A Small Easter Miracle...

 ...thanks to Joe Biden. He got me so upset with his declaration about today being Transgender Day of Visibility or whatever the name, I decided to go to Easter mass. Except for a funeral mass or three, I have not attended a Catholic mass in about 12 to 15 years. It was nice. 

 

All the best,

Glenn B

Not Only Is Biden The Worst President Within My Lifetime...

 ...he is the worst deviant ever to hold that office and is an out and out piece of trash in my estimation. I used to be religious but have not been for decades now; yet, I respect people's religious beliefs as long as their religion does not, in brief,  include repression of other religions or other beliefs beliefs and do not advocate for violence as does Islam. While not religious, I celebrate holidays like Christmas and Easter mostly in a nonreligious but somewhat spiritual way. I understand that millions if not billions of people celebrate Easter and it is one of the highest holy days, if not actually the highest, in virtually all Christian religions. I respect that, so I would not try to demean that holy day for those who believe that Jesus Christ was God. Then you have a an apparent pervert President Joe Biden (just look to all the videos of him with women and children when he is sniffing hair, seemingly touching them inappropriately and being creepy as one can be), who claims to be a good Catholic but at the same time supports queers of all sorts, while evidently doing little to nothing for homeless veterans, and also supports transgender delusional wannabe sex changers, while wanting to allow for young children to use puberty blockers and allow your children to become delusional by way of wanting to become a gender they are not and now he has done this - he has named tomorrow Transgender Day of Visibility (more at the source).

 

He has now become the most disrespectful president of all time by way of naming tomorrow Transgender Day of Visibility! Tomorrow, for those of you who may not know, is that highest of holy days I just wrote about - Easter. Regardless of its religious significance, Joe Biden, the biggest POS president of forever, has decided to make that day special for those whom I (and most others I think) strongly believe are absolutely delusional people who believe they have changed their gender when in reality they are merely male or female impersonators. 

 

He is a terribly disrespectful & shameless charlatan & hypocrite at best plain and simple. The next time he trips on the stairs while boarding a plane, I almost (but not quite really) hope he is at the top when he stumbles and then he falls over the railing and hits the tarmac head first AND that he pulls that idiot Kamala Harris along with him. He is seemingly a brain dead and definitely a truly disgusting poor excuse for a human being in my opinion. While I cannot bring myself to actually wish a violent fall like that that upon them, if it actually did accidentally happen - I'd probably applaud and jump for joy after the fact and might even go back to being religious so I could thank God properly for excising that tumor of a man from the human race.

All the best,

Glenn B

The Bridge Collapse

 I do not usually pray. I do not necessarily believe in the existence of an omnipotent being, a God or Gods. I also am not sure one or more does/do not exist. I doubt the power of prayer except in as much as it helps folks psychologically or to socialize. Yet, I have been praying that additional survivors are found in time to save their lives.

You may wonder why I bother. Well first of all, it is about all I can do to help in case it actually does help. Secondly, it takes little effort to do so and even if it probably does nothing, just the off chance that it may miraculosly help makes me figure why not pray for the victims of this tragedy. Finally it does not hurt the one praying nor anyone else as far as I can tell. Maybe you can do the same, say a prayer for those among the missing.

 

All the best,

Glenn B

As Moscow Burns...

 ...Putin is probably not playing a violin but may be celebrating his recent electoral victory. One has to wonder if the apparent terrorist attack today, on a concert venue killing 40, wounding up to 100 (as per reports so far) and starting a massive fire, was due to Putin having won reelection. Then again it could have been due to the war with Ukraine, citizen unrest, an outright revolution commencing or whatever. Who knows! My guess though is it will be revealed sooner or later that the attackers were Muslims from one country or another, they have a history of such mass killing attacks in Moscow. More info at the sources: source 1 & source 2.

 

All the best,

Glenn B

Dimwittedly Ignorant

 You would think someone on the bench in the Supreme Court would have at least a basic understanding that our Constitution and the Bill of Rights, the basis of all of our laws, protect the rights of the people and restrict the powers of our government to do so. That simply is not the case with Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson who apparently is totally baffled that the first amendment "hamstrings" (more at the source) the government and protects our rights and freedoms. I guess that it should have been obvious such would become the case when Biden made it clear he would be considering only a black woman for that spot on the bench. Smarts were left outside the chamber.

She is a disgrace and evidently an ignoramus when it comes to the bedrock foundation of our laws. Biden should be ashamed of himself for picking an apparent moron for the job as too should be every congress critter who approved her nomination.

 

 All the best,

Glenn B

 

 

If It Was Completely 100% Legal For Me To Just Go Out To Shoot Someone (a hypothetical)...

 

...this guy maybe would be high on my list. I agree with him - "There is always hope..." but not hope that a former (or current) president of the USA would be assassinated as far as I am concerned. Can you imagine, he actually has been quoted as seemingly being hopeful a former president of the USA will be assassinated, specifically President Trump! More at the source. I think that the apparent unmitigated gall of this mouthpiece, and the absolute hatred directed at President Trump by leftists is despicable (or directed at anyone and there are plenty they seem to hate).

 

Of course, my having said that, I must point out that such a thought is purely hypothetical on my part as I am a law abiding citizen of the USA especially concerning the use of force and because in all likelihood I would never shoot anyone just for the heck of it, that even if it became 100 percent legal to do so. I do have high morals when it comes to using violence and while I would not shirk away from legally using violence to defend myself, shooting or otherwise harming someone just because I felt like doing it is not something I would ever do. Thus, I know it definitely would never happen in light of the extremely high probability it would never become legal to do so and because of my morals relative to the use of force.

 

That is unless an apparent leftist wussy like him actually could grow a pair of man-nuts big enough whereby he posed an imminent threat to my, or to another innocent person's, life (or posed a threat to either of us of serious bodily injury). The thing is though, he probably is merely a loudmouthed pansy. In such an unlikely case though, I would not hesitate to defend myself and possibly the other innocent person with legally justifiable force to stop such an imminent threat. Guy's like this though, blabbermouths in my opinion,  seemingly tend to hide behind being a member of the media (or maybe just behind or enveloped within the leftist wall of scum). If I ever did have to legally use deadly force to stop him from being such a threat to myself, or to another innocent person, I am pretty sure I would be remorseful for hurting him or taking his life as it might wind up when trying to stop the threat. Then again, I think any remorse would be at least partially mitigated by how much of a piece of shit is he in my opinion.

 

Please note, I am in no way, shape or form condoning using illegal violence against this man or anyone else. In fact, I am completely against the use of illegal violence to attain an end. That even if it were to be used against someone I consider to be a useless, hateful, vindictive mouthpiece for violent leftists who might actually act upon such seed being planted in their brains by a person like him; he who seemingly holds hope that President Trump will be assassinated.

All the best,

Glenn B

New Toys

I got me some new toys, well not yet delivered but already paid for. The first is a Keystone Sporting Arms Mini Mil-Surp Replica Rifle the KSA 91-30. It is the first in a series of mini mil-surp firearms to be produced by KSA; more on them at the source (you need to scroll down more than half way to read a description of it). The ones they plan to produce are: Mini Mosin Nagant 9130, Mini Carbine Mosin M38, Mini Springfield 1903A3 Prototype, Mini Springfield 1903A3, Mosin Nagant Obrez Pistol.

The other firearm on which I had the high bid is a Henry U.S. Survival rifle; both are from the Hessney Auction Co.. Although they had it listed as a Charter Arms AR7, it is supposedly as new in its box and the box clearly shows it to be a Henry. Time and delivery will tell on this one. I think this one has only one magazine but as luck would have it, I already had two extra magazines for it.

I already have a U.S.Survival rifle, so this latest one will be redundant but more than one is almost always good. They certainly are not the most accurate of rifles but I found that by switching the aperture of the rear sight from the larger to the smaller one fine tunes the accuracy to be acceptable to my satisfaction. I probably could hit a squirrel at 15 to 20 yards, probably even out to 25 yards with my old one but only since I used the smaller rear sight aperture.

I also picked up a couple of knives, an Alpenflage camo outfit, a few books for me and several that my son had me bid on as well as two boxes of American Eagle 5.56x45mm 64 grain tactical tracer cartridges, 20 Rds per box that he had me bid on. The knives look nice, don't know much about them other than how they appear.

 

For the life of me, I do not understand why they don't wipe down the blades to get rid of the smudges.

 

As for me bidding on these knives, I liked em, so I bid on them. I may keep em or sell em, will not know until I see em close up.

The only other thing I got that I have not mentioned yet is this:

 

It is a 12" metal beer tray. I have one other old beer tray from Piels beer. One of these days, if I ever buy a house when & if the market goes down some, I will display them on the walls. I'd like to add Schaefer, Blatz, Miller High Life, and Schmidt's to my collection. Even though I have never enjoyed this particular brand they bring back memories of when tin trays were the norm in my hangouts of old. They create a nice aura of nostalgia, I think and some like this one are quite colorful.

All the best,

Glenn B

 

 

Donald Trump Is My...

 ...superhero and I hope he is yours as well on this Super Tuesday. We can help make him the superhero for the United States of America by voting for him in your state's primary today if yours is one of the 15 holding primaries today on Super Tuesday. Let's kick Joe Biden's ass so hard that everytime he farts it will come out of his mouth. He'd probably be more understandable if that were the case as opposed to his current crop of babble.

 

All the best,

Glenn B

Shots Fired - ...

...luckily though not in or very near my apartment but close enough to be a bit too close. I am guessing that the semi-auto rapid fire that I heard consisting of 15 rounds plus or minus one was in response to a locomotive engineer blowing the damned train horn for up to 60 seconds or so tonight at a nearby crossing, maybe a mile or one & a half from my apartment, where merely a quick toot-toot would do. They do this every night but not usually several times over 10 minutes each time and in each time span there are many repeated toots of a few to several seconds and there often is one toot per span that lasts from about 30 seconds up to 45 seconds, maybe even up to 60 seconds on a rare night like tonight. Now it's not rare that they blow their damned horn to excess, they do that nightly but rather that they blow it for over 30 seconds and tonight up to about 60 seconds continuously. That is irritating let alone they have done it several times already tonight and the night is yet young. 

 

Now I figure the shooting was in response to the horn because for about the past 30 to 40 minutes, that I have been back inside and I came in right after hearing the shots, I have not heard a peep out of that train's horn or from another train's and also have not heard any more shots. I hope the shots were not aimed at the engineer and I doubt it because there have been no sirens blaring. 

 

Even that accursed horn being blasted several to many times a night probably does not deserve being shot by someone whose sleep you have ruined - I am guessing, for several years now. Maybe though it deserves a good beating. I said maybe as in speculating sarcastically. (Note: I am not instructing or suggesting someone take such action nor am I condoning such behavior or similar behavior when illegal and possibly not even when legal, just wondering sarcastically.) Really though being shot for that horn blowing would be extreme, or so I think; yet, I can understand (not justify) how someone, might go to that extreme, who lives closer to the tracks and who must not only hear it but likely be literally rattled by it and by the passing of several trains all throughout the night. How they get any sleep is a deep & dark mystery to me.

 

All the best,

Glenn B

Film Noir Should Have Been Named...

 ...Film De Bogart. There are few actors whose cinematic works I enjoy almost as much as I enjoy a good movie starring Humphrey Bogart. I am watching Dead Reckoning starring Bogart and Lizabeth Scott (one of the most beautiful and sultry women ever).

 

It is a great work of film noir but not my favorite Bogart movie. My favorite Bogart film of any sort is probably the Maltese Falcon. It is, without a doubt, my favorite Film Noir and Bogart along with Mary Astor, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre and Elisha Cook made it stunningly fabulous. Bogart though made other films from comedy to melodrama and some of those vie for his best film ever along with the Maltese Falcon. His role in The Caine Mutiny was amazingly intense, then there was his astounding performance as Mr. Allnut (I used to think it was Allnot or Allnaught but being a complete nut - as in All Nut - fit the character very well) in The African Queen. In that film's leech scene, he made me, and I daresay many others, feel the horror one would feel when climbing over the gunnel of the African Queen to get back into leech infested waters after Rosie, played by Katherine Hepburn, had discovered and pulled many leeches off of him. Then there was a movie in which he portrayed a man driven crazy to the point of being willing to murder his gold mining partners in The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre, truly a Bogart masterpiece because of his outstanding acting abilities. That was maybe his best acting ever, it is a tough call compared to the others already mentioned.

There are many other Bogart films, some great, some good and maybe one or two like Sirocco (where he performed with quite possibly one of the most beautiful women ever - Marta Toren -who died way too soon at 31) that were a bit disappointing. Yet, all in all, he was the driving force in what made Film Noir a whole new but seemingly everlasting genre in the movies.

If you are a Bogart fan, you know what I mean. If you are not and or have never watched any of his works but think you can watch an old movie for its fine acting instead of a modern one where acting is secondary to special effects, then sit back and enjoy something like those I mentioned above or some others like: Key Largo, Casablanca, Sahara, To Have and Have Not or any of his films listed at this link: https://m.imdb.com/list/ls077824165/, many of his older films which I need to see yet.

 

All the best,

Glenn B

Henry U.S. Border Patrol Commemorative Rifles - A Step Closer To Being Mine

I just ordered two Henry Big Boys in .357 MAG/.38 SPL. These are commemorative rifles for the 100 year anniversary of the U.S. Border Patrol. I have to say this was not an easy decision for me as they're setting me back a nice chunk of change but I figure one that remains a safe queen will have become a good investment should I ever decide to sell it; maybe the other will be a shooter or a better yet a shooter & a family heirloom. Right now, I need to hope I gave them my correct class number at the USBP Academy to verify I was a Border Patrol Agent. Of course, the only certificate of graduation that I cannot find from my carer, is my BPA diploma! I do have my class photo, showing a what I thunk are a session & a class number as 231/131; I used 231. So if I get declined for the wrong class number, I'll have to' change it to 131. I know the session is 131 so I am assuming 231 is the class number. I hope so, the less complications the better.

Here are some photos of these beauties; Henry makes truly nice looking firearms.

I also was very tempted, as in only a RCH away from pulling the trigger, to purchase two of the USBP Golden Boys in 22 LR but the additional cost would have been just way too much. Maybe later after I sell several lower valued guns to make up for this purchase, I may get them as well. More info on the Henry U.S.Border Patrol commemorative rifles here: https://www.henryusa.com/?search=border+patrol

It only struck my little gray cells, when I saw these, that the USBP was founded in the same year as that of my mother's birth. How that never sank home before was merely because for most of the time I had no clue when the BP was founded. Maybe I had heard that at one time but I guess it went in one ear and out the other and thus I never linked the two before seeing the info for these enchanting pieces of firearms craftsmanship and Border Patrol history.

 

All the best,

Glenn B

 

Cop Shoots At Handcuffed Suspect In His Police Vehicle After Mistaking Acorn Hitting His Vehicle As Gunshots

You really cannot make up stuff like this so it goes to prove fact is stranger than fiction or at least crazier! Reportedly, a police officer, who had placed an arrested and handcuffed suspect into a police vehicle mistakenly took the sound of an acorn hitting his vehicle as the handcuffed suspect firing a gun at him. That despite him not seeing an broken glass through which the suspect was supposedly firing and no flashes of gunfire from a muzzle nor even seeing a gun. The officer returned fire and emptied the mag in his pistol. To make it worse, the officer yelled out that he was hit but had not been hit by gunfire because no one was shooting at him - what an imagination! In addition, a second officer fearing the first was being shot and possibly killed, also opened fire on the police vehicle holding the arrested subject. Somehow, the prisoner was not shot but I would be willing to bet that he will be getting a small fortune once his lawyer files a lawsuit. Read about it here at the source: https://jalopnik.com/florida-cop-empties-his-gun-runs-for-cover-after-acorn-1851255383

Someone please tell me, did the cop who said he was hit also say: "...I'm good, I'm still weird but I'm good" at about 54 seconds of the video linked to in the article! Video link: https://twitter.com/FordFischer/status/1757536607572279482. That is a serious question so I'd really appreciate if someone else can clarify that for me. I ask because that is what I thought I heard but I sometimes don't perceive spoken words maybe as well as I should; so, can someone else confirm for me whether he said he was weird or not?

I also am left wondering: Why did he seem to groan as if in pain like he was really shot??? Why did he drop his pistol and leave it laying there for however long that he did so and then apparently roll around, seemingly dramatically, with his hands in the air??? Also, after all his shooting with no apparent shots coming from the vehicle, I at first thought his partner also may have been at fault for firing at the vehicle but once I saw the video, I realized why he or she was exonerated of any wrong doing and find myself thinking that was a good decision by department brass. All the shit needs to flow only in one direction regarding those at the scene and that direction is not onto the other officer. Of course, maybe the department will realize it needs to give pre-employment psych tests if not already doing so. If they already give them, then maybe they need to revise the tests or find a new doctor to read the test results.

 

I am willing to bet that squad unit may have needed a complete sterilization and maybe even have needed to have the rear seats and any carpet replaced because of the pile of poop the poor guy inside, who was being shot at, may have shot out of his arse (those likely being the only shots that he may have fired). He was one lucky guy that he did not get hit. I am guessing he will be the recipient of a large lump sum in an out of court settlement and rightly so in my opinion.

 

To say the least, this incident was mind boggling for me after having spent 32 years plus in federal law enforcement and after having performed collateral duties as a firearms instructor for 16 of those years. Had an agent I just trained ever done something like that, I think maybe I would have had to give up being an instructor.

 

All the best,

Glenn B

Henry Has Just Announced Four U.S. Border Patrol Commemorative Rifles

Henry has announced four commemorative rifles to honor the 100th anniversary of the U.S. Border Patrol. Two for the USBP & two others for the USBP under CBP. Being I started my career as a BPA in 1979, back when BP Agents actually did their jobs, I may get both of the USBP models; yet, I must say the following because of what BPAs are doing today:

What a sad time in the history of the Mean Green that Henry has chosen to come out with these. Instead of doing the jobs for which they were hired or quitting in mass protest, BP Agents are now, as I see it, aiding and abetting the entry of illegal aliens under the direction of the criminal, U.S. Constitution violating and hating, mindless president who has sold out America, Joe Biden. If I was  a BP agent now, I would quit in protest. I think every one of the current BPAs should quit or at the least stage a sick-out for a week. I am serious that I would quit;. no doubt in my mind. I did when I was in Customs, over much less, and only went back after a week or two of supervisors and agents urging me to return. My GS even coming to my home a couple of times to do so. The  patrol today, is a disgrace as I see it. We have lost the battle and it seems are about to lose the war and our country because they choose to obey the man responsible for destroying our sovereignty and our country's place as the greatest nation on Earth.

Well that said, I guess I need to add something about these rifles. They are being offered only to current, retired or former Border Patrol Agents. There is a model in 22 LR and one in .357 MAG/.38 SPL being offered for the Border Patrol prior to it becoming part of CBP and another one of each caliber for the Border Patrol after the creation of CBP - why they are doing that is beyond me - there is and has been only one U.S. Border Patrol regardless of which department and parent agency it has been under since it's creation.

Ain't they sweet.

The ones in .357/.38 have a brass receiver, the ones in 22 have a nickel plated receiver but for some reason Henry is calling it a Golden Boy (I always thought only their rifles with solid brass receiver were considered Golden Boys). Regardless,I am considering a big money layout for either one of each of the regular USBP models (even the idea of getting a CBP model disgusts me) or possibly double that and getting two of each of the USBP (non-CBP) models. I asked my son what he thought of such an investment and he probably rightly told me it would be very risky especially in light of the possibility that Henry could possibly remove their sales restriction of selling them only to BPAs and thus making them available to the general public if they do not sell enough of them. That would suck and probably reduce the value of them. If however, they are only ever sold by Henry to current, retired or former BPAs, that could keep their value high and they are not cheap. The 22 LR versions are $800.00 each and the .357/.38 are $1,150.00. Those are supposed to be the discounted prices. The thing is, if you buy other of Henry's commemorative models - they currently retail for a bit less than that from what I have seen - so where is the discount except off of MSRP. It really is no discount at all as I see it, if similar commemorative models actually sell for less; then again no others are USBP models.

Then there is the fact they are calling the 22 LR version a Golden Boy and as per their own page describing a Golden Boy the USBP commemorative in 22 LR seems to be anything but a Golden Boy because the receiver and butt plate are nickel finish and not brasslite & brass respectively as they are on a Golden Boy! Check out their description of the Golden Boy here: https://www.henryusa.com/rifles/golden-boy/. Then look at the USBP Commemorative models here: https://www.henryusa.com/news/henry-salutes-u-s-border-patrols-100th-anniversary/. Bet you were wondering when I'd get around to that link.They are simply something I'd love to own but even just two will take a big bite out of my bank account and knowing myself, if I buy at least one in one caliber, then I am also buying at least one in the other. Still though, they are very nice looking and the temptation to buy at least one of each - damn my finances - is exceedingly strong and my will is weakening.

I asked my son for some advice as to what he thought of me buying two of each of the USBP (non CBP) models. He mentioned that they might later be sold to the general public, and thus could be a risky investment. He is probably right but the temptation to buy a pair of each is almost as strong as the urge to buy just one of each model. So, I sent an inquiry to Henry to ask if they might ever be sold to the general public or if they will remain on sale only to BPAs and to ask about serial numbers. I inquired as to whether or not these rifles would have a run of serial numbers exclusive to them. I asked that because I want to know, if I buy one, or more, in each caliber, can I get serial number in one caliber that will match the serial number of the other caliber. I also asked if there is a serial number run specific to these guns, would it be possible for me to get one in each caliber ending with what was my three number call sign when I was a BPA (that would be truly excellent). Hopefully they will reply soon and still have the ones with my number in stock if they can do that last thing. If they can do the last three number bit, I am pretty sure to bite on at least one matched pair with my call sign as the last three digits.

I have to add one last thing, not so much about these rifles but rather about the year the Border Patrol was established. I don't know how I missed this all these years, I entered on duty on September 29, 1979, but the founding year of the BP was 1924 - that was the year of my mothers birth. Sold, I am buying at least one, probably two of them and maybe four.

 All the best,

 Glenn B

 

PS: My apologies to RiverRider whose comment was inadvertently deleted when I edited the original post and wound up making it a completely new post. I retrieved the comment from my email and reposted it in the comment section with proper attribution.

Just Got Back From Walking Skye, My mongrel...

 ...and am sitting in my living room experiencing my eardrums resonating melodically while being bathed within the purely magically musical waves and exotic voice of Carlos Santana playing 'Do You Remember Me'.

 You can lay back and allow yourself to enjoy it by listening to it here:

 

Hope you liked it half as much I enjoyed it. This one not quite as good guitar as Samba Pa Ti but still excellent. Samba Pa Ti is perfection.

 

After that you might want to give a ear or both to - now for something completely different, no not Monty Python - Jethro Tull as Ian Andersen goes solo on flute at Tampa in 1976:

 

 

 His flute fingers on the flute are as perfect as those of Santana on the strings. That piece was great, it just came up on YouTube a couple after Santana's song. As for Ian Andersen on flute, my favorite piece is Bouree. It compares favorably with Samba Pa Ti as to intensity and simply to it being perfection to my perception as I listen to it or the other.

And the last I present for your listening pleasure is - well, that is if you truly enjoy the music in a woman's voice and this one is either the most beautiful voice I have ever heard (or in 2nd place, 3rd or even maybe 4th place under only Joan Osbourne whose voice sometimes changes so much from song to song you'd think you were listening to different women, saw her in concert several years ago in a small venue in upstate NY - she was fantastic), Grace Slick (live and stoned at Woodstock, saw her in Jefferson Airplane & then again but in Jefferson Starship both times in Central Park, NYC) and Debby Harry very hot sexy babe back in the day with a fantastically fabulous voice, saw her twice with Blondie at Belmont Racetrack in Nassau County, NY, got in for like $1.50 if we got there before a certain race and had to wait around about an hour or so for the show after the races). A tough call would it be for me to pick one as best! - another song that came after Santana, 'Eye Of The Storm' sung by Natalie Merchant:

 

 

 

I hope all of the music has enchanted and held spellbound your psyche, as it has mine. In some future post, I hope I will remember to compare at least one song each from from the other three against one from Natalie Merchant and we can start a debate as to who sounds best. Dang it, I almost forgot Alison Krauss a beautiful lady with a beautifully passionate voice I saw her once maybe twice with Union Station as back-up for Willie Nelson and once I seem to remember also as back-up for Charlie Daniels, Stevie Nicks gorgeous and one hell of a sultry (meanings 1a & 2a&b) voice, Janis Joplin maybe not a beautiful looking babe but her voice was powerful & vibrantly outstanding and Neena in her native tongue, a truly exquisite voice has she! Later for them and 4 U!

 

All the Best,

Glenn B

Must-Have Gun Tools?

While looking through some gun forums in the wee hours of the day on which I write this, I came across a thread that detailed what the opening poster believed were 'must-have' gun tools. I was truly surprised, to say the least, at what he thought were the must-have  essentials for what he called "your 'smithing bench". After reading about what he thought were the ten necessary tools for working on firearms, I decided to give an in depth reply.

 

Before I continue allow me to list his ten must-have tools:

 

1. Gun Vise

2. Screwdriver Set

3. Torque Wrench

4. Boresighter

5. Scope-Leveling Device

6. Hook & Pick Set

7. Cleaning Rod(s)

8. Jags And Bore Brushes

9. Ultrasonic Cleaner

10. Gun/Brand specific tools

 

 

Here is what I wrote regarding my thoughts about his choices of his choices for ten must-have tools for working on firearms and my thoughts on the tools I consider pretty much as essentials (or as unnecessary luxuries) or as simply nice to have for working on the guns that I own or on guns I may acquire at a future date. Mind you, I make no claim to be a gunsmith or that my work area is a 'smithing bench. So here is the reply that I wrote:

 

"With all due respect to your expertise on this subject, I see my essential firearms tools differently than do you yours.

I think a sonic cleaner is a luxury and completely unneeded in a kit of gun tools. I have never, I repeat never, used a sonic cleaner in my shooting lifetime and that has been over 60 years long so far. I own a gun or two or three that is/are over 100 years old and I am certain their parts have never been in a sonic cleaner and never will be as long as I own them. So please, explain to me why it was a must-have for me in all those years; yet, I never have used one and my firearms work just fine.

It also seems to me a boresight is a luxury. I sight in my rifles the old fashioned way, bang-bang-bang adjust as necessary - then bang-bang-bang until I get it right. I start close in and work out to further distances. I like some good old shooting to get it done, it's fun. Of course I could always boresight a rifle by aiming down the bore then adjusting the reticle of a mounted scope to be on target all without a laser boresight. I guess a boresight is nice to own and convenient to use maybe even much more efficient but it most certainly is not a must-have necessity.

Of course other scope mounting/adjusting devices are also not necessities. They are certainly nice to have but truth be told, I did just fine mounting scopes for many a year after my 50s once my vision became less than optimal. I purchased a torque wrench only within the last two years, same for a scope mounting kit with the level and other tools. Nice to have and makes the job of mounting a scope easier and more precise but not must-have tools. Th same goes for a gun vise. I got my first one two or three years ago. Wow does it make a very nice difference but for many years I used my knees or someone else to hold the gun while I worked on it. I did with what I had.

Placing jags & bore brushes separate from cleaning rods almost makes it seem as if you could not find another appropriate item to take a number in your pick of ten 'must-have' tools. Let's face it - brushes & jags are part of a must-have firearms cleaning kit, as is a cleaning rod and as are cleaning brushes (brass & steel - not bore brushes but hand held brushes that resemble toothbrushes). You purposefully excluded patches and swabs - go figure they are tools like any others that fit into a cleaning kit and add pipe cleaners to that list (if you have ever cleaned a Yugoslavian SKS you may understand why I include them but they also come in quite handy on many other types of firearms). A complete cleaning kit is thus considered by me to be all one tool with accessories or a tool group as far as I am concerned but if you want to make them separate then why not have jags as one item and bore brushes as another and cleaning patches as another and add swabs & pipe cleaners to the list and solvent and had held cleaning brushes as another and you could just keep going.

Somethings you seem to have excluded or maybe have forgotten are: pin punches (these are gun tools of relative necessity in my mind), a hammer with combination brass head and nylon head, a pair of needle nose pliers is another, a hemostat is another, a bore light is another, a telescoping rod with a magnetic end is another excellent tool to have around but maybe not an essential one until that tiny screw or spring falls under something to heavy to move but yet can be reached under by the magnetic tipped rod to retrieve the lost item. I'd also say a Glock tool but any correctly sized pin punch will do. I'd likely add a 1911 wrench (not necessary maybe but sure makes disassembly and assembly easier). I also find a small multi-function knife to be a very useful and a must have item in my firearms tool kit. Depending on what type of firearms you have sight tools (both rear and front) could be must have items. For instance, it is pretty much a necessity for the rear sights on Glocks and a Glock front sight tool is also a good choice for a Glock owner. Of course there are also sight tools for rifles like AR-15s and AK-47s.

Lest I forget and while these are probably not considered tools, I think some of the most essential things to have when it comes to working on guns are manuals, exploded parts diagrams annotated to describe each part, and firearms books detailing assembly and disassembly of guns. The books can be expensive but you can often find greatly discounted used editions on sites like eBay. Manuals can also be expensive but if you have a currently manufactured firearms, many manufacturers offer manuals you can download from their websites. Even if you do not have a computer or smart phone, you can go to almost any public library and download them or print them there for a nominal fee at most. I currently have well over fifty such books and manuals. Some of my manuals are from the original manufacturer as those that came with the gun, others are after market so to speak such as those salmon colored ones for which I cannot recall the publisher. I have many for guns I do not even own, they may come in handy some day when I buy my next gun or the the next one after that or if I am looking for a particular manual I do not have, I may be able to trade one I already own for the one I need.

As for not using the kitchen table - well pardon me if I did not make a lot of money in my early career and lived in tiny studio apartments for a few years and the only work area that I had available was my kitchen table or the floor. Believe me it was better using the kitchen table while sitting in a chair than trying to sit on the floor and work on a gun. It always amazes me how well meaning gun folks offering advice often seem to expect everyone is as well off as are they and that they assume every gun owner has or must have things like a separate work area with a work bench. Many folks do not have those luxuries, heck they may not even have the basic tools both you and I mentioned. Thus they do with what they have but I'd at least hope they acquire the basic tools for any gun they own. When I used my kitchen table, I made sure to cover my table with a plastic/vinyl tarp when cleaning guns on it and I still cleaned the table very well once I was finished. There are several brands of supposedly nontoxic gun cleaning solvents available making use of the kitchen table less of a hazard nowadays. You do the best you can with the best you have, that is what makes the world go round."

 

I may have left something out as to my essentials but please note that if I did not mention something like a screwdriver set that the original poster of the thread did mention, it was simply because I agree that is an essential so don't assume that if I did not mention something it means I do not think it essential. For instance, I did not mention Allen wrenches, which I think are a must have but did not bother to mention them only because a good size variety of Allen heads come in many gun screwdriver sets. Yet, I suppose a set or two (the first in imperial sizes, the second in metric sizes) are pretty much a thing to own. I did make sure to add things the other guy did not list, like pin punches and needle nosed pliers, that I think are mandatory. I covered most of the necessary tools in that manner, or so I think, without having looked through my tools as or before I wrote the above. If you think I missed something, please let me know. It is always nice to learn more about maintaining my firearms.

 

All the best,

Glenn B 

 

 

Ballsy But Really Stupid

A guy allegedly used a company issued credit card, from the company for which he worked, to make unauthorized purchases of over 31K worth of scratch off lottery tickets. He admited to his boss he had done so according to this source report.

 

As the post title says, ballsy but stupid.

 

All the best,

Glenn B

FedEX Does It Again

 The does it again thing was this:

I had a package containing 1,000 rounds of ammunition delivered to my apartment by FedEx today, it was marked with the required marking used for ammo. I was waiting at home for it and preparing something in my kitchen when it was delivered. If not for my WADAS (Woofing Alert Delivery Alarm System - my dog) suddenly barking loudly, I would not have known the package had been delivered unless I opened my door to go outside and then possibly would have tripped over it as it was on my doorstep. Well, when I opened the door, I caught the FedEx driver getting into his truck and asked why he had not rung my doorbell or at least knocked on my door among other things like getting my signature which I had wrongly thought was required on this package (I confused it with another one). He apparently got angry and replied that if I want a delivery wherein someone knocks on my door, I should use UPS. I got pissed off and cursed him out and regret I did so but that does not make his failure to alert me to the delivery any less serious, especially with the current amount of package thefts that is ongoing in the USA. So, I am going to take his advice. In the future, unless there is an urgent need for me to get something and FedEx is the only available shipper, any purchases I make online will be restricted to companies who do not use FedEx for shipping but who instead use UPS or the USPS as appropriate for whatever I am buying. Today, I made an official complaint against the driver.

That is my first official complaint with FedEx as best I can remember but it is not the first time a FedEx driver has failed to ring my bell or knock on my door. On the other hand, UPS and USPS drivers almost always knock or ring, it is rare that they do not, to let me know my package has arrived and to place it in my hand. They also do it with a smile on their faces. I do not often get packages delivered by FedEx but this is about the fifth or sixth time they have not even used the minimal amount of energy nor had enough respect for a me, the package recipient, to ring my bell. Five or six times of this, as best I can recall, amounts to the great majority of FedEx deliveries to me over the past year and few months at my current address, so it seems to me they have failed the majority of times. As I said it is not the first time they have done this but it is the first time one has told me to have my packages shipped via UPS and thus the first time I made an official complaint.

In fact, I wrote a post about delivery companies last year when it seemed UPS employees were going to strike. I mentioned in that post my dissatisfaction with FedEx for much the same reasons. This is what I wrote about Fed Ex deliveries back then (source):

"I shudder to think though that if they do strike and I need to order something that usually is shipped via UPS - it may wind up being shipped by FedEx. At least in my personal experience, FedEx damages packages more often than UPS. Luckily the damage usually only has been to the shipping box. My local FedEx delivery folks also rarely ring my bell or knock on my door when delivering to me but instead just leave the item on my doorstep; luckily I don't recall anything going missing (as in being stolen) when they've done that. On the other hand, UPS delivery personnel almost always knock on my door and or ring the bell, it is a rare delivery when they do not. 

The UPS lady who normally delivers my parcels has even called me on my cell phone on at least one or maybe two occasions when I have not been home. She did that to see if I can get home quick enough to have her wait or otherwise to check if she should just leave it or drop it off at the UPS Customer Center for me to pick up later (she is one heck of an excellent & different delivery person for any shipping company). 

 

With FedEx, I often either unexpectedly stumble across a package left on my doorstep by FedEx when I am going out or I am often alerted to the fact that they just made a delivery by my super sophisticated high tech & almost failure proof WADAS (woofing alert delivery alarm system). She alerts me not only to FedEx package deliveries but also to those made by the USPS and UPS:

 

 "

Yes the photo is part of the quote. 

 As I said, it is FedEx drivers who usually do not knock or ring my doorbell and just stealthily leave packages on my doorstep; the UPS and USPS folks have a lot better delivery etiquette and good manners and are usually very polite as well. In my opinion, FedEx is the worst possible choice anyone could make to ship a package. I wholeheartedly believe UPS and the USPS put them to shame.

All the best,

Glenn B

Happy Grounhog Day

 I have it on good authority that the little flea-bag Punxsutawny Phil did not see his shadow today thus predicting an early Spring. Happy Groundhog Day, the best holiday ever. No shopping and spending on presents, no gift wrapping,no holiday cards to send, no always hungry mooching relatives coming over expecting to stuff their maws with my vittles, no big meal planning, no cooking & no thus no complaints something was not just right, no lots of dirty dishes to wash, and folks Cancel Culture has not gone after this one, at least not yet. All I plan on doing for the day is watching its eponymous movie, one of the best ever. This is my favorite holiday and most folks do not even think of it as a holiday. I love it, how could I not!

All the best,

Glenn B

Laptop Problems

 My laptop's fan has been rattling intermittently. This has been going on a week or two at most and it has  rattled only a few to maybe several times. I had thought that my 3 year next business day onsite warranty expired tomorrow but when I checked on HP's site tonight, they said it expired yesterday. Then I looked at my warranty again and on another warranty page of HP's. As it turned out, thank goodness I contacted them today because yesterday nor tomorrow was the expiration date - today is/was the last day of the warranty! 

 

After 2 hours and 50 minutes, of questions and useless downloads (at least useless as to fixing  the problem) the HP rep told me an onsite service tech will be calling me soon, I am guessing tomorrow. That was only after the HP rep first asked me to send it in to HP and I had to remind her I had an onsite next day business service warranty. It was also after she had asked me to record the rattling sound. When she asked me to record the sound, it was not rattling. Luckily though, a few moments later, out of the blue, it went into the black and it started rattling again. I grabbed my phone, hit voice recorder and I recorded it.

 

This was the first hardware problem in three years of owning this laptop, a far cry from my previous HP laptop which had a few hardware issues. Remarkably this was a refurbished business machine; I guess they did a good job at refurbishing it. I should note, this laptop is speed rated at being a Battleship and an Aircraft Carrier when I run the User Benchmark app, it is still considered as very powerful and fast today even though I purchased it three years ago today. I paid a lot for it but my figuring was I wanted one that would remain top notch for a few to several years to come and after that still be at least a pretty fast computer. It has made it in that regard for three years so far and I am guessing will give me good to very good performance for a few years more..

 

I would probably have called this problem in a bit sooner, as in earlier this week, despite me being THE Great Procrastinator but I was at my son's house from last Friday until yesterday and had left the laptop at home and just forgot all about it. In fact, it was probably the last thing on my mind today, that is until it started rattling again. I am happy it did so because if it and I had waited until tomorrow, I would have been a day late & a dollar short so to speak! Usually I am that guy, the one who gets royally screwed but today there must have been Divine Intervention and or maybe that rare thing known as good luck for me and believe me sometimes I think if not for an abundance of bad luck I'd have almost no luck at all.

You can bet, I am hoping it, that is my good fortune, will continue through tomorrow when I buy some lottery tickets for Mega Millions, Power ball, the AR lottery/lotto and AR Natural State drawings. If I win a big prize on tickets I buy tomorrow I may well start going back to church because it will be evident that someone up there likes me.

All the best,

Glenn B