Range day fun and learning

Og invited me and my friend Mike to his range for a few hours of long distance paper punching at a Super Secret Location.

First breakfast, then recoil therapy. How can that ever be bad?

I learned that Og can solder a sight onto a barrel without damaging the heat treating (but he used a sandbag just to be sure so that if he had overheated it the shrapnel would only damage us a little). And that he can really shoot.

I learned that his friend Partner is a dead shot with his WWII era .22. And that I have a serious case of 1903 envy.

I learned that Mike can keep 30 rounds of 5.56 inside of 10 inches in rapid fire (like in 12 seconds) out of his AR.

And I learned that I need to relieve the stock of my rifle 'cause the groups open up greatly after 5 shots or so when the barrel gets hot. or I need to shoot slower... But I still shot 4.5" groups at 100 yds. Need a bit of work and a bit more practice. But I think I got a good deal last March. Only spent 80 rounds, but hey, It was fun.

All in all, it was an excellent morning, even if it was hot and humid and my glasses kept fogging up.

I am sure that I wouldn't let any of them shoot at me.

A bad Day At The Range is better than a good day at work.  We had the range to ourselves. No pressure, nothing but safe fun.

Trust me, you really wish you had been there.

Freedom isn't free

If yer reading this in English, not German, nor Russian, then today thank those who sacrificed their lives to make sure that you ARE reading this in English. Thank those who sacrificed themselves for your freedom, and think about what this freedom means, and what it is worth. Remember the reason we call it Memorial Day.

Take a moment, and give your thanks that you have that freedom, and don't squander it.

Don't let their sacrifice be in vain. DON'T LET ANYONE TAKE THAT FREEDOM AWAY. Not an outside government, and especially not your own government. Many died defending the country AND IT'S CONSTITUTION. every day, make their sacrifice worthwhile. Keep that which they have paid a great price. Don't let anyone, ESPECIALLY YOUR OWN LEADERS take that away. They agreed to defend the US and it's constitution "against all enemies, foreign and domestic". Don't let anyone or anything, foreign OR domestic steal that away from you. Keep the freedom.

Someone else paid for it. With their lives.

That sacrifice should mean something. And it should be valuable to you.

So take today to say thanks. Take a moment from your barbecue, your lawn work, your home improvements, your beer drinking, your car work, whatever you are doing on Monday, Memorial Day, and think of all those brave souls who gave you the freedom to ignore them on this day, should you choose to.

And in closing, to all those who paid the price, their friends, family and comrades, I thank you from my heart.

Sad

But true.

Go here to see what I am talking about.

good article

You should Read It.

Now think about what it says.

When will we place a limit on things? When will we say "Stop!". Or will we begin using tactics of fear and intimidation and, ultimately death to roll things back? Can we roll things back? Is it possible?

I'd prefer a leash on the guard dog, rather than  having to shoot him.

But both are options.

Let us hope that the law which they claim to enforce will decide to reign them in. 

The other options are not good for any of us...or them.

Read this too.Think.

Both courtesy of WRSA

Postal Match

Well, I was going to work on the ramps for the trailer (making new ones to replace the set that were stolen) but instead, as the forecast for Sunday was scattered showers and windy, but today (Saturday) was overcast but calm, I decided instead to shoot (or at least practice) for the postal match, whose deadline was fast approaching, and likely Saturday was the only day I might have a chance to have the time to shoot.Plus the nerve in my wrist wasn't acting up too much....

So I packed up 2 rifles and the range bag and made a range run. I live only 2.8 miles from a private range (of which I am, of course,  a member). This range allows rimfire rifles, as well as any pistol up to 44 magnum. They have a 50 yd and a 25 yd outdoor range, so I shot my targets there. (living that close to a range like that makes for an hellacious ammo budget, let me tell you....) Normally, I only shoot pistols there, killing bowling pins or paper at 12 or 25 yards (or 50 feet indoors).

Anyway, I went to the range after printing out 15 targets (so I could practice) and after about three practice targets, I realized that my offhand shooting skills were....let us be kind and say "rusty". I was wobbly and shakey and kinda twitchy. My shoulder cramped up enough after 3 targets that I had to put the rifle down and rest, as my groups opened up a LOT.

So after a rest, I tried again. One thing that was a pain during practice was adjusting both the scoped rifle and the open sighted rifle to shoot at 25 yds. Normally, I shoot from a rest or kneeling or prone at 100 yds... not at 25! It took 25 rounds to walk the point of impact down far enough using the scoped 10-22. 34 clicks down.  1 entire target just to adjust for the short yardage.

Finally, having the scope adjusted enough I was able to actually sight ON the target rather than below, I rested for about 15 minutes and shot my target for score:

Not too bad, but Boy Howdy, my offhand shooting has greatly deteriorated in the past 6 months or so. This is from a 3x9 scoped rifle. A 10-22 that can put 5 in the size of a quarter at 50 yards, and a half dollar at 100 yds.

So I put that rifle away, and rested for a bit, and then took out my J.C. Higgins model 30. One of my favorite rifles, and one that I have a great deal of sentiment about, as it was the rifle that my dad and grandfather taught me to shoot with. Having laid broken in a guncase for many years, (the rifle, not me!) I finally, with the help of a friend, learned about Numrich, and got a new extractor for this rifle. With a bit of fitting and a great deal of help, I was able to make this fine rifle shoot again. And shoot it does. Not bad for a rifle 12 years older than I am.

Again, I had to adjust the sights WAY down, took 25 shots to find the target, and by then I was shakey again, so I rested, and walked a bit. 20 minutes later I walked up, loaded 5 rounds and began shooting for score. 25 rounds later, my shoulder sore from holding that rifle up, I had this target:

While I am not sure how he is gonna score them, (or even if I can enter 2 different times, one scoped and one unscoped) I present these for scoring.

Here is, perhaps, a better set of pics for scoring:

The 10-22.... Scoped: I score this as 23.

The JC Higgins....Open sights: I score this as a 10.

 I actually used to be able to shoot better. Either I am out of shape, or just getting older. Or maybe it's the drinking.(or lack thereof?)...I really don't know. But I can hit the paper at 25 yards, at least.


You still have time! If you want to enter, HERE are the rules. 

Hey, after seeing these, you know that you aren't gonna come in dead last. I think that I have that spot covered.  ETA: Apparently I hold first place. I thought that this would be a poor showing. (You folks should see the guys I shoot with!...this wouldn't even be a target that they'd let anyone see)

The sad part is that I could likely shoot this well with my .22 Bullseye pistol. It is all a matter of practice....And I am way out of practice with a rifle.


ETA: this was shot using Federal bulk ammo from Wal-Mart.

Happy birthday

To Roberta.

switzerland goes dim

Or at least, they will.

It's gonna be hard to live there come 2035

Wonder what they will replace it with? Gnomes cranking little generators?

'Cause renewables aren't going to replace 2/5 of their energy, not even by then.

Another view

on the 4th amendment violations/trashing of the Constitution, and an example of how it will end for many of us.

Go here. "If they have a warrant, and break into your home, you get killed. If they don’t have a warrant, and you tell them to go get one, you get killed. If Now that’s a bit more akin to that familiar long train of abuses and usurpations."


Read. The. Whole. Thing.

Think.

Now decide how we can fix this. Or how you are gonna deal with it if THEY come to your door. Or not deal with it....Whatcha gonna do?

Sometimes

You get lucky. Mother nature is capricious.

disaster observations

From Roberta.

Do you have a tornado shelter?
(I do) Concrete block and concrete roof. Below grade. Roof should handle the house falling in on it.

Is it stocked? Food, water,clothing, lighting?  (mine is).

Can you find yer Bug Out Bag with 30 seconds warning? (mine is IN my shelter!) 

Doncha think that those folks in Missouri wish that they had a BOB that they could find? Or a stocked storm shelter?

Think about it.Decide. Is the cost of one good weekend away worth not being in the position of the victims in Joplin? 'cause that is all you need to provide for a basic stocked storm shelter.

You CAN prepare for this. You can't stop it, but you can mitigate the damage Ma Nature can do to you.

"preparation turns tragedy into adventure"

Wow, you should read

THIS.

Generally, I find his blog to be a bit too liberal, but I read it for the content, if only to make me think, and to keep me from becoming too one sided in my thoughts and philosophies.

But this one is outa the park, and you should take the time to read the whole thing.

Srsly.

Something to think about:

"And how we burned in the camps later, thinking: What would things have been like if every Security operative, when he went out at night to make an arrest, had been uncertain whether he would return alive and had to say good-bye to his family? Or if, during periods of mass arrests, as for example in Leningrad, when they arrested a quarter of the entire city, people had not simply sat there in their lairs, paling with terror at every bang of the downstairs door and at every step on the staircase, but had understood they had nothing left to lose and had boldly set up in the downstairs hall an ambush of half a dozen people with axes, hammers, pokers, or whatever else was at hand?... The Organs would very quickly have suffered a shortage of officers and transport and, notwithstanding all of Stalin's thirst, the cursed machine would have ground to a halt! If...if...We didn't love freedom enough. And even more – we had no awareness of the real situation.... We purely and simply deserved everything that happened afterward."
— Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Just think about his message.

Draw your own conclusions.
Decide when to take action..And what that action should be.

Where is the line which, when crossed, will cause YOU to take action. At what point will you say "enough is enough"?

Just food for thought.

Circling the wagons

and throwing shit on a dead mans memory to see if they can find anything that might stick, just to cover their asses. The Blue Wall continues to shield the officers who murdered a man who had the temerity to defend his home from invaders who covered their faces and stormed his domicile, claiming to be police.

How many times must they change their story? How many things will they find (or claim to find) that will cast doubt on the innocence of Jose Guerena?First he was a drug dealer who worked shifts (and midnights at that) at a copper mine......Then he was a drug runner who worked shifts at a copper mine....

Wait,... a copper mine? Why would a drug dealer work that hard?

Now, weeks later, they "think that he may be connected to a home invasion case". Or something...Next thing, he'll be a compatriot of Osama Bin Laden.

So they entered a house after knocking.....45 seconds after knocking. Not much time. And how loud did they knock?Ever check out the tactics of those folks who do the SWAT raids? They really don't do much to announce themselves or give any reasonable time to answer the door. Control of the situation IS important, IF THERE IS A REASON TO EMPLOY SWAT. Most of the time, there isn't. Serving a warrant to a guy who has NO record, or has a bunch of parking tickets doesn't need SWAT.

Lets not forget that their explanation as to why they made the ambulance crew wait is not borne out by the evidence. Lets not forget that they likely had bad information, or chose the wrong house in the right neighborhood. Lets not forget that they have covered up information and obfuscated every enquiry as to the circumstances of the death of Mr. Guerena. Lets not forget that the sheriff has asked why the news media would DARE to question the legality of the shooting. Dare.

And lets not forget that even if some of the accusations are true (likely not, but just for the sake of argument, let's give the Pima County folks the benefit of the doubt), doesn't every citizen have the right to trial before being executed? Without any trial, without any evidence being presented, they executed a man who chose to try to defend his home against what he thought were armed invaders.

I understand that some areas need a SWAT team. And I acknowledge that there are folks who are not terribly nice, and might well not cooperate with police. But having a SWAT team doesn't mean that they need to be used all the time, only when  circumstances warrant them.

And thus far, the Pima County Sherriff's office has declined to show the warrants, or explain the circumstances which required that a group of armed men invade a man's house....

Much less explain the details of the shooting, or the subsequent misuse of power which led to leaving a man to bleed to death while withholding medical assistance for over an hour. All while lying about the circumstances as to why they chose to let him bleed to death.

As Tam points out, the troops in Iraq had tighter rules of engagement when entering houses in a war zone.

Where are the folks who decried the deaths in Iraq? Where are the death penalty objectors? WHERE IS THE PRESS? Why aren't there murder indictments (or at least outside investigations) taking place in this case? Anyone involved in either the raid or the chain of command who ordered this clusterfuck should be under investigation.

This would serve as a warning to the police in our country that there is a line that cannot be crossed. We spent more time investigating the death of known criminals caused by border patrol agents...and convicted the agents. This wasn't some illegal alien drug smuggler, this was an Iraqi war vat and a US citizen.

This is a cover up, plain and simple. A raid gone wrong. A mistake by trigger happy "professionals" who ended up killing a man because they acted like criminals.

But enough is enough.

I have a friend who states that "the police are just a different gang...one with a more distinctive uniform and the blessing of society". Incidents like this make that statement hard to refute. Especially when there is such a concerted coverup.

sorta good news

If you live in Indiana.

But ultimately, it'll never go back to where it was 3 weeks ago.

Another chip in the foundation of freedom. Patching it with plaster won't return it to full strength.

I missed it.

Armed Forces day.

If you are reading this in freedom, then take the time and thank a Vet.

Proving he has some sense

Mitch Daniels has decided NOT to run for Prez.

Is it REALLY due to the issues with his family (which are, in my opinion, valid reasons NOT to run), or is it the fact that about 85% of those of us who live in his home state won't vote for him? Does he realize that there is no real way that he could win?

Did good sense reign over his ego?


Or was there other considerations?

Either way, I am glad to see that he isn't running

and this one is Outa The Park!

You should read this.

The whole thing.

Now, read it again.

What will you do if it happens to be your front door?

Ask yourself, why aren't there any murder charges being brought?

So if

This whole rapture thing happens, I'm not sure if I'll be around afterwards....or if you will be.

If I am, I figure I can live high on the hog for a while, on what the rest leave behind.

If not, well, thanks for reading. I mean,. I am good with my maker and all that, I think, but you never know.

Hopefully, we'll connect on the other side, if and when.

I'm still mailing in my car payment tomorrow though, just in case.

Yep

He's right.

all of it.

especially the bias thing.

So now he tries

Doing what he can to salvage whatever he can so he can get reelected.

People are aware of his intent to  raise energy prices in a failed attempt at social engineering the US into a more energy efficient nation.

But raising the cost of energy hurts all of us.... and most of us can't afford the higher cost.

Now he is pissing off the green folks in a belated attempt to pacify the rest of us voters in order to get reelected.