No Wonder Women Used To Be Miserable...

...household chores suck. So far three out of 5 or 6 are done and I only did two of them. Lucky for me my wife bathed the dogs yesterday. So far today, I brought my daughter's car to the shop. That meant about a mile long walk back home which was pretty refreshing even though a tad warm out today. Then, I did the lawn and garden work. I still have vacuuming and straightening up the basement to go along with maybe going shopping and also setting up the new enclosure for my Russian Tortoises. Since I also have to clean out the other critter enclosures, I probably ought to wait until done with them before I do the vacuuming - I usually make quite the mess when cleaning the tanks and such.

Nothing like taking a break for a tall cool drink of something or other though on a warm one like today. It's about 86 right now and had gotten up to around 89 degrees when I was walking home from the repair shop. Fairly humid too but nothing terrible. It would be a nice day to sit around outside sipping mint juleps but since I am not that sort of a guy (not usually anyway), I figure to have a couple of cold ones later on while outside on the patio. I may precede the cool beverages with a cleaning of a couple of pistols though. So far in my summertime gun maintenance ritual, that I commenced weeks ago it seems, I have only finished the long arms. And note, I did say the gun cleaning would precede the imbuement of my bodily fluids with cold beverages so no need to worry about a tipsy neighbor with guns around my house (at least no need to worry about me or my son ever being that guy). For now, I guess I'll start on the critters and clean up their enclosures - maybe let the bigger tortoises run around the backyard while I do so.

Oh, before I go, let me get back to the title of this piece a moment. I can fully understand why women used to be so miserable when all or the great majority of household chores fell on their shoulders; that was back in the pre-womens' lib days. It's different nowadays though so someone please explain to me why all the liberated women are still so miserable NOW. ;>)

Later 4 U,
Glenn  B

Got Rid Of Some Undesirables Yesterday

I attended the NY Metro Reptile Expo in White Plains, NY yesterday. I was lucky enough to be invited to some space at one of the vendor tables so I brought along some dead weight to get rid of. No, no, no - I was not following the advice of Confucius from my post immediately prior to this one. This did no involve grave digging at all, in fact - revenge was not a factor (well except maybe in one case). The dead weight was in the form of three ball pythons, two corn snakes, a bearded dragon and a couple of Hermann's Tortoises that I wanted to offload. I was able to sell the two Hermann's Tortoises which did me a world of good because I wound up buying all of the critter supplies I needed, buying a female Russian Tortoise to keep my male Russian Tortoise occupied (hopefully occupied as in they will breed), filled up the tank with gas and have about three times the money left over in my pocket than I had had with me when I got to the show. That was a pretty good day.

I also got rid of two of my ball pythons, and two corn snakes in trade for a Bearded Dragon. It would have been an excellent deal considering I got the three snakes for a grand total of $10 or $15 at an auction (the pair of baby corn snakes for $5.00, a ball python for $5 or $10) and the other BP for free. I say would have been a good deal had the Bearded Dragon been in excellent condition. I asked the guy (dealer's assistant) at the other dealer's table if there was anything wrong with it and he told me it was in excellent condition. I did not really look it over as well as I should have done, I guess because it was the end of the day and I was in the middle of getting out of there but still wanted to offload those snakes (just do not want to be keeping a bunch of snakes right now and am left with only one now).

Shame on me. The dragon has a pretty bad burn on it right front shoulder. I am sure it will be wind up being okay health-wise but am also sure I can never sell or trade it for even .25% of the value of an uninjured one. Never would have thought the dealer's assistant was a lying lowlife but live and learn; then again, he dealer did not mention it either. The dealer had walked away by the time my buddy saw the injury and showed me. Of course, I had to put on my reading glasses to see it well enough. I had seen it with my distance glasses on but thought it was just crap from another dragon (stupid me not to have looked better first). Oh well, I will see them at a future show and let my grievance be known.

Recently, I also recently traded a BP for a brick of 22LR ammo. I paid more for that BP than what a brick of 22 would have cost but I was okay with that trade yesterday because back when I bought it, during a charity auction, I was donating more so than buying an animal. Not quite the same as letting myself get ripped off because I was too stupid to check on the dragon I picked up yesterday. I have kicked myself and kicked again, aiming at my arse since yesterday afternoon. Regardless, once it has matured, I can use it as a breeder - I doubt the burn will effect its growth or breeding capability at all (I sure hope not).

I guess I should get myself busy, sooner or later today, in setting up a separate enclosure for the Russian Tortoises. Right after right now though, I will be off to the local garage to drop off my daughter's car for an oil change. She is in St. Martin, or someplace like that in the Caribbean, enjoying herself along with her husband. Then I guess I ought to tend to the garden and lawn, then maybe I should do some vacuuming, then the laundry, then maybe get in some shopping (I am hoping that can wait until Wednesday) and maybe then attend to the critters which means giving the dogs baths before anything else. Retired life, what a breeze - maybe I should just look for a job and hire a maid.

All the best,
GB

 

Words Of Wisdom - But I Think He Meant Something Else

 

 

Even though I think that Confucius meant something other than the thought I am about to convey, his were wise words indeed. I always have prepared for such acts by studying my enemies and my options, carrying back-up weapons, preparing for disposal (ahead of time), having a plan and an alternate plan at the ready and knowing my possible escape routes. 

 

I also have always dug more than one grave when I have set out for revenge and I have filled each that I have dug every time I have done so. Sometimes, I even have had to use each one for double duty. And here I am still standing ;>).

 

All the best,

Glenn B

I've Often Asked My Friend Pete...

...about how many bodies he has buried in his basement but he's not telling. So when I saw this over at Wirecutter's blog, I knew it would soon be posted on mine too.

Peter A, this could not fit you better:

A hat tip to Wirecutter for having it posted so I could borrow it and maybe to Wisco Dave too since his name was under it. Of course, my compliments to the designer!

All the best,
Glenn B

 

Sorry She Asked - I Would Think So

I'm unable to embed the video but clicking on the link and watching it that way will be well worth it. Simply put it is a fine example of straight talk that was used to answer a question that should not have been asked. Then again, I think everyone on the panel and in the audience (with one possible exception) was happy it was asked even though it had nothing to do with the ongoing discussion. Watch and listen to one of the panelists answer the question posed by a Muslim woman who was trying to turn a good talk to her own advantage by changing the subject and by making us feel sorry for all those good Islamists. See:

http://www.mrctv.org/videos/heritage-foundation-panelist-radical-islam.

A hat tip to Mike McC for this one.

All the best,
Glenn B

Romanian WASR-10 - There Has Gotta Be An Better Way...

...to put the receiver cover back onto my Romanian WASR-10. Yeah, I know, put it in place and whack it from the top rear at about a 35-45 degree angle down and toward the muzzle. Hardly ever works and I do mean hardly. I have had many folks familiar with AK_47s and WASR-10s try with my rifle all without any decent margin of success. Then sometimes it just goes on with one whack of the heel of my hand - go figure!

After trying about 25-30 times today, I was about to grind the bottom edge of the back opening a bit but decided to use a brass punch and hammer first. I held the cover in place, kept as much downward and forwards pressure as I could on it in the rear, then with the fingers on the same hand I finagled a brass punch into position along the bottom rear edge of the cover, and then whacked the bottom edge of the cover right under where the back of the return spring guide protrudes and it popped right into place. I know there has gotta be a better way - if you know - let me know and video certainly would be extra nice. 

Thanks,
Glenn B

Well, I Woke Up This Morning...

...and I got myself a beer - the future's uncertain and the end is always near. (The Doors from Roadhouse Blues.) It rang true today though. July 4th is reportedly the day on which more beer gets drank than on any other day in the US of A.



Truth be told, I had a mug a Joe first but I think a beer sounds good right about now. Considering I only crawled out of bed at about 11 and it's now 1233, that is pretty close to waking up and grabbing a cold one. Pardon me while I hit the fridge a tad early - gotta be allowed to do that at least once or twice per year don't ya think!

All the best,
Glenn B

My Fourth Of July Post - No Not Mine...

...but Wirecutter's - is a masterpiece! The essence of everything he says is spot on about the state of our nation today. Many Americans (meant as citizens and legal residents of our nation and not of a continent) are starting to see the light and are starting to realize that the time is nigh to do something about our current state of affairs to prevent it from becoming worse and to regain our Independence, rights and liberties. Even the current tyrant's supporters are coming to realize that our current president is the worst since at least WWII and that he has little to absolutely no regard or respect for the law and manipulates it at will. 

Prepare friends, for the wind that blows is strong and harsh and carries with it hardships we have never before known but with determination we may withstand it, even change its course and become free citizens again. Without further ado, here is Kenny Lane's (Wirecutter's) "My Fourth Of July Post":

*************

My Fourth Of July Post

Posted on July 3, 2014 by Wirecutter

The Fourth has always been a special day for me. Anybody that knows me knows I’m not big on holidays. Christmas and Thanksgiving are a pain as far as preparations go and having to deal with family that doesn’t want anything to do with me the rest of the year, Easter – I’m surprised they still celebrate Easter seeing as it’s offensive to muslims and liberals, Veteran’s and Memorial day always rubbed me wrong because those are days for memories that should be thought of everyday, Labor Day is just an excuse for a barbecue, but the Fourth to me was always special because of the anniversary it represents.

Not anymore. The Fourth is nothing but a reminder of what a mess our Nation has become. Our Founding Fathers and the Citizens of that period sacrificed everything to ensure Freedom for their descendants and immigrants coming here to seek a better life for themselves and their families. There were provisions in the Constitution to prevent the new government from becoming what they were trying to get out from under. The Bill of Rights came later naming our basic human rights so that future generations wouldn’t pervert the Yellowed Paper in order to grant them powers that weren’t theirs to begin with.

Now I get up in the morning and read what the government wants me to read. If the press isn’t in lockstep with the president then they aren’t allowed in his press corp. If you file for something under the Freedom of Information Act, you see only what the government wants you to see, everything else is blacked out.
 My weapons of self defense are government approved but they say if I don’t have a permit for them then they must stay at home, but at the same time the government says the police have no obligation or duty to protect me or mine.
 My food has to be approved by the government. I can no longer drink raw milk or eat cheese that hasn’t been homogenized or pasteurized because evidently I don’t know what’s good for me. Even homeopathic medicines have to be government approved if I want to buy them instead of growing and harvesting them myself.
 Our children are wards of the State. If they attend a public school, they learn what the government wants them to learn. The government has changed history to suit their views, not what really happened. You are not allowed to discipline your children with your own hand under threat of law. The government determines if your children are eating healthy lunches or not – not lunches from school but what Mom has packed for them.
 We’re under constant surveillance. Every time I walk out of my house I have to assume I’m on somebody’s camera. Traffic cams, security cams, dash cams, you name it. My emails are being monitored by the government. My website is being monitored by the government. Every piece of mail – every piece – passing through the post office is photographed and recorded. Every phone call we make, every text we send is monitored by the NSA. Boxes on the side of the roads log in bluetooth information from passing cars to determine who’s in what car traveling down the road, where you got on the road and where you left it. Radar is monitoring our speed.
 Our public lands are no longer public. The Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service determine what we can and cannot do on our own public lands and reserve the right to charge us fees for their use. If you resist you will be arrested, fined and possibly imprisoned.
 Everything has to be registered. Our vehicles are registered, our animals are registered, our firearms are registered, our watercraft is registered. By the way, you can read that as taxed.
Our police have gone from being peace officers to law enforcement officers. They have the right by decree of government to search you simply by stating they believe you may have committed a crime. In some cities they can search you just because they want to. They burst into our homes, kill our dogs and search our personal belongings with only the simplest of causes. SWAT teams – a concept that was designed for hostage situations – conduct an average of 124 raids every day. Now they raid barber shops for unlicensed (read that untaxed) barbers, they’re raiding dairies suspected of selling raw milk and they’re raiding mom and pop marijuana growers.
 With the NDAA and “Patriot” Act, we no longer have a right to an attorney or a Right to a speedy trial in front of a jury of our peers, in fact we no longer have a Right to a trial at all. Indefinite detention is the Plan of the Day at the pleasure of the government.
 The tax man takes between 30 and 50% of our paychecks, most of it outright theft. We support, out of our paychecks and from the sweat of our brow, cash and food for those that won’t work, medical and child care for those same deadbeats, organizations through federal and state grants that we don’t morally support or agree with, wars that we may not agree with, and anything else that the government feels is necessary.
 Any mention of God has been removed from our schools and government buildings even though this once-great Nation was founded on Christian principles. We can no longer pray before meetings nor can our children while at school. Our churches are regulated as far as mentioning politics. The entire “Separation of Church and State” has been twisted from not allowing the State to force a religion on us to not wanting to offend anybody by asserting our personal beliefs.
Our Nation is presently being overrun with illegal immigrants and our government who swore an oath to obey the Constitution and the Law of the Land is ignoring the law by not defending our borders. In fact, they’re encouraging these illegals to come by rewarding them with promises of a better life and citizenship. If you think this bothers you, think about the immigrants that came here legally and got pushed to the back of the line because of promises that our politicians have made to the illegals.
Our politicians truly believe they are above us, forgetting that they serve us and not the other way around. We have politicians that carry firearms and surround themselves with bodyguards, yet they deny us the very basic human Right to defend ourselves by outlawing us commoners to own and carry firearms and other weapons. They break laws with impunity, yet imprison us for doing the same. They refuse to listen to the People’s desires and instead enact laws they want. We have a president that says we must conserve energy and cut down on pollutants, yet he and his family fly on Air Force One for their many vacations every year. Our fuel prices have been above $3 a gallon for a record breaking 1200 days because our president refuses to cut our dependency on foreign oil and use our own natural resources which would also provide much needed jobs for us. Our president bows to foreign Heads of State, showing them that he believes we are subservient to them. Our government has done everything it can to make sure that we, as a Nation, serves it instead of the other way around.

This is not the Nation our Founding Fathers wanted for us. I know that if they could see what we’ve turned into, they would be appalled. I know I am, and that’s the reason the Fourth holds no special place in my heart anymore.
-Kenny Lane (Wirecutter)
www.knuckledraggin.com
Ceres, CA.

For the past week I’ve probably started a half dozen posts just for the one day we have to celebrate our Founding Father’s groundwork for a new, Free Nation under God.
I trashed every one of them. Instead, I wrote this. I kept the language clean so that if anybody wanted to use it on their sites, they could without editing.
As with anything you find here, it’s free for anybody to use. I only ask that it’s published in it’s entirety and that my name and link at the bottom be included. I WANT the government to know I wrote this.

*************

By the way, don't believe him for a moment when he says the Fourth holds no special place in his heart - he never could have written that piece if it was really true. Wirecutter is an American patriot through and through.

All the best,
Glenn B

Shooters - My Kind of a Restaurant

This place sounds great. Granted I am not very religious but their habit of "...throwing Jesus all over the place" is okay by me since I support freedom of religion. Well that is so long as religion does not curtail any of my rights and liberties to exercise my rights as does that so called religion of peace.

The thing I really like about the restaurant is its policy on firearms. They welcome customers to wear a firearm, in the holster, while in the restaurant. In fact their waitresses are reportedly armed as well. I don't know their policy on long-guns on the premises but imagine that policy would be similar. Shooters is quite aptly named considering the town where it is located - Rifle, CO. If I had the money, I could see a vacation trip there and breakfast each day of my stay at Shooters just to show some support.

Source: http://money.msn.com/business-news/article.aspx?feed=AP&date=20140703&id=17752157

All the best,
Glenn B

Independence Day - Already Tomorrow

I was a bit surprised to remember, a few minutes after I woke up this morning, that tomorrow is Independence Day. Somehow, I kept thinking that it was not until Saturday. Anyway, lately it almost has seemed as if it is further off than that and sometimes it almost seems as if there is hostility brewing over it being a holiday. 

Today, I went to a few stores and the like. In one in particular, I said Happy Independence day to a couple of the store workers and one ignored me and walked away and the other scowled at me. I was thinking I should start looking for another place to do the particular business I was doing there today but concluded I will give them another chance first because it must have been an off day for them. At FedEx, I wished the clerk, who took my package, a Happy Independence Day and she seemed genuinely surprised and very appreciative to hear me say so and returned the wish to me with gusto. My bet would be that not many have been wishing that to her today and she was quite happy to hear it. That was nice.

Oh well, I am wishing it to just about everyone with whom I come in contact, regardless. So, in the event I am too busy tomorrow, let me wish it to you too:

Happy Independence Day to all of you (and for those of you who do not yet realize that about which I am speaking - Happy July 4th).

Be careful with the fireworks and the firearms while celebrating tomorrow. Try to remember that gunpowder does not mix well with alcohol and/or mind altering drugs so get any shooting and setting off of fireworks done before you imbibe. Have a nice BBQ or whatever and enjoy the day in the spirit of our nation's founders.

Just one other thing, I keep getting reminded by a friend of mine on Facebook that animals (specifically dogs but I don't see why other pets should be excluded) do not always like fireworks and are stressed out by them. I agree but will not tell you what to do with your pets - you should know best what to do if they are badly affected by them. I just wanted to point out that some pets, like dogs, are not at all anxiety stricken when the fireworks start going off, some of them even seem to have fund with them.



All the best,
Glenn B

I Love It When A Plan Comes...

...together apart, especially when it involves a gun blowing up in the face of a terrorist. Now I am not calling this guy a terrorist, for all I know he could be a freedom fighter who is all for apple pie, the stars and stripes, freedom and America (yeah right). Let me just say, if he is what I think he is, too bad the thing didn't take his face apart too.



All the best,
GB

Hop Stoopid

I am long over due to try something new in the way of an ale and surprisingly enough discovered this afternoon that Costco now sells craft (for want of a better term) ales. They had a decent selection for a store like that, I am guessing at least 15-20 or so different ales for sale just up the aisle a tiny bit from the cases of their regular beers like Bud Light, Heineken, Stella Artois, Corona, and Kirkland Ales among others. Kirkland ales are a great buy at $18.99 a case and much better than swill like Budwiper, made by the same brewery as Saranac brand of ales as I understand . That is on the eastern side of the USA, the use a different brewery out west.

Among the single bottles of ale they offered they had Three Philosophers from Brewery Ommegang (Cooperstown, NY) and I put two of them into my cart at $8.99 each. Not a bad price considering what I would pay elsewhere. A few minutes later, I found a three pack box containing one each of brewery Ommegang's  Three Philosophers, Ommegang Abby Ale and Hennepin at $18.99 per box. I grabbed two boxes and put the two single bottles back on the shelf; at $6.33 per bottle that price is hard to beat. The three different ales in those boxes are excellent abbey style ales; Three Philosophers at about 9.7% alcohol, Ommegang Abbey Ale at about 8.5% and Hennepin somewhere around 6.5%.. I also grabbed to cheapies - a couple of bottles of Hop Stoopid by the Lagunitas brewing Company of Petaluma, CA at only $3.99 per bottle but at a decent 8% alcohol. They also had Duvall Ale (no, not Duvel from Belgium, this stuff is from WA or OR - probably grunge beer), Dogfish Head Ale at about 10% alcohol and I think at $10.99 per bottle and several others whose names elude me at the moment. After picking up the the ales, I also grabbed a case of the Kirkland Ales which has  a six-pack each of India Pale Ale, Pale Ale, Brown Ale and German Lager (why they included a lager in there just befuddles me but it tastes like an ale anyway).

Once home, my son saw the two boxes of Ommegang that I had brought into the house. He was impressed. Then I asked him to get the case of Kirkland ales out of the trunk. I guess he missed the two bottles of Hop Stoopid still in the trunk when he got the case. I threw the 6 bottles of the Ommegang ales into the fridge about two hours ago. Left the Kirkland case on the basement floor for later cooling (that's the beer for the BBQ on Independence Day) and just went out maybe 10 minutes ago to grab the two Hop Stoopid bottles. They went into the freezer right after that. I am figuring on giving them an hour in the icebox and then having one for myself and giving the other to my son should he feel like having one. The Hop Stoopid will be the new one for me; I had never heard of it, let alone seen it, before today. I'll clue you all in to just how wonderfully tasty of a beverage it is, unless of course it is unmitigated swill in which case I'll let you know that instead. I figure at the $3.99 per bottle that they charged for it, it is not going to be anything special but one never knows until one takes a few swigs (or a few bottles). Regardless of the taste, at 8% alcohol it was a bargain even if only about 1 pint 6 fluid ounces while the others were 1 pint 9.4 fluid ounces.

Waiting about another 15 minutes for them to have been in the freezer for an hour. Nope, that is wrong, my son pulled them out as I typed the period on the previous sentence. I guess now is the time. Mmmmm - hoppy goodness.

Ale for now.

Later 4 U,
GB

Other Bloggers of Note

My blog list - Other Bloggers of Note - was inadvertently deleted. if your blog was in there or if you recall a blog that was in there, and want it replaced, please let me know. I am sure I will not remember them all or maybe not more than the one I remembered so far. Any help is appreciated, thanks.

All the best,
GB

I Never Once Shot A Dog...

...in my 32 years plus some as a law enforcement officer / federal agent. I know very few who did during the span of my career.

While in the Border Patrol for four (4) years, I was in and out of peoples front and back yards, on their farms and ranches in their garages, barns, sheds, cattle pens, chicken coops and every imaginable place you might encounter a dog (or an illegal alien) and I had run-ins with plenty of them. The worst I ever had to do was whack one with a mag light because it was lunging at me about to bite me and I hit it square across the top of its snout. I have had them bark and growl at me, bear their teeth while literally within inches of me, snap their jaws, come at me fast and slow, jump over a fence and come at me snarling (probably the second largest Dobermans I have ever seen) and it got very close like feels its breath close and I handled everyone of them without shooting because shooting was not necessary - even when I was just about crapping my pants scared - it never came to that. (As a side note, had it happened today though, being older and wiser and less ballsy, I would probably have shot that Doberman.)

Heck, I don't even think I ever had to shoot one with pepper spray (at last not while in the Border Patrol). I spent the next three years or so in the Customs Patrol, mostly at JFK Airport, but even had a few run-ins with dogs then when on special assignments or while working cases away from the airport. Then I spent the next 25 plus years as a Criminal Investigator/Special Agent mostly with Customs and then some with DHS after 911. I had plenty of additional encounters with dogs during that 25 year span. They came when we were on investigations out on surveillance, or on raids executing search and arrest warrants, primarily in narcotics smuggling and distribution investigations and money laundering cases. Again, I had dogs act aggressively toward me and toward the other LEOS who were with me at least scores if not hundreds of times over the years. Not only did I never find it necessary to shoot one of those dogs but neither did anyone else with me on any of those operations.

Today, it is a different world. You hear or read about one shooting of a dog after another or so it seems. It appears that all too often that a good number of those shooting are questionable as I suppose they should be to some extent though probably not with as much biased attention as animal rights groups or the media gives to them. Take for example the latest dog shooting out in Salt Lake City. The police were entering onto peoples private property(ies) reportedly without warrants and apparently without permission of the owners(s) or resident(s). They may well have been justified to do so because there may have been exigent circumstances; they were reportedly looking for a missing child. The thing is before you enter someone's backyard, unless in hot pursuit of a criminal or attempting to prevent imminent harm to someone, you would under such circumstances knock on the door to ask permission. You would also ask if anyone was back there or if there were any hazards (such as dogs) in the yard. It took me all of my first dog encounter to learn that, let alone the adult tiger with which I came face to face in a shed, on a ranch in the Imperial Valley, CA, when I was a Border Patrol Agent and the circus was in town (but that is another story and I swear it is true).

I also learned that if no one was home and I needed to enter the yard to search it, or even if I was in hot pursuit of a suspect, one of the best things to do besides to take a look before leaping was to make a lot of noise. It could save you, from at best, a hasty retreat with a Doberman Pincer on your trail or worse yet from being bitten by a German Shepard (two very popular dogs when and where I was in the BP and two I faced from time to time).

Now don't get me wrong. Some other guys shot dogs back then and I would have too had it been called for in any given encounter with one or more of them; I almost did it at least a couple of times. With other LEOs with whom I worked, it happened but was rare thing - especially in town. One of the main reasons was because if in town there was usually too much of a chance that you might hit something else than the dog - like someone in the path of the bullet if you missed the dog and mind you, I was and am an excellent shot but still had that concern. Another reason was because there usually are other ways to avoid being attacked and bitten by a dog than to shoot it - some still utilizing potential deadly force and others not, some even not using force against the dog at all. Retreat (fairly to very effective), mace (not very effective), OC spray (very effective), use of an impact weapon (often effective), use of a blocking device (fairly effective to excellent depending on what you use to block), and giving verbal commands such as a sort of growling "NO" or "SIT" often are enough. Those techniques, among others, worked well, so often that in at least the high scores to maybe even hundreds of encounters with dogs I have not shot one yet and not even one of them ever bit me while I was working.

So why is it today that LEOs shooting dogs seems to be common place. I don't know but I imagine it has a lot to do with how they have been trained (or to do with lack of proper training). Also, the attitude of too many police today that the only important part of their job is that they get home safe at night (which they should all strive to do but it is not the only important duty they with which they are obligated) may have a lot to do with it. The police unions evidently pound that into their heads and, I think, are thus fostering the us against them attitude that too many LEOs probably have had since the beginning of law enforcement work. They are making it easier for them to think their lives are almost always threatened by just about anything not in LE - the them or in other words the dog in this case. It may also have to do with unnecessary risks officers take. Did this officer take an unnecessary risk by not shaking a fence, not calling out to see if a dog would respond, not checking with the owners and so on? If so, that could have been because of piss poor training or because the particular officer involved is a risk taker or an idiot.

Then again, it could also have had to do with the dedication and zeal an officer has to doing his duty. After all, in the case at hand, they were looking for a missing child or so it was reported . I am sure that in a missing child case each officer does his best to find that child. I would bet they all thought they were doing their best to find the kid and maybe, just maybe, an officer might overlook a potential threat to get that job done - that is to find the child before harm comes to the young one. 

Of course, the seeming frequency of dog shootings by LEOs could have nothing to do with it actually being more frequent an occurrence today than it used to be many years ago. It could be due to the frequency at which the media reports it in today's world where they might have just ignored it years ago because it was not as sensational back then as it is now with the larger amount of animal rights types in our current world.

Then there is also the possibility of sloppy LE work that could lead to something like this. I am not saying that happened here but it could have and it sometimes does result in catastrophic and sad results. Subsequent to the dog being killed, the missing child was found sleeping in his/her own home. So one has to wonder was sloppy LE work part of the cause. Did someone report the child missing and then LE Officers missed him in his own home during the search of it, did they not even bother to search it, or was it something else altogether like them doing a thorough search and the child snuck back into the home after the search? There are a lot of questions to be asked and some will be answered without any further checking needed but others may require a bit more inquiry. In this case it should center on the shooting of the dog and on the rest of the situation as related to that shooting. The truth is though that dog shootings seem to have become the 'in thing' in way too many LE encounters with them and they are going to be scrutinized more and more by the public and eventually by politicians and then the police if they continue to increase in frequency or if just one results in harm to an innocent person.

Of course, if the officer was justified and could not have prevented or avoided an imminent threat from the dog in another more practical manner, then all is right as rain - as they say. In that case, I say good that he blasted the dog and was not injured himself. Yes if that is the case I would support the officer and I would also empathize with and sympathize for the owner the dog and fully understand his loss and anger over it. But as I said, I would support the officer 100 percent. By the way, I also really feel bad for the dog regardless of how or why this happened - the dog was in fact innocently and by its nature protecting its territory if it threatened the officer as reported. 

In this particular case, I will not cast stones but nor can I lend my support to the officer involved except to give him the benefit of the doubt that he used good judgment and shooting the dog was necessary - that is at least for now. Regardless of how anyone thinks about this shooting of man's best friend, we should question it because to not question a shooting resulting in a fatality, even of a dog, we would be negligent. It is the same thing that his superior officers should be doing. They should be asking tough questions, sort of like the ones I just proposed and implied. If the shooting was not justified several things could come about that could have devastating outcomes later on. Imagine if you will that the officer is allowed to continue to work in an armed capacity but was unjustified in this shooting - will he do it again? Or think about whether or not, by reckless judgment, he put himself in a situation that easily could have been avoided and thus not resulted in an encounter with the dog in the first place yet, it would have gotten the job done as well or better had it done it otherwise. We don't need some type of a yahoo cowboy shooting up Dodge City without justifiable cause nor do we need an officer who unnecessarily puts himself into harm's way and then has to shoot his way out of it to save his own butt. So ask the questions and if the guy did it right - then so be it. On the other hand, if he did it wrong, take care of it.

So at the very least, there should be a complete and professional investigation of what happened - without assumptions made ahead of time. I would like to see the officer coming out smelling like a rose, heck a bunch of roses, and I hope he or she does so. Yet, I realize that since such a shooting may have deeper implications, tough questions need to be asked by an impartial investigator. If there were violations of when to use deadly force against an animal or violations of protocol on entering some one's private property or safety concerns, then measures have to be taken to prevent such from happening again. As I said though, I would hope that all was justified. I wish it had never happened in the first place and for now feel bad for the officer, the dog owner and the dog but I also am quite happy that the child has been reported to be safe and sound.

All the best,
Glenn B


 

Recharging Silica Desiccant In The Summertime...

...when the weather is high but maybe just a tad too hot to turn on the oven, in your kitchen, for three or so hours - even on low heat - may seem like something that has to wait until September or October. Yet, there is another way to get those suckers completely dried out and ready to suck up all the moisture in your gun safe or tool chest. If you have a gas fired BBQ grill, one big enough to have three or four burners, you can set one burner (one all the way to one side of the grill, not a burner in the center) to it's lowest, or next to lowest setting, to achieve the desired temperature and place the packs of desiccant on the grill all the way on the far side from the lit burner. You will have to monitor the grill for this and luckily mine has a thermometer set in the face of the grill cover so I know the temperature is good when I do it.

A temperature of about 175 to 250 degrees Fahrenheit should do the trick over the course of about two to three hours. Too much higher than that and you may burn some types of the containers holding the desiccant or the dryness indicators (mine are in cardboard or aluminum containers both with dryness indicators inside them) and too little may not sufficiently dry out the desiccant to have made it worth the effort of the gas. Of course, make sure to follow the manufacturer's instructions as to whether or not you can recharge your silica desiccant and if so then as to how to accomplish it.

Mine will be going onto the grill, this afternoon, once it cools enough after grilling the marinated pork chops (bacon's cousin) that are on today's dinner menu. While the info on the desiccant packs say the stuff is harmless, I take few chances with it and put them atop a piece of aluminum foil to assure none of that stuff gets in my oven. I usually let the oven cool completely before removing and using them, or if taking them out when still hot or warm, I wear an oven mitt to avoid getting burned.

All the best,
Glenn B

Kids Are Not Obese Because Of What The Leftists Tell You

I wasn't obese as a kid - I was skinny. Back then, I ate whatever I wanted if and when I could get it which was fairly frequently and what I wanted was Yodels, Ring Dings, Twinkies, Oreos, McDonalds and White Castle burgers, greasy spoon specials, over stuffed with meat and cheese hero sandwiches, chocolate milk (made with whole milk), real butter on my bread or bagels and plenty of it, real butter and maple syrup on my pancakes and lots of them smothered in it, bacon, bacon, bacon, ;pizza, candy, cake, cookies and whatever. It had nothing to do with the price, we were piss poor and I mean that most earnestly; yet I ate more than enough junk food. Me being skinny lasted until I got married. 

The thing was, when I was a kid and a single adult, I was out and about playing, walking climbing, running, fishing, hunting, flying kites, chasing girls, hopping freight trains (don't do that today kids it is illegal and dangerous) and whatever instead of sitting home on a computer, watching TV for way too long, or afraid a stranger would get me.

Why not worry about that when I was a younger guy? Because if 
stranger (or someone I knew) did something like that to me and the police then caught him, they would beat his arse and he would either go to jail where other inmates would beat and rape him or he would be put to death as in executed for his crime. Otherwise he would have been committed to the loony bin forever - thus little chance of a stranger abducting me back then so no need to worry too much about it. Nowadays that has all changed and parents keep their kids under house arrest. They are not only afraid of abductions but even of the monkey bars and swings at local parks or of normal kids sports like dodge ball. For holy hell's sake - what have we become, we are afraid of our own shadows!

Now, I am older and fatter. I still eat the same stuff so why is it that I am fatter than I should be? Well, I have been brainwashed somewhat by married life and our terrified society 's fears. I sit around on the Internet too much, watch too much TV and am afraid that if I go out a stranger will try something nasty and I may have to blow his shit away in justified self defense (did it once don't want to have to do it again because I don't need the headaches, possible legal fees or nightmares). Too bad we don't treat criminals, especially violent ones who have harmed innocents, with the respect they deserve - execution upon conviction - and that would mean execution without delay.

As for me, I guess I should just load for bear (just to be on the safe side) and start taking walks around town again.

A hat tip to Patrick J for having that pic up on Facebook.

All the best,
GB

If I Saw and Heard Them Coming...

...I would surrender myself immediately for intense interrogation at their hands. It's not necessarily the uniforms, the fact they are all in mini-skits, or the fact that they are all Chinese and pretty friggin hot but when you combine them all let me just say: Give me five from column A, six from column B, seven from column 8 and for good measure throw in ten from Column D!



A hat tip to Rich M for that one.

All the best,
Glenn B

Gun Tattoos and Really Bad Locations For Them

Recently there was a guy confronted by the police, in part, because he had a tattoo of a handgun on his abdomen near his waistline. When he was not wearing a shirt it looked like he had a gun tucked in his pants. Okay, I can see someone getting a tattoo like that - after all, it is his body. Then again, I could see him having a lot of run ins with the police if he insists on walking around shirtless because people sometimes are going to call that in to 911 believing it is a real gun especially if he scratches his belly or acts like a jerk and starts playing around like he is about to do a quick draw. 

Can you understand how this guy might get shot if doing this in a public place.

Is it okay to get a tattoo like that? Sure, I don't see why not even though I do not understand the desire to get one like it. Just be prepared for the consequences in today's world is all I am saying because the reality is that there likely will be consequences over your lifetime.

While getting a tattoo like the one just described might not be among the best of ideas, nor among the worst, I can think of a gun tattoo in a another particular place and that place is about the most moronic place to ink with a gun image for both the person getting it and the person scribing the ink (think liability for the tattoo artist). With the number of cops out there all carrying firearms, the itchy trigger fingers some of them (the great minority) have, the amount of nuts running around out there both with and without guns, the fear of many of the citizenry of armed individuals whether justified or not, why on earth would you tempt fate by getting realistically sized and fairly real looking tattoo of a gun on your hand???

Think about it, you decide to get a black ink tattoo of a fairly life sized pistol or revolver on the palm side or even the backside of your hand. What could be wrong with that? Most handguns are finished with bluing. Bluing is a controlled corrosion process that make a firearm appear very dark in color, almost black. A tattoo in black ink thus would resemble the real thing in coloration. I have already pointed out it does so in size. Add to that that some folks get very realistic looking depictions of firearms tattooed onto their hand(s) and we have a formula for disaster brewing. Then again even if you get one in pink ink it may look real because pink guns are all the rage today. By the way, it doesn't matter if it is a fantasy gun along the lines of Steam-Punk, or a futuristic one like one from Blade Runner, or an antique looking one - it just has to look like a gun to be a potential for disaster and it does not matter if you are a man or woman who has the tattoo. You are asking for trouble by having a tattoo of a real enough looking gun on your hand. Real enough for what - real enough to make someone else reasonably (under whatever circumstances) think you have a gun in your hand.

Now, consider that the tattoo aficionado, the one with the gun tattooed on her palm is a  mommy just arriving at her kid's school anticipating picking up junior when school lets out. Unbeknown to her, shots were just fired in the school by a crazed armed student. The police were already called. They are arriving just at about the same moment our inked mom gets there. The school is going into lock down mode. As the police arrive and start to order people to do this and that chaos breaks out among the parents when they begin to realize what must be happening. As the police proceed to secure the area and look for the shooter another parent sees our inked mom' palm tattoo, the one that  looks like a real enough gun. That other parent calls out, in a panicky voice, to a nearby officer: "That woman has a gun" and points at our tattooed moma. The gal with the artwork spins around to look for the armed crazy. The officer looks, sees what appears to be a gun in her hand and orders her to drop the gun as he draws his own weapon. The mom does not drop the gun, she cannot drop the gun; so she says something about it not being real or being a tattoo and she pushes her hands out - wide open - to show the officer it is not a real gun. What do you think the officer does. Does he hesitate and take a closer look, does he just stand there telling the gal "POLICE - DON'T MOVE" or does he repeat himself and say "DROP THE GUN" or does he say okay and walk away? Oh, I almost forgot the other option - does he shoot the armed assailant. He may well fire his weapon in what he would believe is self defense and he, in all likelihood, would be justified 100 percent!

Don't think that scenario is likely - okay school shootings actually are not as common as the media would like to portray so lets say you are in your bank and a robbery takes place. You are not happy about what is happening but you don't want to get shot and put your hands up to show you are not offering any resistance. One of the robbers sees the pistol tattoo on your hand and shows absolutely no compunction in shooting you thinking you are a wanna-be armed hero and you wind up dead. Or what about you being stopped by a police officer for questioning after another officer was just shot. He is looking for a male suspect with brown hair, in his twenties, wearing a blue jacket and blue jeans and that fits your description. You were walking with your hands in your pockets and he tells you to slowly remove them from your pockets. You come out with this in your hand:

The cop is excited, all fired up, it is kind of dark, but in what light there is he sees a gun coming out in your hand. He screams "GUN" and "don't move" but you move your hands just a little and he and his partner, who is off to one side and also sees the gun, shoot you down like you were an armed cop killer about to try to kill another one or two. Who could blame them!

The situation, in which you find yourself, could be anything where a gun in the hand could spell trouble for you. Remember - a tattoo of a gun is a gun that you cannot drop and one that can easily appear to be life threatening. I completely understand and agree with they who carry guns for self defense, I do it myself. I also understand and accept many of the reasons that people get inked but why someone would want a real enough inked gun on their hand is beyond the realm of my understanding. Not that I have to understand mind you. As I say: Is it okay to have a gun tattoo on your hand - sure it is if you're willing to accept the consequences of it. Yet, I still cannot fathom why you would want to chance being killed over a tattoo and I think you would be crazy to get one like it but it's your decision - not mine.

All the best,
Glenn B

 

Shame On You For Jumping To The Wrong Conclusion

The people who misunderstood me on this - FFUUAACC- and then took punitive action against me for using that on their site know who they are and should be ashamed of themselves. Thinking it meant anything otherwise than something righteous and decent was rather prejudicial of you. It stood for: Freedom Fighters Unanimously Urge Action Against Cuomo's Corruption and yes that was a play on your sites brainchild - FUAC, but it was a play of that term that was in better taste than the original.

If you look down below you will see it in my earlier blog post about AIM Surplus, posted quite the while before you saw it elsewhere and got your panties in a wad. And yes I said it doubly, where you saw it, because I believe in it strongly.

I Arrested Plenty Of Aliens...

...in my 32 plus years in federal law enforcement, most from Mexico but also many others from many places around the world like: El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Columbia, Venezuela, Peru, Argentina, Canada, Germany, England, Greece, Thailand, China, Vietnam and from other exotic places. None of the places they were from were quite as exotic as the place that Calquan Dion Burr reportedly said he was from. When he was arrested by Sheriff’s from Muskegon County, Michigan for assault and destruction of police property (after he allegedly threw himself on top of a police car) he told the police he was from a far away place and that place may be a bit more exotic than the typical address for a guy arrested by earthly police. Zoltron, the place he reportedly claimed to be from, is supposedly another planet. I have arrested some far out dudes but never one from as far out as this guy claims to be. More here. If they have landed, all I can say is that I am happy to be retired.

That is all,
GB

Aim Surplus Ammo Alert

Aim Surplus is currently offering Prvi Partizan 45ACP, 230 grain, FMJ, ammo, for $15.95 per box. For my fellow New Yorkers, they will ship to either an FFL or registered ammo dealer in NY State. A free service of FFUUAACC (Freedom Fighters Unanimously Urge Action Against Cuomo's Corruption).

All the best,
Glenn B

Rediscovered Ammo

Back in May 2011, I found a few things in my basement that I had forgotten I had stashed away. One was an ammo/knife collectors pack from Remington (sold that since then), another was a bottle Knappogue Castle single malt Irish whiskey (drank that since then), another was a neat machete (cleaned it and stashed away again since then) and another was a Remington collectors tin containing 400 rounds of Remington 22LR ammo and a deck of Remington playing cards (stashed that away and forgot all about it). Well, today I rediscovered that collectors tin with the ammo. I'll have to add that to my ammo inventory which puts me at about 8K of 22LR. Being that I have often shot as much as 500 rounds of that caliber in a day, and probably as much as 1K rounds in a day at least a few times, it is not all that much to have on hand. Wish I had more but it is about as rare as turtles' teeth at a decent price lately. Being it is hard to come by for a reasonable price, I am more than happy to have rediscovered those 400 rounds. I wonder if there is any more of it hiding around  here.

All the best,
GB
 

The Bear Facts

One of the biggest and saddest fallacies about bears is that they will leave you alone unless they see you as a threat. With summer upon us, and many people spending time in bear country (which includes at least 30 states in the lower 48 and also Alaska) I have to point out that said belief is one of the most terribly wrong myths concerning bears. That myth is repeatedly and foolishly spread by wildlife officials, biologists and so called bear experts along with extremist animal rights types. In fact some loonies go one or three steps worse and say or imply that bears are friendly if we treat them with respect. One guy, who was as I understand,one of those last types, who spent what probably amounted overall to years with bears in the wild, was killed and eaten by a bear along with his girlfriend earlier in the last decade.





The truth is that bears do hunt people and do eat them. In fact, it is believed that when black bears (yes the very same bear with the widest distribution of all bears in North America) kill people it is almost always due to predation. I zero in on black bears for the moment because many folks wrongly believe black bears never prey on humans and only attack if defending cubs or injured/ill, while it is closer to common knowledge that brown (aka: grizzly bears) attack and sometimes prey on people as do polar bears. Sadly though, many people still have that Bambi-ized feeling for bears and think them harmless if we do not provoke them. Thus, too many people have learned, the hard way, that bears including black bears prey on humans. Some of those folks did not get the chance to pass on that information to others because they learned it way too late.

If you are in bear country and are approached by a lone bear, that does not back off when you let it know you are there, then does not back off if you make a lot of noise and make yourself look bigger and aggressive but instead keeps coming slowly and determined - you are very likely a prey item as seen by that bear. hile bears do not often prey on humans, it does happen. I have had several encounters with black bears in the wild. Luckily they left me alone each time, went out of their way to avoid me. Yet, I did have to scare one of them off that obviously was none too afraid of me. That one, a big male, about 25 to 30 feet from me, was salivating then clicking its teeth as it stared at me. A shot in the air with a Remington 870 scared it off; the next shot if needed would have been right at it. Another time, I tracked a black bear that was apparently tracking another hunter in the woods on my uncle's farm. Whether or not it was talking him as prey or just finding it easier to walk in the snow by walking in that hunter's track, I will never know and thank goodness for that.

Bears, especially males but also females will hunt people and that includes brown bears (aka: grizzlies), polar bears and even black bears. In the case of black bears, probably brown bears too, it is more likely you will be seen as prey by a male than a female but females will prey on humans too, sometimes even when accompanied by cubs. There are several documented cases and more suspected cases of where bears considered humans as prey. The following is a list of some documented bear attacks on people - defensive, territorial and predatory:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_bear_attacks_in_North_America#cite_note-torontoStar19Oct1991-83

Savvy wildlife experts have warned about predation of humans by black bears for decades, maybe even centuries, but the tree huggers and Bambi lovers have almost always silenced them with their tall tales of how nice are the bears and how evil, stupid and ignorant was anyone who stated that bears prey on humans. Mind you, if a hunter is attacked, those same airheads often gleefully say the hunters got what they deserved. With the decades of the animal rights types insisting that bears do not attack unprovoked, and head-cases like the so called Grizzly-Man trying to convince us that bears were, in my understanding of him and what he preached, our benign wild buddies - the public did not know what to believe about the reality of bear encounters. Even some scientists seemed to believe all the hype. Well, Science finally caught up with reality a few years back:

http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/lone-predatory-black-bears-responsible-most-human-attacks

If the following story is true there are lessons to be learned from it. First and foremost that bears will attack you when unprovoked but also that female bears will attack other than to protect cubs such as to prey upon you, that females even with cubs in tow will attack people as prey, that bears sometimes see humans as prey, that they will eat you if you do not successfully defend yourself, and even that if you are armed you may stand a chance. The woman in this story apparently was unarmed but she had a long time to fight had she been armed and maybe could have saved her own life. Read about how long this woman lived, and was conscious and fully aware of her ordeal, while being attacked and eaten alive (a warning to the squeamish, the story told is pretty gruesome):

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2026914/Mum-bear-eating--Final-phone-calls-woman-19-eaten-alive-brown-bear-cubs.html

Here is an another example, of a brown bear predatory attack:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/man-killed-partially-eaten-brown-bear-alaska-article-1.1184509

A bear encounter is nothing to trivialize and they sometimes do look at you like their next dinner and as nothing else - not a threat to them or their cubs, not a provocateur, not a toy, not a pest or other annoyance - just as something to eat - even when other food is readily available. A really interesting but only partial article clearly points all of that out:

http://images.ourontario.ca/Partners/WCA/WCA0123410_025.pdf

So what is my point in bring all of this out. Well, I say it in the hope of keeping you safer when you are in an area that is also occupied by bears. My advice would be to arm yourself with legal arms while in bear country: Carry bear spray. Carry a rifle or handgun in one of the larger calibers. The minimum I would recommend would be 44 magnum with at least a 4" barrel. Yet, if you only have a 9mm peashooter, it may be better than nothing. Also carry a knife, I think a fixed blade type carried on a sheath on your belt best but I certainly am not a knife expert. Something with a blade of at least 5 to 6 inches long possibly could help you fight off a bear in a last stand situation. 

In many states, it is difficult to legally carry firearms and maybe even a knife. Anyway, a knife is only good once the bear is on you. Bear spray and or a firearm can end the threat from a bear at a distance. So, if you cannot legally carry a gun or knife, or can legally carry a knife but not a gun, then think of carrying bear spray too. Heck carry bear spray even if you can carry those other weapons - the more weapons the safer you may be and bear spray often, but not always, should be your first line of defense during a bear attack. In many instances, it may just be more effective than even a firearm at keeping you safe from bears but not always. Bear spray is an OC Spray formulated especially for bears and it comes in pretty large cans as compared to those to fend of muggers and other two legged vermin. Always carry bear spray (if legal) in bear country - even if you are carrying other weapons like a firearm or knife.  That reminds me, I need to pick up a couple of cans of it. I used to carry a strong pepper spray, issued to me by my job, but now that I am retired no longer carry it. I want one for me and one for my son as he spends time in the Catskill mountains, known black bear habitat, with his girlfriend.

Bear (no pun intended) in mind that some experts believe bear spray to be much more effective than a firearm at keeping a bear away from you but also bear in mind that bear spray has its limitations. I am not convinced, it is always the best alternative and because I can legally do so - I arm myself with additional weapons while in bear country. I carried pepper spray for years and used it several times, and know that it will not work every time. All the talk about bear spray is well and good until a strong wind is coming right at you along with the bear or until the pepper spray canister does no function properly (and that is known to happen) or if you are not at the right distance and so on. Thus I will say it again, I would (if legal) carry both bear spray and a firearm along with a good knife, the knife as a last ditch defensive weapon. While the bear spray likely would be my first line of defense in most instances, I like redundancy in relation to me being able to protect myself and I like having options available to me to fight back if need be.

All that said, there is another method to protect yourself from bear attacks and this is just as important as carrying a weapon with which to defend yourself - maybe more important. Arm yourself with the knowledge of how to avoid a bear attack if you ever encounter a bear. Some sources of that knowledge are available on line and I am about to provide links to some of them. Before you read the advice at those links, be advised that - I do not vouch for the veracity of any of the information you may glean from them. As you will see, they differ, to some extent, in the advice they offer: 

http://www.wikihow.com/Escape-from-a-Bear

http://www.bearsmart.com/becoming-bear-smart/play/bear-encounters

http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/misc/bears/bearsaf.html

http://www.backpacker.com/february-march-2013the-truth-about-bears-the-skills/survival/17302

One other thing to think about concerning bears. Bears do not live only in the wilderness. Some live close to cities. In New York State, bears live within 70 miles of New York City, I know - I have seen them that close to NYC. Some even may wander to as close as 45 miles from NYC. In other urban areas, bears actually have been know to walk the streets and have attacked people within the city limits.

http://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/survivalist/2011/09/polar-bear-attack-thwarted

Luckily for the woman in the video that accompanies that linked article, she evidently survived and was able to walk away from the attack.

Sometimes you get the bear but sometimes the bear gets you - it is a fact. Try not to let it be the latter because when the bear shits in the woods (or the alley), you sure don't want it its crap to smell like pepper and be full of the bear bells you were wearing!

All the best,
Glenn B
 

It's On The Near Horizon

The it would be the 7th Annual NE Bloggershoot at a super-seKrit location in the northeast. Could be northeast China, or Kamchatka, Sweden or the USA, I am not telling.

It is set to go for August 2, a Saturday so Brendan and I have plans to drive up that way (northeast by northeast) on that Friday. We are hoping to spend two nights up in that neck of he woods and Brendan's girlfriend may come along too. That would be nice, she is a shooter and I have never seen her shoot before as far as my little gray cells can recall. Don't know if she has ever shot a pistol before either but m sure she will shoot at least a few of them at the bloggershoot. It will be held where such will be legal. (I guess that rules out China and Sweden - maybe even Kamchatka.) Now I have to decide if we are going the Motel 6 route or the Holiday Inn route. I am thinking a suite at Holiday Inn if Brendan is willing to split the cost with me. If not, then I am staying at Motel 6.

Now that I have gotten about a bushel of my guns cleaned, I guess I am going to have to start thinking about which ones to bring with us. I'll have to make sure I have enough ammo for whatever I decide to bring; guess it would be good to take hat into consideration before making a definite choice of which guns to drag along. I am pretty sure though that I have ammo for every gun I own and almost enough of it too. Oh the decisions a responsible gun owner has to make just to have some fun.

One thing that I am almost certain to bring - for shooty goodness will be unmixed binary explosive components. Legal and safe to transport, it is only an explosive after the two compounds are mixed and need to be detonated by being shot with a bullet from a high powered round. I think I have about 10 pounds of it to spare somewhere around here. The question relative to that stuff is: Should we set it off in one big boom or several moderate booms. I can't wait to hear and feel the answer. Probably will have to do it in moderate booms because the range is not that long and it may pose a real threat we shooters to set off ten pounds at once at too short a distance. Then there also are the neighbors to be considered. Oh well, probably will be several small booms but should be fun that way too and it will be a lot of booms that way - maybe 20 half pounders!

I am getting myself all fired up for this event. I have been to two of them and they are great - an excellent way to spend the day, great people to hang out with, lots of guns to check out and shoot, lots of gun smoke, maybe a chance to shoot a machinegun and lots more gun smoke, a good number of booms, a good lunch together - just a fine day overall. The night before and the night after the event - we should all be getting together for dinner too. I just wish it was closer to home but then again I live in NY and can never imagine NY allowing machine guns to be shot at a private range meet-up or anywhere at all for that matter.

Almost time for me to hit the hay and if I am lucky, I will dream of the bloggershoot tonight.

All the best,
GB  

Monotonous Me,...

...I am still cleaning guns. Only got a few done this evening and that is because I took apart my Henry Survival Rifle and had a bit of a hard time putting it back together. Before that though, I had to find the hammer and two pins that went flying when I took it apart and one of the springs sprung because I was not holding it right. I did a search on hands and knees and found the parts pretty quickly. Luckily for me I did not loose the magazine latch spring like I did back in 2010 when it took me a couple of days to find it and an awfully long time to reassemble it; I am or can be The Great Procrastinator.

After finding the parts tonight, I did not hesitate to make an attempt at putting it back together once I cleaned everything up. I searched around for a video on YouTube and found a decent one on how to disassemble and reassemble the receiver.



It was pretty much a snap (yeah right) getting it back together after that or should I say as soon as I realized how much a dental pick would come in hand. Grabbed one and got the trigger spring mounted on its corresponding pin correctly and fairly easily. I could have used a third hand or a vise to help it along but got it done and when I did a function check everything (the bolt, the safety, the trigger, the hammer, mag release) all moved and clicked at the right moment and nothing went crunch. I guess it is back together right. I have to remember to watch the video first next time before trying to take it apart. The last time I took that particular gun down that far may have been in 2012 so I was a little rusty tonight.

Later 4 U,
GB