Oops, somebody didn’t check their add copy before they submitted it for print…

From the Gun & Ammo I received today in the mail….

OOPS!!!!

State Medical Board in Ohio might arm investigators...

From The Columbus Dispatch...

State medical board might arm its investigators

Friday, July 29, 2011 03:05 AM

By Alan Johnson

The Columbus Dispatch

Investigators for the State Medical Board of Ohio might need to be armed, Executive Director Richard Whitehouse said.

He said he met with his 20 investigators recently. No specific proposal has been made, but Whitehouse said his employees enter dangerous situations unarmed. He cited pain clinics as an example where they often encounter armed employees.

Ohio Auditor Dave Yost recently obtained approval to arm four of his investigators.

Not much of an article to draw much of a conclusion or an opinion on. From what comments generated from the masses on it indicate from some submitters, some of these pain clinics may be shaddy and hiring thugs with weapons as guards against other thugs that may want to rob them. I guess in that situation I may want to be armed also. On the other hand, if you think that there may be shenanigans going on in one of these places and there are guns involved on their end maybe going in undercover and obtaining enough evidence to get a search warrant with the police present may be a better alternative. I am not a investigator or LEO, but this seems a bit safer alternative.

Some see this as the beginning of a new Police State, others see it as an indication of just how bad things are in society when even medical professionals go way afoul of the law. I see it as...well, a bit of good and bad in both ways I guess. I am all for giving our law enforcement and investigators the tools they need to do their job safely, but as the recent North Canton incident indicates, sometimes that people we may need to watch out for are the ones behind the badge and the gun. Honestly folks, there are going to be good and bad people in any position of authority like a medical investigator, cop or even soldier. But to deny the broad classification of all of them proper protections without due cause to not to is akin to denying the citizenry to go unarmed because of some biased feeling by the government. The government governs by the will of the people, not the people being governed by the will of the Government. Sometimes I think we lose sight of that fact that in reality we are one in the same...or at least we should be.

Rick Allen of Def Lepard supports The Wounded Warrior Project

Rick Allen of the band Def Leppard recently took some time to spend with some of our nations Wounded Warriors. Being that he himself is an amputee he could obviously relate to many of the veterans that find themselves today with challenges unheard of in their lives a few years ago.


From their FaceBook page:

"Last night Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen hosted a special behind-the-scenes tour for a group of wounded warriors. The visit also included a concert and one-on-one meetup with Rick, where they talked about life after injury, the process of defining a "new normal," and of course, rock and roll! More events will be hosted throughout the summer for warriors. Thank you, Rick, and Def Leppard!"

While Def Leppard may of had its fair share of anti-war songs in the past the fact that Rick took time to meet with these folks shows that despite possible philosophical differences on the morality or legality of war, we must all support those who dare brave its horrors in order for us to espouse these opposing views.

Now, I don't know how many of you might have been around in the early 80's but Def Leppard was THE SHITE! Talk about the 2nd British invasion, these guys had American kids all over the place running around with sleeveless t-shirts bearing the British flag on the 4th of July. Seriously, if anyone doesn't think that Pyromania was not one of the seminal albums to kick off the hair band era they need to take another listen to it.

And now for your firearm related video of the moment. Billy's Got A Gun....back when Rick still had both meat paws attached...

More Libyan Douchbagery on Display...

Over 2 years after Scotland released mass murder Abdelbaset Mohmed Ali al-Megrahi,
aka "The Locherbie Bomber" from prison for "compassionate reasons" due to his "terminal" condition into the arms of Libyan d-bag Moammar Gadhafi (or however you spell it, I am tired of spending my time figuring it out) the SOB is still alive and showing up at rallies for the head d-bag in charge...total BS...thanks again Scotland...

I can't do this much more literrary justice, But Brigid over at Home on the Range sure as hell can..well worth the read.

So sad with all of the US lead NATO bombing we did there recently somebody in the intel community couldn't of gotten a fix on him and had a JDAM dropped on him....

Man, what I wouldn't have given to be right there at that moment with a big sharpened pike...instant douchebag kebab...

Columbus Commons…where common sense gun laws aren’t that common…

This is Columbus Commons, a new green space park built this year with tax payer money on the site of a former mall location in downtown Columbus...

Its nice, green grass, nice landscaping, bathroom facilities, a merry go round and so much more.  It even has a few rules…

Uh oh…doesn’t look like the city likes its law abiding citizens that have undergone training, a background check and submitted fingerprints 2 blocks away at the county Sherriff's office to be able to carry their legally concealed weapons here.  There is a sidewalk that borders two sides of the park and public walkways and roads nearby. All of these places you can carry at your discretion, but step onto the park grounds and you’re in deep doo-doo according to this sign.  Well, what is a guy to do to protect himself and his family?  Don’t worry! They have “guards” with yellow and orange “SAFETY” vests!  All is saved!

And I wonder who we have to thank for this blatant trespass against our 2nd Amendment rights…..oh yeah…probably Mayor Michael Coleman

I bet he has something to to with it….him and his little band of anti-gun miscreants from Bloomberg’s Mayors Against Illegal Gun brigade…I still can’t find out which mayor heads the Mayors All In For Illegal Guns group….

AthenA: The Official Band of Huey’s Gunsight

Well, this is the only band I actually know at a personal level so I guess they are the only obvious choice, but still…

AthenA: Heather, Mike, Tom and Steve

So you got Heather. lead singer and Afghan vet that I know, cool enough reason by itself to give them a listen in my book.  Then I heard the song “Let It Go” and instantly loved it.  Next I find out that they are playing tonight and I arrange to come out and see them live.  Finally meet the guys and actually get thanked for putting them on my little blog here.  Man, how nice can you get.  Oh yeah, found out that Tom their drummer is a full blown gunnie and also a competitive rifle shooter at places like Camp Perry for the national matches.  That sealed it…instantly decided they would be my “official” band for the gunsight.  Here they are from earlier tonight performing “Let It Go”…..

for more info on the band go to www.reverbnation.com/athenaproject

Getting fancy...

Not to make it seem like the old noggin' is getting too big for my hats or anything...but...

Decided to get some of those bulk business cards that they advertise for like $10 for 500 on line for the blog to pass out when needed. Occasionally I get to talking to someone at the range, gun store or gun show and this blog will come up and they will say "where's it at?" and it would be nice to be able to give them a card. On the reverse of the card I plan on having a QR code that will link directly to the blog via a smart phone...here it is if you want to try it with your droid or iPhone....

And here is the proposed design of the card. Good idea? Bad Idea? Thoughts?

Review: Norton Sporting Goods, Waldo, Ohio

I have been putting off writing this little review for a few weeks for no particular reason, so I decided to crank it out tonight and let it post tomorrow afternoon to get it off of my "to do" list for the blog.

Nestled along State Route 23 in Ohio where the great flat glacial plains of North-Central and Western Ohio begin is the village of Waldo. Waldo is a sleepy little town of a little over 300 inhabitants existing where SR 23 intersects with SR 98 in Marion County. It's claim to fame in and around these parts is the home made bologna and bologna sandwiches that can be found in the few dining spots to be found in town, most notably, the G&R Tavern. It also sits aside of the Delaware State Park system and close to the state firearm range I often shoot at during the Spring to Fall. In what I would call the "Southern Suburb" of the town you will find a little bait shop and gun store called Norton Sporting Goods.

Most people know Norton Sporting goods as "that store up by the range that you buy your range pass at". This is largely true. Being the closest business that sells state hunting, fishing and range liceneses many people do stop here to buy that range pass and maybe some targets, ammo or other items that they may have forgotten at home. But the store is much more than that. In addition to the gun store they also have a rather larger bait and tackle shop in the same building as well. But fishing isn't really my thing, I'll leave that to my friend Brandon over at his site Ohio Game Fishing. For me, I am all about the things that go BOOM!

Question.... what do fishing stories, hunting stories and military stories all have in common?

Answer...They start with either "This is no shit...." or "Once upon a time...."

The firearm side of the store, lots to see for a place its size.

And the other side for you anglers out there..

The gun store itself is rather "old timey" in its feel with the exterior, wood floors, pictures of hunters will their kills on the wall and such. They have a good selection of targets and target stands (one even locally made by a craftsman in the area) as well as magazines, holsters, cleaning supplies and all the other accessories that go along with using a firearm. They have the normal assortment of pistols and long arms from names such as Glock, Smith & Wesson, Ruger and the like. Matter of fact, this is the store that my friend Rhonda got her SR9 at that I reviewed last year. In addition to the "usual suspects" in this regard the store also seems to carry a few "eclectic" varieties of firearms that you don't really expect to find in a gun store like it. An example would be the Draco AK pistol, which sells out fast online and is not available in the larger gun store that I normally frequent in Columbus. They had one. Not only did they have one but it was on a display pedestal on the counter for anyone to meat paw. That is something you DO NOT find at that larger gun store in Columbus I frequent. This attitude of openness permeates the store as many items that are normally behind the counter at other shops are within easy grasp here. They even have a rack of long guns right their on the floor to include all types of rifles and shotguns that you can pick up and examine. That to me is like being a kid in a candy store. That is where I found my CAI CETME rifle that followed me home one day.

I don't exactly know what this is...but I kind of dig it....

Speaking of that transaction, when I got the CETME I had actually gone to that location to trade my G26 (loved it but its intended role was taken over by my LC9) for a Springfield 1911 "Tactical model" with someone. The deal was a bust as the pistol was not what I expected so I sauntered inside the store to look around, that's when I found the CETME. The price was more than I had on hand with me so the G26 came into play as a trade. Let me just say this, after dealing with trade in values at other stores James made me a trade in offer on it that not only met, but exceeded my expectations. Of course the Glock was pretty cherry and had some upgrades, but still compared to the paltry sum normally offered by other places I was very pleased. James wasn't the only one who gave great customer service to me there either. All of the guys there seem to be really friendly and helpful and will go out of their way to answer your questions and show you what you want to see. Again, an attitude that I am not necessarily used to seeing in a gun shop in Central Ohio.

Firearms right out in the open to handle and examine...hope to see this at a gun store in Columbus? You'd have better odds on Terrelle Pryor being reinstated as a Buckeye or "Hail To The Victors" being played on the radio....

Overall, I was very happy with my experience at Norton Sporting Goods and would (and probably will at some point in the future) do business with them again. Friendly staff, welcoming atmosphere, a state range a few minutes away and arguably the world's best bologna sandwich right down the road, what's not to like? It may be out of the way for many of us in Central Ohio, but if you happen to be driving on SR23 in Marion County and get a hankerin' for a slab of bologna and some hands on gun shopping, its worth your time to stop by.

Tell them Huey sent you...I doubt that they will remember me, but what the hell!

CETME vid...

Posted a vid on my YouTube Channel (Huey148) of the first rounds downrange with the CETME. All was not perfect, but I was happy none the less. Those of you on the We The Armed forums already got a sneak peek....enjoy.

Flamethrowing goodness here...

Thanks to the guys over at the We The Armed forums for getting this going here....

The Flamethrower...what's up with that? George?



I am sure it was kind of like that...

Anyway, in all the ways to get possibly messed up on the battlefield I think being burned alive has got to be at the top of the worst ways list. Being sprayed down with burning fuel just does not seem to be that fun to me any way you may look at it. Take a look here at its use in the Pacific in WW2 where it was sometimes vital in the removal of fanatic Japanese troops from fortifications that refused to surrender...and check out how far those tanks could throw flame!



I guess maybe "fun" is a relative term. Here FRSRussia has some fun with one...at least until he burns his hands and loses his eyebrows!



Admittedly, I never did see a flamethrower in the military. I did get to fire a Flash once. What's a Flash? A M202 Flash was a weapons system that was basically 4 66mm rockets packed together (same rockets used in the M72 LAW, different flavor) with White Phosphorus (AKA "WP" or "Willie Pete") used to set stuff on fire. WP is nasty stuff, it will burn immediately in the presence of oxygen and is very sticky...bits of burning material that get on you will burn right into you until plucked off or submerged in water, and once in you are toxic to boot. It produces a thick, white cloud of smoke and is also used in signaling and target marking.



It never saw much use outside of the movie Commando staring "The Governator" from what I have been able to research. Matter of fact, I think Commando may of been its high water mark.



I got to fire one as a reward for being my battalion's M47 Dragon Trainer. They ran out of live Dragons to fire so I got to shoot a Flash. Got to say, kind of underwhelming shooting firey rockets on a hot summer day in the blazing sun...I am sure at night they would of looked awesome!

Huh...whats a Dragon? Oh brother..here we go again...

Man, I never got a good concert....

Well at least anybody I would really pay to see otherwise...While I was over at Camp Arifjan I did get to see Kid Rock but not a full concert, just him and a guitar. We had the band O.A.R. when I was there but I really am not that into them, some country folks that, while damn nice, just didn't fit in my normal progressive-heavy-metal-classic rock groove. I heard Disturbed made a tour over there I missed....man, war is hell...

Anyway, last December Paramore gave what looks to be a pretty damn good concert at the Zone 6 stage at Camp AJ...

Stage from 2007...

With Paramore on it....



There are more vids taken by troops available over at YouTube...

Getting a bit misty here…

My FaceBook bro Erik made this video dedicated to his unit in the 82nd Airborne on his YouTube channel….

Brings a little lump to my throat to think guys that young are out there putting it on the line while I sit here and type this, and the fact that a few faces in that video are no longer here because of that too…

God bless our troops!

God favors the lucky, the brave, the foolhardy and the Airborne..which is all three…

 

Thanks Erik!

The Glades….again….

OK watching last nights episode of The Glades that the wife and I recorded on the DVR and didn’t even get to the opening credits without getting to a gun reference that put me off…..hey still love the show but….

OK, here is the set up…a doctor dies in a strip club, Jim finds a set of car keys and goes to look in the guy’s trunk and finds a Glock in the guys luggage along with a lot of cash.  Jim takes the Glock (G17?) and without dropping the mag he pulls the slide back and SNIFFS the open chamber and remarks “this is brand new”.  He then hands the now possibly loaded gun to Carlos (the Coroner) who remarks “why does a doctor need a gun?”.  After the credits Jim is explaining the situation with his supervisor (don’t know her name on the show, sorry) and says, regarding the Glock, (sic) “the Glock was new, never fired”.

 

 

Hmmmmmm….

• First off, Jim should know…especially being from Illinois, that all Glocks are test fired at the factory and a shell casing included in the shipping container for those state that require it for registration and what have you.
• What is Jim, a bloodhound?  I can certainly tell by smell after a gun has been fired to a degree, but to tell a new gun from a cleaned gun I don’t know.  I used to know someone who would turn weapons away from our arms room after cleaning because he could smell carbon on the bolts.  Weapons operate at very high pressures and temperature where carbon is involved and it is practically impossible to remove it by normal cleaning methods.  But hey, its Jim Longworth!!!
• Carlos…why shouldn’t a doctor own a gun?  I forgot the part of the 2nd Amendment that excludes the medical profession.
• There was also something said about it not being registered…I Googled it…there is no firearm registration in Florida…hell, this is the state that has the no duty to retreat policy…
• Last time I looked I thought Jim carried a S&W 4506….it looks like he has a SIG P220 now….I could be wrong though….

Love the show still, the firearm mistakes are more humorous than anything to me, it just makes some good blog fodder….

And for God’s sake Jim…get with Callie for good dammit!

Kel-Tec Customer Service....A+ so far...

Wow, contacted them this morning about my FTE issues with the P3AT and got this back this afternoon....

On Mon, Jul 25, 2011 at 3:43 PM, Kel Tec Customer Service wrote:

Hi Peter,

I’ll mail you another extractor in the morning to see if this helps. Let me know if it doesn’t.

Thanks,

Kel-Tec Customer Service

Now THAT is how you treat your customers....I even said in my message to them via their web based support system that I was not the original owner and was just interested if their techs thought that replacing the extractor was the best course of action and that I was prepared to buy it....

Thanks Kel-Tec!

Useful Used Guns...

It happens every day. Thousands of used firearms sit abandoned on the shelves of gun stores across this nation. Shunned by their former owners and often overlooked or overshadowed by the new wonder-gun-of-the-moment sitting next to it these firearms are simply asking for a chance. I have bought used guns before and I bet many of you have also. I still regret letting go the Ruger Security-Six I bought used. It was strong and smooth and had a trigger much nicer than any new revolver I have handled recently. Yes, there is nothing wrong with a used gun if you know what you are looking for. Still, there is that percentage of potential buyers that will only consider a new firearm for a candidate to purchase. They are so very wrong.

Let me tell you the story of a couple of diamonds in the rough that I have recently acquired.

Gun 1: Remington 870 Wingmaster 12 ga..

I found this used shotty sitting in the rear of the rack at Vances' recently with a price tag of $179. It had obviously had a rough life and showed wear and rust on the receiver and barrel. The bore was filthy and the bolt looked dirty as well. Still it appeared to have been a police trade in at some point and wore a synthetic stock and "corn cob" fore end. I contacted Remington with the serial number and they confirmed it was manufactured in 1976, It was a stock 5 shot model with a plain front bead at the end of a ribless 18.5" barrel. Overall a pretty decent home defense shotgun in its own right. After a bit of haggling, I got the effective price to $149 because I was already buying another gun at the moment (more on that in another post)by getting a bit off of some other stuff I was buying. Not bad at all, less than 1/2 of what a new model goes for these days.

The 870 when I got it home, you can't tell from the pic, but spots of rust dot parts of the barrel and receiver and the bolt as well...not taken care of by its previous owner.

After getting it home I went to work. The surface rust was taken care of by the use of some CLP, a piece of fine steel wool and some elbow grease. A little more CLP afterwards to protect the metal produced a totally different looking gun. A full disassemble and cleaning of the gun found more rust on the bolt and copious amounts of carbon residue. More CLP and steel wool and MPro-7 cleaned up the inside nicely. I did find that the right shell arm was bent and needed some straightening to allow the gun to be reassembled but it does not affect its function as was proved by some testing at the range this past Saturday. For $13 Remington will sell me another if needed.

Using this wonderful article from Carteach0 (who also has some great articles on using a shotty as well!) as a base for this project, I started by asking myself what did I want this gun to perform the role of? Well, home defense was the first and foremost thing that came to mind. The shotgun as was was good for this purpose. As I would see it being used 5 shots of 00 buck would be sufficient and I had no use for a fancier stock than what was already on there (and with few exceptions I think the standard stock on a shotty is the best choice anyway). Despite this conclusion I decided to go ahead and buy a Tacstar +2 magazine tube extension for it due to the "better to have and not need..." mantra and the fact that it would not affect the overall length. Also, it negated, to a large degree, the "need" to have a external shell carrier mounted on the receiver or stock for additional ammo. I would like to think that 6 or 7 rounds should be enough in addition to the racking of the slide to send the universal "get the hell outta my house" message to any intruder.

I did want a way to mount some type of light on it though, not to search for targets but to verify them. White lights do have their place but being a beacon back to the shooter holding them is not one of them. Neither is bearing down on your family members with the light to see "how they are doing" with a loaded round of buckshot. Even at night many homes have enough ambient light for a person with adjusted eyes to make out the shape of a person in their home and a brief illumination will confirm it and also possible blind and disorient an armed intruder.

How it ended up, home defender supreme!

I bought a simple ATI mag clamp light holder that attaches to the Tacstar extension I talked of above. I have a Surefire flashlight mounted in it, and it itself is mounted in such a way that all I need to do is move my hand to the end of the fore end to activate it with some pressure. So I locate my target, activate the light, shoot, racking the slide will automatically turn the light off, get "off the "X"" and then repeat as necessary.

In the future I may add a XS Systems front bead sight to it that will make it easier to aim in the dark, but that is not a high priority. Overall, this is now a very capable home defense weapon and even with the addition of the mag extension and light clamp it is still $90 cheaper than a new shotgun with comparable capabilities.

Gun 2: Kel-Tec P3AT

Well, another mouse gun followed me home. I "gave away" my Ruger LCP due to sympathy to a friends plight and relized after the fact that I should not have been so ready to give it up. Sure, the LC9 is great (any thoughts of replacing it have been removed from my mind at this point!) But the size of the LCP and P3AT is just so perfect when it gets so hot and humid in Ohio that all I really want to wear are very light shorts and a t-shirt. Even with this ensemble these pistols just melt into your clothing. The Lc9 carries well, but not as well as those. The P3AT was actually the first mouse gun I owned. While I still think the LCP is a better finished product the P3AT is well known and fits the bill for what I wanted it for.

I found this used P3At sitting all sad and lonely on the shelf prices at $219. Its finish was well worn and the plastic had dirt in the grip . Still for $219 it looked like a good bargain, and then applying some store credit that I had with them made it even better.

"I'm lonely...so lonely"....

Got it home, dirty and worn. Only words to describe it. Thorough cleaning of the slide followed by a full degreasing and application of some cold bluing compound made it look much, much better than before. I brushed off the frame to remove the dirt/grime embedded in the grip stippling and then wiped it down with an Armor-All wipe. Going back to the slide I painted a orange dot on the front blade and a white dot under the rear sight to enable quicker sight alignment on these almost non-existent bumps. Still, on a gun this size and for its intended purpose they should be more than adequate.

It looked fine after some TLC, Cleaning and blueing....

...Unfortunately, this little bugger seems to be giving me a problem...

I took it to the range and ran into issues. The first couple of mags cycled through without issues. Upon inserting the 3rd and racking the slide to chamber a round (remember neither the P3At or LCP lock back on empty) an empty shell casing popped out. "Oh Oh" I thought "this isn't good". the next 4 mags I fired all produced FTE malfunctions with cases either not being grabbed by the ejector or cases only being partially extracted causing slide jams and double feeds. Sorry, no pics from the range...DOH! (too hot to remember to do it I guess). Not acceptable for a carry gun, or actually for a range gun either. Now I begin the tedious task of researching the issue (its actually fairly well documented) and attempting to fix and remedy. Most likely I will be getting hold of Kel-Tec to get a new extractor and to see if their customer service is as good as they say it is online.

Conclusion

Well, buyer beware. Sometimes you get a diamond in the rough, sometimes you get cubic zirconia. Yes, you can get a firearm for a great bargain used. But, if like the Kel-Tec, any warranty is limited to the original owner than you are left holding the bag. Honestly, I think the P3At will work itself out after I order some parts (cheap at that) from Kel-Tec and maybe do some minor tweaking. Still, the rush over the shotty puts the woes for the Kel-Tec in perspective and makes it a little easier to swallow.

Used guns, know what you are looking at, evaluate your purchase options and give an old dog a chance to learn some new tricks maybe. At the minimum, considering to purchase a used gun might force you do to do a little homework on your decision purchase and make you a bit more knowledgeable about that gun and firearms in general.

AMC's The Walking Dead back this fall...

The prime time zombie show will be back this fall according to AMC's website. Truthfully, I found the first season a bit underwhelming at times and hopefully the producers got the same feedback from viewers. This preview clip shows a little mano-a-zombo between the protagonist, Rick, and a couple of the undead...

Traffic stop goes very wrong for Canton, OH CHL holder…

This video is making the rounds on the gun forums…this incident happened June 8 in Canton, Ohio, about an hour and a half away from me. 

Bad stuff….

I am not going to try and say that I know the entire story.  To me the driver’s story seems a little weak, but he also was very mistreated in my book in this incident.  I think the driver should have been a bit more assertive about his CCW permit and tried to get an officer’s attention to the fact despite the warnings to stay quiet.  I am not a cop, but the video points out some very obvious tactical errors these officers made when dealing with this guy and then the one officer goes totally off on him, possibly to cover up his frustration with himself.

• He threatens the driver several times….physically and verbally.
• He states he will take future retributive action against him (pulling him over whenever he sees him)
• He states that he should have shot him.
• He insults the driver verbally.

It seems to me that this officer is way stressed out in this situation and did not handle it well.  Many officers are stressed I am sure.  I mean if you had to walk down the dark alleys normal people avoid and deal with bad people you might be to.  Canton is not exactly a garden spot of Ohio.  If you read this blog you know that I am a supporter of LEO’s, but in this case the officer, IMHO, went way over the line.  Police officers are supposed to be professionals and show restraint under pressure, or at lest that is what I always believe.   This officer seems to have chosen a different path.  It looks like he tries to regain composure a couple of times but then goes off on the driver again.  Just like when soldiers do the wrong thing, police officers need to be disciplined as well for going over that line.

Last word I have seen is that the city offered to drop charges in exchange for being held without fault for the incident.  I believe a lawsuit is in the works.

More info here:  http://www.ohioccw.org/201107214955/cantonpd.html

Poll: Should your doctor be able to ask you or your family about guns in the home?

Does your physician ask you about your ownership of firearms during an exam?  Most seemingly now do. 

“Enjoy this gun show doc” little Billy said with a smile…..

I knew our family doctor was doing this already because she had asked me myself this same questions.  When my wife got home yesterday after taking our 9 year old to her checkup she let me know that they had asked my daughter about them as well.  She also indicated that the intern who did the questioning did some leading with the questions, I guess to try and get my daughter to admit that I had guns just lying around the house.  To her credit, my daughter truthfully told him that not only did Daddy have a gun, he had lots of them and that they were kept down in a locked room inside a safe in the basement and that she knew not to touch them. Way to go baby girl!!

But why would they ask in the first place?  Well, according to an ABC new article from earlier this year…

“According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, a gun in the home is 43 times more likely to be used to kill a friend or family member than a burglar or other criminal. The best way to avoid firearm injuries and deaths is not to own a gun. Parents who do own firearms should keep them well out of children's reach with trigger locks activated and the ammunition stored separately. “

Well, the best way not to die in a car crash is not to own a car too. 

Down in Florida the Governor just signed a controversial bill that basically outlawed doctors from asking such questions concerning firearms to their patients unless they had very good reason to believe that the issue was immediately relevant to the safety and health of the patient.   I applaud this measure.  In my opinion medical professionals should stick to just that, medicine.  The fact that I own a gun cannot be used to make a determination about the well being of my family and I unless that doctor has first hand knowledge of the conditions in my household and how guns are kept, maintained, stored and used….which she does not.   Besides, last time I visited my doctor she was so busy attending to all of the overbook appointments that she had to maximize billing that she barely spoke to me at all.  An also, since when was a doctor a certified firearms instructor that could give me or my family advice or training on firearm safety….very few would be able to qualify if that were the case.

So, new poll…doctors asking about guns…yes, or no? You choose.  Poll will run through the mid August.

The law did pass….

Sure its hot but….

Sure its hot but…

• Its not 135 degrees and sandy as hell…..
• I am not wearing ACU’s and body armor..
• I am not “marinating in my own juices”…
• The chance of being shot or blown up is 0% right now…
• I am not 5,000+ miles from home…
• My daily existence doesn’t rely on KBR…
• I don’t have to worry about erratic Kuwaiti drivers…
• I’m not carrying a firearm…oh, wait…scratch that…
• GO1 is now “GO none” for me…beer me please….
• My duty roster is run by my wife, not First Sergeant….

A BIG THANKS TO ALL OF YOU GUYS AND GIRLS SWEATING YOUR ASSES OFF FOR ME RIGHT NOW OVERSEAS!!!

Mad heli skillz.....

Thanks to Bud over at WTA for the vid link....



I am no pilot (bad eyes have seen to that), but this is some amazing control on the pilots part to put his choppa (as in "GET TO THE CHOPPA!") down on the deck of this vessel in such conditions. I have heard there is a fair amount of ball busting in the military between the fixed wind and rotor wing folks. I like to think the rotor wing types have a bit more brass on their cohones than the fixed wing folks. Of course that's just me being that the Army is like 99% rotary wing in our aircraft inventory or something like that.

Oh, and I guess following up from the other day, not all pilots have "cahones", some have brass on "other parts" I guess....my apologies Ma'am!

Snappy Cow

As most of you know, I will occasionally post a cartoon from PowerPoint Ranger here. I find his take on military life often mirrors my own. His artistic style does not take itself too seriously, yet allows him to create and portray a vast number of military stereotypes with great affect. One of the ongoing gags in the series is the inclusion of "Snappy Cow" drinks in many of the cartoons. Snappy Cow is the creators satirical version of the many "energy drinks" available and consumed by our service personnel overseas and here at home. In an occupation where long hours and fatigue are par for the course, the inclusion of caffeine in the diet of the soldier has been a constant. Soldiers on both the North and the South during the Civil War subsisted for long periods on nothing more than coffee and hardtack (a VERY hard biscuit/cracker concoction basically made of flour, water and salt cooked until dry) and maybe some bacon fat if available. Today's soldiers often are not used to drinking coffee and the sweet, almost soda pop like flavor of the energy drinks appeals to them. Probably the most famous energy drink is Red Bull, hence you can see where Snappy Cow gets its name from obviously. I often drank the local Kuwaiti version of Red Bull that was 1/2 the price in the PX that we called "Red Camel", not bad.

Anyway, here is a cool twist on the story. Snappy Cow became such a sensation with the troops that the creator of PPR has actually started making an actual energy drink! How cool is that, an idea born out of a comical reference becomes reality! I have spoken via email with the creator of PPR and Snappy Cow and it appears a test sample may be on its way to my humble home (bunker) so I hope to have a hands on review for you in a bit.

Click on the can to order your Snappy Cow!

In the meantime he is selling cases of the stuff for $55 (US) to include shipping to any US residence or APO box. I know, its a bit pricey to buy in bulk, but that is shipping included and comes to just a bit over $2 a can, which isn't that bad compared to other energy drinks. I found out through John, the creator and owner, that creating order sizes smaller than a case will drive up the price at this point in the business, so for now a case is it.

Snappy Cow, a veteran run company selling energy drinks to the masses.....good luck troop!

For more info check out their website.

Now I really LIKE this idea....home defense safe from Sentry Safes...

Saw this on The Firearm Blog today....

Is a gun safe designed for home defense by Sentry. Really good idea. Most folks that own multiple guns have some type of safe (I hope) or other locked storage for their firearms. This not only keeps them out of the hands of children but also out of the hands of burglars or home invaders if it comes to that. Due to the size of most of these safes and weight the majority of folks put them in their basement or possibly garage, as moving them can be a hassle in tight hallways and they will often warp simple wooden floors with their weight if sat in one place for an extended period of time.

These locations make the practice of keeping all of your weapons locked up and secure while at the same time also making them accessible in case of emergency difficult. Many companies sell smaller safes or bedside holsters for handguns and even shotguns and rifles, but these are often not advisable for households with children. Yes, you can buy a cheaper, smaller stand up safe for long gun storage in your bedroom but these are often made of cheaper material and do not blend well with a bedroom decor. I think that a good quality safe with clean lines might just be what I am looking for. What I see with this unit is a simple exterior with a unique door design which would allow it to be placed in a corner by a bed and sit there unobtrusively. If sentry is smart they will offer these in different colors to match, compliment or accent some common paint schemes found in typical homes. If not I guess a good coat of paint wouldn't hurt.

I currently have a safe in my basement and normally do not sleep with a loaded weapon nearby as my neighborhood is relatively safe. I know, I know....more of a compromise with the wife and her feelings on the subject than anything else. When the neighborhood gets that bad we will move anyway. I have thought about getting one of these wall mounted safes for our closet...

..but that is only a partial solution as it still requires me to move to that location to access my gun.. The Sentry system seems to be a very good idea indeed, maybe good enough for "Household 6" to buy off on, depending on the price.

Check out the link at the top to view the original post over at TFB and it also includes a vid.

Like it, like it a lot....

Awesome AA-12 Action...

Saw the movie The Expendables (2010) last night on DVD, enjoyable as an action flick but forgettable in many ways less than a day later. Many of the actors just phoned in their lines.... Dolph Lundgren and Randy Couture should never be allowed on screen again...burn their SAG cards....Stallone looks hideous most of the time on film and I am still trying to figure out what the hell was up with Willis and the Governator in it..."we gotta get paid" I guess....

Well Terry Crews was in it as well and I simply love that guy. From playing Chris Rock's dad in Everyone Hates Chris to Cheeseburger Eddie in the (forgettable) remake of The Longest Yard I always find him to be a great addition on the screen. He is large, intimidating and just plain likable all at the same time. In the end of the movie he uses a AA-12 automatic shotty with 12 gauge exploding rounds to great effect...love it...

Cheap Trick and the WACS….

You may have seen this video clip over the past few days of the 70’s & 80’s era rock band Cheap Trick being literally blown off the stage at a music fest up in Ottawa, Canada…..

“The dream police they live inside of my…..ARGHHHHHH!!!!”

Brings a new meaning to the term “bringing the house down”….

Anyway, you ever notice how many great bands came out of that same time period as Cheap Trick…Boston, Kansas, Styx and many others.  One of the best songs, IMHO, from Cheap Trick in the teen anthem “Surrender”…a song written to show how a (then) young baby boomer discovers and realizes his WWII generation parents aren’t as uncool as they seem.  In the song these lines appear…

Father says, "Your mother's right, she's really up on things."
"Before we married, Mommy served in the WACS in the Philippines."
Now, I had heard the WACS recruited old maids for the war.
But mommy isn't one of those, I've known her all these years.

The WACS?  The Women’s Army Corps was formed in 1943 as an auxiliary to the Army to allow women to serve in positions in the military to support the war effort.  The members underwent paramilitary training, wore uniforms, obtained rank and in many cases served along side of regular US Army units. Their contributions were not without sacrifice as many were seen as “old maids” as the song depicts and also as a challenge to the male status quo in the military.   Believe it or not, the WACS existed until 1978 when they were officially absorbed into the regular Army with all of its occupational specialties merged with those of the Army. 

Anyone who tells you that women have no place in the military hasn’t seen the women I have seen in the Army.  Sure, physically there are differences in general that make some females less capable of doing some occupational fields, but that does not mean that their fighting spirit is any less than their male counterparts.   I personally have known some female soldiers that could kick the living crap of some of my male soldier friends.  Sure there are some females that are a pain in the ass to serve with, but there are many more males that I can say the same about.   Back when I went from Infantry to Admin I admittedly had a chip on my shoulder about females in uniform.  That changed quickly when I became aware that my female supervisor was one squared away troop and could run both an office and her own own home, all at the same time.  She taught me that just because a Y chromosome is tossed here or there doesn’t indicate what a soldier is capable of, thanks Shirley. 

WACS at a train station during WWII, destination unknown…

Bottom line, today females serve on the front lines in the war against terrorists.  They are fighting and dying to protect and serve our nation and our way of life.  Anyone who doubts what they are capable of is truly missing the big picture…thank you ladies….past, present and future.

And here is Cheap Trick from their epic Budokan concert in ‘78…

 

Budokan is Japanese for “land of screaming teenage females”

Zombies are people too...or used to be I guess...

More of that brainless reposting I self bitched about earlier...but still funny...

I'm back....

Miss me? Nah, me neither...kind of nice to have a few days away from worrying about this blog. Tell you the truth, just between you and me...this blog is kind of a pain in the ass to keep going sometimes. There are moments when my muse is pushing me to write things with effortless ease...and then there are the times its like I am being forced at gun point to get something posted. Those are generally the times when I just find something cool to repost...its always easier to repost someone else's stuff than create your own IP (intellectual property).

Anyway, last night sat down and scribbled a list of things that I would like to get going on the page. Some of it is stuff I have mentioned before that was in the works but never got to and some of it is some newer material. As always, the guy in the black cape and handlebar mustache working to foil my plans is named "Time". You never have more than you need and its constantly wasting away. You can just call me Captain Procrastination I guess for some of the ideas that have come and gone, others, just one of those priority things with work and home life that sit higher than this blog.

Anyway, so that this isn't a total boring read I have this little video to post. I went to the range last Wednesday with a friend of mine that I don't see much anymore since he has moved to the St. Paul, MN area. Just me shooting the LC9. Took the video with my iPhone and made and posted the movie with the iMovie app I bought. Not bad, nothing fancy or anything but it works. Enjoy until later....

Talk To Ya’ Later

Family and I are heading to the Hoosier state for some vacation fun the next couple of days…blogging resumes on Monday or so, unless I see something on the road I just got to comment on, and then we will see how good this blogging app I paid for on the iPhone works!!!

Believe it or not this band, The Tubes, were one of the early stars of MTV, you know when it actually played music…even it that meant that the videos had to come up with some inane story to go along with the song.  Man, I  miss the 80’s sometimes….my youth….Reagan….basic training…..partying…..cheap gas…..more partying…..

Fee Waybill rocked that hair style….

Good story about President Reagan

Heard a good story about President Reagan today on the radio by John LeBoutillier from newsmax.com...

Let me just preface this story by saying that why I think that Ronald Reagan may have been one of the most charismatic and likable Presidents in recent U.S. history, I do not hold him in as high esteem as many of my compatriots on the the right side of the political spectrum. I do not think he, nor any President for that matter, was without his own faults. In my opinion, being elected the president in this country is like being "The Dude" from The Big Lebowski...you are a man that just happens to be, well, let me just quote Sam Elliot from the movie here...

"Sometimes there's a man... I won't say a hero, 'cause what's a hero? But sometimes, there's a man – and I'm talkin' about the Dude here – sometimes, there's a man, well, he's the man for his time and place. He fits right in there.."

Well, that is our President many times....he is just the person that fits the persona of the nation at that moment in our history...and Ronald Reagan was just such a man. In the late 70's America was hurting, and hurting bad. Rampant inflation, double digit interest rates, we had just pulled out of a lengthy involvement in Vietnam with little tangible benefits compared to the lives we lost, Iran had embarrassed us on the world stage and things were generally looking gloom...

...and then he came. A president that made you feel good about being an American again. A man that was liked by labor unions (while at the same time taking a hard line on them) and big businesses as well. A man who took on the mighty Soviet empire like a wolf and then subtly embraced them into an age of democracy and change a few years later. A man who survived an assassination attempt, yet never personally subscribed to gun control afterwards. He took on world aggression in places like Libya, Central America and Grenada. He redefined us as a nation...

He was the man for that time and place, he was what we wanted...what we needed to move forward, and he did a great deal of this through communication.

It did not hurt that he had been a Hollywood movie and TV star when it came to campaigning and politics. His guile and charm were effective in diffusing the most aggressive opponent in conversation and often the public as well. He could speak like very few others in that Oval Office...his calming voice and steady demeanor on camera was usually enough to disarm an audience, but his wit and humor was always present in his toolbox as well...



The story told was about how Reagan learned at a young age the importance of limiting your words to what was appropriate to the environment you were speaking in. Born in 1911 in Iowa, Reagan grew up long before air conditioning was commonplace like it is today. It gets hot in the summers in the Midwest, as in other places, and buildings can get quite stuffy when occupied on such days. It was just such a day that a young Ronald found himself sitting, sweating in his families church. After the usual invocation and singing of hymns at the beginning of the service, the pastor got up to give his sermon. It went, and I quote the story..."It is hotter in Hades", and sat back down.

Thinking back on some of the speaches and answers I remember from Reagan and seeing on the web, he must have taken this lesson to heart. It is sometimes much easier, simpler and more effective to let your audience figure out the message on their own without spoon feeding it to them.

President Reagan was a man, a man for his time and we were damn lucky to have him. He was not without his faults, none of us are. But unlike many of us he rose above those faults and found a way to reach others and do what had to be done being that man for his time and place. Thank you Ronald Reagan.

Rest in Peace Mr. President.

The Polish P64 9X18 Makarov: Guest review by Thernlund of We The Armed

Do you like garage sales? Generally, I don’t frequent them much, but every year my HOA hosts one for our community that we participate in.  I will usually wonder off and visit other garages to see what my neighbors are getting rid of.  It amazes me the things people get rid of that other people snatch up in a heart beat.  Its true with garage sales and its true with firearms as well. 
There is an entire niche in the gunnie world dedicated to the military surplus firearm.  Collectors will go to great lengths to acquire rare and valuable military firearms of a long gone era….and sometimes not so valuable cast offs of former cold war enemies as well.  Many of us have various former Eastern Bloc weapons in our possession.  The end of the Cold War signaled the beginning of the exodus of thousands and thousands of firearms stored away in bunkers to support the next world war onto the international market.  Converted AK’s, SKS’, Mosin-Nagants, Tokarevs and others were soon ripe for the plucking by Western shooters curious about not only their foreign design but also the mystique of weapons long held as “taboo” in Western shooting environments.
Found a very interesting review on one of these type of weapons on the We The Armed Forums today by another member who goes by the handle Thernlund on the boards there.  He goes into quite and in depth and excellent review of the Polish P64 pistol.  He has given me permission to reprint it in full here.  The link to the original forum thread is here.
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Last week I posted that I was going to, and did, pick up a couple Polish P64 pistols from J&G Sales. This past weekend I got the out to the range for some trying out. Here's a full report.
The P64 is very comparable to the Walther PPK. In fact, it's nearly the same pistol, just in a different caliber. The pistol is chambered in 9x18 Makarov, which is between 9mm and .380 in size and power, with it being marginally closer to .380 in the power department, akin to a .380 +P.
I picked two of these pistols up at J&G for $179 and $199, with the more expensive one being a "hand select".

The image above is of the "standard" variety. The "hand select" pistol is identical except for a near-perfect finish. This pistol I am
sending out today to Joe at Crusader for a Cerakote finish. There will be before and after images.
History and fit/finish
The official word is that the P64 was designed independently from the ground up in Poland by the Polish Army. However, given the political climate in that part of the world at that time, the unofficial word is that the P64 is really just a copy of the PPK with a few tweaks. Even my wife, who is not adept in identifying guns, almost immediately identified these pistols as the iconic PPK. Of course I corrected her, but her on-sight assumptions speak to the similarities between the P64 and the PPK. I personally believe the P64 to be a commie knock-off of the PPK.
That said, these pistols are remarkably well made, to say they least. The fit and finish is pretty damn good for a commie knock-off gun. No rattle, not hard corners, smooth and curvy. They... are... nice. Go so far as to hard chrome one of these puppies and it would be sexier than ever.

In the hand
There are some very common complaints about this pistol. The double-action trigger and the recoil being the top two.
The DA trigger is ridiculously heavy. I personally have never experienced such a heavy pull. Reports vary, but the pull is likely right around 25lbs, with the break nearly 30lbs. It's not a rough pull necessarily, and in that regard (smoothness) the trigger isn't atrocious I guess. But you pull 25lbs with your index finger and see how smoothly you do it.

The SA pull, by contrast, is just fine. If I had to guess I'd say it's right around 1.5 or 2lbs, maybe less. It's very light, nearly hair.
As for the recoil, I've heard it described as "snappy". These must be better men than me, because I would not use "snappy" to describe it. Terms that come to my mind are "stupid", "painful", "not fun", "why am I doing this" and "stop now". My wife ran a 6-round mag through it and said never again. I ran 6 mags through it and my hand was still sore later in the day. The only less-pleasant recoil experience I can think of was with a S&W Airweight and full-house .357 Magnum rounds.

I'm told that this less-than-ideal recoil experience can be adequately mitigated via the purchase of a new spring kit. I plan to get a kit here soon and will post an update. If the recoil comes down to just "snappy", I'll be happy.
Another issue is slide-bite. A lot of small pistols have this issue, and the P64 is no different. If you aren't paying attention to your grip, especially if you have large or chubby hands, this pistol will try to take a piece of you with it.

Slide forward.

Slide back. CAREFUL!

This image was taken about 20 minutes after shooting. You can see some
bruising beginning to form on top of my hand. As well, you can make out
two marks where the slide came into contact with my hand.

Changing mags in this little gem is no picnic. The mag release is a heel release and is very firm. To boot, the release is somewhat recessed into the grip, which can be the cause of many a separated thumbnail if not careful. It is doable with practice. But not ideal.


The mag release is recessed into the grip and can be difficult to manipulate.
Also not that this pistol does not have a slide release. In order to drop the slide one must remove the empty magazine.

At the range - Accuracy and reliability
I was straight up impressed with the accuracy of these little commie guns. The recoil did catch me off guard, and my first mag was less than stellar. But even so I was able to make decent 10-yard hits.

This is my very first mag through the pistol. The two low shots and one
high shot were shots 1, 2, and 3 respectively. As I began to expect the
recoil I was able to zero in on the 10-ring.

After I began to get used to the recoil (which I don't think you can actually do completely) and the tiny sights, I was able to shots in the 10-ring pretty consistently from a distance of 10 yards without issue.

My second mag. Once settling in, making hits was easy.

Speaking of the tiny sights, this is another common complaint about the pistol. However, I didn't find them to be problematic. In less than 6 rounds I was able to get the hang of them pretty easily.

As for reliability, I experienced no malfunctions. I was shooting steel-cased Silver Bear and the pistol ran flawlessly. I'm not a fan of steel-cased ammunition, but this being a commie gun (and me low on funds at the time of purchase), I figured I'd take a chance. Worked out fine for these little guns.

Overall impression
They hurt my hand, they bit me, they don't release mags easily, and the DA pull is insane... but I gotta say, even with the shortcomings I am still happy with these guns. For the price, these are an excellent value in my opinion. Of course, there's NO WAY I'd pay $500+ for one of them. But at the price J&G is offering them, I think they're a great value. There is a decent amount of after-market support for them to boot.
I talked briefly with the guys at J&G Sales who sold them to me and they said that J&G is currently sitting on over 2000 of them. As supplies decrease, prices will increase. So if you've been wanting one of these, act soon. They are C&R-eligible I'm told.

So there's that kids. I found the P64 to be a pretty good little pistol. I'm happy with 'em.
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Again, an excellent review.  Thanks Therlund for reminding me of the type of quality reviewing I should be doing myself on this blog.
As a side note, the practice of heel mounted mag releases is fairly common with European weapons.  The magazine is seen as an extension and part of the weapon and not as disposable as in American views.  The placement of the magazine release in that position is partially to force the shooter to remove the spent magazine by hand and retain it rather than simply eject it to the ground for a rapid mag swap as we normally think of on this side of the pond. 

Men and their daughters...and their guns.....

From the movie Clueless....

Mel: "If anything happens to my daughter, Ive got a .45 and shovel. I doubt anyone would miss you."

For those of us who are some little girl's Daddy, we can certainly understand that sentiment. My little girl is only 9 but already the words "cute" and "hot" have been uttered about boys in her school.

Not that I would ever entertain the notion of actually using one against a suitor, but anyone my daughter dates will probably know I am a gun guy before too long...If that works to help "cultivate" a more gentlemanly attitude, well, so be it...

A cool little tune about the same thing, thanks to my former Guard bud Eric for posting it...

The Browning boomerang…

OK, I want a 1911 again…damn me.  This will be what, the 5th one I will have gotten?  The last one I had (a nice Kimber) I sold to a good friend of mine as his first firearm.  No regrets but its amazing how the lack of that classic 1911 design in my locker makes me feel, well, lacking.  This time around I think I am going to go for something a little less expensive.  I just posted a review of the ATI 1911 from Madogre and he speaks very well of it.  I am also considering a Regent 1911 as well…both sell below $500.  Still the Ruger SR1911 is in the running as well, but the appeal of the basic, budget 1911 just has something so right about it as well.  Below, the ATI Fx45 1911, one that I am considering….

Just a little doomsday prediction…

As most of you have heard by now, the Obama administration seems to have the 2nd Amendment in their sites now.  Remember when Eric Holder went rogue the first couple of months and announced this only to have the White House issue a “whatcha talkin’ bout” style retractions?  Well, I think I called it then.  Holder jumped the gun on an agenda item the POTUS wanted to pursue once he went into lame duck mode or similar when he had nothing to lose.  The issue is just too black/white in most peoples minds to risk losing moderate or issue focused voters.  Now it seems with his popularity waning in the second half of his presidency (still sucky economy…where is that “change” thing that we were promised…) I think maybe that they are looking at some of those items to try and get something passed that is at the core of their liberal base.  The Arizona shootings of congresswoman Giffords didn’t hurt the cause either.   Not that this is any in depth analysis on my part but I see two things being hammered down our throats again…

1. Magazine limitations of 10 rounds again
2. No private firearms transactions, period.  All transfers will have to go through a FFL.

Well, both these suck.  People forget (or ignore) that quite a few mass shooting occurred during the last magazine ban (Columbine), and the right of property and the ability to do with said property as you see fit is well established in our Constitution.   Both are looking the Brady Bunch in the eye right now…..

Worst of all, this is announced during the ongoing investigation into Operation Gunrunner by those brain surgeons in BATFE.   Can someone say wag the dog…..

Get out there and fight for your rights people.  Call your congressmen and senators.  Donate some cash to the NRA.  Do something.  Just don’t assume that others will protect your rights…their YOUR rights to protect.

Third prediction….If high cap mags are banned expect a even more massive proliferation of this classic piece replacing the sales of more modern, hicap firearms….

Yep, the 1911 will be king once again (well, I don’t really think it ever got off the throne to begin with)…especially the “budget” style pistols like this Regent R100 pistol above…

CETME Goodies…

Picked up some stuff for the new CETME from Cheaper Than Dirt the other day and it was delivered yesterday.  They have aluminum G3 “waffle” mags (used) for an unbelievably 99 cents each!  Got 20 of them.  Like it was mentioned in the reviews for them, some showed some normal field wear and a few were actually new in paper wrappings.   It was also mentioned that they do not always work in the CETME as well…slight differences in specs between the two models depending on the receiver type.   It looks like slightly less than half of the ones I got will actually lock in the mag well.  The others either will not fit or need to be slapped hard to stay in the well in which case they are hard to get out.  Hell, I figured on this anyway.  I ordered 20 hoping to get 6 to 10 that would work.  I also bought 6 mags and a white (winter?) hand guard off of someone on gunlistings  (actually the same guy I had originally planned on buying a CETME from).  I think with a little dremmel magic I can get the rest to work (gunsmiths cringe at this point…don’t worry, only working on the cheap mags, not the rifle).

Other than the mags I got a genuine G3 cleaning kit, issue sling (good condition and it came with a bonus shoot through muzzle cap as well) and some Tula starter ammo. 

I was hoping to shoot this rifle with my friend Woody when he comes back into town from Minnesota next week but I am waiting for some parts from another place to get here to get my “bolt gap” (more on that later) into good specs.  

Guys with guns are like girls with Barbi dolls…its all about the accessories.