Federal & American Eagle - .45 Auto Ammunition Recall Alert

A friend from work let me know about this recall notice. I am passing it on to the rest of you as a public service sort of thing. I am hopeful that Federal will see it that way, as sort of a helping hand to spread the word and prevent any potential tragedies.

I would strongly recommend that you check your .45 ammo and if you have any of this you follow the instructions in the accompanying notice.

The image is clickable to enlarge. The original posting about it can be found by clicking the appropriate link on the Federal Premium site . The link is located near the lower right hand side of the home page or you can just click on it here:

http://www.federalpremium.com/pdf/45_Auto_warning.pdf

There is also another link on the Federal Premium home page that says: "If you have affected product Click Here". Please don't go crazy clicking on this link just for the heck of it or out of curiosity. Click on it only if you have the effected ammo. I am pretty sue Federal does not need any unnecessary traffic on their servers right about now. They will probably have enough with all the people who will be turning in the recalled lots of ammo.

Shoot safely,
Glenn B

Some Would Say This Car Has Everything but...

...I would say not unless it has a hot coffee dispenser, dual front facing machine guns, dual rear facing machine guns, a smoke blower, an oil dispenser (in the rear) and an ejector seat. Of course, if it really had email service and served up sizzling bacon, those would be the first steps toward getting it there.


see more Very Demotivational

All the best,
Glenn B

Ballseye's Gun Shots 116 - Ever Sold, Traded, or Just Gotten Rid of A Firearm & Not Regret It or Miss It Later?

Over all the years I have owned my own firearms, which has been since about the mid to late seventies, I can think of only one that I do not usually miss and that I most certainly do not regret getting rid of. That is one and the same as the RG pistol in .25 Auto that was my first pistol (in fact the first gun I ever owned). It was an out and out piece of junk. One of the best things I ever did was when I took it apart and threw its pieces in different parts of a salt water bay. It was just that crappy. Of course, if I think of it as my first gun, well then I can get all nostalgic and actually begin to miss it, that is until I remember what a piece of junk it was and then I am again happy that I just rid myself of it forever.

With every other gun I have gotten rid of, that I can think of right now, I have always had regrets, sooner or later, once it was gone. That goes for my Charter Arms 38, my 4" and 2.5" S&W Model 66 revolvers, my 2nd 2.5" S&W Model 66, my Ruger Mini 14, my Remington 870 Wingmaster, my Charter Arms Path Finder, my few (at least 4) Beretta Jetfires (.25 ACP), my Browning BLR in .358 Winchester, my CVA .45 caliber Philadelphia Derringer (a kit gun), my J.C. Higgins 22 rifle, my first Marlin 336 in .35 Remington (missed it so much I had to get another), two Yugo SKS rifles (even though I kept another), a Mosin Nagant M44 even though in only fair condition and whatever else once owned that I got rid of one way or the other. As a matter of fact, sometimes I almost kick myself in the head because of some of the guns i have sold. That Marlin 336 was pre-safety with a gold plated trigger and was just soooo sweeeet. Then again, the sale of the marlin was nothing as compared to my selling of the Browning. Selling that Browning BLR was probably the stupidest move I ever made with a gun. I bought it for a song, sold it for a decent profit and just miss the hell out it! I don't care if the ammo for it goes for around 2 bucks a round. It was a great rifle and shot one heck of a great caliber round. Ouch, I just kicked myself. To one extent or another same goes for everything I sold, I deserve to be kicked in the head or elsewhere a bit lower down wherein brains sometimes wind up!

Oh well, life goes on and there are plenty more out there to buy and the next gun show within about a hundred miles of my house is in about a week and a half in Middletown, NY. Guns, guns guns, guns - I just never seem to get enough of em. They are lots of fun to shoot, interesting to collect, useful hunting tools, a part of my work life, and are just comforting to have at hand in the event I ever need them to defend me or my loved ones and the Constitution (hopefully it will never get to that).

You know, now that I think of it - maybe I should have kept the RG .25 Auto.

All the best,
Glenn B

9mm Ammo - Good Price Alert

Military Shooters has some pretty good prices on two brands of 9mm, 124 grain, brass cased, reloadable (so I am assuming both brands are boxer primed although it only says so for the Swiss stuff) FMJ ammo. They have two types available at right around a hundred bucks for 500 rounds:

Fiocchi @ $109.99

and

Geco @ $94.49

I was about to order the Geco, then I saw the ad for the Fiocchi said: "This 124gr FMJ 9mm ammunition is mfg by Fiocchi USA in Missouri." Again I am about to assume something, that they mean Missouri, USA. So I paid the extra $15.50 for it (well actually the extra $31.00 plus a bit more for shipping because I ordered a thousand rounds not 500). I figure the added expense is worth it if it helps keep some jobs here in the U.S. of A.

If you want either, I would hurry. They only had 7 lots (of 500 rounds per lot) of the Fiocchi and the Geco was also limited, I think they had 19 lots. Now that I think of it, maybe I should have ordered 500 rounds of each, instead of 1,000 of the Fiocchi, and I could have saved some cash and had a variety. Wow, an extra thirty bucks, I could have bought a case of beer - a really good case of bier - for that money. Heck, what am I thinking??? I just said it was better to buy the made in the USA stuff - didn't I! Sometimes I wonder about myself. Oh well, I'll survive. Anyway, it was just better to have ordered something made here, even if by a foreign owned company, because as I said, it helps keep jobs here.

All the best,
Glenn B

The First Lady....

...wants us to watch what we eat! Have you taken a look at her derriere lately? It is disproportionately huge in comparison to her head. Maybe that is because something that belongs in her head is really in her ass. All that not to mention her flabby upper arms. I am no lightweight myself but I do not go around professing that everyone in America should follow my guidelines to lose weight when I myself do not follow them. For example, while she has been telling us to all lose weight by watching what we eat, and has been praising and pushing the properties of organic vegetables, something else was happening at the White House Super Bowl party. Have you seen the list of delectables that was served at the White House Super Bowl party? If you have not seen the menu, here are at least some of the items that were served:

assorted beverages including at least 2 kinds of beer

bratwurst

buffalo wings

cheeseburgers

deep dish pizza

chips & dips

German potato salad

kielbasa

potato chips

pretzels

twice-baked potatoes

salad (apparently not organic)

As the First Lady's other end keeps getting broader, she keeps taking broadsides at the rest of America and all the while keeps butting-in to our lives. It seems, if left up to her, we would not be able to choose what we eat, all only to satisfy her voracious appetite for control of every aspect of our lives!

References:

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/06/white-house-super-bowl-menu-salts-fats-sugars-and-bipartisan-brews/?partner=rss&emc=rss

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/early-lead/2011/02/super_bowl_xlv_what_the_obamas.html

All the best,
GB

Way To Go Packers

I watched the game sort of half halfheartedly. Why would I want to watch a game where neither team has cheerleaders? That is not the only reason I only watched the highlights and listened to the announcers for the rest of it. I was busy cleaning guns and paid much more attention to that. Had I been somewhere else, like at a friend's or relatives place for a game party or at a bar, I would have paid more attention. I decided to stay home though and to get the new Mosin Nagant 91/30 cleaned and then cleaned the bolt of another one I in my collection.

I guess I am not that much of a spectator sport fan. I had hoped that the Green Bay Packers would win and am happy with the result. Now back to gun cleaning or maybe I ought to go to work, it is just about that time of day.

All the best,
Glenn B

Ballseye's Gun Shots 115 - The New Mosin Nagant 91/30 - The Good News & The Bad

If you read my blog posts from this past Saturday, you know I went to the gun show at the Westchsester Convention Center in White Plains. You also know that I picked up a Mosin Nagant 91/30 that was manufactured at the Izhevzk Arsenal in 1939. It is a nice looking rifle, obviously an arsenal refinish - one that probably saw some little use after being refinished but that definitely has little more than storage rack wear marks. All of the serial numbers are matching with the exception of the magazine floor plate which is forced matching, or in other words which has one serial number stricken out and another number stamped onto it. The newer stamped number matches the rest of the numbers on the rifle, thus it was probably restamped when at the arsenal for refinishing. Could have also happened at the original factory, I suppose especially since 1939 was a war year. I am guessing they could have taken one from an older surplus gun, that was already marked with a serial number, and incorporated it into a new gun - who knows - who cares! Either way, it does not matter to me because the much more important parts of the rifle, the bolt and receiver, have matching numbers.

When I looked at the rifle at the show, I had somehow missed the strikeout on the magazine floor plate. Since I am not collecting this as pristine or perfectly matching rifle, but more as a shooter to add to my collection, it is not of much concern. This rifle has an importer number electro-penciled onto it along with other importer info. I tend to shy away from firearms with importer scribing on them but this was was an exception because of the serial number and because, as I said, it is a shooter for my collection. The only importance, for me, of the original serial number is that it is prefaced by two letters: "BB". Those are my son's first and last initials. It was a must buy so long as it appeared to be in very good to fine condition and this one seemed to be in excellent condition for a refinished rifle.

Yep, I just said it seemed to be in that good of a condition. Today I disassembled it, a detailed strip, for a good cleaning. I found no problems on any internal parts. The bolt assembly was clean as a whistle, probably cleaner. There is no rust on any of the parts that were previously hidden under or behind the wood. Nothing looked broken or worn too much. Everything looked great except for one thing. When I cleaned out the barrel I was disappointed. It had just enough cosmoline in it at the show that it looked fouled but otherwise great. I cleaned it out, I came to realize it is a bit frosted. Now, I have had this problem before and cleaned it good enough with a tornado brush to make it look almost pristine while retaining accuracy. This barrel has great rifling so what I am seeing is either a bit of surface rust or is a slight amount of pitting. That is a bit of a disappointment but since I have not shot it yet cannot say if it is going to be a big disappointment or not. I cleaned it well today, and will give the barrel another several passes of both a regular cleaning brush and a tornado brush tomorrow and see what it looks like then. Of course I will also shoot some non-corrosive ammo through it, as soon as I can. That probably will do a lot to clean out any remaining frosting. Then I will clean it again, and see how it looks and again see how well it shoots after that. Chances are this one will be a pretty good shooter since it does not look to bad down the bore. I am keeping my crosshairs crossed.

All the best,
Glenn B

Ronald Reagan Tribute On Fox News Now...

...well on at least as I type, Started about minute ago. Worth watching? I think so.

All the best,
Glenn B

Ballseye's Gun Shots 114 - The Gun Show Report - It Was Not Just Another Show

Nope, it surely was not just another gun show. Well, maybe the gun show at the Westchester Convention Center, today, was just another show for most folks but not for everyone - not for me. I really had a lot of fun there today, got there just before 9 when they opened the show to the public and left only about an hour before it would close for the evening at 5. Heck, it was only a 350 table show but I am guessing I made the rounds of those tables at least 8-10 times each and saw new things, I had missed earlier, almost every time around. Besides that I met my friends Charlie K and his brother-in-law Rob and their friend Dennis at the show and we had a good time jaw-boning about this or that and looking at guns and other gun stuff. Before I met up with them, I went round the tables 2 or 3 times, then I took about an hour break and went for lunch at a diner across the street. Well, actually, it was my breakfast. Then it was back to the show, and I was soon met by them. Sadly, someone else who was supposed to go was unable to get up and get going this morning since he only came home at about 0415 in the AM and was zonked when it was time to hit the road. Ah - youth. He made out okay because of the show though, as will be seen.

I was specifically looking for a Remington 700 VTR in .308 today. I had the cash at the ready but sadly, I did not find one. I saw one in .22-.250 but that is a far cry from .308 and definitely not what I had wanted so I let it pass. It was going for $664, which seemed to be a decent price. I looked at plenty of other guns, a Marlin 57M Levermatic really caught my eye. They only were asking $165 for it, that is a pretty good price for one in excellent condition and this one seemed to be excellent. I passed on it for the moment wanting to see more at the show before making a decision about it. You know what happened - he who hesitates is lost. When I looked again - it was gone. I also took a good long look at some Mosin Nagant 91/30 hex receiver rifles manufactured at the Tula arsenal. I figured i might be interested if nothing fancier caught my eye. I went back to get one of those and all 3 that had been on the rack were gone. At only $110 each, I suppose it was no wonder that they went pretty quickly. There were still some 91/30s with round receivers from the Izhevsk arsenal. I scanned them quickly, immediately saw one looked better than the others, picked it up for a closer look, saw it was made in 1939, saw that it looked to be in excellent condition (probably an arsenal refinish) and then saw that the serial number began with the letters "BB".

I asked to the dealer to remove the nylon tie and take out the bolt so I could take a look down the barrel. He obliged, I looked and immediately said "I'll take it". I mean, how could I resist not only a Mosin Nagant in that nice a shape, for only a hundred bucks plus tax, but one that also began its serial number with my son's first and last initials. I filled out the paperwork, the dealer completed the NICS check, and I handed over $108 (in exact change) and then walked away with another Mosin Nagant (we now have 3 of them or is it 4). I am going to check with the ATF to make sure I can legally gift this to my son as that is what I want to do if legal. I am almost 100% certain I can do that. If not, well then he can shoot it whenever he wants to shoot it. If he can have it as a gift, he will be very pleased indeed, if not then he still gets to shoot it. I showed it to him once got home and he had one of those big smiles on his face that used to be called a Kodak Moment. By the way, that Nagant was a big hit while I was still at the show; I had 4 different people stop me to ask about it and all wanted to buy it from me.

I also bought some ammo for the Nagant, just a box of 20 rounds because we have a bunch of it at home already. I bought this stuff just to try another brand. Other than those things, that was it for guns and ammo. I did get a few other things though: 2 Tee-shirts with Elmer J. Fudd wearing a helmet and flak jacket, holding one men looking black rifle and has a caption saying "Be vewwy, vewwy quiet quiet... I'm hunting tewowists!" (One can only hope he will be as succesful as he was in , 'Doc What's Opera'.) I got one for me and one for the son. I also got a 2 pack of exploding targets, 8 targets in each, and a bore light. I wound up spending about $192 at the show itself including the cost of all the gear above, admission and a couple of sodas. Add to that about $14 for lunch, $10 worth of gas and $9.50 for tolls and the grand total for the day was about $226. A lot less was spent than I had expected.

I had thought it was going to be a much more expensive day since I had my heart set on the Remington 700 VTR which would have set me back about another $725 to $810. If I had gotten that, I probably would have bought at least 500 rounds of .308 ammo, figure another $300. I was also thinking about getting my son a case of 5.56 ammo for his AR. One of the dealers had Prvi Partizan 62 grain FMJ for $351 tax included. I was tempted but first I figure we ought to make sure the AR likes the 62 grain stuff better than the 55 grain stuff he has been shooting out of it. We have a few brands of heavier than 55 grains to test fire to find out, so I just let that ammo purchase wait. Anyway, another show is coming up in a couple or few weeks and we can get it there or order it online. I had also been keeping my eyes open for a Remington Model 8 in .35 Remington but no luck. I would have really spent all I had with me had I seen both a nice one of those and the Remington VTR. As it is, a trip to the bank to redeposit some cash is in order for Monday; that way I will not spend it all before the next gun show and thus I'll have plenty of cash on hand for that one.

Even though I did not find the rifles I was hoping to find, I did come up with a gem of a Nagant, had fun with my buddies and wound up putting a smile on my son's face when I got home with the rifle. All in all, it was a great day for me.

All the best,
Glenn B

Gun Show Day

Well, it's the day of the gun show at the Westchester County Center and I almost cannot wait to get there. Of course, maybe I had best get some sleep since I have to be up at about 0630 and it is already almost 0100. It's not the anticipation of the show that has me awake though. I worked early yesterday, got to work at 0530 so was up at 0415. When i got home last night, I was zonked and passed out at about 1900 or so. Slept til about 2100 or so, now cannot get back to sleep. Maybe a quick wee dram of the Irish will help and although I must admit it is not a good habit to fall into, it helps every now and then at times like this.

Gun show info links below. See you there.

http://users.erols.com/fasttrack/loc/wcest/Westchester.htm

http://users.erols.com/fasttrack/loc/wcest/COUNTY-CENTER-FLYER%20-FEB-2011.pdf

All the best,
Glenn B

What's A Gun Guy To Do To Ward Off The Next 6 (or is it 7) Weeks Of Winter (even if the Ground Hog said it will be an early Spring)

I know, I know, really I do. He should spend as much time as possible at the range (the indoor range) shooting and he should also do other gun related things like going to gun shows. Since I have already been to the indoor range twice this week, and qualified for my job at an outdoor ranger yesterday, I guess the next thing to do would be for me to get myself (and my son) to a gun show. By now, you must realize this is leading up to a gun show announcement or three.

On Saturday, we are going to go to a gun show at the Westchester County Center in White Plains, NY. It is a small show, only 350 tables - nothing like some of the very large shows I have been to in Arizona or even the somewhat large ones in Pennsylvania - but a decent sized show for NY nonetheless. Well, really, it is not purely a gun show but a gun & knife show but it will have to do. The show at this location went bye-bye years ago after one of the school shootings and only was resurrected within the last year. Here are a couple of links to info about this show:

http://users.erols.com/fasttrack/loc/wcest/Westchester.htm

http://users.erols.com/fasttrack/loc/wcest/COUNTY-CENTER-FLYER%20-FEB-2011.pdf

The son and I will be meeting a couple of my buddies up at the show and I am expecting to have one heck of a good time. To that end, I think I will be bringing along a nice sized wad of cash that I have saved up over the past year and a half to buy a new gun. I'll only get one if the price is right, that would be less than I can purchase what I want at Gander Mountain or Dick's Sporting Goods. Time and our trip to the show will tell. Of course, even if we don't pick up a new rifle, I may wind up buying a case or two of ammo, some 50 caliber ammo cans, and some firearm's accessories. Once the nicer weather is here, I am hoping the son & I will be hitting up the range at least twice a month with his AR, the spotting scope and lots of 5.56 or .223 ammo. The thing is though, I may be able to get a better deal online than at a gun show for the ammo; again, time and our trip to the show will tell.

All the best,
Glenn B

New York City Veterans' Day Parade, November 2010

A friend of mine sent me an email with a link to this video today. It is a collection of still shots from the New York City Veterans' Day Parade in November 2010. The photos were taken by a former Marine and retired NYC Transit Police Detective. He notes, on YouTube, that it made him shed some tears once he saw his finished work. I shed one or two myself, watch and tell me - did you too! Make sure to have the sound turned on.



All the best,
Glenn B

Ballseye's Gun Shots 113 - Shooting Someone In Self Defense - A Question Of Conscience

On a firearms forum that I frequent, someone posed the following question with regard as to whether or not you would be able to shoot someone:

"Will my conscience allow me to use deadly force in defense of my own life or that of someone else?"

My answer was plain, simple and truthful:

My conscience demands it!

All the best,
Glenn B

Ballseye's Gun Shots 112 - The Lead Sure Has Been Flying - Two Range Days In A Row

On Sunday morning, I took off early for me for a Sunday and headed to the local county range. After writing about My Favorite Range Gun, I realized I had not shot some of my favorites in too long awhile. So, I dug out 3 of them, all 22's - the S&W Model 17, the Ruger MKII and the Beretta 70S. Then I scavenged around for a good variety of 22 ammo and came up with about 10 different types. I grabbed a couple of full boxes each of: American Eagle High Velocity 40 gr. solid point, Armscor Precision 36 gr. hollow point, CCI Blazer 40 gr. solid point, CCI Mini Mag hollow point, CCI Standard Velocity 40 gr. solid point, Federal Champion Standard Velocity solid point, Remington High Velocity solid point, Remington Subsonic solid point, Remington Target solid point, and Remington Thunderbolt solid point.

In the hour I spent shooting, I probably shot about 300 rounds or so and only fired 2 of the pistols to do it. I fired the Ruger MKII and the S&W Model 17, never getting around to the Beretta 70S. I shot okay, not my best but still pretty good. One thing that always amazes me is the different groupings I usually get with varying 22 ammo. While most shot right on center or pretty much so, with 2 of the 10 varieties, I shot off to the left. I tried each of them again and again shot to the left. It only happened with 2 brands - I'll be damned if I remember which ones, wrote it on the targets but am too lazy to get up to dig them out right now. Another thing that amazes me is that I got the best groups, with both pistols, while firing some of the cheapest ammo you can buy - the CCI Blazer. This has happened before with one of my rifles, it shot the Blazer ammo the best by far over some other ammo I fired through it. Go figure. As for ammo I fired, on Sunday, that I do remember - I was left unimpressed by the Armscor Precision, CCI Standard velocity and by the Remington Target ammo. They were all over the place, well for my groups anyway. I was shooting two hand hold unsupported at 15 yards. All of them produced groups that would have been more than good enough for self defense type shooting but I am not about to use a pistol in 22LR for self defense if I can help it. As far as target shooting, plinking, or hunting would go, shooting any of that ammo out of those pistols, I would have to go with the CCI Blazer. I must have gotten a very good batch of it. I have a partial and full brick left over. I hope the full brick is the same lot number as the partial one that I have been shooting up.

That was it for Sunday but not it for the week, not by a long shot. I was back at the range on Monday evening. I decided to bring along 200 rounds of 40S&W and practice with my issued SIG 229 DAK. I did pretty well. At 25 yards, holding two hands unsupported, I was able to get about a 6-7 inch group. Yeah, I know, not great but good enough for me. My eyes and shoulders are not what they once were and anyway a group that size on a man sized target is more than good enough for effect. I was pretty happy with it considering I was shooting without any support. In closer, my groups were better, I did much better at 15 yards, 10 yards, and 7 yards (a nice one hole group). So i did very well closer in as far as group sizes went, that is until I shot rapid fire at 3 yards and the group was about 8 inches. That was okay though since I was firing as fast as I could without using the sights, punching out to firing level from chest ready, firing 3 shots, then 2 round volleys until I got off all 13, then reloaded and fired all 12 as rapidly as I could get them off. I was happy with my shooting and anyone I might have been shooting at would not have been happy about it.

Oh yeah, I also shot the S&W Model 17 again and this time also fired the Beretta 70S. Had a lot of fun shooting them and had a lot of time left over because I went through the 200 rounds of .40S&W with my SIG in about a half an hour. I shot a bit more than an hour, maybe 10 or 15 minutes over and simply had a blast (as usual). I wish I had more time and more 40 S&W ammo with me but I didn't. At least I had the 22s and plenty of ammo for them for my remaining range time.

Well, the week is not over and neither is my shooting for the week. That is if the weather cooperates. I am scheduled to shoot for my quarterly qualifications on Ground Hog's Day. Apparently Mother nature has something scheduled for that same day in the form of sleet, frozen rain and snow and lots of ice. At least that is what the weatherman has been telling us. It should start tomorrow and then go into Wednesday morning. I am not looking forward to more shoveling nor am I looking forward to having to reschedule my range day. I picked Ground Hog's Day because it is special for me and because there is no better day to go shooting than a day deadicated to a rodent like a woodchuck. I have a stick on Ground Hog target somewhere, I hope I remember to bring it along and that I get a chance to chuck a few pieces of led at it.

All the best,
Glenn B

A Little False Hope - Or Maybe A Life Saver - The Gas Mask

Several years back, I obtained a gas mask. It came with 3 filters. The filters have long since expired and so too has the gas mask, though I would think the mask probably good for years to come since it was never used and stored under moderate conditions. With it came a complete chemical resistant suit, the thing about the suit was that it did not fit me, it was way too small. Don't ask - that is just the way it was and I will not give details.

I have often wondered if the gas mask, without the suit (or even with it) was something that could save my life in the event of a chemical, biological or nuclear attack (or in the even of an industrial catastrophe). I have also wondered if having one was just so much false hope. Then I would think to myself, 'Well the Israelis give them out not only to their armed forces personnel and to their government workers and also to the general public. If they do that, there must be something to them and anyway - folks wear them all the time in dangerous industrial situations'. The thought about not having them if needed also crossed my mind, pretty often, ever since 9/11 and it was accompanied by another thought. That other thought was of all the people who would survive whatever it was that those without gas masks would not survive. I was dead serious about all those thoughts at one time or another, also just amused by them at times. They came sort of intermittently depending on what was going on in the world and most were also intermittently forgotten then resurrected again only to be forgotten again seemingly ad infinitum.

I always sort of fantasized figured I would get myself and each person in my immediate family a gas mask. I just never did it. Yet, the thought of having a need for them kept popping up now and again. I have sort of a survival mentality, I would rather win the gunfight than lose it sort of a thing, even if I get shot, so I can get to see another day. I guess that is why the idea of buying some gas masks has persisted ever since 9/11. of course, I don't know if I want to still really be alive in a post apocalyptic world the likes of that seen in Road Warrior or Book of Eli, but I don't want to suffer the alternative either - as in getting killed off because I was not prepared to survive. It does not have to be something apocalyptic either, I would not want to suffer the consequences of something much more commonplace than the end of the world as we know it - such as an industrial explosion at a chemical plant or a nuclear reactor spewing forth radioactive material into the atmosphere or maybe just a run of the mill local area terrorist attack.

There was another reason though that I did not run right out and buy 4 gas masks. Gas masks are expensive, for good ones of current or even recent manufacture, the filters that go with them are also expensive. Yes my family is worth the expense but to tell you the truth I would need the money at hand to be able to buy them and not take other things away from the wife and kids. Of course I tend to be a procrastinator when it comes to buying stuff like that, especially more expensive stuff. Not that I won't spend the money, just that I hem and haw and check this and that and it takes me forever. I do buy what I have decided upon but only after I have definitely decided upon something and once I have saved up the money (it took me a couple to a few years to decide on my first computer and then spent between a couple to a few thousand on it). Back to gas masks. Recently, I saw an advertisement for some clearance items, one of which was a very well made gas mask without filters at $20 apiece! Thing is they were sold out when I checked at the store - it is a local store - I had waited too long and checked this and that too much and lost an opportunity. Well, I was about to leave the store when the clerk asked me if I wanted to buy another brand, also well made by a reputable company or so they said. I declined though at the time since knew little about the particular model (there I went procrastinating again and I was already there with money in hand ready to buy the brand that had sold out). I went home, did some checking, then got realized I had better act fast or lose another great deal. Sometimes I can overcome the procrastination bug. So I got right onto the store's website and ordered 4 of them. I also ordered another manufacturer's mask in size small since the 4 of the other brand I ordered were only available in large. My daughter probably will need to use the smaller sized one. The 4 large sized ones were just under $25 apiece and the small one was $20. I made the order.

I guess they arrived yesterday, I found them in my vestibule today. It is a rare day when someone in my house tells me a package has arrived for me! What a surprise when, I found out that the 4 I had ordered, North model 54401, also came with CBN (chemical, biological and nuclear) filters. I found that out when I opened the box tonight but I had been thinking I would need to order filters somewhere else. That was a big money saver right there. Normally those filters go for about $40 each. I checked them to see if they had expired, it would be my luck and I was again happily surprised. The filters are marked with what I believe to be an expiration date of 06/2015 ; I plan to confirm that with the manufacturer. If that is correct, they are good for over 4 years! Such a deal, I should buy more of them.

I was also a bit surprised, this time not so happily, to see the order had gotten somewhat screwed up. They sent me 4 North gas masks alright, but only 3 large, the other was a small. I would never have ordered the other brand, a small Forsheda, had I known they had an available North mask in small; their site only showed them in large when I ordered. Had I known, I would have gotten 4 large and 1 small - all North. I am hopeful they will make an exchange, the small Forsheda for a large North (I will pay the difference). Although they did say all sales are final on clearance items - they screwed up the order so I am hopeful an exchange will be amenable to them. If they want my continued business they will do the right thing and I am a decent if not good customer of theirs. Anyway, if they will not make an exchange it will be no great loss for me and I will try to sell the Forsheda. All I needed was 4 masks anyhow, I bought 5 because I wanted an extra North size large but can do without the extra one if they ran out. If they did not run out, I may buy a few more.

Next, I'll have to work on chemical resistant suits, gloves and boots. With the way things are going in Egypt, with China building up its military and getting testy with us, with North Korea attacking the South over and over again, with Iran being oh so much closer to nukes than we had thought, with the frequency of industrial accidents, with the way the Mexican cartels are going berserk, with the unchecked frequency at which terrorism just keeps rearing its ugly head, I figure that maybe a gas mask just might come in handy someday and if not, then so what.

Now, if any of this survivalist thinking sounds crazy or paranoid to you then stop to think for a moment about the motto of the Boy Scouts of America - "Be Prepared". Then give some few minutes thought to the Bhopal Disaster in India, to the Chernobyl meltdown in Russia, or to Three Mile Island here in the USA or just read the papers everyday about terrorism everywhere. Then think solemnly about those people who died or who were terribly injured but who may have fared better had they been better prepared while living in the shadow of the dragon. I have no fantasies of being a dragon slayer, just some hope of maybe surviving the dragon's rampage to see another sunrise and to see its rays shining down on my wife and kids standing beside me, them with hope in their eyes that we will make it to yet another day. Of course, I don't really know if making it, through whatever might happen, will be worth it but the only way to find out is by being alive to find out first hand.

All the best,
Glenn B

President Obama Announces a New Form of Government in the United States of America?

I listened to about half of President Obama's state of the union address earlier this week. It mostly seemed just to be political fluff as usual. A lot of hollow but puffed up rhetoric full of sweet sounding promises with little substance, a lot like cotton candy. Looks good, tastes good, does not fill you up or supply nutrients and in the end rots your teeth.

There was one thing though, that the president said, that I just cannot get out of my head. I just keep thinking of him saying it and I think of it over and over again. The reason I keep thinking of it is because he seemingly announced that the United States of America has a new form of government now (because of the elections last November) that the new year has begun. I have listened to the news reviews of his speech, I have looked to the blogs and read about the address on several of them, and have seen little mention of him announcing our new form of government.

WHAT IS THE PROBLEM PEOPLE, ARE YOU ASLEEP? DON'T YOU REALIZE HE JUST SAID WE HAVE A NEW FORM OF GOVERNMENT HERE! AREN'T YOU CONCERNED?

Oh, wait a minute, what am I yelling about - of course you know that we have always had this type of government. I just again thought of the quote in question. What he was actually talking about was probably only a new form of government that was worthy of note in his own mind. I mean, after all, our form of government has been a republic for over 200 years and in all that time, at least for the majority of it, we have in essence had a 2 party political system governing us. So, I suppose when the president said: "...governing will now be a shared responsibility between parties..." he was only admitting his own ignorance and or his arrogance in that he had apparently believed it had not been that way during the first 2 years of his term (heck maybe he thought it was always run in some way other way - more like a an oligarchy or more like a dictatorship).

Did everyone miss that quote or just ignore it? Am I making a mountain out of a mole hill? I don't think that said statement was inconsequential nor that it was not extremely telling on the part of the president. He was (and probably remains), in my opinion, the most smug president in my lifetime. One of the reasons for his continued arrogance must certainly have been the fact that not only was he elected to the office under a seeming shroud of secrecy about his past but that he had a Congress, in both houses, made up of mostly democrats, ultra liberal ones at that. It is not so any longer - is it! So is it that he now needs to make it appear as if he is bowing down a bit to the legislature of our own nation, or at least to the opposing political party. Was it not so much to say sorry for America as he did when he bowed to leaders of other nations, but to say sorry for his own bad behavior in his first 2 years in office? No of course not, but probably trying to make everyone believe he is now willing to work with the opposing political party certainly helps him when he is trying to hoodwink the American people into believing that he is a swell sort of a guy who is worthy of reelection in 2012. The thing is though, he was, as is apparent by this statement, not willing to work with the other party while his party was in control. I mean, why did he never say before now that governing was a shared responsibility? Of course it was not due to ignorance, he could not be that stupid being a natural born U.S. Citizen and a community organizer and all - so it must have been due to arrogance or so I would think. Despite any talk to the opposite, he obviously never wanted to work with Republicans during the first two years of his administration, as far as I can tell. That is evident to me by this statement and by almost every piece of legislation he tried to get through Congress and by the smug attitude he had while doing so. The only thing surprising about any of this is that he would, in essence, admit as much by making this statement. Can you actually believe he said it, that he thinks our government's responsibility will NOW be a shared one between parties! Amazing however you look at it.

What next - will he realize that the American people have rights under the Constitution or that he should try to keep our nation's foreign policy strong or maybe that he should actually cut back on government spending or stop borrowing from China? Anything he says seems to me to be all so much lip service from a man who seemingly believed that before his state of the Union address, and the November elections, government was not a shared responsibility between parties!

If you have not realized it, allow me to clarify, the above is my personal opinion.

All the best,
Glenn B

The Snow Keeps Falling and Falling and Falling...

...all the while that the global climate keeps warming and warming changing and warming changing. All I know is that it has been snowing a lot here lately. I guess that is because it is winter here and it is cold outside and there must have been some moisture in the air. I just don't know what it has to do with global warming or climate change because as long as I can remember it gets cold in the winter and snows. Yes it normally gets cold and even snows in winter here on Long island and in nearby NYC, maybe not usually as much as it has these last few years, not in the recent years before them, but I remember lots of snow when I was in my teens. So what! If the polar bears in the Arctic are missing out on this they should move south.
So far, as of about 10 minutes ago, when I went outside to shovel a relief station for our 4 dogs, I figure we got at least 10 to 12 inches since about 8PM last night. (I measured and I figure that is about average on my small postage stamp of a lot.) The weathermen were saying we were only going to get another 6 - 8 inches at most and more likely only 6 icnhes. Yeah they hedged their bets saying 6 to 12 but everyone of them said most likely not more than 6. (What do they know?) That is all on top of the few inches we got yesterday morning into the early afternoon; well not really on top of that since most of that melted due to some rain we also got.


This stuff now is pretty heavy snow, I know because I just spent about 20 minutes shoveling what normally takes me about 5-10 minutes with the lighter stuff. It is still coming down too, I cannot wait to have to shovel the side walkway, the front walkway, the sidewalk and then trudge to my government vehicle and have to dig that out. My guess is that my office will, at least, open late tomorrow, though I am thinking they may well stay closed for the day. One can only hope.

Maybe I should try to catch some Z's about now so I will be all recuperated for shoveling later this morning when the sun is up.

All the best,
Glenn B

The Tip Jar

No, no no - I am not about to tell you that I have put up a tip jar icon on my blog. I would rather work at 7-Eleven, Home Depot or McDonald's before lining my pockets with money I begged for or put out a virtual tip jar to receive funds. Don't get me wrong, I accept donations for good causes and also donate to good causes. I see nothing questionable about that type of donation if on the up and up. That money is not for me, or for the others collecting it; it goes to the good cause - like the donations that were collected and used for the Soldiers' Care Packages. I do have a bit of difficulty understanding the whole concept of virtual tip jars through which bloggers expect to get money to put in their own pockets and then to spend on themselves as if someone tipped them for doing a good job. It is about those, the virtual tip jars you see on the sites of many bloggers that I have questions.

Someone please tell me - what is it that compels so many bloggers to place a 'tip jar' donation icon on their blogs? Do they expect that some multimillionaire will take a fancy to their writing and throw them a bone - a really big bone like on the old TV show - The Millionaire? Or is it that they think they are writers of great worth and their readers will take it upon themselves to channel money to the bloggers as if they were preachers at Sunday meeting who just gave a bang-up sermon? Maybe it is that they are poor and need the cash but refuse to come right out and ask for it - point blank. Of course, I guess it could be a joke too, maybe the icons don't even work or maybe they do not really expect anyone to donate. Then again, maybe some take any donations they receive and send them to charity. I suppose they could have other reasons too but I just don't get it.

I guess I don't get it mostly because I cannot believe any blogger really has the nerve to expect anyone to donate to them (but apparently they really do have the audacity). I also find it hard to believe that people fill the tip jars, so to speak, but my guess is that at least some must throw something into them now and again - otherwise why are the tip jars so popular! I mean do these bloggers with tip jars really need the money or is it just greed or something else? Heck, most of the bloggers I have seen, with a tip jar icon, blog about their jobs, their spouses' jobs, their kids, their houses, their cars and trucks, their numerous firearms, their pets, their toys, their hobbies, their travels and vacations and so on. There is only one blogger whose site I visit regularly who is probably really in financial duress and that person and that person's family are working hard to make ends meet; I figure it is pretty humbling for that blogger to have put a tip jar link on the blog. All the others though, well, they just seem to be shameless beyond my comprehension in that they would ask for donations and they already have and live the good life and blog about it often. So why is it they put a tip jar donation icon on their sites?

Maybe it is just my upbringing that makes me feel the way I do about this whole tip jar thing. When was young, we were fairly poor to lower middle class at various times (and I mean food stamps and stand in line for the cheese poor to lower middle class at times) but we made due because my mom worked at us making it. She also taught us that we had to work for what we would get. Now, I am not saying she would turn away good fortune. She got a nice inheritance later in her life but she would never be so unabashed as to go out begging and put out her hand for a handout all the while as she enjoyed luxuries. She would only seek help if the bad times were overwhelming and she needed help badly for the family's sake. What I mean is, even when we took food stamps or the free cheese or the free butter they doled out, we only took the minimum to make it and only took it when we needed it during bad times. The thing is though, we worked our way out of it and got back to the point where we did not have need to ask ever again (thank the heavens for that so far).

That does not seem to be the case with these bloggers who are seeking tips in the virtual tip jars that are always open. To me it seems these bloggers are, for the most part, akin to street beggars whom I sometimes see wearing nicer clothing than me while they brazenly beg from me while so dressed. Of course, I am open to all explanations that may convince me otherwise because it is certainly a phenomenon that I apparently do not understand. You tell me, convince me that it is something other than just shamelessly seeking handouts, something I am just not seeing amid all the glitz and luxury they blog about on their personal computers, laptops, or i-Phones. Man, I really don't get it - how can someone have all that and ask for more, for nothing?

Mind you, I really am not judging anyone else on this issue. I am not saying it is good or bad, I am neutral on it when it comes to whether or not others want to do it. It definitely is not right for me and that is as far as I will go to make a statement as to it being right or wrong. Others have to decide for themselves it it is right or wrong for them. It baffles me though as to why folks do it and I am curious about it and I am hopeful someone can explain it to me.

All the best,
Glenn B

Ballseye's Gun Shots 111 - My Favorite Range Gun

Someone in a firearms forum, that I visit, posted a thread under the header of: "Favorite Range Firearm?" Then, he asked the question: "When you go to the firing range, what's your weapon of choice and why?" (See: http://armslocker.com/gun-talk/47615-favorite-range-firearm.html). I figured I would give it my best shot and be a straight shooter at that by giving him my most well thought out and honest answer. When I began this task, about 4 hours ago, little did I realize it would take me hours of: looking though my guns, scanning my memories, trying to choose one firearm over the other, and then writing out my thoughts, as I went along, before I would wind up deciding which is my favorite. I began my deliberations with the gun I carry most often, I guessed that was the logical place to start.

Whenever I go to the range, for work or for fun, I virtually always carry my issued handgun - a SIG 229. I shoot it a lot too, not only because practice is good and my life may depend on this pistol and my skill with it but also because I get free ammo for it. None of that makes it my favorite though, its just not anywhere near as fun as some of my other guns. I also tend to bring my Glock 26 to the range a lot, I guess because it is my duty back-up. It is a great little pistol, I have no complaints about it, I shoot great with it, and I have gotten lots of free ammo for it too. Guns that you get free ammo for sure have to ride high on the list of favorites. Still though., it is not my absolute favorite that baby Glock. Well, I don’t think so anyhow!

It’s not that I really don’t like the Glock 26, it is just that I have enough other guns that I also love to shoot, even if the ammo for them is not free, that it makes it difficult for me to make up my mind. I mean, what about the Yugo SKS, I’ve got lots of ammo for that one too and love to shoot up a storm with it since the ammo is so cheap and the recoil is minimal or almost so. Nice rifle, from a far away place, that I got for a song, a cheap one at that, and I love it. Still though, I don‘t think it is my favorite. I mean, how could a commie made rifle be my favorite, me being a patriotic American conservative/libertarian sort of a guy more or less. I also like my other eastern bloc rifles, the Mosin Nagant M44 and the Mosin Nagant 91/30. More kick than the SKS, but really nice flames shooting out of he barrels, and the 91/30 is a darned good shooter. So what is not to like. I don't know - they are just, neither one of them, my absolute favorite above all the others. I guess either could be a favorite of someone but not me even though they are loads of fun.

Speaking of recoil, I am getting on in my middle age, near the end of it, and me and my arthritis and bursitis and flab do not like recoil. So, you can often see me shooting a .22 rimfire at the range, at least between shooting those of larger caliber. I have always loved them, the 22s. I learned to shoot with .22 Winchesters and Remingtons a long time ago. The thing about my rimfires though is it is pretty much of a challenge to pick a favorite one out of all of them. I just like em all so much. I’ve got the Ruger MKII and it well could be my favorite since it is so much fun to shoot; then I remember I have to break it down to clean it and then reassemble it and I just sort of shy away from it a bit. Nope, no gun that makes me beat it with a hammer and pry it with a paperclip is my favorite. Of course, there is the Remington 513T Matchmaster rifle. It is a real looker and a darned good shooter, another one I picked up cheap. Really a beauty but just not my favorite since it gets a lot of competition from the Mossberg M44 that I got from the CMP. That one is a tack driver, I mean it. What a gun, shoots better than I can with it. I don’t know though - accuracy alone does not make for my favorite among all others. I also have the Remington 241, nice gun and if it didn’t eject down and have shell casings hitting my wrist of forearm, I might like it more. It’s the only true take-down I have except of course for the Henry Survival Rifle. That could be my favorite if I shot better with it or, then again, if ever put it back together again. I took it down to its last little pieces and never reassembled it. Lord knows when I will get to that and have some fun with it again. A good project for a weekend day.

Another big-time favorite for me to take to the range is the Marlin 25MN in 22WMR. It is scoped and a tack driver too. Nice rifle, probably my favorite squirrel gun but favorite range gun - almost but not quite. It might be my son's favorite at the range, at least as of this past fall - he fell in love with it after he hammered his shoulder with a 12 gauge and some larger bore rifles. But it's just not my all time favorite range gun. Man oh man, this picking a favorite range gun thing is getting difficult. What else is there? Well, there is the S&W Model 17 revolver in .22LR. That is one nice revolver. Got it at a good price, often comes to the range with me too. The thing is though, it only holds 10 rounds the has to be reloaded manually - no magazine and the chambers are tight. Makes it a bit of a pain in the neck. Of course, if I want to shoot faster, I can shoot the Ruger 10/22 rifle, only 10 round mags but I have lots of em. The Ruger 10/22 was probably (is definitely) the first rifle I bought as an adult. Heck, it was my first rifle ever, now that I think of it. That ought to count for something shouldn’t it? Yeah, it does too, but I have not brought it to the range all that recently - or have I? I just can’t remember. With my muddled middle aged mind it is even harder to pick a favorite. I mean, not remembering which one I like the most or shoot most sure makes it really difficult to figure which one I would chose over the others!

Then there is my son’s All Weather 10/22 but that is his rifle so how could it be my favorite. Let me stick with my own and just tell you right out that the Armscor 14Y, a neat little bolt action in .22LR used to be my favorite. It was because every time I took it to the range it meant my son was coming along for me to teach him to shoot and that was the best thing ever, at least back then. It was his learner rifle! I have not shot it in probably over half a year and even then it had been a long time before that since the prior shoot with it. Heck, my son is a grown young man now. He has his own rifles - but again they are not my rifles - so neither one is my favorite range gun.

What else is there? Got to be getting there soon, that is to the bottom of the list if not to my favorite gun to take to the range. Let’s see. There is the Ortgies in .32 auto. Fun pistol indeed and it goes to the range a good number of times, and is my only personally owned German made gun and I love that about it but a .32 auto as my favorite! Nah - I am not sissy enough to have a .32 as my favorite! Speaking of foreigners, I also have the Yugoslavian M24/47 in 8mm Mauser. Another fun gun and a really nice shooter. I got it only several months ago and it has seen a good deal of shooting because strangely enough, even though an 8mm, it is easy on the shoulder. I like that a lot, what with my bursitis and arthritis, and can hit the broad side of a barn with it so it is okay with my aging eyes too. We are getting closer to the favorite among my guns for the range - I promise.

Speaking of the larger caliber rifles I have, I also have a nice Marlin 336 in .35 Remington. I love that rifle. Got a great deal on it, it works like a charm, shoots like a pro and is a lot of fun. Again though, it is a bit hard on the shoulder. Speaking of hard on the shoulder, there is the Remington 870, my only shotgun. It is my number one choice for home defense, was my number one choice for an entry weapon when on operations at work (I carried my own for awhile until they made it issued only), is a fun gun for trap, is a great hunting gun for deer and birds and squirrels, has probably put more holes in paper than any other long-arm I own except maybe the 10/22, definitely has put more holes in game animals than any other gun I own, and has been with me since the early to mid-eighties. It sure was my favorite for many years and have a hankering to say it is still my favorite except for the thing about my aching shoulder, and neck and back - you understand - don't you!

Of course, I also have some other pistols. I am partial to Berettas. I own two Beretta 92FS 9mm pistols and one Beretta 92SB 9mm pistol. Used to own 4 or 5 (not all at once) Beretta Jetfires in .25 Auto and also a Beretta model 21 in .22LR. All excellent pistols and all lots of fun. The oldest, among all those, is the model 92SB and I am partial to that one if only because it saved my life and got me my nickname of Ballseye (another long story, but not now).

I also have the Beretta 70S in .22LR; probably my oldest pistol or should I say the one I have owned the longest (the Ortgies is the oldest by age). The Beretta 70S is an excellent little pistol. I used to shoot it a lot, still do when do bring it to the range. Luckily I have 5 Beretta factory magazines for it. So, I can shoot it up a bit before I have to reload the mags. That always makes a gun more fun. I really do love that pistol but to call it the favorite among all the guns I bring to the range, it would almost be like I was being disloyal to one of the other ones - wouldn’t it! I don’t want to upset any of them, even though I think maybe, just maybe, the Beretta 70S is my.... I mean after all, they are guns and you don’t want one going off on you because you were a dope and treated one better than the other by way of taking it out shooting with more enthusiasm than another - do you? Not me. I guess that’s it, I guess I can’t have a favorite gun to bring to the range. So, I'll just keep bringing them and shooting them all. Some I’ll shoot a lot now, then I won’t shoot one or two of em for a year or more while something else comes out of the arm’s locker to take their places and the rotation just keeps going.

I guess though, if I had to choose, I would pick whatever gun I had in my hand while at the range as my favorite - for at least those moments I am shooting it. Since I shoot all of my guns, at least now and then, and enjoy each one just as much as another, well you see where this is going don’t you! Yeah that’s it! Each one of them is my favorite gun, my firearm of choice, to bring to the range depending on the moment. It just doesn’t get any better than that, that is unless I get another gun and thus a new one to choose and to shoot to be my favorite of the moment.

I wonder if I missed any? Nah, I doubt it, at least not any I currently own. I think not anyhow. Still though, somewhere there in the back of my head something keeps making me wonder because I just don't want to make any of them feel neglected. Oh well, it must be time to do an inventory and see if I come up with any long lost others that need all the attention I can give them.

All the best,
Glenn B

TASER

I usually don't bother writing a blog post on something like this, but for some reason it has been bugging me ever since I read a forum post about TASERs. In the post, there were at least 2, and maybe 3, incorrect representations of what is in essence the name of (or acronym for) a modern day lightning bolt of the gods.

It is not a tazer, nor taser, nor Taser. The correct way to write it is TASER. It is always written in all caps to be correct. The name of this very shocking self defense tool is derived from a fictional weapon: Thomas A. Swift's Electric Rifle from the book by the name of Tom Swift and his Electric Rifle. I apologize for being a nitpicker and posting about it here but it was just getting me piqued for some reason.

All the best,
GB

Chinese Pianist Makes Fools of, and Insults, U.S.A. at White House

If the story in the accompanying link is true, then our nation, under president Barack Hussein Obama, must be the laughing stock of the world, maybe even the universe.

See: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/49822/

One has to wonder just how wildly the president and the first lady applauded.

Amazingly despairing!

All the best,
GB

I Was On The Fence On This One But Not Anymore - I Am TJIC

To be quite honest, I think that Mr. Corcoran was a tasteless stupid asshole person for saying what he said. Oh, please don't tell me you don't know about him. He is the man who allegedly wrote in his blog, shortly after the shootings in Tucson earlier this month, the now infamous quotes:

"1 down 534 to go"

and:

"It is absolutely, absolutely unacceptable to shoot “indiscriminately”.

Target only politicians and their staff, and leave regular citizens alone."

I think most would agree, it was pretty tasteless and anyone putting that out for the public to see had to have been a stupid asshole person to have done so - and I think a pretty nasty asshole person being he did so right after so many were wounded and killed. Well anyway, that's my personal opinion of him and his writings - I think him a tasteless and nasty asshole person relative to this issue.

Whether tasteless, stupid, nasty or not, no matter what I may think of what this man said or of him personally, I also am of the opinion that his words do not constitute a crime or intent to commit a crime or intent to have others commit a crime.

Since he wrote that, his firearms have been confiscated by the police in his state of Massachusetts. I almost do not blame the police for having confiscated his firearms. Note I said almost. I understand why they did it but I am of the personal opinion that they went to far to fast. They have not accused him of a crime, have not charged him with a crime, yet the have seized his firearms and stripped him of his liberty to keep and bear firearms in MA. Had Mr. Corcoran written or uttered fighting words that were actually meant to incite others to violence against Congressmen, then I would have understood the actions of the police and probably condoned them. The thing is though, he probably did not truly attempt to incite anyone and note I said probably. Probably is the key word here because it goes toward Probable Cause. The police had, as I see it, no Probable Cause to believe he was inciting violence and therefore no Probable Cause to seize his firearms. The police though are saying that Mr. Corcoran made a credible threat and that they will consider it such until they have proven otherwise. I refer to this quotation:

“We certainly take this as a credible threat, and credible until we prove otherwise,” said Arlington police Captain Robert Bongiorno.

Well, isn't that a bit off from what the police usually need to do. Aren't they supposed to determine if an allegation is credible by way of developing Probable Cause and then provide evidence to help prove an allegation beyond a reasonable doubt? In this case, based on the quote, it certainly seems to me, they have assumed it credible and have gone from there, instead of investigating, to determine it indeed was credible and remains credible until they say otherwise. That quote can be found in this online news report. The news report goes on to say that the police are not planning on charging Mr. Corcoran with anything. If that is the case then what was his crime that gave police probable cause to seize his firearms in the first place?

Mr. Corcoran having said something, that was in my opinion tasteless, and nasty, is no reason to seize his firearms or curtail his liberties. If that was the case then the great majority of Americans, most probably myself included (heaven knows some others consider me and my writing much as I consider Mr. Corcoran), would either be in jail or have their liberties somehow else denied them.

I will not go into it in much more but if you want to read more on this subject then go to the below links to the blog posts, on this issue, by the person who apparently started a support group for the 1st & 2nd Amendments by his creation of the 'I Am TJIC' movement, and that is what is seems to be becoming - a movement among bloggers who support the 1st and 2nd Amendments.

http://borepatch.blogspot.com/2011/01/just-words.html

http://borepatch.blogspot.com/2011/01/we-are-tjic.html

http://borepatch.blogspot.com/2011/01/i-am-tjic.html

BorePatch says it pretty well, better than I could say it.

All the best,
Glenn B

reference: http://boston.cbslocal.com/2011/01/18/arlington-man-loses-gun-license-due-to-blog-about-tucson-shooting/

Ballseye's Gun Shots 110 - The Russians Are Coming - Well, Maybe The AK-47s Are Coming

As per this FoxNews.com article, it has been reported that there are calls within the Russian government to replace its standard military rifle, the Avtomat Kalashnikova-47, more commonly known as the AK-47. What would be the replacement? No one knows, in fact no one knows if the push for a replacement will even be taken seriously. The thing is though, if the Russians do replace the AK-47 with something else, one can only hope there will be an influx of them into the U.S. markets - at least a good number reworked to 'semi-auto only' for those of us who cannot legally purchase full auto.

When reading the linked article, please remember that FoxNews, just like most other of the MS, often gets things wrong (or at least reports on incorrect info) when it comes to firearms. In the article, it is reported that the AK-47 is often credited as the first modern assault rifle. Sorry to those of you who would believe that but there was a modern assault rifle, or two that came out before that. Leave it to Germany to be the first to develop the technology for the first modern and successful automatic assault rifle, the Sturmgewehr 44 (Stg44, or MP 43 or MP 44). This rifle, developed in 1942 and deployed in 1944, it beat the AK-47 by at least a couple of years. It was a true assault rifle because it fired a true intermediate rifle round, the 7.92x33mm Kurz which was developed specifically with an eye toward a lightweight assault rifle. There also was another modern automatic assault rifle, firing a true intermediate range cartridge, developed many years before and you might be surprised the hear by what country. That would be Italy! Yes indeed, the developed in 1890 (wow, get that in the 1800s) Cei-Rigotti was supposedly a gas operated, selective fire, assault rifle. Although deployed, the Cei-Rigotti though was not considered a success. The first successful one, to see deployment to troops and use in a major war was the Stg44. But I digress so back to the AK.

Besides being the standard rifle of the Russian military, the A-47 is utilized by many other armies throughout the world. It was the mainstay weapon of the European Communist Bloc, was copied and used by the Chinese, is issued to the armies of many African nations, is issued to some armies of Asian nations, is issued to other armies across the globe and is the rifle of choice of drug traffickers and terrorists throughout the world. Its widespread popularity goes to say a lot about the effectiveness of its design, especially toward its simplicity, reliability and durability.

The Russians, in my opinion will not likely toss out an old workhorse like the AK-47 any time soon. It is simple in its mechanics, inexpensive to produce, durable and reliable beyond compare, easy to maintain, easy to operate and uses an effective cartridge - the 7.62x39mm. It was and remains a well designed rifle and credit is due to its designer Mikhail Kalashnikov. It does have one problem, it is not as inherently accurate as it could or should be. So, I think, they may redesign it, if possible to get it to shoot more accurately but I would think that would be about it for a redesign. That is, of course, unless they come up with a new Russian designed assault rifle. I just cannot see them going foreign for a new rifle, they have too much to lose by depending on an outside source of supply for something like that. Stranger things have happened though and if they decide on a new rifle we may see an invasion of AK-47s hitting our shores. That could be a good thing as long as they are in the hands of dealers and not invaders.


All the best,
Glenn B

Baby It's Cold Outside...

...and I find myself longing for the days of Global Warming to bring up the temps to a somewhat more sub-tropical levels. (Me thinks though, I'll have to wait until June and late spring or summer for that!) Funny thing about all this cold weather over the past few winters, at least here in NY, is that whenever it gets really cold lately, the weathermen say that the icy blasts of winter's wonderfulness comes to us from Canada. Then in almost the next breath that same weatherman may be talking about Global Warming and how it is running amok in the Arctic and killing polar bears. Don't they even have a clue that if these abnormally cold temperatures are being thrust upon us from Canada, that Canada must be getting the big chill from somewhere. Do they really believe that the polar ice cap in the Arctic is melting because it is above freezing up that way but yet it is colder in Canada - cold enough to send sub-freezing temperatures down at least as far south as Virginia Beach, VA (a reported 27 Fahrenheit degrees as I type).

Should they be telling us this is not really global warming but only polar ice cap warming? Or should they be telling us the truth - that as usual - the weathermen, the scientists, and especially the politicians and moonbat greenies have absolutely no idea as to what the climate is doing, certainly no more so than anyone else such as we ignorant who believe global warming possibly to be a crock of shit balderdash. As a graduate school professor of mine used to say: TICSMYD (talk is cheap, show me you data). The data I can show right now is available to you all, it is currently (as I write) 21 degrees Fahrenheit in Washington, DC, 19 degrees F in New York, NY, 20 degrees F in Baltimore, MD, -18 degrees Celsius in Quebec, QC (yes that would be in Canada and that is a minus sign in front of the 18), -29 degrees C in Yellowknife, NT (yes again in Canada) and -38 degrees C in Resolute, NU Canada (that is about -36 Fahrenheit). By the way, Resolute, NU is within the Arctic Circle. Although, cold in those Canadian locales, I must admit, it is only -15 degrees C (about 5 degrees F) in balmy Montreal, QC.

Let's face it, this is cold weather hitting us right now - very friggin cold weather and it is supposed to get even colder on Monday. I hope the polar bears are wearing their mukluks. Me, I am staying inside and enjoying the fact that I have enough fossil fuel to keep the heat on and help warm up the globe.

All the best,
Glenn B

Ballseye's Gun Shots 109 - The Kel-Tec KSG, Dual Tube, Bull-Pup, Pump Action Shotgun

Take a look at the shotgun in these videos of the Kel-Tec Shotgun (KSG). Need I say it - I want one of them. The MSRP is $800, quite the amount for a pump action shotgun but then again, who else has a dual tube, 15 shot, bull pup design, shotgun! I recently got enough stashed away to purchase the bolt action rifle I have been wanting in either 308 or 30/06 but now am none too sure that the money will be going toward a rifle purchase. Of course, if I go for the Kel-Tec KSG, it would have to be NY legal and it appears to be such. No threaded barrel for flash suppressor, no folding or collapsible stock, no bayonet lug - only a pistol, grip. That magazine capacity could be questionable but I am pretty sure they excluded tube magazines from the restrictive assault weapons ban in NY.



For the KSG in action, watch this one:



Yes, indeedy do, I want one. Maybe though I ought to wait for at least the first reviews because as I seem to remember Kel-Tec firearms come with less than a good reputation for high quality. Oh decisions - decisions. Of course even if I was ready to buy right now, it has to hit the market first and be NY legal. A little online checking shows it should be legal in NY State because the NY Assault Weapons ban apparently did not aply to pump action firearms, it applied to automatic and semi-auto firearms.

What a design - I can only pray it will be quality made.

All the best,
Glenn B