Tam has a funny post up today in reference to the cover of this month’s American Rifleman. I have to say, my response was similar but she has creatively taken it to a new extreme.
Apple iR-15: Only works with proprietary ammunition. Made of sleek, white plastic. Has to be sent to an authorized service center for field-stripping and cleaning. Owners soon sport glazed, zombielike expressions of loyalty familiar to posters at MacForums or GlockTalk.
Go read the whole post here.
I ran across this post recently. An interesting essay that I think is one of those must read pieces for everyone. It details one man’s story and realization that evil is out there, and bad stuff happens to anyone. When it does, what do you do?
I was going to excerpt part of the story but, you need to read the whole piece in it’s entirity.
The post is a bit late but better late than never.
Another cold morning to start the day. The weather overall though was pretty good. Winds ranging 6 to 10 which impacted the shooting but after having to remount my optics overnight (using locktite this time) I figured I was going to have to start pretty much from scratch on all my zero setting sfrom the day before.
The day ran pretty much the same as the previous day. Picked up some pointers from MSG Hubbard and from Monte which were good. Wound up making some modifications to my physical shooting position and the way that I was postured behind the weapon. Using a bipod means I really did not need that front hand supporting the rifle, so I was able to adjust my entire left arm and use that hand to steady up the back end of the weapon more.
The shooting went well. I was able to rezero the weapon very quickly, and wound up reaching out successfully on the steel to about 650 yards. Anything beyond about 550 though got to be very challenging.
We came back into about 380 to shoot boomers and I was very pleased with my performance. One to two shots on each. Very comfortable with that range.
That evening was the Boomershoot Dinner met some new folks and faces. Gene Econ was pressed into service as the guest speaker when the scheduled speaker cancelled. He did a fine job. I wound up having dinner with Joe Huffman and his family. A very enjoyable time, and Barb made me feel right at home.
So, after spending yesterday winging my way across most of the United States I arrived in Orofino. All I could keep thinking once we landed in the Northwest was how very much I miss living in this part of the country. It has been a rejuvenating trip even with about 13 hours of travel.
But today the good stuff began. After missing a couple of turns I arrived at the BOOMERSHOOT site for a day of relearning how to shoot a rifle at distance. The first thing I learned, is I really had not forgotten all that much. The second thing I learned is that laying in the prone position for a good portion of the day, on the hard, dry Idaho landscape is painful on the elbows. The third thing I learned today is that locktite is very very important when mounting your scope. The fourth and most important thing I learned… detonating boomers is worth it.
The clinic was fantastic, the instruction is top notch. You could do a precision rifle course at Thunder Ranch, Gunsite, Frontsite, etc. and I don’t know that you could exceed the quality and the knowledge of the instruction the Gene and his cohorts provide. Everyone at the event today was fun to be around, and I think that we all learned and enjoyed.
Life is about your mindset. If you are not mentally prepared to succeed you will not.
I ran across the below list, and while I was chuckling over much of it (you may have seen some of it before) I was struck by the mindset that is reflected. Not just the words but the mental thought that goes behind the action / words. I personally get to the point where something is so second nature to me, that the “why” of it is not in my conscious thoughts. It is nice to take a second, get a quick chuckle and contemplate the why again. It helps to reaffirm the mindset.
The purpose of fighting is to win. There is no possible victory in defense. (waiting for attack)
The sword is more important than the shield, and skill is more important than either. The final weapon is the brain. All else is supplemental.
1. Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he’ll just kill you.
2. If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck.
3. I carry a gun cause a cop is too heavy.4. When seconds count, the cops are just minutes away.
5. A reporter did a human-interest piece on the Texas Rangers. The reporter recognized the Colt Model 1911 the Ranger was carrying and asked him ‘Why do you carry a 45?’ The Ranger responded, ‘Because they don’t make a 46.’
6. The old sheriff was attending an awards dinner when a lady commented on his wearing his sidearm. ‘Sheriff, I see you have your pistol. Are you expecting trouble?’ ‘No Ma’am. If I were expecting trouble, I would have brought my shotgun.’
7. Beware the man who only has one gun. HE PROBABLY KNOWS HOW TO USE IT!!!
But wait, there’s more!
I was once asked by a lady visiting if I had a gun in the house. I said I did. She said ‘Well, I certainly hope it isn’t loaded!’ To which I said, ‘of course it is loaded, can’t work without bullets!’ She then asked, ‘Are you that afraid of someone evil coming into your house?’ My reply was, ‘No not at all. I am not afraid of the house catching fire either, but I have fire extinguishers around, and they are all loaded too.’ To which I’ll add, having a gun in the house that isn’t loaded is like having a car in the garage without gas in the tank.
The internet is a wonderful thing. It has created a world in which everyone can publish their opinions, and have them discussed with varying degress of passion. It does create some unusual articles, here is one of the latest that I stumbled across.
Fellow Americans, bloggers, and bitter gun clutchers: In the past tumultuous weeks, I have been asked:
“How does an educated man like yourself, a person of taste, culture, and intellect, a registered Independent since 1964, support the Republican ticket over the Democrat? How can you be a one-issue voter?”
Or, more directly: “Have you lost your f*****g mind?”
My friends, I am paid to write about guns, hunting, and politics as it applies to guns and hunting. My mandate does not extend further. Because of this, I’m a captive of circumstance. The Democrats nominated an atrocious pair of anti-gunners, and the Republicans nominated one neutral and possibly the strongest pro-gun candidate ever. All I can do is report on what they say; however, this does not mean I’ve ignored their other qualifications, or lack thereof. So, lest I be thought shallow and superficial, here is how I rank the four candidates, quite apart from firearms…
Go read the rest.
An interesting piece appeared on the BBC earlier this week. It starts out showing Darwnism taking a strange twist, and then proceeds into a very interesting perspective on guns in the United States.
What surprises the British tourists is that, in areas of the US that look and feel like suburban Britain, there is simply less crime and much less violent crime.
Doors are left unlocked, public telephones unbroken.
Go give the whole article a read. I found it to be an unusual perspective for a European, if you count the UK as Europe.
These stats seem to be making the rounds. I have not had a chance to go back and verify them myself, so take them for what they are.
A LITTLE GUN HISTORY
1. Australia-wide, homicides are up 3.2 percent
2. Australia-wide, assaults are up 8.6 percent
3. Australia-wide, armed robberies are up 44 percent (yes, 44 percent)!
4. In the state of Victoria alone, homicides with firearms are now up 300 percent. Note that while the law-abiding citizens turned them in, the criminals did not, and criminals still possess their guns!
5. While figures over the previous 25 years showed a steady decrease in armed robbery with firearms, this has changed drastically upward in the past 12 months, since criminals now are guaranteed that their prey is unarmed.
6. There has also been a dramatic increase in break- ins and assaults of the ELDERLY.
7. Australian politicians are at a loss to explain how public safety has decreased, after such monumental effort and expense was expended in successfully ridding Australian society of guns. The Australian experience and the other historical facts above prove it. You won’t see this data on the US evening news, or hear politicians disseminating this information.
So I clued you into the Crossing America exercise. Here is the actual scenario for this one.
You have the opportunity to go back in time, arriving on the east coast of North America circa 1650, and your goal is to cross the North American continent alone, taking as much time as you need. When/if you reach the opposite coastline, you’ll be transported back to the present day.
Your equipment for this journey will be as follows (taken back in the time capsule with you):
- enough gold to buy a horse and a mule (or two horses / two mules, whatever), and provisions for the first five days’ travel;
- a small backpack containing some clothing and toiletries;
- a winter coat, raincoat and two pairs of boots;
- waterproof sleeping bag;
- an axe, a large sheath knife, a smaller blade, and a “toolkit” knife like a Swiss Army or Gerber Multitool;
- a box of 1,000 “strike anywhere” waterproof matches;
- a topological map, binoculars and a compass;
- a very small toolbox, including a firearm cleaning kit and a few spares for your firearms;
- and a U.S. Army First Aid kit.
Weapons:
- ONE long gun (and 800 rounds, but no scope)
- ONE handgun (and 1,000 rounds)
That’s it. The question: which long gun, and which hand gun would you choose to take with you?
So here is my thought process and answers.
1650 North America, there are only a handful of very early colony sites that are being establish. The good news is that there are colonies representing 7 European nations. Britain, France, Spain, Sweden, and Holland. The Dutch have pushed inland along the Hudson River, The French have pushed upstream along the St. Lawrence to what is currently Montreal.
Given what I know today, I think the most likely route for survival is one that starts either from the Jamestown colony, or from New Sweden. Striking out east through the Appalachians, striking out to intercept the Ohio River way. Using the Ohio, I would have to work my way downstream to the Mississippi and then pickup the Lewis and Clark trail from there. Now the big thing to remember here is that this will be all “virgin” territory. The waterways are good guides and should provide ample hunting / fishing / trapping opportunities as well as it being the most likely method to meet and trade with any native settlements.
Success for the trip will be predicated on my ability to live off the land. That means trailblazing, friendly relations with any other travelers / natives, surviving disease, hunting / trapping to provide for needs (clothing, bedding, food, trade, etc.). Hunting of large game is going to be a requirement, as will being able to preserve and utilize as much of the animal as possible.
As other folks have mentioned this is a long, multi-year trip. Once you get to the plains you might be able to make 15 – 18 miles a day. When in wooded regions of the country you will be on game trails, native trails, or trailblazing. Progress will be slow. Crossing mountain ranges may be a trail and error situation unless you are able to pull in a native guide, or directions.
There will be seasons that are not going to work from a travel standpoint. You will need a winter camp, unless you try and take a southern route. Unfortunately water becomes a major challenge on the southern route, and those horses / mules / donkeys require grazing and water.
The Guns
Handgun – Springfield XD .45 ACP. Mostly because I really like this weapon and it has a better magazine capacity than 1911A1. If the rule tweak of being able to have a 22LR conversion kit for a 1911A1 came into play I would switch this over to the 1911.
Long Gun – Marlin 336SS 30-30 Win
While I would love to be able to have commonality of ammunition I think that there is a real need to be able to reach out farther, accurately than I can with a handgun and a 30-30 should allow a one or two shot stop at reasonable distances.
Go over to Kim’s and read the other opinions.
I still need to think about the dog choice, Akita, Rhodesian Ridgeback, Wolfhound, Mastiff, Sheepdog?
Over at Kim’s place, he has initiated the annual Crossing America exercise. Essentially, you are transported back in time to 1650 North America. Your mission is to cross the United States, in addition to the specified equipment that you will have you are allowed to choose to guns. What are they.
Go over to Kim’s place and read the responses. Play along if you like.
Last year we were allowed to select a dog to go along. Everyone, including me is missing that part of the exercise this year.
