Range Time

A "flex" day off, the homework is done, and it's in the 70s. Time to burn some powder, even if the wind is blowing my full-size pickup across the center lane every time I let up on the wheel.

Today's choice is once again the AR-15, and the Beretta 92F. Never hurts to go with what you know, and might have to use in the future. My AR is a Century C-15 mixmaster. I've read some truly horrible things about the quality of these, but it was literally one of the last ones Century had in stock during the great Obama Scare of '08. As far as I can tell, other than the new Century lower, the rest is lightly used, with the sole flaw I've found being a notch where the dust cover pin latches, making it overly easy for the dust cover to pop open. Making a slightly longer catch pin will take care of that. And what it's fed:

Yes, the nearly universally reviled Brown Bear brand. At the time of purchase, this was literally all that was available. Reading (once again) Internet reviews of the brand, I was expecting jams, extraction failures, and poor accuracy. I have had a failure to feed. Once. Today, after over 300 rounds without cleaning the rifle. Accuracy? All my shooting has been with paper silhouettes simulating the military pop-up targets, so it's been hits that count, rather than MOA; at 200 yards, unsupported prone, I've been able to put 40/40 on target. With sandbags and younger eyes, I think I'd get some reasonable groups. Come warmer weather, I'll try some bullseye shooting to see what I can get. Compared to reloadable brass-cased new production at sixty or more cents per round, I can live with a slightly lower level of accuracy, especially with torso-size targets.

Ugly Gun Sunday

Belatedly posted, thanks to the intrusion of meatspace demands.





Ah, the Dardick. Quite possibly the most aesthetically challenged handgun ever made. All the ergonomic advantages of a Borchardt, but with the appearance of a 1950s Japanese raygun, it's well known in the serious gun owner community for its appearance in American Rifleman every few years. Lesser known is the accessory package that converts it into a rifle. Homely as it is, I would think that having the pistol and rifle accessory package would leave the owner with a tidy sum of cash if they wished to sell.

Mustn't Let The Peasants

get their hands on the special, special, military brass.

Hell, we PAID for it the FIRST time it was used........

Day Off (sort of)

As one of our physicians who generates a lot of procedures is off for the week, I've been "voluntarily" flexed from work for the day (voluntarily as in, I can say "no problem" with a smile and use some PTO, or be ordered to take it off and get some negative remarks in my job review about playing well with others; might as well keep some brownie points). There's no shortage of tasks to be done around the house, especially as the deployment looms in what seems to be the near future. On the other hand, there will be little time off up to that date, and virtually none afterwards. So, given that it's not raining, snowing, or sub-zero, it seems like it might be time to get some range time in.

I've committed to taking out the AR-15 every time I get out there until leaving; many people seem surprised by this, but the Army, or at least the part I've been exposed to, is only concerned about weapons proficiency during annual qualification. The rest of the time weapons are something to be locked up lest one go missing and ruin someone's efficiency review. For those of us in the support role (not combat arms), I look at weapons as similar to a fire extinguisher. It's unlikely I'll need it, but if I do I better damn well be able to operate it quickly and efficiently. And nothing builds muscle memory and skill like practice.

But it shouldn't be all practice without fun. Which is why I'm considering which .30 caliber to take with. There's an M1 sitting in the corner that was picked up shortly before the last deployment, which still hasn't been fired; next to it sits a new-to-me Soviet M44......decisions, decisions.

Seeing damn near every Democrat whooping it up as Obama and Biden strut up to the podium (teleprompter immediately to the right, I see), I realize I've finally reached the point where I literally cannot stand either of them. They sicken me. And the howling crowd of "progressives" don't improve things. The serious lessons are beginning for those who've held that there's not really any difference between the parties.

Weekend Gun Show

Another semi-annual gun show has come and gone. Some of the changes I've noticed:

Hardly a Russian rifle to be seen; have people finally bought all those Mosins that have been stacked like cordwood for the last several years? On the other hand, there were more AR variants than I've seen a long time, with rail farms seeming to be the latest trend. As usual for the Midwest, shotguns ruled the show, running from $125 for 16 guage single shots to $1200 for various over/unders. Mausers seem to be getting thinned out, with rifles that would have sold for $150 a few years ago now tagged above $400. Most surprising of all, a glut of Japanese rifles in decent condition, and perhaps a fourth of them with Mums intact.

Missing and unlamented from the recent show: Beanie Babys, jerky, and unwashed fat men in military-style clothing.

Present, and unexpected: the coin dealer who was at least 80 if he was a day, wearing a hillbilly hair ballcap.



Didn't buy anything this time, although there was a Galil sporter for $475 available; too little time anymore.

Ugly Gun Sunday

From an evidence room in gun-free Great Britain, what appears to be a very old and abused submachine gun. Although this looks like it was put together as a high school metal shop project, there were millions of such guns put together by various governments in WWII when hardwood furniture and bluing were recognized as unrelated to reliability. That said, I thought this was a smuggled com-bloc gun, but I don't find anything quite matching the layout on the web. Anyone else recognize this one?

Yeah, That Pretty Much Says It All

A Little Slice of Heaven

This weekend:

Will be my first days off after six continuous weeks of work and Guard;

Will have the spring gunshow put on by the local gun club in the local Guard armory;

Will see some extended family on The Wife's side coming to town, resulting in a visit to the local provider of steak and beer;

Will probably result in another blast of sleet and snow after two days of acceptable (above 39 degrees and dry) riding weather if the local weather-guesser is correct.

I'll take three out four.......

Out of curiosity: Iowa has a long history of gunshows being held in armories. I've always taken this as the norm, but looking at some states' view of private gun ownership, I wonder if that is correct. Anyone have any experience with that from other states?

Bread and Circuses

It's interesting to note that for all the mislabelling of a constitutional republic as a democracy by the talking heads of the Left, the last thing the current majority party will allow is a straight-up vote on the current (whatever the latest secret iteration may be) healthcare bill in the House. Not only would it fail massively in a true nation-wide, one-person one-vote referendum, but even via representative voting it's unacceptable, due to being judged simultaneously insufficiently and overly personally invasive.

So it will be "deemed" as passed, as the lumpenproles cannot be permitted to delay the progress of social justice and equality for all. And the people, like chickens, will squawk and run circles for a while, then settle down to their new reality of higher taxes and limited care while looking back in amazement that people once actually chose insurers and had a host of wasteful medical choices that required partial personal payment. Much like many people now find it difficult to believe that the Federal government was once capable of operating without stealing a portion of the citizenry's income every payday.

Which puts us that much closer to older forms of government, in new attire:

"Tyrants would distribute largess, a bushel of wheat, a gallon of wine, and a sesterce: and then everybody would shamelessly cry, 'Long live the King!' The fools did not realize that they were merely recovering a portion of their own property, and that their ruler could not have given them what they were receiving without having first taken it from them."

Estienne de la Boetie
Discourse on Voluntary Servitude
1548

Ugly Gun Sunday

These days, you just can't afford the fine, hand-cut one line per inch checkering, or intricate, precise parts fitting seen above.

When one names a child, the name will impart more dignity upon its adult bearer if the name is not spelled phonetically. Especially if the phonetic spelling is longer than than the original name, and now pronounced as though by one deaf from birth.

I look forward to the names "duh" and "ugh" becoming massively popular in my dotage, if things continue to progress as they have since my childhood.

Ugly Gun Sunday

Blackpowder and tactical rails?