want to sell anything and may just put on an educational display on my table(s) this year but even then I will still pay for the tables; that will be sort of a donation to the society from me.
In looking for ideas on what to use to set up on my tables, I have thought of selling things like: varying species of amphibian and reptile, herp keeping accessories, or feeder insects. I have sold feeder insects before - crickets, wax worms, meal worms, and super worms. I can say without a doubt it is a pain in the neck. I have to order them early enough to receive them at least two to three days before the show, then store them in my garage. I have to be at home when they arrive or plan to have someone else here to receive them. I have to repair any damaged boxes to stem the tide of illegal bug-aliens escaping into my garage and there are always damaged boxes. I have to squeeze all the boxes into one of my compact cars and bring them to the show, then set everything up, then spend virtually all day stuck at my table trying to sell them. Despite the hassle, I may do it again this year.
If I do it this year though, there may be a big change. I may also add roaches to the mix. Not those pesty little things, German Cockroaches, that infest apartment buildings in NYC but bigger, meatier ones that really go crunch when something like a bearded dragon gobble one down. I am thinking of ordering a thousand or so of these guys - Blaptica dubia. Amazingly enough, people actually breed and sell roaches as feeder insects for critters that eat bugs. So, a source of them is pretty easy to find, such as: http://afexotics.weebly.com/available-feeders.html. Even though I have successfully kept another species of large roaches, Blaberus discoidalis, without escapes, as far as I recall, I have got some more thinking to do on this one. I would hate to get them then have any get out. Not that they would likely breed once on the loose, since they require high temps to successfully breed, but in that my wife might kill me - literally -if they got loose. Besides that, I cannot stand roaches, they skeeve me out big-time, so if any got out and wound up crawling up my leg, or wherever, I'd probably have the big one as in coronary - or maybe just grab a pistol and shoot the roach. Either way - it would not be good. So, some more thinking on this is in order.
All the best,
Glenn B
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