In the gun issue, as in almost any sensitive one, there are two essentially radicalized positions with most people not having anything to do with either. On one side you've got the NRA, Wayne LaPierre, and assorted loons and then on the other you've got Michael Bloomberg, Jesse Jackson, and the Bradys and taken all together about as much stupidity and over-heated rhetoric as I've seen since... well the last time anything touchy came up.
Now look here, if you think that the idea of putting armed guards in every school, church, or other gathering area makes any sense - you've gotten yourself seriously derailed. If you think you're going to persuade anybody that isn't already all the way over in your corner of the loony bin you've missed your calling as a seller of bridges. If you think you're going to gain any ground with somebody that knows just even a little bit about firearms by telling them that AR15s are going to shoot down airplanes and stop trains or that Mayor of a place where you can own a firearm if you're rich and/or well-connected but otherwise suck it, well you can have the other corner from Wayne. That is straight up political calculus.
Most people in the US do not get their knickers in a twist about firearms, one way or the other. They may look at an incident and think, "wow, that just cannot keep happening," but they don't want Bloomberg's version of reality or LaPierre's. People who own guns don't want to be shouted at that they're evil any more than non-owners want to be shouted at and called weak-kneed pussies and the ones trying to make up their minds don't want to be called stupid. That is straight up political calculus.
Wayne LaPierre and his loons and Michael Bloomberg and his loons are not persuadable. I don't give a damn how many facts and statistics you provide to either group - they are not going to go along with anything other than their pet hobby horse. You can forget them and for the sake of your sanity you should turn the sound off when either bunch starts up. You are not going to get reality based anything from them and your thinking is not going to be improved and your decision making will only be impaired.
This is an actually serious issue. This is not a "you didn't build that" kind of dust-up. It isn't about semantics and it isn't about what something looks like - it is about fucking carnage and it is about something important enough to be enshrined in the Bill of Rights and stupidity is not a guarantee of anything other than just that - stupid results. The only reason to have this discussion at all is to do something constructive in regard to a problem and that involves addressing goddam realities. There are realities regarding who can get guns and how they can get them, there are realities involved in what a particular type of gun is and what it does and why it does that, and I could go on and on and on about just how many things bear on this issue and none of this stupidity has any bearing at all. I'm sick of it and I'm sick of feeling as though any time I spend on this would be as well spent sitting in the corner sucking on my thumb.
You have a legislative process that is currently being driven by people who are ignorant of the function of a particular firearm proposing to deal with that particular firearm and people whose view of the Second Amendment makes it a suicide pact. This has got to stop, it has got to be stopped in its tracks. I agree that this needs to be addressed expeditiously or the populous will move on the the next hare-brained thing our pols get up to and it'll just hang fire and that isn't good enough, but - and this counts - rushing to do any old thing won't do the job, anyhow.
Ammunition capacity is a real thing, access to firearms purchase is a real thing, our war-like culture is a real deal, our mental health disaster is a real thing, the complete unreality around firearms offered up by media is an issue, the ignorance we inculcate in our children is an issue. We have very real things to deal with and we can do some things short-term and mostly long-term to address these real things. We do not need to be wasting time playing at people's fantasies.
(Yeah, I know - I'll just go piss into the wind and accomplish just as much)
Showing posts with label Guns. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Guns. Show all posts
Friday, January 11, 2013
Wednesday, January 09, 2013
Firearms Stupidity Continues... A Primer On Knowing What You're Talking About
The problem with this kind of discussion it its length. It won't fit a portion of a five minute TV presentation and it is, frankly, longer than most will tolerate in an internet posting. It isn't full of shocking rheroric and immediate points made. I don't give a damn about talking points and I don't give a damn about emotional appeals.
I'm getting increasingly aggravated by absolute stupidity put forward as a part of the discussion regarding gun regulation. When you get someone like Jesse Jackson getting on the TV and talking about being able to shoot down airplanes or stop trains with an "assault rifle" and not be questioned you've reached the stratosphere of ludicrous. Airplanes are in fact vulnerable to gun fire (and a well thrown rock) at take-off and landing and thereafter... forget about it and then... a train??? In regard to gunfire and trains, you could watch films of P51 Mustangs or P47 Thunderbolts shooting up trains and start to get an idea of what it takes. On the other hand you have complete idiots like Wayne LaPierre whose stupidity I can't begin to address.
Let me be about as clear as I know how, we do actually need to do something in regard to gun violence in this country. Needing to do something is not carte blanche for stupid behavior. If you recognize the insanity of things like our drug policies, our terrorism policies, our disregard of the 4th and 5th Amendments, and pretty much on and on in regard to law enforcement you need to stop and look at during just exactly what environment those abortions were enshrined.
If you take a look at post-Prohibition propaganda and our War on Drugs you can start to get an idea of what kinds of stupidity can drive legislation. The War on the Mafia morphed into things that bear almost no relationship to our Constitutional ideas of law enforcement which then morphed onto drugs, terror, general law enforcement.
Ugly guns have become the focus. There are two things that separate those guns from others - their appearance and their magazine capacity. Looks don't have a damn thing to do with anything - function is what is at issue. This is the part that somehow gets missed and it is the crux of any issue regarding any particular type of firearm, or damn near any object. If there is a problem surrounding these particular objects it is their ammunition capacity because their operational function is common with a huge number of other firearms that are not even mentioned.
The deadliness of a firearm has to do with three factors: its overall fire rate, bullet performance, and accuracy. These things don't have a simple one or two word description, they are in fact complicated issues which is why there are so many types and varieties within type of firearms. Whatever it is you've seen out of Hollywood regarding a gun it is almost surely stupidly wrong and done for no more than dramatic effect.
Starting at the back end of my list with accuracy you hit one of the most complicated of the bunch. Putting a bullet where it is supposed to be is a subject for an entire book. The factors are so broad and so variable that I'm not even going to bother with listing a couple and this is outside the interest of this article and an aspect to be covered under another of the factors.
Bullet performance is generally typed under ballistics and this matters in regard to what happens with a hit and in respect to accuracy that is narrowly relevant here. There is a very good reason people hand load, beyond getting cheaper bullets. What a bullet is made of and its shape matters, steel is a part of a bullet for armor piercing, copper jackets decrease deformation on hit and hold the bullet together a bit more, then things like hollow point to increase mushrooming of a bullet on impact bear on damage. Velocity and weight are large determinants of bullet behavior. Bullet energy matters and that is made up of velocity and weight but it is not the be-all-end-all. You can equal out energy by varying either weight or velocity because a high velocity light round can have the same energy as a slow heavy round but what happens on impact varies wildly within that equation. A slow heavy round will go through things that will shatter or stop a fast light round. A 30-06 hunting round at 150 grains and 2600 feet per second will do things an AR15 .223 at 55-80 grains and 2900 fps will not do. In Jesse Jackson's ridiculous scenario that hunting round have much more serious consequences than the assault rifle round. Recoil is also an issue that has to do with weight and velocity, covered later.
Fire rate is a huge factor in something like the mass killings we've seen. Semi-automatic firearms work by firing a round and loading the next into the camber with that firing without manually cocking the firearm. This is taken as the crux of "assault weapons" and yet that feature is accomplished in many ways by many other completely different firearms. A double action revolver mechanically advances the cylinder with each trigger pull, recoil is used to cock and chamber most pistols (semi-auto Glocks, Colts, on and on) and gas operation or recoil on rifles and shotguns. What that boils down to is the ability to fire as fast as the trigger can be operated and that stops when the capacity is exhausted and then the next set of rounds must be mechanically inserted and chambered. Being able to operate the trigger does not mean the ability to hit a target, the bullet will hit something and that can be bad. A couple factors matter and it isn't simple. The physical dimensions of the firearm affect how quickly it can be moved, weight and length matter in that respect. Recoil is the big one in rapid firing and this one is somewhat complex. Newton laid this one out a long time ago.
For each action there is an equal and opposite reaction. If you use contained gas expansion to send a weighty object in a direction at high velocity that container is going to try to go in the opposite direction. Thanks to the shape and rifling twist modern firearms tend to go back and up and to the right. This effect's dimensions are driven by the gas expansion, projectile weight, and firearm weight in resistance. Quite simply, when you fire the gun it is no longer pointed where it was and just how much it isn't pointed there is quite variable. (regarding Hollywood - if you could knock somebody flying with a gun it would knock you flying just as much minus the weight of the gun)
In the realm of a mass shooting the only thing that sets an "assault rifle" out is its ammunition capacity at one moment. It is the ability to fire consecutively a large number of rounds. If a person wants to do something useful in regard to an item it is important to address what there is about the item that sets it aside from others. It is important to note that addressing an item does not address any other factors that might bear on the problem.
There is a parade of stupidity on display from both sides and the issue deserves much better than that. It is not a simple thing to address and the consequences of stupidity made policy are horrifying. This is not going to have any sort of useful corrective actions taken if the persuasion is undertaken by assholes of whatever stripe. If you were to take the media representatives of either side and drop them off the edge of the world they inhabit the collective sense of the remaining populous would be measurably improved (on the spherical one). Lying to people who know better only makes them angry, which ever side you fall on.
I'm getting increasingly aggravated by absolute stupidity put forward as a part of the discussion regarding gun regulation. When you get someone like Jesse Jackson getting on the TV and talking about being able to shoot down airplanes or stop trains with an "assault rifle" and not be questioned you've reached the stratosphere of ludicrous. Airplanes are in fact vulnerable to gun fire (and a well thrown rock) at take-off and landing and thereafter... forget about it and then... a train??? In regard to gunfire and trains, you could watch films of P51 Mustangs or P47 Thunderbolts shooting up trains and start to get an idea of what it takes. On the other hand you have complete idiots like Wayne LaPierre whose stupidity I can't begin to address.
Let me be about as clear as I know how, we do actually need to do something in regard to gun violence in this country. Needing to do something is not carte blanche for stupid behavior. If you recognize the insanity of things like our drug policies, our terrorism policies, our disregard of the 4th and 5th Amendments, and pretty much on and on in regard to law enforcement you need to stop and look at during just exactly what environment those abortions were enshrined.
If you take a look at post-Prohibition propaganda and our War on Drugs you can start to get an idea of what kinds of stupidity can drive legislation. The War on the Mafia morphed into things that bear almost no relationship to our Constitutional ideas of law enforcement which then morphed onto drugs, terror, general law enforcement.
Ugly guns have become the focus. There are two things that separate those guns from others - their appearance and their magazine capacity. Looks don't have a damn thing to do with anything - function is what is at issue. This is the part that somehow gets missed and it is the crux of any issue regarding any particular type of firearm, or damn near any object. If there is a problem surrounding these particular objects it is their ammunition capacity because their operational function is common with a huge number of other firearms that are not even mentioned.
The deadliness of a firearm has to do with three factors: its overall fire rate, bullet performance, and accuracy. These things don't have a simple one or two word description, they are in fact complicated issues which is why there are so many types and varieties within type of firearms. Whatever it is you've seen out of Hollywood regarding a gun it is almost surely stupidly wrong and done for no more than dramatic effect.
Starting at the back end of my list with accuracy you hit one of the most complicated of the bunch. Putting a bullet where it is supposed to be is a subject for an entire book. The factors are so broad and so variable that I'm not even going to bother with listing a couple and this is outside the interest of this article and an aspect to be covered under another of the factors.
Bullet performance is generally typed under ballistics and this matters in regard to what happens with a hit and in respect to accuracy that is narrowly relevant here. There is a very good reason people hand load, beyond getting cheaper bullets. What a bullet is made of and its shape matters, steel is a part of a bullet for armor piercing, copper jackets decrease deformation on hit and hold the bullet together a bit more, then things like hollow point to increase mushrooming of a bullet on impact bear on damage. Velocity and weight are large determinants of bullet behavior. Bullet energy matters and that is made up of velocity and weight but it is not the be-all-end-all. You can equal out energy by varying either weight or velocity because a high velocity light round can have the same energy as a slow heavy round but what happens on impact varies wildly within that equation. A slow heavy round will go through things that will shatter or stop a fast light round. A 30-06 hunting round at 150 grains and 2600 feet per second will do things an AR15 .223 at 55-80 grains and 2900 fps will not do. In Jesse Jackson's ridiculous scenario that hunting round have much more serious consequences than the assault rifle round. Recoil is also an issue that has to do with weight and velocity, covered later.
Fire rate is a huge factor in something like the mass killings we've seen. Semi-automatic firearms work by firing a round and loading the next into the camber with that firing without manually cocking the firearm. This is taken as the crux of "assault weapons" and yet that feature is accomplished in many ways by many other completely different firearms. A double action revolver mechanically advances the cylinder with each trigger pull, recoil is used to cock and chamber most pistols (semi-auto Glocks, Colts, on and on) and gas operation or recoil on rifles and shotguns. What that boils down to is the ability to fire as fast as the trigger can be operated and that stops when the capacity is exhausted and then the next set of rounds must be mechanically inserted and chambered. Being able to operate the trigger does not mean the ability to hit a target, the bullet will hit something and that can be bad. A couple factors matter and it isn't simple. The physical dimensions of the firearm affect how quickly it can be moved, weight and length matter in that respect. Recoil is the big one in rapid firing and this one is somewhat complex. Newton laid this one out a long time ago.
For each action there is an equal and opposite reaction. If you use contained gas expansion to send a weighty object in a direction at high velocity that container is going to try to go in the opposite direction. Thanks to the shape and rifling twist modern firearms tend to go back and up and to the right. This effect's dimensions are driven by the gas expansion, projectile weight, and firearm weight in resistance. Quite simply, when you fire the gun it is no longer pointed where it was and just how much it isn't pointed there is quite variable. (regarding Hollywood - if you could knock somebody flying with a gun it would knock you flying just as much minus the weight of the gun)
In the realm of a mass shooting the only thing that sets an "assault rifle" out is its ammunition capacity at one moment. It is the ability to fire consecutively a large number of rounds. If a person wants to do something useful in regard to an item it is important to address what there is about the item that sets it aside from others. It is important to note that addressing an item does not address any other factors that might bear on the problem.
There is a parade of stupidity on display from both sides and the issue deserves much better than that. It is not a simple thing to address and the consequences of stupidity made policy are horrifying. This is not going to have any sort of useful corrective actions taken if the persuasion is undertaken by assholes of whatever stripe. If you were to take the media representatives of either side and drop them off the edge of the world they inhabit the collective sense of the remaining populous would be measurably improved (on the spherical one). Lying to people who know better only makes them angry, which ever side you fall on.
Friday, January 04, 2013
Shouldn't We Talk In Reality About Guns?
Just suppose now that Sandy Hook has been more than a couple days ago we talk about firearms with some kind of emphasis on facts about the guns at issue? Make no mistake at this outset, I'm horrified by the terror inflicted on those children and I have no intention, whatever, of doing "talking points" in this discussion. I want to address the absolute ignorance that's been on display about the actual articles in question.
Let's start out with this theme of "death dealing machines that are useless for hunting." Big game rifles are just exactly "death dealing machines." Their intent is the "one shot - one kill." While that may not always happen, they are designed to be powerful and accurate and to kill things the size of or larger than humans quite efficiently. Hunting rounds will defeat most body armor because that is what they are designed to do, get in and do damage even with a less than optimal shot.
There is a lot of misused terminology surrounding "assault rifles," the first being the term. They look like the military assault weapon but they are not that thing. They are not "automatic," which is a machine gun type operation, they are semi-automatic which means each trigger pull fires one round and chambers the next. Semi-automatic is just that, fire and load a round and it is scarcely applicable to only "assault weapons." Many hunting rifles are semi-automatic. In point of actual fact in regards to function, all double-action revolvers are semi-automatic. Yes, the round cylinder six shooters are semi-automatic.
None of this is to minimize the deadliness of rifles, or for that matter any firearm. A B-B gun might kill someone, a rim fire .22 certainly can. An "assault rifle" is deadly, just as any fire arm is. The appearance of the firearm is not what makes it deadly. What matters is the realities of how a gun functions, not what it looks like as far as how much damage it can do. Semi-automatic or self-loading increases the firing rate. Just how much of an increase has a lot to do with the shooter and making a lot of noise doesn't mean you hit anything. Thanks to weapon recoil the chances go way down as fire rate goes up - no matter how skilled the operator.
Ammunition capacity may well be one of the things that is addressable in regards to firearms that has nothing to do with the bullshit of appearances. In many states that have rifle or center-fire hunting there is a limit on ammunition capacity, typically 5 rounds for big game. They don't care what the gun looks like or if it is semi-automatic, they care that the caliber will do the job and that it doesn't carry a boatload of ammo. In regard to assault weapons the one thing that applies to most is the detachable magazine, which in stock form is 10 rounds. It takes time to eject a magazine and load one and cock the weapon, during which the firearm is nothing more than a club. Yes, in a semi-automatic the first round in an empty gun must be manually loaded with a cocking mechanism. The detachable magazine is not exclusive to "assault weapons."
As far as the utility of "assault rifles" in hunting goes, they would not be my choice for big game because they are underpowered for that application. A properly placed .22 rimfire will do the job, but that qualification means in practicality it isn't a good choice and the same applies to the assault rifles. Small game and varmits are another thing completely, as is target shooting. The AR-15 "assault rifle" is the gun of choice for National Match shooting. I used an M-1 Garrand for it as many do, but for reasons beyon this discussion the AR-15 is superior.
I have owned all sorts of rifles and handguns and still do. One reason I own a variety is because I like a tool that is good at the application I'm using it in. I build my own rounds because there are a variety of rounds that are good for one thing and not another depending on how they are built. I wrote this article bacause emotional bull shit responses to a situation do not accomplish useful ends, those ends are served by starting from facts and realities and addressing those.
Let's start out with this theme of "death dealing machines that are useless for hunting." Big game rifles are just exactly "death dealing machines." Their intent is the "one shot - one kill." While that may not always happen, they are designed to be powerful and accurate and to kill things the size of or larger than humans quite efficiently. Hunting rounds will defeat most body armor because that is what they are designed to do, get in and do damage even with a less than optimal shot.
There is a lot of misused terminology surrounding "assault rifles," the first being the term. They look like the military assault weapon but they are not that thing. They are not "automatic," which is a machine gun type operation, they are semi-automatic which means each trigger pull fires one round and chambers the next. Semi-automatic is just that, fire and load a round and it is scarcely applicable to only "assault weapons." Many hunting rifles are semi-automatic. In point of actual fact in regards to function, all double-action revolvers are semi-automatic. Yes, the round cylinder six shooters are semi-automatic.
None of this is to minimize the deadliness of rifles, or for that matter any firearm. A B-B gun might kill someone, a rim fire .22 certainly can. An "assault rifle" is deadly, just as any fire arm is. The appearance of the firearm is not what makes it deadly. What matters is the realities of how a gun functions, not what it looks like as far as how much damage it can do. Semi-automatic or self-loading increases the firing rate. Just how much of an increase has a lot to do with the shooter and making a lot of noise doesn't mean you hit anything. Thanks to weapon recoil the chances go way down as fire rate goes up - no matter how skilled the operator.
Ammunition capacity may well be one of the things that is addressable in regards to firearms that has nothing to do with the bullshit of appearances. In many states that have rifle or center-fire hunting there is a limit on ammunition capacity, typically 5 rounds for big game. They don't care what the gun looks like or if it is semi-automatic, they care that the caliber will do the job and that it doesn't carry a boatload of ammo. In regard to assault weapons the one thing that applies to most is the detachable magazine, which in stock form is 10 rounds. It takes time to eject a magazine and load one and cock the weapon, during which the firearm is nothing more than a club. Yes, in a semi-automatic the first round in an empty gun must be manually loaded with a cocking mechanism. The detachable magazine is not exclusive to "assault weapons."
As far as the utility of "assault rifles" in hunting goes, they would not be my choice for big game because they are underpowered for that application. A properly placed .22 rimfire will do the job, but that qualification means in practicality it isn't a good choice and the same applies to the assault rifles. Small game and varmits are another thing completely, as is target shooting. The AR-15 "assault rifle" is the gun of choice for National Match shooting. I used an M-1 Garrand for it as many do, but for reasons beyon this discussion the AR-15 is superior.
I have owned all sorts of rifles and handguns and still do. One reason I own a variety is because I like a tool that is good at the application I'm using it in. I build my own rounds because there are a variety of rounds that are good for one thing and not another depending on how they are built. I wrote this article bacause emotional bull shit responses to a situation do not accomplish useful ends, those ends are served by starting from facts and realities and addressing those.
Wednesday, April 04, 2012
Trayvon Martin And Guns
There has been a lot of talk about guns since the Martin shooting, a lot. Anybody who has ever followed this blog know that it takes a pro-2nd Amendment stance - and that firearms are not toys. This is also a place that has no tolerance for bigotry.
There seems to be an idea that the ability to carry a gun brought on this shooting or that standing your ground caused it. As far as I can tell an idiot stalked a black youth while armed and caused a confrontation that he resolved with a shooting. If there is a question, it ought to have to do with conduct that whether it was bigotted or not was entirely reckless in its stupidity. It is real sure that if Zimmerman had been armed with a lollipop the outcome would have been different, but making every gun owner a Zimmerman is stupid.
I've read a bit about Florida's manslaughter law and it seems to completely trump the stand your ground statute in such a situation. I do not understand the lack of detention of Zimmerman in the face of what was obvious - a dead unarmed teenager engaged in lawful behavior. In the absence of what would appear to be reasonable behavior by law-enforcement one gets pushed into thinking bigotry.
I'll support right to carry and right to carry concealed, but while doing so I want to state unequivocably that there are outcomes to behavior. If you play goddam cowboy with a gun and kill somebody who shouldn't have been you're in a serious jam, really serious jam. If law isn't real clear about this, and I'm not sure isn't in contrast to manslaughter and stand your ground, it should be. It should be very clear to anyone carrying that use of force at that level involves real responsibilities. This is what is lacking in the Martin case and has so inflamed people - aside from what looks an awful lot like blatant race based... bullshit.
I find it pointless to talk about any bigotry on Zimmerman's part, if it is there - he's one of very many people. There isn't spit I can do about bigots beyond mock and condemn them. Bigots or anyone else who kill or harm people need to understand that the law is going to stomp a mudhole in them if they do so without real justification. What Zimmerman's treatment seems to suggest is that this isn't so, that law-enforcement hands out free passes to some in such a case and that encourages the kind of behavior that led to this pass.
I like firearms but I never mistake them for toys, they are dangerous in all cases and need to be treated in such a way. There is a reason that the first law of gun handling is that all guns are loaded until proven otherwise - it can kill someone in the blink of an eye and you don't get do-overs. Everything follows from that and legal responsibilies also should.
There seems to be an idea that the ability to carry a gun brought on this shooting or that standing your ground caused it. As far as I can tell an idiot stalked a black youth while armed and caused a confrontation that he resolved with a shooting. If there is a question, it ought to have to do with conduct that whether it was bigotted or not was entirely reckless in its stupidity. It is real sure that if Zimmerman had been armed with a lollipop the outcome would have been different, but making every gun owner a Zimmerman is stupid.
I've read a bit about Florida's manslaughter law and it seems to completely trump the stand your ground statute in such a situation. I do not understand the lack of detention of Zimmerman in the face of what was obvious - a dead unarmed teenager engaged in lawful behavior. In the absence of what would appear to be reasonable behavior by law-enforcement one gets pushed into thinking bigotry.
I'll support right to carry and right to carry concealed, but while doing so I want to state unequivocably that there are outcomes to behavior. If you play goddam cowboy with a gun and kill somebody who shouldn't have been you're in a serious jam, really serious jam. If law isn't real clear about this, and I'm not sure isn't in contrast to manslaughter and stand your ground, it should be. It should be very clear to anyone carrying that use of force at that level involves real responsibilities. This is what is lacking in the Martin case and has so inflamed people - aside from what looks an awful lot like blatant race based... bullshit.
I find it pointless to talk about any bigotry on Zimmerman's part, if it is there - he's one of very many people. There isn't spit I can do about bigots beyond mock and condemn them. Bigots or anyone else who kill or harm people need to understand that the law is going to stomp a mudhole in them if they do so without real justification. What Zimmerman's treatment seems to suggest is that this isn't so, that law-enforcement hands out free passes to some in such a case and that encourages the kind of behavior that led to this pass.
I like firearms but I never mistake them for toys, they are dangerous in all cases and need to be treated in such a way. There is a reason that the first law of gun handling is that all guns are loaded until proven otherwise - it can kill someone in the blink of an eye and you don't get do-overs. Everything follows from that and legal responsibilies also should.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Xe, Pronounced "Z" ?
I'm not sure if Republican, Halliburton, GWB, or Blackwater is the most toxic brand in America right now, but the right wing mercenary group Blackwater found a new moniker according to McClatchy's News & Observer and that is "Z" spelled Xe. Nobody at the company was apparently willing or able to explain exactly what that means other than a "new direct" for the company.
With Iraq refusing to let them continue to operate in their country and Congressional members calling for their firing from US embassy employments and a lawsuit they will now focus on training law enforcement and military groups a company spokesman said.
I'm willing to speculate about that bunch. You might find something rather Orwellian or Sci-fi in a name like "Z". You might wonder if the billion dollars or so paid to right wing Eric Prince not continuing to happen and legal difficulties and a black Democratic President may have caused a meltdown for him. Xe is strange enough even for a bunch as strange as them. Generally a name change is part of a publicity campaign, a new name is a branding that has resonance with the public. This thing resonates all right, but it is a really very discordant sort vibe. You find yourself wondering what secret society meaning lurks in there. I mean, really, you don't suppose this is supposed to be the Xe meaning the colorless, odorless, inert gas xenon, do you? In that case wouldn't it be pronounced "Zee Non"?
It may be hard hearted in a failing economy to wish these people ill, but real serious unemployment by that bunch would please me no end. People like them make me very happy to be well armed, especially when they're allowed to operate in distressed areas like New Orleans. I'm a tad concerned when the US government plows over a billion dollars into a private militia and gives them rein in this country. I don't have a bit of a problem with Americans being armed and even less of a problem with our police being armed, but government sponsored private militias do concern me, particularly when they're hard core right wing nut cakes.
BTW, anybody who thinks full automatic weapons belong in law enforcement's arsenal is crazy. Law enforcement activities always involve civilian arenas and that means that pray and spray is a very bad idea. Aimed fire is hard enough in stress conditions, witness police hit rates, without high volume fire rates thrown into that inaccuracy.
Blackwater, or Xe, is a dangerous entity, proven so by facts on the ground. Letting these maniacs have any governmental money is lunacy and needs to stop - now, not later. If you'd like your cops trained by the same bunch that murdered 17 Iraqis in one fell swoop with military weaponry and are now charged with manslaughter you've got some pretty tolerant standards. I don't.
I'm astonished that any politician that even speaks the words "gun control" isn't on this bunch like flies on poop. If you don't think after seeing the atmosphere promoted by BushCo that there isn't plenty of real nasty stuff lurking inside Z the 10+% who like Cheney will welcome you home.
With Iraq refusing to let them continue to operate in their country and Congressional members calling for their firing from US embassy employments and a lawsuit they will now focus on training law enforcement and military groups a company spokesman said.
I'm willing to speculate about that bunch. You might find something rather Orwellian or Sci-fi in a name like "Z". You might wonder if the billion dollars or so paid to right wing Eric Prince not continuing to happen and legal difficulties and a black Democratic President may have caused a meltdown for him. Xe is strange enough even for a bunch as strange as them. Generally a name change is part of a publicity campaign, a new name is a branding that has resonance with the public. This thing resonates all right, but it is a really very discordant sort vibe. You find yourself wondering what secret society meaning lurks in there. I mean, really, you don't suppose this is supposed to be the Xe meaning the colorless, odorless, inert gas xenon, do you? In that case wouldn't it be pronounced "Zee Non"?
It may be hard hearted in a failing economy to wish these people ill, but real serious unemployment by that bunch would please me no end. People like them make me very happy to be well armed, especially when they're allowed to operate in distressed areas like New Orleans. I'm a tad concerned when the US government plows over a billion dollars into a private militia and gives them rein in this country. I don't have a bit of a problem with Americans being armed and even less of a problem with our police being armed, but government sponsored private militias do concern me, particularly when they're hard core right wing nut cakes.
BTW, anybody who thinks full automatic weapons belong in law enforcement's arsenal is crazy. Law enforcement activities always involve civilian arenas and that means that pray and spray is a very bad idea. Aimed fire is hard enough in stress conditions, witness police hit rates, without high volume fire rates thrown into that inaccuracy.
Blackwater, or Xe, is a dangerous entity, proven so by facts on the ground. Letting these maniacs have any governmental money is lunacy and needs to stop - now, not later. If you'd like your cops trained by the same bunch that murdered 17 Iraqis in one fell swoop with military weaponry and are now charged with manslaughter you've got some pretty tolerant standards. I don't.
I'm astonished that any politician that even speaks the words "gun control" isn't on this bunch like flies on poop. If you don't think after seeing the atmosphere promoted by BushCo that there isn't plenty of real nasty stuff lurking inside Z the 10+% who like Cheney will welcome you home.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
GOC Shoot Sunday - Bend, Oregon
I don't know what connectivity I will have for the next couple days, as Vice-chair of the Gun Owners Caucus of the Democratic Party of Oregon I will be a part of this shooting event. This will be a fun, political, and a learning opportunity that will have some press interest and candidate presence. I'm taking the laptop, digital camera, and the video camera so I should have some sort of report for my readers. I am one of the organizers, along with Zak Johnson of Portland - and Chair, so I'll be busy and this place surely has no WiFi.
If this strikes your interest at this last second, event starts at 10AM Sunday Sept 28, go to Bluesteel Democrats for information. See ya later, keep your poweder dry :-)
If this strikes your interest at this last second, event starts at 10AM Sunday Sept 28, go to Bluesteel Democrats for information. See ya later, keep your poweder dry :-)
Saturday, July 19, 2008
New Reader?
It occurred to me after I put up the Democratic truck that I'd just recently done a travelogue and interspersed truck and travelogue with a bit of McCain bashing and that new readers might find themselves saying, "what does this guy think he's doing?" Ok.
I like to write and I like to write about what interests me and try to be interesting while doing it for your sake. (since the site meter says some people actually read this stuff) I like cars, or maybe more accurately, vehicles and I like guns and shooting and I like politics because they're important. You get what I've got today. Today I loaded 3600 pounds of roofing and tore off shingles and coordinated a political event and media and tried to get another one going - you get pictures of my wife's cool truck that I just spent the evening detailing.
How about a Democratic hand cannon? A Ruger Vaquero in .45 Colt, a modestly powered round? Nope, this thing will put a 365 grain bullet out at 1350 feet per second, 150% the weight of a 44 Magnum at just barely less velocity than the magnum's 1400fps. This pistol will reliably hunt anything in Oregon. It also pounds your hand. With standard Colt rounds it is a joy to shoot, well balanced with a slick trigger and easy to be accurate with. I stand firm on the 2nd Amendment because it is important and I bring that to the Democratic Party because I'm sick of losing elections over stupid stuff and a Republican mantra that Democrats hate guns. People like to talk about stolen elections; well here's a news flash - you can't steal 'em if they ain't close... (h/t to Mike - you know) Al Gore and John Kerry lost their elections over guns and that's a damn stupid thing to do. (really - consider George W Bush for a second) Go ahead and ask me why I'm Vice-chair of the DPO Gun Owners Caucus and why we'll go hunting those votes.
No this is not reasonable transportation, my wife drove this thing for 3 years, all year around, studs on all four in the snow, it has 32K on the odometer and if you're gentle with it will get 15 mpg on Premium - these Bush economy days it stays parked - a lot. It goes from 0 to 45 mph in 60 feet on a dragstrip, it's kind of like the world exploded. I spent 4 months taking this car apart and putting it together the way Chevrolet would have built it 35 years after they actually did. Unlike the muscle cars of yore this thing stops and handles. It's a 1962 Chevy II Nova, sorta.
Here's a funny thing, my Democratic friends, I shoot competitively and drag race with some of the nicest people I've ever met. The guy you just beat will help you find a replacement for a broken part or give you a hint for improved performance. These folks tend to vote Republican. As a construction contractor, shooter, and drag racer I'm a bit of the odd man out as a Democrat. This really isn't reasonable.
If you don't like these kinds of things, find out about them before you oppose them, if you want to talk about something like gun control, know what firearms are and what the laws are. Reasoned discussion is impossible from a point of ignorance. Economically these are Democratic voters.
I'm going to spend several hours with Ben Westlund Saturday, so maybe I'll have some political insights you won't get from MSM...
I like to write and I like to write about what interests me and try to be interesting while doing it for your sake. (since the site meter says some people actually read this stuff) I like cars, or maybe more accurately, vehicles and I like guns and shooting and I like politics because they're important. You get what I've got today. Today I loaded 3600 pounds of roofing and tore off shingles and coordinated a political event and media and tried to get another one going - you get pictures of my wife's cool truck that I just spent the evening detailing.
How about a Democratic hand cannon? A Ruger Vaquero in .45 Colt, a modestly powered round? Nope, this thing will put a 365 grain bullet out at 1350 feet per second, 150% the weight of a 44 Magnum at just barely less velocity than the magnum's 1400fps. This pistol will reliably hunt anything in Oregon. It also pounds your hand. With standard Colt rounds it is a joy to shoot, well balanced with a slick trigger and easy to be accurate with. I stand firm on the 2nd Amendment because it is important and I bring that to the Democratic Party because I'm sick of losing elections over stupid stuff and a Republican mantra that Democrats hate guns. People like to talk about stolen elections; well here's a news flash - you can't steal 'em if they ain't close... (h/t to Mike - you know) Al Gore and John Kerry lost their elections over guns and that's a damn stupid thing to do. (really - consider George W Bush for a second) Go ahead and ask me why I'm Vice-chair of the DPO Gun Owners Caucus and why we'll go hunting those votes.
No this is not reasonable transportation, my wife drove this thing for 3 years, all year around, studs on all four in the snow, it has 32K on the odometer and if you're gentle with it will get 15 mpg on Premium - these Bush economy days it stays parked - a lot. It goes from 0 to 45 mph in 60 feet on a dragstrip, it's kind of like the world exploded. I spent 4 months taking this car apart and putting it together the way Chevrolet would have built it 35 years after they actually did. Unlike the muscle cars of yore this thing stops and handles. It's a 1962 Chevy II Nova, sorta.
Here's a funny thing, my Democratic friends, I shoot competitively and drag race with some of the nicest people I've ever met. The guy you just beat will help you find a replacement for a broken part or give you a hint for improved performance. These folks tend to vote Republican. As a construction contractor, shooter, and drag racer I'm a bit of the odd man out as a Democrat. This really isn't reasonable.
If you don't like these kinds of things, find out about them before you oppose them, if you want to talk about something like gun control, know what firearms are and what the laws are. Reasoned discussion is impossible from a point of ignorance. Economically these are Democratic voters.
I'm going to spend several hours with Ben Westlund Saturday, so maybe I'll have some political insights you won't get from MSM...
Monday, June 30, 2008
Joe Horn's Mistake
Today Joe Horn was cleared by a grand jury in the shooting deaths of two people burgling his neighbor's home. The Houston Chronicle has more details but the essence is pretty simple, Mr Horn was in his home when he heard breaking glass, saw two men entering his neighbor's home and called 911. While conversing with the operator about going to see what he could do carrying a shotgun and being dissuaded by the operator he saw the men exiting and went out. He called out to them "...move! you're dead." and shot them.
The thing that saved Horn was that the men crossed onto his property where he was and came close to him, apparently causing him to fear for his safety and he called a warning. Texas law is not the same as it is in all states so not too much should be taken into account anywhere else. Horn was sufficiently in the legal right to stay out of court but he is said to be terribly affected and would next time stay inside.
Horn's actions were mistakes on many levels and he will have to live with that. It is impossible to state whether a police officer might have shot one or both, since that's not what happened, but Horn did. Mr Horn had the right to go outside, but doing so placed him in imminent danger from someone committing a crime. He had no knowledge of what risks he was placing himself in the way of to do something about a property crime. He could easily have gone out there and been shot by them for his trouble, over a bag of stuff. He could also have walked into police officers already in a stressful position with a shotgun and have provoked a shooting that way or have distracted officers from the criminals. What he did do was make this particular burglary a capital crime, the offenders died for it.
Theft is an infuriating crime that seldom gets prosecuted because the thieves are seldom caught. People are rightfully upset to have their stuff taken, just because it can be, after they've put work into the getting of it. That doesn't change the fact that it is just stuff, some hours worth of work to be replaced versus life that cannot be gotten back. These two illegal alien thieves are not disposable because of that, people have been known to change their lives and that cannot happen when they're dead. Maybe they never would have amounted to more than a waste of air, that judgement really shouldn't have been made in this case or forced to have been made.
Police are paid to know what to do and how to do it and particularly to keep citizens from having to do it. It is dangerous and foolish to try to do what professionals are paid to do. Had Mr Horn been in his own home and shot them in there I wouldn't have any criticism of his behavior, that is not what happened.
I have to admit that if I saw someone breaking into my work truck I'd be really torn about not stopping it. I'm pretty sure I'd make the 911 call and at the least shout out the door to try to short circuit my loss. What I am sure of is that I wouldn't go outside at the risk of my life so I'd have to take a gun and that immediately makes my stuff worth killing for. As important as my tools are to making a living they're not a life and death matter.
Please note, I do not know your state laws and you should if you have a weapon.
The thing that saved Horn was that the men crossed onto his property where he was and came close to him, apparently causing him to fear for his safety and he called a warning. Texas law is not the same as it is in all states so not too much should be taken into account anywhere else. Horn was sufficiently in the legal right to stay out of court but he is said to be terribly affected and would next time stay inside.
Horn's actions were mistakes on many levels and he will have to live with that. It is impossible to state whether a police officer might have shot one or both, since that's not what happened, but Horn did. Mr Horn had the right to go outside, but doing so placed him in imminent danger from someone committing a crime. He had no knowledge of what risks he was placing himself in the way of to do something about a property crime. He could easily have gone out there and been shot by them for his trouble, over a bag of stuff. He could also have walked into police officers already in a stressful position with a shotgun and have provoked a shooting that way or have distracted officers from the criminals. What he did do was make this particular burglary a capital crime, the offenders died for it.
Theft is an infuriating crime that seldom gets prosecuted because the thieves are seldom caught. People are rightfully upset to have their stuff taken, just because it can be, after they've put work into the getting of it. That doesn't change the fact that it is just stuff, some hours worth of work to be replaced versus life that cannot be gotten back. These two illegal alien thieves are not disposable because of that, people have been known to change their lives and that cannot happen when they're dead. Maybe they never would have amounted to more than a waste of air, that judgement really shouldn't have been made in this case or forced to have been made.
Police are paid to know what to do and how to do it and particularly to keep citizens from having to do it. It is dangerous and foolish to try to do what professionals are paid to do. Had Mr Horn been in his own home and shot them in there I wouldn't have any criticism of his behavior, that is not what happened.
I have to admit that if I saw someone breaking into my work truck I'd be really torn about not stopping it. I'm pretty sure I'd make the 911 call and at the least shout out the door to try to short circuit my loss. What I am sure of is that I wouldn't go outside at the risk of my life so I'd have to take a gun and that immediately makes my stuff worth killing for. As important as my tools are to making a living they're not a life and death matter.
Please note, I do not know your state laws and you should if you have a weapon.
Sunday, June 08, 2008
New Sheriff In Town, Cowboy Action Fun
All dressed up with no place to go? Cowboy Action Shooting requires an alias (Democratic Chuck) and period dress. I find cowboy boots uncomfortable and these are no exception and this is the first cowboy hat I've owned since I was a kid (you guess that was a while ago?) but it is a Stetson and fairly comfortable. The drawers are Carharts, work pants repurposed, and the string tie and western shirt - well rules are rules.
The firearms are the real fun, that's a matched pair of Uberti single action army Colt .45s with birdshead grips in the custom rig. In the left hand is a Russian Remington 12ga side by side hammered coach gun and in the right is a Chaparral Winchester Model 1873 in Colt .45.
All of the firearms are new makes of historical guns, clones if you will, firing smokeless powder but the beard is vintage stuff, home grown if you will. There's no particular point to this posting, just fun stuff that I enjoy doing. When you were a kid playing cowboys your cap guns went pop not boom and they didn't make metal silhouettes go ding nor did anyone keep score. Yep, it's silly stuff, but it is fun. It is also good practice and a lot more real than a video game.
The firearms are the real fun, that's a matched pair of Uberti single action army Colt .45s with birdshead grips in the custom rig. In the left hand is a Russian Remington 12ga side by side hammered coach gun and in the right is a Chaparral Winchester Model 1873 in Colt .45.
All of the firearms are new makes of historical guns, clones if you will, firing smokeless powder but the beard is vintage stuff, home grown if you will. There's no particular point to this posting, just fun stuff that I enjoy doing. When you were a kid playing cowboys your cap guns went pop not boom and they didn't make metal silhouettes go ding nor did anyone keep score. Yep, it's silly stuff, but it is fun. It is also good practice and a lot more real than a video game.Wednesday, May 14, 2008
A New Pal For 'Chuck for..." And Flintlocks For You
Jerry Huddleston and I are are fairly new friends. He is one of those remarkable creatures, a reasonable Republican. No, I mean that seriously (ok kidding him a little) and as a compliment You have to understand that my lefty Democratic enthusiams mean trying to convert anyone willing to stand still long enough to hear it. I doubt that I've turned Jerry into a Democrat, but he and I listened to each other and found a lot of common ground.I'm displaying on this page some of that common ground, firearms, and in this case they happen to be outside my shooting interests and well outside my budget.
Jerry is retired and living right here in Baker City, well he's retired in the sense of formal go to work for somebody, he's working for himself building these beautiful flintlocks as gun maker and engraver. I don't care if guns scare you spitless, if you cannot appreciate the stunning workmanship and artistry I'm showing you, you are dead from the neck up and whatever taste you have is in your mouth.I'm not about to set values on his pieces, if you think you can afford such a thing and can wait up to a year for it I suggest you contact him.
I'm glad I got the opportunity to get acquainted with Jerry, he is a smart guy, he pays attention to the world around him, and he thinks about it - and agrees to disagree when that's how it is. He also is a craftsman and an artist, two things I really respect as ways to spend time.
***Click on the pictures to enlarge***
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Gun's, Parks & Whose Rights?
One would expect the NYT to not disappoint with a chance to be wrong about guns, and this Editorial doesn't disappoint. Forty seven US Senators wrote the Dept Interior to ask them to lift the ban on ready to fire guns in National Parks and Refuges. The NYT, naturally, thinks this is ludicrous and backs their assertions up with misleading or inaccurate (lying?) statements.
Unlike NYC, I live in a 3,000 square mile county that is over 50% Federal lands and it is not a peaceful safe environment. There are bears, cougars, coyotes, and probably some wolves, none of whom seem particularly concerned with the NYT's ideas of peaceful and some humans find it a friendly environment for illegal activity - something they protect with weaponry. I am always armed in those circumstances, though in twenty years of carrying I've never had reason to take out the gun. There are places you cannot shoot, no Parks, that are near facilities, which is only reasonable - though I'd violate that in a second rather than have a fist fight with a bear.
Do you suppose that if their little daughter were being mauled they'd ask me not to shoot? In the interest of the peaceful environment and National Park's regulations? I'm sure they'd be happy for me to stand by as a disinterested spectator...while they did what? Tell the critter that it's not nice to chew on a human? At that point it is way too late to try noise makers or safe camping or hiking practices, it's down to brute force and a gun trumps a stick.
It is a simple enough matter to regulate hunting and shooting, it's been done for quite some time and seems to be pretty effective, regulating carry in the wild is another issue altogether. One that NYT apparently is incompetent to speak to, though their First Amendment right doesn't allow for disqualifying them for stupidity, funny how that works.
There is nothing confusing about the distinction between federal lands where hunting is allowed and national parks, where hunting is not. (Nor should someone who is confused by the difference be carrying a loaded weapon.) It is also no burden to unload a rifle and slip it into a case before, say, driving through Yellowstone.Apparently, they've never been anywhere, it is pretty simple to tell Central Parks ends at the skyscrapers, that is not the case where refuges and parks abut unregulated Federal land, which is much more the rule than the exception. This piece is about inadvertent violations, since the NYT doesn't like guns it would fit their agenda to have your firearm confiscated and you charged for crossing an unmarked border in the wilds. That isn't what it's really about, the Senator's letter states, "... this rule infringes on gun owners’ rights and is “confusing, burdensome and unnecessary.” The NYT's view is:
The senators who signed this letter — led by Mike Crapo, an Idaho Republican, and Max Baucus, a Montana Democrat — insist that the federal government is infringing upon the gun-carrying rights granted by some states. As so often happens when guns are in question, the senators have forgotten to insist upon the rights of the vast majority of citizens, who choose not to carry guns.Now, I've read the BOR and I cannot find a guarantee of the right to not see guns, in fact I can't find anything that assures anyone any rights about arms other than the Second Amendment. Where hunting is banned or otherwise regulated doing something else is illegal, you face sanctions you won't like. If you start shooting up cans or something where recreational shooting is banned, you have a legal problem. As for "peaceful preserves" the NYT either hasn't watched one of the nature shows or the news, these are not your public library animals are busy doing animal things - some quite dangerous to humans - and some humans can't seem to manage ethics or law. A packed away or disabled firearm is not self-protection - it's luggage.
They also appear to have forgotten that national parks and refuges are federal lands, set aside as peaceful preserves for all the species that enjoy them, including humans. Ready-to-fire guns have no place in them.
Unlike NYC, I live in a 3,000 square mile county that is over 50% Federal lands and it is not a peaceful safe environment. There are bears, cougars, coyotes, and probably some wolves, none of whom seem particularly concerned with the NYT's ideas of peaceful and some humans find it a friendly environment for illegal activity - something they protect with weaponry. I am always armed in those circumstances, though in twenty years of carrying I've never had reason to take out the gun. There are places you cannot shoot, no Parks, that are near facilities, which is only reasonable - though I'd violate that in a second rather than have a fist fight with a bear.
Do you suppose that if their little daughter were being mauled they'd ask me not to shoot? In the interest of the peaceful environment and National Park's regulations? I'm sure they'd be happy for me to stand by as a disinterested spectator...while they did what? Tell the critter that it's not nice to chew on a human? At that point it is way too late to try noise makers or safe camping or hiking practices, it's down to brute force and a gun trumps a stick.
It is a simple enough matter to regulate hunting and shooting, it's been done for quite some time and seems to be pretty effective, regulating carry in the wild is another issue altogether. One that NYT apparently is incompetent to speak to, though their First Amendment right doesn't allow for disqualifying them for stupidity, funny how that works.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Hot Rod Re-loads For Vaquero .45 Colt and Ruger No1 45-70
****Despite the title, some of you are coming in from searches for entirely other firearms. These are specialize firearms and this data is completely dangerous in other firearms****
Hot rodding loads is a very iffy proposition taken from the pressure capabilities of a firearm and the published load data pressures. Due to liability concerns both numbers are safe and reliable along with a built in safety margin. A good condition firearm loaded to the published maximum load table for that firearm is safe, well within a margin of minor loading errors and temperature effects. Exceeding load table data is something to be done with great care, if at all. I do not recommend doing it and anyone who does so should be aware of the risks, starting with a damaged firearm and going to serious injury and death. If that does not scare you...
I have a Ruger Vaquero in .45 Colt with 5.5 inch barrel, a new and very nicely put together revolver. A local company, Oregon Trail Bullet Co makes Lazer Cast bullets, these particular cast bullets are .452 diameter 360 grain gas checked with copper base semi-wad cutters. Gas checking is accomplished with o-rings and the lead is silver alloyed to increase hardness without brittleness. The load tables call for a max load of 22.5 grains H110 with a velocity of 1221 fps. Brass was once fired PMC +P and CCI Magnum Pistol Primers. This round is a handful and I have very strong and tough hands. I have a hammer bite mark on the back of my hand just off the side of my thumb, I shoot single handed. These are very intense rounds, at twenty five yards the round went through the tread face of a steel belted semi tire (10-22) and out the tread on the opposing side at the max diameter (approx 40 inches), tearing a half-dollar sized hole. That might be enough.
I moved the loads up by 0.5 grains to a total of 24 grains. I built each of those 0.5 grain increases and fired them by one round loads each firing from the first increase and checked each round carefully for case condition, bulged primer or case or any signs of cracking and during extraction whether there was any sticking. The cases showed no sign of damage although the extractor rod was required for removal on the 23.5 & 24 grain loads, the push required was minimal. Let me be very clear, this revolver is in known new condition and was checked with each firing and temperatures were just below 40F. These rounds are a very intense shooting experience, the Bisley design makes ordinary heavy load recoil much more manageable than other designs, at the max table load barrel climb is extreme, note the hammer bite. The two upper over loads result in not only that extreme muzzle climb but also in the revolver winding up turned on its side from barrel twist rate. This makes a second shot time consuming and difficult. Note that I shoot single handed, though I am doubtful a two handed grip would make any appreciable difference. I don't think the overloads are needed, the penetration demonstrated by the max loads is sufficient for anything short of grizzly or Alaskan Browns, unless as a last measure. The bullet manufacturer tested this round at its max load and achieved 26 inches penetration in a ballistic gel block. ****Please note this is a new model Ruger Vaquero**** the only other make strong enough is a Thompson Contender. If you own another .45 Colt it is important to plainly mark each individual round, I used black permanent magic marker on the primer base, these rounds will damage or destroy most models with very serious injury probable.
The Ruger No1 in 45-70 is a light rifle for its caliber and though short achieves that through the absence of a bolt mechanism, it is a breech loader falling block. This rifle is capable of high pressures, 50K CUP is the published data. The bullet is .458 diameter and the bullets I used are 500 grain Speer jacketed soft round nose. Per Lyman reloaders handbook for Ruger No 1 & 3 -ONLY - using IMR 4895 the max load is 57 grains generating 39K CUP and 1897 fps. I moved the load up to 58 grains, fired one and checked for case damage. The case ejected easily and showed no sign of any damage. The damage was all mine, scuffs on the back of my fingers from the lever and a nice sized knot on my right cheek from the stock, my shoulder only mildly tender. My reaction - Holy Mackerel. I was shooting from a bench so my position was not optimal for this heavy round's recoil. I was shooting at a 100yd target on a 200 yd range position, the backstop for 200yds is approx 240 yds, the bullets threw fist sized dirt clods and left holes in the ground plainly visible to the naked eye. These are not target shooting rounds beyond what is needed to zero them. I set windage and approximate elevation with standard 400 grain "any rifle" factory rounds, these are soft slow rounds, going about 1000 fps, they are quite capable of taking a deer. The hot rod 500 grains will kill anything in North America, the draw back is that this is a single shot rifle, requiring a breech reload after having the snot knocked out of you. Because even at a pushed velocity the rounds will not exceed 2000 fps the drop at 200 yards is considerable which puts dangerous game into fairly close proximity. An enraged Alaskan Brown bear can cover 100 yds very quickly, lacking a second shot would be bad. This is a beautiful powerful rifle but it has limits. The 45-70 is the oldest commonly used cartridge, a straight tapered rimmed cartridge which means that for resizing the cases should be lubricated, even with carbide dies, or crushing is possible. The penetration capability of a 500 grain round nose bullet is extraordinary and bullet carry after target strike is a real consideration, what is on the other side of the biggest bull elk is at risk with this sort of round.
If you will insist on trying these hot rods, be aware that they were tested in known new firearms of high quality manufacture and with CUP ratings vastly superior to other more common ones. Use of this loading in any other firearm or one of these in poor condition is a recipe for disaster. Best practice is to follow loading data from reputable loading books.
Hot rodding loads is a very iffy proposition taken from the pressure capabilities of a firearm and the published load data pressures. Due to liability concerns both numbers are safe and reliable along with a built in safety margin. A good condition firearm loaded to the published maximum load table for that firearm is safe, well within a margin of minor loading errors and temperature effects. Exceeding load table data is something to be done with great care, if at all. I do not recommend doing it and anyone who does so should be aware of the risks, starting with a damaged firearm and going to serious injury and death. If that does not scare you...
I have a Ruger Vaquero in .45 Colt with 5.5 inch barrel, a new and very nicely put together revolver. A local company, Oregon Trail Bullet Co makes Lazer Cast bullets, these particular cast bullets are .452 diameter 360 grain gas checked with copper base semi-wad cutters. Gas checking is accomplished with o-rings and the lead is silver alloyed to increase hardness without brittleness. The load tables call for a max load of 22.5 grains H110 with a velocity of 1221 fps. Brass was once fired PMC +P and CCI Magnum Pistol Primers. This round is a handful and I have very strong and tough hands. I have a hammer bite mark on the back of my hand just off the side of my thumb, I shoot single handed. These are very intense rounds, at twenty five yards the round went through the tread face of a steel belted semi tire (10-22) and out the tread on the opposing side at the max diameter (approx 40 inches), tearing a half-dollar sized hole. That might be enough.
I moved the loads up by 0.5 grains to a total of 24 grains. I built each of those 0.5 grain increases and fired them by one round loads each firing from the first increase and checked each round carefully for case condition, bulged primer or case or any signs of cracking and during extraction whether there was any sticking. The cases showed no sign of damage although the extractor rod was required for removal on the 23.5 & 24 grain loads, the push required was minimal. Let me be very clear, this revolver is in known new condition and was checked with each firing and temperatures were just below 40F. These rounds are a very intense shooting experience, the Bisley design makes ordinary heavy load recoil much more manageable than other designs, at the max table load barrel climb is extreme, note the hammer bite. The two upper over loads result in not only that extreme muzzle climb but also in the revolver winding up turned on its side from barrel twist rate. This makes a second shot time consuming and difficult. Note that I shoot single handed, though I am doubtful a two handed grip would make any appreciable difference. I don't think the overloads are needed, the penetration demonstrated by the max loads is sufficient for anything short of grizzly or Alaskan Browns, unless as a last measure. The bullet manufacturer tested this round at its max load and achieved 26 inches penetration in a ballistic gel block. ****Please note this is a new model Ruger Vaquero**** the only other make strong enough is a Thompson Contender. If you own another .45 Colt it is important to plainly mark each individual round, I used black permanent magic marker on the primer base, these rounds will damage or destroy most models with very serious injury probable.
The Ruger No1 in 45-70 is a light rifle for its caliber and though short achieves that through the absence of a bolt mechanism, it is a breech loader falling block. This rifle is capable of high pressures, 50K CUP is the published data. The bullet is .458 diameter and the bullets I used are 500 grain Speer jacketed soft round nose. Per Lyman reloaders handbook for Ruger No 1 & 3 -ONLY - using IMR 4895 the max load is 57 grains generating 39K CUP and 1897 fps. I moved the load up to 58 grains, fired one and checked for case damage. The case ejected easily and showed no sign of any damage. The damage was all mine, scuffs on the back of my fingers from the lever and a nice sized knot on my right cheek from the stock, my shoulder only mildly tender. My reaction - Holy Mackerel. I was shooting from a bench so my position was not optimal for this heavy round's recoil. I was shooting at a 100yd target on a 200 yd range position, the backstop for 200yds is approx 240 yds, the bullets threw fist sized dirt clods and left holes in the ground plainly visible to the naked eye. These are not target shooting rounds beyond what is needed to zero them. I set windage and approximate elevation with standard 400 grain "any rifle" factory rounds, these are soft slow rounds, going about 1000 fps, they are quite capable of taking a deer. The hot rod 500 grains will kill anything in North America, the draw back is that this is a single shot rifle, requiring a breech reload after having the snot knocked out of you. Because even at a pushed velocity the rounds will not exceed 2000 fps the drop at 200 yards is considerable which puts dangerous game into fairly close proximity. An enraged Alaskan Brown bear can cover 100 yds very quickly, lacking a second shot would be bad. This is a beautiful powerful rifle but it has limits. The 45-70 is the oldest commonly used cartridge, a straight tapered rimmed cartridge which means that for resizing the cases should be lubricated, even with carbide dies, or crushing is possible. The penetration capability of a 500 grain round nose bullet is extraordinary and bullet carry after target strike is a real consideration, what is on the other side of the biggest bull elk is at risk with this sort of round.
If you will insist on trying these hot rods, be aware that they were tested in known new firearms of high quality manufacture and with CUP ratings vastly superior to other more common ones. Use of this loading in any other firearm or one of these in poor condition is a recipe for disaster. Best practice is to follow loading data from reputable loading books.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
The Supreme Court and the Second Amendment
It has been since 1939 that the Supreme Court has agreed to hear a Second Amendment case, that one was US vs. Miller regarding a sawed off shotgun. The case had been decided against Miller in appeals court and the Supremes agreed to hear it, Miller in the mean time died, leaving no appellant, a moot case. The Court has aggressively avoided hearing cases involving the 2nd, and for the most part firearms rights organizations have preferred legislative fights. This has of course lead to quite a bit of speculation regarding why this issue has stayed out of Court for so long. The Washington DC case may end this long dry spell.
A lawsuit sponsored by Robert A Levy was filed against Washington DC by Dick Anthony Heller a security guard at a building which houses the federal judiciary administrative offices. Heller carries a handgun at work, he had applied for and was denied a permit to keep the gun at home. This denial gave him legal standing as an appellant to contest an arbitrary denial of 2nd Amendment rights. The lawsuit alleged that the Second Amendment is an individual right while Washington DC takes the stance that the Second only applies to state militia service, that the limitations only apply to the federal government, and finally that a handgun ban is a reasonable restriction in the interest of public safety and health. The three judge US Court of Appeals for DC disagreed 2/1, asserting that the 2nd is an individual right which allows for reasonable restrictions on people such as felons but that DC's outright prohibition and refusal to grant permits is unconstitutional.
Both sides have been spoiling for this fight, now the Supreme Court will decide whether to hear the case or not, known now as District of Columbia v. Heller, No. 07-290. The Second Amendment:
“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
The Framer's attempt to keep things simple with a single sentence did not anticipate the narrow arguments around language that has changed over the years and changes in culture. At the time the population could be described as primarily rural, in today's world most of the urban areas of the time would be regarded as rural, having a distinct effect on cultural outlooks. Another cultural aspect was the recent history of the Revolution and the rule of George III. The populace was quite familiar with the concept of a government expected to behave in one manner usurping the "ancient rights" of Englishmen. What the language of the time meant, what the writings surrounding ratification say, and what the English law antecedents say are not much in debate, the debate around the Second devolves into modern interpretation and agenda. This is a case where the use of specific language has caused confusion and the use of grammar rules well understood now opens the door to revisionism.
"Well regulated" was a military term meaning well equipped and turned out, today the term no longer is used in regard to military units, in fact only a single word "regulated" is used and that is in regard to bureaucratic rules being applied. Language has changed. The section of the 2nd regarding militias is a dependent clause which is used as a descriptive or explanatory phrase in a sentence regarding the independent clause which is the definitive meaning of the sentence. This usage is still recognized as proper grammar usage and sentence structure. This has not stopped the argument from being made that the dependent clause gives the states the right to arm their militia - the National Guard. Disregarding the incorrect grammatical interpretation of this clause as the operative wording this stance also ignores the definition of militia which was nearly all able-bodied free white men, not a State sanctioned military unit.
Over the years the Supreme Court has managed to avoid ruling on the Second, Miller was sent back to the Appeals Court and stood with the narrow definition of the Second being that the arms were of military utility and denying that a sawed off shotgun was such. Congress sidestepped the issue regarding full automatic weapons by passing a law which required a tax stamp, issued on payment and the meeting of essentially background check and also allowing Federal inspection of the weapon at the government's discretion - essentially a voluntary surrender of 4th Amendment rights. While this law is a discouragement to the ownership of that sort of firearm it is also not an infringement in the sense that an absolute ban is. An uncomfortable status quo was achieved. Firearm rights groups avoided having to take a criminal case to the Supremes, such a case has legal standing but would come to the Court from an uncomfortable direction, the current case involves a sympathetic appellant with legal standing.
The Supreme Court is now in a difficult position, if it refuses to hear the case the Appeals Court ruling stands and DC's handgun ban is overthrown, if it hears the case it must rule on the issue of individual right which has been the gun ban lobby's one refuge, unless the Supremes are willing to rule that public health and safety is so universally and inevitably at risk so as to trump a Constitutional guarantee. That is an extremely high hurdle to make and a demonstration that legal ownership is such a threat will be statistically very difficult. This is not a venue where the gun banners' media fueled emotional appeal based on the small percentages of devastation wreaked by legal possessors will carry much weight. This has obviously worked within legislative bodies and with a fair sized segment of the general population, but the Supreme Court is a bit different.
There are a multitude of reasons the Court has avoided this issue, public opinion and the interference with legislative bodies are all dissuasive reasons and rulings on very basic rights are of tremendous import, not ground the Supremes really care to tread. This is going to be interesting, and the fallout will be even more interesting.
A lawsuit sponsored by Robert A Levy was filed against Washington DC by Dick Anthony Heller a security guard at a building which houses the federal judiciary administrative offices. Heller carries a handgun at work, he had applied for and was denied a permit to keep the gun at home. This denial gave him legal standing as an appellant to contest an arbitrary denial of 2nd Amendment rights. The lawsuit alleged that the Second Amendment is an individual right while Washington DC takes the stance that the Second only applies to state militia service, that the limitations only apply to the federal government, and finally that a handgun ban is a reasonable restriction in the interest of public safety and health. The three judge US Court of Appeals for DC disagreed 2/1, asserting that the 2nd is an individual right which allows for reasonable restrictions on people such as felons but that DC's outright prohibition and refusal to grant permits is unconstitutional.
Both sides have been spoiling for this fight, now the Supreme Court will decide whether to hear the case or not, known now as District of Columbia v. Heller, No. 07-290. The Second Amendment:
“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
The Framer's attempt to keep things simple with a single sentence did not anticipate the narrow arguments around language that has changed over the years and changes in culture. At the time the population could be described as primarily rural, in today's world most of the urban areas of the time would be regarded as rural, having a distinct effect on cultural outlooks. Another cultural aspect was the recent history of the Revolution and the rule of George III. The populace was quite familiar with the concept of a government expected to behave in one manner usurping the "ancient rights" of Englishmen. What the language of the time meant, what the writings surrounding ratification say, and what the English law antecedents say are not much in debate, the debate around the Second devolves into modern interpretation and agenda. This is a case where the use of specific language has caused confusion and the use of grammar rules well understood now opens the door to revisionism.
"Well regulated" was a military term meaning well equipped and turned out, today the term no longer is used in regard to military units, in fact only a single word "regulated" is used and that is in regard to bureaucratic rules being applied. Language has changed. The section of the 2nd regarding militias is a dependent clause which is used as a descriptive or explanatory phrase in a sentence regarding the independent clause which is the definitive meaning of the sentence. This usage is still recognized as proper grammar usage and sentence structure. This has not stopped the argument from being made that the dependent clause gives the states the right to arm their militia - the National Guard. Disregarding the incorrect grammatical interpretation of this clause as the operative wording this stance also ignores the definition of militia which was nearly all able-bodied free white men, not a State sanctioned military unit.
Over the years the Supreme Court has managed to avoid ruling on the Second, Miller was sent back to the Appeals Court and stood with the narrow definition of the Second being that the arms were of military utility and denying that a sawed off shotgun was such. Congress sidestepped the issue regarding full automatic weapons by passing a law which required a tax stamp, issued on payment and the meeting of essentially background check and also allowing Federal inspection of the weapon at the government's discretion - essentially a voluntary surrender of 4th Amendment rights. While this law is a discouragement to the ownership of that sort of firearm it is also not an infringement in the sense that an absolute ban is. An uncomfortable status quo was achieved. Firearm rights groups avoided having to take a criminal case to the Supremes, such a case has legal standing but would come to the Court from an uncomfortable direction, the current case involves a sympathetic appellant with legal standing.
The Supreme Court is now in a difficult position, if it refuses to hear the case the Appeals Court ruling stands and DC's handgun ban is overthrown, if it hears the case it must rule on the issue of individual right which has been the gun ban lobby's one refuge, unless the Supremes are willing to rule that public health and safety is so universally and inevitably at risk so as to trump a Constitutional guarantee. That is an extremely high hurdle to make and a demonstration that legal ownership is such a threat will be statistically very difficult. This is not a venue where the gun banners' media fueled emotional appeal based on the small percentages of devastation wreaked by legal possessors will carry much weight. This has obviously worked within legislative bodies and with a fair sized segment of the general population, but the Supreme Court is a bit different.
There are a multitude of reasons the Court has avoided this issue, public opinion and the interference with legislative bodies are all dissuasive reasons and rulings on very basic rights are of tremendous import, not ground the Supremes really care to tread. This is going to be interesting, and the fallout will be even more interesting.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Ruger No.1 45-70 Govt Peep Sight
This rifle will fire a 500 grain bullet at 1900 feet per second and possibly more, I have no intention of putting my face behind a scope. So:
***Left click for full size picture***
This is a New England Custom Gun Service, Ltd #N-100 peep sight for Ruger No.1 and M77. The sight is a receiver mount adjustable peep sight with two apertures, 0.093 inch and 0.125 inch. The sight mounts to the rear scope mount point machining with two knurled knobs driving crescent moon dadoes into the machined rear scope sight mounts. There is a depression machined in the top of the scope mount point into which another dado inserts for positive locating. Windage is adjusted using the two knobs, the right has a hex head lock screw. Elevation is adjusted with a slotted screw in the top of the sight, loosening the aperture frees the screw.
The sight is robust in construction and pretty much idiot proof. It will certainly withstand the significant recoil of this rifle and looks to be capable of the insults available during hunting. The machining is precise, it takes care to align all the mating surfaces, it simply will not go together if everything is not precisely mated. I used the Ruger back-up leaf sight to set windage and elevation during install, it looks as though with elevation bottomed out the front sight will center at around 150 yds. NECG notes in its advertisement that all Rugers shoot differently and the front sight may need replacing - they also supply those.
The Ruger flip up leaf sight might be adequate in case of scope failure but they certainly are not useful as a dedicated sight. There are quite a few calibers available in Ruger #1 that would not make a scope an iffy proposition, but two things are in operation here, recoil and the amount of drop at the speeds these rounds can be fired at.
You will find NECG here. For more on Ruger NO.1 45-70 see this.
Monday, October 08, 2007
***Brian Schweitzer at the Oregon Summit***
Bluesteel Democrats has a nice little piece from the Oregon Summit, Democrats and leaders and officials getting together, about Gov Schweitzer, Montana, and the Gun Owner's Caucus. Here's a tease:
Montana governor, Democrat and avid gun owner Brian Schweitzer was the keynote speaker at this weekend's Oregon Summit in Bend.Go on over there, there's even a nice picture...
Sunday, August 19, 2007
DPO Gun Owner's Caucus, Grants Pass, OR
I am one of the Charter members of the GOC but I hold no office within the Caucus other than member. Zach Johnson is the Chair and he put together the shoot/caucus meeting in Grants Pass as well as the Daily Courier piece. Please keep in mind the generosity of the Daily Courier to allow UTube posting of their property and treat it with due respect.
Zach and I provided most of the artillery ranging from .357 and 9mm up to .45 Colt & for the stout of heart 45-70 Govt. A couple people actually tried out the 5 1/2" Vacquero .45 Colt w/300 Gr at 1250fps CorBon. The majority of participants were first time shooters or those of very limited experience, a large portion of the GOC had other Caucus comitments at the time. It is important to note that the experience was intended as a fun outing rather than a competitive style shoot, managing to hit the target was considered a fine accomplishment. Note to organizers (self, Zach) keep targets closer in next time, it's much more fun to hit it.
The video was published on Blue Steel Democrats and I've held off publishing it so it could have a fair run there.
Zach and I provided most of the artillery ranging from .357 and 9mm up to .45 Colt & for the stout of heart 45-70 Govt. A couple people actually tried out the 5 1/2" Vacquero .45 Colt w/300 Gr at 1250fps CorBon. The majority of participants were first time shooters or those of very limited experience, a large portion of the GOC had other Caucus comitments at the time. It is important to note that the experience was intended as a fun outing rather than a competitive style shoot, managing to hit the target was considered a fine accomplishment. Note to organizers (self, Zach) keep targets closer in next time, it's much more fun to hit it.
The video was published on Blue Steel Democrats and I've held off publishing it so it could have a fair run there.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Virtue Flats Vigilantes, Baker City
The Virtue Flats Vigilantes are the Cowboy Action Shooting club at Powder River Sportsman's Club Virtue Flats range. Tonight we had a night shoot, the first one. It was also my first shoot in this sport. It is fairly involved shooting and because a certain amount of moving around is involved the safety rules are extensive and rigorously enforced.
Because I don't want to get into the dress up part of the sport, wearing period clothing, and because I shoot single handed I am shooting in the Duelist or Gunfighter category. Now for those who'd enjoy period clothing Classic Cowboy requires it but neither my budget nor my comfort requirements put me in mind of doing that. My weaponry allows me to shoot in any of the classes and was acquired with that in mind. Some clothing is required or prohibited .
(2) 3 1/2 in. SAA Colt by Uberti w/Birdshead Grip .45 Colt
1873 Winchester octagonal barrel lever action by Chaparral .45 Colt
2 3/4 in. 12 Ga side by side double barrel hammered stagecoach Remington shotgun
double holster with 2 sets of 6 cartridge loops and 20 round load tail
all ammunition is low power loads to reduce target damage and chances being struck by bullet splash.
Target sets are varied as is the order of fire and order of weapons. Since I forgot my camera I'll have to give a written description of one of the sets. There were two firing stations 30 feet apart. The shooter approached the far (right) station and lays down unloaded shotgun and holds loaded rifle at port arms, at the timer's signal, cocks and fires at 5 silhouettes at 30 yards one shot left to right and again left to right (10 rounds), lays down rifle action open, picks up shot gun and moves to left station, lays down shotgun. Draw revolver, fire 5 shots at 5 silhouettes at 15 yds, holster, load shotgun, knock down 2 silhouettes (10 yds), carry shotgun to right station, lay down shotgun and draw revolver. Shoot 5 rounds at 3 silhouettes (15yds) any order hitting both at least once, holster, load shotgun and knock down 2 silhouettes (10 yds), time ends with unloaded shotgun. Scoring is by time with 5 seconds added for each miss and a "P" for any procedural errors. I managed to finish last, I wasn't doing too badly until the last stage where I lost the front sight of the revolver when my wind dried contacts blurred out completely and I missed 5 of 10 shots. I didn't mind whatever place I finished in, I was there to have fun and learn how to actually do this.
This isn't a rich man's sport but it also isn't cheap, purchased new the firearms will run around $2000 and factory loaded ammunition for .45 Colt cowboy action is about $25 for 50 rounds and this shoot involved over 120 rounds plus a box of shotgun shells. Dress will cost as will some accessories like a cart for holding long guns and ammo. Reloading is the most reasonable approach to ammo costs which will drop the 50rd cost to around $5 and used firearms are available. Now while I find this to be a lot of fun, I'd suggest anybody with interest attend a shoot and if possible borrow some equipment.
SASS is the organizational body for this shooting sport. Much more information than I've been able to provide is located there. This sport is strong on procedure and a large part of the competition involves an ability to stay focused while moving about and changing shooting order and firearms.
Because I don't want to get into the dress up part of the sport, wearing period clothing, and because I shoot single handed I am shooting in the Duelist or Gunfighter category. Now for those who'd enjoy period clothing Classic Cowboy requires it but neither my budget nor my comfort requirements put me in mind of doing that. My weaponry allows me to shoot in any of the classes and was acquired with that in mind. Some clothing is required or prohibited .
(2) 3 1/2 in. SAA Colt by Uberti w/Birdshead Grip .45 Colt
1873 Winchester octagonal barrel lever action by Chaparral .45 Colt
2 3/4 in. 12 Ga side by side double barrel hammered stagecoach Remington shotgun
double holster with 2 sets of 6 cartridge loops and 20 round load tail
all ammunition is low power loads to reduce target damage and chances being struck by bullet splash.
Target sets are varied as is the order of fire and order of weapons. Since I forgot my camera I'll have to give a written description of one of the sets. There were two firing stations 30 feet apart. The shooter approached the far (right) station and lays down unloaded shotgun and holds loaded rifle at port arms, at the timer's signal, cocks and fires at 5 silhouettes at 30 yards one shot left to right and again left to right (10 rounds), lays down rifle action open, picks up shot gun and moves to left station, lays down shotgun. Draw revolver, fire 5 shots at 5 silhouettes at 15 yds, holster, load shotgun, knock down 2 silhouettes (10 yds), carry shotgun to right station, lay down shotgun and draw revolver. Shoot 5 rounds at 3 silhouettes (15yds) any order hitting both at least once, holster, load shotgun and knock down 2 silhouettes (10 yds), time ends with unloaded shotgun. Scoring is by time with 5 seconds added for each miss and a "P" for any procedural errors. I managed to finish last, I wasn't doing too badly until the last stage where I lost the front sight of the revolver when my wind dried contacts blurred out completely and I missed 5 of 10 shots. I didn't mind whatever place I finished in, I was there to have fun and learn how to actually do this.
This isn't a rich man's sport but it also isn't cheap, purchased new the firearms will run around $2000 and factory loaded ammunition for .45 Colt cowboy action is about $25 for 50 rounds and this shoot involved over 120 rounds plus a box of shotgun shells. Dress will cost as will some accessories like a cart for holding long guns and ammo. Reloading is the most reasonable approach to ammo costs which will drop the 50rd cost to around $5 and used firearms are available. Now while I find this to be a lot of fun, I'd suggest anybody with interest attend a shoot and if possible borrow some equipment.
SASS is the organizational body for this shooting sport. Much more information than I've been able to provide is located there. This sport is strong on procedure and a large part of the competition involves an ability to stay focused while moving about and changing shooting order and firearms.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Cowboy Action Custom Gun Leather
***click pictures for full size***
This belt is custom cut for my waist and hips and the holsters are custom fit to the 3 1/2 inch .45 Colt SAA Ubertis. The load tail is for .45 Colt shells for either extended shooting, beyond the 6 loops each side, or for the 1873 Winchester by Chaparrel. The holsters are canted at 30 degrees for a draw that brings the revolvers to point rather than vertical draw. Trailsman Leather Co. of Baker City, OR - mailto:trisman@msn.com, Vern Trowbridge, for information.I chose the dark brown stain in a mottle finish and plain buckle & conchos as my taste runs to less ornamentation, the rigs are available in various colors and degrees of ornamentation, tooling, and fittings (shell loops, etc.) Vern will travel distances for fitting and option choices. This is high end leather work, intended for competitive shooting and authentic re-enactments. I have inspected one of his top end tooling and decorative option rigs, a thing of beauty and function, carrying a price tag commensurate to that.
Because I am neither a representative nor principal I will not give pricing, but be ready to spend several hundred dollars for a simple set-up. You will be rewarded, there is absolutely no break-in or personal forming required, the rig will be absolutely comfortable, gun safe, and ready to use the minute you pick it up.
Yes, Vern is a member of my sportsman club, the local director of Cowboy Action Shooting, and a friend, but this product would be worth this endorsement if he were a stranger.
For more Cowboy Action Shooting click this link.
Live From Grants Pass, Oregon - sorta
Since I'm the boss and we work 4 ten hour days, I decided I could find enough for my guys to do Thursday afternoon to let me leave at lunch time. Leave Baker City for Grants Pass and the Democratic Party of Oregon's quarterly State Central Committee meeting. The trip meter showed 430 miles and 8 hours to my arrival at Motel del Rogue, hosts Constance and Kevin Marr. The meeting is Saturday but I needed both a break and some time to relax after a long drive.
With the Rogue River right outside the back door and my Democratic hosts I have accomplished my aims. The place will be filling up with Democrats today so there will be ample opportunities for wide ranging political discussions and catching up on the doings of those far away.
Saturday morning the DPO Gun Owner's Caucus has a shoot lined up at the Josephine County Sportmans Association range and I've come well equipped for such an activity. I was torn, but ended up with (2) 3 1/2 inch Uberti SAA Colt .45, a Ruger Vaquero .45 Colt, an 1873 Winchester rifle by Chapparel Arms in .45 Colt, and for real umph the 1895 Marlin 45-70 Govt. For show-off my brand new custom double rig holsters built for the Ubertis.
With the Rogue River right outside the back door and my Democratic hosts I have accomplished my aims. The place will be filling up with Democrats today so there will be ample opportunities for wide ranging political discussions and catching up on the doings of those far away.
Saturday morning the DPO Gun Owner's Caucus has a shoot lined up at the Josephine County Sportmans Association range and I've come well equipped for such an activity. I was torn, but ended up with (2) 3 1/2 inch Uberti SAA Colt .45, a Ruger Vaquero .45 Colt, an 1873 Winchester rifle by Chapparel Arms in .45 Colt, and for real umph the 1895 Marlin 45-70 Govt. For show-off my brand new custom double rig holsters built for the Ubertis.
Friday, May 11, 2007
Virginia and the NY Mayor
The state of Virginia recently passed a law making under-cover firearms purchases by non-law enforcement individuals a felony. This might seem like a rather odd sort piece of legislation but its target is rather large - NY,NY Mayor Bloomberg (R). It seems the Mayor has inflated ideas of his status, he has been sending undercover investigators to other states to make straw-man purchases of firearms, an illegal activity under federal law. Now, I know little of Mayor Bloomberg and since his city has draconian firearms regulations he does have that agenda in his own town, I'll repeat that, his town. He has people violate or attempt to violate federal law in order to issue law suits against other state gun shops. NY,NY law enforcement or private investigators have no police powers any place other than NY,NY. The feds can go to any state to enforce federal regulations and within a state or other entity their own law enforcement has power to do so. Anybody else is committing a crime and the fact that the feds have not arrested and prosecuted Bloomberg's undercovers makes a statement about the exaggerated import of NY,NY.
The unequal application of law in this country is an abomination and while we see it all the time that does not mean we should be complacent about it. The motive for the commission of a crime has no bearing whatever on whether the act is criminal or not and the status of the conspirators has no bearing either. What matters is whether they have standing under law to commit the act, and Bloomberg and his accomplices have no standing outside NY,NY. Bloomberg seems to believe that he as Mayor of NY,NY is so important that he can send people to our homes to commit crimes.
If you think about this in a clear and rational manner and apply the Federal Laws that everybody else is subject to you get a rather nasty outcome. The Mayor of NY,NY is running an organized criminal operation in violation of Federal Law, that would make RICO applicable on top of the violations of Federal Firearms Law. He not only isn't being prosecuted, certain elements are lionizing him. You try this crap...
Virginia sent him a letter of warning, he doesn't like it. I do. Law means what it means, for all of us.
The unequal application of law in this country is an abomination and while we see it all the time that does not mean we should be complacent about it. The motive for the commission of a crime has no bearing whatever on whether the act is criminal or not and the status of the conspirators has no bearing either. What matters is whether they have standing under law to commit the act, and Bloomberg and his accomplices have no standing outside NY,NY. Bloomberg seems to believe that he as Mayor of NY,NY is so important that he can send people to our homes to commit crimes.
If you think about this in a clear and rational manner and apply the Federal Laws that everybody else is subject to you get a rather nasty outcome. The Mayor of NY,NY is running an organized criminal operation in violation of Federal Law, that would make RICO applicable on top of the violations of Federal Firearms Law. He not only isn't being prosecuted, certain elements are lionizing him. You try this crap...
Virginia sent him a letter of warning, he doesn't like it. I do. Law means what it means, for all of us.
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