Category: Guns

Gun Wants

December 9, 2021 / / 0 Comments

Since I posted about getting my grandpa’s shotgun yesterday, I started thinking about what do I want to add to the armory. Currently I’m thinking on:

  1. An upgraded sidearm – I’m thinking on getting an M&P9 2.0 since that would allow me to use the same magazines and holsters. I’m not adverse to changing systems, but it would have to be something with plenty of accessory support. I mean, I love my Steyr L9A1, but finding a holster or spare mags is a pain.

  2. Semi-Auto 12-gauge shotgun – I’d like something in the traditional form like a Benelli. This is where I’d need to test a few out to make sure which one I’d want.

  3. .22LR Double Action Revolver – This would be for plinking and trigger practice. I’d like a Smith or a Ruger, but I’d avoid the LCR. It just doesn’t feel comfortable in my hand.

  4. 9mm PCC AR – I keep thinking I’d like to do this a project gun and build it up so that it would take the same magazines as my sidearm. However, I know me well enough that if I could find one pre-built, I’d probably pick that up.

  5. .357 Lever Gun – I always like levers, and one in a caliber I currently shoot would be good. Speaking of…

  6. Full size .357 Revolver – I have a snubby, but I’d like something in a four or five-inch barrel. Again, Smith or Ruger.

New Old Gun

December 8, 2021 / / 0 Comments

Last weekend, the family went down to see my dad’s side. My great aunt informed me she had a surprise for me. It turns out it was an old shotgun that belonged to my grandpa. Very old. If I’m doing my research correctly, it’s a Forehand Arms Company single shot 12 gauge, and at least a century old. It’s not in one would call great condition, but I really don’t care. I’ll probably clean it up and do some repairs, but otherwise, it’ll most likely just stay in the safe.

I’m just glad to have another of my grandpa’s guns.

Holding Grandpa's Shotgun

Self Defense In Extremes

November 24, 2021 / / 0 Comments

Two recent court cases highlight situations that terrify me.

Let’s start with Kyle Rittenhouse’s case. His was in all respects a clear-cut case of self-defense. I’m not going to debate his decision to be in Kenosha that night. That’s a whole ‘nuther can o’ worms. Suffice to say, it would have taken a lot more to put myself in that area. Here’s the two parts that terrify me: 1) being cut off and surrounded by angry people, and 2) then having my story rocketed to the front of national news because of the media climate at the time. The former because of the tactical situation. The latter because of its downstream impact on my life.

Then let’s take a look at the case of Andrew Coffee IV. This highlights that my fear of the police fucking up and deciding to no-knock my house. Because there have been too many episodes of police mistakes and swatting for me to consider it outside the realm of possibility. As for Mr. Coffee’s particular case, I think McThag summed it up quite well.

Whatever your feelings of how they got into their situations, both of these young men had the right of self-defense. They used that right of self-defense appropriately. And they will pay a price for it.

These are the extremes. You have been warned.

Life At Ward Manor Update

November 18, 2021 / / 0 Comments

— On Veterans Day, Mom and I went down to our local range and turned money into noise. She has one of those Taurus poly-revolvers, and I needed to test the Bren. I had field stripped it and cleaned it a couple of weeks ago, and I had this irrational fear that I’d done something wrong. The Bren ate the two mags of Speer 5.56mm without a hiccup. Unfortunately, I’d forgotten how to adjust the red dot to zero the stupid thing. I have a laser boresight on the way so that I can do the hard work in the comfort of my own home and not in the bay of a busy indoor range.

— I got the new mesh system up and running, which meant I could now get the outside cameras to work. This one went up much easier than the eeros I’d bought before we moved in. The eeros just didn’t want to play nice. I’ll give the new system a couple of months to before passing final judgement, but at least it’s a promising start. For the record, it is amazing how many individual devices are now connected to the network.

— I understand that restaurants have to be judicious in what they put on the menu. More to the point, I understand that they need to use just enough words to entice and explain, without making the menu unnecessarily long. However, if the restaurant is going to offer waffle fries, I think they should at least identify them as sweet potato waffle fries. That’s what we like to call “material information.”

Is It Good For Society?

November 17, 2021 / / 0 Comments

As the Rittenhouse trial goes into jury deliberations, Sean Sorrentino (host of the defunct Gun Blog Variety Cast), posted this question on FB:

One of my friends left a very good comment elsewhere…

“If he had stayed home, we wouldn’t be having this discussion. Minding your own business is a critical self-defense skill, yet no one teaches it.”

My question is: “This is good advice for the individual, but is it good advice for society?

I think this is a ramifications of some trends in America:
1. The transition from a high-trust society to a low-trust society
2. The increasing Balkanization among certain segments of the society, particularly the political extremes
3. The loss of influence of traditional institutions that promote mutual aid
4. The muddled definitions of what is expected among upstanding citizens – especially among the men

When we can’t trust strangers because they are outside of our tribe, when we consider those outside the tribe to be dangerous, when we no longer participate in organizations that foster goodwill and charity, and when we don’t have common principles to guide us through demanding times, is it any wonder that it may be preferable to just mind one’s own business?

Gun Safety – Real Life Reminders

November 3, 2021 / / 0 Comments

Of course, everyone on my side of the blogosphere has been following the investigation of Alec Baldwin surrounding the death of the cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounding of director Joel Souza. USA Today is reporting that the evidence is that a live round was fired by Baldwin. Based on all the reports, this was a horrific accident. For as much as I dislike Baldwin, I would extend my sympathy. It must be horrific to accidentally kill someone. Yet, based on reports of an inexperienced armorer acting in an unsafe manner, several staff quitting due to safety concerns, and the same prop gun being used to plink in the desert prior to the shooting, one can see how such a tragedy would unfold.

We had another reminder of that in my town. The Bradenton Herald details how a man working on his wife’s AR ended up killing her.. Inattention to safety led to one person’s death and another being criminally charged.

If you ever get annoyed by someone being overly cautious when it comes to gun safety, remember why. Fuck-ups cost lives. Fuck-ups destroy futures. Remember:

  1. TREAT EVERY GUN AS IF IT IS LOADED
  2. KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER UNTIL READY TO FIRE
  3. NEVER POINT YOUR WEAPON AT ANYTHING YOU DO NOT WANT TO KILL OR DESTROY
  4. KNOW YOUR TARGET AND WHAT’S BEHIND IT

Tri-Link Wednesday

October 27, 2021 / / 0 Comments

The Brother shared a NY Times article on glitter. Yeah, I was surprised about how cagey people were about how glitter was manufactured. I still maintain that glitter is the herpes of the craft world. And I detest how endemic it is on girls clothing.

Miguel (via Lawdog) brings us a helpful hint. BTW Miguel, great job on the weight loss!

And on a more serious note, Reason has an article on the Firearms Policy Coalition filing in opposition of Texas’s new abortion law. They assert that turning the citizens against each other to stop abortion can be done to stop the citizens from exercising their Second Amendment rights.