Into the swing of things…

Back in September, a couple months before Grace was born I found out about an IDPA affiliated club that meets in Huntsville. I knew that before the baby was born and for the first couple of months after would be a bad time to get involved in anything new. I signed up for the email list, but held off attending any of the shoots.

Eventually, they generated enough interest in new shooters that they decided to do a new shooter’s orientation class last Tuesday night. I attended as did a few guys I work with, and we all had a good time. Last night was a scheduled shoot (first and third Tuesday of each month), and was my first match. According to the score sheet, I came in last place in my division. I’m not too worried about that because this was my first time out, and I made my share of rookie mistakes. Most importantly, I had a good time, and didn’t accidentally shoot anyone.

The division that I chose was Custom Defensive Pistol, which means pretty much any .45 ACP pistol but mostly 1911s.

There are a couple other options for practical pistol competition, most notably IPSC/USPSA in which Nathan competes. I’m not going to turn it down out of hand, but IDPA seems more my style. For one thing, IDPA is fairly restrictive about what modifications you may and may not make to your pistol. This makes it more production-friendly. Meaning, my normal carry rig will do just fine. I don’t have to worry about going out and buying $3000 worth of tricked-out, match-only hardware to be competitive. The only things you really need to compete are:

• A pistol or revolver of at least 9×19mm calibre
• A good holster
• Two spare magazines
• A magazine carrier
• A good belt
• A cover garment of some sort
• Proper PPE (earplugs and safety glasses)
• The $10 – $15 match fee

I might add that the satisfactory Springfield Armory XD comes with most of what you need in the box. This piece in most calibers qualifies for Enhanced Service Pistol division, and I think that in .45 ACP it might qualify for CDP division. I might also add that starting this year, Springfield has added the option of a thumb safety to the XD. The XD’s trigger is better than most, but still not quite up to 1911 standards.

I had most of that stuff already, so it was easy for me. Also, since I reload, I can keep things fairly cheap. Some things to make it easier on myself are fairly cheap to come by:

• Redding Powder Dispenser for faster reloading: $100 or less
• Extra magazines: $16 – $35 each, depending on what you get
• Better front sight, with fiber insert: About $40 plus installation
• Range bag to cart all this stuff around in: $25
• More bullets/powder/primers to load: $160 or less per thousand

You get the point. Nothing outrageous that’s going to keep my kid from going to college.

The down side? Well, there were a couple of people who took it all too seriously. In their defense, most of the ones who did really knew how to shoot. So I guess they were justified… Except that one guy plagued with the “California Twitch.”

Quoth Jeff Cooper:

We are amused to see the prevalence of the “California Twitch” on the range. This manoeuver, executed by the shooter after firing and before making safe, involves pointing to the right and the left of the target while wearing a fearsome scowl. It serves no purpose except to show that the shooter has been to a school which picked up his mannerism in the confusion. Once acquired, the “California Twitch” is almost impossible to eradicate, something like a tattoo.

I’m not one to make fun of people more experienced than I, but man you look silly doing that.

The only other bad thing that I can think of is that I’ve never been too fond of .40 S&W as a cartridge. Particularly not at an indoor range. The damn thing is just too loud for me (and remember that I’m a drummer). As loud as the .40 S&W is, its little brother is worse. TWO people insisted on shooting short-barreled pieces in caliber .357 SIG. This mean little thing was designed to get close to .357 Magnum ballistics from an auto loader. I don’t understand why we need it, since everything I’ve seen shows that .40 S&W will throw a heaver bullet the same speed or faster… and .357 SIG is just a .40 S&W case necked-down to .357 caliber… We don’t need it, but we have it. And it. Is. LOUD! I had ear muffs on top of plugs, and it was still way too loud from even 25 yards away.

Wait for it…

So, here we are. One week past our alleged due-date of October 27, and wondering if our child will ever be born. Our sources tell us that no one has been pregnant forever, and we are keen to believe them. However, we do remember one news story a few months ago about a woman in some third world country who had been pregnant for some 40 years. We don’t remember all of the details, mostly because it seems like we’ve been there ourselves by now.

Nathan, Shiver, Robb, and I have set out to do a pheasant hunt. That date, we know for sure. It will be Saturday, December 1 2007, at the Lookout Creek Farm hunting preserve, near Mentone, AL. For the meager cost of $200 per gun, we each get to pot seven cock pheasants. Now, I’ve never seen a pheasant on the hoof or on the plate, but I have read “Danny Champion of the World.” Mr. Dahl was down on the idea of shooting pheasants, and I can tell you why…. This is the description that the pheasant hunting establishment nearest my house game me as an idea of good sport:

…at this time I don’t have a place to do a quality pheasant hunt. I don’t have a place that offers adequate cover for the large birds. Let me suggest something that I think you and your friends would really enjoy. I offer a European pheasant shoot that is great fun. Here is how it works. We need a group of ten people to stand in a large circle here on our property. We then throw 100 pheasant into the air one at a time. It is just like a driven hunt like the Europeans do it. Shooters are 100 yards apart, we rotate every 10 birds to keep things fair for everyone. At the end of the shoot there are usually several missed birds. We will then take the dogs and shooters and hunt the birds on the ground.

Eww. None of us was happy with that idea. Perhaps when we are 90 and much less ambulatory.

Lookout Creek Farm is about two hours from my house. I know this because when it became abundantly clear that Amy wasn’t going to have a baby today, we packed it in, and drove out there. The place is easy to find, and seems quite scenic. As we were in the neighborhood, we took the opportunity to checkout DeSoto Falls and the DeSoto State Park. Both of these were quite nice, but due to the drought, the Falls had been reduced to a small trickle. The canyon they poured into was still quite impressive, and every Alabamian needs to make the trip at least once.

One of the interesting historic tidbits posted on the park’s bulletin board was that the park contains the ruin of what appears to be a fortification built by Welsh explorers circa 1140. This would seem to suggest that the Welsh founded Alabama slightly less than 75 years after the Norman invasion, and about fifty years after founding Cardiff Castle.

I love this video…

This is a nice video of a guy taking a few shots from a Mosin Nagant M44, similar to mine. This guy has removed his bayonet for some reason or other…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmqKERUJy4U

Nice Fireball.

The Whitney Wolverine

Slow down!!! That pistol looks like it is doing 120 MPH just sitting there!

This is the little-know but well-loved Whitney Wolverine, chambered in caliber .22 Long Rifle. It was produced from 1956 until 1957, when my dad was just a pup.

The bottom picture shows a modern reproduction by Olympic Arms, this one in a polymer frame instead of the original Aluminum. It retails for about $280, which is just about in line with the Ruger 22/45. The Ruger for some reason just doesn’t look as fast.

Currently, Samson Manufacturing owns the original production equipment, and will be bringing these babies back from the dead just as soon as they clear the BATF hurdles.

Modern as Tomorrow. Sign me up! Apparently, originals are Curio and Relic eligible.

Anyone else notice that picture of Eli Whitney on the 1950’s advert? You’ll remember from Alabama History that Mr. Whitney invented the Cotton Gin.

Many Alabama students will remember their 4th grade history books had a picture of a black man in the section about Mr. Whitney. I can only guess today that the picture was un-captioned or that any caption that was there was meant to mislead us into thinking that Mr. Whitney was black slave from the south. I can’t even begin to guess as to why they would have done so… Imagine my surprise when I learned as an adult that Eli Whitney was a white man from Massachusetts.

Eli Whitney’s race is completely irrelevant, but the story-line we were sold was that he invented the cotton gin to improve the lives of slaves who would otherwise would have had to perform all of the cotton-seeding operations manually.

It is but enough to make me wonder what else they lied to me about, either directly or through omission.

The Properly Outfitted American Home

Suppose you were in the position that I was in 15 months ago; wanting to properly arm your home starting from square-one. We normally do a lot of research before committing to the purchase of any high-dollar item, and this was no exception. The gun boards are full of yahoos that are looking for validation… They have their favorites and they’ll call you an idiot if you like something different.

But what to do? Eventually, you have to jump in and buy something to get started. After 15 months of painstaking research, I’m pleased to announce the minimum outfit for the American home (with wiggle-room), and I will list them in the most efficient order of acquisition.

1. An M1911 in caliber .45 Auto. A 5-inch “Government” model is probably the most desirable, but slightly hard to conceal. A 4-inch “Commander” model can be had, and is a perfectly reasonable substitute. You can defend yourself, your family, and your home with this weapon. In a pinch you could take small or medium game with it, if you do your part.
2. A 12-bore shotgun of some description. A repeater is wonderful if you can get it, but a single-shot break-action will suffice. If you have to choose among fixed-choke barrels, choose “Modified Cylinder” as the most versatile. With this weapon, you can defend your home, take upland and water fowl, small game, and large game at medium distances.
3. A .22 Long Rifle of some description. Again, a repeater is best wether it be pump-action, lever-action, bolt-action, or auto-loading. With this rifle, you can take small game, practice, become an fair marksman, and eventually take large game in a pinch. An Englishman performed some tests during WWI, and discovered that with some moderate marksmanship training, a Brit rifleman could effectively snipe the Hun from distances up to 300 yards. It never came down to that, but they had it if they needed it. For my money, a bolt-action is probably best, but I don’t dismiss the lever-gun.
4. A .30-06 of some description. This rifle need not be fitted with telescopic sights. You are practicing with your high-quality .22 lr in order to acquire skills you will apply with your ‘06. Your ‘06 with proper sights and ammunition can be used to engage targets at up to 1000 yards if you practice. I’ve never had that kind of practice, but it appeals to me. With this rifle, you can take large game at a pretty far distance. You can defend your home. You can defend your country.Here is where the wiggle-room comes in. If you can’t get a .30-06, almost any medium-bore, medium-power rifle will work. The 7.62×54R is ballistically similar to the .30-06, but the 7.62 was invented by Ivan and the .30-06 was invented by John Moses Browning. Almost anything in the 30 calibre range will do, from your Winchester 30-30 to the 7.5×55 Swiss, to the 303 British. Ideally, you’d like something that starts a 150 grain projectile at a minimum of 2500 fps.

Now, the point of this post is that I own all of these with the exception of the diminutive .22 long rifle. Eventually, I’m going to have to break-down and buy one, but I don’t want some dinky kid’s 22. I offer the following gun pr0n for your consideration. The Czech CZ 452 Lux, in .22 Long Rifle. It weighs-in at just over 7 pounds, and is almost 47 inches over-all with a 28 inch barrel. It also features an excellent trigger-pull ( I tried one in the local shop), adjustable sights, and a detachable box magazine in both 5 and 10 round capacities. More information may be had at http://www.cz-usa.com/

Enjoy.

Delightful…

This from Mr. Kim du Toit.

We heartily agree.

Well Wishes

Our best wishes go out to Nathan, our man in Mobile, who has just been drawn for a Colorado cow elk this September. This time, he will be limited by license to muzzle-loaders only. We have hinted that the proper equipment for this enterprise should be one of the fine reproductions of the Pattern 1853 Enfield, though we will admit that the 1861 Springfield rifles are nice too. Either are preferred to any of the more modern muzzle-loading rifles that will develop absolutely no trace of character or style for at least the next 150 years.

In any case, muzzle-loader or center-fire, if Nathan sees a cow elk in September, it will be in his pot by November.

Kipling

The only thing that I was taught about Rudyard Kipling’s writings in school was the poem “White Man’s Burden.” It was explained to us that Mr. Kipling was a racist, as was the standard in his day, and that we should be ashamed that men such as he ever breathed air. That was the end of the Kipling discussion.

This is but another of the many fold proofs that I have succeeded in life thus far in spite of my public education. Well, today we have much more sensible views on race. I believe that Dr. King was right when he said that we should judge people on the content of their character, not the color of their skin. I took him at his word on that, and I live it. Note that Dr. King’s words in this case are in direct opposition to the non-judgmental left who think it wrong to judge anyone at all, under any circumstance.

I do judge men on the content of their character. I also judge their worth largely on what they can teach me. I never met Jeff Cooper, but I’ve read his words. They told me all that I need know of his character, and they have taught me much. One of the many things that I have learned is that the English language is a wonderful tool, rather like the M1911. Like the M1911, English is not perfect, but one skilled in its employment can perform amazing feats. The love of the English language often lead Col. Cooper to discuss the many books this gentleman had read as exemplars of our tongue.

Col. Cooper seemed to enjoy Mr. Kipling’s work, though he (Cooper) confessed to enjoying Kipling’s poetry more than Kipling’s prose. I’ve never been terribly opposed to poetry, having written some awful examples in my younger years, but I think I like the prose better. That may have something to do with the fact that I’ve mostly read his children’s stories to date. The fact is, Kipling’s children’s stories contain more depth and substance than much of today’s “grown-up” sophistry.

Much of his work is available for free at www.gutenberg.org. I recommend his “Jungle Books,” “Puck of Pook’s Hill,” and his “American Notes.” These are all excellent, and it is high time that we stop pretending that enjoying them makes racists of us. The absolute worst that can happen is that we read, enjoy, and end up making ourselves be better company for ourselves.

Range Report

We were treated to a report earlier this week from our man near Birmingham of a trip to his local pub. Public shooting range, that is. Our man Robb has a fondness for his pop’s early Long Branch Enfield No. 4 Mk I. I think it is of 1939 manufacture, which would have been the first year they were made. It is fitted with an excellent aperture sight, graduated from 200 yards to way out past Fort Mudge at 1300 yards.

He hadn’t been there too long, when a tacti-cool, mall-ninja type arrived on scene with an AR-15 in caliber 5.56 NATO. Our intrepid mall ninja asked Robb a few questions about his “old piece of junk,” and commented on how far battle rifles had come in the last 50 years, as he stroked his Armalite. Robb commented as they had, but obviously in the wrong direction.

The mall ninja took umbrage at this remark, and Robb allowed as to how he’d like to see what they guy could do with that “Poodle Shooter” he was petting. Now, my first response was that Robb had done the man a disservice by insulting his Poodle Shooter. An armed society is a polite society, and that isn’t the sort of thing one does in polite society. However, Robb soon set my mind at ease by explaining that he’d in fact done his good turn for that day. He took the guy to school.

Mall ninja had brought for his improvised course-of-fire, two watermelons. A challenge was issued forthwith, and Robb being polite (not to mention sure of what was about to happen) allowed the tacti-cool gentleman to fire first. The AR-15 spoke. Robb reports that search crews have finally given up on finding any trace of that first round, and have conceded it “lost.” The AR-15 spoke again. Miss. Next, the AR-15 spoke 28 times, as rapidly as the trigger could be jerked.

When the smoke cleared and all ears had stopped ringing, two inches were found to be missing from one end of the target. Mall ninja allows how he’d like to see Robb do any better than that! All that noise! All those shots fired so quickly!

Here begins the lesson. Robb selected a single .303 British hand-load from his plastic cartridge box. It was topped with a 180 grain round-nosed bullet. Robb pressed the round into the magazine, but left the bolt open. He then dropped to sitting position, 45 degrees to the target, heels dug-in, left arm looped into the leather sling he’d attached to the rifle for exactly one purpose… to steady the rifle for one-shot kills.

Robb flipped up the aperture sight, and cranked the knob all the way down past 200. Then he pushed the bolt forward and down, chambering the round. Once his sights were on target, he took a deep breath, started letting it out, and held it. His right index finger then left the side of the rifle, and touched the trigger. Slowly, he pressed the trigger through the length of its long first stage until it stopped. A few more pounds per square inch… The Enfield had its turn at the podium. One hundred yards later, 180 grains of copper-jacketed lead impacted with five pounds of watermelon at about 2200 feet per second, exactly where Robb had been aiming. The watermelon exploded, just as he’d known it would. One shot. One dead watermelon. One gobsmacked mall ninja. One smug Robb.

Now, our man Robb isn’t one to stay smug for too long a time. He was gracious, and after the other guy had calmed down, Robb explained to him that the sound of 30 incomming rounds hadn’t done much to impress that watermelon. What had impressed the watermelon was the one aimed shot. Then he gave the guy some instruction on how to properly shoot (without the aid of a bench even!), and let the guy take a few rounds with the venerable old No. 4. I don’t know if the guy let Robb have a go at his Poodle Shooter, but it would have been poor form not to.

---

As it happens, I had quite the opposite experience on the same day, at my local pub. All of the 100 yard lanes had been roped-off by the game wardens who run the place. I thought that was pretty rude for a Saturday, particularly since both the range and the rangers are kept going by the state’s coffers. So, I settled in at 50 with my Fazakerly No. 4 Mk 2. I took about a dozen and a half clay birds down range, and stood them up along the backstop.

The range went hot, I loaded five, and popped five consecutive clays. The first round got the attention of three young guys shooting .22’s next to me. They all came over after my fourth shot, and wanted to know what I was shooting. I took shot five, scored, and stood up. We talked for a couple of minutes. It seems that one of the guys had served four years in the USAF, and hadn’t been too happy that during that four years, they only let him fire 80 rounds of caliber 5.56 NATO. He said that he’d had to sell his personal AR-15 for the money, but he had enough left over after getting out of his jam to buy a Ruger 10/22. I told him the truth, that the Ruger 10/22 is a fine rifle, and he should get many good years from it.

He asked me how much I’d payed for my Enfield, and I told him $160. He nearly giggled with glee. He’d payed more than that for the Ruger, and didn’t know he could get such a fine rifle as the Enfield for that cost! I explained the process and priviliges of a Curio and Relic FFL, and then I set the hook. I handed him the Enfield and two rounds. Then, I showed him how to work the flip-up sight. He dropped-down to a perfect sitting position, shouldered the rifle, then made two one-shot-kills against the clay birds. He got up grinning. I let his two friends have a go as well, and I even let them shoot my Kimber.

Everything was good until the guy in camo BDUs and a “Knob Creek Machine Gun Shoot” T-Shirt arrived. That is a story for another day, but I leave a word of warning: Go to every length to avoid people wearing camo at gun ranges.

This guy SO gets it.

http://munchkinwrangler.blogspot.com/2007/05/this-is-my-rifle.html

Saved one from "Bubba!"

Several months ago, Mr. Shiver and I took a guy we work with, named Mr. Kiser, shooting. It was cold and snowing, and we had gone to the public range at Skyline, near Scottsborough, AL.

I brought my Mosin Nagant M44, my Swiss K31, and my “Ishapore” Lee Enfield 2A. The M44 threw a HUGE fireball in the cold, thin air.

Mr. Kiser said that his dad had a rifle that was remarkably similar to my Enfield, but that he’d never shot it. A month or so later, Mr. Kiser came to me elated. His dad had given him the rifle, a very important milestone in any man’s life! Mr. Kiser’s rifle turned out to be an excellent condition Santa Fe 1943 Standard “Jungle Carbine.” It looked really good, and I couldn’t help but to feel proud for him. These Santa Fe models were cut-down Lee Enfield No. 4 rifles, made to look like Lee Enfield No. 5 rifles. Far and away from what usually happens when people try to “sporterize” a milsurp rifle, these are works of art in their own right. They were made better by the fact that Golden State Arms never tried to misrepresent these rifles as original Lee Enfield No. 5s.

My Ishapore 2A is chambered in 7.62×51 NATO, but after I bought that one, I made the mistake of reading “The Man-Eaters of Tsavo.” I also saw brother Robb sock a clay bird at 100 yards with his Long Branch No. 4 Mk I with his first shot. It took me about 20 to do the same with the Nagant (Robb was spotting for me, and complained that every time I pulled the trigger, the “World Exploded” and he couldn’t see where it hit)! Then I read the story of “Breaker” Morant and Rule 303.

The 303 British bug had bitten, burrowed under my skin, and was beginning to cause a rash. Permanent scarring was guaranteed, unless… The hunt was on. I searched high and low. I set my sights on one of two rifles: A No. 4 Mk I, marked “US Property” or a No. 4 Mk. 2. I couldn’t find anything satisfactory online, within my price-range (under $200) and in a condition that I knew I’d be happy with.

Last weekend, there was a gun show in Huntsville. It was packed-out with people. I went in prepared. Cash was in hand. Curio and Relic license copies were at the ready. There were several plain-jane No. 4 Mk I rifles at different tables at prices ranging from $180 to $250. Most of them were junk. Some had been “sporterized” (read “ruined”) by Bubba, stocks stripped, sanded-down, and painted camouflage. I couldn’t even read the markings on some.

We’d been there an hour an a half, and I was ready to leave. One table left, and there it was. A very clean 1949 No. 4 Mk. 2 built at the Royal Ordinance Factory, Fazakerly. The serial numbers don’t all match, but the bore looks unused. It looks to have about %90 original finish, and the wood looks great too… grooved hand-guard… I talked the guy down from $175 to $160, C&R licenses were exchanged, and we were both happy. The best part about it was when he said that he’d bought it to “sporterize,” but had never gotten around to it. It was his rifle, and he could have done what he wanted to with it, but I’m glad he didn’t. The second best part is shooting it. Okay, maybe that’s the best part. The third best part is that I now am entitled to walk about, throwing around the word “Fazakerly” like I have good-sense.

I also ended up with two boxes of 1985 marked Greek HXP .303 British surplus. $44 for 100. A little pricey, but cheaper than buying two boxes of 20 Federal at Gander Mtn. I didn’t know what I was buying there, but it turned out to be boxer-primed, and non-corrosive. Heaven.

Tuesday, Mr. Kiser and I took our Enfields out to the range. I must say, that Jungle Carbine has quite a bark! Mr. Kiser shot up the remainder of his 7/53 marked Radway Green surplus. This turned out to be good, because most of them split at the neck. I also took this chance to try out my bowling pin challenge… Three bowling pins from three different field positions at 100 yards, with iron sights.

I did pretty well, considering this was the first time I shot my No. 4 Mk 2. Rounds 9 and 10 each knocked-over a pin. Round 3 from my K31 found the third pin, using GP-11 ammunition (that stuff is great). All three were done from the kneeling position, which I feel I have the best handle on… Sitting position seems quite difficult for me to do, and I’ve never tried shooting prone.

I’m quite happy with my No. 4 Mk 2, and I’ll eventually find that No. 4 Mk. I marked “US Property.” At least I’m in the .303 B club. Now, where did I put that pith-helmet?

Range Report

I made it back out to Swan Creek shooting range today, for the first time since it re-opened after duck season.

I brought my Kimber .45 just to keep in practice, but the real reason I wanted to go out there was for some high-powered rifle plinking. I brought out my old Russian Mosin Nagant Model 1944 Carbine and my Swiss Model 1939 Carbine.

From a ballistics standpoint, this is how the two types of cartridges I shot compare to the gold-standard .30-06 Springfield:

Cartridge	Projectile Diameter	Projectile Weight	Muzzle Velocity
.30-06 Springfield	.308	150gr	2740 f/s
7.26 x 54 Rimmed Russian	.308	147gr	2660 f/s
7.5 x 55 Swiss	.308	174gr	2560 f/s

For all practical purposes, these cartridges are close enough to be called “the same.” The Swiss starts 180 f/s slower than the standard .30-06, but the projectile weighs 24 grains more.

Now, I really don’t care about group size or how accurate the rifle is, because they are all accurate enough. I was firing at what-ever happened to be at the end of the range when I showed up… This turned out to be a 3′ x 4′ election sign.

There were a few people shooting next to me, and I didn’t notice it, but they weren’t wearing ear plugs. The appeared to be shooting a pair of .243s. First up was the Mosin. The Mosin Nagant M44 is the most interesting high powered rifle on the market today. The reason I say so, is that the rifle costs $70 from Aim Surplus and 880 rounds of surplus ammunition will cost you about the same from the same place.

I loaded up five rounds of Hungarian surplus ammo from a stripper clip. This ammunition came in a big green can that had the numbers 2/76 stenciled on top. This indicates that the can was packed in February of 1976, 31 years ago… The month I was born! Normally, we are happy when our firearms go bang every time we press their triggers. The Mosin does not. It goes BOOM! every time you press the trigger. The noise is loud. The muzzle blast is impressive. The guys next to me nearly soiled their underpants. After expending my five rounds, I offered them ear plugs. They must have not been there long, because the bench I was shooting from had 7.62 x 54R empties all around it when I got there. Someone else knows about these!

I ended up letting three people shoot a five-round stripper-clip each. This was fine, as the rounds are so cheap, and I wanted to shoot up all 50 rounds that I brought out there. There were smiles all around. Everyone said that it shot milder than they expected. We all know that recoil is %90 mental, so I won’t say too much about it other than the Swiss recoil is lighter.

A few observations:

• The copper-washed Regan-era Polish surplus 7.62 x 54R rounds are rubbish. They dirty up the bore, they cause bolt-sticking, and they don’t feed worth beans from the stripper-clips. I don’t have to worry about this, because I shot all of my remaining supply of these, and I won’t be buying more.
• The sliver-tip with grey lacquered case 1970’s Hungarian surplus rounds seem to be much better than the Polish ones. They feed well from the stripper clips. They also don’t seem to bind the bolt handle when the rifle heats up. This is good because I have about 790 rounds left.
• The M44 is an ugly rifle, but it is so cheap to shoot that I must remember to buy several more in case mine breaks. Every properly outfitted household should have at least two Mosin Nagants of some description.
• The M44 is lively. People seem to like the boom, and will line up to have a go with it. I would feel comfortable hunting just about any game in North America with if, if I had to.
• It freaks people out when you operate the bolt without taking the butt of the rifle out of your shoulder. People were amazed when I did this with the Swiss K31, and even more shocked when I did the same with the Russian. Remember, the best reason to use a bolt-action is that you don’t have to wait around for gas to cycle the action.
• The K31 is slightly lighter than the M44. It also has a six-round capacity, instead of five. It is also much better made than the Russian. You can get 180gr bullets from Winchester for the M44, but given the choice between the two, I’d choose the Swiss.
• Wolff sells 203gr cartridges in 7.62 x 54R. I won’t use them in Mosin Nagants. They were originally made for heavy machine guns, and may be a little too much for these old things.
• ALLsurplus 7.62 x 54R ammunition uses corrosive primers. This isn’t a big deal if you take care of it quickly. While you are still at the range, squirt a patch with Windex, and run it through the bore a few times. Repeat. Then repeat twice with your normal cleaning solvent instead of the Windex. Then make sure you wipe the bolt face and muzzle with Windex and solvent the same way.
• Every properly outfitted household should have a couple of Swiss K31s as well. They are just as powerful, and have a bigger “neat” factor than any Mosin Nagant. The Swiss make a good rifle, but it isn’t nearly as cheap to shoot, at around $0.50 per round… the Nagant comes in at around $0.08 per round.

An open letter,

To the Swiss gentleman who originally owned and cared for the Swiss Karabiner Model 1931, serial numbered 657803.

Dear Sir,

Thank you for taking such good care of your rifle, which was dated May of 1941. I recently purchased it from a military surplus vendor, and you will be happy to know that it still is in very good condition. If you left an identification tag under the butt-plate, I regret that it has since been lost to time. However, the bluing is still in good shape, the trigger still breaks cleanly, and the handguard is still lighter than the rest of the stock. Your rifle still has all of original major parts it had when it was issued to you, as all of their serial numbers match.

I will never know the stories that you could tell, but I have your rifle now. I will treat it well and use it well. I own two other military surplus rifles, each of which cost me the same as your rifle did. Of the three, yours is the oldest, and the one in best condition. I have not fired it yet, but I look forward to.

Kindest Regards,
The Editor.

A day that lives in infamy.

In a few hours time, December 7th 2006 will fall upon Pearl Harbor. 2471 Americans died in that attack, but America came to life. The Nips visited us with violence, and we returned it with a portion a good deal larger than they could enjoy. The attack was an act of war, and we responded with appropriate righteous fury. We take this time to remember and honor our grandfathers and great grandfathers who were slaughtered that day. We do not look back in mourning of our dead, but in anger at the cowardly act by our enemy.

It is interesting to note that during the time of the Pearl Harbor attack, Hawaii was not a US state, but was a US territory.

We call into contrast the reaction to the attack on the second USS Cole (DDG 67) in Aden, Yemen on October 12, 2000. 17 sailors were killed, and 39 others were injured. America sniffled, whimpered, then lost interest and got bored with the whole affair. President Clinton derided it as an “act of terrorism” when it was, in fact, an act of war. Neither the Clinton administration nor the Bush administration after it did much in the way of vengeance with respect to the Cole and her sailors.

This is emblematic of America’s current turmoil. The followers of the false prophet (may pieces of swine be cast unto him) have declared war on us. The Cole attack was an opening salvo of that war. Six years later, we are having debates about wether or not we are “just” to fight the enemy. Half of the country still believes that they have seen the enemy, and it is we.

Whilst we debate, our real enemies laugh and plot. The glittering monuments to colossal heathenism that laid the plan to destroy the USS Cole escaped a Yemeni prison in February of this year. They are still at large.

Our righteous fury and our desire to face and defeat the enemy have become flaccid with the fusillade of erectile disfunction advertisements in our electronic and print media.

The aphorism that “Old people know stuff” is true. Our grandfathers and great grandfathers knew how to fight. They knew when to fight. It is rumored that the Nips did not invade mainland America because they knew that there would be “a rifle behind every blade of grass.” This implied a skilled and committed man behind the trigger of each rifle.

The followers of the false prophet (may pieces of swine be cast unto him) follow the pattern of destroying the lives of uninvolved people to force political change. Their goal is nothing less than global sharia. If you think the NSA “warrantless wiretap” program is bad, you just wait.

As bad as it is now, I think that we still have time. We are only losing this war because it is boring and we are not interested in admitting that it exists. It is time to come alive. It may be a bad war, but hey, it is the only one we’ve got!

As for my blade of grass, it is currently covered by a 1944 Mosin Nagant M44 Carbine. This is an extremely unattractive piece, of Russian manufacture. It was built by slave labor in the Izhevsk Arsenal. It is powerful, reliable, accurate enough, and currently very cheap in the US market. Very good examples of this piece may be had for as little as $80, and surplus Soviet bloc ammunition for it is ridiculously cheap in bulk at less than 10 cents per round.

To my fellow citizens, I issue the challenge to regain that proud fighting spirit of our forefathers. In 2007, plant a flagpole in your yard. Fly “Old Glory” at the top, fly Gadsden’s Flag below, and let any follower of the false prophet (may pieces of swine be cast upon him) that your blade of grass is covered.

Reading List

I have recently finished reading Mark Twain’s Roughing It. This book is a fine account of life in the American “old west,” and has much to recommend it. The above link is to the Project Gutenberg electronic text in its entirety.

Previous to this, I had the pleasure to indulge in Jerome Klapka Jerome’s Three Men in a Boat. I had never before heard of this second author before I stumbled upon him one day whilst repeatedly mashing the Random Article button at Wikipedia. I can’t imagine why I’ve never heard of this book before, but nothing that I could say would add anything to the book’s excellence. Just read it.

The most striking feature of these books is that both of them were well worn by the time the year 1900 rolled around, but they are both compellingly modern.

Most recently, however, I have come across the writings of the late Col. Jeff Cooper, deceased just this 25th of September. Col. Cooper’s commentaries are located here.They are nothing short of amazing. If you don’t have a sense of humor, don’t bother. Col. Cooper’s writings will probably make some people madder than they would be after being forced to listen to hours of the Rush Limbaugh Show.

Col. Cooper was harsh, unyielding, macho, sure of himself, honorable, and as sharp as they come. He had a wonderful gift of language that I am jealous of. Even if you disagree with him %80, read his commentaries anyway because you will learn something new. Start at the beginning, and understand that it will take a bit of time to understand that he’d been writing these commentaries for many years prior to 1993, but they were published elsewhere. So you will find that there is some context missing.

Among other things, you will learn of the tyranny committed by our government in the 1990s against our own citizens. I don’t remember much about the Waco, TX incident because I was in high school at the time, and was thus rather disconnected. Col. Cooper points out that whilst the Branch Dividians were all nuts, they hadn’t broken any laws, and the ATF really didn’t have any good reason to go kicking in their doors. You’ll also learn about another episode in which an ATF sniper assassinated the wife of a suspect while she was holding her baby. Why don’t I remember any of this?

For some reasons unknown to me at this point, I feel it necessary to insert the disclaimer that I think both David Koresh and Randy Weaver were unqualified nut cases. Col. Cooper asks the questions that I never heard during that time, namely, since when is it ok for armed agents of the United States Government to assassinate our fellow citizens, no matter how crazy they may be, without even holding a trial. I should also disclaim that shooting our citizens is a far worse offense than the warrant-less interception of phone calls made to or from known enemies over-seas. I can’t wait to read up to the Elian Gonzalez debacle. The fact remains that Janet Reno is still walking around in freedom. In a just and righteous world, this would not be.

Another thing that I learned was that the Clinton administration ordered the destruction of many fine Springfield Armory 1903 and M1 Garand rifles, as well as a number of M1911 Colts, despite the facts that these are not weapons that you find in the hands of your typical street-thug. These weapons won WWI and WWII for us. They were our heritage. Our grandmothers and grandfather paid for them with their scrap metal, their war bonds, and often with their lives. It was our right to collect them and hold on to them as living snippets of our shared history, and pass them to our children and grand-children, preserving the stories of how they saved nations and ended the holocaust. In many ways, this was the parallel of melting-down the Liberty Bell, crumpling-up the Declaration of Independence and hurling it into the recycling bin, or demolishing Montecello to the purpose of installing a parking garage. This was a great shame that will never be reported.

Col. Cooper advocated granting the franchise only to those who had read and understood the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Federalist Papers, and de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America. Upon reading this, I hardily agreed, even though by those standards I would be disqualified. I have not digested the last two of the four mentioned, as they are talked-about, but never seriously studied in our public (Government) schools today. Before the next election, I will have read them all, and perhaps the anti-Federalist papers for good measure.

The great thing about Col. Cooper is that he was tough as nails, and unapologetic for it. His writings demonstrate what it means to be a man. He wrote them in a way that is convincing because his words are plain, but they are not simple. Col. Cooper was an educated man, and that becomes very clear due to the depth of his words.

In this age of the modern, sensitive “man,” reading Col. Cooper’s work makes me want to stand up and shout “Yes!” He got it right. He reached me. I, for one, will not be feminized.

How to become an M1911 junkie.

One of the cool things about the M1911 pistol and its variants is that they have collected quite a lot of history over the last 95 years. There have been many variations of the theme, and in order to tell their story, it is incumbent upon the armchair historian to accrue a comprehensive collection of examples of this fine firearm. This thoroughness is in deference to historic accuracy, of course.

To that end, we must establish a list of variants that we must posess to establish that historic verity.

Historic accuracy requires a minimum of at least one of each of these variants chambered in .45 ACP:

• 5-inch “Government” Model
• 4-inch “Commander” Model
• 3-inch “Officer’s” Model
• 6-inch “Long Slide” Model
• A high-end custom model
• A low-end, modern WWII replica, such as the Rock Island 1911, the High Standard 1911, or the Springfield Armory “GI” in stock condition
• Another of the same that you have highly customized
• A WWII era, actual Government Issue M1911A1
• A pre-1926 M1911 with a flat mainspring housing and no finger cutouts behind the trigger
• A model with an integral light-rail
• A model with a bushing-less bull barrell
• A “bobtail” model
• A Kimber model
• A Springfield Armory model
• An actual Colt
• A “Parkerized” model
• A Stainless model
• A blued model
• A model in an odd colored finish such as green or brown
• A model that was built in a communist country

Also, you must have a model chambered in each of the “odd” M1911 calibres:

• .22 LR
• .38 Super
• 9 MM Luger
• 10 MM Auto
• .40 S&W
• .400 Corbon
• .455 Webley Automatic (Probably very rare)
• .50 GI

I’m not sure, but it would also be intersting to own a specimen manufactured on each of the six inhabited continents. I don’t know if the M1911 was ever manufactured in Australlia or Africa. I’ll have to do a little more digging on that. If they were, then I think that it is required to own at least one manufactured on each continent.

Here is a partial list:

Continent	Manufacturer
North America	Colt, Kimber, Remington UMC, etc
South America	(Modern) Springfield Armory, Taurus, Ballester-Molina, etc
Europe	Star, Llama
Asia	Norinco

More exploded diagrams!

I’ve had a request for more exploded diagrams. Here is one of a Colt M1911-A1, courtesy of Midway USA. This model is slightly different from my Kimber Pro Carry II HD. Enjoy. And buy something from Midway.

Kimber Problem

Or rather a problem that I caused the Kimber to have by feeding it one of these recoil springs. The problem is detailed in this post.

Even though the description for that recoil spring says it is for 4″ Kimbers, the spring is too long when fully compressed. This causes frame battering, many stoppages (especially with 8 round magazines), and it damaged the recoil spring plug. I think the recoil spring plug in my Pro Carry II HD is aluminum, so it isn’t too surprising that it might need replacing some time.

1400 rounds since March 2006.

Common sense school protection?

This article really hits home, since my wife is a teacher.

It covers a lot of the things I’ve been thinking about during the last few weeks of repeated incursions of armed lunatics into schools.

Namely:

1. Why do people choose schools as targets?

Answer: They’re full of innocent people who are almost certainly unarmed. They are an easy target, and by mounting an assault on a school, you are sure to make the news.

2. Do we really want armed teachers in the classrooms?

Answer: Possibly. Like airliner pilots, teachers are responsible (there’s that word again) for the safety and well-being of others. I’d like to see a requirement for some sort of training, and it would be great if the schools supported teachers doing so. I doubt that will happen. It is unfortunate that Alabama doesn’t have a training requirement for their concealed-carry licenses. You’re required to have training to operate a boat, but not to carry a loaded firearm. In either of those cases, accidents are likely to be rather fatal.  Perhaps “training” is too strong a word, but proving that you’re qualified might make some sense.  At a minimum, you should be able to recite and follow the four rules, operate your sidearm safely, and hit the target some minimum number of times.

The bottom line here, is that if you’re a teacher, you live in a state where carrying in the classroom is allowed, and you wish to do so, then I think you should feel free to carry. You probably aren’t going to be supported by parents, other teachers, or your administration. Some of those people would come completely unhinged if they knew or even suspected you. So, if it is legal, and you decide to go forward, do it with the understanding that if you blow your cover, you’re probably going to be looking for a new job.

3. The “copycat” effect is frightening.

4. Students aren’t always the culprits. In two of the most recent three cases, the attackers were not students at the schools they assaulted.

5. Teachers and administrators need better training on taking quick, decisive action early-on during an assault, the least of which should include a focus on getting students to beat-feat away from the place. This could turn out to be a problem during an assault, because many people become quite literally frozen with fear and are physically unable to run.

6. Situational awareness could well save your life, and the lives of your students. It doesn’t take much to develop an increased sense of situational awareness and keep it honed.

One of the things that I didn’t see in the article was the need for dramatically increased perimeter security. Most of the schools that I’ve seen around here are wide-open on many sides, making it extremely difficult to control ingress and egress in any serious fashion.

The point is not to start looking at life through gun sites, but instead to realize that we who only want to live peaceful lives are all potential prey to the few and dangerous jackals that seek destruction.

Busy Weekend

It has been a fairly productive weekend. Amy and I did a good deal of much-needed house work, but we got that done pretty quickly. Amy had some Mary-Kay seller come out to the house to do some sort of something.

I took this as an opportunity to run off to Swan Creek Shooting Range for some trigger-time. I put 200 rounds of .45 ACP down-range, and turned my target, a cardboard box with one of those fluorescent targets taped to it, into swiss cheese at about 18-20 yards. The target told a story, and the story was this: “I may not be able to shoot very well, but a have a lot of ammo.”

I had quite a lot ( 8 – 10? ) fail-to-feed-last-round stoppages with both the Kimber and Wilson Combat magazines. The bullets were getting pinned nose-up to the top of the chamber. It seems like it may have stopped during the last 50 rounds or so. That makes a total of 600 rounds through the Kimber. Hopefully it is “broken-in” now, and I won’t see any more.

Grabbed some coffee at Starbucks in Athens on the way. A cup of Italian and a pound of Arabian Mocha Sanai. I really like Yemeni Mokka coffees. No “blends” for me, thank you! I made a pot of it today. The beans were quite oily, and the cup was excellent even out of my cheap auto-drip brewer.

Stopped by and visited my uncle and his family on the way home. I rarely get to see them, but as I was passing by their house on my way home, and they were outside, it would have been rude not to.

Amy and I watched two terrible films. “Jackie Chan is the Prisoner” and “Flash Gordon.” Both of them were absolute stinkers.

We also rented a 10′x10′ storage room to move some of Amy’s school stuff into. We relocated a truck load of boxes from our garage, which will help my state of mind tremendously.

Right now, I’m trying out Fedora Core 5 on a laptop. I’m just curious to see what they’ve changed with this rev. I’ll be happy when either Solaris 10 becomes really useful as a desktop OS (I doubt this will ever happen) or I can get OS X that runs on a Dell.

Today was the first day in two weeks that I’ve been out of bed after 6:00 AM. I slept-in until 8:30. Tomorrow, it is back to 5:30 AM.

Right now, I’m off to read some Heinlein.

Automatic Pistol Caliber .45

In the previous post, my wife is brandishing a Kimber Pro Carry II HD. This is a picture of just the gun, from Kimber’s web site.

This weapon is a direct descendant of the M1911-A1 .45 Automatic that both of my grandfathers carried during the Korean War. This basic design was adopted by the US Army in the year 1911. That was almost a hundred years ago, for those counting along at home.

During this time, there have been some minor changes here and there, but for the most part, this gun operates exactly like the ones they used. Most people who know me, know that I am an absolute sucker for a classic-made-modern. Just look at my affection for UNIX operating systems. 1911 pistols fit that bill nicely. I’ll post more about 1911s later, when I get some time.

So charismatic/With an automatic!

Notice that my soon-to-be-well-trained wife has her index finger off of the trigger until she is ready to fire.

And YES! She is wearing ear plugs! You can’t see them well because this picture was snapped with a camera-phone.