Ugly Gun Sunday

Swiped from Baboon Pirates. Someone needs to post an image of this thing being fired at dusk.

The Power of One

I actually came home from work in a good mood today. The only difference? Just one person being absent. Making all the difference between a desire to smash things with a bat, or walking into the house with a smile and a hug for The Wife.

FU, BB

SOPA.

Just one more step on our march into a Police State.

Civil disobedience.

One of the actions free individuals take when confronted with statist ass-hattery.

Ugly Gun Sunday

Spec-ops SKS?


Anyhoo.........

Merry Christmas, and (I think) Happy Hannukah (I'm not as familiar with that side of the house).

Ugly Gun Sunday

Ah.................actually, I don't know what to say.

Tebow Teapot Tempest

I keep seeing on TV and the web about Tim Tebow. Apparently people are either thrilled someone is finally proud to show their faith openly, or appalled by the same.

As a "small a" atheist (e.g., I don't belong to any organizations, have any agendas, or feel either particularly empowered or marginalized), I'd simply like to say: WTF?

Don't either of these groups of people have more urgent things to attend to in our current economy and social situation?

If you're religious, I can tell you from my perspective the most impressive thing you can do is actually live the tenets of your faith consistently. I've actually known a few folks who've done that, and I've felt privileged to know them.

If you're not religious, unless someone attempts to satisfy their urge to bomb/maim/enslave/force you to pay an "infidel tax", you can practice some that tolerance you're frequently complaining you don't get (aka, live the tenets of your espoused philosophy consistently).

Walk the walk, or STFU.

Political Logic

Senator Harkin (Democrat/Cornfield Communist) says the Republicans, in holding out for approval of a new oil pipeline crossing the Dakotas before voting for an extension of the payroll tax extension, are attempting to cause the economy to become bad enough for it to negatively affect the Obama's re-election effort.

Which part of building and maintaining an international, multi-state energy delivery system is it that will hurt his image? The increased jobs? Increased tax revenue? Lower cost petroleum products?

Perhaps it's because the pipeline will cross through areas with low taxes, low union participation, and high expectations of creating value from natural resources instead of simply declaring them off-limits to the peasants who will simply sully their pristine, sublime undeveloped state.

Both of them would be better suited to Venezuela. They love job-destroying demagogues down there.

Synonyms: craven, poltroon, dastard, recreant, milksop.

cow·ard (kou-erd)

1. a person who lacks courage in facing danger, difficulty, opposition, pain, etc.; a timid or easily intimidated person.

2. lacking courage; very fearful or timid.

The president (my god, how that title has been demeaned) asked the Iranian government/theocracy to return our drone.

Asked.

When you lose a valuable material asset to a hostile nation, you don't ask. You act.

That's why we have cruise missiles, you ass!


Would anyone care to join me in commissioning a bust of Neville Chamberlain for the POTUS's Christmas present this year?

Piggy Pleasures

Slick.

I'm considering buying a whole box of them and mailing it to CAIR's headquarters with a Christmas card.

Ugly Gun Sunday

A work in progress. But someone still cared enough to arrange that image.

Ugly Gun Sunday

It's a fine set up, if you're into spotlighting mice.

Come to think of it, I've been in a few tents where that might have been handy.

Interesting

Apparently not a permanent alteration; might be nice for some scenarios. On the down side, it definitely demonstrates that the staggered column of cartridges is more practical for getting down in the dirt.

Remington

He literally walked into our life shortly after The Wife had to put down her dog of sixteen years; we were leaving her house to go somewhere, when a rail-thin, hyper dog trotted up into the yard. No collar, tattoos, or chips. As fate would have it, my recently purchased home had a shed with an attached kennel inside a fenced yard. The thought of the local pound euthanizing him if no one showed up to claim him was on our minds, so over to the kennel he went. Three weeks of searching for owners was without result; after paying a bill for neutering, the dog was mine as far as I was concerned, and shortly after that was ours in newly joined household. Months of chewing whatever was available, including wooden carvings, window shades, and vacuum cleaners eventually passed. What was left was one of the most loving dogs I've ever encountered. He couldn't hunt worth a damn, but he provided my wife with loving company and protection through three deployments over the past decade. He was a far better companion than most people I've known. We loved him as a member of our family.

Today was his last day.



There's a spot in our hearts that will always be empty now.

Really?

Yeah. Your kids will be fine, because you're the kind of behind-the-scenes, double-dealing, backstabbing, lying, self-serving, amoral piece of shit you constantly say you're fighting against.

Fuck.
You.

Everything or Nothing

So there's a bit of controversy about a pledge of allegiance down in Texas.

I thought the instructor's statement about the Mexican pledge activity being "a cultural thing" is interesting. To a degree, she's right. It is cultural. And much more. It's a pledge,or in other words, a statement of fidelity, oath, or promise.

Which means for this individual teacher that either these words mean absolutely nothing, or if they do have meaning, she is directing students to pledge allegiance to a foreign nation. I think it's more likely it doesn't mean anything to her. Reciting an oath to the symbol of a sovereign nation is simply an exercise. Because they're just words, and words don't mean anything unless you believe what you're saying, right?

Unfortunately, I suspect there's a lot of people in the US that believe that. Personally, I won't recite an oath to another nation. It's not an exercise to me. Words have meaning, and consequences.

That's one young lady who has my respect.

War Stories

Had a patient today who is a Viet Nam vet, being seen for acute pain radiating down his leg. He mentioned to our nurse that it actually hurt worse than being shot, which was passed along to me to pass along to the radiologist. Unfortunately, there was a delay before the physician could get there, leaving me to keep the patient occupied. Which I'm happy to do, as I don't like sitting in a room waiting with nothing to do when I'm a patient either.

Asking about his pain led to the shooting incident in prior service. After he learned I'd been deployed, I spent the next thirty minutes listening to what it's like policing up the remains of tortured civilians after taking back a VC held village, being one of two men in an LP/OP while a squad of VC try to kill you, attempting to stay conscious while bleeding like a stuck pig so that your buddy has someone to cover his back while he returns fire, and the joys of recovery that takes place over three different nations. Oh, and how a paperwork error can get you sent back to Viet Nam along with a guy who has a very similar name, on the same plane, instead of the plane that was supposed to fly you back to the US for extended recovery therapy.

The amazing thing about this was the good humor and humility in how it was related to me. No bitterness, no self-pity.

I always feel privileged to work with vets.

Granny Panties

Apparently "cougars" are morphing into sabertooths. I honestly don't believe that just being elderly necessitates wearing "old people" clothes. I personally have no intention a developing a cardigan sweater collection or strapping my pants to my ribs as I age. On the other hand: if you're hitting the latter portion of your seventies, is wearing leopard spot high-cut panties to your medical appointment really a good choice?

Bad Idea

If you work in a hospital cafeteria as a cashier, isn't it a really bad idea to lick your fingers so you can make change faster? It's a bad idea anywhere, but inside a hospital?

Ugly Gun Sunday

"Cheek-stock weld? Why the hell would I need that?"

But It's Art, Right?

Did the publishers feel a need to mock the writers, or were they just dropping acid?

Ugly Gun Sunday

What To Do, What To Do.........

After spending a bunch of money to comply with an incorrect order, exceptionally poor communication, and a seven hour round trip to my current drill location to participate in two hours of "welcome home" activities, I can honestly say that while I truly enjoy having worked with many, many soldiers during active-duty deployments and weekend field exercises, I also have developed a deep desire to strangle a number of people who supposedly organize and plan activities.

Get Off My Lawn

What the hell is it with young men looking like jobless, illiterate, dumpster-diving shitbags the last several years? Even on commercials for clothing, phones, and food, the "protagonist" of the commercial looks like they haven't held a job in years, or washed, shaved, or changed their clothes in the last several weeks. Is this what women in their twenties find attractive now? It's like a combination of the worst aspects of hippies from the '60s and slackers from the '70s.

I hope all their children are the future's version of Reagan Conservatives.

Ugly Gun Sunday

"Saw this at Cabela’s in Rapid City. Some metal tubing, a can of green spray paint, and jima Mossberg Plinkster, and you have…this."

Thanks to reader Ed for this symphony of welded tubing :)

Let's Try This Again

Having unjacked my reproduction Enfield Model 1853, I think I'll see if I can manage to run some rounds through it tomorrow. 60 grains of Pyrodex seemed to drive a .57 caliber round ball nicely for the whole series of three shots I had last time, although they were striking to the right of center. I've just lubed up 15 Minie-style bullets with a mix of paraffin and vegetable oil that has worked well for me in a Remington Rolling Block in .43 Spanish; I'm thinking it'll be interesting to see what I can get for five-shot groups at fifty yards with both types of bullets. If I can get some decent groups, I have up to 300 yards of range available to really see what I can do with the rifle.

With luck I won't freeze out at the range tomorrow.

They Come In Threes?

So far in the last week or so, I've broken the extractor on my 1911 (replacement cost was nearly 10% of what I originally paid for the pistol); separated the powder dispenser on my Dillon Square Deal B into two parts while turning a fair bit of expensive gunpowder into worthless junk on the basement floor; and as of yesterday afternoon, ramming a .58 caliber round ball all the way down my reproduction 1853 Enfield rifle. So far, I've managed to tap the ball with a puller, then have the puller rip out of the ball. I'll get that sucker sooner or later, but it's a serious pain in the ass.

I'm hoping that last event is the end of the trend.

Ugly Gun Sunday

Yep, I know it's not a serious build. In fact, I do believe that's a Red Ryder at the center of everything. This was put together by an individual who knows how to orchestrate ugly.

Practical Repurposing

Because it's hard to haul three or more guns when you only weight forty pounds.....

Seriously, what a good idea. I hauled around a wheeled vertically stacked tool chest with my rifles strapped on top at CMP/vintage/high power rifle matches. The little 4-inch solid plastic wheels aren't that great off concrete or hard packed level ground.

Might have to get one of those.

(H/T to Ace of Spades)




http://ace.mu.nu/archives/323378.php

Happy Halloween

I dressed up as a collection of bad habits, portraying a fat guy smoking a cigar and drinking Jack Daniel's while handing out candy on the porch tonight.

Hell, I enjoyed it. Didn't seem to bother the kids any either.

Ugly Gun Sunday

I know I've always wanted a pistol that looks like it was made out of Bondo.

The World-Wide Constitution

Apparently the Constitution applies to everyone, not just U.S. citizens. Reading "Alabama immigration battle recalls civil rights past" written by Phillip Rawls of the Associated Press, individuals who have intentionally entered this country illegally are equivalent to to black citizens who were denied their constitutional rights in the past. And the evil Republican/Conservative/Capitalist hordes are attempting to deny the children of those individuals their "constitutional right to go to school".

It must be nice to live an a world where there's no economic or cultural consequences to idiocy.

Ugly Gun Sunday

Practical Creativity

Reading this simply reinforces the pride in my tribe. Hooah Iowa Guard!

Ugly Gun Sunday

I'm guessing this is someone's version of a Beretta Model 92 race gun (race gun: any stock gun with more equipment added to give the operator an edge when winning the competition is the primary reason for participating).

Redneck Gun Repair

or How To Replace A Hakim Ejector Spring On The Cheap.

First, let me note that it's possible to shoot over 50 rounds of surplus 8 mm and have all of them extract without the spring. I'm a little surprised by this, but having unintentionally done it, it's possible.

Seen clockwise above, the breech cover, bolt carrier, bolt, extractor, and safety housing. My first clue something was off occurred when disassembling the rifle for cleaning, and the extractor just fell onto the table.

Looking at this, my first thought was to wonder where I could buy a small piece of leaf spring material. Then, how to grind/cut/shape it for a good fit. That's when it occurred to me that I have a pile of leaf spring material sitting around:

The easily acquired, cheap stripper clip. In this case, from 5.56 rounds. These were sitting in the corner of the basement for the last 10+ years, but the rust scrubs off with a little steel wool and oil. A brief touch with a cutting wheel, or an appropriate handsaw, and a small length of leaf spring is available.


The piece above needed a little grinding along the long edge to adjust the width, and another cut to remove the retention curve at the tip.

Below, the finely-milled slots for receiving the spring can be seen at the base of the extractor recess.



With a bit of gentle pressure, the new spring can be slid into the milled recesses:


Next, gently prying upwards on the spring allows the extractor to be started into its recess:



A bit more gentle pressure, and the extractor will snap into place:


Total time to make, less then ten minutes, and a hell of a lot cheaper than buy the original parts via online auctions.

Seriously?

At least the video advertising has decent production values:

Ugly Gun Sunday

This gun was found in a yard sale this summer. Has a ramline stock and pro-mounted scope base and scope.Scope is a Tasco 3x9x40?. Has a bi-pod,spare bullet holder on butt stock and a nice sling. SN matching #xxx281. Has a Bubba Camo painted surface. Gun was used for a few years in deer hunting and was shot very little. I have never shot the rifle but the bore is bright and rifling is strong. No rust anyplace on the gun. Has a fixed flash hider and looks to be a Ruger product.





Sure, you can say it's just another painted up rifle, and not even that bad as they go. But it was a Swedish M96 Mauser that used to look like this:



Pity.